MNcruisingcouple

On our Encore sailing in January, the Cruise Next Manager did a great job of explaining this. He actually said forget the idea of OBC, just look at as half price for the Cruise Next certs.

I wouldn't pay the a la carte prices but I would purchase additional packages on top of FAS/loyalty. Recently off the Encore and we felt the specialties definitely had a better food quality and attention to service than the MDRs.

There are definitely options for wines by the glass in restaurants. Really depends on how picky you are whether you'll be happy with the options. Personally, it wouldn't be worth it for me to upgrade just for wine with dinner. If you search, you may be able to find a recent wine list from a dining room.

I tried it because I love a spritz but it was way too floral for me.

Yes, you can use it at any bar/restaurant. Wines by the glass are available at dining rooms. I believe there is a bar at the buffet on most ships, but I don't know if they have wine by the glass (we don't frequent the buffet).

Another recommendation for Willa Jean!! I'm trying to figure out how many times I can get there in February.

You may get a bad bottle of bubbly in your room but that's it. My DH and I enjoy NCL but my recommendation if you're coming from Regent is, don't.

Thanks for that honest response! I'm glad you got what you wanted from your package.

So just curious if this was because you made the choice to drink what was included in the basic package or because the Premium Plus alcohols were not available?

I believe there is a Starbucks package. That may be of interest in your situation.

Thanks for the reply. I'll be checking the Prime Meridian bar in Feb but I don't have high hopes. The only issue we had a year ago was the Champagne. I think that will be on going on ships without a wine bar.

@ziggyuk Did you happen to check the Prime Meridian bar (between Cagney's and Moderno) for Champagne/wine? I believe someone suggested to try that. Honestly, we ran into the champagne issue a year ago on the Breakaway. Escalated the issue to the food and bev manager and was told it wasn't available outside of a dining room. Never had an issue getting it in a specialty restaurant but Manhattan room was another story (slow and frustrating).

Did you read the same review I just did??? Because that is NOT what the review says. Yes, it's challenging to get the Premium Plus wines outside of a dining room and it's challenging to get high end liquor at a pool or buffet bar. BUT that is hardly the same as your claim of no Premium Plus offering at any bars.

Yes, we've lived in Jackson since 2008 and before that we were in Sleepy Eye, MN, so we are very familiar with St. James.

If you enjoy seafood, the Fruits de Mer entree at Le Bistro is small.

Does anyone know what the issue is with using Taino Bay? I thought NCL purpose built this port, why are they not using it?

If you want to be sure to get into the big theatre shows on specific days and times, you may want reservations. But often, they have open seats if you just walk in. And yes, you can make reservations from your TV and perhaps from the app but if you can't get into your room yet, it's just as easy to go to the box office. Le Bistro- filet, Dover sole, mushroom soup. Ocean Blue- ahi and avocado, filet, grouper, risotto, cheesecake, key lime pie. Cagney's- filet, seafood platter, mushrooms, cheesecake.

Very easy to change onboard. Go to restaurant reservations right after making you show reservations. I've done this on most cruises I've been on, with up to 9 people and always been able to get the reservations we wanted as long as we were a bit flexible. Personally, we'd pick Le Bistro, Ocean Blue and Cagney's; probably doubling up the first two because we know the other options aren't our preference.

Just make reservations for the number of people. They don't need to know about cabin numbers until you arrive at the restaurant.

@jdvmd Thanks so much for posting those dailies!!

Thank you! Do you know if you can make reservations for the Beatles shows?

Do you know which days and time they have the large production shows?

I'd love the dailies also and to know about the music onboard. At what point were you told about the change to Amber Cove?

You may be able to resolve the issue by calling or using the chat feature. Or once you embark make you dining reservations immediately. And unless you have a large group, you wouldn't even need MDR reservations.

I'm specifically looking for which nights the big production shows will be. Do those change week to week?