linbobky

17 hours ago, brookie848 said:

I always bring some snacks from home (pre-packaged) with me since I'm a Type I diabetic.

 

I know it's not allowed, but on our last cruise, we brought leftover La Cucina pizza with us to Jost Van Dyke. We had the early excursion and it was good for a mid-morning snack to go with the Pain Killers. Another couple had sandwiches from the buffet that they brought with them. Later, we all ate at one of the local restaurants, but we had things from the ship just in case.

 

It can be done, even though it's not allowed. As others have mentioned, some ports are more strict than others. You may want to check on the ports boards to see if others have had issues.

you mean that laws and rules does not apply to you?

just my opinion, the buffet sucks. 

the fillet in le bistro is one of the best steaks i have ever had. it was on the breakaway. ask for ruby for your server. she is the best. enjoy your cruise.

3 hours ago, Carol1560 said:

I just returned from a cruise on breakaway(Feb 2019), It is a very nice ship.  I really think Carnival has better food.  The Breakaway has alot of "extra" pay restaurants and they make you think that if you dont pay, you are missing something.  I have loved Carnival's brunch.  I think the MDR on Carnival has better food as well.  But as far as the buffet, Breakaway has everything you could possibly want.

 

The rooms on the Breakaway are smaller than on Carnival is that makes a difference to you.  

You can order bottled water but you really dont need it.  Their water tasted pretty good.

You cannot take soda on board with you, they charge you 3.50 plus 20% gratutity for a coke.  I dont do laundry on a cruise but their is no washing machines, you can send it to be cleaned.

we just got off the breakaway 2 weeks ago. the food in the mdr was always good but the buffet food was the worst i have ever had on 29 cruises. always cold. but, what i think is bad some think it is the best. enjoy your cruise whichever you decide on.

On 3/4/2019 at 3:16 PM, happy cruzer said:

You are sailing from Miami?

 

We just sailed from New Orleans.

 

One big difference is the buffet.  Breakaway was set up like 4 short lines that were similar with a few different areas like a kid's food area.  The food was hot on the buffet, it seemed to be set out in smaller batches than Carnival.  There is theme each night.  Carnival has Guy's and Blue Iguana.  Breakaway has the burgers in the buffet area.  Breakaway also has O'Sheehan's for 24 hour pub style food.

 

The Main Dining Area on Breakaway seemed a bit more formal.  Guests dress casual but the service is quiet and professional, no singing waiters.  Again food seemed a bit better than Carnival.

 

You can not carry on water or soda on NCL.

 

Most of the rest compares fairly well.

 

Do a search on Breakaway and you will see some reviews with more details.

 

Good Luck!

we just got off the breakaway this morning. i know food is a different of opinion. the buffet was the worst we have ever had on any of our 28 cruises, on carnival and ncl. the food was cold for the most part. the mdr food was very good and the irish pub food was always good.  you will have to make up your own mind. happy cruising.

17 minutes ago, Greenpea2 said:

I wouldn't bother me. I don't think it's done very often. What's 2 more people having dinner in the restaurant one night? It's not ever full, from all reports. It's not like they are taking up lounge chairs or space in the pool. I think it's a nice thing to do for a special customer once in awhile.

have you ever stayed in a haven room?

8 hours ago, blcruising said:

 

Did Frank say they were pushing prices higher everywhere? Really? Maybe a little more attention to details and less blah, blah,. blah. Looks to me like NCL may have more last minute unsold inventory fleetwide than the entire industry combined. Management must have flunked out of Economics 101 - as prices increase, demand decreases.

 

Breakaway, 7-day March 3, $649 minisuite sailaway

Breakaway, 7-day March 3, $549, balcony sailaway

Getaway, 7-day, March 3, $2,299 Haven

Getaway, 7-day, March 24, $799 minisuite sailaway

Escape, 7-day, March 3, $549 interior sailaway

Sun, 16 day, March 16, $749 oceanview sailaway

Jade, 10 day, March 22, $699, interior sailaway

Dawn, 7day, March 10, $479 interior sailaway

Jade, 11day, March 11, $549 interior sailaway

Star, 14-day, March 30, $749, interior sailaway

Jewel, 7-day, March 29, $499 interior sailaway

Dawn, 7-day, March 3, $429 interior sailaway

Jewel, 12-day, March 4, $899, oceanview sailaway

Star, 7 -day, March 16 and March 23, $499 interior sailaway

Spirit, 11-day, Feb 24, $599 interior sailaway

 

 

 

we booked the breakaway 2 days ago for mar. 3rd. it was $299 for the interior room. so there are some good points about them raising fares. it is great for the people who can go last minute.

4 hours ago, h_blond2 said:

They were stopping people from entering when we were there in May. We watched numerous people being told that they had to wait until their check in time.

also they were doing this last month! 

4 hours ago, pyropoodle said:

 

 

I guess I mean in general, any main dining room, not just Carnival's MDR.  are there any that get you in and out in under an hour?

we were on the dream 3 weeks ago and had early dining. had a table for 4. the longest we were in the dining room for any of the meals was 1 hour and 15 minutes. our wait staff were great. and we thought the food was very good.

On 8/19/2018 at 7:58 AM, nwo4life said:

New Orleans no longer has a priority lounge.

they did 4 weeks ago because we sat in it and had coffee and sweet rolls. it was very nice.

41 minutes ago, GonzoWCS said:

Just got of the Fantasy yesterday 4 February 2019.  NO Refrigerator in Ocean View rooms...

 

Cheers

NO frig. how was the Fantasy after she got back from dry dock. we are going to the panama canal in sept. on her.

15 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Both the steakhouse menu and the MDR menu state:  "Maine Lobster Tail".

the menus have always said they were Main Lobster Tail. i have never seen spiny lobster tail on the menu.

CASH!

1 hour ago, shellster1 said:

Priority boarding and disembarking, too! It's so nice not to have to stand in those long lines with your luggage. I also love the guest services line. I've only needed to use it a couple times for random things, but it's a definite perk. My son loves the chocolate-covered stawberries, too. Ok, so yeah, I'm a big fan of the platinum perks!

 

we were on the dream last week and we never got the chocolate covered strawberries. who knows, might be another cutback. we might not cruise carnival again. LOL

4 hours ago, Shaded Lady said:

Not platinum and the first time I made reservations online in advance I waited 2-3 weeks to hear. This most recent cruise I heard back the next day. Both reservations were made 6 months to a year before the cruise... it seems that it just depends on how busy the specialty restaurant manager is when your reservation comes in to them.

we were on the dream last week and ate at the steak house on thursday night. we ate at 6 pm and there were only 8 people eating there. we made the reservations on tuesday and every time spot was open.

don't know what they are doing to her, but, we saw her high and dry in freeport last week. they were welding the bottom of the ship. we are on her in sept. for a 10 day panama  canal cruise. can't wait, but will have too.

On 1/21/2019 at 9:02 AM, Falckon said:

This recent article explains NCL's attitude on pushing the pricing envelope.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/what-recession-this-cruise-line-is-still-packing-its-massive-ships-out-123002593.html 

 

"Executives lifted the top end of their full-year profit outlook several months ago. And they disclosed that ships were already 65% booked for 2019 at higher prices."

i have been looking at cruises for this year and next. the prices have gone up a whole lot, compared to 2018 prices.

5 minutes ago, Redheadmama said:

We were on the Carnival Victory when the 26 year old jumped overboard.  We were late getting into port as a result and missed our flight.  I had purchased trip insurance thru insuremytrip.com.  Our plan was Nationwide's Cruise Choice.  When I called them from the ship to make them aware of our situation and to see if our plan covered us for the change in flight and hotel we would have to get I was told we were.  I went ahead and booked our flight the next day and hotel.  The total for the one night delay is $1500.  I sent all info to the insurance company.  Just heard back from them and we are only getting $300.  The original guy that I talked to stated this fell under trip interruption and we had plenty to cover the expenses.  The insurance company is telling me that it only qualifies as a claim for trip delay which is a maximum benefit of $150 a day per person. Well of course the insurance company is stating they have no record of this phone call.  I have been in contact with my credit card company and unfortunately they can't help me either.  What is the point of trip insurance if it will not pay for things that are not caused by the insured?  The supervisor I spoke to said that no insurance company pays for all expenses incurred.  If anyone has any suggestions on where we can turn to for more assistance, we would appreciate the help.  

what does your policy say about trip interruption? 

i havn't read all of these post, but if you must have table cloths, NCL has them on tables every meal.

1 hour ago, ljandgb said:

Thanks for the replies.  I did figure "free" was only free up to a point, LOL.  There was a long list of fees and charges in the small print, so I wasn't sure how much we'd actually save if the initial offer is for an inside to begin with.  It looks like it still may be worth it.

 

I would definitely prefer an oceanview over an inside, and smaller ships don't bother me.  I'm definitely more about the destination than the ship.  Good point about what tours/excursions are available.  I'm not one to just get off and wander about the town.  We like to go and do/see things.

also, you will get free drinks in the casino. and you will get free bottles of water at the casino bar. we are total reward members and i am diamond with harrahs. we also get 20% off on cruises we book. no free cruises yet, but one of these days.

my wife and I just got off 2 ncl cruises, one 11 day on the Star and a 10 day on the Break away. ncl has some of the worst cds ever. we have been on 21 carnival cruises and I on the Dream in 2 1/2 weeks. who ever we have will be a lot better than ncls. carnival has the best cds at sea. so, you will not have bad one, maybe, just not as good as some.

we were also on this cruise. i agree with you on the food issue. 

the cruise director on this cruise was one of the worst we have ever had. this was our 6th cruise on ncl. we have 21 on carnival.

there are good and bad points on both lines. 

glad you enjoyed the cruise.

1 hour ago, poz4me said:

what is the cost of the tour?

it was $95 on the freedom a couple years ago. well worth it.

2 hours ago, havanadaydreaming said:

I am thoroughly enjoying this thread.  

 

I keep my hair high and tight and I do wear ballcaps extensively on vacation, mainly to avoid sunburn on the top of my dome.  when I enter the buffet I take the cap off and place it on my knee under the table. 

 

I'm with the commentator above who hates seeing caps on the dining tables.  ick. 

 

 

a lot of people do not even know how to wear a baseball cap! some have them own backwards and others have them on sideways. i guess they think they are cool

18 hours ago, firefly333 said:

 

I think eventually they will add a level above diamond, like rcl, diamond plus? captains level, something.

 

I think when you turn diamond you get one free steak dinner right? I think one per cruise would be a terrific idea 🙂

 

 

on ncl, when you turn platium you get a specialty dinner every cruise.