oteixeira

In 5 more years I believe the dressy shorts will be totally acceptable everywhere (well, maybe not Cunard). Even the new Princess ship is introducing 3 levels of main dining room with different levels of "formality" on each level. They haven't said dress code in plain terms, but I am betting that is what it means. Any lines that require too much dressing up will have less and less clientele as people like me (in my 50s) who hate dressing up continue to become more and more the normal cruiser demographic in the next 10 years.

Sorry but a suite without butler service is not a suite (in a ship within a ship concept), and they can spin it however they want, you had no butler service in the Sky Suite. The fact that they are now over compensating shows they probably know it. Sadly, if you are new (as you are), this is how to NOT have a repeat customer.

He would have loved it, and flirted with any nice woman working the bridge....I still laugh thinking back to when he realized they could hear us in the bridge on that cruise.

Thanks for the photos! Not really anything exciting there.

LOL.....it's a live cruise review. The ENTIRE thing is her observations of the cruise.

Not in my opinion, We have cruised together multiple times, we are friends in real life. I know for a fact that she is comparing the retreat to the haven, in part because our small group of friends wanted to know if it was a viable option for us to cruise based on our likes.

She is comparing it to the NCL Haven as that is what they normally sail. Just trying to compare. The bigger issue for me is not going off script on the drink menu, that would have me a lot more flustered. I love going to the haven bar and saying "make me something fruity with rum, or make me something refreshing with fresh xyz in it".

I don't let threats run my life. I cruised on October 11th 2001, so if I was OK cruising then, I think I am fine cruising now.

I like fat ships and I can not lie! :D

Ask in the other place, I have a good link for searching that....

I appreciate your input. I already love the food, so this was my concern, is the quiet little Asian fusion place now really noisy and over run because it is the first thing outside of the buffet. It sounds like you didn't love it more because you sat there multiple times from the buffet. Could you comment on how busy the area was at dinner when you went?

The best way I can explain travel in NYC is there is ALWAYS something going on, so bake in extra time. I hope you still make your flight without issue. As for having money left over, Tina and I work real hard to spend too much, so as not to have this issue. LOL Thanks again for the review, I am still not sold that this ship is better then the Haven on the Away ships, and I wont try it as long as it is a premium cost over them, but one day I will get on a Prima class and check it out for myself. I still think my biggest disappointment will be the lack of a proper District bar. Did you go to Food Republic on this sailing? Still wondering how that compares to the Away class FRs that we love to visit.

Have a safe and great flight back to the left coast!

Again, I said seated area, it was much closer to 37.5% of the occupancy of the room. I think people have confused the number of seats in Syd's with occupancy of Syd's. I tried to correct that earlier.

I would just like to point out one thing, and I doubt it would change anyone's opinion but I feel it is relevant. I said that we took up 75% of the seating at Syd's, but that is not 75% of the capacity. The seating is less then half of the capacity, most people stand when watching a band in the venue. So, to be clear, at best it was 50% of the 75% of the venue that was taken. Again, I realize even (at most) 37.5% is still too high a number for the folks who feel this is not fair. Just wanted to make the clarification.

I wanted to point out Syd Normans holds about 150 tops, and they do 2 shows a week. So, less then 10% of all guests onboard actually get into the show at all, no matter where you book. So, while we all pay for it, it doesn't mean we all get to enjoy it, and the way they scheduled and built it dictates that, not us, or the level of cabin we booked.

I will answer this simply by saying there are many haven perks that are not listed on paper. I am not expecting or asking for them, but I do accept them when offered.

And we are allowed to disagree. I also get into the other restaurants at times that they tell you are not available or have no reservations left, that is another perk of the haven. You get what you pay for is what I say, but again, we can disagree.

On the Joy in Feb/March they let us go in from the Haven (secret back entrance) and each time we took up more then 75% of the available seating. Really small venue. Anyway, the people in line were not very happy, but in my mind, you pay for the Haven to get perks, and this was one of them. On Joy they did Rumors 2x, and 80s prom party, and one other night but I forget at this point... (and it was a 15 day cruise)

I love those little deviled eggs, I must have had them 7 times on our PC cruise. :) Enjoy!!!

Mudslide or Bushwacker?? And hows the leg/hip after your deck malfunction??

Now try to get Moet, I dare ya. LOL (Not included for us in Feb/March).

Yea you are, that squirty stuff attached to the wall is awesome!! :P

Oh that will go over great in Gen Pop. LOL

I have been doing the letters since before the shutdown thanks to Gary @Sthrngary, they work great, especially when lubed with a bill nicely folded into them to start the trip. ;)