Zippeedee

It seems there is a new housekeeping policy. I am on the Getaway now. It is day three and I have not met or even seen my steward. She is doing a great job, just invisibly. No introduction, no towel animals. I haven’t seen a single steward in the halls. It is just very different from my past cruises.

12 minutes ago, Hooked Already said:

At the current rate that NCL is going, how long will it be before Nationwide refuses to insure NCL trips?

I have been saying the same thing. They sent my claim forms for the Getaway TA today.

All messages update using the booking date. They changed the drink plan message but it still has the date I booked even though it is clearly a new message. I'm not saying it is right, but it is done for every message, not just this announcement.

Just now, Atlanta_Cruiser said:

Did it at anytime on your summary show that these were reimbursed?  

Nope, nothing yet. I've made a few changes, received updated confirmations, but the cost has not changed.

21 minutes ago, Atlanta_Cruiser said:

I am looking for information regarding the reimbursement of excursion(s) at the cancelled ports.  Can any of the NCL credit card holders provide the dates that they were reimbursed?  I would really appreciate your time in doing so.   

coryjocruiser@gmail.com or you can post here.  Thank you

The excursions (and my airport transfer) disappeared from my Summary on their website but I have not received any refunds to my credit card yet.

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Even assuming this meets a policy's definition of "trip interruption," it would still have to be for a covered reason (e.g., passenger was injured and had to interrupt their trip to fly home early).  But this was a voluntary act by the cruise line.  Not to get too off topic, but it would be interesting to know what policies (with whom) folks have that will cover the cruise line voluntarily changing the itinerary (that is, not weather-related or some other Act of God).   (I'm not saying they don't exist.)

 

 

Nationwide Luxury cruise plan covers cancellation of ports announced before the cruise begins. Waiting to hear about the "fine print".

40 minutes ago, purpleally said:

Trip interruption?   There will be extra costs for two hotel nights that were unexpected?

Depending on your state you can get port cancellation coverage. I have to wait until Monday to call and see if this qualifies for mine.

Cagney's on the Breakaway was inconsistent on the same trip. The first meal was delicious lamb chops, rare as ordered. Decent size no- upcharge shrimp cocktail, good service and seven layer cake delivered to my room for later. 

The second dinner late in the 13 night cruise was horrible. The worse piece of rib eye I have ever been served. Thin, over cooked, gristled and there was no angle to even cut it. It was like  dog toy.  Service ok but not great. The shrimp were so small they doubled the order without my asking. There were no strip steaks in Cagney's but they had been featured in all the other specialties all week. Sorry I waited. It made no sense.

Ocean Blue was disappointing as well. The stone crab claws (again order doubled because they were small) were stuck to the shells and tasteless. Nothing else was horrible but not great either.

My favorite meals on that trip were in La Cucina and now they have taken everything I liked off the menu! Hope springs eternal for better meals on the Getaway this year.

4 minutes ago, richstowe said:

Did I ask ?  Maybe we need to create a list of the secret items they keep hidden away so that they are not actually consumed . Is a secret code or password required for this small dish ?

Apparently! I read it here so I asked. It is the cruise version of "gotta know a guy".

2 hours ago, richstowe said:

Along the same lines, I was amazed that there was no smoked salmon served in the buffet on my recent Getaway cruise . They had a nasty lox cream cheese mixture but no smoked salmon . First cruise without it. 

I'm sure that someone will respond that they saw people taking 3 or even more pieces of lox thereby spoiling it for everyone with their gluttony . So NCL had to react . Pathetic!  ☹️

Did you ask? They had been bringing out a small dish so you could take a bit if you asked for it at the buffet. One way to keep people from grabbing the whole display full I guess. Maybe they even stopped keeping it behind the counter.

57 minutes ago, Wheeling TravelingMom said:

Sorry to hijack but can anyone confirm this for the Pearl Balconys as well. And silly question? Are there mini fridges in the room to store cream? 

You will have a mini fridge to store cream. Just a tip for decent tasting coffee and tea, use bottled water, not the stuff from the bathroom faucet!

Cruise Critic just tweeted this bit about Oceana. My first thought was "of course, vegetables are cheap".

@OceaniaCruises shares plans to introduce 200 new menu offerings as part of a move to feature more plant-based cuisine onboard https://*****/2IcEWVF  Think: avocado toast, kimchi soup and green curry stir fry.

Last year on the Breakaway the shrimp were so small they gave me a double order without my even asking. The waiter apologized for the size of the shrimp! I hope they are much bigger and worth the $4.99 now.

Quote: "We tried repeatedly to get into Noodles but didn't have reservations. Of course, 50% of the restaurant was empty but that didn't seem to matter to them"

After being really frustrated by the empty table issue a few cruises ago, I asked the F&B Director.  He said seating is based on staffing at the restaurant. If they don't have enough waitstaff, filling all the tables just creates angry customers who have to wait too long for service.

I had 14744 last year and never heard a sound from above.

I just checked it. 14732 is under the fitness center, 14728 is under the salon, right at the far wall of the fitness center.

3 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

 

if there is a tax free promo, let us know if the prices went up for your panama cruise!

Sure! I check every few days anyway. I've already saved $600 with price drops last month.

On 3/3/2019 at 5:51 PM, hilcadon said:

Is this the same layout on the Pearl?? Sailing in  April on a transatlantic and hope there is a pool for my wife and I to enjoy together . I already paid for the spa because we had sailed on the Breakaway to Bermuda and loved the Thermal spa and assumed it was the same . 

It may not matter to everyone, but ships older than the Epic have ladders only in the spa pool. Epic and newer have stairs. It makes a big difference to those of us with bad knees.

I liked the Gem, but I LOVED the Breakaway and I'm on the Getaway later this month. There is so much more to do and see!  In the Med you'll be off the ship almost every day anyway so finding quiet spaces isn't as much of an issue as on the transAtlantics.  Try it!

1 hour ago, fstuff1 said:

 

you would save a BUNDLE on a panama cruise. $500/per person in port fees/taxes!

That's what I'm waiting for. Just hope they don't raise the price of the cruise at the same time!

3 minutes ago, spanishguy1970 said:

I don't think is bad at all, is not Dom Perignon but is still decent. In fact, i believe they changed the brand. I prefer prosecco but hey i earned it as a Platinum plus member 🙂

Maybe you get better quality than us lesser metal levels? I gave mine to the young newlyweds in the cabin next door last year. I don't have high hopes for any sparkling wine onboard this year. 

It is hard to rank them because every ship and sometimes even different sailings on the same ship are different. I loved Le Bistro on the Gem and had a horrible meal at La Cucina, completely reversed on the Breakaway.  I liked La Cucina so much I went twice. The most consistent food-wise in my experience (though the entertainment/chef varies) is Teppanyaki. I have always enjoyed the food and the silly show there.

10 minutes ago, Love my butler said:

Wait until you go on those excursions.  They will be a miserable waste of time.  Been there,  done that.

As they say, don't yuck my yum. I have done many ship excursions, some better than others, but I enjoy them. Everyone is different and has different reasons for traveling.

2 hours ago, mdsgu said:

I've seen it before, only to have it renewed over and over.  False urgency to entice you to book.....NOW.

 

And it's a little misleading -- like the "Friends and Family Free" is only on sailings when our kids are in school, so that's not something we usually get to choose.  "Free Shore Excurions" aren't free -- $50 per port per stateroom gets you exactly nothing.  But I'm sure their lawyers have vetted everything!

I chose the excursions for a cruise with nine port stops in 2020. I have already booked two that will cost me less than $20 for both after the credit. Gets me absolutely something, at no extra cost for grats. Works for me.

Sorry, bad info so I deleted it.