ontheweb

2 hours ago, mking8288 said:

0The Local - went there for a late, light lunch as the buffet was still packed full, wall-to-wall, chair-against-chair with people everywhere, Palomar and Food Republic both used for extra seating capacity, since the outdoor buffet area remained unusable due to the cool weather. 

 

 

There is a wait of 20 to 30 minutes and given a pager. We split up into 2 tables of 2 each, and the trick worked - there are fewer large tables. Indoor space is just too small for a cold water ship.

 

 

 

Asking for wings without sauce - it's more edible for our taste.  Nearly everything has been downsized but for the large coffee cup 😳

 

Menu - 

 

 

 

There are more available seating on the "smaller" NCL ships like the Jewel, Crown, Dawn or Gem than the Prima when it comes to "The Local" or O'Sheehan's

I see the hot fudge sundae is still on the menu. What a wonderful memory. I suppose we should be looking to book the ship again just for that.

My question for @Heidi13 and @chengkp75 ---if there is an obvious dereliction of duty by the captain such as happened with the Costa Concordia is there any other officer who at that point can take charge and order a muster and eventually an abandon ship order?

28 minutes ago, zqvol said:

The easiest way to avoid the issue is to use an analog watch. 

🤦‍♂️, obvious, but too non-techie for some to use. I don't know why.

9 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

The point is that being represented by a maritime union doesn't mean you're not a government employee. 

I also checked job openings on the Washington State Ferry. Again they are state employees but may be represented by various unions.

You are correct...we have gone far afield from the original question, but that often happens .

 

Going far afield often happens, but at least in this case it was after the original question was completely answered.

12 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

group booking have specific rules to them, just as we've seen here.  I saw one yesterday that made it mandatory to pre-pay the service charges.  I've seen post about group bookings that don't offer FAS at all.  so, whenever it's a group booking, the normal rules are thrown out the window.

Question---did the folks booking this know that it was a group booking and that the normal rules did not apply? Is it the responsibility of the TA to let them know this and what the new rules are?

2 minutes ago, Capitan Obvious said:

 

The price protection, in this case, is for people who haven't booked yet. The price is set at the time the group is created, and people booking into that group get that price even if the prices have increased since the creation of the group.

Fine, I still have a problem paying for optional extras that I do not want or need but am being forced to pay for. There are other TAs out there. And they are not obligated by this particular TA's group deal.

I know our TA has bought group cabins at times. I do not know if he had for the Prima when we booked it, but we had our choice of which we wanted.

Just now, Turtles06 said:

This is a specific group booking. 

Yes, I understand that. But as a passenger, I can say not thanks if that is the rule for this booking, I will look somewhere else to book. 

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

Good morning, we went to The Local this morning, walked right in at 8:05 and got seated, no wait & still plenty of empty of tables. Maybe, folks still rocking & rolling and feeling the modest motion overnight.

 

 

 

 

 

Really did not discover the Local until our last day. We both wanted comfort food for dinner and both had the fish and chips. And then the dessert menu came, and it was heavenly. I ordered the hot fudge sundae. DW said to me, "You're not really going to eat all of that?" To think we had just celebrated our 46th anniversary a few days before, and yet she hardly knew me! 🤣

7 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

It’s not the TA. It’s NCL

NCL is not allowing that particular TA to let passengers opt out of those extra charges. That does not mean all TAs are part of the same deal. I know we sailed on the Prima last summer having booked through a TA and were able to opt out of what we wished to opt out of.

In Bergen last summer, my DW wanted us to go to one last attraction, the Funicular. I thought we would be cutting it close, but could not say not to her. Luckily, the Hop on Hop off bus came almost immediately, after we left there. 

We got back on board maybe 15 minutes or so before the all aboard time. I commented to her that we cut it close. Her answer was that there were a lot of passengers in the boarding line behind us. I am assuming that they will not raise the gangplank while people are still in line, so that is my contribution to this thread.

Personally, if the TA was forcing us to pay for something that was an extra that we did not need or want, I would be looking for another TA. JMHO

2 hours ago, HALrunner said:

Can anyone play devil's advocate for me as to why the PVSA/Jones Act should not be repealed? Does it provide any benefits to anyone involved? It seems like the cruise lines and fellow cruisers are only harmed by this antiquated law, I'm just wondering why it hasn't been repealed yet.

I hope you realize those are 2 different laws. One applies to passengers while the other applies to cargo.

Except for the small window just post- Covid when Canada was not allowing ships and cruise lines still wanted to sail to Alaska, why do you suppose the cruise lines have not been lobbying for the repeal of the PVSA? And even then, they only wanted the one small exception.

7 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

I was talking about folks who hadn't booked yet/put down a deposit.  Not everyone is booking at the same time.

What if the price dropped?

2 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

So as it turns out, this is a group booking (as I noted in an earlier comment) and the deal with NCL is that they have given the group "price protection" on the cabin categories being held by the TA (that is, if the price goes up after the group was created, guests can still book those cabins at the original price).  One part of that deal is that all the FAS offers will be included if guests want them, but they can't decline separate parts of FAS (e.g., the Beverage Package).

 

Many thanks again to those of you who offered your information and experience.  

"Price protection if the fare goes up"---doesn't everyone who books whether direct or a TA or a TA group booking get this once they put down their deposit?

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

If I were to start referring to Walmart as the Carnival of retail stores - would Walmart shoppers would see that as perjorative?

Some might, some might not, and others very well might not have an idea of what you were talking about.

2 hours ago, JIMESOPUS said:

I thought they could reflag the ship, I'm sure it isn't cheap but keeping the POA afloat isn't cheap.

 

No also built in the USA.

https://www.google.com/search?q=does+a+ship+have+to+be+built+in+the+usa+for+the+PVSA+to+apply&sca_esv=dcc1d935a3011144&sca_upv=1&source=hp&ei=IHgyZrO1Gvmk2roP67mUoA0&iflsig=ANes7DEAAAAAZjKGMMjsdQQy3oxbdSOfF5iAGvjrrbxg&ved=0ahUKEwizxfPL-eyFAxV5klYBHescBdQQ4dUDCBQ&oq=does+a+ship+have+to+be+built+in+the+usa+for+the+PVSA+to+apply&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6Ij1kb2VzIGEgc2hpcCBoYXZlIHRvIGJlIGJ1aWx0IGluIHRoZSB1c2EgZm9yIHRoZSBQVlNBIHRvIGFwcGx5MggQABiABBiiBDIIEAAYgAQYogQyCBAAGIAEGKIEMggQABiABBiiBEjHqgFQ4gZYgpcBcAF4AJABAJgBf6ABvyWqAQU0My4xM7gBDMgBAPgBAZgCN6ACziaoAgrCAhoQABiABBi0AhjUAxjlAhi3AxiKBRjqAhiKA8ICEBAAGAMY5QIY6gIYjAMYjwHCAhcQLhiABBiRAhixAxjRAxiDARjHARiKBcICDhAuGIAEGLEDGNEDGMcBwgIFEC4YgATCAg4QLhiABBixAxiDARjUAsICCxAAGIAEGLEDGIMBwgIUEC4YgAQYsQMY0QMYgwEYxwEYigXCAhEQLhiABBixAxjRAxiDARjHAcICFBAuGIAEGJECGLEDGNEDGMcBGIoFwgIREAAYgAQYkQIYsQMYgwEYigXCAgoQABiABBhDGIoFwgIKEC4YgAQYQxiKBcICCxAuGIAEGLEDGIMBwgIFEAAYgATCAggQABiABBixA8ICCxAAGIAEGLEDGIoFwgIGEAAYFhgewgILEAAYgAQYhgMYigXCAgUQIRifBcICBRAhGKABwgIFECEYkgPCAgcQIRigARgKwgIEECEYFZgDB5IHBTM3LjE4oAfg9AI&sclient=gws-wiz

8 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course I would buy the avocados at Walmart - just as I sometimes sail Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, Cunard and (not as frequently) Carnival.  I am aware that many of the goods carried by Walmart are identical (same brand and quality) as at higher priced stores, and I do make purchases there.  I do not buy clothing, shoes, or furniture at Walmart because I don’t appreciate the quality of those items .

 

I suggest you get over the knee-jerk reaction to “Walmart” as pejorative - I simply use it as an appropriate term for identifying a low-cost, mass market  provider.

But there are others who definitely use it as pejorative term.

38 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Do travel agents get paid a percentage of the total booking?  So if the gratuities on the beverage package count towards her commission, that might be why she is saying that?

To me, the end goal of the discussion would be that OP should tell friends that TA is wrong, and if TA insists on booking them a beverage package they don't want, then it's time to find a different TA.  Or ask TA to call NCL, because she is wrong.

 

I don't believe the gratuities on either the drink package or specialty restaurant package count toward the portion of the booking that a TA is paid commission on.

16 minutes ago, JIMESOPUS said:

I still can't understand why they continue to sail North on the Prima, the ship, crew, and passengers would be better served with a Southern route. Our Southern TA on the Viva last November was fantastic, we even went into the infinity pool. 

The Prima would be a great replacement ship for the aging POA in Hawaii.

I suspect our Aqua TA will be similar to the first Prima TA but at least it's only seven days.

They cannot do that. The Prima was not built in the USA. Actually, they POA was only partially built in the USA, but was granted an exception to the PVSA allowing it to sail between US ports without a foreign port. IIRC, one of the Senators from Hawaii was instrumental in getting them this waiver.

2 hours ago, Levanah said:

We did a Gate 1 trip to Rome about 15 years ago and were very pleased with the value and quality.  I find myself looking more frequently these days at what Gate 1 is offering.  No - not a luxury product, but perfectly fine and they seem to be consistent over time.  Have been loyal to NCL but following their changes and missteps much more closely now.  After following the current live Prima thread, I can’t help but feel a little wary about what we might experience after we embark on her in Southampton 12 May.  

Just to add what has been said (including earlier by me), Gate 1 is great at efficiently following details. Plus, you really get the sense that their employees and local guides really give the impression that they love what they are doing. They also rotate seats on buses. Everyone gets headphones so as to make sure they can hear the guides.

As for your cruise from Southampton, we did the same cruise last summer. And even though we missed Isafjordur (like everyone else) and Brugge (low tides) we had a great time. You will read both positives and negative review of the ship, especially because it is different than earlier NCL ships. Go with the attitude that you will have a wonderful cruise as opposed to looking what could go wrong, and you should have a wonderful time.

33 minutes ago, ghstudio said:

On day1, when told we had to leave at pm, we were told that the crows nest would be closed every night for Park West.  I suspect that they quickly had a barrage of complaints and worked, without telling passengers, to find a solution.  When I corrected the post about 4 nights, I checked the daily schedule and found that the crows nest would actually close at 2 PM (if I recall correctly) and not reopen on the 26th. As it turned out, it stayed open and remained open for the rest of the cruise.

It does seem that they at least listened to the passengers and did at least something to mitigate the situation. IMHO, a better business practice than if they had just stayed with the original plan of closing the Crow's Nest for Park West every night of the cruise.

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

I take it that you feel there is something inherently bad about large scale mass market operations. Frankly, I do not - I frequent both sorts of enterprises - in cruising and retail expeditions.

There are definitely people including some who post on these boards who use the term Wa;mart in a pejorative sense.

Now if there are 3 stores in town that all sell avocados, actually the same brand and 2 of them charge over a dollar each while Walmart sells them for 74 cents each, I wonder what could possibly be wrong with buying them at Walmart that would merit that criticism.

5 hours ago, luckybecky said:

 

I did a Gate 1 tour in Spain with my daughter a couple of years ago. It was great. We also did a tour in China with Gate 1, and my husband and I did Peru last year. In each case, the tour was great and guides were excellent. They are a mid-level tour company, not luxury. For example, accommodations may be in an older hotel, not the Ritz. But they do an excellent job. We've used them three times and will do so again.

Agree with you that Gate1 though not a luxury company does an outstanding job. Their motto is more of the world for less, and they do live up to that.

6 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

It's been my understanding that when booking a cruise with all of the "Free at Sea" offers available, a guest can turn down one or more of them.  (For example, someone who doesn't drink much alcohol may not want to have the beverage package and pay the gratuities on that.)

 

Is that a correct understanding? It would seem to be correct according to the Terms & Conditions:

 

https://www.ncl.com/about/terms-and-conditions/promotions

 

The reason I'm asking is that two friends are being told by a travel agent that booking through her, they can't remove the beverage package.  I'm not sure why booking through a TA would matter.   

 

Thanks for any help! 

 

 

We booked through a TA, and we were able to turn down offers. Since I barely drink and DW cannot due to alcohol being contraindicated with a med she takes, the drink package made no sense. Also, not being foodies, we were happy with MDR and buffet. In fact, DW does not even really like people serving her and would much rather "have control" by going to the buffet.

2 hours ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Not surprisingly, there are no cookies to be found on the Prima, not even at the studio lounge this time. 
 

Any cookie sightings in the Haven? Or are you guys sworn to secrecy, lest there be class riots?
 

I spoke to two crew members who were in the studio lounge at different times and kindly asked if we could have cookies in the lounge instead of pound cake every single day. 
 

The first member replied that he wasn’t in charge of the lounge, but he is aware that others have asked for cookies, that we should bring it up to the guy in charge, but that he would also mentioned the request to his boss. 
 

The second member replied that he was also aware of the cookies request, that he would bring it up to his boss, and that the reason cookies are not put out is because it is difficult to control the quality of the cookies. Another solo and I looked at each other and muttered under our breath: we don’t care…we’ll eat them regardless. 
 

I do not remember if there were cookies on our August Prima cruise, but I think not.

But on our recently completed river cruise on the Gate ! Monarch Express, there were always cookies available! 😊