Smitheroo

Not a "movie queen" lol either so dont recognize the name of the movie. But if I heard the song Kiss its very possible I would recognize it as knowing it. I just wouldnt know who sang it.

I was also thinking of the sign out and return poolside. I have no experience with taking towels off the ship.

Or avoid all of this and just bring your own. One of the advantages of traveling alone. A beach towel fit nicely in my suitcase. It was on the thin side so it dried quickly. I agree, sand would be a problem. i used mine poolside

I just saw that and thought it was excellent. In fact, I think the performers in that show were every bit as good as the original artists. (I dont have much opinion on Carl Perkins as he was a bit before my time)

I thought that was kind of dippy but I did enjoy the singing

Leaving a personal item is the key to not getting your food removed I think. (not that removing food is a bad thing, no one wants plates of food hanging around) Also, if its obvious that if the food hasnt been eaten that might indicate someone is returning. I sitll like the idea of a tray which I am going to try next cruise. Your method probably wouldnt work on embarkation day- I had to go find a seat out by the deck chairs. Wouldnt want to leave my food unattended out there. Maybe one those plastic covers I see on room service plates would work but that would be tricky to bring in a suitcase. One of many reasons why I prefer the MDR. I can see myself getting questioned walking into the Garden Cafe carrying my tray

I will add that I am also an aging baby boomer and while I do know who "Prince" is I could never identify his music.

might work! Thanks for the tip. Unless you are a solo passenger who has made a lot of friends to dine with you are probably not aware the difficulty carrying a plate of food in one hand and a hot beverage in the other without some kind of mishap. So either bringing a tray in my luggage lol (It will lay nicely over my clothes, the way my brought from home beach towel does) or making a sign to put over my food at a table "Do not remove, Coming right back" will work. I think I prefer the first. Not a good idea to leave your food unattended. I dont even want to think of having to use a cane. I guess the Garden Cafe is off limits for me.

well, not all of us are agile enough to carry a plate of food and a cup of hot beverage. And when you are traveling alone you really cant leave your table and go back for something else because if you do, most likely your food will be gone (not criticzing, just stating the facts) I suppose I could write up a sign, "do not remove, coming right back" That might work. I know I almost dumped a cup of hot tea on the head of a child who was below my elbow. Not doing anything rambunctious but there due to the crowds. So there are several problems here 1) holding the plate and cup without dumping it 2) risk of injuring someone you bump into or more likely who bumps into you 3) losing your food if you leave it unattended to go back for a cup of beverage. A tray would be so much easier. I could still carry my food all over the ship without a tray, so the lack of a tray isnt helping with that all that much. We are forced to carry plates and cups to the outer deck when its impossible to get a seat inside the Garden Cafe. The only thing I can think of is that it is one more thing for them to clean and that might be valid. Another solution would be to avoid the Garden Cafe, which I try to do. Traveling alone has its negatives and this is one of them.

Great! Too much energy required for me though. Sounds like you will enjoy it

good to know

yes, I realized that was the case. I brought my own, no problem

Have you cruised and experienced getting off in ports? Its not like a bus. It can be time consuming. Day after day? Hmmmmm I'm still wondering which cruise this is that stops in so many ports in 12 days?

I've seen warnings that if they are returned, there is a $25 charge per towel. (you sign them out) I've seen this on all 3 ships I've been on. I brought my own, a thinnish beach towel that served as a coverup over the top of my clothes in my suitcase. It dried very quickly But again, one person traveling alone is a lot easier than providing towels for a family.

Ok, I guess I've gotten so used to looking for it I forget when I didnt know about it. I dont ever recall being surprised though. Which means I knew about it before hand. As far as cruising NCL goes, you have the option to "prepay service charges" which should trigger the question in your head "what service charge" are they referring to? I agree that with the OP (I read the post over again) a service charge of $960 for a family of 4 (children over 3 yrs old) for a 12 day cruise is an eye opener but if someone can afford a 12 day cruise for 4 they can probably add on another $960 and consider it an expensive lesson. This is the way it is done and I sure hope people wouldnt consider still cruising in the future and not paying it. (because they dont have to)

As far as I could see Guest Services was open for a wide range of hours. True, the line can be long at times but there are times it isnt. It wasnt very long when I got on it the morning of disembarkation to check on a possibly lost item. A crew member often goes down the line asking what your question is so perhaps that person would get the form for you and give it to you to fill out while you are standing in line. Think about this. Do you really want to do this? For a 5 day cruise we are talking about $100.I realize that's per person and it may be less painful for me because I'm only 1 person If the reason is " it's not the money, its the principle" I have to ask, do you think you will make a difference in the way NCL operates? If I had a problem with the concept of the service charge I would choose not to cruise rather than removing it. I'm cringing just thinking about it. The above was my experience on the Getaway a week ago. Of course it could be different on another ship or even the same ship at another time.

The Resort Fee doesnt show up with the estimated cost of the room? Its supposed to cover all that goes along with using resort type activities, even when you dont use them. I refuse to pay it. Pretty hard in Las Vegas although I did find a hotel on Fremont St that didnt charge a Resort Fee. That was back then, they may have given in. Kind of like the Cleaning Fee for Air BnB's. I suspected they got some kind of tax advantage by charging inflated prices for that and I was right. Not sure exactly how it works but it helps them tax wise to have a big cleaning fee.

Now, I agree, that "resort fee" is maddening But again, its obvious

I have to admit I did quite a bit of complaining in the beginning (about a year ago) I dont think I felt quite as angry except for my experience with the CruiseNEXT certificates. I was told and soon agreed, forget all the advertising, choose what you want and decide if you like the bottom line. There were several opportunities to "prepay the Service Charge" so any questions about that should have been asked at that point. What is the service charge they are offering me to prepay? I think some people really need to use travel agents because they just dont take in everything they need to visually. Like the woman I described in another thread who didnt know she was supposed to pick a color tag for her luggage for disembarkation. I was like "how could she miss that?" I read everything which is probably why I got so confused about all the advertising. You just get confused reading all the banners on the website

When I watched Saving Private Ryan and saw all the boats approaching the shore I started yelling "turn back, turn back now". My grandmother had 3 boys in the service at that time and one of them was killed at Normandy. My father was "lucky" in that he was a small man and was hand picked to be an officer's chauffeur. When he answered "but I cant drive, Sir" they said "we'll teach you" and they did.

Except for maybe the sleazy way they promote CruiseNEXT certificates, you seem to think you've been tricked. All of the charges are presented and you pay the bottom line. I agree their banner advertising is misleading but anyone who reads can soon figure it out that all that is important is the bottom line and if you are willing to pay it or not. We're talking about adults making decisions, not kids in a candy shop.

I've been on 3 NCL ships in the past year, soon to be 4. One thing that I notice to be excellent on a consistent level is the crew. (and not that many people mention that in their reviews which are usually about food and entertainment) I have never met one rude or grouchy crew member. They, male or female, have always been very pleasant to me, with a warm smile and greeting. The staff at places like Guest Services might be more formal but the crew with the every day jobs to do have been a delight to deal with. One incident stands out to me. I had just come out of Burn the Floor and ordered a drink at the Mixx bar. Then I headed down to Headliners to wait for the comedian (I left before the show started) I was there a few minutes when I felt a presence at my side, looked up and there was one of the bar staff (from the Mixx) handing me my key card which I had left behind. Then turned and left. He must have followed me all the way to the club. He didnt have to do that. He could have left it at the side of the monitor "when she comes back looking for it" I would have had to figure out where I had used it (realizing that I didnt have it when I tried to get into my cabin). I left him a Hero card, no name but the location, date and time the action occurred. Who knows if he will get it but I thought it was worth a try. THinking back, I forgot about the crew member who threw a rude passenger's key card at him when checking out of the ship. It wasnt directed at me so I found it entertaining. That guy deserved it. (the passenger)

Never noticed any of my food on any of the 3 NCL ships I've been on to not be the temperature it should be. Not steaming hot but not room temperature.

The studio lounge on the Getaway was lovely except there was rarely anyone in it (when I checked) I heard the coffee was great but I would first have had to figure out how to use the coffee maker lol. There was a bar but never once saw a bartender. Looked like a nice little place with nice seating. I helped myself to cookies on several nights. I've complained about the coffee in the MDRs before. Not that it was bad but that it didnt have any zing to it and I found myself craving Starbucks mid morning. But this time on the Getaway it seemed fine to me, no complaints.

Same here and I was on that cruise on the Getaway. I did eat once in American Diner when I was too late for the MDR and while I didnt care too much for what I ordered (too salty) it was hot. Some women I got talking to didnt care for O'Sheehans