PortFees45

29 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

There's the "pay or book a stateroom with access" Spa. 

And it's indoors. 

1 hour ago, coffeebean said:

Don't understand. Encore is not set to go into service until November 2019.

What don't you understand? I never plan to sail on the Encore. When it comes to my home port (NYC) I'll start looking at RCI. The Encore is the physical embodiment with literally everything that's wrong with Frank Del Rio's disgusting vision for NCL. 

1 hour ago, coffeebean said:

Does Encore have an adult only space in another location? What about other ships with pay laser tag? Do they have adult only spaces?

No, Encore does not. The only public upper deck space, of any kind, is the tiny little pool deck midship.

Bliss has laser tag, but still has Spice H20 and at least SOME upper deck space besides the midship pool. 

50 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Hot Dog dude right outside of the Atrium Bar!

So they don't have an actual hot dog cart anymore? Lame. 

41 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

You're looking at the balconies forward of DBH (black glass) and before the M6s (large/deep balconies).

This is incorrect. Those are not BX balconies.

The four actual assigned BX balconies are the 2 further forward AFTER the M6's. 

7 minutes ago, marktwothousand said:

Anyone know if the M6s are totally uncovered or partially sheltered near the doors? Would hate to have an uncovered balcony again. Cigarette butts, no shade and the like 

M6's have the covering from the large deck 9 balconies above, but most of the space is uncovered. There could be some cigs thrown depending on the trashiness level of the surrounding pax.

Usually BX is the sailaway category and you're assigned a different category before sailing, but on the 'Away class ships there are FOUR BX cabins with actual room numbers, and they're all forward on Deck 8. They're basically identical to the M6 minisuites with large balconies...they just have the standard balcony bathrooms.

These are a mixed bag. They are very far forward, and you do feel the motion of the ship, and you do sometimes hear noise from the theater, and you VERY much hear noise from the nearby ANCHOR. And yes you'll have people staring down at you unless you huddle towards the back of the balcony. 

They're also big, close to the water, and much less expensive than the M6's. However all perks are excluded, so you're not getting any double latitudes points, no OBC, no nothing.

These balconies tend to go fast. I'd take it over an inside in a New York minute. Take the upgrade. 

heavy table, two loungers, two chairs

Frank Del Rio only cares about Haven passengers. Everyone else can eat slop out of a bucket for all he cares (for your convenience, of course). 

Andy cares about the average passenger. Sad to see him go. 

I don't know why I went back after all the gross meals I've had there recently, it's just I so very much like the IDEA of a great steakhouse at sea. 

The "standby steak" incident really had me soured on Cagney's, but I gave them another go, with some pleasant surprises. 

The shrimp cocktail was upgraded for sure. It wasn't the same shrimp you get at the buffet on seafood night slimed in that lemon olive oil stuff. These were big fat red and white tiger prawn type things. They were pretty overcooked and didn't have a lot of taste on their own, but visually they were stunning. 

I then REALLY enjoyed the crab cake. Previous crab cakes from Cageny's were obviously canned. This was real LUMP crab meat, fresh. I could have eaten two more. 

The filet is a lost cause. Overcooked, and it just tasted like a piece of dry sirloin. NCL is just serving cheap, nasty filets in Cagney's. Avoid them. 

12 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

There was a time when Platinum was the top level. Those days are gone. Under the latest revision to the program, Platinum is a mid-tier level.

 

You really need to get to Platinum Plus or Ambassador to achieve the best of the benefits.

This isn't true. There's no appreciable difference between Platinum and Platinum plus benefits.

You get an extra bottle of water, 30 more Internet minutes, and dinner with a "senior officer." Enjoy making small talk with the assistant spa manager. 

Why are you eating in the MDR instead of the Haven restaurant? 

You must be paying a pretty healthy supplement to go solo in a Haven room. 

They're all the same. Great cabins. Prefer them to the M6's one deck below. You still have ample space for loungers and a lot more privacy. 

2 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

I think that I know the reasons why you hate the Encore, from another thread, but maybe you can explain it here too for the OP.

4000+ pax smashed into a tiny postage stamp of public deck space. The formerly free public deck space on the forward decks eliminated because of the massive new pay-only Vibe. The formerly free adult-only Spice H20 public deck space aft eliminated for the stupid for-pay laser tag. The quiet, peaceful Waterfront likely ruined because of the massive overflow crowd from the tiny public pool/sun decks. No Howl at the Moon. 

1 hour ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

Huh?  It's not even in service yet.

They're selling bookings for it, though. 

Oh I forgot to say which ships I prefer. Love the Gem, and while I don't love the 'Away class the design the Escape is so well-run that it's become my second favorite. She's NCL's "last good ship" before they jumped the shark with the Blech, the Joke, and the Encrap. 

I'll never set foot on the Encore. Disgusting ship. 

On 9/25/2019 at 8:24 AM, TheDougOut said:

NCL is switching to water cartons, starting with Encore... https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/norwegian-cruise-line-partners-with-just-goods-inc-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-bottles-across-fleet-300925069.html 

 

I get way more than a single use out of my little platinum bottle of premium sink water. 

There are no obstructed balconies on 'Away class ships, but there are some crappy ones. 

For example, the Deck 8 forward balconies that are directly over the shuffleboard courts would be horrible. Also the aft upper balconies get a lot of noise from SpiceH20 parties at night. 

I love the Gem. She's my favorite NCL ship of the 4 I've sailed, and part of loving someone/something is being honest with them. 

The hallways on the Gem smell like poo. Something is not right with the plumbing/toilet system on the ship. 

I had a balcony cabin forward on Deck 8, and the smell in the hall at the start of the cruise was overpowering. They dumped so much chemicals on it to try to cover the smell it was actually worse. It smelled like the blue liquid in a Greyhound bus toilet.

I did briefly mention it to guest services, I'm no facial/body language expert but the reaction just seemed like this was a complaint they're used to getting. 

It didn't ruin the cruise. It's not like I spend a lot of time in the cabin hallways, and I was lucky to have a balcony. I could detect the smell slightly near the door and in the bathroom, so I would think it's likely worse in inside cabins. 

Hopefully this gets rectified (pun intended) at the Gem's upcoming drydock. 

You don't often see huge price drops in Studios, because they have a perk associated with it.

If you get one (a big last minute drop), it will likely be for a sailaway inside stateroom with no perks. 

Absolutely not. Should be $25/pp, if that. 

2 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

Nasty, I'd be furious ...... It's almost like they're trying to make a fool out of people and yet people still pay these high prices on top of the cruise fare for subpar food and service ....... You shouldn't have paid anything and let the MD know it and told him you were contacting corporate and you'd give them his name and your servers. 

I'm not going to report a server's name to corporate for something short of literally seeing them spit in my food.

Just off a Canadian cruise on the Gem. Lovely cruise, but had this encounter that speaks to the sad decline of Cagney's.

I ordered the filet, and a tiny little thing came out. The waiter insisted I had ordered the petit filet, though I had very, very clearly not. That's okay, people mishear things. I just asked him to please bring me a regular filet, cooked medium. 

Like 90 seconds later, he's back with a gnarled looking piece of meat, accompanied by the maitre-de. I of course asked how the steak was ready so quickly, and the maitre-de PROUDLY replied, "This is the standby steak. Please enjoy sir!" 

I don't know why I didn't immediately reject it. I guess I was tired and not looking to go into a back and forth over a platinum certificate meal. I cut into it, and it was red cold raw. Sent it back again. 

Finally a medium "filet" did come out, but I have to say it was the gnarliest, nastiest "filet" I've ever had. It didn't even look like a filet. I think they're butterflying them to make them look bigger/last longer. There was a big line of gristle running right smack down the middle of it, and there were a few bites I literally had to spit out because I couldn't chew. This was way, way below the level of quality you'd expect even in a place like Outback. Hell, this was below what you'd expect at a Sizzler. 

Again it was a platinum comped meal, so I didn't get worked up over it, but anyone paying a-la-carte prices for Cagney's these days is out of their minds. 

Thoughts and prayers, Haven pax. 

2 minutes ago, beerman2 said:

Let's see if I have this straight. It's not OK for people to complain about not having a private restaurant that they PAID for, however it's OK to complain about NCL taking away deck space for pax.

 

 

Yeah pretty much.