UKstages

3 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

That almost sounds dirty...or maybe it's just me.

2 hours ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

 

There was a Vietnamese restaurant in Manhattan called Pho King which tragically burnt down along with a few other establishments on that block.

 

colin fukunaga is a las vegas restaurateur who runs a joint called fukuburger.

most who visit mispronounce the name of the restaurant.

("fuku" in japanese loosely translates to "luck and good fortune.")

glad you were able to secure a pass. enjoy.

it's been said many times, many ways, but here it is again: i have (almost) never had a problem getting vibe passes when boarding. i board with the platinums, sapphires and diamonds around 11:20 AM or so and head straight to wherever they are selling them, which has never been guest services, by the way. it's always been a desk inside or just outside headliners or the social or some similar location near the restaurant booking desk. there is a guest services team member typically staffing that desk who will cheerfully sell you a pass, provided others have not exhausted the supply. that same team member will recode your card; no need to go to the guest services desk. on a recent trip on the joy, there were at least a couple of dozen vibe packets waiting to be sold.

it has been confirmed repeatedly for me by these team members that they hold passes back for sale on the day. my one exception, as recently documented here on the board, was on the getaway. they were far from sold out... they were at half capacity or less... but somebody in management decided to halt sales because the weather was not going to be good. (presumably, they wanted to avoid refund requests.) no desk was set up and guest services said they were "sold out." i spoke to a casino host who arranged for me to get a pass the next day. so, getting a pass once onboard, when the vibe is "sold out" likely has more to do with finding a sympathetic ear of somebody in mid level management. they may be "sold out" (although the getaway wasn't), but there is always a margin there to accommodate one or two extra people. the nature of the vibe is such that it is rarely full at any given moment, even when it is sold out.

YMMV, as, apparently, it has for some people.

peak season journeys, weather and ship (as well as vibe) capacity are all influencing factors that determine the availability of vibe passes.

but they are supposed to hold back a limited number of passes for sale on the day and in my experience they do, unless somebody makes a wackadoodle decision to halt sales, even when they're not sold out. or, as was recently reported here, there is a booking error and they accidentally oversell the vibe to a large degree.

i don't see this embarkation day policy changing as long as NCL continues to prevent OBC from being used to pay for purchases before boarding (most other lines allow this). if you intend to use OBC to pay for vibe passes, there is no other way to do it than the mad dash on embarkation day. (you could pre-purchase, then cancel once onboard, then immediately rebook... but that is by no means foolproof. and it's complicated and annoying to both the guest and guest services team members.)

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

...settled for a fruit plate & doubled order of smoked salmon bagel, OJ and coffee. 

that is my go-to MDR brekkie order, sans the OJ and coffee.

i continue to be astonished at NCL's misguided inclusion of lettuce with a lox and bagel, fleet wide. i could see it as a decorative touch if they put slices of lox on a bed of lettuce, to be summarily pushed aside and ignored like a lonely sprig of parsley. but they imply that the lettuce should be eaten with the smoked salmon and that is just lunacy. 

yes to lemon.

lettuce?

just. say. no.

@mking8288 i'm catching up on your "live" after traveling for several weeks. you - and a handful of others - consistently provide the most interesting and relevant trip reports! it's what CC should be, but often isn't... no fits, no fights, no feuds and no egos... just amigos.

i did this same itinerary on the prima last year, so it'll be fun to hear your perspective. (so far, the joys and drawbacks of the prima sound exactly the same as on my journey.) i'd be especially interested to hear of any interactions with the GM. i found him to be a lovely guy, but completely non-responsive to guest concerns.

as you get closer to southampton, and if the strike seems likely, let me know if you need any help navigating transport from LHR into central london or if you need hotel or theatre recommendations. 

as for halifax...

i highly recommend the maritime museum, which is about a twenty minute walk from the pier. the museum, has, of course, an outstanding titanic exhibit.

throughout my career, colleagues have always described business miscalculations and devastating failures as "rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic." imagine my surprise when i came upon actual deck chairs from the titanic at the museum in halifax! sadly, they are in a glass case and can't be rearranged. but the photo is worth the price of admission.

2 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

The Gem and Pearl don't really have a dedicated Haven restaurant, do they?  They offer Haven guests exclusive access to Cagney's or Moderno for breakfast and lunch, but that isn't the same experience as some of the larger ships which do have a separate restaurant in the Haven area, with its own unique menu.

no, they don't have a dedicated haven restaurant. but it is the same experience. the bird seems to have noticed slight differences in the menu. i haven't. as for the "dedicated" concept... it is dedicated for that meal service and the staff know your names and your preferences after the first meal service or two. so, i would say that it is indeed the same experience.

you are correct that they offer access to moderno for breakfast (typically) and cagney's for lunch (typically), but it's not exclusive. suite guests are invited, too.

41 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

But they don't serve dinner in a separate Haven restaurant on the Gem and Pearl, do they?  If not, I'm not sure I would call it the same experience as on the Epic, a Breakaway or B+ ship, or the Pr1ma class ships.

that is correct. haven guests are on their own for dinner on smaller ships without a haven restaurant. but what you were saying in post #19, in response to a comment about the haven lunch menu, is that it wasn't the same experience because the larger ships have their own restaurant with their own unique menu.

and what we're saying in response is, no, it's essentially the same menu and the same dining experience on the smaller ships... for breakfast and lunch.  in fact sometimes, it's better. i haven't been in a haven yet that prepared the mushroom flatbread as well as they do on the gem. and when you do venture out for dinner, if you go to cagney's or moderno, you're greeted warmly and treated like a regular customer from the old neighborhood.

On 4/25/2024 at 11:22 AM, Always Cruising said:

I spoke with my rep Kim mid April, so she wasn't fired/let go/terminated before then

if it's the same "kim" i have spoken to over the years, working out of her home office in arizona, she was indeed a delight. (her last name is the same as the first name of a title character in a dickens novel.)

On 4/24/2024 at 9:55 PM, smillerholmes said:

Internet is basic unlimited 1 device for the entire cruise.  There is however a $3.95 activation fee. 

were you actually charged this fee? as long as i've been getting a casino sponsored package of minutes, it has always said there was a $3.95 fee. it's baked into the app interface. but i've never been charged. not once.

On 4/3/2024 at 1:26 AM, BirdTravels said:

The difference for Elites is the reduction of the ShoreEx credit from $600 to $500. 

this may require clarification.

i haven't traveled since the new scheme, er, i mean "benefits" were put in place, but i believe this benefit has always been for two people... meaning that it used to be $600 for two people to take an excursion. it's now apparently $500 for two people to take an excursion.

but, as a new elite, the way it was explained to me was that it is not a credit per se... it's not a credit to be consumed by as many excursions as you want up to the full value, but that it is a per person credit (up to $250 x 2 people) for a single excursion.

my understanding is a solo traveler therefore would get a "free" excursion up to $250 and that the benefit is not $500, but $250 per person for a single excursion.

my goodness.

you don't even realize that i'm agreeing with you.

kindly read my response to your comment again.

you said that's not what the chef's table means on cruise ships 

i said that's not what the chef's table means anywhere.

honestly, i'm done. that's it. that's all i got.

54 minutes ago, Bliss1 said:

Changes don't take effect till Mon the 1st

That's when and if we'll see them

thanks!

i know full well when the the new program goes into effect. in fact, i'm the poster who first alerted cruise critic to the forthcoming changes and i included the april 1st date in the title of the thread!

if you check post #146 you will see that another poster has reported changes to three booked reservations, presumably made because of their CAS ruby status.

and again in post #151.

18 minutes ago, JS_Cruising said:

Ruby status here, and I have the Free at Sea Plus under the booked items Summary Tab.  I chose the Free at Sea option when I booked the cruises (3) previously.  I am sailing with a sapphire on 2 and on the 3rd cruise, 2 sapphires and all 3 of us show with the FAS Plus.

this would suggest that they are "upgrading" ruby and elite to FAS+, meaning that you would first have to have paid the gratuities on the baseline drinks package. my personal data point, as mentioned previously, is that i opted not to take the drink package and that may be why i show no chnage in my reservation.

as for why FAS+ across the board and not simply the premium plus drinks package... kudos to them if they've made a conscious decision to do this. my spidey sense tells me it has more to do with wonky IT and they can't figure out how to do a complimentary upgrade to just the drinks package, so they upgrade to FAS+. just a hunch.

6 minutes ago, Pitzel said:

That is not what "Chef's Table" means on cruise ships.

my goodness, that's not what "chef's table" means anywhere, which is why i said specifically "that's probably not what you had in mind."

then i proceeded to explain two intimate food related experiences that might be of interest in the absence of a chef's table.

virgin voyages was offering a status match through the end of 2024, but has recently - and abruptly -  ended the program.

many cruise lines' casino loyalty programs continue to offer casino status match.

7 hours ago, ppcox said:

You can get loyalty matched on MSC. They matched our platinum status without issue. 

thank you for this most relevant suggestion!

indeed, NCLH does not status match among its brands. if someone were disappointed by that, and was still interested in sailing with a cruise line other than NCL, they can take comfort in knowing that other cruise lines, including MSC, do provide a status match.

33 minutes ago, cygnets said:

Ruby in CAS and just checked my three booked cruises and the Free at Sea Plus has been added for the first two guests on all my cruises.

interesting.

i'm "elite" with the CAS ecosystem and i have one booked cruise, at present.

no change to my booking. this was booked before all the "improvements" to the program were announced and - for the first time ever - i opted out of the drink package because i don't drink that much and, of course, i knew i had free ultra drinks in the casino. (ha!)

they could be slowly rolling the change to booked reservations and it may not yet appear for all.

anybody else at ruby or elite that has seen added value in their already booked reservations?

33 minutes ago, cygnets said:

it shows we have the full everything included Free at Sea Plus, all three cruises and we did not purchase. 

you didn't purchase any FAS? or you opted in to baseline drinks, excursions, dining and internet and paid gratuities and found yourself upgraded to FAS+?

22 minutes ago, JGmf said:

This is a nice and valuable added benefit to the CAS program, a definite improvement....

it certainly is, if it proves out across all CAS loyalty program members.

if i understand this correctly, this would be FAS plus, which goes way beyond a free drink package.

22 minutes ago, JGmf said:

....but if this was the intent from day one of their mailer (that I received and originally posted), then what a giant, botched, incompetent roll-out of program changes where they got basic stuff wrong.

yeah, well, i don't believe this was their intent from day one. i think they are responding to the backlash (removal of OBC for pearl, removal of free drinks for all, etc.) and in typical NCL fashion, if there is an opportunity to botch a communication, they will seize the moment. and it's still not clear what they have done or what they are promising.

yes, indeed.

NCL's crack design team has built limited functionality into the mobile web version of their site.

i firmly believe they are reading this thread.

such a shame they have ignored almost every one of the cogent suggestions in the initial post!

5 hours ago, Sand and Seas said:

Apparently, as suggested before, if enough of us call CAS to express our feelings it DOES make a difference. 

i agree. i encourage people to continue to call and write and post by carrier pigeon.

4 hours ago, Bliss1 said:

i too spoke to someone today saturday  that ruby and elite will get free drinks at casino  no plan needed

that would be status quo... free drinks "in the casino."

we have been talking here about NCL eliminating free drink cards in the casino as we have come to know them. that is what has been announced.  but now NCL is rumored to be backtracking a bit and saying that rubys and elites will get FAS drink packages throughout the ship, exempt from paying the gratuities on the package. elites are rumored to be getting the premium plus package. having a truly "free" FAS drink package is very different than just getting free drinks while playing in the casino.

3 hours ago, texascane said:

I cant remember which tier I made on my sailing last year.  Is there a way to find out online?

your status is listed online in your account. click on the "my account" pull down menu on the upper right side of the page. your casino status will appear just below your latitudes number, however, it often takes months for them to update this. mine still says "ruby" and yet i made "elite" back in early february.

9 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

He said Elite will now get 'Complimentary' upgrade to Premium Plus for guests 1 & 2.

you see, though, that's the same wording that was in the brochure. that's what is so concerning.

in order to get an "upgrade," one would have to have purchased something (or paid the gratuities, in this case). NCL has been known to play fast and loose with the english language, but if they were giving elites the premium plus package, they should say so. if they're "upgrading" an elite player to premium plus, that suggests that the player would have to already have had the premium (regular) drink package in order to be bumped up.

49 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

How many 80 year old women cruise alone?

a lot, actually, especially when you consider that the husbands of many 80 year old women are dead.

in fact, once upon a time, cruise lines actually hired male hosts to dance with unaccompanied older women. that was an actual gig!

52 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

Also, if someone hit their head that hard, they might have a hard time remembering all the facts.

thank you for this. this explains so much! often, when reading cruise critic posts, i wonder why it is that some might not be able to remember all the facts.

the indulge food hall on the prima barely has enough tables, let alone chef's tables.

however, you can sit at the counter of many of the action stations and watch the food being prepared, but that's probably not what you had in mind.

also on the prima, hasuki is a japanese grill featuring table-side preparation.

april 1st is the day they say they were just kidding... april fool's.

as an elite member, i am curious as to what the changes are. sounds like i can count on a "free" baseline drink package. i mean, if they're giving it to ruby, i assume it'll go to elite as well.

interesting that it sounds like they will require a purchase of the drink package in order for elites to enjoy the premium plus package. that suggests they really don't know how loyalty programs work. or casinos, for that matter. if they really wanted to differentiate between ruby at 35,000 tier and elite at 100,000 tier (representing a minimum of $500,000 coin through, but closer to $1,000,000 coin through for video poker players who dabble in slots), they should just give premium the plus drink package to elites. very minimal exposure... there are not a heckuva lot of elites... and - whether they realize it or not - by making the benefit the same at 35K and 100K, they are giving players few compelling reasons to play beyond 35K.

lawd heave mercy.

as is typical around these here parts, a small number of folks are lambasting one poor soul for asking a perfectly innocent question. i find nothing untoward or deceptive or misleading about the OP's interest in having that particular question answered. many, including me, have been there before and wondered how this scenario would be handled.

you seasoned CC folks (and quite a few relative newcomers, as well) have heard variations of this question dozens or hundreds of times. you're tired of hearing it, and, you've learned from experience that some of the people asking it do indeed have ulterior motives. but this is the first time the OP is asking this question and the poster has no prior knowledge of how the question has been answered before. and the OP certainly doesn't expect to be scolded for the behavior of others.

just because somebody else may have been trying to bend rules or get special treatment doesn't mean that the OP is. the OP was simply saying, "hey, what's the deal with turning platinum on my cruise? i'm one point away... how is that handled? i heard they might give it to me. how do i go about getting that done?"

that's a simple request for information about an NCL policy, not an invitation to tear into the poster for what you believe are his horribly misguided evil motivations.

all the hidden intentions and perceptions of policy deviations are coming from the minds of those castigating the OP. there is nothing in the OP's initial post that would indicate that he is trying to pull one over on anybody, especially the readers of this forum.  yes, he is interested in getting the status on the next cruise and not waiting till the completion of the cruise. that's normal, not nefarious. everybody would like that! that's not the way it works, but he had apparently heard that it might work differently, so he was simply asking the kind people (there are still a few left) who participate in this forum for advice.

sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

you only think it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck if you are looking for ducks.

many folks here, sadly, are duck hunters.

1 hour ago, georgemoe said:

THIS!

i first had amarula on the prima about a year ago. i had never heard of it. I had "ultra" drink privileges in the casino, so i was taste testing a bunch of stuff. the bartender recommended it. it's from south africa, i believe.

comes in a very distinctive bottle with a tassel around the neck. they sell it in the duty free shop onboard, too, although it's usually two or three dollars more than it would be at an airport duty free. if using OBC, i don't care much and have walked off the ship with a bottle on all subsequent cruises.

22 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

For some strange reason, almost every cruise I have been on in the last while, runs out of Baileys.

should this happen, ask for “amarula” rather than whatever alternate irish cream they’re pouring. it’s smooth and creamy, with a hint of marula fruit. covered under p+ package.
 

sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.