UKstages

i can't tell if you're being serious or not, but i continue to be appalled at how few men wash their hands after doing their business. i'd guess around 15%. so, if they're not washing their hands or using sanitizer before dining at the buffet, there is a very good chance that those hands have fecal matter on them. sanitizing and disinfectant wipes are two different things, but - wether commercially distributed or homemade - they are intended for one time use. they should not be reused... or you run the risk of contaminating additional surfaces and spreading disease... the exact opposite of what they were designed to do. british television is enjoyed throughout the world, the BBC is a preeminent force and so it is ripe for mocking and derision. wait! what? oh, i see. that's very different then. carry on.

i wouldn't call this chair hogging... the primary concept behind chair hogging involves an absentee claim on an unoccupied lounge chair. if i understand this properly, this is about setting up shop and hunkering down for hours while actually occupying the space. it would be chair hogging if somebody placed a book or a sweater on a table or chair in the indulge food hall at 9 AM and then came back when they opened. this is more like overstaying your welcome or occupying a chair in a restaurant while not actively engaged in eating a meal. if the space is open, that is to say, NCL doesn't close down the space when the restaurant is not serving, people are free to sit there and read a book, just like any other spot on the ship. if their leisurely reading of that book extends into restaurant opening hours, it does become a problem. but it's really an NCL design and capacity problem; i wouldn't blame somebody for sitting there and reading a book, if that's how they've chosen to spend their time. in fact, in this forum, there are those who have recommended getting to the food hall 45 minutes or so before opening to snag a seat. the problem becomes one of trying to determine intent. and you simply can't do that. who is to say that somebody is there at the buffet to occupy a seat for two meal services? or that they simply prefer the view from that location? you can only make that determination after the two meal services have come and gone. as for why would somebody want to spend all day at the buffet... there are many for whom food is the focus of their vacation. there are also many for whom mobility is an issue. i'm not sure what the solution is to any of this, although i personally would like to see the local go away on future ships to be replaced by a 24 hour indulge food hall. i don't think that will happen, but i'd sure like to see it. should NCL put a dining time limit on meals at the buffet or indulge food hall? perhaps, but how would that be enforced? and would that be an hour? 90 minutes? with operating hours so limited, a time limit might only turn tables one extra time. and, again, how would that be enforced?

the TSA has no jurisdiction and does not ground planes for weather delays; it's a security agency. the FAA may invoke a weather-related stoppage, but an individual airline can also cancel or delay a flight based on weather. they have to follow the FAA, they can't override an FAA decision for a stoppage, but they can also make an independent call based on the weather at the departure or arrival city... even if the FAA hasn't made the same call. all airlines have the same options, but bigger airlines have more planes and - presumably - more flights. here's the thing, though... USA federal law does not require any airline to rebook on another carrier. but most will, including smaller airlines, who generally want the problem to go away as quickly as possible. if your flight was canceled, it is likely that the next flight on that same airline is at least an hour or more later and empty seats will be hard to come by, as more distressed travelers are accommodated on the later flight. and that is why it's better to call the airline as you wait in line and why it may be better to ask to be put on another carrier's flight. in the USA, if you choose to cancel your ticket/reservation (along with the return flight) because your flight was canceled, you are entitled to a full refund for the unused portion, even if your ticket was nonrefundable. this applies to bag fees and fees for seat assignments, too. if your flight originates in the EU, your ticket is governed by far better, more passenger-friendly, laws and protections.

no, there was no direct comparison, you're correct. but the comparison is apt because what was discussed was the size and hours of the dining venues and the crowding of same. there has to be a point of reference, something to compare it to. how else would you know it's crowded? if you're comparing it to other ships (which is inherent in the review), then it's perfectly OK for someone to come along and say the prima is a smaller ship and needs to be judged like one. i believe the may have misjudged the love for buffets, as well as the ability to siphon dining patrons away from indulge food hall and the buffet. indulge in particular, has been ridiculously popular, so the size and the hours may also have been a misstep. but indulge is also very expensive to operate, due to the quality of the food, and so the limited opening hours may have been a calculated response to that.

respectfully, there's a bit of a straw man switcheroo there. nobody said there weren't a lot of threads complaining about NCL. nobody said there weren't good reasons for not using NCL air. but airlines refusal to deal with NCL "distressed travelers" (industry term) is not one of them. in post #45 you said that "if booked through a third party (like NCL) the airline then has the opportunity to push the problem back onto the TA (NCL)." and that's the point that some folks are - understandably - disagreeing with... because it's simply not true. if there are many distressed travelers, all of whom have been inconvenienced, the scene at the gate is chaos. you should wait in line, but simultaneously call the airline. invariably, the phone agent will help you and rebook you before you reach the front of the line. time is of the essence. seats on other flights or other airlines may be limited. the only thing that can really help to make this situation easier is to have status with the airline. you'll get preferential treatment. but if you have status on the airline, you're probably using frequent flyer miles for your flights and are not an NCL air customer anyway. in any case, regardless of how you booked your flight, it is the airline's sole responsibility to rebook you and accommodate you while you're in the terminal with a ticket to one of their flights. julig22 wasn't lucky... this sort of thing happens every day!

banana banoffee (haven restaurant).

it does not automatically continue and you won't be charged. the flip side of that, however, is that you must remember to log off after each session or your minutes will continue to be consumed. and your 150 minutes will rapidly disappear.

i'm sure that's what she told you, but she probably doesn't know. very few casinos have "gaming days" that begin at midnight. and most casino hosts have never gambled and many are unfamiliar with the oddities and eccentricities of somewhat arcane casino rules. the "gaming day" in every casino (land, sea) is usually different than the 24 hour clock. the gaming day in many land-based casinos generally ends at 5:59:59 AM and begins at 6 AM. if you're not sure, check the W2-G you've been given (if you're lucky enough to hit a jackpot.) if you hit after midnight, but it still has "yesterday's" date on it, then the gaming day likely ends early in the morning, typically at 5:59:59. if it has "today's" date on it, then, well, yes, they are going by a calendar gaming day that begins at midnight. HOWEVER, some casinos have different rules and accounting principles for different promotions. the XYZ promotion may end at midnight, but the ABC promo might end at the conclusion of the gaming day. as noted, a further complication is the time zone. generally, it's the time zone in which the casino operates that dictates when things changeover. the casino presumably operates on ship time, not necessarily eastern time (ET), which is where the miami headquarters are located. again, presumably, there is a data sweep at the end of the gaming day and that info is sent to CAS adminstartion. none of this is of the slightest concern to most people, except those who attempting to fulfill the play obligations of a promotion or to achieve a higher tier before a deadline, like the high denomination VP player mentioned in the first post. the simple answer is: don't let yourself get into that sort of a situation! if you're trying to beat a march 31st deadline, complete your play during the day on march 31st. or, even better, march 30th. or make sure your cruise ends long before march 31st. document everything with screen shots or photos. and if a host or somebody else tells you that the changeover occurs at midnight or 6 AM, try to get them to send you an email confirming whatever they told you. also, very important... if playing on a deadline date... remember to pull your card, so the points will register. your session on that particular machine does not officially end until you pull your card. if you complete your task and earn your points before the gaming day ends, but don't pull your card, those points will count towards the next day's total.

irrespective of which drink package you have, the butler is not a personal assistant. the butler should not be expected to fetch things for you and bring them to far flung locations around the ship. (yes, even if what you're asking for is food or beverage.) "ah, but he brings me the chocolate cake i like from cagney's... what's the difference?" the difference is that the butler serves haven guests, and generally provides that service in the haven. while it's true he or she can get you your favorite dessert and bring it to you in the haven as part of a meal service or a separate treat, and while it's true he can pick up your leftover dessert from your specialty dining restaurant and deliver it to your room (it's actually simpler to just take it yourself in a doggy bag)... it's not really his job to do things for you around the ship. also, the butler serves many other guests, not just you. it's incredibly inefficient to run all over the ship like a messenger delivering legal documents. your mileage may vary; you may develop a special relationship with your butler and he or she may go to the ends of the earth for you... or at least to deck 8. but that should not be an expectation. and any food or beverage that the butler brings you is subject to the same limitations as your food and beverage packages. some butlers will indeed bend the rules. but that handy tiny phone is really to contact the butler to tell him or her that you'd like room service or that you'd like to arrange a formal dining service in your room or, perhaps, in another part of the haven complex using the haven restaurant menu or that you've run out of earl grey tea or you can use that handy phone to call your concierge to ask assistance with an excursion or a reservation. it's not to request that the butler fetch you your slippers. (unless your butler is eliza doolitle.) and it's not to have them bring you a magnum of louis XIII cognac to your hot tub on the pool deck. (they have others who will in fact provide drink service in most areas of the ship; charges may apply, especially for louis XIII). and it's not to have them bring you an almond croissant in the thermal spa. anyway, if you're in the cigar lounge, why would you need your butler to bring you a drink? i've never been in there, but i do believe there is a bar or two just a few steps away. you're never that far away from a bar no matter which public deck you are on... on any ship! that would be a lot quicker than having your butler bring you a drink. and when the cigar lounge is occupied, there may even be a server who goes in there to take drink orders, i don't know. if there is a special drink that you can only get in the haven, then get one before you leave and try not to spill any in the few minutes it takes you to travel to the cigar lounge. your butler provides service, which is quite different than being under servitude.

you're referring to the premium plus package and most - but not all - things are included. water is included, veuve cliquot is included (pending availability) as is starbucks coffee and a greater (but often disappointing) selection of wines and virtually any high end fancy pants cocktail. but to your specific question... the really good drinks in the whiskey bar? the kind the bartender dons white gloves to pour and which cost hundreds of dollars a glass? no, that's not included. a TA told you that they were? generally, most things are included, but a TA should know better than to say "everything" is included!

the club balcony benefit is now listed as "24-hour standard room service menu." i'm not sure that means free. for what i's worth (probably around $9.95), the "balcony" category has the exact same wording, so i am pretty sure, there is no longer such a thing as a free lunch for club balcony suites. (yes, yes, technically, the food is free, but you're still paying a $9.95 "convenience" fee per order.)

say what? people are decorating other people's doors now? egad! perhaps they can find a ceramics class on board or something else to channel their creativity. here's a link to the story that cruise critic wrote when NCL first banned door decorations: https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/4373/

i'm sure this point has probably been made in the carnival forum, but there is tremendous cost savings to removing coffee machines and all associated paraphernalia. after all, coffee is available in many other places and even from room service. so, the theory goes, why do we (carnival) need it in the room when we make it available to our valued guests elsewhere? door decorations are in a whole different category. the cruise line doesn't save any money by banning them. they do pose a risk. but a lot of people seem to like them (until somebody hangs up something they find offensive). and, also, a hell of a lot of people don't like them. coffee makers are definite fire hazards. so are irons and hair dryers supplied by the cruise line and cheap usb charging stations that people bring on board, along (apparently) with their battery operated fans. risk assessors and insurance agents weigh in and then somebody yon high makes a determination and a policy is born.

fire hazard. most door decorations are made with highly flammable materials. it's not so much that the decorations would start a fire as they would quickly spread it should a fire exist. judging by the photo in post #10, it's also possible that more elaborate decorations could cause tripping hazards in case of an evacuation, during which every second counts. independent of safety risk, cabin stewards have to take time to remove decorations and tape and adhesive residue, which takes precious time on turn around days in port, when every second counts. and there were probably many that were not. and who is the arbiter of what is appealing and tasteful? one man's glorious and treasured decorations are another man's eyesore. and no passenger has the right to "decorate" a public space. if i'm in cabin 10203, i tell friends it's between 10202 and 10204. nobody has ever had difficulty finding my cabin because my cabin number is clearly visible outside the door, unobstructed by window clings, crêpe paper streamers and balloons.

no, it's not really marzipan, it's creamier, almost spreadable, more like an almond jam, if there is such a thing.

popular virgin drinks include banana and strawberry daiquiris, mudslides and pina coladas. all those drinks are made with nonalcoholic drink mixes (out of a carton) and the alcohol is added (or not) at the very last moment. these drinks are quite common. some bartenders will make non-alcoholic smoothies. and some bartenders will be happy to take ice cream or bananas or whatnot you've brought them from the buffet and mix that in. they can also make virtually any other juice-based drink without alcohol. subject to supply chain issues, most ships also have flavored seltzer in a can, such as a "bubly" (brand name product). that usually is considered a soda, not water, so it, too, is included.

there are conflicting studies and advice being given to patients about kidney stones, with regard to consumption of chocolate, beer, soy, nuts, cheese, spinach, calcium, caffeine and coffee. some say that foods high in oxalate are also high in fiber, magnesium and potassium and therefore actually inhibit the development of stones. i'm not a doctor or nutritionist, have never had a kidney stone and so I have no dog in this race... but i remain perplexed at what one should do.

the water would be a no brainer for me and catapult me into the + category. but with my casino drink card, i can get what they describe as "ultra" dinks and that includes pellegrino. (i think you can even get it with the "premium" casino drink card, however.) typically, they will give me two of the big bottles. i usually drink one in the casino and take the other one back to the room.

i rarely eat breakfast. and i rarely do room service. and never for breakfast. but i thought continental breakfast selections are available "free" for every cabin. is that not the case?

call me a curmudgeon, if you will, but those are just dreadful. eye pollution. and worse. i'd be pretty pissed if i had to walk by that four or five times a day. it's a cause of "upset" and "distress." apart from the risk of spreading a fire more quickly, apart from the damage potentially done to doors, the halls on NCL ships are public spaces. no individual has the right to subject other people to that nonsense. and... the upside down pineapple has a very specific meaning and in case it wasn't obvious, there is actually a sign on the door suggesting interested parties should leave their cabin number so they could, um, connect. that's not "decorating," that's solicitation! i have no real concern about the birthday tinsel, i just think it's a fanciful notion that anybody outside that cabin cares about the birthday celebration taking place within. the sign would be put to much better use inside the cabin, where the celebrant can see it. (also, the tinsel looks like it belongs on a 1960s variety show with special guest star, ann margaret. now, i happen to like ann margaret, but i don't want to be distracted by thinking about her every time i pass by the birthday boy's cabin.) as for keith and darby... what's up with that uninspired rubbish? that's not a "decoration," that's a flyer advertising a garage sale! why even bother putting that on the door? as you can see, apart from the safety issues (which is really why they are banned), opinions can vary widely as to what constitutes a suitable door decoration. i think they are a safety hazard, but i also don't like them. i think they are ugly and have no place in a shared space used by all passengers. here's what NCL's terms and conditions have to say about suitable passenger behavior: "we expect all guests to have consideration for other people. if in our reasonable opinion or in the reasonable opinion of the ship's master, any guest behaves in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause danger, upset or distress to any third party (such as other guests) or damage to property, or fails to comply with our COVID-19 policies and procedures, or fails to follow the lawful instructions of the ship's officers and crew at all times, we are entitled, without prior notice, to terminate the holiday of the guest(s) concerned. in this situation, the guest(s) concerned will be required to leave the ship or, if applicable other accommodation or service. we will have no further responsibility toward such guest(s) including any return travel arrangements. no refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination."

NCL internet is usually pretty bad on all ships, but it does depend on the number of people using it. a spring break cruise with a thousand kids all using the internet at the same time? very s-l-o-w speeds. and you may not be able to use it for streaming, even if you're purchased the streaming internet. a cruise in june is likely to have a lot of families, with a number of teens using the internet. expect poor performance at sea (greater use), but decent speeds while in port. i no longer purchase the internet from NCL and rely on rationing the "free" minutes, supplemented by cell phone service while in port. most cell phone plans allow for a daily "pass" while traveling internationally to most countries for about $10 a day.

you can bring all your luggage on board, but it has to be able to pass through the x-ray machine at the pier, so you can do this with carry on size luggage only. and you (and/or your companions) have to be able to carry and maneuver whatever you bring on by yourselves. i bring a single carryon bag (on wheels) on board myself, along with a laptop bag/briefcase. but i check a larger bag. Wheeling a single carryon bag with briefcase is relatively easy, much the same as going to the airport. Anything larger you can't bring on board. and more bags than that becomes unwieldy. You don't really want to spend the first few hours of your vacation dragging your luggage all over the ship. one exception: if you're in a suite or in the haven, you can typically drop your bags in the room, even if the room hasn't been completely made up yet. as for your bag being misdirected on board, even though you may have tipped... the porter you tipped at the pier has nothing to do with on board delivery of your bag. his or her responsibility is only to load your luggage on a cart and get that cart to the ship, whereupon the ship's staff immediately takes over and is responsible for delivering your bag(s) to your cabin.

yes, i have to agree.. an oversized balcony is not the norm for a garden variety "club balcony suite." most have perfectly ordinary balconies, big enough to accommodate two chairs and a small table or one lounge chair and a small table.

the biggest benefit is a slightly larger bathroom. these are nice rooms, but they are not genuine "suites" and they carry very few of the suite benefits.

i'm not gary, but i share his love of the almond croissant. it's typically found on the breakfast buffet. (the haven restaurant has a set menu of items, but also a buffet with breads, pastries, fruit, cereals and the aforementioned croissant.) so, there is nothing really to order, per se, unless you're asking for them to be delivered at a time other than breakfast. the croissant has a few sliced almonds on top and inside is a filling of some sort of almond paste. other than that, it's a croissant! (but the almond filling makes it truly special for those who are fans.)