Cruising Lynne

This Captain Hudson?

I agree with your assessment. I won't ever go on Icon, because it is just too big. I feel like ships like that are one thing that give cruising a bad name, and leads to ports limiting ships or not allowing them. They just dump too many people on a port all at once, and they need larger piers to dock at etc. I have not cruised on Joy yet, but have a trip coming up on her in the fall. It seems like it does have things that a teen could enjoy, such as the go-karts, laser tag, and Galaxy Pavilion. Just need to allow extra spending money for these items. For me I like that it has a Spice H2O and an Observation Lounge. Haven for the same cost as Icon would be a great thing!

Thank you for your review. I also noticed the lack of a piano. I think the Metropolitan Bar or Belvedere Bar would be good places for a piano. Or in the atrium when there is no other music being played.

I have said this to my husband. His response is that getting a voucher for a cruise for having played at the casino means I get to have fun twice!

I had a comment, but realized it was off topic.

I think he does like it. He keeps coming back to argue that this NCL issue really isn't an NCL issue. I keep coming back to see if there is any new info. I agree that he needs a drink.

I did not feel that the OPS post was an excuse to complain. It is good information for people who get vouchers from different casinos and for different cruise lines. I feel that free cruise vouchers I have received from my local casino for NCL cruises give me a good discount from what I would pay without a voucher, but certainly not free. I have a friend who also gets NCL cruise vouchers from this casino, but has not used them because he gets better offers from the Carnival casino program. I have used the NCL voucher many times, and am using one I received for Holland America soon. They did not have the administrative fee and it is a 10 night trip. The NCL vouchers I get are for 7 night trips. The thing I liked better about using my NCL voucher is that I do not have to pay it all right away. I have until final payment is due. I usually pay to upgrade my room so with the taxes and fees and upgrade charge it is quite a bit. When I booked the Holland cruise, I had to pay for the taxes and upgrade when I booked. I did not like having to give all that money right away, but I didn't want to pass up the offer.

Whether or not NCL is lying, if I book a cruise for UK or Europe in the near future, the lack of alcoholic beverages until international waters on port days with NCL will make me choose another line. This is much more than just a few hours on embarkation day. This has a large impact on your overall enjoyment you expected to have when you booked your cruise. Many of us book our cruise expecting to be able to enjoy a welcome aboard cocktail, a sail away party cocktail, a cocktail after a busy day of sightseeing, wine with dinner, a Mimosa with breakfast etc. Changing this for people at the last minute is clearly wrong!!

I don't think 2,500 is tiny. I must be broke. Makes me wonder if they will face further consequences in the US.

Good idea. This reminds me of a thread about bringing zipper bags to store snacks for late night consumption... The banana bread keeps well in the fridge this way. LOL Add a shot of rum and you can have banana rum cake!

This is awful. I would be especially angry if I paid extra for the premium plus package. We have cruised lot with Norwegian and have reached Sapphire Latitude level. But, if I was going to cruise in UK or Europe, I would definitely choose another line. NCL needs to fix this ASAP. Not wanting to pay the fees or taxes they need to to save a buck will cost them more in the long run. Fewer people will choose NCL.

🤦‍♀️Oops. Last time I was on here was 8 hours ago, so I though it had not come up in a while.

Just in case you did not know, for future reference, NCL has another private island, Great Stirrup Cay. On GSC the drink package does apply. It makes it a favorite beach day for a lot of people. I enjoy GSC, but would like to try Harvest Caye some day. I like that Harvest Caye has a peer so you do not have to tender like at GSC. If I go to Harvest Caye I would also fill a drink bottle with one or two drinks from the ship.

I haven't seen this asked lately, so it could be good info for some people besides the OP. Searches here do not always go as you think they will.

This is true, I have not. I can see where this could be a problem! As a teen, I would definitely want to be able to lock my brother out.

Is this just happening for Southampton or all the UK ports? I certainly hope that this is temporary. Most people like to have that first cocktail before or during sail away. I feel like NCL dropped the ball somewhere along the line in regards to paying taxes or getting a permit to serve alcohol. I really want to know if this is happening with other cruise lines? If not, then I would expect a small amount of onboard credit to make up for it. And for NCL to straighten things out for future sailings. I would be pissed to find out upon boarding that cocktails would not be available. If they let people know ahead of time they could at least bring their own wine or champagne for sail away.

The pool deck on Gem has two pools with space for loungers around them and in between them. One of the pools is supposed to be adults only. There are also 4or 5 hot tubs. I actually prefer this pool area to the ones on the larger ships. Looking at the deck plans you can see the layout.

I have been on Epic and really enjoyed it. My only complaint compared to other large NCL ships is that the lifeboats mostly block the view of the water when you walk around outside on that deck. The bathroom is not that big of a deal. There is a thick curtain that you can pull across which completely blocks off the area with the shower and toilet compartments. No one in the room will see you in the shower or on the pot. Bring Poopouri or some other brand of toilet spray if you are worried about odors.

I can see where that would be scary for your husband and son.I hope that your shoulder has healed well. If I was missing for two hours, my husband would probably think I found a hot machine in the casino. I am not sure at what point he would actually start worrying. If the compensation offered was in addition to paying your medical bills, I think that is really great. I have not heard of NCL offering compensation to other people besides the injured party.

Did you try Spice H2O on Getaway? That is where I would go if the main pool area is too busy.

OP is considering Vibe for their sailing on Viva. Ocean Ave on Viva will have a variety of comfortable seating, decent chaise loungers, infinity pools, and showers to cool off. Not sure about Viva, but Prima did not have hot tubs on Ocean Ave. If I sail Prima again, I would consider getting Vibe or Thermal suite passes because I felt that there were not enough hot tubs available on the main pool deck. I do think Vibe is overpriced. I also think Vibe would likely be a waste on a Bermuda trip in February. I did wish that Prima had an area that was adults only like Spice H2O on the Breakaway and most Breakaway plus class ships. Of course, if they continue building ships with limited available hot tubs, I will cruise with other lines that have included adult only areas that have hot tubs and pools such as Royal Caribbean or Holland America Line.

Thank you for the list. I tried to look for info on the Everything Project Leonardo or Prima class thread, but it had too many pages to sift through.

I am looking forward to this slightly larger Prima class ship, and don't want to miss when it is available to book. Does anyone have an idea what the name of it is?

Definitely bring conditioner. My husband doesn't mind the shampoo they provide, but he doesn't really have much hair. I need it for my medium length "normal" hair.

I am certainly glad to hear that Beetlejuice will not be two and a half hours. My back and attention span would not last that long in a ship theater! I am hoping to book a trip on Viva as I do love that new ship smell, and would like to see a new show. I also want to let people know that Summer was a really good show. I enjoyed Six, but jokingly tell my husband that I would have liked it better if it was Five. It felt a little long to me.