laudergayle

My friend told me they tip $2.

I will continue to tip…even though the 20% was added….cause we know that the auto added gratuity is spread across many. However, we will probably not order everyday. Which is what I suspect NCL wants. Fewer service deliveries and a cost for those that order. Looks like NCL wins both sides. In the short run while trying to recoup lost revenue I accept. At some point they will need to be more competitive and will likely revert to more free things. If not, then NCL probably won’t be our first choice. Time will tell.

UPDATE…we have decided to stay an extra night in San Juan. We booked a midday Delta flight home the next day for 25k miles +$6 each. Hotel was $230. The SWA return ticket will be a throwaway. Total invested with NCL air promo $538 plus $250 and some miles still cheaper than if we had booked our own air.

Actually its the Wanna Get Away rate…which has the lowest boarding rank. I think we may be able to buy an earlier boarding position. On a good note, SWA allows 2 free checked bags up to 50 lbs each…which is unusual these days.

This was a trial…ATL to SJU. How bad could it be…ATL is a Delta Hub and an international airport. We took a 2-day deviation going out and selected our return same day as we disembark. For anyone who may be interested…NCL booked economy on SWA, Atlanta to Orlando, Orlando to San Juan. Outbound, not bad…11 am from ATL, short layover in MCO, 5:35 pm arrival in SJU. However, the return flight is HORRIBLE!! 6:45 pm departure out of SJU, an hour and a half layover MCO, arrival at ATL at midnight. And we live 90 mins from the airport. As it’s said…You get what you pay for…lol.

Actually OP I see you posted on that topic #153. A few posts earlier also answered the question…yes PP+ works. Sounds like you’re going to have a great time. Enjoy.

Sorry I should have quoted TrumpyNor. There was a good thread about GSC villas at Silver Cove. Post 73-74 addressed the Moët with PP+. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2706578-everything-great-stirrup-cay-silver-cove-villas-lagoon-spa-etc/page/3/

With the Premium Plus pAckage you can order the bottle of Moët at breakfast, lunch or dinner in any of the MDRs. I did it recently.

The buffet is all the way forward, and the bar is at the very far forward after the food stations.

Check your credit card offers, there may be an offer for NCL discount.See recent topic New AMEX Offer for comments on a recent offer, now expired.

Yes, there is a bar in the Garden Cafe all the way forward…and if you ever need Gatorade, they sell it there by the can.

Recently sailed Breakaway with FAS+ for the wine and champagne. I found most bars, with the exception of dining rooms, did not have any + options. We did order a bottle of Moët at breakfast in MDR and took it back to our cabin. Also ordered a white and red at dinner and took unfinished contents to cabin as well. I found that the bars between the MDRs often had + options, especially the Veuve. Hope this helps you take advantage of your + drink package.

At least you know worst case scenario. But Bliss and the observation deck are really nice. However, if pricing is comparable…you might want to consider Encore for one of your cruises. The addition of Skagway snd Glacier Bay would be a really nice augment. But…if I recall…you do AK often…so NVM my opinion…🙃

Question on Priority Access and enhanced room service breakfast. The hang tags only have two omelets and the brioche French toast…even though the menu in the binder has the options in your image. Did anyone in your cabin order off the expanded menu? Did you just write it on the hang tag…or did you call it in?

On our cruise the Bliss was cruising Endicott Arms/Dawes Glacier. While we suspected the size of the ship wouldn’t get us close enough to the glacier, we booked an excursion to get up close. They cancelled the excursion due to ice. In the picture you can see the ice field…blocking entry to the glacier. The glacier was through that pass to the left. So…this is basically as close as we came to seeing a glacier. Oh yeah, my iPhone was on max zoom, so we really weren’t even close to the entry.

There is no concierge for club balcony ☹️. While you can use the touch screens outside the elevator banks, I prefer to do it at the box office so you can see all the entertainment choices…not just the ones that require reservations. And you get to keep the paper menu for reference. We also make our main dining room reservations around the entertainment. When you show up at MDRs with reservations they take you right in. You can do dining reservations on the touch screens.

@SacCaliCruiserthanks for your post. We recently booked Bliss 7-day to Mexican Riviera in Nov. ‘23. Did you see any whales?

We did Bliss to AK in May. I wouldn’t do a mid-May cruise again as the ice field hadn’t melted enough so we saw no glacier. If we did another AK cruise we would probably choose Encore as it goes to Glacier Bay. But Bliss is indeed beautiful. IMO.

Looks like you already made your speciality dining reservation…so that’s good. Our favorite Breakaway Restaurants are Cagneys and Moderno…but Teppanyaki is entertaining and you will just pay $58.80 ($49 plus 20% gratuity) if your 17 y/o joins you. It is best to make reservations for entertainment as soon as you board. Go to the box office outside of the theatre, starboard side Deck 7. Do you mean Club Balcony Suite or a Haven suite with concierge? If it is Club Balcony Suite, the cabin is the same size as a balcony cabin with a larger bathroom. The room steward will turn the sofa into a bed for your son each night. Definitely make reservations for SIX. Google the broadway show so you know the storyline before hand. Burn the Floor is also good., but probably not so interesting for your son. He will probably like the Entourage. Syd Normans is a rock house and the music entertainers are really good. It’s small and gets crowded so get there early. I think doors open about 30 mins before the nightly performance…and there may already be a line…especially for the Rumors performance. Enjoy your cruise…NCL staff are amazing.

Because you ate there so frequently I was curious if you had actually discovered the times that were off peak, or if there was a part of the food hall that seemed less crowded. I appreciate the other insight you shared…especially the FOR: usage.

Tips for scoring a seat at the tables with the kiosks, please.

Ooh ooh ooh…time to chime in. Here’s a new theory on No More Mixed Shots. It’s not about the difficulty in making them, nor is it the drunken passengers. It’s back to cost cutting and supply chain woes. I, along with my 10 friends, can down a shot in a matter of seconds. Then I want something else. If you give me a beer, a mixed drink, a complicated mixed drink or wine, the time it takes to consume that drink is significantly longer. And all that liquid fills up the void in my belly. Each ship may have to make the No Mixed Shots rule based on their current inventory levels. And, it’s likely corporate has given them permission to do so. Unfortunately we’re still weathering the storm of Covid. So, there it is…maybe, lol.

I do bring a champagne stop…but I like the cage for transporting from table to cabin. Buy what @ziggyuk said makes sense. Especially the time it takes to consume the contents!

We’re you Haven, Platinum or +, or did you have Priority Access? Curious as our upcoming Bliss/LAX will also be our first Platinum boarding. Thanks.

You will now…lol. Happy cruising!