spookylu

Filet mignon at Cagney's. Everything I ate at Onda 🤩. I haven't tried any others yet.

I hope that you can do this successfully, but please be warned that doing this is highly unusual and not something that a cruise line normally lets people do. I would strongly recommend getting everything in writing from the cruise line before embarking. As others have suggested, I would also seek out the advice of other disabled cruisers who have done this. Even with cruise line approval, I'm not sure I would attempt it.

The perception expressed by some here that NCL is a "budget" or value cruise line that is cheaper than other lines is a bit surprising to me. I watch a good amount of cruise content on YouTube and there is a lot of bellyaching that NCL is expensive and has raised prices too much. There are also complaints that NCL "nickel and dimes" you too much once you're onboard. I have no opinion, I have only been on one cruise and it was NCL, and I felt it was a good value. However, NCL does feel a bit expensive to me when I've comparison shopped price with say, MSC and Carnival. I consider those the budget cruise lines.

Thank you for the entertainment 🤣

I think I probably will. I appreciate the honest feedback. I'd rather know in advance than be disappointed onboard!

Thanks for the great info. As for this part of your post, are you saying that there might not be day passes available? I figured day passes have limited availability, but I wasn't sure if the chances of getting them was "pretty good" or "don't hold your breath". If it's the latter maybe I should buy the week.

I would like to buy a single day pass for my upcoming cruise on the Joy and had some questions: 1. What does the thermal suite typically include? The Joy is actually going into dry dock next month to get the thermal suite put in, so I'm not sure if the Joy's will be exactly the same as the other ships, but typically it would be the sauna, thalassotherapy pool, and loungers, right? 2. How do I buy a single day pass? Can I purchase on the app or will I need to go to the spa when I board? 3. How busy does the thermal suite get? I'm not sure what to expect in terms of crowds.

Thanks for this, I love reading this! My next cruise isn't for 4+ months so I am happy to tag along on this one virtually.

I am from Maine, so Bermuda weather, even in April, will be a welcome change for me! There is usually still snow on the ground here then.

That's what I thought. I don't mind if it's cool, I just want to be able to dock🤣

I didn't know there was a bad time to dock in Bermuda. I am going there on the Joy next April. I hope that's a better time to go! I feel bad for them, but such things are unavoidable sometimes.

That's fine. There was a lot of stuff I liked that I will be happy to eat again (and I also know what to avoid now...🙃).

Yeah, I won't do this. I just book the lowest tier room I'd be satisfied in and I'll enter a modest bid on upgrades, just in case they don't get many other offers. If they don't like my first bid I'll stay with my original cabin. 🫠

I cruised on the Encore last April. I will be on the Joy this coming April. These are sister ships and have most of the same bars and restaurants (I'm fine with that, I loved the Encore). Just wondering if I should expect the food and drink menus to be essentially the same as last year or if Norwegian updates the menus every year.

I don't think any venues outright ban children unless an adults only event is happening. As I mentioned in my other post, I saw kids in the Cavern Club at 10 or 11 pm at karaoke time.

I was on the Encore last April. There are no dedicated adults only areas like Spice H20 on other ships. We do not have children, so I didn't pay much attention to where children were or were not allowed, but I think they will be welcome most places. I recall seeing kids most places on the ship, and most areas and activities seemed family friendly, but I guess some wouldn't be. For example, it's probably fine for a kid to be near the pool bar at 2 pm. However, maybe you don't want your kids in Maltings Whiskey Bar at midnight. Then again, I saw kids in the Cavern Club during karaoke and that was both a bar and fairly late at night. Unrelated, but I noticed from the schedule someone posted that Royal Flush is still on the Encore. They are a rock cover band that played all over the ship, and I really liked them. If you like that kind of music, I recommend seeing them play.

This thread helps me too because I've only sailed NCL, and while I like them a lot I want to try a different line next. Probably RCCL, so the reverse of OP's situation. RCCL currently sounds best to me...huge, fun ships and great entertainment. However, I think I will miss NCL's anytime dining and the free at sea perks. Having the included drink package and meals at specialty restaurants makes the cruise feel more luxurious to me. I also like eating when I want...I think set dining times are inconvenient and old fashioned. And yes, I do understand that free at sea is not free and I am paying for the perks in my cruise fare, but I like that for my base fare I'm getting a really solid cruise with nice amenities. I'm sure I could have a good time on any of the big three (NCL, RCCL, Carnival). The only line I'm hesitant about is MSC. Too many bad reviews and complaints about crowded ships and bad food.

I'm 39 and not exactly looking forward to turning 40 next summer, but I guess the solution is to go on more cruises so I feel young for longer 🤣🫠

That's okay! Everyone should do what they prefer and what they feel is right. 😀

That's true, and even understandable. What blows my mind is how many people are willing to pay that much to get food delivered.

Yep, this is exactly what I'm talking about. I don't use DoorDash because I'm unwilling to pay as much for delivery and tip as I would for the meal itself. I'll just go pick it up. I understand that people have strong opinions about tipping and not everyone is going to agree with me, but I think tipping is getting a little out of control and people should be drawing a line in the sand somewhere. That's all.

I'm with you. I prepay my gratuities and that is all I'm paying unless I want to recognize an individual who was truly exceptional. I tip 20% as a rule and I have noticed a lot of '"tip creep" the past few years. You're now expected to tip more places, and where 20% used to be considered generous, now it seems to be the bare minimum you can do without seeming like a cheapskate. There is pressure to tip more and more and I don't love it. I always tip (even for not so great service) and would never dream of reducing my prepaid gratuities unless service was simply awful uniformly across the cruise, but I am not carrying around a stack of bills to hand out on top of that. Something to consider: the more people "double tip" by prepaying gratuities and then also cash tipping, the more it becomes "the norm" and expected of the rest of us.

I am as introverted as they come and I love cruising. And I really mean that - I work remotely, rarely go anywhere, and spend time with very few people besides my husband and my pets. Cruising is so great because can do whatever you want, 24 hours a day. You can sit alone in your room, or hang out anywhere on the ship alone. A few people might try to strike up a conversation, but you can always keep it brief and polite if you don't want to talk. Or, bring a book or headphones to show you don't want to be disturbed. Personally, I found myself being less introverted on cruises because I know that I'll probably never see any of these people again, so I feel more free to be myself and have fun. I don't mind the occasional friendly conversation with a stranger, or doing things I would never normally do like participating in games or going to karaoke. I find cruising very freeing.

🤣 I'm in a club balcony suite on my next cruise for the first time and avoiding the "transporter tube" shower was the biggest draw.

I think this is reasonable on a mass market cruise line like NCL. If one wants old fashioned lavish, personal service where the staff treats you like you're their only priority, it's time to pay to be in The Haven or book with one of the companies that focuses on small ships and personalized service. I think OP is definitely using the wrong cruise line as their expectations are not realistic for a mass market line.