SeaShark

Sounds interesting...nice hotels in Miami. I'm partial (but not exclusive) to the Intercontinental next to the Bayside Marketplace. From there, you can easily grab the Coral Way trolley to the Port of Miami for free.

Hmm, not so obvious, and not that it makes a difference. Even Lao Tze wouldn't have used an imperial measurement. (The problem is "mile", not who might have said it)

Not sure if you've made plans, but if not, https://cozumelbarhop.com/ is a blast in Cozumel.

I think that the giveaway in this belief would be the the "mile" wasn't a unit of measurement that Confucius would have used...

Are you able to accommodate my dietary requests and/or food allergies? Our expansive food and beverage offerings should be able to accommodate most dietary needs and requests, but be sure to ask our Sailor Services Crew before you sail regarding any specific requests or allergy concerns. Please note, we are NOT an allergen-free kitchen. --My advice would be to contact Sailor Services prior to the cruise as they advise in their FAQ. I would also heed the last sentence above as that may have an impact on your concerns.

So, this leaves me curious as to why you would say this. Did someone from MSC say that it was your fault? Did someone try to lay blame on you? Sounds fair. However, I have to ask: what was the main reason that led you to switch from RC to MSC in the first place? What need/want was RC not meeting that steered you to try MSC?

I keep coming back to the thread title Free at Sea Open bar doesn't apply on Harvest Caye.... I kind of thought the answer was obvious since "on Harvest Caye" is NOT "at Sea"

Prices always rise when someone else is paying the bill (ie the items are "free"). This is why medical care is so very expensive...as long as insurance pays for it, who care what the individual prices are?

The thing you have to remember here is that the OP is actually onboard the ship. To use the emergency room analogy, this is like asking random internet people for a diagnosis when you are already IN the emergency room. Besides, this OP isn't really looking for answers or advice. Read his history...this OP likes to start random off-beat topics framed in such a way to induce multiple argumentative responses (iow, threads designed to go "viral"). Why ask people who are literally right there, when you can post on the Internet and potentially cause a message board dust up over nothing?

OMG...if you're actually on the ship then why not just ASK THEM? You have the restaurant, the Latitudes reps, guest services, and even the General Manager RIGHT THERE. Just ASK....🙄

When Project Leonardo was first announced, NCL applied for eight trademark names: NORWEGIAN PRIMANORWEGIAN ULTIMANORWEGIAN OMBRANORWEGIAN VIVANORWEGIAN BELLANORWEGIAN AQUANORWEGIAN LUNANORWEGIAN VELA Two of them are "extra" to throw people off. I'm betting the last ship of the six will be "Ultima"

This benefit offers two dinners for two at a specialty restaurant for Platinum, Sapphire, Diamond, and Ambassador guests. Each stateroom will receive a voucher in their Welcome Back card on embarkation day for: • Dinner for Two with a Bottle of Wine • Dinner for Two Service charges are included in this benefit. Guest to present voucher to their server before ordering. Benefit entitles each guest to an appetizer, one entrée, and a dessert of your choice. Upcharges apply on certain premium menu items. Bottle of Wine offered in all venues offering Complimentary Wine list, Palomar not included. In à la carte restaurants, coupon can be redeemed for 4 menu items per person (Sushi, Wasabi, Nama, Teppanyaki, Hasuki, Food Republic, Pincho Tapas Bar or Raw Bar). Dinner coupons are non-transferable. Solo guests cannot claim two dinners. Coupons cannot be used for the same venue twice. 2 guests maximum. Dining options vary by ship.

No...not nickel and diming. Nickel and diming is used to refer to a minor mandatory extras charge/fee that you have to pay, not for an optional item you can choose to purchase. Imagine if you will, arriving at the pier and you ask the porter for a luggage tag only to be informed that the mandatory luggage tag comes with a $1 fee. THAT would be nickel and diming. Or imagine getting to the check in desk at the pier and you are told that there is now a $5 charge to issue you a room key card. THAT would be nickel and diming.

Not to pick on you, but this is a great example. You set expectations of free specialty dining every night of the cruise and all the free drinks you wanted...NCL never promised that. The reason you were "absolutely and completely ticked" was that reality did not rise to meet your expectations. So you have to ask...did the cruise line fail to deliver what was promised OR did the failure come from the guests own expectations? If a guest doesn't do their own research OR if the guest doesn't use a PCC or TA who can explain things to them, then that is really their own failure...it isn't the cruise line being unethical. And this is why people blame the cruiser and, as you say, give the cruise line a pass.

Great that you mention this...."expect" is the key word here. A lot of time the problem isn't the offering, it is with unrealistic expectations.

How very true. Lots of whining about what "other lines do" (yet they want NCL, not the other lines?) and derogatory labeling (cheerleader, loyalist, nickel and diming) in place of honest discussion. Only proves how upset the fox is over the grapes, right Aesop?

NCL doesn't charge you for what is included either. However, the drink package and the specialty dining are not included...they are extra add ons that you get for free. You aren't required to take them, you could take the sail-away rate without the free add ons, but you choose to take them. Your choice, not included. There are opportunities out there with many lines where you can win/get a free cruise...the cruise is free..you pay nothing for the cruise. HOWEVER, you will still pay taxes....because the cruise is free, but the taxes are not. NCL offers packages covering both drinks and specialty dining for purchase. These come with two costs: one cost for the package and another for the service charge. Two. Different. Charges. NCL offers to give you the drinks and/or the specialty dining at no charge....but they do NOT offer to give you the service charge portion for no cost. (Welcome to marketing 101: it isn't the deal you get, its the deal you think you get). What I'm curious about is why are you on NCL in the first place? It would seem like you are "trying" other lines looking for what makes you happy...and if you had found it, you wouldn't still be looking. When you decided to "try" NCL, what hole were you hoping that they would fill that you haven't had filled by your other cruise experiences?

Well, because you said "I do not go to Meet & Greets" and I simply took you at your word. Was it wrong for me to do so?

However you DO care or else you wouldn't have read, much less commented on the thread. Not to mention the "many" that you have read to justify your parenthetical. Given that you drop into the middle of a discussion, and instead of commenting on the topic you choose to broadly insult everyone with your self-endowed superiority, you can rest assured that you're not missed at the Meet & Greets. Weird however, that up until now you didn't go to the Meet & Greets and you had no idea why.

It only went there because you took it there. I only said the I need more than anecdotal evidence. I was just speaking of myself...no one else. There is simply no logical reason to twist my needs into some sort of insult to you. And...even if I was not talking about myself, then the criticism would have been aimed at the people who informed you...again, leaving you out of it as you just repeated what they told you. Either way, it isn't about you. Don't you agree that if "most of it goes elsewhere" that we all need to know the how, why, and where behind that?

So your 'evidence' is simply heresay? I can just as easily claim that I've talked with many employees who have said different...but I don't...for good reason. You claim "much of it goes elsewhere". How "much"? And "where" exactly does it go? Is there actual proof, or is it all simply "trust me, I know"? I once enjoyed "Dinner with an Office" with one of the Sr Accountants on board. We had a long and very eye-opening discussion about the DSC and tips (which, surprisingly, are not the same thing) over dinner. However, since I would only be repeating what I was told, and since I can't name the person to for them to defend the information, I intentionally do not repeat it. It really isn't worth it...people who are going to opt for Reason #1 or #2 are going to do so NO MATTER WHAT IS SAID ABOUT IT. They will willing accept what they want to hear and dismiss everything else out of hand. This is why these threads always take the same path, and this is why the guest services people simply hand over the form without comment or question...it is pointless to argue when someone is unwilling to hear anything other than their own opinion. Too many vague generalities...FOR ME. As I stated previously, I need more than "take my word for it".

You "know", huh? 🙄 Sorry, but "facts without evidence" is the LAST thing that I'm going to believe.

The real question is why someone would ever ask a steward this in the first place? Do you ask the porter at the terminal how they prefer to be tipped? Do you ask your server in a restaurant how they prefer to be tipped? Do you ask the bartender how they prefer to be tipped? I would hope they one day they will stymie you by correctly answering "generously".

Assuming that is true, then what would be the purpose of the removal? If you are really going to 'tip "WAY above and beyond", then why not just leave the DSC in place and then hand out the "WAY above and beyond" part separately?

How very passive-aggressive of you. Problem here is that you didn't ask a specific question...you asked for people's individual experiences. You even said: "Any experiences gratefully received ". When does the "gratefully" start?