egurbi

I wish I could dispel the rumors about the Joy. I am sailing on her right now. Eliminating the Broadway show and passing off "Elements" as a premier show just doesn't cut it. Food is subjective, but there really is a big difference at the buffet between what it used to be less than a year ago and what it is now. Fewer options, poorer food quality. On the plus side, staff remains very friendly and overworked. But the cutbacks are obvious.

Excellent. Thank you for the information,

Ah ok. Looks like you walk through a garage and you're there assuming pedestrian egress.

Is this possible? Going B2B on MSC Seascape and NCL Joy. Looks like Terminal AA and Terminal B respectively Thanks in advance for any and all thoughts.

I am booked through CAS. My free at sea meals went from 1 to 2 with the upgrade as per dbrown84. Interesting about the differences between CAS and TAs.

We have a winner! Thank you dbrown84. That is exactly the reason for the additional $12 charge. Thanks to you and all who responded.

Thanks for all the responses. Didn't take the insurance. It's an upgrade to a balcony from an ocean view, so no increase in DSC, as far as I am aware. Just plain odd. Also, will NCL actually respond to inquiries about upgrade charges, since my understanding is that they contract the whole process out?

Thanks Odd. USD transaction made in US.

Just got an accepted bid on an upgrade. Card on file was run for 6% more than the total bid. Is tax being charged on accepted bids? Have never had this happen in the past.

December 2, 2023 Sailing of NCL Escape from Port Canaveral $100 pp oceanview to B4 balcony. Accepted. Question for the group-- my credit card was charged $12 in addition to the $200 bid (I guess works out to 6% of bid) for a total of $212 for the upgrade. Is this tax? I have received upgrades before without paying any tax.

If you earn Sapphire status or above at Casinos at Seas my understanding is that the 3 percent fee to "purchase" slot credits is refunded. First, I am correct this is the case, and is there a limit to the amount of slot credits subject to the refund? Second, what are the mechanics of the refund? Does it appear as a 3 percent fee and then gets comped off at the end of the cruise automatically, or do you need to request the refund and get a casino host to manually comp off the 3 percent fee? Bonus question: For Sapphire tier, how much do you receive in OBC? Thanks in advance.

I'd like to enter into this contest the whole turkey they cook at the buffet, typically on country and western night or all-american night. If you like turkey, it's as good as grandma's thanksgiving!

Thanks. Did you contact the local branch to set up the rental or was the national number in US or Canada able to handle this? Online booking at budget will not permit it.

Thank you for the very helpful replies.

Considering a Boston to Quebec City cruise in the Fall. The only problem is that I need to get back to Boston the same day the cruise ends in Quebec. There appears to be no commercial air service between Quebec City and Boston at the present time. One way rental cars also do not look to be an option as none of the majors seem to allow it. So options appear to be to take 3 plus hour train or bus to Montreal and head to the airport. But I'm open to other ideas! Any ideas?

David, That certainly makes sense about Galaxy Pavilion. That said, as you enter from the chaotic pool area and head toward the observation lounge for a little (hopefully quiet) bliss, it is a little disorienting to be greeted by the flashing lights at the entrance to Galaxy Pavilion before you make a hard left into the Observation Lounge. I wanted to add one other MISS I neglected to mention (previous posters have discussed the slides, I won't beat that dead horse). The three deck Pr1MA speedway just takes up too much prime real estate on the ship. There are so many possibilities if it were not there, or at least smaller. I can only hope they reconsider it for her future sister ships.

Recently sailed on the Pr1MA to Bermuda from NY. I've been on 17 NCL cruises prior to this one, staying in everything from Garden Villa on Dawn, Haven on Jewel and Breakaway and Breakaway Plus Ships, balconies, and insides. 7 NCL cruises since the restart. Here are my opinions on some of the hits and misses on the Pr1MA. YMMV Hits: 1. Indulge Food Hall -- great concept, excellent food. It adds a completely new element to NCL cruises. 2. Infinity pools on 8 -- creates a great vibe on 8 and nice alternative to deck 17 pool scene chaos. 3. Theater/Night Club -- well thought out, great flexibility, comedy works really well in the venue. 4. Observation lounge -- smaller than the plus class ships obviously, but an excellent room for relaxation. 5. Balcony furniture -- marked improvement over the hard back chairs on all other ships. 6. The Stadium -- interesting games, good use of the deck 18 mid space. 7. Metropolitan and Belvedere Bars -- excellent theming, creates distinct and interesting themes. 8. Palomar -- wonderful views, excellent addition to specialty restaurant roster. 9. 3 deck atrium -- opinions differ but I liked it a lot over the crowded 2 story atrium on the breakaway and plus ships. Misses: 1. Buffet -- fiasco. Yes, too small, but also variety not there. Yes, I know Indulge Food Hall supplements it -- but it needs to improve. Use of it as a cut through when Palomar is closed to traffic makes it even worse. 2. The Gateway -- move the kiosk shops somewhere else. The crowding in this venue is ridiculous, particularly after a show lets out and the kiosks make it far worse. 3. Hudsons -- beautiful space, dinner service harried and uneven. 4. Hot Tubs -- they need more. Without and H20, no chance of ever getting in one once the usual kids/suspects squat all day in the 2 located near the main pool. 5. Galaxy Pavilion -- money grab and frankly its placement next to Observation Lounge is just plain odd. 6. Storage in Balcony Rooms -- adequate for 2 adults, shudder to think how 3 or 4 could find room for their stuff. 7. Fitness Center -- good equipment, but no tv access on cardio machines, stretching area is too small. Access walking through a hallway in the spa also seems like a design flaw. 8. Syd Normans -- should be double in size. 9. Space allotted to Photo Shop on 8 -- massive waste of space.

Improv at Sea. Very efficicent check-in and check-out. Every ship I've been on has offered the service for the last three months...

Down for "maintenance." No reports when they will be operational. Unhappy passengers. 1 Hot Tub near Main Pool and 1 Hot Tub in Vibe open for business. Infinity pools on 8 are operational, and have been PACKED. Disappointing.

Thank you both for the responses.

Headed to Bermuda tomorrow on Prima. A few questions I have not been able to get answers to despite reading through some great trip reports on this board! Didn't want to hijack those threads, so just a few questions: 1. Specialty restaurant reservation changes can be made in which public room upon embarkation? 2. Does Hudsons and Indulge open at 12 PM first day or earlier (hoping against hope for an earlier embarkation). 3. Recently, the Getaway was checking carried on luggage in the casino area prior to rooms being available. Any one experience something similar on Prima recently? Thank you!

Generally arrives around 6 AM and cleared around 730 AM for self walk-off but YMMV depending upon Coast Guard inspections, DHS timeliness, etc.

Thank you all!

Just booked Allure stateroom 11502, oceanview all the way in front. Reservation indicates 25% obstructed. Any idea what that means or the obstruction is? TIA.

Typically Mahi Mahi.