pete_coach

I remember calculating with P&P..... pencil and paper 🙂

Easy now. LOL Your discount may have been your math mistake 🙂

The "sale" NCL has ongoing has been going on for over a year now LOL

What is the difference between Balcony Cabin, Club Balcony Cabin, Family Club Balcony, on Bliss?

You did read post #94 where the OP said "My room steward vanished and did not answer the phone, I finally managed to catch up with him at about 3pm on Day 2. "? It is not like they did not try to contact the steward.

A critic is a critic, good, bad and indifferent is expected. If a critic always has good reports, they are not a critic, they are an advertiser. Yes,, I have read bad and critical reviews and comments of music, art, food and restaurants by critics. That is the job of the critic. A critic is "a person who expresses an unfavorable opinion of something." and also "a person who judges the merits of literary, artistic, or musical works, especially one who does so professionally." So, Cruise Critic can be both and, in the years I have been here, it is. I take both with the same grain of salt. I am unsure who was "slamming anyone who points out logical inconsistencies and fallacies".

I think that this forum is exactly the place for cruisers to review, comment, explain, criticize (Cruise Critic) and otherwise thier experience on their cruise. I suspect your "chronic complainers" are not all the same person and would reasonably suggest they are all different people so, lumping them up as "the chronic complainers" is not one but many different people sharing their experiences. Everyone has a different experience and they wish to share. That is the entire premise of social media. I can also say, in broad strokes that there are a lot of defenders or cheerleaders on specific cruise lines and they jump on anyone that has something not so positive to say. As I see it, everyone is entitled to speak their minds on social media and if is to warn or to share experiences, so be it. They had the experience so it is not up to me or anyone to downplay or make excuses about their experience.

Thank you for the update (clarification). I agree with your dismay and situation that should not have occurred. Has to make you wonder how many other cabins that the steward left in similar condition? You are right, Cruise Critic is a place to report issues and experiences and I thank you for doing so.

Respect is earned and for sure,if it was earned,they get all the respect due. No one here is disrespecting any crew, just stating the fact that on a changeover day, the cabin was far from acceptable. Like I said earlier, had you checked into a hotel and forund your room is a similar state, would you just excuse the hard working chambermaid or complain? In a hotel you would most likely get a different room but on a cruse ship, chances are there is no extra cabins, especially if you chose a specific location. You don't need to post a long monologue, the state of the cabin was totally unacceptable and the OP has every right to tell us.

No but you did excuse the state of the cabin insinuating the steward works hard. Fact is, the cabin was unacceptable and the OP has every right to inform people, The OP told someone about the state of the cabin. I am sure you would have told someone but I am also sure you would have been very upset. So, your glass houses, stones everyone is perfect comment is uncalled for.

Why should a new passenger have to do an inspection and report shortcomings? They have quality control and all should be done appropriately. And, to still be in need of service after 5PM? I am pretty sure you would not accept your hotel room in that condition? The front desk may give you a new room but a ship does not have extra cabins. Yours is a feeble attempt at excuses for something that should not happen.

It seems to me that all drinks have tax and gratuity included. When in ports, I think you pay additional taxes of whatever country it is.

You missed the entire point of the post. I made comments and comparisons. And one sentence of gratuities on a drink package was an afterthought, If I would have know so many would be shaken, I would not have mentioned it. Also, it was not a matter of declining, it was just the gratuity on a free item.

OK already. As I said, I made a post with lots of information and one sentence was an aside about the drinks and gratuities.

One sentence, and the last one, in a post is not the entire comment. This is an international forum. There are readers from US, Canada, Australia Britain and elsewhere. Sure sounds like it to me. If that one sentence or comment bothered you , sorry.

Never said that. In response to cruise line differences, I ended with saying "Drink packages are very personal thing. On our upcoming NCL we got a free drink package but had to pay $830 drink gratuity fee (for the 2 of us). Kinda make you wonder if you would even spend $830 for drinks. " It was not meant to be a debate or change of topic it was part of an overall comment. I paid because I wanted to. I also did say, back to the topic.

That is gratuity, not the drink. 10 drinks at $12 per drink = $120.00 and gratuity is $21.60 but we don't drink 10 drinks per day. I think this is enough for now. It all depends on how much one drinks. Back to topic, we like both lines but for different reasons. We like Oceania as well but again, for different reasons. Reading the forums for the various cruse lines you will see praise and criticism of them all.

Yes.

What is incorrect??? I just looked at my invoice and this is on it "Bev Srv Charge 870.26 Guest 1 - 435.13 Guest 2 - 435.13"

On NCL, 14 days and I said the gratuity was $830 ($415 each) which was wrong, it is actually $870.26, and when we bought the gratuity was 18% "Bev Srv Charge 870.26 Guest 1 - 435.13 Guest 2 - 435.13" You can get a lot of alcohol for $870.

I dunno. Ours is a 14 day cruise and that makes it $60 per day on gratuities alone (@18%). That is a lot of drinks. 🙂

We have cruised both although not the new Celebrity Edge class. The NCL ships tend to be more kid orientated with the rides, games, slides etc. Celebrity is more adult orientated. We have done cruises during kid friendly dates and out of those dates and can say, we will not again cruise during spring break, summer and holidays on any NCL ships. Seems both lines have changed their "service" and it is not as it used to be. Complaints about NCL have been about the entertainment, or lack of it, and the reservations system for it. Our last NCL cruise we could not get to see the Beatles show unless we lined up for well over an hour before. Cabins are almost the same. Food is almost the same (and food is very personal and subjective) Drink packages are very personal thing. On our upcoming NCL we got a free drink package but had to pay $830 drink gratuity fee (for the 2 of us). Kinda make you wonder if you would even spend $830 for drinks.

And this post from today validates your and my statement (in post#3)

Look, I am taking part in a discussion and making observations. Not claiming any of the posts as fact, just saying they are there. As the old saying goes, don't shoot the messenger. As you will also know, people on forums of their cruise lines will go to any length to diss anyone that has something negative to say or does not agree with their take. The discussion/argument goes both ways. Some love it, some like it, some do not like it. That is what an open forum will show. Attacking me is senseless. You do not need to prove your superiority. My take and my end to participation here.

Every country has slight differences. To all those booking through NCL or other cruise lines, hope it works out for you.