PATRLR

This!!! Have able bodies handle the reservations. There is no need for the entire party show up to make dining reservations.

I thought the tags had the cabin number pre-printed. I assume you do indeed have a cabin assigned? You definitely need to have the cabin number on them. But, at the end of the day, the tags aren't critical to have before you leave. If you get to the port and you don't have them, the porters will and as long as you know your cabin number they will write that on the tags they provide. (I know from experience having forgotten the tags on more than one occasion).

I agree 1000 percent that the food is chain level at best e.g Applebees, Grand Buffet. But my comments are based on 37 years of cruising and the quality of food in MDRs has gone way, way downhill in that time. I'm thinking my first exposure to fee based restaurants probably goes back about 15-18 years and that's about the same time the quality really took a turn down. For NCL specifically our experience only goes back about 7-8 years. I believe my most recent experience on Encore represented an even lower quality than our first cruise on Dawn in 2015 but neither was very good.

I think lowering the quality of the MDR is what drives people to Specialty Dining. Its what got us there on other lines where you actually have to pay for it. And I don't think it's a chicken and egg problem. I believe Specialty Dining was introduced with the primary purpose being to allow for a lowering of quality in the MDRs.

First - I assume you realize Vibe does not have a pool. Hot tub yes, water feature I assume Vibe will have something, but pool no. If that is not a showstopper, read on... What you describe for the bar scene is EXACTLY why my wife and I love the Vibe and think it is worth every penny. We spent most late afternoons and early evenings hanging at the Vibe bar where there is a similar minded group of people who quickly become friends. We did this on sea and port days - probably enjoyed it more on port days as "our" place to go and relax and unwind. I don't know if the Haven bar is similar - we've never done Haven. But I have no doubt what you describe above you would find and enjoy in Vibe. As someone who has spent hours in Vibe, the statement above does not match my observations. Seemed like most of the people there were there for long periods of time and not just on sea days.

well said and I agree. It's also likely that NCL's current financial situation is driving some of this. In other words, brand management won't matter if we can't service our debt.

You are correct. But there is also a link for details and following that link, and the links on the page you are borught to finds no discussion of "exclusions" for the water. So if they are going to claim this date range exclusion, it's not publicized anywhere and that simply isn't right.

We were given wristbands, we did not wear them, the first day the staff asked and we agreed to put them on our back pack. I think only a few people were actually wearing them the whole cruise.

Thanks - We got the same sheet but didn't pay attention to the hot tub hours only the bar hours 🙂

I'd be looking more at the itineraries than the ships. Are the two itineraries that similar? If they really are, then it comes down to whether you want all the bells and whistles that Bliss has or not. I second Bird's thoughts on Bliss - the Observation lounge is a game changer, IMO, especially for Alaska.

Are you sure about that? We aren't hot tub people but we "closed" the Vibe bar on Encore many evenings and there were always people in the tubs and no one seemed to be in any hurry to kick them out.

I have, and I enjoy them. But there is something special about the ones on Carnival, mostly texture but also just the right chocolate, that I have not been able to duplicate anywhere else. I said something like this once and I got a stern rebuttal from the former NCL employee (officer?) who hangs out on these boards.

Have you had the Indian food from the NCL buffet? Consistently some of the best food on the buffet, IMO.

I guess I started the "fuss". I don't really care if Mac and Cheese is or isn't on the menu. I was commenting on Bird's position that the Mac and Cheese was cut because no one was ordering it. I find that hard to believe. The cut also contradicts Bird's earlier position that NCL was " catering to the desires of the contemporary cruiser". As others have pointed out, Mac and Cheese is very popular, at the moment, in the US. So my comments were a response to Bird, not so much about Mac and Cheese.

"Son of a gun" of course

There are actually multiple recipes online claiming to be Carnival's Lava Cake. I've not been able to make any of the ones I tried come out as good as they do on the ship.

Not Carnival's Lava Cake.

I have done this exact same thing. Some people on this board would have you believe we shouldn't be doing that.

Boy, if I could have figured out how to get a hot lava cake, with the ice cream, into a Ziploc on my Carnival cruises, I probably would have been bringing suitcases full home with me. 😉

Why do they need to resist the "drive thru lane mentality"? Why does anyone even care?

Most hotels have a pantry or store of some sort where you can purchase snacks. I'm pretty sure the expectation is that food will be eaten in your hotel room (although certainly not required). For all those who have a problem with people taking food from a dining venue on a cruise back to their cabin, do you have a similar problem with people taking food from the hotel pantry/store back to their room? In my home, I bring food from my kitchen into my family room to watch TV or down to my office. Is that OK or am I supposed to only eat in my kitchen? It's ridiculous to think that even one person actually cares if I bring food to my cabin.

Well, at least you included money on this one, though it were presented as an effect and not a cause.

I'm curious Bird, do you think these executive chefs that you speak with would tell you if they removed something due to cost? Bird: "Why did you remove the Beef Wellington" ExecChef: "Filet Mignon has gotten to be too expensive so we had to take it off the menu" Do you really think they would ever tell you that? I doubt it.

So you simply refuse to acknowledge that cost can be a factor in decisions to remove items from a menu? People not ordering it, supply chain - those reasons you accept and promote, but cost you don't accept as a reason? With the popularity of Mac and Cheese sweeping across the US (we now have restaurants whose primary offering is various forms of Mac and Cheese) I find it hard to believe no one was ordering it as a side. I suspect the real reason is that to create a good Mac and Cheese (not the Kraft box kind) requires good quality cheese and that's expensive. It's also time consuming to make good Mac and Cheese which adds to the expense. Fortunately in this case they didn't choose to go the low quality route.

And you know they only sell a few orders a night how? Maybe that is the reason. But if that is the case, then only prepare one Wellington if one is all you need. (I highly doubt that is the case). Instead of preparing just what they need, they remove what is probably the most expensive dish on the menu. You are kidding yourself if you don't think the cost was the motivation. You do you Bird and think that the Wellington is gone because no one ordered it. I'll continue to believe it's because it's too expensive for an MDR entrée. In the MDR I'm only interested in what I can get with no upcharge. They removed the most expensive item and replaced it with is likely one of the cheapest (I'm sure it's frozen fish and chips - there's no way they are back there hand battering fresh filets) This is the first I've heard that the problem is they can't prepare it properly. I agree, if they can't prepare it properly it shouldn't be on the menu. Never should have been on the menu - Prima menu is less than a year old, the labor issues aren't that new. Sorry, I have my doubts that it got removed for labor issues.