crockea

We did not experience crowding in the restaurant.  I think a lot of folks on board also had the dining package, and with only 1/3 the passengers, having a reservation at a specialty restaurant was never a problem.  

The pool area wasn't crowded.  They kept the cover closed on sea days so it wasn't good if you wanted sun and the AC was high so it was actually cold.  We're from the NW tho, so we were fine with that.

The observation lounge and the library rarely had people in it.  There is a ton of room in the observation lounge so if you enjoy a quiet place to just look at the scenery, it was wonderful.  We were out and about most the time but I could totally see this space being used a lot during an Alaska or cold weather cruise.

Everywhere else on the ship was so empty.  I was quite weird ..... we loved it.  

We booked the Haven about 3 months out and paid 2x the price they were selling for towards the end.  NCL would not give us any credit or even let us upgrade to a higher level cabin, as they were less than what we paid.  hindsight

Was on the Joy last week and wanted to pass along to those going on the Joy in the Haven, that the upper sun deck is over crowded.  There are many more Haven cabins on the Joy.  Even though the sun deck is larger than on the some of the other ships, it is not large enough for all the Haven guests.  There were some seat savers but not a lot, and still not any open seats on the last sea day.  Fortunately the ship was only 1/3 full so we had the rest of the ship to sit out but thought those of you who've been in the Haven before and were able to enjoy the perk of no crowds, you might not experience the same on the Joy.  The Vibe club (what I could see through the crack in the door) looked completely empty.  My hope would be that NCL will give up a portion of Vibe to Haven if the trend continues, but .... ?  Now, I know some may think "whaaaaa, you poor thing".  But when you spend so much more to have extra space, it is disappointing.

Question for any of you that have traveled on the Joy in the 2 bedroom haven suite.  Does the couch/bed in the 2nd bedroom fold out flat or is it literally just a couch?  I recall on the Epic and Getaway that the lower bed was about the size of a full and flat so that 2 people could sleep there comfortably.  Let me know what you know :)

18 hours ago, geoffrywillhardt said:

How was the cruise overall? I think a lot of us got the impression that you were not thrilled to be cruising Carnival in the first place and you were going to make that the theme of the cruise. It was gonna be bad no matter, so I'm interested to know if it was as bad as you thought it was gonna be or were you pleasantly surprised?

We got what we paid for. In saying that I am saying I did not know about FTTF so I didn't pay for it so I did my online thing as normal and got a later arrival time as what I am used to.  I got a lot of flack for not liking this new system and voicing it.  I have cruised Carnival a lot in the past and didn't like to be told I couldn't use my 1st day as a 1st full day as much as I wanted. It was only an hour and a half but to me it was not a happy feeling.  The food in the dining rooms and the Italian restaurant was yummy yummy yummy!  Lido buffet was smaller than what I'm used to and there were always lines.  Guys Burgers and the Pizza were also real good.  Room stewards, dining room staff and the cruise director were fantastic.  The shows were so-so but it was this groups first week together so I am sure subsequent sailings will be better.  Our room smelled like sewage most of the time.  We were on deck seven in balcony cabins.  Alchemy Bar made some super powerful and fun drinks.  There always seemed to be a lot of people in the public spaces so it always felt crowded.  There were excellent things and some not as excellent but we had a fabulous time as I expected we would. Thank you again to everyone in the beginning who reminded me to get over my disappointment. 

we just got off the magic yesterday.  had 2 balcony cabins close to the aft elevators.  the sewer smells were overwhelming at times.  no clue how/where the smell was coming from.  didn't ruin our vacation but I would stay away from any rooms in that area.  Our room steward was incredible and kept the room clean at all times so it must have something to do with the ventilation system.  there were bad odors in many areas of the ship.  we just chalked it up to being on an older ship and carried on with our fun.

23 hours ago, hetulot said:

Just off magic!  Leigh the cruise director.  Best CD we have ever had in 22 sailings with Carnival. He has so. I have energy!

 

 

100% agree.  Leigh was fantastic!

best drinks we had on board the Magic last week were in the Alchemy :)

update on our experience with check in.  I didn't arrive too early as I didn't want to be sent to a naughty area.  We arrive maybe 20 minutes prior to our window.  nobody ever checked our paperwork to turn us away.  check in was the same pace as what I am used to.  thanks all!

1 hour ago, skrufy said:

 

Take this as a lesson learned. Now you know to complete your boarding pass as soon as the check in times are released. Don’t get mad, don’t be grumpy. When I’m begin my cruise I don’t get myself worked up over things that are trivial.  The plus with 1230pm check in is you will most likely be on board quickly. 

Thank you.  I really didn't mean to bring out the hate in people. I was voicing frustration and something that makes me feel negative.  I appreciate the feedback and all the great ideas and reminders that I AM GOING ON VACATION!!! YAHOOOO!!!  I don't completely understand the haters but I guess that's what I get for voicing my opinion on social media.  LOL

I knew people would think I am being ridiculous and that is OK.  It is only an hour and half but why can't I choose my time? I've been on a lot of cruises and while the lines are sometimes long they've never been so bad that I would say they would need to be staggered.  Again though, maybe Carnival just couldn't figure it out without putting themselves first and the cruiser 2nd.  Will it ruin my cruise, absolutely not.  Does is leave a bad taste in my mouth, obviously yes, as I started the silly thread.  I'm only Gold status so I'm not considered loyal, which is deserved.  We chose Carnival as it's the line we took our kids on when they were young and we're traveling with a little this time.  I'm not expecting them to be as good as the others so I don't have my expectations out of whack.  This one just threw me for a loop.  It's like flying Southwest.  I'll accept I'm getting what i paid for.  Thanks for sharing your experiences.  Looking forward to fun times in the sun making great memories!

So, we leave for our cruise on Sunday.  I haven't sailed Carnival in over 5 years but have been on over 35 cruises.  For the first time I am experiencing this annoying arrival appointment system.  I called as the soonest I could get it online was 1pm.  I have NEVER gotten on a ship that late.  Usually we arrive between 11/11:30 and are on board shortly after.  Is Carnival really so disorganized that they can't handle cruisers arriving whenever?  I am not typically a grumpy cruiser (other than laughable bad burgers on another line)  but this new system sucks.  I called and was told if I arrive earlier than the 1pm slot we could be turned away.  Has anyone experienced being turned away because you were early?  Makes me feel like I shouldn't known better than to jump back to Carnival again.  I hope this isn't a precursor on how the rest of the cruise will be.  Trying to get over it but booooo Carnival for starting with a negative.  Yes, I know I'll be picked on for complaining about this but, really?

3 hours ago, Fogfog said:

The OP's profile lists HAL as their fav, and then RCCL and Carnival...

that they are complaining about a burger they supposedly ate 7 months ago on a Celebrity ship speaks of troll 🤣

Their signature doesn't even list the past sailing

Thats why 4 pages on a "burger" from 7 mos ago is funny

A troll?  Serious?  LOL.  No.  This was my first Celebrity cruise and I don't come on these boards much more any more.  And I must've forgotten if I'd posted this already.  Certainly not intending to offend the brand loyal. 

32 minutes ago, chemmo said:

In any venue, let alone the suite restaurant, if I was served anything that ‘was full of fat and gristle’ I’d complain....Did you complain and what was the response?

 

We have enjoyed a few Luminae burgers. We don’t order them often as we do find it a heavy lunchtime offering. This is not a criticism of the burger just that we want to enjoy an evening meal later...However in all our Celebrity cruises we have never experienced anything as bad as you describe in any venue...

we didn't complain.  we probably should have but I always feel so bad complaining on a cruise.

5 minutes ago, jelayne said:

I have had burgers at Luminae on 5 different ships and enjoyed them all;  just too large for me.  They probably aren’t the best burger on the planet but certainly not the worst on the planet IMHO. 

All we could assume is maybe they had a problem getting the regular meat from their vendor and had to deal with whatever PR had for them.  Also, I do not recall the menu saying it was lamb.  I think it was just really bad beef.

6 minutes ago, Orator said:

The Luminae burger is made with lamb. I tried it after so many raved about it and found it not to my taste. Burgers at Mast Grill are better to me.

Is Lamb normally served full of gristle?  I gag again even thinking of it.

It has been 7 months since we sailed on the Celebrity Summit but I was talking to my husband last night and we both shared a laugh at how horrible the burgers were.  To back up .... We sailed on the Summit out of San Juan last December.  We knew it would be an older ship so we didn't have grand expectations on that but we did expect a lot more from Celebrity based on all the positive reviews.  We were sailing with 2 other couples.  One of those couples have sailed many times with us on NCL in the Haven.  Back to my original thought tho, the burgers were by far the worst burgers we'd ever had in our lives.  Full of fat and gristle. I actually gagged.  My husband who will eat anything didn't even finish his.  And this was in the "suite" restaurant. We thought maybe we just got a bad batch but them in speaking with both of the other couples we traveled with they all had them on different days and said the same thing.  So my question is, is this normal for Celebrity out of PR or was it maybe just a sailing that got some bad meat?

Dear NCL. Please. Anything but Belize City. This is our second cruise we booked to go to harvest and they're changing it to Belize city. Our Cruise last October and now one we have booked for September. Last time we stayed on the ship. Please NCL please. Jamaica .... cancun .... grand cayman ... anything but Belize city.

Has anyone used iconcierge on a recent cruise? Do you see all of your OBC on there? I have some from NCL and some from my TA so I'm wondering if it all will show there (right now only the obc from ncl shows on my booking online)...

When I used the app last week, it automatically came up on the total but there was a button on the bottom where I could see all transactions and my OBC's were separated there. I had $25 from NCL and $150 from my booking agent. Each line was separate but again, I did have to click on the button to get transaction detail.

Thanks so much for the reviews and comments. It's great to hear some feedback from various people, it helps to know going in what we might encounter onboard. Crockea, could you please tell me what you had at La Cucina? I've never eaten there because so many people seem disappointed with it, so have always done Cagney's, Le Bistro and Teppanyaki.

The 1st time at La Cucina I had the Lasagna. YUMMY! The second night I had the Carbonara. Hubby had the Lobster Fettuccini and loved it. Can't recall what he had the second time.

It is Deck 12 where Spinnaker used to be and the suites and inside rooms were added.

Yes, sorry for the typo.

I don't get it. You were expecting no changes to a ship over fourteen years despite a changing market?

 

What other ships (regardless of carrier) are the same today as they were fourteen years ago?

LOL - No, I knew there were changes. I just didn't realize how much it took away from common space. I am not angry or anything, I just don't like the direction. Still love all my past (even the most recent cruise) with NCL. But it may be time to move on if they keep shrinking the space for the majority. We are all allowed to have our own preference :)

We recently sailed on the Star for our 2nd time. The first was in her inaugural year of 2001. On board this time we found ourselves wondering where some of the places we enjoyed prior went to. It certainly is a different ship today. After looking at all the changes, the "upgrades" have definitely been to add casino space, the lame family suites with no balcony but a high price and accommodate more specialty restaurants. For anyone wondering themselves, I thought I'd share the changes I noticed the most.

Deck 13 - The Spinnaker Lounge which used to have views is gone. It is now located on deck 7 where the shops used to be. In its place are the suites with no balconies. FAIL

The Star Bar is now Moderno. No more having a nice Martini while looking over the pool area. For breakfast and lunch I am sure the suite guests enjoy the views.

Deck 7 - The Karaoke Circus, Teen Club and Photo Gallery is now where some of the on board shops are. Probably no big deal as Karaoke is no longer the "in" thing.

The Blue Lagoon is now the photo gallery and The Red Lion bar is now the 5 o'clock somewhere bar.

Deck 6 and most disappointing - Dazzles Lounge and Night Club is now the Casino. The ship does not have adequate ventilation to keep the smoke from going into Le Bistro and Gatsby's Champagne Bar making them unbearable to sit in unless you are not bothered by the overwhelming smell of smoke (not picking on the smokers, I was one for years and did used to be OK with the smell so I get it if you're not bothered by the smoke). We met some 21 year olds on board who complained very badly about the lack of dancing available on board. Most dance parties didn't get started until after 10/10:30. Now I see it's because they no longer have the space as they removed the main night club and now have to share The Spinnaker.

What used to be the Galleria Shops is now Spinnakers.

We are platinum members and still have a Getaway Haven booked for next September. Prior to this cruise on the Star I claimed NCL was my favorite because of the Haven but have told people they probably wouldn't enjoy the new larger ships in a regular category. I thought the Star, being older would still have ample common areas. The changes they are making have me thinking I may be done with NCL? Who knows though, I am a female and could change my mind at a moments notice :). The cruise in September will probably be the last time we sail with NCL unless we get a Haven Suite again as there is now too little common space. They have raised the Haven prices so much that I can no longer say it is worth it. I'd rather go back to Carnival for fun yet no bells and whistles and to Holland America when I want to relax and be pampered. Or perhaps I'll even venture out to Celebrity and try them out for a change?

I am sure I'll get some hater comments. I had nothing against NCL prior to this past cruise but can now see why so many are pooh pooh'ing the line and it's new direction. Any company in any industry has to make changes to stay profitable. I will simply choose to spend my money elsewhere and I am sure they will stay profitable with guests who are OK with the new direction.

Sorry. Just one more thing. The Star needs a better system to keep the smoke from escaping the Casino. We couldn't sit at the bar near La cucina and Le Bistro as it is down the hall and stunk really bad. I felt bad for the piano man.

I agree a lot with what the OP had to say about this cruise. Not every server was bad but they need to workout a lot.

At Le Bistro I got beef tenderloin which was chewier than most low grade steaks. I wanted to tell the waiter but he was given a 12 person table and we never saw him again. When we were ready to leave we got up and stood at the hostess station knowing he would eventually know we were gone and free out that we hadn't paid. I don't think this was his fault but instead due to understaffing. My DH got the burgundy chicken which was amazingly delicious.

There was a bartender who got snippy with me twice. Once at the sake bar because I had asked for something he didn't have which he in a very snotty way said he had just explained to me (I hadn't heard him as Ginza is very loud at dinner time). Then 2 days later I went to get some sangrias from the lido. They didn't have any so I had to go to the bar out by the pool. When I ordered he rolled his eyes and started slamming things around. When he gave me my bill he said next time to order them from the lido. I let him know there wasn't any available in the lido at which point he said something in another language to his friend bartender.

On the other hand service and food in La cucina was incredible. Teppenyaki was scrumptious and fun. We ate in the main dining 2 nights and always had great service. We had breakfast twice, lunch once and a late night snack at osheehans and the food was always nice n hot and yummy.

They have to staff better in the bars. I don't know if this is their way of trying to get us to drink less but waiting and jostling to order a drink like I'm at a 21something night club was ridiculous.

We heard a lot of people complaining about the cruise in general but some people were just plain absurd. One woman when we were waiting to board (which was way delayed and annoying) said "this is not a very good cruise so far". I had to laugh as we hadn't boarded yet. I understood her disposition however as we are platinum and we're told we did not get priority embarkation. When I said I thought this was incorrect I was sent to a manager who was able to give me a lower number than originally given.

On board we internally giggled at an elderly gentleman who randomly decided to tell us he was calling the better business bureau when he got home as nothing he was promised had happened so far and they were late with everything. Again, disposition understood. The Star could fix these disappointments with a little better organization.

Our Cruise Critic party organizer was incredible. Never been to a CC party that was as organized as this one. Not as many awkward silences that make you want to slowly disappear out the back door.

Who is the current hotel director?

 

 

Thanks

Here is a list of all the directors