graphicguy

Got the same feeling about Vloggers and YT-ers. Not sure they are as neutral as some claim they are. Plus, as you mentioned, they’re looking for clicks and comments. The more of each they can generate (which is usually achieved by being controversial), the more they make. So, that’s their main motivation.

Just to add, good info here. I have used the AMEX Platinum to book my cruises over the last several years. I used it for NCL, RCCL and Celebrity. Tried to use it on an MSC cruise, but MSC does not honer the promo. That said, for premium cabins (i.e. Haven for NCL) the promo was $300 OBC, 1 specialty dinner-LeBistro and one bottle of champagne. I think Celebrity only offered $300 OBC and a bottle of champagne with no specialty diner. NCL DID NOT recognize the promo directly. I had to book through my TA who did offer the promo. So, to use it, you can not book through NCL. Ask your TA if they honor the AMEX Platinum Promo before booking with them. The Delta AMEX Platinum card is excluded. Only the American Express Platinum card is included in the promo. You DO NOT have to book through American Express Travel to get the promo. You do have to book the entire cruise fare using the Platinum Card to receive the promo.

Pricing is a moving target….and literally can change from one day to the other, regardless of cruise line. So, a cruise that looks expensive compared to the competition one day or week, can look like a bargain on another day/week. Lots of moving parts, too. I’m Diamond on Royal. That means I get 4 “free” drinks every day. That puts a big dent on my dollar spend for alcohol. Yes, I drink more per day, but I only pay for any drinks above the 4 free drinks. Plus, I find the concierge in the Diamond Lounges to be extremely helpful. NCL, I’m Sapphire. So, I get the drinks (add in the 20% tip charges), 4 Specialty Dining choices (2 for “free at sea” and 2 for being Sapphire), some internet and some free laundry. Pretty nice perks. So, you have to look at the entire value picture….not just the fares. It’s the out of pocket, apples to apples charges that need to be compared. Sometimes NCL wins. Sometimes RCCL wins.

BRAVO! Matter of fact, that's exactly the way I love to cruise, especially since I've been sailing more solo the last few years. No worrying about the "dailies", no wondering about making dinner reservations, go wherever I want, whenever I want to do whatever I want. Glad you find the same satisfaction.

Syd…. 谢谢 Mereveillegaleux Bellissimo Gracie Millie 감사합니다 Excelente! Thank you! Again, great review. As soon as I think I’m done with NCL, I read a review like this and immediately start looking at NCL cruise bookings. Have a safe trip home. Hope LOVE travels with you for the rest of your days.

Was he talking to anyone in particular? I’ve found some of those…(ahem)…..monologs to be conversations held with oneself in the hopes others need to hear?

I can’t even fathom what cruise decaf tastes like given how dismal their “regular” coffee in those big stainless canisters tastes. 0(<

That’s not a BAD THING!

You mean these?

I’ll never…I MEAN NEVER…understand how NCL can possibly make it so difficult to correct wrong charges. Even simple things take forever in front of a Customer Service Agent to correct. You explain it to them in a minute and for the next 15 minutes, they look at their screen. Not sure what they’re looking at, and I certainly don’t blame the Customer Service agents. But, it has to be less expensive for NCL to streamline their process, they User Interfaces, their software, their accounting to make it easier than it is with their current system. And, how much money do they really save by having their arcane “you can only have this, that and this, but not the other” on the SD packages? All it does is irritate their guests. I get it if someone orders 6 apps, 4 entries and 3 desserts. But, those scenarios are rare and easily indentifiable. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Hell….I’m already dancing around the kitchen with a cup of coffee celebrating your cruise. So, excitement is here right now.

2nd the Best Western on Cocoa Beach. Nothing fancy but clean and near some decent places to eat/drink. People watching on the beach is entertaining, too. Too late for Syd, but maybe next time? Bon Voyage, Syd!

Henry...as always, wonderful review. Thanks for bringing us along. Quick comment about NCL (and the industry in general). Clearly, the post shutdown reality for NCL is to slice a little here, a little there, and hope guests either don't notice, or won't care. But, I've always said, no company survives long by shorting customers on product or service. I think NCL is inching dangerously close to that line in the sand. The rest of the cruise lines are doing the same. Does that make it right? Nope! We'll see how they come out the other side of this in a year or so. Our cruise dollars can be spent anywhere. And, we're not ignorant of what the cruise lines are trying to do. Treating your guests like they don't know any better and are stupid is a recipe for disaster.

Wait just a gosh darn minute. How in world did I miss this thread? Loving every bit of it!

Yeah….great year for both teams, though. It was just the ending that was disappointing. We both have good, young teams. We’ll be mixing it up for years to come. Love posting cruise adventures. People here enjoy it and actually, I. Go revisit them from time-to-time, so I have a record of the cruise as it was happening. Can’t get that with just pictures alone. It’s challenging most of the time, given the spotty nature of ship internet. So mostly, I can’t get to people’s requests. I give it a shot, though.

What a nice post! Thanks!

Yeah. I think they make those bags with the thinnest paper they can find so you can’t stuff it without tearing it.

As has been pointed out, only you can make a decision with YOUR money. But, I did great. I got about $700 in OBC when I had it. I bought at $11.10 and sold for $16.45. So, I’m very pleased. But, there were others in here who shorted it during the shutdown and got burned. Others bought high and sold low, which is never a good strategy.

I’m scouring for my next cruise, too. Had a bead on an MSC cruise, but that fell through. Booked it. MSC came back and said my booking was based on a glitch in their system and wouldn’t honor my booking unless I paid more. Sorry, no thanks! So, still looking. Hope you’re feeling better!

One issue in the Atrium had bled over from the pool chair hogs. People reserve seats for others who either don’t show, or show up halfway through the shows. I always tell them I will get up when their “other party” shows up. I can’t recall ever having to give up my seat.

Have sailed both NCL (Sapphire) and RCCL (Diamond), both since the restart and both before the restart. Generally speaking, NCL does entertainment better. Their main shows are Broadway caliber. Even the shows in the side/smaller venues (like Syd Norman’s and Cavern Club) are outstanding (so much so you have to stand in line an hour before to get a seat). Food? I dunno? Since the startup, I’ll give the nod to NCL…slightly. Before the restart? Probably Royal, slightly. Service? Similar. Sometimes good…sometimes not so much. Both have clean, well cared for ships (at least those that have been on the water within the last decade or so). Pricing is similar. Sometimes you can score a deal. Sometimes you feel like you’re being gouged (depending on ship and the time of year it’s sailing). Those who you interface with the most (stewards, bar tenders, wait staff) are all eager to please on both lines.

Thanks…what a great review. Enjoyed all of it!!!!!!

Me neither. Never seen barefoot people in any of the dining venues (health code issues, as well as safety hazard if one were to injure themselves by cutting their tootsies). I’ve never seen bathing suits in an MDR. I’ve never seen T-Shirts, PJs, etc in the MDR, either. I believe we’re lead to think this is somehow a chronic issue that must be dealt with immediately, while it’s really a non-issue. Taken 20+ cruises on 5 different cruise lines.

Great pics. Shows how much flying has changed. Those wide aisles and comfortable seats are all part of a long past, bygone era. The flip side of that with cruising, today’s cruise fares are less expensive (adjusted for inflation), with nicer cabins and amenities, with better entertainment than the first one I took on the SS Norway back in the ‘80s. We (the then Mrs and I) had a ton of luggage because we had to pack gown(s) and a tux. Dress shoes (as well as casual shoes), a suit for those “non-formal” evenings, endured cigarette smoke….EVERYWHERE, etc, etc. Today’s cruise is a much better experience, all the way around. Dress as you like. See top notch entertainment, go do dinner without billows of smoke throughout the room, in a more comfortable cabin than our first one, dressed way more comfortably, etc. And, I can bring everything I need in a roll aboard and a back pack when flying to the port.