graphicguy

Saw that show (extra charge or use one of the Specialty Dinners to cover it). You know, I remember it being pretty good. But, really don’t remember the show. Not sure what that tells you. I’ve seen Jersey Boys so many times, although quite good, I knew all the moves, the songs, and the story by heart when I saw it again. I’ve seen Million Dollar Quartet 2X, and would see it again if given the chance. It’s that good!

I did get to have a beer with the cast at the beginning of Choir of Man. Fun show. Talented performers. Had a great time at that show. Sorry about Kinky Boots misunderstanding. Not a fan of Cindy Lauper’s music, either. So, either way, probably wouldn’t see it if the opportunity presents itself, again. Key to getting in to any of the Cavern Club and/or Syd Norman’s shows is to get to the venue an hour early to get in line. They are THAT good and THAT popular. Or, book a Haven Suite, in which the Haven Concierge gives you a personal escort to enter the venue’s back doors before it opens to get your choice of seats. I know Rock of Ages had a pretty long run on the Away ships. I saw it twice. Fun, high energy, and the music was right in my wheelhouse (Big Hair and Metal). Adult themes throughout, so some should have left the “kiddies” back in the cabin instead of complaining about the well publicized adult themes. I believe their contract was up, so it’s no longer playing on any NCL ship. Blue Man Group was identical to the show I saw in Vegas, which I paid big bucks to see. Fun!!! I don’t think it’s playing on any NCL ships now.

Patting myself on the back. Got here BEFORE your cruise was over. Feeling rather smug about my achievement. Love it!

Henry.....you know how to do it the right way!!!!!! 😉

There are no separate Laundries on the "behind the scenes" tours I've done on cruise ships (NCL and Royal). So, it makes total sense that MSC doesn't have two separate laundries on their ships. That would be terribly wasteful and unnecessary. Laundry is laundry. Washing machines (and. they are huge monsters) are washing machines. Truth of the matter, if you've ever done a ship's tour of their laundry, it's pretty amazing. They launder clothes, bed linens, kitchen linens, bath towels and wash cloths, etc for 3,000-4,000 people (crew and guests) PER DAY. I'm surprised they don't lose more articles of clothing. NCL and Celebrity set the standard of my personal laundry being washed, dried, folded and delivered. I'm glad to hear some reports of MSC being more thoughtful of some peoples' laundry. Again, I try to get at least one load of laundry done via the ship's laundry per cruise.

Dry Cleaning is never an issue for me. I don't need it. I don't wear suits any more. And, I don't take dress shirts on my cruises. My GF at the time took dresses, but was able to keep them from wrinkling by using the Downy Release spray. For a 7 day cruise in a tropical climate, I would plan to wear my clothes 2x before considering it dirty. That said, I do change boxers every day, and wash my gym shirt/shorts daily. I only do carry one for tropical locales. Alaska is a bit different, as you usually need bulkier sweaters/sweat shirts, which require more space, which require more bigger luggage. Mediterranean requires more clothing as I travel there at least a day or two before the cruise embarks and a day or two after disembarkation. If it's wash/dry/fold...might be worth it for me as I wear shorts, khakis, boxers, Izod and Hawaiian Shirts. But, if they're just washing, drying and throwing them in a bag.....not interested.

Have not seen Kinky Boots. I hear it's about Cindy Lauper. Nothing against her, so not a fan. Choir of Man is excellent. Have seen... -Blue Man Group -Rock of Ages -Million Dollar Quartet -Choir of Man -Jersey Boys Saw the Beatles review at the Cavern Club and the Rumours show (same group does a 70s, 80s, and "prom" review show) at Syd Norman's All were Broadway/Vegas Caliber shows. One thing NCL does well, is entertainment. Their big theater shows are great. Their smaller "club" shows are just as good, if not better (although held in too small of a venue). NCL has the best entertainment at sea....bar none!

I get it. Not interested. I can do that in 10 minutes in my cabin sink....then hang them up to dry in the bathroom.

They do empty repos often. Ask the crew about it. While they don’t have to take on their normal jobs, they spend that time training, cleaning, and general “catching up”. All cruise lines have these periods.

This is great. Thanks! I see on Amazon there are a lot of choices for these laundry strips. Perfect for a cruise! I also use the “Wrinkle Release” spray. I use the Downy brand, but there are others. They work great for keeping clothes smelling good and wrinkle free. I’m a “carry on” only traveler. I use ship’s laundry services (mainly NCL’s Sapphire perk). They always returned my laundry clean and neatly folded in a basket. If MSC is just throwing it in a washer, then a dryer, and then throwing it in a bag, for $40, probably not interested. I’ll do my own in my sink!

Good points about getting hot food delivered for the “nominal” $5 service fee (plus a $1 mandatory gratuity). Again, don’t like dining in my cabin. But, perhaps it’s a good deal. Generally speaking, there is “fee creep”. $5 here, a charge for Putt-Putt golf there, cheaper liquor choices somewhere else…..we notice it. Will it cause someone to look elsewhere? Maybe yes….maybe no. My answer is yes….combined with some of their broken promises, treatment of guests with little to no thought given to how their actions affect guests, and cumulatively I have looked elsewhere. I LOVE to cruise. I cruise probably 4-6 times a year. I generally book their most expensive cabins. So, I’m not looking for the cheapest vacation. I still believe cruising is a high value vacation option. And given then number of ships that are sailing (quite a few more than there were 5-10 years ago), the options are more than plentiful. Regarding MSC…..not sure where anyone would get the idea they are not the equal of the other cruise lines (in many ways better) has never cruised them. Their ships are downright gorgeous and their service is just as good as anyone else’s. Right now, they are high value. But, that’s not budget by any stretch.

The competition is pretty intense in the industry. Even the smallest differences can tilt someone’s cruise line choice. Keep adding to the out of pocket and/or services and sooner than later, even your faithful flock will wander.. Other cruise lines will be more than happy to host another line’s loyal customer.

I get it. I don’t like eating in my cabin, on those tiny tables, either! Some of us are still a little raw with some of NCL’s policies since the start up. It’s been a cumulative issue! I understand your point, though!

Yeah…I’ll get that bill at the end of the year and pay it in April. Thanks for the reminder! LOL!

I have often wondered if the liquor a cruise line offers is tied to marketing agreements they may have with the distilleries. I’ve seen Capt Morgan Rum mentioned a lot here. But, Goslings seems to have forged some sort of relationship with NCL, as they offer Gosling rum excursions in addition to its wide availability on NCL cruises. Never seen any of that with Capt Morgan. So, could be based on preferential pricing NCL gets from Gosling to be included in the Drink Pacakge with no up charge. Another example….Buffalo Trace Bourbon is a scarce commodity around my area, whose distillery is maybe a 90 minute drive for me. Yet, it’s readily available on NCL as part of the drink package. Only think I can figure is NCL has agreements with some liquor distributors for certain liquors with preferential pricing while others, with no agreement, are at a price disadvantage.

Excellent points. Our last cruise was great. But, as you point out, we were all having a good time....Not because of the cruise (although it was the catalyst), but because of being able to "hang out" together. It was a function of our wonderful CC friends, not necessarily the cruise itself. Gotta say, the cruise went well as a whole. Nothing bad happened. We were generally on time. I don't recall having to wait.....for anything. It went smoothly. Plus, I really liked that itinerary. But, I'm a Mid-Westerner. So, we don't get to see historically rich and fancy ports, like you 'Yorkers. As they say, nothing is forever. But, I'm looking elsewhere for my cruise fix. Like you, I just booked an MSC cruise. It sails in May, so I'm also looking for another cruise for the dreary "after New Year" time frame to tide me over until then. Not looking at NCL, though. Wish I could join y'all on your MSC cruise. I just can't pull that one off. Am also anxiously looking forward to your report on your Princess Cruise!

Whoops.....my math was a bit off, wasn't it? Still, I'll take it.

yeah….I don’t think I’ve seen that on ANY cruise line for a while. Crew and those reporting here are all over the map on this. I don’t think NCL has clearly communicated their policies….to ANYONE. We just don’t know what is/isn’t true!

While I don’t like how NCL iOS trending recently, I’ve never had coffee on ANY cruise line (except maybe the French Press in the Haven or Al Bacio coffee on Celebrity) that was worth me paying ANYTHING extra. I think it may be a long while before I sail NCL again. COVID couldn’t stop me. Being jacked around during the start up didn’t stop me. But, service is one of the key things I look forward to on a cruise. Start taking that away, or start repricing the cruise experience, that’s a sure way to make me look elsewhere. On a positive note, I just put in a sell order for my 1,000 shares of NCL stock. Very nice ROI. I hadn’t looked at it in a while. In addition to about $500 on OBC I’ve received over the last 18 or so months from cruises I’ve taken, I bought it at $11.10/share. It has appreciated nicely. Put in the sell order. Just sold at $16.65/share. More than doubled my money including the OBC. Wish all my investments paid as well. So, unless a crazy deal crosses my screen, will not be sailing NCL for a while.

I don’t believe ANY Suites on Prima get ANY Gaven perks, including boarding with Haven guests. On the jewel ships suite passengers get some Haven perks (except being allowed in the Haven proper). But regular suites on Breakaway/+ cabins do not get any Haven perks.

A few years ago, Chase was offering a heckuva deal by giving 100K points by signing up. At the time, that was worth about $1,500. Net-net +$1,000...given their $500 annual fee at the time. Kept it for business expenses (which were the qualifiers) and then cancelled once I secured the points. I actually used those points to book a cruise. So, net effect, I got a free cruise out of it. Not sure what they offer now. But, the perks of AMEX Platinum keep it in my wallet. Whenever that's not the case, I'll downgrade it to Gold. As an aside, I put my last car purchase on my AMEX Platinum. Obviously had to pay it off within 30 days, but those points were worth nearly $1,000. Lots of perks to go along with the high entrance fee.

Thanks. I didn't know that, either! I still like Costco better than Sam's. So, keeping it nonetheless!

You’re being incredibly kind and diplomatic, Jamie! Having been “punted” by NCL during that same period, their repeated and emphatic promises about NOT CANCELLING the sailing out of Montego were quickly and unashamedly CANCELLED it. During the restart, I applauded their emphasis on testing and vax requirements. But, those of us who took a leap of faith, as Jamie points out, were mostly their most avid repeat guests. Didn’t matter. They didn’t care. Our belief in NCL and their efforts were kicked to the curb by them at the restart. Will say, I have sailed them again. Most recently on the same sailing as Jamie, @ESCARGO (Ted) and others here. We had a grand time. And, it was one off the cheapest cruises I’ve ever taken, which made it all the better. But, NCL opened the door for me to cruise Celebrity, and soon, MSC again. Those cruise dollars ordinarily would have gone to NCL. I’m better for trying new cruise experiences, though. So, perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise.

Costco does, indeed. Did the same in cancelling Sam’s for the same reason. My AMEX Platinum has some decent travel insurance. They also offer some nice OBC and Specialty Dinner perks, too. Annual Fee is hefty. But, with the perks the card offers (Delta Lounge, OBC on most cruise lines, land based dinner perks at some pretty nice restaurants, etc), it has more than paid for itself.

Here’s what the OP needs to file a claim with AON, the trip insurance underwriter… https://www.aontravelclaim.com/#/bannerWhatYouNeed/