graphicguy

Mostly, if you've seen one Daily, you've got a good idea of the daily activities. Dance classes, trivia, origami, game shows, art auctions.... At night, usually a single or duo performing in the Atrium, the main shows in the theaters, comedy club or house band performing in the clubs. At night, theme nights like "White Hot"! Poolside.....best legs, dance offs....t-shirts, costume jewelry, cheap watch sales. Every cruise, that's what the daily activity will be. Changes? It depends on the main entertainment. Group, show, time, all of it changes from cruise to cruise. So, what's good for one cruise may not be good for another. There you have it. My point....having done many pictorial reviews, posting dailies takes up a lot of internet minutes, which keeps from posting pics of the ship, restaurants, etc, which are more important. Plus, depending on the ship's WiFi it takes an inordinate amount of time out of the poster's cruise time. I know if I can, I will post dailies. But, to ask for the dailies to be posted is asking a lot...a lot of internet bandwidth (which may be at a premium) and a lot of time as the connection to the ship's internet is slow, the WiFi itself is NOT like you experience at home (not even close) whether you know it or not. Same with chasing down crew members, or trying to find out who is or isn't part of the ship's management. If I run across the ship's management, I'll snap a pic. But, I won't go searching as it's usually in a different part of the ship, depending on ship. Maybe I'm just whining. But, those of us who post our reviews and pictorials, we try to post what WE find interesting. Please don't ask us to take a pic of this or that. We post what we can, when we can. Again, not being snarky. That's just the reality of the situation.

Glad you had a good time. Not sure what NCL can do about the port employees. The boarding process sometimes changes from port to port. Did they have the big signs stipulating which Latitudes levels and Haven guests go for check in. Bars…if one bar has a line, there’s another 25 yards in either direction. Escape plus ships have the Brewhouse. the on board beer brewery! The rest? You can let them know your thoughts and suggestions via the afore mentioned email address!

Have sailed both NCL and Celebrity. They are both my top two cruise lines, with a slight nod to NCL. Won't repeat what's already been stated. Like you, Cafe al Bacio is a great area to hang out on Celebrity ships. Similarly, so is Starbucks on NCL ships. I like the coffee drinks from the Starbucks over Cafe al Bacio, but that's a personal preference. I like the Starbucks location on NCL vs Cafe al Bacio location on Celebrity, But, both are ship dependent. Starbucks tends to be closer to the main area of NCL ships, where Cafe al Bacio tends to be nearer the Buffet on Celebrity. FAS is a good deal if you have a couple of alcoholic drinks/day given you only pay for tips on the value of the drink package. You also get some internet minutes, some specialty dining vouchers and some excursion credits. You can get a fare without FAS, which is lower. The fare delta seems to be pretty attractive in favor of FAS, though, at least when I've done a comparison. Celebrity has all inclusive with drinks, tips, and internet, but no specialty dining vouchers. And, they offer two fares, one with "all inclusive" and a much lower fare without. There's a pretty big difference between Celebrity's newer EDGE class ships and something like the Solstice. I prefer the EDGE class. They are gorgeous ships (have sailed EDGE and APEX). NCL has some forward thinking entertainment like Choir of Man, Donna (Donna Summer), Million Dollar Quartet, Jersey Boys and a house band that is one of the best I've ever seen on a ship (in Syd Norman's). I know NCL is developing some entertainment in house (like the Syd Norman's House Band). It's not clear which direction they will go as the contracts for the big shows expire. But, NCL does entertainment well. There are the typical game shows, trivia, etc available, too. Celebrity tends to have good entertainment throughout the ship, but it's typical cruise fare shows. It's good. No complaints. Food is comparable on both. Both are unique in their own ways (e.g. the Waterfront outside al fresco dining and bars around the outside of the ship with cushy chairs and couches on NCL and the Magic Carpet on Celebrity). Both tend to have unique and whimsical art throughout. Overall, there are a wealth of things to do, some focused on kids, via NCL. Celebrity is calmer and focused on a more mature audience. I have sailed the GEM, Epic, -Away, Away+ and in a few weeks the new Prima on NCL. Looks like Prima class is moving away from traditional huge buffet areas and into many more specific cuisine focused dining options. They tend to have more to do that appeals to a wider audience than Celebrity. That does not in any way make Celebrity bad, just different. Celebrity has MDRs that are cuisine specific options, too.

OP.....thanks for the review. One quick question....what was the "60 minute Narrated Biography"? Which historical figure was it about?

But, you’re a memorable guy!!!! 😀

I have done many live reports with pics and posted here. Posting pics takes a long time with typical internet speeds. And, aside from the time involved you are using your minutes to post. I hope some of my posts are useful to others. I'm just trying to figure out how useful old dailies might be. Same with crew and management. I kind of understand knowing who a particular concierge or Butler is on board, as they get personal and have something of a reputation people want to know about as they CAN directly affect someone's cruise in the Haven and/or Suite. I personally have been chastised in a live report because I couldn't find who the crew are to post it in the review. This was when I was on a Celebrity cruise a few years ago, but someone in the Celebrity threads wanted me to track down a particular waitress for them to deliver a message as they allegedly became close and fast friend while on board. Waitstaff move from venue to venue. So, finding this person was like finding a needle in a haystack. By happenstance, I did note this particular waitress by her name tag. When I mentioned the guest who wanted to communicate with her, she had no idea who I was talking about. Point being, waitstaff are paid (monetarily, recognition, promotions, etc) to engage and be nice to guests.

That would do it!!!!! LOL!

Not meant to be snarky, but I've always wondered why someone would want the Dailies from past cruises? I mean, generally speaking, if anything changes, it changes from cruise to cruise, so past Dailies wouldn't be helpful. Plus, those things that don't change (e.g. trivia) never changes and would be the same. Additionally, the dailies are always available once you board. So, what is the purpose of posting past dailies? I do want to understand.

OK...what did you do to MSC to PO them? LOL!

WOW... Kim...great to see you mobile, again. Even better to see one of your reviews. And Sakari.....double WOW....your twin!

Now that I think about it, can’t you purchase liquors and/or sodas as part of a package to stock in the fridge?

Interesting points about stocked fridges. I was on Celebrity in the Retreat. They stocked the fridge for me. Never pulled even a soda out of it. Not sure why. Never had the desire to have the Concierge/Butler to fetch me a drink, either. Never felt the need or want, I suppose. Just me. I would bring my drink with me at the end of the night, say....after being in the casino or after a show. But, never thought of cracking open the fridge.

No worries. You can check in at the pier.

Diamond on Royal, also. I'll sail them, but the fare has to be reasonable. Usually, a Jr Suite on Royal is within a few hundred $ of a good Haven fare on NCL, which I seem to be able to seek out. Star Class on Royal is way, way up there as far as fares and not even remotely competitive. My Haven fares usually run between high $3,000s to low $4,000s. per cabin with FAS. Virgin? Can't put my finger on it, either. But, it doesn't seem to appeal to me.

Yeah...that's what I was wondering. MSC's an inside cabin, whereas NCL's Haven are all balconies and above. So, tough to do an apples to apples. I'm in a Haven Suite in Feb on the Prima... it's about $ $1,200 more than your inside on MSC but it includes FAS, Specialty Dining, Drinks, Excursion Credit and some internet minutes. But, it's a balcony. I'm a bit claustrophobic, so inside cabins are out for me. Point being, MSC used to be way less expensive when everything is totaled up (fare, perks, add ons, etc). Now, they aren't.

Nites? Per person or per cabin? Ship?

Yacht Club is a nice product. When MSC was breaking into this market (with their "status match" marketing), their pricing was attractive. I booked the Divina in the Yacht Club on a Mediterranean cruise 7 years ago. New cruise line (to me). New(er) ship (at the time). Yacht Club product promising a Haven type experience. Plus IIRC, the fare was $3,500 plus some OBC for a 7 nite cruise. Very attractive. Not as good as the Haven, but still a very nice experience. I've probably tried to book different MSC Cruises 3-4 times since then. None of it has been a good experience. One time they said they made a mistake with my cabin type (booked a YC Balcony, complete with the cabin number confirmed by MSC) which turned into an inside cabin. I didn't even get an apology. Had to get AMEX involved in that one. Another time, they charged a deposit to my CC on file (same AMEX) for a cruise I didn't even book. Now, their fares are on par with NCL, Royal, Carnival, etc. So, based on my past experience, they could change my status to Captain of the Ship, I'd still probably not book them. They'd have to get cheap, and I mean really cheap, for me to consider them, again. Even then, I'd be leery of booking with them. So yeah, there's a reason they do status match. They have to, at least compared to the other dominant cruise lines around these parts.

In reality, MSC status matched me for a cruise 7 years ago. Haven't sailed them since. They still show my Voyager's Club Diamond Status today! I understand their desire to lure cruisers from other lines. But, then you have to execute to keep them. With me, they haven't done that. Maybe one day they'll revoke my status. But, in reality, it won't matter if they can't get me to want to sail with them, again....regardless of Voyager Status.

Yeah. I've taken advantage of that. Celebrity and Royal are like two sides of the same coin. They're a little different (Celebrity doesn't have slides or Merry Go Rounds), but overall, I noticed many similarities. I don't know that NCL or Oceania are similar.

I wonder if NCL is desperate for business to engage in a status match? Their ships are sailing at capacity. I think there would be little impetus for them to need such a ploy. Carnival doesn't. Royal doesn't. Can't see why NCL would? I remember the huge backlash from MSC frequent cruisers when others, who had never sailed MSC before, were granted Voyager status (in my case, Diamond) when "newbies" to MSC had never even set foot on their ships.

Well...mid-ship balcony is certainly a good location in a balcony. 50 cruises on other lines. Carnival? Royal? Others? That will make a difference on impressions. Dawn is one of NCL's smallest and oldest ships. So, easy to get around. NCL keeps their ships in good condition, regardless of age. So, no worries there. That's all I got.

Just did a quick look on Virgin and NCL fares, similar dates and similar itineraries. Balcony cabins on both. FAS for NCL. Drink credits on Virgin based on status match. Fares and perks are similar, except NCL’s fare was for 7 days and Virgin’s is for 5 days! Virgin is doing some sleight of hand with pricing. Not apples to apples!

I don't think you can claim points from that long ago. I do know I had points added to my NCL account from sailing the NCL Norway right before she went kablooey. But, that was a while ago. They changed how long they would go back.

Same. I looked at Oceania a couple of times as I had read their fares were competitive with NCL's Haven fares (they're not) and asked if they would at least honor my NCL Latitudes status (they won't).

Their cruises tend to be 5 nites. I prefer 7+ nites.