luv2kroooz

Thank you. We have fun on all cruises.

Interesting. Do you trust good reviews?

Better said ...if you want more, you could just find a different cruise line. We enjoy beverage packages. We have recently found better overall pricing and value on Princess for a more inclusive experience. If we sail on NCL, we have to pay an extra dollar or two for each shot of Grey Goose, Woodford Reserve, Bailey's, Grand Marnier, coffee, water, etc. Then, we have the confusing VAT taxes on NCL which I've stopped trying to figure out. Somehow Princess is able to include all of this in their package at no additional upcharge. This is the stuff that gives NCL the reputation for the nickel and dime leader while other lines have the perception of being more inclusive. They can't just put a $15 price tag on these spirits and include them. Nope, they have to list them at $16 or $17.... enough to squeeze that extra dollar or two out of their unsuspecting customers at every turn.

Yep, you should be fine. The general complaints are very limited beverage package with exclusions for water, Starbucks, certain wines and spirits that are commonly available shoreside at reasonable prices. Then you have limited specialty dining, whereby if you want a certain dish such as lobster or a certain appetizer, you have to pay more for it. Then, if you want to use a certain area of the sundeck, called Vibe, that is an upcharge. If you want to ride a go cart, or play an arcade game, or have fresh squeezed juice, etc., you have to pay extra. That is the type of stuff I have seen. The experience is more akin to..." If you want it, you have to pay extra for it" instead of " welcome to our ship, it is your home for the next x days. Please enjoy it to the fullest."

If you've sailed 4 years ago, please adjust your expectations downward. The cruise experience in the overall industry has severely degraded on multiple fronts - entertainment, staffing, training, etc. The cruise lines are generally charging more because they can while delivering less. This doesn't mean you should not book the cruise, though. We used to cruise 4+ times per year, but since Corona, we have sailed only twice and only when we find a last minute cruise with space available. We don't find overall value in the cruise space these days. While we don't mind paying more if we get more, we outright reject the idea of paying more for less, so we spend our vacation dollars very intentionally elsewhere.

Pre COVID on the Escape, yes, there was a costume party in Spice and a haunted house walkthrough.

Thank you for contribution and for sharing your well thoughts out opinion. 🤣🤣

Boarding time is typically 5-6 hours after the ship docks in the AM.

Totally agree. NCL said new cutting edge shows were coming to "enhance" the onboard experience. Translation....we are going to copy what Carnival Cruise Lines has been doing for years.

No. End of discussion.

Depends. Northern route vs southern route for the crossing??? Southampton to NYC might feel different than Southampton to Miami.

Escape. It is more representative of the NCL experience.

Sorry to hear. Share some details later to give context to your experience and help others.

You've missed the point. The point is that inside spaces on Prima and Viva feel significantly more crowded in cold weather on a comparative basis due to the poor design of this class of ship. So, yes, Gem, Pearl, and Jewel also get crowded when the weather is cold, yet their design handles passenger flow much better than Viva/Prima, leading to a better passenger experience.

See above post...This is effectively how it works - "buy" the two deposits at $250 each, billing to your on-board account as $500, then get $250 in OBC that offsets the cost of one, making the net purchase price $250.

....and you get to use your OBC to offset the price of the package.

Interesting, they announced at their recent earnings call that they were focusing on longer, more immersive itineraries. Then, they contradict themselves by cancelling longer, more immersive itineraries. Who knows....

How do you get into the cruise terminal if you don't have a smartphone and you are picking up Medallion at the port, Brooklyn in our case? We just called the Princess call center and was routed to Phillipines. The representative had no idea what we were talking about and could not communicate in English in a clear manner. So, so sad. Thank you in advance.

You might recompute your math. NCL charges a higher base fare just for the right to have the opportunity to have a drink package. Then they charge $21.80 per person per day for drink package service charge, plus the current $20 per person per day DSC. For $60, all included with Princess and the beverage package is far more inclusive on Princess. Plus, we use our TA OBC and shareholder onboard credit to offset part of the cost of the Princess package onboard. You can't do that on NCL. It really is no more expensive on Princess. It is all in the confusing marketing.

Yes, they know about and refuse to do anything about it. Very inconsiderate. If everyone acted like NCL does, I'd have hundreds of triplicate emails every day to sort through. Fortunately, the majority of senders are more considerate and professional. Most will take corrective action once an issue presents itself. Haven't seen that and really wouldn't expect it from NCL, though. So sad.

Pre COVID on Escape...festive atmosphere, overall. Thriller dance class Halloween movie Halloween display with carved pumpkins in buffet. Evening costume party at spice with a couple themed drinks Haunted house walk through in the smaller supper club/dinner theater.

Correction. Expiration is 4 years, not 2 years from purchase date.

Yawn, is anyone surprised, anymore? As long as they say they are committed to delivering exceptional vacation experiences and it is always their intention to maintain original itineraries......boy those phrases sure have been overused over the past few months. At the end of the day who really cares what they are committed to and what their intentions might be. That's just word salad. All people care about is what have you done for me lately?

Yep, USD.

I'll pass on enjoying wine onboard NCL ships at those menu prices. I can enjoy fine wines at fair prices the other 11 months of the year when I am not on an NCL ship. Their printed menu prices are comical.