luv2kroooz

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.

I don't think so. My intention is to provide accurate information and education about economic risks of booking early to the general population. I don't get lost in the weeds with the situation at hand. As suggested, you can ask the OP directly. I'm moving on to the next topic again with the intention of education.

But how is it different from the local retail store price match guarantee that says find a lower advertised from us or any other competitor within 90 days and we will price match? Maybe not common in the car industry in your example. I am not saying NCL should do this. I am just pointing out that price match guarantees do exist and could cause an uninformed cruiser to rightly or wrongly expect a cruise line to do the same. Some people come on here and start blasting the poster... You booked this, you were happy, you didn't read the print, yada yada, no kidding!!! Just amazes me.

I have no idea. That is a question for them. Maybe they saw posts on this forum recommending to book early. 🤷 Hopefully, the economic risks of booking early are now clear to them.

They paid more than they thought they should. End of story.