luv2kroooz

44 minutes ago, Tenderpaw said:

Gotta love cruise critic!  Can't have an opinion or criticize because "the nautical engineers know best" and your not a "nautical engineer. 

So true. Some just can't twist their mind around the notion that NCL could possibly get anything wrong.

59 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

We are truly fortunate that CC has so many amateur nautical engineers who can immediately see the solutions overlooked by professional engineers.

The problems have been identified over and again by amateurs and veterans alike. Fincantieri is currently working on solutions to the design flaws. They'll get it right.

5 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

So after building seven mega-ships (Epic thru Encore), NCL decides to build some medium size ships to fill the gap between the 2000 passenger ships and the mega-ships...something that can go to more ports, especially those without Icon of the Seas sized berths, and the prevailing logic on CC is "You know, these new ships would be great if they just made them BIGGER". 🙄

Well, it's the prevailing logic in the industry, not just on cruisecritic. The lounges are woefully undersized as has been confirmed over and again by hundreds of thousands of passengers. Most passengers understandably don't want to wait in lines for an hour to get one of seventy seats in a lounge or comedy club to watch a show that lasts for an hour. It's a known design flaw. So maybe they should be more practical in their ship designs. Their goal sounded good in theory, but didn't play out in practice. They'll get it fixed in future builds.

4 hours ago, long time lurker said:

If these are upcharge items since there is no Alfredo’s, are they covered by the Premium Package casual dining inclusion?

We did not find any upcharge pizzas at Slice on Emerald in Nov 2023. Everything was included. There was plain cheese, cheese and pepperoni every day and then a rotating third choice each day....meat lovers, veggies, etc

3 hours ago, Susandt said:

Vibe is available thru 12/31/25, if you can’t book it’s full.

Sounds like it could be full even if you can book it.

43 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

Ok so my December cruise was my first with NCL and I find freestyle dining service makes me not motivated to tip waiters.

Maybe you don't want to tip NCLs recommended amount, but wouldn't you agree that whoever is serving you each night deserves something? I don't understand the logic of not tipping waiters just because you don't get the same one every night. Often times, you can ask to be seated in the same section of the dining room and they'll try to make that happen.

It is great to see so many generous folks on these boards. When you average out those who value the service far in excess of the recommended amount with those who don't, it would seem to me it all evens out. Rest easy, tonight. All is well with the world again.

5 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

What do you call a small amount given to the room steward on the second or third day, is that a bribe or a tip for services previously rendered?

That can only be determined by the person's intention. If you give it in appreciation for prior service, tip. If it is given with the hope of receiving something in the future, bribe.

37 minutes ago, JamesIowa said:

On the breakaway last year I connected at 113mbps in the theater on a sea day, not misleading at all. 
 

Impressive. A saved screenshot from a cruise last year.....

I'd say contact corporate, but they would probably just thank you for sailing with them, tell you that they know you have a lot of vacation choices, share in your disappointment, remind you that they are working tirelessly to deliver exceptional vacations, apologize, tell you there is nothing more they can do for you, and trot out the we can't wait to welcome you back on board a future sailing, mantra.

Basically, a paragraph of word salad.

If they are offering $50 onboard, I'd take it and run fast.

14 minutes ago, ColdCruise said:

@luv2kroooz

You may want to re-parse the letter. I think it’s specifically addressed to those who want to use non-US currency to settle their NCL onboard account. The entire 2nd paragraph specifically addresses settling onboard accounts (well, minus the controversial apology).

 

In my albeit limited experience, most cruise lines state what currency is used on board their ships. NCL uses US Dollars (at least in the US and European cruises - I’m not perusing their site to look for exceptions). When I sail MSC in Europe, my bill’s in Euros, my credit card gets charged Euros. When I sail a UK-based cruise line, I expect to be billed and pay in British Pounds (£), not USD.  Note: I don’t carry large sums of cash, but rely on ATMs at destination other than a small amount of “just in case”  destination currency. 

 

 

 

Thanks!

The official currency on board NCL ships is USD. Their ships are not banks and do not operate as such. They have discontinued offering their currency exchange service. This includes, but is not limited to, settling your onboard account. Hope that helps!

Echoing all the above. No issues in November for basic email, YouTube streaming, Whatsapp calling. We saw people streaming their favorite NFL game, too.

We experienced a similar "glitch" when our Le Bistro reservation was cancelled one week prior to our cruise earlier this year. Sad to see NCL is still inconveniencing their guests with last minute "glitches". Sorry this happened to you so late.

1 hour ago, C4HCG said:

And why should we care what he thinks? When will people who have done with Celebrity move on, soon I hope.

It's happening right now. The negative publicity takes some time to manifest itself. Your wish is granted.

3 minutes ago, yakcruiser said:

. Or we could go the other direction and have the government create a Department of Cruise, where a bunch of bureaucrats would determine what you pay for a cruise.

What on earth are you talking about?

32 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

Do the people who complain about the high price ever consider, even if just for a moment, that the issue might not lie in the pricing, but instead in their financial means?

Yes, and rest assured it has nothing to do with financial means in our case.

It's been happening the last few weeks. Not sure why. Looks so odd.

20 minutes ago, FLAHAM said:

Don't like the price?  Don't buy the cruise.

Profound.

At some point, it will tip the other way. The increase in prices throughout the industry are unsustainable. At some point, consumers are going to say just what you are saying....enough. Basic economics dictate as prices increase, demand will decrease, and prices will follow downward. We've been able to snag a good deal on a postCorona NCL Transatlantic as well as a Princess repositioning cruise for pre pandemic prices. If airfare works out, we will likely be heading to the oversupplied Alaska market in the spring on  NCL Jewel where 7 day cruises are already priced at a silly $249 per person. If not, we will  rent a 1,200 sq ft villa in Florida for two weeks and enjoy that vacation.

Edit...full disclosure, due to the way the cruise industry is allowed to advertise, the actual price including port charges and grats is close to $750 per person. Very deceptive, but until the government decides to regulate the advertising of cruises, this is what we have to deal with.

17 hours ago, girltrader said:

Actually, I've been analyzing the wind direction/speed and wind gusts for days where NCL has failed to tender.  Today the windspeed was SSE 15MPH with wind gusts of 25MPH and the forecast was partly sunny, windy, and humid.  From cruise mapper and the webcam it seems they were able to tender.  I just wanted a point of reference.

 

Thanks.

That makes sense, but please understand that there are situations beyond wind at arrival time that can impact the ability to tender. Underwater ocean currents and swells can also play a role. Additionally, your captain will also consider forecasted conditions later in the day closer to departure time. GSC is an awesome experience, but my suggestion would be to leave this in the hands of your captain. No captain is going to risk safety....well, except that one from the Costa ship many years ago. We have missed GSC more than 50% of the time. We accept that and recognize that is how it is going to be until such time as a pier is constructed. Good luck and I hope you get to experience GSC.

57 minutes ago, FredZiffle said:

Is there a similar setup on the Breakaway?

Yes. Headliners Deck 6. They had multiple hostesses available. We found it to be a seamless process.

Contact my insurance provider and let them advise on next steps.

2 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Okay ,here is one thing.I wrote a book in 1988 and never found a copy in any ships library.Aside from that there were no negatives.

LOL, only that in 12 cruises? How lucky you are.

13 minutes ago, Fishboy1947 said:

As someone looking forward to their first NCL cruise in June, this post hasn’t been a ringing endorsement of NCL. Seems like NCL sucks in many areas but be happy you’re on vacation. 

My prior 9 cruises on Princess & Celebrity have been great with minor problems. 

 

I expect that I’ll feel the same about my NCL cruise. Great itinerary on Escape with grandkids.

You should be fine. Escape is a fabulous ship!! Have fun.

Just now, ngrund said:

You need to read more than  just the title. See 3rd paragraph.

Thanks. I did. USD has always been the primary currency onboard NCL vessels.