The Admiral

Just saw this information when reading on one of the links above:

“One of the most upsetting changes for many who normally book “Princess Standard” is that Princess’s wildly popular sit-down pizza restaurants (called “Alfredo’s” on some ships and “Gigi’s” on others) will no longer be included at no extra charge. “Princess Plus” guests will also pay to eat at Alfredo’s/Gigi’s after their first two included “causal dining” meals.”

Pizza is free on NCL, RCL, Carnival, MSC and most others, if the above is true and you’re going to have to pay $14.99 every time you want to have a pizza (or after two free visits unless you buy an expensive mark up package) which in our case is often, it’s making me second guess my recent booking to see if we come back to regularly cruising princess.

this decision is nuts, I agree if it’s a specialized Italian restaurant you charge the $14.99 but there should always be a free pizza joint area on every ship that’s a basic standard.

So the pizzeria is no longer free? I haven’t gone on princess in 15+ years and back then pizza place was free.

We are looking to return to princess after many years since our last cruise with them and have two questions about the Princess Plus upgrade I’m hoping recent cruisers can help me with:

1) what is the “Premium Deserts” you get with the package?

2) what are the “2 casual meals”

Can’t find an explanation of what these benefits are? Thanks :-)

No I’ve been in the Haven before but I think when one area is lacking and disappoints you like the entertainment you start noticing the other lapses and aren’t as willing to give a pass. 

So I did a preliminary review during the first part of my March 19th Prima cruise which you can see below but my final verdict is the Prima and Haven in the Prima are not worth it. Especially when you have MSC Yacht Club to compare to!

The entertainment did not improve at all for the most part (as of day 6) it’s one major broadway show and nothing else in terms of production shows. Other passengers bumped into on board are equally dissatisfied with entertainment. If you come with a group and bar hop and drink all day with your group the Prima is for you, otherwise prepare to be bored out if of your mind especially in the evenings.

It’s a shame, the ship design is beautiful but they killed the Prima by missing the mark with not planning good evening entertainment and not providing the extra touches in the haven their competitors do.

whereas in MSC Yacht Club you have DJ music and lively evening entertainment within the yacht club and at yacht club pool at the haven the atmosphere was that of a boring hotel lobby. 

Also NCL missed the mark on the little details for example, MSC provides unlimited internet for Two devices with yacht club, at haven after the high prices they charge you only get 200 minutes and have to pay an up charge for one device unlimited basic internet. there’s no drink coffee station so you can grab a coffee or tea any time of the day, if you want a cup of coffee or tea in the haven environment (outside your cabin) your only choice is going to the haven dining room.

the haven restaurant doesn’t rotate the menu so unless you spend more money to eat at a specialty restaurant every day for variety, you’re stuck with the same food choices all week. And I’m sorry but the whole point of the haven and paying all that extra money is so you don’t have to leave your exclusive enclave which should have the best food. Keep in mind NCL not everyone likes the specialty restaurants especially if you don’t eat seafood or like fancy French food. Again missed opportunity. 

for the record I’ve traveled in NCL more than in MSC so I don’t have an ax to grind with NCL it’s just that they have missed the mark so much on the Prima in regards to atmosphere and entertainment and little attention to details that I feel this ship is a pass. 
 

I would give Prima 3.5 Stars overall. (Ship design 5, embarkation 5, staff 5, entertainment 2, haven experience and haven restaurant 3 (good food but lack of variety defeats purpose of an exclusive restaurant), debarkation 1 (based on the whole pier switch issue)
 

ps: now we’re informed we’re docking in a different pier than we left so now have to go through the aggravation of hauling luggage onto a shuttle bus to get shuttled to the pier we left from which in port canaveral is not a comfortable walking distance 😞
 

MY INITIAL REVIEW BELOW: 

I am currently currently also sailing on the 3/19 Prima in the Haven and my quick take so far is:

1) staff is awesome, very friendly and accommodating. 5 stars 

2) embarkation easy and efficient. 5 Stars

3) ship design is beautifully done and very elegant. 5 Stars

4.) food is good and has plenty of choices. 4-5 Stars 

But there are two areas that will make me think twice about NCL in the future and here they are:

1) the entertainment is lacking, although there is good variety in terms of lounge music, so far there’s only one professional show - a Donna Summer Review and when I asked staff if there’s any other professional show like acrobats or magicians or broadway reviews (which NCL made its name on) I was told twice that the only show was the same one noted above and nothing else. I hope this is not true and we will pick up entertainers in Cozumel.
 

If in fact NCL Prima only has one type of theatre show repeating all 7 days this is a fatal flaw in my opinion. Professional entertainment is expected on cruise lines especially when they sell Haven rooms for a hefty premium.

one staff member told me they have two different shows as they counted the “Price is Right” as one (sorry in my opinion that’s not a show)

So  if nothing changes entertainment is 1-2 Star and that’s only because of the comedy club and the different singers in the various lounges who are good.

2) on Prima it seems like more passengers were added to Haven. NCL seems to Nikel and dime for everything. If you’re traveling with kids there are charges for a bunch of items they want to do. Also If you a 10 drink or more a day passenger it doesn’t make sense to pay hundreds of dollars in tips for the cabin for the drink package, if all you do is have a soft drink here and there and maybe a glass or two of wine before or with dinner. 
 

if NCL wants to better compete in terms of the ship within a ship concept part of the passenger equation they need to just include all drinks with the haven and not complicate folks lives while on board. NCL, figure out a reasonable cost for drinks and gratuities (so hard working crew don’t get left without gratuities) and just build it into the price of the Haven so no matter what anyone’s drinking preferences are if you’re in the Haven all your alcohol, soft drinks and specialty coffees are included - no hassle cruising NCL!

This is my preliminary opinion, The two negatives above (Haven and Entertainment) may change later on in the week but this is where I am at day 2.

But remember any cruise is better than being on land! 🙂

We are going on the Marci Gras soon and I noticed some sailings are sold out but am wondering, are they still limiting the number of passengers on board? And of so how full are they sailing?

On 3/9/2022 at 9:16 PM, Raintree said:

Are masks required on board in all or some areas?  Thank  you.

And any updates on 3/12 sailing capacity?

I've read that NAAT test are more sensitive and produce less false negatives than rapid antigen which would seem to mean they are more reliable. So here is the question the Pharmacies around my area only offer rapid NAAT test or the longer 2-3 day PCR test.

Carnival and RCL websites list PCR, Rapid Antigen and NAAT as acceptable and the CDC webpage says NAAT tests are accepted as tests for returning to the US from international travel but the MSC website only lists RT-PCR and negative Antigen. In another part of their website they are inconsistent and for US residents in mediterranean cruises it does not mention Rapid Antigen only RT-PCR.

Does anyone know, maybe if you've traveled recently out of Miami of MSC will also accept a NAAT test from a Walgreens or CVS?

Thanks for your reply that is exactly the helpful information I was trying to get…didn’t even know about the concierge discretion in the Heaven.
 

the service in MSC Yacht Club is definitely the best of any ship within ship concept out there with the NCL Heaven in second place.
 

No need for anyone to get offended. I was just asking a hypothetical question as other than size of cabin I did not know if there are any other perks for the OS or RS. I’m just researching which I though was what this board is about. Some Suites in other lines have a full sized dinner table and you can invite whomever you want to have drinks and dine in the suite with you, as MSC does not have that layout in their largest cabins again - I was hypothetically wondering what the rules were.
 

geez 🙄

I know the Yacht Club is exclusive to YC suites but was wondering if for the most expensive suites (Royal and Owners Suites) will they allow you to bring two guests to dinner once or twice during the cruise?

just wondering if there are any additional perks like my question above for those suites that may be unwritten but common?

Does anyone know what the diner seating times are on the Seashore? 

In 2019 before the pandemic, if you booked the Royal Suite on the Seaside you had a dedicated private cabana all week in the yacht  club pool reserved for the “Royal Suite”.

so does anyone know if this is still a perk if you book the Royal or Owners suite on the Seashore?  Thanks!

Has MSC announced at what capacity their ships will be sailing at on March? I was wondering if the ships are full again.

Does anyone know when the bookings and itineraries for the Icon of the Seas open? 

I believe this was the first week the Odyssey of the Seas was doing its regular 6 and 8 day sailings. Does anyone know at what capacity the ship is sailing or how many passengers are on board this week?

wondering how fast they’re ramping up to full ships. Thanks

Has Royal Caribbean said if in addition to the vaccination requirements if they are holding back cabins so ships sail at less than full capacity?

or for those of you that recently cruised on the Odyssey was it full? 

Any word on when the summer 2023 bookings specifically for the Celebration will open?

I see NCL opened up their summer bookings already and was wondering when carnival will do so. Thanks!

Do agree on shared tongs that should be how it’s done, I know higher end cruise lines I’ve been on serve you at the buffet line and that would also cut down on the mess made by passengers. 

Looks like CDC updated some of the guidelines on getting off the ship:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/cruise-ship/what-cdc-is-doing.html

True I don’t see them starting in may either, but either way the question should be resolved for the future I know every pandemic will be different but if every time a bug comes out of some part of the world this happens the travel industry will never recover.

I find it interesting they take this action with cruise lines but yet they let anyone board a plane spread it around on that flying tube for a few hours, land two hours later and all those plane passengers Deborah and become new vectors of the disease all over the country! Makes no sense you either lock planes and ships down or neither. But I understand I’m not a dr so maybe I’m wrong in my thinking. 

Good

13 minutes ago, lovemylab said:

 

Most passengers who board a plane take their seat and stay there for the duration of the flight.  They are not moving around the cabin the way people do on a cruise ship. Most domestic flights only last a few hours, where as most cruises are a week or more.  The airline can disinfect in between flights.  Passengers on planes are not eating at self serve buffets.  Air travel is more of a neccessity than cruise travel (which is entirely done for leisure purposes).

 

I can definitely understand why cruises are grounded but planes are not.

Good points although I would highly dispute airlines ever “disinfect’ anything I’ve never gotten sick on a cruise...on a plane though, very often. 

True I don’t see them starting in may either, but either way the question should be resolved for the future I know every pandemic will be different but if every time a bug comes out of some part of the world this happens the travel industry will never recover.

I find it interesting they take this action with cruise lines but yet they let anyone board a plane spread it around on that flying tube for a few hours, land two hours later and all those plane passengers Deborah and become new vectors of the disease all over the country! Makes no sense you either lock planes and ships down or neither. But I understand I’m not a dr so maybe I’m wrong in my thinking. 

There is one question above all you find is not answered on Cruise websites, which if answered would help Cruise lines bring back bookings rocket fast! And that is:

what new process have you worked out with US Authorities so the entire ship doesn’t get quarantined upon return to its home port because of COVID-19?

A major issue I and many others have is, that very few, if any people can afford to be out of work 14 or more days on top of their vacation time and that is keeping a lot of people from taking a risk and going on a cruise and possibly loosing their jobs over a vacation. Passengers cannot be stuck in limbo because one person gets sick and then when you return to home port it causes the ship to not be allowed to disembark passengers! The odds of one person out of 5,000 (crew and passengers) getting some type of flu like symptoms COVID-19 or not is almost certain and If cruise lines cannot work out a new protocol with CDC and Local US authorities they will not recover anytime soon.

If they haven’t ready done so they need to get on this and figure it out before they resume cruising in May or June...passengers need certainty that they can go on cruise without the worry they won’t be able to get back home once Cruise is over. Thoughts?