whataboutport

This was one of the things that interested me about this port, but reading that there are lots of people there who want to give you massages swayed me away from it.

The only thing is to get a table near a wall, the waiter's stand, or by a big pole, so you only have a table to one side of you. All the tables are close together. Not much you can do about that.

I would guess that tables in the specialty restaurants aren't as close to each other. Or eat in the buffet, that's what we do. Not many people in the buffet at all.

Snorkeling is terrific is Belize! I think any of the many small islands off the coast would be a good day. We did Goff's Caye and it was so much fun. It's a VERY small island about 1.5 acres, not many people, about two or three small boats go there per day. Not many facilities, just a simple island in the middle of no where. The snorkeling was great. When you dock in Belize, don't be discouraged if the water near the port looks dirty or not clear. Once you get out to the reef it is completely different. Our day was stormy and rainy and the visibility was still so high!

Roatan, I would avoid Maya Key. We booked that through the cruiseline (Princess), so not sure if NCL even goes there, but I thought it's worth mentioning. The reef if dead. Not very good snorkeling. The island itself is ok, there are plenty of photo ops and "rescue"(?) animals in cages, some are clearly distressed and cage crazy. And there's tons of sand fleas and I got bitten up like crazy. Those bites are worse than mosquito bites bc they go away, and then come back with a vengeance weeks later.

There is a free area called Mahogany Bay, but again don't know if NCL goes there since it's a Carnival area, but there's free snorkeling off the pier there, and lots of beachchairs and restaurants, but it's very touristy area.

I got two referral credits already, so another $40 in free clothes. They do have mens stuff too, just not a ton. My second order I got bf a pair of Quiksilver shorts, and I got a Mickey Mouse tee for myself and a Disney Haunted Mansion hoodie. :) Plus I still have another $13 in credit.

That's how I feel. Come day 11, I'm tired of the food, tired of the ship routine, and really tired of the people. That's why, for now in my 40s, 10 nights is my limit. I imagine I'll feel different when I'm older. :)

Yes I wonder how I will feel when I'm older. That cruise was in 2014 at 34.

Our cruise is a 14-day Alaskan cruise with lots of ports...but it starts out with 2 days at sea. Thanks for all your thoughts. I do remember being glad to get off the ship after 8 days is why I posted...to see how other people felt.

So not actually 14 days at sea. You have a 14 day cruise, which is different. The longest I've been on was an 11 nighter. Towards the end I was getting homesick, plus I was really getting tired of the food. The buffet breakfast was the same everyday, and I was REALLY missing authentic Asian food and real Sonora style tacos. First thing I ate when we got home was some tacos.:D I've found the 11 was too long, and 7 not long enough, maybe a 9 would fit us better.

https://www.schoola.com/stitch?ref=cp-3X9monY9Q

I just did this last night. You must sign up with them, and you will get a $20 credit and a 25% off coupon code. Shipping is free if you choose the slowest option. It ends up to be about $30 worth of free gently used clothes. They have NWT too but you can't use credits or coupons for those. They have clothes for women and kids. I got a Roxy summer dress and a Johnny Cash t shirt. The descriptions aren't very specific, but if they don't fit, hey they were free! And it benefits local schools nationwide. You do need to put in a credit card, but it your total is zero, nothing will be charged. I checked on Google and they do get decent reviews and are legit.

The formal nights before were never truly formal anyway, at least not in recent history. Although, the clientele of Celebrity tend to be dressier, so you won't be out of place wearing what you'd usually wear on a formal night. So no big deal.

I wouldn't worry about it, most people are totally different behind the keyboard than they are in person... And since that person made that post about two years ago, I doubt they are reading the answers now.

Well still I wouldn't want to find out. I wouldn't ever anyway, since she is too good for Caribbean cruises, and that's all I can afford!

This is one of the rudest, most insulting things that I have ever read here on CC. I hope I never have to share a cruise ship with you.

That person is always posting rude replies and hardly ever responds. Like Indian food is the only cuisine that has sauced dishes in the brownish color family? That fake reason to me is a cop out. I understand many people find the smell of turmeric off putting. If that is the reason, just own up to it. Say you are afraid to eat it bc it smells strange and looks strange. Not that you have tried all Indian food and they are all nasty and look like dog diarrhea. Also, if my dog's poop looked soft like that, we'd be going to the vet!

I don't think sailing out of Bayonne is considered NORTH ATLANTIC

Well it def isn't the South Atlantic.

Nice first post BTW.

The people on the first storm cruise got a full refund AND 50% off a future cruise. I think that's above and beyond, esp since it is 100% NOT the cruiseline's fault. I wonder though, is it 50% off full published price? or is it 50% off whatever is the going rate?

I think the soap has valid points, and I think people should be a little more empathetic versus saying "get over it." Particularly, the OP stated he saved a lot for this trip. While he doesn't indicate what "a lot" is, I think most people can agree that amount varies depending on how much a person makes and spends typically. Without knowing what he and his wife do for a living (and I would never ever ask, not my business), I will go with the assumption that whether they were staying in a Royal suite or an inside cabin, this was a lot of money to them, and they probably used a good chunk of vacation time, and they did experience a series of unfortunate events that I would agree might make me say "never again." I'm loyal to Royal, and I've never had a bad cruise, but I have had experiences in my life that make me say "never again."

 

For me, I've always had jobs where my max time off at any given time is one week, so if I spent all my vacation money and used as much as I could at once and got little joy out of it, I would be very upset, too. Everyone has different things that bother them. Some people have more than others, but I don't feel like this is the case here.

And many people only get ONE week off, and cannot do two or three days pre and post cruise, and shouldn't get nagged about flying in the day of! Or like us, own our own business, no employees, so when we take off, our business is closed, no money coming in and no paid vacation time, so if anything goes wrong, it's even more upsetting. I cannot agree with a bad day at sea is better than a day at work, bc I am not getting paid vacation time.

Yes, it does matter how much they make, because that is usually the reason that many jobs, particularly in the US, involve customary tipping - because they are rather low paying jobs that rely on tipping to supplement the pay. Otherwise, no one really "deserves" a tip, unless they are going above and beyond their normal job description to help you out. And handing bags to a porter, so he can load them onto a cart, is not exactly above and beyond.

 

So, yeah, how much they earn for doing that would normally be a major factor in whether tipping is customary or not.

 

It's a little fuzzy with porters, because those who help you with your bags at airports or hotels are usually in low paying jobs, and tipping is customary. At ports, sometimes it's the same; other times, the porters are union longshoremen who make relatively high wages and don't really need to rely on tips. So, personally, I just tip a little and don't worry about it, but the money they make does factor into it, and it would seem a bit tacky to be accepting tips if you're already paid generously for what you're doing.

I think that is part of the main problem of tipping in the US. It's not across the board, and people are confused. Some countries that don't accept tips, just don't accept them for anyone. Here who knows who you are supposed to tip. I got my butt handed to me once about not tipping the salon owner after a haircut. The owner doesn't have to rent a stall, and gets the full price of the service. Sure she rents her salon space, but also collects all the stall rents from her hairstylists. But at the same time, tips are always appreciated no matter how little or how much. We used to own a bike shop, and it was just us two. We would charge for a service, and still many times we would get a tip on top of it. Not necessary but heck yeah we took it.

So if the porters/longshoremen really make that much, tipping isn't necessary. $70k+/year? That's good money! If they really make that much, why do they always seem upset? Do they fake being upset to get tips? How does one become a unionized longshoreman? Is it mainly a position you can get without schooling? If so, I'd be happy making that much with no schooling.

Yes it is for size of table. I used that email address also and got our two top. You're at a perfect time frame to email them. Too far out and they won't/can't help you.

Like I said previously, these porters are Union and make upwards of 100K salary. Signs in Florida ports are posted do not tip. However..... I usually tip a buck a bag anyway but not when someone is demanding it or being rude. If this happens to anyone in the future, simply ask for the supervisor, he is always nearby and will set the individual straight. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.

How do you know they make that much?

I fully agree with you with your 1-5 list.

 

I don't think the scrambled eggs are that bad. I don't know what they make them out of and I never want to ask. My wife always stands in the line to get eggs made fresh. It takes a few minutes extra, but it's not like we're in a hurry or anything.

 

We have never gone hungry on a cruise. What I really hate, though, is when they have something I really like, then they don't have it any other time on the cruise :(

 

Tom

Yes! Our last cruise was on Celebrity. We ate almost all meals in the buffet. At night they had a steak and fish grill to order section. One night the had grilled salmon. It was very good. All other nights they had tilapia, which I hate! Only got to eat the salmon once. The steak however was good, if you had them grill you a fresh one. I like mine med rare, so they did a new one for me each time.

But the point isn't the amount of time, it's if it is enforced at all.

I had a similar experience with a porter on a Celebrity cruise not too long ago, I asked for the supervisor and he came over and all three of us had a nice chat. Problem solved. FYI... I usually tip even though in Florida ports you are requested not to.

I find it interesting they offered to repair and even replace your luggage. I think that was actually above and beyond from what I have seen in the past.

 

This is a good reminder to never bring a piece of high end luggage to a cruise. I have seen many, many times the luggage stacked and thrown into a pile onboard waiting to be sorted. I have also seen crew literally walking on top of the luggage to get from one end of the holding room to the other.

 

As for the cascading events thereafter? It is often quite common, when in a reactive mode, the at fault party scrambles to resolve the issue too quickly, this often causes more harm than good. A perfect example from what you described was the excursion manager, trying hard to please and resolve, he quickly offered you a free jet ski excursion, and unfortunately, due to weather, that excursion would be canceled. This of course added to your misery. In hindsight, he probably should have gave you a couple options and had you choose one, this way, you would have played a bigger role in the outcome.

 

Sorry for the bad string of luck, it can and will happen even to the best.

Is that true? I didn't know that. We usually only do a carry on so we don't use the porters anymore, but one of our cruises we did, going onto Allure. One of the porters said to a family in front of us "Do you want to leave any donations for the porters?" And the dad was kind of confused, and then seemed kind of shamed into opening his wallet. The comment wasn't so mean or threatening, but left a bit of a funny taste in my mouth.

The scrambled eggs on any cruise line, or any buffet are always gross, bland and watery. No one likes them but yet eveywhere still serves them. I'm sure most people who get them (myself included) don't want to wait at the omlette station for real scrambled eggs, so they just get the premade ones, thinking oh it won't be THAT bad. And one bite in, on yes they are. I'm sure 99% of the eggs that are taken off the line are thrown away. What a waste of food.

15 mins? Wow that's great. Now if they only actually did that.

We've cruised on most the major lines. Never had a problem finding a chair. But then again, we look for chairs away from the crowd and noise. One thing I can't stand is overhearing other people's conversations.

I've always wanted to get a group of folks together at say 6:00am and have them put a towel on every chair and then watch from the deck above when the chairhogs come down to hog their chair and see there are none available. I just think that would be a hoot. Of course, after they leave, we would take all the towels away, so that others can have the chairs.

I'm sure the selfish hogs would look to their left and right, see no one around, and move the towels and hog their own chairs. They would do exactly what they get mad at other for doing, moving stuff.

I just came off anthem last week (yes-- the one COMPLETE anthem cruise in recent history). I was on for 8 nights. Overall, I was pleased. Only did free venues. This was the first cruise where I enjoyed breakfast in the MDR more than the windjammer.

My first night, I ate at silk. The food was cold. I asked to speak to the manager-- he fixed it and said this is an ongoing problem. The next night they couldn't find my wine and I met another restaurant manager-- after these two experiences, the supervisors knew me and greeted me by name. They looked out for me and always made sure my food wasn't cold. The supervisors were very helpful and want to make everything right, if there are issues.

Highlights: MDR breakfasts, tutti salad bar, escargot, short ribs.

That's great that they fixed your problems. Those are pretty major issues, cold food and missing wine (that I'm assuming you paid for). I always am torn about the restaurant managers knowing us and giving us specialized service (moreso on land). I feel like the service should be the same across the board, not only bc they know you. I mean it's nice to have them know you and say hi, but I hate to think they are making my food "better" or giving me more or freebies bc of it, and then I go and recommend the place and bc I'm not there, the staff doesn't make it as good.

You never know why one likes or doesn't like something. One of my guilty pleasures is eating Popeye's fried chicken. You won't believe how many times I am sitting in there eating and overhear someone at a nearby table (usually not eating while their table mate is chowing down) say that they don't like chicken where they can see the bones/veins/skin, etc bc it's gross. That they'd prefer chicken nuggets. If they only knew what parts of the chicken they use for chicken nuggets, I think that would gross them out even more. Besides the fact that they didn't even TRY the chicken in the first place.

My point is, who cares why someone else doesn't like something? Go and try for yourself. And like someone else said, if you don't like it, get something else! It's not like on a land restaurant where they'd most likely have to cook a whole new dish for you. They will have many dishes 99% complete already and will take but a few moments to bring you something new.

Why some of you give some people such a hard time when posting their experience is beyond my understanding. Cruise Critic is a forum for people to relay their cruise experience - good or bad. If you don't agree, say you don't agree, and keep it moving. If you understand and have compassion, same principle.

 

The OP had a HORRIBLE experience on a RC ship! Let him vent! He brought it to RC's attention while on board and it wasn't resolved. I can tell you right now, I would've been LIVID and trust and believe I, too, would not have accepted a meal offer!

Anyway, OP, sorry you had to experience that. Wishing a much better cruise experience with whatever cruise line choose[emoji4]

I agree. Accepting the meal would mean that their solution was satisfactory and nothing else was needed to be done. The fact that the OP didn't take the meal AND nothing was done is even worse. I agree, this was an extreme case of bad luck with many RCI employees, not just the same one or department over and over.

I hope it's not true! From my experience, the newer ships always get the better crew and better food. With a few minor exceptions, we had great food on Allure! Hoping to sail on Anthem soon.