detroitlions

15 hours ago, Pitzel said:

For those on the Joy, it looks like the American Diner change will go into effect post dry dock:

Yes I did see that on my cruise in March.

They used to allow it in one corner in the Vibe not any more. But they did open up the area above the main pool as smoking to relieve pressure of all the smokers in the small corner in H2O this is on the Breakaway plus ships.

27 minutes ago, drumming cruisers said:

@HBCcruiser Is American diner free / complimentary yet on Bliss? 

All American diners will be free in February.

22 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Well, to be honest, it doesn't weigh a ton.  Maybe 50 lbs +/-.  About the weight of a full size suitcase.  I'll haul that extra "baggage" around forever for the peace of mind (and avoiding the short life, rough ride and cost of run flats).  I used to own an S10 with one of those silly donut spares.  I bought a steel wheel and cheapo tire at Discount Tires so that I had a real spare tire.  Yeah, call me old school (or just plain old, same thing...).

I wish they were 50# they are almost double at 85 to 90# each. These are 33in tires.

I have done 5 day work trips for years with a carryon. If I had to use the ship laundry once that would be it. I would not be washing in the sink sounds like work.

That being said I just bring a regular suit case for a cruise . A modern moblie one

On 12/29/2023 at 11:44 PM, ChiefMateJRK said:

Yep.  Best wishes to you and DD.

 

It literally made my head explode when I heard that people were now buying cars without spare tires because "nobody ever gets a flat."  A lot of us have lived long enough to know how absurd that is.  Her mission, should she decide to accept it, is to now go onto the internet and widely report that spare tires are a REALLY good idea!  She'll likely go down in flames....

My last car had run flat tires that do work. The jeep gladiator Rubican I drive now has the Full spare but it weighs a ton.

You were able to get free ones in the casino or by the pool during the day they would hand them out on the first and second day. I personally do not like them I have to wear them every day at work I am not wearing it on vacation.  

23 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

On my last sailing, the salad bar had a lot of nice stuff, but no iceberg lettuce.  Only that leafy stuff that tastes like crap (I think it's supposed to be more healthy or some such nonsense).  I made better salads at the buffet.  A lot of the restaurants also have either cobb salad or iceberg wedge, both of which I really like.

This made me laugh about the leafy stuff. I agree. My wife buys all those greens and if there not cooked I dont like them. 

I have not had a very good experience on these fishing tours. The last one in Honduras a full boat of people watched 2 poles in the back of the boat for 4 hours and 1 fish was landed. So that being said I would do alot of research. 

38 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Yes, I realize I'm quoting a post from October.  That said, since this is about the Brewhouse I have critical information to share.  I believe that this menu is from the Joy, because there is no Guinness and Pop's Porter is the only dark ale.  Bliss and Encore have both had Guinness on tap.  That would be enough for me to book Bliss/Encore instead of the Joy.  Well, that and what they're doing to screw up the OL. 😬

Are they shrinking the Observation lounge? I love having a large variety of been on cruises. My problem with the Brew house is on my trip on the Escape last year they were out of most beers at the begining of the cruise and never replaced them.

4 hours ago, vacation44 said:

The Getaway would be double the passes sold as it is now on both sides.   If I remember correctly, the Escape sold 80 passes both times we were on the Escape.  If it were our choice, we would pick the Escape over the Getaway as we do prefer the smaller size Vibe.    On our two cruises on the Escape, the Vibe never felt crowded.   However, a benefit to the larger Vibe is that you can switch to the other side if the side you are on is either to sunny, to hot or to windy.   We did do that a few times on the Joy.      Again, we have never had a bad Vibe experience and it is a must for us.

 

Happy planning and let us know what you decide.    Just remember to secure the passes immediately upon booking your cruise.   

Question I have been in the Vibe quite a few times. We are cruising the Joy for the first time and have Vibe passes how did you like the Joy Vibe? I know they all are different.

No one is ever in the library.  

Vibe is great and would lean towards very necessary. One thing that stinks is they do not offer the cabaña deal any more. 

20 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

I say, Joy is better than Encore. 
 

Joy has aft Spice H2O but the Encore doesn’t!

 

 

Oh very cool I am on Joy in March and I have not looked at the ship much. Was assuming it was like Bliss

It just shows all the rooms you can upgrade. Maybe my offers did not go through.

I know you used to be able to cancel a upgrade bid VIA the NCL app. Now I do not see the option to cancel a upgrade bid to any room. Am I missing something?

13 hours ago, bonvoyagie said:

We cruise for the destination so we usually splurge for a balcony or suite, use only the FAS perks plus our Platinum Status for dining - we also enjoy the MDRs and even the buffet.

I hear folks saying they cruise for the destinations. My in laws always say it. but what I have found the majority of destinations in the Caribbean are real similar. So now I cruise mainly for the ship there are some I like some I don't and some I want to try. If the cruise is in Europe or something more substantial I would defiantly cruise for the destination. 

I do recall that Hockey and baseball were not offered on many trips.

I have been cruising a long time with NCL I only made GSC 1 time out of about 7 or 8 tries. 

Actually they are good at showing the major events in the past 5 years or so. I always catch the collage football games and they even showed the NCAA tournament when it was down to the last 8 teams it was in the back of the ship H20. They show a lot of NFL also.

3 hours ago, rnfulk said:

If it makes you feel better, the price is $259 for my next 7 day Caribbean cruise. You are paying way less than my $37 per day, but no complaints from me. Pricing is all supply and demand and I find the cost of the space worth it.

Yea that is what I just paid a few weeks ago. The 3 reasons I get the Vibe passes are we never wait for bar service no long lines. There are always loungers in there. And the private bathrooms are great I do not like using the ones by the main pool area they can be quite unsettling. 

They sell Vibe online when its not available its sold out.

The folks on the phone will not give you a straight answer on most things they don't want you to cancel your trip or not book.

I had a few of these gotcha moments on a recent cruise. 1 was they all say you can get the beer and wine package for folks 18 and older with consent the first 2 days of the trip. The fact is they canceled that program a while ago you can only pay as you go with parental consent. 

I know they defiantly are losing money on this decision. 

You can not blame the airline or  NCL for a storm that would be dangerous to fly though.

Also I would never agree to fly and cruise on the same day never ever no way. 

I think you may have a hard time with hacks except maybe a few will be allowed in the Haven. 

My last cruise end of December the waiters refused to go off menu or change anything and no extra apps or food either in the special restaurants. 

You have to call NCL this happed to me recently