kcfoxy

BTW: Wayne & Trudy are part of a contingent of what I like to this as Duck People, and will be on our same cruise. OP has very nicely offered up M102 for group Cabin Crawl.

We've already got a couple other balcony cabins lined up, but this deluxe bow balcony is a good bit deeper than those 4' x 9' side sort on Royal/Regal ships*.

Here's a photo found on this CC board, super helpful to see just how the bows staterooms are lined up on Lido and Marina decks.

Come to think of it, we'd love to tour Liz' extra nice Mini Suite as well, and it just so happens another fun couple on our Roll Call has staked claim to M108. Wow, that's an amazing wrap-around balcony!

One can always hope... ;)

You can usually leave with more money than you came in with if you play the ATM.

How droll!

Someone mentioned not playing the 'penny' slots, which by the time I play 'feature' and numerous lines turns out more like 25 to 50 cents a spin :rolleyes: Do tend to have a lot of fun with the silly Penquin-type games and wondering if they have any of these on Royal Princess?

So what flavors have you tried on Royal or Regal? I wrote down honeydew, lemon and mandarin, which all sound so refreshing. How about black currant or kiwi? Any others to try? :p

There is a range of cruise lines which if you have travelled with previously will give you Princess cruise credits. In this way; provided you have notified them prior to cruising of all your previous cruises with the said lines, you can start at a higher level.

 

Regards John

This will also be our first time with Princess. We've sailed 2 other lines in the Carnival fold, but weren't asked about this when we booked, and when it was mentioned to our Group Event Coordinator chappie, to see if there might be

some quid pro quo in terms of loyalty, told not applicable.

This after deposit but before final payment. On NCL we've just made their highest tier, Platinum, but will be the new kids on Princess and don't except anything special*, just a wonderful experience and some restful pampering.

Okay, so has anyone else found they had items stolen on this cruise? At first, I thought that maybe I left the couple items I found missing from my suitcase,(although I was quite sure I packed them.) One was a cheap necklace,(under $10,) the other was some medication. Could they have fallen out while the bag was being transported to the cabin? Sure, I could live with that. However, upon arriving home, a very expensive designer jacket and the cheap picture they give you for attending the art show were both missing as well. Now I'm steamed! Someone was smart enough to take the items right before I packed our suitcase the night before we docked back in Boston! Clever, for sure. In the hustle of returning home, I didn't notice these were gone until the next day,(Saturday.) I called the cruise ship immediately, and was told I had to wait until Monday when "lost and found" was open. Lost and found!!?? Didn't she hear me??? These things were STOLEN, not lost!!!

It is now Monday morning, and I'm sitting here waiting for the cruise people to arrive, so I can report these items stolen, or as they claim, "lost."

Has anyone ever dealt with this problem? If so, what, if any, restitution was offered? Any comments or advice are welcome.

And please, those of you who will say the jacket was somehow lost, refrain from commenting! I know it was not lost, as it never left the cabin! I tried it on to wear one night, and decided it did not look great with the outfit I was wearing. Back in the closet it went.

And also, remember, there were no flights involved, as this ship is docked 30 miles from where I live.

Sorry to hear this. We were on the Dawn in April-May with no issues.

However, your post here is considered OT from OP, and for wider readership and response you may wish to post as a separate thread.

Peace out. :cool:

I think it would be a fantastic deal and would jump on that AFT suite with the huge deck IF...

Would you also be receiving the UDP, UBP, OBC and excursion credits?

IMHO, that would make a big difference, in addition to the usual Suite perks such as breakfast and lunch in upscale setting, priority embark and debark, concierge for booking pay venues and reserved seating for shows.

Free room service, the butler-who can deliver, and if need be, serve any meal of your choosing. Laundry service, upscale toiletries, pillow menu, espresso machine with pod selection and probably a bunch more I'm forgetting...

Wash your hands, keep your fingers away from your mouth.

Also nose and eyes. It is amazing how often we touch these places without even realizing it. :D

The last 4 years we've needed an accessible cabin for the foldable WC. In order to be ADA compliant, the main cabin and bathroom both require non-threshold and a 36" turning circle. Some are more compliant than others, but the wheel-up sink design sacrifices a lot of your counter space, as others have already mentioned.

I like to use the bathroom door hooks for a medium sized cosmetic bag.

The LL Bean one has lasted well over 10 years now, and I find the size just right for small bottles of lotion, astringent, mouthwash, toothpaste, brush, small hair brush/comb, Bandaides, cotton balls and small containers of makeup.

The way it hangs open, I can easily reach the things I need most often, even from a seated potion if need be.

Instead of wasting the suitcase space and weight for liquid shampoo and conditioner, I always pack solid shampoo. Sometimes 2for1 bars with both shampoo and conditioner. I make my own, but a clever etsy friend, (full disclosure) also has her own travel version with 3 small shampoo bars and 1 conditioner, since you will not need that as much. Weighs less than 6 oz and you can choose your own scents or unscented. No more leakage!

You can Google 'syndet bars'. These are very mild and work on all hair types. And no, Virginia, regular old bar soap is not the same thing.

I like to take naps but don't want to get undressed or under the covers for brief refreshing sleeps. Weighing in at 9 oz, a thin flannel throw, about 50" x 60" easily rolls up and fits into those spaces your pack-it cubes do not. It takes the chill off coolish cabins or long plane rides...a great comfort measure, which won't weigh you down.

An inexpensive, lightweight wrist watch, so we can keep track of show times and tour meetings. A tiny, easy to pack alarm clock, which also doubles as a mini flashlight. Turning the right end (dial) let's you instantly update time zones...important for those transatlantic jaunts. Also helps when sometimes those automatic wake up calls...aren't.

We are both diabetics, but also prone to low blood sugar, especially on longer tours that don't allow much time for more than a comfort break or photo op. Small individually wrapped/sealed packets of cheese and crackers or fruit gummies work a treat.

I also bring a lightweight container of low sodium seasoning such as Spike or Lemon Pepper when something is just too terribly bland. Packets of Crystal Light PURE (the one with stevia, not NutraSweet), also really help to get the needed hydration without extra calories or alcohol. :cool:

Maybe someone will post an updated list. :)

Stacey Anderson has been assisting with our upcoming Royal Princess Roll Call but informs me that beginning June 1st Craig Blish will be assuming the Group Onboard Services Coordinator spot for this ship.

We are both diabetics and ask for the mini bar emptied soon after embarkation, for storing snacks or leftover food and drink. I am an RN and DH is a former professional cook, so we are well aware of safety issues.

After 5 knee operations my sweetie is not always available to push my (rented) wheelchair about the ship for each meal. I sometimes can use my Quad cane, but who knows? We have both searched for seating in the Buffet, and our preference is not to visit there the first couple of days of each cruise, as more likely to contact an illness, statistically speaking.

DH will often bring back plates of food for breakfast, and we can usually make it to Blue Lagoon or MDR, sometimes Specialty restaurants for the other meals.

If not, we call Room Service for a sandwich, salad or soup. I am almost positive the hot foods we bring back from the Buffet will be much warmer than anything an hour's wait for 'morning rush' room service could offer. ;)

I ate my plain egg white omelet and the melon, saving my other protein for a late night snack, when my blood sugar dipped rather low.

It happens that I suffer from a medical condition often associated with diabetes. It is called gastric paresis, which means you often feel full after only a small amount of food. For example, recently in Moderno. I had a half cup of soup, and very small portion of asparagus/hearts of palm.

We asked the waiter to kindly not bring any filler material, (rice, mashed potatoes, beans or fried banana), and didn't touch the cheese rolls. I was able to manage a small wedge of grilled pineapple, 2 bites of filet and 2 bites of their specialty sirloin.

Between us, we ordered 4 lamb chops, and separated out the boneless portion while DH enjoyed the meaty ribs themselves. Neither of us ordered a dessert and I requested that I be able to take the remainder of my 'meal' back to our cabin. The Asst. Maitre D okayed this but the food had to be send via crew member.

If I were not able to have a portion of this $20 (and now with automatic 18% service charge/gratuity), so closer to $24 per person, dinner available to me when I can eat it, that would be a real issue.

On our last cruise, we used our UDP 10 times, and I had something from my meal, (first servings, not double portions), brought back 3 or 4 times. Yes, this is not the norm for most pax but as with the buffet breakfast, something that keenly affects the quality of our cruise experience. YMMV.

These are the new menus from the Gem. They say "Fleet" & "4/15 "near the bottom:

 

 

This is very helpful, thanks! Sorry to see my favorite spiced lamb curry go, as well as the crème brulee trio and especially the banana pancakes with coconut ice cream and caramel sauce. IMHO they should at least have left that delicious ice cream... :cool:

Thank you for this information. It would be likewise useful, and greatly appreciated if someone could kindly post the new menu as well :p

Some positives: Thank you for posting such a highly legible menu.

I am glad to see an expanded room service menu, as the previous one was pretty bare bones, unless you are used to/prefer a Continental Breakfast :p

The hot breakfast choices are one we enjoyed as Suite passengers.

Unfortunately, we now require AC cabins, and for our next cruise, not available above mini (non) suite level. As a diabetic, protein is the key thing for maintaining reasonably level blood sugar readings for my Type 2 diet & exercise controlled variety.

It appears that they have also forwarded what looks to be pretty much the (former) "Always Available" or now "Classic" portion of the MDR menus...

Will this help with the increased wait time, reduced staffing situation in the MDRs overall? Hard to tell, but a nice alternative when you don't have a butler or aren't in the mood to schlepp chow back to your stateroom from the Buffet.

I believe that the Always Available $5 large pizza is different from the Personal Size pizza where you can have a bit more choice in your toppings. It would seem that the delivered anywhere cardboard & grease sort does not incur an additional fee, even if ordered in the wee hours of the morning. :cool:

A question or two. Right now we've been told that the $7.95 Breakaway and $4.95 Getaway charges are a form of market testing (or threshold tolerance).

Are the full hot menus, (sans specialty items so marked), available now on all other NCL ships? And at no (thus far) charge?

If the true Continental type items (coffee, tea, milk, juice, pastries, cold cereals), were kept free of charge and other non-specialty menu choices posed a nominal fee 5 a.m. to midnight, how would that sit...especially if posted in advance, and in a large enough font that most of us might read of it without high power magnification? ;)

Alain is great! We were lucky enough to have dinner with him one night on the Dawn last year. He told us he reads the boards. He ran our m&g he did a great job stayed for a long time answering questions. I am cruising on the Dawn the end of May, hope he is not on vacation.

Oh, that is so nice to hear...lots of folks seem to feel the same way. We have cruised with some of the best, and I will always remember my favorite, John O'Hara on NCL Spirit...so personable and always around :p

Hi,

 

We were on the Dawn last Oct/Nov for 21 days.

Alain is an amazing HD.

He loves being with passengers and he does like going to the CC meetings.

I think he does read these & I want to send a BIG hello to him.

He can be seen around the ship much of the time.

Also, he knows each crew member by name and he knows about many of their families.

Paulo, Exec Chef is also very, very nice.

I had a problem in a Specialty restaurant & he “fixed” it much better than I ever would have imagined.

Anne Barbazza (Group Service Coordinator) is one of the best ever also.

She will help set up the CC meeting.

We love her & hope you do too.

CD - Dave -well, he is OK.

 

Judy

Thanks Judy, that is very helpful to know and just confirms my good vibes :p

BTW: I am a sucker for accents, be they Canadian, Aussie, Kiwi, French or what have you...so Dingo Dave should be a right treat (at least in some respects). Just wish we could have faces to go with the names, though ;)

Curious of this as well....I had heard Karibi would be the concierge. Have had both as concierge on Dawn cruises. 12 days and counting.....

So....you will be on our 4/19 Repo? Have you stopped by the Roll Call yet? :p

I had to wait to get the confirmed key officers for our 4-19-15 Repositioning Cruise...not a full list, by any means, but still a good-to-know list.

Captain - Martin Holmqvist

Hotel Director - Alain Magnier

Cruise Director - David "Dingo Dave" Klooster

F & B Director - TBC

Executive Chef - Paulo Vaz

Executive Housekeeper - Carmencita Reid

Group Service Coordinator - Anne Barbazza

I have heard very good things about our HD, CD and GSC. And with our Roll Call fast approaching 200 :eek: I was heartened to hear that Alain is apparently 'big' on CC, welcoming the M&G activities and actually reads NCL, (and maybe RC?) board(s) :D

Norwegian Cruise Line has introduced a new enhanced room service menu that is debuting on board Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Breakaway. The new menu offers an expanded selection for breakfast in addition to a wider variety of options available on the 24 hour menu. Individual items on the menu remain available on a complimentary basis and a convenience charge of up to $7.95 will be added to each order placed. Room service is one of up to 29 dining options offered across the fleet, and guests continue to be able to enjoy a wide array of complimentary choices onboard 24 hours a day.

Here are a couple constructive suggestions that might help make this explanation/pronouncement/un-policy change more...lucid :)

Individual items on the menu remain on a complimentary basis. [new sentence] A convenience charge of up to $7.95 will be added to each order placed.

Or the other very slight but important re-wording,

Individual items on the menu remain on a complimentary basis, however, a convenience charge of up to $7.95 will be added to each order.

Well, a "tip" is the same as "incentive". Don't get hung up on semantics. On NCL, the DSC IS the "tip" (incentive). So is the 18% auto gratuity. It was always my understanding that the DSC took the place of "tips" and that was why there was no need to "tip" anyone included in this pool. Now apparently, a lot of people felt it was necessary to add extra to the bill or cash tip in addition to the DSC. I never did. And they were clear on who was not included, like butlers, and we were told they needed to be compensated for service at our discretion. Some will argue all day about the difference between "service charge" and "tip", but to me it is pretty clear NCL considers the DSC as taking the place of the need to tip for service. Otherwise, a service charge is just that and has nothing to do with pay.

 

If you really want to reward a specific person who has just done something extraordinary, then put a cash tip in his pocket, or write up an NCL Hero Card or tell his supervisor.

We will continue to make note of crew that were clearly above and beyond, because our expectations of NCL staff, in general, have been consistently met, and met to the point that we always feel almost an immediate let down when faced with Real Life interactions with service persons back on land :cool:

Perhaps the UDP increase will go toward the cooks, servers and hosts in each Specialty venue. And I can always hope they bring back grilled asparagus, Ahi and Brown Sundaes...

A group of 6 will be utilizing Dushi Taxi with Natasja for our first-ever visit to Curacao. We want to try some local food rather than burgers, hot dogs, pizza we can get anywhere.

I have been researching on my own as well as reading the CC boards for our 4 island stops. For Curacao we will be visiting a few beach overlooks on the Westpunt and stopping for a bit of shopping once we return to the port area.

So far Landhuis Dokershuin (Komedor Krioyo) has been mentioned. 2 of our party use wheelchairs for distance and quad cane for short (a block or so) distances. The photos I've found show a rather large flight of stairs at the front of this eatery.

Next, have been looking at Plaza Bieu, open air cafeteria type stalls. On the bucket list are conch, goat stew, roti, arepa de pumpuna, red snapper (mero if you please) and Baidos.

Our price range is moderate. I also see mention of Jaanchie's, and wondered the pros and cons of each, and opinion of locals or frequent visitors as to the best...taste trumping service.

For shopping, want to bring back some lovely Gouda Cheese and Dutch chocolate. Thanks in advance for any help! :p

Not all of the meats are GF, but just ask and they will let you know. The rolls are great - ended up making them for dd at home.

This chicken legs are marinated in lime, the chicken breast is wrapped in bacon but still rather dry. Either might have a light breading. The leg was very good by the by. The grilled pineapple with a bit of brown sugar and possibly a light dusting of cinnamon was TDF and a great palate cleanser.

Sausages, such as choirizo may contain filler but the grilled meats, such as 3 types of steaks and delectable lamb chops do not. BTW: I just recalled the flour used for those little cheese rolls is tapicoca, definitely GF. ;)

Always available steak, baked chicken, fish and a vegetarian selection.

Moderno, the cheese rolls are made without wheat flour, fresh and tasty.

Large salad bar, more like tapas and the array of grilled meats. I am not sure about the coconut flan or mango rice and papaya cream desserts, but when you decide to book, and let NCL know at least a month in advance, they will know exactly what is already GF and put in an order to supply the rest.

Breads and pastries are made daily, might include some GF. Everything at Teppanyaki is GF except for the green tea cake, and you can also request no Soy sauce, et al.

No, but Alain is usually the HD.

It would depend on his vacation schedule.

He is wonderful.

Anne Barbazza is also amazing.

She is one of the best Group Service Coordinators with NCL.

 

Judy

That is wonderful to know. Thank you Judy! :)

I know it is a Repositioning cruise, and sometimes that matters, in terms of moving from one base of operations to another.

Hoping someone will have a firm, updated list for us soon...less than 4 weeks until Cruisin' :p

I sure miss having NCL mail us the sturdier, self-adhesive tags...

What we do now is use a few sheets of letter sized card stock (heavier weight). Much better than flimsy printer paper IMHO :p