MiniJeffrey

On 5/18/2024 at 1:30 PM, MiniJeffrey said:

 

I've given NCL one more chance to fix this with a formal letter. I'll let you know how it goes.

And all of a sudden they recognize the error and applied the €200 correctly after informing then about my other steps at the european services.

Well, it got resolved and that's all that counts. ☺️

Well as I'm mostly single traveler, the ridiculous upcharge for a balcony is not worth it. All I do in my cabin is sleep and take a shower. For the rest I'm enjoying the in- and outdoors of the ship so it's a waste of money for me to be in a balcony. I rather use that money for spa access etc.

6 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Let us all know how that complaint comes out. I do believe that European countries provide more consumer protection in instances like that than we in the US receive.

I've given NCL one more chance to fix this with a formal letter. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm a very loyal NCL guest, but be very careful with them because they are thieves, especially with their vouchers and credits.

I booked a cruise with a total fare of €2.603. Later I called because I had a customer care voucher of €200, they applied it and my cruise fare dropped with... €2 to €2.601. Several e-mails later they refuse to acknowledge the error and say the voucher was applied correctly, even with me sending in the before and after invoice where they can clearly see that only €2 was deducted. An of course they never cearly indicate on their invoices what customer care vouchers were applied and they only adjust the cruise fare so good luck with that.

I'm tired of their **** and gonna file a complaint at the European services for consumer protection.

I'm getting a bit frustrated at NCL's marketing policies, which are with no doubt infractions to several false advertising laws in EU. Their -40, -50% promotions that are always "ending soon" have actually never ever ended.

They are also just faking their "normal" prices by adding "discounts" to bring the new price to what were normal prices before they started doing this trick precovid. -40% off on a falsely inflated price briging the real discount to more or less -0% comparing to precovid prices (adjusted for inflation in the sector).

Shameful practices.

So happy they didn't put the race track on it, such a waste of outdoor space for 1 activity. 😍

Veuve is overrated, the Pommery and LeKool Champagne on board are perfectly fine Champagnes.

Yes, but in all honesty it seems to be declining.

10 minutes ago, Coastalbreezes said:

Same on Escape. And any bottles on the right-hand page were discounted 20% ( although with a 20% gratuity added).

which I thought was ridiculous as some bottles on the right side were cheaper than ones on the left side...

Just off the Epic and wines by the bottle were easily available for P+. They told me all wines on the left side of the wine menu were included in the P+ as per bottle or per glass. 

Why would you do a Covid test, unless you're feeling really unwell? Just put on a mask and go on with your life.

4 hours ago, Zippeedee said:

Probably an unpopular opinion but I love the spa on the Epic. It all the way aft with an outdoor balcony area. Great views and fresh air.

I agree, the Epic has the best spa that is still cosy. I've done the Escape last year and the spa is just too big, too many people. It's not cosy anymore, it's just another overcrowded place.

I just came off the Epic and wine by the bottle was available in every restaurant. So not to worry. 🙂 

17 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Don't know how true this story is, since I found it on Wikipedia, but apparently Thomas Jefferson was so impressed by the Chateau d'Yquem that he ordered 250 bottles of it while he was there. 😋

You know what to do during your visit, order at least 250 bottles. 😄 

Just now, DCGuy64 said:

I have had Sauternes, which is of the same appellation. You know, I'm really glad you said this, because I'm planning a land-based vacation to France next year and will look out for this one. Thank you!

You should, it is by most experts classified as the best sauternes in the world and some even say the best white wine in the world. It is without a doubt a must try if you like sauternes. But it comes at a heavy price (expect at least several hundreds of dollars for a regular bottle - not special cuvees as these ones go up into thousands).

It's also the only wine that has the 'Premier Cru Superieur' label.

A true gem.

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

My wife and I love sweet ones. We'll take yours! 😁

Bit off topic as NCL doesn't have it I think, but have you tried cheateau d'Yquem?

11 hours ago, JandC_Cruising said:

Just off the Getaway earlier this month.  The Premium Plus Champagne available throughout the ship was the Pommery Brut Rose.  It was pretty good and we had several glasses throughout the cruise.  Le Bistro was offering Veuve Clicquot by the glass, but that was the only place we found it available and we enjoyed that with our starters that evening.

Was it available everywhere, like at poolbars too?

19 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I too am struggling with getting the Plus package or just bringing a few bottles on board.  

Trying the P+ mainly for the champagne, Starbucks and fresh juicesfor my upcoming cruise in a week. It might be full hit or miss, let's see.

On 8/18/2023 at 3:10 AM, BirdTravels said:

Both. uni-sex in the locker rooms where clothing is optional (lots of jiggly bits at times) and co-ed facilities in the main thermal suite. The Epic has the nicest Thermal Suite in the fleet. 

I've heard that some men even tend to get a little too personal int he men-onlyy facilities. 🫢

On 4/11/2023 at 1:43 PM, ljrfrm said:

We just got off the Bliss. We got bottles with P+ every night at dinner, no problem in all dining rooms and specialty restaurants. However, we weren't able to take any bottle with us out of the dining room.  Even when we wanted a second bottle and I specifically asked if I could take any leftover back to the cabin, they offered for us to just fill up the glasses and take those.  Contrary to this, they had NO problem with us taking our brand new unopened free bottle from our dining voucher.

Would you know how this works when you're in a party where only certain people have P+? If I ask a bottle of wine with my P+ and people without P+ are dining with me, will they be allowed to drink from my bottle?

I've done several and I simply love it. You always meet other single travellers to do things together. I would recommend it - and I'm an introvert so that's saying something :D. And if you feel to not socialize: fine you have the entire ship to you alone. Best of both worlds.

One thing: the studio's are small, not too small for me but keep in min that it will be a small inside cabin. But they look great and are way more practical than normal inside cabins for me. The lounge for me could be a little more appealing to me, it's mostly empty.

On some ships they will do the following:

• in the morning (when everyone wants to get off) people with priority tendering will be gathered at a venue and you will then be escorted to get to the tender boats.
• When the rush is over you can just show up and show your card. Chances are that you'll get a boat fairly quickly anyway so they might nog do priority access anymore.

4 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

We enjoyed the Pommery on our May 2023 cruise. It was fine. I suppose we don't need a flashy name on the bottle to enjoy it. 

I kinda agree, Pommery Rosé has pretty good reviews. Some people will already not like it just because it's not Veuve (which to be honest is an overrated brand of champagne - it's not bad but they have big marketing making a lot of people belive it's THE champagne of champagnes. It's not.) or because it's a rosé. Being a rosé or not has nothing to do with being a champagne, it is a champagne.

Yes, I think that a standard brut should be available and not just the rosé, but some people seem to be so hypnotized by the Veuve brand that they will call anything else crap.

13 hours ago, WorkingForOBC said:

We're just off the Pearl. In Magnum's, we were served both Pommery rosé and Le Kool rosé (which is actually  a pretty pricey bottle). We enjoyed both since we went in with the expectations that only a rosé would be available. Of course, it's mind boggling that they don't offer a standard brut,  but if you go in with the proper expectations, you can still enjoy a pretty nice glass of rose.

 

We ate at Le Bistro twice (the food was fantastic both times). The first night we went through a bottle of Veuve during our apps and soup/salad. Then we shared a bottle of the chateau neuf du pape, as we both chose the filet rossini. The second night, we ordered a little lighter, and our wine steward kept the Veuve flowing all night. We were served by the glass, however the wine steward kept "our bottle" chilled nearby.

 

We also had a fantastic time at Maltings. The bartender was our favorite, and we enjoyed blind tastings of many bourbons and whiskeys. Once our bartender trusted us, he even mixed in The Macallan Quest, Terra, and Enigma.

 

If you can adjust expectations, and if you don't have very specific requirements, there's still a lot of value to be found, and a lot of fun to be had.

 

So the Veuve was included then in Le Bistro? You could drink all night Veuve by the glass if you wanted with the P+?

They've also changed the description for the P+ now: