Bare Necessities - Warning: Pollyanna Post

[idocdlw]

In this thread, please share only what you love about NCL, great experiences you have experienced on NCL & unforgettable interactions on NCL to help those of us who are first timers on NCL stop worrying that we may have a less than par cruise (no grievances please).

 

Please help me become more excited/less anxious about my upcoming cruise. Thanks a bunch!

 

Bare Necessities (you know the Jungle Book song...hum while you read)
Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities;
Forget about your worries and your strife.
I mean the bare necessities, or Mother Nature’s recipes
That bring the bare necessities of life!
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam,
I couldn’t be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzing in the trees
to make some honey just for me.
You look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants,
Then maybe try a few!
“Don’t mind if I do!”
Yeah!
The bare necessities of life will come to you (They’ll come to you)
They’ll come to you (They’ll come to you)
They’ll come to (They’ll come to you)
They’ll come to
You! You!
You! You!
The bare necessities of life!
Oh, yeah! 

 

[mugtech]

        As a Frankie Vallie fan I loved our Panama Canal cruise in 2015 on the Sun from Tampa.  A band was on that played all Four Seasons music, then as we headed north to Mexico another band replaced them fron Vegas, and Oh What a night, they played more of the same.  In addition, the dining room where we ate was called............ The Four Seasons.  I have always believed everything the Four Seasons told me, especially " Dawn go away, I'm no good for you."

[idocdlw]

Haha...my name is Dawn, put myself through undergrad & grad school bartending & some of my patrons sung those words to me! Thanks for that share mugtech!

 

Keep 'em coming cruisers...

[Denise T]

My very first cruise was on the Pearl two years ago. That ship got me hooked on cruising. The crew was so friendly and helpful. I loved everything about the experience. Our cabin steward was always responsive to whatever we needed. It was a great itinerary (Canada/New England). The drinks were good. The weather was awesome. The scenery was spectacular. The food was awesome. I am going to Canada/New England in October of this year on the Sky. I have heard all sorts of complaints about the Sky. I still intend to enjoy every moment of that cruise. You will enjoy yours as well. 

[idocdlw]

Great attitude Denise T...thanks for the share. Have a wonderful cruise in October!

[Blueberry89]

Ok now I’ve got all this music rattling around my brain 🎶😳

[idocdlw]

Sorry Blueberry89, but it is better than "Ay...macarena". Oops...now you probably have that in your brain too. 

[mugtech]

5 minutes ago, Denise T said:

My very first cruise was on the Pearl two years ago. That ship got me hooked on cruising. The crew was so friendly and helpful. I loved everything about the experience. Our cabin steward was always responsive to whatever we needed. It was a great itinerary (Canada/New England). The drinks were good. The weather was awesome. The scenery was spectacular. The food was awesome. I am going to Canada/New England in October of this year on the Sky. I have heard all sorts of complaints about the Sky. I still intend to enjoy every moment of that cruise. You will enjoy yours as well. 

The worst thing about the Sky was the wifi, in 20 days from Baltimore to Quebec and back it did not work ever.  Did not even use my free loyalty minutes.  Found the crew to be vert atrentive, really liked Laguna Larry in the sushi restaurant, funny and infornative.  Warning, the pile of green stuff with your sushi is not avocado, treat it as such at your on peril.

[idocdlw]

mugtech...only positive...no negative. I appreciate the info, but not the intent of this thread. Thx! 

[Alatraveler1]

Can't wait for our upcoming cruise on the Epic!  We loved the location and quick bites at O'Sheehan's and the show at Teppanyaki and drinks on the balcony.  Bowling, yes bowling on the mini-lanes and the amazing crew!  Love the Waterfront of other ships, but the activities and crew made up for it.  Dreaming of hopefully trying Haven on the Epic someday.

 

[idocdlw]

Oh, Alatraveler1...bowling on a cruise ship sounds like so much fun! Probably a lot more fun (and entertaining) after a cocktail or if the seas are a little rough...lol. Have a wonderful time on the Epic!

[Pitzel]

I love the attitude, since there are (almost) always great things around you, if you only slow down long enough to pay attention to them.

We are slated to sail on our 8th NCL cruise in April and here are some of the things that we are looking forward to:

• Friendly crew members who will go out of their way to learn your name, remember your favorite drink order, or otherwise make you feel special, even if you are one of several thousand people onboard.
• Meeting other cruisers and, in many cases, building friendships that last long after the cruise is over.
• The Free at Sea drink package! So nice to be able to order a very wide assortment of beverages without having to worry about the cost.
• Lots of trivia quizzes with a wide variety of themes. We are trivia junkies and NCL does this well.
• Unplugging! It is so wonderful to actually NOT be online and connected to a phone or a computer all day.
• Visiting beautiful and culturally rich locations around the world.
• The Garden Cafe is probably my favorite buffet out of all that I have tried across cruise lines. The Indian food is especially tasty.
• We are sailing with 3 generations and we love that there are activities that appeal to everyone in our group.
• Live music and the nightly performances are generally great, with some being truly outstanding. We saw "Summer" (the Donna Summer musical) on the Prima last year and it was absolutely fantastic.

Edited February 28 by Pitzel

[Pitzel]

Oh, and the beds are really comfortable. I get some of my best sleep while at sea!

[idocdlw]

Pitzel - so nice you make cruising a family affair. Agree with all the things you like...most are things I really appreciated on my many previous cruises (CCL, HAL, RCCL, Princess).

 

Have a fantastic journey in April!

Edited February 28 by idocdlw

[VUCruiser]

NCL ships with the Waterfront!  Outdoor comfy seating and outdoor dining is amazing and a key reason we keep getting on the Bliss!  

[idocdlw]

VUCruiser...for my first NCL experience, I am doing a TA on the Encore. Your post makes me even more excited about my sailing as the Encore has a Waterfront as well. Looking forward to that!

[Distinctive-Destinations]

Am I the only one who thought this was thread was going to be about nude cruises?

 

Bare Necessities?

[idocdlw]

Lol...we all wish! ROTFLMAO!! Thanks for the chuckle Distinctive Destinations. 

[cheersforbeers]

On our recent B2B cruise we met an outstanding asst Maître d’ on our second day, from St. Lucia, discussed her island and found we had a mutual Acquaintance in a NCL employee widely known to NCL cruisers. She found out it was my brides birthday the next day and we had reservations at Cagney’s for her dinner. She showed up, ordered her a bottle of wine and poured our drinks. Also had a birthday cake sent to our room, even thought I had purchased her the Bday package. Needles too say we became close for the remainder of the 14 days, and her and my bride are Facebook pals. We were truly blessed to have met this lady, a true asset to NCL. 

[Panhandle Couple]

What we like....

 

The Waterfront, and the Syd Normans/Cavern Club outside bar.  We always have a good time there and the better bartenders work there.  Others may like one of the indoor better. 

 

The shows at Syd Normans.  Not so much the Argentine version of the Beatles.

 

Specialty Restaurants.  Always great to have options outside the regular offerings.

 

Desserts.  No matter which dining venue, NCL does desserts excellent.

 

Trivia, even the not so good ones.

 

Meeting people and making friends.

 

Shore excursions.  We have been to over 2 dozen ports and done lots of different things.  We live near the Emerald Coast beaches, so we look for more things than simply sitting on a beach.

 

Casual dining and freestyle approach.  Why sit at the same table for a week or more?

 

Finally, NCL just "feels right" to us.  We realize that most cruise lines have more in common than not, but NCL seems to lead the pack on trying new things.

 

 

 

[idocdlw]

4 minutes ago, cheersforbeers said:

On our recent B2B cruise we met an outstanding asst Maître d’ on our second day, from St. Lucia, discussed her island and found we had a mutual Acquaintance in a NCL employee widely known to NCL cruisers. She found out it was my brides birthday the next day and we had reservations at Cagney’s for her dinner. She showed up, ordered her a bottle of wine and poured our drinks. Also had a birthday cake sent to our room, even thought I had purchased her the Bday package. Needles too say we became close for the remainder of the 14 days, and her and my bride are Facebook pals. We were truly blessed to have met this lady, a true asset to NCL. 

What a wonderful trip this must have been. I'm so glad you were treated so well & the journey fostered a long-lasting relationship. Thanks so much for the share.

[Go2SeaTheWorld]

34 minutes ago, Alatraveler1 said:

Can't wait for our upcoming cruise on the Epic!  We loved the location and quick bites at O'Sheehan's and the show at Teppanyaki and drinks on the balcony.  Bowling, yes bowling on the mini-lanes and the amazing crew!  Love the Waterfront of other ships, but the activities and crew made up for it.  Dreaming of hopefully trying Haven on the Epic someday.

 

We were on the Epic on 11 day cruise Nov-Dec '23 in Haven. It was our 2nd Haven experience and it was fantastic! It might have just been the group of cruisers we were with at the time, but we met and socialized with so many friendly & interesting people. The staff was warm, friendly and were real pros at helping to promote a "family" feeling. Of course, it is on you to reach out, too, and engage with those around you, but I would sail on the Epic Haven again in a heartbeat.

[Smitheroo]

What I love best about cruising with NCL is Freestyle Dining.  So many choices in restaurants and other eateries and times that you can eat whenever and wherever your mood takes you.   

[idocdlw]

3 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

What we like....

 

The Waterfront, and the Syd Normans/Cavern Club outside bar.  We always have a good time there and the better bartenders work there.  Others may like one of the indoor better. 

 

The shows at Syd Normans.  Not so much the Argentine version of the Beatles.

 

Specialty Restaurants.  Always great to have options outside the regular offerings.

 

Desserts.  No matter which dining venue, NCL does desserts excellent.

 

Trivia, even the not so good ones.

 

Meeting people and making friends.

 

Shore excursions.  We have been to over 2 dozen ports and done lots of different things.  We live near the Emerald Coast beaches, so we look for more things than simply sitting on a beach.

 

Casual dining and freestyle approach.  Why sit at the same table for a week or more?

 

Finally, NCL just "feels right" to us.  We realize that most cruise lines have more in common than not, but NCL seems to lead the pack on trying new things.

 

 

 

Thanks Panhandle Couple for noting so many positive things for me to look forward to. I'll be sure to visit some of the venues you listed. 

[idocdlw]

Just now, Smitheroo said:

What I love best about cruising with NCL is Freestyle Dining.  So many choices in restaurants and other eateries and times that you can eat whenever and wherever your mood takes you.   

I am looking forward to Freestyle Dining...none of my previous cruises offered that option & I am excited to try it....I think I will like it very much. Thanks for the share Smitheroo!