Cruise ships

[alphaboi867]

@ralph124c

Are there any old-style cruise liners left? Like the QEII-maybe 3 decks? I cannot stand those 10 deck monstrosities-they look like floating hotels.

Sprechen Sie Deutsches? The MS Deutchland seems like it’s the closed you can get to traveling on one of he grand ocean liners of yesteryear.

[Yarster]

Two more quick thoughts:

1. In defense of the inside cabin, on our very first cruise in the 1990s, which was to Alaska, we opted for the outside cabin for fear of sea sickness. We had no problem in that regard. The problem we did have was that our room looked out on a deck. As a result we had the curtains closed 95% of the time either because we wanted the light blocked out while we were sleeping, or we wanted our privacy. That said, all the curtains in the world don’t stop the asshole teenagers talking way too loud on the deck outside our window at 2:00am nor the fitness nut who is running around the deck at 6:00am that has a heavy step and an even louder CD player (this was before iPods, but same idea.). We have never booked an outside cabin again, but all the ships we’ve been on since still have rooms that look out on decks. Yes, we could have spent the extra money for a room with a balcony, but we didn’t have the money.

2. I have to report the problem of the ‘specialty restaurant’ on the ships is growing. It used to be that each had one per ship, with the expectation it was for special occasions like your anniversary where you might want a really nice steak and lobster. On our last cruise with Norwegian in February, they had SIX of these restaurants on the Jade. The cover charge was $15-$20 per person depending on the restaurant, but the dining rooms were still free. Oh, except the dining rooms are now much smaller because of all the room they have dedicated to the specialty restaurants and their kitchens. So now, depending on when you eat, you might encounter a traffic jam at the free dining room unless you reserved ahead, whereas the paid dining rooms always have space. They even had a stoplight chart for each restaurant and dining room displayed throughout the ship so you knew where they had space. O.k. the sushi place, steakhouse, and Beni Hanna knock-off were legitimately at least partially filled every day. The Italian, Mexican, and Chinese restaurants were always COMPLETELY empty. What made it worse was that they were only open for dinner and were all located right next to each other, making their waste of half a deck and the associated staff very obvious to the guests. It really felt like they were nickel and diming the guests, and several people told them so on the evaluation cards at the end of the cruise.

[Onomatopoeia]

@Yarster

2. I have to report the problem of the ‘specialty restaurant’ on the ships is growing. It used to be that each had one per ship, with the expectation it was for special occasions like your anniversary where you might want a really nice steak and lobster. On our last cruise with Norwegian in February, they had SIX of these restaurants on the Jade. The cover charge was $15-$20 per person depending on the restaurant, but the dining rooms were still free. Oh, except the dining rooms are now much smaller because of all the room they have dedicated to the specialty restaurants and their kitchens. So now, depending on when you eat, you might encounter a traffic jam at the free dining room unless you reserved ahead, whereas the paid dining rooms always have space. They even had a stoplight chart for each restaurant and dining room displayed throughout the ship so you knew where they had space. O.k. the sushi place, steakhouse, and Beni Hanna knock-off were legitimately at least partially filled every day. The Italian, Mexican, and Chinese restaurants were always COMPLETELY empty. What made it worse was that they were only open for dinner and were all located right next to each other, making their waste of half a deck and the associated staff very obvious to the guests. It really felt like they were nickel and diming the guests, and several people told them so on the evaluation cards at the end of the cruise.

I’m kind of surprised by the complaints. NCL promotes their dining options so frequently and prominently that FreeStyle Dining is actually emblazoned in a blue banner on the sides of their ships. I just presumed that the myriad restaurant options was one of the main draws of that cruise line.

[Icarus]

We were on a Celebrity cruise two years ago:

1. The dining room meals were really good. The service was excellent (having a hot 18 year old female in the party probably didn’t hurt). And I liked being able to order as-much-as-whatever I wanted. Do I feel like 2 steak dinners, and 3 appetizers, and 4 desserts (one of each)? Why yes I do!

2. We did the specialty restaurant one night, the food was markedly better. The service was silly better. They were really going for “perfect” but it just seemed creepy. If you inhaled there was someone there to exhale for you. At one point I waited until no one was focusing on our table and poured some wine myself, just to see - about 4 attendants almost fainted when they noticed, and fluttered over to the table, aghast. Good times!

[sachertorte]

Now I need to plan my next cruise.

[Snnipe_70E]

@Yarster

Two more quick thoughts:

1. In defense of the inside cabin, on our very first cruise in the 1990s, which was to Alaska, we opted for the outside cabin for fear of sea sickness. We had no problem in that regard. The problem we did have was that our room looked out on a deck. As a result we had the curtains closed 95% of the time either because we wanted the light blocked out while we were sleeping, or we wanted our privacy. That said, all the curtains in the world don’t stop the asshole teenagers talking way too loud on the deck outside our window at 2:00am nor the fitness nut who is running around the deck at 6:00am that has a heavy step and an even louder CD player (this was before iPods, but same idea.). We have never booked an outside cabin again, but all the ships we’ve been on since still have rooms that look out on decks. Yes, we could have spent the extra money for a room with a balcony, but we didn’t have the money.

I would not want to have an inside cabin. I want a outside cabin on the A deck. No open deck outside the window. Outside the window is the Ocean. The room is close to the water line so you can see the waves just outside your room. Never closed the curtains except in port.

[Voyager]

@Onomatopoeia

I’m kind of surprised by the complaints. NCL promotes their dining options so frequently and prominently that FreeStyle Dining is actually emblazoned in a blue banner on the sides of their ships. I just presumed that the myriad restaurant options was one of the main draws of that cruise line.

Me too. I was on the Jade, and the specialty restaurants sold out all the time. We never had a problem getting into the free ones except right when a show let out or something. Reservations are quick and easy, and we discovered that if we made early reservations after a long day of touring, we’d get put right at the window - which was awesome since we were there as we were leaving Malta - my favorite harbor.

[a35362]

Another question - suppose you’re supposed to stop in Bali, but they happen to have this volcano that’s making the air kind of hard to breathe just now. Or there’s a hurricane brewing! Easily avoided, but it will screw up the itinerary schedule. Or some little country is having, er, more political unrest than usual. Or there’s a danger of pirates! Real ones, not sexy Johnny Depp ones!

Will they decide not to stop in that port this time around and comp you for that part of the cruise, or stop there but warn you of the dangers, or what? If they decided to skip a port, would they spend an extra day or two at sea just to stick to the schedule? Is it a problem for the port, for other cruise ships, for the tour guides/motor coaches they have contracts with, to have the ship show up on a Tuesday instead of a Wednesday?

[sachertorte]

@a35362

Will they decide not to stop in that port this time around and comp you for that part of the cruise, or stop there but warn you of the dangers, or what? If they decided to skip a port, would they spend an extra day or two at sea just to stick to the schedule? Is it a problem for the port, for other cruise ships, for the tour guides/motor coaches they have contracts with, to have the ship show up on a Tuesday instead of a Wednesday?

You will not get a refund.
You may get refunded the port fees you paid for the missed port, but for the cruise itself you won’t get anything.
You will either get another day at sea (on the ship) or the ship will dock somewhere else (less likely).

In some cases the ship may be able to swap port days due to bad weather. The only case I know of is on the cruiseline’s own private island. “Real” ports have a schedule to stick to.

[Onomatopoeia]

@a35362

Another question - suppose you’re supposed to stop in Bali, but they happen to have this volcano that’s making the air kind of hard to breathe just now. Or there’s a hurricane brewing! Easily avoided, but it will screw up the itinerary schedule. Or some little country is having, er, more political unrest than usual. Or there’s a danger of pirates! Real ones, not sexy Johnny Depp ones!

Will they decide not to stop in that port this time around and comp you for that part of the cruise, or stop there but warn you of the dangers, or what? If they decided to skip a port, would they spend an extra day or two at sea just to stick to the schedule? Is it a problem for the port, for other cruise ships, for the tour guides/motor coaches they have contracts with, to have the ship show up on a Tuesday instead of a Wednesday?

You will not be refunded. On one of my cruises, we had to skip one of the islands in the itinerary; it was a tendered stop and the captain decided it was too windy, so we spent that day at sea. People were disappointed, and many complained, but I understand that this is not an unusual occurrence.

[Dangerosa]

@Onomatopoeia

You will not be refunded. On one of my cruises, we had to skip one of the islands in the itinerary; it was a tendered stop and the captain decided it was too windy, so we spent that day at sea. People were disappointed, and many complained, but I understand that this is not an unusual occurrence.

And its one of the reasons that if your goal is to visit Cozumel or St. Thomas - just book a vacation in Cozumel or St. Thomas. Cruises have planned itineraries, but they don’t have guaranteed ones. On the plus side, this means that unlike that vacation in St. Thomas where you sat under a storm system that wouldn’t move for three days, your captain can sail around it (to some extent - depends on the size of the storm). There is a better chance of having lovely weather every day on your cruise than on a land vacation - but that may be because you are several hundred miles from where you thought you’d be.

[Bosstone]

@Dangerosa

And its one of the reasons that if your goal is to visit Cozumel or St. Thomas - just book a vacation in Cozumel or St. Thomas.

Word. I love cruises because I like being on the ship. I’m indifferent at best to the locations it visits.

[mlees]

@Voyager

BTW, the trend seems to be specialty restaurants on board which charge a fee, as well as the standard ones which are no additional cost. We looked at the menus of the specialty ones, but they didn’t seem any more interesting than restaurants a few miles from where we live.

*Looks at Location: Listed as “Deep Space” *

[a35362]

They have cruises in deep space now? Awesome! :eek:

[Voyager]

@mlees

*Looks at Location: Listed as “Deep Space” *

It’s right next to Quark’s.

[Voyager]

@Onomatopoeia

You will not be refunded. On one of my cruises, we had to skip one of the islands in the itinerary; it was a tendered stop and the captain decided it was too windy, so we spent that day at sea. People were disappointed, and many complained, but I understand that this is not an unusual occurrence.

Yeah, we skipped an island when we got stuck in the Orinoco. No refund, but I think we got another free cocktail party out of it to make up. I was glad that I was not on the Cruise staff for that one -they had to run around creating a day of entertainment instead of down time while everyone was ashore.