schmoopie17

Be prepared for a lot of swearing when people get to Foulmouth. 😁

Not in our case. On the last night of our recent Jade cruise we handed our favorite bartender a twenty and he said he needed to put it in the shared tip jar. No biggie...they all work hard. But we wanted him to keep it.

If I tell you I'll be surprising you, would that be enough motivation? Oh wait...that might be motivation to cancel your cruise. Never mind...

We booked the 2025 Pearl TA, leaving a year from tomorrow, from NY with a few stops in Canada, then Iceland, Belfast, Dublin, Le Havre and ending in Southampton. However, we still have a year (okay, eight months before final payment) to change our mind. Kind of leery about Iceland temperatures in early May, based on your weather report a few pages back. We've never been into cruising in parkas, Also, not thrilled about having to fly to NY, stay a night or two at outrageous prices, then have to maneuver around the city from the airport to the hotel and to the port. (Again, based on what we read a few pages back.) But I guess we'll see how it goes...

NCL is really screwing up the embarkation process. Not only taking two hours, but making people be upside-down that long is beyond comprehension.

As has been pointed out many times, check-in time is essentially meaningless.

That's always been our experience. We've never received anything in the mail from NCL except their useless advertising propaganda.

We did the Bliss from Miami to L.A. through the Panama Canal, although it was only 15 days. I may be one of the very few who found the Panama Canal to be...how should I put this?,,,much ado about nothing. Several hours just to get through and not a whole lot to see. But, I am retired and my eyesight isn't what it used to be. (Along with a number of other things).

I don't understand why people feel the need for cabin service twice a day. In fact, on most cruises we tell the cabin steward that we don't need ANY service on some days. (They're busy enough). Do people really make their beds, change their sheets and change towels every day at home?

I'm pretty much always logged into NCL's site. I keep checking existing reservations to see if new excursions get added, watch the countdown calendar, etc. Plus I'm too lazy to have to look up my password if I log out. I also do fake bookings/searches all the time (okay, maybe not all the time...but you get the point) and I have never gotten a call. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

It's worth a shot. But don't mail it. 😁

And instead of regular airline food, they will offer Lean Cuisine.

Exactly. I can wear my camouflage shirt anywhere in this country. Antigua, Barbados and Grenada all say that wearing camouflage in their country is illegal. If you choose to wear it there, then deal with the consequences. Maybe weed is legal in those places...don't know, don't care. But just because weed is legal in some places and in some instances, it doesn't mean it's legal in all places and all instances. A cruise ship is one of those places.

I see what you did there...

A drug-sniffing dog can probably detect it by just walking in the hallway. They would then go sit in front of the door where the odor was coming from.

We always get luggage tags included with our E-Docs when checking in online 21 days before sailing.

By the time NCL gets around to notifying you of your flights, most good seats would already be taken. Waiting until the last minute to choose seats would practically guarantee middle seats...or maybe even standing room only.

I've watched enough LivePD (now On Patrol Live) where dogs can alert to even the slightest amount of drugs of all kinds. They say a dog's nose is WAY more sensitive...and it's definitely true.

Good to hear that Customs/Immigration wasn't a hang-up and you were able to essentially just walk off. You said you arrived at the airport in Rome at 9:20. What time did your flight depart and about how long would you say it took to get through security at the airport? Asking for a friend...(actually asking for myself, since we'll be disembarking in Rome in September and will have a tight window to get from the port to the airport to make our flight.)

Yes.

The hardest part of the muster when we were on the Jade was finding and getting to our muster station with a gimpy Mrs. Schmoopie following her broken leg. Other than that, no problem.

No, it wouldn't happen now. The only long pants I take on a cruise are jeans and I've never been turned away in any NCL restaurant. Taking extra "dress" clothes on a cruise nowadays with baggage fees the way they are makes no sense (well, at least to me).

We probably passed you as you were disembarking, as we embarked that same day for 14 great days on the Jade. Thanks for not leaving a mess. Mrs. Schmoopie and I agreed that this was the best cruise we have ever been on. We loved the size of the Jade (we had only been on larger/newer ships in the past) and the food and service were both top-notch. Without a doubt, the best service ever...from our cabin steward(ess) Genifer, to virtually every waiter and bartender (especially Shane in the Martini Bar) we encountered. We liked the Jade so much, we booked her sister ship, the Pearl, for a TA next year. Practically everything we ate was great...and this is coming from the fussiest of eaters. Kudos to O'Sheahans for serving the wings as I ordered them...extra crispy with the sauce on the side. Makes all the difference in the world. Jasmine was so good, we ate there four (or was it five?) times. MDR food and service was also outstanding, as were the French and Italian specialty restaurants. NCL excels at desserts (which we normally don't order on land) and every one we had was awesome...especially the tapioca pudding in Jasmine, which I had four (or was it five?) times. Sorry to hear you weren't feeling well. It's remarkable that this was the first cruise we have ever been on where neither of us didn't catch something...not even a sniffle.

However, they may not end up keeping it. On our Jade cruise a few weeks ago, we had a favorite bartender, Shane in the Martini Bar. He took great care of us for 14 days and we tipped him every night. However, after thanking us, he promptly put the tips into the shared tip jar behind the bar. On the last night, we gave him an extra lump sum tip...again he graciously thanked us, but explained he needed to share this tip. as well. Into the tip jar it went. Our intention was to reward him for his outstanding service, attention and personality/showmanship. But if he had to spread the wealth, so to speak...so be it. All of the bartenders in that bar were great. Maybe not up to Shane standards, but pretty great.

All this fuss over something as insignificant as cookies. Now, if NCL did away with beer, wine and bourbon, (you know...really important stuff), that would be bad. Really bad. Disastrous, even. Cookies are a dime a dozen (well, maybe not anymore)...