schmoopie17

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)...

I avoid the NCL chat like the plague. I can't count the number of times I've been given incorrect information using that thing. NCL should just due away with the chat, like other things they've gotten rid of that use the initials: C Cookies H Hashbrowns A Animals made from T Towels

No NCL ship "requires" dining reservations...at least not for the MDR. We have yet to make a reservation for any MDR and have never had a problem getting in either immediately, or a couple minute wait. Now, if you're talking Specialty restaurants, that's a different ballgame. Although, I know of people who have walked up to a Specialty restaurant and gotten in. So, in that case, reservations weren't "required".

Following @OrcaGirland her live trip report on the same cruise. She doesn't seem to be having the same issues. Wonder how she's managed to eat the "gross, inedible" food. Everyone has their own perspectives and not everyone has the same experiences, even on the same cruise. But the two experiences seem to be vastly different. Sorry yours seems to suck so much. Like they say when reading reviews...throw out the really good comments and the really bad comments...the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

I'm already exhausted just reading your itinerary. But will catch my breath and continue to follow along vicariously.

In other words...(where's the vomit emoji?)

We had friends on this cruise and they caught the misspelling "Moday". Apparently they were able to get replacement certificates with the correct spelling of Monday.

That's a fact! What a fiasco... Good to hear from you.

We have heard people recommend the fast track pass for around 7 Euros. Supposedly that could eliminate long waits in these areas. (I say "supposedly" because I'm a skeptic.)

If I were ewe, I'd be upset. On the other hand, if I were a ewe, I'd be happy to not have to be embarrassed by having a bunch of strangers watch me get groped.

I seem to recall when he disembarked in NY after our TA in 2022, we got our bags, waved at the customs guy, he waved back, and we were on our way.

He must have embarked. And disembarked. The title says "2014"...😝

We're cruising on the Escape this September and we're going with two cruising virgins. (Well, they've been married 40 years, so maybe not exactly virgins. But then again, who knows...) Anyway, they really want to try Moderno (and honestly, so do we, since we're Moderno virgins). Now I'm wondering if we ought to steer them (and us) to a different venue for a meat fix. Cagney's is hit and miss. Le Bistro always seems to have great filets (as I've said before, Filet Mignon is French, after all). Since it's their first cruise, and both are a bit apprehensive about cruising to begin with, we're trying to make it suck as little as possible.

I've said this for years. If you want a good steak on NCL, get it in Le Bistro. After all, Filet Mignon is French...

By the time NCL gets around to booking your flights, don't count on bulkhead seats being available. Those are usually among the first seats to go after the airline schedule comes out...generally around 320 days before the flight. For example, the day our upcoming flight to Rome this September came out several months ago, we booked bulkhead seats using points/upgrade. I went back into the seating chart a few days later and virtually all of them were already taken.

I'd love to do a Tahiti cruise, but can't handle all the flying back and forth. So, instead, I'll follow along and I'll be there in "Spirit".

Ditto on the Jade last month for the tenders to Cayman. I seem to recall a blurb about this in the Daily for that day, as well. YMMV on other ships. Seems like another case of NCL's "consistency" of being inconsistent.

Not exactly. We're on the Pearl out of NY next April. It's a TA...so maybe not something you'd be into.

We're actually looking at this very same tour for this September. We have used italytours.eu in the past and have always had good luck with them. Having said that, this company also gets rave reviews and is priced comparably. Trying to decide between the two. Does anyone have an quarter (or euro) I can flip? https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187785-d12275711-Reviews-or10-Taxi_Mister_Cab_Driver_Napoli-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html