Eggs2Go

For the first time, I have selected an NCL hotel and BOGO airfare. My booking is with a one-day deviation. I just now phoned NCL to double check the transfer situation. Agent said my reservation shows transfer from airport to hotel and then the following day transfer from the hotel to pier. Said details will be with my online check-in. This cruise isn't until next March so I won't know for awhile. I chose to try NCL's hotel because the price seems very reasonable, unlike in the past when the hotels have been way unaffordable for me.

note: I tried but failed to quote mking in my reply. Can't figure out how to do that.

Thanks mking 8288 for helpful information about Amber Cove. Think if offered I'll sign up for an NCL sightseeing excursion to see a bit of the DR. And yes FlynGall, seems we will be able to use the pool at Amber Cove and whatever else is there but this port apparently doesn't have all the amenities and attractions that Taino Bay provides, but still plenty for your kids to have great fun in the sun.

Right. Amber Cove will be on the winter sailings of the Epic out of Port Canaveral. My cruise is scheduled to be in Amber Cove on Friday January 5, 2024.

Yes, Amber Cove is listed on the official NCL website for itineraries on the Epic sailings.

OP seems to have it right. Many Epic cruises out of Port Canaveral this winter have Amber Cove listed as a port stop. None have Taino Bay. I'm booked on Epic's New Year's cruise with Amber Cove on the itinerary. I also would like to know more about our day there. No excursions posted yet.

Seems the On Your Own tour would perfectly meet your desire to "just see the Eiffel Tower". Indeed, the tower is amazing up close and personal. Be sure to buy a ticket online in advance so you can ride the elevator inside the wrought iron lattice to the top. A memory for a lifetime. And it's nice to relax in the surrounding park just admiring the tower. Don't worry about where the drop off point of the excursion will be. The guide will help direct you. And if the Eiffel seems too far to walk, you can easily take a taxi. That's the meaning of the On Your Own tours: Do what you want to do. Being at the Eiffel Tower is a great way to spend your three hours in Paris. And I would say worth the three hour bus ride to be there.

Yes, I'm fine with being "linked" but I also prefer two separate confirmation numbers. Maybe just because that's what I'm accustomed to. But seems times they are changing. And like you, I selected the same cabin number for both cruises. So nice.

Earlier this month I booked a spring Mexican Riviera with my PCC. Then just this week I phoned to book a Pacific Coastal. My PCC noticed that they were B2B cruises and said he will add the Pacific Coastal onto my previous Riviera so combined under the same confirmation number. I said no, please book as two separate cruises. He hesitated a bit and assured me the combined booking would not affect my perks. But I insisted on booking the B2B as I have always done, as two separate cruises, and he honored my request. Now reading your thread, I'm guessing it is a new policy at NCL to combine the cruises into one. I don't know why. And I don't know which is better (or worse) or if there are any differences. It's just odd after all these years (I'm sapphire with multiple past B2Bs).

I'm just thinking a night in a hotel in Atlanta plus buying a new one-way ticket to Philly would probably eat up the cost savings you got from originally purchasing NCL discounted fare.

In Florida we have Cobia. Has a mild flavor but tasty. I love it and usually order when I have an opportunity. Can be expensive. Wish I'd been dining with you that evening in the buffet. Cobia are big and fishermen have fun catching one.

I'm number 313 but I've read from the beginning. Sid, you have an amazing ability to put the reader in your flip-flops. "Follow" is too weak of a word. I'm not following you, I AM YOU onboard that beautiful ship. Keep on eating, drinking, and making merry. I'm enjoying myself.

I've taken the NCL excursion "Views of the Big Apple" to JFK several times and will do so again next month when my transatlantic cruise returns to NYC. I really enjoy riding around the City sightseeing while relaxing. Using the $50 excursion credit it's a very reasonable price to board the bus right at the cruise dock and spend some time in Manhattan before being taken out to the airport in the afternoon. Basically stress free travel. Most all flights to Europe depart in the evening hours so your timing would be perfect for the excursion. Save your hotel money for when you can visit New York on a proper vacation, February is not that desirable.

Welcome back to NCL. What a beautiful cruise you are on. Blue skies, sunshine, and short sleeves -- in November -- unlike dark and stormy Fort Myers Florida where the wind is blowing and we are under a hurricane watch again. But next year as booked I'll be strolling the back streets of Corfu and Valletta on my Breakaway cruise, far away from the trauma we've experienced here. I so much appreciate all your photos allowing me to daydream. And to virtually taste the food too.

I'm fine with Bermuda's requirements and understand they are trying to protect their island. But it makes for a very expensive 6 hour port stop on a transatlantic cruise. So I wish Norwegian would do what's best for its passengers and drop that short stop on all its TAs this season, including the Epic. Would be best for those on an Atlantic crossing and would also be best for the vulnerable island population.

I checked. Epic transatlantic in December still has Bermuda port stop. I'm losing hope that it will be dropped.

Girl, you sure know how to make me laugh. Can hardly wait to run into you on the Epic TA. (The Prima will be some other time; I've canceled my 2023 cruise on her.)

Sitka and Skagway are both National Historical Parks, very special places preserved for us. My mind is still back strolling the forest yesterday, it looked so beautiful and peaceful. To my Florida eyes, AK weather appealing too; my phone says current feels like temp here is 102. In Juneau I remember seeing bald eagles everywhere -- soaring above, on the ground at waters edge seeking food, sitting on overhead wires watching the world go by, everywhere. Maybe the eagles like hanging out with all those politicians, IDK.

Nice to be able to walk along the Totem Trail with the sun peeking through the leaves. Your photos show a perfect afternoon.

Hey Benny, good to see you getting onboard again. Wow, from hot southern Greece up to usually cold Alaska all in the same month, that's a serious adjustment. At least you took time in between to pack appropriate clothing. I did the Alaska sailing on Bliss in the summer just before covid, and it was one of my best cruises ever (but I seem to say that about most every cruise I take). Your postings will bring back many memories for me, I'm sure. Happy sailing; I'll be following along daily.

Maybe, just maybe, if a transatlantic passenger is not getting off ship in Bermuda, they will not have to test before embarkation in Europe or before Bermuda port stop. No testing required, just pay the $40 document fee to Bermuda and stay on the ship (not allowed off). That's my hope.

The studio was $6 MORE than the sailaway balcony, and of course I also then had to pay the charges for getting drink package perk. I agree that balconies are the way to cruise in comfort, but I still will book a studio or a balcony, depending, depending (but never an inside b/c it's the extra niceties that make a studio cabin desirable). Suppose it was having drinks included on a long T/A that put me back in a studio this time. Good luck on getting a balcony you can enjoy thruout your cruise. It's especially nice to have on a port intensive itinerary like yours where you can then go relax any hour of the day or night. I know it's a worry when waiting for a cabin to be assigned, but I think you're going to be okay, particularly since you paid full dollar. Please let us know how this story ends. And I'll raise my glass to a happy sailing for you.

I've gotta laugh. I just upgraded from a sailaway balcony (no cabin assignment yet) into a studio cabin of my choosing with all the perks. Was able to do when studio prices dropped after final payment. My PCC said he'd never heard of that move before. But I enjoy the studios, especially the lounge with that great morning coffee and breakfast treats. I didn't want to risk having a crappy balcony on a cold transatlantic cruise when I probably won't be sitting outside much anyway.

Right. We are all unique. And what interests me on one cruise may be different on the next. On my recent Caribbean cruises I didn't even get off the ship. But I still always love being out at sea and the feeling of going places, doing things. Next up for me is a transatlantic, those seem to suit me now -- some sightseeing, some relaxing, some delicious meals. I hope you keep your reviews coming Benny so I can travel with you.