BirdTravels

Butterflies

We kinda had the best of both worlds. We had a forward facing club balcony/mini suite. The balcony door faces the side of the ship and the balcony wraps all the way around forward. History: We always loved the forward facing suites on the small ships. Yes, they are hull balconies so that the solid steel hull sweeps the wind up over your head as you sail. They are our absolute favorite on small ships. Prima: we loved the room. The balcony was narrow and you had to maneuver to get out of the wind, but the views were spectacular.

Le Bistro Steak Tartare ai Cpiteai Filet Dover Sole Lobster Thermidor Braised Shank and Roasted Lamb Chop Red Wine Braised Chicken Roasted Pork Chop Cagney's We don't like Cagney's because of the quality of food and service is poor. Both the Filet and NY Strip were disappointing our last time there Ocean Blue Pan-Seared Scallops Iceberg Wedge Sea Bass Surf and Turf Cold Water Lobster Grilled Food Republic Lamb Kalbi Gui #1 dish Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps Chicken Teriyaki Pork Belly Bao Ramen with BBQ Pork Belly

It's just the shops. $190 doesn't go very far on a ship. Buy yourself a polo shirt. Or insulated not-Yeti-like cup. Got a few dollars left,,, an overpriced bag of M&Ms or a rum cake to eat after your cruise. We normally have a lot more OBC than that, and end up getting a handbag and maybe some small bobbles at the jewelry store.

We went to Q once and have avoided it since. You really can’t get a good BBQ when there is no open flame on a cruise ship. And, on the newer ships, NCL has actually turned Q into a complimentary restaurant.

If you wanted to make a change, you should have done it before final payment. Then, the worst you could do is cancel and rebook.

The ships are sisters and are very similar. The big difference is that the Encore will go to Glacier Bay which is a big deal. If this is a once in a lifetime cruise to Alaska, do Glacier Bay and not Dawes Glacier.

The crew would really, really prefer an extra $5 tip because that will pay for a beer at the crew bar after work.

The fjord in front of the Dawes glacier is hundreds of feet deep. And we have been up close to the glacier on similar ships before. But not in heavy ice.

Because... it is against Hawaiian law to gamble in Hawaii.... For the same reason that you will pay Hawaiian General Excise Tax for purchase on your cruise... because Hawaii demands your money...

You can always ask and send in your Sun Freestyle card. But, unfortunately, you are outside the period where NCL would normally instate missing points

If the ship is docked overnight, the gangway is open 24/7 and you can come and go as you please. Here's a link to my live post from the Prima last year

While you won't tender in portland, "how long" is dependent upon the ship and the tendering arrangement that have on that day with the port. Ship's lifeboats,,, slower. Big tenders from port, less-slower. wrt "Priority Tendering", it just means that you can join the back of the line at any time, without pulling a tender ticket. We have been on a big ship like the Epic where "priority tendering" took 1 hour to get from the back of the line to being on the tender (almost all tendering is not that bad - that was our worst experience). Haven/Suites guests will be escorted to the front of the line. Some NCL shore excursions will be escorted to the front of the line. In general, allow yourselves a lot of time to get ashore if you are doing a private tour.... you are not the cruise line priority.

Bottom line: If the seas are rough, the whole ship will be rocking and rolling. Will the front of the ship move more than the center, physics says "yes". Will there be less roll than being high up on the ship, "yes". Would you be happier on Deck 5 in an inside cabin at the dead center of the ship, "no" (and it will be moving during heavy seas too). Keep your large balcony. If you get sea sick even with Bonnie, then maybe get a prescription patch. Will your specific cabin get sound bleed from the Theater, "yes". But theater activities usually are done by 11:00 pm. The more annoying thing is if the shows rehearse in the morning when you are trying to sleep in.

2022: We sailed on the Quantum last year, and this is how close we got to the glacier. So, it must be "policy". "Look at the clear water". But if you look carefully, you will see that the waters beyond the point (and between us and the point) are clogged with ice and not navigable by a cruise ship. You want to avoid hitting any big ice (i.e., the Titanic effect). And you want to avoid ingesting ice into the bow thrusters when you turn. And you certainly don't want to bend the prop on the azipods. So,,, stopping where we did was the closest we could get. Moving any closer and the glacier would be obscured by land until you get around the point. 2021: Our ship stopped at just about the same place. But we were on the small boat excursion and got up close to the glacier beyond the point. A cruise ship can not operate in heavy ice. 2019: The cruise ship got around the point and up close because there was less ice in the water. 2018: The cruise ship hung out just inside the point for a better view, but could not get close because of ice. The Glacier Explorer excursion allows you to get up close because the small boat can steer clear of big ice and and willing to bull doze its way through small ice. And it allows you to stop to see wild life

Guest Services just wants you to stop complaining about nature. It is a policy, however, that the Captain is in command of the ship and the Captain will determine if it is safe or unsafe to operate the ship and how far into the ice field that they are willing to go. So, take your complaint to the Captain, if you want resolution.

Overkill. The Haven subdeck is Adults only.

You don't have to lurk the halls for cancellation. You need to make reservations a priority on embarkation day to get the restaurants on the days you want. As soon as you embark, head to the reservation desk (locations vary by ship). Again, popular restaurants like Cagney's Steak House on sea days at prime time are in the highest demand.

Unless it has changed, there is no Starbucks on the Jade.

You're stuck with the room. But I really don't know where you were expecting to be if you bid on an Ocean View. Those are on the low Decks 4 and 5.

Yes. Harry is only concerned about the bottom line and recovering from the pandemic shutdown. That is why every department got their targets for cost cuts which is what we are seeing now.

First and foremost, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. It is a lot of complaining,,, by people who have never sailed on the POA. The POA is the absolute best way to see Hawaii. And you save the time and expense of having to sail from the west coast on other lines. You are in port every day. You have two overnight port calls that enable you to maximize the Hawaii experience, if you choose. A luau at night, sunrise from the top of a volcano and a bike ride down, if you choose. Have they changed the itinerary,,, sure have. And a lot of people who have never been on the POA and never will be on the POA slam NCL for something irrelevant to them. Whatever. Just Fake News. Have they had a hard time getting US crew members after the pandemic. Sure have,,, to the point of having to reduce passenger load and reduce service for a while. But the goal was to provide a service, even if slightly diminished. But if you look at the US travel industry in general, that is true. We stay at upper-middle class hotels 3-4 times a month… and there is insufficient staff to clean the rooms and serve the food. Things are getting better. POA is your floating hotel. Use her. Enjoy her. It is the only way the cruise Hawaii! Attached is a post from last week asking a question a couple of weeks ago.

I have seen the posts on this and it is bizarre since they removed rooms to add the Observation Lounge during the $50M refit in 2019.

Train is in Skagway. Recommendation: Glacier Explorer to the Dawes Glacier in Juneau. You board a small tour boat just before the ship leaves Juneau. The small boat races ahead, stopping for sea life (whales, seals) and wild life (bears, eagles). The boat will go up a side arm, inaccessible to the big ship, and will take you to the face of the glacier. Depending on the ice conditions, the Bliss may have to stay out 5-6 miles from the glacier while you would be up front and personal. Once the Bliss catches up with you near the glacier, you will reboard the Bliss via a tender dock. There are a few photos from this excursion from my live post starting at Post #243. There are some [old] photos from the Bliss on this link. All of the menus and dailies are out of date, but the ship's pictures should be very close to what you will see.

Most things can be ordered on Amazon,,, if someone really wants to spend money. And Royal has provided the means for crew to order and have items delivered to ships on many ships itineraries.