CBRad929

Thanks @mking8288!

I managed to find a few recent cruise youtube videos that showed brief pictures of the chartered buses with their company logos (Cyr Bus Line and I think MCATOUR).  I contacted Cyr and let them know the date/time/duration of the excursion and they were able to send my information to the private tour operator(not ACP or Oli's).

The tour operator called me back and was able to confirm they had buses that day for the Gem and gave me additional information (Yes they have restrooms!  🙂  and the names of the tour guides for assistance and which buses to board.  He also gave me his contact cell if there was any issues).

Thanks again for assistance everyone!

Hi all,

Thanks for the responses!  I think im going to try and go and figure this out from the other side, call a few of the tour operators in Bar Harbor and see if they have any information in regards to the same "itinerary".  Ill report back if I find anything out.  Worst case scenario, we may cancel on embarkation.

Thanks again!

Has anyone done the Arcadia National Park & Lobster Bake?  Specifically Im trying to find out:

1)  Who the tour operator for driving portion is?

2)  Is there a restroom on the bus?

My father had surgery last month and unfortunately hes still having complications where he needs to use the restroom frequently.  I tried speaking with the NCL Shore Excursion number, they could tell me that yes there was a restroom on the bus, but not who the tour operator was.   My concern is if the restroom isnt working on the bus its a no go for my father(sorry for the pun).  Another concern is that we pre-paid for this excursion online.  The NCL excursion person told me that we have up till 48 hours to cancel a tour, but Bar Harbor is the first stop, less than 24 hours after we board.  He said that we could talk to the excursion desk onboard to get more details about who the operator was, but im concerned about the timing if we need to cancel in the event a restroom isnt available.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Also would like to know what night is the seafood night at the buffet.  Please and many thanks!!!  🙂

I would use https://flights.google.com to see all your options.  I usually find 6-8 weeks out is the sweet spot.  After entering your search criteria (airports/dates/airlines/non-stop or # of stops) I use the date graph to see future low prices.

I will also say that this method usually prioritizes cost over convenience (ie Basic Economy vs Economy or Premium Economy) but you should be able to see that on the flight details.

Good Luck in your search!

PS - I would also caution with low cost budget carriers vs peace of mind.

Based on other posters comments about Moderno vs Le Bistro for one of our SDP evenings, I was attempting to change our existing reservations for that day.  However while on the phone with our TA, the NCL Rep said that Le Bistro currently only had availability for 9 or 9:30 that same evening.  With that being a little too late in the evening to have dinner, I'm trying to find out if its easier to:

a)  Wait till day of departure and see if more time slots open up at Le Bistro as soon as we get onboard?

b)  Call the concierge number to see if they can make the reservation?  We are booked in a SC 2 Bedroom suite.

c)  Talk with the concierge onboard on day of departure to see if they can make the reservation?

Also does it matter if the reservation is for 4 when there are only three of us on this cruise?  The website only allows reservations for 2 or 4.  Should I have this corrected onboard?  I'm assuming the seating arrangements for 4 people is the same as 3 thus why it doesn't allow you to pick 3.

Thanks!

Thanks for the info @raitch!

I couldnt find anything regarding 11030 either with our cruise next month to Quebec.  Im actually on the phone right now with our TA to change our rooms farther forward.  Im very glad I saw your post about your experience!  🙂

We did the same as @versuco .  We did a paid upgrade after final payment when prices had gone down and there was additional perks with the cabin upgrade.  Spent about 40m on hold with our TA untill NCL was able to pick up the phone and received 2 additional Free at Sea perks.

Thanks for your input. I read a while back that someone had disconnected their input & used that one not having to switch input modes. (with a Viewsonic TV). This didn't work for me on the Samsung. I tried the HDMI & Cat 5 without any luck. Next cruise I'll have to bring a universal remote.

Agreed, I was hoping that the video distribution from the ship were like hotels and connected via HDMI. Then it would be just a simple switch of the HDMI inputs. Although, I still think that would put us back at square one - Hard to access HDMI ports.

With the Cat5/RJ45 connector I think would be a harder/more expensive solution as you would have to buy a VGA/Displayport/HDMI to RJ45 and then configure the source on the TV. I think it would be also harder to insert/remove the cable vs the HDMI ports.

I did bring a pair of locking forceps to grab the head of the connector with, but it ended being more of a hassle than just using my fingertips to adjust the angle (like holding a cigarette) and then pushing on the cable itself to seat the connector. If I had to do it again I would bring adjustable pliers that were at least 8 inches long.

But yes, the key is a remote with a source button. :D

Let us know if that app works out to change the input. I'm not sure if even that will allow you feed it with another signal or not. I haven heard of anyone (including the crew) who have had any luck. :(

My observation:

1) The hardest part was getting the HDMI cable connected. The TV slightly flexes to get your hand behind the monitor, but its a really tight fit. AND I have small hands :)

2) In my cabin, I did not have to disable hotel mode. The Samsung units have the HDMI ports disabled on the source menu until there was an active signal. As soon as there was is an active connection you can then select it on the source menu.

3) The Peel remote control app worked perfectly on my android phone. I customized my menu by adding the source button, up, down, left, right and enter just to make it easier to navigate from one screen. Note: If you plan on doing this, confirm you have an IR blaster on your device. Otherwise a cheap universal remote programmed for a samsung tv would work.

4) Also I was fighting it a bit while the embarkation video was playing. However, once it finished we didnt have any issues switching inputs.

Hope this helps! :)

Hard to get to the HDMI outlets. You will need to bring your own universal remote (hotel mode). So both!

Thanks for the clarification Hunky! Im planning on using the Peel Smart Remote android app for my smartphone as it already has an IR blaster built into it.

:D

Just curious if the TVs currently on the Regal have physically accessible HDMI or VGA(PC) ports?

I tried searching the forums, but the only information I could find was either old(Jan/15) or vague (does blocked mean physically inaccessible or was the tv in hotel mode?)

Would be great if anyone could confirm recent make/models of the TVs (Viewsonic/Samsung).

Our family tends to be night owls and enjoy watching diverse programming (Korean dramas :D).

Thanks in advance!