Rob_H

Yes, we've done that a couple of times this year (and I just realised we'll be doing it three times more this year!). Had to wait for decent mobile signal in a port if I remember right, it was very slow on board. It doesn't matter if you have to wait a few days to do it as you don't need to get a good time (just pick one at random) - you're already on board! Again you'll probably have to wait for decent internet, so you might miss an early slot that time. One of our check-ins will fall within a cruise on a previous ship as well, this year, so same problem for us.

The Spirit tendered at Opunohu, when we were on her in May. Google Map

We've had and used many of these coupons. You can apply one coupon per person to each separate booking. Online you can normally only book each segment of a back to back separately, so it's one voucher per person per segment. I don't know how it works if the two segments are on a single booking number (sometimes possible through an agent), we've never done that.

There are some photos, and descriptions of things on board, and the ports, in my "Live from" thread from our Hawaii-Tahiti and Tahiti-Hawaii cruises on the Spirit in May 2022:

Here's the roll call for our October 11 2022 Norwegian Sun cruise, 20 days from Seattle to Miami. Welcome! Follow the link below, and join the roll call and post your message. There's likely somebody else into knitting. Often there's an informal group in one of the lounges each morning, on these long cruises. Many on this cruise are also staying on for the Miami to Lisbon transatlantic, making a very affordable 41 day cruise. Here's the roll call for that cruise as well: Both cruises will also have a meet and greet, if you'd like to come to that. [edit] I see that cruisecritic has added a random picure to each link. 🙂 Yes, there's an error in the map (Horta is in the Azores), and the second photo isn't us. 🙂

Yes. The Norwegian Sun has to be repositioned from Alaska to Europe. A season of Asia cruises over the 2022/23 winter were cancelled (a couple of months ago) to be replaced with Canary Island trips from Lisbon and Malaga. We're booked on the reposition. This reposition is virtually a world cruise segment at a very reasonable price (and more port intensive). We get on in Seattle on Oct 11, go through the Panama Canal to Miami, then stay on b2b for the Oct 31 TA to Lisbon (multiple stops in ocean islands). Total 41 days. Some people on the roll call (for the TA) are taking a ship back to the US after (mostly MSC), a couple of them are using this TA as a way to get back to Europe from an earlier westbound TA. We're staying in Lisbon for six days then taking the Norwegian Star for our TA westbound, not to the US but to Rio then Buenos Aires (21 days).

The Sun is now under way, heading for Icy Strait Point. Glad to see her back in operation! Well be onboard for 41 days in October and November, Seattle to Lisbon.

The drinks (and the meals) are optional in "free at sea", not everybody gets them. When we get free at sea (rather than sailaway) we do get the meals, but not the drinks. On our 11 Oct cruise the "free" drinks would cost $792 (in gratuities). We don't drink often enough to make that worthwhile. Some people don't drink at all. So, many people can (and do) have the free at sea package (for the internet, for the meals, or to be able to choose a room), but not have the drinks package. We could in theory buy this upgrade - we do have the base package. But, as I said, there's no point, financially, if you don't have the drinks part, even if you do have the rest of free of sea.

For our 20 day Oct 11 on the Sun, we'd be charged $1,960 total for the "Plus" plackage (our base fare, before taxes and fees and gratuities, is actually lower than that!). We don't have the drinks package. Internet upgrade would be $354.50pp, (so $709) and let's be (very) generous and say we'd get to use the shorex credit for all 12 ports, a $600 benefit. Two extra meals are $71pp. Total benefits (assuming all ports have an NCL tour) $1451. More realistic, with half of ports having an NCL tour, would be $1151. Really it's hard to see any value for anybody who doesn't have a drinks package, or who doesn't care about upgrading their existing drinks package. Still, that leaves plenty of people, especially the less budget-concious cruisers.. The similar Plus deal from Princess has been very successful (for the company), a majority of their new bookings pay for it. If this works just as well for NCL, we'll probably see "Free at Sea Plus Extra" in a year that also includes the daily service charge and a few prioirty/premium features, for a mere $99 per day. Just like Princess have done. It's sad that NCL are now copying rather than innovating.

We were in 6511 on the Spirit on the May 19 sailing this year. No noise from the restaurants. That might be different if you're more the midships end of the hall. On our cruise, Taste was closed (not enough passengers} so even less reason for restaurant noise. We were directly under the first row of slot machines in the Casino. Whether it was from there, or from some other equipment nearby, our cabin (and the hall nearby) had a loud air-conditioner type noise that cycled on and off. We thought it would disturb us but we got used to it. The Casino wasn't open the first few days (we were in Hawaii waters). Even after it opened we didn't get any noticeable foot traffic or cleaning noise above us.

All Chromebooks have wifi.

The purpose of airplane mode on a phone is to turn off the mobile (cell) signal. Most Chromebooks only have wifi, so there is no need for airplane mode, as there is no mobile (cell) signal to turn off. You can use a Chromebook fine with the onboard wifi. Just be sure the wifi is turned on, on the Chromebook (it normally is). I use a Chromebook on board with the ship wifi, it works fine.

Sometime in the past few months (maybe earlier), FCD future cruise discounts have started appearing on your account (MyNCL). We had nine Asia 2023 cruises cancelled by NCL, each has a coupon like this, for each of us: 10% Off Discount Future Cruise Credit 37XXXXX 10% Off Expires On 6/6/2023 Sail by12/31/2024 Only one coupon can be used for each future cruise, of course (but your account can have many). It's 10% (in this case) off the base fare. No discount on port fees and taxes and other extras.

That's what we're doing after the 41 days on the Sun (and six days in Lisbon). We've had those two Star cruises booked for a long time. We were going to do something else in Europe beforehand, but the Sun cruises are more relaxed and unique (especially the TA). Also cheaper, and less flying!

The Sun transatlantic (Oct 31) is a bit of an exception, 21 days with 11 port days (including three stops in the Azores, very unusual). The downside is US$520 in port fees and taxes! But it's still one of the cheapest Norwegian cruises, per day.

How many days did you end up with? Our 21d plus 14d Sydney-Tahiti-Honolulu at the same time as you (March 2020) finshed after 25 days (in Honolulu). I think some of the Jade Africa cruises planned for 2021 (that never happened) were long like yours. The ones scheduled now are all under 20 days per leg.

We're booked on the Sun from Seattle to Miami (Oct 11 2022, 20 days), staying on b2b for the transatlantic Miami to Lisbon (Oct 31, 21 days). 41 days on just two cruises. Is this the longest pair of consecutive cruises that Norwegian have ever had? There have been long pairs before, especially to Africa and Asia. For example we had a 21n then a 17n Rome-Dubai-Singapore in 2018, 38 nights with two cruises. And of course with three or more cruises they get longer, we often do b2b2b. Still, at 41 days this is longer than even most b2b2b. There's certainly nothing else to match it in the current schedules (the return transatlantic next year is shorter). Have Norwegian done anything longer in the past?

Totally agree, our approach is why wait, do it now. We cruised a LOT in 2018 and 2019 (as newlyweds), always saying yes to opportunities. Went to Cuba, St Petersburg, Petropavlovsk and many places in the middle east that would be difficult now.

Often the brochures distributed are out of date, printed weeks or months ago. The October 2023 Jewel transpacific from Seattle to Tokyo skips Petropavlovsk. This sailing was only announced recently, so maybe more realistic.

There hasn't ever been any requirement for a negative test when entering the US by land or sea, it was only for air travelers (which has now been ended).

Our most recent b2b was the Norwegian Spirit, 19 May Honolulu-Papetee then 31 May Papetee-Honolulu. The b2b2b were Bliss in Jan/Feb and Encore April/May.. All had onboard testing second to last day.

On all the back to backs we've been on this year, rapid testing has been provided (and required) by Norwegian (free) on the second to last day of the cruise. We had five tests across 8 cruises (2 b2b2b and 1 b2b).

Maybe when booking online before the sailing (we rarely do) the discount is applied . Using the app (or the tv) once onboard almost always charges full price and has to be adjusted later, at least on our eight NCL cruises this year so far and all earlier cruises. I say "almost always" because for a couple of tours on the Spirit last month they managed to charge them correctly but I think that was a manual process as later tour bookings on the same ship still needed adjusting. On the Bliss and the Encore this year they claimed to have new software which couldn't adjust the amounts until the last day of the cruise, "on request".

I read that as there are no longer any bonus points for the "insider offers". It doesn't mention bonus points at all now.