kapper

That would be great - thank you!

100% this. The only time we've taken a private excursion was in St. Thomas. I stressed the entire time about getting back. Now no matter what, we book excursions with the ship.The $50 off per cabin, per excursion helps. The excursion we're looking at in Rome will be a pretty penny, but this will *probably* be our last cruise to the Med, so might as well do it up right!

Yes, I've been looking at the excursions on the main page which includes pricing. Agreed that prices will only go up, lol

I noticed that a few of the ports in the Western Med are an hour or so train rides from the 'main' city or attraction. We're looking at the 'Florence & Pisa on Your Own' for the Livorno port. We have an overnight at that port, so still trying to decide on an excursion each day, or the F&P and then explore Livorno on one of the days..

100% agree - we only book excursions through NCL. I know it's usually more expensive, but peace of mind (for me) is worth it.

Hello all! We're sailing the Western Med in 2025, and just wondering if anyone might know when NCL generally posts excursions. There's nothing on our specific sailing yet, only the 'general' excursions on the NCL website under the 'explore' tab. PS: I know it's early, but given the price I've seen on some (close to $500 CAD for Rome and the Vatican), I'd like to start figuring out budget. Thanks!

We're got an upcoming cruise through the Panama Canal on the Bliss. We're booked in a club balcony and get 1 bag of laundry included in the fare.

We sail on the Bliss for 15 days (Panama Canal), it sure would be nice to have it by then. Doubtful, but I'll keep my fingers crossed! Thanks for the head's up!

Many of the ‘must’ items we pack are already listed here, with the exception of two things. One is a magnetic light with a motion sensor - can put it anywhere on the walls and aim it where you need it. Perfect for middle of the night bathroom visits: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07GH5YRYL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 And the other is a two pack of valet trays. I saw a review of them, but haven’t tried them out yet. I think they’ll be great for small things you don’t want to leave on the counter top to get lost/fall off, like pens, jewelry, hair elastics, etc: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B09M3Q568G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We're sailing the Panama Canal in February, 15 nights, and the FAS specialty dining is 3 dinners. We did have an upgrade offer for 2 more dinners for $70 (I think), and we purchased that as well.

Our port day for Costa Rica has been cancelled.

I hope they keep the port for you guys! We had booked the excursion to the sloth sanctuary, and I’m so bummed that we’re going to miss it.

On our 2/25/23 Panama Canal cruise they’ve substituted Acapulco. That’s now three ports in Mexico for our cruise.

If you click on the Sail Safe banner on the NCL website, select Cruise Requirements by Country, scroll down to Costa Rica, you’ll see it says unvaccinated passengers are unable to go ashore.

We sail the Panama Canal cruise on the Bliss from Miami on Feb. 25. We were advised that Nicaragua was taken off the itinerary about a month or so ago, and this morning we were advised that Costa Rica is gone now, and Acapulco has been added to the schedule. It's not a safety issue - if it was, we wouldn't be going to Acapulco when the governments of Canada, US and UK all advise against travel to the Guerrero (where Acapulco is) region of Mexico. So, if there's several government advisories against going there, why are we? Is NCL going to take responsibility/liability if something happens there and our travel insurance is null and void? This boils down to NCL not wanting to have to deal with unvaccinated travellers. Costa Rica will not allow unvaccinated travellers to leave the ship, and NCL doesn't want to be put in the position of having to verify vaccination status of their passengers - so screw safety.

No idea on the spa passes, and we have the beverage package included in our cruise fare, so I can’t help there either. Sorry.

There’s no discount or “pro-rata” refund, as the price for Vibe for your cruise falls under the 10+ days pricing. You’re paying the same for 11 days as for 12. Our Panama Canal cruise is 15 days, and we’re paying the same as you.

Only if you're not fully vaccinated. ETA - if your ship is stopping in Bermuda, you will need to present a PCR test taken 4 days before sailing or an antigen test within 2 days

My DH wears a suit 5 days a week - to say that he enjoys and takes advantage of the 'freestyle' dining on NCL is an understatement.

The cruise ship/passenger rules for Spain as of today's date: Itineraries that include Spain require a booster, for all individuals  18 years or older, if their original vaccine course was taken more than 270 days prior to embarkation. For itineraries which require boosters, in lieu of a booster 270 days after the primary series, guests may present a government recognized or official medical Certificate of Recovery. For European Citizens, this would include an EU Green Pass or comparable certificate. For all others unable to present an EU Green Pass (i.e. US Citizens) a doctor’s note, plus a laboratory confirmed PCR or antigen test result with the proper information (i.e. Name, Date, Date of Birth, Positive Result, etc.) will be accepted.

People cruising Haven get the exact opportunity to purchase Vibe passes like the rest of us do, so I don't think I have much to feel about it. I would say, if I was staying in Haven, I would still try to book Vibe - that 18+ limit has a big pull for us, Haven is all ages.

I 100% agree with @wile e coyote above - "The Vibe is, by definition, limited in size and occupancy. If it were not, no one would pay for it, and making money is what NCL is in business to do". On July 6, our cruise(Panama Canal) was 234 days out. I called NCL and booked two Vibe passes for the duration of our cruise, there's no "magic time" for when the passes become available. People on here on CC were saying 90 days, some said 100 days, others said 125 days just like dining reservations. That's why I called - I wanted to know straight from NCL. If Vibe passes aren't showing available to you online to purchase, I'd strongly suggest calling.

My main reasons for Vibe is a dedicated bar (Haven does not have), and Vibe is 18+, Haven is not.

Thanks, Laszlo - I just subscribed to your channel. 😃

No, we’re on the Bliss, Miami to LA. To be fair, we did change categories, but I’d rather have the Vibe Beach Club than the thermal spa, so win-win!