daydream1

Did you get this fixed? I have in the past mailed the paper recipt (before ESTA) to the embassy. When leaving on a place the airline automatically makes a note, so this has not happened to me since then. HOWEVER, any irregularity and there is a high chance to be stopped at the border. If that happens...you get take to secondary screening and then it usually is easily fixable if you have recipts (has happened to me).

We were last February in Taino Bay. Which is like a little resort. The lazy river was still in construction, but they have a few nice pools, cageswith parrots, little shops and so on

I hiked on my own last year in Ketchikan. From all the cruise ports this was the easiest!!!

Public Bus to Ward Cove, the bus stop before the little bridge drops you off at a trail head. Up to ward lake, towards Salvage Trailhead, crossing over to Pipeline trail and heading down back to the bus stop. Busses run frequently and are cheap, the trails were well marked and in excellent shape.

I travelled twice on NCL (both times the GEM), once 5 years ago, once this february. This february we were in a suite.

Compared to all other cruises (mostly on the European lines, but also HAL last fall) this was the safest, and also the most boring cruise food wise. I did not get glutened once, I never had something on my plate that was upon double checking indeed not gf. Wayan, who took care of me, did such an excellent job. Together with Jafar, our butler, I even had wonderful gluten free afternoon snacks in my suite. I ended up having a standing order of flourless chocolate cake every afternoon in my suite. Breakfast at Modernos was excellent, special gf parfait for me every day.

Even with all of these wonderful bonuses it was boring food wise. I am a total foodie, and that is one area NCL does not excel at. The food was ok, usually tasty, but there was not one meal I still remember because it was so excellent! But it was safe and with the suite-perks I was spoilt and actually gained weight.

Will I book NCL again? I am actually right now planing a 22-day trip next year on NCL. The alternate line is Princess. But NCL has a better itineary, so I will choose them. The food was absolut safe, they have an excellent protocol working. And I rather have save and boring than the exitement of spending a night cramping on the toilet.....

We are on the same route. Our options were limited, as we needed a tour that goes Southbound, to Vancouver or Seattle, and where we are around the 23rd on the ship. We are very dissapointed that the Royal now skips the Inside passage, I would have picked the other ship last year when we booked if I had known (we booked April 2019, just before everything was announced). My TA suggested that we write Princess, but even if they offer that we could step back from the booking I would not gain anything...flights, hotel, train are all booked and paid! I try hard not to let everything overshadow this, but its an important family trip where the cruise part alone costs us in the very high 4-digits, and I am not rich enough to spend this money lightly

On 4/12/2019 at 12:32 AM, roxievegas said:

Yes, Yes, Yes

we had two cabins, one interior and one balcony for our family of six.  I had my medallion linked to both cabins.  Go to guest services and they will handle it.

Roxievegas, thank you! I was sure its possible technically but knowing that is was done before makes it easier asking for it. Plus its so much easier just carrying one card/medallion around.

2 hours ago, AF-1 said:

This is a good question; and I would think it may be possible.  The medallion has a chip in it; so the question would be will the chip allow two rooms to be programmed.  Hmmm.

Technically it will be possible, since the staff also seems to have the chips to access (many many) rooms. I should rephrase: Will Princess programm them that way if I ask them to. I hated on NCL that we always had two room cards, but there we had a connecting door and just left that open in the end, so it did not matter. This time we do not have that luxury.

Tried the search, but could not find a good answer:

We will be next year on the Royal Princess, 4 people, one inside and one balcony (just across the hall from each other). Me and my Mom are booked in one cabin, Hubby and the Kid in the other. Now, we will be three in one cabin, and my mom by herself, done that a few times by now. Our travel agent even checked with Princess, since we need a third bed in the cabin, and they assured them that the inside has the third bed and all was fine, we could sleep whatever way we wanted.

Now the question: Can those new medallions be programmed to open more than one cabin door? I had one cruise line where it was no problem to programm the key card to a second door, and another where I always had to carry two key cards. It will be our first cruise on Princess.

We carry using wraps.. this aside, the ports you visit have sometimes still cobblestone, lots of steps, and so on.....I would hate having to push a stroller there.

On embarking let one adult go to the front, just announce that you have a special needs child and have a hard time with the lines.... we did this after waiting nearly an hour and having my nearly three year old starting to throw tantrums (he was still very jeglagged and it was nearing hsi bedtime).... The nice guy said that basically just having a tired kid wont get you anywhere...BUT if he kid is a danger to him or others he has to make sure the other passangers are protected....so he pulled us out with a wink and let us check in at teh special needs lane. You even have a "real" special need, so I think it will be no problem at all. Debarkation: was a mess.... there are actually two lanes, which noone told us, we lucked out and went to the fast one. A lady wiht a walker was behind us....however two wheelchair people where wheeled past us. So its probably again important to speak out.

Btw, we were my 75-year old mother, a bunch of us middle aged ones and my son, a week shy of his third birthday. The playroom is small but nice, not overloaded with toys. The childrens pool was awesome. My son LOVED the changing light fixture by O Sheenans...he watched it forever intensly. We will be next week on a TUI ship, if NCL would not have been so expensive we may have been again on one

A quick schedule check, Gem sail at 4 PM with all abroad at 2 PM, please reconfirm with your eDocs & NCL and be sure to complete online check-in & print out, etc. as you won't have access to them 24 hours prior to departure.

 

There are 3 ships at the Manhattan pier that day so expect a bit of traffic, although it should be fine early and for your late return to the cruise terminals.

 

Porters will only check your luggage tags & take them, as noted, you don't need everyone else in your party for the drop-off - and, they are usually there by 8 AM or even 7:30 as ship is likely to be early/on-time, docking at 7 AM is common (disembark & walkoff by 7:30 or 7:45 AM if everything is smooth). You will have plenty of time to join them at the museum like walking to the subway to go uptown.

 

Plan to leave AMNH no later than 1 PM, catch a taxi or car service, coming downtown via the West Side, should be no more than 20 to 30 minutes even if there's traffic or street closure (U.N. General Assembly still in session on the East Side thru end of September, expect extra police & security presence and possible gridlocks should escorted VIP motorcades are on the move)

 

Security screening and check-in should be quick & easy as most would've been on the ship and finished their lunch, staterooms are usually ready by 1 to 1:30 PM - your own option would be the buffet for a quick, late lunch (don't remember, off-hand, if O'Sheehan's was open) - mandatory muster drills @ 3:30 PM.

Thank you for the great answer, even taking into account the un general assembly :) we are me (the Museum buff) plus hubby and the toddler, both have patience for about an hour of any museum, so we will do it this way.

Ok, I tried to search for the answer, but this is still not clear to me: We leave for a New England cruise on Sep. 23 on the Gem. The system during online-checkin gave me time slots from 10-1 ...we picked 12. HOWEVER, our plan for that morning is to go to the Museum of Natural history. I now read that someone said you could drop your luggage off at like 8:30....

Question:

Can we head after breakfast at the hotel to the port, drop our luggage off, then head to the museum and then do the check-in at around 12-1? And does everyone have to be present for the luggage drop off? My thought would be to take a cab to the port, drop our suitcases off, while hubby and toddler take the subway to the museum and power themselves out on the way.