stevendom57

It doesn't seem to be much different from the "Resort Fees" that I pay at many hotels. Most of these are nowhere near what I would call a resort, but I pay them. 

On 5/18/2019 at 1:40 PM, RoyalVisit said:

binoculars (small, lightweight and I had them with me all the time which was the right choice based on all the Orca and other wildlife sightings)

Do you have a recommendation on the binoculars that I should buy? What were yours and were they ok?

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The ships designed for Alaska like the Bliss have heated pools, water slides, and water features. 

What about the Joy?

@Von & John Great advice, thanks.

Thanks

I am going on an Alaskan cruise in September. When I booked I got the three specialty dinner package. I am booking my reservations now and I am having problems fitting in a dinner in Le Bistro. It seems that all of the reservations are very late, or they are on the times that we are glacier cruising (obviously why they are available). Can I use my specialty dinner for lunch? Is Le Bistro or L:a Cucina open for Lunch?  

Is the only way to cancel an existing dinner reservation by phone? I hate to do it on the website right now, since the last update causes havoc to your reservations when you make a dinner reservation.

Is there any real difference between the three MDRs, Taste, Save and Manhatten?

Thanks.

Steven

It happened to me on  a Joy cruise in September. It removed all my peks and said that I had a -$236 balance. I don't mind a refund but I wanted to know why. I figured something was amiss. I called immediately. The representative recognized the problem and it took about 30 minutes to fix. 

That sounds like a good idea. I will check on that. Thanks

About 2/3 the way down

@Budget Queen Oops, sorry. Yes, It's Seattle.

When I scheduled my Sept 7, 2019 cruise on the Joy I chose the NCL discounted airfare. I just got my edocs (after the snafu with the website) and I see that my pre-cruise flight is perfect but my return flight leaves at 11:30am. The ship is scheduled to dock at 6am. Being 62 years old my wife and I do not want to do the self-assisted debarkation. The transfer to the airport is scheduled by NCL. Is that enough time?

Steven

Thanks, I will consider that.

That's great in information. Thanks. 

In Juneau we are taking a helicopter tour to walk on the glaciers. That's pretty up close and personal. 🙂

We are going to be on the Joy in September. It is northward from Ketchican to Juneau. The "Scenic Glacier Cruising" is listed as overnight. Will we be at the glaciers in the evening or in the middle of the night?

@bonvoyagie You mentioned a waterproof outer layer. Getting a waterproof jacket/coat is easy. What do you do about your legs? I was planning on jeans with long johns for the glacier visit, but jeans are certainly not waterproof. Suggestions?

Steven

43 minutes ago, bktok said:

 

This is great news!  I've got $99 airfare booked from OKC to Miami for our October 2020 cruise on the Joy and I've already been stressing a little about coming in the day of the cruise.  I wonder if they will allow you to leave a day or two later after leaving the ship, for the same $25/day fee.

Also, do you know if the fee is per person or per booking?

 

Thank you!

Per person

New to NCL. Going on Joy in September. Are reservations really needed for Shows like FootLoose and Elements, or can I just show up?

Steven

I am setting up reservations tonight

I just booked an Alaska cruise and got the 3 night specialty dining perk for both myself and my wife. I was looking at the specialty dining options and, of course, Cagney's looks good (who can pass up a good filet?).

The description online is confusing. It says that Cagney's and a few others are included but ala carte restaurants are an extra charge. But Cagney's is listed as an ala carte restaurant. 

How does this work, really?

We find that sharing tables is a lot of fun. I am normally an introvert, being a software engineer, but I really enjoy meeting new people at dinner. It seems that this is one of the differences between RC and NCL. And one reason why I want to branch out and try a different line. Viva la difference!

Ok. Thanks for the info.

I am new to NCL, having done two cruises on RC. This question must have been answered before, but I couldn't find it.

On our last cruise my DW and I were seated at a table for 6 , with two other couples. We totally hit it off with one of the couples on the first night and, for the rest of the cruise, went to the shows after supper. We partied until midnight every night. We had a great time.

Now we are going on Norwegian Joy in September and wondered if we could be seated at the same table with the same couples every night. If that is not the default, I know that we could meet beforehand and enter the MDR together, but is much simpler to show up on our own time and know that we could get together that way.

How would NCL handle this?

It's a moot point anyway. Just checked the web site and that cruise is not listed anymore. Must have sold out. I found a similar cruise, northbound Alaska out of Seattle instead of southbound where I can pick my room that leaves on day earlier. 

@Beardface I spoke to NCL and found that you can pay $25 pp to arrive one day early using the NCL arranged airfare. Apparently you can arrive as early as 2 days this way.

The complication is that I am already closer than 120 days for this new sailing. Therefore I have to pay in full. The long story is that I am considering a GTY room and I found if, after room assigment I hate the room, I can pay the difference and chose the room myself. My concern is that the airfare will go away and I will be stuck with fewer perks (no big deal) and have to buy my own airfare, which is much more expensive.

What to do.. what to do..

I am trying to decide whether to book now or later. I have my reasons for wanting to wait.

Currently, this cruise has the special deal of all 5 all at sea perks plus discounted airfare. If I wait, I realize that the special may be to get only 2 of the perks. That is fine with me. But will the discounted airfare benefit likely go away? That is worth a lot of money.

Steven