SireDoime

1 minute ago, hallux said:

but the age of the ship on its own was not a reason for selecting the ship.

I thought so too, until I first sailed Equinox and then Infinity.

LOL There was a difference, even though both ships were practically carbon copies,

the Infinity had the wear and tear of a (near) 20 year old ship, versus Equinox's 10.

But the Equinox had just gotten out of drydock for it's upgrade when I sailed in 2019.

So for me the Bliss is a new ship; likewise, a ship has to be sailing for at least 20 years for me to call it old; 10(meh 15) years is seasoned.

🙂

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

On our cruise, they didn't citing COVID protocols. 

😟

I hope mine is by the balcony. My very first cruise on Celebrity Equinox had this configuration (door, couch/desk, bed, balcony) and I loved it. On the Infinity it was by the door (door, bed, couch/desk, balcony), and I didn't care for it too much, but I managed. The extra space between the bed and the door made a difference; and sleeping by the sea a plus.

Closets in both cases were easy to get to.

[CONCIERGE]

[AQUACLASS]

Also, the room seems larger, and feels less cramped with the bed by the balcony; both rooms were only 192 square feet.

@luckyinpa " I agree there are lots of eager folks willing to pay the prices. On a newer ship it may possibly be worth it but on something like the Breakaway there's no way I would pay the ongoing pricing. It is over 5,000 for a courtyard in 2 weeks for Bermuda but I think I'm going with the mini Suite Ma. The only thing I'm concerned about is I've heard people getting Q-tips through their brains at the terminal I hope it is worth it"

---------------------------

I've been in the house over the last year, so I have only put q-tips in my ears.

This will be my first swab-up-the-schoz. 😆

I'll be fully vaccinated by the time that happens though. 🙋🏿‍♂️

Yeah, the Courtyard for my sailing was 29K$ for a solo...yikes-so-owza!

On 10/6/2021 at 3:01 AM, SireDoime said:

The Ultimate Southern Caribbean Holiday Cruise?

I was looking to book this year for the South. Yes, it looks like I can book this one.

And the Retreat is still open.

 

Nope. 😟

I found a full Panama Canal transit cruise I wanted even more.

It's on the NCL Bliss in January! Maybe next time, because I want to see the South Side of the Caribbean.

😁😄 Thanks! Since it's a 14 day cruise I'll pack it, just in case they have a photo with the Captain.

Do they even do that?

Thanks again for the compliments! 😆🍾

On 10/12/2021 at 1:59 PM, SeaHunt said:

sartorial

I had to look that up.  Thanks, you added anew word to my vocabulary! 🙆🏿‍♂️😄

7 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

1) upgrade yourself to the Haven.

 

2) Celebrity has more scooters

1. I'm sure I'll fine with this "mini suite". After all Celebrity's Concierge and AquaClass cabins are similar in size; unless NCL offers me a discounted Haven upgrade, I'll stay in MA. I'm thinking that upgrade would likely cost me 9-10K$ , given what those suites cost now for the same itinerary.

2.  Heh eheh, on my first cruise with them in the summer of 2019, I was actually not surprised by the number of scooters I saw. The kids/teens, however, surprised me; I thought it would all adults.

8 hours ago, Seany527 said:

1) Celebrity is a “premium line.”

2) I’m a bit curious why you booked this cruise...

1. Because, Celebrity is classified as a Premium line by the industry.

2. For the itinerary (mostly bucket list), and the fact it's a new ship on the carrier.

But, mostly, the itinerary - I have always wanted to experience a full transit of the Panama Canal. The Bliss was the only vessel sailing in January and was 14 days.

Assuming Cabo doesn't get cancelled, like it did with Disney; the ports are bucket list items - Cabo San Lucas, Parta Vallarta, and Costa Rica. Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Columbia are also on the itinerary.

It really had absolutely nothing to do with the ship. I just wanted an honest opinion on what to expect from NCL. I would have booked a similar itinerary on Regent's Splendor (https://www.rssc.com/cruises/SPL221213A/summary), but I would have to wait until next year; granted that cruise is 23 days versus the 14 days I'm doing now.

Peace

3 hours ago, AndyCapn said:

You're on a two-week repositioning cruise in January, so the crowd is going to be older than the usual NCL passenger list. It will be closer to a Celebrity cruise than a Carnival cruise.

Okay, so I guess that I have won't have to fight for the cars or water slides. Nice!

4 hours ago, KateQ22003 said:

Don't expect NCL to be like Celebrity; you will be setting yourself up for disappointment. Go into this knowing you will have a great time regardless, and how lucky you are to be at sea!

Oh I knew that going in. This cruise was just for the Itinerary, not the line per se.

19 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

IIRC

Heh heh ehe, for a minute there I had a cyberspace (before it was the web, and later Internet, capital "I") flashback to the days of Internet Relay Chat, and IIRC was a common IRC term.

This was me o n CxC Equinox Summer of '19. A lot of folk did get dressed up, because it was picture time with Capt. Kate.

Should have buttoned my jacket here, with my fat tummy. Just realized I didn't smile, but then again this was the last sea day and I was the only who got dressed up.

Hmm? Keep us posted (an my post count just went up 😄).

Knowing that NCL ships are "Freestyle", do they actually have a designated Formal Night onboard any ship?

I'll be on the Bliss in January, and want to know if I should pack my Tux.

Thanks

11 hours ago, Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin said:

Fingers crossed it goes!

🤞🏿🤞🏿👋🏿👋🏿

Having never sailed Norwegian, I can say I'm a bit nervous. I only sailed the premium line Celebrity, and got used to their level of class and style.

I have read that NCL can be hit and miss. I've read all to casual posts about the relationship between the norovirus and NCL ships 😟.

SO, I hope this new ship, Bliss, is all hits come January when I finally see the Panama Canal! 🤞🏿

On 9/25/2021 at 4:49 PM, mcshane said:

We are hopefully on the transatlantic from Barcelona in November - I would love to hear any reports so far! 

I am getting my Regent Consultant to book this cruise before it's too late.

I just want to cross the Atlantic by sea, since I'll fly across to get to the port.

I've flown across the Pacific to Hawaii, but yet to sail back or towards.

Yeah NCL has less shinier bells and throaty whistles than RSSC.

I'm only sailing on the NCL Bliss this January because of the itinerary through the Panama Canal, not for the so called "Mini Suite"...heh ehhe hehhe. And yes, Havens are far cheaper in December than January for the same ... wait, I typed that already....

Peace.

On 7/1/2021 at 8:47 AM, JamieLogical said:

So far, the Royal Caribbean and Celebrity sailings have been around 40% capacity,

I need to book one of them, so I can enjoy more the ships goodies with no chair hogs 😄.  I'm on the NCL Bliss in January. I personally hope it sails with a reduced cap.

9 hours ago, Boytjie said:

We were booked for the Febtuary 13, 2021 Vacaya cruise on the Celebrity Summit and we all know what happened. That cruise was from San Juan to Antigua, Martinique, Barbados and Saint Lucia.

 

Vacaya and Celebrity were able to move it to the Millennium in January 2022, leaving from Ft. Lauderdale to Aruba and Curacao (and FOUR sea days!) 

 

That was a long time to wait for a cruise so when things started opening up, we jumped on an Alaska cruise in August on Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam, their third cruise after the restart.

 I wanted to do a Vacaya cruise, but they only offer Oceanview cabins every time I go to their page. Do they ever offer suites or balcony cabins?

Ok, I got my answers, thanks. I'm already committed. Next time I'll just be patient and wait for a Celebrity ship to do a full PC transit.

On 10/9/2021 at 4:57 PM, luckyinpa said:

i read the OP 2 times. do you mean USD 5500 per week for a minisuite? for haven courtyard, yes thats a normal price, but for a non haven room there's zero chance id ever pay that. thats insanity by NCL

 

i spent a christmas on bliss in a courtyard with 3 people in 2019 and that was only 8K for 8 nites. i thought christmas was the highest pricing you could ever pay. i guess i was wrong. 

 Actually, 8200$, as a single cruiser (4100$/week).  $8,158.60

If I had known there was the same trip later in the year I would have saved 13K$ on the Haven, and over 4K$ overall.

Yeah, NCL is getting their money for eager folk like me. I was going to try and justify the HG Haven Forward Penthouse suite for 30K$. But, I plan on spending that on a 2 week Transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Miami on Regent Seven Seas Splendor in 2023; inside a Seven Seas Forward suite. That will more than justify spending 30K$ on what Regent offers vs NCL.

Oh, well.. This was for the trip, not the room. 😕

I booked the Eastbound Panama Canal (LA - Miami) cruise for this January. On this cruise the Haven HG, HE, & HC were all in the 30K$ range for a single cruiser (slightly less for a couple).

The buttkicker: for that same itinerary  for the December 2022 sailing, Haven suites are 17K-21K for a single person! So then, time of year always plays  HUGE role.

I didn't even know there was this itinerary in December. But I haven't been a ship since December 2019, so I guess I jumped the boat to set sail in January.

BTW, I decided on a "Mini" Club Balcony Suite on Deck 13, MA category. This cruise is more about the destinations than the accommodations.

I've booked this aboard Norwegian Bliss - January 21 - February 4, 2022:

14-Day Panama Canal From Los Angeles To Miami: Mexico & Costa Rica.

🛥️🛳️⛴️

I've always wanted to the full transit through the Panama Canal.

I don't know if this will transit the old locks or the new locks.

Either way, this is a bucket list cruise, and my first on NCL.

Anywahoo, if anyone is aboard give me a holla. I'll be on Deck...13! AAAAAAUUUGGHHH!! 👋🏿🖐🏿️