Pitzel

No way to know until you get there. Last year, we went to Bermuda on the Prima and the port side was alongside the dock. My SIL did the same cruise on the Prima 2 weeks before us and the starboard side was alongside the dock when she was there.

If you were willing to forgo a balcony, I would highly suggest one of the "Family Oceanview" rooms on the Escape, especially the forward facing ones (I believe the room numbers end in 700 and there is only one per deck). There is a lot more room, tons of storage, and there is even a separate "bedroom" for the third passenger -- with its own desk, closet, bed/couch, and TV. The bathroom is the same size as those in the Club Balcony suites, but the room itself is much more spacious. https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/ships/stateroom-details.php?ship=Norwegian-Escape&cabin=12700

There are a number of bars on deck 7: - Bar outside of Moderno - Maltings: Technically the "Whiskey" bar, but it is labeled as "Beer and Whiskey Bar" on the current deck plans - Shakers: Martini bar - Sake bar Also: - Bliss ultra lounge (may have more limited hours, but will definitely have drinks when open) - Ice bar (limited drink selection and extra cost -- not what you are looking for)

The final show of Six on the Bliss is 2/24, which gives you at least one of the show dates.

Wave Season is, indeed, a real thing. Between January and March, many cruise lines offer promotions to try to fill their occupancy for the remainder of the year and get a good head start on bookings for the following year. If you are flexible with your travel dates and itinerary, you may be able to snag some decent deals. In the age of seemingly endless promotions and frequent price increases, though, the deals that you will find during Wave Season these days may not be as good as the deals that were offered during those months 5+ years ago. I usually have as good of luck (if not moreso) booking during one of the holiday promotions during the year. I have snagged some good deals during Memorial Day sales and 4th of July sales through my TA that surpass many of the deals that are offered during Wave Season.

For those on the Joy, it looks like the American Diner change will go into effect post dry dock:

Indeed! I was looking forward to trying the old menu on our upcoming sailing on the Joy, but this one not as much.

Unfortunately, the Northern Lights are generally only visible from September to April (during the darker months of the year) in Iceland.

I second (or third?) the suggestion for Iceland. It is an amazing place and there are lots of different things to see and do. We went in August 2017 and saw glaciers, waterfalls, black beaches, puffins, whales, and so much more!

This video shows a 3 berth room with the 3rd bed on the wall:

Yes. The Haven restaurants have lobster on the menu and you can ask for lobster tails to be added to just about anything. You could also just ask for a plate of lobster, if that is your thing.

As a professional researcher, things like this drive me mad! As they say, "Garbage in, garbage out."

We have done Alaska twice, both in August (one in mid-August, the other in late August/early September). Later in the season, there is less ice so it is easier to get close to the glaciers, if that is one of your stops. While it is often rainy/drizzly, we never found that that prevented us from doing what we planned to do there. In Juneau last year, we got amazing weather during the 3rd week of August. Plus, the salmon runs in August are pretty awesome to watch -- they literally jump out of the water at you!

Glacier Bay, 100%! Icy Straight Point was very commercialized when we went and felt like it was developed just for cruise passengers. Glacier Bay, on the other hand, is an amazing sight to be seen, especially if your ship can get nice and close to the glaciers.

We have had rooms right off of the elevator lobbies several times and have had no issues at all, sound-wise. If you are a light sleeper, though, you might consider bringing a small portable white noise machine with you to help mask any noises that may be present from the hallways. I have one that I sometimes travel with that fits in the palm of my hand, but does a great job.

According to the 5/23 drink list, it doesn't look like Midori or a comparable liqueur is available on board. That said, the drink options do change periodically. If you can't find Midori, you could always ask a bartender if they could find a reasonable substitute. https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/790164-BEV_Package_Flyer_UOBP_PPBP Update_V7_no_crops.pdf

There are some other suggestions here:

If you are looking for other suggestions, Le Bistro has always been a favorite of ours across the fleet. We will be sailing on the Joy next April. Since my DH and I have 4 dining credits each (the 2 FAS dining credits as well as 2 dinners for 2 from being platinum), we are planning on dining at Le Bistro, Ocean Blue, and La Cuccina. We will likely use our final credits at Q or Food Republic

This is what we do. We look up the ship and we can see the overhead view of *exactly* where each ship is.

Or, you can do what we do: We hit the buffet for crepes before dinner. That way, we don't have to rush to the buffet after we are done eating to make sure we can grab one before they are done for the night. We refer to it as "dessertitizers" 🙂

We ran into issues in Tampa. The cruise before ours was delayed returning because of fog in the bay prevented the ship from returning to port. That meant that boarding was delayed by several hours. Unfortunately, the port terminal building has a set capacity and without the ability to board passengers, it filled up quickly and EVERYONE else arriving after that point had to wait outside in the sun for several hours and couldn't even check in until boarding started and the terminal building had enough capacity for new people to come inside. It was a MESS! We have sailed out of all 4 of the major Florida ports (Port Canaveral, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa) and Tampa is our least favorite of the 4. Miami and Ft. Lauderdale have the advantage of being closer to their respective airports than Port Canaveral is to Orlando, which means that catching a return flight before noon is possible. The pull for one over the other is largely based on cruiseline.

One interesting thing you will see: None of the stateroom numbers end with a number 4, as it is considered an unlucky number in China. Same with the theater seat numbers -- no ending 4s!

We were in an SL suite (Family Suite with Large Balcony) on the Prima this past April. The room itself is essentially the same as the Club Balcony suites next to it, but came with more perks. The bottle of sparkling wine was WAY better than what used to be given out for Latitudes members. They no longer give out that stuff because so few people actually enjoyed it! The VIP cocktail party was in the Observation Lounge, though it was attended by the Captain and most of the senior crew members. We never got to even see the Haven, unfortunately 😞

- These suites have access to a complimentary expanded room service menu. Not sure if it is identical to the Haven menus or not, but you can certainly order things over and above what is offered on the standard room service menu. - Daily snacks/treats brought by the butler - A bottle of champagne/sparkling wine in the suite upon arrival - Bottle of water upon arrival, IIRC - Fruit basket provided upon arrival. Can be replenished upon request - Butler service is identical (or nearly identical) to what one would experience in the Haven - Breakfast and lunch in Cagney's - Access to the Assistant Concierge, who sets up a desk in Cagney's during breakfast and lunch times, as well as access to the Concierge by phone. - Invitation to suites/VIP cocktail party - Larger fabric laundry bags. You still have to pay for laundry (unless you are Platinum or above), but you can get a lot more in the bag! - Nespresso machine and coffee/tea replenished daily or upon request - Upgraded toiletries (including a bath pouf) - Upgraded bedding - Priority disembarkation

We are on that sailing and are VERY excited to not have to rush back to the ship the afternoon of Day 3. Even though we will probably sleep in and miss sail away on Friday, being able to have a full third day should be awesome!