Phamer55

Such a bummer she is sailing in the Caribbean in the summer time.  That means both Aqua and Luna are doing summer sailings in the Caribbean in 2026, and with Prima sailing to Bermuda in the summer, that only leaves 1 Prima-class ship, the Viva, sailing in Europe.  I've been to those same Caribbean islands so many times, was really hoping they would have 2 Prima-class ships in Europe like they did this year (I sailed Viva in Med and it was awesome!)

My client (I'm a TA) tried to book a spa treatment, but their card was "declined".  Then they got an invoice saying their cruise balance is in the negative by the spa treatment price.  I had to go online and pay their balance back to zero using the same was card was declined.  So, yes, NCL is having issues this week processing credit card payments.

Well I am doing the 10 day cruise and I’m especially excited to visit Messina, Sicily.  Malta would be a new port for me too, although it’s a short day there. I love the 10 day itinerary, you should definitely pick that one. 

On 8/21/2024 at 2:09 AM, Ulsteinvik said:

Europe 2026 is online.

 

Sun and the newbuld 2026 are missing. And Aquas itineraries from NYC from Mid May to Mid September disappeared too.

Must have been a temporary glitch.  I can see the Sun and Aqua itineraries for summer 2026

Hello...Wondering if Anthem/Ovation will tender to Patong Beach (during high season Dec - Apr) or dock at the deep water cruise terminal when she arrives in Phuket.  Anyone know or have recent experience with a Royal Caribbean ship?  Really hoping it tenders as this affects my private shore excursion (won't be able to get picked up at the dock).

I am curious about this too.

There were no surprises here, looks like a repeat of the 2025 season, which is fine by me.  I do wish they had more of the 5 day cruise options, but I was looking for mid February anyway, so I went and booked that today.  I wanted a short cruise as an add on to my Asia land tour that also originates from Singapore, so this is just what I wanted.  Pricing on the same 5 day cruise in 2025 has gone up quite a bit, so I'm happy to book early now.

You’ve all convinced me this is going to come with a fee. Not interested in then. 

I assume this will be free like Labadee and Coco Cay, but with special areas and excursions with significant upcharges.  I'm fine if this is the case, if I can get a free lounger and lunch, I'd be very happy to do this in Cozumel.  Looking forward to hearing more about this!

Same experience with it being so easy...This past Feb, we dropped off luggage at around 10am, came back to board at 12:15pm.  Our boarding time was 12:30pm.  Nobody looked at our paperwork regarding the time, we could have been 2:30pm and still boarded when we did.  So pretty much show up any time after 12 (that was the earliest boarding you could get, but likely they started even before that).  By the way, that cruise terminal in the heart of Sydney downtown has to best location for any embarkation cruise terminal in the world!

Anybody who just did sailings in 2024 care to comment on their experience? I am especially interested in what people did in Quepos and Golfito. Would like to do a private tour in Quepos to Manuel Antonio for the day.  I've seen excursions on the web, but wasn't sure the pick up spot be within walking distance.  Also, Golfito, besides the restaurant and the ship's 3 excursions, what do people do there?  I am interested in the kayaking excursion, but only if it's really good, did anyone try that?  Lastly, how long were you in port each of those 2 days?

Awesome, thank for all this great info!  It gets me excited for my sailing next year...I've done about 70 ocean cruises and 1 river cruise, so looking to try something completely different with Star Clippers.  I enjoyed the river cruise as it was easy to make new friends...and as you explained, Star Clippers is very similar in that way.

I have been loving reading these daily updates, thank you!

They are late. If they had followed their previous patterns from recent years, they would be out by now. They typically are the first North American major cruise line to announce their new itineraries. So no one can give you a definitive answer. You can Google past announcements to see what I mean. For example, this one from Dec 2022, I was expecting a similar announcement in Dec 2023, but there wasn’t one. 
 

https://www.ncl.com/newsroom/norwegian-cruise-line-unveils-winter-202425-and-summer-2025-cruises-in-europe-caribbean-and-alaska

I am not going on this sailing, but I am trying Star Clippers for the first time next March to Costa Rica.  Have you done that itinerary?  I see you’ve done 56 Star Clipper sailings, wow! 

This was quite the surprise to see that Quantum of the Seas is coming to Los Angeles to do short cruises.  I just booked myself a 3 day weekend cruise in 2025.  I love this class of ship!!  I'm not bothered that it only goes to Ensenada on my cruise, I'll still get off the ship to enjoy a delicious Mexican lunch at my favorite restaurant there, it's all about enjoying the ship for a few days. 

Anyone else excited about this?

Thanks for sharing.  Gets me excited for my first ever Star Clipper voyage next March in Costa Rica.

I just myself booked Costa Rica for March of 2025, so I would appreciate those who have, or will do in 2024, the Costa Rica itineraries, to share info.  I'm particularly interested in the times arriving into these ports so I can plan what to do outside of the expensive ship shore excursions.

2 hours ago, PH2 said:

Looks like an announcement of Fall/Winter 25/26 itineraries, but not Europe Summer 2026 yet.

 

https://www.ncl.com/newsroom/norwegian-cruise-line-reveals-new-fall-and-winter-202526-sailings

Okay, cool, we've got some new itineraries to look at.  I thought their schedule through April 2026 was already completed, but perhaps not.  Or maybe this press release is just re-iterating itineraries already announced in the past.

Was hoping we would see an announcement this week with 2026-27 itineraries, but nothing so far.  They announced them Dec 7 last year.

Last year they announced the Europe itineraries (and other destinations) on Dec 7...So if they follow that pattern, we are only a couple of weeks away!  

Here's the link to than announcement:
https://www.ncl.com/newsroom/norwegian-cruise-line-unveils-winter-202425-and-summer-2025-cruises-in-europe-caribbean-and-alaska

When we cruised in November, Moorea was a tender port in a residential area.

Oh well, at least I’ll save $47 x 2.  Too bad I missed it. 

Hello.  Any recent cruisers know if the Pinnacle Grill is serving King Crab legs on the Koningsdam?  I checked the menu on my HAL Navigator app (sailing in May) and it's not listed, but I still see on it on the "sample menu" from the HAL website.

I don’t use the casino, but I would like to use the excursion credit for specialty dining and maybe shopping, so it sounds like that won’t be an issue