Turtles06

The following is a (generally reliable but not always up to date) third party web site, not the official port site, but it shows the Getaway in Kusadasi on Sept. 2, 2024. (You didn't say what ship you are on.) https://www.cruisetimetables.com/kusadasi-ephesus-turkey-cruise-ship-schedule.html The site shows no NCL ship there on August 31, 2024, the date the OP said the VIVA was supposed to be there.

And for those who want to consult the official port web site (which, as discussed above, has the added benefit of showing whether a ship will be using the SeaWalk or tendering): https://www.stranda-hamnevesen.no/cruise-calls/

I was going to suggest the same thing, especially if the OP wants a really large balcony.

The article says the dog “showed interest in the cabin,” and then, inside, they found the stash.

Henry, I’m looking forward to reading your reports; thanks for once again taking time out of your vacation to share them. And I have a friend who’ll be on board, so this will be a good way to keep tabs on her crossing too. Your visit to Normandy of course comes just prior to the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. Are you planning to tour the D-Day sites in this special year? (Very emotional visit in *any* year.) I hope you have good weather for the crossing and a safe and fabulous trip. Judith

Do you mean the Pilgrim Monument?

Thanks Charles. I was replying to someone who was talking about sailing out of NYC. Obviously, I did not catch their error about the OP’s departure port. 🙃

I hope folks don’t remain in their stateroom for sail away from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. Yes, the port side would offer great views of Manhattan, but none of New Jersey nor of the Statue of Liberty. And one really should be up on a high deck when the ship sails under the Verrazzano Bridge. Altogether, one of the most magnificent sail aways in the world. 😊

I have disembarked at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal when no one with baggage to be retrieved was allowed to proceed into the baggage claim area (including guests with “priority”) until *all* of the baggage had been taken off the ship and placed in their respective color-coded areas.

I know this would increase the cost, and I know you mentioned having school-aged kids, but *if* there are two adults in the group, what about splitting up and taking two taxis?

We’ve eaten at churrascarias on land and several times at Moderno on different NCL ships. We’ve decided NCL just can’t pull this off, at least on the Jewel-class ships. (Poor quality meat, often cold, etc.) If you want to try a churrascaria for the first time, I wouldn’t do it on a ship. Hopefully you can find a Fogo de Chao or another churrascaria somewhere where you live. If you want meat, especially cooked a certain way, I suggest Cagney’s. Enjoy your cruise.

I’ve been to (and enjoyed!) Cartagena twice, but can’t help with your questions. I’m posting to suggest that you also (if you haven’t done so already) ask your questions in the Princess forum, where you may find folks who’ve taken those Princess excursions. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

Not always. Our first full transit, which was southbound on the Jewel in 2017, did not reach the Bridge of the Americas until after dark.

Well, if cruise lines keep building these mega-behemoths, their private islands may be the only places left for them to visit.

Hmm... two 5,000-guest ships there at the same time? Sounds like great fun. 😁

The ships are virtually identical, so it seems to me the decisive factors come down to itinerary and starting/ending cities.

Excellent! Enjoy!! In early 2023, the Gem did those one-way cruises, but from and back to NY. Lots of folks on the B2B. Wonderful 23 days. I wish the Gem were still in NY.

I would do a B2B from Miami. 😊

Where?

My favorite as well!

Ugh, 5,000-guest ships… No thank you. Such a horrible trend in the cruise industry.

You can't tell how food tastes by how it looks. 🙂 And you can't tell whether the service is any good either. (Which often in Moderno it was not.) You were having trouble fitting Moderno into your schedule; I was merely suggesting you not bother.

I would not waste time nor a FAS or dining package meal on Moderno. We've given it a bunch of tries on the Jewel-class ships and NCL just can't pull off a churrascaria. The meats were invariably cold, tough, poor quality. I realize that food is subjective, and other folks may feel differently. But we've decided we are done with Moderno.

Sadly, it's not just NCL. We had a Norway cruise booked last year with HAL. It was supposed to stop in Stavanger. Many months earlier, the Stavanger *official* port web site showed that our ship, instead of docking in Stavanger (where the docks are right in town), would be docked quite a distance away in the suburbs. No walking into Stavanger; you'd need to take the train or a taxi. The docking location also made it very difficult for folks booked on a very popular private shore excursion to be able to get to it in time. Many of us called HAL to ask about this, talking to numerous levels of HAL reps, including supervisors. We were told there was no change, that the ship would be docking right in Stavanger, and not to believe what we read on social media. Social media? How about THE OFFICIAL PORT WEB SITE, with an actual drawing of which ships would be berthed where. Of course, the port web site was correct, and HAL finally had to fess up to the change.

Do you have a link to what you consider to be the port of Bar Harbor's cruise schedule?