rugerdog

8 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

I believe if your port was going to be changed, you would have already been notified.

I would hope so.  Someone that is currently on the Divina has relayed information that they did in fact go to Montego Bay instead of Ocho Rios, and they were not notified.  I'll be prepared for either or neither.

Has anyone recently had their Ocho Rios port changed to Montego Bay?  Divina is still showing on Cruisemapper that it will be in OR on April 9, although I understand CruiseMapper is not always updated.

2 hours ago, Gebirgsdonner said:

Geez, we just paid $1100 to upgrade from a fantastica ocean view to a balcony. I’m jealous

I must admit, this is the very first time I've ever received an upgrade on any cruise line.  

Also, only my room was upgraded, not my experience.  I'm still on the Bella level.  

My first trip with MSC is in a week.  I booked a Bella Inside and received a premium (B2) balcony.

According to Cruisemapper, both the Divina and Carnival Horizon are both scheduled to be in Ocho Rios on April 9.  Carnival at 0900, Divina at 10.  

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

Galaxy and Butcher's Cut are the only two specialty restaurants on the Divina.

Ha!  Well I guess that would explain it.  I thought there was an Italian one and a French one as well.  Thanks for the education 😳

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

I hope you have a great time! Make sure to say hello to Reynald at Caffe Italia for us!

Looking forward to the Caffe Italia!

As I've read from others, the website as well as the app don't seem as easy to navigate as some others, and overall pretty glitchy.  I'll survive.

With regard to the specialty restaurants, although I seldom have done this, on an 11 day with only the dining room and buffet as options  I might consider it.  So I'm thinking of adding a dining package.  On the website under "Plan My Cruise", it will only gives me one option:  the Two Specialty Dining Experience, and it says it is one meal at Butcher's Cut and one at Sushi Galaxy.  This doesn't make any sense to me, why can't I purchase three, four, five that seem to be offered on other ships.  Also, out of the several specialty restaurants, am I not allowed to choose which suit me?  What am I missing here?

I realize this is an old thread, but I just came across it since booking this nearly identical cruise.  Love your review and I appreciate all of the time and energy you put into it.  Thank you so much and after reading, it makes me feel more comfortable about my choice to try something new!

• Jamie:

• Thanks so much for a very helpful review.  

I'm headed out on MSC Divina in three weeks for a nearly identical trip, my first ever with MSC.  I will make sure to bring an open mind and a chill attitude, determined to enjoy my holiday.

I've done the online check in and 100% agree the photo is beyond abysmal.  Although technically it worked, I hope they redo it on board.  

I've applied and received the status match to Gold on MSC, which seems minimal by comparison to Celebrity, but it's something.

Looking forward to an interesting cruise!

I'd be interested in knowing this as well.  Hopefully someone familiar with MSC will know.

7 hours ago, Canwecruisenow said:

Haven't seen any mention of Brian Walters, I believe still on the Sun after 50! Years with NCL .

Was on the sun Oct 11 - 20.  Brian Walters was indeed still on board and very front and center.  Impressive work history for sure.

4 hours ago, ddaley822 said:

My husband always has every major sporting event available in his pocket! How do you get your TV provided at home? He just logs in to our provider and can watch any channel right on his phone or laptop.

This is what we had to do (for the first time) last week on the Sun.  We were in Juneau, but the ship claimed to not have any signal.  So we sat in the Sports Bar and watched it on a tablet.  On every other cruise I've been on, I've always been able to see the game on the ship's TV.

On 10/24/2023 at 8:53 AM, complawyer said:

i know i'm probably going to get blasted for this post

Blasted?  For a post??  On Cruise Critic???  😁

56 minutes ago, NW Pacific said:

When hero Cards were introduced, it was my opinion they were for a staff member that did something exceptional.

Agree.  And it seems like there are always those two or three that really stand out on each cruise. 

As we all are aware, any company that requests comment cards, surveys, etc., uses that positive information to reward employees, and as such, they carry great importance.  However, being asked to submit a Hero Card directly by a staff member would completely contradict my reason for doing so.

On 10/23/2023 at 8:09 PM, NW Pacific said:

The last night of cruise, server asked if we would fill out a Hero Card for them.    I was presented a Hero card with their full name already filled in.  Have never ever had this happen before, anyone else have this experience.

How interesting!  I've always received the card at some point in my room, but I've never been solicited by staff directly.  That would really be off-putting to me.

12 hours ago, dianeksfun said:

We enjoyed the entertainment,  the service & the ship in general.  The food was terrible.  Barely warm, tough meat, cheap fish choices, small portions.  Our first time with NCL & probably our last.

Just off the Sun.  My first time on a ship this small, which was really good for getting close to the glaciers, but other than that, not my favorite for sure.  Agree 100% about the food, very disappointing.  Service overall was better than expected.

Entertainment was not up to par, in my opinion.  On a 9 day cruise, we saw only one production show, which we really enjoyed.  Talented group.  There was one comedian who did several shows.  We only attended one.  There was a singer who had a nice voice and she had several shows.  We attended only one.  If there was any entertainment in the main theater the rest of the nights, it wasn't of any interest to us, which was surprising.  I generally attend whatever the show is every night, and have seldom been disappointed.  Music in the bars and lounges was of noticeably less quality. 

The ship itself was nice, clean, and well maintained.  Buffet was strangely laid out and very inconvenient with lots of jostling, crowding and no space to maneuver.  Staff and crew were consistently friendly, helpful and kind.

Had this been my first cruise, it may have been my last as well.

6 hours ago, KFinTx said:

I was on the 10/3 sailing that departed from Pier 66 & ended at Pier 91. I got off as you were getting on. I waved! Did you see me? Lol 

That was you?  😁

My apologies,  I thought you meant you'd JUST disembarked.  Looks like you had an eventful sailing!  We had a couple days of moderaty rough seas, but nothing scary.  Four days before Victoria, the Capt announced that due to inclement weather, we'd take an alternate course and skip Victoria as a port of call entirely (other than the mandatory), arriving at 2200 rather than the originally scheduled 1400.  Then, on the day of, he reconfigured and stated we'd arrive at 1900 and be allowed ashore.

On 10/20/2023 at 5:02 PM, crystalspin said:

Whichever is lighter! Also, do your own measurements as manufacturers just love to give the cargo size as the total size. We have IT-Luggage 2-wheelers that are option1 but have been on many overseas flights as well.

I, too, purchased (and love) my super lightweight IT carry on.  I bought it specifically for international use so I could stay under the very small size/weight restrictions.   Careful planning and packing have allowed me to travel for 3 weeks with only my IT carry-on and a tiny collapsible nylon backpack as my purse (travel docs, meds, $, snacks).    And yes, this included dressing for dinner as well as formal nights.  It's a fun challenge. 

On 10/11/2023 at 9:30 AM, KFinTx said:

I just got off the NCL Sun. Yes, we disembarked at Pier 91. They did provide free shuttles for people to get back to Pier 66. Staff worked hard to get people to where they needed to be but NCL seemed to be very disorganized this cruise. 

Actually I think you may have meant we disembarked at Pier 66.  

After a few days on board, I went to guest services (as advised by NCL Miami when I called them) to inquire as to which pier for sure it would be, and if a shuttle would be provided.  The gentleman told me it would definitely be Pier 66, and that NO, NCL would NOT be providing any shuttle back to Pier 91 where we embarked.  I questioned him nine ways to Sunday, and he was emphatic about no shuttle.  So based on that (erroneous) information, I made my own arrangements to return to my car.  The morning of disembarkation, as the announcement about gangway information, etc was being broadcast, they made an announcement that NCL would provide a shuttle back to Pier 91.  Seriously?  At 0700 the morning of disembarkation?

I don't know why NCL has such a difficult time providing accurate information, but it definitely is a pattern I've seen repeatedly.

11 hours ago, BunnyHutt said:

Is there a roll call/group for the cruise after yours? Ask if they’ve received any information regarding from which port they’ll be embarking. 

Have done.  Since it's Alaska, it's not a very active roll call, but no, no one else has said they have any more information.  We sail tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see how things go.  

2 hours ago, julig22 said:

I was lucky that my parking arrangements weren't at pier 66 - and they service both piers, so I didn't have an issue but would have been more than just a little irate if I'd parked my car near the NCL terminal!

That is my issue.  I'd made plans to park and get a ride to Pier 66.  Then after the letter, I changed arrangements for Pier 91.  If I could get a confirmation as to which place we'll disembark, it would make a big difference. I make my plans in advance to eliminate arranging and waiting for a taxi or ride share with ten hundred thousand others, possibly standing in the rain and cold.

This has repercussions for those who are driving, as well as those who plan pre and post hotel stays near the cruise port.  I realized it's not the end of the world, but it does add to the stress.  

Just an update.

Since the letter NCL sent out stating the embarkation would be at Pier 91 instead of the usual Pier 66, and there was no mention of where it would disembark, I decided I would call and check.  The updated sailing schedule so kindly provided earlier by shof515 does show the Sun at Pier 66 on the return date, 10-20.  

I used both the "live chat" feature, and I also called them.  After much waiting and back and forth and them checking here and there, nothing was decided.  Neither could tell me where the ship was disembarking, nor could either tell me how to find out.  😕

5 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Strange again.

It's not as if I gave a link to something I had in my cache. I went to the port website as I was posting and it showed me the schedule from August. 

Same happened when I checked the schedule.  

3 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Where are you seeing it's at Pier 91?

In order to provide a smooth embarkation experience, embarkation for Norwegian Sun's October 11, 2023 sailing will now take place at Pier 91. Please arrive at the arrival time you selected during online check-in.

PIER 91 ADDRESS:
2001 W Garfield Street
Seattle, Washington 98119

9 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

The official port schedule says it will be at Pier 66:

https://www.portseattle.org/sites/default/files/2023-09/2023 Sailing Schedule Updated 8.17.23.pdf

1 minute ago, BirdTravels said:

The Sun is the only cruise ship departing that day. No reason for her to be up the street. 

Seems odd to me, too. 

Maybe the Port needs to update their schedule again.  😕