Vagabond Knight

Thank you for your research and for posting this, @Norwayfan1.  Sounds like it's actually "official" and goes beyond NCL, so I am very surprised that there isn't more about it out on the internet since it seems like it would affect other cruise lines and businesses in the port city as well.  Perhaps the other lines had already adjusted their schedules accordingly.

I have googled and googled and, except for that one article that talks about the total overhaul of that NCL cruise, I can find no mention anywhere of "new restrictions" about tender ports in Ireland from October through April.  So, is there really such a government restriction or is it simply a NCL policy change?  I have trouble believing that we wouldn't be able to find ANY other articles talking about the restrictions affecting cruises on other cruise lines and/or how it will affect the tourism in the port cities. 

See the article below.  Personally, I would be livid if I were booked on this cruise. 

However, my question is more general as to whether there is actually a new law that prohibits tendering at ports in Ireland from October to April or if this is something that NCL made up?  I have googled and googled and can find no mention of any such law or when it would go into effect (2023? 2024?).  The only mention I can find is in this NCL-related article, and I would think that there would be much more coverage of such a change if other cruise lines were affected, as well as announcements as to how it would affect the port cities and their tourism.

https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-cruise-line-completely-changes-ship-itinerary/105445

9 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

There will be little demand to disembark the ship at 6am, too. So, you shouldn't have to contend with lines. Be aware sea conditions can get rather rough up there, as they were for us pre-Covid on Jade, so your ship may need to reduce speed which could impact arrival time.

Very little demand from me either, ha-ha!  I was thinking maybe 7:30 at the earliest.  😄

We're on a NCL Dawn British Isles cruise in October and are trying to plan our onshore adventures for Kirkwall, Orkney Isles (this will not be a tender port).   The ship is expected to arrive in port at 6am.  I know that things sometimes happen that can delay passengers being able to get off the ship at a port but assuming nothing too unusual happens, when are we likely to be able to step off the ship?  Thanks!

We're booked on a 9-day British Isles cruise on the Norwegian Dawn on October 5-14 that leaves out of Southampton and will visit various ports in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.  Norwegian has a few other cruises available to these locations as well that are a couple days longer.  This one just happened to fit our schedule between two other cruises.  We know we'll only see a small bit of these countries, but we consider it sort of like a beer flight or wine tasting... you taste a little sample of a number of options, and then you decide which one (or more) you like enough to order a full glass.

On 6/15/2023 at 8:18 PM, DingoMom said:

Does anyone know how to make this thread a “sticky”?

Unless the thread is very closely moderated/controlled, similar to the thread on cabins, it will not warrant being a "sticky."  There are already too many extraneous posts that are not price drop and deal alerts (yes, including this one).  😉

Tried again and was able get there today.  Thanks very much @Malleykatt and @gnome12.  Also emailed the distillery and got no response there.  We'll see how it goes with the guides... definitely worth a try!

8 hours ago, Malleykatt said:

Might be worth a look here.

https://www.otga.co.uk

 

 

There is a contact all guides button and you can let them know what you want to visit.

We were very happy with our local guide Davey Malcolm.

 

Can you double-check the website?  This site won't come up.

7 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

Local knowledge is the best here.  Ask the distillery to recommend someone.  

Thank you.  I have emailed them.  I was actually hoping for some "local knowledge" from someone here on cruise critic who is local to Kirkwall (I knew it was a long shot), but your suggestion was excellent. 

I see you are from Edinburgh.  That's another port stop to which we are REALLY looking forward! 

We'll be on a NCL British Isles cruise in October and have a very short day in Kirkwall, Orkney Isles, Scotland.  The ship will only be there from 6am to 2pm.  Our primary interest there is to visit Highland Park Distillery and we want to be there when it opens at 10am.  We would like to hire reliable transportation in the form of a taxi or chauffeured car for three hours that will pick us up at the port, take us to the distillery and stay there to take us back to the port afterwards.  There's one taxi company that we've tried to contact in Kirkwall, but they never responded and we've since seen a number of reviews that say they're unreliable.  Due to the early ship departure, we don't feel comfortable relying on a drop-off and pick-up later scenario. Any suggestions?  

20 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

I unfortunately see folks acting rudely to the crew on every sailing and don't understand why yet it's a whole different level.  People get "triggered", asking things like "who trained you?", "who's your supervisor?"

Well, some people feel like they have to act all hoity toity, thinking they're impressing friends and others around them, when a bit of kindness and understanding would be much more appropriate. The crew members work their tails off, having to smile through long hours and (fortunately, only occasional) rude passengers.  Most  fellow passengers I encounter on cruises are wonderful, but there are a few who should probably be made to walk the plank (or be made to serve as an "honorary" crew member for a day!).

With prices!

https://profcruise.com/celebrity-bar-menus-2023/#bacio

No prices listed, but bet I can get you salivating...

https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/eat-and-drink/bars-and-lounges/al-bacio

17 hours ago, QuestionEverything said:

The beloved Connie is our favorite cruise ship of all time, followed by the QM2.

Serious question... why is Connie your favorite?  We're booked on her for a cruise next spring.  We've been on several other Celebrity ships and were surprised to see how few specialty dining options are available... no Murano, no Porch, no Lawn Club.  Does it have anything in the way of activities or entertainment that the others don't?

We have sailed both Celebrity and Carnival.  There IS Bingo on Celebrity ships.  There ARE deck parties with bands and dancing, though perhaps not as often as on Carnival does them?  There IS night life... "Silent Disco" is a blast!  Yes, some of the older crowd doesn't stay up late for the dance bands, but the younger crowd parties late.  Like it or dislike it, there are far fewer kids on Celebrity.  There's a kids club and a teen club, but not as many kids/teens in them.  The kids we've seen on Celebrity have been surprisingly well behaved. 

In general, people dress more nicely for dinner and in the evening on Celebrity and honestly, even throughout the day.  There are exceptions of course, but I've never seen someone on Celebrity show up to the MDR in sweats on "Chic Night" like I did on Carnival. You will likely feel like the atmosphere is a bit more elegant and the service is better on Celebrity, and the MDR food and buffet are somewhat better.  Note that there is a lot of complaining on the Celebrity forum about post-Covid downgrades, but I'm seeing that on just about every cruise line forum these days (we're booked on four different cruise lines over the next year, so I've been looking around).   

We thought the "Chef's Table" on Carnival was much better, from food, to presentation, to service, than it was on Celebrity.  Celebrity has a mix of entertainment that ranges from rock/dance to classical style string trios (and you learn which lounge to visit for which type of music).   At least on the smaller Celebrity ships, one thing I find lacking that I enjoyed on Carnival is a piano bar.  Also missing from Celebrity are kitschy types of entertainment such as a hairy chest contest and bellyflop contest (not sure if they're still around on Carnival or not).  Since Carnival tends to be less expensive, you can get awesome cabins for scenery intensive voyages such as Alaska (Vista aft corner wraparound HUGE balconies) for far less than a tiny regular balcony on Celebrity (we did r/t Seattle to Alaska twice on Carnival).  If only Carnival did one-way Alaskan cruisetours... sigh!

You'll see a huge difference in the passengers onboard Carnival ships depending upon the itinerary and the length of the cruise.  Those 3-day Caribbean jaunts to the Bahamas for example, will attract a lot of people with whom you may not want to be cruising, including rowdy bachelor/bachelorette parties, spring breakers, huge family reunions, and groups of friends who are splurging for a wild long weekend of drinking and partying. It's not that you won't see the occasional passenger on Celebrity who's stayed a bit too long at the martini bar, but I'm not sure I've seen any passengers who've purposely tried to impress the others in their group with how drunk they can get.  Go on a longer Carnival cruise (and especially with an itinerary that's NOT Caribbean) and you'll probably enjoy a less annoying crowd.  

20 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I have 11 emails in my inbox from Celebrity over the last 24 hours. So yes,  spammy is a great word. 

Wow!  You "win."  😲

On 12/28/2021 at 9:19 AM, Harrylinden said:

Do people going on any Celebrity ship hide ducks too,or is it just some of the other cruiselines? Just curious!!!  

It's mostly a Carnival and Royal Caribbean thing since those cruises tend to have more kids on them.

EDIT:  Oh, geez... just realized I replied to a 2021 thread that someone resurrected!

42 minutes ago, lostchild said:

I checked my trash folder history.  When I have 0 cruise reserved and have not logged in on their website for months, I have almost exactly 1 email a day from them.   When I started logging in and check for prices on cruise, I have 1 to 2 emails a day.   After I booked a cruise, I have on average 3 to 4 emails a day.

Well, that's interesting!  I guess it's our bonus for booking.  😉  

We're booked on cruises on four different cruise lines over the next year and so I've looked at other forums as well as the Celebrity forum over the past few months.  Honestly, you can find complaints regarding reductions in food quality, cutback of services, and additional fees with just about every line... it's not just a Celebrity thing, it's a cruising survival thing.  It's actually a wonder most of the cruise lines are still around post-Covid, so I assume this will be the cruising status for a while. Will things ever go back to the pre-Covid days of cruising?  Who knows. 

For the most part, I think we just need to readjust our expectations. Stop comparing to the pre-Covid days and instead just compare what's available NOW on Celebrity and on other lines and choose what suits you the best.  You can have a wonderful cruise experience if you put your mind to it, and some of the changes only affect those who get kind of ridiculous anyhow.  Carnival, for example, is now charging for the third entrée in their MDR if you order more than two, and this is upsetting some of their customers. Your THIRD entrée?  Is this REALLY a problem for most of us?  We now pay for a second lobster tail on Celebrity, but although I admit to having two in the past, do I really need that second one after multiple delicious appetizers, a salad, my one lobster tail and sides, and before my scrumptious dessert? 

I did a Mexican Riviera cruise on Celebrity by myself a few months ago and ate in the MDR every night. There were some options missing from past cruises that I would enjoyed, but I found something absolutely delicious to eat in there every night.  If you look for the fun activities and delicious options available to you on your cruise and don't concentrate on what you may have had a few years back, you'll have a wonderful time.  The ships are still the same, the service is certainly not lacking on Celebrity, and there are many wonderful food experiences to be enjoyed.  

I just logged into my Celebrity account to see if I could change the frequency of emails, but it seems like all you can do is turn notifications and offers ON or OFF.  I don't want to turn them off because I appreciate getting an occasional email (weekly would be fine) about a new special offer, but I feel like Celebrity has gotten to the point of spamming me.  I'm getting 2-4 messages a day, and most of these "exciting deals" are the same "sale" that they've been running for months and months and months. 

6 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I have not seen acrylic refills onboard but you probably can find a nail salon at one of your ports.

I know that's an option, but not one I'd like to use since we're in each location for such a short time.

I guess you mean no NCL ship has it.  I've had this done on Celebrity ships.  

5 hours ago, jean87510 said:

 I invested in nail glue after my experience plus now because of covid restrictions on nail salons in my state, I learned to do my nails myself.  This way I can fix it myself if anything happens.

Sigh... can you come on my cruise with me?  😉

Well, this is a bummer. I've got B2Bs lined up with Carnival, NCL and Royal Caribbean and I can't find this on any of them.  They do acrylics and acrylic fills on Celebrity, which is what we've been sailing for some years now and was disappointed that I couldn't find those services on any of the ships we have booked for our upcoming adventure.  

Did not see acrylic nail fill listed as a service that I can book ahead.  Any chance it's available on the Symphony of the Seas even if not listed for pre-booking?  I've got multiple cruises booked B2B on different cruise lines and I'm not seeing any of the cruise lines showing it.  😭