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Last night (13 June) Francis Ndung'u won the 2024 Diageo World Class Cruise Bartender Competition.  Later this year he will compete for the Diageo World Class Competition with bartenders from all over the world.  This is the 3rd time in 6 years a bartender from NCL has won this competition.  

CONGRATULATIONS to Francis and Best Wishes

38 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Loving this review and your pics.

 

I'm thinking my next cruise to Alaska is going to be on one of NCL's small ships.  They all look like the perfect size for Alaska.

Suggestion to you and anyone thinking of doing an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle, try to add a few days to see the city and maybe take in a Seattle Mariners baseball game.

Why would you expect a Cruise Consultant to have a say on how a tour is run?  Cruise Consultants are sub-contractors with the responsibility of selling as many cruises as they can. 

(1) With The Joy, passing through the New Canal would be near the end of your cruise rather than the beginning with The Jade.

(2) If you have read David McCullough's book "Path Between The Seas--The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870- 1914, you will a understanding of what it took to build the "Original" Canal.

I have done the Panama Canal once in each direction and would love to take a smaller ship (Jewel Class) once again rather than one of the mega ships (Joy, Bliss, Encore).

Either way, it will be a wonderful adventure.

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Amen to that.  The incessant whining is tiresome and makes me want to book another NCL cruise just to see how much more whining ensues.  If you don't want to cruise NCL anymore, no issue.  But, the constant barrage of whining about mainly silly things (hashborwns?  really?) just tires me out.

EXACTLY!!!

Go to Norwegian's website, all the way to the bottom in the Blue Section under Special and Themed Cruises--Wedding Cruises.

That should give you all the information you need and help you make the arrangements.

Enjoy this special time with your family.

36 minutes ago, lepidoptera said:

I was a bit worried about it as well. Overall the ship seems to be in good condition although some of the decor seems a little outdated. My stateroom is in great repair with a good mattress and very clean. 
 

The layout of the ship is definitely an older layout, with a lot of walk through this to get here. Od you can only access this through the rear elevators.
 

I have seen a few things that need repair-the tables in Los Lobos were a little beat up. But over things seem to be week taken care of.

This is the first cruise that I have taken since the pandemic that the staff don’t seem worked off their feet and unhappy. They have all been wonderful. 

 

Overall very impressed so far and having a great time.

Have you had a chance to express your comments to either Bran or Hasan.  They would love to hear what you have to say.

24 minutes ago, jrt.mom said:

That yarn store looks amazing! I really liked that Aurora Borealis quilt. I'll be sure to find that place when I'm there in October. 

I would check out the quilt stores website.  Since The Aurora Borealis quilt is a kit, you might be able order it online now.  By October you might have it finished.

Do you by any chance have a list of the Senior Officers?  Thank you

SENIOR OFFICERS GEM as reported by ggTexasGal 9 June 2024:

Captain:  Roger Berlund

General Manager:  Joao Gignate

Cruise Director:  Isha Nirban

Guest Services Manager:  KitKat Reyes

Executive Housekeeper:  Cesar Hapa

Food and Beverage Director:  Roland Shrock

Executive Chef:  Alistar Fonseca

Restaurant Manager:  Isacc Martin

Beverage Manager:  Junior Wallace

Welcome Home

Have you been to the Pacific Northwest on your adventures?

Have you met the Food and Beverage Director Hasan yet?

JC is very approachable.

Did you get signed up for the Port Valet?

The theater and some of the dining rooms can be chilly in the evenings.

Alaska is a wonderful cruise.  Glacier Bay is amazing.  The Sun has lots of outdoor spaces and you may need a sweater of jacket depending on the time of the year of your sailing.  Early and late season, bring layers.  Mid to late Summer you may need shorts and T-shirts.

Enjoy

Henry,

If you have paid attention to the news coming out of Alaska in the last few weeks, I would not be surprised within the next few years to see ONLY the Jewel class and smaller ships being able to sail in Alaskan waters.  Lots of proposed limits on the number of daily passengers in specific ports.  Will be interesting to see how it all works out.

Mandy

Studio Cabins on the Breakaway Class ships are in a prime location mid ship in their own private area with a lounge.  The ones I have had had the ability to connect. 

Studios on The Joy were not originally built into the ship since She was built for the Asian market.  Once She was re-fitted for the American market, they were added (probably converted from a different cabin category (Inside maybe??). 

Now that Solo cabins have been added into Inside, Oceanview and Balcony categories, they are probably scattered throughout the ships, some locations more desirable than others.

Have a wonderful time.

Happy to see J.C. is still on board as the Cruise Director.  Really nice young man.

3 minutes ago, lepidoptera said:

I may try Port Valet, it looks like it is started up for the season. It will depend on how much of anything I buy. I packed carry-on only and I still have some room in my bags. I didn’t want to have to use the Port Valet and it not be available.

From all the recent reports I have read in the last few weeks, Port Valet is up and running.  I think that it was only the first couple of weeks of the Season, it was not.

Check with the Guest Services Desk on Deck 5 to see if your airline and flight time qualify.  The Program is Free.  Worth a check at the Guest Services Desk.

Henry, when is your next NCL cruise adventure?

1 hour ago, lepidoptera said:

Oh no I will have to go and edit that! Sorry I was unclear. My flight out to Seattle was moved up to 6:20.

 

My flight home was originally scheduled for after 2 p.m. then they moved it to 11:40 am.

 

Both legs of the trip changed so many times between me booking in April and flying in June. 

11:40 is much better.  You might want to check and see if you qualify for the Port (of Seattle) Valet Program.

Enjoy your cruise.

Your flight out of Seattle is at 6:20 A.M.???  Not doable at all!!  That would mean you would have to be at SeaTac shortly after 5:00 A.M.  You may not be clear for disembarkation until almost 7:00 A.M.  Even if the traffic is light, it will still take 30 to 45 to reach airport.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

The Sun is a very special ship.  She is laid out differently than most ships.  One of the Main Dining Rooms is just off the lobby.  The theater is in the rear of the ship.  The buffet has lots of outdoor space.  The Observation Lounge is across the front of the ship on Deck 11 with a balcony.

Enjoy

NO  Just looked at NCL's website and it shows that the Spirit will be sailing out of Japan, Australia and New Zealand in 2024 and 2025.

Gives no indication when She would be sailing in US waters again.  My guess would be that if She returns to the US, it would be for Alaskan cruises and not out of Florida. 

There is NO way I would book a flight that early after a cruise (San Pedro or not).  Too many things can go wrong on and off ship to risk it.  A storm system could delay your arrival time and push back your disembarkation time (in an early November timeframe completely possible).

Look what happened in Seattle two days ago.  The Quantum of The Seas was supposed to dock about 6 A.M.  Because very strong winds in the Seattle area, they were unable to dock until shorty before 2 P.M.  Anything on and off ship can happen to delay your timeframe.

9 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I think last year may have been an anomaly. For quite some time, NCL was offering a 50% off coupon to folks. It wasn't their normal 50% off, but a real 50% the price of a cruise. It seemed like there were just a glut of ships up there. I'm thinking for 2024, NCL has a better handle on the number of ships necessary for Alaska and/or demand is higher. 

According to all the news reports reports from a number of Bloggers at the moment, NCL has more ships sailing in 2024 to either Alaska or the Caribbean because re-deployments away from Baltic cruises and staying out of harms way in the Middle East.  They are having all kinds of sales trying to fill the various ships.

37 minutes ago, travelgip said:

I wanted to research a solo Caribbean cruise for January 2026 and wanted to know which NCL ships offer solo balcony cabins?  Any pricing info etc. much appreciated!

Under the new cabin structure, ships are supposed to have Solo Insides, Oceanviews and Balconies.  There may be just a few in each category.  Suggest you find a local travel agent to help you.