weisla

I’d estimate the standard robes are about a women’s size XL. I wore the thermal spa robe back to my cabin on Getaway over a wet swimsuit and no one at the spa front desk objected. The lockers have a built in digital lock similar to the in-room safe.

On the Getaway 10 day in March I paid $329 for a pass.

Just off Getaway and can confirm there were no cookies out at the buffet during afternoon tea/snack time, nor at any other time. We received 1 plate of 4 cookies delivered once to our Club Balcony. There are also oatmeal raisin cookies offered as dessert option on the updated kids menu. These were nice and soft, much better and fresher than the rock hard ones delivered to our stateroom. They serve 2-3 at a time, and my understanding is that the kids menu is not limited to kids. I don’t see why anyone couldn’t ask for the oatmeal cookies when dining anywhere the kids menu is available. They might say no, but if you really want those cookies order a kids option - they all come with dessert! A cup of roasted tomato soup is offered as a kids meal - I’d bet you could order that and ask for the oatmeal cookies with it.

I researched this before my recent cruise on the Getaway since my son had shifted to a vegetarian diet (sometimes pescatarian) since our last cruise on NCL. Here is some info I found helpful: Check out this blog post from profcruise: https://profcruise.com/complete-guide-to-eating-vegan-or-vegetarian-on-ncl/ And this CC thread: Since my son is 10 and a rather picky vegetarian (i.e., will try new things, but doesn’t actually like a lot of complex vegetarian cuisine) we didn’t arrange anything special with the dining staff. However at every single served meal the wait staff begin by asking about food allergies and requirements, and were very open to adapting dishes as much as possible - I pretty much got a yes to every request to hold this, sub that, etc. We really enjoyed the vegetarian Indian offerings from the buffet. There was also a small section of the lunch & dinner buffet labeled as vegetarian. They offered rotating vegetarian spreads (hummus - very good!, baba ganoush, muhammara, etc). There were also grilled veggie salads with varying dressings, some grain salads - I really enjoyed one with barley and dried cranberries, it didn’t look like much but was really delicious. We also tried a roasted tomato soup that was really tasty. It was on the MDR menu occasionally, but can also be ordered for lunch & dinner from the kids menu. There is also a vegetarian grilled avocado taco on the kids menu. My son liked the soup but not the tacos. But the tacos are already vegan or can easily be adapted as vegan without the cilantro lime sauce (which may already be vegan, I didn’t ask). Adults can order from the kids menu, it is not limited, just featured for kids. While the fast casual burger offerings do not include a standard veggie burger option, I’m pretty sure you can pre-order one through the dining manager. They’ll also make you one to order at “the grill” section of the buffet - only takes a couple of minutes. It is a veggie & grain patty rather than a faux meat version. I thought it was tasty, my son wasn’t a huge fan. But he’d be happy to “eat vegetarian” by attempting to eat his weight in French fries, so not a reliable arbiter!

See this thread: I’m so disappointed NCL doesn’t include any Baltimore departures on the 2025 schedule!

The crew of the Getaway handled the delay seamlessly and all of the passengers I saw were calm, orderly and in fairly good spirits. I’ve seen much worse during regular disembarkations! I’m not sure if this is the norm, but NCL had a fleet of buses waiting for on the spot airport transfers at $25 per passenger. We were off and cleared customs before 2pm and planned to get a cab. We caught a bus instead for a seamless and pleasant transfer to Newark. It seemed the old luck of the Irish ☘️ was with us all day, especially since we were able to make fairly painless alternate travel plans. I feel for people whose return home was more negatively impacted. I hope decent luck holds out for the embarking passengers and this next voyage isn’t interrupted any further.

How is the shade situation in the various Vibe’s across the fleet? I booked the thermal suite instead of Vibe on Getaway in March since several days coming & going from NYC would be cold (which, side note, was SO worth it, the thalassotherapy pool is amazing). I did get a quick tour of the Vibe and loved it, except that there were hardly any umbrellas. I was kind of surprised and wondered if that was by design or demand. Do they have additional umbrellas available by request?

They’ve adjusted schedules. Garden Cafe is open 7-11, then 11:30-3:00 for lunch; O’Sheehan’s just for breakfast. Savor & Taste are open for breakfast and lunch. I’m guessing more passengers than might otherwise do so will use self-assist disembarkation to make rebooked connections. It’s going to be a madhouse!

Announcement onboard said we are sailing at reduced speed “due to a technical issue which has impacted the speed” of the ship. ETA now 12:30pm with self-assist disembarkation to begin at 1:30, though must vacate staterooms by 10:30. The final call to exit the ship is 3:30pm. They opened up free internet to rebook travel arrangements and will reimburse up to $300pp for any airline imposed fees not covered by travel insurance. I hope they will honor this for my Amtrak reservations. Arrival time was not certain when they made the announcement so I gave upon rebooking train tickets and booked a 1-way rental from EWR. Folks onboard seem to be taking it in stride.

Here is the Amtrak carry on baggage policy: https://www.amtrak.com/onboard/baggage-policy/carry-on-baggage.html For 3 of us we have 3 suitcases and 3 backpacks. We are on the Acela and there is plenty of room onboard, both in overhead bins and in a luggage storage area at the end of the car for larger suitcases. The baggage measurements are approximate, they don’t check size if you’re carrying on. Some trains have a baggage car and you can check luggage, but that is not the case between DC & NY. (And to the original topic, we also had a security check with a sniffer dog when we drove & entered the terminal parking!)

When we cruised out of the Manhattan Terminal in June we parked on this upper deck as shown in Lazslo’s photo. As we approached the elevators to go down to the terminal, there were porters with large luggage carts accepting checked baggage. It couldn’t have been easier! We’re cruising from Manhattan again tomorrow on the Getaway, but taking the train up from Baltimore tomorrow morning instead of driving. The train tickets were less expensive than parking at the port this time and we’ll skip driving in morning rush hour (can’t leave the night before due to work). But if I had a more leisurely schedule I wouldn’t hesitate to drive and park again at the port.

Thank you!

I’ve read through other threads discussing applying credit for unused FAS minutes toward onboard upgrade to unlimited internet. On an upcoming 10 day on Getaway, I also have another 200 mins in a package from TA. Can I trade in credit for the 200 + 150 mins to upgrade onboard, or must I use the 200 mins first then apply 150 to upgrade?

Maverick and the Munsters. My kid had never seen the Munsters and became fascinated with Munsters reruns last summer on the Joy. If I never have to see another episode of the Munsters again... Some recent movies as well, we watched Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, probably some random Marvel movies too.

Fair enough, I was thinking of shows like the Newlywed game ripoff. I guess my point is that appealing to younger cruisers is not a legitimate excuse to cut higher quality production shows and substitute game shows.

I love the big production shows and so does my 10yo son! My husband, not so much, he is not a fan of musical theater, but we all loved Elements on the Joy last year. This is not merely an aging demographic issue. So many more families with kids are cruising and won’t be partaking in adults only comedy shows or risqué game shows. I for one (of my demographic) was disappointed to hear that NCL is cutting even more production shows.

I'm on this itinerary next week (with a stop in St. John instead of Tortola). I'll try to screenshot the dailies from the NCL app and share. 6 days and counting!! Fingers crossed we make Bermuda.

I had this problem in early January after booking a cruise for March after final payment. When my TA put the payment in for the full amount, NCL only processed $13xx. The TA then had to put through another charge for the remaining amount but had no idea why NCL changed the total in the first try. The remainder went through fine the second time and we were paid in full. Then every time I’ve tried to book shorex or thermal spa passes on the NCL app or website it declines the charge. This has happened on multiple cards that have wide open credit lines, trying both MC & Visa. The NCL app/site then places multiple reservations for each declined attempt and sends me an email threatening to cancel my cruise reservation since I have an “overdue balance” for twice the amount & items I tried to book (eg. 4 thermal spa passes for 2 people). Then I have to call my TA, who has to call NCL and when an NCL agent processes the charge it goes through fine. I did try the “address trick” mentioned above with no success. NCL’s claim that “it is your card company not us” seems incredible (as in literally not credible).

My 9yo accompanied us to Ocean Blue, Le Bistro, and Cagneys on Joy. He happily ordered from the kids meal and the staff very attentively asked for his order right away. His meal was served hot with our appetizers. He did taste a few bites, except at Cagneys where he became totally obsessed with dessert after seeing the 7 layer chocolate cake at the next table over. I was full anyway so ordered it and let him eat all but a couple of bites. He was one happy junior cruiser!

Thanks for this tip, it worked for me. I could get the main CC site to load with the free ship Wi-Fi on Joy, but not the boards. I logged into my Wi-Fi package and loaded the boards then logged out again. Now it’s working like a charm!

This past week on the Joy we embarked from NYC at 3pm. The kiosks were not fully loaded and the app was down until well into the evening. I was able to book a few items through the kiosks but not everything. Also, both the kiosks and the app (when working) allow bookings but not cancellations. You have to call or go in person to cancel. This left me wondering how many people had multiple reservations, made by mistake in the app which is easy to do, and didn’t bother cancelling or were unable to get through to do so.

I’m on the Joy this week and some form of breakfast is served from 5:30am - 11:00am. The buffet breakfast turnover is happening at 10:30. Dinner however is done by 9:30. Then only late night in the local or room service. My son has made several last minute buffet runs to get one last ice cream cone before 9:30. We left Food Republic mid-meal when service was a bit slow, legged it up to the buffet for ice cream, and then back down to FR so my husband & I could finish our final plates 😂

Yes, it is free. On the Joy in Bermuda today. We docked at Noon and the ferry to St. George’s left at 1:00 and 3:00. There were three ferries back, maybe at 3:00, 4:30, and 6:00. I can check the daily when we get back to the ship. I’m actually on the ferry to St. George’s right now, but the local ferry. Using a daily transportation pass. $19 for a 1-day adult pass, $31.50 for 2-day.

I like the bottle of champagne idea! 😉 we ate at Ocean Blue on the first night, no idea if that makes any difference. FWIW, we ate at Le Bistro a few nights later (I had scallops and diver sole) and agreed that the Le Bistro meal was WAY, WAY better than Ocean Blue.

Thank you, very helpful!!