fredflint

Always try different browsers and if you can use your phone or tablet, if you can do it with the NCL app try that. Also make sure your browser is updated, reboot your computer make sure you don't have any add blocker running and that you allow cookies from NCL. I have fiber internet from TING and I have found that my Verizon web site does not work well with it and will error out on certain web pages. NCL website also does suck big time and since it does make money for them it is surprising that it does not work better to tell the truth!

You could book an air taxi? https://www.sewardair.com/air-taxi Not sure of the cost but make sure they know how much your bags will way.

I guess the best place to look for ducks is in the trash?

The airport in Istanbul has always had multiple layers of security, my last visit they asked if you had anything repaired as well as gifts or packages given to you. Allow plenty of time to go thru security, my last flight had a delay so we had to go back to the hotel for another night so we got to go thru security twice. For the bag matching they had all of the luggage laid out on the walk to the plane you pointed to your bag and then they took it to load on the plane. I am not sure if that has changed. Get the the airport early and relax in one of the lounges 🙂 https://www.istairport.com/en/flights/airport-guides/departing-passenger-guide/services/special-passenger-services/lounge/?locale=en

Your flight is pretty simple and short relatively speaking arrive the day before and enjoy the savings. we have booked both on our own and with the cruise lines, as well as arriving the day of the cruise travelling to Europe from the US with no issues. The wait at the airport for the shuttle to the ship was long since we arrived pretty early. Our last cruise our flight was at 10PM (NCL booked) I booked a room using points for 2 nights so we could get off the ship and check into our room right away. People arrived after us to drop off bags then at 3 or so went to check into their room. It was worth the cost of 2 nights to be able to use the room for the full day with no issues or worries!

Nothing like the horses mouth so to speak 🙂

Would you turn down a better cabin if offered when you went to board the ship?

NCL consistently inconsistent 🙂

It also depends on where you located, the Mediterranean, Caribbean, or a Transatlantic so all you can do is offer a general answer unless you provide the actual cruise and ask people who were just off the ship on the same itinerary.

Yes you should be able to do one, calling or doing it onboard would be the best way. You can share your unlimited across as many devices as you want, just one at a time.

Streaming video is not that intensive to tell the truth. The minimum bandwidth required for 1080p (HD) streaming is 5 Mbps, you also usually have some buffering too..

I would use one of the minutes all up then upgrade since the upgrade cost is by how many days are left. Check with the internet cafe after the first day when they are not so busy. It also depends on your cruise while you are in port you can use your own phones international plan if you have one or free wifi at the port or....

Do you have anything in writing?

You can go ahead and get your own too it is 25 bucks and for me unless I see something in writing that NCL is paying the 25.00 fee I am going to do it myself https://www.visa2egypt.gov.eg/eVisa/FAQ?VISTK=VVTL-6UHQ-MO6F-RMI7-DMS3-I4IE-MR2I-17V1-J6I9-63BA-J60O-1EXD-FP8E-BNNX-DVAW-0OXB My cruise goes to Turkey too and the also have electronic VISA capability.

Let others learn we put 2 trackers in our luggage last trip the Airtag did a better job but we had to use my wife's iphone to track it. The tile worked OK and would have told us where the bag was at some point.

I cannot stress enough the value of using a tracker of some kind in your luggage. Very cheap insurance to know where you luggage is located.

It is funny we were upgraded to a room with a jacuzzi tub and I got the jets going in a circle and used that to wash our clothes. I have seen several articles that we tend to wash our clothes too often. https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/02/health/how-many-times-rewear-clothes-before-washing-wellness/index.html Whether and how often to wash jeans can be a hot topic, since many people want to maintain the integrity of the fabric, which is usually stiffer and more durable than others. If jeans aren’t sweaty, dirty or stained, they don’t have to be washed often, Rossi said. “I personally don’t wash my jeans,” he added. Mohammed recommended washing jeans monthly but acknowledged it depends on your lifestyle and environment. “If somebody were to tell me that they were wearing their jeans for months on end and not washing them and they hadn’t had any problems with their skin or problems with odor, I wouldn’t see any problem at all,” Fenton said. The most important questions you should ask yourself, experts say, when considering whether to wear something again without washing are these: Does it smell? Do I have any skin conditions, such as eczema, a rash or a skin lesion? Is it visibly dirty? Is it sweaty? Did I wear underwear with this?

I have used the large vacuum bags for bulkier items with good results. Never an issue asking the cabin steward to suck the backs with the vacuum cleaner either.

I basically did this trip to Admiralty Island and it was great, tour company has changed but just google Admiralty Island bear watching. Not cheap but I think we paid over 500.00 in 2001 https://beyondak.com/trips/fortress-of-bears-pack-creek/

I cannot speak for the choice of ships but a Eastbound TA is a poor choice if you can choose a different cruise please do so. My wife and I have done 6 TAs only one Eastbound, You lose time several days of the cruise so you always have a bit of lag so to speak over the lost time. Additionally if you do a westbound TA you are back home at the end vs having to fly back to the US. Please pick a cruise in the fall you will enjoy landing in Florida and then a short flight home.

My wife flew from Denver to Vegas for her appointment before COVID, it is worth it for sure though. I have had to present 2 forms of ID several times and it is handier than a passport.

We were on the Star about 9 months ago but it was for a Transatlantic going to Brazil so not your average cruise. The food was very middle of the road not quite Olive Garden quality in the MDR or the Buffets, the cruise director was the worst we have ever seen and the overall cruise was very disorganized. Promised returned messages and calls just never happened.. Overall the experience and our next planned cruise on the Epic being cancelled and the great offers of 25% off and 10% off compared to the increased rates just have turned us off or cruising for now we can get a much better deal visiting Portugal a week with airfare and a couple of meals is less than 1/2 the price of a cruise and we just don't eat that much to make up the difference.

When in Spain taxed liked a Spaniard etc.... Buy ahead and you are fine.

If the connection drops and you cannot log out the timer still runs you will need to go to the internet cafe to get your minutes back!

My wife and I carried down 2 loungers one time on NCL our steward mentioned that he would have done it for us. A 20.00 tip could go far when asking for the loungers!