jerrib

Just got off the Equinox yesterday, the 2nd leg of our b2b.  We were NOT tested between cruises.  However, passengers on current cruise have been notified they will be tested.  Mid-way on last week's cruise the captain announced that we had reached the 1% Covid rate and two new protocols were immediately put in place:  masks required in casino and main theater.  It was the only Covid announcement I heard during our two cruises.  My assumption is that the 1% may have also triggered the return of b2b testing.....only guessing.

thistledoo   I assume this was a ship excursion?   I assume the ship used a 'bus' and I read somewhere "The bus can only get so close, and so most of us walked up to the town. Those with mobility problems took cabs from the bus to the town level".  Did you find this to be the case?

Thanks all.  I just sent off an inquiry to sicilylife for more info.

Thanks for both your comments on the town.  Did either of you take the NCL tour?  The description online states that you will have 4 hrs. on your own in Taormina, yet when you click on the details it says 2 hrs, which doesn't make sense as the total time for the tour is 6 hrs.
Also, maybe someone has experience with tour operators outside of the cruise line for this trip from Messina?  Thanks.

NCL is offering a "Taormina on Your Own" tour out of Messina.  Wondering if anyone has done this tour and can comment.  Thanks.

embarrassed

13 hours ago, Vlgg731 said:

Do they have creme brulee on the buffet in the evenings?  It is the main reason I eat in the dining room but if I can get it on the buffet I am not going to dress for dinner.

A little embarrassed to admit this:  I spotted a sign "creme brulee" in front of little dishes of what appeared to be just the custard filling (no burnt sugar topping) and thought to myself that that is not creme brulee.  It wasn't until another night that I realized that they sugared and flamed each dish to order. 

In researching for past cruises (Europe) I have found that NCL hotels tend to be in less than desirable locations, often far away from the action.  You'll want to do some research before committing.

Thank you all for your quick responses.  As I am not at all interested in an infinite veranda, I guess the Edge (Apex, Beyond) ships are not for me.  Thanks again.

Hi, 

Although I can't find the words "infinite veranda" on the Conciege cabin description on the Celebrity website, the pic shown seems to be an infinite veranda.  Are there no Concierge Class cabins with traditional balconies?   

tia

Cigar Lounge was open on the Joy on our Nov. cruise.

I see this on the deck plan (3 aft, behind Qsine/Petit Chef).  Can anyone tell me what this is?  Thanks.

Need to add, this was the first sailing, no waiting for previous cruisers to disembark, so not a fair prediction of future timing.

Nov. 20 sailing - arrived at 9:15 for a 9:30 appt. time, onboard by 10:45.

Well, just got off the Joy.  It was by far the most smoker-unfriendly ship I have ever been on.  As a smoker, I will never sail on this ship again.  There are only 2 areas for smokers (not counting the Humidor which is restricted to cigar smokers).  The indoor area is a dedicated portion of the casino (closed-in portion within the main room).  The problem here is that the room is only open when the casino is open, therefore closed when at port and not opened until sail-away.  The outdoor area is located in Spice H2o, deck 17 far aft (quite the hike from anywhere).  The smoking area is a small section tucked into a corner with 4 stand-up ashtrays and NO chairs.  Every time we dragged some of the nearby chairs over, they were immediately removed by staff as soon as we vacated them.  We were told that it was against the rules to have chairs there.  One day one of the officers came up to observe and stated that the CDC felt it was a safety hazard. ???????  Apparently standing and huddling around the ashtrays is safe, but sitting is not.   We all ignored and continued to drag the chairs every time.  They never ejected any of us while seated but we all felt treated like lower-class passengers.  If they simply don't want smokers, make it a smokeless ship, rather than treat those who do smoke so poorly.  My bet is that it is the captain who made this call but has to provide a smoking area by headquarters.  Shameful.  By the way, this outdoor area is open to the elements, no roof.  We had on more than one occasion suffered long downpoors and heavy winds and could not use the area.  And you guessed it, the casino was closed. 

I just did a Royal Carib. cruise two weeks ago and followed it with a Norwegian cruise.  Currently NCL is doing 100% Covid testing of all passengers at check-in.  It was no cost, had a 15-min. waiting area for results in the terminal, then boarded.  Went very smoothly. 

I have side-by-side cruises coming up on different ships, different cruise lines.   Don't have Terminal info yet for either.  How do I get from one pier to the other at this port?  Is there an onsite shuttle that circulates between the terminals?
Thanks in advance. 

Does anyone have more current info on the smoking areas on the Joy? 

tia

Could anyone tell me which hotels NCL uses in Venice when booking through them?  Thank!

I saw it described somewhere as a "traditional English/Irish pub bar (gastropub)" which led me to believe that they served food.  Based on all your replies, sounds like not.  Thanks all.

I am seeing the "King and Country Pub" on deck plans (deck 6), between the cinema and the casino.  Is this still there and if so, can anyone provide info.  Thank you.

Could someone please tell me the locations of the designated smoking areas.  Thanks.

We sent out a bag of laundry this past November on the TA Barcelona to Tampa on the Rhapsody.  It was returned nicely folded in the straw basket.  We did not have a free perk, we paid the bag charge.

Thanks so much.  Can I also assume that shops and restaurants will open as normal?

I have read that all banks and shops and most museums and ancient sites close on this day. 
Can anyone confirm.  Thank you.

Just starting to look at this RoyalUP thing.  Can I assume that you don't know the exact cabin # you are bidding on until it's accepted, with it then being too late to back out?