coldflame

No company-wide policy, AFAIK, which is super confusing and annoying. On the Getaway ship time always matched local time. On the Escape we changed ship time to local time on the way out, but not on the way back until we were in FL, which was so unnecessarily confusing for the port of call in between (especially re: SHOREX with assigned time).

This. I upgraded my plan, but not my wife's since she wasn't using it. No problem.

It's super inconsistent, in my experience. I've seen them turn away teens at certain shows, yet the show had several toddlers in the audience. So I'd say it's hit or miss.

If the loyalty program had actual worthy rewards, they should tweak it. IMO, the reason they don't care or differentiate between voyages vs days is because the rewards are gimmicky at best.

Unless ship is docked and on a very calm water day, those tables are useless. Unless you're into the random path aspect of pool, then may be fun betting which path the ball will take.

Thanks. No photos of dailies -- never crossed my mind. Entertainment: Norwegian decided to go for variety-style novelty theater shows, rather than Broadway or big productions like Disney or Royal have. For our sailing they had Choir of Man, Malevo and Light and Shadow. Choir of Man didn't do much for us -- felt a bit trite and cliche. Malevo is spectacular with so much energy. Light and Shadow is visually stunning and mentally teasing. They host once or twice daily participatory shows in deck 6 and at least in my sailing, it was always JAM PACKED and a mad house. That not being our thing, we didn't partake but I'd say it was a success judging by attendance and engagement.

One of the Huricane years, we did an unscheduled stop in Grand Cayman. There's no pier to dock there. But you are correct, normally oasis class never tender.

I just got off Escape today. It's true. Continental bfast, coffee room service not free.

Even if they could afford having espresso machines laying around, the power draw on those is significant and probably wouldn't be safe to use in stateroom outlets.

Pay the $4 for a grande americano at Starbucks. Worth every penny. I'm not a fan of starbucks at all, but on board is really the only option for anyone looking for a decent cup of joe.

Hey folks, Just off the Escape this AM after a fantastic week. This was our 15th cruise in the last 10 years, 2nd in NCL. First and foremost, I'm stunned how many people were in the ship this time of year. Normally, this past week is the lowest-demand week of fall-winter season as kids are still in school and folks are still not on vacation. Other cruises we've taken this time of the year are like half-empty. Not so this year. It was PACKED TO THE BRIM with people. I don't thing I've ever sailed with so many people in the same ship. Really crazy how the slingshot effect of 2 years w/o cruising is having on demand. Stateroom service: I don't think people give enough credit or importance at having a good stateroom steward. Our was amazing. Always courteous, prompt and knew all of our names since day one. Unlike many of our past cruises including 9 on Disney, she seemed actually genuine and always happy to be of help. Our rom was kept impeccable. Without question she was our "Vacation Hero". Stateroom: Forward balcony. For the price was good. Fit 4 of us and our luggage without problems -- although we are notoriously light-packers. The noise insulation, however, left a lot to be desired. We could literally hear our neighbors to either side talk, sigh, etc. Not a deal breaker, but definitely deserves note especially since I'm a ridiculously light sleeper so got woken up when one of our neighbors would go to their bathroom at night. Ship condition: Ship was mostly kept clean. There were a few areas, especially the Waterfront where you could always find drinks/food that had been sitting there for a a while. To be clear, nothing gross, but just stuff we noticed. Complimentary food: great. Good selection, very good quality --- not quite Disney, but close and much better IMO than Royal's. Paid food: We tried Le Bistro and La Cucina. Le Bistro was the gastronomic highlight of our trip. In fact, I'd say it was the gastronomic highlight of the last 5 years. I've had the privilege to eat at several Michelin-rated restaurants in Copenhagen, Bilbao and Lyon and I would say my meal at Le Bistro was within spittin' distance of those. So damn good. I can still taste the dark chocolate dessert in my mind. La Cucina was good. Nothing spectacular, but good choice for the dining plans. Overall service: the service throughout the ship was really good. Savor/Taste service was always prompt and attentive. The few times I needed someone at service desk, were very quick and easy going. Great Sh***up Cay: I would say if there's any derogatory remarks to say about our trip is the absolute SH*TSHOW that is the tendering "process". Incredibly frustrating and puzzling why would NCL ever screw this opportunity so badly. We've done half dozen tenders in DCL Fantasy and Oasis of the Seas (which is a bigger and more pax capacity that the Escape). It has always been a non-issue. Super simple, no "tendering groups", no massive tenders, really quick. In NCL the process felt like agony at times -- WHY?! It's hard to comprehend how they've shot themselves in the foot so badly. And GSC is an absolute delight. Gorgeous beaches, the zip-line was SUUUUPER fun, great food and yet the tendering process left a bad taste in our mouths and very unlikely we will try sailing on an itinerary with tendering involved on NCL. Drinks: we don't partake. So no comment. Internet: speed varied from slow as molasses to 'decent'. Never felt there was a time in the whole trip when I felt the connection was worth the cost, frankly, but YMMV.

Hey Folks, Does Norwegian allow to get cash for casino against my stateroom bill -- not asking about ATMs, directly from casino --? Or do we need to bring cash with us? TIA.

Yeah... hilariously NCL's directions are pretty generic. I had to go to the port website itself to see where the ship was going to dock 🙂

Allowed and enforced are two entirely different things.

Good enough to sh*tpost on social media, check stocks and email. Not good enough to work remotely, if that's what you mean. I've yet to set foot on any cruise, regardless of ship or line, where the connection has been dependable for anything other than what I mentioned above.

I plugged the address in google maps and looks like NCL shares the port facility/parking garage with Carnival, is that correct?

That's very annoying. I think it's the only cruise line that won't allow to bring _some_ non-alcoholic drinks on board.

Hey folks, Can we bring water bottles and soft drinks on board on embarkation? And if so, what are the limits? We sail out of Port Canaveral if that makes any difference. TIA!

Oh gee, thanks a bunch. Let me do that ASAP.

Folks, I'm looking to take advantage of the shareholder benefit and was wondering if a trade confirmation from my broker is enough or do is there a hold waiting period before I can make use of the benefit? TIA.

Hey folks, Last couple of days I've been having technical difficulties login in ncl.com (and the password recovery link is broken). I tried calling their listed phone number but all the menu options was about travel, not the website. Anyone knows their tech phone number?

Howdy folks, After a long (for us) hiatus just got the cruising bug again. Just saw on Royal's pre-boarding protocols are minimal/gone (hooray for that!). But could not find any info on their site f they're still segregating PAX onboard according to their vax status, masking, etc. For anyone who's traveled recently out of a US port, what should we expect in term of experience aboard (exclusively asking about health protocols, if any). TIA.