Semi-Live Getaway 2.0 Jan 16 - Feb 1, 2023 NY - So. Caribbean ... 12 nights ( is it Live, Semi-Live or Limited ?? )

[cruiseny4life]

13 minutes ago, shof515 said:

 

This brings back my memory of my previous cruise a few weeks ago on a Carnival ship. that was a 4 day cruise. Heavy winds prevented docking in port and the cruise be came a cruise to no where. I think Norwegian might be doing something similar now. Sail as close to the island to meet whatever requirement they might be to get a wavier for not docking and then sail back. Thus a cruise to no where 

Sorry y'all, Bermuda is no more! Wonder when they will announce? As guests embark?

 

You can still purchase it a trip to Bermuda today...that's really going to Nassau.

 

[cruiseny4life]

19 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Congestion (people traffic) inside the building, Express stopped and lines not moving, no idea when priority groups can proceed to gangway - 9 am

 

 

Hope you're on your way off the ship and walking to meet your Carmel driver. Safe (short) drive to Queens! Thank you, as always, for the lovely, informative, honest live!

[mking8288]

 

We made it outside fast w porter services & Carmel is 5 minutes early.  

Edited February 1, 2023 by mking8288

[misstamster]

49 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Sorry y'all, Bermuda is no more! Wonder when they will announce? As guests embark?

 

You can still purchase it a trip to Bermuda today...that's really going to Nassau.

 

Pretty good compensation for all!

[PistolPete13]

50 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Sorry y'all, Bermuda is no more! Wonder when they will announce? As guests embark?

 

You can still purchase it a trip to Bermuda today...that's really going to Nassau.

 

Wow, NYC to Nassau and back in 5 days, this is going to be a Cannonball run!

 

[Outta My Work Clothes]

Thankx Henry, safe home. Appreciate all the info and looking forward to our 6 Feb trip with all the itinerary changes on the GA.

[MsTabbyKats]

13 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

Wow, NYC to Nassau and back in 5 days, this is going to be a Cannonball run!

 

If I'm reading the times correctly...they dock at 9:45 Friday evening and leave at 3:45 Saturday morning.  So, basically...not there.

At lease the compensation is decent.

 

Welcome Home Henry....takes for letting me cruise vicariously!

[mking8288]

20 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

If I'm reading the times correctly...they dock at 9:45 Friday evening and leave at 3:45 Saturday morning.  So, basically...not there.

At lease the compensation is decent.

 

Welcome Home Henry....takes for letting me cruise vicariously!

Thanks, Bonnie ... my pleasure to share.  How's your dearest hubby doing, recovering well, I trust. 

[EllieinNJ]

48 minutes ago, misstamster said:

Pretty good compensation for all!

I hope they made a mistake and it was 3 45pm otherwise we have a CTN.

[MsTabbyKats]

13 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Thanks, Bonnie ... my pleasure to share.  How's your dearest hubby doing, recovering well, I trust. 

He's doing fine.  Thanks for asking.  We're going on MSC Meraviglia in April.  Yacht Club...you should check it.  It's like the Haven but better (spa included, drinks included, butler etc) but at a much better price.  They'll match your NCL status.  

[MsTabbyKats]

6 minutes ago, EllieinNJ said:

I hope they made a mistake and it was 3 45pm otherwise we have a CTN.

Yes, a CTN...but a discount on a future cruise and OBC.  

 

Imho...February for Bermuda is far from ideal this time of year.  It's not warm there unless you're a penguin and the seas are rough.  I learned this when I did an early May cruise to Bermuda.  Never again.  For me, Bermuda is strictly "a summer thing".

 

Enjoy your trip!

[wolft927]

14 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

He's doing fine.  Thanks for asking.  We're going on MSC Meraviglia in April.  Yacht Club...you should check it.  It's like the Haven but better (spa included, drinks included, butler etc) but at a much better price.  They'll match your NCL status.  

We are doing MSC for the first time in December. Yacht club as well. Price is thousands less then NCL Haven, we love the Haven but giving the Seascape a go. How did you get tier matched?

[MsTabbyKats]

5 minutes ago, wolft927 said:

We are doing MSC for the first time in December. Yacht club as well. Price is thousands less then NCL Haven, we love the Haven but giving the Seascape a go. How did you get tier matched?

I sent MSC my NCL info (I forget exactly what...it was pre-pamdemic).  I'm platinum on NCL...MSC gave me Gold status.  The only issue....no laundry included.  When I priced the 4/29 8 day Mera YC interior to a 7 day NCL NY to Bermuda...sailaway rate....MSC came out a few dollars less.  It was a "no brainer".

[bedfordmom]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Yes, a CTN...but a discount on a future cruise and OBC.  

 

Imho...February for Bermuda is far from ideal this time of year.  It's not warm there unless you're a penguin and the seas are rough.  I learned this when I did an early May cruise to Bermuda.  Never again.  For me, Bermuda is strictly "a summer thing".

 

Enjoy your trip!

I was in Bermuda in late April for April school vacation on the Dawn years ago and we froze

[mking8288]

4 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

Wow, NYC to Nassau and back in 5 days, this is going to be a Cannonball run!

It surely will be one - what's staying open at 10 pm in Nassau ... nada.  It's for technical reasons.  Otherwise, an almost cruise-to-nowhere situation and then, they turn the ship around and set sail for NY at 4 am.  Southbound last week, we're able to do 21.5 knots at times under favorable conditions but coming back this week, best top speed northbound was no better than 20.6 knots under fair weather conditions.  

 

When I stopped at Guest Services this morning to ask while still onboard, and was given the answer that they are still going to Bermuda, I knew it was very fishy but she insisted that nothing has changed.  

 

Anyway, got home in about 30 minutes using Carmel in a hybrid minivan, prices were reasonable & just enough room to fit 4 med-sized checked bags and 3 carry-on/personal bags plus a long tote bag ... sitting in the living room & opening up mail by 10:30 am.  

 

Facial recognition (eye glasses removed) was used inside the cruise terminal for passport/border control purposes, passengers that failed the matching were referred to the CBP officers nearby for full inspection & interview - quick & simple and fairly easy - wait for the green/checked mark & go forward toward the exit.  

 

Being Platinum/Sapphire, etc. on this cruise - I believe/felt - hardly gave us any recognition or privileges, like appreciation - just another cruisers to them, maybe there're simply too many onboard. 

 

When it comes to priority disembarkation (not escorted like Haven) - we received zero information, no gold luggage tags and no offer of assistance whatsoever.  "You" are on your own and it's not my style to go to Guest Services & loudly demand things as if DYKWIA and expect the hard working crew to go out of their way to help us with the small details.   Luckily, we knew when it was the best time to join the end to disembark and positioned ourselves for a quick getaway in leaving the ship for the terminal.   

 

It's quite fun to watch grown ups trying to push, pull and walk along the pier to the exit with 28" or 29" oversized heavy suitcases ... nothing "express" about this particular sailing with the "tight" time table.  

 

I'll do a short write-up & see if there are other photos to share & upload to wrap it up as a summary, and try to answer outstanding questions.  It is going to be interesting to see a continuation of live onboard reporting on the Bermuda run to the Bahamas, and then the 12 days cruise to Amber Cove/Puerto Plata - especially with 800 more passengers than this past week with "just" 3,900 pax on the ship.  

[Stefan Batory]

For the Feb 6th 12 night cruise on The Getaway Amber Cove/ Puerto Plaza has been dropped. 

Another day @ Sea has been added. 

[Outta My Work Clothes]

46 minutes ago, Stefan Batory said:

For the Feb 6th 12 night cruise on The Getaway Amber Cove/ Puerto Plaza has been dropped. 

Another day @ Sea has been added. 

Lucky Us!

[cementhands]

Incredible activities staff onboard getaway January 20 to February 1! Great live bands by pool and in atrium. Sugarcane mojitos bar was fun and dancing was great. Atrium activities and Spice H20 was full of activities including some great dance classes. Food was decent. Staff was excellent. We really enjoyed the cruise.

[mking8288]

 Hola ... Hi, all (continue towards Wrap-Up Summary - from notes, etc.)

 

I am back with my/our post-cruise review and comments, some critical - will skip over areas & services on the Getaway that we didn't use/explore and direct interactions & observations or knowledge of ... with the goal with providing a few of you with a snapshot of our experience, feel and values for our money, including some indirect notes from my colleague & good old friend of 40+ years that sailed solo this time (he's done 8 cruises since 2022, mostly NCL but isn't active on CC).   

 

  Sidenote - Verizon home Fios (300/300) service was down a day before we disembarked, hardware (ONT) failure & replacement on the UPS truck this morning to be delivered for DIY exchange, always having a backup to insure continuity - tethering on Google Fi's unlimited cellular 5G data & back online, usually we don't "burn" a lot of data from our house.  Townhouse's upstair neighbor left for Florida 2 days ago as otherwise, we would've used their "guest" access to log in ... 

Same/similar reasons why we travel with at least 1 backup smartphone (iPhone SE 2020 w integrated battery case, acts as MiFi hotspot on a global travel Sim) as you can't just walk into a local Digicel store on one of the Caribbean islands to "buy" a replacement on the spot.

 

Ground transportation to/from Manhattan Cruise Terminal (MCT) Pier 88/90 & parking - 

  Transfer costs for taxi, car services (Carmel), Uber & Lyft (used more often for short hops if not using Carmel) has gone up by 15 to 20% on average, higher tolls & congestion pricing, and taxes/surcharges all not helping.  Uber & Lyft in NY area were once competing at a lower cost, plus surge pricing when cruise ship(s) docked - be careful when requesting them on the app, especially airports & longer distance, like ours.  

 

  Parking at Pier 88/90 - there are plenty of open, secured & outdoor parking (when we disembarked yesterday morning, Pier 90 was virtually empty whereas 13 days ago, there're vehicles parked there next to us at P88.  Winter travel, there's no excuse not to have snow brush & other emergency gears to clear windshields & rooftop.  $40 a day, taxes included & no surcharge for vans, pickups and oversized SUV & even campers that fit into those wide, marked parking spots is a good deal in 2022-23, especially folks with those bulky & heavy 27" or 28" suitcases @ 60 to 70+ lbs each, to park somewhere nearby or to deal with being dropped off & picked up, IMHO.  Accessible parking spots are set aside & closer to the giant elevators that access both street level & embarkation's level 2 and porters, usually not far away if assistance are needed.  

 

  Checking in, easy & simple, curbside dropped off & ship-tagged tags given to the porter, tipped & walk inside & go thru 1st screener.  This time, accessible help desk was off to the right (usually, it's to the left, closer to the Intrepid or downtown side ... signage is clear & just ask if you aren't sure.  Haven guests keep left to security, everyone else joined the roped line to security screening - we got there a few minutes before 10 a.m. and took only 5 minutes to clear the x-ray machine - these are shore opeartions managed by local authorities & contracted employees, not directly oversee by NCL.  It's the 4 time we sailed from here & each and every time, the set-up is slightly different.  After that, you are directed by another greeter, with NCL name tag (shore-based per-diem contracted employees, not NCL crew) on where to go, Decks 5 thru 11 have the shorter walk and Deck 12 & higher, including Priorities, Platinum/+ and Haven have to go to the far end of the terminal to do the check-in.  We're given Group Boarding #6 already & when I asked the greeter about #1 or #2, she basically ignored 4 of us and said that's the lowest # available already ... huh, oh.  How to they deal with someone paying for "Priority Boarding" and not arriving before 10 or 10:30 am ?  

 

  Perhaps, there're too many Platinum & Sapphire cruisers on this cruise, as the next available agent to check us in ... were the "general" line in the back of the terminal, barely a 2 minutes wait & as usual, one of us had our photo taken again - got our key cards & we're sent walking ... no explanation about the roped off Platinum waiting "lounge" situated near Door C, in the middle section of the terminal by the restrooms, opposite 1 of 2 designated seating area for accessible passengers/others traveling with them "together"   While walking over, we passed by the Haven lounge ... not really impressed, fairly simple & looked pretty crowded inside, waiting for their early & escorted boarding - not seeing any passengers still coming off the ship, NCL doing the zero counting & should be good for an early start soon.  There's a mobile vending cart in the terminal selling things, beverages & coffee, soda & water & snacks, etc.  (hint hint: here, you can buy & load up on sodas if you like ... nobody is checking)  NCL used to provide flavored water in this area, not anymore - just plain water w. paper cups & also setup the Reservation "kiosk" for folks to book before boarding ... no, didn't see it.  Didn't take long for the "lounge" to reach beyond standing room only & others trying to enter were turned away & they actually started checking everyone's Guest keycards to make sure they belong there or traveling in the same cabin that's eligible to stay there.  

 

  Terminal was filling up quick by 10:45 and we could tell, this is going to a full cruise at/near capacity (turned out to be around 3,900 pax - around 98% at double occupancies but well below the max berth capacity of 4,800+ (81%) with up to 1,600+ crews/officers ... previously reported, sailing with about 1,400 crews only or about 200 less.  There're crew turnover - reporting as new & returning from vacation or leaves - both in NY and in San Juan, PR - as we saw them (easily 60 to 70 of them in PR) lined up outside on the lower/street level, waiting to board, luggage & personal/backpacks, etc.   Alvin, the CD was among them ... and, we learned directly from Jose, head of Housekeeping Services during our Dine With Officers, that you can spot new ones that just joined the ship by the fact that they are required to wear a N95/equivalent face until they are cleared - a 5/5 rule (assumed they are also given screening tests initially)   MDR & even specialty servers onboard all had these crew members working & performing routine duties like the rest, masked up at all times.  

 

  Shortly after more announcements after boarding, Haven team & security were ready & started doing theirs, followed shortly by accessible pax, and then our turn.  We saw signage/tall & vertical banner about CAS check-in but didn't see a special area for CAS, not sure if they're given a little priority and boarding after us, before other groups by zone #'s were called.  It's fair amount of walking from mid-terminal to the "Z" gangway to go up the FWD gangway, then, walk along Deck 7 in the open, next to the lifeboats to enter the ship near Fwd theater area.  Perhaps, there aren't enough "greeters" to funnel & direct passengers, crews were not trying to send everyone up the AFT elevators nearby to the buffet for lunch ... it was only about 11:20 or 11:30 am & MDR (Taste & Savor) aren't open yet, the other choice being O'Sheehan's and lunch being served ... food there are almost, always served nice & hot, freshly prepared.   

 

  What we're directed to, instead, was to go to our designated Assembly Station to get our guest key cards (RFID enabled) swiped to get credit for the mandatory emergency drills in lieu of the in-person mass drills while waiting for a few to come late.  Nevertheless, CD Alvin still verbally repeated things again over the ship's PA system before we sailed - but, we're spared from being prompted to watch the full video muster/emergency drill again upon turning on the stateroom interactive TV for the first time ... haha.   

 

  Staterooms weren't ready until a little after 1 p.m. and those heavy fire doors near the elevators & stairs remained closed then, with signs that rooms are being cleaned with final touches, to not enter until announced.  Plenty of folks walking around with those heavy 28" suitcases & big, bulky backpacks & nowhere to go ... maybe, next time - they'll be smarter to check them & tip the porters a few bucks instead, less than the "cost" of Starbuck onboard, hahaha.   Both of our checked 24" bags were delivered outside our cabin by 3 p.m. and we finished unpacking before sailaway, which wasn't really delayed that much & that's "on time" given NCL's routines in NY lately.  

 

Disembarkation - (skipping ahead) - most of the time, NCL ships return to NYC early, sometimes very and super early ... not this time for the Getaway, and we're "late" leaving Amber Cove by only 30 minutes at most, easily catch up with 2 full sea days but apparently, we've never exceeded 21 knots sailing mostly against headwind coming from/across the bow, sometimes easing to 17 to 18 knots only under nearly ideal, perfect sea state and conditions with waves no higher than 4.9 feet in the Atlantic.  Sure enough, we slipped under the VZ Bridge around 5:45 to 6 a.m. and then Statue of Liberty at 6:15 - and came up the Hudson, docking at Pier 88 before 7:30 a.m. - gangways being set up usually not a big deal but ship wasn't cleared by local "officials" for a good 35+ minutes later, as the crowd began to pile towards Deck 7, jamming the stairs, with some elevators skipping floors & on bypass mode (crew operated ... typically & commonly set for Haven pax for quicker exodus)

 

  Thus, with the ship nearly full at 3,900 pax (and, the info given that this week's short Bermuda cruise to Bahamas with 4,700 pax turned out to be quite close, just a little under the "reported" onboard number) - it was madness that we haven't seen in quite a few years out of NY (holidays/school break weeks aside).  Worsened by human traffic jams inside the cruise terminal - line(s) were halted at several points.  We made our way around 8:30 a.m. into the central atrium on Deck 7, just as they were calling for Platinum & Priority guests (Footnote: we never received written info onboard nor luggage tags delivered ahead - had to go downstairs to Guest Services & ask ["NCL" - failed ... what perks] about priority disembarkation [both of us as Sapphire/P+ prior to 2020] with luggage being sent downstairs into the terminal & ready for pickup.)   Helps that we knew from sailing out of MCT over the past 2+ decades: using the AFT gangway gave us a shorter walk onto the terminal and inside for the escalators that go down to street level.   Majority pax were directed to the Fwd exit for the gangways, and, it's not fun with a much longer walk, especially if you are each hauling 2+ large & heavy luggage on your own. 

 

  There was a massive jam with the single elevator used by accessible guests ... and others with oversized, jumbo luggage that shore employees would not permit, for safety reasons, for them to be taken onto the escalators.  It's so much easier to leave the luggage outside before midnight, properly tagged & let the crew do the hauling on arrival (tips already "paid" as part of the DSC ... unlike the unionized porters outside by the curbside when checking in or embarking)   Once downstairs, we quickly made our way to the color coded area & retrieved our 2 bags, our CAS friends also got their 2 bags nearby - and DW walked over to the porter area & got one with a cart ... followed him as he took all our bags past the "checkpoint" for facial recognition and we went ahead, green light & cleared to go with the immigration check - rejoined & headed for the exit ... about 9:20 a.m. I made the decision to call Carmel toll-free # just before 8 a.m. after our MDR breakfast in Taste, to postpone our scheduled pickup by 15 minutes to 9:45 a.m. instead - bingo) or else, we would be late & charged for waiting, worst - the driver might cancel our booking as a no-show & pickup someone else ... and could've easily discovered no availability for at least 45 to 60 minutes.  Uber & Lyft surge pricing had already been bumped up higher by 9 a.m. for pick up in that area (vs. the one-way fare quotes that I priced earlier)  There was a shortage of licensed yellow taxi across 12th Avenue at W. 48th Street too while there're at least a dozen of drivers flashing "Uber" on their smartphone & offering rides - no, no, no ... there are no Uber dispatchers & drivers don't stand around or hangout on 12th Avenue to solicit ride - use the App to request a pickup if one rather choose Uber/Lyft.  

 

  By 9:35 a.m. - our Carmel driver was assigned & called us on the mobile #, he's already in the immediate area, probably just dropped someone off & showed up within 2 or 3 minutes, picked up all 4 of us and our luggage in a nice Toyota hybrid minivan, had us all buckled up (thank you) for safety & headed north on the Henry Hudson Pkwy, across I-95 thru the Bronx & then BWB back into Queens - relatively light traffic on a late weekday morning, home within 35 minutes ... dropped us off first and then our friends, six city blocks away ... unlocked & home sweet home by 10:15 a.m.   $70 base fare + toll + tips and $10 extra for the 2nd dropoff - rounded up to $110.  Rooftop parking at MCT would've cost us a total of $400 for the 12 days or $200 for each couple.  

 

  Porters are permitted to bring/take passengers with luggage to cross 12th Avenue to be picked up - car services can be arranged to meet disembarking pax upstairs - where embarkation drop-offs are ... and taxis dropping off pax upstairs, can also pickup pax leaving the ship & going "home" but availability can vary.  Many for-hired drivers prefer to meet across 12th Avenue, especially if more than 1 ship is at MCT for the day.  Weekends are usually easier for everyone with lighter traffic in the city, and it's even possible to get car service to pickup on street level in the ship terminal area, where buses & mini coaches usually drop off & pickup, including airporter "shuttles" runned for NCL.  

 

  NCL sailed numerous ships out of NY on a regular basis for the past 20+ years, and, this cruise remained just as poorly organized and managed as the other cruises, except this time was worst sailing at 80%+ capacity. 

 

Above is our take on embarkation & disembarkation - FWIW and as always, YMMV but perhaps helpful as a general guide on what to expect & how to best prepare for and deal with unexpected surprises.  A good, solid & reliable cellular signal from VZW, AT&T and T-Mobile were usable by 6 am as we slipped past the VZ Bridge and off Staten Island, a full 2 hours before disembarkation were announced, plenty of time to book & change/adjust pickup time for car services or limo / black car pickup ... or call your kids/neighbors/friends & someone to come meet you in the mid/late morning.  

 

Tomorrow, I'll summarize key areas like food, services, ports of calls & shorex, and other misc. matters relating to this cruise.  That's all for now.

 

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by mking8288

[nmuller328]

thank you once again- I really had missed not seeing a post from you today- this has been very helpful- we're heading out the end of March- 1st time out of MCT but not our first on the Getaway. Looking forward to the rest of your review. 

 

[mking8288]

Health & Personal well-beings: our personal approach & mitigation measures, none required but endorsed by 2 licensed nurses in my extended family.

 

We heard more (deep) coughing onboard the Getaway and progressively, seemed to hear more of that as the days go by, especially during the final sea days and perhaps, in "surround sound" mode on the morning of disembarkation as we sat in Taste MDR for a sit-down breakfast.  DW joked, half-seriously, perhaps we should've paid NCL $4.95 + 20% for room service & eat on our balcony instead - and cut our risk of catching anything to bring home as unwanted "gifts".  

 

We packed some of our really old stock of Covid-19 Ag/Test kits with us, and thus far - I am happy, feeling fine and healthy, and we remained "negative" on rapid testing - not conclusively but fairly "reliable" as indicators.   Self-tested "negative" on Jan 13th before the cruise, as we had holiday gatherings & had been out & about - before we started to semi-isolate to avoid eating out & going to crowded indoor places, as the XBB sub/variants had been surging in the metro NY area since December.  Tested again "negative" just before we embark on Jan 20th, out of an abundance of precaution - being fully boosted (mix of Pfizer & Moderna) & extra "naturally protected" already with prior infections - DW's PCP prefer her to be extra cautious with her healthy history & risk factors, etc. (me, too - to a lesser degree, perhaps) 

 

We used up about 2 boxes (50 surgical masks x 2) for our cruise, including some KN95's worn in the main theater for BTF and MDQ shows, carried & used our own hand sanitizers whenever appropriate, better to be extra cautious (and, we were the only ones onboard doing it).  

 

Midway thru the 12 nights cruise, tested again - no symptoms or reasons to suspect of possibly being "exposed" - to be "negative" but plenty of basis while listening & watching others behaving ... and things not being done well onboard as a whole - need to remain cautious & stay on our guards.  Early Wednesday evening, after dinner at home (diet time for us) - rapid tested again to be "negative" ... yay, cheers & reasons to be happy, as we have extended families with recent medical history at high risk, and do not risk to unknowingly "gift" them anything unwarranted.   One more set of post-cruise rapid testing at home should suffice tomorrow (48 to 72 hours apart) to consider ourselves to earned the "all clear" as the newest threat CB.1 or something like that is on the rise.  

 

The last longer NCL cruise that we sailed was January 2019 on the Escape, and there was an norovirus outbreak onboard, about 1/3 of the way after our 2nd stop out of NY to the W. Caribbean - and that wasn't fun for anyone and everyone, with very strict measures put in place & washy washy enforced.  We saw none of the similar measures and honestly, quite surprised to see a very relaxed ship with inconsistent public health measures in place, including personal hygiene, not just washy washy at the buffet with inadequate crews assigned - worst of it all, MDR and Specialty Dining, no efforts at all & no suggestions or hints by the crew/host/hostess for arriving guests to sanitize and/or wash hands ... I consider those best practices and gold standards in "today's" onboard environment.  Cleaning & sanitizing efforts onboard were default to the quick & simple, unlike when there is a norovirus outbreak on the ship ... and that's just the "stomach flu" with far less danger vs. Covid-19.   Passengers were jamming into elevators, nevermind social distancing in the crowded atrium lobby and packed areas outside Taste & Savor, and the Bar area busy with social drinking while waiting - folks feeling fine & decided to live with the viruses and get on with living, contributing to herd immunity by being exposed ?? and treatment readily available, sure - okay, I'm fine with it.  Otherwise, we wouldn't be doing our 4th cruise since the beginning of 2022 & just stay home.  

 

If not wearing a mask, at least cover one's mouth & not openly cough & sneeze into the air, releasing airborne droplets that can travel quite a distance to others nearby.  Called me biased and being too cautious - I learned, indirectly, that some reported on social media site (FB) that they themselves tested positive during/after the 12 days cruise ... not a good thing to bring home, especially if flying or sharing public transportation with others.  

 

Taking a 12 nights cruise on NCL soon, whether it's the Getaway or another ship - my best advice is to be careful and do whatever you - personally - feel is good, proper & appropriate to best protect yourself & other loved ones close to you.  Pack a good personal travel/medical/first aid kit to bring along - description above is just an example of what we did, not a model, not a template, not a guide, not required or suggested, only an illustration of what can to be done to minimize the risks a little more.  Or, simply do nothing and take the chance, play the odds too - it's freestyle cruising, your choice.  There is no guarantee whatsoever that we will absolutely avoid being exposed to XBB and the CB subvariants or other viruses for that matter.  

 

This isn't to start a discussion and/or debate about testing & measures, so let's stay off & take any further chats about this elsewhere, agree to disagree about ongoing public health measures, etc. etc. Thank you in advance for not side-tracking the overall reporting.  Just sharing what we choose to do - on our own - with resources readily at our own disposal ... retired professionally but still "active" status in the Medical Reserve Corp and FEMA trained as first responder/receiver in ICS protocols as administrator in EM.  

Edited February 3, 2023 by mking8288

[registrar]

We were on this cruise. Agree with you all of the above! My husband tested positive on Wednesday night.

[mking8288]

Good morning - before resuming the wrap-up 👴

 

  A big question for us (and, some of you - perhaps, given how critical the wrap-up might read/sound) - do we and will we continue to choose NCL ahead.  Answer is a conditional yes, NCL is close to being placed on probation - we cancelled our booking just before final payment for late April on the Prima, too expensive & not worth the money/value in going to Bermuda again (just there last May on the Joy with 2 Family Insides 2 BR suites booked).  We do have a shorter 7 nights NCL cruise in September (hurricane season ...) out of NY again & locked in very good bundled deals for now, points with our BOA card account to do a direct upgrade, OV to Balcony - will wait & see - final payment in May.  

 

  One of our nieces just got an excellent - sweet - deal for 4 in a family balcony for under $5,000 all inclusive, including DSC for Spring break week with 2 grown kids out of LI schools (how, high roller friends of her somehow, got a super deal via CAS & arranged it for them - they weren't going to pay over $8,000 with a 1 BR suite, however - not worth it.   Nephew & his GF are looking at over $4,000 for a balcony themselves.  Current DoubleUp promotion of being able to use gifted 2 CNC helped cut the deal - DW brought 4 certificates on this cruise, slick NCL marketing "win" this one.  

 

  More bangs for our bucks - looking at some last minute deals, MSC sailing out of NY in April/May on our maritime cruise radar, not just NCL and possibly Princess - with our retirement calendars, still pretty busy at times, haha.  

[mking8288]

 

1 hour ago, registrar said:

Agree with you all of the above! My husband tested positive on Wednesday night.

Trust and hope your hubby's symptoms aren't bad, usually the worst is over in 24 to 48 hours even if meds are necessary - check with his doctor.  Last time we got exposed, I tested positive first & immediately isolated and slept in the extra bedroom/home office & started masking indoors.  DW slept  in the king sized bedroom nightly by herself - felt fine for 4 or 5 more days, tested negative twice before she felt "something" isn't right & turned "positive" - tele.med called into her PCP for a virtual consult, etc. (CVS & Walgreen - as our health plan partners do offer pickup AND local "script" deliveries)  Long story short, we self-isolated at home for 2 weeks until both of our test results were negative, even though we're not experiencing illness or symptoms much sooner, just to not "gift" anyone else with it.  

 

Please kindly take care of yourself as well as your dearest.  This isn't going away anytime soon, IMHO and we'll just have to learn to best cope with all the tools & available resources and smartly live with it.  Regards. 

Edited February 3, 2023 by mking8288

[registrar]

This was our first cruise with Norwegian.

One and done for us. We have cruised for over 30 years on various other cruise lines. This cruise was soooooo. Short staffed. Lines and crowds from start to finish. Loved the itinerary.

So difficult trying to attend packed events and dining.