Twocoasts

We booked this short cruise to use up some expiring credits--and it gave us an excuse to not host the holiday (kidding...sort of!). Does NCL do anything special for Thanksgiving?

You can catch COVID anywhere, any time. And, with flu seasons starting, you can get that too! I just got back from Vegas. I was with 13 friends. One now has COVID and the flu! She is a flight attendant who is with the public for a living and this is her first time with COVID. Her number was up. At some point EVERYONE will get it unless you fully isolate all the time. Fun fact: you can get your COVID booster and your flu shot at the same time.

We did this private tour in 2014 and it was amazing! The guide personalized the tour to our pace and because we move FAST, we were able to add a stop at the coolest leather outlet where models gave us a private fashion show! I loved Ephesus but the House of the Virgin Mary was amazing too. I had an incredible feeling of peace there. Private Tour 4 : Ephesus - Artemis Temple - House of Virgin Mary - Basilica of St John (ephesusshuttle.com)

Definitely #2. We did the 7 night from Rome to Barcelona at the end of May. My SO had not been to Italy or Spain and it was a great way for him to see some of the major sites. We flew in and out of Rome, but friends who did the same trip in July went in and out of Barcelona and loved it too. It really depends on where you want to spend more time, and the best flight options.

There were no "dress up" nights on our Med cruise this year, which I totally appreciated!

We did the Rome to Rome on Epic in May. Our first NCL cruise (more recently I've done Oceania and Windstar but have done RC, Carnival and Disney years ago). We had a Club Balcony cabin and we loved it! The storage space was fantastic. We were both able to fully unpack. We didn't love that the desk area was small, but honestly nothing to complain about. We ate in Cagney's, La Cucina, Le Bistro, Moderno and the Asian place (name is escaping me) as well as the MD and buffet. Our only bad meal was the Asian restaurant--so bad we ending up going to the buffet for dinner after. I do agree that the ship layout could be better. But we got the hang of it and really enjoyed ourselves. Enjoy your cruise!

No reservations for the main dining rooms. Just walk up and get a table. Reservations are required for the specialty restaurants.

Well, this is a depressing thread. We are booked on the Thanksgiving week cruise in November. We had credits that were going to expire (both on Norwegian and on United) so our out-of-pocket cost is almost nothing. But I am hoping that it will be a little more calm than a weekend booze cruise. Either way, I don't have to do the Thanksgiving dishes!

We ordered room service on our EPIC med cruise a few months ago on the day we had an early excursion. The problem was that there is no place to put the tray other than your bed in the Club Balcony Suites. There's just so little counter space. Even thought it was complimentary we didn't order again. Too much of a hassle to be worth it.

We were on the EPIC Rome to Rome at the end of May and had no issues booking tours through NCL. That said, with the exception of Pompeii, I would probably do private tours in the future. The NCL guides were great, but I got really tired of constantly waiting for THAT ONE COUPLE who were NEVER on time. Every tour we were on there was ONE COUPLE. It got old.

We just booked a short 4-day to the Bahamas over Thanksgiving to burn an expiring credit. Our cabin is on Deck 10--right under the Garden Cafe. Should I see if our TA can get us a cabin on Deck 9? Worried about noise being an issue.

JW Marriott San Francisco--out of bottled water United Business Class flight to Rome--no hard alcohol at all because catering forgot to stock it

Thank you for clearing that up! Much appreciated!

I probably didn't explain myself correctly. When you book the cabana is charges you PER ADULT. So $399 x 2 (less the $50 credit). Nearly $800 seems like an awful lot for a cabana. Am I misunderstanding how it works? Can I just book a cabana for one person but have others join me?

I was looking at Cabanas this morning. I don't see how you can "split" the cost. It charged $399 (minus the $50 credit) for each of us. So, I immediately removed it from my cart. I'll find a clam shell. 😎

We were on Epic in May. All of the staff wore masks; at least 75% (if not more) of the guests did not. We masked because I was worried about having to test negative to fly home. That's no longer an issue so I probably would not have been as diligent.

We used eMed virtual tests that we brought with us. Very easy. But our hotel was giving people info on local pharmacies and I think it was less than 20 euro.

Well, I fell for the marketing and bought it. We boarded the same cruise you are on in Rome. We were through Security and on board in less than 30 minutes. We arrived at 11 and the cruise terminal was empty. Maybe 10 other passengers total. This cruise in particular makes boarding really easy because only half the ship turns in each port vs. the entire ship embarking. We did use the extra spa credit and had room service a couple of days for breakfast, but if I had to do it over again, I would have skipped the Priority sell.

We used eMed video tests. Bought them online in the US and took them with us. Took the tests via our iPad. Very easy. We also ended up having to do a test in Rome when my partner tested positive before our return flight (exactly one week before the US removed the reg...) and we ran out of eMed tests. Our hotel directed us to a pharmacy and it was easy and inexpensive.

Me too. I think it's because I used the NCL offer last year. Darn it.

FYI--You do need show reservations. Burn the floor was fully booked when we were on a couple of weeks ago. We got in right as the curtain was going up because there were some no-shows.

We drank this on our recent Epic cruise and I thought it tasted fine. What I liked the most was that water seemed to stay cold longer than plastic bottles. Huge plus given the heat wave in the Med.

Epic had the Broadway review one night and Burn the Floor on another over a 7 day period. I think that's a little light.

Agree with all of the advice above. Setting up the accounts is a bit time consuming the first time through. And, speaking as someone who just finished quarantine in Italy for a failed preflight home test—take a bunch of over the counter home tests with you in addition to the emed. It’s much better to know the result yourself before you get an “official” result.

And —no clue about the elevators but they was at least two down every day. Never the same two and on both ends of the ship.