JIMESOPUS

No " cage match " for you. We were escorted through the ship and went to the Top Sail Lounge, then our butler walked us to the cabin, giving us a brief tour of the YC and the cabin, making sure everything was OK she left. From there we went to the restaurant on deck #18, the YC grill on deck #19 appeared to be open but it was raining and nobody was there. We will be heading back to the YC next January

As an NYS lifer, the answer is simple, yes NCL has reduced the number of cruises and the reason is money. I can't even imagine the additional cost of doing business in NYC. I'm sure MSC and Carnival got some type of incentive to sail out of NYC, that's how things work here in New York, give them a tax break, throw some cash at them. It appears by looking at MSC cruises out of NYC the first stop is in Florida, they get restocked and fuel. Looking at recent data the cost of " bunkering " is about 30% cheaper in Florida.

When cruising the Caribbean I kind of like this guy, who was referred to me by another NY cruiser, not a sponsor, lol https://www.youtube.com/@MrWeatherman

@graphicguy The Viva offered a Behind the Scenes tour that included the bridge and engine control room, I think it was around $150, was going to use our OBC for that but our tour got canceled. I wish the OBC was refundable or be able to use it in the casino. MSC allows OBC to be used on the DSC, say that three times fast.

@jbreitlow I have called this number, was listed in the FAQ's but was removed. They have helped me with issues with booking restaurants and entertainment. This is the same number you call for the Diamond upgrade request. Once aboard the cruisenext desk is your Latitudes contact. Welcome to the club

Yes, there is more than one but based on what Pete is saying he must have the Bella experience which limits you to the assigned MDR on deck #5, Waves.

There is a separate entrance to the left of the main entrance, a butler meets you there and walks you to the YC check-in counter, after checking in there is a room with snacks and drinks. Also, there is a blue tent across from the entrance where the YC luggage is dropped off.

@Mike C and @PistolPete13 Bon Voyage, have a great cruise

@PistolPete13 Welcome to the other side of the river " Brooklyn ". Agree about the current NCL situation in NYC and it's not getting any better, we headed south this year for our winter NCL but next year it will be the Meraviglia. The first day was crazy since the buffet was the only thing open to have lunch on our cruise. Wishing you calm seas and fantastic weather. Jim

With us traveling more in Europe we have been applying our excess foreign currency to our onboard account. We had about 100 euros left on the Viva B2B this past November and just added that amount to our account, did we get a good exchange rate? but knowing that we won't be back to Europe till 2025 it made sense for us to turn them in.

Just received this email from NCL, I know from past experiences that some PAX never get any from NCL. Wonder if this applies to all cruises or just ones departing from the US.

Not in name but have you seen those cabins on the Star deck #4?

We experienced something new from NCL on our latest check-in, we got an email from NCL reminding us to check in and a second email informing us that the Edocs were ready. We have been selecting a later arrival time since most cabins in steerage aren't ready until 2 PM or later and the main dining room opens after 1 PM.

@CAKEisgood Thanks for a great review, we will be back on her in a couple of weeks, love the Jewel class ships. We had that cake before for our anniversary and it still looks delicious. Jim

Weather will be perfect for this class of ship, the outdoor Haven area will be in full use. The only downside for you will be deck #8, with only one bar located aft and its limited menu may force you to stay in the Haven enclave. Jim

The YC DSC is $14.50 while the Haven is $25. We also found the service much better on MSC. The outdoor pool on the YC compared to the current ship in NYC the Getaway is the same. Still don't understand why out of all the ships in the fleet NCL keeps the Getaway here in NYC with the open courtyard. PS if you love bread then the YC is for you

@drumming cruisers FYI " The Transition to Complimentary Dining The change was first reported by passengers aboard the first Norwegian Getaway sailing of the new year. Soon, word came down from Norwegian Cruise Line that the change would be made at all American Diner’s across the fleet, with Norwegian Escape being the next to make the change as of January 6th. Passengers sailing on Norwegian Bliss, Breakaway, and Encore will enjoy free bites at the diner starting January 7. The final ship to offer the complimentary American Diner experience will be Norwegian Joy, with the surcharge disappearing on February 13. " Back to a fantastic review

@laudergayle, I'm sure NCL had a price point written down, after that it always will be supply and demand. The hope is that the sales rate will flatten out, or drop, and the price follow before the final payment My question is why was the Bliss underperforming compared to the Encore, the same style ship and almost the same itinerary? @ChiefMateJRKThe screenshot I posted doesn't display the actual price on a certain day.

The screenshot doesn't display the actual price, right before the announcement the average price for a balcony was just under $1230 ( 11/4/23 ) after the announcement the price jumped $1700 ( 11/17/23 ) and is continuing to rise. So NCL marketing has taken an underperforming ship as far as bookings and made it more attractive. CruisePlum is just one of the sources of information that I use to track pricing. We knew the day before while aboard the Viva and were able to lock in at a lower price.

Before COVID we never booked a cruise while aboard now that's all we do. Our TA encourages us to book while aboard. After the transfer to her, she then tries to beat the price. Sometimes we will get a better deal with her but we always get OBC from her agency. For the Bliss booking, I was able to use three cruise next certificates.

@laudergayle they are right as far as marketing. They took a cruise that was underperforming and made it a hit. I'm waiting for the downward turn. We locked in around $1600, which includes air and prepaid DSC. Bliss - Balcony Encore Balcony

@Sugar Magnolia Yes it was the Escape out of Miami @ChiefMateJRK Steve T is known for " I speak Wife ", he has a following including me now. He doesn't include lewd or vulgar language in his acts and maybe that's why in this current society he doesn't have a very large following. He is also involved in the NCL veteran program. The Viva savings - category upgrade ( oceanview to BB balcony ), triple points, and some OBC. It was funny that I was just inquiring about that cruise since we already booked the TA and had the 10% voucher. Some guy stepped into the conversation ( later I found out he was the program manager for Cruise Next, I have his card somewhere ) and said let's make a deal. You are right about the cost, 10% off isn't anything compared to the 40% off last year we got on the Sun. I'm still keeping an eye on the price and will rebook. But I think those deals we got the past two years since COVID are gone, most cruise lines are boasting that current 2024 bookings are way above the norm. We were only able to attend two of our choices, a mixology class with real booze, not that reused food drink garbage, and a cooking class. Happy New Year Jim

So we drank the Kool-Aid on the first one and will try it again. Yes, we got cheap swag once aboard but they sent out some nice packing cubes before the cruise ( which replaced some of our older ones ). Yes I know it's only 10% off but at least it's something and more importantly, we can cruise within the time offered. We did have great entertainment at the first one, Steve Trevino, and hope that the next one we have something equal or even better. They offered some unique experiences that we could sign up for ( not guaranteed ). They did offer, at least for us, a great deal on the Viva sailing before the TA, our first official back-to-back. Happy New Year to All Jim

Did someone say an inside pool for those folks in steerage?

@SpanishForker Was at Wards Cove last May on the Sun and the Encore was next door. Encore arrived early and left ( supposed to leave at 1 PM ) around 2 PM. Inside was a madhouse, didn't see any vendor offering to hold packages. Most PAX were just standing in line for a bus to take them downtown or in line getting back on. There was a bus running to Kmart for the crew. Hope your excursion is with NCL, if I remember correctly several folks didn't make it back in time. Here are some pictures taken of the Encore between 1 PM and 2 PM.