mickeysgal

4 hours ago, the penguins said:

The chairs are low backed with no recline, the table is minute and there are no footstools.

Exactly. Not the most comfortable. I’m surprised that more people haven’t mentioned this. It’s truly cheap outdoor furniture and frankly, I expected better. High with a supported back with an optional recline would be nice . And a bit larger table with space  to put a couple of things on. 

Just now, kearney said:

Last Sep I got covid on the last day of our cruise... My husband tested negative..we were given a choice... I could go to deck 3 to isolate.. or we could stay together in our cabin on deck 6. Since we planned on driving 11 hours home the next day, we decided to stay together in our deck 6 cabin. Policies are fluid as the disease changes.. but that is what we experienced. Earlier comment that cruise lines 'don't want to know", I am not sure this is valid. CDC regulations changed which is one reason we don't see figures. Also, lets face it ..it is everywhere... and if you are concerned... Stay home. 

Yes that was the policy last summer/fall. Looks like it has changed to allow people to stay in their cabins. We too were moved down to deck 3 - we chose to stay together- and it was an absolutely miserable experience overall (apex) and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. In the event we get it again with our upcoming cruise, it’s nice to know they are allowing people to stay in their original cabins. 

13 hours ago, lexmiller said:

Passengers on the Eclipse currently in isolation are definitely allowed to remain in their own cabins.  Another improvement in this horrible process is that your cabin partner is allowed to remain with you if they test negative, and are allowed to leave the cabin and ship, while masking - however, the partner is tested daily and can only move around the ship if testing negative.  

Thank you. So glad to hear people can stay in their own bought and paid for cabins. At least it makes a bad situation more tolerable. 

On 12/26/2022 at 1:48 PM, lexmiller said:

Another update on covid quarantine - Australia and New Zealand are still unyielding about back to back passengers - they must be tested, having to undergo monitored B2B testing and if positive, if an Australian itinerary, must be in isolation on board for 5 days but if there are New Zealand ports on the itinerary, the passengers must be in isolation onboard for 7 days.  Some passengers onboard the Eclipse now, who tested positive in the mandatory monitored B2B testing dragnet, were told they'd have to stay in isolation for 5 days and then just when they thought they were going to be sprung from covid jail which was just in time for Christmas as it so happened, were told nope, too bad, you have to stay in jail for an additional 2 days because those are the rules which New Zealand has made.  How extremely disappointing for these guests and frankly for the cruising community as a whole.  I would love to know if mandatory monitored B2B testing is occurring anywhere else in the world any longer - I don't think so.......?

For those that get quarantined, are they still making them move out of their cabin to a lower desk with ocean view cabins or are they finally allowing people to stay in their own cabins? 

12 hours ago, lexmiller said:

I wish people who are currently cruising in Europe now would chime in with their experiences regarding testing to board and B2B testing (OH, and this is my edit - it's January, not much cruising going on currently in Europe! Oops!) - that would be very helpful.  I recommend that you do as I have been doing for several months now - monitor roll calls on that other social platform and ask questions.  You usually have to ask permission to monitor the roll calls on that other media platform which is fine.  The roll calls here on Cruise Critic vary a lot as far as passenger participation on said roll call.  I find the other media roll calls to be generally much much more active - I think because the other platform is simply far easier to use on your phone.  

My personal focus right now is on Australian/New Zealand/South Pacific/Hawaiian-TransPacific cruises and for me, the B2B mandatory MONITORED testing is what is paralyzing us - I am following all of the Eclipse roll calls and people are getting snared and forced into isolation even though they are asymptomatic, feeling great, etc - Australia and New Zealand are over a year behind the rest of the cruising world due to their near zero covid policies which they held dear up until recently.  This makes cruising there fraught with anxiety.  Testing to board however, is not bad as passengers are only required to do a home self-test, NOT MONITORED.  

 

I’m feeling confused- what other media platform has roll calls? FB?  I thought roll calls were only here on cruise critic.  
 

On 12/26/2022 at 1:48 PM, lexmiller said:

Another update on covid quarantine - Australia and New Zealand are still unyielding about back to back passengers - they must be tested, having to undergo monitored B2B testing and if positive, if an Australian itinerary, must be in isolation on board for 5 days but if there are New Zealand ports on the itinerary, the passengers must be in isolation onboard for 7 days.  Some passengers onboard the Eclipse now, who tested positive in the mandatory monitored B2B testing dragnet, were told they'd have to stay in isolation for 5 days and then just when they thought they were going to be sprung from covid jail which was just in time for Christmas as it so happened, were told nope, too bad, you have to stay in jail for an additional 2 days because those are the rules which New Zealand has made.  How extremely disappointing for these guests and frankly for the cruising community as a whole.  I would love to know if mandatory monitored B2B testing is occurring anywhere else in the world any longer - I don't think so.......?

Ugh. We have a back to back scheduled. Strongly considering dropping the shorter first segment . No way do I want to put myself in a potential situation like this after traveling halfway across the world . 

On 1/1/2023 at 6:30 PM, Northern Aurora said:

 

 

The B2B discount (not additional OBC) is not a great amount of money.  Really short cruises don't qualify.  Check your invoice.  If it has been applied you will see something like  "B2BSAV" with the dollar amount.  If you booked directly with Celebrity then contact them.  If you booked with a travel agent then contact the agent.  Sometimes the B2B discounts are not automatically applied until you ask.

 

I have a B2B2B2B series in March.  The first is a five night and we have a $50 discount.  The second and third legs are eleven nights and we have a $100 discount for each leg.  

Our first is a 11 night , then a 6 night. We initially booked with celebrity- I’ll call and ask. Thank

you! 

1 hour ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

 

And don't forget to get your B2B discount.  There is a small discount for B2B legs which is determined by the length of the legs.

We just booked a cruise that will now be our first b2b.  What discount???

I’ve sailed both lines several times . Celebrity we’ve sailed several times in Northern Europe and NCL we’ve sailed several times in the Mediterranean. That said, it’s all about the itinerary. Ncl has some really nice itineraries. Celebrity has nice itineraries - some with overnights which we prefer. Cost wise- NCL has great rates - and we’ve been able to sail in suites with them whereas financially we can’t touch the cost of suites with Celebrity. I do prefer the classy look of Celebrity. But the entertainment in our opinion is better on NCL. So - you can’t go wrong either way. Itinerary, itinerary, itinerary. Perhaps put a booking in place with NCL and then see what Celebrity offers. You can also cancel before final payment. Have fun! 

43 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

Just to clarify, the featured specialties of any one of the four MDRs can be ordered in any of them.  Meaning you can order an appetizer from Cyprus and an entree from Cosmopolitan while seated in Normandie.

Now that I don’t know- the waitstaff never pointed that out to us. We just ordered off the menus in our hand which were specific to the restaurant we were in at the time. 

We were recently on Apex - by the time we booked the cruise, Anytime was unavailable and we took the 6pm time slot. That said, we did try to go and change it on day 1 and they said we didn’t have to change it. All they said to do- since it was just the two of us (and not part of a large party) is show up where ever we wanted to dine and whatever time we wanted to dine.  And that’s what we did, and we never had an issue. On each restaurant’s menu, there were the featured specialties of that restaurant and a core group of standard selections that were the same no matter which restaurant we visited. 

11 hours ago, mahdnc said:

On any given deck (7-9), there are 8 balcony cabins. 4 are FV cabins and one is a handicap accessible cabin. The remaining 3 are SV cabins and are pretty much equivalent. Some might prefer they SVs closest to the center. 

Thanks. I do appreciate all the help you’ve given on these sunset verandas. We ended up booking a deck 7 one. 

2 hours ago, UnorigionalName said:

 

So it was expensive, and you are surrounded by people happy to pay the price, but you think only you appreciate the ambiance and not your surrounding cruise passengers that paid the same good money that you did?

 

You realize cruise companies use dynamic cabin pricing right? Why do you think the E-class ships can demand such a price premium? 

 

 

Who carries physical books in the day of kindles and e-readers.  

 

Geez, maybe the ship isn't for you.  Is it wrong for ships to be for other people?

 

Me! I still like the feel of an actual book in my hand. 

Whether I’m reading a real book or using my kindle, I do wish there was a library on E class ships. I miss it. 

Thank you all for these responses. To take it a step further, are all the cabins/balconies the same on each deck? In other words if you pick deck 7, is there one non handicapped cabin “better” than others? Or are they all the same?  

6 hours ago, Cruise Gopher said:

Pick the Penthouse! I’m laying on the deck of the Penthouse of the Millennium as I type…

That deck is simply unbelievably decadent. Enjoy! 

35 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Either Deck 7 or 8 is good choice. Any of the 3 SV on that deck would be fine.  The ones closest to the center would be 7208 and 8172.

 

Note that Deck 7 aft balconies are about 3 feet deeper than Deck 8.

 

Constellation, Nov 1 2022, somewhere on the North Atlantic Ocean

Thank you for helping with your response. I do appreciate it.
Is this a pic looking down onto deck 6 penthouse suites? 

Trying to choose a stateroom - sunset veranda- on deck 7 or 8 on Millennium. Is there any reason to choose one deck over another , and further, any particular cabin on those decks? 

Updating:  This is not a computer glitch.  NCL sent out a notice saying the cruise was changed from a 5 day to a 4 day - dropping San Francisco, essentially making this a one way - all sea days - trip from LA to Vancouver.  Then my online account showed it to be a 3 day cruise.  Now parts of it show it to be back to a 5 day, and some parts of my account show it to be a 4 day...departing while at sea.  And the ability to make a payment no longer is an option.  Not sure what is going on and I'm getting the run around from NCL.  Roll call members also have no insight.  And it still does not show up on the NCL website, nor on outside TA sites.  It's just vanished.  I sure don't know what to make of this...how long do I hang in there vs just cancelling and finding another cruise and/or cruise line for our trip?  Really disappointed in NCL.  Even their notice isn't making sense vs what I'm seeing in my online account.

I collect them as well. We’ve had to go back and get some from places we’ve been - via eBay. Sometimes they’re hard to find- or sold out. If that’s the case, check eBay. 

21 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

They both have about the same amount that is "exposed" with 9 having a bit more that is covered. They are both more covered than exposed because the balcony above provides the coverage....

 

 

...the shape of the ship from the outside isn't staggered to exactly match the staterooms. Some staterooms are directly above another and some are recessed. 

 

 

^^ Deck 9

 

 

 

^^ Deck 12

 

 

There is a list from NCL that gives square footage but their list isn't 100% correct for depth and the differences in width aren't taken into account. 

 

 

 

Not exactly. The previous guest might ask for more or less furniture. 2 loungers, 2 chairs, and a small table will fit on decks 9 and 12 as well as a few other decks.

 

If you're on deck 13....

 

 

...no. 😟

 

 

Thank you thank you for posting this.  It should be a pinned post - it's so informative.  

6 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

I also noticed that sailing disappeared, as I was trying to decide between it and the Bliss Pacific Coastal in April 2023.

 

It's most likely a web glitch. The NCL IT team often makes backend changes on Fridays and it messes things up over the weekend. Wait a few days and then check again. A week or two ago, a few months worth of the Epic's sailings just randomly disappeared and freaked everyone out but came back.

 

And to answer your other question, yes, they will move the Encore from Vancouver to Seattle without passengers. I took the Bliss from LA to Vancouver this April on a repositioning Pacific Coastal; there were a bunch of passengers treating it like a B2B with the next Alaska sailing but they all had to transfer down to Seattle on their own to meet the ship.

 

 

 

Thank you! That makes me feel a bit better. Crossing my fingers that this is indeed a glitch. 

We are booked on a 5 day May 1-6 Encore cruise booked - Pacific Coastal.  Starting in LA, ending in Vancouver. 

I just checked it Sunday night and was looking at other cabins (debating to switch).  Checked it yesterday - Monday - and now can't find the cruise at all.

Sunday - there were TONS of cabins available, so it can't realistically be sold out.  Called NCL today, and at first she told me it's sold out.  Makes no sense.  When I told her there were tons of available cabins the day prior, she then said, it's still scheduled and she sees no info on displacement of it.  I'm still seeing it listed in my account on NCL.  I've received no emails from NCL saying its been cancelled...

This cruise ends in Vancouver on the 6th.  I'm seeing Encore sailing the 7th out of Seattle.  Would they move an empty ship from Vancouver to Seattle? 

What most likely is going on with this sailing?  Will it be cancelled, reconfigured with different ports to end up in Seattle?  What has happened in this situation in the past?  Anyone venture a guess?  It's disappointing...we've lined up both of our jobs around this cruise - it took some doing to get it done too.  Ugh.

23 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

The stateroom (9324) directly port side of the wheelchair accessible stateroom (9924) is the one with the narrowest aft-facing balcony on deck 9. Your 9922 has a wider balcony than 9324. Yours is bed near closet. 

 

 

12312 - bed near closet/narrowest aft-facing balcony on deck 12. 

12908 - bed near balcony. 

 

 

It depends on your bed location preference. Personally, I prefer bed near balcony. I also prefer deck 12 over the slightly deeper deck 9 because of the better view. 12308/12908 would be my first choice for a B1 on Encore. I'd then take 12310.

 

The similar staterooms on deck 9 (9320/9920) would be my next picks. 

 

Another question! Or two , or three 😉…

Which balcony deck is more covered? 9 or 12? (We prefer a more covered deck)

When you say it’s a slightly deeper deck on 9 vs 12… how slight? Does each deck contain the same outdoor furniture? 

21 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

The stateroom (9324) directly port side of the wheelchair accessible stateroom (9924) is the one with the narrowest aft-facing balcony on deck 9. Your 9922 has a wider balcony than 9324. Yours is bed near closet. 

 

 

12312 - bed near closet/narrowest aft-facing balcony on deck 12. 

12908 - bed near balcony. 

 

 

It depends on your bed location preference. Personally, I prefer bed near balcony. I also prefer deck 12 over the slightly deeper deck 9 because of the better view. 12308/12908 would be my first choice for a B1 on Encore. I'd then take 12310.

 

The similar staterooms on deck 9 (9320/9920) would be my next picks. 

 

So very thankful for your reply! 

1 hour ago, martincath said:

Won't work for you - while there is as yet no confirmed timetable, there's no reason to believe things will be any different than they were in terms of timing... which means the Southbound morning train has already left, most likely before your ship is even sailing into port. The schedule did vary a few minutes here and there, but for a decade the morning train was always ~6:30am departure with the evening train around 5:30pm.

 

To get to Seattle that early, your options are either Quickshuttle (they leave from the pier 9am, so they are convenient but not cheap compared to other buses - extra charges these days for even 1 suitcase as well but ballpark $60 for 1 person and case to Seattle) or, if the cruiseline is running one, a cruiseline transfer (also not cheap, this year reports have been $80-100pp) but with no stops unlike QS so quicker.

 

A little later in the morning there's the Amtrak Bus service (operated by Cantrail), depending on the day of the week Flixbus (should be cheapest too, if booked early, as their pricing is very dynamic with more seats sold = price goes up), or good old Greyhound (might get a steal of a price with Senior rates, Companion fares etc.) all of which I think have a bus between 10 and 11am - ample time to disembark and get to the bus station.

Thank you so very much.