schmoopie17

Which is one of the reasons we like NCL...no "dress-up"..."formal"...or "look at me, aren't you impressed with my fancy wardrobe?" nights. Suits, tuxedos, ball gowns, dress shoes, etc., take up lots of valuable luggage space (and weight). A few pairs of shorts, some t-shirts, a polo shirt or three and a pair of jeans is more than enough.

Good thing you're not Platinum, or above. You'd be even more confused with even more extra free meals (including one with one).

Interesting dilemma. Never done the Vibe, but Mrs. Schmoopie refuses to cruise without a balcony. I guess that wins (at least in our house).

It would be my honor. Plus, I'd get to meet you. Win, win. 😁

So...what's the advantage to using them? I can book my own flights without paying $100 for two.

We're not coffee snobs, but even we think the coffee on NCL is putrid. Kind of like their beer selections (unless you're on a ship with a District.) Very slim pickins for both coffee and beer.

We have changed cabins many times after booking. It's a five minute phone call.

I'm just like your dad. Except I have a beer before the walk, then have one on the walk, and then another one after the walk. And just for fun, I skip the walk...but keep the beer, anyway. Otherwise, I'm just like your dad.

Not a whole lot of excitement in Civatawhatever. Rome is an hour and a half away, which makes the need for an excursion imperative. But with the commute time and the necessity to cram several days of sightseeing into a few hours, it also makes for some probable sightings of pier runners before the ship sets sail.

This service seems to be a mystery, since there isn't as much talk on CC about this as there is about the BOGO. I'm also curious what the deal is with this. There's a $50 fee?? What does that get you, other than a lighter wallet?

You were able to get two day deviations on BOTH ends? Did you use NCL BOGO air? I swear I thought you could only do the front or back, but not both.

So...if taxes are paid on cruises beginning and ending in Spain, how does it impact this one? We're on a cruise next year beginning and ending in Rome. However, on this same cruise, there are people who will be both embarking and disembarking in Barcelona. Under the above scenario, those passengers would be taxed the entire cruise, but we wouldn't? How will they know which passengers should be taxed?

All we saw were the tacos (which were only just okay). Where is this buffet everyone speaks of?

If you don't upload the photo, is your online check-in complete? (Does it show "completed" on your reservation? I always thought you weren't "officially" checked in online without the photo.) Is your check-in time at the pier confirmed without the online check-in being completed? (And yes, I realize the check-in time is pretty much meaningless). That's why after we take our photos for the umpteenth time to finally get one to be accepted we sigh a big sigh of relief (and frustration) because the grueling check-in process is finally complete.

Loved the Observation Lounge on the Bliss and Prima. We're on the Pearl in December. I know there's no OL on the Pearl, but I seem to recall reading that the Spinnaker Lounge is similar to the OL. True?

NCL is one of the only cruise lines where your deposit is both manageable and refundable...which comes in extremely handy for people who like to change their minds (like us). They also give a 10% discount to Veterans, if it applies in your case.

This is one of those things that nobody fully understands or can explain. Kind of like the meaning of life. Maybe Monty Python can explain...

The buffet soft-serve is blah-tasting ice milk...NOT ice cream, BIG difference.

On our TA last November from Rome to NY, we had four stops in Spanish ports. Signs were up in the bars during every Spain port stop saying the additional tax would be charged on drinks...regardless of whether or not you had the drink package. However, we didn't do any specialty restaurants in Spain ports, so can't comment on taxes on those. Taxes weren't charged in any other port (or at sea, obviously). Still makes no sense how Spain can charge taxes on something we purchased long before ever embarking on the ship.

Little known fact: Diana Ross wrote "Stop in the Name of Love" after a visit to Iceland and seeing the stoplights. Okay...not really. But it's raining and I'm bored.

We bought two bottles of Limoncello in Rome the night before boarding our cruise. We strolled right onto the ship and nobody batted an eye.

We have Le Bistro booked for December. I'll probably go with the Fraisier. If they're out of the Fraisier, I'll see if I can substitute the Niles.

We're doing a 10 day Mediterranean cruise in September, 2024. We never even considered anything with fewer than 10 days. I hate to fly...and once I've flown over to Europe, I dread flying back a week later. With jet lag and ridiculous airfares, it's hardly worth it. Plus, the longer you stay, the more for your airfare buck. We're retired, with no time constraints so we say the longer the cruise, the better the cruise. Plus, at our age, a week goes by in the blink of an eye...so cruises of seven days or less just aren't worth it for us. We've done a transatlantic, which only requires a flight one way. Will probably do another one at some point.

Looks like only inside cabins available. All other categories not available... Sounds great, but Mrs. Schmoopie needs her balcony. https://www.chefsmakingwaves.com/prices/?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw29ymBhAKEiwAHJbJ8tb3W6PmP4bcxroqsYWtO06cWpwoY3CFlGUB628cqpOKC17PV4IPoxoCcjwQAvD_BwE

Toronto to Rome via Denver?? Yikes, talk about some bad routing.