drneal

When I booked the cruise on Joy directly with NCL I was told that there are water filing stations spread around the ship and that I should bring a water bottle. 
 

can anyone confirm or deny this?

Great.

just when I thought it was safe to go back in the water.  This is my first post COVID era cruise.  
I asked my internal medicine doctor who is also an infectious disease specialist and my wife who is a pediatrician and has a masters degree in public health….both say not an issue. 
As for me I ride the NYC subway daily and go to the gym…..but I’m not going near any pool on a cruise ship. 🤢

25 minutes ago, Sigyn said:

Do they really prevent anyone under 18 from attending? I'm sure our son, who will be 16 when we cruise, could handle the humor.

Good question 

we will be sailing in 2 weeks with my 21 yo son and daughter who is a few months shy of 18. 
I could understand enforcing this rule if unaccompanied.  However, with a parent present I would hope it would be fine. After all isn’t the point of going on a family vacation to spend time with and make lasting memories with you family aboard an NCL cruise ?

6 hours ago, js said:

Ditto! We will see you at the bar!💃🏻

or better yet at the meet and greet.  

if you haven't been to one you get to meet the ships officers, which generally means a few extra perks,

.....and your fellow passengers on your roll call

8 minutes ago, PixieMom3 said:

Thanks everyone.  Looks like the whiskey my husband likes is $23 so I guess we will have a few $8 (plus gratuity) charges.  

and here I am thinking just the opposite....that I'll drink something different for a few days.

Following....I'll be on the Joy to Bermuda Aug 13

Would you know if the chairs on the beach are open to everyone or are they reserved for those using the cabanas

cabin 218 on windstar is quiet but has the stairs going by the window when going to the tender

No one checks your bags when you get on the ship and they don't check when you come in from port.

Bring all the Mezcal you like.  

They will cancel and charge $50/person.

They will re-book at the lower fare and give you a $50 OBC.

No problem.

I was on Windstar 2 weeks ago.

We went to Candles the first night. It was casual. 

There was info in the cabin suggesting what to wear in Amphora only.

No jeans, no sandals.

I saw jeans in Amphora.  I saw sandals in Amphora.  The food tasted the same.

After reading posts like this on CC before I went, I decided not to bring jeans.

I wore travel pants and dark blue Ecco sneakers with a polo shirt to Amphora.

Princess required me to wear a suit on an Alaskan cruise if I wanted to eat in the dining room.

That was my first and probably last Princess cruise.

The Bar B Q on deck was casual and very enjoyable.

We are going on Windstar

smaller than most cruises 

I like the idea of sailing the Greek islands 

Milos

Between 90-120 days the most they will do for OBC is $300

the rest will be future cruise credit

I very much would like to go on Seabourn. Knowing that there are discounts would make me think twice about booking directly with the company. 

It feels like ticket scalping. The discount travel agent buys up a block of rooms and charges more than they paid.  I would expect more from a luxury line. 

Windstar changes their fare almost weekly.  It became frustrating feeling like I had to check the current fares. so to answer the OP ......

yes it would lower the value of the brand in my opinion. 

And I would tell everybody at my muster station what a great deal I got on the cruise. 

21 hours ago, DougandEric said:

(you supposedly have to have the card but the agents tell you to put it away since everything is tied into your passport - or at least that has been our experience).  

No need to bring the card burnt is a form of government ID if you don’t have the enhanced or real drivers license when flying. 

Does Windstar enforce the corkage fee for a bottle of wine that I bring to the dining room ?

4 minutes ago, zumbagold said:

Can you pay a corkage fee and then have it in the dining room? 

We brought bottles in the dining room twice and we were not charged a corkage fee.

This is what I had read before we boarded. 

I purchased a pair of Carson 3D 10x42 binoculars for an Alaska trip

I chose them over Nikon and was very pleased with them. 

$250 on Amazon.

Great reviews 

I started out over $5000/person

I followed it and got down to $4,000 pp

it felt like a lot of work to rebook and call and wait for a response

My last call was at 92 days out

they gave me $300 pp on board credit and the rest in a future cruise credit

the worst was when they cancelled my cruise after it was charted

They did right by me and gave me a credit and paid for the airfare change

I booked over a year out and paid a deposit and like Muden I don't want to feel like I should have waited. For $200 Windstar can give an on board credit and have a happy customer. Why should a passenger have a negative feeling before they step foot on the ship ?

From what I see on CC I’m sure you’ll have a great cruise but for what it’s worth you’re not alone 

I doubt speaking to the main office will do much but perhaps it’s worth speaking to someone once your on the ship. Maybe you’ll get a bottle of wine or some other token of goodwill 

On 4/25/2019 at 2:57 PM, wheezedr said:

In a similar fashion we wandered around town for a while in the AM.  No best spot as the area itself is quite small so you just keep turning a corner onto the next little street.   Then we went to the beach at Platys Gialos.  Easiest and least expensive way was to take the local bus and ride with the locals.  One reason we picked PG was that of the well recognized beaches it is about the closest to town so shorter bus ride.  It is also a little less of a "party" style beach and we were just looking for a place to lounge by the beach and put our feet into the Med for an afternoon.  We selected one of the beachfront hotels which had dozens of loungers with umbrellas, there were multiple choices.  Paid something like 7 Euro for the lounger which got us ice water as well.  Then just ordered some nibbles off the regular menu.   One reason for the bus is that people on CC said taxis were few and far between and that the bus was a snap.  Just check out the return times from the beach as you head out.

What bus station did you leave from ? Fabrika ?

I will be going to Platos Gialos

I will bestaying at the Athens Hilton for one night on points.

2 nights at the Electra metropolis hotel.  It has a pool, a view of the acropolis and is around $250/night. 

We will be going on a Windstar cruise and they use the Grand Bretagne. A bit expensive when we travel with the kids. 

In Venice  I like the hotel metropolis. It’s on the grand canal near the Danielli.  It’s in a 15 th century palace and has an amazing breakfast. 

I think think the dinner in Ephesus library is a great experience. It is a ship excursion for all passengers.

Has anyone been to Kusadasi recently?

My understanding is the city’s main economy is tourism from cruise ships.

The day we are there the only ships are the Windstar with148 passengers and a Crystal ship with 100 passengers.

The overall consensus on this post is Turkey is great, no problems.

Is this a port you would want to bring your kids/grandkids to?

How is it to be one of a few tourists walking past a rug store in a once popular port ?

Windstar has cancelled this port a few years ago.  Does anyone know why ?

Any chance they will have the water/sports deck open in a port?

Windstar cancelled this port 3 years ago due to safety concerns.

At what point does the cruise line decide to cancel a port?