purplecow15

Not sure if the kayaks would be considered an excursion. I know that at Great Stirrup Cay rentals of umbrellas etc not considered excursions.

Thank you so much.Will be booking them today!

We will be docked in Cannes in September. I know many on Cruise Critic recommend Italytours.eu as an alternative to NCL-sponsored excursions. Their website doesn't explain much about what the Cannes excursion includes. Is a walking tour of Nice etc included? Has anyone done the French Riviera tour with them and can give me some insight before we book it? We have been to the area before but have not been to Eze so want to make sure we will have a little time there. TIA

We were on 2 different cruises since September 2023. On the Dawn and the Gem. On the Dawn, we were told we could get on anytime, just show our cards with Sapphire status. On the Gem, we needed to go to the cruise next desk to get a ticket allowing us to board the tender with the second calling. There was no separate line for those getting tickets, so we had to wait until those folks buying cruise next vouchers were done which often takes a while. Not the most efficient process. Seems each ship has its way of handling things.

Yes, but we will have a whole new set of passengers that embark on the 20th. I plan to reserve our specialty restaurants as soon as I can and hope for the best.

Just realized that our cruise on the Escape ( September 14-24th Rome to Rome.) is part of 3 cruises that intersect on some dates that month. There is one September 10-20th September 14-24th September 20-29th It looks like when we embark in Rome on the 14th there will already be passengers on board. On the 20th some will be disembarking. when we dock in Barcelona while others are embarking. I don’t remember ever being on a ship with that kind of scheduling. Has anyone ever experienced this? Wondering how NCL will handle it. Some will be getting off in port for excursions etc.. while all this is happening.

We signed up for it on the ID site and then with NCL when it first became available The discount has automatically been taken off every cruise since.

We just used the Platinum coupons last week. Each coupon is good for 3 courses.The coupons must be used in 2 different restaurants. The FAS meal includes 4 courses and will automatically be on your key card. No coupon. When you arrive at a restaurant they will ask you if you are using fas or platinum.

Just starting my research. We plan to get private transport from Civitavecchia port to FCO. From some of my readings, it seems that some have permission to pick up passengers right at the dock while others do not have the license to enter the port itself and we would have to make our way to exit for pick-up. Is this correct? If so how do I figure out which transportation service is best to book? TIA

My adult son had some words with him😐 Another thing I’ve noticed numerous times is people blowing their noses with the cloth napkins . Saw a visibly ill coughing, sneezing , sniffling guy give it a good blow in O’Sheann’s . Disgusting 🙄

Last week a woman at the dessert station took a piece of pie from behind the glass partition, brought it up to her nose. Gave it a noisy sniff, and then put it back. A man stuck his finger in the potato salad to check temperature. People sat on stairway steps 3 across eating and on their phones. People seem to be in their own little self centered world.

We are staying in Rome for 3 days before the cruise. Have also been there twice before. I agree it is a wonderful place to spend some time.

Thank you all so much for your information. We haven't booked our flights yet. Right now they're a lot more expensive than the actual cruise. It will most likely be the 12:55 flight so we should be alright with either NCL or private transfers.

Has anyone used NCL transfers from Civitavecchia cruise port to FCO? Our cruise in September docks at 6:30 am. When is the first transfer likely to be? Also, I can't find the cost of transfers without flight information which I don't have yet.TIA

We were on the Gem last week. There were several kinds of cookies on offer in the Great Outdoors every afternoon.

We just got off the Gem last week. Never saw any dirty areas. Staff was constantly cleaning common areas. There were very good cookies on back deck every day. There was Lox for breakfast in MDR . We had eggs Benedict on back deck in morning. Never waited more than a few minutes for a drink. As for no turn down in evenings and towel animals we never felt we needed them. Did not interfere with enjoyment of cruise. I guess everyone has a different experience. We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise.

I am very surprised that you were asked to leave District Brew House. We spent many hours playing cards and just enjoying the District on the Bliss. Our teen granddaughter was always with us.

We have a cruise booked that arrives back to Cittavechia at 6:30 am. I'm in the process of booking a flight out of FCO for that day. I'm finding a flight leaving at 11:00 am and one at 12:55 pm which is much more expensive. Would we be making a big mistake booking 11:00 am.? We would be getting a private transfer. Would appreciate any experiences we should be aware of.TIA

True, make sure you log out each time.

You will get 2 special meal vouchers. One includes a bottle of wine from a select list. You can use them at any specialty restaurant, but they need to be 2 different restaurants .

This past week my cruise which was paid off long ago showed a -$578 even though it said payment complete. Don't know why minus! Anyway, a few days later it disappeared. I would have called them before paying them if I had received that. 😃

The mock bookings have not included taxes and port fees for several months now. It clearly states they are not included. I agree it’s annoying to have to enter personal info to arrive at final price.

In Cagney’s one appetizer, one soup or salad, one entree , 2 sides , and dessert. In Bistro same but the sides depend on your entree order. Different sides for each entree.

I would have chosen EWR which is an easy ride from Philly area. Nonstop to Stockholm on United.

Just went to one in March. Most folks dressed in shorts. They just left whatever area they were in to come. At 1pm most were in poolside mode. It’s not a “cocktail party” atmosphere. Never met the captain. Mostly chef, customer service folks , dining room managers etc. As others have said mostly sales pitches for continuing to cruise with them. Still enjoyed talking to other latitude members about their cruises.