TiiiSailor

1 hour ago, esm54687 said:

Straws are available by request 

Are they paper straws?  If so, do they last for the duration of the drink?

23 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

Which 5 lines charge no corkage?

Viking Ocean doesn't charge a corkage fee.

Are NCL and a Celebrity ever in Bermuda at the same time?  Corporate must have something worked out. 

The cost of running the ferry to St. George is built into the cost of the cruise, as are any of the "free" perks offered.  Totally justified.  Otherwise they'd be out of business if they gave away all the extras.  

On 5/3/2019 at 5:34 PM, adam_s_allen said:

I bet those security personnel never have to buy any bottled water.

One time I had a full bottle of sports drink going through TSA at the airport I'd forgotten to leave in the car.  As I approached the screening area, after going through the "Disney" lines, I took out the drink, took a couple big swallows and at the end, before I put the cap back on, very visibly put a big backflush of fluid back into the bottle before it went into the barrel.  Also took a bite out of 10 apples in a bag when driving into California from Arizona many years ago upon finding out at the border I couldn't bring them into CA.  

On 4/25/2019 at 1:56 PM, dexddd said:

Even with it closed I never really thought it smelled to pool like you sometimes get at hotels.

That's because the pool's that have what most consider the traditional heavy "pool" or heavy chlorine smell is due to improper sanitation by those using the pool.  Not showering prior to using the pool, urinating in the pool, etc. are the causes of this smell.  Here's a link to a discussion on this "pool" smell.  So it's a good thing you don't smell this in the Haven pool.

https://chlorine.americanchemistry.com/Science-Center/Chlorine-Compound-of-the-Month-Library/Chloramines-Understanding-Pool-Smell/

What are the dining options for lunch on embarkation day onboard Gem?  I hear a lot of discussion about going to the buffet, but I was wondering what other restaurants are available besides the buffet.  I attempted a search for this topic and can tell you a lot of information about other cruise lines, but found nothing for NCL>

When the drink prices jumped up in January I went to a local liquor store to try and reconciliate the prices being charged.  Yeah.  The very high end drinks were expensive in the store.  The only way I could rationalize the prices charged before the recent reduction had to be based upon the onboard demand.  The drinks that suddenly jumped above the $15 limit of the UBP must have been asked for a lot.

The only source of a real answer to your question would be Viking.  They or no other cruise ship company would even begin to give you an answer to your question.  

I have a friend who works in an upscale hotel in the Boston area.  When someone checks in with a service or emotional support animal they are told that the animal must be with them at all times.  If the person doesn't want to adhere to that requirement they will be given a list of nearby hotels that accept animals.  The first time a guest is seen without their required service or support animal, they are given the boot out the door.  Well not physically kicked out, but told to leave.  Doesn't happen frequently, but does happen enough.

If the pools are kept at 85°F that could explain why you don't see anyone swimming laps.  That's way too warm to do serious lap swimming.  Most pools I've done lap swimming are kept between 70° and 75°F.  At 85°F you'd be sweating very quickly.  Yes, even while swimming.

On ‎1‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 2:07 AM, bbnjcruiser said:

Is there a new beverage package level to upgrade to?

Yes.  I saw it listed on another social media site at $35/day above the current UBP.  I think it included a higher drink price limit, water, and coffee's.

Another cruise line started including the DSC in the fare if the cruise was booked through the Australian site or your permanent address was in Australia about a year ago.

By making the DSC part of the fare the passenger isn't able to cancel or reduce the amount.

My wife and I had to cancel our last cruise four days prior to sailing due to a broken leg. Someone must have received a nice upgrade when they arrived for boarding. Fortunately for us, we did purchase travel insurance.

Just cool. They're not like your home refrigerator.

Flaham, Thank you. Guess it must be a conservation of energy thing. It would take a lot of energy to chill thousands of room refrigerators to 40°F.

All have mini fridges stocked with soda snacks and booze for a fee. Not much room for anything else. You can ask your steward to remove everything and then use if needed

Do the room refrigerators actually keep drinks cold or just cool below room temperature?

400 - http://bernews.com/2017/05/photos-bo-hengy-ii-began-providing-service/

 

SBtS

Thank you.

I had long suspected this happened to me once. I turned down a really pushy dude (and everyone else who offered it to me) because even 19 year old me was smart enough to not do stuff like that in a foreign country. When we returned from our excursion to get back on the ship, the police patted me down in a very invasive manner. I had a few red stripes that day and got pretty mouthy when the Jamaica pigs started grabbing for my "package" and caused enough of a scene that they let me go. I was really embarassed and saw the first guy who tried to sell it to me near the swine tent. They had to have had some type of racket going on. I hope they all are living a miserable life.

Of course it was a scam between the police and the dealer. He gives them a kickback and gets his drugs returned to sell another day. He probably pointed you out to the police because you wouldn't buy from him just so you'd get hassled.

Not sure why the cruise ships continue to stop at the ports that are known for these kind of shakedowns.

Never mind. When I did a search of this board I didn't use the search criteria the question was previously asked and answered. While viewing older threads I found my answer. There's no tax on the drinks served by the ship in port.

How many passengers does the NCL ferry carry?

I've read on various threads that while the ship is still in port, the ship is required to charge local taxes on alcoholic drinks served. Has anyone experienced this while the ship was docked in Bermuda?

Thank you all.

Unless a travel agent was making the plans, and going on the trip, all but one group shared the discount among all the friends traveling. I know one person of a group of friends was the "lead" person, only because when they were doing the booking that persons name was place in that block. When the others found out there was a discount and it wasn't shared, the person keeping the discount to themselves couldn't figure out why they were not invited to that groups cruises and functions anymore.

Using the Free at Sea Specialty Dinning option, what specialty restaurants can be used and which ones are not under that "freebie"? Reading the "small print" terms and conditions, I can't determine which ones fall into the allowed category.

Although not asked in this topic, Smoking on ships operating out of and around Australian/New Zealand waters is very restricted. There is absolutely zero inside smoking, including the casino. The assigned smoking areas are small and out of the way. Read of a family removed from the ship in a port in one of the Pacific islands for being caught smoking on their balcony. By the way, don't plan on purchasing cigarettes in Australia unless you want to spend $20+ per pack.