The Traveling Man

The purpose of assigning check-in times is to spread out the arrival of passengers over a period of several hours, thus reducing the crowding. If everyone were to adhere to their assigned times, then there would not be a long line of thousands. IF.

On our first couple of cruises after the restart, NCL offered COVID testing at no additional charge. We had to sign up for a reservation to be tested. They enforced that reservation time quite rigidly. After you received your test results, though, you were allowed to proceed to the cruise check-in immediately, regardless of what check-in time appeared on your cruise documents. At least that's the way it was for us in Seattle and Rome.

In more than 30 NCL cruises, no port terminal personnel have ever even looked at the arrival time on my documents prior to my entering the security checkpoint and making my way to the check-in counter.

Hearts of Palm, Caprese salad, sushi, soup, plus a variety of veggies to build your own salad. It might seem like a waste to pass up the all-you-can-eat parade of meat, but you definitely can get your fill from just the salad / antipasto bar.

I'm sorry to hear that RCL has cancelled these cruises, but NCL still lists more that a half dozen full transits of the canal among its itineraries for 2024. In addition, there also are another half dozen cruises which either do a partial transit or at least visit a port in Panama. Thus far there is no need to panic about NCL's plans regarding Panama.

https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

When I checked for cruises of eight days or fewer, departing from European ports in 2024, the search returned eight entries. Six of them were seven day cruises, one was for eight days, and one was a four day trip. The ships include the Escape and the Getaway. All of the itineraries will are in the Mediterranean. There are a variety of departure days, including Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Departure ports are Athens, Barcelona, and Civitavecchia (Rome). Most are round trips, but the four day cruise sails from Barcelona to Civitavecchia while three of the week long journeys go from Civitavecchia to Trieste (Venice). Admittedly those cruises represent only a small percentage of the total number of European cruises which NCL offers for 2024, but they do include several interesting options, especially the ones from Civitavecchia to Trieste.

We hesitated for years before taking our first Transatlantic cruise. We figured that we would be bored to tears by the third sea day. As it turns out, we really enjoy the relaxed pace. The advantage of simply losing one hour of sleep a night for six or seven nights sure beats trying to sleep on a plane and then experiencing jet lag. We've taken three TAs now, and always try to find one anytime we're going to Europe. Unfortunately, they usually run eastbound only in the Spring, so we'll be flying over in a couple of months for our next European adventure. We may do another in 2024 or 2025, though.

They eliminated my favorite a couple of years ago, the Chocolate Napoleon. Of the ones currently offered, I usually select either the Marquise au Chocolat or the Poire Belle-Helene. But then again, I'm a chocoholic.

I agree. I think NCL will be able to find a large number of potential passengers who have both the financial ability and the available time to take longer, relaxing vacations. A second advantage of longer cruises is that they frequently visit ports which otherwise would be bypassed by shorter cruises. That adds variety to the cruise and added incentive to choose the longer itinerary.

It seems that is exactly what their crystal ball is telling them. I understand that it works a hardship on some, but apparently NCL believes that there are lots of folks who prefer to get their money's worth out of their expensive airfare by staying longer on fewer trips than making multiple short journeys.

I wonder if the drop in occupancy may be the result of fewer children as third or fourth passengers in the room on longer voyages. It would seem to make sense that large families might be less inclined to take longer cruises than couples would. That might account for the expected drop. Since third and fourth passengers frequently travel at a reduced fare, I wonder if NCL might actually come out ahead financially with a slightly lower occupancy rate on longer itineraries.

Longer cruises aren't for everyone. Many passengers face time constraints which make week long or even shorter cruises appropriate for them. OTOH, many other cruise passengers definitely prefer longer cruises. They have the time available to spend longer stretches away from home. For some, they must fly 10 to 12 hours to another country, spend another day trying to overcome jet lag, and face a similar experience on their return trip home. Rather than taking a couple of short vacations, it may make more economic sense to travel across the ocean just once per year, then spend an extended vacation, seeing many different locales, before returning home. NCL evidently believes that most passengers wishing to cruise in Europe fall into this category. Longer cruises work out better for my wife and me. When we have to fly a dozen or so hours to reach our destination, we usually plan on at least a month away from home. That usually includes two or three cruises, perhaps back to back, or perhaps with a few days in between to explore on our own with a land vacation. Personally I am happy that NCL has begun offering longer, more intensive European cruises. Our next scheduled trip includes two nine-day cruises back-to-back, then several days in Provence, followed by a Seine River cruise and a stay in a chateau in Normandy. I understand and appreciate your circumstances. Many of NCL's upcoming cruises in Europe are longer than a week, but it is possible that they may offer some shorter trips in the future, as well. I would recommend keeping your options open, checking back with the NCL website periodically, and perhaps you may find a journey which fits your needs.

I requested my upgrade just a few days after NCL implemented the new benefits. The agent at NCL with whom I spoke hadn't even heard about it. She found a press release, training aid, or some other info and read it aloud as I waited on the phone. Once she figured out that my request was legitimate, she updated my reservation on the spot to the stateroom number I had requested. As I understand it now, however, the process takes days, NCL assigns the cabin number, and you have no option to keep your original room if you don't like the room they assign you. It was great while it lasted, but I doubt that we will ever bother to use my wife's Diamond upgrade.

It worked out well for us to have drinks and dessert there. You're probably right, though. It might not have been suitable for an entire meal.

I figured that. It just made for a humorous juxtaposition. 😉

Amazing that they had Jamaican beer in Norway.

It has been over six years since we sailed on the PoA, so terms and conditions may have changed. As I recall, though, things were handled the same in Hawai'i as they are on any other NCL ship at any other port of embarkation. You will be assigned an arrival time if you did not choose one at the time you made your reservation. In over 30 NCL cruises, however, no one has ever examined our documents to verify that we arrived at the cruise terminal at the appointed hour. If you arrive too early, you may find that the porters have not yet come on duty and there will be no one to accept your luggage. If the porters are present, though, you simply get in line to hand off your bags, making sure that you have a bag tag on each to indicate your stateroom number. Your room number should appear on the cruise documents which you can download from the NCL website beginning about three weeks before your cruise departure date. Thus you should know your stateroom number, and that's all the porters have ever asked me for when giving them my bags. The porters don't care what you do after that point. You will enter the cruise terminal, where someone will examine your documents, paying particular attention to your passport or other identity papers. This is not the check-in desk, but merely an identification check. Next comes the security check, usually with an X-ray machine similar to those used at an airport. You then will enter a line for the actual check-in process. There usually will be several lines, one for general boarding, one or more for Latitudes priority members, one for passengers traveling in a Suite or the Haven, etc. Choose the appropriate line, proceed to the desk, have your photo verified or a new photo taken, get your key card, and board the ship. If you complete the check-in process before the ship is ready to accept new passengers, you will be directed to a waiting area and may board when your group has been called for boarding. NCL asks that all passengers report to the cruise terminal to begin the check-in process not less than two hours before the ship's scheduled departure time. We have never encountered any restrictions, however, about what passengers may do after dropping off their luggage but before they entered the terminal to begin the boarding process. The overwhelming majority of passengers immediately enter the terminal after dropping off their bags. Generally, most passengers seem eager to get on board as soon as possible so they can settle into their life on board, get started taking advantage of their beverage package, have lunch, or sign up for dining reservations or show times. If you find that you have a few hours to fill between your arrival at the port and last call for check in, there should be no restrictions to prevent you from spending that time on your own. Just be sure to return to the port in time to complete the check-in process. In most ports, though, the distance from the port to a point of interest, the relatively short amount of available time, and the lack of readily available tours that will fit the time and distance constraints, means that it usually is not practical to drop your bags then take a tour. YMMV.

Sorry, my timing must have been off. I thought that unfortunate episode occurred several months ago and that the post which I saw was more recent. My mistake. I really do miss Mike's comments, though.

Blu also has an outdoor seating area. It only is available when the weather is nice, so you may not be able to take advantage of it on your current cruise. Only once during our times at Blu did they offer it, and then only after we had finished our main course. They invited us outside to enjoy our desserts as we watched the sunset.

You're welcome. Glad to know you found my comments helpful. James

Wait a sec... Beef Tartare very well done? Isn't Beef Tartare supposed to be prepared rarer than rare?😉

Ounce of prevention vs. pound of cure. I really don't care for the look and feel of wearing a mask. I wore one every work day for more than a year during the pandemic. I'm glad that requirement is over. OTOH there are lots of illnesses which can be spread by those who are coughing, sneezing, etc. I would prefer not to get sick while on a cruise vacation, so I'll put up with a little inconvenience if it increases the odds of avoiding problems.

Coughing, hacking, wheezing, and sneezing. If it became as pervasive as @What A Market suggests, I would put on mine.

Are masks beginning to reappear?