- Cruiselines allow people at risk to cruise = "irresponsible"
 

- Cruiselines don't allow people at risk to cruise = "discrimination"

- Cruiselines don't refund money already promised & paid by customers to pay contracted employees who have families to feed (because people have to feed their families even if they are unable to work due to virus) = "selfish"

- Cruiselines looking out for their employees + their business = "selfish"

- Cruiselines NOT looking out for their employees + their business = "selfish"

Bottom line: Cruiselines cannot win no matter what decisions they make. Cruiselines will always be seen as the "bad guy," because people want to have something/someone to blame for unfortunate events. Assume the best and try to see things from a positive perspective. 🙂
 

6 hours ago, blcruising said:

Then, it will depend just how long it takes for Coronavirus to blow over and then I have to hope NCL doesn't artificially inflate rates for a year so those with the FCCs aren't forced into booking at higher prices.

This was my first thought. How can NCL keep their business on the "winning team?" They offer FCC "peace of mind" for those who want to cancel, but increase their cruise prices through the next year to either deter people from cancelling and rebooking (they don't lose the money either way) or force people to pay even more money to rebook cruises and make up some of their lost profit. Fewer people cruising over the next few months with cancellations and inflated current prices will keep ships to fewer passengers, which means less chance of spreading illness, less chance of quarantine, and less mouths to feed if they do have to quarantine. When cruises over a year out get closer to sail away dates, they can drop prices and people will book but not have FCC to use. Win, win, win for NCL.

23 hours ago, sunsetsoon said:

Excellent idea, Sandy. A book club without a book - I like that. Not to mention More Musings from Ms. Mary - which will be the title of my next thread and that could happen January 2021. It seems Aprille has booked us on the Encore out of Miama on a round trip Panama cruise - 12 days no less. I will definitely stay with this thread but I have made some new rules for myself. We can talk about that tomorrow. In the meantime feel free to talk amongst yourselves and start remembering funny cruise stories. You are pretty good with words youself Sandy and even better with ideas. Cheers right back atcha my Canadian friend.

Am I the only "More Musings from Ms. Mary" fan that has now looked up the details on this January 2021 Encore sailing and considered booking to cruise with Ms. Mary? Oh, my... I hope I am not being creepy! 🙈

5 hours ago, sunshine55 said:

Off the Bliss 2/16..14 day cruise ...several movies up on deck..

Which deck are the movies held on? Are they listed in the dailies? Thank you!

Our first cruise was on the Dawn in 2016. NCL exceeded our expectations and went above and beyond to accommodate my 3 year old's multiple food allergies (including an anaphylactic peanut allergy and 6 other non-anaphylactic food allergens). We were not Haven guests... just booked in a regular ol' mini-suite. I went into the situation very nervous, but it only took a day or two for me to feel quite relaxed and confident in their ability to navigate allergy safety. This exceptional service is the main reason we have stayed brand loyal to the NCL cruise line.

This is just the best! I'm a third of your age & having the most wonderful time reading your upbeat and light-hearted perspective of your cruise! Your sense of humor is fantastic! So very refreshing and I am so glad you are sharing with us! 

Thank you very much for all of your suggestions! So helpful!

My family will be on a cruise that ports in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria, B.C. in mid-May. We really enjoy walking and seeing sights. What would you recommend doing that is within walking distance of the ports (or a very short shuttle ride)? Bonus if it is budget friendly and/or would be interesting to small children. We have a 6 & 1 year old, but they are used to long walks and hikes as this is something we do frequently in our family leisure time (I backpack the toddler). We love nature, wildlife, and historical monuments. This is our first time to Alaska, so we are looking for suggestions of things we don't want to miss seeing if we can! TIA!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! 🙂

My family of 4 (2 adults, an almost 7 year old & almost 2 year old) is cruising on the Bliss this spring. I am wondering if the current entertainment options (Six & Jersey Boys) would be appropriate and/or entertaining for my children. We cruised on the Dawn when my eldest was almost 3 and he enjoyed the shows (Elements & Showdown at the time, I believe), but those seemed family friendly with acrobats, magicians, etc. and by the descriptions, I cannot tell if Six & Jersey Boys would be boring to them. Both children sit in a movie theater just fine. If you have seen either of these shows, would you please chime in and let me know what you think? Thank you!

3 hours ago, shadowmeboy said:

 

I am going off of time stamps on my pictures here:

 

7:30 am sail into GPNP - be up earlier if you can the waters just outside GB, Icy Strait, have a ton of whale activity.

 

8 am - Rangers board the ship

 

10am - you will be up to Lamplugh Glacier

 

Lamplugh is where John Hopkins Intlet and the Turr Inlet split. There are two ships in Glacier Bay each day. One ship will go first to John Hopkins and the other goes to Margarie. Our sailing we went John Hopkins first.

 

John Hopkins - 10:45 ish

 

Margerie - noon

 

Rangers got picked up at about 3:30 pm. 

 

Rangers will have educational displays onboard. Suggestion: have a very light snack at 6am/630am; 9am go have breakfast; Have lunch after your second glacier (ie 1 -130 pm) then get back outside and watch sailing out. I stayed on deck 8 on the Bliss the whole time. Observation lounge is way too crowded and windows create reflections especially with how bright it is in there. The front of the ship is open, but crowded at the glaciers. find a couch on the waterfront and stake your claim!

Thank you SO much for taking your time to share this helpful information! I really appreciate it! 🙂

Good luck starting your new job today, @shadowmeboy! I hope all is going well!

When you have a moment to reply, do you remember approximately what time the ship entered Glacier Bay National Park and what time it departed? What times it passed some of the "must see" landmarks such as Margerie Glacier? I read another review where the author said she was unaware of what/when to be looking for the sights that day and pretty much missed them. I'd like to be able to have a tentative plan for when to be out on deck to soak up all the scenery. Thank you!

Thank you for this helpful guide! My family will be cruising on the Bliss this spring, so I appreciate your insight. 🙂

No experience with sand gunking up our stroller wheels, but I do know from experience that baby powder will soak up the moisture from sand on the skin and make it easy to brush the sand right off the skin. This might work on stroller wheels, too.

I appreciate the helpful advice! Thank you for taking time to respond!
 

To give a little more context, I am less concerned about packing diapers in our luggage and more trying to plan for the event that we run out and need to re-stock mid trip. Obviously, I would prefer not to fly with a massive box of diapers (haha), but we don't mind taking a reasonable amount on board in our luggage. Yes, roundtrip out of Seattle. The suggestion of picking them up in the Target near Pike Place before boarding ship is great! Speaking from previous experience, our last cruise was a 10 day with a toddler and as someone pointed out, with the change from regular diet and also eating more food than usual from endless buffets, my toddler ended up using more diapers than I would have expected we would need. We were in the Caribbean and I was not aware of any stores where we might purchase diapers nearby in port, so this time I am trying to be proactive for that "just in case" scenario. 🙂  The WalMart in Ketchikan sounds like a great option as we will be there on day 6 of 8. Thanks all!

1 hour ago, Coral said:

In Skagway - there is an IGA store a block or two off of the main drag:

 

Fairway Market Skagway AK

4th & State St, Skagway, AK 99840

 

This is probably going to be the most expensive compared to Juneau and Ketchikan as Skagway is so small. Though it is the only store I have gone to.

 

Also, if you are leaving from Seattle, you can probably buy some before boarding the ship.

Thank you very much! This type of first hand information about the ports is just what I was hoping to receive. Very helpful! Thank you again.

Just now, donaldsc said:

 

Try doing a Google search for big box stores in the ports that you will be visiting.

 

DON

Thank you!

6 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

You will find supplies like these in all ports easily. 

Thank you! Do you happen to know what store names I should keep an eye out for? WalMart/big box stores or smaller gift shop type stores?

We are booked for an Alaskan cruise this spring. We will port at Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria, BC. Do any of these ports have a shop within walking distance that carries toddler diapers in case we need to re-stock or do I need to pack the full weeks worth of diapers in our luggage? Thank you!

Thank you all very much for your help! We will definitely put the pack & play up only for sleeping. Thankfully my "infant" will be turning 2 right after the cruise, so she is big enough to run about the cabin & sleeping time is the only time that we need equipment to contain her and keep her safe. 😄 We will make it work. I am hopeful you all are right about the bed being closest to the balcony as that will mean my kids are furthest from the light while sleeping & also that hubby and I can hang out on the balcony at night without disturbing our sleeping children. Looking forward to our trip!

That is very helpful! Thank you, wcarib2009!

If anyone has used a pack & play on the Bliss before and can weigh in on where to put in in the room, I would appreciate it!

Hello! My family of 4 (2 adults, 1 child, 1 infant) are booked to sail the NCL Bliss this spring in a balcony room that sleeps 4 (#14872, starboard near aft). I have researched to no avail to find out the cabin configuration for this room to get an idea of where the pack & play for our infant will fit. I have received mixed information about which side of the room the twins that convert to a queen bed are on & when I look at floor plans, I am not sure where the provided infant bed fits in the room. Would someone in the know please provide some insight on this matter? Thank you so much!

Excellent! Thank you! I am used to flying where everything is weighed to the 10th of an ounce and strictly enforced. :)

We leave in the morning & I don't have time to search for my answer, so I am sorry if this is a redundant question!

Per NCL Website:

"How many suitcases can I bring? Each person is allowed up to two pieces of personal luggage on board, with each piece weighing a maximum of 50 pounds. However, if passengers are traveling by air, they need to check with the airline for specific restrictions."

Are these "2 pieces of luggage" including or in addition to carry-on? What about a purse or diaper bag?

Thank you!

I believed that sample/actual menu can be found on Beyondship's website - look under the Breakaway for it.

 

NCL possibly added oatmeal back, along with toast - choice of white or whole wheat bread ... (whether they would toast it or not, I am not sure ... but I will ask one of my nieces, sailing the Getaway this Sunday to check for us) Last year, one could get danish or mini bakery items - but, no white or wheat bread or bagel ... it was like, what the heck (and, they called it a continental breakfast, with no yogurt or fresh diced fruits - something that's a "given" on NCL and on other ships for years & years) Cereal + milk used to offered & available on the MCL Room Service menu.

 

Actually, the other subtle changes I noticed last year, the insulated coffee pot for room service actually "shrinked" & got downsized ... something most folks probably didn't pay attention to.

 

This was from 2011 and 2012 (Jewel & Gem) https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/NCL%20Cruising%20-%20General/NCL%20-%20Breakfast%20Order%20Form%202011.jpg

Did your niece say if there was any fruit on the complimentary menu?