TenForward

11 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

I was on the Pearl to Bermuda last week. 

Because its Bermuda, currently you need to get a Bermuda Travel Authorization ($40 + foreign transaction fee) from the Bermuda government. This requires proof of vaccination, as well as a negative Covid test within 4 days (2 days if it's an antigen test). 

Where/how do we get the Bermuda Travel Authorization and pay the fee?  We booked through a PCC and he made no mention of this.  I have 2 Bermuda cruises coming up this year and this is the first I've heard about it.  I'm guessing it's available on Bermuda's official tourism page.

Also Spice H2O Starboard side.   https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/smoking

2 hours ago, JandC_Cruising said:

 

You can then apply Cruise Next Certs as usual and apply the FCC100 as if it were actual cash to your Grand Total to pay off the cruise.

Hope that helps....

 

Extremely helpful, thank you!   I so appreciate your detailed response.   

I've seen plenty of threads on this topic but not quite what I'm searching for...

Our March 2020 cruise was cancelled by NCL due to Covid and we were issued a 125% FCC.  We rebooked for February 2021.  That too was cancelled by NCL and they extended an additional 10% FCC.   We've since rebooked for July 2022.   I cannot for the life of me see where the extra 25% or 10% are applied. 

Our original fare charged to my credit card was $2400, (we also used 2 Cruise Next certs. in the amount of $250 each bringing the cruise total to $2,900).  Our new cruise payment breakdown shows "total payments applied $2900" (which also includes our 2 Cruise Next certs).   Isn't that an even 100% credit and not the extra 25% + 10% ??   I have called my PCC and to his credit, he spent a lot of time on the phone with me but to be honest he used a lot words to say not much of anything and never made clear to me how this could be.  I felt like I was buying a used car (in clarity terms only, I really did appreciate him trying to help but it still remains clear as mud to me). 

Is there something I'm missing, like do they apply the credit to the fare before I even see it on my Confirmation?     It just doesn't make sense to me to see the original amount paid to be the same amount applied when there should have been additional credits added in.

Thanks for any help! 

4 hours ago, seemoreroyals said:

We booked a spa balcony on Breakaway on deck 14 directly below fitness center this past December.  Came with free access to thermal spa.  Great location.  No noise issues at all in our case if that is what you are concerned with.  Breakaway and Getaway layout are nearly identical.  Hope this helps.

Yes, mostly the noise I was concerned about...seeing both the fitness center and the pool 1 deck up.  Good to know there were no noise issues.  Thanks!

Trying to decide between a spa cabin or a balcony on the Getaway in December...  I don't care for the location of the spa cabins (beneath the fitness center) so I think I'd rather go with a balcony and then purchase a thermal suite pass for the week.  Wondering if there is a limited number of spa passes in which case we would not get one?  Our friends are booked in an actual spa cabin so we wouldn't want to not have access.   Are there any other advantages to the spa cabins (aside from the thermal suite) that we might be missing by booking a regular balcony?

Thanks in advance.

1. Le Bistro (was surprised this was my favorite but food was outstanding)

2. Teppenyaki (it's fun and I love hibachi)

3. Pinchos (for lunch -- and I always pay here as plates are cheap -- food is amazing)

4. Cagney's (love the menu but it's been a bit hit or miss on quality)

18 hours ago, crowandzah said:

This is what my husband says. 

and mine.

Anyone know the current cost of Vibe on Joy?   It's been awhile since we've had passes (on Escape) and they were $99 then.  I know it's gone up.

Have not been in Haven but I can say I love the quietness of Vibe and the attention of the staff...  drinks, cool towels, fruit skewers, ice cream... they're very attentive without being intrusive.  

No pool but there was a hot tub and a nice misting area when I was on Escape. 

7 hours ago, a1betpr said:

 

I believe there is no shuffleboard on the Joy.  Ping pong and giant chess but I didn't see shuffleboard anywhere, and even commented to my wife that I didn't see shuffleboard while we were on the ship.

Oh bummer.  Oh, well.  We like ping pong too 😄

7 hours ago, Beth Y said:

I didn't use the pool, but a friend took this photo.  Sorry, I didn't notice if there was shuffleboard.  I saw people playing with this big chess set.

 

 

Thanks for the pics!

6 hours ago, philpcruiser said:

Doesn't NCL run a complimentary ferry to St. George?  If so, how many runs does it make per day?  Unfortunately, we are on the Summit and X doesn't provide a free ride.  

They did in 2019 although the last one back to the dockyard was around 4:00 p.m.   I'm hoping the ferry is on loan (do they do that?) and will be back once things pick up again with cruising.  

On 10/3/2021 at 8:36 AM, philpcruiser said:

We're booked to cruise to Bermuda next July ('22).  We're hoping everything is back to normal by then (transportation-wise).  We'd like to spend a decent amount of time in/around St. George, so are thinking of taking the ferry from the dockyard and returning by taxi.  Are there enough taxi's in St. George as not to worry about getting back?  Should we also consider a bus back? The ferry back does not seem to run often enough.  Thoughts?

We're also booked to Bermuda in July '22 (on the Joy).  This will be my 4th visit to Bermuda and 3rd cruise there.  We like to go to St. George's and spend the day and have dinner there...getting a taxi after 5:00 ish I think is difficult at least for our group of 6.  it's a small town that pretty much shuts down other than a couple of restaurants.  The Wahoo restaurant manager managed to get a taxi for us each time but he had to do it through someone he knew, not just by calling a service.  It's a long trip to Royal dockyard and back for the driver so I think they're not all anxious to do it.  We've waited more than an hour for one.  Not a big deal but at 9:00p.m. after a long day and a good meal I'm ready to get back to the ship.  The trip back is about 50 minutes if I remember right and over $100 for our group.   

This is sad news.  So glad I made it there and got to watch them blow glass.  I purchased some beautiful Christmas ornaments in 2019 which I gave as gifts and kept a couple for my own tree.  Sounds like he's trying to keep something going in another part of the island.  I hope he succeeds. 

We just booked our cruise 3 days ago on the Joy to Bermuda in 2022.  I've been on the Escape twice and Breakaway once and I just love the Waterfront areas on those ships... was glad to learn Joy has that as well.    

What was the pool situation like?  We usually spend our time in Vibe or Spice but I see Spice on the Joy has only 1 hot tub in the covered area... I do wish it was out on the deck and not under a roof.

Oh, and did you happen to notice if there's shuffleboard?   My friends and I have such a blast playing that.  We grab a drink, kick off our shoes and enjoy the quieter side of the ship. 😄

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and pictures!

4 hours ago, TrumpyNor said:

 

You can easily see all your Cruise Next certificates (and also any Future Cruise Credit if  you have chosen that for a cruise cancelled by NCL) by clicking on "My account" on top of the page after you have logged in, and then choose "My account" again. 

First any booked cruises are listed, and then follows a list of any CruiseNext certificates or other credits,like this:

 

My "My Account" looks rather different and I don't get the "Coupons and Credits" portion - just ads.   I don't know if it's because I'm in the US?   This is what I see:

On 4/3/2020 at 6:01 PM, greenstuff said:

Where did you get that information?

My Cruise Next certificates were returned to my account and then I received 125% FCC on the balance

25% FCC also includes Cruise Next amount

Are you able to see your Cruise Next certificates in your account?  The same process was done for me with my FCC however I'm not able to actually see my CN cert. as far as I can tell.  NCL PCC assured me "they're there" but in times like these I like to see for myself. 

Edit - I found them!  Didn't realize you have to actually click on "make a payment".   My Cruise Next certificates are noted at the bottom of that page with their expiration date. 

19 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

Wow, I didn’t realize the bioluminescent excursions were so intense!! I wonder if they all involve that much paddling or if there are less strenuous ones.

Not sure about cruise excursions but I've vacationed many years in Puerto Rico and our bioluminescent tours have always been very relaxing. We've never kayaked -- always ridden in a boat, sometimes on a larger with an open canopy to see the stars as well. Once we rode in a local's wooden rowboat that had an electric motor.  He took the 4 of us out for $5.00.  We tipped him well at the end. 

3 hours ago, jticarruthers said:

THis explains why they are "unboarding" the people who just boarded Sky this afternoon ... they didnt even make it to sailaway

 

How utterly depressing.  Imagine flying in, boarding (maybe purchasing your Vibe passes), getting your first cocktail, sitting down for a nice lunch and then told to disembark.  Ugh.  

3 hours ago, seaman11 said:

you mean for good? i doubt it 

I doubt that too.  There was some brief talk about a Cruise sector bailout today at the press conference. 

I wonder how the refund works with a Visa gift card?  My sisters used them (they were Christmas gifts) as part of their payments.  Unlikely they still have the actual gift cards to credit but NCL says they will refund "in the original form of payment."

I see the global COVID-19 map that Johns Hopkins is maintaining has added a category for "Cruise Ship" as if it were a country. 

14 hours ago, firstimerhaven said:

First time cruisers here.  We have two teenagers who are currently 14 and 18.  They were super excited for the Escape.  We had cabins in the Haven which I was super excited about! We were all excited about the Western Caribbean ports.  Looking for a cruise for Winter break to replace this one.  Escape will be in dry dock.  We want a boat that is similar.  Getaway has a cruise from NY to Florida and Bahamas.  Epic has one from San Juan to Southern Caribbean.  The Getaway has more at sea days.  Not actually sure if that is good or bad.  Seems like there is so much to do on the ships!  Trying to keep costs similar to the FCC we will have and the Western Caribbean cruises in December right now are about 25% more than what we paid but the other two are similar to what we paid.  My other question is, will the prices go down or up?  I'm afraid that so much is already booked for December and on Tuesday, when everyone who doesn't want to go now gets their credit, will everyone be rebooking right away or waiting?  That will affect pricing.  Any help would be appreciated.

The Getaway would be most similar to the Escape if that matters to you.  The Epic wouldn't have The Waterfont (my favorite feature on the the Breakaway Class ships).

1 hour ago, havanadaydreaming said:

 

Also, the 5 o'clock somewhere bar was shuttered. 

 

This makes me sad. 5 o'clock somewhere is always our first stop when we board.  A great place for a waterside drink and getting into cruise mode.   We will be on the Escape in April... I wonder what will take its place.   I'd heard about the changeover for Margaritaville but hadn't really thought about the 5 o'clock somewhere bar - which I should have, of course.  Bummer.

5 O'clock Somewhere bar on the waterfront for a drink before going to the MDR for lunch.   

Yes, your drink package works in Vibe.  They'll bring treats at certain times of the day too, fruit on a skewer, cookies, ice cream.  There was no extra charge for these.