trivimp

1 hour ago, ECCruise said:

Not for decades.  Pork is recommended to be cooked ONLY to medium, no more.  Trichinosis is long ago gone.

 

To be complete in the discussion, trichinosis parasites can still be found in game meat, or occasionally in pigs raised in semi-wild settings where they can come into contact with wild rodents.  It is NOT found in domestic pigs raised in confinement.  Trichinosis infection has become very rare since the 50s or so.  

Gem is doing some Sixthman music charters during that interval.  

I've got one coming up in a couple weeks (yaaayyyy!!) We've done a hometown gift exchange in the past, but I'm not planning on doing one again anytime soon; they often end up being food items & I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that in this post-COVID era.

Instead, I am planning on a small raffle where you have to introduce yourself to three people & ask each one a question about their hometown.  The questions are meant to spark a little conversation, natch.  Then, turn in your filled-in sheet to be entered in a drawing for some small tchotchkes (think: cute lanyards or the like) 

Another reason to cruise late in the season:  better chance of seeing the Northern Lights 

Great review, thanks for writing it!

A thing to keep in mind: There are lots of stories on the webz about people who left their drapes open only to find that they were unintentionally exposed due to worker on balcony/worker on window washing rig/another cruise ship docked a few yards away overnight/whatever.  I have a little "oops" story about waking up from a nap (in my obstructed oceanview cabin) to the presence of a maintenance guy in the lifeboat right outside. 

TLDR: your cabin & balcony are not totally private areas, plan your wardrobe accordingly.  

From the Latitudes Rewards page:

On Norwegian Bliss, Moderno is replaced by Los Lobos or Q. On Norwegian Joy, Moderno is replaced by Food Republic or Q. In Food Republic, the benefit entitles each guest to a total food value of $35 per guest. On Norwegian Encore, Moderno or La Cucina is replaced by Los Lobos or Q.

2 hours ago, craig01020 said:

That's odd that in the EU and Canada you can pay while booking, or should I say whilst booking. 😉

It used to be available on the US website, too, right after you chose/declined insurance.  I guess it disappeared after some update or another.  NCL website is buggy at the best of times 🤨

It is an option after you book, actually; up until 48 hours before sailing, I believe.  On your MyNCL page, go to the Summary page on the cruise, Pre Pay Services Charges is the third section down (right below Payments.)  Click on the plus sign to expand the section, check the box to prepay, then continue to checkout.  

The B4 "family balcony" cabins on my 10/3 Gem cruise seem to be pretty undersold, they dropped by quite a bit more than the regular BF balconies did after final payment.  I think it's because there's less demand for "family" cabins due to the younger kids not able to be vaxxed yet -- not as many families sailing.  So the pricing algorithm pushed 'em way down... even though there's no real difference between the two cabins.  I snagged an upgrade for cheap 🙂 

2 minutes ago, podgeandrodge said:

I am Platinum with a single occupancy booking coming up.  I have a friend coming with their own separate cabin, who is not Plat.  

 

Am I right in saying I can bring them to the 2 Plat. meals with me?

Yes, that's exactly right.  You'll have two vouchers in your cabin which entitle you to a meal for you & a guest at [specified restaurant].  

Ah, that explains it; I don't think I've ever tried it inside of final payment.   You might be out of luck 😞 but perhaps you could call back & get a more flexible agent on the second try.  

I've done it many times.  I usually don't even bother to call, just go to make a partial payment online via the MyNCL website & choose "My Payments & Credits" on the dropdown for payment type.  Your CruiseNext should appear in that list if it's available to use.  

Refunded to the card you gave at check-in.  The whole thing is a cashless enterprise for the most part.  

On 8/31/2021 at 2:17 PM, zerooveride said:

So we just stayed in a Club Balcony Suite on Encore last week (Cabin 8136). We received 2 snakes during the week and the cheap sparkling wine...

I hope you said "I am tired of these mother ****ing snakes on this mother ****ing ship!" 

1 hour ago, victory2020 said:

OK, if you have a negative balance at the end, what happens? (I have a lot of OBC). Since you are knowledgeable - can you use purchased OBC for tips?

If you have a negative balance, it will be refunded at the end, minus the amount of any nonrefundable OBC.

You can use purchased OBC for the daily service charge, but nonrefundable OBC can't be used for that purpose.

Basically, if it's OBC that you paid for, you can use it like cash.

If it's OBC that you were given as some sort of benefit or award -- stockholder, World Points, whatever -- then it can't be used for DSC, but you can use it to purchase goods & services, such as gift shop items, spa services, dining, or CruiseNext certs.  

If you're cancelling onboard, the credit goes to your freestyle account.  They only settle your tab once at the end of the cruise.  

If you need to chew up nonrefundable OBC, CruiseNext certificates are a good option, especially considering that they can be resold pretty easily.  

You can cancel an excursion & book a new one at the Shore Excursions desk on board, no problem.  Any difference in cost will be charged or credited to your account. 

That... was a substantially well-written review.  Thanks for posting it.  

9 minutes ago, oteixeira said:

I have always wanted to ask this, I think this may be a good spot to do it.  For those talking about the inwardness of Epic, is it because you enjoy the couches and chairs on the breakaway class ships deck 8 area ?  I know lots of people love that area but I would much rather just chill out on my balcony then on the waterfront deck (although I know many folks do, and I often pass by people even napping out there).  So, maybe it is more something that would bother an inside/ocean view room passenger?

Just trying to understand it before I book and find out it would be a problem for me.

 

I love the Waterfront areas, also the promenade areas on the Jewel-class ships.  One of my Epic cruises was in a studio, so yes, that was probably a big part of it.  But I also like watching the sea while I get my drank on 🙂 and there aren't many bars with an ocean view on Epic.  It felt like I was cruising in a high-end mall, to be honest.  But the Studio lounge was great, and I really liked SpiceH2O, which was one of the few drinky-ocean spots.  

Least favorite is Epic, not due to the bathroom layout (I actually like the separate sink & toilet areas,) but due to the closed-in feeling.  Hard to find a place to sit & chill while watching the sea.  But I wouldn't mind sailing on her again, no question... no such thing as a bad cruise 🙂 

I loved the Star, she was a perfect size for me.  We had no mechanical issues on our Panama transit.  

Sodas will be served in barware (plastic on pool deck, glass anywhere else) at any bar.  You could then pour it into your reusable bottle if you like.  You could also use your bottle to get water from the tap or the buffet.  Some people don't like tap water, but I've found it to be just fine. 

For any beverage, soda or booze, the bartender will swipe your card to verify that you have the beverage package.  If you order a fancy-pants drink that is over $15, the difference + a 20% gratuity will be charged to your account.  (so, an $18 drink will cost you $3.60)  In some US ports, there is also a small municipal tax collected for all drinks served while in port.  Your server will tell you if you're going to be charged.  It's a matter of less than a dollar per drink, totally worth it in my mind for a sailaway celebratory toast 🙂 

1.  "I'll have the iceberg wedge salad, hold the bacon bits, served as an entree, with a side of grilled mushrooms & some truffle fries."

2.  "I'll have a club soda with a twist."

Also, every time I have not enthusiastically eaten every bite on my plate at any restaurant on board any ship, it brings the waiter with a concerned look, asking if I didn't like it, could he bring me anything else, and so forth.  (Happens frequently to me, because I've had gastric surgery & can eat only half an entree on a good day)  If they saw your wife picking at her sad tofu & didn't offer her something else, I would be quite surprised.  

I actually like the art auctions, but to each one's own.  Just don't get caught up in the "rare & valuable" hype, it's not.  The free piece of art is generally a small (8x12 or so) serigraph, sometimes nice enough to warrant a cheap frame once you get it home, sometimes so ugly you can just throw it out. 

17 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

exactly. I'll be doing a review and I'm sure be sure to post pictures of me waiting cheerfully for the gondola. 

I want to cruise with Aubrey 🙂 Great attitude!

Seriously, people, it's like the second or third (*) time that this new port complex has been used... if you think it's going to be running like clockwork at this point, you don't really understand the process, I think.  Your choices are: 1) be glad that you are cruising again on one of the earliest sailings or 2) wait a while & sail later, when stuff will no doubt be smoother.

* Depending on if you are counting the test cruise 

Sixthman is the company that does the full-ship music charters.  KISS Kruise, Outlaw Country Cruise, Keeping the Blues Alive, all kinds of genres.

We were on a cruise a couple years ago that had a heavy-metal charter boarding right after us, featuring Megadeth & Anthrax.  We had fun people-watching the crowd coming in to the port drop-off area as we were waiting for our ride to pick us up.  Not your usual cruise wardrobe 🤘☠️