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Observation lounge was a fan favorite on our recent cruise. It seemed to have a good amount of traffic also. Nice to have a quiet space with snacks and Starbucks. Would be a shame to lose it.

Does anyone know how long it takes for CAS to incorporate recent play into its new offers? Should I wait days/weeks/months before trying to book another cruise? Would gaining around 6k points, from 0 to Pearl, while booking a loss, get a decent offer? I believe I haven't played that heavy in the past and have usually been offered comp Interiors.

Recently on the Joy. Dealers insisted on not taking your card, stating you get no points or benefits. A handful of players went to the floor to make sure they got clocked in. Can confirm 10% up to $25, but the players are very recreational. 

Does anyone know if you leave money on your key card by not printing a cash out ticket at a slot, will it be credited to the cabin at the end of the cruise or is that money lost?

Strong currents in the Hudson river delayed docking

Hello again, everyone! 

We've just returned from our trip and I must say it was fantastic! We're already daydreaming about the next one. A big shoutout to the staff on board, who were simply excellent throughout the journey.

Adjusting nap time was indeed a challenge. Since most sit-down places open up at noon and our little one's nap time falls within the 1230-230pm range, we had to make some compromises. Additionally, some dinners, especially in the Manhattan room, ran a bit long (>2 hours) and really pushed our kid's patience to its limits. To be honest, we caved and gave in to more screen time than we typically would at home. 

One unexpected highlight of the trip for our toddler was the elevators and sliding doors - he simply couldn't get enough of them! As for sleeping arrangements, we were able to fit a Graco Pack and Playyard in our balcony room. It was a tight fit, but manageable once we arranged the beds towards the balcony and asked the room steward to set up the sofa bed without sliding it out. However, we found ourselves needing to rock the baby to sleep as he was not accustomed to others being in the room at bedtime.

For our beach days in Bermuda, we visited Snorkel Park and Coco Reef. While Snorkel was a bit windy and rocky, Coco Reef offered a peaceful and isolated setting, complete with pool access and lunch options. During the cab rides, our baby sat on our laps. We had brought a car seat but ultimately decided to leave it on the ship. For strolling around, we found the Minu to be the perfect size travel stroller.

Meal times were another aspect we had to juggle. Our early riser meant we spent most mornings at the Garden Buffet, where we would also stock up on milk cartons and snack foods - real lifesavers on several occasions. The Free at Sea Premium Plus package also allowed us to bring back large cartons of water each time, which was great.

We had the opportunity to enjoy specialty dining on three of the seven nights. Upon boarding, we were fortunate enough to secure early reservations at Teppanyaki and Le Bistro. Additionally, we managed to fit in a visit to the Food Republic later in the week, taking advantage of some rare openings. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to utilize all of our specialty dining packages. Due to challenges in coordinating a reservation that could accommodate our group, we regrettably let an extra four packages expire.

As for internet, we had two packages split between three people, which worked out well. We had to bump each other off the login every so often, but it was fine for our messaging needs. We decided to forego the WiFi travel router this time.

To sum it up, our experience has underscored how sensitive our little one is to changes in his sleep schedule. In light of this, we're resolved to prioritize his rest in our future travel plans. We were extremely lucky to have other family members on board who were willing to step in and take over some of the night shifts when needed. Had it been just us and the baby, we would have had to turn in at 7:30 pm each night, which would have considerably limited our ability to enjoy the evening entertainment and activities on the cruise.

Thanks again for all the advice and tips everyone provided. This cruise was a great experience and I hope our experience will be of use to others planning a similar trip!

Was in Manhattan room on Monday for the Joy. Yellow label champagne is offered for 40% discount.

If anyone's going to the NYC pier today, I'd love to hear any updates on how the crowd is! Thanks

4 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

Joy is another of the newer ships, couch is built-in. What cabin are you in? I might be able to advise. 
 

 

Thanks. It's a family balcony (B4). Got three adults and a 1.5 year old.

Just now, bluesea777 said:

Please see post # 10. The couch is built in and cannot be removed. 
 

Which ship are you going on?

 

 

The Joy. Our PnP is about 28 inches wide

On 1/7/2023 at 8:20 AM, jgrizzle13 said:

Hi there, 

Cruising as a family of 4 in April 2022- 2 kids age 1 & 4. My question is, is it possible for the sofa to be removed from the room so we have extra floor room for a pack and play? My daughter can use the upper pull down bed, I assume. Does a pack and play even fit on an NCL balcony cabin? 

 

Also, if anyone has any tips for cruising with littles, let us know!

 

Trying to find a way to fit our pack and play. Were you able to remove the sofa?

Does anyone know if this is this a boilerplate email, or will this really be strictly enforced?

Due to Norwegian Joy's 11:00 pm departure time and anticipated terminal congestion with other vessels in port, check-in will take place between 4:00 pm and 9:00 pm. In order to ensure a smooth embarkation process we kindly ask that you arrive to the port at the arrival time you select during online check-in.

Port arrival times will be strictly enforced, and we ask that guests do not arrive to the terminal prior to 4:00 pm. Guests who arrive prior to the port arrival time selected at online check-in, will be turned away.

Were you able to enter the terminal and board at the Manhattan terminal before your assigned 4pm? We're looking at an evening check-in option which feels like a big waste.

On 4/28/2023 at 11:25 AM, gregluk said:

This was the old flyer 

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Beverage_Packages_01232023.pdf

Looks like they're dated. Heres one that I had a link to: https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/790164-BEV_Package_Flyer_UOBP_PPBP_Update_FINAL_2_6_23_1.pdf

13 hours ago, vacation44 said:

I would take a taxi instead.  It will be cheaper than $100 and you can be on your own timetable. 

Maybe 5 years ago we took a taxi to either Horseshoe or Elbow beach but it was difficult to get one back. The guy gave us "his number" which never picked up or responded to a text. Luckily after waiting a bit someone got dropped off and we were able to take that back. Is it different now?

I'm thrilled to be heading on a pretty last minute 7-day cruise to Bermuda with my family of 5 adults and a 20-month-old toddler aboard the Joy. While we've been to Bermuda before, this will be our first time taking a cruise with a baby, so I'm looking for any advice or tips you might have. It's also been many years since a family cruise, so I have a lot of general questions as well.

• Can we get water delivered to our room with the Free at Sea Premium Plus package?
• Is it possible to get a crib in a balcony room? Bring our own?
• Will we need a car seat? We're within Uber distance of the port, and we plan on taking a Taxi to and from Elbow/Horseshoe beaches in Bermuda. Do we have a choice?
   

Our only plans in Bermuda is to go to the beach for a few hours on 2 of the days. Our little one usually sleeps at 7:30 pm and takes a nap around 1:30 pm for one to two hours. As such, we want to plan our activities around her schedule to avoid any cranky moments. We've got 4 specialty dining nights to spend, and it looks like early times have been booked already.

• What are your thoughts on pushing naptime to accommodate beach days?
• What are the chances that walk-ins for dining are accepted? 

On the last cruise we went in 2018, we had an unlimited connection and shared wifi through a wifi hotspot device in the room which was great for mornings and nights. I have to find the one we were using. We've got two unlimited packages this go around, is there any updated recommendations? Will the wifi splitter work and are there any recommended devices?

Lastly, do you have any other advice or tips for traveling with a toddler on a cruise?

Thank you all in advance for your help!

I did not notice the dynamic drop down that appears after choosing that. Thank you!

Is there a way to restrict where to search when using mobile mode?

Just got off a quick call, but a long hold, with CAS and heard that I qualify for 20% off my next cruise. Before I call back, I figured I'd ask here. Does anyone know if it's worth booking via CAS if there's 40% off and multiple offers on the site? Would the 20% off be compounded on those website offers?

Anyone try to change chips for Euro on the Epic? Are there fees or limits?

Epic specific question - does anyone have any good hacks for the bathroom situation? Not a fan of the open bathroom space. Can things be hung on the doors so that it becomes a little more private. Any sound/smell dampening techniques?

1 minute ago, LisaSp said:

Have you checked your cruise's roll call? I found some good and helpful info there as well as on the Italy, France, and Spain ports of call boards. I am going on Epic in September as well. We booked semi private excursions with ItalyTours.eu (in Florence and Naples), with Barcelona Day Tours (obvi in Barcelona) and we booked with NCL for Cannes (since this port requires tendering, I heard you get off ship sooner if you book with the cruise line, and also this is a more leisurely port so I didn't mind a potentially larger group). We are doing Mallorca on our own. We booked specialty dinners at Teppanyaki, Cagney's, and La Cucina based on recommendations I got on the boards. It is our first time with NCL and first trip to Europe-can't wait!!

Yes! I found some good info through the roll call. I was a little skeptical about IT.EU because it was referenced SO MUCH (seemed like spam), but after finding some more outside reviews, I will probably book some spots with them soon. 

6 minutes ago, Budget Queen said:

I don't  find this a good option in many cases.   If a hotel will store,  most activities in Barcelona are more accessible there rather than back and forth to the dock.

Hotels would store luggage even if we're not staying? Will be landing 9am for a 6pm (4pm, really) embarkation. I also saw that some app Bag BNB was suggested, which I'll be looking in to. 

Hello! Just want to make sure nothings changed in the last two months. Flying in on Sunday morning, want to drop off luggage and head back into the city since we only get that day. What's the earliest that the Barcelona port starts taking in luggage?

1 hour ago, mapleleaves said:

BTW, the Market in Barcelona isn't open on Sundays.

Oh! Thats something I missed! Wife won't be so happy, so I will need to find an alternative...