johnrich

Although it’s not necessary to print in color, the same thing happened to me. I clicked on the link to the luggage tags and it only printed in black and white. Without changing any settings, when I printed out my eDocs the red and blue print did print correctly. I ended up using the snipping tool to copy the luggage tag then pasted it into Word to print and it printed fine in color. 

4 hours ago, lfdemt said:

BUT we had to fight to get the 50% refund due to us and now I'm upset that when we called and raised these concerns and asked if we could be accommodated on this previous evening flight.  (same company southwest and cheaper air at the time) they emphatically told us that no changes can be made and that the original flights meet all their standards.  

Is NCL now using Southwest as one of their airlines or is that who you ended up booking with on your own? I know they’ve had a bad rap recently, but we still love flying with them. 

On 1/29/2023 at 4:25 PM, curlstravel said:

We Are on the NCL joy if you have specific questions you would like to ask I would be happy to answer them.

I see you are in a concierge Family Suite. We have one booked on the Joy for May. What do you think of the suite? How is the virtual balcony? Have you seen the concierge much or is it a quick meeting on the first day and they say “if you need anything just let me know” and you don’t see them again?  Are there any additional plugs (electrical) in the suite than a regular balcony stateroom? Did your “master bedroom” have the bathtub or just the larger shower in the bathroom? Sorry for so many questions, just want to know what to expect. Thanks so much. 

A couple years ago we rented a car from Budget at MCO when we flew in the day before our cruise then drove to Port Canaveral the next morning. We just dropped it off at the Budget on Astronaut Blvd and they drove us to the ship. After the cruise they picked us up and drove us back to their lot where we picked up another car and took it back to MCO. It was much cheaper doing 2 one day rentals than dealing with paying for parking for the whole week. The shuttle picks up for Avis, Budget and Enterprise even though they are on different lots. It was very convenient, economical and very close to the port. 

I believe it depends on the travel agent. When we used one, we had vouchers in our room saying “A Gift from….” and they were refundable OBC and we could use them anywhere for anything on the ship. When other family members went, their TA actually went in to the Gifts and More section of the website and did a Spa gift and they were told they had to use it in the spa, but if that is the case, not sure how the bingo $ would work since you can’t book that online. Good luck either way. As another poster has said, if you don’t use any spa treatments maybe just use it to purchase beauty products. 

We loved the Breakaway. When we had a group (there were 6 of us), we would talk to the hostess at one of the main dining rooms and they would make us reservations for the next day but would only do one day at a time. This was before covid but I would assume they would still do it. 

I know for a while NCL was doing muster drill videos and then you just had to checkin to your muster station during a certain time period on embarkation day and were then free to go about your first day. I thought I read that they were going to go back to doing it the previous way with everyone crammed into small spaces and standing there while crew tried to explain things while half the people were talking over them. I haven’t seen or heard anything lately. Any recent (last month or so) cruisers who can tell me which way it’s done currently?

11 hours ago, Inscrutable said:

Hopefully they can keep a few shows on each sailing, even if they are scaled-down. 
Honestly, out of our 3 cruises I think our favorite was Choir of Man, which seems like a low cost production(?)

I would miss nightly decent live music more if that is also being severely stripped down.

But I can still eat, drink, and be merry.

I agree, Choir of Man is one of our favorites. We’ve seen it several times. We also really like Six. We saw that twice - and now seeing it on land. Choir of Man seems to have a fairly simple set and Six has very few cast members so I am hoping both might be expanded to other ships. 

On 1/13/2023 at 4:25 PM, uneamie said:

May i ask where you park your car for the duration of the cruise? I ask because we have a "Park, Stay and Go" package at the Hampton Inn in Ridgefield Park hotel that has 

 transportation to and from the hotel to the port with free breakfast and parking all week. But it would be nice to stay in walking distance instead. I searched high and low for one in NYC that has free parking but none that I could see. 

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Ridgefield Park. The hotel room was nice but getting to the hotel and getting out is very confusing and sometimes difficult. You have to enter through a gas station parking lot. Exiting isn’t as confusing but when we were there it was very difficult to turn into the main road because of traffic. Just be careful

10 hours ago, mking8288 said:

@evanskl4 

 

One thing I forget to "Evan" & you should know this - please check, review & confirm your newest NCL confirmation with the Amenities, seeing that both of you are Latitudes members already - if you upgraded to the SP,  you are getting at least triple points (2 points with the current promo and 1 extra point for the suite, that's per night)  For the November cruise, I'm not 100% certain but since it is more than 6 months out, should be another extra point as in "quad points per night" or 4 points times X number of nights (i.e. 4 x 7 = 28 points, nice one)  

 

Other friends of ours that we met thru CC several years ago just recently booked something similar, they got the triple points promo & used 2 CruiseNext certs (holiday/new year specials, since expired) that they didn't know were extended for a year - able to use 3 deposits to book an AFT balcony for a very nice price ... they are currently on Royal's AOS somewhere but it was still good & they are excited.  Check & decode those Latitude codes.  

 

Enjoy that extra space & perhaps we'll hear from you after your return from Bermuda ... Ron was the GM both in May & Sept - has a great team under him, no matter what category you are booked, they try to please - within confines of what they can do.  With the extra money spent and saved over Haven, you can do a lot to pamper that cruise week to enjoy the extra space.  It's about the same size as the Marriott suites that we often stay in and everyone is going to have her/his personal space ... even with one housekeeping service daily ahead.  

 

Regards & best wishes ahead for happy cruising ... until our next Semi-Live, somewhere ... soon. 

I thought it would be triple and quad, but both confirmations only list LATDBLX so I’m thinking that’s only double. Guess I need to contact someone in Latitudes Rewards Dept. to make sure it is changed. 
 

NEVERMIND - I just found the codes and that code means 2 bonus points per night. 

11 hours ago, evanskl4 said:

Thanks for the info mking8288! 

I have this room booked for my Thanksgiving cruise...really no choice as I am traveling with partner, 2 kids, and my mom... Only other option is Haven Family Suite which is out of my price range 😞

 

Just curious - when do the "bid" options usually happen? Maybe I'll be able to bid on a Haven suite!

We just “upgraded” to one of these rooms for our May Bermuda cruise (although the first two NCL reps kept saying that it was a downgrade and we’d lose some of our benefits since it was an inside. Finally on my third call I got someone who knew of the Family Suite and said she’s heard lots of good things about it and said it was def an upgrade). We are also on the Joy for the Thanksgiving cruise. If we like the suite in May, we may upgrade for the Thanksgiving trip as well. 

If you’re on the webpage, go to View Reservation. If on the app, pull up the reservation and go to My Plans.
scroll down below the map and the itinerary. You will see Vacation Add-ons.  

As shown above (as well as in other posts) the description states 6 1L of flow water. We made our one reservation back in May and a second reservation in November and both are showing the regular Free at Sea includes the 6 1L cartons. Since we’re platinum, I am guessing we will therefore get 7 cartons each. 

We were thinking of upgrading our upcoming Joy sailing to Bermuda. We currently have a balcony (category B4). We were looking at the 2 bedroom Family Suite (Category SP). We know this is an interior cabin but we were still thinking of trying it. Several questions for people who have stayed in one of these cabins:

1. Is the virtual balcony actually what is viewed live from the outside of the ship. I.e., if we are docked, will we see the dock area on the screen (if port side) or will it always be the same ocean image?

2. Did you receive all the normal Free at Sea amenities?  The rep I was dealing with insisted it was a downgrade because it is going from a balcony to an inside cabin and we’d only get the amenities for an inside cabin. If I do a mock reservation I get the same amenities as I did with a balcony cabin, so as usual not sure I trust the NCL customer service reps. 

I know we can wait to bid on this, but not sure we want to chance missing out on the extra space. 
 

Any help is greatly appreciated. 

I almost always book through NCL and have always had the choice of bidding on an upgrade. Since our upcoming cruise is the first one we’ve taken since Covid I wasn’t sure if things have changed. If I click on the Room Upgrades button on the My Plans Page and type in my name and reservation number it says “reservation not found.” Is there a time frame when bidding starts? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

I know that if there are two passengers in a room, you only get one set of platinum dinner vouchers, but what if there are three pax in the room and all three of us are platinum? Is the third person out of luck? Trying to determine how many specialty dinners we need to purchase.  TIA. 

When I look at the Explore and Plan section on the NCL app, under the dining tab is a “Specialty Dining Upgrade.”  I’ve tried to click to get info but it never seems to show any info. Just keeps circling. We already have our two FAS specialty meals plus our platinum specialty meal vouchers. Just wondering what the “upgrade” is. It doesn’t list the number of meals. Any help is appreciated. 

Great review!  Thanks so much! We love NCL but haven’t been on the Joy yet, although we do have a cruise booked on her for next May. 

1 hour ago, lfdemt said:

Thank you to everyone that has responded.  Ugh I am now even more confused.  It sounds like the Escape is the better ship for my family but now I am torn on ports.  GSC sounds good with the included food and beverages but tender means possibly missing port and waiting on tenders.  Harvest Caye sounds better but additional costs of food and drinks.  So torn...

 

Any thoughts on whether Roatan, Cozumel and costa Maya are better than Puerta Plata, Tortola and St. Thomas?? 

 

Cozumel would probably just be a beach resort for us,  We did the ruins at Costa Maya last time we were there.  Never been to  Roatan.

 

Never been to Puerta Plata.  Last time in Tortola we did a dophin meet but our youngest was too young and doesn't even remember it.  and I Think we did an island tour in St. Thomas. (with overlooking views of Magen bay???)

 

I never realized how wishy washy I was before this trip.  lol

We’ve been on the Escape before and love it. Have a trip booked on the Joy for our next cruise. As far as ports go, we have done Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel quite a few times and always loved them. Roatan and Cozumel we do something different each time. In Costa Maya we always go to Maya Chan Beach Resort for the day. It is awesome! Highly recommend it for the family. It’s all inclusive (including transportation from the ship) and lots to do for all ages! If I were you, I’d do a tour of Cozumel (try Black Hat Tours, they’re great) and have the beach day in Costa Maya. 
We’ve been to Tortola three times. Yeah, it was nice but not great IMHO so the third time we never got off the ship. We’ve never been to Puerta Plata. As far as St. Thomas, we’ve been there many times and it’s great but I would prefer the other options. 

On 6/3/2022 at 5:08 PM, cyntil8ing said:

I have used Heidi with Bermuda Byways twice -- once for a shared tour and once for a private tour. My experience was in 2013 and 2014, but if I wouldn't hesitate to book again. She is excellent.

 

Back then, she toured with her blind dog Buddy. I would be surprised if Buddy is still working, but she was a sweetheart. 

 

 

I read many good reviews about Heidi. We were supposed to tour with her three years ago but our cruise was diverted due to a hurricane that never hit. We just booked with her again for our upcoming Bermuda cruise.  Above is another post I just found on a different thread. 

22 hours ago, njhorseman said:

No, that would not be PVSA compliant. A repositioning cruise starting in one US port and ending in another US port such as this one from from Miami to NY requires a call at a distant foreign port . The closest distant foreign port to the East Coast would be one of the ABC islands, which would take the ship thousands of miles and many days out of its way.

Thanks. I knew it had to stop at a foreign port, but didn’t know it had to be a distant foreign port. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. 

On 7/13/2022 at 7:45 PM, GTJ said:

I am assuming that the planned voyage is that of the Norwegian Breakaway, departing New York on August 21, 2022, just before midnight for a 7-night round-trip excursion to Halifax and intermediate ports. The vessel will have been previously operating out of Miami on 7-night round-trip excursions. Its last Miami departure, on August 14, 2022, will be a shortened 5-night excursion, returning to Miami on August 19, 2022, at 7:00 a.m. The vessel will discharge all her passengers, then deadhead without passengers from Miami, arriving in New York two days later on August 21, 2022. Once it does arrive, there will be no passengers to off-load, and so I would expect the vessel to be available for boarding soon after its arrival in New York City. When exactly will it arrive? While there might be an anticipated internal timetable, because the vessel will not bound by any cruise itinerary, it will get to New York City when it gets there . . . depending on how fast it travels. Given the late scheduled departure time, I would expect that NCL anticipates the vessel to arrive sometime in the late afternoon or early evening.

 

Once in New York City on August 21, 2022, the Norwegian Breakaway will operate eleven consecutive 7-night excursions to Halifax and return, concluding the season on November 6, 2022. Later that day the vessel will depart on a 14-night repositioning cruise from New York City to New Orleans, and upon arrival on November 20, 2022, she will engage in a series of 7-night round-trip excursions from New Orleans to Mexico and Central America through April 16, 2023. After the winter in New Orleans, the vessel deadheads again to New York City, followed by an Atlantic Ocean crossing and a summer in Europe. I don't understand all of this deadheading to New York by a large vessel like Norwegian Breakaway. Yes, the Passenger Vessel Services Act regulates cabotage, but I would think that the cruise line service planners could offer some sort of one-way international itineraries that are PVSA-compliant.

Thanks GTJ!  Actually it’s not the Breakaway. It’s the Joy next spring but it is doing the same thing the Breakaway does and deadheads from Miami to NYC with no pax. I would think they could make the last cruise in Miami a short 3-nighter to the Bahamas then do a northbound from Miami with pax and do a stop in the Bahamas or even Canada before coming to NYC. I would think something like that would be PVSA compliant.
 

I’ll be anxious to see what time the Breakaway gets into NYC next month and starts to board as that may give me a bit more data to plan my trip. 

Our cruise doesn’t leave until 11:00 PM. I am assuming it is since the ship is repositioning from Miami to New York. We have air and transfers through NCL. If we have an early flight and are able to make it to the pier early (before they start allowing people into the terminal) is there someplace at the port to store our luggage so we can explore Manhattan?

Has anyone ever had a late evening departure (11 PM)? What time do they usually let you start boarding?

Recently booked a sailing on the Joy. I was reading over some of the paperwork, and it states that “This cabin has an enclosed balcony.”  Based on the deck plans it looks like an angled balcony but what do they mean by enclosed? If it is indeed enclosed, is it truly a balcony? Stateroom Category is B4. Stateroom is 14256. If anyone has any pics of an enclosed balcony it would be greatly appreciated. TIA. 

Captain - Dan Svennson

7 hours ago, cruisecookie said:

 

Please tell me more about buying Diet Coke and/or Diet Root Beer in the Port of Miami after security.  Do they sell cans and small bottles?  How much do they cost?  We will be sailing in January on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas.

 

 

 

 

 

The last time we sailed from Miami there were Coke vending machines that sell the 16.9 oz bottles. I know they had Diet Coke and Coke Zero but I don’t think there was any diet root beer. If my memory serves me correctly they were either $1.50 or $2 per bottle. Since you are sailing RCCL they will have Coke products on the ship. We are sailing NCL which has Pepsi products but we prefer Coke Zero.