ColdCruise

Perks are nice to get, but it does smack of “let them eat cake” when significant portions of a ship’s amenities are denied to the majority of paying passengers. Similar things happening on NCL (no vibe access/passes being cancelled from pre-paid pax, no observation lounge access for entire cruises, etc all to benefit specific groups).

Hope the transit thru the Shake isn’t too bad for you @scubacruiserx2 Sorry you missed Punta Arenas, but look forward to this year’s photos from the straight. felling a bit envious as I watch light snow fall gently outside. Pretty outside but missing the thrill of Antarctica!

@brookie848 There are several live trip reports for both Viva & Prima that have the dailies posted in the thread. You can search the NCL forum or look in the live reports area: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/ourpicks/Live/

I think NCL counts on passengers buying wine on their excursions with wine tastings, otherwise it might indicate the pax aren’t satisfied with the choice of destination.

More and more restaurants in Maryland are adding the 3% credit card fee to people’s bills. It started during COVID with some very creative add on fees at restaurants… one I went to when you could only do takeout (no dining in) added a credit card fee, a fair wage fee and a Covid fee… I walked out and left them with my order. The credit card costs used to be baked in to the pricing, or I guess you could consider those paying cash were unfairly paying for those using cards. Pre-Covid, if I made a significant purchase I usually asked if the business had a cash discount, no one seems to anymore. Now I carry more cash when I plan to eat out. The “fair wage” fee is another story…..businesses should bake the cost of adequate compensation for employees into their pricing structure AND pay the employees that fair wage. If it’s tacked onto your bill, how do you know it all (or any) of that extra money gets passed onto the employees? (Much like the discussion oft seen on Cruise Critic on whether ship’s crews actually receive all the daily service charge 😲)

Thanks for that info! The Copenhagen Langelinie terminal is SO much more convenient. A comparison from the port authority’s web site, the 2 terminals circled: I was pretty disappointed with several of NCL’s port decisions or choices (if they had a say, suspect they do as I’ve read costs vary) for Prima’s first paying cruise - most were inconvenient for accessing the named city, especially Stockholm. Would have thought they’d spring for prime terminal space in downtown areas to show off this beautiful new ship design! For “Stockholm”, we were actually docked in Nynäshamn …2 hours by public transit from Stockholm, basically forcing you to use NCL shoreEx…which was VERY expensive. That exact port stop was a very late change and originally we were supposed to be in Stockholm proper for an overnight stay, vice 2 hours away for a regular single day. I will say that Nynäshamn was a nice port area and they had lots of literature of things to do in the immediate vicinity.still the terminal was a distance from the town itself, probably more a hike than a walk.

Hamburg - There are multiple terminals used by cruise lines in Hamburg. We docked at Steinwerder on a non-NCL cruise, this is on the opposite side of the Elbe River and a bit inconvenient for transport into the old city (Altstadt). There was a city bus from the terminal to the old city, but it was a longish ride. (Note: Prima was scheduled to port here in Sept 2022, but NCL delayed leaving Amsterdam by 8 hours, which resulted in massive rejiggering of the first few ports of call and Hamburg got dropped). Your best bet to determine which of the numerous terminal locations you will dock at is to check the Port of Hamburg website: https://www.cruisegate-hamburg.de/en/ - the Hamburg menu has links to pages for each terminal, which includes” public transit options, and a link to listings of what’s in port on a given day as well as the ship’s assigned berth. - NCL appears to be using the Altoona terminal for Star (May 5-6) and Dawn (Jun 21-22),,that is on the left side of the map. Google map of the numerous cruise terminals (the old city area circled): It appears the terminal closest to the Altstadt (old city) and the famous Elbe Philharmonic is closed for construction (the thumbtack with no label on the edge of my red circle. If Inrecall, Prima WAS supposed to dock there on our skipped stop.

Copenhagen - The cruise terminal is in an industrial/commercial area. There was a HOHO bus and a city bus servicing the terminal when we disembarked from Prima in September 2022. A link to the port of Copenhagen website with information: https://www.cmport.com/services/cruise-ships-ferries/ A Link to google maps showing the location of the terminals: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9ZcN4WeGTJPwUnzR7?g_st=ic And a map the route and distance to Tivoli Garden, which is next to the main train station:

Warnemunde - The cruise ships actually docks very close to a train station in Warnemunde. You can take the train to Rostock and other cities very easily and cheaply. You can also pick up rental cars in Warnemunde or Rostock. (Note: Our last port day here was on Prima in Sept 22) There is also a cute little town center with an assortment of restaurants located across the bridge from the train station . See attached photo - the train station (DB = Deutsche Bahn) and walkable town center are circled. Link to google maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xmijQzBeQNgVQTS1A?g_st=ic

@Laura S you may want to update the permanent thread,

Anyone interested in setting up a Meet & Greet on Norwegian should be aware of a new change. NCL has a new website to request ANY special events: https://nclh.my.salesforce-sites.com/SpecialEventRequestWebForm This is the email I received this morning (I sent an email on the 14th requesting an M&G): You will need information for ALL the fields in the form, so have your reservation number handy. See screen capture: These are the types of “Special Events “ NCL lists in the form:

On Viva we were able to get a bottle of wine with our Latitudes coupon at Palomar.

@zackarykeef By “complimentary platinum bottle” are you referring to the sparking bottle found in your room at embarkation (or shortly thereafter)? I was rather pleased to find on our last cruise that NCL changed out its complimentary bottle of fizzy for something that is actually palatable and doesn’t need to be hidden behind OJ!

On our last cruise from Europe to the US (Viva, Nov 23), we brought several bottles on board with no issue or questioning. We did have the drinks package,so that waived any possibility of corkage. if one thinks about it, if you have the drinks package, you’ve prepaid for any alcohol consumed from NCL’s onboard stores. If you want to bring onboard your own alcohol in addition to the drinks package, it works in NCL’s favor to let you. If you’re drinking your own wine, you’re not depleting their inventory …if you already paid for it but don’t drink it, it’s a winning proposition for NCL. you should check the alcohol importation laws for your return to the US and or wherever you disembark to make sure you’re within those limits or meet their requirements (which may include paying fees).

@luv2kroooz You may want to re-parse the letter. I think it’s specifically addressed to those who want to use non-US currency to settle their NCL onboard account. The entire 2nd paragraph specifically addresses settling onboard accounts (well, minus the controversial apology). In my albeit limited experience, most cruise lines state what currency is used on board their ships. NCL uses US Dollars (at least in the US and European cruises - I’m not perusing their site to look for exceptions). When I sail MSC in Europe, my bill’s in Euros, my credit card gets charged Euros. When I sail a UK-based cruise line, I expect to be billed and pay in British Pounds (£), not USD. Note: I don’t carry large sums of cash, but rely on ATMs at destination other than a small amount of “just in case” destination currency.

Absolutely take Amtrak. Your taxes help underwrite it.(over the years…) It works. You don’t have the frustration of driving in heavy traffic. It’s cheaper than flying+airport transfer, or driving+parking. We use it from Baltimore (well BWI, technically) to/from Penn for cruises and once to Newark for a direct flight to Europe that we couldn’t get out of the DC airports (and for less than DC area flights with a layover). love Amtrak…esp now they have the super cheap early bird fares (as low as $15 each way). Plan $ buy early!

Which show? Beetlejuice? Icons? one of the shows in the Pour House? Press Your Luck?

I’ll be at work when you set sail, so wishing you Bon Voyage now @scubacruiserx2 !

@bkrickles1 earlier in this thread someone posted a link to a web page you could go check for bid opportunity if you didn't get an email yet or see it in your account. if anyone is interested they can go search the thread … if they have oodles of time. .

Thank you for this info @Cliff and Cove - it will be very helpful when the cruise lines and the public-private org creating the port get their acts together! We did find a couple good local tour providers and had booked an excursion with one of the entities. Unfortunately I had to cancel because… well, we aren’t going there. I felt sorry for the guy but no choice. I would be very ticked off in NCL changed back to Cabo Rojo now that they’ve got the Pearl in and out. its so so so very ironic that the article in your link states ”the remoteness of the destination adds to its allure. The efforts to reach this pristine location are justified upon arrival, as visitors are greeted by untouched, immaculate beauty, revealing the authenticity of the Dominican Republic and its people along the way.” BUT the planned development of 10+ resorts and all the other development will negate if not destroy the “untouched, immaculate beauty”! love progress We have decided to treat the Catalina Island stop like a private island day. Makes no sense to try to get from the small island back to the mainland (ie bigger island) for the 100+/- NCL wants pp to go to see stuff at a resort. If we stayed overnight in La Romana , it’d be a different story.

@tigger77732 how did the rental work out on Curacao?

Tiki boats look fun!

It’s all about prioritizing out time and money. I figured it was a one-time opportunity… now I have the bug…. safe travels to the Star!

Hopefully this doesn’t violate standards since I haven’t done this, but want to help you gather info since you haven’t received a response in 10+ days… The web site says they have several levels of engagement with the dolphins Encounter - 20 min in water “you get to stand in the water on a submerged platform while interacting with one of the dolphins“ Swim - 30 min in water “As you swim in the natural lagoon, the dolphins will join you ” All the way up to open water diving if you stick to the Encounter you won’t have to do much other than stand and, from my sister-in-law’s previous reports, put your hand in the water for them to swim by. maybe reach out to the facility and ask them directly? info@dolphin-academy.com Then discuss with your doctor. i had a similar issue when I broke several ribs & collar bone before a Michu Pichu trip, I cancelled cuz the hike was too risky. hood luck @Mrs Peel

Happy New Year @scubacruiserx2 ! 🎇 & 🍾 Sorry about the video, I was able to play it from this thread on my iPad. It was very short and just shows the chick moving around a bit and some penguins clicking sounds. I was on the World Explorer with Quark Expeditions this past Feb/Mar. most of the chicks were very large and molting to get their swimming feathers in. The penguin biologist said most of the small chicks like this would probably not survive as they were born too late. sorry to hear you both are unwell @scubacruiserx2, I hope you both get better quickly as you have quite some traveling to catch your cruise!