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On 3/3/2024 at 10:24 PM, eyecantwait said:

Sidecars are a big family favorite for us! My in laws enjoyed them very much and passed them on to us. I enjoy having them on cruises.

We are looking forward to a week on the Jade in July with some friends going to Key West, Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

Our previous NCL experience was 14 night Scandinavian on the Norwegian Dream in 2000. Glad we got to see St.Petersburg. 

I did a northern Baltic cruise with my parents (with another cruise line). We did get to visit St Petersburg. The Hermitage, the Church of the Savior of Blood & some of the beautiful parks were highlights. The Church of the Savior of Blood also provided a geocache opportunity so that was a bonus. 

Interestingly, it was years later when I learned of the cats that live at the Hermitage...who knew??

11 hours ago, L1211 said:

Speaking of 2016 - here’s some nostalgia- 2016 menus! 

Wow! Thanks for sharing all those menu pics!

23 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

I think that you may be getting confused with the packages and offers.

 

You get free at sea with tryout booking. Free at Sea plus is an additional charge.

 

However, from what you say, I think that free at sea will probably be fine. You get your basic brinks (non premium wines and spirits for example). You don’t get bottled water or speciality coffees though.

 

As you say you get a time limited internet (free at sea gives you unlimited internet but I’m not sure you need that). The excursion discount only applies to the first person named on the reservation (free at sea adds the second person) and you will get 2 speciality meals each (again , free at plus will add another couple).

 

Unless you want premium drinks, bottled water or speciality coffees or unlimited internet then free at sea plus is unlikely to be worth it. A lot of shore excursions may be a factor with an extra $50 per excursion discount for the second person, but I think that basic offer will have you covered.

 

As for your other questions, the main thing I will say is that disembarking is likely to be a dream compared to anything you may have done in the US. There is no immigration to deal with so you basically just walk off and pick Up your bags. I’ve never queued at all in all the times I’ve disembarked there. There are loads of taxis, but it is just worth checking how many other ships are in port. We once arrived there as one of 4 large ships and the taxis couldn’t cope (we ended up waiting over an hour). All the other times we were in a taxi within about 10 minutes of leaving the ship.

 

 

Thank you for providing a polite, well thought out & comprehensive answer to the OP. Your answers will indubitably help other cruisers sort through the confusion.

Thanks for all the updates & the photos. Enjoy your cruise!

7 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

Despite my ongoing rant on another thread (unfortunately I kept taking the bait…silly me), I too have many, many positive memories on NCL ships.  My absolute favorite ship is the Bliss.  I just find every space beautiful and inviting.  A favorite moment was in November when the staff and crew lined up outside and serenaded us as we returned to the ship.  Everyone was singing and clapping…you felt like you were the bride and groom walking down the aisle after getting married.  Never on a cruise have we had such a reception.  

I must plan a cruise on the Bliss in the future 

Keep 'em coming peeps! I do so love hearing about all the wonderful experiences that people have had; in the past & those sharing their live onboard experiences. So many are just flat out amazing & help me realize how much more I have to look forward to. Thank you all for sharing your stories & promoting a "feel good" thread. 

On 2/29/2024 at 10:36 AM, complawyer said:

the shotgun didnt hurt either. BTW this august, 55 years. when people ask about how we managed to stay together this long,  standard reply community property (LOL)

My father's magic words were "yes dear"  lol

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Post #38 has a few pictures of the Viva Thermal Suite. It was lovely. 

 

Thank you for sharing...as they say...a picture paints a thousand words...

1 hour ago, Oceansaway17 said:

Boy and darn it, I waited about 3 weeks too long and now for my NCL Escape this year on June 6 and 7th BOTH excursions to Cinque Terre are no longer listed.  All 4 opportunities gone.

wow I did not see that coming since a lot of ports still have many things listed.

 

also once on board, have they tried to add more folks for a tour.

 

thanks in advance for any replies.   So mad at myself but at least I grabbed what I wanted for Rome and Monaco.  

Fingers crossed for you...perhaps a bevy of good thoughts will manifest spots on the excursion for you & yours!  You've got my good thoughts headed your way.

Here is a map of current geocaches in/near Lisbon

3 minutes ago, complawyer said:

is this like trying to find ducks on board the ship? it's like our mysterious wonder bar, to date, since 2010 and 25 + cruises, i have yet to see one.

 

by the way, (and my wife hates when i say this) dont thank me for my service, i was drafted

 

and the only thing rewarding about being in vietnam, was coming home in one piece

I've never experienced a duck hunt on board a cruise ship so I have no idea if similar. Like I said...just a silly game. For some geocaching groups...I was a member in Brevard County, FL, they also do community service by doing park clean ups in exchange for the privilege of placing caches on park property.

1 minute ago, complawyer said:

is this like trying to find ducks on board the ship? it's like our mysterious wonder bar, to date, since 2010 and 25 + cruises, i have yet to see one.

 

by the way, (and my wife hates when i say this) dont thank me for my service, i was drafted

 

and the only thing rewarding about being in vietnam, was coming home in one piece

Amen to coming home in one piece 

10 minutes ago, complawyer said:

back thru 1969-1970 i was an infantry squad leader in vietnam, and used a compass daily. to this day (prior to the post) i have never heard the term geochche. 

 

when you talk about "scoring one in either england or portugal"  to what exactly are you reffering .

 

our cruise this april ends in lisbon. if you clarify exactly what it is, and how to go about finding one, i'll give it a shot. or in the alternative, is it similar to going on a snipe hunt. lol!

OMG complawyer...thank you SO much for your service. I hope your time in Nam was more rewarding than traumatic.

Geocaching is a silly game that cachers (nerds) play finding hidden caches throughout the world. Go to geocaching.com to learn more. When I say score in England & Portugal is just a way of saying I have not found a hidden cache in either country but intend to do so. 

In my cruise travels, I have often planned my day finding caches as many are placed near tourist attractions & natural wonders while others took me to unbelievable places off the beaten path. 

* You can geocache with a handheld gps unit or your smartphone. Handhelds are usually more accurate in pinpointing the location of a cache.

7 hours ago, shaunmostashari said:

Hi Everyone, quick question for you all, are all Norwegian cruise ships have Solo meetups and activities? Even the ones with no solo/studio cabins?

Have an awesome solo cruise!

Stowaway LFC...I had the same question...thank you for asking.  BTW...love your location...lol

jdc987...thank you for your answer!

On 3/1/2024 at 7:10 AM, Sailing12Away said:

We write a butler letter listing out some of the favorites we've had in the past. That helps ensure you get things you like.

 

But there always seems to be some misunderstanding about how many to bring. Going to try leaving a note that says "just one tray today please".

 

Since we're 3 in the cabin I can understand one sweet and one savory, but I don't need brownies and chocolate covered pineapple.

Please divert your unwanted brownies & chocolate covered pineapple to my cabin please...lol 

Echoing others...thank you so much for investing your time & effort to share your adventure with all. It has been wonderful to not only have narrative descriptions of your journey, but also pictures that help us all look forward to our upcoming cruises. BTW...your pics are awesome...

Kudos Sailing12Away !!  

44 minutes ago, boxedmoon said:

My PCC would have updated a booking for our group to add the discount, but it causes a repricing to current promos and prices. At the time the cruise had gone up in price so it wasn't done.

He did say it would be automatic going forward for new bookings.

On my last booking, I specifically asked if current sale price could be stacked with Mil discount...answer..."YES"

2 hours ago, CJDepew said:

Did a search but could not find anything. We've already booked the Joy for a March, 2025 cruise. I did not realize until after booking that they offer a military discount, which is my bad. Does anyone know if it can be applied once booked, or if it's necessary to call and rebook? Cruising with multiple friends who have rooms in the same area, so keeping our current stateroom is important.

 

Thanks!

Yes...you can always go on the website to the military discount link & get the discount. Like many businesses, NCL uses ID.me as their verification tool.

Thank you for your service.

10 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

There are some ships where pants are required for everyone 12+ in the more formal dining room.

If not required, I hope some do not take the "pantless" option literally! Some things cannot be unseen. 

3 hours ago, Jose Zalfadilla said:

Excellent post!!!! Very detailed and carefully documented.  Let me know when you go on any other cruise lines so I can follow your travelogues! Thank you.

Ditto! 

17 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Ages ago, this was "orienteering", on foot with a real compass, etc., through assorted forests, etc.

I miss those days!

(But notice our UserID name...! 🙄 )

 

GC

Not ages ago...just decades ago...used non-gps tools doing night nav & evasion training. Fun, fun, fun! 

Oh yeah...not as professional, I was a Brownie & a Girl Scout growing up in ND...my aunt made sure I knew compass skills, how to build fires in the snow, how to build cold/warm weather shelters & so much more. She has passed but the education she provided to me has not gone unused...I've used them all. RIP Auntie 

1 minute ago, Miss Ellsworth said:

Believe me, my cab driver really didn't think that I knew what I was talking about. Most cruise px stick with the Parthenon

 

On my second visit to Athens via NCL (I can't *believe* that I left this off my list) I didn't want to repeat the Parthenon and museum. I found a cab driver who barely spoke English, and I speak zero Greek. He had a color picture guide book of Greece, and I was somehow able to use it to say that I just wanted to drive along the seashore

 

WELL. He drove me about an hour and 15 minutes to see the Temple of Poseidon (Sojuion?) He showed me in the guide book where we were going before we left the port. I'd never heard of it but was game for the seashore drive part of it.

 

It was a perfect sunny day with blue skies, most of the drive along the beautiful Grecian coast - I found myself thinking no wonder some section of humanity decided to stop and live here! I had a nice 30-minute stop at the Temple, which I had nearly to myself. It's built out on a promontory into the sea and is so dramatic, before heading back to Athens

 

Despite the language differences, on the way back I sat in the front seat and we happily chatted away and managed to communicate where we lived compared to big cities, how much housing cost, he pointed out which areas we passed were for wealthy vacationing Greeks, etc. And in my second surreal overseas musical moment, I drove past a vacation enclave of little cottages clinging to the shore while Four Non Blondes sang "What's Going On" on the car radio

 

At the end, I tipped him extremely well and he gave me the only thing he really had to give me - his pictured guide book of Greece that he used to communicate to cruise pax that he will take them to the Parthenon. It was one of my best days cruising, and I can't believe that I left it off my list

 

But like the cabbie on the first trip going to see the antikythera device, it really took a lot to convince this guy at the start that I didn't want to go to the usual sites!

This just illustrates how "not the normal tourist attraction" ventures can be sooo wonderful. Good for you that you advocated for the best experience for you.

BTW...What's Going On is one of my faves 

2 hours ago, Miss Ellsworth said:

I love the turn that this thread has taken. I'm about to take my fifth cruise, all on NCL. Because of NCL and being able to find great deals on cruises, I've:

 

 - Seen the pyramids

 - Had dinner somewhere in the Kahn el-Khalili in Cairo

 - Took a train from Alexandria to Cairo for a $12 first class ticket RT. I was the only westerner that I saw on the train

 - Visited a glass maker shop in the City of the Dead. I had to walk around the goats fighting over garbage in the doorway

 - Wandered through a Cairo grocery store while, surreally, Annie Lennox sang "Why?" on the store's music system

 - Spent the night in a charming little boutique-y hotel on the fifth floor of a building in a quiet area of Cairo. Hotel Longchamps. 

 - Had gelato in Naples

 - Got the surprise of my life at how much I was stunned by St Peter's Basilica

- Flown over a glacier in Alaska

 - Landed on a remote Alaskan lake on a seaplane 

 - Got lost walking around Istanbul twice in 24 hours

 - Visited the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar, and one tiny little deserted market in Istanbul just after they opened in the morning

 - Walked the seashore of Turkey. Twice.

 - Saw the Parthenon

 - Saw the antikythera device. It took some doing to convince the cab driver that I really did want to leave the Parthenon area and go there!

 - Walked the streets of Ponta Delgado in the Azores

 - Had afternoon tea in Bermuda 

 - Sailed the English Channel and saw the white cliffs of Dover and the Seven Sisters from the sea

 - Had Smorrebrod in Copenhagen 

 

I've sailed the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, a small piece of the Caribbean, the Inside Passage, the English Channel, and the North Sea - some being places where the maritime traditions are deep and rich, where humans have been sailing for thousands of years, and where sailing goes back to the deepest roots of civilization

 

I can hardly find a thing on this list that I would have seen or done if not for NCL and it's favorable pricing. Maybe Athens or Rome, but not both. I've been lucky to grab some last-minute deals and see the world. 

 

People tell me that it's not "real" travel because you don't stay anywhere long enough for a culture deep dive. Pffft.  I wouldn't trade seeing and doing all these things for *any* longer stay anywhere. Look at what I've done! And once I complete my upcoming Transatlantic, I'll still be under $30,000 OTD for all of them (I mostly use points to fly to ports.) Zero chance that I see a fraction of this for $30,000 - and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm actually under $25,000 - any other way

 

 

Had to read your post a second time. I had no awareness of the "antikythera device". Had to look it up. I have been to the Parthenon but if I had known about the antikythera device, I would have insisted on going to see it. Thanks for sharing such valuable information!

Thanks for posting this question Jennifire7. I am still waffling yes or no to a spa pass on my upcoming cruise. My wallet is not overflowing, so like you, I have to ask myself "Is it worth it?". After reading posts about going from sauna to cold room to salt bath, etc, I am intrigued. I hope more peeps will give their input so that those of us who have to watch our budgets carefully can make educated choices.