GORDONCHICK

How did you think I knew about the VIP thing? And the % is well over half, but not all. And it won't be on this upcoming cruise either. All my peeps have moved on.

I'll let hubby know. He's the turkey fan in our house, though the spatchcocked one I cooked last Christmas was the best I've ever had.

We were on the list more than half of our NCL sailings. Never have sailed in a suite. We even had lunch in Cagney's with the GM (HD at the time). We already had access to it for lunch, but he had great stories and some extra special dishes came with it, too.

The buffet is great for a quick lunch, which is what I use the pretzel rolls and deli meats for. Though the crepes in the evening at the buffet are good if you did find a dessert that sounded good wherever you ate dinner.

My husband loves French onion soup so he's always up for that. I also love the escargot in LeBistro. I hope you can remember where you had the octopus - I've never had that! Creme brulee is one of my favorites - except for the time they put pineapple in it! That texture was all kinds of wrong, though I don't mind the raspberry one. Chocolate creme brulee is not often found but delicious when you do find it. But one important item that I'm hoping to find is the pretzel rolls in the buffet? I don't care if they're the little round ones or the long ones. I will use either for sandwiches with the deli meats and cheeses at lunch and be perfectly happy. Sometimes the simple things are awesome, too!

Well, that's unfortunate.

I'm a bit a of a foodie. Cruises are a time for me to order old faves and try new dishes!. I know food is something that has been impacted by the cust cutting. I haven't been on NCL in a few years (5) so I'd love to hear your favorites to see if any of my old ones are still around - and if they're still good!

Enough to be on the list.

True, but the waiting area is nicer there and has drinks and snacks. So it's a little different.

Weeeelllll, not 100% accurate. There are VIPs that are sometimes on that list but not in a suite and they do get that perk. That's a very few and far between exception but it is there - and true.

If you're in the Haven, it's a different ballgame.

Honestly, the Med is one place where I place less importance on the cruise line since the experience is more off the ship. I place more emphasis on the itinerary - not only the ports but also the amount of time in each. The ship is a place to sleep and to grab a quick bite before venturing out. I'm not a HAL fan but in a place line the Med, I would absolutely do it if the itinerary and price was right!

They sail VERY full - over 100%. (100% is 2 per cabin) Hundreds of kids. Decorations have varied on ships but there's always been a gingerbread house. Carols on Christmas Eve usually in the atrium and Christmas foods served on Christmas Day (ham, turkey, etc). Pre-covid, I remember being in Belize (also pre Harvest Caye) for cave tubing, zip lining and atving. It definitely didn't feel like Christmas on that day.

FYI - it's a ship, not a boat. A boat can fit on a ship, but a ship cannot fit on a boat.

I can't speak about the port today, but almost 20 years ago, it was a very industrial port but we docked right at a warehouse with tons of booths and the locals were selling things. Back then, hand made molas were very common. There were also dancers. Other than that, there was nothing in walking distance. There were taxis you could hire but you'd have to know where you were going. I have no idea what the area is like now.

You go through the Gatun locks twice. And yes, it's a partial transit.

If it's like the one we did many moons ago, you stay on the ship unless you book an excursion that will leave from the ship using lifeboats as tenders. If you do that. you will meet the ship when it docks at Colon. If you don't, the ship floats around in Gatun Lake for a while until it's turn to transit back out the Gatun locks, then will dock at Colon. You can get off the ship there if you wish. But you will want to be up really early if you need to get a spot for viewing in the public areas. The most crowded will the the ones facing the front - and it's worth it if you've never been through locks before. Even if you have a balcony, I would stake out a public place with forward viewing early in the morning. It's cool to see all the ships lined up to wait their turn. Then go to your balcony for the afternoon transit.

Being that it's a Med cruise in April, the chances of there being tons of kids from the US at that time is smallish. If it's a 7 nighter, it's possible. Longer, not so much. Children from other parts of the world? Could be!

That's what I hoped! Thanks.

Along a similar line, platinum get flow water as a perk. Does it appear in your cabin or do you have to request it?

This is a 9 night cruise with only one "sea" day. The quotes are because on that one day, we will be traveling from Corner Brook, NF to Quebec City, across the Gulf of St Lawrence, then up the river. We will have a port side balcony, so we will be able to take in the scenery the whole time but will probably check out public viewing areas as well. The Observation Lounge definitely sounds like a place we will check out - especially for tea sandwiches (seems like a good place to grab a nibble before going for lobster in Boston).

Completely familiar with this - but it pulled wayyyyyy too much that wasn't applicable. Hence the post.

Will be on the Joy 9/4. I need the scoop on the ship - the great places away from crowds, favorite public viewing areas, fave MDR, etc. Any other things I need to know? It's almost like I'm a new cruiser, not having been on NCL since 2017. I know many things have changed, service reportedly has declined.

yes

I didn't get anything for June. I even went back and looked at emails into May. What did I miss? I know it's probably too late now, but just wondering.