hallux

Only refundable OBC can be used for that.

Until NCL build ships that aren't configured for tender operations as Royal has done with the Oasis class ships I don't see pier construction happening. Keep in mind that while it takes more significant weather to cancel a port with a pier than one that tenders it's still quite possible to have it cancelled.

https://www.ncl.com/faq#!#smoking has all the info. Look at the Jewel class section...

Oh, I'm quite familiar (I even used that option when booking my Studio cabin for the Escape in March) and as you can see in my screenshot that option simply wasn't there when selecting a standard balcony (non-family, non-suite) cabin.

I had the same flight situation in 2019 and did the rental car thing. The sights I wanted to see were all up near LAX so we took the shuttle to the airport, were able to check our bags with the airline and then went over to the rental agency to get the car.

See the screenshots in my post prior to yours, choosing a cabin is not an option, even when not specifically selecting a guarantee room. Do tell what option from the list I posted would allow you to book a standard balcony room AND select the room you'd like when booking on the website.

Some ships, for some reason, don't allow the option to pick a specific room when booking certain categories directly through the NCL page. Maybe based on the itinerary? IDK. Look at this screenshot, when booking a balcony stateroom for the March 18-25 Escape cruise from Port Canaveral. I picked the Balcony option from the pictured list of options. Suggest which one of those options would allow one to select their stateroom at the time of booking. The Epic for Feb. 5 has the same result. I agree with @julig22 - often a forward cabin costs less than a mid-ship cabin.

The time you sign up for during check-in is not a boarding time but a check-in time. When I boarded the Joy in Miami last year I showed up around 10, which is when they opened the doors to start letting people in. Downtown.

Yes

Re-read the post by @njhorseman there's another pier that is not part of the cruise terminal area that was used for this trip, at least for embarkation. According to the port schedule (https://www.portsamerica.com/operations/cruise-los-angeles-terminal-schedule) it was berth 50. I can't find that on Google Maps but 55 and 58 are out by the outer harbor.

Thank you for clarifying @njhorseman I've also sailed a couple times from that port and was confused by the shuttle bus situation. My experiences at that port were quite different. One embarkation was delayed due to a CG inspection for the ship but my 2 trips through there were fine.

To an extent, yes. Yes, you can book your tender tickets on the screens on each deck in the stair lobbies. Your experience may differ from mine - when I stopped in Cabo (on the Bliss actually) we were the first ship in port so ALL of the tender boats in the port were servicing our ship. It was quick and easy to get off the ship and to shore, possibly even by 7:30 or 8 AM even with a private excursion rather than a ship excursion. I think they had 3 tender platforms operating on the ship.

The drink package also now includes 6 liters of water cartons delivered to your room on embarkation day.

Even the Day's Inn near the port (Cocoa Beach) is $289 for the night that I need to stay over (searching hotels.com) and I still need to get there from the airport and then from there to the cruise port. Find me a better deal in someplace that isn't a bottom-barrel place... I was mistaken. With my Hilton account I can pay $250 to stay in the same hotel as the package that included cruise port transfer for $319, but then I need to either pay for the cruise line shuttle from MCO to PC or get an Uber Everyone likes to look at total cost - I could get a Hampton Inn in Melbourne for $178, but Uber to get there is $60, plus an Uber to the port is another $60 (not even accounting for surge pricing on a cruise day), I might as well take the place near the airport for only a few $$ more...

Your post seems confusing. See this page https://www.ncl.com/cruisenext and the thread linked below and then come back if you have further questions. Be aware - each CND is worth $125 OBC credited back to your on-board account during the cruise on which you purchase it when you buy two, even for the $500 CND Haven deposits.

RCI had other reasons to build that pier. Their Oasis-class ships have no tender capabilities (imagine trying to tender 6,000 people!) so if they wanted their newest and biggest ships to visit their private island they had to build the pier.

a very much off-peak stay. I'm going right smack in the middle of Spring Break season...

If you don't mind the fleas. I'm looking at a Hampton Inn near MCO (not high-class, but not bottom-barrel) for my cruise in March and it's $319 for a one night stay and shuttle to the cruise port. and that's a deal! Booking the hotel only through my Hilton account (signed up for work) is $305.

The Escape is a BA+ ship, is there a walled-off smoking area on that ship?

No, but some ships (Bliss, Joy, Encore and I believe Prima) have walled-off smoking sections.

Sure, as long as you and the people you communicate with use it, and if you pay for internet access...

Different system, which is inside the NCL app once it's in the 'on ship' mode...

You could also use the 300 minutes and see how far it gets you. If you get to the last day and need more time, just pay for unlimited for the one day you need.

Some reports are that iMessage may work without an internet plan and just being connected to the ship's WiFi (I'm not sure if it only works with others on board or if it will work with people not on-board), but even the base plan would work for this if that doesn't. If you don't need immediate notification of messages, you could just use the 150 free minutes if you got the free-at-sea and sign in to check and then out when you're done.

and this is simply not necessary. One person is going to sit at a table for two, so it doesn't matter if you make a reservation for one or two. It's a lot of stress over something that doesn't need to be stressful. When you show up at the venue and they ask about the second person, just indicate that you're solo, it's not like it hasn't happened before.