UKstages

there's a far better reason NOT to affix your NCL bag tags before your flight than the very real danger of them falling off. your bags could be misdirected. if you have an aft cabin, the most prominent thing on that bag tag is the three letter designation AFT in all capital letters. AFT just also happens to be the airport code for afutara on malaita in the solomon islands. are you mid ship? then your bag tag will have a large MID on it, which also happens to be the three letter airport designation for mérida international airport in yucatán (mexico). do you have a forward cabin? well, you'll probably be OK, as there is no FWD three letter code corresponding to an airport. but FWD is also the three letter designation for "fair wind air charter," and if your bag is sent to them, it'll wind up in the arab emirates. and while I don't think the abbreviation "NCL" appears anywhere on norwegian's bag tags... if it did, your bags might wind up taking a detour to newcastle upon tyne, england. those NCL tags that "fell off" may in fact have been removed by the airline. most airlines remove all extraneous bag tags (that aren't pertaining to their specific flight) before sending luggage on its way.

then main thing to remember is that NCL does not excel at providing internet services. (some of its competitors do.) i've long ago given up on purchasing or upgrading the internet on NCL cruises. it is a very poor value and the quality sucks... especially during spring break cruises when a third of the ship's passengers are likely to be tweens and teenagers, all of whom often stay glued to their phones throughout the day... and night. this causes enormous problems with internet reliability and leaves very little bandwidth for other passengers. the "free" minutes you will get are good for occasionally checking email and that's about it. you'll be frustrated trying to visit most websites. download your email and read it offline. then go back online to send once your replies are written. remember to log off each time when done or your minutes will be consumed without actually using them. don't bother upgrading to the so-called premium "streaming" version of NCL's internet. it's unreliable and barely faster than the free version. if you have a port-intensive itinerary, and that itinerary includes ports that are available for free on your cell phone plan (usually canada and mexico) or a nominal $10 charge (bermuda, most european countries), supplement your free internet minutes with strategic use of your cell phone.

"port taxes?" what you're really referring to is sales tax for drinks consumed while in a specific port, pursuant to local tax laws. port taxes are a completely different animal. as for a $6.50 tax on a glass of veuve... say what? assuming tax of 10% (and most jurisdictions charge far less), the glass of veuve would have to be sold at retail for $65 in order to incur a $6.50 tax. where were you charged $6.50 tax for a glass of veuve clicquot? (not saying it didn't happen... just trying to understand the math behind it.) most times, on NCL, i've seen veuve offered for $32 or $34 or so. was this possibly the tax for two glasses of veuve?

there were no issues because, thankfully, i assume there was no fire onboard during your travels. had there been a fire on your deck, your door decorations would likely have contributed to the rapid spread of that fire. according to NCL, that's why they're prohibited.

yes, but the £10,000 does not include taxes or fees, gratuities, wifi or the DSC (daily solitude charge). once those are added in, it's quite a princely sum.

while that might seem like a good idea, it would likely cause confusion and congestion. with one menu, it doesn't matter where you eat (except for the ambience and the room capacity). two different menus, a certain percentage of folks will always have menu envy. what do you do if your dining companion prefers the other menu? what do you do if you show up at the wrong venue, the one not serving what you want? and what does NCL do when there are "better selling" entrées on one menu and the place gets overcrowded? you can't send them to the other MDR because the same dishes won't be available!

that may be your impression, but NCL haas no magnetic sign exemption. they prohibit door decorations. period. here's what they said when the policy was first implemented three years ago: "we have often communicated that the safety and security of our guests and crew is always of the utmost importance... as such, we have specific requirements in place, including prohibiting stateroom door decorations, which can be a fire hazard." on my most recent cruise a couple of weeks ago on the joy, this warning appeared in day 1 and/or day 2 of the dailies: “as per safety requirements, stateroom door decorations are strictly prohibited. your stateroom steward has been instructed to remove and place all decorations inside the room. thank you for your understanding and compliance with this safety policy.”

that's not actually true. you can indeed breathe in toxins from what is known as "third hand smoke." that's the name for the residual contamination that smoke from cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products, as well as e-cigarette vapors, leave behind. the residue can re-emit (off gas) toxins into the air, exposing people to carcinogens and harmful chemical compounds long after the smoking has ended. one doesn't have to wipe one's hand through anything.

that looks more like a ransom note than door decor. "if you don't send £10,000, we're going to stuff a member of parliament in a phone box and then blindfold them and put them in a black cab and drive to scotland and iceland, then take them to canada, where we'll waterboard them with maple syrup and force them to listen to wayne gretzky sharing career highlights, after which we'll all go to prison in america, where we'll manufacture new york state license plates." just dreadful. who would want to look at that dozens of times over the course of a week or ten days? and why would someone think they have a right to subject their fellow passengers to such visual garbage? what's next? political bumper stickers? pin the tail on the donkey? work it out before you get onboard! apply for a job as an art therapist for a class of fourth graders, for goodness sake! you pay to rent the INSIDE of your cabin for a period of time. you don't own the hallway outside your cabin. you just don't. perhaps nancy reagan had the best advice here, whenever ronnie felt the need to decorate his stateroom door: just. say. no.

you do realize if you hang the pictures up inside the cabin (on the back of the door or elsewhere), you'll get to spend far more time with your girls? i'm sure four photos didn't "hurt" anybody, but i'm going to go out on a limb here and say that few people enjoyed seeing your girls for seven days as much as you did, just as few people enjoy seeing signs wishing others a happy birthday or sweet sixteen or a christmas wreath or an easter bunny or tommy's toy train. (which is just one reason NCL banned the practice.) in other late breaking news, i had that very same suite two weeks ago (no joke) and had absolutely no trouble finding it without any door decorations whatsoever.

perhaps everyone is channeling henny youngman? "that was no neighbor, that was my wife."

we also give the butler a note, more of a list, upon first meeting. it tells him or her what not to bring, as well as what we do like. in our case, that means we want mostly sliced fruit, cheese and crackers, chocolate covered strawberries and no cookies, M&Ms or gummy bears or pastries. this last cruise, on the joy, we also requested almond milk and cream, as well as earl grey and mint tea, all of which was provided. be aware that in the haven you are likely to also get chocolates or other treats with a card from the GM or the casino, if you are a CAS player. these are in addition to whatever your butler normally provides and independent of what your stated preferences are. if you hate chocolate covered strawberries, but the casino is sending chocolate covered strawberries, you'll likely be getting chocolate covered strawberries that day. the butler has no way to substitute for something that has been ordered by another department. i agree that contacting the pre-cruise concierge for snack and pillow and refrigerator stocking preferences is a complete waste of time.

dean edwards was on SNL in 2001 and 2002 and never "broke through." he struggled to get noticed and received very little screen time, despite some spot-on impressions. he left after two years, citing "creative differences." so, it's odd that he would tout his brief tenure on SNL as a career highlight. glad to hear he's working and that he's still talented and funny.

i have a unique situation. in the before times, i traveled extensively to the philippines. i always kept filipino currency (equivalent to maybe forty to sixty US dollars) to have with me for the next trip, fir airport expenses or tips to car service drivers. on my last trip, i won the equivalent of about USD 1000 at a casino in manila. then the pandemic came and shut down all my travel to the philippines. so, for the past few years, i have held a large sum in filipino pesos. i have take some of that with me on each of of my last three cruises, since the restart. if my butler or concierge or room steward is filipino, which they almost always are... i ask if they'd prefer to be tipped in pesos. only one has ever said no. so, i tip those folks in pesos... the equivalent amount i would have given in dollars. they have told me that it gives them some "mad money" with which to hit the ground running when their contract ends and they go home. again, this is a unique situation that applies to virtually nobody except me! when not topping in pesos, i tip in US dollars.

not to pick nits, but it's important to note that NCL has no $50 excursion credit "per cabin." people get tripped up by this all the time, expecting to see the full value of $50 applied to two people on very inexpensive excursions like trolleys or gondola rides. i'm not saying that's what happened here... it sounds like you didn't have the $50 credit applied. i'm just saying that any discussion of the $50 excursion benefit should probably be more precise the actual free at sea benefit is for $50 off an excursion for the first person in the cabin, who is, generally, the one who is the booker of the cruise (but not necessarily the person who booked the excursion). so, one person gets the benefit applied to the cost of their excursion. if the excursion only costs $25 or $30 or $40 or $45, there is no value leftover for the second person. the second person pays the full price for the excursion. the remaining credit doesn't get equally divided among all the people in the cabin, nor is there ever any residual value. the benefit applies to one person and not one cabin.

i've tried buying tee shirts and tchotchkes, but there is rarely anything with any appeal. NCL's graphic design people really fall down in this area. none of the wearables even come close to having a design that i'd want to wear. a year ago, however, on the breakaway, i was able to get a long sleeve tee that has what i think is a nice design. i typically use up OBC buying liquor... indulgent, pricey liquor that i wouldn't normally buy. it's not always the best value compared to land-based retail shops, or airport-based duty free shops, but who cares? it's essentially monopoly money that i'm s pending. last week, on the joy, i bought a bottle of johnnie walker blue, which i don't even drink myself... just to have it available when friends drop by. or maybe to give as a gift. not sure yet. if you have a couple of hundred dollars or more in OBC, it's hard to use it up buying "ordinary" liquor, as those bottles only cost $20 - $50. i think the litre of johnnie walker blue was $246. on a previous cruise i bought chivas gold signature (aged 18 years) and a bottle of hennesy v.s.o.p. privilege. i have noticed that stiock and availability varies by ship.

i haven't sailed the POA, but my understanding from those that have is that, yes, you will pay tax on the retail price of each drink while in port throughout hawaii.

i saw refilling taking place, too. but they weren't refilling from larger bottles, but from plastic or foil industrial packages.

l'occitane products in the haven on the joy as well, in dispensers, as shown in the photo above. as for putting any liquid of any brand in there... that's certainly true. but the l'occitane products have a unique aroma and those familiar would likely know if a substitution had been made.

"sea days" being the operative words here. i have never seen food republic or american diner open for lunch while in port, except on embarkation day.

i was in a haven suite on the joy on deck 15. you could indeed hear some noise from the pool deck above... early in the morning from deck chairs and later in the day, assorted screaming and laughing and talking and music could be heard on the balcony. but not that much. it didn't bother me as i thought it might. but the minimal noise probably had a lot to do with the average age of the passengers on this cruise (63.5 years), as well as the cooler weather, meaning hat fewer people were on the pool deck. YMMMV with a younger crowd and if you cruise in warmer weather.

i myself prefer not to wear a lanyard with a plastic sleeve. (because it makes me look like i'm on a field trip to a museum with my 2nd grade class.) i use a "slim clip" to hold my NCL ID keycard, my NCL casino card and credit cards (when going ashore), along with $1 and $5 bills for tips. about seven to ten dollars, depending on where you buy it. it's compact, thin and fits in my front pocket; the shape and the design makes it easy to pull out, independent of anything else that might be in there.

i'm not sure you'll get any eye rolls at all. when i explained my frustration with this very same issue at the excursions desk on the joy, THEY told me to do exactly what you suggested. book it, then cancel it onboard, then immediately rebook it. crazy. there's gotta be a better way. i have heard that the pre-cruise concierge desk (for haven and suites) can reserve excursions ahead of time without payment, but i've never been able to have them do it.

i've been to Q both on the bliss and - last week - on the joy. i'm pleased to report that it is indeed better than mediocre. it's not world class BBQ crafted by an award-winning pitmaster, but it's pretty good. in fact, i have upgraded my opinion of Q after last week's experience on the joy. it was quite tasty and it is a lot of food... even though the sides are rather small and served in stainless steel ramekins. (homey wants a little more cole slaw than that, thankyouverymuch!) i ordered the banana pudding for dessert and was so full i could only take one bite. they also do a "smokey peach margarita," which is quite good and which i've been unable to get elsewhere on the ship. i do think the meats are likely prepared somewhere in a central kitchen off the ship and vacuum sealed and brought onboard and then "warmed to order." i doubt they have a smoker on board. (and if they did, would it have to be located at spice H20? 😁) i think i'm in the minority in that i don't actually appreciate the live music while dining... it can be pretty loud, depending on where you sit - making conversation difficult - and i'm just not a big fan of country music. @mking8288, very much enjoying this "live" review... same ship, same ports, many of the same experiences i had on the cruise just before you, including a total absence of hash browns. and i was also on deck 15!

personally, i think specialty dining was actually designed - in the Before Times - to help steer people away from the crowded buffet and MDRs. yes, of course, it makes the ship seem more appealing... so many choices (!)... OMG, y'all... crab cakes and lobster (!)... but the primary thing it does is alleviate crowding in the "free" buffet and MDRs. i believe the revenue from additional specialty dining meals was a secondary benefit to NCL, but i don't think it was their primary focus. now things are different... and reducing the number of specialty dining credits you get in their "for a small fee at sea" program is a revenue grab, for sure. on most sailings, the MDRs and buffet are not as crowded as they once were. this will change as overall occupancy increases. but there is one other factor. coming out of the pandemic, there were many double and triple point promos. heck, there still are! (i just got off a ten day cruise on the joy and received 40 points.) the point promos have greatly increased the number of platinum latitudes members, who each get coupons for two free specialty dining meals. THAT, more than the number of specialty meals awarded in the "for a small fee at sea" program, may have caused overcrowding in the specialty restaurants, at least the specialty restaurants that accepted the coupons. (a few days ago, NCL expanded the list of restaurants that accept those platinum dinner coupons, which may have a further knock-on effect of reducing the dining demand in cagney's and le bistro.)