SireDoime

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5 hours ago, quercus alba said:

 

"Priscilla Queen of the Desert"

I just realized that "To Wong Foo, Thanks for everything, Julie Newmar" was the American ripoff (?) of that Australian film. I saw them both at different times and would confuse one for the other.

How is this cruise going so far? 🌈🏳️‍🌈🌚🙋🏿‍♂️

17 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

The kit was in our penthouse last month on Explorer.

15 hours ago, Gilly said:

The Gentleman's kit was on board Splendor last month - a smart navy blue quilted bag with the Occitane Cedrat shaving products inside.

 

Sorry you haven't seen it there.

["I was hoping to get a kit like he did."]

 Ooops, I guess I replied to soon. 😅

17 hours ago, flossie009 said:

We seem to remember that Regent also used to supply a gentleman’s gift pack containing shaving brush, shaving cream, after shave balm etc.

No sign of those any more 🥲

 

 

Awww, too bad. My Dad (RIP 😥)  got this "The Art of Shaving" kit (what's left of it) from his Crystal Serenity cruise in 2013.

I was hoping to get a kit like he did.

On 12/26/2021 at 8:19 PM, Kwaj girl said:

 

@SireDoime  Penthouse and above.  We have adopted 7 such children and will add 2 more to our brood in the next month or so.  You can call me "Nanomom!" 😄

I got a call from my Regent Consultant yesterday regarding excursions and asked if I could buy the bear and box set, she said yes I could. While I was at it, I ask to be placed on a waitlist for a Penthouse. 

20 hours ago, flossie009 said:

 

Thanks for the pictures! I'm a Concierge Suite next December, so it's not likely I'll get one. Perhaps, if I ask very nicely, they sell one to me. I like unique souvenirs from cruise ships, to me this is unique enough.

21 hours ago, phillygwm said:

I'll disagree about Six.  Saw it on B'way and was pleasantly surprised.  Unfortunately, both performances on my sailing were cancelled (cast illness, apparently non-COVID.) 

 

Found this online...I'm obsessed 🙂  

 

Wait so you're saying ther are two SIX's one with the chicks and another with gay dudes on Bliss? OK, now this I'll see - just wish they were in costume 😅

9 hours ago, MishelleMcc said:

So Hang in there!  Go through the paces and hopefully you get on board your ship and the stress will melt away!!!  Happy sailing!!

Yeah, in retrospect it was testing that was making nervous, specifically if I'll get my results in time.

I bought a Pixel/LabCorp PCR self-Test for this cruise, but found out NCL doesn't want that.

Then  they changed their minds about at home tests. So, I just scheduled a Scarlet/BioReference in-home proctored PCR test (suggested by NCL, because the Scarlet doctors make a house call to collect the sample) in January 2 days before the cruise. But I am also relieved that NCL went back to free pier testing.

I really need this time away from everything.

26 days... 😆

Also booked Regent Splendor for December 2022 (10 Eastern Caribbean) and November 2023 (14 day Transatlantic).

26 days... 😁😊🛳️🤸🏿‍♂️🕺🏿

I can't believe how anxious I am. It's not b'cuz it's been awhile either.

Need calm 🧘🏿‍♂️

17 hours ago, deepbluediver said:

The good news is no social distancing nor masks are required.

That is not good news. 😕😓

Omicron is worst than Delta.

Any word on the Bliss steam rooms? Are they segregated for males and females?

When I was on the CxC Infinity, I did feel a bit uncomfortable being in the sauna with women.

Being from Los Angeles, some type of women just wait for an excuse and opportunity to cause trouble. (Nothing happened on that cruise, thankfully.)

Most times the "Persian garden" was fairly empty. But the ship did have a steam room for men in the locker area, with a cool window looking out at the sea.

On 12/10/2021 at 8:23 AM, david_sobe said:

I was thinking about booking a cruise but decided on a new driveway instead.  The driveway will be around much longer than a week vacation 🤭

 

I thought about repaving my driveway, but I just got it power washed instead. Now it looks new! (But a new one is still on the table).

On 12/7/2021 at 5:09 PM, spanishguy1970 said:

There's no way we would spend 12 thousand dollars on a Balcony on NCL.

This was less than 10K, but since this was my first 14day, it seemed the least expensive, compared to other lines offering the same itinerary. But, you're I really shouldn't have this much, but I really only paid the cruise, not the line. And the Haven prices, as this thread states, were outrageous!!

Also, I just found out that NCL cut Nicaragua off the list of ports. I wanted do a Transatlantic or even Transpacific, but the prices were too much.

😕🤷🏿‍♂️😅🏳️‍🌈

Hmmm, on this line??? I would be very surprised.

On 11/26/2021 at 3:06 PM, fshepinc said:

I just did the all-gay cruise on the Bliss earlier this month. The ship itself is nice, and you really should try the ice room in the spa! Best thing on board is the show, SIX-The Musical. Make sure you book it! 

Honestly, I'm just not feeling SIX. I thought it was going to be a period piece musical, I didn't know it was brit-pop musical from 2017. I saw a small clip and wasn't that impressed, besides Henry VIII would never have married two Black women, just saying. But, me complaining about that is like when plays used to always cast a female in the role of Peter Pan. 🤷🏿‍♂️😕 

As for the Ice room, yes I did purchase the Thermal Suite pass. Too bad it won't include spa services.

Ooo la la

5 hours ago, spanishguy1970 said:

not just Haven, prices are ridiculously high on NCL, 12 thousand dollars for a balcony room, on a Panama canal cruise, I wonder how much business they are doing? they certainly lost us for a while. No thanks.

Yeah, I paid somewhere near that for my Club Balcony "Suite" for this upcoming Mexican Riveria/Panama Canal cruise in January. The most I ever paid for a cruise, and NCL isn't even close to a Luxury line, let alone a Premium line.

BUT, I paid for the 14 day itinerary, not the ship or "suite". Plus, the Bliss has fun amenities that Celebrity and Regent Seven Seas don't offer (no, they are not comparable to NCL, in my opinion).

But, I have now learned that NCL seems to not only NiCkLe and dime, but does a bit of price gouging. This is first time sailing with NCL.

Hello 😊👋🏿🙋🏿‍♂️,

This is my first time cruising on Norwegian and my first megaship, aaaaand my longest cruise.

This is a bucket list cruise, 14 Days - LA to Miami - Mexican Riveria/Panama Canal - NCL Bliss (Jan 21 - Feb 04, 2022)

It's gonna be chilly 🌬️😰 😨❄️, though.

My Dad, and many others said if I ever get the chance to go through the Panama Canal, do it.

Sadly, though this ship is too big for the old PanamaAX locks, it's new NeoPananmaAX locks for Bliss.

I don't know even know if Norwegian even has a "gay theme" night, events, or whatever. But, we're everywhere, so..🤩

I am anticipating this will be a great cruise; hope I meet some great people! See you aboard!!

🛳️⛴️🎊🏳️‍🌈🎉

4 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

We were looking for Nov 2021.  The single fares were several hundred dollars more than double occupancy.  It’s was disappointing.

I learned the hard way that the Cruise industry HATES people who have the AUDACITY to cruise ALONE. So, unless you pay for luxury, like Regent, where the Single rate is just 25% more than a double rate (the lowest in the industry), you're being ripped off. Celebrity charged me 125% on my first cruise, I thought it was a mistake that they charged me for two people. Until my agent corrected me. Some will even  charge 200% above double rate.

Cruise lines hate single travelers. They think if you can afford to travel by yourself and have the crew serve only you, then you should pay more - waaaaaay more.

Hmm?, has anyone been reluctant to book another cruise since restarting?

Well, I was at first reluctant to even book at all; but since cruises started at reduced capacity, it would be a great opportunity to see more of the ship without crowds.

Booking a second cruise only became an issue with regard to itinerary. The Mediterranean, Europe and Asia were out, because of restrictions for US travelers, in the beginning (although I personally love the restrictions they have in place now, as they are aligned with safety and not convenience). But I've decided, when I do book again, I'll do so on smaller ships, and only fully vaccinated cruises (with "local" itineraries like the Mexican Riveria, the Panama Canal, and Alaska). The fact that some lines started with 50/50 or 60/40 of their passengers being fully vaccinated worried me greatly.

Pricing was an also issue, since every line has raised their prices, some significantly. Also some lines have altered or reduced their amenities for suites and in general; and even re-organized their Suite class structure (Regent reclassified some lower named suites on the Explorer to align with higher tier suites; Celebrity did something similar with the AquaClass).

So a second cruise, beyond my current one, will greatly depend on my safety abroad & aboard, as well as the value in the itinerary for the class I sail in.

2 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Concierge guests are invited

On Equinox I was in this class and got invited, I thought it was nice, but since it was my first cruise I didn't see the big deal. I didn't do it on Infinity when I was in AquaClass, either they didn't have it, or I foregoed it, or they didn't invite me.

Either way, it would be nice to have an outside forward and aft view of the crossing.