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Good point. I guess I'd have to make my bets in San Juan and watch on YouTube the next day after returning to Florida. Which really makes it much less exciting and probably not worth the effort. Thanks.

They might have left the chair altogether and maybe didn't know what to do with the towel so just left it there. In which case it makes perfect sense to commandeer the chair. If I see a chair with only a towel and no personal property, I would ask someone nearby if they had seen its occupant recently and if not, go for it. I would not be offended if someone took a chair I had been using earlier. It's just a chair. If I planned to return soon, I would let a neighbor who looked like they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon that I would be right back.

Do the NCL casinos offer sports or race betting? I've seen kiosk machines on other cruise lines at some point in the past; I don't recall if they took horse racing bets. I'll be aboard the Escape during the Kentucky Derby which is always nuts. Also will any bartender have a clue how to mix a mint julep?

I use edge and it's fine but slow to populate. I don't think it's the most well designed website.

Also what time did you check in on your embarkation day and did you have to wait to be checked in before you could board? What about debarkation? Thanks! ETA: Is Escape still embarking at Canaveral? I guess that's not very pertinent to our departure next month from Miami.

How was service, logistics etc? In particular did you spend a lot of time waiting in line, waiting for your dinner etc?

OK that's better but I was a little disappointed not to see some baby blue tuxedos and a spiked punch bowl.

What a bunch of wallflowers!

Just a word of caution: last time we flew into LaGuardia Airport we found it impossible to locate our Uber because the pickup area was big enough for at least 100 cars and I had no cellphone reception because everyone was trying to call their drivers. This was several years ago so maybe it's better now. We ended up getting a taxi which at the time required us to take a bus to the taxi stand. I ❤️ NY!

That's too bad for them because you can also use the phone app, put in your TSA precheck known traveler number, etc.

Thanks for this great report and welcome back to hard cold reality.

I basically agree with this, but would note that visiting the most idyllic places on earth may not be very relevant if the staff are now mostly stuck on board, and even if they can get out to port, being in a resort area is expensive and not that exciting the 10th time in a row. Whether the employes like coming back is a matter of debate and subjective. Presumably it must pay significantly better than, say, working at a hotel in the Philippines, to make it worth being away from their children and families for most of their lives. As to whether the housekeeping policy will change depends on whether the cruise line can keep its staff under the new scenario and what the employees' alternatives are. If they feel overworked and find better jobs at other cruise lines or at home, they will stop renewing, in which case ncl may need to reconsider if they cant find trained and experienced staff. If the employees are getting more money by no longer having to split the gratuity allocated to room care, it may be worth it to them to stay. The other issue is if the service falls behind other cruise lines and other vacation options, and customers stop returning. I see cutbacks on other cruise lines in various areas. The one area where I think ncl may be likely to rethink the changes is the turnover day, since it seems like people can't get to their rooms until much later than before. However rethinking does not necessarily mean going back to the previous system. For example, I would not be totally surprised to see ncl contracting with a US based cleaning company one day a week to assist the stewards in getting the rooms ready for new guests while in home ports, or something like that.

I'm on the internet right now and trust me, you aren't missing anything. Enjoy the peace.

The share price is historically low but whoever buys it will have to figure out how to deal with $12 billion in debt. Not saying it won't happen.

Cross the Postmaster General at your own peril....

A few ideas: 1. Keep a recycle bin next to your mailbox, or wherever you read your mail 2. Relocate and don't send a change of address card 3. Next time you go on a cruise, you could try something like this: You're welcome.

Sounds like they are working out some of the kinks. I figured things would get better. 15 minutes for a muster drill is shorter than I remember in the Before Times.

Are there any in particular somewhere near the pool decks and open to steerage guests that are likely not to be crowded?

It's no Howard Johnsons, that's for sure. Which is what I think of when driving the NY Thruway (?), which I last did in 1983. Also is "Thruway" a word?

Congrats to both of you! Very cool!

Boo!

Great report so far. Enjoy!

Actually it wasn't! I thought you meant, what is NCL Air's legal name, so you could name them in a lawsuit or something.

A lot of the youtube content regarding cruises is created by travel agents that specialize in cruising. That is how we found one. They are very helpful and often have offers that are a little better than booking through other channels.

My wife used to live in Hollywood and her favorite restaurant is Le Tub. They mostly have burgers and some seafood items. It's mostly outdoors right on the intercoastal. Super kitschy. I only ate there once in 2008 and I remember it being pretty good. That same trip we ate brunch at the Bagel Snack in Pompano Beach. They had the best bagels I have ever eaten.