Karaboudjan

We spent most of our time in the Vibe where they had some interesting mocktails on the menu, but I don't recall anything similar to a pina colada. I think the Local or one of the outdoor bars might be your best bet for something like that.

1. Lately it appears that Escape has been using 10 and Prima has been using 5. 2. We used the NCL shuttle and it was very convenient. 3. Don't know about this.

Uber has an estimator web page that you could check. Or get the app and try a reservation for the date and time you would need the ride, which should be more accurate.

The person on the couch still has to go through someone's bedroom to get to the restroom. That would probably be a non-starter for many people.

That is interesting. I looked through the Australia and New Zealand board first and this did not appear to be NCL alone so I thought it must be an Australia requirement. I still see this on the Princess web site: "Based on current Australian requirements for cruising, all guests will require a negative viral COVID-19 test result taken before boarding: Within 24 hours for Rapid-Antigen Test (RAT) Within 48 hours for PCR" So was this a requirement until fairly recently and at least some cruise lines are just slow in removing it?

https://www.ncl.com/travel-requirements-by-country "Vaccinated guests are required to provide proof of negative COVID-19 test in addition to vaccination documentation, as listed above, only when embarking in Australia." Also see post #5 where the OP mentions their RAT test.

@grozzy1 I'm enjoying your postings - I'm booked for this cruise next year. Since you appear to be a local, do you know if Australia seems likely to keep the mandatory test for cruises in place longer-term?

I would not put too much weight on other peoples' opinions. Food and restaurants in general are rather subjective, and being on a ship makes it even more difficult to find consistency. I say look at the menus and the photos of the venues and go with what looks most interesting to you.

White Bay looks like a more interesting trip through the harbor, though...

We were on the Prima a few weeks ago. The ship was at capacity plus (3500 passengers) but my impression was that neither the Noise Boys or Summer shows was full. Of course these types of cutbacks save money for NCL, but is it possible that they know the average NCL cruiser or the target NCL cruiser just does not care that much about big stage productions, in which case these moves make good business sense. Maybe this type of entertainment will become a niche that only certain lines/ships offer.

The latest deck plans appear to be fairly detailed as to where the slides pass through each deck. Unless you are very close I think the impact would be low. As for noise, on our week at full occupancy with 700 kids I hardly ever heard anyone going down, even when walking right by the slide. I certainly never heard anything from our Deck 10 aft balcony.

If you contact NCL about a transfer they may be able to tell you if 12:40pm works. I know that the information for the transfers we booked stated that they should not be used for flights before a certain time. However, I don't know if the person you book the transfer with has details on every port available to them. I'm also not sure if they really 'guarantee' anything no matter what time your flight is... As for your other questions, did you already check the Italy Ports forum? If you still have questions about an outside company you should probably post there since that could pertain to any cruise line.

Not sure about the restaurant reservations since we were able to book those in advance, but the show reservations (at least Noise Boys and Summer) could be done through the app. So maybe you could get in line at guest services to see about the Vibe and use the app while you are waiting to do the rest. The kiosks did not seem to be working for entertainment reservations, but I have no idea if that was a temporary issue or not.

If the cost is over $15 and you are on the standard beverage plan you will pay the difference. Drambuie is a proprietary blend so I doubt there is any close alternative. Maybe something like Benedictine or B&B would be similar, but I don't know if either of those is on NCL either.

The 2-Bedroom Family Villa is H6.

You get the points after the cruise.

We were in the Vibe in December. It never seemed even close to crowded, yet the bartenders said it was sold out. So maybe it was closer to sold out your week than you think. They could probably sell some more passes without overcrowding things, but there is likely no need for them to lower the prices.

Do you have a source for that or can you elaborate somewhat? I can see a few things on the menu that could feasibly be prepared sous vide, but why pay people in Miami US wages when they have plenty of talented cooks on the ships who are probably earning a lot less. And pay to ship it all the way to Australia/New Zealand for the Spirit?!

Mostly loved it. I had the pizza for a starter. It was certainly the best pizza that I have had on a ship, although not quite as good as a genuine wood-fired oven pizza. For my entree I had the Branzino which was great. My wife had the Pappardelle Bolognese which was also excellent. I can't recall what else she had. My only issue was with the seating, which I found fairly cramped. This was on the Prima so the other ships may be different.

So would 'table tennis standing on the table' seem closer to the mark for you? 😉

Mock now if you will, but you will be assimilated. 😏

The 12/22 sample menu for the Escape also shows lamb top sirloin.

You could always bring paddles and balls and invade the tennis court! You might have to convince the staff to put up a net, though. I don't know about the Gem, but when I visited the sports court on the Escape I don't recall seeing any net. They might keep it clear for basketball since I'd guess that is more popular than tennis and has simpler logistics.

I don't believe there are any menus. It's just grab and go unless I missed something like an omelet station.

Thanks. I certainly don't remember any insert or separate document, but maybe we just missed it...