ChiefMateJRK

8 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

I wish they'd make it permanent until this virus is under control.

If anybody believes that it's not, they just haven't been paying attention.

11 minutes ago, disneykins said:

We were ready to book 2 cruises for Feb. 2022, but can't get a booster until Feb 2022 so we have to put off booking yet again.

No, you don't.  

16 minutes ago, KruzPrincess said:

Most of your time will be waiting in line at Ward Cove. 

Based upon a single data point that happened to be the first cruise after 18 months.  Let's see what folks are reporting after a few more weeks.

Not directly NCL, but interesting vaccine related thread:

Ovation Turned Away Half a Dozen Unvaccinated Cruisers in Seattle - Royal Caribbean International - Cruise Critic Community

With the NCL's extension of their requirement, could we be seeing this again in November or December? (that's obviously a rhetorical question)

3 hours ago, Kimbahh said:

It looks like you docked at a pier in Juneau that is far from the town.  Did they have shuttles or did you have to walk a mile to get there?

Is it really a mile?

9 minutes ago, KruzPrincess said:

Not much time in Ketchikan when you have to bus in from Ward Cove. 

How much time does one need to shop at the tourist shops in Ketchikan?  After about 30 minutes my head was about to explode.

9 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Did they sail to Bermuda?

Certainly the two AK cruises didn't.  I have no idea on the Gem, but I doubt it.

39 minutes ago, styxfire said:

AND you get an EVENING in a port... a civilized port with a ton of options

Yep.  Good to know.  I generally try to avoid those nasty uncivilized ports.  Which ones are those again?

15 minutes ago, ricosmom said:

Plus we can’t just fly home if he just tested positive at pier.

Do they ask at the airport?

13 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I guess not, love cruising NCL 😄

+1.  The only thing I'll blame for any of these things that folks are complaining about is Covid.  I'm pretty sure we can blame Covid for everything these days!

NCL has now boarded three US itinerary ships worth of passengers with the 100% vax requirement, with CDC card as proof.  If there were issues with hand written, no signature, etc. we would have heard reports by now.  I'm guessing that if it appears to be an original CDC card and it has vaccine info and dates, it's probably okay.  The rest of the entries are likely all over the map.

1 hour ago, aubreyc1988 said:

Right? I mean, as a business owner, I can appreciate the intelligence on this haha!  Yeah, it is inconvenient for the independent tour operators, but it is still doable. And 8.00 pp in the grand scheme of vacation cost isn't the end of the world. 

 

Idk, covid has made me a lot more flexible when it comes to things like this. I am just happy to be alive and cruising soon I suppose

 Yep.  Making things less convenient for their competition is certainly good business.   We've had at least one outstanding first hand report from last week's cruise, and despite reading all the threads 100% I don't recall seeing any real reports of poor cruisers "waiting around for hours with 1000s of other people" for a short/cheap bus ride into town in order to shop for jewelry, souvenirs and other crap that most of us don't want or need.  Some folks just like to complain.  They post in the NCL forum and just about every post is somehow focused on the evil that NCL has become.  The good news is that I likely won't run into them on the Encore later this fall.  😎

25 minutes ago, robcolem said:

Do the NCL booked excursions in Ketchikan include transportation to/from Ward Cove?

Didn't we see excursion busses at Ward Cove in some of the photos from last week's cruise?  I got the impression that it is only the independent excursions that *may* be impacted based on early reports.

Disaster?  Nightmare?  Really folks??

1 hour ago, cementhands said:

Age 66 here, love to cruise, but wife has compromised immune system. Cancer survivor. We’re both vaccinated and careful. Our daughter working in health field is quite concerned with variants. New one in South America coming this way.

Waiting for better days. Patiently waiting. But if I were younger I’d definitely be going now.

Masking up and booster shots might be the new normal.

We're not in an entirely different situation, and I look at it from the opposite perspective.  The chances of new or deteriorating health issues generally increases every year I get older.  I would rather "risk" it and go now than wait and perhaps never cruise again.

4 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Agreed, if any cruise line turned away pax because of presenting a forgery, I think they would have publicized that the forgery was detected and they were turned away. 

I wasn't really thinking about a forgery.  More about folks who were handed blank cards (or cards with only the lot number info) and told to fill in the rest of the information themselves.  Some of those have expressed (understandable) concern that their cards might not be accepted.  With thousand of folks cruising on ships requiring the original cards, if the cruise lines were being "picky" we likely would have heard about it by now.

Okay, you made me google pai gow. 😆  Possibly the only thing I'll learn all day....

4 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

It really isn't proof of anything but people want to see some proof and it's the closest thing we have.

Some of us have much better (or at least more reliable) forms of "proof."  When we got our shots, they gave us prescription receipts that contain a lot more information than the CDC card.  I have those tucked into our Passport wallets (along with the original CDC cards) just in case the legitimacy of the cards is challenged.  I'm guessing if that were happening we would have heard about it by now.

Hopefully somebody on the Gem today will post some info.

I've had a bigger "problem" with cocktail glasses accumulating...  😂

53 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Oh No!!! Say it ain’t so!

Thanks for posting this (and the other disembark instructions).  I'll be doing this soon.  We travel light and have little need for doing the whole "leave luggage outside room and find it in the terminal" routine.  If I have (for example, using your posted info) a 1:00 flight out of SeaTac and wish to carry all bags ourselves, do we ignore the "self-assist" time and just apply pink tags to all bags and carry them directly to the bus?  Thanks.

45 minutes ago, fastpitchdad said:

The CDC status of the Encore has been moved to Orange which is supposed to mean someone has COVID, have you heard anything on the ship?

Is it yesterday/today when those with foreign travel plans all get tested?

35 minutes ago, zerooveride said:

 

They charge for a band-aid? I've gone to Guest Services in the past and gotten ones for free . . .

I'm guessing that if they just had self-serve for free some clown would clean them out on day #1.

31 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The Bird totally agrees. Next season, no one will know the difference. It will be the new norm. For those “fire for effect” people who say “I will never cruise NCL again because of a shuttle ride”, seriously??? But if that is truly the case, you best hit the cancel button now because it won’t change. 

Yep.  I'm looking forward to the free Gondola ride through the trees, and I hate shopping so have zero reason to want to visit the shops in town.  I'll either stay on the ship and enjoy looking at the scenery and not an extended dock area or take a shorex that picks me up at the ship.  Those same posters claiming they'll "never cruise NCL again" are probably posting the same about the other lines in those sub-forums.  Some folks just aren't happy unless they're complaining about mean old cruise line "xyz."