ChiefMateJRK

Then it likely depends upon how much time you want to spend in Manhattan. For us it was zero, so we just stayed in a Hyatt by the airport and took an Uber to the terminal the next morning.

Yes, they dropped us off right at the lumberjack show and the return bus also picked us up just up the street.

Are you flying in the day before?

One of us misunderstood the OP.

This sounds a lot like when a family member would plan a dinner in a nice restaurant, and then pass the hat when the check came. Yes, that's happened to me (and many others). This is a measly five day cruise to Bermuda. The time will fly and it really won't matter where you eat and sleep. I would send them back the bill and let them know that you'll take care of your own cabin thank you. The quality of family time should be based upon the interactions, not the venue. ETA: I just realized that you're staying in different cabins. 5 bucks says they booked the cheapest Haven available for themselves and plan to gather on your penthouse large balcony.😀

We just did this in April. It was a lot of fun. I'm sure that the NCL estimate just adds on gathering at the terminal, boarding the vans/busses, driving into town, waiting 15 -20 minutes for the show, getting to the return bus and driving back to the terminal

Absolutely. We did a B2B on the Bliss in April and probably attended all but one or two of Siglo's sets over both weeks. We were on a first name basis with them by the second week and they even dedicated a song to DW and I (their first ever public performance of Purple Rain). Randy (guitar player) had been working on it for a while and Junior (drummer/lead vocal) told me in the hall one night that they would try to perform it before the end of our second week. They did a great job and I think I heard them perform it two more times before the cruise ended. My favorites are their outstanding performances of Pink Floyd songs, but they do a great job on so many classic rock songs that I can't even remember them all. Junior told me that his first album ever was Jackson Browne Running on Empty, and that kind of set him on the path, which I also listened to back in the day. Fun stuff! 😎 Beatles? I never listened to them much in the sixties and seventies and really am not a big fan. I really like a couple of their songs, but that's about it. We listened to them in the theater one afternoon, and that was enough. There were four other performers on the Bliss that I liked better.

Or just check price history on CruisePlum.😎

Isn't this exactly how every corporation operates?

Encore, Bliss and Joy are easily my favorites. They are almost identical for my purposes.

I believe that they are cheaper for solo passengers but, as you likely know, there are only four studios on the POA. You probably just need to check at least once every week or two. I did have DD booked in a studio on POA once and I booked it about a year and a half out (wound up cancelling that one). The 2025 sailings have been bookable for a number of months now, so the 2026 may show up soon. POA tends to open up much sooner than other itineraries, since it is a fixed itinerary 12 months of the year.

My sources tell me that: a) Only 0.35% of NCL cruisers have ever paid menu prices for ala carte' restaurants b) Only 0.15% of NCL cruisers have ever seen that receipt and thought "wow, did I get a deal with FAS!" The vast majority of those very small populations were drunk and/or totally clueless. I doubt that any of the intelligent, fine folks here on Cruise Critic have ever fallen into either of those groups. 😎

Nice!! I appreciate a positive review once in a while. Did you enjoy the various musical acts? Any favorites?

I checked Chase after reading this thread. There is a link for travel notification but it simply takes you to a page that says they don't use those anymore.

Yikes. Was your ex not a nice, understanding, forgiving person? How would the clerk know what address was on the credit card? I would think that a "profuse" apology from the manager would be enough for most of us. I must have been mistaken.

Does you state issue photo IDs for non-drivers? I thought that many/most to, but I really haven't checked.

Is that spelled out somewhere in the terms and conditions?

Wait, what?! All of this concern over Walmart wine? 🤣

What is the itinerary?

If somebody took the risk to open my suitcase, they would likely feel ripped off. Some dirty clothes and a pair of well worn slippers? Street value of about a buck ninety five.

I doubt the cruise lines have any problems selling out Christmas/New Year cruises. It's all the other sailings that apparently have been slow to book.

Where are you seeing excursions listed as "sold out?"

I want this on the bow of my ship:

I thought they lost one of my socks on the last cruise, but a diligent (not really) search of the closet found the wayward sock hiding in plain sight. Some bonehead (me) failed to get it into the bag. Beyond that, I've never read a report of anybody's clothing getting lost. I do read a rare report of somebody's clothes shrinking, but I think the blame for that falls more on the buffet then the hard-working folks in the laundry area.

If I had been more of a cruiser back then, I would have taken a great cruise (well, they're all great, aren't they?). I really didn't do anything special. Just grabbed the final paycheck and started enjoying retirement life. I made a commitment to myself to do NO work during the first two weeks. If I thought of something that I should be doing, I just added it to the to-do list and returned to my recliner. Freedom can be celebrated by just enjoying being free. That was eight years ago and retirement will NEVER grow old. Fortunately, DW finally retired so we can just cruise whenever we want to. 😎