wally4ever

When I went as a solo cruiser last spring, I kind of did this... I went with the solo group and had appetizers in the main dining room and be social, then I went to a specialty dining room to pig out!

I've always just used Facebook Messenger to communicate with land-based folks.

I just hope they get their stuff together by Christmas when I go there on the Escape.

I found the NCL app a little frustrating on my last cruise for messaging. I'd get alerts that I got a message but they wouldn't actually appear in the app. Somebody looking over my shoulder would have thought I was stalking my wife because none of her messages ever actually showed up in the app, I just saw the text in the alert and responded based on what the alert said. So... we could use it, but it wasn't ideal.

I thoroughly enjoy the auctions. The first time I went, I bought a piece. I haven't bought one since, but it's still fun. They give a little history of the artwork and artists which I find interesting. The only thing that's irritating is that Peter Max seems to be their focal point, and his paintings... they don't do it for me. But some people love them, and good for them!

I was on the Joy over Christmas and saw a few masks. There weren't very many, but they certainly weren't out of place, either. You do what you need to do to feel comfortable.

They were on the Joy over Christmas. They were mostly in the Atrium though so I didn't see them much.

Woah woah woah... no Tomahawk, and the PORTERHOUSE has an upcharge now? Yikes. Guess I either won't be going to Cagney's next time or will get to try the prime rib.

I've been to the Mexican Riviera and Cozamel/Costa Maya, and felt very safe at both.

I live a couple hours from Norfolk and I always think it's a little weird that it's a cruise port. If I ever do a cruise from New York to Bermuda, that would definitely be a port I'd stay on the ship for. Although I might feel differently if I didn't live nearby.

That crab salad/salmon is quite good.

When I went to Ocean Blue, I just got the fresh Sea Bass. Nothing fancy, just well-cooked, fresh fish. It was delicious. My Le Bistro go-to is the Lobster Thermador. There's a $25 upcharge but it's so worth it.

Alright... you know... I admire the idea of trying to improve carbon footprints. I do. But... I mean... it's a 100k ton cruise ship carrying god only knows how much food and requiring who even could guess how much fuel. There's only so green the experience is going to be.

I was on that same cruise! We had the cabin right next to the Brewhouse. No complaints about noise. I loved the ship and the experience. My only gripes... 1) The Cavern needs more seating, especially for the BeatleStory events 2) The Shampoo and body wash were atrocious. 3) The whole doing check-in at berth 50, boarding the ship at berth 46 thing? Ugh. We had flown in from Virginia (where it was below freezing) and then had to wait out where it was hot for over an hour and a half. Not ideal.

I've done two cruises using the NCL Air, and I was happy to let them deal with everything. At the same time though, both itineraries involved short layovers, so if the first plane had been delayed at all, I'd have been in trouble.

I would love to have a standard menu in the main dining room, but I say that as somebody that typically only eats in the main dining room once during a cruise.

I was on the Dawn in March and I loved it. It was a somewhat quieter ship but I don't need gokarts or water slides.

My first cruise, last December, ended terribly. My wife came down with COVID on morning 3, which happened to be Christmas Day, and got quarantined. My daughter and I tested negative, but were still isolated for the remainder of the cruise (in a downgraded cabin, I'll add). NCL never reimbursed us for anything... no specialty dining, no excursion refund, no beverage package refund, nothing. They even charged us for the crappy pay-per-view movies they told us would be free. So what did I do when I got home? I scheduled a solo cruise for myself over spring break while everybody else was working/in school, had a blast, and then scheduled another cruise for this Christmas. [Redacted] happens sometimes.

I've been on two cruises and don't think I ever saw a can of soda.