Mlake09

I should have added, we only have the FAS beverage package, we did not order these for a cost.

Just boarded the Gem in NYC and yes, we had 12 liters of water in our room!

Sorry about that, I jist double checked and my summer bid isn’t in there yet. I did just get emailed tonight that we did not get our bid for cruise leaving Wednesday…we bid $205 per person for balcony from oceanview PW, but I think the cruise is likely to be pretty full.

I haven’t had this experience…we cruised in November and it stayed pending up until the day before, when we got the email saying we didn’t get the bid. I leave on Wednesday and it still says pending for that trip…and so does my 2024 summer cruise. When we got an epic upgrade last year (inside to club balcony!) it had said lending until I received the email with the room change. Just my two cents, because I don’t want the OP to get thru hopes up.

Feb 18-26…school break for MA schools and many others in New England too.

We are on that cruise too (it’s my school break), and I noticed that most rooms are now unavailable or if available, only offered as the guarantee stateroom only. I expect a cruise over capacity with lots of kids, but like you am prepared for it. I do hope some of the issues we had last February with a few challenging older kids will not be as prevalent, but it’s a risk traveling during school break! See you on the ship!

I’m also wondering if the Le Bistro up charge has to do with the foie gras. If so, no problem for us- we ask for it without that! If anyone is currently on board, I’d love to know if there is no charge of ordering the filet without the goose! I will update next week if no relies, as we are sailing on Gem.

My family and I all caught covid on our April 22 cruise. It was the first cruise we took with no precautions and we really noticed a difference. We enjoyed cruising right after the restart when ships were empty and everyone had to test prior to arrival and again at the pier. Even with prior testing, there were over 100 people who tested positive at the pier (and were identified and removed) prior to boarding for our December cruise last year. We are cruising again in a few weeks and will wear masks unless we are actively eating/drinking. Personal preference. I appreciate the update about your experience.

We were on the Gem out of NYC last year for New Years, and there was a celebration by the main pool. They had a limited number of noise makers, pushed a 2021 ice sculpture into the pool and then replaced it was 2022, and there was a different menu in the MDR. Most excitedly, the captain blew the horn for a solid minute, which was so loud and also so awesome! Glad we stayed up for it!

Massachusetts schools are mostly off starting April 15th this year.

We cruise this week most years because I’m a teacher and it’s my vacation week. It is typically over 100% capacity due to all the kids. Last year it was packed, and I assume this year will be as well. If you go into it knowing that the crowds will be larger than normal, lines longer, etc, you can still have a great time. If you’re hoping for quiet time or space to spread out in restaurants, shows, buffet, etc, you may want to look at another week if you have any flexibility. Once I retire I will never sail during the school vacation weeks, as our experience on the non-school break cruises has been much more peaceful! That being said, a cruise is a cruise!

We just did this short cruise this past weekend and it was full capacity, but it bumped up onto Veteran’s Day and kids/teachers had the day off. If you’re looking at the school vacation week it will also likely be full (dates listed in above post). The ship is lovely but does not have the features of the larger ships. Personally I like the smaller ships!

We’re on this cruise too, but don’t mind the change. I’m sorry you are disappointed. Bermuda isn’t al that warm in the winter and I know this cruise will be packed with kids for winter break..I’m guessing that NCL may be able to sell more room with the change. Hopefully you’ll be able to get another Bermuda cruise in soon!

I’m sorry if this is an obvious question, but what is the difference between Cruise Only and Cruise Next?

Does anyone know how close a storm may need to be to Bermuda/embarkation port for NCL to change a cruise to Canada instead? I’m watching a tropical storm currently headed toward Florida, and wondering how that might impact our weekend cruise on NCL Pearl from Boston to Bermuda. Has anyone ever had a similar storm pop up before their trip? Or any weather buffs out there? To be clear, I understand it’s totally NCL‘s decision should we need to change, and that’s no problem with me; we were on the Star this summer for the inaugural Greenland trip and instead took a sail around Norway, so we are understanding that changes do happen!

I can’t say for certain how much time passed between when we docked and when people started getting off the ship, because I was not in a rush to disembark (and we had breakfast), but I know some people were in a rush and were frustrated with whatever the delay was. Others in my roll call were also upset because when they were got off the ship, the luggage wasn’t out and sorted yet, and they were further delayed. It was fine when we got off later in the morning, so it must have just been an issue for the people who got off in the first group. I hope that helps.

Personally I would NOT risk it…we disembarked in Reykjavik late this summer and used the NCL transport to the airport (that took about 50 minutes and we left right on time). It took us HOURS to get though the security line and that was not on a holiday or weekend, etc. Ultimately we were glad to have waited for the evening flight!

Hi! I prefer the Gem, but having taken both ships out of NYC during school vacation season (I’m a teacher), I’d vote the larger ship, where there is more space for the kids to go. Last year we cruised during February and April vacation, and it felt packed on the Gem, while the Getaway just seemed like the kids mostly stayed up top with all the attractions. if you’re not going during school vacation week, then I’d go 100% Gem, because I like the older ships. I did, however, really appreciate the waterfront and Spice h20 areas, especially during the school break week, to find some peace and quiet! I hope you enjoy your cruise!