cruiseny4life

Well, I for one, am here for all the bubbles! Bubbles everywhere!!! I swear I'm going to get one of those auto bubble machines, but that might take away the joy of blowing them. Don't worry, I'm also here for your wit, charm, sarcasm, and grumpiness!

I check in on roll calls here, cuz, well I like Cruise Critic. I don't like Cruise Critic for roll calls. You definitely need to go elsewhere for relevant information on meet and greets, slot pulls, etc. It's 2024 and unfortunately here is...well, no longer the medium.

Do a search for "BOGO"...you'll get results. Lots of results. Here are just a few of the dozens of results. The Bad: Mostly good (including my experiences): Again, mostly good and look at the poll at the top. Lots of people happy! Another thread: Specific to deviations: If you do book NCL BOGO Air, do yourself a huge favor and read (and understand) the details: https://www.ncl.com/air-service-standards

That's their policy. Take this as an educational moment. Always, always read the terms and conditions. Never take an employee of a corporation at their word. Especially if they are a salesperson. Sorry you're dealing with this disappointment, but unfortunately your husband can either 1) accept the FCC, 2) be upset which will ruin his and your cruise, 3) say the heck with it and book a lot more cruises, because cruising is amazing despite what onshore NCL wants to do to customers (gouge them for the most possible money, as all corporations do).

Oooooooo! I know who you are. 🙂 A lot of research really needs to be done by travelers now if they want an experience that is favorable to what them. It took a long time for my husband and I to find Norwegian. We almost booked Royal Caribbean for our first cruise and that would have been a travesty! They have formal night. We aren't formal people...like, at all! Norwegian for the win for being freestyle. It sounds like our OP could have done some research and found a better ship with 1,000 people or less. I bet they would have felt better about their cruise if they had. Oh well - we'll have plenty more OP's who come and go without really finding the type of cruise they were looking for due to a lack of research/too high of expectations.

I'm suspect as all heck! And, NCL knows it!! We all know that even though I'm disillusioned with NCL right now, find me the right deal, and I'll be back. To be fair, I don't think I ever said I'll never cruise NCL before, but I'm sure you've seen my posts berating NCL, whining, moaning, etc...and at the end of the day, I'll go back for more.

You say for viewing. I say quick access for eating! 🍽️

We stayed in a connected cabin on Getaway, twice, and never heard any sound from our neighbors. Also, congratulations on a minimum bid upgrade!!!! Enjoy that Club Balcony!

Just to add - all of you ( @Travelicious, @mking8288, and @Sugar Magnolia) are making me all angsty to get myself back to your fair city. I'd call it mine, but two of you are actually real NY'ers (and I'm just a CNY'er). So, thanks a lot - I have no trips planned, but now will be looking for a nice day trip to get myself out of the house and away from the (wayyyyyy) too much work there I really ought to be doing.

Glad you got to explore Coney Island and Brighton Beach. They really are wonderful parts of the city - didn't realize you were going to "the" Coney Island. I figured you'd just wander around - that's all we do when we're there. And spend way too much money over in Brighton Beach at the bazaars. So sorry to hear about your travails with NYC transit - sounds like you got to experience the wonders of relying on the subway. Just think, though! In a day you'll be onboard Pr1ma, able to relax away for so many days and nights - unless you Cruise Criticers party hard, well into the night! The shenanigans shall be extraordinary!

I'm so sorry Snow City Cafe was closed! It's one of the best cafe's I've ever been to! And I'm kind of glad to know that you know about it too! That's a lot of !'s. Anyway, thanks for sharing your experiences. I'll definitely check out Sealife Center next time I'm in Seward. Way back in (I forgot the year) I visited, but that was after we skied to Exit Glacier. We weren't feeling up to anything else other than having a hot meal. Rude security people make me laugh which they typically don't appreciate, but I still do it. More people need to respond to their antics with humor, rather than annoyance or fear (not saying you did either - more a general statement about how I've seen others respond to rude security). Thanks again! I really appreciate you coming back to close out the itinerary.

Nevermind! I'm dumb.

That's the result I get too. I was all sorts of excited. Then bummed when I did a mock booking to see I had to go through the entire booking funnel before seeing the price with taxes, fees, and port expenses.

I'm a hiker here, too! I can't imagine not being able to hike. I'm glad you're on the mend and hopefully getting to a place where you can start wandering again!!! Welcome to cruising. It's so much fun! And Cruise Critic can become an addiction - so be careful! I cruise with my husband, so not solo as is your case. Our first ever cruise was booked in late January/early February, 2022 for an April, 2022 cruise. Since then, we have gone on four additional cruises. Only one of those was booked outside Norwegian's final payment (120 days prior to cruise). We like to wait to see where prices go. Every time, the price has fallen after final payment, so it's definitely scored us some impressive fares. As far as planning goes, well I'm on Cruise Critic daily. I used to watch YouTube videos all the time - I've stopped doing that. I do listen to a couple of cruising podcasts still. I read a bunch of articles on all the website and I am in the cruise groups on Facebook. Since you're cruising solo, definitely check out Norwegian (it's the only line we cruise, so definitely some bias here). They do treat solos better than most other lines and have more offerings. If you do book a solo room, you probably do have to book further out than we do as the solo cabins tend to book up quick. Have fun booking and planning your first ever cruise!!

Worked here! I'm loving the travels you have had, so you just gained a follower (hope you don't mind). I'm not nearly as obnoxious on Insta as I am here, so don't worry about me blabbing.

Personally, I always ignored the safety video that came via email. I watched the one that was required to get through check-in and then we put the one on in the stateroom so we could watch TV. Otherwise, the YouTube links are useless.

First time in months that I've had hash browns. I purchased the 2 for $3.whatever at McDonald's. They had a terrible after taste, were cold, and just not good. Nothing like the little sponges of yum NCL used to have. No more pucks of fried potato for me!

There is definitely vitriol, if not hate, for ducks in certain parts of the internet. Me? I don't care.

Of course! You are entitled to all the benefits of the Haven even if you're not staying inside the Haven complex/proper/enclave/whatever you call it.

What a gorgeous sky this morning!

Oh my. Exactly the kind of New Haven (it sure ain't NY - yep, I said it - if it's burned, it's New Haven) I just cannot tolerate. No burned pizza for me, please. Are those peppers even cooked? But, I do hope you enjoyed it! After all, you're the one that had it. Not me.

Great company! I know the folks that run the Yellowstone location. If you want glamping, it's a great company to do it with!

Personally, I hope Bar Harbor keeps the ban. Heck, I'd be ok with them decreasing the number to 250. I do have to agree about four days in Bermuda! That would be lovely!

I know some on here have stated a green card only is enough (seems like this was a couple years ago). I do know that my husband (now a citizen) had to produce his green card and his passport from his birth country. This was on a different cruise line, but I'd think the process is the same. I would always recommend a green card holder bring their home country's passport along, in case it is asked for. He would not have been allowed onboard if he had not provided his passport also is what we were told by port and ship personnel. Good luck!

Unless you really, really wanted to see a small bucolic village at the base of Acadia National Park. Granted, you're not there long enough to really see Acadia, but a hike up the Bubbles and then over to Jordan Pond House could easily be done. I suppose one can get a lot of beer in Portland. One would think so since it's closed every July 4th. But what do I know? I certainly don't have the resources of a multibillion dollar company at my disposal...