stinkyharriet

Nooooo! I'm boarding tomorrow as you're leaving. I've seen some people on the FB group mention kids but not a large number. I know not everyone joins any kind of social media group for their cruise but I really hope there aren't many kids. I did book the Vibe just in case!

I walked when I was there in January. I'd say it took me around 20 minutes. I just opened Google Maps to get there. It took me along a road that sometimes had a sidewalk but most of the time it didn't. Anyone with any mobility issues should take a cab.

The Imaginarium will be converted to Q. I also heard that there would be an enclosed smoking room in the casino. The smoke was really bad when I was on the Getaway in January. I wonder if they’ll also ban smoking in Spice H2O, which happened after the Joy’s recent dry dock.

I did it once I was on board. I just went to the restaurant I had made the reservation for and told them I had changed my plans.

They’re standard cabins that have just been categorized as solo now, so I would assume they’ll still have a fridge. I’m going on the Joy soon in a solo inside and hope it still has a fridge, although I didn’t really miss it when I sailed in a studio on the Getaway.

They had that separate smoking section on the Joy when I sailed in 2022. I know the new Prima class ships also have it and I’ve read that the Breakaway ships will be doing them as they enter dry dock. As a non-smoker and someone with asthma I really appreciate it.

I’ll be on the Joy next month so I’m looking forward to your thoughts on the ship after the recent dry dock.

I’m going the week after you and decided to book the Vibe. I’m sort of regretting it because I know it will still be cooler in NY and there (hopefully) shouldn’t be many kids on board. Getting away from kids is my main reason for booking it. I also just learned that after the recent dry dock smoking is no longer allowed in Spice H2O so the Vibe is looking less necessary. The smoke in Spice H2O could be bad at times.

I read that all rooms got new mattresses but I don’t think they got any major refurbishment.

My sister & I just booked the 8 day 2/15-2/23. We are aware that NYC schools have off that week but we can’t do the longer cruises. We loved the Escape when we sailed on her last year and decided we will just deal with the kids. Probably book the Vibe. I have tried to search for a web site that lists all public school district calendars for the country (or at least the eastern half of the country) but the only thing I came up with was a paid service meant for travel agents.

Go to the solo meeting the first night and you will meet people in person. Not everyone is on CC or FB.

Yes, the TA cruises are the only ones that I see pop up for NYC when I search. I would love to do one of those but I think I’d prefer one of the bigger ships for that. And if I have to fly, I’d rather fly to Europe and cruise back to NY.

I have only done the larger ships. Joy, Getaway, Escape & Prima. I’d love to try one of the jewel class ships but I’m not willing to fly, and those don’t sail from NYC. Going up to Boston is a possibility for that. I really like the BA/+ class ships.

I have Type 1 diabetes and always keep my insulin with me as well as a decent amount of supplies for my insulin pump in a backpack. I pack more in another bag. It would suck if my luggage/clothes went missing but not nearly as much as if my insulin got lost.

Yes, that is how I saw them in the comedy club and the casino. I always carry a bag on with medical supplies and the first cruise I just lugged it around because I didn’t know this service existed. The second cruise, on the Prima, we saw the cabin stewards and asked if we could leave the bag in our cabin. She said that was fine and we put them in the closet. That was probably less secure than the baggage drop areas but I didn’t see that until later. Now that I know this service exists I will use it going forward.

My sister called NCL (or maybe it was Casinos At Sea) and added me to the call. I was able to use my Cruise First certificate even though my sister was the main person on the booking. Much easier than trying to transfer it!

I have one $500 Cruise First and one $250 Cruise Next certificate/credit on my account. When I cruise with my sister she likes to book it. She also always calls Casinos At Sea hoping for a free cabin but is usually not successful. She called about a cruise we want to do next year and CAS offered her a 20% discount on the cabin. I would like to transfer my $500 CF credit to her so she can use that for the deposit. Is this even necessary if my name/account will also be on the booking?

Last year on the Prima it was in the comedy club. A few months ago on the Getaway it was in the casino. I did notice a number of bags being dropped off so people definitely take advantage of it. I don’t see how leaving your bags in a designated area is any different from the crew leaving them in the hallways on embarkation day, or putting them in the hallway overnight if you don’t want to take them off yourself when you disembark.

I did the sister ship The Getaway in January and had very few complaints. I thought the food was good (didn’t eat at the buffet) and the only wait I had was at O’Sheehan’s when I went after one of the theater shows let out. I didn’t realize there would be so many people looking to eat so late! I will be on the Breakaway in October and I’m sure I will have a great time. I don’t expect every meal to be a gourmet masterpiece. If something isn’t great in the MDR, order something else. I’ve had a couple of not great specialty meals, one on the Prima and one on the Getaway but they certainly didn’t ruin my vacation, Shows in smaller venues can be hard to get into but it’s not specific to any one ship or line. I see the same complaints about every NCL ship as well as on the other mainstream lines.

It has to fit through the scanners in the terminal. If your suitcase is too big, you can’t walk it on yourself.

I booked Vibe for my May cruise a couple of weeks ago!

They usually have an area for people to drop off their luggage if they carry it on themselves, so they don’t have to drag it around the ship until the room is ready. On my last cruise it was in the casino, before that it was the comedy club.

Is that on the Joy? If so, the Joy doesn’t have studios or a solo lounge, but they do have cabins reserved for solo travelers. They’re in different categories (inside, ocean view & balcony) and will be spread all of the ship. I have a solo inside booked for May. If the Breakaway is back in NYC in August, that does have studios & a lounge. I’m going on the Breakaway in October, not sure when she comes back to NYC.

People have requested mini fridges in a studio. From pictures I’ve seen, they move the stool/ottoman and put it there. I’m guessing it’s a smaller than usual fridge.

What about a single parent traveling with a young child? If the child spends a lot of time in the kids club the parent is on their own. I can see how they might want to find a group of adults to hang out with.