Asawi

That's what I do as well. Not because I'm not tech savvy ( I am...) but because it's the easiest in my opinion for things I'll only use once or twice. Often I take a screenshot of the barcode or QR code and put it as a widget on one of my phone home screens. Things that come with a "dowload to Wallet" (wether Google or Apple) go into the "Wallet", things that don't will go into gallery/ download folder/home screen. I often carry paper copies as well to be on the safe side, but I do prefer to keep things on my phone and not have to pull up papers. (I'm not just talking NCL boardin pass here, but in general.)

PLEASE choose the middle room for this! 😄 (Not that I will be on the same cruise, but I would hate to be the neighbour of a gathering like this!) And have a nice time, wherever you spend it! 😄

Actually, I like that idea! I still have quite a bit to go before Saphire so "dinner with officer" isn't an option for me. But I have been glancing the tier benefits and thought "Nah, not too interested in that". I would actually much rather share a (small) table with a random staff/crew member and talk with them about their work and experiences! The guy clearing buffet tables could be just as interesting as... well, anyone else! (I do chat with staff now and again, but it would be so nice to have them sat down at a table with me!)

I would wait a bit if there isn't a particular reason you need to printe them now (like access to printer - I want to print mine in colour even though I know it doesn't matter).

Yes, of course! To suggest that they replace Broadway style shows with game shows to appeal to younger cruisers of course was just silly! It's OBVIOUSLY about cost! Don't know how anyone could think differently!

Shore excursions can be booked as soon as they appear. It can be a year away or they may only appear a few months before the cruise. Dinners are 120 days unless you're Platinum or higher.

Do? I don't have the need to "do" anything special. Not at home. Not on vacation. Absolutely NOT watch TV! Not at home not on vacation. Gamble? Not at home, not on vacation.Might take a walk. Both at home and on vacation. But usually more interesting on vacation! People watching is better on the ship than in my rural home. 😄 Should I feel like it there are always people to chat with for a while. With a bit of luck I can listen to a few songs performed in the Atrium or elsewhere. And then move on. I do like to see the production cast perform something. And sometimes a guest performer sounds interesting. But I'm glad when shows only last 45 minutes. That way I'll "survive" even if it's not quite to my taste. 😄 (Game shows? Don't watch them at home and certainly not on vacation. Nope! No way! Will not go to one! Not even if it was 20 minutes! ) I don't need to be entertained. Sometimes I'm pleased that there is nothing going on and I can finish that book I started! A bottle of beer and a book... Life is good! 😄

As others say: Solo meetups even on ships with no studios. Spirit, Star and Gem are the ones I travelled last year. If I recall correctly somwhere between 5-7 pm every day. Listed in the dailies.

Agree to both of those thoughts! I actually did put some soft serve in my coffee one day at Star, and seeing what it looked like when it was supposed to melt made me wonder what weird chemicals it consisted of! (Still better/less bad than chocolate sauce on those yummy "cobblers" (more like crumble pie) they served most days though. Chocolate sauce????)

Yeah... I have looked at solo insides and oceanviews on Star and Dawn and they really are more or less the least attractive rooms on the ships. Those ships don't have studios, so it's either those "not so good" solo rooms or pay more for a non-solo. I'll be on Bliss i April and really look forward to trying a studio! Edit: Had to check out Bliss's solo insides and apart from bad location there were quite few of them.

I am an early riser and during my 4 cruises in 2023 "early bird" breakfast in the buffet opened either 5.30 or 6.00 on port days (and also some sea days). It's scaled down breakfast (cereal, bread, cheese, fruit...) but enough to get something inside you. (On my Alaska cruise I was 9-10 hours behind Swedish time and hadn't adjusted very well, so I pretty much stood there waiting for them to open up for breakfast at 5.30. 😄 But wow what nice views and sunrises I saw!)

It's been a hit or miss with Cruise Critic for me. On Star I wasn't able to read the forum without using minutes (it looked like it was loading, but it took forever and I had lots of minutes to spare so I gave up). On my more recent Gem cruiseit was slow, but I was able to read the forum without logging in to use minutes. I just used my forum bookmark on my cellphone. Go figure... I guess it's one of those NCL things where you can say "it depends". Denpends on what? Who knows? I don't...

Agree! I booked my Cape Town roundrtrip not long ago at all when solo price had dropped. When I looked at what Dawn was up to before my cruise I thought "Oh, THAT would have been nice" about Madagaskar, and even cursed a little bit for missing that opportunity. Must be a big disappointment to many!

I'm getting on this ship for the cruise starting in Cape Town March 8.

My September 2024 Norway/Iceland/UK cruise had loads of excursions bookable right when I booked it back in the beginning of November. My April 2024 Alaska cruise has had excursions added to it now and then. For a long time there were very few except a gazzilion in Ketchikan. So... it varies!

Yep! Told you so! 😉 But you are absolutely doing the right thing checking it with NCL or travel agent. WAY to much "not quite correct" information on forums/social media! Especially concerning non-US bookings with people don't realizing there are very different rules depending on where you are.

No.

Because the German newspaper just translated and printed what they read elsewhere. I'm convinced they have not done any own "research" beyond that. So anything "false" get republished over and over and over... And gullible people think that because it's "everywhere" it "must be true".

And I'm sure is it's a HUGE surprise <sarcasm> to all that the intial test results say NO CHOLERA!

I don't know, but I'm guessing kitchen staff (all restaurants and buffet), cleaning staff (not just room stewards), all "behind the scenes" staff...

I don't know... They must have done something right or else more than 15 people would have been affected. And FWIW, in situations like these there always seems to be people that "know" things and want to talk about them. Although they may not be outright lying, they might "embellish" a little. My thinking: Who knew about someone being ill? Who did they tell? Did it get reported to whoever it should have been reported to?

<sigh> Still not confirmed cholera. Test results are not in yet. If, although unlikely, it is cholera it's more or less certain it has been contracted ashore. Read up on how cholera spreads and you'll understand that. But by all means, don't sail NCL again. Your choice!

Those were the days! Nowadays their "research" seems to find other articles and change them slightly before publishing them as your own. So any error or misunderstandings will spread like wildfire, and because they appear in so many places will be seen as truth.

More info as well in that article. This measure comes in the wake of 15 passengers being isolated and tested for the disease, some showing mild stomach-related symptoms. Although still a bit unclear if cholera is actually confirmed or suspected even if they say : The cause: an outbreak of cholera onboard, confirmed by spokesperson Kate Edwards. Has Kate Edwards really confirmed an oubreak of cholera, or an outbreak of stomach-related symptoms? Sounds odd she would do that at this stage.

I wouldn't be surprised if what that person said was along the lines "we have done testing to make sure it's not cholera and are waiting for the results" And that then morphed into "We suspect cholera" in the journalist's head.