weltek

We opted out of the NCL air promo based on everything I've read on Cruise Critic (not all bad, but a lot bad). But we have Delta BOGOs to use up, so it wasn't a hard decision to turn down NCL and use our own BOGOs. If we didn't have BOGOs, I know I'd need to be prepared for red eyes and dealing on my own with cancelled flights (and possibly having to fight for a refund from NCL, depending on the situation).

Totally get it, even though they are SO different. The Spirit was the antidote to NCL's pre-Breakaway class cheesy, overly neon-decorated ships. The Escape is my current favorite ship, but the Spirit is still special.

That was our first NCL ship in 2000. I do remember the Cooking Light selections on the menu. It was so fast to get anywhere on board! But also that ship made my husband think he might never be able to cruise without getting sea sick. We were on a Southern Caribbean route and boy did that lil' ship rock!

After continuing to rise for a few months, my December cruise just started to decline a bit for many categories. I'm trying to decide if I should upgrade rooms now, or wait a bit longer. I have two specific staterooms that meet my needs, so I will probably upgrade sooner than I "should" for the best price.

I'm just now reading this (and several versions of this same question) while deciding if we can make a 10 am flight. It's either that, or wait until the next day which is more hotel money, another burned vacation day, and by that point, I'm really just wanting to get home. I'm more of an "extra days on the front end" person. We tried to get on an earlier MIA post-cruise flight once (when I wasn't using a BOGO), so rushed off and were through MIA security by 8:30. That was with no status or precheck. And all but one other time out of Miami, we've had no problems getting to the airport quickly, even during mid-morning crunch time. Now, we have TSA Precheck, so hopefully that will also aid in our haste. If the ship is disembarking guests before 8 am, I'll feel good and no stress. If there's a major snafu, as there has been just once during all my cruising, then I'll sweat. A backup plan will definitely be in order.

100% agree with everything UKstages said. We found them valuable in pre-drink package days, as a way to get some free drinks and yes, the hors d'oeurves were usually very good. And when we were fairly early in our NCL experience, it was a nice way to get used to the standard and new sailing routes. I still consider attending each cruise if I am feeling social and in need of a/c. 🙂

Okay, I generally dislike all Mexican Street Corn I've tried, all from a variety of restaurants. Mayonnaise and corn together (I like them both as ingredients in other things) just isn't my thing. Anything different about Los Lobos' version that would make me think differently?

Our M6 (CLUB BALCONY WITH LARGER BALCONY) had a regular table-consider upgrading!

I completely agree, this is not okay/acceptable. However, unless you have mobility limitations, let's also not make carrying things in the buffet a bigger deal that it needs to be. I have one plate, carry it to a table, then grab beverages. If I need another plate, I wait until I finish my first and then grab another. It's not like it's a huge walk. It's honestly not a big deal. I'm not a buffet lover, but it's my preference to use it most days for breakfast and a few days for lunch because the drawn-out dining room experience for every meal gets tedious for me. Your preferences obviously aren't the same, but in my 12 cruises, I find the buffet experience isn't a horror show unless you make it into one by trying to get three plates of food at once.

Yep, I have a feeling I won't see a price drop until after final payments are due this fall.

YIKES, international flights are the worst case scenario for this and I'd be looking to cancel, personally, if I had one in the next month unless I was VERY flexible! I know I'm basically being redundant with what many have already said across these outbreak threads (thank you, OP, for posting because knowledge is power and this is a unique cruise with flying out of Tahiti), but I think this April-current spike is pretty much guaranteeing a large portion of passengers and crew are going to have COVID on every sailing. I know many of us who are vaxxed and boosted are getting mild cases. Allergy-like sneezing a few times a day, literally about one cough per day, and dry mouth were my ONLY symptoms, so if you think it's allergies, it very well might not be. So, if any of you have a cruise booked in June, I'd frankly plan on probably getting it and take every precaution (N95s) to not get it pre-cruise. How you decide to handle that if you come down with it during your cruise is up to you and your conscience. Plan accordingly. But don't be flippant because you are vaxxed and boosted, or had it in 2020 or 2021, and then be surprised when you get it. And if you can't risk it and the quarantine afterwards, then I'd cancel and reschedule.

Question: Why do you need to factor in the upgrade to the premium? If that's a must (e.g., you only like wines or a spirit on that list), given your consumption rate, I would skip it and just buy a bottle for dinner. You can always cork it and bring it back the next night. If you remove the need for the premium upgrade, then it's really just simple math. There are enough sample price lists on the NCL forum to make an educated guess about how much buying a few drinks per day would be. Because I agree, you'll drink less on a port intensive cruise. Especially if you come back each day exhausted. So, I suspect it's not worth it to you to take the beverage package perk, but if you really want to cost it out to compare, you can. Plus, if you don't take that, and you don't care that much about choosing your stateroom location, you can save a lot by booking a sail away cabin rate with NCL. It doesn't come with any of the perks, allowing you to a la carte things according to your needs.

Oh man, this thread got me yearning for our younger cruise years when naps happened more often and when we had interior staterooms that were like cool afternoon caves. Cruise naps are the BEST! Coming back from a hot excursion day, cranking up the A/C, showering off the sand, closing all the curtains and hopping into that nicely made bed... I really need to make sure I take one on our next cruise.

Yikes. Thanks, EatonDoolittle.

Escape. Pros: District Brew House, good amount of common lounge areas, Waterfront dining, Food Republic and Pincho tapas. I haven't said the Bliss, but it would likely be my second favorite. It doesn't have Pincho, but does have an observation lounge. It's hard for me to go back to an older ship after all the bar and lounge options and big waterfront dining on the newer ships. But I understand why some like the smaller older ships. To each their own.

Ugh. I really am leaning away from accepting the NCL Air after all the stories I've heard in the last year. I have my own Delta BOGO I can use. Given the current state of the airline industry, third party just doesn't seem to be the way to go, even when traveling the day ahead. I haven't used NCL Air before (other than our first cruise in 2000). Can I get the flight offer and then turn it down? With our small airport, I'm tempted to see what they offer and if it's a great schedule (something I usually can't get with my Delta BOGO), I might be tempted.

No, but thanks for the tip-I think I'll book with him so we can customize our day!

I agree with blue-water. It's a big, easy place to find.

Anyone know if OMM is booking tours this year? Social media hasn't been updated and website has been inoperable for awhile. Tripadvisor reviews for them stopped in early 2020 when covid hit. We booked them in 2017 when Irma hit, so never got to use their services. Would love to try again. I sent them an email, but am antsy, so thought I'd check here.

Given my recent covid case, I had a feeling this was going to happen. I never developed any worse symptoms, and still gave it to DH, whose symptoms didn't start until about five days after my positive test. I really, really thought it was just allergies, as a couple of dry sneezing and coughs (and thirst for a few days) were all I ever had.

Gotta be careful when scanning these topics titles because you might think this thread is about something completely different. 🤣