weltek

I've had the Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel several times on land and it's decent.

Bump! Welcome back, Encore Caribbean cruisers!

I would 100% take the 11:40. In all my NCL Miami experiences I've never been later than 9:30 disembarking, and that was the one time there was a huge backup and wait (like an hour in line ON the ship) and it was never explained. We weren't in a hurry that time, so let the people rush that needed to.

I'm going to be very, very specific: The scallops and Iberico Secreto pork at Pincho Tapas on the Norwegian Escape The beef carpaccio at Bayamo on the Norwegian Escape There's a reason it's my favorite ship in the NCL fleet right now. Those two restaurants and Food Republic.

In my scan of menus, Los Lobos has a lot of options (heck, I bet even the ceviche--without fish--would be good!). The few Ocean Blue options SOUND really tasty. You'd both just probably end up eating the same thing, which might be a bummer for you.

Assuming the Gem is like the other NCL ships I've been on, yes, you can check out books. Not sure about the availability of children's books. I have to imagine there are at least some.

Totally a personal choice, but worth considering. My favorite cabins are on Deck 8 on the Escape (same layout as Encore) and never had a problem. I think it depends on your personal schedule. We are generally out of our room from 8:30 am-10:30 pm, other than sitting on our balcony during the day to read, etc. The theatre below hasn't bothered us, but I know it has for some people.

Oh, and we really liked the bacon wrapped dates, and everything we had under the plancha menu (chorizo, squid, scallops, iberico secreto), plus of course the hams and cheeses. The first time we planned to stop for an appetizer and wine, pre-MDR dinner, but just kept ordering and skipped the MDR dinner. We stopped another night just for a small plate, and then second time on the Escape, we stopped a few times for a small plate and wine.

Majesty Star Spirit Sky Dawn Getaway Escape Encore next month I came across an old photo yesterday of our Star inside stateroom. She wasn't much of a looker.

Woah, that was quite a break in cruising NCL you had! Did you do other lines in the meantime, or did you take a big break from cruises?

I'd consider Joy, Bliss and I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the Escape. I pretty much exclusively like to sail all the Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships, and the Escape is a favorite so far (extra points for being the only ship that has Pincho Tapas). Important to me (and likely him): Spice H20, District Brew House. I think the Joy and Bliss are the only two, other than Escape, that have these. I think the Joy and Bliss are top for me to sail for having all my favorites (Spice, District, Obs Lounge). Escape doesn't have the Obs Lounge, but is still a great ship, IMO. He'd probably love the Prima's food hall, but I'm bummed it doesn't have the District Brew House. I'd consider the Western Caribbean routes, even though he's already been to Cozumel. They are always priced nicely so that you can get him a nice stateroom.

However you pay for it, just make sure to go! One of our very favorites, fleetwide.

As a Cruise Critic meet & greet/group event, my results have mostly been break even or win about $10/pp, but I've only participated in four.

My husband feels the same about French food (and oddly took French as his foreign language in high school). I feel neutral about it (other than French breads, baked goods and quiches, which I adore). But I have to say, I always enjoy my meals there. He does, too, but the experience just isn't his favorite and nothing excites him. So, even if you hear a lot of people say "you must pick Le Bistro," meh. Don't feel overly pressured. Try it some day, as you'll probably enjoy the good food, but if others excite you more, stick with those.

Wow, ignore all the people that decided to berate you for asking experienced cruisers for advice. That's literally the premise of websites like Yelp and Tripadvisor (and to a degree, Cruise Critic and member reviews for cruises!) and there's nothing wrong with it. I personally hate the premise of Teppanyaki restaurants, so I will never choose it if I have a different choice. So, I'd take the other four. I have dined at Le Bistro, Cagneys and La Cucina. Advice: with La Cucina, just do a little pre-reading her for recommended (and not recommended) items. It's been a long time since I dined there, so can't recall what the hits and clunkers were, but if you do some searches here, you can find some advice on their best and worst dishes.

I haven't had the dinner buffet on NCL in a very long time, but I'm pretty sure it would be just as satisfactory, if not more, than the meal we are going to have at Q or Los Lobos. I just prefer formal service for dinner, so that's probably the only reason I'm taking the FAS promo (on top of our Platinum meals).

Also curious to see if she'll dock in Amber Cove or Taino Bay.

Guava pastries? One of my faves! Thanks for the tip! I concur with everyone about the Indian food. My go to for lunch.

You aren't wrong about bartenders in particular. The good ones that bring in additional cash tips are doing really well financially in their home country, and I say good for them. They earn that. They spend months away, work long hours, put up with us, and live in cramped quarters, and their families are left carrying the weight of raising families/caring for loved ones at home. Anyway, not sure the same can be said, to the same degree, about all crew. For example, I don't think the laundry staff are building dream homes anytime soon.

Same-5 or 6 and feel like it's too much. I use them all, but do I need to? I usually take: Comfy flip flops to throw on around the ship Athletic shoes for hiking/heavy walking excursions. Comfy sandals for wandering around towns (e.g., less than 1.5 miles walking all day, on paved roads/streets) Toms or Converse-they are a nice option for when I'm doing a "moderate" around town/unpredictable amount of walking Dressier sandals for dinner..I really try to narrow this down to one pair that matches everything Water shoes, if my excursions might benefit from them

You might find this Cruise Critic article helpful. https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=217

Honestly, @Harry Gammons, I think the exact same thing would have happened on any other line regarding the cancelled ports. I've heard this same complaint a million times on Cruise Critic across lines. The customer service person may have misspoke using the word "hostile" to refer to weather issues meaning unsafe sailing/docking, covid requirements that changed that week or because of high covid rates on your ship (e.g., 20% infection and port won't allow docking), etc. They can do this, and don't always have confirmation prior to the day they sail. I haven't ran across a line yet that says "we'll tell you at check in that day and you can decide what you'd like to do."

I see your upcoming cruise is on NCL. https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/departure-day See below in bold. Now, if you are in a delayed flight situation, you may have some leniency. If you are worried about this, make sure your check in is completed very thoroughly ahead of time on ncl.com, and carry the cruise line phone number with you and keep them apprised of your situation. My sister had this happen on Christmas Day and there was a cruise rep waiting for them at the airport and the gangway literally closed up behind them when they boarded. Not sure if they'll be so kind and helpful on other days of the year. Final Boarding Time: In order to facilitate the embarkation process, the processing of your eDocs, and to comply with new government regulations governing departure manifest, all guests are required to complete check-in at the cruise terminal and be onboard the ship no later than one hour prior to the departure time noted on their cruise documents or they will not be permitted to sail. Please note that guests who have not filled out their Online Check-In must arrive at the port two (2) hours prior to sailing. Joining or debarking the ship at any time outside of the published embark/debark port is not permitted for the following reasons: Itineraries are subject to change without notice. Violation of the Passenger Vessel Act (Jones Act), if applicable. Approval to embark or disembark mid-cruise may be allowed only in cases of emergencies. Please note that embarking or disembarking mid-cruise may result in a violation of the Passenger Vessel Act (Jones Act), resulting in a fine starting at $798 per person.

@melbthatsme Check out the Ports of Call board for St. Thomas. Lots of ideas there!

In the last two years they've had to boot people from Hawaii cruises because they don't have enough staff to serve guests. And given the lack of competition from other lines, I don't think you'll be seeing any deals there.