mking8288

"urban, cruise legend" rumored root-causes being that the clean water used onboard for everything is high in sodium, causing swelling, etc. Drinking bottled water alone isn't sufficient according to untested claims. My PCP said to just watch it carefully, take prescribed meds for hypertension on time, and avoid sauces and soup whenever practical & possible, and easy walking to exercise. Isn't Google Fi great, using that this weekend and free hotspot tethering without restrictions, well worth it - access from 200 countries in voice, text/SMS and fast data.

Less than 48 hours, 2 Days from now as in "Tee minus Two" As of yesterday, rechecked this morning, this GA sailing is sold out, full ... remaining Studios & Insides are gone. Haven suites & spa balconies listed as sold out by end of December or 3 weeks ago. Although, apparently, they were "awarding" upgrades within the few days - can I say, smell a bit like the old Fulton Fish Market. Whatever, good for NCLH revenue and happy campers onboard, call it a win-win. This cruise is going to feel and look very different unlike a year ago, less than 2,000 onboard then. Will get an "official headcount" on how many souls onboard later on. Our selected MCT Pier 88 check-in time is between 10 and 10:30 a.m. and depending on how organized MCT's shore side operations for embarkation, we'll either make use of Sapphire/Platinum status among 4 of us to board, or perhaps our friend's CAS (Casino At Sea) status, after Haven & Special Needs, and Priority Boarding are called. Unless there is (un)scheduled USCG and/or CBP special inspections or other issues, GA is currently ahead of scheduled arrival, early into NY for her turnaround, expecting nearly everything to be normal with probably boarding time around 11 am. Unlike the last year's 3 cruises on NCL, no Covid-19 testing (Yay !!) required nor recommended, different than going to Bermuda or Canada, no travel authorizations needed. YMMV. Pier check-in should move a lot smoother, quicker once thru port security (see pictures below). Nevertheless, being careful ourselves these few days to not catch anything "foreign" & ride along unknowingly - home tested using soon-to-expire test kits - 1 line or negative, our pre-cruise "baseline". Windy App forecast not showing any major Atlantic or maritime storms in the area affecting our route, maybe for a few hours enroute, always expected that especially when crossing the weather fronts - just ride it up. Online check-in opened up for everyone at 21 days, we promptly completed ours ... unlike our NCLH shareholders, which took 2 attempts at 10 days apart during the holidays, new Amenity summary issued just in time on Jan. 2nd. There was an I.T. glitch earlier, check-in rolled back to 83% instead of 100% - data entered in several important fields missing, re-entered & 100% completed. Fingers crossed with pier check-in and facial recognition, as eDocs & eLuggage tags available within 24 hours had already been printed. Got the email message to watch the safety video - earlier and this week, additional email to watch again ... supposed to go back to old fashion in-person safety drill & not just go to the assigned Muster Station to swipe the key card(s) & then leave. Probably still have to watch it in the stateroom's interactive TV. Round #3 of emails (just now) to watch the safety video again, what the ... eDocs saved to the smartphone in a travel folder and also as PDF file, just in case we don't have broadband access. BTW, Pier 88 - Manhattan Cruise Terminal has free (non-secured) WiFi for guest/passengers to use, log on not needed, just connect - wait briefly and go online, unrestricted in time/usage and more than fast enough, superior to satellite WiFi for sure. If you need internet access while waiting to board, use it - it is NOT, however, not a solid & dependable signal from the ship's balcony or open outdoors. Just a good fallback. Upgrade Advantage bidding comments - our best friends as CAS guests cruising with us & convinced them to bid up (his spouse is super afraid of cold weather & would not step out into any balcony.) Cancelled 3 or 4 cruises over Covid concerns, recently reboosted and remained very careful everywhere. Surprise, they won an upgrade bid in early December (not a typo) for a low/fair offer. Assigned balcony on Deck 12 Fwd (port side) - stone's throw from us a few doors down - nice, they can waive up to the bridge. Under $180 p/p x 2 for 12 nights from their Insides - paid upgrade would cost much more, nice deal. We cancelled our pending bid for a Club Balcony as we are nearby & going to hang out together ... Been watching & tracking this over the years, NCL/partner handling the bids are definitely amending and writing up new formulas to maximize revenue for any & all remaining, unsold cabins up until sailing time - long & impossible odds but, it's good gaming and well calculated. Live bidding a Haven CY suite that sleep 2 to 3 max, went up beyond $2,650 p/p - higher DSC on top and tipping optionally for service: well, well, well and there are folks with the bankroll feeling it's worth it. Good for them, as it's then a win-win. Different timing and strategies needed, that's what I see ahead in my crystal ball for the bidding game. Next pre-cruise topic - ground transportation from Queens (both JFK and LGA Airports are in the borough or "county") choices & plans: in brief, stay tuned ...

Tee minus 3. Standby, all systems going. 10 months after our last "Semi-Live" Getaway in March, 2022 - getting ready to embark this Friday for a 12 nights/13 days South Caribbean cruise, round-trip from NY. Not sure of doing another Sem-Live Report, but .. what the heck, with all things going lately. Perhaps, this will just be an incremental pictoral update of 2022's Report, to put a personal perspective against the wind of change these days. Interested, come along and follow - if not, nothing of interest, feel free to move along at your convenience. Thanks to the currently Live Report onboard the Getaway by Laszlo, JIMESOPUS & cruiseinfoseeker, and others ... super informative, helpful & useful - this Friday's roll call is quite informed on what to expect & prepared - much appreciated. Questions and constructive comments are always welcomed and appreciated - this is written, in part as a tribute & remembrance to the legacy of a fellow CC'er - see further below. Packing is 98.5% done for both of us, one 24" spinner/rollerboard for each of us (42 lbs & 45 lbs, well under domestic coach travel limits.) Plus, we'll have a smaller carry-on bag with all the essentials needed, including a change of clothes & toiletry, medications, etc. Had to check expiration dates, check with our PCP (family doctors & specialists) and pharmacies ... while out of town, CVS & Walgreen is our backup as well as Teledoc (urgent care/nurse line consult, as needed) and not just onboard ship's medical. Insurances checked & toll-free/help #'s checked. Credit card/banks with our travel plans on file. Home testing kits & masks, additional items not shown, packed - out of an abundance of precautions. Peace of mind - nurses in the extended family gave thumbs up, OK. Unlike shorter 7 nights NCL cruise's 150/300 minutes, will have 600 "free" FAS satellite WiFi minutes to use onboard ... unless we upgrade to at least the basic unlimited WiFi plan for 11 days (max) ... Day 1 access onboard/at sea, usually not needed - only possible "want" or like to have full internet access for 3 or 4 hours, after dinner & sailway - save us $30 for 1 day's upgrade cost. (NCL ships were held at Pier 88 last month for 1 to 2 days due to maritime weather, going nowhere - Gem & Getaway) Getaway's satellite WiFi connection by EMC was poor & slow last year, let's see if it's better in 2023 (Starlink, pipe dreaming - not here soon enough as it will make a big difference.) Otherwise, falling back to our Google Fi 4G LTE (5G, where available at the islands visiting) for superior data access, speed & secured VPN. The challenge review - comparing & documenting results and differences this weekend (last year's stats for the GA below): TECH - Galaxy S22 Plus, Google Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone SE 2020 as hotspot/backup - on Google Fi ... 10,000 mAH usb powerbank/standalone battery pack. Just in case, iPad Mini will come along & possibly Fire HD 8 tablet with 64GB mSD card storage (w offline videos/MP4 and music for playback) and also downloaded eBook reading. My favorite Sony Viao notebook, upgraded memory & SSD will come along, as the HDMI output is very useful to hookup to the Sole HDTV in the stateroom, a simple & direct 6' connection. A little more about these later ... we scored nice deals before last Fall's Black Friday, upgraded with excellent deals, DW has been using her S22 Plus & absolutely love the pictures taken - not a fan of Samsung's add-on apps, sticking with pure Android 13. It's too much gadget to carry for 2 of us, the Lenovo touchscreen tablet is staying home ... I think, although on shorter road trips, it's just as good to meet most needs. Extra tips: nowadays, smartphones, tablets, iPads & iPhones, etc. (as well as laptops/notebook PC's) do a lot of background uploads, refresh & downloads, OS upgrades & pinging servers remotely - we always optimize the configurations & disable some of them, allow for a streamlined device that won't slow down too much - making the most of the very limited & narrow satellite bandwidth onboard and while at sea. Over the next 48 hours, making sure all the security patches, monthly updates & apps are current & working, rebooted and batteries fully charged. Ever wonder why that email and/or website/news page isn't opening up or still loading ... hmmm. Legacy Tribute - a special virtual heavenly hello to one of the departed CC'er (since 2005) - first met years ago on a NCL cruise at the Meet & Greet and kept in touch ever since - Jenette L @jaja from Northern NJ. A regular poster on CC then, probably others from metro NY area recalled & knew/met her onboard over the last 2 decades. The pandemic disrupted cruise plans, ours and hers included; and, her health wasn't good even before that. About a year ago, just before our 2022 Getaway cruise, she emailed her update wishing us bon voyage that she wish to join & resume, also her last post on CC. Jaja was fighting her life battle with her ups and downs during the pandemic. Sadly, last December - reaching out again and her hubby (John) emailed back instead, with news of her passing just weeks ago. Going to miss a good friend, she sent along her treasured postcards & pictures from the Norwegian Sea & Crown days - while cleaning, perhaps knew then, and passed them to us to keep. John, her hubby is fine with sharing her passing with those that knew her on CC - they sometimes cruise together while Jenette sometimes go solo. This Semi-Live is being written in part for remembrance - she's in a better universe but not forgotten. Janette L. a/k/a @jaja - R.I.P. Unlike Google, Facebook & other platforms - making a commentary here that CC does not have a way of addressing legacy account or contacts for continuity. The disabled Message function, not making it any easier without figuring out a workaround. I've done a fair amount of work dealing with hospice care, comfort (end of life) care and planning in my career, some of it ad hoc - something to think about for a moment & perhaps for CC admin/mods to chat among themselves about ... all those inactive & dormant accounts over the years. to be continued - and find out "is it live or is it (Memorex) ? ? Almost only 2 days remaining ...

July is a long way from now with the current "status quo" and trifecta/winter surge going on. Until NCL revert and update its policy of "isolating and protecting" the bridge team, the captain isn't going to be out & about, as much as some of them are very outgoing and will be available for photo ops in the atrium/lobby & other areas. One can always book those portrait sessions onboard with the photo staff and on the last 3 cruises, we've seen folks were dressed up for those photo sessions - but not others and certainly not in the MDR. Check again as the sailing get closer.

@cruiseinfoseeker We sincerely appreciate those FS Dailies uploaded, sharp & clear - thanks again. As for that fancy "accessory" on the railings - a quick check on Windy App - scratching my head as I don't see anything until, perhaps late Tuesday (tomorrow) night into Wednesday morning but I would be more concerned for Thursday ... with an extra 1/2 day plus, surely ... the bridge can plot a course/heading to do their best to sail around, something is brewing in the North Atlantic surely, as always. Looks like they are putting on just a show each evening in the main theater ... in a way, it's good to do and plan supper time around it and well before nearly everything close shop after the show & not being rushed.

Thanks, our cruising with NCL goes back to the Norwegian Sea days, that's 22+ years ago ... Minds being alike, feeling annoyed would adequately describe it. I commented the other days, life is too short to be critical so bring in a good dose of humor, chill out & a bit of joking around is healthier for almost everyone. It's no secret that NCL, like other lines, are deep in red in a nutshell - stock trying to rebound. Boarding this Friday, have a first hand look ourselves with 3 other pairs of eyes & ears in the group ... We shall see with an open mind. My feeling is that, with all these taking place, some of the crew members will end up worst off overall, not necessary just from reduced extra cash tipping ... something that we always do, as we see fit. What some folks seemed to overlook, after 10 p.m. if one ate SD early & wanting a snack - not even the buffet is open or serving anything. It is either O'Sheehan's (or, The Local ... and whatever on the Prima/Viva next) and Room Services, for a "nominal charge + 20%" Ooops, I forget, almost - Haven option.

Oh, excuse me. You are grossly generalizing, aren't you. But, that's okay. Your use of your PC has no relationship whatsoever with other's reported trouble here on CC lately in using their digital device, nor does it help resolve my previously 100% check-in issue that surfaced. Perhaps, it could be my Linux OS browser on a notebook and not theirs but I'm doubtful since the error didn't go away on Android and iOS. Have a nice day. P.S. In any event, mine issue with this fixed, don't matter who's wrong - chill out. And, what makes you believe that I am not looking at other travel & vacation options ahead. Irrelevant, IMHO and we are also NCLH holders.

Hotels and airline operations have an I.T. Dept that runs 24/7 with backup on call & remote ops, unlike NCL's highly in-competent teams, not just I.T. (think proof-reading published contents) Yulp, issues with mobile app for MyNCL ... fully OLCI 2 weeks ago, eDocs printed & eLuggage tags printed. Yet, what do you know, only 83% and incomplete, WTH. Personal info missing and passport numbers disappeared. Re-keyed and now done. "Wait for eDoc" yet still showing "Finish your Online Check-In" Things like this consistently inconsistent and at other places, heads would roll. Looks like those sample SD menu samples are gone, perhaps they are "updating" them - pulled them offline to do the 2023 revision. Sail & Sustain, for your convenience, of course.

Norwegian Escape ran aground or into the soft sandbar, damaging her bottom, etc. last year with a pilot boat escorting her out of Taino, as I recall. Has anyone seen the (final ?) incident report but it is still going to be an asterisk on ship captain's career history ... and subsequently disrupted sailings, etc. etc. Amber Cove isn't far away, 20 minutes car/taxi ride but realized, it's not a cheap Uber/taxi ride ... still not as bad as overpriced ship tours booked if you can DIY. Rates are posted & regulated by authorities.

Thanks for the heads up ... With all the reported changes lately, out of words and expressions. NCL already streamlined the options to 1-1-1 (P voucher) and 1-1-1-1 (SD/FAS package coupon) and petite side dishes - shouldn't be too difficult to finish the dessert. Coffee/tea (French press) is still complimentary, I hope ... we're comp'd with 2 nice Cappuccino last time at no charge (and, that was above & beyond) If we can't finish it, ocean fishery will get treated to the leftover ... "sail and sustain" /s

Welcome home from the wild North Atlantic ride with those strengthen sea legs. Yeah, sometimes port security (has absolutely nothing to do with NCL as it is facility operations) will direct & allow car services to also dropoff and pickup on the lower level ... sometimes, it's confusing for Uber/Lyft & car service drivers as they are sometimes turn away. We used porter services once off the ship & downstairs in the luggage hall, and the porters do know by then - their buddies aren't going to give their fellow workers a hard time, unless security protocols in place dictate otherwise ... and CBP only deal with securing the zones inside the fenced / gated area, not out on 12th Avenue. The other difference, I think, is yesterday was Sunday - a weekend for disembarkation and traffic in town & for that area is light ... no street fairs nearby, no half-marathon, or other major events in the neighborhood/town ... everybody got along fine. Gem is a mid-size ship and even at capacity, isn't letting more than 2,300 or 2,400 passengers - unlike the mega Escape, Joy or Getaway. We rather go across 12th Avenue with the porter minding our heavier bags on the cart, and hail a taxi or wait for car service or Lyft (prefer over Uber) to come around, mostly quicker than waiting for them to get into the secured terminal pickup/dropoff zone, especially with that left turn traffic light on 12th Avenue (not all pro drivers know to use W. 55th approach).

OP ... from your signature, if you are on the Joy disembarking (Miami to LAX @ San Pedro) on a Sunday ... be advised that Hertz' LE location in town is closed on Sunday (Sat 9 am - 12 noon) plus there's a one-way car rental dropoff of $75 for LAX. There is also apparently, ongoing freeway traffic issues near LAX - allow extra time for everything, check LAX's official website for any related advisories. A day room nearby is a good idea as almost all of them run free airport shuttles. With a long afternoon, even if you have airline/club access ... probably not a good idea even if you can get in. Checkout the West Coast departure forum here for ideas/tips and/or post there for localized help - https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/315-west-coast-departures/ Happy, healthy & safe travel and enjoy your cruise.

Good evening and welcome home ... wind picked up here in NYC earlier but nothing like the onboard. CM has the ship outside AIS, thus not showing up on Marinetraffic, soon ... already passed Ocean City & Atlantic City hugging a lot closer along the coastline. Wish the weather was better than forecasted and not as rough, conditions eased up slightly looking at different indicators but nowhere ideal ... cruisers without sea legs & those prone to motion sickness probably going to plenty of horror stories to tell. Glad to hear you're able to dance in the rain & wind, indoors & to make the best out of it all ... perhaps, NCL knew the odds & GEM had extra, last minute sales incentives for folks to book it this month. Anyway, this chart should help tell & share with folks ... apparently, NCL ships all experiencing serious satellite WiFi internet issues lately. Should be a little smoother to get some sleep after midnight. Cheers and safe journey getting home.

Hmmm, I am taking the Fifth. Know nothing about the eel 😆 On the basis of your feedback about the Prima, and more recent ones from others - we postponed her until further notice, 3 balconies released.

@coyboy1971 and @Mlake09 Good Sunday afternoon to all onboard. Have another look at webcam & cruisemapper, sailing much closer to shorelines than usual, passed Virginia Beach on a northerly heading into MD, chartered a "better" course to bring everyone safely home. Hang in there, up ahead and by dinnertime, things should gradually ease up slowly - forecasting still 12' to 15' waves, swell continued to be high & sea state remain rough against near gale force headwind. Better than overnight hours & earlier this morning, apparently - helps by sailing & hugging closer the coastal water. As for those invited to the VIP Reception, I've noticed that on our last few cruises ... sometimes it's like 6:30 in the evening on a sea day - smacked in the middle of folk's prime dinner time slots and/or getting ready to rush for the 7 p.m. show. It's not as if the GM doesn't have the broad overview of peak time, show times and yet, it's as if they schedule the cocktail hours on purpose to result in fewer attendees ... nothing evil 🙄 😳 😠 Forest tomorrow in NY: sunny & breezy, low 30's overnight & high of 45 and dry, no snow on the ground. And, you'll need to adjust to the floor or grounds not moving or shaking, and holding those handrails while out-and-about no longer a safety necessity. Cheers.

Apparently, most balcony and even oceanview upgrades on the Jan 20th Getaway 12 nighters were done weeks ago, some awarded in the (low) fair/borderline poor range from OV & IS. Some are looking for last minute onboard upgrade - unlikely & slim chance since it's sold out except for maybe 10 to 15 Insides. NCL managed to kickoff its new scheme, "live bidding" for a single Haven Penthouse CY, went from $1,000 to $1,600 to over (in excess of) $2,600+ p/p times 2, with 80 bidders reported, gradually many dropped out of the lead - no idea who got the winning bid and the amount. That's just crazy on top of whatever the winner paid to secure their original cabin, even if it was a bargain Sailaway Oceanview. Saw 3 balconies and 1 oceanview opened up briefly at high prices (several days ago), before disappearing again within a day - no idea if those went to live bidding - and how much the winners paid (offered at about $3,400 for 2 with all the FAS included as new booking) Frankie & Harry laughing and toasting themselves with those ACH deposits, pumping up the numbers for Q4 to butter up Q1 outlook. Folks, like it or not, the new eBay model is here. (and, I wouldn't be surprised if they had a fixed amount stepping up as the highest bid, i.e. $2,650 to $2,700 and not $2,655 in $5 increment)

The changeover is rolling out today, starting with 2 NCL ships in the fleet - expect to read about it, urrrr, maybe later this evening and tomorrow. Not expected to complete the changeover until end of March and NCL isn't publishing detailed schedule on CC, knowing that they are NOT going to be complimented by most outside of Haven & suites. Sailing soon & our Getaway housekeeping schedule isn't affected yet, but will switch at the beginning of February after 1 more short cruise. Rest assured that there will be plenty of watchful eyes & ears everywhere.

Is it "safe" enough for our late afternoon port visit in about 8 days (Jan 23) after NCL cut short our total port time by an hour in the "spirit" of Sail & Sustain, LOL 😠 🙄 👴 Getting too old to read about these nonsense. With all the stuff happening, we pulled our 3 balconies booked on the Prima in April with a wait-n-see, undecided about a last minute T/A on the Sun. DW going to make the call after our 12 nighters and possibly give MSC a trial run (and, match our Sapphire status.) Regards.

Just checking up on Gem's live shipcam - seeing large waves ,probably 18' to 21' on average, may higher at times and white caps, pretty large sea swells. As noted above, cruisemapper have the GEM tracking almost on a southeast heading, pointing toward Charleston/Jacksonville to basically sail around the big Atlantic storm, before turning north at some point tomorrow as the system pull further east away from land & coastal. That's good, smart & safe navigation up on the bridge - expect things to be worsen somewhat in the next 16 to 24 hours (sorry, reading the predictive charts on Windy App.) Our last time on the Gem was Dec. 2019 just before the Covid shutdown and satellite WiFi wasn't too bad, slow as expected but usable - actually comparatively better to the "performance" onboard these days with some of the newest & bigger NCL ships in the fleet ... if only they bring on Starlink, a win-win for all. Uploading the forecast track ... Monday morning's arrival, sunny & breezy, morning temp about 35 degree with a high of 45, not bad for mid January. It's possible that you are beginning (already ??) to feel gale and/or strong gale force cross wind, coming diagonally across the bow & starboard side. Ship's navigational channel (11) gives very useful real-time info as it happen, unlike the newer mega ships. BTW, do you know about & get a chance to visit the ship's Bridge Viewing Room - it's usually open, dust to dawn, on sea days, to visit, Deck 11 Fwd Port side, unless they choose to close it for operational & safety reasons - it's real cool, we always stop in there to see the Mermaid, Robbie. Just curious as to the fleet-wide MDR Lunch Menu, which hasn't been exactly exciting for us in 2022 - not sure if they changed out & substituted things again at the beginning of 2023. If you manage to take a screenshot & upload (post-cruise is fine) ... it will be much appreciated b/c we will be eating off that a few times soon on upcoming sea days, just trying to figure out our options and/or split among O'Sheehan's & maybe with paid SD that's open, TIA.

@OttawaJohn and also to @wally4ever Thank you for the review & comments, we're on the Joy twice in 2022 and surely can identify with many of the comments & feedback. WiFi was bad and documented in our Semi-Live report with benchmarked #'s - thankfully, our upgraded basic limited didn't really cost us & DW was happy she can go to her iPad most of the time ... once I'm disconnected, the priciest among all the mass lines while the slowest. Fell in love with the Fwd Observation Lounge & also in the Haven O.L. - same view out front, really - save a bundle, LOL. Cruise pier/terminal check-in and boarding issues, not unique to San Pedro and New York, NCL tossed the bucks to shore-based, outsourced contractors but they still wear the NCL-branded ID tags and can't entirely evade their obligations & making ongoing efforts to address some of the issues ... well, up to a certain point, labor & CBP staffing issues on land among matters they can't directly engage it. "The soap and shampoo were really bad. We heard others complaining about it as well. Just seemed very low quality " these points raised, by itself, aren't deal breakers but suggest trending that's been commented upon here on CC lately with regards to NCL (and, other lines also put measures in place to trim costs) The bottle dispened body wash, shampoo & hand wash isn't anything new - even Haven are switching over to wall dispensing (haha, well to the new Sail & Sustain) ... same as when we checked into our Marriott studio & suite these days, except they aren't using Johnson & Johnson, yet. Others have also "reported" - to each her/his own as some are indifferent - of similar feedback and lead one to suspect, lower quality products are being substituted, as we didn't noticed any difference last September onboard the Joy. Things do happened, often quickly & without notice, hoping that most will not feel & smell the difference ... a few of us do pay attention to details. Will just pack more items ourselves to bring along, 2 or 3 travel sized bottle products of our own choice isn't difficult as we aren't flying (sailing next weekend) ... perhaps, TSA will move faster to get rid of those silly 3-1-1 rules, as other countries are done with it, using newer & better technologies to mitigate "threats". Our balcony on Deck 15 Mid/Aft near the elevator was quiet, didn't feel vibrations when ship ran at full speed but we heard others on the lower decks, AFT balconies with noise issues - not much we can do with the design ... avoid booking those cabins next time. Thanks for sharing & the time writing to post here. Much obliged and Cheers.

On our upcoming 12 nights, it stated in MyNCL account that Dining packages can be purchased and added onboard on Day 1 and 2 only. YMMV. Go to the Restaurant Reservation Desk and ask nicely about it, perhaps call the Restaurant Manager & identify yourself as being with Cruise critic, and see if s)he can help in making an exception. Newly raised prices at some of the price fixed SD revenue are pretty ... Good luck & do share with us if you are successful. Happy cruising with the remaining 8 days ahead. Cheers

Not an NCL / at sea internet legend by any means, NCL crew members stationed strategically, especially near the elevators & stairs by the gangways on embarkation day ... making best efforts to direct all boarding passengers to take the elevators up to the buffet, going as far back as year 2000 when we started cruising on the Norwegian Sea. We knew better then, just politely smile and thank them for the suggestions, and we just disappear from their sights & proceed to the MDR - on the Sea, Dawn, Crown, Jewel, POA and Gem days ... very easy with a straight path on Deck 7. Free storage for carry-on bags was usually offered & available then, port side, unlike these days while staterooms were being readied. Back then, the Haven concept wasn't even conceived, let alone came to NCL. With the Dawn, it was also easy to announced that one is heading to the Blue Lagoon - continue & round the corner ahead, is the stairs down to the MDR for a quiet sit-down embarkation lunch with full table service. Know it all newbies on CC ... LOL

@EllieinNJ Hi, again ... since last September's M&G onboard the Joy. Think POSITIVE - wasn't that an excellent cruise to New England & Canada, we lucked out & just missed the storm that roared across days later, affecting the subsequent sailing. We are going to bring the Getaway safely home & disembark as you get ready to embark ... Happy & Healthy belated New Year 2023. Regards & Best Wishes.

Oh, we missed the old classics like Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals on stage at the Stardust Theater, old days when Jean Ann Ryan Productions ran them - then, to cut costs ... NCL Productions came around & took over, and wasn't too popular initially but "Fountains" was fun & entertaining then with the CD on stage in a leading role ... and some of the crew talent shows weren't bad. Maybe, Frankie & Harry Company is going to re-train among the more talented crew members to become the next wave of onboard entertainers ... keeping in line with Sail & Sustain by digitizing those stage sets with 3D virtual ones. /s Just not going to walk into a semi packed theater to watch a movie while some folks are heard coughing & sneezing, etc. etc. Could do that safely from the privacy & relative safety of one's suite and stateroom, studios to balconies, it really doesn't matter - and Room Service specials at 50% off ... a winner ?? Gotta have a sense of humor these days.

It's easier for some than others. I have a dual monitor setup with my desktop PC - one in usual landscape mode, widescreen format and the other swing 90 degree (sideway) or portrait mode (as if you are looking at a full letter size page, word processing mode) - you then do a PrintScreen command (PC & Chromebook) - paste into a graphics app, edit, trim & save as a graphics file (most commonly, as *.JPG format) Once that's ready, it's easy to "insert" into email and sent or submit, no attachements and/or you can still include the SH statement and request form together as well. Done & wait for the acknowledgement. Let's just hope that NCLH isn't going to temporary suspend this valuable giveaway benefits, despite its "enhanced" restrictive use onboard.