mking8288

Pierside workers are longshoremen, unionized ones, and until they are on the clock, ship(s) cannot dock and get the gangways connected, ropes securely tied ... even if CBP officers are on duty & available. Ditto for the porters in the terminal building - we've had to sit outside the NY harbor and/or on the Hudson in the pre-dawn, early morning hours and wait, then, make the turn to the pier around 6 a.m. (earliest that I can clearly recall, over the past decade+ ) Express walk-off, NCL style, has been called as early as 6:30 to 6:45 am as long as one is fine without needing porter services in NYC. While fstuff1 was probably asleep, I tracked on MarineTraffic's the Epic by 1 am this morning, reporting her radar position as outside the Ambrose Channel on her westerly heading into NY with ETA showing as 3 am, shortly after my last post. Nice thing about getting in super early, is by 2 or 3 a.m. - if one's awake, those 4G LTE and 5G devices started waking up upon powering up, catch up to the digital world & news, emails & social media, etc. etc. Uploads & downloads become lightening fast again ... unlike NCL's "classic" satellite WiFi, which understandably, most of us aren't really fond of.

Yes, lately ... it's been reported to be possible, depending on the specific category(s) that you are bidding for, and whether you are almost/on the edge of being the next one on the queue to be "processed" With the widely popular Haven bids, they are known to go to "live bidding" but for club and regular balconies ... odds are 50:50, either you do or don't. This can happen as you check in at the pier and/or either even after you've boarded your ship. Just remember to pack all the essentials, personal meds & at least 1 change of clothes in a smaller carry-on or backpack, kept with you at all times ... since your checked bags might be tagged with the "original" cabin #'s if this surprise upgrade happen inside the cruise terminal or onboard with a knock at the door or call from Guest Services. Good luck & happy cruising.

For our upcoming Getaway's planned stop at DR, looks like we could and should be able to dock at and use Amber Cove ... only 2 ships listed in total, seriously doubtful that mega ships will be safely docking in the shallower Taino Bay until it is. Our scheduled time for DR is from 11 am to 4 pm, with AC being another 20+ minutes each way from downtown, planning any kind of independent shorex isn't going to be easy or simple ... even with NCL. We aren't going to do anything until onboard & figure out where we are most likely going ... there's no need to book anything for good old Nassau or GSC. Just wing it - if we do make it ashore at the Cove, we'll probably just check out the shops nearby & not go further into town with the limited time. Besides, we've done a # of virtual tours of DR over at YouTube ... will be just fine staying onboard, could just be another sea day - NCL isn't going to refund the port taxes/fees/charges collected already, no matter what.

@fstuff1 - how's sea state and waves on your Epic race to reach NY tomorrow, still expecting on-time arrival into NY at 6 or 7 a.m. Not seeing even a blip on Marinetraffic but we understood from our friends indirectly that Epic is racing full speed after skipping / cancelled ports, etc. - gotta be disappointed but given the season, not entirely unexpected. Friends currently on the GEM on 14 nights TA were 2+ hours late arriving into Funchal "yesterday" due to strong headwind, doing just 14 knots instead of 20+ and their shorex delayed - then, apparently sail on-time for the westbound crossing. They got 7 days to do it and probably need to do a big go-around the North Atlantic with huge weather/storm system. Early, the Getaway were several hours late reaching NY on their TA crossing. Take care - which NCL ship are you going to be hoping on & off on next month ... LOL Henry

What's odd and head-scatching is on 12/9, there is a $2.47 charge for Laundry, Check 7844 ??? Huh, what was that for - extra surcharge for grease removal ? That's really fishy, someone want to justify and explain it ? We always check & review our daily charges and credit adjustments posted to our onboard account for unusual transactions, and would definitely not disembark the ship until satisfactory answer is given and errors in possible dispute are resolved, settled and close out. The other recourse now, already suggested, notify & inform one's credit card issuer ...

When we're on the Joy in May, 6 of us dine in FR, used only 4 FAS/Platinum vouchers as each can order any 4 items on the mini iPad, tons of food to share among us (16 items for 6 adults). The sushi rolls were jumbo & tasty good. Vietnamese Pho (beef) noodles soup was good, feedback to them is to serve it in a larger & deep bowl, and ease up on sodium (too salty ... trending everywhere on NCL ships, don't they taste test & check their soup stock or broth 🤔 ) Otherwise, we had a great time & lots of laughs with a very friendly & helpful crew and hostess teams, not busy at all. Key is to order items as a group and share.

To fix that, please have them call into NCL's helpline on dining reservation soon, and have them cancel those a la carte restaurant ones already made (i.e. Cagney's, LeBistro, La Cucina, etc.) If preferred time slots/date choices are already limited, ask them to help book the fxed price restaurants first (i.e. Tappenyaki, Moderno, Q, etc.) - before (re)booking a la carte ones. Confirmations of the changes & new dining reservations should be emailed within a few hours or less, and also reflected on their Reservation planner's page when they logged into their MyNCL account(s). Only a fraction (1/4 to 1/3) of the available dining time slots are released pre-cruise for advance reservations, the rest only open up on embarkation - book them once onboard.

@debnjoe1438 - correct format should be specialeventsdawn@ncl.com - typically, it will generate an automatic reply back to your outbound email address immediately. Then, you should get a more personalized reply with the name of the NCL contact person, her/his name & email, and corporate telephone # with the extension - within a day or two of your initial request (excluding weekends) - that they are forwarding the request from Miami HQ to the ship for approval. Once that happen, your contact person will follow-up with a detailed "Confirmation/Amenity Notice" to you for the CC Group, and it is free or complimentary, at no charge.

@fstuff1 - always "good" to read your onboard updates & news, for better & for worst ... sorry to know that ports were skipped and ... Not to make you feel any better, things aren't much better currently onboard the GEM, just heard from 2 of our Sapphire CC friends onboard - they skipped ports due to weather, bypassing Bermuda (which they knew pre-cruise but after final payment) Happy days & nights at sea and wins in the casino for you !! Here are key portions of their message to us, "edited" but verbatium - FWIW. They typically do not post or write / review here on CC, but do read & follow and share with us ... I'm pretty sure others will report post-cruise. (Again, this is for the GEM, currently on her 14 days TA enroute to NY) Today is day 7 of our 14 days cruise and our first sea day. 6 ports in the past 6 days and they became a blur. We had decent weather except for Malaga ( heavy downpour all the way to Gibraltar) and Lisbon ( they had bad weather all week with heavy rain and flooding). We have friends on the Epic on a 9 days Lisbon to NYC. All their activities and port call in the area ( including the Azores ) was canceled due to the Port Pilot 2 day’s strike and the heavy rain. Captain decided to sail the ship direct to Bermuda for a few days there the to NYC. Just got a message this morning that Bermuda had been cancelled due inclement weather and they are proceeding in top speed to get to NYC in two days time.Our stops at two ports in the Azores had been canceled as well due forecast of inclement weather. Instead we will sail to Funchal, Madeira then 6 sea days back to NYC for the 22nd.Gem just got off a 3 weeks mini refits in Marseille. All deck 6 is brand new. New carpets throughout the ship. No changes to the stateroom at all so no additional plugs or USB ports. Food on board is below NCL standard in our opinions and many crew members had an indifferent attitude. My footnote - food is subject, they recently sailed on the Pearl from Boston to Bermuda, so I trust their comparative opinions. Well, it's definitely a bummer for those onboard the Epic and the Gem ... and, we have friends leaving this Sunday on the Getaway to Bermuda, hmmm.

Sky is 77,000 in tonnage vs. Getaway, Breakaway & Escape, etc. in the *.Away/plus class size at 145,000 to 160,000+ size (practically 50% difference or half sized)

Sky is much smaller in size vs. Getaway and Escape (that ran aground in March navigating that narrow channel) etc. with destination listed as Puerto Plata.

Relax, it is there - 2 outlets to the left, view blocked by the iP telephone set. This was from our GA balcony stateroom but the layout/configurations are the same and identical. You will be fine. Bring a 220v adapter to use dual-voltage devices ... or, these GE triple outlet adapter cubes on Amazon, got them on sale - 3 for under $12 + tax & (Prime) shipping.

This will probably need to/should be in the East Coast forum, but ... in other related news about ground travel - transit fares, looking ahead into 2023 (and, year-end) it will be going up for licensed yellow/green taxis, Ubers/Lyft, etc. and; you can be assured that other FHV (For Hired Vehicles) are raising their fares too to match & keep up with operating costs ... Average fares will be up by 23%, the news article highlighted https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/17/nyregion/taxi-fare-hike-nyc.html TLC has voted to approve the increases already & scheduled to go into effect by the end of this year ... thus, Happy New Year for all 👴 Looking ahead to our options to MCT next month, already seeing that reflected even if we book now & prepaid ... price quote with surcharges already showing a pretty substantial jump, before suggested 20% tips for the driver. Tolls for river crossings ... that's a different story.

Half-size and 1/4 size packing cubes (these are from eBags) creatively solved our storage ... even in balcony staterooms with the dresser/desk with the tall, long with narrow cabinet shelves behind the swing-out doors.

She deadheaded toward NY from FL 2 days ago, crews only - heading to Bermuda on a 5 days trip - could be unannounced gov't inspections, loading of provisions, hold for late arriving passengers via air booked in-bound by NCL (as there's no catching up at the next port) - no issues with weather today here in the city earlier (although, sea states and waves were a bit on the high side last night, now it's much calmer). Per chat on their roll call, no boarding allowed until after 2 p.m. for its original 4 p.m. "departure" time. Well, they'll just have to run full speed on all engines to make it there on time & then back ... no coasting at 11 to 13 knots. Regardless, always nice to sail down the Hudson & past downtown and Lady Liberty in the early evening hours, skies are clear - just have to bundle up on the top open deck and/or balcony.

Here's a photo of what the typical Joy Inside Stateroom looked like - very similar, if not identical, to the *Away class ships. Not much in the way of traditional drawer space to use. There are a number of slim & often shallow open shelf space. Collapsible storage bins is good but, IMHO, not very practical. Ditto for the 2 slim bedside night stand - seriously doubtful that you can make good use of those storage pin. There are also some storage space under the desk/dresser. Do you travel with and use packing cubes - we have a mix of eBags and Eagle Creek in assorted sizes & configurations. Those worked well on "older" mid-size ships as well as newer ships, keep items organized & sorted out, easy to unpack (if needed to come up or transfer to the hangers) and quick to repack for disembarkation. You can stack them, put them in sideway or turn them to make best use of the limited space.

It's a virtual benefit only, if you are lucky, you'll get a welcome back letter with the concierge extension, not a name, to call for restaurant & show assistance, and said to help as best as s/he can. Anything else, you are on your own. We're also in a non-Haven family suite on the Joy and got the name of the concierge in the letter. Never once heard from, let alone meeting him face-to-face or anything close, not that we needed anything. But, you'll probably get priority disembarkation luggage tags to use, free & for your convenience, not escorted. We are usually never in a hurry on that final morning, so not important 🤔 Sailings at lowered occupancy level, we haven't come across anything to need concierge services onboard. Just don't expect anything. Happy cruising & stay healthy in a smart way.

We are on the GA for 12 days after you, tracking to see where ya be docking and also the other tender ports. Nassau will be much nicer by May when the new terminal area is ready, worst case is GSC if we can tender ashore 🫣

Getaway is one of NCL's newer mega-sized ship, it's like the Majesty x 3 together, getting to/from your balcony itself is a good daily exercise by itself. The 2 small MDR, Taste & Savor will have plenty of small tables for 2, 3 and 4 to dine alone, and if you go early at 5:30 pm - good chance of getting seated by the giant window to watch the ocean waves - same menu choices as the larger AFT MDR with a dance floor & (live ?? or digital) music, just a bit too noisy all around for us & services can be slower as it is a long trip to/from the gallery below deck. Embarkation, do try to enjoy a leisure lunch in the small MDR (opens at 12 noon) or go to O'Sheehan's / The Local for easy comfort food instead ... crews do try to herd most up to the buffet. You'll plenty of sea days to check out all the Specialty restaurants and don't worry if you can't book or reserve them now, do it onboard & even on Day 2 as all the slots/time will only become available on the ship. If the MDR offers the chef's daily specials, look & consider those as they are often very good - including sit-down breakfast. Check the Freestyle Dailies and better yet, ask at the Dining Reservation Desk ahead if they are opening up some of the Specialty Restaurants onboard for lunch on sea days - the MDR Lunch menu is a fixed one and by Day 4 or 5, you will likely sample all of them ... but, they should have a Daily Specials on these longer itineraries. Check out Spice H20 on Deck16 AFT (plus the Bliss Lounge) while at sea, especially once the ship sailed past the Carolinas into warm climate. Shanghai Noodles is casual comfort fusion dining, open for dinner only & they don't take reservations - it's fun to sit at the counter & watch them prepare food, cooked to order on stainless steel, electric cooktop in a clean, bright & open kitchen. It is right next to the casino, some of the smoke might drift over - despite the upgraded HVAC, as they are enclosed and .... so if you are sensitive, do use your masks accordingly. The "regular" balcony size are small with just enough room for 2 to sit, plus a small mini-table. We will be on the GA again this coming January, and the plan is to do a "minimal" Semi-Live update 2.0 as our/my March 2022 pictorial blog/review was fairly extensive already - look out for that as we'll be back before then on our 12 days. There are a good # of live reviews this year on the Getaway, although the CC "Search" functions aren't very good to help find them - here's one for you https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2840868-getaway-semi-live-limited-ny-florida-pc-gsc-nassau-3272022/ Enjoy your cruise, happy & healthy sailing soon.

Here was our Joy upgrade pricing at Day 2 of our 7 Days CNE Cruise in September and the free 150 minutes credited as $100, making our "net" upgrade cost at $79.94 ($29.99 / day x 6 days for unlimited basic, non-streaming, satellite WiFi) ... before we offset it using non-refundable OBC, that we either use it or lose it. There was no connection fee whatsoever, not before C19 and not on 3 cruises this year, not with setting up for using the other free 150 minutes on a 2nd account and not for upgrading. I stand corrected, but eyes on those OBC posted to your account and if something related to WiFi usage appeared, just chat nicely & calmly with the iCafe manager during her/his posted "office hour" onboard ... don't wait until the last 2 days. As for enabling or using a WiFi or MiFi hotspot, I'm well aware of those "tools" and my traveling Sony Vaio travel notebook has that built-in AP/bridge option (bypassing "Mac address" connection security check) ... it isn't going to be very useful or practical should you notice a further drop or reduction in available bandwidth, speed & errors ... Speed results as measured were better onboard the Getaway & Escape (and, pre-Covid on the Gem & Dawn) than on the Joy, perhaps more passengers online these days & spending money on unlimited plans - effectively cutting down the shared available data bandwidth. Upgraded recently to Samsung Galaxy S22+ and Google Pixel 7 Pro with the latest functions, and it work well with Fios & 5G or 4G signals as AP (hotspot) while on the move ... seriously doubtful, it is a practical or usable solution for sharing satellite connections in a maritime environment. Perhaps, if NCL decided to roll with Starlink, until then - most definitely have a Plan "C" And, BTW ... good luck. Cisco servers/hardware used onboard the Joy are solid and delivering very good speed via 802.11ac (WiFi 5 standards) capable of delivering Gigabit traffic ... the "problem" is the bottleneck further upstream.

Short answer - yes. We had 150 minutes x 2 and did the onboard upgrade at 00:01 the next day, thus charged for N minus 1 day (or 6 days) less the trade-in credit given (no further discounts applied or stacked, i.e. Sapphire) for unlimited basic WiFi. Kept the remaining 150 free minutes to use on other devices for VoIP and messaging, to check emails on as needed basis, etc. while at sea (use a 2nd account's ID and password to logon and logoff ...) on iPhone, smartphone, iPad, Chromebook & notebook PC (all "registered") Whenever we were in range of land cellular towers, we "roam" inexpensively at either 4G or 5G speed.

If you go to Google Map on a desktop PC or tablet, you can do a virtual drive on the upcoming trip to MCT, including the best or recommended routing ... Sunday morning, traffic is typically light & easy. Depending on your whereabouts in PA, best approach could be via I-95 to GWB, and then south on West Side Hwy, direct to MCT / Pier 88, or, via the NY Turnpike to Lincoln Tunnel approach to Midtown West. East Coast Destination sub-forum should be your resources if you have more specific questions. Rooftop parking is safe & secure, $40 for 24 hours or $320 for 8 days, with a max of $400 for 10 days or longer, payable on arrival - credit or debit cards only, cash no longer accepted - a security check is done by a trained dog team with the handler.

Very good point about spliting into 2 yellow taxi with help from uniformed Red Cap, hail 1 minvan/suv taxi (those are usually hybrid) and load as much luggage as possible, 1 adult and 1 child (plus the wheelchair ... assumed that to be a compact, folding "transport" WC first to Pier 88). Then, the 2nd. adult with the 2nd. child) and remaining luggage items & supplies in another taxi - perhaps just 5 minutes apart with loading, onward to Pier 88. Even with the higher taxi fares, surcharges & tips, etc. - each cab/taxi should be $20 to $30 at most, all inclusive, for the short trip - advise the cab driver to go north on 10th Avenue (if I recall correctly) & then turn left on W. 55th Street as the routing should avoid most traffic and the wait on 12th Ave (old "West Side Hwy" for the left turn at the traffic light. Be sure to give the Red Cap a generous cash tip for his "free" services - this will definitely be less than getting a full size, accessible van from Carmel or Dial 7 - private ambulette transport will cost much more & their on-time record is poor at best, inconsistent and miserable mostly, and not worth standing outside the Train Hall at the pickup area, even if sheltered in the middle of winter (as this is going to be for late January in NYC).

Hi, there ... we are on the roll call & see you at the pier and onboard. Personally, no experience dealing with these matters but plenty of hands-on with frail elders using wheelchairs & walkers over the years. From your other post, you've alerted NCL's Access Desk about the teen's special needs & cleared with them. How many checked bags will you be bringing along & coming off Amtrak **** - once you arrive into the new NY Penn (Moynihan Train Hall) Station, look/ask/call for uniformed Red Cap services to help with carting and moving all the bags & luggage. ** (from Amtrak's NYP website) Baggage assistance provided by 212-630-7914/212-630-6221 (24/7 at Penn. 5a-11p at Moynihan) **** Will everyone and everything all fit into a typical minivan ?? There are licensed yellow minivan taxi, they will take 4 passengers plus luggage - some (as I recall) are accessible friendly. A good, helpful Red Cap should be able to help you up to the street level's taxi stand via elevators (there are lots of escalators, which you do not want) and flag an available mini-van taxi. Arriving on a weekday, what's your ETA into NYP that morning - presumably after or toward the end of the morning commuter's rush hour ? Once you get to Pier 88 that morning, driver should be able to drop your & luggage, etc.off curbside on Level 2, porters are outside to take all the checked bags. Here are some photos that should help refresh your memories as to what it looked like (recently taken) ... exact setup might be a little different. The Accessible Help Desk has always been to the left as you walk into the terminal facility. Your family as a group should be able to bypass the regular line and stay to the left to go thru security first, then proceed to check-in area, and if it's early - be directed to the designated seating area next to the Door (C) opposite the Latitudes Platinum roped-off area, and be among the first groups to board first. This area is marked & usually used by NCL ships for accessible passengers and you go out those double doors (marked "C") to board the ship. P.S. I just priced Carmel car service, a full size van from NYP train station to Pier 88 is about $150 + tips.

Depending on how long these specific production shows have been on ... maybe, just maybe, NCL is about to change or switch them around, putting on a new or different one. Rotating them from one ship to another, perhaps ... just a "wild" guess on my part. We saw Burn The Floor and Million Dollar Quartet this Spring on the Getaway, and will be sailing later next month again - Burn The Floor was the only show listed until last month and Quartet was just added very recently. Hence, we should be expecting to have both of them again ... personally, don't mind NCL showing ours to something different (as we aren't likely to repeat & watch again.)