mking8288

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.)

One of the nieces sailing NCL - Alaska out of Seattle, with her friend mid summer and was able to upgrade on the spot, asked at Guest Services on embarkation day, and paid a fairly low amount for a paid upgrade to a nice Balcony on Deck 15 & issued new Guest Key Cards. They asked & were shown the exact cabin before agreeing to it ... and steward even came around to help them quickly re-pack & move their luggage. Ship wasn't at full capacity - typically, pre-Covid, not possible & SOP is for them to post a sign at Guest Services that they are full, sold out and no upgrades available. Didn't see that sign when we last cruise in mid-September and from most recent reports, averaging 80% occupancies when the ship sailed (upcoming holidays might be the exceptions) ... But, Haven ... typically full nowadays, sold out from upgrades & bids, elbows to elbows. OP, if you are interested, check and ask onboard - no free upgrades, however. Happy cruising & stay healthy !

Here's another one that was just forwarded to my In-Box As a VIP Latitudes Member, you get an exclusive 15% Off when you book a cruise on select Norwegian Gem sailings: January 2, 16, 25 or February 6. Spend 9+ days cruising Bermuda, The Caribbean or the Panama Canal. Call us at 1.888.438.7008 or log in to My NCL to book with your additional 15% off – discount will be automatically applied at checkout. It's a "better" offer ... EXTRA 15% OFF on GEM Sailing - 4 different dates, Jan 2023 to Feb 2023, round trips out of NY - as least you have choice of 4 flexible dates, itinerary & prices to please ... Sweetened with "Extra Bonus Points" - these are last minute deals, better than Black Friday Sale 🤣 🤣 🤣 hmmm, 5 Days to Bermuda ... prices for balcony aren't bad with the extra 15% off. Club Balconies, etc. are full / sold out - just doing whatever it takes to sell & fill up the remaining inventory of cabins.

Two of our CC friends currently en route to Barcelona, Spain ... 2 days early ... for the GEM's 14 night T/A across to disembark in NY ... they successfully bidded from their OV to Balcony for less than $100 p/p - upgraded almost 3 weeks ago (not a mistake ... toward the middle of November, that's quite early). Their independent T/A booked their flights separately and apart from the cruise. There are still OV and Balconies available for new bookings (as of yesterday) at rather reasonable rates. Club Balcony and other higher tiers, apparently, all filled and listed as sold out.

cruiseny4life - I remember the hash brown shortage back in September ... we had them on our sailing, which I think, followed yours or shortly thereafter, both in the Local and in MDR for sit-down breakfast. Yeah, they're yummy good but sometimes, on the oily or greasy side, not sometime that my PCP and cardiologist wanted to hear about, LOL. There was a news article about these popular (but, pricey) on-demand delivery services ... merchants losing 20% to 30% to the markup and/or raising prices for everyone to cover their margins; and, then even with all the fees & add-ons, some drivers won't deliver or pickup the "job" unless their tip is at least $5 to $10, not 20% or 25% or even 30% ... that it often come to like 50% ++ of the food costs subtotal. And, most often, that McDonald or Popeyes delivery get dropped off 45 minutes to an hour later, cold & needed to be reheated. That was the story for metro NY area ... delivery drivers in the upstate area, perhaps, aren't as picky (my baby brother lived & worked at Rome Cable nearby in the 80's) We typically don't order breakfast in room but the ship was rocking and rolling still in 20' to 25' waves and very rough sea state in the morning en route out to Bermuda, a wise move for us to call for delivery ... besides, we had the living room space & small dining table in the Family Suite then. laudergayle - sorry, I'm not sure but you can probably write your request on the door hanger ... items like white toast or whole wheat toast hasn't been listed as an easy order item for room service, that was possible for us. Birdtravel uploaded the long list of items currently offered ... and it looked fine on what's available. Hmmm, maybe - we'll write in smoked salmon & toasted bagel with cream cheese for delivery, and see what happen.

When we order hot breakfast earlier this year on the Joy, it was $9.95 for the cabin ... 2 trays worth for 3. I believe and expect that to be the same, each time an order is called into room service or using the door hanger. On a side note: has anyone used Uber Eat to order lately ... and know what their charges & fees are, on top of tipping ??

Just my 2 cents - this is the trend across the cruise industries and happening elsewhere as well ... local mom-n-pop diners in our areas had to raise their prices on breakfast items lately to stay on par with inflation (whew, gasoline prices are down, for now) and rising wages, struggling to find workers, willing & able to work the hours. If you haven't walk into a supermarket lately to buy 2 cartons of eggs, have fun & it might be shocking unless you regularly shop & pay for groceries - those aren't pricing errors on sale. We are going to paying more, one way or another, lines like NCL cannot afford not to past along their costs to us indefinitely, postponing the inevitable is not a viable but just a survival option, as occupancies are rising ... while staring down reports of another winter surge in Covid-19 cases. I get it ... CC'ers spending thousands on the typical cruises, granted that this is another hated "nickel-and-dime" move on NCL's part, which nobody wants, needs and appreciated. These days, I hardly read about folks complaining about the Vibe passes, Spa & "Plus" packages, or streaming, unlimited WiFi upgrades. Take a deep breath and look around ... the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I do know, that we aren't going to be paying $1,200+ a week to rent a midsize car on our next vacation. Happy cruising ...

Bermuda might get the occasional passing thru showers, usually not downpours and you are free to buy those disposable rain poncho, sold at the gangway - for your convenience - was most recently priced at $3 USD each ... stores at nearby Dockyard (Clock Tower Malls) and in the city /downtown & on the East End (St. George's) will have them out for sale, similarly priced.

Some of our CC friends from NY are on this GEM T/A coming back home from its Euro crossing, wishing OP and all, a great & wonderful trip. Be sure to check-in onboard with the CruiseNext/Latitude desk to make sure that they know you are on a B2B (if they don't already know ... they should) as you will receive special info & instructions about what, how, when & where - pack your luggage & how your bags will be moved to your new cabin (if you are changing stateroom, etc.) Once arrived into NY (and, there is a very good chance that the ship will arrive much earlier than 10 am) and the ship is clear, you should be among the first group to get escorted together & cleared ... and be permitted to get back on the ship; and/or, to leave for shorex - NCL tours and DIY on your own. New guest key cards should be issued while you on on the ship. Intrepid is just south of the cruise terminals, literally right next door and a 5 to 10 minutes walk, outside in typical December weather for NY (check weather & dress accordingly). Only small (daypack) packs allowed on the Intrepid for security reasons. Book that tour for 11 or 11:30 and you should be safe, and get 2.5 plus hours to see it. Reconfirm the all-abroad time for the 2nd segment of your cruise in NY.

Following this - interesting - with a bit of curiosity. Looking at Encore's live shipcam this morning/now, she is docked right next to the Carnival Horizon and furthermore, that's at Amber Cove ... at Porta Platta, DR (confused, which is what's listed ??? - doesn't specifically mention the Cove). Our "Getaway" next month has our last port stop at Porta Platta too, doesn't say Amber Cove - and starting to seriously look at shorex options. NCL's posted time for arrival & departure being shorter than what I'm seeing on Cruisemapper - with just 3 to 4 hours on land, might not be worthwhile to bother going ashore & just stay onboard. Maybe, hit concrete / pavement briefly for a couple of "hi, here's our stop & surroundings" photos and browse at the souvenir kiosks for visiting tourists, etc.

This article might offer some info as to price ranges, which vary widely as expected - $20,000 would be on the low end. Probably a good idea to check into one's own health plan coverage as to the fine prints, ours supposed to include worldwide emergency care. https://health.costhelper.com/air-ambulances.html

These photos should help a little bit, as you drive along & approach PC Cruise Terminal across the causeway & over the bridge - you'll see all the ships along with various piers and good signage. Cruise parking is very convenient with covered & connected walkways, depending on which terminal the ship is berthed that day ... We're there just about a month before the beginning of Covid-19 and shutdown, overnighted & rented a car to go to downtown Orlando, parked overnight there with a 5 minutes walk to get back on the ship. Nowadays, gotta be careful with surge pricing at Uber when cruise ships docked and ...

Satellite WiFi inTERnet access while on high seas sailing on one of the NCL ships ... best described as usable and functional, definitions varied depending on a variety of factors. At times, it can be almost like old copper analog, dial-up speed with the Hayes 56k modem days - remember those, but typically at least 2G/Edge to 3G and DSL speed, seldom does it reach anywhere near 4G or LTE cellular speed. If one is used to fast cable and/or superior FiOS speed at work or WFM, then one would likely be disappointed (if expectations were mis-aligned.) It also matter as to what the "end users" (that's "me" or "you" and "others") are using - to access those technologies. Not all laptops, tablets, iPhones and smartphones (Androids) are alike with "identical" radios, features, settings, configurations, and "enabled" capabilities ... How that tiny transceiver chipset is "connected" (wired, wirelessly) affect the connectivity (802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, etc.) How is one "connecting" ?? wirelessly via an iPhone 14 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy 21 or 22 Ultra, or aging iPhone 8, end-of-life (support/update) Google Pixel XL, maybe an iPad Air 2 or old Mac ... as those computer chips inside the Lenovo or Acer/Asus Chromebook do help make a difference to max out broadband usage. EMC has been partnering with NCL for quite a few years now and unless newer & better partnership come along with superior alliance, like Starlink - the onboard digital experience surfing the inTERnet can be a frustrating and, to some, miserable experience. Basic email, messaging, VoIP, and catching up on news are generally doable these days on a given NCL ship. IMHO, unlimited streaming at 720p, let alone 1080p or Zoom/Skype or similar Webex aren't going to be practical as passenger occupancies continue to climb higher toward normal & full again. Benchmarked speedtest results below ... feel free to decide on how you wish to grade them & whether it's good or not. Compared to other mass cruise lines ... NCL consistently scored on the bottom in speed, usability & costs (CNN actually reached out & contacted a handful of us via CC then) Hmmm, disappointed about what's been said about Prima's bandwidth & connectivity issues. These are typical, unlimited basic WiFi speed onboard - streaming "premium" WiFi might, might not be much better & will cost an extra $10 per day per user-account. Feel free to spent money for it, for your convenience, of course, as @dexddd often joked - if it's worth it or not. Afterall, folks spent money on those UBP alike onboard ... and NCL doesn't tag on 20% service charge (yet) but it's probably already built-in, someone is supporting that outsourced iCafe manager's payroll cost, room & board, meal costs, etc. 😁

Our last 14 days (Jan 2019) "Escape" to West Caribbean & Mexico had already been reduced to just $100 for the cabin, or $50 p/p x 2 ... same as sailing for 7 or 10 days. Checked my notes & the confirmation of updated Amenities ... 15 days and longer, then it bump up to $250 or $125 x 2 for the cabin. And, there aren't too many 15+ days on NCL's cruise horizon ahead.

Midnight/Chocolate Buffet was discontinued over 10 years ago, I don't remember the exact timeline (last one that we knew was on a mini-scale in the mid-afternoon in the Garden Cafe, not as elaborate as the "full scale" major production ones, including the sugar-free sections ... and ice carving demo on display) AFAIK, it was never offered on the Breakaway or other newer *.Away/Plus class ships. Had to really search into my digital folders in the NAD server to find those old photos, these're either from the mid-sized Jewel or Star, over 10 years ago & held in the AFT Main Dining Room. IMHO, nice for photo ops but fairly wasteful, and after seeing one or two, the third time ... pretty boring & we skipped them. Here's to memory lanes, the old days - not missing anything

@workink - just a note, not sure if you doing the GEM's T/A crossing next month, friends of ours on that too. Streaming might not work that well during the passage ... nature of satellite coverage in the huge Atlantic. Those that recently sailed on the newest Prima into NY also reported major issues, and, one of the niece had similar experience pre-Covid, basic WiFi internet was "mostly" usable at best. Enjoy and happy cruising.

Q: How does one fill those upscale coffee/expresso machine provided in Haven/suites - pods/capsules are refilled on a complimentary basis but ... does the room steward/butler also restock with water cartons as needed. Or ... will this also change come next January ? Asking for a CAS friend sailing soon with us, curious mind would like to know ahead. He's been able to get bottled water, including premium ones from the beverage servers at the casino and/or bar counter there (only) for their needs/use back in their cabin. For us, we believe in traveling/packing light and probably will just bring one tall, insulated bottle for hot water (from the buffet) and re-use the Flow water again, after rinsing them out, to get clean refills with a cup.

These are industrial, hospitality-grade dual band WiFi hotspot (Access Points) strategically located throughout the ship, everywhere, bow to stern, easily seen if you look up as they are mounted high on the walls, to provide overlapping coverage and multi-channels; plus, different AP with unique SSid's for crew/other usage - suffice to say, WiFi 5 (ac band) and WiFi 6 (ax) are well covered from what I checked, inTRAnet "speed" was excellent - robust signals to/from onboard (Cisco/Lenovo) servers. InTERnet coverage access, in terms of speed, latency & ping time, that's a different story in itself. Short answer specific to the question asked, inTERnet access is "available" and offered. Of course, can't wait to see if NCL will partner with and deploy the superior "Starlink" satellite coverage ... while holding down prices, haha. These were some of the "best" WiFi speed onboard the Joy on 2 different sailings - current provider/partner is / was "EMC" on the unlimited WiFi (non-streaming) plan. Stats/numbers speak for itself ...

Don't book at those crazy prices, wait until beginning of next Summer while watching prices - unless you "must" be in a certain category of cabins, deck and location - as it'll likely begin to come down & slide on a slope, like this season - OV and Inside for about the same and for just a little more, Balcony GTY & even those Club Balconies. NCL ships sailing out of NY doing donuts from late August into October ... (it's a longer drive into NY, depending on how far you are in RI but weekends - fairly easy. Happy planning !

Systems out there exist that also monitor, optionally for, leaks, smoke/CO alarms, pets & parcels delivered on front porch/yard, "interactive" baby-cam and possibly as a lifeline for frail persons & elderly parents/relatives living alone without 24/7 attended care, etc. ... tracking in real time. Not needed nor appreciated until someone close to you are on the opposite end. You can reach out virtually to chat, say hi on a video link and to see that s/he is fine ... with privacy safeguards agreed on/established. Aside from spotty satellite WiFi links at sea, mine go thru a secured VPN. To each her/his own ... Twice, our neighbors were thankful twice, on her fully covered no-fault, hit-n-run auto insurance claims by 2 different hit-n-run drivers in front as videos served as proof, saved the 3 owners' vehicles hit, around $23,000 worth of body shop repairs ... "poor" Geico as the insurer for all 3 cars. No need to be thankful for those all weather, IR night vision camera. To each her/his own about what's important, or not. In this day & age, peace-of-mind, regardless - "big brother is watching from out there, somewhere ... as noted by Snowden in exile abroad.

No problems while at sea with access, sometimes it'll lag badly due to latency - playback of clips acceptable. Test run it before leaving home to make sure your apps are updated ... ours integrated into central station monitoring & if activated, system would text alert & operator would call (thankfully, yet to happen) We do test ours on a periodic basis with motion & other sensors. Enjoy your cruise.

On the Joy in May (Bermuda) and again in September (Canada & New England) - no problems accessing WiFi from Deck 10 and Deck 15, where our staterooms were ... and everywhere else. Access Points (dual band, WiFi 5 and 6) strategically located throughout the ship's hallways & corridors, etc. - coverage isn't a problem ... LATENCY, bandwidth & speed were the problem, just barely usable with unlimited plan (non-streaming) YMMV ... Starlink would be nice. Refer to Semi-Live reviews below for additional details.

Happy, safe & healthy Thanksgiving to all (OP for this post). Read this initially before posting as informational or FYI only - being the intent and not to stir up the pot. Can't imagine this being moral boosters for the crew as a whole, and recognized, outside of their contract(s), privileges were given & earned and taking them or reverting aren't going to be popular. If crew drinking while off-duty and roaming above their deck is a problem, then, isn't that a managerial and supervisory failure to enforce, test & discipline; and the chains of command should also be held responsible to police their directly reporting ?? We saw plenty of mid/upper tiered managerial & officers in stripes doing their high profile management-by-walking-around, and, mingling at the VIP gatherings "upstairs" as usual - on the 2 NCL ships. Not going to speculate beyond my "tunnel visions". We didn't see off-duty dancers & shop managers hanging out in group, eating everywhere & drinking, or taking over the fitness center (don't go to crowded venues or dance floor indoors ... still mindful of best practices with C19 going around & social distancing). IMHO, the ones that "abused" their extra crew member privileges accorded to them should be dealt with directly and promptly. Come to think of it, have never seen anyone in the laundry department eat "upstairs" in Cagney's. The ones that work in the Art Gallery, not uncommon to see them in a far corner of the MDR and/or buffet, usually very late in the evening - perhaps, hitting or exceeding their auction sales target for the month. The room stewards that we had, from what we knew, much rather spent their off-duty time resting and sleeping in their shared cabin, if they could. Instead of partying outside their zones, the last one we had - took extra time to do fancy towel animals in our cabin and other's - never requested, asked or suggested. @dexddd with extra, extra luck - Dine w Officers will come back and if we go again, this meant ... it will not be Asst Gift Shop manager or alike hosting the table, but someone with 2 stripes, at least ?? Just kidding ... LOL @graphicguy - thanks for sharing that video ... sometimes, these stories aren't just as plain as black & white, grey matters and then, other angles & dimensions to consider. As always, to others: agree to disagree. I have nothing further to add.