mking8288

It's always nice to alert them ahead and at least as soon as you are onboard. Speak to the host/ess and/or manager on duty (even if you are going there on embarkation "evening") so that they can come up with something. Meanwhile, have your vegan friend look at the latest (or recent) Cagney's Menu ... the word "vegetarian" has different meanings to different folks, better to be clear than to assume.

@fstuff1 Hi there ... Bliss, we aren't going to run into you on the Getaway this time around, LOL. NCL doesn't sell iPhones or Androids onboard ... and if they do, it would be at full MSRP or above with the markup. Checkout the onboard Photo Center, they always have digital cameras & gadgets to sell, already marked up. Then, you can re-sell those on eBay, Swapper, etc. at a discount as brand new, unopened & let Paypal take their cuts & shipping carrier on fees, etc.

Show this to DW as we get ready to finalize our packing for the 20th. It is what it is, tailored expectations going forward. Hopefully, the upper echelon at Miami HQ is reading some of these live reports or at least getting them in bullet points. Doubtful that HD in command, let alone the spa manager, is in a position to "fix" some of the issues, especially if they are 100 to 300 staff short for unplanned & worst, planned reasons. NCL can cut all 4 corners and trim the legs, but once the balanced scale is titled beyond, uprighting it again isn't as simple as just floating the tabletop above it. Our friends that came back from their 12 days GEM T/A were not entirely satisfied but ... in spite of it all, just booked another repo - 16 nights TA this Spring on NCL. Perhaps, our passion to cruise isn't easily extinguished despite being soured at times. BTW, lovely pictures of sunset on the Atlantic sailing homeward bound - seas were bad at all & looks fine thru tomorrow afternoon, spotted the GA way off Savannah, GA now on a northerly heading, ride should be smooth but tomorrow evening as you cross VA/DE toward NJ coastline, brace & hold railings as you walk around as wind gust will be up ... If the bridge can chart a course closer to shore, won't be all that bad. Had she gone to Bermuda & sail from northwest toward NY, things would be a lot choppy & bumpy all of tomorrow ... gotta appreciate the Windy App's forecast. Isn't that Shanghai Noodles comfort food great - if you haven't try out the seafood udon (noodles) soup and the thinly sliced pork (loin) noodles broth, you "must" & get your butler to fetch it - as lunch tomorrow or late evening snack later - petite portions (to us) and you can still do a full meal .. worry about the diet next week. As for the long line & wait ... now that half of the ship heard & learn about it ... I've suggested that they incorporate the selections into O'Sheehan's and The Local. Have a great evening & enjoy the last 2 days ... Sunday morning, it's going to be low/mid 30's and dry, no worries about snow or blizzard, etc. Erie & Monroe Counties west of Utica, looking fine thru the weekend.

NCL ships sailing out of NYC (Royal Caribbeans do the same) also do 5 and 6 days Bermuda round-trips, and even 4 days to Bermuda & back, as long as they sail on time, sea state and waves, and maritime weather conditions are favorable based on the chartered course/headings. Nautical distance between NYC and Bermuda is about 670 n.m. (shortest #'s seen, not a mariner ...) and with ships capable of running 21 to 22 knots under favorable conditions, wind & waves, etc. - can make the trip in about 35 hours or less. When the ship is taking 2 days to sail eastbound to Bermuda, she's often cruising at 12 or 13 knots, running 2 or 3 engines at most. Coming back, going westbound - the bridge always tell the engine room to go "full speed", 18 to 19, 20 knots are common. During seasonal whale migration time, USCG enforced maritime regulations that ships slow down and proceed with cautions to protect marine lives as whales are sometimes sighted in the area up & down the coastal Atlantic water, sometimes coming into the Lower NY Bay to play & feed.

For newbies to using NCL's satellite WiFi internet access, stop by the iCafe desk and pickup one of the printed mini-guide of how to's - it explain how to login and logout via the mobile browser, connecting to ship's WiFi, and Chrome & Firefox browsers are supported. iCafe manager has posted office hours in the morning, afternoon & early evening if extra help is needed - it's fairly easy DIY. The "Norwegian" App (iOS/Android) be sure to run the newest/updated version - is the main portal to access your account, login and passwords can be set to use your NCL username or email address and password - gateway to viewing your Onboard account charges, upgrades and bookings, etc. without necessary establishing another userID and password or 2FA, etc. There are screenshot samples as FYI, not intended as a tutorial or detailed instructions. To maximize online access, disable and/or turnoff all background cloud updates, backup or playstore patches, etc. as those will vastly slow down the device, worsen the latency with the narrow bandwidth, and easily result in unresponsive apps ... crashing / FC your device, etc.

Although, we certainly don't want ships to get stranded on the sandbar at low tide while trying to leave the Bay. We have the option of not booking or planning anything and to just wing it later this month, our stop in DR is short, almost as bad as the recently announced changes for Old San Juan, PR. If the Escape and the Encore are going elsewhere next week, then we'll know a little better, regardless of the official stories told by NCL. Our stop is on Sunday, 1/29 and no ships listed at all at Amber Cove - kind of odd & strange, as being a Carnival owned facility, local vendors & shore-based local folks aren't just going to show up to sell when they see nothing for that calendar day.

Ding Ding Ding (hint, hint) - using the other credit at La Cucina, as you can get 1-1-1-1 there (based on the latest NCL rules) and share the meals, although in the fine prints, "no sharing ... permitted"

Thank you for those menu uploads. Another subtle substitution/change is Jumbo Tiger Shrimp Trio is out, replaced with just Jumbo Shrimp Trio, which typically retailed locally with a $2 to $3 price difference per pound ... typically #8-12 extra jumbo/per pound count. Although, they looked closer to jumbo #16-20 count ("smaller" but still using black tiger shrimp, which you can taste the difference) in the past year vs. pre-Covid. Give them a pass for the cuts to trim their food costs, I get it & why not tell it like it is. The pricing logics used and the dining supplement or amount up-charge, also, IMHO, doesn't make sense. Among the more "pricey" entree items like the 8 oz. Filet Mignon at $41, Aussie Lamp Chops at $43 - "free" but by going over just a few bucks to the 20 oz. Porterhouse at $47 - we get dinged now for $20 more, ha-huh. Surf & Turf at $55 - ding extra $25 more. $10 and $15 upcharge, it seems, would be more "reasonable" when the Grilled Fisherman's Platter at $45 has zero, no surcharge or upcharge.

GSC looking pretty with sunset approaching and the RC ship docked next island over. Forecast - seas might be a bit rocky in the early morning hours as GA flip all 4 engines to bring her home, tomorrow, I see small white caps ahead for ya all ... (sorry, just calling out what the charts are saying) Hopefully, they aren't going to close the outdoors for safety reasons as Saturday will be more chilly. A quickie question for CruiseNext, as they should know - whether those Platinum BTS tour are resuming soon and/or doing Dine With Officers again (Sapphires & up) as the Jewel, reporting that they resumed last week. TIA

@Birdnutty give them another day or 2 ... ours were submitted on Dec. 19 and ... finally processed & received an updated Amenity Statement on Mon. Jan 2nd ( ... someone at that Miami HQ department WFH ??? as we're surprised) more details here while answering someone else w a question of e-signing the form, see post #7 and #9 - https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2904124-e-sign-shareholder-benefit-form/#comment-64574856 Last minute submission of less than 15 days could now possibly be categorically denied and/or not processed in time, that's a bummer. Worst, I am beginning to wonder - will they "temporary" suspend the shareholders benefits until such time ... Some of our best high yield dividends-paying stocks in our portfolio had drastically cut the payouts and/or suspended them entirely. Frankie is no stranger to these kinds of slick moves.

Everyone just might to chill out, take 3 steps back & slowly exhale and meditate for a moment. It's no laughing matter for any travelers from/transiting or happened to get "trapped" with these latest enhanced protocol. Reading the fineprints - each passport holder are subject to 2 rounds of testing, 1 before boarding their flights to the embarkation port, at least 1 more supervised rapid test within 8 hours of embarkation day (that's like no early than 8 am for a 7 pm sailing ... thus, most likely at the cruise-terminal before being allowed to complete check-in). Rest of the rules of getting tested once every 48 hours until day 10 ... translate into 4 more round of testing. 2 travelers are subject to paying extra, out of pocket, 6 tests each at $99 USD x 2 - that's roughly, what - $1,200, ouch. Unlike many USA cruisers, their healthcare system do not cover/reimburse for these expenses for traveling abroad. Otherwise, if they meet & satisfy the written requirements set forth, there are no further requirements that should / must be masked onboard - thus, a big loophole - risk asymptomatically spreading the virus(es) around others where social distancing isn't practical and/or doable, i.e. If they are carrying the highly evasive subvariants, it's quite possible that by the time the results turned positive or 2 lines on the test strips - hundreds could already be sharing those airborne devils. Nice ... NOT a foolproof way to handle infection control. Might as well cancel their booking, issue them a (partial ??) FCC as goodwill and tell them to stay home or go back. This has nothing (or, at least, very little) to do with unknowingly lying and misleading but rather - shortcoming of this approach on airborne infection control measures. My two cents, strictly, feel free to disagree & digress.

Photos of the sides from Sept's Joy dinner at Cagney's using our Platinum voucher with the bottle of wine. We had 3 sides, 3 pieces of Zucchini. Sauteed sliced mushrooms and spinach were better, priced then $8 each if not covered. Each of us have our own definitions and expectations ... you decide, YMMV. Warm bread with butter are still unlimited, for your convenience and complimentary ... for now. P.S. NCL should just forget "wasting" all those fancy side dish plates/bowls and spoon them skillfully in the open kitchen directly onto the entree's plate. There was plenty of space for 2 or more sides, definitely with just one with that 8 oz. filet mignon. Far fewer items going into the dishwashers using less hot water & generated electricity to dry them, and lightened the server's carried tray's weight - align with the latest eco-green friendly vision & commitment.

@HBCcruiser emailed Mon 12/19 - acknowledged same day. Follow-up Wed 12/28 - acknowledged receipt. Amenity Confirmation - Mon 1/2/2023

@22KristenB There is no minimum charger per person dining at FR, bring your teenager along - and if he is a big eater, and if 8 items aren't enough, just add 1 or 2 items ... a la carte prices aren't bad at all. Better yet, for desserts - stop by the buffet (or O'Sheehan's / The Local) afterward & it's complimentary, AYCE ... plus all the fresh fruits as available, etc.

This is almost certain to be new, AFAIK. We're on the Joy and had both Platinum & SD vouchers, Cagney waiter carefully explained the difference & choices ... told him, whatever isn't covered, just put it thru the room charges. The sides are truly small or petite for its listed price. Starters for Teppanyaki's set dinner was pathetic ... consistent with the latest "waste management" theme. No chance that we'll pay 120% pricing as add-ons for sides and some of the starters in SD.

@Laszlo - psssst 😉 Did you accidentally wanted all the CC addicts to know your cabin # next week ? Redacted the eDocs but your eLuggage tags ?? If not, maybe message a MOD and see if they can "fix" that up for ya. Did that once myself on the roll call replying to upgrade bidding, LOL. Have a wonderful cruise ... will be following along, our packing will become real soon.

We used Adobe Reader's draw function to "sign" the signature after filling out the rest of the form - skipping the old flatbed scanner entirely, attach the brokerage statement redacted and email it. Besides, they aren't matching the signature against anything. P.S. on a side note, lately ... the submitted request is taking longer to process, for whatever reasons (9% workforce reductions ??) and it took a 2nd email with the assigned Case Number, then ... posted eventually & the Amenity Statement generated, etc.

Epic is one of the NCL ships that we haven't been on at all, perhaps, we will down the road. Do you know or kindly ask & find out, if they resumed the Behind The Scene tours for Platinum members onboard, and also the Dine With Officers (Sapphires & up) already ... or plan to do it soon. Thanks in advance. Enjoy your cruise and thank you for taking the time to answer questions at sea for us.

Back in Sept 2022, we use one of the Joy's dining voucher in Teppanyaki, and the beef of choice on the menu and served to us was filet mignon. DW asked, honey - how about beef stew for dinner ... 😄 😄 😄

Years ago, I believe that would add something like OBC of xxx amount to the booking (which is rare to none these days from NCL) and/or a 2+ sub-category upgrade, i.e. from BD to BB or BA balcony as the price difference can be worth it) You really have to ask onboard to see what they are offering and book it thru them ...

Did a quick check on maritime data for GSC tomorrow, winds from the east easing overnight, waves & sea states look reasonable for tender, always expect a bit of swell - just hold tight & firm transfering onto that platform for the double-decker tender. I would be very surprised that GA won't at least make best efforts to launch tendering after coming to a full stop ... and it's a very short distance to travel from Nassau. Easily get there & get you folks ashore by 9 am, regardless of the schedule as I'm sure those local vendors will be happy to make some money selling their arts & crafts, etc. Homebound trip should be fine, typical winter weather patterns sailing north - might be a little choppy & GA is a big ship capable of handling the ride. Forecast good for Saturday & Sunday, balmy in the 30's at sunrise (by Utica standard ... baby brother worked for Rome Cable some 35+ years ago) Lovely pictures uploaded now in batches, looked like satellite WiFi coverage is good in this area - that Straw Market entrance/building looks brand new, probably part of their redevelopment & expansion, full completion by this May with berths for additional mega ships 😮 Again, thank you for taking the time to give time for CC, share the onboard stories, pictures & compose updates for all the cruise addicts. Even an 8-day cruise week go by very quickly 😇

@shof515 LOL, both you and I know the drills & NCL's modus operandi. Posting it as FYI for others in case they missed their spam mail. Gotta be thankful to the writer for not invoking or exclaiming "unforeseen circumstances" with a more straight forward & direct story ... whether I buy that or find it acceptable, that's a different opinion reserved. Been to San Juan a few times and we kind of know that neighborhood well enough, suffice to say, good enough to hit solid pavement & stretch those sea legs ... first time re-visiting that old town lately. Besides, cellular devices will be on "home" signals for a few hours to catch up with superior uploads & downloads. The stop would've been much better if arrive at 8 or 9 am and depart at 1:30 or 2:30 pm, more practical ... not to mention, expecting probably 3,500+ passengers to be onboard, if not above 100% double occupancies, as all the upper tiered cabins are virtually full & sold out - just Insides & Studios remaining. Can't say I didn't try to positive spin on this for NCL ... an extra hour at sea instead, yee-haw 🤣 😬 🙄 At least, no surprised until we are on the ship & the gangways up, ready to sail to be "informed" then ... I hope this isn't go to impact @Laszlo & others sailing on the 8th Happy, safe and healthy New Year 2023 to all - let's go cruising. Cheers !

Msg posted: Just received an itinerary change - but it was just talking 60 minutes away in San Juan. Instead of leaving at 10:30 PM (Monday, Jan 23, 2023) we will be leaving at 9:30 PM. Was expecting to see Puerto Plata taken away - update posted on our Getaway Roll Call later this month. Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners,On behalf of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) ... < snipped > committed to driving a positive impact on society and the environment. As part of our global sustainability program, Sail & Sustain, we are continually seeking opportunities to reduce our overall carbon footprint, and recently committed to pursuing net zero greenhouse gas emissions across our operations and value chain by 2050. To support this mission, we have optimized our arrival and departure times. We appreciate your understanding and support on this important sustainability initiative. The revised itinerary is as follows: We sincerely appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you aboard the beautiful Norwegian Getaway for your dream vacation at sea!As always, we are at your service.Sincerely,Katty ByrdSenior Vice President, Guest Services #cough #cough - Huh, Bah, humbug (OMG, 👴🙄😣 we gained an extra hour at sea ... yay, anyone ??) Enough time to still walk the waterfront & nearby cobblestone streets, stop in Starbucks, maybe stop at Señor Frog's ... and, oh, CVS is open nightly until 12 AM for essentials if anyone forgotten or need to restock, etc. - along Calle Marina or Route 1. Our planned stop for Puerto Plata, DR remained unchanged - discussed in another running thread - as is with this announcement. Fingers crossed - stay tuned. This might not any other ships/dates, etc. Isn't this going to result in more fuel being used ... maybe, the savings in port charges with a shorter stay, whatever.

It's a mega-sized cruise ship, not a boat, per se - besides, boats aren't generally designed to carry thousands of passengers and crews. There are lifeboat capacity and maritime rules & regulations that vessels must comply & follow forthwith - probably, safe to conclude, that someone was mislead - probably true from other reports that I've read/seen - there were around 5,900 souls onboard, passengers (4,400+) and crew members/ship officers (1,450), etc. combined total headcount. Those numbers are typical for holiday cruises, still below the maximum lifeboat capacity and legal limits based on SOLAS. Welcome to CC, post #1 for OP ... feel free to charter your own private boat or yacht.

Looks like our GA Teppenyaki is going to have a cancellation for 4 later this month, LOL. (P.S. - perhaps, we'll switch the reservation to Moderno, at least one should a better choice of different cuts of red meat, even they are going to downgrade the cuts) Where is that old cut of beef ?