mking8288

Day 5 onboard as it is 00:20 hour. Upgrade price to basic unlimited WiFi onboard for remaining 11 days using the 300 FAS minutes plan as a trade up is now down to $130, pretty sweet deal with the $145 credit. If we do this, we’ll still have $120 balance from the NR-OBC to spend on something else, i.e. $15 sale w 2 for $25 deal.

Dinner tonight, despite the 45 minutes wait, was good, used 1 voucher for the wine plus 2 dining package - lots of food that challenged us to finish most. Pizzas - a meal by itself for 1 or 2 or more to share. Why can't they do in the Surfside Cafe w the same oven 🤔 They used cookies in one of the 5 dessert - yay 😁 The sides were just okay as per DW's subjective opinion.

I had to speculate, however, whether or not some of them were already inside when the doors from steerage were open, via special passage, from behind unmarked doors. While we are know this is mostly a CruiseNext event hosted by the Latitudes team, one is used to seeing the Captain, GM and sometimes the CD to say a few sentences to welcome and introduce the leadership team. Not this time. Maybe Alvin was in the crew fitness center as he clearly gained a lot, life's been good but his image can be better with the waistline for someone in his age cohort, IMHO of course. Another gentleman sitting on the window next to me just sailed thru Asia last year (disappointed with the port experience & excursions) and questioned whether he's going to buy more CN certs) from Taiwan originally, retired to Florida after decades being a New Yorker.

Yes, you'll miss all the hogs that got inside early, leaving the 2 long lines that spilled out into the pool area, plain speechless. Oh, the humanity - 1 woman reserved 3 chairs for her friends. Another couple seized a lounger plus a chair, saying 2 others are coming, plus blocked others from sitting along the window (next to / behind them) with space for at least 4 more. You won't miss the cheese & crackers. CruiseNext manager said something about ... but ignored by most, nothing aside from more buying & booking onboard Go & enjoy lunch, you won't miss anything from the event, including the latest DoubleUp offer.

4 of us are finally seated by the window, got the bread after making our comp'd wine selection, and server just took our order at 7:35. With luck, we will finish dessert & out of here after 9 to 9:30. For others - the latest Platinum complimentary wine list - Host explained with 24 inside tables inside, they had 30 reservations for 5 pm alone, and with the weather, couldn't use outdoor seating as some guests prefer to be outdoors. Duh - who knew, we are sailing toward Iceland & not Bahamas No shows to catch tonight, it's a good thing. All of the listed & available shows that are bookable - Donna & The Price is Right, all sold out per NCL app 😤😔😳 - fully booked already as of yesterday, for real ? I don't know what else to say about this new freestyle cruising. Prima Apr 2024 TA free-style-daily-04.pdf

Current status - what, where ... it's blank Today's foul ball ... this, I am calling Showed up at Onda fir our 6:30 PM dinner reservations. It's full and they don't have a table ready for us ... apologize & asked us to wait outside at the Whiskey Bar @ 6:50 PM It make sense, however, quite challenging to do a 3 or 4 course dinner service under 90 minutes - with the restaurant earliest seating at 5:00 Host just came out & said the guests at the table that's ours ... having dessert now 😯 He will let us know once it's ready.

Dan @graphicguy I can confirm what Sugar reported, The Local passage has remained clear and dry, safe to cross without ... Nearby, the Haven elevator access nearby remained unguarded.

AR, vegetable Pad Thai is good. Indian (udon) noodles soup also good, mild spicy hot. Susan thinks RJ and you will like it. We created a food feast.

See what you missed -

Latitudes Welcome Back reception inside the OL is a joke, made that a big, big, really joke in hosting a large scale event for 2,200+ Latitudes guests with seating space normally for 75 to 100 plus, including back against the window "seats" on the wraparound lounge, where you can hear and music after passing the band but otherwise cannot see the rest. Cubes of cheese & crackers only served. Over 900+ Platinum and higher Latitudes members, over 80% of the ship passengers being Latitudes - apologies for a big turnout, really. The reception should've been held not here but in a bigger event space. CruiseNext manager was the only one that spoke, nobody else - not the Captain nor the GM, who was here along with (some) other officers. Rants done and moving from being grumpy. Otherwise, view from the OL - foggy and ship blowing it's horn on a regular interval.

According to Capt "Out" 10 AM daily bridge briefing, rest of today seas expected to be 9 to 12 ft. - nearest land to the west around 200 mi Clock will be advanced by 1 hour again at 2 pm this afternoon. Ocean Walk is open but empty, it's windy, wet and on the chilly side. No hogs for loungers and chairs outside Lunch will be at Indulge Food Hall as we got here just before 11:30 and it's already filling up ... where's @Sugar Magnolia since there is no food police around. Tonight will be Onda ... skipping the MDR 😸 lines and wait.

Prima's TV Ch 1 is the navigational channel - informative, huh. Not 👎🙄😤 NCL has been upgrading the on-screen displayed data since late 2023 - still in beta mode 😳🤔 Older systems are much preferred here 👍 Nice Samsung Smart TV monitor with sharper resolutions, however ...

Good morning all - Day 4 ... A bumpy ride during the overnight hours as we went thru a weather system, windy and it's now foggy outside - breakfast sitting next to big picture window. Waves 7 to 10 ft. with occasional small, white caps. Our live shipcam view earlier Pearl continuing their TA, heading also to Reykjavik, Iceland with a 2 days lead ahead of us ... calm seas. View outside now - a bit of wind & foggy, just as Sharon @Fogfog described.

Upgrade to unlimited WiFi Internet is lowered by $25 after midnight, now pro-rated for remaining 12 days at $25 x 12 days = $300, less a $145 trade-up credit (from the partially used 300 free airtime minutes) for a net cost of $155 USD only. Avg daily cost is under $13 for unlimited use over 12 days, 7 of which being full sea days. Royal Caribbean's Voom is $20 a day for streaming unlimited use (vs. $40 for NCL) Since we have $250 NR-OBC, it's "free" leaving $95 in credit balance to spend it or lose it. Keep in mind, the daily cost go back to $30 per day instead of $25, once the # of cruise day is 10 or less, maybe 11 ... I am not sure, sorry but will check. Stay tuned in for update about using Libby (library) app to access & use Prima's onboard Library; and, the HDMI port access. Linux USB boot drive ...

WiFi 6 StarLink-powered Station Zebra now setup to sail & support "Live" CruiseCritic posting over the next 5 full days of eastbound TA crossing to Reykjavik, Iceland.

Freestyle Daily #3 - PDF w all pages, except info-mercials Prima TA Apr 2024 free-style-daily-03.pdf

See comments from post #350 Between 7:55 PM and 8:30 PM outside the Hudson MDR ... deceptively didn't "look" that bad, huh. Undercover since I blended in the crowd until being spotted by ...

Observations & comments on Day 3 : (background - known) MDR no longer taking reservations (Prima, exclusive ??) for groups of 5 or less, only 6 and more. Corporate decision ? Digital display status board not showing updated current state at all. I.T. issues again ? Punt the ball. Crowds standing around getting restless after 30+ minutes. A single dining crew trying to smile and do what he can as friendly greeter. "Thinking outside the litter box" Faulty system designs - pass the bucks. Tonight, junior officers standing near one corner selectively greeting some guests while looking busy. "Keep up the image ?" Got them on candid camera's zoom lens. Hudson MDR has crew covering from Palomar and Los Lobos, etc. to supplement staffing. "Less is more ?" Let's hear the top brass answer 00 for an hour. "Sir, all the tables are full. There is no priority seating" not even for Diamond. You can go over to the Metropolitan Bar" and wait. (No, I will stand here, watch & wait, thank you.). Wait, how about you call my room when you find a table & it's ready while I take a nap, it's only 8:15 PM ? I already waited 20 minutes for a table if 4 and you lost my Room # and need to check the "pager" number in my hand. " Speechless" Not sure how to grade their managerial plan on mitigating passengers (did)satisfactions. On the bright side, this should get better over the next 12 days - I hope we hit rock bottom. The best (worst) is yet to come. Tomorrow is the 2nd full sea day and the Latitude reception for Deck 12 & below is 1 PM. Why would they knowingly schedule it when the MDR is open from 12 to 1:30 PM only, and expect guests to eat and run, or skip a meal - or jam the buffet or The Local after 1:30'ish. For your convenience to sail & sustain, of course. Since we have a number of CC'ers on the TA already sharing their thoughts, we might consider a joint session, let's take it up at the bar crawl. Or, just go with the flow. Let it Go, Let it Go.

Pilot boat action photos, coming alongside and the pilot is off the ship. Captain Kevin "Out" is now taking us to Iceland as we edge along and soon be turning northeast

Use close to 1 GB worth of 5G data today included tethering over WiFi hotspot use, included in plan with no extra costs Still on cellular (Bell Canada) but will be switching to StarLink for next 6 days while at sea, until we pick up Iceland signals, covered & included 👍

Here she goes and bye, Halifax until ... underway by 5:15 PM @Sugar Magnolia Salty's. LoL, we found it and were there but too early, employees just beginning to show up for work ... so, we Uber again to hunt down Pho. Was very good + the crew know this place, word of mouth.

Pearl's shipcam live - doesn't look bad, foggy and choppy seas to be expected. It's our turn to cross and follow them 😄

Gangway lifted, hoisted and we are preparing to get underway ... no idea if they accounted for all passengers.

Pearl is on their way, early arrival ETA on CruiseMapper, ditto for us at this moment. Windy App forecasts, looking like we should slip thru just fine, maybe some mild rocking & rolling. Fwd gangway already close an hour ago, Aft gangway isn't and 3 minutes to 17:00 scheduled sail away time to Reykjavik, Iceland 🙈🙈🙈