mking8288

Oh mine, boo !! Thanks for the heads up - we leave for the BA in 2 weeks - especially on the changes with open seating, FCFS with the shows. Just logged into MyNCL and still showing our pre- Reserved time/date for ROA & BTF on our 2nd. sailing with the ship.

Will share this with folks on our Roll Call sailing her the first time, there is going to be some very, very interesting Q&A with ship's senior officers at the Meet & Greet ... which they will most typically & likely defer to corporate or HQ policy guidance, LOL.

Talk about let's Rock the Boat instead, huh :rolleyes:

Many flights to NYC's area airports, including LGA were cancelled today in advance of the snow storm, which is over now - got about 7" fresh powder snow, and drifts. Temp is dropping but things should normally ease, BUT, DL 1086 skidded upon landing off Rwy 13 around 11 AM and airport was shut down completely for several hours, and reopened with 50% runway capacity (Rwy 4/22 is available where 13/31 remained closed, river barge has arrived to move the damaged plan.

Are you originally booked for tomorrow coming to LGA? Check, reconfirm & do your OLCI with BP issued - and cross your fingers. Flights will be book 100% solid & overbooked in many cases with standby passengers waiting for their chances at the boarding gate, get there early.

Yes, it's back in operation but since the reopening, very few flights actually took off and even less coming in to land - equipments & crews are held elsewhere being re-positioned for recoveries tomorrow, if you can still get a travel waiver & confirm to fly into EWR or JFK without booking charge or fees/fare difference - it might be wise to do so tonight by calling the airline by telephone.

As I type, flights at EWR & JFK continued to experience excessive delays, including wait for de-icing ops.

It used to be (previously, as in many, many years ago in the good old days) a lot more, some rather "annoying" like the constant pitch for bingo. NCL has toned it a down a lot, and others can help me with the poor memory, some of those PA announcement would override or come thru all of the TV channels if it is ON, not just the designated channel for such broadcast - as well as being heard in the hallways.

The ones that will always come thru are the emergencies - otherwise, by the time we realized/heard it and flip the TV channel switch & volume, it's half over or done already.

On the mandatory muster/safety drill, folks hated it & felt it is unnecessary just like the pre-flight safety demo done by airline's FA before takeoff - but, over the year's - it's been simplified, short & sweet. There is also a video demonstration on stateroom TV, channel 2x that's repeated/run almost continuously in case anyone wanted more of it, along with other info like the ship's environmental systems.

For those relatively new to cruising, we used to be required to bring and put on those life vest, yes - WEAR them for the duration as headcounts are done (or roll calls by name/cabin #' - now just a quick swipe of guests' key cards) until the demo is officially over & "released" to resume / go back to sailaway partying, etc. (or, do the luggage hunt - wait for checked bags to be delivered or, :D visit the naughty room, LOL :p)

Not with a BX (GTY) booked on the GEM or other similar Dawn/Jewel class ships, not on the BA/GA class - and I don't recall any of the "standard" regular or family balconies (which are priced much higher in $$) do not have/use "Murphy" bed for the guests.

I see that you also sailed the GEM like us and you have an idea of what those cabin sizes are like, there's no room to do one. I recalled perhaps reading somewhere that, maybe one was available in the suite/Haven category - if at no. The single sofa will be extended & pulled up, setup for sleeping (ask for foam padding under the sheets for a softer topping) right next to the main beds.

Now, if you are referring to those "Pullman" bed that drop down against the wall from the ceiling - that might be available if the room occupany is for 4 (and, that would be over or on top of the small sofa) Ours was an Oceanview for 4, it has 1 pullman up against the wall with the ladder) and the 4th. one being a riser (trestle, stored under the main bed) - most if not all the setup for balconies are what you see in NCL's stock photo. For a GTY booking, you don't have a choice to pick from, whatever is assigned become yours. Good luck & do let us know if you "score" a nice cabin & share those photos.

No lobster unless you get it at one of the specialty restaurants

This :D - repeat, short answer is NO, AFAIK. <nay>

 

In other words, it CAN be lobster (chunks of meat, frozen tail, bisque) night, every night, any night, on the Epic and on any NCL ship as long as you look for it at the specialty restaurnat - "free" with the UDP promo or by paying a surcharge if you don't have UDP (and, that can be offset by using any available

OBC) Otherwise, none to be found or served in the MDR's and buffet.

 

That, seems to be the trend for NCL fleetwide in 2015, EPIC included - fresh whole lobster was selling at our local supermarket out of the tank at $13/lb. recently but has gone up to $15/lb.

Hmmm, Dawn was our 2nd. NCL ship and we 1st. sailed her in 2003, it's been dry-docked and still a fine ship, loved those layout & compared to the Breakaway, feel much roomer.

Noticed you are from NH, how do you plan to travel to NYC to board the ship & doing parking ?? Boston for the Dawn is much closer & I'm quite sure it's cheaper to park there for a week !! I would factor in the entire cost of the cruise, including transportation, toll is adding a little more. Difference w. the BA is really less and 5 of you will be much happier with 2 bathrooms - any other combo of OV & IS on the Dawn.

We loved Bermuda and it's the destination with 2 full nights on the islands.

My other comment, off-topics, those prices pre-summer, correct - a little higher than what are used to paying for NCL, pricing trends across all lines taken into consideration - giving the recent CEO/COO changes, I'm starting to look at alternate options for future cruises - we are frugal to do more every year.

BA's family oceanviews are some of the bigger rooms - how about practicing "togetherwise" at home for two nights to see what sleeping arrangements are like - do a trial run of "let's get along"

 

There isn't a single chair to sit on for anyone, just a stool with storage (which will likely be put to good use to store things like beverages ...) 4 of you will be sitting & watch TV, playing with iPads, etc. leaning agains or in the beds. These cabins are "narrow" by all accounts, reach out & you will likely touch 2 walls. Bathroom is good, nice & comfortable for the most part - shower is very usable.

 

The 14 years old will probably get the upper bunk/Pullman bed off the ceiling. Two 21 years old will share a pullout sofa bed together for 7 nighs - or, maybe work out a rotational system among 3 of them for one person to sleep on the top "deck" - run some drills at home now for conditioning their mindset.

 

As for DH's snoring, everyone pack a foam earplugs in case of "needs" but odds are that they all have noise-reduction, in-ear headsets from their iPhones or Androids - that should "mask" the noise level.

 

As for the 3 grown-up "kids" never being on a cruise, then the destination isn't important to them - it is up to both DH & you.

Thanks for your review - I'm a little confused, is this for the Breakaway as listed in the Title, or the Getaway (body of your review) ??

It seems fair, for me, to say that - the balcony sizes of these newer mega-ship are "smaller" than the typical cruise ships, and even before ship's inaugural sailing - there's plenty of information put out as preview - not "defending" NCL in any ways on this & I have no doubt that even some of the suite/Haven balconies are small.

Personally, our expectations are a little different & we've only sailed as high as the "regular" balcony categories - and would not dare to "entertain" more than 2 people standing out there for any period of time. That, I am sorry - that's just us with the "micro" (yes) balcony.

Suffice to say, your expectations on this recent sailing were somewhat met, and partially not to your satisfactions. Did you (daughters ??) find time in your busy schedule during the week to speak anyone of the ship, perhaps the assistant manager or assistant director in charge of the specific areas on your concerns - because, I would not ... not if there is a chance broken glass particles might be embedded in the uncooked food, it's not a just health issue and a safety issue as well. Food is subjective but we attended the Teppanyaki "show" & ate the meal as well, once as someone else's guest only - and never since ... Try LeBistro instead, or the Cagney's steak.

WiFi as in satellite internet is really, really truly slow w. high latency - IMO - and the only time I needed access and use it, it was free - paid out of our available OBC, so I considered that a "comp" for the sailing, nothing out of pocket as extras. Took almost 10 minutes to do a simple OLCI for our airline flight home - don't think you missed much in not getting any comp'd WiFi minutes. But, we are sailing the BA again in a little over 2 weeks so I do appreciate your insight, the good, the bad and the so-so. ;)

Welcome to those relatively new to CC - this is a great, useful & friendly forum, everyone willi ng & ready to help - regardless. ;)

 

I understand that we are all anxious to get out of the northeast with another winter storm watch & warning come at us again this evening/tonight & temperature plunging again - time to get ready for more ice skating on the sidewalk & roller skating on 4 wheels, and sliding down the stairs on ice ... but, under East Coast Departure - linked here on CC (thus, saving some of you previous time in using the "Search" feature to find it) - the Cape Liberty Cruise Port (Bayonne, NJ) and Manhattan Cruise Terminal (New York)'s Parking & Cruise 4-1-1 including an illustrative pictorial guide on some of the best way to drive, walk, sail (ferry), taxi, bus, train, etc. to these piers.

 

Please do consider using these valuable resources - put together by some of the most experienced & repeat CC folks that sailed in/out of these terminals on a regular and frequent basis. Odds are that if you are driving from Canada, taking a train to Boston for New England cruise, flying to JFK or whatever, it's been asked and answered.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2057865

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2163707

 

It has information on Bayonne port parking and Red Hook, Brooklyn's parking & pier info - for those considering sailing other lines.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1579572

 

Just about the only thing we really don't have good info on is how to best arrive by helicopter but there is a helo landing pad about 15 blocks south on the old West Side Highway, a/k/a 12th Avenue. The other suggestions - "Google it" as one of our best traveling "buddy" - or Bing it, Yahoo it, Baido it, etc.

 

Now, I go back to looking at other posts - the "Ice Bar" is right outside, grab an insulated mug, winter parka, hats & mittens (no 'flip flops') and enjoy the freeze (no need to do that on the Breakaway ... :D) and there's quite a few old thread on that already.

Still too early to price out best flight options & prices to Singarpore & return from Tokyo for April 2016, wait until May or about 11+ months out (or, with the help of your preferred TA/experienced frequent flyer, etc.) or web surfing on the major/popular sites, and, directly on your "short" list of airline websites. You are basically looking at 2 one-way trips, outbound with a (possible) stopover @ LAX.

Flights to/from Asia actually don't fly "westward" across the Pacific, they fly north in what's called the "polar"routes near the North Pole, hugging the Canadian landscape before coming back down toward Japan, Beijing, Hong Kong, etc. toward Singarpore - depending on prevailing wind & weather patterns, etc. - on the return, it's generally closer toward the Alaska coast & down thru Canada airspace to reach either the West or East Coast. Whether you are flying from the East or West Coast or out of O'Hare, it's basically 15 to 16 hours sitting nearly upright in the "main" cabin.

I see one exception, Singarpore will ticket you with its partner, JetBlue to NY's JFK's Terminal 5, switch to Terminal 1 with several hours layover, flyonward on A380 (AirBus jumbo double-decker) non-stop to Frankfort, Germany and then non-stop to Singarpore, and the one-way fare is currently priced about $850 p/p for late April 2015 (cannot get a quote for 2016 yet) - travelers around the world ranked Singarpore Air as among the best / No. 1 carrier and it has an excellent safety record, in-flight & customer services being the best. There's ample time between flights in case of minor delays and the airline will be responsible for the connections if you are delayed when ticketed together.

If you connect via LAX, Eva Air has the lowest fare now with the LAX-TPE nonstop (Taipei) and connect to SIN non-stop (another 4 hours.) Surprisingly, Singarpore Air is only slightly more with a brief stopover/connection thru Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific is much higher (by $150 USD one-way) nonstop to HK and connect to SIN. US carriers pricing is much higher & given a choice, we don't deal with UA, AA, DL, etc. with international flights. Most of these flights depart around 1 AM (out of JFK, LAX and also from SFO) so it's possible to not travel a day ahead for an extended layover - not much to do @LAX unless you have family/friends or other sights to see. SFO sometimes run into problems & delays with fogs, usually in the morning but ... (LAX, not so much & better)

If you don't travel much on these TPAC flights, might want to consider arriving 2 or 3 days earlier, to adjust to major time zone changes & resulting jetlag - will be "worst" on the return home afterward. With upwards of 30 hours and 2 stops en route, will be tired after landing & worst if you spend the next 2 to 4 days sleeping on a cruise as the body is fighting jetlag. Ease yourself gradually after arrival, rest and see that city, then, transition to the cruise - that would be the strategy we adopt ... ;)

*

On the return, NRT to CLT - that looked to a "challenge" in coming up with good prices what a quickie search, apart from Air Canada's pricing & connections. These are tasks that we would likely ring up our reliable local TA knowledgeable about TPAC travel & have them work up a good set of prices and bundle it together.

What airport? You're staying in NY and sailing from NJ. You'll want to contact a car service ...it is expensive since you're going from 1 state to another and a taxi will be over $100 US...Car service should be less.... http://www.dial7.com or http://www.carmellimo.com Allow an hour to get to the pier in NJ ...

Title: EWR Airport (mobile browser or Tapatalk don' always show it) to NYC

A quick lookup -

From EWR, once cleared US immigration/custom & with luggage, go to the ground transportation area & look for the Newark Airporter Bus (formerly Olympia Trails/Coash USA) for the next scheduled departure, generally @15 minutes interval, one-way fare is $16 USD p/p - travel time is generally under 1 way. It has 3 stops - you want the last stop on the East Side of Manhattan, nearest to Grand Central Station @ Park Avenue South & E. 41st Street. Shelburne Hotel is on Lexington & E. 37th Street - easy 5 blocks, walk 1 semi-long city block east to Lexington, turn right to go south for 4 short city blocks to hotel.

http://coachusa1.reachlocal.net/olympia/ss.newarkairport.asp

*** Assumed you have 1 checked luggage on wheels (rollers or spinners) and 1 carry-on or backpack that you can manage. Taken this for 35 years when it served the Vista Hotel, downtown at the World Trade Center - might need to transfer to their free shuttle bus from the Port Authority (1st. stop) to stop #3 - bus driver/dispatcher will inform you, no need to take a taxi ride to the hotel (this will save you about 2/3 the costs of a one-way car service/taxi fares across state line, NJ to NY)

**

From hotel to Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, NJ - our favorite car service, Carmel is showing a fare of about $47 USD, just add 15 to 20% tipping as there is no toll leaving NY to NJ, only the opposite direction. You should be able to prebook that after arrival in NY and have the pickup scheduled in front of the hotel, 1 hour travel time should normally be enough for weekend traffic in the morning is generally lighter in/out of NYC. (Check for an online coupon/discount code as you get closer to deduct $3 or $4 from the fare, Dial 7's fares usually slightly higher & there's a $4 off for fares higher than $49) P.S. there is an APP (free) for them ;)

... Cruise Critic needs a "Like" button ... going to get away from the cold!

and 18 days not being soon enough - by Day 7 (last full Sea Day) - we didn't see anyone by the Ice Bar or even the regular bar nearby, perhaps it was too early in the day, chilly once again in the outdoors and most had enough of the pool, moved back indoors.

 

What is needed is a Hawaiian themed bar with some beach chairs/loungers, Bermuda shorts to match the colorful shirt - and, a Pina Colada (non-alcohol for us) or Mai Tai's ... Mahalo :D

Is everyone in the group doing Express Self Disembarkation and/or have Priority Disembark ?? Which airport - 3 in metro NYC with LGA being the closest/easiest and everyone flying on the same airline/getting dropped off at the same terminal ? Checking luggage with the carrier ?

Use this schedule to check to see how busy the port is on date of disembarkation ? http://www.nycruise.com/schedule/

Another variable is CBP (custom/immigration staffing level on that morning - beyond cruiseline's control) as that's been known to delay the process.

Most of time, BA arrived early for on-time turnaround & pax at the front of the lines begin coming off the ship as early as 7:45 or 8 AM - but, the only one that matter is OP's. When we returned last year, we're off BA's gangway by 8:45 am and taxi home to Queens, passing LGA airport & home by 9:30 am - our priority luggage tagged waiting inside the terminal.

Weather is another element - and, last May, BA was delayed docking at the pier due to a whale that somehow ... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php? t=2037705&highlight=breakaway+whale

** More data as I've been tracking her recent "on-time performance" for our upcoming sailing - she was late 2 consecutive times & the first groups couldn't start heading out & past the gangway until 10 am before running into long lines (and short CBP staffing inside) - the bypass would then be use the porters as they have their "exclusive & faster lanes" to escort you & the luggage out, appropriate tipping is of course a must.

Lastly, except for authorized buses contracted by NCL and/or approved by port security, etc. - most transportation are NOT allowed to come in to WAIT, everyone is generally directed to exit the terminal downstairs & walk across the street (12th Avenue) and wait there to arrange for getting picked up.

In short, 10:30 AM would be much better and 11 AM is even better for flights at LGA or EWR leaving after 1:30 or 2 PM, JFK after 2 or 2:30 PM - I understand about airline schedules & flight available and their pricing for varied departure time, but, this is what it is - look outside the window, it's March 3rd & snowing once again in NYC.

:cool: - Happy Cruising !!

Go to seatguru dot com to checkout the airline's aircraft configuration - CX has the advantage of a slightly wider coach seat on their Boeing 777-300ER for long haul @ 18.5" wide by 32" pitch. Eva Air has 18.3" width by 33" pitch - both of them Asian carriers with better inflight services and decent choice of catering - reheated food for that 15 hour *SIGH* flight in the main cabin, and, often superior in-flight entertainment (IFE)

 

Compared that with legacy US carrier like AA, DL & UA with their 777 services, 17" seat width and 31" pitch/limited reclined space - one begin to understand the reasons for many travelers to select them. With the recent & further de-valuation of airline's Frequent Flyer's mileage programs, it's worth even LESS to fly some just to accrue more "points"

 

Local TA who does a lot of Asian bookings often have access to & deals for these flights and offer special pricing while helping with e-ticketing & pre/post-cruise hotels, etc. - just make sure to check out their "credits" (references & history, etc.)

Checking the MCT schedule - don't see the ship's arrival listed. http://www.nycruise.com/schedule/

With 2 other ships on the calendar that day, pier will be a little more hectic than unusal and longer lines for taxi & wait for car service pickup, so allow for a little extra time.

Chances are that port security will direct all disembarking pax to across 12th Avenue on the other side of the wide road (traffic lights controlled) to get a taxi - designated stand with dispatcher on duty.

LGA will get busy by late morning, especially with luggages to checked - there are 4 terminals, check the airline used & terminal for your flight. If you are off the ship & out of immigration/custom by 10 a.m. (plus a block-long walk out of the pier terminal crossing the street) - taxi should have you at LGA by 10:45 or 11 AM at the latest, under most road conditions unless it's stormy. That would be plenty of time to check-in, pickup some food pre-security (food court is "land-side) before going to the gate, sit back & relax to wait for the boarding announcement, etc.

FlightAware & FlightBoard are mobile Android Apps (also, on iOS) that I use to track my flight status along with the inbound aircraft - check that ahead of rushing to the taxi lines while still on the ship, there's no need to rush in getting off the ship depending on port arrival time, just check when pax are usually able to start the process to disembark.

You booked your Platinum dinner on the app before your cruise? ...

I'm curious, how can one register, sign into and activate the iConcierge App before actually connecting to the ship's intranet/WiFi system ?? Was this done while on the Pier waiting to board? We're on the BA last year & going again in 19 days and we used the APP, nice & all with the free features. It would be nice - any tips to share ?

This was our obstructed OV cabin #8096, we booked OV-GTY and was assigned by NCL , we had no choice in the selection as it was an "accessible" stateroom and we only slept in this cabin for the first night of our sailing, moved out and up to deck 9 in the afternoon of day #2 (full sea day) at the request of Jewel's Hotel Director ... (for the rest of the story, see the old review as to ;))

Whether the view is still the same as 4 years ago, I do NOT know - it could be frosted completely, it's just for informational reference only - please, no panic & no riot, etc. This is from 2011 - not up-to-date.

The "big" lifeboat is outside and the service walkway for crew members outside, we kept our curtains closed - roughly 45 to 60% obstructed and you need to be standing up to really look out to see over the horizon at the far distance. This one showing the Statue of Liberty as we're sailing out of NYC.

* *

When in doubt and you are booked at one of these cabins in questions, it's BEST to call NCL directly and ask for clarification about "frosting" - other ships such as STAR or GEM, haven't seen or read any such obstructed views being "frosted" over completely, AFAIK - :confused:

Let me help with the easiest part & let 138east/Carol do the rest:

 

Trip from hotel to port for 4 people with generous luggage will require a minivan - Dial7 or Carmel are the usual recommenations here (ours being the latter) -

From downtown Newark/Cape Liberty Cruise Port area to Manhattan Pier (#88) - approximately $61 plus $15 tunnel toll into NY and 15% tip (online coupon discount is available for $3 or $4) - about $83

From hotels near LGA in Queens to Pier 88, approximately $50 (possible midtown tunnel or RFK Bridge toll, $7.50 in cash (EZ-Pass toll rate is under $6) & tip - about $70.

Weekend morning travel time is roughly 30 minutes to the pier, allow extra 15 minutes for unexpected traffic/road conditions, etc.

About 95% of the HK taxis are Toyota (Crown) Comforts which are a boxy version of a 90's Camry.

Typically, 3 pax with luggage CAN fit - that's how we've handled it in HKG -

three (3) 25" suitcases (rollers are easier, spinners can really stick out with the trunk lid staying open & bungee-corded shut fro the long ride on the highway)

2 adults in backseat, 2 smaller carry-ons or cabin bags (note, 22" USA-sized can be tricky & some drivers will "not" be too happy) - usually, it's 2 oversized tote or canvas duffle and 1 backpack (mine is large at 19") in the middle seat/space between the riders. 3rd. passenger (that's usually me) sit in the front, next to the driver.

Taxis in HK are licensed for up to 5 passengers, some for just 4 - practically, 4 non-Asians will fit, 5 is really pushing it. Always, buckle up with the seat belts provided.

For the OP, the most challenging part is getting to major US gateway airports for the airlines mentioned - CX or Cathay Pacific is our primary TPAC carrier of choice from JFK with 3 daily flight, 2 non-stops. Singarpore Air without a question or doubt is THE airline of travelers worldwide - they've discontinued the non-stop EWR-SIN flown in all business class configuration. Lately, fares on some USA & some Pacific routes are down nicely and helped by lowered fuel prices & adjusted surcharges - too far out for 2016 as they reserved the rights to impose additional charges if their fuel costs go up.

Lowest one-way economy special fare, JFK-SIN on Eva Air (Taiwan) is as low as $600 USD one-way for this mid-April (no mileage credits awarded).

Challenge - getting out CLT, their home airports to JFK/SFO, etc. or even from "nearby" ATL or Atlanta, GA with Delta being the dominant carrier. Chicago is another gateway for Cathay with a daily non-stop to HKG, and easy/plenty of flights continuing to SIN - American Airlines or AA would be the domestic alliance partner to book flights on, and as long as it is on a single itinerary & e-ticket stock issued, they would be "protected" in case of MX or WX (mechanical or weather cancellation) but still - possibility of missing the embarkation & needing to catch up with the ship. Thus, travel & trip interruption to protect the "investment".

JFK is our home airport and need plenty of time to transfer terminals and airlines, not to mention long security lines at peak period for TSA checkpoints (and, absolutely do NOT fly into LGA & go overseas from JFK, or vice versa on the return unless you have a 6 hour+ transit window) Lastly, most of those flights on Korean, Japanese & similar Asian carrier's single daily nonstops -as noted - leave around midnight to 2 AM - so, plan on eating dinner at the airport's food court (or lounges, if ...)

Flying coach or economy/plus or business class, any preference for legacy US carrier like Delta as mentioned above via ATL? The other major gateways are DFW, ORD, JFK and of course, LAX and SFO - pro's & con's especially on the outbound, as a delay or flight cancellations would NOT be good - time for trip interruption insurance !! Do you have a TA that can help you with booking ? US Air has the most flight connections out of CLT - regardless, you want the ticketing in each direction to be on a single ticket stock (airline alliance and/or partner carrier, i.e. AA with CX (Cathay Pacific) or UA with OZ (Asiana) since your are likely going to be making 2 or more connections to get to SIN (Singarpore). Same on the return but at least delays can be dealt with better being homeward bound.

Do you plan to sightsee in Singarpore before/after your cruise or just arriving the day before?

For example, CLT to JFK with a 6 hours layover on US, then JFK-TPE on Eva Air, non-stop (B777-300 service, better seat width & pitch in economy over US carriers) with a 2 hour layover then TPE-SIN nonstop. One-way fare looked reasonable this Spring on a quick lookup. Returning from Tokyo, fly to TPE (Taipei) and connect non-stop to JFK, clear immigration/custom & rec-check luggage, final segment JFK to CLT

The other routing with Singarpore Airline or Lufthansa (partnership with Virgin Atlantic) is to fly eastbound via Europe, connect in Frankfort or London, then another non-stop direct to SIN. Return from Tokyo would still be over the Polar route across Alaska/down via Canada - caution about this is some of the flights to Europe are flown on narrow-body and small jets these days (B757's) hated by most FF travelers, as with an unexpected strong headwind, need to make an unscheduled fuel stop along the way with potential for missing the connecting flight.

;)

Lots to think about, isn't it :cool:

With Airport Express to Kowloon Station & (Checked) Left Luggage Services, one can take advantage of the free AE hotel shuttle routes offered to pax @ the Kowloon Station, board Route 2 - Stop #4 for the Kowloon Hotel & Peninsula Hotel as it is one the closest stop next to the Victoria Harbor, keeping your carry-ons & valuables only. Also, there are plenty of shops & stores inside the "Elements Mall" with the AE Station integrated/on the below ground level and by the time you arrived (CX flight ??) from the airport, many of them catering to the travelers will be open for business.

 

Walk toward the H.K. Cultural Centre, maybe have an early dim sum breakfast at the Serenade (Chinese) Restaurant upstairs (and, a Starbucks nearby.) Go walk along the promenade / Avenue of the Stars & smell the morning air toward the historic "Star Ferry" - probably plenty of time to take a short & cheap ride across the harbor & back, join the local commuters heading for Central, etc.

 

When it's time to embark, take a short taxi ride back to the Kowloon AE Station & retrieve your "left" luggage & taxi over to the cruise terminal.

This is my view in an obstructed oceanview cabin on the Jewel. I would not consider it "no view and staring at a lifeboat ...

Very similar to the ours on the Jewel (2011) and yours from 2014, close to a year ago or whatever. But, it seemed an entire section of obstructed OV cabins on deck 8 were "frosted" completely, perhaps very recently or right before the OP sailed.

Your pix showed the crew's walkway right outside the obstructed picture window, and it is necessary as they used it to inspect and reach the tender/life boat, painting & washing the exterior, etc. usually docked at the pier or while anchored if tendering, etc. They also launch some of the boats to do crew only training & mandatory safety drills as required, etc.

**

For those with upcoming Jewel cruise booked into one of the specific cabins - has ANYONE called into NCL for an update or clarify/question the reasons for the "frosting" application - previously, I've seen these cabin prices to be lower than the higher category of INSIDE cabin pricing.

We had booked an obstructed Ocenview with GTY on the GEM, deck 8 in 2012 and got "upgraded" down to deck 4 FWD with a porthole (big & round) window.

Don't think the typical Citi "Gold" credit line will cover that much higher over-the-limit or approve it - don't know if NCL issued card will do ? The "Black" Card will probably do, however.

 

Is that for private air on a Learjet w. limo and/or helo transfer ?? Coming in from where (airport) :confused:

Very competitive First Class airfares for 8 pax sailing in the 3 BR Haven and that's round-trip on Lufthansa or equivalent (A380-800, upper deck FWD all to your entire party ) ... isn't it :D