mking8288

Posted speed limit on stretches of the Belt Parkway is anywhere from 40 to 50 mph, signage far & few in between - most drivers drving off-peak routinely ignore and drive above the speed limit, regardless of speed enforcement by NYPD Highway Patrol & occassionally, NYSP marked RMP. Weekend mornings, it is not uncommon for packs of vehicles to travel well above the safe & legal speed limit ... ditto for the SSP, not that this is endorsing reckless driving and breaking the posted speed limit. LIE on weekend mornings, especially before 9 or 10 am, it's the same from points east to the Nassau/Queens county line - cars routinely go well above the posted 55 MPH speed limit, plus the HOV-2 lane ... not available on the SSP & Belt Pkwy. It does make a difference in choosing the "best" and/or "faster" routine to Cape Liberty - aided by Waze or Google Map using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay in vehicles equipped. Weather, lane closure, construction zones, accidents and detours, etc. obviously will and do wreck optimal time to get to cruise port(s).

Once-a-day-cabin-cleaning works, perhaps for solo and adult travelers traveling as a pair or couples ... I am doubtful that families with infants, young children and teens find this "new" service tier acceptable and workable. Yeah, yeah, yeah - just ask for this, ask for that, ask for those, wait for them, and expect ... By the way, oops, DSC shared by all NCL crew members is now $80 a day for a family of 4 - kind of difficult to "sell" and to tell those that saved for that once a year or twice a year cruise vacation. On our January 2023 cruise, ship was still on twice a day cabin services and yet, none of the staterooms were ready until after 1:30 or 1:45 p.m. - except possibly for Haven. Now that it has gone to once-a-day-cabin-cleaning schedule with 22 rooms per "attendant" - it has been reported to be worst and later than that. Not to mention, more than 150+ crew positions once needed ... are no longer being filled. This comment was just posted by someone else on a different CC roll call for another NCL vessel, verbatim: (FWIW - not facts-checked, of course) "just got off he Getaway. The cutbacks were so evident not sure will sail NCL again. Once a day service meant very cursory cleaning sometimes at 4pm. No sheet change in 12 days." Let me bust another myth, feel free to flame - I have some "idea" that at least a few cheerleaders are sailing frequently on discounted and partially "comp'd" NCL cruises b/c of other affiliations or "memberships" perks - consider yourself lucky, you earned & paid for these enhanced cruise in other ways - but, others on the same ship aren't privileged. Okay, my "rant" for the week is over - feel free to strongly disagree, resume stalking of the latest live reports onboard from ships.

Brace for weather ... welcome home. You will awake in the middle of the night, maybe hearing the wind & rain and wondering why nothing is moving or shaking, LOL. Going to miss that rocking & rolling and we've been on Deck 4 and 5 quite a few times over the decades, it's typically not bad on bigger ships. I could tell you did the Express Self Walk-Off with all that luggage and make your way across town, probably wondering where and what to do for midday lunch. Now, we are waiting for part 2 - photos & videos, etc. - it takes time to sort, organize, compose & put them together ... everyone on CC appreciate the efforts when one choose to share their precious time on a cruise vacation, and, afterward. P.S. @GSfromCT - see "comments" on your RollCall, don't want to cluster up further as this is Pete's Report. Happy sailing.

Bingo ... no, not CD on the ship announcing it's bingo time (they don't make those announcements as annoying these days, maybe you remember the old days) LOL Seriously, given how things are lately - my/our motto is not get upset, cruise with good sense of humor, consider being blessed & fortunate to be able to cruise, and be thankful. Yes, yes to booking late or plan too far ahead, if one can (and we do that "luxury" in the past several years) and eat smartly on the cruise & off, to stay healthy - you have the nearly ideal mindset, plan & optional extras to cruise. Another CC friend is coming up on another ship with one stop for a 5 nighter = Bermuda. Emailed to ask - what do I think will happen if "things" happened like lately with these "unforeseen" last minute port changes, cancellations & adjusted timetables. Probably chuckling reading this now, LOL, often hanging out here like the rest of CC "addicts". First, I hope not b/c I got F&F booked on a Bermuda run next month during Spring break, actually, ia fairly "large" group and they paid a mini fortune for overpriced itinerary on another NCL ship. Another CC couple, friends - doing TA next month with a planned Dockyard stop - skipped already once on their 2022 TA crossing. We got a stop there coming up but we'll survive as "ours" will just become another sea day. Not going to suggest that it might become a quick run to Grand Bahama or Bimini in the Bahamas instead. Apparently, NCL came up with Bimini recently as an additional option since we all know about GSC. Mother nature making the call, that we just have to live with and accept. I am not, however, accepting or buying that S&S nonsense. Anyway, yield this back to Pete's report/blog & trip stories - sunset and a fine evening - GA north of Ocean City, MD doing 15 kn - approaching Delaware/NJ followed by the GEM 25 mi. behind at 16 kn. Both should be within range of Marinetraffic's AIS tracking in the next 2 to 3 hours, usually somewhere off Atlantic City, NJ and then another 5 to 6 hours into NY - depending on ship's speed & other conditions ... don't see a late arrival tomorrow. 7 am pulling into the pier and 8 am "express walk-off" is probably my best guestimate at this point for the GA, and the GEM not far behind. Smooth, happy & healthy sailing to you and others.

IMHO, this read like issues with BOA and MasterCard's fraud prevention, call them to escalate and ask to speak with a supervisor and or email them to assist in resolving the denials. Are you using 2FA on the account or had other settings that might trigger these measures. Have them review to help you Good luck 🤞

Pete - Consider this, they didn't lock up the Waterfront and/or access to all the outside venues last night, chilly weather & wind aside, so things weren't as bad as predicted. Today's roller coast easing not but not smooth sailing, I'm seeing 2 to 2.5 m seas (6 to 10 ft.) but the worst for this sailing are done. Cruisemapper showing GA at 16 knots and GEM behind at 15 knots, more small white caps on their live shipcam than yours at the moment, ETA updated to 10:30 tomorrow for them, GA still reporting 10:00 arrival tomorrow, which is as we all know, much later than usual (7 am at the dock - would often be considered not late but behind typical schedule) Gentle breeze only ?? meaning that headwind, isn't strong and if the bridge can push harder, ship can go faster - 15 or 16 knots also meant, most likely, they aren't using all engines - 1 maybe off to "sail & sustain". Enough of layman's inexperienced analysis. Did you hear the captain's 10 am briefing as on this final sea day, he should inform all guests of the expected him to pickup the pilot boat at Ambrose, just outside NY harbor/channel for escort into Lower Bay, and that's usually about 1.5 to 2 hours prior to seeing Pier 88. The other way to estimate is to use your Ch.11's navigation data, look at the n.m. distance to port/end of this cruise, divide by ship's current speed - usually yield a good number of probably arrival ... we aren't seeing those live data, maybe someone else subscribing to premium Marinetraffic plan can help. Sometimes, USCG can establish traffic management for all ships & vessels using NY's waterway, coming & going to reduce speed due to maritime conditions. S.I. ferries were rocking & rolling yesterday as it was windy for the Lower Manhattan crossing, ditto for the NY ferries crisscrossing various landings. Off-topic, GA is turning around tomorrow for another shorter Bermuda/Florida & Bahamas run - and not looking pretty for the Dockyard segment, nasty storm sweeping across by evening into Saturday & hitting the islands. Make the most and best out of the last 22+ hours onboard, fitness & wellness can wait - if you haven't checkout OSH's new style of wings, do it before disembarkation (some like it, many don't). All of the MDRs today will be packed full, go early & maybe with luck, they'll get a nice window table for you to enjoy the view. Tomorrow, if I am you, I would probably wait a little before disembarking, enjoy a nice sit-down breakfast first and watch the herd exodus madness, snap a few tele-photos of the long line on the pier - give the folks with flights, trains, buses, and limos the chance to fight their way thru CBP to catch their transportation ... b/c getting out to 12th Avenue at 10:45 or 11:15 isn't going to be fun. The midtown express bus (do they let you take your rollberboard ??) to SI should be on a hourly midday schedule, a chilly walk with luggage but one way to burn off a little calories ... LOL.

For simplicity, OP probably will be flying from nearby Dallas/Ft. Worth - plenty of airlines and flight options ... (non-stops and 1-stop hub connection) - pricing & availability on date of traffic ahead of the cruise, should help narrow the choices - plus, preference for hotel stay & whether sightseeing is planned, and, whether they wish to catch a Broadway show and/or dine out nicely in town. Alas, there is no "right" answer and plenty of personal opinions. LGA has been fully modernized in 2022 and it is now much nicer to use - closest to us but I am biased toward using JFK, further away & more pricey for ground transportation - safety-wise, JFK has longer runways for long-haul (not just international) flights and ILS. LGA has the shorter runway and a short 10 to 15 minutes drive, curbside to curbside and convenient - more likely to be affected by adverse weather with delays & cancellations. Still undecided, do a coin toss.

Question for OP, are you looking for a "rest stop" with bathroom facilities or just a parking area, easy-off and easy-on again or something else, i.e. fuel and gas, etc. There are number of places near/around JFK on the Belt Parkway, Gateway Center - Plaza that's just pass the Cross Bay Blvd/Howard Beach exit and also a (Mobil) small gas station in the middle island near Flatbush Avenue exit.

Pete, LOL, that $8.10 is good for an iced Starbucks cappuccino, venti sized +20% And loading CC in the free mode is slow but usable but graphics won't ... Looking at Windy and Cruisemapper, ship heading toward Myrtle Beach and Elizabeth City but slipped behind the Gem, slowed to 17 or 18 knots, headwind and perhaps to better ride the sea swell. Given the probable track & course heading, doesn't look like you will see waves higher than 4 to 5 meters, 12 to 16 ft. for the rest of the way, swells will be large.

More unforeseen changes today, per "Cruise Industry News" - regarding an upcoming Joy sailing (March 11th) and Sky (April 13) NCL stated: “It is always our intention to maintain original itineraries. However, at times, unforeseen circumstances require us to make modifications,” due to port congestion ... A boilerplate template language being used on an infrequent but regular basis lately, me thinks 😉 😕 2023 Hurricane season is almost around the corner. Norwegian Cruise Line explained. https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/03/norwegian-changes-caribbean-itinerary-due-to-port-congestion/ IMHO, a solid "cancel for any reasons" coverage on top of a good travel/trip interruption and travel insurance by a reliable independent insurance broker or agency should be considered. Or, book the best available, inexpensive NCL cruise and consider that as an exclusive "almost cruise to nowhere" sailing, and make the ship itself, your vacation destination and highlight. Pricing are all over the place lately ... just learned that they are "dumping" cabins via their land-based casino partners here in the Northeast with almost free giveaways, filling up ships selectively - that, along with partial charters.

Drumroll ... is this worth triple points per night ? LOL, and, booked inside final payment as a last-minute deal. Now, we expect to hear about your TA's bonus extras, dining and free DSC, etc.

Jim - yes, I did and checked out the charts again this morning ... Gem is skipping Bermuda and that's for sure with all the "red" graphics heading across the islands. Probably not seeing 6 meters or 20 ft. waves closer toward the shore vs. near Bermuda waters. Both ships heading for NY on its usual course/heading ... even if the Getaway went to Amber Cove or Puerto Plata today, not sure if it's going to make a big difference on the "rough" ride back to NY. Still going to be a rough day tomorrow (all day) depending on where on the Atlantic these 2 ships are. In the past, we pretty much can expect them to be hugging much closer to the coastal water for a better "ride" They seem to have time to go easy, even with strong headwinds and gale force wind. # of random thoughts - find it interesting that the "smaller" Gem can consistenlty go faster at 21+ knots (twice before, on her, we're going 22 to 23 knots against inbound Nor-Easter, not fun & very rough with 30 to 35' plus waves & strong gale.) GA did 21+ knots briefly, now down to 20 knots (headwind, gentle breeze) & we knew the Breakway & Escape have done 21-22 knots. It does appear consistent with NCL's sail & sustain motto, skip ports and slow dance at sea - which isn't necessary good for the long haul. It doesn't help it is very difficult to understand and hear the spoken English from this Greece captain, especially in noisy places onboard (we know ...) when communicating important announcements to all passengers & crews alike (as noted by those onboard.) Waves of 4 to 5 meters, 12 to 15 ft. aren't nice, rough & going to result in the outdoors being shut down on the ship but not the end of everything, just elbows to elbows indoor everywhere - luckily, this sailing was reported to be less crowded. It's as if there is a winter hurricane/storm season this year. Regardless of whether it's 10 ft. or 20 ft. waves, those prone to motion will feel the sickness at sea. It looks like Thursday should be a "better" day for the 2 ships, especially if they stay close to the coastlines - probably can stay away from 20 ft. sea & large swell. Safety of all rest - afterall - in the eyes and hands of the captain and the team on the bridge ... NCL's track record in making their stops for Bermuda this winter hasn't been very good - GA is scheduled to head there again this weekend, this is the new GSC in disguise, perhaps. Mother nature isn't giving anyone a break.

@PistolPete13 As your "free" WiFi minutes begin to run low on the meter, conserve - thanks for keeping us entertained and addicted to the cruise. Since everyone is onboard for the next 66+ hours until you pick up 5G/LTE signals again under pilot escort into NY Lower Bay in sights of your home, portside - expect the satellite WiFi to be worst, except late, late night & early morning where you should be able to read (only) CC content like your thread/post - I've done this on prior cruises (logged out of your NCL "metered" account but remained signed in your CC account) What a vivid & funny description (but serious) about the real life struggle to get into dive-ready mode with all the safety gears, hardware and others in fitness state to get into the ocean & climb up the ladder. It read like NCL/Getaway is going to issue some OBC as refund for skipping DR today, it should show up soon and your mission is to figure out how best to use it - maybe opt for a cash refund (oh, lord - the lines at Guest Services ... try being a sleepwalker & head there at 3 am, someone is always on duty and stop by O'Sheehan's to checkout the late night menu, tell us what you think of the "new" wings, etc.) Tomorrow looks to be rough seas, 15 ft.+ waves & wind expected - hold on to railings. Enjoy another day at sea.

Typical plastic laundry bag as used by or available from Marriott, Sheraton and Holiday Inns/Crown Plaza these days fit just about perfectly with the "new" downsized, paper thin NCL bags. Think small, it's about 20% to 25% smaller than the old bags - and, doesn't take much to fill that bag these days, and we are good at rolling & squeezing as much as we can. Before, we usually can do about $100 to $125's worth of itemized pieces - lately, about $85 to $100's worth of similar items (prices for single pieces of wash & dry remained unchanged) if these were sent out as Laundry Specials usually offered to all guests mid-cruise.

Hey, how are you - I see you are branching out to other lines these days, nice. From that Semi-Live report earlier this afternoon, the Getaway just informed the guests onboard that they are cancelling tomorrow's stop at DR again (whether it's Amber Cove or the Bay, not important, perhaps) citing weather ... heading home early with 3 full sea days. Cruisemapper showed the GEM racing at 21 knots to catch up with the bigger sister ship doing 20 knots, no chance of them going to Bermuda. The localities, including businesses & tour partners are losing out again - NCL got more meals to prepare for all those on the ship, not going anywhere and that's not really a win-win situation and I don't see how this is going to help their corporate bottom line or balance sheets, or to sail and sustain. Both the GA and Gem showing ETA of 10:00 this Friday, 3/10 in NY ... and, that's "late" as they used to be consistently early for arrival & disembarkation. Probably to read more about these in the coming days.

Hmmm, Getaway cruisers currently onboard her are going to spent the next 3 leisurely days at sea to return to NY ?? or go around this East Coast storm system ?? Cruisemapper showing her on the move at 20 knots now with calm sea, 1 meter wave and gentle breeze at 77 deg F ... yet with an ETA arrival for NY, 10 am this Friday, March 10th Is she making an unplanned stop in Charleston, SC (better than Norfolk, VA) for a day, perhaps - on Wednesday? Pete - no need to discuss this "semi-live" but can't help but wonder if some folks onboard might be chatting about this ... hopefully, few if any with private tours at Amber Cove or Puerto Platta, DR tomorrow got stuck unable to cancel. How's MDR meal thus far for the 2nd half of the cruise, everything in stock and/or re-stocked ? Any words of getting a partial credit for skipping & cancelling the port(s) on this cruise & showing up as OBC ? "Windy App" forecast charts - 11 am Tuesday, Wednesday am and pm and Thursday am / pm ... wondering the tracks being referred to, I probably missed and/or overlooked something here.

Short answer, yes for NCL reps. One of the nieces booked the Prima last month for April's Spring break week with a preferred deck/location ... Haven is currently listed as sold out and balconies are GTY only, her in-laws decided this weekend to go & join the rest of them - agent at NCL was able to find another balcony, adjacent to hers !! (wow) so now, they have at least 4 reservations linked together - generated a mock booking with all the amenties, add-ons and optional items, etc. on the printout. Reviewed it for her with my comments and now done, from with a call-in this morning & done before lunch time. Prices dipped this weekend but up back to what it was last week/month - and, they know full well & advised them the sailing at 115% to 120% above double occupancies. Triple points earned "LATDBLX" coded.

Oh, no - Getaway lost a coin toss to the Getaway and spending a leisure day at sea ?? No chance for docking at Taino Bay ?? Maritime forecast for the route back to NY not showing any serious weather in play for next several days !

Darn, I forgot to pickup a lottery ticket in NJ this past weekend, LOL. Sure enough, MCT just officially announced that as of April 1st, next month (2023) - the daily/overnight rate for parking above Pier 88-90-92 will go up by $5 to $45 ... ouch but within reasons (since they last up it in July 2017). Just put out an FYI on the East Coast forum here for all NY cruisers, along with the new rates for Red Hook, Brookyn or BCT. On street meter municipal parking in our part of town, in the outerboro's business corridors are as much as $6 for 2 hours/max, LOL. Better plan ahead & lock in those park-n-cruise hotel package deals, before they go up with the tide. @dexddd Hi, how are you, popping in & out on this board ... cruising under the radar on another line these days. We got a (mid-sized) busload of extended families & friends going on the Prima next month, jamming the ship for Spring/school break - we are going elsewhere on a much longer itinerary ... stay tuned. Cruises for 2024, too far ahead for us to look seriously - been checking out options for Princess and MSC out of here (with somewhat limited schedules for we are interested in ...) and not a fan of the super-sized mega floating Royal Caribbean cities at sea. Strategically, it can turn into a poor choice by NCL to not position some of their ships year-round in NYC ... not even one of the older, mid-sized ships with different itineraries for the winter months. Maybe, they haven't figure out how to re-position their fleet as we also looked at what's available in the Asia Pacific region, slowly re-opening their ports & looking to rebuild tourism and convince the cruise lines to return again.

Thanks. Good point, hence - let's just leave it as "please call MCT and BCT directly" for those planning to park there for an extended period of time, i.e. 11 or 12 days and longer, etc. We haven't parked above Pier 88/90 in a while ... and it was $20 a day then, long ... long time ago. JFK AirTrain prices also went up by a quarter this month, to $8.25 per trip - not a big deal, unrelated.

Canada/New England cruises out of Northeast - including NY & Quebec, probably Boston as well. Should be able to do a mock booking and put a hold on it, if the NCL call center agent or your own TA cannot check for you. It's outside 120 days final payment/cancel deadlines - just remember to cancel if plans changed. Of course, prices gone up at this point vs. months ago with the "original" booking and was subsequently changed before this weekend. Friends on an upcoming T/A booked last month - coded - LATDBLX ... that's 45 points for 15 days, balcony with FAS promo included but no "free" air.

No, it does not and sometimes, other or additional cruises not listed - also entitled to double points or triple points, thus, certain cruises in 2023 get up to 4 points per night (more if it's a "full" suite and/or Haven, I believe ... don't quote me on this sub-part) In addition, the CruiseNext DoubleUp promotion is also valid still and applicable, as long as it is 4 months or 120 days or more - ask and check, you can do that with an existing reservation(s) by logging into your "MyNCL account" and give it a try. NCL call center agent aren't always fully or well-informed for their scripted answers with misleading info. We just re-priced 2 NCL cruises for this Fall, it's triple points per night and the 2 CNC that we used earlier remain valid ... Inside & Oceanview, thus - not a Balcony b/c the itinerary is port intensive. Busting FDR's myths slightly with a dent about sailing at 100% capacity at higher fares ... not, but higher booking trend, maybe - a matter of playing with definitions & terms, FWIW. Last minute fire sale for Spring break with the Prima to Bermuda, even Balcony GTY dropped this week, LOL. Good luck - YMMV.

I'm just the "messenger" for this announcement, while looking things up for fellow CC'er on an upcoming roll call. Rumor already confirmed recently - thanks to another CC'er that Brooklyn C.T. in Red Hook are raising their daily rate (all inclusive, taxes included & no surcharges for SUV, van, pickup truck, "stealth campers ... LOL, just kidding, maybe not" that it is going up next month. Sure enough - sorry for this news, but I was afraid this is coming along at the same time, everything else like the cruise lines DSC have been raised and going up - this is inevitable (last increase was July 2017, almost 6 years ago). Even in the outer boroughs, including Queens, parking rates have skyrocketed everywhere else - cruise terminal parking is pricey but still ... Not an April fool's joke - but it is going up, officially announced - on April 1, 2023 - less than a month from now. Happy, safe & healthy cruising to all - cheers. The new rate is $45 daily (overnight rates) and no cash accepted. **** It is assumed that the max parking charge for longer cruise will be limited to $450 for 10 days and longer, to be confirmed or verified - please call them directly. https://nycruise.com/manhattan-terminal/parking/ https://nycruise.com/brooklyn-terminal/parking/ P.S. - since I'm here, a few recent photos of MCT / Pier 88 and 90 with overviews of rooftop parking areas, looking across 12th Avenue toward Pier 88 ... as a general reference for those new to the cruise pier area.

CC friends of ours were on the GEM repo to NY back in December first shared these changes and thought, what had NCL done to the ship's furniture in the public area. They are going to be on the SUN's repo in early April and we are meeting for brunch next weekend before they fly out to Lisbon ahead - should have an interesting conversation about what kind of changes are being made at drydock. New & slimmer chairs and sofas in the lobby, lounges and bars, etc. are probably redesigned to be slimmer & lighter in support of FDR's mission to sail & sustain. If the furniture proved to be uncomfortable for "chair hogs" to sit still and stay for longer than intended, the turnover will make for "enhanced" foot traffic - the illusions of decent seating being available, just hang out & wait long enough, someone else will give up - get up and move along.

Ships including the GEM that recently came back out of dry dock got new furniture in the public area. Good news for those with short legs as they might find the chairs & sofa to be more accessible friendly but apparently, not everyone agree. Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is raising their parking rate in April (last adjusted in 2017) - and it is the same management agent/port operator running Manhattan's cruise pier, and, my gut feeling is that Pier 88/90 & 92's daily parking rate will go up $5, probably more like $10 to $50 per 24 hours - capping the max amount to $500 for cruises that are over 10 days - ouch. Given NCL's recent pattern and repeated history of changng ports, adjusting arrival and all abroad time - often after final payment deadlines and/or not until guests are onboard the ship - I am not a fan of booking anything a year away since we are local ... not as simple for those who must travel and plan ahead their cruise vacation. Maybe, if the prices of the total package is right and good, then book it & watch for changes before final payment. Prices for Alaska this season are dirty cheap now, especially if you can live with an Oceanview and/or Inside Stateroom - and, save money by skipping the Free At Seas offers.