mking8288

This !!! All of their job titles now changed from room steward to "room attendant" from what we understood last month, junior attendant sort of promoted but the ones with the seniority, not. How and whether this is going to result in higher turnover among the crew, we won't know for a while until after those current 8 months contract are up for renewal.

St. Lucia's new ?? requirements appeared to be for travelers arriving by air only. Getting a 404 error on their marine-protocols, that's confusing at best and not helpful. Elsewhere on the official government website - We are pleased to advise that with effect from Wednesday February 01, 2023, all COVID entry related requirements will be removed. This includes the Health Screening form which will no longer be a requirement. Okay, not posting anything else at this point about St. Lucia - just fake news & rumors ??

Wondering if NCL (and maybe other cruise ships arrivals this month are impacted by St. Lucia's new digital entry/arrival form for all travelers - just picked this up in Travel & Leisure magazine - and, looked up St. Lucia's official government portal ... which, seemed to now require all travelers - including vaccinated visitors - to submit the form AND - ready, PCR test results within 5 days of arrival (hmmm ...) https://www.stlucia.org/fr/covid-19/international-arrivals/ I don't see a problem with submitting the digital form and answering health questions - but, getting timely PCR test results, that can be a challenge for some travelers, including those coming in on a cruise ship. Perhaps, there is a waiver and exceptions being made - the government portal isn't showing any updated info for ships or "Arrival By Sea" https://www.stlucia.org/fr/covid-19/international-arrivals/ Will cross-post this information on its own here on the NCL board ... Anyone else onboard the Getaway currently can do a little facts-checking, although I"m doubtful they will say anything and probably bounce the matter to Miami for answers.

Stop at the iCafe to pickup a mini printed guide as below, with instructions. The meter will start when you logged in and stop when you properly logged out or logged off. Your upgrade options and pricing will be displayed.displayed

Starlink is going to bring relief but it is NOT a complete nor foolproof solution to maritime broadband access at sea. External factors such as cloud cover, rain, line of sight obstructions, etc. will result in signals being dropped and/or interrupted. https://marinedatasolutions.com/starlink-faq/ Starlink, according to this article, is licensed for shore use when ships are docked, in about 20 countries ... to be expanded; and only 10% of the low orbit satellites are currently deployed and operational to provide optimal coverage in "most" part of the world, at sea and over land. Back to OP's question - we had zero problems accessing the internet in our staterooms on the Joy; both in the Family Inside Suites and on the balcony (open deck) on the 15th floor. NEC's industrial grade WiFi hotspot routers are strategically deployed onboard, bow to stern, starboard to port. End user's devices & hardware (iPhone, Android and OS versions as well as the "radio" receiver itself, i.e. WiFi 6 and 802.11.ax or 802.11.ac specifications do and can affect connectivity and speed achieved over the cached & shared network access.

Woohoo - this board is on a (drum) roll and aren't you excited with the Joy 😉 😊 😄 until rest of us can get back onboard again ... going to be another wonderful virtual cruising for CC addicts here. Hopefully, it won't be as crowded as some of the ones last month during school breaks - it's the new normal. Bring that positivity spirit and energy, enough of the negative chats lately, diffuse those with humor and fun. Going to follow along 😁

Call into NCL or do a live online chat - they will note the request in the system for houskeeping ... and, it's generally taken care of by the room steward assigned ... ooops, room "attendant" Otherwise, leave a "sticky" note inside the cabin where the steward can see it easily, add other request like ice bucket, coffee maker, extra glass and towels, etc. Turnaround day when the ship is in the port is always hectic and now, going to be mad busy ... dining stewards and even the gallery stewards shifted to moving luggage & collecting linens, towels and sheets, etc.

We had ours taken last April by one of the Getaway photographer from the studio, he came back before we left the MDR that evening - it was complimentary and no costs, each of us received one and we all put our autograph on it. The senior ranking on the right was the ship's public health officer and the junior person came from HR based out of Miami HQ, that was either the 1st or 2nd week of resuming DWO, it continued on the following week's cruise and then suspended again due to the Spring surge. DWO did not resume on subsequent cruises on the Joy in May and September. Oh, except for the September cruise, we also received OBC as BTS hasn't resumed (2 out of 3 NCL cruises) that was no longer given last Fall. (Platinum - $25 per cabin and Sapphire - $50 per cabin)

@yankprintster Nice. Which ship were you just on ? Last time we had a bridge tour was 10 years ago on the GEM and since then, not offered to anyone for security reasons. Behind The Scene tour started up on the ship yet, apparently gradually resuming on other ships lately. We had an official "Dinner with Officers" Getaway group photo in 2022 and everyone's copy was autographed. Did that again in January but no group photo, oh well ... There're apparently many onboard getting selected & invited, with different officers hosting dinner on multiple nights - ours being the senior officer in charge of housekeeping, chats around the changes & transition to once a day cabin cleaning. Starlink can't come to the ships fast enough - good to know the issues with licensing for use while in ports (NCL used to turn off their WiFi when docked but they still need their satellite access for bridge & operations). Once we docked and can ping land's local cellular towers, we switched over to 4G and 5G where available - much faster these days than ship's EMC signal.

Hola 😄 Good afternoon, checking on ships' reported GPS location - 2:15 pm ship/San Juan time currently and seems like she's still about 50 to 60 nm from port ... oh mine, running behind schedule, again ?? Do you have land & mountains in sight yet, the pilot boat isn't coming out this far to escort her into port ... but, get your tele-photo lens ready later as you get closer & see the high rise condos in the distance, port side (that's the "new" San Juan over the bridge, not too far) Have a fun & wonderful day ashore - get your walking shoes on unless you stay on the waterfront, or joining one of the ship tour since being solo, prices aren't too bad with the $50 credit per port.

It's enjoyable if using dining vouchers and/or comp'd Platinum coupon for a meal there, although there are fewer choices at the salad bar these days (less variety than pre-Covid days) - avoid filling up with the included sides, leave room for dessert (no takeout being the new "policy") and you won't leave hungry. We usually book and eat early there, i.e. before going to catch a show in the main theater - otherwise, you'll be stuffed full all night long - fun with a small group of family or friends, etc. to chat for the evening. $59 as an "upcharged" dining supplement (was $29 p/p + 20% not long ago) ... not exactly a good value, to each her/his own. NCL sailing 100% capacity ahead in financial "survival" mode and looking for more "affluent" cruisers that don't mind, just ink on the dotted line. Cheers 😉

Norwegian Spirit (freshly out of dry docked & modernized in 2022) - this May, will skip cruising Alaska Inside Passage - instead, just a "sea day" ... probably another due to "unforeseen" factors & reasons - great deals with last minute pricing. Folks in the Pacific Northwest and West Coast might find this an interesting B2B, 14 days at sea & whatever ports.

Cruise lines, including NCL citing rising interest rates payment (paying for those brand new ships - Prima and now Viva ... plus others on order and in the shipyard), rising fuel costs, material & operating costs including F&B, and of course, higher labor costs - sailing at 100% occupancy and look at more "affluent" passengers to spend more onboard spending and purchases like spa, vibe and other premium add-ons, to boost net operating revenue. Ships are said to be sailing (booked ??) at 100% capacity. I see Alaska insides this season on fire sale with the rock bottom base prices before all the "extras" added up. Cannot imagine that the TA this Spring could possibly be repo at 100% and ... the fuel costs. Perhaps, Frank & his senior team, all the VP's and AVP needs to take a 25% reductions in compensations and perks, and get additional restricted shares for future appreciation of their successful turnaround ... and ditch the year-end bonuses - lead by example to demonstrate to the rank & file, the crew members at the bottom that the top guns are onboard with pulling things together. And, yes, for cruisers - review those trip & travel insurance from third-party, independent agents & brokers that are bonded and backed by trusted entities, protect those dollars invested in that once-in-a-lifetime and recurring cruise vacations. P.S. Devils with the details are often buried in the footnotes of these (unaudited) financial statements and presentations ...

@cpqq We've sailed out of Pier 88 four (4) times since March 2022 and it's the same group / team of shore-based contractors accountable mostly, if not entirely, to the NYC cruise terminal operator "hired" by NYC's EDC - and they are, IMHO, are the ones responsible for smooth embarkation - and doing their jobs to see that all guests with priority and special needs, granted "privileges" are directed to and given the proper care when boarding the ship. They aren't doing their job and it has been finger pointing on NCL's part ... sorry about your experience with your paid pass, wasted. We've watched them yelling at each other for not being on the same pace and coordinating the announcements, end result - 1/3 of the 1,000+ sitting but mostly standing in the crowded cruise terminal begin rushing toward the boarding Door C. We just assumed those with the paid Priority Access boarding, that they have the smaller # of passengers grouped in another roped off section, and lead or directed them out another door "quietly" without calling other groups - escorted them to the Door C (there are additional ways to reach the 2 gangways, I know) Apparently, not happening ... sad. We had 2 cabins, Sapphire & Platinum and the other couple also CAS guests - didn't matter, they're given Group 10, I think and we arrived together & breeze thru security quickly enough - we got Group 6 ... which we shouldn't need at all. Lucky enough to squeeze into the lounge before it filled up by 10:20 or 10:25 am and they're at zero count already - but still early & Haven didn't start boarding until close to 11 am in small, escorted groups. We had no idea once we walked outside onto the pier's walkway how they're handling CAS and others - from your descriptions, sounded like it remain chaotic and disorganized, poorly run. Part of the problem, aside from the Haven team - I seldom see the ship's junior leadership inside the terminal walking around to quickly evaluate and see how things are flowing - if only they sometimes see it personally. To put in perspectives, Los Angeles port with the Joy lately - worst than New York ... and, good things being, we made it and back - and lucky to be able to criticize as armchair experts. Go with the flow and sense of humor. Just about everyone aren't being happy with ship's satellite WiFi - until they bring Starlink online, it will remain status quo - must be our lucky 12 nights to find it usable b/c our expectation were adjusted and we didn't bother with streaming or paying extra, extra for it.

Isn't there a world/dual clock widget on the iPhone (used mine for backup so I never added one to the home or lock screen) Android OS, yes with world/dual clock widget on the Samsung Galaxy's - switching over to the Pixel 7 Pro this week & going to have that widget on the lockscreen. Onboard at sea, those auto-date/time adjustment plus the time zone changes often "confused" smart gadgets, plus, ship does sometimes change the time ahead to minimize issues if a port of call is coming up next ... reduce the odds of folks sleeping late and/or ending up joining the Pier Runners Club with air horn blasting. Not a maritime weather expert here, 36 knots or the first # is typically the "stationary" wind speed and 2nd number refer to "apparent" wind speed based on calculated speed, ship's speed/direction - as long as you don't indicators of strong gale scrolling across the display plus large waves, rough sea state, etc. in the matrix - and, by then, most people will "feel" it already even without looking out the window or switching to Ch 12 for the shipcam to see what's ahead. Sounds like another sailing with over 4,000 plus souls on the ship. Have you check out the fitness center on Deck 15 Fwd, next to and near the Spa area - also, do check out Spice H20 on the back of the ship - it's often not as "crazy" there. Enjoy the rest of the sea day, Moderno is always fun. Tomorrow afternoon, you will be scanning the horizon looking for land as mountains begin to appear in the distance.

@Deacon22 Get well soon, and by now, if those rapid tests remained negative, all of you should be fine. My PCP advised this before, get a PCP test done as it's more definitive & accurate, but you are fully boosted, etc. & current with all other vaccines - take some extra Vitamin C's and rest, sunlight & do your exercise - it'll be just fine. Just put in another order for 8 free rapid test kits while insurance still cover them 100% as we'll soon need them for traveling again - good thing is that the newer tests that we've restocked have extended expiration dates into 2024 (and I sure hope all these will be in the rear-view mirrors then ... aside from living and dealing with it as we individually choose to) Congrats for reaching Platinum, our 12 nights earned us double points too, so we'll hit Diamonds sooner than later, whoopie (not) b/c once you hit the basic Platinum tier, the "extras" really aren't all that important - 2 additional "cartons" of the current "Flow Water" is worth about $5 or $6 in retail. You'll get the 2 extra comp'd Specialty Dining meals - the free laundry comes in handy when you have LM around, able to pack less & travel lighter. Almost forgot, "priority" embarkation check-in and disembarkation (as least for NY) does help a little bit and important to some. If the winter school break cruises are packed full at 115% plus above double occupancies, which really isn't a big surprise - imagine what April's Spring break cruises will be like in 2023. One of the niece's family of 4+ are going to be on the new Prima, no thanks - not joining them at that time but plenty are going - going to need to charter a party mini coach bus to shuttle them from Long Island to Pier 88, LOL. Satellite WiFi is what it is - surprised thus far that other NCL ships hasn't gotten Starlink running, aside from the Breakaway. We're port side almost at the front of the ship and WiFi worked just fine onboard - but, we also spent an extra $30 last month at sea for "roaming" shore side 4G and 5G data access with available island towers. These "onboard" live "entertainment" (continuous WiFi access) for a different generation of cruisers - will keep some busy for the entire cruise - while others with the Unlimited Beverages plans go "off the grids" and put away their "dumb" devices in the mini safe.

Commented recently on the semi-related question of "free" Platinum laundry elsewhere here on CC - and we've asked as Sapphire, at the CruiseNext desk - as the room stewards or "attendants" wouldn't know - the laundry "master" below deck would know & they will either not charge or post the charge to your onboard account (via the itemized "slip" - be sure to write down it's Platinum, etc. and the "coupon" or voucher isn't necessary). For a 12 nights cruise on the Getaway - just 1 free bag per Platinum member, like a 7 or 8 nights or 10 nights. If the cruise is 14 nights - then, it's 2 free bag (1 for each full week onboard, perhaps the rationale behind it ??) per P member. YMMV and this could just be the Getaway's ship policy, another ship might be different and next month & beyond, things could well get revised and changed. In any event, just be prepared to pay that extra $29 bag special - if and when offered (unless the price go up in 2023) if & when offered. Keep in mind that for non-Haven laundry, the thin paper bag is smaller nowadays, if you haven't resumed cruising yet since the Covid shutdown in 2020 ... Haven folks reported that they are usually given a nicer & sturdy nylon bag. We just use a clear & clean plastic bag as a liner or get a clean pillow case as insert (no duct tapes needed) - actually, the large bag used by the photo studio for specialty dining pictures fit just fine inside the laundry bag, and is sturdy too. As for crabcake as a starter or appetizer in Cagney's last month (Jan. 2023) on the Getaway, no upcharge for that one, single "lump" crabcake, which we didn't order this time. It is the same one piece served (meow, it's okay ... said DW) as part of the (grilled/fried) Fisherman's Platter as the main course (no upcharge either).