mking8288

Lower Manhattan skyline entirely not visible. Last week, tug boats were shadowing anchored ships but apparently, not needed thus far. Last Saturday afternoon ... same spot, Escape at anchorage BTW, that NYFD patient transfer this morning was cancelled, Marine 6, a "small" 30' + medical response boat dispatch turned back & a bigger boat returned shortly, still couldn't tender over with sea state conditions, unsafe with patient on stretcher for the transfer. Medical conditions stabilized & will wait till ship is securely docked. Kudo to crew, FDNY & USCG for their coordinated efforts.

200% agreed, NCL 1 Day Air deviation is just inadequate, IMHO, 2 Days at a minimum or better yet, take charge of one's own flight & travel plans. Not sure if @dexddd and others read/know about this other parts scandal - globalized ... Flying - the bogus engine parts by a 3rd party vendor and FAA is on the case ... United & American affected, others are searching theirs to rule out. Hitting older aircraft engines, apparently - Flyertalk buzzing on this topic.

Dunno, are you sure about that ... AirTag that "cute" vest and/or yourself, share with us the URL link to track (you do trust some of "us" - right) and we can take care of matters with lost & found 😁 😊 😳 Dogs ... niece's pair, always find their favorite command positions when we visit. Who's pet-sitting who, I sometimes wonder. Kiddings aside, aren't you down to the single digits routine now ?

@dexddd - when did I become the quasi weather person 😆 paging @Pelican Bill from Rochester, NY (hope he's okay, fine & just busy somewhere) CC need someone like him during hurricane season to decode those charts for us. Then, there is @PistolPete 13 for his pro photography from S.I. - at least we heard from him, busy with an out-of-town air show, missing all the excitement. Surprisingly, MDR wasn't too busy or crowded last Saturday ... folks were busy packing to get ready to leave the next morning, maybe. Specialty restaurants has lines but very orderly & smooth, we had a great dinner at our unofficially reserved round table again. @raisedonboats if I am reading your post/question correctly, you are currently onboard Escape ... at her anchor, one of the best natural shelter as a jumbo, luxury hotel inside the harbor. Wind (gale/near gale) will continue to pick up past midnight & lasting into tomorrow, rain/heavy rain & foggy, waves are relatively small but I see swell from the live streaming NY Harbor Webcam - high tide should be later tonight, perhaps timing & coordination to sail up the Hudson River to dock, as strong current conditions were said to be one of many factors last week. DENver airport tops the list for delays & cancellations today, although JFK and EWR are on the misery chart. Unless you are on the upper deck, forward or aft ... should feel just fine, we're low & mid ship and barely felt movement on the ship or that it finally left anchor for Pier 88 before midnight. Just enjoy, relax and make the best out of it all - I know, all of the ship's "limited" TV news/weather channels were "temporary unavailable" - blackout, licensing restricted while in the harbor was the reply. See charts below: (uploading next) Reminder to all onboard now, do check the onboard stateroom accounts, look for any balance remaining with non-refundable OBC as we had about $14 left but didn't feel like walking over to stand in line for 2 cups of Starbucks. Darn it, could've ordered that Cagney's filet as an extra entree in "Taste" - almost "free" by paying that 20% surcharge, for my convenience, of course. (and, not waste the $14, hahaha)

In other news, medevac by FDNY Boat 9 to transfer (ambulatory) patient off the Escape, port side - in progress ... returning shortly with a larger boat from SI marina base, USCG monitoring. Conditions earlier and continuing ...

@als1428 We shared your sailing's disappointment, as you might know, we're on the Escape's modified cruise last week and spend 3 nights onboard, safely, onboard what I referred to as our "floating hotel" - casinos & shops were closed. Announcements were made onboard prior to reaching NY by the CD (and, possibly the captain from the bridge) - at times, difficult to hear, depending on our "whereabouts" on the ship. We also understood that a # of junior officers from various departments were going on vacation, departing the ship on Sunday and coverage will be maintained by others qualified ... is Captain Mattias in charge as master of the vessel, just like last week ? Was the announcement about the decision made by the bridge team given yesterday, day before - I know, myself being a bit surprised this morning, seeing the Escape already crossing toward Cape Cod, in a hurry ... full speed at 21+ knots. We're only doing 19 knots last Thursday at sea, steaming toward NY for safe harbor. We also received refundable OBC for 2 skipped or cancelled ports, $30 p/p x 2 for our stateroom (and, others) - perhaps that's coming next. Sea states, swell and waves are forecasted to increase, worsening tomorrow - outside the NY harbor ... tidal tables and currents also are in play here. Just to be clear, I am not cheering blindly for decisions made by NCL but when we sail, you should have faith and trust the captain ... s/he is responsibile for a lot more, including passengers and the crew, along with the ship, etc. etc. It's like flying commercial aircraft - the pilot has the final say & authority to take off and land, and divert for reasons - we pay to come along for the ride, some paying more than others. We've experienced enough cancelled and diverted ports of calls for different reasons, some of them questionable but we weren't going to jump ship and swim ashore ... not safe or advisable. Take a look at maritime forecast on Windy app - just a matter of hours from now, by morning & around sunrise ... just outside NY Lowe Bay, conditions will deteriorate rapidly, wind in excess of 30 mph, waves above 10 ft. to 14+ ft and sea swell from 7 ft. to 10 ft. IMHO, better to come in early than late, trying to get that extra few hours - leaving little safety margins and trade it for a rougher & bumpy ride. We've sail thru quite a few 30' to 40' storm in gale/strong gale force cross-wind over the decades in mid-size and mega sized cruise ships, given the choice to skip them - let's say, hold off - jump ahead and/or pull back and wait, ride it out. Perhaps, this isn't helpful to you and if so, please feel free to ignore. I understood some were not happy last week on our cruise. Cheers and best wishes.

(optional reading for some, others are welcomed to skip, no comments and/or replies, etc. needed or expected - intended to be informative & not a "debate") A few words about the week's associated CruiseCritic Meet & Greet gathering, first, the organizer hovering from the get go wasn't going to have one. Reason: the one & only full sea day was Day 7, en route back to NY (while anchor off VZ Bridge near Staten Island ... sadly, like this weekend too b/c of mother nature, another storm in-bound) Then, a # of CC'er asked and then, IMHO, reluctantly set-up and request submitted to NCL ... then, announced (prior to "official NCL" confirmation, that it would be held at a given date/time & location - Supper Club) 😳 Subsequently, a 2nd M&G date/time and elsewhere - District Brew House earlier in the week (actually, 6 PM on Day 2 ... which, also, isn't exactly a good time either for many - prime for folks going to dinner) Roll call wasn't very "active" with less than 40 to 50, and only about half (re)confirming to be there, for one or the other, or both - not the way that "yours truly" would organize and run the M&G. I wasn't really involved nor too active within the circle either - just a gut feeling from years of being in these. In fact, most of the roll call for the NE-Canada "Escape" sailings this year are similar, loosely & not well organized, some didn't bother to do one until up close & near embarkation. Social media private groups apparently were the domain. Not saying anymore about it and what my thoughts are - CC admin & mods, sometimes, should "patrol" these roll calls a little better, but that's me & my views only. Anway, some of us did attended the 2nd M&G announced for the roll call, perhaps no more than 20 to 25 people showed up, could be 30 - the sign-in attendance sheet had a short list on it, and I wasn't there early either. M&G held later in the week, which was the one initially announced on the roll call - was bad, poorly attended - less than 10 showed up ... none but one "junior" officer walked by, not even sure if he was just in the "Club" from an earlier gathering. There was supposed to be a slot pull, didn't go myself as those are always optional - the energy and synergy just wasn't there as a whole ... better things to do for the time slot given. For "our" upcoming cruise(s) - looking much better, roll call is more active, has a bit of energy, folks chatting & sharing tips on ports, tours, transport & other matters - lively and feeling of being spirited. Let's see how it go ... last week's gathering wasn't the worst, but certainly not a successful, nope - not sure if I would grade it with a "passing" grade. A # of CC'er are / were following this as they are sailing the Escape soon or next, perhaps - if some of you see & are reading this ... consider taking another look at the roll call and whether the M&G is happening or not. This week's cruise with Charlie coasting along and riding shotgun, I'm confident it's fine. Next week and subsequent ones ... there's some chemistry happening with one that shouldn't and let's leave it at that. To me, it's just bad karma for someone to wear multiple hats, a foot on each boat and not putting enough efforts - end up calling names, hijacking rosters and confusing the hell out of others, not eveyone wish to be here or there, on both and sometimes, with the mess - why bother. Aside from the ones that knew us from previous M&G - ship will continue to sail. Go undercover and slip behind the curtains - if I stay silent & quiet and just act as if I knew nothing and not troubled by it. Maybe that's fine too, right. Okay, "ranting" done for these - every now & then, another CC will post similar concerns and asked "why" and "why not", etc. No need to chat about this sensitive topic/subject and respond - my other motto, agree to disagree, stay civilized ... not just go with the flow, humor and patience, and "wing it" - useless to get upset about matters beyond one's "control" Life is too short for some, cherish, enjoy & cheers. Goodness, less than 2 months and time to shift focus and compile that packing list, will be back soon - hopefully, the next installment and continuation of the Semi - Live series, different ship and different itinerary, ports and adventure ahead; and, try to make it fun and informative. This chapter or series edging toward closure, with the Escape now returning to homeport again (early) and chats going on - allow someone else to pick up the torch & continue, it's a good thing too. Just wondering if anyone on "this" week's Escape that signed up and get to do their "Dine With (NCL) Officers" onboard - I always find that interesting, informative and fun to do, and meet other "serious" cruisers from all walks of life. There's always "next time" and better luck - and, with mother nature & weather, never hurts to ride with the lucky stars and wind direction. /mking8288 - Henry (and, Susan)

@MeriToT The last few posts have chats among several geeks here, which I am sure will leave others wondering about the language & codes, jargons that we are using. Rest can just skip or not try to decipher & not worry about a thing. Image of the back of the LG monitor, used the smaller iPhone SE22 as it’s tight quarters there. 90-deg HDMI right angle adaper would made it easier to plug the 6' or 10' cable into the slot, sort of touch & feel for making a solid connection. Next to that bright one is HDMI 1. Go to settings and scroll down several to find the locked input tab within setup and change it. Will need to use the proper unlock code (think of the most common, default digits - didn't bother to change it, perhaps too complicated for the installer(s) at the shipyard or during dry dock upgrade ... An universal remote or one that’s compatible with newer LG HDTV, tuned to the same WiFi network, will help to change the input source since it’s Ethernet hard wired (black Cat-5E/6 ??) to boot the interactive, customized Linux OS. A good project with sea days in the itinerary and for someone staying onboard most of the time. We’re too busy to try more or put my time on it. Please kindly reset & resort changes made to the HDTV, for the next cruiser’s convenience. Have fun 👌 If NCL would make it easier, for our convenience, of course, to provide the common HDMI connector somewhere as universal ... as most hotel chains do these days. Disclaimer: This is not recommended for most, unless you know what you are doing - there are other input ports there, including VGA/digital signal source - safety hazards caution must be observed. Otherwise, invest in a light Chromebook or tablet, iPad - since you are likely "casting" or "streaming" offline, pre-loaded content and not live OTA.

NCL's portal (regular) is working ... fingers crossed as we cancelled weekend out-of-town getaway. NHC called it at 14:00 EDT - CYCLONE BECOMES TROPICAL STORM OPHELIA (storm tracking further west toward inland - should not be too bad for our neighborhood.) In case anybody else is lurking & thinking about the above reference deal, that Haven suite is back and available, perhaps folks upgraded to a nicer Haven suite & "free" it for bidding or a direct deal - GTY cabin to be assigned. Hush, ya blowing our cover ... it's 11 plus 14 for 25 days of floating only 😄 pre-cruise air / independent sightseeing, together is an entire month ... getting cold feet. Minor things, just us, will houseplants "make" it - maybe get one of our trusted nephew to come over with a set of keys to check on things. And, hold mail at the post office.

Here's hoping that folks flying in are insured against travel disruption and coming in early - cause airports and airlines are likely going to hit their cancellation commands, triggering delays and backups. Safe travel. Latest storm track appeared to be further inland away from NYC's corridor but further south, BWI, PHL, DCA/IAD. ATL - major hubs for major carriers are going to be impacted, no matter what. Escape really pushing hard, aided with a strong tailwind - already off the Rockaways (appro. 25 to 30 miles SE of JFK Airport) NYC ... should be picked up by the pilot boat already at Ambrose Channel for the inbound escort. Sea swell increasing with a few white caps, not bad thus far. Going to tune to marine VHF frequncies on the scanner to listen ... Will they drop anchor or come into Pier 88, tide and strong river current were factors last week for us. For a bird's eye view - have a look and check back ... https://www.flightaware.com/miserymap/

Short answer, yes - several Acer micro space-saver PC in the iCafe, 2 of them were off-line for whatever reason, but other terminals worked. Bare bone desktop, just the browser and zero apps to run anything else with and locked down otherwise.

Very good summary. Thank you. We're at sea "Escape"ing Lee about the same time & wondering what will the "Sky" be doing to outrun the storm and didn't see any live post, but had an idea tracking on cruisemapper. WiFi was "bad" and just usable at times ?? Glad that things weren't too bad overall, 15' to 19' waves (assumed large sea swell, rough & near gale force wind) to be the challenges - like you said, book & cruise during hurricane season - to be expected & prepared for, things happen. Now, folks dealing with TS Ophella ... NCL, RCL and CCL are all activating contingencies and adjusting this weekend's schedule. We took over the Gem then in 2012, you might remember Pier 88 was runing dark on emergency generator power - embarkation was delayed and we ran straight toward the inbound Nor-Easter, blased our way thru to reach calmer ocean.

We haven't been on the Star for a long time, last time doing the Mexico Rivera back in ages, as in long ago, however, FWIW. Sideways have that unique layout and we liked them if you can book it - should be YT videos out there, practically the same among the Dawn, Gem, Jade - like the regular Obstructed Oceanview, all on Deck 8. #8112 and #8612 are better than #8114 or #8614, avoid #8116 or #8616 if you can, unless they are the only ones avaialable, as it is closest to the nearby stairs & elevators. Noises & parties n Deck 6 or 7 can be heard in the mid/late evenings as it travel up - for early-to-bed folks, avoid it. If you are the ones doing the partying & dancing in the atrium as noisemakers, then it's fine. Check your itinerary for tender ports before worrying about lifeboat operations, and they are generally discrete and not that noisy - starboard side are busier and used more frequently - when at anchor and running lifeboats as tender to bring pax ashore & for their return. Your room steward and/or dining room team aren't going to be out there walking, only designated team members are out there on the walkway as permitted when ship isn't on the move, and they don't look or peakk into the cabins, by will past by the windows - keep the window curtains closed & all is fine. The ones designated #812* and #862* are designated for accessible pax - the one we saw onboard the Dawn looked quite nice & spacious. Sleeps 3 with the convertible sofa chair and an upper pullman or bunk dropped out of the ceilig, for a maximum total of 4 guests.

Jim and all ... had you refilled your plate, should have cellular signal off & on heading toward St. George before making that wide turn to leave the coral reef zone. RCL has cancelled their entire 5 days cruise *Vision of the Seas) out of Baltimore to Bermuda scheduled tomorrow with the developing tropical storm system & forecasted poor regional weather. Significant compensation being offered, guests were notified late yesterday, as no other (alternate) port of call(s) available to change to, per cruisehive.

Haven for the TA already sold out, 58 days to go as you well know. Better ask & decide quick or else, you will either have to bid for it or stay downstairs in steerage, LOL. We don't have many doing B2B. @azcruise is running the first M&G. Shall I hold a spot for you 2 on the Dec roll call 😁 😉 as we are most definitely planning for a M&G (roster is growing fast) ... not a chance to allow anyone from FB to attempt to hijack the CC gathering onboard. They do theirs and we do ours, they are welcome to join us ... Oops, quick - looks like that category is gone, sold out this morning ?? appeared either folks given upgrades already via bidding and/or others just buy up directly. 2 BR Villa is still available, "slightly" higher - much more spacious.

How about this, my layering approach, since I have the long sleeve variant already 😆 for the TA flights later in the Fall. 4 more pockets, 2 of them good for all the smartphones plus the iPad Mini and 2 USB battery bank. Most definitely can wear & carry 10+ pounds of gears 😆😆😆 Inside pockets or pouches will provide that extra protection layer against pickpocketing in EU tourist hotspots like La Ramblas 😁

@JIMESOPUS Nice & sunny, beautiful day in Bermuda. It looks like the Joy is staying put as scheduled and MSC sailing later today as scheduled. Meanwhile in other news, NCL Escape had cancelled Halifax's scheduled port of call today, apparently left Saint John yesterday & changed course, returning early to NY again ... reaching the Newport/RI & passed Cape Cod/Nantuket Island - Martha's Vineyard area already at 21.2 knots. Montauk, NY is perhaps 75 nm ahead - yet to reach any CC posting onboard the Escape ... just calculating the #'s - expecting her to reach NY later this evening or tonight, drop anchor or dock early at MCT-Pier 88. Looks like another weekend of disruptions to air travel along the East Coast corridor. Flightaware and the other app that's loaded on our Pixel, Galaxy and iPhone - like the Windy App is my "go to". Safe maritime travel for everyone on the return to NY this weekend. Misery map on FA - https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today

Hmmm, those with flights in-bound for NY and out-bound from ship(s) coming in ... good luck & best wishes for safe and on-time travel, going to need that ... with the tropical storm inbound - Ophelia making Capt Mattias onboard the Escape & his bridge team a bit anxious in deciding to make changes in the interest of safety & comfort for all onboard. MSC's docked at Bermuda hasn't reported an early departure yet (this afternoon sailaway is 3 PM local time) Windy App charts showing that sea state & waves are going to be higher, urrrrh, worst than usual - starting late tonight into Sunday at least, brace for rough conditions in-bound and out-bound. Bonine or whatever, ginger & green apples - proven to work for those prone to motion sickness. Cheers, we are in the peak hurricane season/month - travel / trip insurance or self "insured" to assume all risk. Going to put some Rain-X on our vehicle in case we must drive somewhere, for better visibility.

When we skipped or cancelled 2 ports last week and hopped ahead to Saint John, $100 refundable OBC per stateroom plus $60 (2 x $30 with 2 in the stateroom) - an additional 10% discount or "credit" was issued to be used to book & sail by Dec 31, 2024; and, will be available on/after Oct 2, 2023 (next month) It appeared that this amount is becoming sort of a basis (i.e. Sky's modified itinerary out of Quebec ... 600 miles out of the way to try best to avoid Hurricane Lee, 15 to 19 ft. waves for extended duration, etc.) - FWIW. We are okay with that, but wondering about those that pay thousands for Haven or suite if they feel it's adequate - it is what it is. (And, I'm not cheering about all these and it's not nice for those that long planned & dreamed for a nice week onboard ... please make the best out of it all. Good luck & safe travel) Surprise, that 10% discount or code was already generated & available in our MyNCL accounts for our 3 staterooms. As a matter of fact, our BIL/SIL already used it to book a cruise ahead for May 2024, since they much rather reserve an accessible cabin, if possible & still available ... and, they did. Prices for 2024 and there is just one and only ship available, the Norwegian Joy ... at least they are familiar with the ship, layout, the (re)design ahead for the OL should be fine with them, as we likely won't be cruising with them (different plan in place for us, subject to change) - our best (CAS) friends had that cruise date booked, so they'll have good company together. Nice, huh ... perhaps but the discount doesn't amount to much - as that 10% came to about $100 in savings only (will come to $200 if they are able to use the code from both individual accounts) This month's DoubleUp CruiseNext Deposit promo is only valid for Balcony & Up, sailing at least 4 months out ... so, not "usable" at the moment. On the lookout for extra deals & valid promo to apply them between now and next January when cancel/final payment deadline is reached. With last week's cruise, they joined the rank of being Sapphire - not that it's really matter ... an extra "carton" of Flow water in the stateroom to welcome back on embarkation day. Actually, we only received 2 cartons of Flow water last week instead of 4, as we've been getting 4 "bottles" of Aquafina water all along ... before the switch. Little details that didn't bother us & not worth calling Guest Services, let alone go stand in line to ask or question the Latitudes rep onboard. Oh, our points from this cruise hasn't been posted or updated to be reflected or shown in our MyNCL accounts, not a big deal, but got 12 months to track it - normally posted within 24 (to wait 48) hours upon disembark/end of the cruise to show up. Emailed the NCL desk - verbatim replied as below: Okie Dokie 👌 apology accepted herein 😬 Thank you for contacting Norwegian Cruise Line. Our records indicate that your Escape reservation xxxxxxxx is included in your cruise history and we are in the process of updating your cruise rewards. Please allow up to 14 days for this update. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience. Sincerely, Norwegian Cruise Line

Odd, post an update & cross-link here a short while ago, and thus far, not showing up ... hiccups with this thread on the CC portal ?? Deja Vue again - like last week, she'lll safely reach NY Lower Bay sometime tonight ... shutting down the casino and shops early again. That's not good for NCL revenue. Safety first, however.

Breaking news for a beautiful sunny Friday morning in NY - TD #16 is a fast moving one per NHC and weather experts, expecting to be name Tropical Storm Ophelia, won't reach hurricane strength by more of a Nor-Easter up the mid-Atlantic coast ... well, go to one's favorite weather source for details, charts & forecast. Huh, continuous readiness planning 😮 FWIW, with her given speed now ... all engines running at 21 knots and good sea state/conditions, etc. - will most definitely reach NY harbor sometime tonight, perhaps mid evening and drop anchor ??? again and begin shutting down the casino & shops early, again. Truly, deja vue and a repeat of last week but not as bad, safety first vs. revenue. For whatever reasons, posted on the other thread as it should be seen by many others, not updating or being refreshed - CC portal or website being sluggish this morning ??? Sometimes, alas, CC itself also suffered from hiccups and/or the Mods are exercising discretion & reviewing, editing posts ...

Yulp ... saw this & checked a few sites first to make sure as best as I could, amended info to the semi-live that I am wrapping up

This sub-topic discussion is getting some of our CC mates and friends "lost" but the handful of tech geeks will appreciate the chat, and find a way. @Jimsopus - currently on MSC at Dockyard in Bermuda shared one of the tips, to tweak & play with his VPN setting, and viola - upload success & reasonably quick. That's the nice thing about paying for (extra or otherwise) unlimited access during the cruise ... not having to worry about signing out or out of those "free" minutes - the PAYG prices are outrageous. My motto for it, for emergencies, communication access is priceless - whether it's texting or SMS/messaging or able to access real-time info/news at sea ... even if and when we put ours in "away or vacation mode" with auto-replies. One time, the niece SMS'ed us about the death of someone dearest to us while at sea, and that was like day 2 or 3 of our 14 nights on the Escape in 2019, not much we could do but, messages gone back-n-forth instead of being delayed for another 3 days (skipped a port stop) and she "represented" us and helped do whatever, as we couldn't be there. Now, 4 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up is more typical for many folks on a NCL cruise when the server's load isn't stretched or high on a sea day, with nowhere else to go for all onboard - usable for Skype & Zoom voice & video is possible, no assured ... Facetime & WhatsApp - not going to be consistent. For your Epic trip in the Med next month, expect reasonable access most of the time. You'll probably find land cellular signals to be good & strong enough at times to ditch or switch off WiFi from the ship. Meanwhile, stay tuned for further Escape news ... breaking update this morning. Ooops - unhappy campers onboard - just posted a few minutes ago here by another local CC'er.

Hear Hear 😳 😟 Anyone holding their breath for the upcoming exciting new entertainment from NCL promised this summer - end of September around the bend, Fall is in the air. All the little things that didn't matter, or shouldn't are adding up and not seeing anything to cheer about, really. One change is 99% certain ahead for 2024 - DSC will be going UP again ... COLA. The grass aren't necessary greener across the ocean with the competition ... and I am not cheering about all this, far from it. Apparently, Haven still selling out despite sky high prices and minimum asking bids, plus the live bidding frenzy - more for less. Must be lucrative with the group chartering business too. OP aren't the only household that hit that full stop button on cruising lately or at least pause to question, what the heck is one buying. The Joy's CTN next January and February, I mean ... urrrh, TA is dirty cheap ... long sea days lover, nice prices out there - especially if one is near Miami or close enough to Florida. Sadly, perhaps not, inflated and elevated prices are out there just about anywhere you look - nicer land hotels, if you haven't look or price them lately - sit down firmly first before you click on the keyboard.

@JIMESOPUS Jim - good to hear that VPN tweak works out on the upload, I was frustrated in January on the GA with u/l as well as d/l speed and cycle thru all the options ... as the server/hardware & inTRAnet speed was good & fine - then, in a nutshell, problem solved. Epic, get thru ... last week, watching the limited 300 minutes being metered, sneak chunks of data traffic thru. If by chance you are also using cellular and it's sluggish, and you are on a higher deck - go to the lower public decks - #5, 6 or 7 might get your stronger & more consistent signals ... Dockyard's towers are beaming their 4G LTE closer to ground & not aiming them 10 to 15 stories tall, not with all the low-rise homes & buildings in the "parishes" there - although, water reflected signals will reach up high across the Bay - at least, my "theory" BTW, in case you haven't check the local BDA marine forecast, NHC updated forecast for TD #16 isn'tl looking pretty up the mid Atlantic coast this weekend, likely to slide up further to the DE/NJ shorelines - expect wind, waves & swell on the probably ship route on the return to NY, worsening into Saturday. Have a look at Windy App ... past the words to friends onboard, best to be prepared for a bumpy ride. Leaving earlier than scheduled to rush back doesn't look like will make a difference - ship will have to find a weaker hole to punch thru as by mid/late day - the front isn't going anywhere away. Have a safe ride back to NY and best regards.