mking8288

TA friend of mine said she's busy booking clients on the Carnival Venezia this winter and surprisingly (not) - booking for suites are "selling" out quickly with final payment not due in a while. For the past decade+ ... NCL has one of the *Away class plus mid-sized Gem/Jewel/Dawn class ships running different donuts out of NY, more or less year-round, plus the extra TA and repo runs. GA's holiday sailing this December are likely going to be sold out & sailing full+ on double occupancies (as they always do) There isn't much choices for April as I'm only seeing repo & eastbound TA coming thru, no donut runs to Bermuda until May ... could be NCL's wicked strategic plans to drive up pricing & demand, and not giving away last minute bargain cabin prices just to fill up the ships ?? I dunno and unlikely for NCL to acknowledge anything or come clean to acknowledge it, maybe at the next quarterly earnings call with investors. Meanwhile, NCL Alaska on sale this season/year with some ships reported sailing at well below capacity and air travel this summer being a mess, FAA air traffic issues aside and United's ongoing flight CX for technical reasons hitting some of the their hubs hard, and of course, issues with EU and - what a nice gift that Frankie left for Harry & company to takeover and run ... more like fumbling. "Innovative Replacement" was the buzzword 2 weeks ago on their corporate PR news release. Afterall, they are still testing to see whether Starlink is a good match on the Breakaway (or, are they done) before SLOWLY rolling out to 4 additional NCL ships, including the soon to sail inaugural Viva, currently still doing sea trials, before year's end (or, is it sometime in 2024) I don't think this is a "glitch" in their system or IT error, rather a "deliberate" & planned move ?? NCL seemed to be pinning their hopes on leasing some of the ships on full charters. Gem is spending the winter down in Florida with Boston as the new homeport by next April. Leaving the Joy doing the Bermuda runs, out of NY next May ... Maybe, their operations team just decided to halt some of it and trying to shift their ships around on short notice and will launch a better scheme soon that is sensible, and, bring back the "new" entertainment showcase - one can hope and dream, right, LOL

@UnbridledEnthusiasm #5034 ... underneath/next to the Casino "corridor" above (Deck 6) - you should refer to cruisedeckplans dot com to look up these and compare with the overlapping deck plans

Go Cunard - whole Maine lobster in MDR Otherwise, lobster tail paired with black tiger prawn onboard Carnival ships. NCL ... forgetaboutit.

Ditto. Not seeing anything for the GA listed for Feb & March 2024 on NCL's booking site and one of our friends that do lots of cruise-tour booking confirmed the same, unable to lookup anything for upcoming winter/early Spring 2024 for the Getaway. Jan 27 to Feb 6th is the last cruise currently available for booking, it's a 10 days itinerary out of NY ...

FWIW, oceanview windows, whether it was porthole, obstructed & otherwise "bigger" rectangular picture ones, remained the same ... ditto for the lifeboats and super structures on the ship (Gem, specifically) aren't changed nor modified, as they were engineered by design. This was our obstructed portside one on the GEM #8574, or similar, with views of the lifeboat - they're not darkly tinted for privacy (as was reported around the time on another ship ... as I recall) which we stayed in 2017. I am 99.5% sure despite newer dry dock work done, if any, not changed - just like before in 2012 when we're on her, different deck then with porthole classification. There are good reasons for classifying them as obstructed OV cabin ... unlike the "regular" OV - commonly located on Deck 4 and this one (ours in 2018) on Deck 5 for the GEM (Jewel & Star class) There are some nice ones also on Deck 8 (Fwd & Aft) As for the obstructed ones, we like the ones selected for our cruises ... however, for the given ones in question - as they are closer to the midship elevators & stairs, including the ones even closer, along that bend in the corridors - I would avoid them for noise reasons if you prefer to sleep at 10 p.m. as there might still be music & noises coming from the nearby atrium lobby below, not all the party noises are entirely blocked. It does quiet down closer toward midnight - not an issue for us. Very convenient location for access to O'Sheehan's, quick elevator rides to the buffet & pool decks, and stairs for the gangways to go ashore. Answers aren't going to change, as I can assure you that it is virtually similar on the Dawn that we last sailed in 2019. There are lifeboats outside these obstructed cabins and the difference varied ONLY by the percentage or degree of blockage ... and what you can see, mostly over the upper portion of those window(s). From the Jewel, we briefly stayed in this particular obstructed OV but ... ended up with exchanging it on a "free" upgrade move into a midship balcony, requested by and arranged by onboard manager for guest services.

This, can be a far worst problem, for someone with mobility issues - on a different, upcoming NCL cruise itinerary with 2 tender ports, received this letter (excerpt only) in one of the 3 cabins booked as we have someone in our group confirmed for wheelchair assistance for embarkation/disembarkation only ... she knew & understood 100% that she will not be using the tender or attempt to go ashore, and staying onboard the ship. With the other 3 ports - it's wait and see - bringing her own foldable rollator/walker. As FYI, the typical transport wheelchair is about 20 lbs, some can be slightly lighter - thus, unless the "guest" is under 75 to 80 lbs, crew members will not be permitted to assist per NCL policy. In short, stay onboard. Tender Policy: Guests must be aware that certain vessel transfers, such as tendering and gangways, may not be fully accessible to wheelchairs or scooters and a guest may not be able to go ashore. When a ship is unable to dock, guests are taken ashore on smaller boats called tenders. Some guests with limited mobility may find it difficult to embark or disembark the ship at certain times while at dock or while tendering. Scooters cannot be taken across on the tender; guests must utilize a collapsible wheelchair. A guest may have to utilize steps or a staircase to access the tender and re-board the vessel. If a guest is unable to walk onto the tender, the crew can assist with lifting and carrying the wheelchair and/or wheelchair & guest, however, the total weight cannot exceed 100 pounds. This is for the safety of the crew. The only one that can determine if the transfer would take place is the Staff Captain. Factors such as weather and sea conditions are taken into consideration.

Our numbers with the basic unlimited plan, onboard the Epic not long ago, paid for most of it using nonrefundable OBC. Worked for our needs and it will vary, video streaming is bandwidth limited to 480p for the premium plan, just don't expect 95% + uptime at sea. Worth it or not, that's your own call. Casino players blow those in a few hands easily at the table games & don't even blink.

Have a great time on the Joy ... not sure who's the GM onboard, not that it really matter - generally speaking, it's a good team onboard, if only they manage to wiggle away from corporate rules dictated from Miami. Joy has an "usable" WiFi and those FAS minutes, however you pool them together, should give you enough to get by on sea days. Here's a tip that works for me and my gadgets onboard, when it comes to using CC with some success, first - minimize efforts to upload pictures when using ship's free inTRAnet (not running down those "precious" minutes) or don't post them unless/until you get to Dockyard & pickup VZW's partner tower's land signal - will be 4G LTE only (no 5G on the island, no needed or available, AFAIK as of this April during our brief "Epic" stop. If you have trouble posting, log in quickly (start the countdown on airtime minutes used AND log into your CC account, then sign or log out of ship's inTERnet - make sure the summary screen pop-up & you stopped the meter. Then, continue to browse and post on CC. Otherwise, you might run into issues posting on CC for free. The other challenge, depending on which way the ship is docked ... side facing Clocktower Mall always pickup a good signal from the balcony and/or lower decks, on the pool & upper decks, including the buffet & even from Spice H20, cellular signal is somewhat weak if usable - just something to watch out for. If some of your cabins are on the opposite side of the ship, then you'll just have to relocate your "Semi-Live" on the other side. Dockyard (at the shops) sell the free WiFi Day Pass, but it is NOT usable from the ship ... hotspot/routers nearby too far away to reach the ship - don't waste money (your VZW travel/int'l plan should be fine - we had T-Mo/Google & that worked great when we're onboard). Also, the VIC (tourist/visitor info center) inside Dockyard was closed (it appeared to be a "permanent" one & not (off)seasonal closure - no passes sold for the buses/ferry into Hamilton, only sold in the mall and at the ferry landing, 10 minutes from the gangway. Otherwise, take advantage of NCL's free ferry to SG on the east end. Otherwise, will be following / lurking and looking forward to updates about dining and also entertainment, etc. Bon Voyage 😎

FYI only - thoughts and prayers to the crew member onboard with the medical emergency that s/he is getting the best world care ashore & recovering. One of our nieces scheduled to depart for today's Canada/NE cruise on QM2, received notifications around midday / noon yesterday that due to onboard medical & diversion, ship arrival into Red Hook, Brooklyn today delayed by 6 hours. Check-in time is from 17:00 to 21:00 EDT (5 to 9 pm) and sailaway or departure at 23:00 EDT. Each pax will receive a $25 refund (OBC ??) from Cunard. Since our niece is just a few miles from Red Hook pier, she and friends will just much later than usual instead. < Updated ETA about 16:30 hour, per cruisemapper - she is off the southshore of LI, already past the Hamptons, near Shirley, at 22 knots >

Depending on the specific "Specialty Dining" restaurant(s) in question for a given or specific NCL ship booked - the 3rd person and/or 4th person does NOT have to buy or add a full dining package to eat there. S/he can just order one or two items from the menu, i.e. when our SIL was sailing with us together in the Family Suite last year and for La Cucina (also, Cagney's, Ocean Blue & Le Bistro) - she order a pizza (pasta dish is good too) as her entree. The charge came to like $19 + 20% ... not expensive. Folks, there is no minimum charge for each/every passenger dining in these places onboard. 😉 😉 😉

Running Chromed OS on Lenovo Chromebook, logged in but unable to access upcoming reservation running into #500 error now. NCL App crashed, unable to connect - 2 different smartphone running Android 13 OS, clear cache, forced shutdown and reboot, cannot even log in. iOS latest 16.5.1 access error on iPad mini - password errors ... Memo to NCL ... fix the "problems" as it is on your end. Anyone with final payment deadline coming up, strongly advised to call in and speak with an agent and get positive confirmation as appropriate. This has been happening off and on - logged into the account but unable to lookup dining and reserve ... Annoying for us, but for others, maybe not and can be serious. P.S. improved marginally, can log in on mobile app but very sluggish & still freeze up, at least the reservation summary is viewable at this moment.

There was also some minor dry dock work done recently, just before her TA crossing in early April to NY. Friends on the ship then, but nothing major ... chairs & sofas now sit lower than before was the comment that I can recall.

Epic Deck 12 starboard, Fwd - one of the secret large, angled balcony near the elevators & stairs, listed as B4. Pull that sliding curtain across for privacy & lock that front door so nobody walk into the cabin with the surprise. The toilet and shower closets didn't bother us, only wish that they have a towel rack and or shelf to keep things high & dry while taking the shower. The wash basin or sink is just too small, but space is very limited and the light switch is also hidden there, underneath the vanity mirror cabinet 🧐

Hmmm ... EU chartered out the entire ship for that time period ?? Otherwise, yeah ... she's "tired" and overdue, in need of dry dock to refresh her a bit.

Just FYI, on the Epic, there are a number of "regular" balconies on different decks - not classified and for sale as angled AND large balconies when booking - we stayed in one on Deck 12 Fwd, Starboard side on our TA crossing in April, really nice - not obstructed and non-hull, just your ordinary glass balcony, it is right next to the large balcony. Ours was B4 that sleep 4 (very tight with the upper pullman, not recommended unless it's for a family with young children only ... wall to wall beds) and the one next door (connecting staterooms ... thus, you "lose" one full closet's worth of storage space) was BA that sleep up to 3, also angled (slightly less) but still a larger balcony than the standard sized ones. Could've easily fit 2 recliner-lounger plus 2 regular chair, and a bigger table outside to enjoy the scenery. Refer to the Trip Report on the Epic, pictures contained within.

The only sapphire "perk" with priority dining that we've been able to take advantage of, apparently, both in 2022 and 2023, is to ask "discreetly" for, once we get up to the host/ess podium outside or at the restaurant (that's without a confirmed reservation made) possibly preferred or faster seating, sort of skip the usual long queue like everything else. This typically result in a shorter wait time to get seated vs. most other pax ... you'll still get a pager for alert and get placed on the list like everyone else, to set aside & wait in the area until called. Except ... you will, hopefully and likely, get paged or call earlier once a table is available. Instead of 30 to 45 minutes wait them, our MDR on days without a confirmed reservations made previously, wait time was cut in half, from 15 to 20 minutes in getting seated. This worked on the Joy and Getaway, and most recently on the Epic - with the 2023 cruises at almost ++ 95% double occupancies - in the MDR and Shanghai Noodles. With our next cruise, 3 cabins linked together already - we've setup reservations for specialty already and 3 other nights in the MDR, leaving just 1 evening open ... it is against the spirit and principle of the once "freestyle cruising" for our (in)convenience. But, with 1 person in our group using a rollator-walker to get around these days, needing wheelchair assistance for embarkation & disembarkation - decided ahead that it is best to make things easier for the rest of us ... and, we'll dine early whenever possible in alignment with port schedules.

OK, I see ... NCL does a good job tendering pax ashore sailing on mid-sized/smaller ships when tendering is required (GSC excluded for this purposes b/c Norway I and II are both double deckers with 200% capacity per transfer). Priority tendering means you get to join several hundreds Haven guests and anyone, everyone else to be granted priority tendering, as long as they hold a NCL shorex ticket(s) ... it basically meant you can go whenever you are ready to go ashore but not to get to the "front" of the line to get on the next lifeboat loading. Coming back, tendering is also the long line to get back to the ship - unless you are in Haven ... just something to keep in mind.

Ports are different for the Escape and Joy this Fall - and if you are looking at a B2B, only Joy is offering that option unless I'm missing something. Tendering for these mega ships is a challenge and not practical, as far as I am concern ... with the short amount of time for a day stop at some of the ports scheduled, long lines to get on lifeboats unless you booked shorex and/or get priority tendering. Dining options are different but perhaps you can try out Q Texas Smokehouse instead of Moderno, and Food Republic is nice as well, different & casual. OL on the Joy is nice if weather isn't great outside and the pool deck too, has heaters for the outdoor. Been on both the Escape and the Joy, twice and this time around - for us, Escape won the coin toss for us ahead - not sure who's running the senior team (GM & others) onboard this Fall, always had great leadership managing. Joy is also well run by the team. It's a mostly port intensive itinerary so not too concerned about making production shows with busy specialty dining plans on 3+ nights, but expecting to see cutbacks onboard & less than robust services from the hard working crew, whenever sailing NCL ahead in the coming months. Go with the flow & bring good dose of humor along for the unexpected.

Dan, no kidding ... met so many over the years and not just from the few times organizing M&G onboard that finding it challenging to keep track of CC screen names and real (first) names ... Notice that little pop-up "Update Your Email" from CC on the upper right, page 1 of this & other sub-forums. Maybe, CC is going to somehow figure out to re-enable the direct messages function on the forum. Have yet to, perhaps being fortunate thus far, show up or attend a CC Meet & Mingle/Greet with poor attendance, even the one that was semi-hijacked by a subset coming from FB had an acceptable attendance, since the roster/group expected to attend were co-mingled. Sadly, the "organizer" that took over & ran with it just sat there among the crowd, didn't say a single word & just disappeared - got his "screen ID" on my other list to be avoided in the future. Sometimes, I rather just sit back & let someone else do the organizing, it's hard work as a "volunteer" putting something "simple" together. This Fall's New England/Canada cruises is a challenging one to pool and put together a M&G, as the only sea day is on the last day returning to home port, unless they are the one-way ones - perhaps, not intentional but still, it can be a worthwhile small group gathering to meet & chat briefly with the senior officers and give feedback, listen & ask questions, etc. Of course, the other option for some of us, is to see whether we get lucky doing the Dine With Officers, depending on who's assigned to host the dinner.

Aren't you playing if "The Price of Right" with the Viva, LOL 😁 😉 😆 and isn't today supposed to be the last day for that special, time-limited promo "TripleUp" CruiseNext deal, hehe. We're looking at it too - price differential isn't much between Insides, OV and Balconies ("BF") and declined to look further as we'll be flying both ways, on our own dimes (dollars, mucho ...) with air arrangements. Friends of ours just picked up their tempting CAS offer this weekend and having trouble deciding, forwarded the detailed particulars to me for advice. You'll just have to figure out whether it is "Deal or No Deal" by rolling the 3 dices. Now, I don't think it'll make you feel any better, the Prima TA isn't selling well either - leaving on her westbound just a few days later. There is a potential "backup" option in case any issues come up with the Viva. Seriously, let's hope NCL learn some lessons with the Prima ... this is the "new" Epic.

Our Fall NE/C cruises stopped in Boston last September, the port is in a somewhat industrial waterfront, taxis & Uber are hard to come by at times when bigger ships are there. Take a 5 to 10 minutes leisure walk and you can get the local bus, just a few stops to Union Station's underground train hub/complex, where you can connect and/or come upstairs, walk & sightsee ... historic old Chinatown and the renewed harbour/waterfront, etc. are all within easy distance - walk or otherwise. The bus accept coins & dollar bills (exact change or round up, no refund for excess paid) upon boarding at the fare box - runs on schedule and helpful drivers if you need directions on where to transfer. On our return to the ship, we just hail a taxi, inexpensive ride back to the cruise terminal. P.S. Lobster place is just a short walk from the pier - Google or Siri for directions on how to walk.

This news is, hopefully, and probably, just seasonal with summer temperature up in north country. But, worth keep tracking of, anyone with Canada/NE cruises that will originate and/or end in Quebec (Montreal) Canada this year - and, planning to use Amtrak. https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/re-starting-amtrak-halts-service-montreal-18172648.php

Isn't the Viva being built with the same/nearly identical design or framework, etc. ?? If that's the case, Jim - we expect a detailed onboard report from your upcoming crossing ... and, isn't Starlink is supposed to be "live" with the new ship. NCL should have a good supply of disposable earplugs on hand at Guest Services for noise abatement.

< Sorry for going off-topic not chatting about the Joy > We just had positive confirmation via our best friends (CAS guests) that that Viva TA 11 days is "free" - apparently partnering with land casinos, that's pretty odd itself on a brand new ship on her first pond crossing. Apparently, not "selling" well and they are doing what it might take, to fill up the cabins & get high rollers onboard, then upsell them & get the bidding games going. Prices for cabin are dirt cheap even if not qualified for CAS discounts for an almost free cruise, LOL. We're on, pre-Covid years, 2 different NCL ships with contractors onboard, putting the finishing touches on some of the onboard venues (work in progress, closed to passenger services, for your (in)convenience - while sailing to sustain ...) One involved the changeover to American Diner, which wasn't a big deal ... Margaritaville, remember that on the BA/GA, etc. Hanging up new signage or doing carpentry work, etc. Hence, expect disruptions and less than full restoration of everything, right after a scheduled dry dock, no matter what's planned & precision timing promised, IMHO. Oh, about those not-so-important bedside USB ports upgrade, it's apparently a costly & time-consuming project that NCL considered not high on the priority lists ... that was the chat during Dine with Officers, as the subject came up, different NCL ship.

OP, apparently sailing NE/Canada this September on NCL (Escape) on a holiday weekend / Sunday - traffic should be light and there's usually a long line of licensed yellow taxi just outside on E. 42nd Street waiting ... it's an easy & quick trip across town. For 2 or 3 travelers with average sized luggage, it will all fit easily, my guest - as it will be a metered fare based mostly on distance - for a 10 minutes (or less) ride, about $20 to $25 plus tips. Just check Lyft's lowest rates for post evening rush hour ... ranged $19 to $21, theirs typically slightly lower than Uber - plus, tipping as "encouraged" on the app. 10 ... 15, 20+ years ago, I wouldn't rule out walking 2 miles with a carry-on rollerboard w sturdy wheels and cabin/backbag in tow to save a few bucks myself, doubtful that DW would go along with that idea - nowadays, forgetaboutit, LOL. Slightly off-topic but this will come up here on E.C. Departures sub-forum: NYC's (Manhattan) Congestion Pricing surcharge is apparently getting the final green lights from the feds ... and, depending on how MTA figured out who, how much, exemption rules, etc. in the formulas - it will be another bite coming into the NY (NY County) affecting many cruisers using taxis and for hired vehicles (car service, Uber & Lyft, etc.)