mking8288

Bags are 98% packed & ready to go, except for last minute items – we are each taking a Euro-sized carry-on, smaller to assure that we don’t overload on our homebound flight (22 lbs. limit) plus a checked 24” spinner (easier to not exceed 44 lbs or 23 kg.) Making good use of (compression) packing cubes with our luggage, repacking to take out items we can leave behind - easier to get around and access onboard laundry services via NCL. Flight arranged on our own, not using NCL’s Air and the entire package competitively, fully insured by third party for trip, travel & medical, etc. Packing a Lenovo touchscreen Chromebook w latest OS, 4GB/64GB internal plus 128GB external USB drive, HDMI output instead of Sony Viao Windows 10 Pro notebook PC (lighter vs. heavy) – wireless Bluetooth mouse * noise-cancelling earbuds, extra pair of wired headset w USB port-adapter, and a 10,000 mAH Xiaomi battery bank. Google Pixel 7 Pro (5G) running pure Android 13 with VPN – dual/eSim enabled, Pixel 4a 5G with Google One dual/eSim enabled. iPad Mini 5 and iPhone SE 2020 w iOS 16.4.1 for iMessages & WhatsApp. Of course, assorted USB cables, connectors & adapters, 2 short 110 volts outlet adapters and 220-110v adapters for dual voltage device charging – and, the latest, two (2x) USB 3.0 10 ft. braided & shielded extension cables for that extra reach & daily chained together if needed to the balcony. Mrs. “M” has my “old” Galaxy S22 Plus w 256GB storage and on her separate Google Fi Wireless line. Staying in Barcelona post-cruise, making sure we have extra 220 volts outlet adapter for our gadget - will be using the same / similar setup in our balcony stateroom. We have a good inventory or supply of Covid home testing kits, not yet expiring ... free from our insurance and valid thru 2024, going to pack some along just in case for peace of mind. Of course, basic health items including 3-ply masks and KN95 and KF94 grade respiratory masks, and hand sanitizers - just in case as we don't want to spent time somewhere looking for them, if & hopefully not needed at all. Last but not least, gotta have my caffeine fix in the morning and prefer a strong brew, Starbucks is cool but too watery & diluted for my taste, bring some from home - get us the 1 cup hot water/coffee brewer - setup daily stocked and we are good. Will make a trip to the buffet for extras if warranted. Weighting these tech toys, oops, gadgets by themselves - adding up close to 8+ lbs, not shown are the cables, connectors, adapters, jacks and other "accessory" items - keeping them in those Eagle Creek pouches for quick & easy access, and in storing them safely ... most will be part of the carry-on. If necessary, toss into the Scott-e-Vest alike with big pockets, should the airline be gate-checking passengers for excess weight of their personal & carry-on bags.

Here we go – almost time to cruise again, T minus 2 days to embarkation … approaching the 48 hours mark soon for "mking8288's" sunset cruise this Saturday. All systems go, final preparations under way ... prepaying and scheduling bill payments ahead, travel notices to cc & banks submitted, postal mail on hold for almost 3 weeks, etc. Come along and follow virtually – this is running parallel to another Live(ish) Epic Transatlantic April 22-May 7 by Clay, another CC’er active on the busy roll call – please feel free to read both … others onboard the TA are welcomed to post and comments, please be kind, considerate & respectful, agree to disagree and try not to hijack or go way off-topics, consistent with rules set forth by CruiseCritic, thanks in advance. We will do our best to make it fun, informative, interesting ... motto: go with the flow, bring humor and pack patience, be nice to others and sit back, let's roll with the changes - think positive and have a backup plan. The other Live(ish) link - https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2931073-liveish-epic-transatlantic-april-22-may-7/ Our second cruise in 2023 on NCL, this is going to be an “Epic” Transatlantic, 15 nights from New York to Barcelona, Spain via Bermuda, Azores / Portugal with several stops. Post cruise – we have 2 half-day semi-private tours booked in Barcelona, then, we fly home on TAP-Portugal with a 3 hour layover at Lisbon, Portugal. Best efforts will be to make this fun, informative and lots of pictures & descriptive info, and less subjective chats about it all … satellite WiFi onboard “cooperating” while at sea. Hopefully, WiFi - satellite (EMC as the ISP onboard, Starlink not expected for a while) and cellular (T-Mobile/Google Fi Wireless's global "roaming" partners) will keep us mostly connected ... if we lost our signal while at sea & go silent, bear with us and take a break, feel free to speculate as to what happened & where we are. Track & hunt us down on various sites like Marinetraffic, CruiseMapper and ship's livecam or webcams, etc. "Windy" app will be one of the tools used to help us look ahead in our Atlantic crossing as we are going to be on the northern route - going to be checking our live ship Nav Channel (#11) for info, stats, routes & other indicators ... Epic has a (Deck 13 Fwd, starboard) Bridge Viewing Room, as long as it is open ... maybe I will take a short walk up/down our corridor to do a brief, live "stream" to report from there. CC friends of ours just disembarked from their 16 days/nights westbound TA on Tuesday, and they tested out & use KnowRoaming eSim (Europe variant) on their device (must be carrier unlocked & eSim compatible, either Android or iOS) 5 GB of data that's good for 30 days for $22 USD. Good feedback, good speed and no issues at all, "superior" to ship's satellite WiFi as expected ... they used their 300 free FAS minutes x 2 only; and, it worked for them on most days using their newest/upgraded iPhone 14 ProMax and WhatsApp with us - in ports and while at sea. Unnecessary to spend extra for the unlimited streaming option, unless ... YMMV, of course. KnowRoaming eSim's link - as FYI only, not an endorsement of the product, etc. - https://knowroaming.com/

Enjoy your TA ... 600 disembarked in NY and 200 embarked, with possible some staying onward for the next (PC) segment - and, everyone had to get off in NY to clear CBP - before being allowed to go back up the ship again (facial recognition used, it was quick for everyone). They should have the ship cleared in Miami easily & quickly, and then get you folks onboard ... Bon Voyage, we are T minus 48 hours on a different ship, all packed & ready to go too ... woohoo !!!

They skipped the welcome back CruiseNext "marketing" session - just can't imagine 1/2 of them showing up for cocktails - I recalled pre-Covid, they had separate "receptions" VIP's for the upper tiers ... Does it seemed like 1/3 or 1/4 of the passengers have apparent mobility issues getting around, per our friends ?? The age cohort breakdown as expected.

Dex - nailed it, LOL. Aren't they following and reading posts on CC - if they do, as claimed ... someone should be doing a follow-up onboard, "stat"

We're on the Getaway (after Laszlo's - which we're following "live") in late January with St. Lucia scheduled as a stop ... turned out we're the only ship destined to be there, and wasn't necessary to tender ashore (as originally listed) but - after we're onboard, gangway pulled & underway - we're THEN notified that St. Lucia will be skipped for "unforeseen reasons" and another port (docking) being substituted. Taxi/tour drivers on this "new" island said or told us, stories being that NCL didn't want 4,000 pax tendering ashore at SL as apparently, a substantial # of pax with mobility issues and ...

Hmmm, you shouldn't have to hunt for them unless "they" are all having a bad week ... Maybe, have a quick chat or leave a note with your concierge ?? Just to be clear, you are currently on the GEM's T/A - correct ?? Maybe your steward is relatively/new to NCL and still learning to do her/his job, not quite fully oriented to Haven & suite produts vs. non-Haven and the supervisor not checking.

Haha, OMB and you self-reported a possible error, that's a honest fellow. Smile & walk onboard without a grim, facial recognition is use. We were done packing and now re-packing, slimming down further to review what we can leave behind at home & don't need, can always buy a few NCL t-shirts onboard at "sale" prices - since ours is a repo and they probably got a few leftover tees as end of season specials ... if not, I'm sure we can buy some in ports. Our friends that just got off their 16 days Sun TA said they almost had trouble spending their $250 OBC, that's a first to us 😁 but some beers & tees later, left them with a $6 unused credit. They said gift shops had, otherwise, little to offer. @dexddd - now that's a nice $500 "discount" plus 20% you and I can use, keep checking. There is also "selective" pop-up offer at 20% for Europe on select sailings this week, LOL. We don't see the unique bathroom setup as a problem and in fact, don't mind at all. Usually, when it's just 2 of us traveling - it's whatever. As long as it doesn't turn into a mini kiddie pool with reverse flow up the floor drain (happened last March on our "Getaway" - freaked DW out as she nearly stepped into the puddle) One of our SIL is tagging along as our "treat" and she's (well) known to us to spend 1/5 of her time using the loo, out of habits - fine when we aren't going somewhere or coming back. Epic's design give us access to the sink & shower while she's in the other water "closet" & this is perfect. Last May, we booked 1 of the 2 Family Inside Suites with 2 baths b/c of her too. Will see how this fit into our living style ... and, got one of those solid air freshener, sound isn't a problem behind the sliding curtain, plus a bit of music or TV sound/audio. We'll waive the Breakaway but going to be on our "Escape" instead.

Thanks, perhaps Alaska in 2024, maybe catch a Pacific coastal repo and then continue ... finding the right price, LOL Absurd prices for NE/Canada in September, been looking hard at MSC & Princess, nothing of interest out of the Northeast this year. That's without factoring in airfares, extra nights pre-cruise and that's excluding Southwest flights. Prima - my group's concensus and they're "warned" - LeBistro was nasty (subjective, I know & they went against advice to do Cagney's) FR was just okay but the seafood place was good. Buffet too small, crowded & short hours + ship at 120% capacity not helping, pools were way too small. Ship is bad when outdoor space are locked down from weather & on chilly days ... fairly consistent with findings by others. Positive being size of balcony staterooms, overall modern design & deco but super easy to get lost, idiotic flow ... Apparently, shortage of towels as attendant failed to maintain a daily stockpile of extras requested. Next time, they much rather return to the "older" ships but isn't convinced about the premium pricing now asked. Needless to say, theater & production show, lack there of and the tiny lounges & venues ... to sum up, not impressed. Problem these days - grass isn't necessary greener and the soft products better or superior ... compared to the prices of 2 E+ round-trip transcon tickets in the main cabin these days, cruising still not a horrible "buy" Let's see how this upcoming 15 nights go first, friends just came off the Sun's TA and they are okay as a whole. Epic's mattress, apparently, can be extended by pulling or pushing (recessed into the headboard area) so we'll see about that extra overhang. Will do some field photography about the much disliked loo & shower design - as long as ventilation is good, air-freshener boosted, can't be worst than countryside specials in Thailand & Vietnam. First world problem, perhaps. Prima being - perhaps - the new "Epic" evil in the fleet. Best regards ... later, once we go "semi" or "live"

If and once we find out first hand onboard - shall be updated & posted here in a matter of days from now, either that or some of us will petition the CD to go on stage to lead a crew production show next week. Nothing new listed from what I can see and have to admit, seeing too many runs / re-runs of Burn The Floor, different ship but still ...

Our first big NCL ship then was the brand new Dawn in 2003 with the 23/6+ Blue Lagoon ... great cruise then and we're invited to see the (then, original) 3 BR garden villa. Then on her twice since, most recently just before Covid shutdown - all great cruises, aside from normal wear-n-tear & minor maintenance issues, love the design, layout, ease of access and 3 banks of elevators plus stairs. There isn't a nearly perfectly designed ship, not on NCL and not elsewhere ... folks used to say things about the Epic, and now it's the Prima/Viva class & design. Opinions and impressions about food is always personal, subjective and biased. Balcony size is reasonable on average. Go easy and blend in with the flow, bring a little bit of humor along, patience and hands on a iced cold beverage (chilled French-Vietnamese coffee on ice with condensed milk ... perfecto since we hardly touch alcohol). Missed the Jean Ann Ryan production company shows, it was the best then and specialty dining only had a modest $10 upcharge p/p without 20%. We kept on cruising then during the SARS days ... back again post-Covid, bags are packed for the weekend ... and going. No mistakes.

Friends just disembarked NCL Sun 16 nights TA segement this morning, Lisbon, Spain to NY (continuing to Miami and + 3 days) It then will repo to Los Angeles/Long Beach via PC, then sail Pacific Coastal north for the Alaska season. Pax count was 1,760 or 90% double occupancies (1,932 being the DO bed counts, max lifeboat capacity is higher) from Spain. 600 disembarked this morning and 200 boarded / newly joining the next transit segment (offered as 16/19 nights TA) as B2B, maybe B2B2B if they continue toward Alaska. This Saturday's Epic TA eastbound is basically the same, nearly sold out except for Insides, everything else not available - solo supplement did drop finally within the past 2 to 3 weeks (for Insides).

Extended families just off the Prima returning from Bermuda this past Sunday, e-Muster & Youtube video pre-embarkation, just had to report to assigned muster station to swipe card, no traditional assembly with huge crowds, etc. Ditto, same for friends just disembarked this morning on Sun's TA, e-Muster as well, not just for Bermuda-bound NCL ships.

LOL, some ... not yours truly. Neither DW nor I seeing those Alaska promo offers in our NCL accounts, but one SIL is - she will not be sailing, except virtually. You know how NCL's math works with the tricks & faked numbers, etc. This upcoming Epic TA on Saturday is a pretty sweet deal we found ourselves, just sheer luck - with 2 extra points/night for 3 points at 15 nights, not going to refuse ... right. $250 NCLH OBC ain't bad either, non-refundable, of course for the inconvenience. Not using NCL Air on our return. Postponed but did re-book the Prima for this Fall, but the gang came back yesterday from her Bermuda 7 nights run with earful for me, we shall see on whether to go forward or cancel & do another TA. Shopping for last minute Alaska deals this season ??

Haha, okay. Now please sign the slip - $9 has been added for your convenience, automatically (20% service charge/tips) - since tap-and-pay or digital wallet hasn't roll out yet.

That was mucho fun, especially when the CC group made it up to Haven ... quietly and being hosted by fellow CC upstairs. As much as the mega ships are great, we still have a special spot in our hearts for the "older" mid-sized ships, Gem with her bridge viewing room. This weekend, once at sea - we are going to walk down our corridor to this one-of-a-kind ship to check out the bridge viewing room, only learned she has one, starboard side. Bliss has the Observation Lounge, as you already know. It's been years since we set foot on Alaska ports - on our return to SEA, Victoria was last & a short one, 4 pm arrival but at least it was daylight, we walk the handful of shops not far from the pier, photos with the RCMP with their bright red uniform, and up the small hill to check out the area - really didn't give us that much time to sightsee or do anything meaningful, knowing it was a "technical" stop to satisfy gov't regs. Getting in around 8 pm'ish is worst, dark & doubtful that anything is open, aside from maybe the bars & cafe - if any. VZW had a decent 3G roaming signal then, T-Mo was bad and someone had Sprint then, absolutely useless ... nowadays, should expect & get better free roaming services from "our" carrier's partners.

GG - before things get trip crazy on your end and mine, packing here as well - it is T minus 6 as we embark Saturday, sailaway is 7:30 pm EDT after onboard dinner on the Hudson (River) with MDR "Taste" reservation for us. Can you guess where we are going, hehe - we will still be at sea a week later, going eastbound but will follow your journey, as we are putting Alaska on the bucket list for next season ... hopefully. Was going to maintain CC "radio silence" for a few more days before doing or saying anything specific, with a big roll call, another CC veteran just kicked off his Live(ish) and for now, helping to put out some useful tips, info & advice on that - some of them planning to use mass/public transit to get from LGA and JFK to MCT/Pier 88 this coming Saturday. Have a great one - let's see how good our satellite internet will be ahead, will have more port days the following week. Regards - Henry a/k/a mking8288

Clay - for the time being, I'm just going to add & contribute here to your Live'ish Epic report for Saturday. Not sure if I'm up to doing things "live" onboard but we are probably going to trade-up our 300 minutes to unlimited, depending on satellite speed as I see them using our hardware ... @spenecer speed results sound good enough, similar results onboard the Getaway this January with Samsung but with Google Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone SE, speed was even better when overall net traffic wasn't heavy. I did a bit of comparative price shopping for ground transfer option - getting from LGA and JFK to MCT - Pier 88, typical and based on weekend mornings, around 10 to 11 am'ish. This could be helpful & informative for others not on the big roll call to know but planning to embark with us. Carmel car services (unless pre-booked with pickup time, needs 20 - 30 minutes due to availabilities) LGA to Pier 88 $52, $55, $60 and $72 for mini-van, SUV at $89 Uber - LGA to Pier 88 $59 and $76 for UberX Lyft - LGA to Pier 88 $56, $58 or $62 depending wait time to get picked up, and $72 for XL Uber - JFK to Pier 88 $85 and $110 for UberX Lyft - JFK to Pier 88 $79 or $83, and $96 for Lyft XL JFK AirTrain to Jamaica Station via MetroCard for the fare, plus $2.75 (which is OMNY contactless payment friendly, ApplePay or Google Wallet compatible for tap-n-go) via the "E" subway is the frugal way to within walking distance of the ship terminal. Packing light, very much doable on the subway car on weekends as it's off-peak & not crowded. Extended weather forecast for this Saturday: overcast, mid/upper 50's to low 60's - 60% chance of occassional rain shower, somewhat windy.

Upcoming Epic T/A this month, solo supplement dropped but valid (applicable to) only available Insides - everything else practically sold out and no longer available ... maybe crazy live Haven bidding and not a chance of solo supplement being offered. Even the Sun's current TA is sailing at 90% capacity ... solo supplement was dropped but practically only good for remaining Insides GTY. Odds for Haven deals in 2023, slim to none in the immediate future with the busy & popular summer season approaching fast.

It's never too late to ask for and enlist help from other more active roll call members that are most likely to attend, for their suggestions AND help. Make it not an "I" (husband and I efforts alone ... can be overwhelming) and make that a team / inner circles of several "assistants" or co-leaders. Just keeping track of the rosters, responding to last minute additions, name changes/corrections, etc. can be time-consuming, almost a full time job by itself in the final days leading up to embarkation & the day of the M&G. You are in the spotlight and group events is going see you as the lead or contact person for everything - yet, it is okay and best practices to get others involved to assist ... share those moments, take group photos to post on CC (inform all first, in case someone wish to opt out) or just to help at the "check-in" area with name tags, etc. Otherwise, it's just about impossible to seriously do any meaningful mingle with the crowd ... and, re-confirm that they will have a microphone & sound system turned on. Good luck, enjoy and have a great B2B cruise and fun at the M&G's

Happy cruising and bon voyage to your PC crossing on the Sun. Just heard from our CC friends currently onboard via WhatsApp using their "free" ship WiFi airtime minutes - they are currently less than a day from arriving at the final stop on the TA crossing, an overnight stop tomorrow calling on Bermuda at Dockyard - before reaching NY next Tuesday where they'll disembark (as NY is their hometown) instead of continuing to Miami (originally, they booked it as 19 nights & was going to plan on how to "jump" ship or get permission to disembark "early" without being fined or getting into trouble with CBP - then, learned it has the 16 nights option, rebooked it, etc.) Sun is currently, per their report, sailing at 90% double occupancy with 1,760 being the pax counts, and confirmed that the Sun is on the 21 days NCL dining menu rotation - gallery planning the daily ones based on provisioning, no shortage and out-of-stock items reported. Behind The Scene tour is being offered as well as Dine With Officers, for Latitudes members at their proper tier(s) - signed up & they are doing it ... Perhaps, you will come across pax that boarded from Lisbon and continuing onward, doing B2B2B ... maybe, even B2B2B2B Meanwhile, we need to get ready to go east. Cheers on the final countdown & have a great one !

Of course, thank you for taking the time to share, post and take us along ... making notes and visualizing. Videos on YT are also useful & informative to compliment/supplement what's posted here and being able to get some questions answered & concerns clarified - packing & adjusting, making notes of things as we get ready to cruise and travel soon.

LOL, what I've noticed is that lately, portion sizes served by FR as seen in some of the recent/recent "live" report here is that, a little bit of shrinkage apparently happening. It's probably aging eyesight on our part, since I am not sure if the servings are getting a little smaller, i.e. instead of 8 large pieces, think I saw 6 pieces, edging toward medium sized rolls as cut. But, not necessary a deal breaker - it's "free" and included for us, as one of the dining option available - as long as it is still 4 items ... YMMV.

If you approach the end of that 150 (120, 300, etc.) free minutes while still connected & logged into your account - the hardware/server usually allow you to go over a little bit (not assured or guaranteed, but usually - we get another 5 to 10 extra free minutes out of it) - instead of just dropping the connection entirely. But, once you signed off or logged out, being out of any remaining minutes - you will be given the "opportunity" to purchase and add more minutes to your account. I don't remember if any eligible Latitudes discounts for internet was automatically calculated, but you can always stop at the iCafe to ask nicely about it (i.e. 15% or 20%)

Joy was the last ship we're on with FR, and it was actually the hostess & server that cautioned us that it is going to be a lot of food if each dining person in the party use their allocated voucher on any 4 items ... in the end, we couldn't possibly finish - and they actually cheerfully packed the sushi rolls, etc. to go, gave us utensils & napkins. That was then and I read about the newest "flip-flop" rules that NCL could well back peddle next ... who knows, except them onboard. I would say, ask nicely the first time dining there ... "hmmm, what if - or, can "we" do this instead - and, see what they say" Worst come to worst, since there's no minimum "cover" charge per person, guest #3 just order 1 item. Doubtful that the food police would stand there & watch ya all eat, or whether something slipped off from one plate to another. The FR team on the Joy last year was very friendly, helpful and make us feeling welcomed & appreciated, and the place wasn't crowded then (at reduced sailing capacity) - oh, won't "hurt" to tell him you are doing a live report on CruiseCritic 😉 😉 😉