Turtles06

Very different climbing over a high tub wall just to shower when you are on dry land than on a moving ship. For short folks, and people with knee problems or other mobility issues, the tub/shower combo on those ships is a genuine hassle and can be dangerous. And the tub is too narrow really to be used by most adults; I think it was meant for kids. You will not really have more room to shower in that narrow space than you would in a stall shower, especially as you are trying to keep your balance in the slippery tub, and particularly when there’s the motion of the ocean. There’s a good reason NCL has removed these from the other Jewel class ships.

By any chance are you booked through a TA? If so, I believe the notification will go to them.

They really need to update the cabins. But I doubt they have the cash to do so.

Thanks for all the photos. They can do all they want to the public spaces, but nothing screams dated like cabin interiors like that. What about the actual fake dark wood furniture, closets? Are they still there? What condition are they in? Thanks!

Thanks for all the photos. Ship looks great. What a shame about the shower/tub combos. So dated and potentially dangerous. Have a wonderful crossing!

The place to go for discussions of technical issues and problems is the aptly named Need Help? forum, where in fact there are many discussions of how to use the CC search engine.

If this will be your first transit, I strongly suggest a smaller ship that will use the original locks. Much more interesting. And don’t tie yourself to NCL if you aren’t finding what you want. There’s also an entire forum here dedicated to the Panama Canal.

The coupon for that Escape cruise is in my account too, Not sure how long it’s been there, since it’s below the two existing reservations that we have, and I don’t generally scroll down past them. I just happened to do so the other day.

It is indeed sometimes hard to find a specific port of call forum, especially given that CC in some cases seems to be geographically challenged. For instance, if you are looking for info on Madeira, which of course is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, you probably aren't likely to look in the "Other Mediterranean Ports" forum, but that's where it is. Some years ago, before our first Panama Canal cruise, I looked all over CC trying to find info on Costa Rica, as we were going to be docking in Puntarenas, on the Pacific coast. I couldn't find any info. And that's because, as I later learned, CC has Costa Rica in a Caribbean sub-forum, even though much of Costa Rica borders on the Pacific, and Puntarenas is a commonly-visited port on Panama Canal cruises.

I strongly recommend a South Coast tour from Reykjavik. Beautifully stunning from start to finish.

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us (even after the fact). One suggestion, to make your future posts more readable: paragraphs are everyone's friends! Thanks! 🙂

As others have said, you must book on board. Make this a priority when you embark. Go straight to the box office. 🙂 SIX is fabulous. We weren't fans of Burn the Floor, but I realize that's subjective (like food). Enjoy your cruise!

You’ve given good advice, but I would really do the same thing for Iceland. I think reading in general about a destination, especially one where you have never been, helps gives you a good feel for the country, experiences, information you might not have thought to ask about, etc., beyond the specific information as to each port. Obviously, I would not suggest this for an enormous country like the United States, but it’s a doable search for Iceland. And the OP can easily choose not to read a specific thread that seems to have no relevance to them. Just my suggestion.😊

It's in the Northern Europe sub-forum of the Europe ports of call forum. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/116-northern-europe-amp-baltic-sea/

I'm not sure what that has to do with the tragedy in this case. In any event, and while I can't speak as to other companies, Lindblad/Nat Geo have been offering kayaking on its Antarctic expeditions for many years (I kayaked off the Nat Geo Explorer in 2013), but only when the conditions are right. Here's a recent article by someone who kayaked in 2022: "To kayak on an Antarctica expedition cruise requires the right conditions. The ship has to find a protected bay where the waters are calm, the wind mild and the surroundings safe." https://thepointsguy.com/news/antarctica-kayak-expedition-lindblad-cruise/

Here's a video tour of a Bliss forward-facing haven penthouse suite with balcony, category HG, which I think is what 9706 is. The balcony is shown at the very end (6:47), and accurately described as "very small."

Folks, this thread is 8 years old...

Prior to the pandemic, we'd never seen porters on the parking deck (unless someone was helping a disembarking guest). However, when we parked there in Oct. 2021, and then again just three weeks ago, there were porters with carts taking checked bags for embarking guests. (Just one porter three weeks ago, but she was filling up a ton of carts.) Of course, I can't promise that will be the situation when you cruise.

Really not much to see right now but a construction site. See comment 51 on this thread, which has the NCL Encore’s web cam view from a few weeks ago:

Yes, we are going to dock on Feb. 5 after the southbound transit. I believe we will leave sometime very late at night on Feb. 6 (the itinerary says 11:59pm, but that may be a placeholder), getting in position for our northbound transit on Feb. 7. Maybe you can post some screenshots of us. 😊

Hi Laura, My wife and I are also booked on those B2B Gem cruises. I'm happy to see you've now joined the Roll Calls. 🙂 An excursion for our turnaround day is something I've been looking at for some time. NCL does occasionally offer excursions for B2B guests, but my understanding is that we would not know of any until we are on board. I suspect, however, that there will not be enough folks for ship-sponsored tours. @BillB48 has already given you great information about things to do on our turnaround day, and there have been some discussions on our Roll Calls as well. I would add to all of that taking a look at Tours by Locals as well as Guru Walks. I also suggest following the thread linked below in this forum about Fuerte Amador; it's really a mess right now -- the cruise terminal is still under construction, and it's hard to believe it will be finished in time for our Feb. 5 arrival, but we can hope . . . 🙂 Looking forward to meeting you on board

Have you considered a land trip to the UK, or at least part of the UK? Yes, you could have a whirlwind port day in Edinburgh (for example), but the city is worth more time than that.

One or both of the smaller MDRs, Taste and Savor. Nice relaxing lunch. No reason to be in the chaos of the buffet. 😊

Do not miss SIX! Head straight to the box office right after you board and make reservations! 🙂 We first saw SIX on the Breakaway last year and loved it so much we went back the second night. (Would have gone again had there been another performance.) We've since seen the American touring company and, two months ago, we saw SIX in London. Enjoy your cruise!

Exactly — please ask for options over on the East Coast departures board. Doing two trips to JFK in the same day sounds like an enormous waste of time, putting aside all the other issues with luggage.