armwinder

We were on the Epic in November  and the Jewel over Christmas $1.00 surcharge for Crown Royal. 

35 minutes ago, NikiPinkston said:

Ah, I misunderstood about your flight arrangements; hopefully, using NCL air will work out well for us - I'll have to report back on that.  We were on the Bliss to Mexico for Christmas week, 2021 and I think she is my favorite ship, too! ❤️And thank you for saying you enjoyed my review. I feel that is high praise coming from you as you are the best!

We have used NCL air a number of times and have been very happy, we just flew down to San Diego and the flights worked out very well. Last month we used NCL air to fly to Rome and back from Lisbon, they gave us Premium seats over to Rome with Delta, all part of the package. You here some bad reports but no one is perfect, booking your own flights mat even be cheaper who knows. We have used them too many times to count and been very lucky. 

This last cruise was one of the most memorable with a nice parade on Christmas Day lots of very well behaved kids who lined up for presents from Santa and a photo session after the parade. We thought all the staff were wonderful and spent time to talk and exchange experiences. We spent many night in Maltings after shows or listening to the many different types of entertainment, we met some really nice people and enjoyed a few nightcaps. 

Worth noting regarding cutbacks, about a year or so ago we noticed some changes in the restaurants, one to note would be the breakfast steak and eggs.  The steak previously used was a 5 or 6 ounce fillet, it has been replaced with a very thin and over seasoned (imho) New York strip. Possibly steak and eggs is not the healthiest choice for breakfast though. 

57 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Sorry to hear about your luggage!  Did you get it eventually?

We picked some up in Kelowna last evening.  I think we sat behind you on the flight to Vancouver.  If you were in row 16 and your dads tv did not work then it was you. 

It was a good cruise, no one turned up for the mixology experience even though 8 people signed up for it. It was a lot better than some others we have done.  A very good cruise and smooth sailing all the way, a few small swells on the last night but not anything to worry about. Air Canada lost (sorry misplaced)  our bags out of Vancouver so we had to go shopping before the cruise, not the easiest thing to do just before Christmas. 

13 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

The flight next to ours was just cancelled. Ours is scheduled to board in 27 minutes and depart in 57 minutes.  Stay tuned!

Following. We are in Kelowna, not the nicest drive took over three hours from Osoyoos. -27°C right now. Looks like things will work out tomorrow for our 6:00am flight into Van then 9:30 out to San Diego, not holding our breath but it looks positive. 

39 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

are you driving from Osoyoos tomorrow?

No we are staying over in Kelowna and are planning to fly into Van on Thursday morning. Not looking good but we will see. Some snow here but way more in Kelowna. Talked to NCL cruise consultant today on another matter. He said just turn up for the flights if the airlines cancel and we don’t make the ship then insurance should look after it. Who knows until there is a claim. We may be home for Christmas. ☺️  You should be in a better position than us as you are already in Vancouver. 

On 12/14/2022 at 10:22 AM, Greygooser said:

just want to chime in and say the MDR and specialty restaurants (even complimentary noodle bar) always ask gentleman to remove their hats, at least for dinner. Or that was my experience on the Getaway last week.

It would be so nice if folks would remove their ball caps. Some think wearing it backwards constitutes formal wear. 

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

Yes, I was able to change our flights so now we are leaving on December 21.

We leave on the 21st also. We are staying in a hotel down near the marina in San Diego for a few days. Apparently it is about 18-20°C down in San Diego, a little warmer than Osoyoos right now. 

4 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Yes, I’ve done the mixology experience.  It is booked through CruiseNext, not through the concierge.  I was so tipsy afterward I had to have a nap.  All the drinks were really, really sweet.

We just use the concierge and they looked after it. Not sure if we will do it again on this trip, depends on the timings. 

On 12/15/2022 at 9:40 PM, YVRteacher said:

We are Diamond with NCL and this is my 29th cruise on NCL.

Have you tried the "mixology experience" we just did on the Epic, very different way of using up fruit.  We may try it again on the Jewel next week, ask your concierge about booking it.   

We are noticing a trend amongst the ball cap wearers now, they turn their hat backwards to appear more formal. 

We have not cruised out of Pan Am pier for about 4 years.  There was not a real designated lounge for Haven pre boarding rather an area to one side where the folks who purchased the priority boarding package congregated along with Haven guests. We were only waiting for around 10 minutes or so, real fast boarding. Like I said this was about 4 years ago things may have changed now.  we were on the Epic back then. 

I hope NCL recognize Veterans from Canada and other countries eventually. The previous program did we saved a few bucks on some cruises back then. 

A revised version of the old military discount is to come into effect next year, apparently available on all cruises not just select sailings. So far it looks like only United States Veterans and serving members are eligible not other nationalities. I hope this is just an oversite on NCL's  part and the rest of us Veterans can benefit from the 10% discount along with other benefits. 

1 hour ago, Travelicious said:

Other than the butler, won't the person in the balcony room still get Haven perks?  Personally, I'd probably rather be in a balcony room by myself than sharing one cabin with 4 other people.  

I agree, 6 people in one room 4 too many for me.  

We sit at the end of the row so we can leave when it gets too loud. I carry earplugs but sometimes it gets so loud they are no help. When you leave the theatre it takes a while to get our hearing back to normal. Kind of like when I used to work in ships engine rooms without proper hearing protection. 

50 minutes ago, leugerst said:

THey just cancelled all of the Getaway cruises from Copenhagen

. 

That’s too bad, where did you read this please. 

We have a cruise booked on the Getaway out of Copenhagen this October.  All cruises on the Getaway in October/November 2022 have disappeared from their website. Could be just a glitch. It still shows up on our account though, (for now at least) 

There is also the issue of needing a negative antigen test before visiting Canada. That would have to be done  within 24 hours. Sounds complicated if you are on the ship. It would be worth downloading the ArriveCanada app before the cruise too, at the present time it has to be completed by anyone visiting. Let’s hope these rules change in the next little while. 

We do this all the time, including boarding passes and the like. Nice to have a hard copy with you just in case. 

Not sure how the cruise lines will handle the PCR test that is required within 72 hours of visiting Victoria BC, or if the ship sails from Vancouver a test would be needed to enter Canada before sailing unless you live here. Then another PCR test within 72 hours of returning to Vancouver. Hopefully the rules change or it does not look like any fun. 

4 minutes ago, Sixtytwo said:

Could a test not be done at the airport? I understand most airports have the rapid test available.

Looking on the LAX website a rapid PCR test is $199. Not sure if you need an appointment or you can drop in. 

Very stressful for sure. We sailed on the Bliss over Christmas and were tested onboard Christmas Day at 9:00 am. Got the results at 7:45 that evening, we flew out the next day. That in itself was very stressful, can’t imagine having the test the same day as flying after suitcases are packed. We worried about if one of us tested positive and the spouse had to fly home alone. Not worth the stress and effort for us to travel out of Canada right now. I wrote in another post as to what happens when the Alaska seasons opens up. Sailing out of Vancouver and especially the return testing could be a nightmare. How about any stops in Victoria on Vancouver Island how are we going to handle that. Maybe it’s time to rethink the PCR test? 

3 hours ago, Yo Adrienne said:

Yes, I asked in another forum whether the Canadian ports did reopen as they were supposed to back in November (even though the cruise season for 2021 had ended and the 2022 season hasn't begun yet)...and a person responded that they did open. 

 

That being said, I wonder if they'll have to do a waiver again...just cause of the volume of ships/passengers that come through Victoria to satisfy that current required stop. 

That would be the likely solution I would think.  It is not that easy to visit here or for Canadians to return from a trip. We have to download the  "arrive Canada app" and fill in a questionnaire as well as taking a PCR test within 72 hours of arrival. Then at the airport in Vancouver BC a monitored home test was issued to us and had to be returned within 24 hours. This traveling is not for the faint of heart right now, lets hope things calm down in the next few months.