travelhound

I ended up getting offsite parking at the Dania Casino. It can be reserved, ie, guaranteed. I figured we'd do the port and if that was a problem, we'd go to the park n ride, but that is already full, as are other off site locations. They have a shuttle to and from the fenced in parking. Just seemed like one less thing to worry about. Daleed, we are also leaving on the 22nd. Have fun!

I would like to know that too. Christmas will be our 41st cruise but the first as a local Floridian driving to the port. We've always come in a taxi or uber from a hotel or the airport. 

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

That's interesting, but inaccurate. On a recent cruise, some restaurants were sold out for the duration of the cruise 30 minutes into embarkation... which would have more than 25% sold pre-cruise. 

Haha. That's why I never really believe anything from chats or even calling NCL..

I'm glad to know you enjoyed Los Lobos. Maybe that's enough to just leave our reservations as is. 

I did a quick chat on the NCL website and they said I would have to wait until boarding to make Moderno and not be charged. They also said only 25% of reservations are available prior to boarding.  I just made Los Lobos and La Cucina for now. Maybe we'll keep it that way. We been to Moderno many times and Lobos is new for us.

On 8/8/2022 at 7:49 AM, BermudaBound2014 said:

NCL is leading the entire industry in removing vaccine requirements for cruisers!!

 

This is huge news. MUCH bigger than just removing pre-testing (although the unvaccinated will need still to be tested for the time being, this too shall pass). Since only 67% of the United States is vaccinated, this move give NCL a real competitive edge in the industry. The other cruise lines will follow in removing their vaccine requirements too, but for the time being NCL is the only line to allow 100% unvaccinated. 

 

 

 

Of course, passengers will still need to follow the rules of the foreign ports they visit. I believe Spain is the only port in the EU with any covid protocols. I also believe Canada and Bermuda still require vaccination and testing. Rumor has it Grand Caymen has removed all covid protocols but I haven't been able to confirm that yet.

 

I know this sentiment won't be shared by all, but IMO What a glorious day for NCL!! 

 

https://www.ncl.com/sail-safe

NCL leads the way 👍

8 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

My opinion is that all covid protocols will be eliminated sooner rather than later. Changes will likely be phased in. Cruise lines are starting with 5 days for pre-testing and 10-20% unvaccinated. I suspect they are now collecting data on how fewer protocols effect bookings. Based on Travel Agent central, the number of bookings for 4-5 nights increased dramatically with the reduction of pre-testing. Of course, lots of factors can manipulate booking data so we need to be cautious there.

 

It maybe a bit before world cruises are included, but the trend is definitely moving away from ANY covid protocol, not just pre-testing.

👍

8 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

More information was revealed today regarding RCL timeline for removing pre-testing. Looks like they are shooting for 45 days which would be sometime in September. Of course, ports have a say in the decision but the trend is positively moving toward ports reducing covid protocols and I suspect that those ports which depend on the cruise industry dollars will be the first to accommodate 😉 

 

 

https://www.thestreet.com/investing/royal-caribbean-ceo-hint-when-fully-drop-covid-testing

It will not be much longer before all the cruise lines will be forced to reduce these ridiculous protocols 🙂

23 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

For those interested here is RCL's official press release on the change in pre-testing protocols. Notice at the bottom how they are transitioning to the point where 'everyone can travel with us" 🙂 🙂 

 

 

 

👍

On 7/30/2022 at 3:08 PM, vince_g said:

I just read yesterday that Virgin Voyages is removing the pre-testing requirement, because the CDC ended their cruise ship guidance program last week.  It also states that effective August 8th Royal Caribbean will remove pre-testing for cruises of 6 nights or less.  It went on to say that 30-45 days after that they expect to remove the pre-testing requirement from all voyages.

 

I would expect that Carnival is going to jump onboard with that, and I think NCL will join them at that point.  No pre-testing requirement will be seen as a strategic advantage, and as we have seen time after time, once one line does something, they all seem to fall in line.  Ju

 

Hoping NCL removes the requirement by my October 15th Prima cruise!

👍

On 7/25/2022 at 10:26 AM, Shellbelle28 said:

For all the past cruises I've been on, I've participated in a roll call. Most have been lively, or at least had three or four active discussion participants and a lot of lurkers. For the last several, I've been the organizer of an on-board meetup. The last cruise, in October of 2021, for the Bliss's first sailing after shutdown, we had a pretty big meet and mingle. 

I'm on a sailing on the Sun in Alaska next month and there are only about 5 posts in our roll call and half are probably mine! Is it just the sailing I'm on, or are roll calls just not active any more? I know a lot of people are on other social media platforms, has that killed the Cruise Critic roll call?

We have been to many well organized Cruise Critic meetups on ships in the past.  Unfortunately I think the demographics have changed significantly and many people don't want to socialize in that way anymore.

On 7/25/2022 at 12:10 PM, LGW59 said:

I also believe as the cruising demographics are starting to trend younger (FYI I am 62 and still like the roll calls) FB et al, are their go to media choices.  Just a tad more freedom there... 

Yup, no moderation on FB.

5 hours ago, markkw07 said:

Yea, kinda have to agree with Scooter6139. 

 

This means nothing on an NCL cruise. Unless you are just trying to post that some cruise lines have stopped the pre-testing. 

 

Appreciate it, and for anyone going on an Azamara cruise, that's helpful!

 

 

Its absolutely relevant to NCL. Competition will force all cruise lines to accept the reality of daily life and will be forced to stop the testing.  

6 hours ago, scooter6139 said:

Thanks, but this is the NCL forum, not Azamara.

It's absolutely related to NCL, because it's a crack in the dam.  It will not be long before most other lines will have to follow 🙂

Good News!

https://www.azamara.com/discover/what-they-say/azamara-cruise-news/azamara-announces-removal-its-embarkation-covid-19

This is sad. I'm sorry you won't be in Skagway. We were just there on Discovery less than two weeks ago and took the train. You could see how anything could happen with that hill without warning. It would be devastating if it happened because the Princess ship is right under it. I think Sitka is a better alternative than Icy Point Strait, but that doesn't make up for the disappointment. I'm sure the city did not make this decision lightly. There is still so much to enjoy and Discovery is beautiful...so have a great cruise!

I think it was supposed to be "queue" - meaning a line.

We just got off Discovery last week. It's a beautiful ship. The pps are correct about arrival times meaning nothing. We had 12-12:30 and arrived then. We took an Uber from our hotel and they had to drop us off way out in the parking lot. It's a bit of a hike or they have little shuttles. If I had to do it again, I'd take a taxi because they can go right up to the line. Be prepared for a long line before you even get to a lounge. We were on RCCL in March out of Miami and basically couldn't get our documents out fast enough for how quickly the line moved. This was not the case in Seattle. Many long lines and when you think you're there, there is another line. But all in all, it wasn't hours of waiting. I think we were on about 1. You do need the ArriveCan and they will hound you for it if you don't do it before boarding. Frankly, I'm surprised they let anyone on without filling it out, but they were asking for some people to still fill it out while we were onboard. We didn't get off in Victoria, but we still needed to submit it.

It was a great cruise and I'm sure you'll have a fantastic week. Happy sailing.

SeaShark - Clearly you've never had a child in the current kids' clubs. They don't think of them as daycare. It's a time to meet up with friends and do "kid" activities, some silly and some educational. Princess partners with Discovery and some of their programming is about the ports we were visiting. In Alaska, as a family, we ate every meal together - including dressing for dining room dinner each night - went on excursions in every port, played trivia and participated in other onboard silliness, played at the pool, and spent four days in Seattle together 24/7. I'd hardly say we didn't spend our vacation together. But, those times our daughter spent with her newfound friends, her peers, were special to her and added to the overall experience of the trip. They also talked about what they saw at the glacier or whale watching in their own language and at their own maturity level, which cements the experience in their minds. I find your judgmental comments to be based on an incorrect, preconceived notion of what the kids' club is to younger sailors.

For the people that think it's a place to dump the kid, you must not have ever had a child in the club. Maybe some people use it that way, but for my daughter, who is an only child, it's what makes cruising extra special for her. We were just on Discovery Princess to Alaska and she met 16 new "friends" (she counted them) that she interacted with on excursions, at the pool, and has even played games with this week online. So it's not just disappointed parents. If I had to tell my kid there was no kids club after she was looking forward to it, that would be paramount to telling other people there are no bartenders for the week. So don't be too quick to judge. I wouldn't have stormed the kids' club or anything, but it would have felt a little bait and switch. And if it is because the staff is sick, NCL should be upfront about it. That's easier to understand than "unforeseen circumstances". That seems to be the excuse for everything now. Just be upfront. You don't have the staff.

We've been on plenty of vacations where our daughter is with us 24/7 and we know that's what it's going to be before we leave and we're all fine with it. Cruising it just one where she expects she can get away from us once in a while. 

This is very disappointing and I'm wondering if this restriction is fleet wide. We were on RCCL in March and Princess last week and our 11 year old could spent as much time as she wanted in the club without signing up.  I was surprised when I read they weren't open during spring break. They need to figure this out. It's our daughter's favorite thing about cruising. We have NCL booked for next March and hope I don't regret it. I'm so sorry you had such a frustrating and unsatisfying experience.

We were on the July 10th sailing. They had production shows on the formal nights and those are the only ones we attended. However, the performers in those shows were the most talented I've seen on any of our 35 cruises. Even the dancers were mic'd for singing and contributed to the shows. The first one is called Spotlight Bar and I liked that the best, but the other one, Rock Opera, was also very good. That's where you really see the depth of talent. The other nights were a Vegas style singing show and magic. There is also quite a bit of daytime programming, much more than a Caribbean or European cruise.  

Our cruise was fantastic and Discovery is beautiful. The crew was awesome, even with a pretty full ship, about 3500. The only downside of our port selection was Dawes Glacier. Got down Endicott Arm but too much ice to get to the glacier. Our previous Alaska cruise went to Glacier Bay and I can see why that is the preferred route.

Have fun!

23 hours ago, oteixeira said:

And another (not so big) line follows Virgin:

https://cruiseradio.net/margaritaville-at-sea-removes-pre-cruise-testing/

 

 

👍

5 hours ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

My money would be on testing going away but vaccination requirements staying around for now. 

 

I am also looking forward to crew masking going away.

👍

7 hours ago, knitdiva said:

Virgin cruise lines dropping all testing https://porthole.com/virgin-voyages-removes-pre-cruise-covid-testing/

Sounds like we may have to consider sailing on Virgin👍