graphicguy

Famous? Hardly! Infamous? Most definitely! That was one of my fave cruises!

Having sailed NCL recently, more than a couple of times, clearing the ship and disembarking has been quick and easy. Only real issues I’ve had has been out of the Manhattan terminal. Not sure if that’s an NCL issue or a port issue, however. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Galveston. And, it was for work. I ended up staying by the seawall, which was kind of fun. But, I don’t recall any cruise ships being there at the time.

I know that Carnival and Royal have berths at the Galveston Port, but not sure where the NCL Prima docks. Does Carnival/Royal share? Is Prima the only NCL ship sailing out of Galveston?

Goal is to dine at Peter Luger..eventually!!!

Does anyone have a pic of the Haven Embarkation Lounge in Galveston? Looking very seriously at a Prima Haven cruise sailing from there.

AMEN! On NCL, if you dine on a ship with outdoor seating at a specialty restaurant (Waterfront), you don’t even have to wear long pants (for men) if you dine al fresco. That’s something I always take advantage of. Planning to book a Prima cruise early 2024 using CN certs. Looking for an easy embarkation-disembarkation. So, looking at Caribbean ports out of Galveston. But, although the days should be warm, the nites will be cool, at least in Galveston. Thinking shorts and short sleeves all the way, maybe wear a hoodie to the airport. One pair of tennis shoes and a pair of Crocs. Easy overhead roll aboard and back pack trip. Fingers crossed, I can get the rollaboard weight to under 30 lbs. Hoping to pull the trigger today.

Have read a bunch of dress threads over the years. This is the first time I’ve seen a poster call others names (great undressed?)!

Man…I so look forward to these threads. Here’s the deal, probably with most mainstream lines these days….. No one cares how you dress. If you want to dress in resort wear? It’s a cruise. No issues. I you want to dress in a tux/gown? Again, no issues. Personally, packing less, not more, where you don’t need to pack dress up clothes, is a blessing. Less luggage to schlep around getting on, off, around airports, ports, etc is a good thing. If anyone cares what you wear, those are probably not people who I’d want to hang with anyway. Have told this story before…… Was walking down the stairs of the Atrium when my GF and I saw a couple setting up to get their pictures taken on the stairs. We decided to hang back so they could get the pics done, when the lady announced to the photographer and her husband, quite loudly, how we (GF and I) RUINED the ambiance of THEIR cruise. In brief, we were little more than “background” for their cruise. I grabbed my GF’s hand and proceeded to walk down the stairs right between the couple while announcing I din’t want to be on the stairs with these people ruining our cruise. Just quit. Dress how you want. I promise I won’t care. And, I don’t care that you care.

Just disembarked the Epic a couple of weeks ago. She looked in good condition to me. Matter of fact, I had sailed her a dozen years ago before this last sailing. Felt she was kept in great shape! Went to BURN THE FLOOR and Beatles shows. All were excellent. Smaller shows in the Atrium and different bars were all fun and great entertainers. Never felt any lack of entertainment. I’d sail her again without hesitation!

Yeah…wasn’t aware of that at the time! Sometimes I get so into the weeds when shopping for fares, I lose out on some fares and cabin categories I wished I had booked when I go back later to book them.

Best steak I’ve ever eaten…anywhere! Cagney’s is fine. But, not close to the best I’ve had. https://www.jeffruby.com/cincinnati

Generally speaking, they aren’t!

So, this just happened. Looking to get in on the current promo of using 2 Cruise Next certificates. Had my sites on a particular cruise, ship, cabin while I was perusing last night. Found one I really liked, fare was good, etc. Called me TA this a.m. to book it. Not only is the cabin no longer available, the entire category is sold out. C’est la vie!

For all intents and purposes, you’d be cancelling your current cabin and rebooking on the other one. So yes, you’d pick from the available cabins available at the time just like a new booking. Obviously, a GTY cabin doesn’t net you the ability to choose your own cabin. So, by default, cancelling it for something where you pick your own cabin is going to cost more, too.

I don’t think the fare will be any different if you call or book on line. Just a word of caution, I’ve found over time, the time to book a fare you like is when you find it. I’ve waited for more price drops, which rarely has happened. Not saying it’s never happened, because it has. But, the vast majority of the time when I’ve waited, the fare has gone up, or my preferred cabin category has sold out. Bidding is a whole other thing. I can count on one hand those who have secured a better deal by going through the bidding process, and still have fingers left over. Nothing wrong with bidding. Just make sure you book something you’re happy with given the likelihood of winning an upgrade via bidding doesn’t pan out. I’ve done it. I’ve always bid a couple of categories above what I’ve booked. And, I’ve always bid an amount that netted me a good deal (usually on the high side of “poor”). Never won, so nothing ventured nothing gained, given I already had a cabin I knew I’d like. If you’re positive you want to upgrade, and the fare is agreeable, do it. I know way too many people (me included) that waited around for more priced drops and never got what I wanted as a result.

I’m in the minority here, but I’ve not had much luck in LeBistro. I’ve had their Coqauvin which was WAY TOO SALTY. Had their Lobster Thermidor where the Lobster was tough and drenched in a sauce that was “broken” which turned it into a greasy mess. Their steak wasn’t bad, but not better than what I had at Cagney’s. I do like their French Onion Soup, though. Personally, I’d pick Cagney’s. It’s a bigger restaurant. Too noisy? I don’t know. I don’t think I ever noticed.

If pricing changes at all, it’s with a TA, who may have a block of rooms they bought or their ability to throw out some OBC or fare discount that comes out of their commission. NCL PCCs don’t have that sort of discretionary ability. Moreover, NCL PCCs don’t have access to perks that some of the credit card companies offer (like AMEX Platinum or Sapphire Visa Reserve). The biggest gating factor on fares is itinerary, ship, cabin type, availability of cabins, time of year. Same goes for upgrades. If any are available, have your PCC or TA price them out….call or email, either way. IF there’s a difference between the two, I would double and triple check to make sure no error was made.

Yeah…now I’m in serious shopping for my next cruise mode. Nothing like putting a deadline on it!

I keep finding more pics....

Love Celebrity’s Retreat….very similar between Haven and Retreat. Can’t go wrong either way. Be willing to answer questions as I’ve sailed both.

Henry....Beginning to become accustomed to the "new" way of finding good NCL fares.....use Cruise Next and Cruise First certs. Using one of each, nets a $400 discount, at minimum (following their Ts and Cs). Sometimes they let us double up. Keeping an eye on fares is still a "hobby" I regularly (as in daily) participate in. It's a "goal" for me to book Balcony Cabins for $1,500 (or less) on 7 day cruises. Sometimes I'm even able to book Club Balcony Cabins for that (or less). Best I had found was an $800 cabin last year about this time for a NE/Canada 7 nite sailing. Finding some Haven Cabins that are attractive, too.....right around $4K, w/FAS, all in. Use CN and CF certs, that puts the fares right around $3,600. Sales?.....I just don't look at those as they are just a regurgitation of the sales NCL seems to (re) use over and over. Joy seems to be a ship that NCL doesn't seem to know what to do with. I know it didn't work for its original market and was retrofitted. But, it can't seem to "find a home".

As mentioned, occupancy rates must have been lagging. Nice find. Be curious whether fares continued to drop. because of a glut of availability? I've not found much difference in any alleged Black Friday "sales", though. January is a slow month past the New Year's hoopla. I'm looking at Jan/Feb cruises now. Prices are really good. No special "sales" other than what NCL always runs. Side note, I found a Celebrity Cruise that had a price drop of over $2K a couple of years, ago. Best I ever found.