graphicguy

Phone cameras have become so good, I quit bringing separate camera set ups, including action cams. Sold my GoPro on “FleaBay” a little while ago. Actually, it was bought by one of the crew on a Carnival ship, as that was the shipping address. Got a very nice note from the guy who bought it. Personally, I’m in the Apple ecosystem (iMac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch). As such, I use my iPhone a lot. Had some issues on my iPhone 13 when it was under warranty. At the time, there were some stock constraints on the 13. They were going to send the 13 somewhere for repair. I explained to them that was the only phone I had. Apple Store just replaced the 13 with the 14, no charge. Apple does good customer service.

Hey…..go for it. LOL! I am by far the least fashion forward guy you’ll ever meet.

I get it. I’m sure you’ll get better shots than I will. Side story, when cruising started back up from the shutdown, I booked a really good rate on an Alaska itinerary on the Encore. I took one of the wale watching excursions. There was a guy who had all his equipment with him on the tour. I had my (then) iPhone 13. Aside from this guy being kind of a pain because he elbowed his way in front of the rest of us swinging his lenes he had over his shoulders around in the process. I’m on vacation, so I let this guy “do his thing” because there were so many wales on this excursion, if he was on the right looking for wales, there would inevitably be wale sightings on the left, where we were. And, he couldn’t get into the front because we would stand up to take pics in front of him. Anyway, as we were headed back to the pier after the excursion, we were sharing the pics we shot. I’m sure if pice were printed, his probably would look better. But in reality, I save all my pics on a digital frame. And, they looked great. Again, I understand those of you who are photographers as a hobby (or even pros). You got the nice gear. So, use it.

Have never been a T-Shirt kid of guy since I don’t wear suits anymore. I have them (maybe 3 of them). And, if I’m at a function where I need to wear a dress shirt, I’ll don one. But, that’s very rare. Depending on what the weather looks like a few days before departure, I may pack a long sleeve ribbed shirt. But, that’s as close as I come. Some of my hoodies are light weight. Some are heavier. NCL tends to keep their ships on the cool side. Plus, I’m usually inside and outside a lot, either on the balcony or the Waterfront. So, I don’t mind having a hoodie on all the time. My packing list comes as a result of experience over many cruises to both warm and cold climes. I make mental notes every time I return from a cruise as to what I did or did not use. Having laundry done on board helps to keep packing to a minimum, too. I find it’s much easier on me to only have a roll aboard and back pack. I wear what I bring. Am comfortable. May not be the most stylish guy on the ship. Then again, I’m not trying to impress anyone, either.

Interesting. I was interested until I got to the “smoking will be allowed” on what sounds like an area of the ship that’s a main feature. I have no dog in the smoking debate. But, I am treading towards sailing on ships that are restricting smoking to areas that are either enclosed as to not smell up the surrounding areas. Sounds like this they are trying to cover all passengers they can possibly wrangle in. Haven vs other “luxury” lines….agree with most. Have looked at some of the other luxury cruise lines. Usually, I can find a “deal” on the Haven which tilts the choice to NCL….sometimes by a lot, sometimes by a little. But overall, if I decide I want to go to the buffet instead of the Haven Restaurant, I can. If I want to go to the go-cart track, I can. And still, you really can’t beat the entertainment of NCL at sea, regardless of what the luxury lines offer.

Used to haul my GoPro, my Digi Nikon, and associated lenses, batteries and tripods. IPhone has become so good, it’s my sole source for vids and pics.

Y’all are a hoot! 🙂 I’m still trying to ween myself off my old beat up back pack for a new one that’s been sitting in the bullpen for the last year!

I've got my pins around here somewhere, along with my Latitude Pins. Gotta dig them up.

Check in today. -Pic taken and posted -Passport checked for expiration date (all good) and logged -Credit Card (and a back up put in my travel pouch) listed on the check in page -Travel insurance Card printed and laminated -Checked for Meet and Greet participants....it's going to be a sizable group and should be fun (still have time to sign up) -Reservation for both cruise and flight printed in addition to having the NCL and Delta app updated for redundancy 3 Weeks away from boarding. Time to keep an eye open for weather forecasts (which I'm sure will change in the next 3 weeks). I'm thinking between 30º-50º in about 3 weeks. Preliminary packing... -3 pair of khakis -3 Hoodies -1 raincoat -Boxers -Socks -1 pr tennis/hiking shoes -1 pr of Crocs (to walk around the ship) -Toiletries (on board soap and shampoo work fine for me), electric razor, meds (including hydration packets and Starbucks Instant Coffee Packets) Given I have 2 coupons for free laundry (one for staying in a Club Balcony the other for being Sapphire Latitudes) I should have clean clothes the entire cruise. Not thinking I'll make Specialty Dining Reservations until later. Still perusing the Excursions. Packing one Backpack and one Rollaboard. Checking NO luggage.

There’s really nothing you can do about his now, since you already made the switch and paid. But, there’s a pretty big difference between the Viva and “AWAY” ships. Still, the AWAY ships are quite nice. And, the Haven, regardless of Balcony size, is always a treat. You’ll have fun. You can contact NCL Customer Service and see what, if anything, they’ll do for you. But, you’re in a nice cabin in the nicest part of the ship. It’s just a different ship from the Viva (vs Breakaway and Getaway, which are nearly identical).

I’d venture to say anyone who pays $20K for a Suite on any cruise ship answers the question of the wealth (or lack thereof) of the person who booked it.

If I had to guess, they are more worried about those cheap fans that are of dubious electrical build quality and likely to overheat.

Just a quick comment on the staffing. I get why staff might be thin. People were laid off because the ships weren’t sailing. Some of them (most of them) had to find other jobs and didn’t come back. Some were “right sized”. Probably some that were at the upper tier of their salary range were let go for no other reason than they made more than what a new hire costs. Is it a good thing? No, absolutely not. But, those of us who cruise a lot may know the reason for all of this. But, “Janey and Joey normal cruisers” probably don’t know that. All they know is they’re waiting for someone to bring them the Margarita they ordered 30 minutes ago, and they didn’t get it. Or, they’re waiting for the first course of their dinner in the MDR, and it’s net coming any time, soon. Cut backs were bound to happen. Not planning for them and not minimizing disruptions are all on NCL Execs.

Why is this unusual? I don’t think many actually pay $20K for a suite, if any. If you’re a smart cruiser, you certainly won’t. You might bid (and win) for that suite. But, I know of no one who spent $20K for a Suite on a Cruise Ship. I think age has something to do with it. I don’t consider myself “old” but I did retire at 62, which was considered too young to retire not that long ago. I put my son through a private Jesuit High School and paid for his college degree so he (nor I) would have to take on debt. Took advantage of Ohio College Investment Credits. If he wanted to go out of state, he could, on his dime. He stayed on Ohio. I sail in suites every chance I get. The money to do that came over a long period of time and a couple of lucky breaks here and there buying some nice upside stocks. I was also an equity owner in a successful tech start up, which we sold before the tech bubble burst. I didn’t buy BMWs or Mercedes when I was younger. I always drove Hondas…still do (although I do have a Cobra Convertible that I’ve owned for many, many years). I didn’t “flip” houses and get caught with my pants down when that was the popular thing to do. Been in my home for 28 years. Had it built. It’s been paid off for a while. Stayed in it and updated it instead of buying/building something else. It’s probably more than I need these days, but 28 years is a long time and I don’t feel like packing up all my “stuff”. I could probably sell it today and buy a nice chalet in a nice area of Europe. As part of my equity start up, my (now ex) wife had to sign a pre-nup, so she wouldn’t have access to the company stock if something happened. Well, something did happen. Easy to do at the time as it was worth nothing so she gave no pushback. But, that saved me later on when she left. I’m debt free. I put money aside using some of the gov’t incentives to invest (e.g. Roth IRAs) for many years for this exact time in my life. Aside from the start up (which I was young enough I could have recovered if they went belly up), I didn’t make risky investments. Played the stocks only with money I could afford to lose. Any vacations we took were done by car, to places like Gatlinburg, Indianapolis Children’s Museum, Nashville, Camping at Natural Bridge, Cade’s Cove, etc. None of them were sexy destinations but they were cheap and we still had times we’ll always fondly remember. Does that make me rich? Yeah…I guess so. Not necessarily with money, though.

My guess would be they'd charge you for breaking the hair dryer if you did that. Not sure about this, but I think the hair dryers in the cabins are made to NCL's specifications. Probably true of all cruise lines that have them in their cabins.

I’ve flown over 2M miles so far, on a variety of airlines for work and pleasure. Never, ever will I fly those I mentioned again. I’ve seen where NCL will use the cheapest fares on the cheapest airlines. I get what they’re doing. That’s OK….they are booking what costs the least. You want their “perk”? You have to put up with everything that goes along with it. It just isn’t worth the aggravation. My time and peace of mind is worth more than putting up with those airlines’ BS. I go out of CVG, DAY, and sometimes CMH. These days, it’s mostly Delta. But, before I retired, my company’s travel dept did the same thing….booked me on the cheapest flights on those cheap airlines. That’s all well and good, until you start to factor in the delays, layovers, etc they caused. Then, productivity dropped precipitously and turns out what looked good on paper, resulted in missed meetings, reschedules, etc. Not such a good deal after all. Delta has had their foibles with me, too. But, they are the best of the worst.

Yeah.....I looked into that. But, I like having control of my flights. That way I can book what I want, when I want, on the schedule I want, and have control if something goes sideways. Add to that, I refuse to fly Spirit, Frontier, or American. Way too many bad experiences with all of them. And it seems NCL tries to book a lot of flights on those airlines.

Hey....as you can see, you'll get a lot of opinions. I've been on both a balcony and a Club Balcony on both "-Away" ships. You get a one time free laundry service, a bottle of some sort of wine/sparkling wine (not sure which, as I'm not a wine person). Not sure if they still do this, but you either get some chocolate covered strawberries. The Bathroom is bigger and the shower is nicer, too. Specialty Dining...first time NCL-er? I'd do Teppenyaki and Ocean Blue. The NOODLES venue is excellent and "no charge" for those times you don't want to go to the MDR or the Buffet and don't want to drop coin for an extra charge venue. Can't help you on NCL flights. I book my own. I am a solo traveler (mostly) so the air fare perk has little interest to me. Bottled/Carton Water is a "thing" for some. Not for me. The filtering system on board the ship is probably more sophisticated than what's been used for the bottles/cartons of water. So, while the bottled water is not included in the drink package, I don't think it's necessary. DO NOT MISS THE GROUP IN SYD NORMAN'S. Get in line at least 30 minutes early. They do a different set 3X...all are great. Try the outside bars along the Waterfront. They are usually less crowded than the inside bars, and you always have a view of the outside with the breeze in your hair. Have fun. Sounds like a wonderful cruise. PS-I've also sailed Celebrity and Royal. You'll like NCL.

Any time there's a new ship from ANY cruise line, there is a bit of hand wringing, especially if the new ship is significantly different than what their past frequent cruisers are used to. I think that's what you're seeing. I saw the same when Royal first sailed the Oasis. Personally, I like new and different. The Prima is smaller than the Breakaway ships NCL has recently launched. Plus, instead of having traditional Buffet types of dining areas, it's broken up into smaller, more geographical centric food areas. Some people want Traditional Main Dining Rooms or Buffets that mirror what they're used to. The person who had a comprehensive review of the Prima is a respected poster here. You can find his take here..... I have sailed the GEM, which is nearly identical to the Jewel. Nice ship....older, but nice, nevertheless. It will be more traditional than the Prima. If you want traditional, that's the way to do.

^^^^^^^^ I need a good "chortle" today! LOL!

The Haven Bartender did just that. Of course, the "white glove treatment" was lost on the overly happy participants. There are those who love Pappy VanWinkel Bourbon. It's expensive, if you can find it. Is it better than the run of the mill Buffalo Trace Bourbon that I like? They are distilled at the same company. A little different tasting? Yes! Better? No! Jefferson Reserve is a very nice bourbon, too. They have barrels that were "matured" on ships, at sea. Allegedly, the salt water and the slight rocking of the ships helped make the bourbon taste better. It doesn't. But, boy do the bourbon "snobs" claim it is better. Of course, the bottles of those that have been at sea cost more than regular old Jefferson Reserve. But, people will pay more for the story that goes with them. Same for Louis XIII. You're paying for the story. Not the taste.

It’s been a while, but when my son was young, we (tried) to use walkie-talkies on a ship (I think it was the Carnival Conquest) to stay in touch. Didn’t work very well, mainly because the ship is one big metal interference icon. Even on the outside decks, it wasn’t very effective. But, give it a shot. The worst that can happen is it doesn’t work very well. Eventually, you have to meet up, as you’re limited on where you can go on a ship. Personally, I’ve had great success using WiFi calling on ships. I use an iPhone and always get the top WiFi package the ship has to offer. EDIT…just re-read the OP’s 1st post. I didn’t know walkie-talkies were no longer allowed. All the most reason to use ship’s WiFi and your cell phone.

If you have time, a few of my faves worth a visit that’s close to where you’re staying… https://pompilios.com/ https://deefelicecafe.com/ https://www.newberrybroscoffee.com/

Yay…welcome. So sorry to hear that the visit is for such a sad occasion. Opening Day is tomorrow. The city literally shuts down for the first day of the Reds season (although they aren’t very good….but the Bengals are great). Hope you don’t get caught in the parades and hoopla. But, if you do, make the best of it. It’s a fun time. Have done the Bourbon Trail in the past. Last time, before the COVID shutdown. Need to do it again. Hopefully, will go this summer, keep traveling to the Corvette Museum for a visit, which isn’t far from some of the Distilleries. Tough, given the circumstances, but enjoy your stay.

Been in every cabin from solo cabin, to inside, to a Balcony to an Aft Suite, to the Haven. Sailed on 6 (7 next month) of her ships. It just works for me with NCL. I have yet to see one of those bidding fares that were won to be any sort of a “deal”. So, I do not participate. If I want a specific category of cabin, and it’s reasonable, I book it. I have found some really good Haven deals in the past. Just have to be diligent with shopping. Am glad NCL and the rest of the cruise industry sees the light at the end of the tunnel. NCL will be fine. It’s going to take a while, but they’ll end up fine.