udivegirl

Perfect!  Thank you all so much!  

Does anyone have a recommendation for a hotel for 1 night stay after disembarking in Brisbane? We would like to be able to walk to restaurants and a little sightseeing.  I did a search on the forum and didn't really get any answers other than 1 near the airport.  It doesn't have to be near the airport but not too far either.  Preferably middle-of-the-road pricing.  

Thank you so much!

Thank you all!

Hello,

My best friend and I will be cruising out of Brisbane in November.  Our first time to AUS.  We are wondering which port to do the GBR snorkel excursion, Port Douglas or Cairns?  Does anyone know the difference between the two tours?  Do they use the same platform?  If not, is the reef healthier at one location versus the other?  Which one has more fish life?  Do they both feed the fish (which I hate)?   Hoping to see clown fish 🙂  We are experienced snorkelers and one of us scuba dives.  The less people the better, although I imagine they will both be pretty busy.

Thank you for any info you can share.

Completely agree, Bowlinmoe!  You are not the only one who noticed this.  The first time on the Joy was so disappointing because of it.  The biggest issue we had was whenever we went to the shore excursion desk or Guest Services, we couldn't hear the people at the desk.  It was so loud.  They got so frustrated, as did we.  And there were so many people standing around, it was hard to get to Guest Services.  Same thing on the Encore (which we really liked except for the Atrium). I think holding some of the less busy activities there works fine, but with the more popular ones it's such a zoo.  We will just avoid the atrium altogether if we ever sail on that class again or stick to the Jewel class. 

It sounds like the Prima/Viva may have eliminated the atrium annoyance with a better design.  We have a trip booked on it, so we will see.  Sail on!  😄  

We have stayed in it.  It is our favorite Haven room by far.  You will love it!  The balconies are so nice!!  I can't think of any cons at all.

We liked it a lot.  The ribs fell off the bone.  The chicken was also super tender.  We had the platter.  There was so much food, we could only eat a fraction of it.  I was disappointed in the cornbread.  I don't like jalapeno in my cornbread.  Also did not like the beans.  But we couldn't eat much of the sides because we were too full.  The desserts were delish!!

We have never had to pay the difference on our winning bids.

On 7/4/2022 at 8:49 PM, Aquahound said:

Venice.  Most beautiful sailaway I've ever seen.  Although, those days are over.  😢 

Ditto!

Also, YouTube has great videos on packing with and without cubes.  You can decide for yourself.  They challenge people to pack as many items into their bags without using cubes vs. with cubes.  

Those who have never tried it, have no clue.

The were a game changer for me.  They keep things organized, you can cram more in, and nothing will fall out if TSA inspects your bags.  You're actually able to pack more just from the organization and compression.  

Samantha Brown's packing cubes are my favorite.  The walls of the cubes are sturdy enough to stand upright when empty.  (Flimsy ones are a pain to pack.)  They are also great quality, have good zippers, and also have handles.  They have a see-through plastic top so you can see what's in them and contents will be protected from liquids.  A lot of the ones I've purchased on Amazon are too flimsy.

The first time I ate there was with a friend on the Joy and it wasn't good at all.  The second time was with my husband and he really wanted BBQ, so I decided to try it again and it was wonderful.  That was on the Encore last September.   

We sailed on our first RCI cruise to the Baltic and were disappointed in the food. I expected it to be a little better based on comments on this forum, but it wasn't. NCL isn't anything to brag about but I give the edge to NCL.  Princess was better than both the last time we sailed with them.  

Where do we sign up for the Escape Room?

18 hours ago, hallux said:

When I flew Delta on a ticket bought by NCL using the Free-At-Sea perk at the time I was absolutely able to select my seat at no extra charge, several weeks before the cruise (as soon as I had my confirmation number from NCL).  Maybe Delta's policies have changed since 2019?

NCL obviously booked you in the main cabin.  That's a good thing. 

Policies are still the same.  Basic Economy on Delta you don't get to select a seat.  It is assigned at check-in.  (No fee, just no assigned seat until check-in.  My mistake on that.  Other airlines charge for seat selection.)  Main Cabin you do get to select your seats with no charge.

8 hours ago, Yo Adrienne said:

And how did it go for you...?  Did the process flow more smoothly than others have reported...? 

I wasn't on that sailing.  Another poster reported that it had moved.  This week it was being done in a few different places.  That should help with lines, I think.

Basic Economy you have to pay for seats.  Get Main Cabin if you want to pick your seats.  (Delta)  Most airlines now have several classes.  The cheapest class will make you pay for pretty much everything and no changes allowed.

On 8/17/2021 at 6:53 PM, Yo Adrienne said:

Where did it move to...?  And is it better or worse than at the Marriott...? 

Today the testing was back at the Marriott again.

4 minutes ago, Yo Adrienne said:

Where did it move to...?  And is it better or worse than at the Marriott...? 

At the International Convention Center next to the pier

13 minutes ago, poly3503 said:

How was testing at the Marriott? Was it as bad as last week?

They moved the testing location.  It's not at the Marriott anymore.

2 hours ago, apye213 said:

Hi! We are on the Sept. 4 Encore sailing and it will be our first trip to Alaska and our first cruise on NCL. We typically cruise Disney but are trying to branch out. I have a question about how our trip may be affected by this docking location.

 

We are booked on NCL excursions. I assume they will bus us from the pier to the excursion location. However, will they drop us off afterwards in town for exploration? and if so, will we have to pay? Thank you!

Based on a post from someone that just got off the Encore, no, they will not drop you off. They have in the past but not this time around.  More than likely you won't have time to go back and explore since it takes 20-30 minutes each way.

This is really disappointing.  All 3 port dockings  are located out of town on our Alaskan cruise and require the ship's shuttle.  I would have booked a different cruise line had I know this.

Are there taxis at the new pier in Ketchikan?

11 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

So, there is a walking “trail” between the Wilderness Landing and the Adventure Landing (the old cruise dock). The trail is not paved and it is a bit hilly. On the day we were there, it was raining the the trail was a bit muddy and slippery on spots. 

 

This will be perfect! It's all we need.  Thank you

14 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

NCL shore excursions pick up at the port in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. There are no roads to the Wilderness Landing in Icy Strait, so you need to catch the gondola to the main cruise port. 

Is there a walkable path/trail at least at Icy Strait to Wilderness Landing?  I know for a fact my mom will not get on that tram.  She's deathly afraid of anything elevated.

So discouraged by the docking situations and distance to towns.