ellenw

No, they don't. What ports are you going to? So many of the ports we have been to recently (Canada and Europe) are pretty much cashless. Just use a credit card that does not have foreign transaction fees. You can also use an ATM off the ship to get cash. We have a Schwab account that refunds all ATM fees. Enjoy your travels!

You won't get a report back from me on the Mail Boat Run. Unfortunately, the 5 day Bermuda cruise on the Joy before our Sept 4 departure had to spend an extra night in Bermuda waiting for the weather to clear. So, they aren't arriving back in NY until Tuesday, Sept 5. We will board on the 5th, but they eliminated both the Boston and Portland stops. Bummer. But we still get to cruise! Glad someone else was able to post their experience.

Just got a text from NCL that we go Tuesday. Said we will be getting an email.

For every lucky person, there is an unlucky one. We are supposed to be getting on the ship Monday morning! At least I am at home. We are about 2 1/2 to 3 hours from the port, and will use a shuttle service to get there. Will be contacting them in the morning to reschedule. I feel so bad for the folks that have traveled to NYC for the Monday departure and are staying in hotels. They will need to make arrangements for another night. I hope next time this happens to a trip of mine, I am on the end that gets the extra day. And I truly hope that the folks getting the extra day are having a great time. Hope their sail home isn't too rough.

My DH doesn't "do shows". But, we somehow talked him into trying Choir of Man. Made sure he had the end seat so he could leave if he wanted. Not only did he enjoy it immensely, he insisted we go again on the second leg of our B2B!

We did a Mediterranean on Escape last year. Loved it! There is no observation lounge, but a great ship. And great crew! Spent so much time at the outside areas. The outside Syd Norman's bar with Sophia was my favorite! She is a hoot. Book it!

Thank you for bringing back all these memories from our trip last year. It is just so spectacular!

PhillyTravelBug, don't mean to hijack! We stayed at the Center Hotel Laugavegur in Reykjavik after our cruise. Lovely hotel with a delicious included breakfast. There is a food hall a block away that had great offerings. Walkable to all the main sights. Enjoy your planning.

Great review and photos. Thanks! We did an Iceland/Norway cruise last summer. Some of the reviews I read mentioned how bad the bugs can be. So I hit up Amazon for the netting you can put over your head. They are now with my other travel stuff, unopened! We were blessed with no bugs. Hope it is better for you in other ports. It is just spectacular country.

OMG! You are so right about the door slamming. My morning every day was going to the lounge early, probably 6 or 6:30 (early riser, just can't help it). Rimsa would see me and get my cappuccino. i would sit watching sail in. Other folks would come in and say good morning. Then watch sail in. Then someone would come in that treated it like happy hour. "Where are your from?" "Here's what I did before I retired". At the TOP OF THEIR LUNGS!. For the love of God, it's 6:30. Shut up! First world problems?

Norway is amazing. Such a beautiful country!

OMG! Those switchbacks. So amazing. How do those drivers do it? We were blessed with great weather. So glad it cleared for you.

You will love Viking!

Oh, that's right! Sunset means the sun had gone below the horizon. Then pops back up in no time! Doesn't get dark. Again, a great memory. Thanks

What fun! You brought back a great memory from when we became blue nose society members last July on Jupiter. You mention in another post about how strange it is to be light so late. I think we made it to sunset once. It may have been at midnight or later. I told my friends at home that is was just always light. Light when I got up and light when I went to bed. Thanks for this memory and the great report.

I will let you know how we make out. Will try to post while we are still cruising, but no guarantees! You know how time gets away from you when cruising.

We are on the Joy out of NY on 9/4/23. We will be in Portland on Wednesday, 9/6. Planning on doing the 10:00 Mail Run.

All NCL ships have one of their main restaurants open for lunch on embarkation day. It will be either Savor or Taste. It is a great way to start your cruise!

Been trying to access that link. Keep getting a message that it can't be viewed from my location (Northeast PA). Any ideas on how to resolve this? Thanks.

I have never used my Amex card for payment on a cruise prior to getting the offer for a statement credit. I made the required payment on a cruise already booked through a TA. The charge came through on my statement as NCL, not the agency I have never received this offer again, even though they have come for Celebrity. I guess it is a one and done, which makes sense. I'm US based. The offers may differ based on where you are located. Hope it works for you!

One of the things offered on NCL that I haven't encountered on RCI, Celebrity or Carnival is having a dining room open for lunch on embarkation day. That is such a great experience rather than dealing with the crowds in the buffet. Hope you like NCL and cruise them again.

I'm pretty sure the extra cost is because they get espresso from Starbucks for this drink. Ordering at the Atrium bar on Escape was easy since Starbucks was right next to them. But when I asked if they could make me one at Tobacco Road, they said they couldn't since they didn't have espresso. But this was on the second leg of a B2B where they had really gotten to know us. Next thing I knew, they sent someone to Starbucks to get the espresso! Yum. Spirit is sounding like a ship I want to try.

An incredible drink! Had my first one on an NCL Mediterranean cruise last fall. Where has it been all my life?

I contacted the company about buying tickets in advance. They said no, you just walk up. Said the boat is very big and there is always room. They are near where the cruise ships dock. We are planning on doing this for our stop there in September.

I am hyperventilating a bit thinking about only being home for one night before going off again. But, it will work! We did Iceland and Norway last summer, and it is spectacular! You will love it. And 23 days is such a wonderful long cruise. We did a B2B of 27 days last year, and I felt like I was leaving family by the end of it. Such fun. 2022 was our year of catching up on travel from all the pandemic postponements. Oh, did I hijack another thread? Sorry. Looking forward to hearing about the cruise on Sun. We have a friend that has never cruised, and we think Alaska could be a good introduction.