rjm11

I fondly remember our Sept cruise to Alaska back in 2010 because of the weather that looked like that. I loved it! I found it so soothing and cozy. I've been back to AK several times since and still think about sitting in the spa area on the Pearl, watching the rain and the whales.

I just double checked- Opus One Blend is $375 on the NCL menu. With 40% off, that's $225, with gratuity it's $270. Not bad for that bottle.

18 hours ago, js said:

Hi. 
 

They had Opus One and you were able to get 40% off? I may just purchase the bottle unless it was already considerably inflated. 
 

Thank you. 

Yes- this was June on the Bliss. It was of course inflated, but with the 40% off it was back down to close to retail- maybe around $300? I can't remember exactly. And they do add the 20% gratuity. Still not a bad price if you're into those things.

22 hours ago, J&Bsail said:

Do the speciality resturants use the same Wine menu (premium Plus) as the MDR (wine menu - MDR @BirdTravels)?  Added averqge retail US price.

 

Ship   Premium Plus Wine list from @BirdTravels                           Ship      Retail
Bin #  SPARKLING & WHITE                                                                Price
119    Most & Chandon BRUT "Impérial" Champagne, France          $85    $42.76
128    Perrier-Jouét BRUT "Grand Brut” Epernay                                 $75    $41.99
           Light Intensity        
218    Santa Margherita PINOT GRIGIO Alto Adige, Italy                   $35    $21.99
221    Domaines Barons De Rothschild (LAFITE) Los Vascos          $26    $14.99
           Medium Intensity        
327    La Crema CHARDONNAY Monterey, California                         $39    $16.99
330    II Borro CHARDONNAY “Lamelle" by Salvatore Ferragarno     $35    $15.99
            
           RED WINES        
412    Argyle PINOT NOIR Willamette Valley, Oregon                          $51    $39.99
418    Résonance PINOT NOIR Willamette Valley, Oregon                 $89    $34.99
468    Kendall-Jackson ZINFANDEL "Vintner's Reserve", Cal             $37    $18.97
492    II Borro Blend Borrigliano Val d'Arno di Sopra,Tuscany            $29    $16.99
501    Chateau Cantenac Blend St. Emillon Grand Cru, Bordeaux,    $54    $24.99
513    Cellier des Princes BLEND Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhdne       $28    $12.99
516    Ferrari-Carano MERLOT Sonoma County, California                $39    $25.83
522    Simi CABERNET SAUVIGNON Alexander Valley, Califoniia     $63    $34.99
525    Spellbound Pettie, Sirah, California                                             $39    $13.94
528    Greg Norman Estates SHIRAZ, Limestone Coast, Austrailia  $39    $14.99
540    Arboleda CARMENERE Aconcagua Valley Aconcagua, Chile $35   $22.49
           Full Intensity       
618    Silerado Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Est Grown, Napa    $79    $44.99
621    Tradicion H Tempranillo Gran Reserve Rioja, Spain                 $42    $21.99
 

There were some bottles (including ones additional ones available with premium plus) in the specialty restaurants and in the haven restaurant that aren't on here. It did vary. The other thing worth noting is that with the Premium Plus, you get 40% off ANY bottle, so that brought it down to the retail price in most cases. We did "splurge" and get pretty fancy bottles (like Opus One or M) on a few occasions because it was close to what we would have paid at wine store at home, and less than what we would have paid at a restaurant at home.

45 minutes ago, js said:

Is this really correct with Premium Plus?
I would love to take a bottle back to the room and have a glass at end of night or before going out to dinner.

Thank you.

Yes- you can order 2 per person per dinner (we got some at lunch too!) so we ended up with a bit of a collection in the room. Some restaurants opened them, but others did not and just let us take them. Even if they were opened you could take them with you.

For us, who primarily drink wine, this was one of the big advantages to the upgrade to Premium Plus.

wow! I hope everyone is safe!

 #327 isn't available by the glass, but with Premium Plus you can get the bottle for free.  I see what you're asking though- it's a little confusing since they write Premium Plus right where the glass price would be. Basically as said above, you can order anything you want:

1. any glass of wine is free with Premium Plus

2. any bottle marked as Premium Plus is also free with that program (the whole bottle)

3. any bottle NOT marked Premium Plus you can order, but you pay the bottle charge (minus 40% discount) and a gratuity charge.

You can order more bottles than you'll drink at meals and take remaining bottles back to your cabin as well.

we did whale watching in icy straight and it was fantastic! But it does stink that your itinerary changed!

we were last there in January 2020 and the snorkeling at Maya Key was fantastic. We've been several times- just for the snorkeling. There is a long dock, with a ladder at the end, so you step down into the water right at the edge of the reef. It's very easy and was in excellent shape then... planning to go again in April. Love Maya Key!!

Though we spend most of the time snorkeling, there are also the rescue animals, replica ruins, a nice pool, and the buffet lunch is excellent.

I'm interested in feedback from those who have done the parasailing at Harvest caye.... especially the safety of it. Did the equipment seem like it was in good shape? Were safety protocols a priority? that kind of thing. Also did you enjoy it!  My 17 year old is really interested in going- I'm thinking of surprising her with it as a birthday gift.

Has anyone done the parasailing at Harvest Caye? I'm specifically curious about safety things- did the equipment seem like it was in good shape? Did you feel like the safety protocols were a priority?

Hi- I just got word that our Epic cruise (April 9 2023) has been cancelled due to charter. I booked with FCCs from long ago with an expiration date of May 31, 2023. Does anyone know how far these get extended in these situations? Or if they get extended at all? Been on hold with NCL for two hours....

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I believe the line graph shows 'currently admitted Michigan patients that are covid positive" while pictograph shows those who are admitted from Covid. Regardless how different is it really? In the grand scheme of things, the most common variable associated with hospitalization and Covid 19 is comorbidity.

 

The data has been very consistent. Patients admitted to UofM hospital who are vaccinated outnumber patients who are not. Of course, there are many other variables in play, but the raw data indicates that comorbidity is the variable to be most concerned about (and that makes sense).

 

@Mira28 Washtenaw county (where UofM is located) has 69.2% vaccination rate, while the state of Michigan has 60% who are fully vaccinated. UofM draws from a very large geographic area so I would estimate numbers are somewhere in between. I've tracked the UofM data for nearly a full year now and the data has positively shifted over time. In terms of patients admitted to University of Michigan hospital who are Covid19 positive, those who are vaccinated outnumber those who are unvaccinated. 

 

In terms of cruising, I'd personally be very hesitant to board a ship if anyone in my party had a significant comorbidity. 

 

 

 

 

I think what you're saying is a tad misleading.... I agree that the comorbidities are an enormous risk factor for hospitalization, but so is being unvaccinated. You can't just compare the vaccination status of the hospitalized people because the vaccination rate is fairly high now. And hospitalizations are fairly low. Think of it this way- prior to vaccination, 100% of hospitalized people were unvaccinated. And hospitalization rates were much much higher (most ICUs were maxxed out- the medical system overrun, etc). Now hospitalizations are a fraction of that, (largely because of the high vaccination rate)- so when you look at that much smaller group and see that 65% are vaccinated, it is, as you say, probably largely due to comorbidities, but to say that vaccine status isn't affecting it is incorrect. It's brought the whole incidence of hospitalization much much lower.

3 minutes ago, The Shrike said:

I'd prefer they just do away with testing altogether and let this thing run its course.

I don't disagree- I just think course "singular" won't be it- it will continue to cycle since the antibodies don't last very long.

13 minutes ago, hal2008 said:

 

What you say makes perfect sense to me but I am afraid to even suggest that here. I am going to restrict myself to very cautiously worded questions only.

 

well I definitely don't mean it to be inflammatory! But that's the only difference as far as I can see- there seem to be tons of people coming back right now and testing positive- and if that was happening before people were much quieter about it. Maybe it's because they did away with testing at the pier? I don't know what it is, but something seems riskier right now.

Wow. I wish they would consider bringing back mask requirements- it seems like this is much higher rate (though of course we don't know for sure) than it was even last november and december when the omicron spike was at its highest- but back then they required masks.

thank you for these! We are supposed to board this Saturday- hoping for our negative tests Thursday!

Since this is Alaska, (ie USA) I don't think you have to worry about boating safety and reliability. There are really strict guidelines for boating tours in the US, in terms of equipment, safety gear, training of the captains, etc. The same is not necessarily true for Mexico or areas of the Caribbean, but in Alaska you can feel assured!

This is from Harv and Marv's website, but I've seen similar things on lots of independent tours- again, their whole business depends on this never happening.

What happens if we miss our cruise ship because the boat breaks down?

• First, we have never had anybody miss their cruise ship. We guarantee we will get you back to your cruise ship before it departs.

  If we fail:

  1. You will receive a full refund for the whale watching tour.

  2. Each passenger on board will receive $100.

  3. We will pay the boat or plane fare to get you to your next port of call.

  4. If needed, we will provide food and lodging.

1 minute ago, njkate said:

One of the reasons I have my emergency med kit with Tylenol Advil cold & flu meds plus pesto bismal to now include the home covid tests sent to me by government before I would step foot in their med center

THIS! I am packing my own rapid tests so that I know if I need to involve the medical team or not. If positive, I will do the right thing and let people know and quarantine, but if negative, it seems like overkill to quarantine, and I"m likely to take care of it myself if possible.

I think the frustrating part for the OP here is that they did all the right things, tested NEGATIVE and were still quarantined. Prior to covid did they quarantine all people who went to the medical center with a cough? I don't think they did- and I would think this should have been handled similarly.

1 hour ago, bookbabe said:

Entering for your cruise and dropping your bags are all on the left side of the building, towards Anthony’s, and disembarking passengers have all the areas on the front and right side of the building, towards the street and the Edgewater Hotel.

 

For our May 8th Encore (and the May 7th Bliss, when we scouted out the setup) there was only one bag check area, towards the back left of the terminal building.  Poor choice of location, IMO, since everyone had to haul their bags between all the people waiting in line to enter security.  
 

However, there are/will be *two* lines to enter the building, but they aren’t really signed well as such.  The long line (the left set of doors of the left-side main entrance, by the stairs, where the queue ropes are) is the regular line.  Once they start allowing people in, there will be a second line announced and created alongside that line (the right set of doors of that entrance) for Haven.  A security person on May 7 told us to just line up on the right the next day, not to get into the long line.  Once that Haven  line officially opens, port staff walks the line telling Haven guests to move into the second (new) line.  We just waited on the bench by the door since my mom can’t stand for long periods of time, then stood up and went right in when that line opened.

 

 

thank you very much for this description! Are there curbside porters to take bags? Or is the only option lugging them back to the check in area you describe?

can you say more about your safety concerns? Are they covid safety? boating safety? Getting back in time safety? I chose independent private tours so that I would limit my covid exposure- and many of the independent tours have really really specified policies about having you back to the ship in time- their livelihood depends on it so they basically have to make sure it is NEVER an issue. I'm using Harv and Marv in Juneau and Glacier Wind in Icy Strait. I have done a tour with Harv and Marv in the past and can't say enough good things about that experience- my first trip with Glacier Wind will hopefully be in 2 weeks.

that's terrible! I would be soooo disappointed- that is so last minute!

If you can swing a 2 bedroom haven room, go for it. Having the extra space is a big benefit, and having the ability to have the butler deliver room service from any restaurant onboard is great- we sometimes put the kids to bed then had a nice dinner in the living room or balcony area for 2. If you do that bring a monitor- that smaller room is pretty soundproof. I also got these magnetic door alarms (cheap on Amazon) and put them on the door to the hallway at night just in case someone got up and went out the wrong door- otherwise they will get automatically locked out. There was a scary story on here years ago about that happening to a 4 year old. (the child was eventually fine, but it was scary for everyone I'm sure). My kids were 3 (turned 3 the day we left) and 4 when we first cruised though, so a little older than yours.

I have to chuckle at the poster who is worried that the kids won't "appreciate" all that the ship has to offer- that's not exactly the point of a family vacation. They will appreciate the time with you, and more importantly you will enjoy your time with them! This isn't about "wasting your cruise watching kids"- this is about spending your vacation with your children!

We did a whale watch in Juneau the first week of September and saw lots of whales. More than a dozen. I don't think they migrate until October or November.