DaisyGoldberg

I had done that, but am not familiar with NYC or traffic patterns/gridlock/bottleneck points there so just knowing where the parade was didn't tell me how it would affect port area traffic.

Good onion rings I'd regret, but not those onion rings. Literally grade school cafeteria frozen out of a bag onion rings with zero seasoning.

Did they raise the transportation issue? I had read online that they would provide a car to take GV people home, but it was never mentioned to us when we booked the GV... then on day 3 of the cruise the Concierge asked if we wanted him to do that for us. At that point I'd already booked somebody and didn't want to reneg, so opportunity lost. Of course NCL might have discontinued it, but ask just in case!

I just wanted an idea of how much worse congestion might be. I had been thinking of leaving a bit later in the morning than we usually do to arrive around noon and avoid sitting in the terminal lounge for hours, but if the traffic was going to be awful, we might have needed to leave earlier. Either way, I will sit back once I'm in that car and we are on our way!

Just the information I was looking for! Thank you!

We will be coming in from our NJ hotel the morning of the Pride Parade. Should be plan to come extra early to avoid traffic? Expect major traffic anyway? It's always quite congested in the port area to begin with -- just wondering how much more busy it might be that day. We'll have a car service.

We sail with my mom out of Boston all the time. She's mobile enough that she can get by in regular rooms using a walker, but there certainly are handicapped accessible rooms available. Others have linked to the accessibility form. Aside from alerting them to his wheelchair, they can provide other items like shower chairs/toilet seat boosters, etc. that might be helpful. If he is not in a power chair, be sure to request boarding and disembarking assistance for ship staff to push him up the numerous ramps to board (there are elevators within the port authority building, so that isn't an issue). Those ramps are pretty steep so assistance will be welcome. If you're sailing to Bermuda, I can't remember whether there's a ramp to board/disembark, but I seem to recall it being pretty level. Some of the ramps in Canadian ports are super steep, depending on tides.

Will the captain be doing the usual photo ops in the atrium?

I've found Cagney's disappointing in recent years, but some of our family isn't keen on Le Bistro, so Moderno is a good compromise for a group of people getting tastes of different things. It's a change of pace, not fine dining. Between the large buffet and the meat selections, it's kind of an upscale buffet variety meal. For those who love the pineapple, we were thrilled to find it offered as a late night snack at the back of the Jewel a couple of years ago. Not sure if they still have a mini late night buffet back there, but it appears that's where they sent all the ship's evening leftovers - there were soups from that night's dinner, etc. It was a nice stop after a show, especially if you'd had a very early dinner and just wanted a little something more before bed.

It's dependent on the policy at a particular Haven, apparently. My sister had one cruise where she asked if it was possible to get a lava cake and they had one for her every night without her having asked. Next cruise (different ship) they wouldn't pre-arrange it even once, and told her to go to the dining room for it. Really soured us on making a special request.

I've never tried one of the sofas or beds that flip down, but there are suites on the Dawn with Murphy beds and they're AMAZINGLY comfortable for an adult. Full thick mattress (not a cot). These rooms are up front with floor to ceiling windows. Highly recommend! Waking up to a full wall view is awesome.

My mom got amazing care on NCL Getaway - she got covid/pneumonia and after the initial workup/diagnosis we went daily for nebulizer treatments and antibiotics. The facility seemed as fully/modernly equipped as any emergency room I've ever been to. I know they had 3 doctors (because one of the nurses laughed that we'd seen all three). Seemed very well staffed. Smaller/older ships may of course have lesser facilities, though I imagine it probably has more to do with date of the most recent drydock. Frankly, I think her initial care was far better than what she would have received in a busy ER at home with the same symptoms. That said, it's phenomenally expensive (her bill was 11K, to be paid upfront). On a NE/Canadian cruise you'd probably only ever be a few hours from a hospital, so you should do well.

I noticed more immediate service in the MDR (telling me there was a 15 minute wait, then scanning my card and taking me right in) this past trip with my Sapphire card than previously with my Haven card. Other than that I attribute special treatment to being a good tipper (which might also show up on your profile, I suppose). One exception - if you stay in the Garden Villa on a Jewel class ship they must send your photo around to the desks, because we were pulled out of line without scanning our cards and instantly escorted to a table even though there was a wait. They can only have done it by knowing what we looked like even though we hadn't yet dined there that week. Now THAT'S a halo!

I had one on Pride of America long ago and it was okay. The one I had on Getaway much more recently was basically cold ice milk with ice blended in. Not worth the calories if you have decent ice cream places at home.

I hate to see that this has creeped into the Jewel class ships. It is one of my highest criticisms of the larger ships. We certainly have stopped attending all of the games and game shows when they're not in the theatre. Apparently it's more profitable for them, however they determine that, so it will continue. But it has taken over the public areas to a very unpleasant degree. For us it ruins both the game experience AND the walking through the ship experience.