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I am super confused by this...is there a change for vaccinated travelers? >Fully vaccinated passengers must take either a COVID-19 NAAT test taken no more than 2 days before arrival, or a supervised antigen test no more than 2 days before arrival. Before arrival? Surely they mean before embarkation? What about on voyages where the ship takes longer than 4 days to arrive in Bermuda? Has that requirement been removed? At first I thought that nothing changed for vaccinated travelers, because of the Summary Table on that page, but then I noticed that the table wasn't updated to include unvaccinated travelers over the age of 12, so it must be out of date. Once again, clear as mud...

It doesn't mention anything about re-testing on a ship that has taken more than 4 days to arrive in Bermuda—has that requirement been removed? I'm curious, being booked on a cruise in September that will arrive on Day 7.

I think a lot of people don't want to miss out on their vacation because they get sick, and are afraid they'd have to cancel and lose everything. Thus, they go even when sick. One of the best ways NCL can prevent COVID cases aboard the ship is to continue to retain the policy where if you test positive within 14 days of your cruise, you get a 100% FCC. (yes, I know, "You should get insurance"...everyone should, but I'd say most people don't...combine that with a fairly rigid cancellation policy, and you'll get sick people boarding cruise ships).

To be honest, I'm more afraid of being quarantined on the cruise in a tiny inside cabin than anything. It would be a plus if they shift to isolating people in their own cabins. Treat it like noro.

Have they? NYC-Bermuda is a go-to vacation itinerary for us (just look at my signature 🤣) and I have never seen prices as high as they were this summer. Prices have steadily gone up as sail dates approached, so that indicates (to me) that they’re having no issues filling the ships to whatever their capacity cap is at the moment. After Labor Day, that changes—prices are much more affordable. But that’s when school is back in session. Our next cruise starts over Labor Day weekend. I’ll be very interested to see how full it is.

The pods will be a standard, hotel-style paper pod. If you want coffee in your room, and actually care about the taste of the coffee, your best bet is to order a carafe from the free continental breakfast room service. You'll have a bunch of hang-tags in your room; put a checkmark next to coffee, and hang it on your stateroom doorknob before you go to bed.

For lunch, I believe it's set. For breakfast, there are a few day-to-day variations, though the bulk of the menu remains the same.

I believe that Magenta is only open for dinner. Grand Pacific is open for breakfast and lunch.

The difference is the vibe: Grand Pacific is more, well, grand. Magenta is more casual. Of the two, I prefer Grand Pacific, just because it fits my mental image of a dining room on a fancy ocean liner. But I’d gladly dine in either.

I remember that as recently as 3 years ago, the CC roll calls and M&Gs were lively, had big crowds, slot pulls, etc. In the two cruises I've taken in the last 2 years (one in Feb 2020, one in May 2022), the roll calls were way smaller, and the Meet & Greet was full of FB group participants. I deleted my Facebook halfway through 2017, so I was sort of mystified as to the nature of these groups, but they've pretty much completely dominated the Meet & Greets. On my last cruise's M&G, I only found 3 or 4 people that were from the roll call. One lady asked me, "What's CruiseCritic?" 🤦🏻‍♂️ It's a real bummer, since those roll calls would often keep me going in the months before the cruise, and provide helpful information on the cruise. One time, we even had a bridge tour! I'll continue to post to the roll calls for my cruises, as long as they're there, and will attend M&Gs if I meet people on the roll calls that I'd like to meet with in person. It's just unfortunate that the roll calls aren't what they once were. Unfortunate for us CC members, and really, for all cruisers, since NCL did listen to us once in a while.

I think that's what they're counting on.

If you test negative before a cruise, that doesn't tell you a whole lot, especially if the test is done 2 days before sailing. But I don't think we can dismiss the value of a positive test. If you test positive before sailing and don't sail, you won't be spreading it to others onboard. The less people onboard that are spreading the virus, the more manageable cruising will be. I'm not sure what the solution is, to be honest. Pier-side rapid-testing would be better—not foolproof, but significantly better. I'm just not sure how they can implement that without making the embarkation process incredibly long. I would like to not have to bother with finding proctored testing ahead of time, and just bring a rapid-test to the pier.

Yes, and yes. I believe the rationale is that you are entering Bermuda whether or not you get off the ship, because you're in Bermuda's territorial waters. Also, Bermuda wants that $40 per person.

I usually pre-pay the service charge about 1 week before leaving, just to make it easier to simplify the folio / statement at the end of the cruise. I will pay it earlier if the DSC is going up, or if I'm making a competitive bid on an upgrade that (if awarded) will raise my DSC.

NCL changed it at some point so that the excursion credit only applies to the first guest. So if you did a $39 excursion, it would be $0 (guest 1) + $39 (guest 2) for a total of $39.

I'm OK with dropping the test requirement as long as they keep the vaccine requirement. Other forms of travel no longer require pre-testing, and with proctored tests getting more expensive or harder to find (due to lack of funding), it's going to get harder and harder to keep those tests in place. Yes, testing does catch some cases before they become onboard cases, but accepting a rapid-test that was administered two days before departure doesn't really make all that much sense. Only pre-cruise tests that are positive have any real meaning. If NCL was rapid-testing at the pier, that would be better in terms of catching cases, but logistically I don't think they can do that. And even pier-side testing wouldn't be a slam dunk. The vaccination requirement should stay indefinitely. And now that vaccines are available for those 6 months and older (in the US, and hopefully elsewhere soon), I'd eventually like see them extend the vaccine requirement to children under 12 as well, once the vaccines have been out long enough for people to get them. I'd also like them to continue to honor 100% FCC if you test positive before your cruise—after all, it's still prudent to test yourselves before you depart, if only to avoid being quarantined during your vacation. And yes, I realize this is only for the EU for now, but let's face it: NCL won't be testing in perpetuity in the US. It's only a matter of time before the testing requirement is dropped here as well. I'm not minimizing the risks of getting COVID and developing complications or Long COVID...but people that are concerned about it are just going to have to find another way to take a vacation.

I'm OK with dropping the test requirement as long as they keep the vaccine requirement. Other forms of travel no longer require pre-testing, and with proctored tests getting more expensive or harder to find (due to lack of funding), it's going to get harder and harder to keep those tests in place. Yes, testing does catch some cases before they become onboard cases, but accepting a rapid-test that was administered two days before departure doesn't really make all that much sense. Only pre-cruise tests that are positive have any real meaning. If NCL was rapid-testing at the pier, that would be better in terms of catching cases, but logistically I don't think they can do that. And even pier-side testing wouldn't be a slam dunk. The vaccination requirement should stay indefinitely. And now that vaccines are available for those 6 months and older (in the US, and hopefully elsewhere soon), I'd eventually like see them extend the vaccine requirement to children under 12 as well, once the vaccines have been out long enough for people to get them. I'd also like them to continue to honor 100% FCC if you test positive before your cruise—after all, it's still prudent to test yourselves before you depart, if only to avoid being quarantined during your vacation. And yes, I realize this is only for the EU for now, but let's face it: NCL won't be testing in perpetuity in the US. It's only a matter of time before the testing requirement is dropped here as well. I'm not minimizing the risks of getting COVID and developing complications or Long COVID...but people that are concerned about it are just going to have to find another way to take a vacation.

There aren't any nights that are specifically designated as higher-quality. Whether a specific night is "better" is up to you and your individual tastes. NCL usually posts the menus outside the dining room during the day, so often times we'll stop by and see what they're serving that evening. We typically have a couple speciality meals that are included with our cruise. Sometimes, we won't see anything on the MDR menu that draws our eye, and will choose to eat in a specialty restaurant that night. But it's happened just as often (if not more so) that we do see something we want, and stick with the MDR.

It’s definitely a crapshoot in terms of ocean conditions. My first time to Bermuda in late April / early May, the seas were like glass. The second time (this past May) we had 28 foot seas. Bermuda’s weather was fine while we were there, though. A few passing showers but it was still warm and pleasant. I went to the beach and swam, but I grew up going to the New Jersey beaches, so 72°F water didn’t bother me. It’s a great time of year for hiking the Bermuda Rail Trail!

I’ll interrupt this, err….spirited discourse…to add a bit of info to the OP: you can absolutely use passport cards for US Citizens to travel to Bermuda, but do expect a fair-bit of eyerolling from the cruise check-in staff, at least in NYC. We have both books and cards, since we do a fair bit of land-border transits. In the past, I’ve tried to use the cards at check-in in NYC. I had the passport books with me, too, but it’s easier to not have to fuss with turning them all to the right page, etc., so I figured cards would be convenient. The agent harangued me into using the passport book…she went on and on about it. Maybe she was having a bad day, but I’ve just used the books ever since.

You're absolutely right—I think it's mostly a psychological "they're nickel-and-diming me" feeling. I feel it too, and wish NCL had negotiated with Bermuda so that they'd roll the TA fee into the cruise price, and we'd just have to sign onto the Bermuda site and fill out the form.

As do I, but I'm in my 30s. My daughter, who is 4, finds them to be culinary masterpieces. As she's going through her picky eater phase—and my oh my, do I hope it's just a phase—I'm glad they're on the menu. It's been a struggle to get her to try anything new recently, so we've resolved that because it's a vacation for her and for us, we're just going to let her eat what she wants, and we'll skip the "Could you please just try [food item], PLEASE???" for the week. Dad? Is that you? 🤣

I'm using my deposits to book cabins for family members who will be traveling with us next April on the Jewel. My TA told me that the transfer takes 3 days.

Same...I have used NCL a couple times in the past—maybe I'm over my limit.

Are you all back to normal, @mking8288? I tested negative last Friday, and DD tested negative yesterday. DW never got it—either her immunity prevented her from getting it (vaccines + maybe an asymptomatic infection that never got picked up?), or she just got lucky...no way to know. Aside from a stray cough that has gotten progressively less frequent, I am completely back to normal. We're probably going to cruise in August for our anniversary week. We should have some protection from our immunity, provided another variant doesn't take off in the meantime, and we're thinking the current wave will have subsided by then.