scamper

My advice:

Always, always, always buy travel insurance.  Make certain policy covers baggage/loss delay, passenger delay, and trip cancellation

Always, always, always carry one (two is better) complete changes of clothing in a carryon bag from your residence door to your stateroom door, and don't check it if you're flying.

Never, never, never pack anything in checked baggage that can't be replaced at WalMart, Target, or a similar retailer in other countries.

Always, always, always (if flying) travel to the city you are sailing from at least one day before you sail.  This allows for time for misrouted or delayed bags to (hopefully) catch up.

Your nerves will thank you.

17 hours ago, Cloudyrain said:

if you want shows or something lively you need to venture out in to the main part of the ship. 

You mean one has to actually blend with the hoi poloi!?!?  The sorts of people who earn their money?!?!? Oh, really dahling!!! I'm going to need my smelling salts! 😜

3 hours ago, stan01 said:

 

Have they made clear what they are going to do about the Rib and Chicken nights in Colonnade?  Maybe I missed that.

 

On our last cruise the two formal nights were French and Rib nights in Colonnade, which are two of our favorites.  We saw a number of passengers trying to eat their BBQ ribs without dripping on their tuxes and gowns.

I guess some people find using a fork a challenge.

14 hours ago, Toddcan said:

Having NEVER driven anywhere near NYC , I'd love to take a bridge in rather than the tunnels, but we're coming from The Poconos area, so that might not be the natural route over the GWB.  I'll see if I can coax the GPS to take me that way just to get a little better view of "NYC".  Mind you, the views from the ship should be good.  

I did a mock routing on Google Maps out of curiosity.  Not knowing where in the Poconos you are, I just programmed Wilkes-Barre to Red Hook.  Took me in through the Lincoln.  I think the easiest way to program a trip from your location to the GWB; input either GWB or Ft. Lee.  Wait until you're over the bridge and then program from that location to Red Hook.  I have only been over the bridge three or four times.  I think eastbound traffic was mostly on the lower level.  Not great for the view, but you could try for better luck driving back that way and getting the upper deck.  It's a crapshoot which level.

On 1/6/2024 at 12:07 PM, Toddcan said:

 

ah, nice!   

 

Hey, since we are driving in from Canada (nice drive) and parking right at the port (expensive parking!!), can you give me any tips on crossing into NYC?  It will be Sunday morning, so should the traffic be decent?  We were just planning on following the GPS-Google Maps.  We're coming in from the west.  

Sunday morning traffic will be a breeze.  The only traffic you're likely to encounter around midtown on a Sunday would be the matinee theatre crowd, but that usually only affects anyone exiting the Lincoln Tunnel in the early afternoon. If your GPS routes you via the GWB (George Washington Bridge) or the Holland, you'll be fine. 

Advice from someone who worked in the "complaint department" of a major US airline (😱), never fly down same day.

On 12/10/2023 at 8:14 AM, morpheusofthesea said:

Just to belabor the point once again. There are quite a few 'requests' of cruise lines made of passengers that are not followed and seldom enforced. Attire is one of them. Most these low cost mega lines are attracting a "wider audience" who look at cruises like a camping trip, roughing it, bivouacking. They throw their soiled everything out the cabin door into the hallway (Instead of calling room service to pick it up) and hang their wash out to dry on the balcony. As one pays more for suite class one 'sometimes' finds a more respectable clientele that respects others and themselves. Will see in a couple of weeks how Explora 1 compares to Yacht Club and will report.

While I will be the first to agree that money doesn't bring class, this, imho, is the result of dirt cheap cruises.  Don't ever recall seeing this on Seabourn or Regent.

3 hours ago, miched said:

Was watching one of those TV shows high lighting  a cruise ship.   Every show has  to have some built in phony drama.   
 

Part of the false drama was the chef standing on a pier inspecting the vegetables and getting upset because he couldn’t accept the  lettuce because it wasn’t fresh enough and it was on the menu that evening.   He then had personal going thru hoops to find some lettuce.   Pure BS. 

We were on a X ship and there wasn’t much in the bourbon selection that was in the premium package. .   Excuse was a supply issue.   I showed them a picture of the bourbon at Costco that had plenty of Woodford.   No supply issue for them. 
 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

 

On Amazon Prime, right?  I've seen them...and manufactured drama is right!  Always successful at resolving the "problem" at the last second.

4 hours ago, jmsnyc said:

Unfortunately I am in the peasant cabins

Don't be downcast...you guys can truly row like nobody's business when you set your minds to it! 😁

On 12/11/2023 at 11:20 AM, jjs217 said:

It's 9:18AM.  If in port, I would be on a tour.  If at sea, at would be in the Observation Lounge with a good book and an Irish Coffee from Seabourn Square.  (Yes, at 9:15AM.)

This reminds me of a line of dialogue from Will & Grace when Karen offered to quit coffee to help Jack.  "I'll just have to drink my Bailey's straight.  It'll still be the best part of waking up."

Not to detract from the arguments that support opening the MDR for breakfast and lunch, but I long ago resolved the "shared utensils" issue by investing in a basketful of Bath and Body Works* hand sanitizers, especially when they are on sale.  They come in a variety of fragrances in 1oz/29ml plastic containers.  I always have one stored in a pocket.

*Here's hoping posting this will not violate any TOS on this site.  Really, any pocket hand sanitizer that has at least 63% alcohol content will work.

Imagine you're on your favorite Seabourn ship.  Take a look at the time of day right this moment and tell us what you might be doing on the ship, right now.  It could be one or more things, but just share.

On 12/3/2023 at 12:51 PM, sandancer said:

I think all the US cruise lines charge 200%. When NCL introduced single cabins on the Epic they were very popular as I understand the fare was the standard fare with no extra cost involved. 

From what I have seen, fares are higher...just not 200%.

I'm going to echo the responses with respect to cash or OBC rebates from many travel agencies.  I think it's one of the best perks when booking through a TA.  I have also read here about the difficulties people have when dealing with MSC customer service if they have an issue and need to get in touch with the line.  From what I understand, it can be a train wreck.

In the future, if you decide to use a TA, look for one that has a good relationship with the line you are sailing with.  Some specialize in booking with certain lines and often have direct contacts they can use and skip the on hold music and the press one, press two extravaganza.  I use a large travel agency that specializes in luxury travel of all kinds.  Don't be put off by their focus on luxury hotels, cruises, and resorts, though.  They will work with anyone.

Ever the optimist, look at it this way:  you could have been mixed in with the poor shlubs in steerage.

Don't give up on the YC.  I'm willing to bet a future cruise will be better.

On 11/26/2023 at 10:14 PM, pbb said:

We will be on Seascape in January and at the end of the cruise have an 11:30 am flight from MIA.  As Yacht Club passengers will we be able to exit the ship and claim our bags early to make the flight?

Assuming there are no issues with docking or customs, you shouldn't have a problem.  Consider your risk tolerance, however.  Because Miami and Ft Lauderdale are heavy cruise port airports, most flights on Saturdays and Sundays are usually very full and if you miss your flight, the airline may not be able to get you home same day.  If I fly to the port, I always arrive the day before and book my return flight at noon or, usually, later.  Better safe than sorry.

Most of my cruises have been on HAL and they never feel crowded.  Of course, they don't have the lumbering, floating behemoths that MSC and other lines have.

In fairness, the video's a bit misleading showing the packed Galleria without context.  They were having a big party there and of course it makes it crowded.

The pool area, if I were the sunshine type, would make me very unhappy.  Fortunately, I limit my sun exposure.  Skin cancer clashes with every piece of clothing I own.

15 hours ago, stsnfes said:

We are currently on the NCL Pearl in room 9500.
 

We have had the worst experience on this sailing. We are exhausted from lack of sleep.  The Pearl is currently installing a new production show, which means they have had full on practices all day, every day, including 1am, even at 2am.  It wasn't just noise, we could literally hear the full signing and drums, trumpets the entire time. We complained daily. They already know this is a problem, they kept saying they wouldn't have late night practices but they continued to.  Our butler and room steward both acknowledged that the situation was terrible, but there wasn't anything they could do.

 

We understand from 5-10 they have shows, but this was 11pm, 1 am, 8 am. By day three, I was a zombie.  The ship was full, but at one point someone offered me a room to take a nap in. I started crying, I really was going to go in some random room and take a time allotted nap on my vacation.

 

We spent alot of money on the penthouse and this cruise (10k range including travel,etc) and this was to be my husband's 50th birthday gift. We couldn't even sit in our room. By day 6, the exhaustion and fatigue really took over. We met with the cruise director who just flat out lied.

 

We are so disappointed in NCL and how they handled this.   They gave us a letter that basically said sorry, too bad, and acted like  the show is more important. They offered us a future cruise credit that wouldn't even cover 20% of a total cost of this trip and why would I want to spend money with them again.

 

I don't know if there should be next steps or if I should just never sail NCL again. I would appreciate some insight on what some cruise veterans would do. We would be close to Sapphire after this cruise but no status is worth not sleeping and being treated badly.

 

Thanks for your thoughts in advance.

 

PS. I recorded all the practices from the room when we were there. You can clearly see I am in the room and also hear the show through the recording on my phone. 

I'm going to go a different route than other posters by saying I'm sorry you had a terrible cruise and don't blame you at all.

I agree, ship's personnel did not handle this well at all. I understand that the ship was basically full and thus they couldn't move you.  However, to only offer you 20% in FCC of your fare as compensation is piss poor indeed.  Had it been me, I would have made sure to actively look for an officer, the more gold braid the better.  If her or she didn't address the issue, I would have kept looking for more braid on the shoulder.  

I hope you will continue to seek remediation.  I don't know if getting a lawyer involved would help, but I am fortunate to have a lawyer in the family who has written letters in the past for me and other people that often get businesses and individuals to sit up and take notice. He never threatens to bring suit or anything of that nature, it's just that oftentimes letters on law firm letterheads are all that is needed to convey the seriousness of the situation.  It's 50/50 that such a letter might help, but it definitely couldn't hurt.

17 hours ago, tv24 said:

And it depends if you can wait for room service delivery.  Many of us become desperate for caffeine and cannot wait.  Addiction is a terrible thing.

Sorry to hear. Gratefully, I never succumbed. I feel your pain.

30 minutes ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

Those are not cheap, they take up space, and probably take more time to use properly than a busy NCL bartender has.

Fine. Waste the wine. I don't care.

On 11/23/2023 at 11:08 AM, exlondoner said:

I’ve never tried to touch the machines, but have read others hearing claiming they were far too difficult anyway. Much less trouble to go up to the Grills Lounge and get them to give you some coffee.

Isn't that what room service is for?

3 minutes ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

I'm thinking it is NCL wanting to make sure they can go through a whole bottle before it goes bad once it is opened.

That's why the Coravin was invented. 

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pour+wine+without+removing+the+cork&atb=v347-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQ47qGYpYQeQ

One of the advantages of cruising on the older ships is not having to pay the premium fares that the newer ships generally command.  Although this might not apply to cruises to out-of-the-way ports such as the one discussed, it certainly works when a line has several ships in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, etc. during the appropriate season.

5 hours ago, djasinsk said:

I think asking for room to be cleaned “next” not “on demand” as you stated is actually quite reasonable.  Any decent hotel would do this for a guest. 
 

and asking that atleast some premium offering be available at each bar is also quite reasonable. 

I'm with you on the wine issue.  I am thinking it's more NCL wanting to limit consumption of higher end wines on their packages.  They'd rather you drink what they want you to drink in the most places and restrict the finer wines to one or two locations.  They're hoping you have more meals in alternative locations and won't miss the more expensive wines, thus they don't have to pour as much.

Alas, nowadays I believe to get better service and higher end products, you have to look more at the luxury and "premium" lines or, perhaps, The Haven.

On 11/8/2023 at 2:42 PM, Trappedontheboat said:

What I like about the Haven Restaurant is that they can accommodate your special requests. You don't like something they will remove it. You want something extra, you get it at no charge. You want a fillet minion for breakfast instead of NY strip or whatever they serve there, you will get it.

They do ask that all the requests are made 24 hours (or so) prior the meal.

 

We ordered some cheese for a  burger once and we did not know that it was not on the menu, as we found out later, they ran to the main dining room and got it for us. I don't know if they do it for everyone tho, or was it because we knew them well and had good relationships, but from working in hospitality, food and bev in the past, I know for sure that when the guests were nice, we would bend over backward for them.

Weird. I would think if there were something as common as a particular cheese in one venue, it would be in the Haven as a rule.