phillygwm

A friend just returned from an Antarctic cruise on a much smaller ship. She raved about it, but between the length and the cost, it would be well out of the reach of most people (it's first on my retirement list!) If the issue is the speed restrictions, NCL should have known previously but definitely knows now and should reflect that on future sailings. As goodwill, they should allow pax to cancel without penalty given that the most important stop of the cruise is cancelled. If people still choose to sail -- there are sunk costs for travelers anyway -- a some amount of FCC should be given. I'm sure the other ports were worthwhile but I can certainly understand the disappointment when the centerpiece port is cancelled. And if it was foreseen in advance by NCL and they didn't disclose, I'd be enraged.

No idea what NCL will do but I'd be setting up an appointment with a medical practice that does travel immunizations, just in case.

The Inside cabins on the Bliss range from 135-362 sq ft. A pretty wide range. Studios are 99 sq ft. If I got one of the larger insides, I'd much prefer that. But if it's a smaller one then the benefits of the Studio (lounge etc.) might make it worthwhile.

Given the ubiquity of CN onboard (aside from the often pushy staff, there are stuffers, announcements, a TV station...) I can't imagine how one could forget to buy them 🤣

You raised a good point: The studio (singles) cabins now cost about the same as a single supplement inside, which will be considerably larger. I've found NCL to be more "single friendly" than many other lines, even starting to reserve some balcony cabins for singles. There are singles mixers as well. If you got a studio, you'd have access to the studio lounge. Only did that once and found it underwhelming but that was on the Epic, the first ship with studios, when it was new. Personally, I would opt for the additional space if it were about the same price as a studio. Or if you can splurge for a balcony, that's often worthwhile.

But this isn't new. I've had the offer on my account for a while now.

And I'm afraid to bring a few edibles onboard. 🤣

I keep it in my back pocket. Only misplaced it once in 10+ cruises.

You can establish a line of credit with the casino at no charge. Not going to be worth your while if you don't gamble a fair amount. I maintain one but rarely use it. Instead, I have a bank account with an ATM card with a large daily limit. I prefer to use that even with the $6.99 fee. Don't pay $6.99 to withdraw $100, though. Just bring cash if that's the case.

This is a pet peeve of mine. My favorite pizza joint started surcharging about a year ago. I could pay cash, sure, but instead I found a different restaurant. Thankfully, I live in an area with many restaurants. 🙂 I feel similarly about the other fees (health insurance recoupment cost etc.) If it's disclosed up front, I'll decide whether I still want to dine there. If it's ambushed, I'll never return. This isn't to say that waitstaff shouldn't be fairly compensated but don't hide the charge. Better still, bake it into the cost of my apps, entree, drinks, etc...just like any other cost of doing business. It's not dissimilar to DSC but that's disclosed when you're booking your cruise, at least, plus it's more or less a uniform practice among cruiselines so cruise vets sort of know to expect it..

Yes, there are rehearsals but usually not at times most people would be in their cabins. Again, if OP is a homebody who stays in the cabin a lot, maybe a different cabin is warranted. If you're there to sleep and shower, I don't think it would be too horrible.

I was recently on Deck 8 Fwd, above the theater. Aside from a bit of bass bleed (nothing horrible) I'd never have known it. Part of that was that I wasn't usually in my cabin until later in the evening, when shows were finished. There used to be a Broadway revue back when they had the Footloose cast; that wasn't on my last sailing since Footloose was cancelled. They may well have had some country music but it isn't my thing so I didn't take notice. To the OP, I guess my question would be "How often do you expect to be in the cabin?" If you're going to spend evenings in your cabin, maybe you should reconsider your location. But if you're out and about until 10:00-11:00, you should be fine.

Sorry for sliding OT here but I have a Euro plug adapter with USB ports. Am I correct to assume that I can use that with my iPhone without doing anything special?

The other thing to remember is that you have exactly 2 outlets in your room (and another in the bathroom, IIRC.) One of those 2 is a European 220V outlet so of limited use unless you bring a converter. My extension cord has 2-3 inputs, in case you need to plug other things in. Some ships have separate USB ports near the bed but I'm not sure all do, so bear that in mind.

And, to emphasize the above, make sure it's a "plain vanilla" cord. Nothing with a surge protector. Those will get confiscated because, for technical reasons beyond my paygrade, they're actually dangerous given the electrical systems on ships.

Geez, I hope not. Not only are pax foregoing rewards (3% in some cases) but they'd be settling up at a bad rate of exchange. As I mentioned above, I don't mind holding the popular currencies because I expect I'll get back there. When I had some excess Croatian Kuna a few years back, I kept a bill as a souvenir and used the rest for tips. I figured the crew would get back to Dubrovnik before I would!

Nice! I was trying for the Iceland/Norway run and got shot down. I might have considered it if they at least waived the supplement but, alas, no. As I mentioned in another post, supply vs. demand so I get it. That one is still on my bucket list...maybe 2025 🙂

I especially see this on the Prima-class ships. I book through CAS and it's rarely an issue for the other ships but I can't get anything more than a discount for Prima. Also, they won't waive single supplement, as they do on the others, but that's less of an issue now that they're setting aside more singles cabins. As Viva and others come online and the novelty wears off, I expect this will subside a bit. Ultimately, it's all supply and demand. There are cheap cruises out there, perhaps just not where/when you want to go.

I use credit cards whenever possible, even for insignificant purchases, but admittedly sometimes you need a bit of cash. Currency exchanges are always a bad deal for the consumer so I avoid them. They're labor and capital intensive, so the providers need to pad the exchange rates significantly. Likewise, touristy areas that DO accept USD have pretty terrible exchange rates. For NCL, it isn't their core competency and it gums up the Guest Service lines so I don't really blame them for taking this action. There are very few places which aren't near an ATM, including every airport I can think of and, with a little advance research, you'll know where they are. I also try to keep a small amount of currency in a drawer for places I expect to return to (GBP, EUR, CAD.)

I always preface by saying that tips are appreciated but not mandatory nor expected. I do what I do, not trying to virtue shame (or be shamed.) 🙂 Likewise, you do you. But since you asked the question: When there was 2x cabin service, I used to give $50 at the beginning and, if service was good, another $50 at the end. Last time I reduced a bit. IIRC $40/$40. Service is almost always good enough for my steward to get both. I can think of maybe twice (of about a dozen cruises) where I didn't. I'm not super high maintenance but I have my idiosyncrasies, like asking for towel animals. IF I'm sitting at a bar for a while and service is attentive, I'll tip $5-10. If I'm just grabbing a quick drink, I won't. I only do specialty restaurants but usually $5 per head if service is good...more if it's one of my Platinum meals, because I haven't prepaid tips on those, or if I've caused an inconvenience (i.e. bringing my vegetarian niece to Cagney's, which they accommodated nicely by schlepping the Napoleon over from Le Bistro. She was prepared to just load up on sides.) I don't do Haven so I can't speak to that.

While DSC -- and taxes/fees -- aren't literally hidden, they're also not part of the advertised "sticker price" of a cruise. I just checked the website and Alaska is advertised as low as $249. That is designed to drive traffic but it's obviously misleading; when you get into the booking you see the taxes, fees, DSC, grats, etc. and it isn't $249 anymore. Part of those charges are optional, such as bar/premium restaurants, but it takes effort to opt-out of DSC (and I'd dare say that most pax don't know you can/wouldn't consider doing so.) If I were looking for the lowest cost provider, I'd prefer to see the "all-in," "apples to apples" cost. I won't be holding my breath for that level of transparency, though.

I sometimes travel with friends, occasionally solo. Even when with friends, I'll go my separate way if I feel that I'm becoming a "third wheel." When literally or effectively solo, it depends on context. If I'm sitting at a bar, or at an event, I might strike up a conversation with the person next to me (or not.) But no, I'm not going to the singles meet-up, roll calls, bar crawls, etc. I have some social anxiety when among larger groups so I studiously avoid those. I usually upgrade to all specialty dining and almost always prefer to dine alone. I used to feel self-conscious about it but got over myself. Only once, having chatted up a couple at a bar, did I invite them to join me for dinner. That was way outside my comfort zone (but I was rather drunk!) 🙂

Just a thought: Social media?

I live near Philly but get to NYC quite a bit. The common question I hear is which hotels are closest to the pier. Of course, there are some within a few blocks but it's a long way to schlep bags...plus you're off the beaten track. Best to determine what you want to do and stay somewhere convenient to that (i.e. theater -- Times Square) and just get an Uber/Lyft to the pier.

DSC will be $200/day by then.