wdsted

If this new Platinum++ actually offers concierge services as currently promised for Platinum +, that would be well worth it for us.  Will be interesting to see how many Lattitude points it will take.  

Nope.  In fact, we're on the Sept 11 Encore cruise.

I did notice that all of the August Encore Alaska cruises were gone this morning.  They had been showing as full--except for the Haven--for a while.  I'd be more concerned if the 4-day roll-out cruise with invited guests hadn't sailed yesterday.  It is kind of strange that they seem to no longer be selling any cabins on any ship for this month.

I too was stuck at 80% and asked about it via an NCL chat session.  Evidently, at 21 days out you'll need to watch a safety video and read/confirm additional terms of sailing.  The person I chatted with didn't include the need to provide evidence of vaccination but that would make sense.

Our last cruise was in January '20 and we've been patiently waiting for this damn virus to get under control and get life back to something close to normal.  Guess that includes complaining and speculating the worse for some.  😞

I just booked 4 dining reservations for the September 11 sailing.  We got 8:00 reservations each night for Cagneys, Le Bistro, Los Lobos, and Ocean Blue.  Never been this easy before, so I'm guessing that this cruise won't be very full.

Our Choir of Man booking for the September 11 sailing was canceled and I can no longer see it available for booking.  That isn't encouraging.

We would cancel.

I wonder if DeSantis will show the same venin towards RCL as he did to NCL over the vaccination requirement.  Presumably RCL won't be able to sail out of FL either, due to his ridiculous political posturing.  Our pro-business, pro-job governor seems to be more interested in maintaining his tough guy image than doing what's right for FL businesses and workers.   

If this restriction is one of the requirements to start sailing again, it's not something I'd ever complain about.  

Why is this even a controversy?  If you're vaccinated, your chances of getting infected are almost nill, as are the chances of you infecting others.  If you're not vaccinated, you can infect others if you board infected or become infected during the cruise.  And, in doing so, you infect others. Other than an all-night rave with drunk and drugged out-people, name one other venue worse than a cruise ship for spreading a virus.  And if you think it's not a big deal to become infected or infect others, kindly keep you opinions to yourself.

On 3/22/2021 at 10:19 PM, BirdTravels said:

Probably not. Kidless cruises would not sell. The vaccinated adult demographic is too small.  

Kidless cruises with vaccinated adults would definitely sell.  Ever sailed in off-season?  A transatlantic?  Non-US based NCL cruises?  With all the pent-up demand, they'd sell out quickly.  It won't fill up all the ships but the cruise lines are going to reopen gradually anyways.  

This is great news.  Yesterday, the mayor of Miami said to expect revised guidance from the CDC for cruising.  Fingers crossed, they'll allow it to open up for vaccinated folks soon.  

46 minutes ago, BoozinCroozin said:

Thank you, please don't try to convince us. But please let us know where you stand on all other pandemics that can be 100% controlled? If you think cruising is dangerous, don't go. If you are that terrified by this virus, please tell me you shuttered in your home and never left for the last 12 months. If you did even once, you ARE the reason this is as "bad" as you have been told. You willingly and willfully chose to be a carrier whether you contracted it or not and exposed all those other people to it as well.

Sorry, but I've never lived through a different pandemic, so I have no position on what doesn't exist.  If another pandemic rolls around, I and my family will respond the same way we did with this one:  in line with guidance from scientists.  And Covid-19 guidance from the scientists did not include shuttering oneself in their home and never leaving it.  Adhering to that guidance resulted in us and our immediate family luckily evading this virus.  As for who should stay home, it's pretty obvious that the persons who are too frightened to be jabbed by a needle should do so, not those persons who have been vaccinated.  So, you are the problem.  You believe that Covid-19 is something that impacts only you.  You say it's just a flu.  You say you're healthy enough to survive it.  Problem is people like you are the ones who keep this virus around and mutating and infecting others.  

For those of you who are minimizing the seriousness of this pandemic, there's no way to change your mind and there's no sense in trying to convince you that opening up cruising now is a bad idea.  So I won't bother.  For the rest of you, I think that reopening needs to have the caveat that until this virus is pounded into oblivion, the CDC should allow cruises to operate out of the US only for those persons who are vaccinated.  If that means boycotts and bellyaching, so be it.  The cruise lines will have to reopen incrementally anyways, so why not pack those first cruises with passengers who are largely immune and aren't transmitting the virus to others?  The vaccinated, cruise-loving market is huge and growing daily.  What we can't allow is for one or more passengers to infect dozens/hundreds of others who aren't vaccinated and, on a cruise ship, that would be guaranteed with every sailing.

On 2/18/2021 at 11:57 PM, Stick93 said:

It will be interesting to see if a large portion of people don’t get vaccinated and don’t care to cruise where these businesses thing their money will come from. Don’t care to argue about the vaccine, just a point of if they cannot fill ships will this impact what they will do. Whether one agrees or not many will not take this vaccine regardless of what restrictions are put on them. 

Perhaps, they'll run fewer cruises and focus on destinations that will fill up due to popularity or easy access.  Caribbean and Alaskan cruises, for example.  They could put additional ships into service if/when the virus is under control or we achieve "herd immunity."  

17 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

You know that isn't true, right? I mean, there isn't a vaccine currently being administered on a widespread basis and yet cruising IS happening. So your last phrase is flat out wrong.

Really?  Do you think even this super yacht fiasco is going to result in any more cruises?  When’s your next cruise departing?

Unfortunately, this is exactly the problem with resuming cruises.  Until a vaccine is available and required of all passengers, cruising ain’t gonna happen.

The latter.

Great pix.  Thanks!  We love that ship.

Not exactly sure what "gagging" a price up means, but the 3rd and 4th guest free option should only increase the fare by required taxes and port fees for the additional guests.  

OP, sorry to hear about your situation.  NCL's policy is just wrong.  The country which issues passports does so for many of its citizen who do NOT reside there.  Plain and simple.  It's as wrong as assuming that holders of non-Chinese passports won't be capable of transmitting the virus.  Best of luck getting this resolved and, as little as it will help, my apologies for the abusive comments you're receiving.

We were on the Epic out of San Juan the week before Christmas.  There must have been a complete staff and food turnover because we were pleased.  Staff seemed helpful and friendly.  Dining rooms and specialties good.  Can’t comment on the buffet because we avoid it on all ships.  The Epic is our least favorite ship but we chose it for the itinerary and some bonus days in Puerto Rico.  We too are Plat+ and.

We did this same itinerary last month and I agree with most of your observations.  This was a very well run cruise, the food was pretty darn good, service good, great shows.  We too had a dud for a steward, which is the first one we've had in about 20 NCL cruises.  Glad you enjoyed your trip!

Med cruises are typically so port-intensive that you don't spend a lot of time on the ship.  November Med cruises won't have a lot of kids.  If faced with this decision, I'd select one based on the itinerary and costs before the ship unless you dislike the big ships so much, that's a big factor for you.