Live from NCL Pearl Boston to Bermuda 04/15/2022

[styles27]

Strange that we haven’t been given instructions about tendering to shore. 
 

Group 1 US Citizens are just getting called to immigration. 

[styles27]

They’re using the lifeboats today to get us to shore. 
 

[styles27]

Immigration:

You enter at Le Bistro, someone scans your keycard then you go to the immigration officers.
(There were 3 officers today)

They just checked our passports and that was all. 

An NCL staff member put a sticker on our keycard to show we’ve been through immigration. 
Very quick. 

 

Tender ticket

Show your keycard to the person handing out tender tickets. 

If you don’t have a sticker on your keycard you can’t get a tender ticket. 
 

 

I wouldn’t want to go through this with a full ship. Now we’re all waiting in the atrium for our tender number to be called.  We have 9, they’re on 4. 

Edited April 21, 2022 by styles27

[warb]

Still Following. Thanks for the Updates.  Still Windy Thursday in Western Mass.

[1025cruise]

Ahh, so they reversed the line from last week. Instead of entering in the mid elevator lobby and exiting Le Bistro, they have you going the other way. 

[styles27]

1 hour ago, 1025cruise said:

Ahh, so they reversed the line from last week. Instead of entering in the mid elevator lobby and exiting Le Bistro, they have you going the other way. 

I guess they saw that didn’t  work very well for your cruise. 

The ferry boat in Bar Harbor is now in use to bring us back to the ship. 
 

Bar Harbor

For those who haven’t been to this port…

 

When you get on the pier turn  left and follow rd to Main St. Turn right onto Main St (this is where most of the shops and restaurants are.) About a 5 min walk. 

 

We crazy New Englanders had some great homemade ice cream from Ben & Bills

 

http://benandbills.com/

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by styles27

[styles27]

[styles27]

Edited April 21, 2022 by styles27

[styles27]

above video

 

They went a little overboard (pun intended) on heating the main pool today in Bar Harbor. Pool temp is hotter than the hot tubs. Lifeguard said they’re trying to cool it down a bit. 
 

[cruiseinfoseeker]

On 4/19/2022 at 4:09 PM, Artcricket said:

Thank you. Do you know about before you sail out of Boston? We will be in 3 bed garden villa and wondered if the adults kids ordered drinks with lunch if tax is added. I guess I’m assuming (not the best idea) that you can order drinks with meals and they are covered with the drink package. 

It is supposed to be added while docked at any US port. That said...it's 6.25%.

So in the unlikely event that you order $100 worth of beverage it's $6.25. Plus the 18 or 20 % gratuity on the $6.25, which at 20% would only be another buck and a quarter.

Thinking that as you are in a three bedroom garden villa this is an odd concern.

[Longstockingpippi1]

Thank you for your trip diary😃. My turn tomorrow 👍. 

[Broons77]

15 minutes ago, Longstockingpippi1 said:

Thank you for your trip diary😃. My turn tomorrow 👍. 

 

It's supposed to be a BEAUTIFUL day tomorrow, how exciting!  Still a few more weeks for my turn.  Please let us know how your embarkation goes, hopefully they'll have things smoothed out for you!

[styles27]

Good morning!

14 hours ago, Longstockingpippi1 said:

Thank you for your trip diary😃. My turn tomorrow 👍. 

Have a wonderful trip! The 3 production shows we saw were so good, especially last night’s acrobatic duo!

Will check in once we’re home. 

 

Off the ship by 8:15 with self debarkation.  

[JCMass.]

3 hours ago, styles27 said:

Good morning!

Have a wonderful trip! The 3 production shows we saw were so good, especially last night’s acrobatic duo!

Will check in once we’re home. 

 

Off the ship by 8:15 with self debarkation.  

Thank you so much for doing this, our turn comes on April 29th.   Glad to hear there were no problems getting off. 

[styles27]

Very smooth debarkation. We were home in RI by 9:30am 

 Definitely recommend the Massport parking lot D3

 

The free shuttle to and from the ship runs frequently. The van was waiting for us when we left the terminal and we were at our car in about 5 min. Great experience!

 

Hope everyone leaving today has a great time!

[Artcricket]

The question about taxes while still in US waters was not a concern. I was just inquiring so no one is surprised when it happens - and making the assumption that being in the 3 bed garden villa indicates I have money to burn is very presumptuous. I have had six years since my husband passed to save for this trip and we are doing it because he had taken videos of this layout on the Jade and we thought it would be awesome to take our family. Just fulfilling one of his wishes. I’m a retired high school art teacher (22 yrs) who gets non of her husband Social Security due to being a teacher in IL. Sorry but that touched a nerve. Thank you Styles27 for all of the helpful information!

[luvcruzing]

20 minutes ago, Artcricket said:

I’m a retired high school art teacher (22 yrs) who gets non of her husband Social Security due to being a teacher in IL.

What kind of a stupid law is that?

[cruiserbear55]

3 hours ago, luvcruzing said:

What kind of a stupid law is that?

 

 

   It's called WEP/OFFSET (Windfall Elimination Provision/Government Offset). It would be far too involved to go into the laws here. Suffice it to say that if you have worked a good number of years for a government entity, i.e., police, fire , teacher, etc. and are now receiving a substantial pension, it is almost impossible for you to receive Social Security under either your spouses earnings or your own earnings while you may have worked in the private sector.

   When you work under a government pension plan, you don't pay into SS.

     So Artcricket would have a half-way decent pension after working as a teacher for years, so under these laws she is "eliminated" from receiving Social Security benefits under her husband's earnings.

  My wife and i are in the same boat(ship!). She worked for the local PD for 35 years, and if I die tomorrow, she will get O from SS.

 

 

 

 

 

[luvcruzing]

Half-way decent pension for a teacher, who are notoriously underpaid.  I feel better already. 

[sunluva7]

Thanks so much for posting this. We are also from RI, and this will be our 5th time doing this Boston to Bermuda in July. Did you have the specialty dining promo included? If so, did you book your specialty restaurants in advance on line or did you book them on board?

[margretha]

Massachusetts has the same "Windfall" law so even though I, like many in education, worked in college, held 2nd jobs, etc. and paid into Social Security, because getting both a pension based on teacher salary AND some of the Social Security which we all paid into would be tooooo generous I guess - so they call it the Windfall Law and so no, no Social Security from spouse. Sometimes the sorrow I feel for Jeff Bezos falling into 2nd place as the richest man in the world is just overwhelming.

[cruiserbear55]

22 hours ago, margretha said:

Massachusetts has the same "Windfall" law so even though I, like many in education, worked in college, held 2nd jobs, etc. and paid into Social Security, because getting both a pension based on teacher salary AND some of the Social Security which we all paid into would be tooooo generous I guess - so they call it the Windfall Law and so no, no Social Security from spouse. Sometimes the sorrow I feel for Jeff Bezos falling into 2nd place as the richest man in the world is just overwhelming.

   FWIW, Congress is currently working on a fix for these laws. Many Congressmen/women have signed on, and is expected to pass the house.Passing the Senate is another story.