Live-NCL Breakaway 10/30-11/06/2022-New England/Canada-Club Balcony Suite

[BermudaBound2014]

39 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

 

It really is hard to keep up with all the changing requirements for cruising and different countries/destinations....I do hope that sometime soon Bermuda will opt for something similar (at least before April when I am going)

 

Bermuda relaxed their protocols yesterday. No vaccination needed. No testing. Unvaccinated need insurance. Bermuda still collecting $40 from everyone but they are wide open to tourists now 🙂

 

 

https://www.gov.bm/coronavirus-travellers-visitors

 

 

Edited September 30, 2022 by BermudaBound2014

[Red-Sol]

44 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Bermuda relaxed their protocols yesterday. No vaccination needed. No testing. Unvaccinated need insurance. Bermuda still collecting $40 from everyone but they are wide open to tourists now 🙂

 

 

https://www.gov.bm/coronavirus-travellers-visitors

 

 

Now this is some very welcome news! Thank You!

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Gary....agree on all counts.  Still a bit miffed about it.  If I hadn't  flown to FL before that cruise, NCL could have checked guests in, cancelled the cruise immediately afterwards, and counted me as a "no show" and kept the entire cruise fare I paid.  Even insurance wouldn't have covered that.  

 

They knew the hurricane was coming.  And, they knew it was due to hit the day the cruise was supposed to set sail. I kept calling my TA to see if it was cancelled before I flew out.  She (shockingly) said it was going to sail.  

 

I even thought to myself..."well, if NCL believes they can sail around it, they know better than me".  Boy, was I ever wrong.

 

I think (I hope, I pray) that COVID shutdown has left, not only NCL, but all cruise lines, with a better understanding that their guests' safety isn't just something they can talk about, but must be proactive in protecting.

 

Said it before, I do give NCL credit. Up until just now, over the last 2.5+ years, they required everyone to be vaccinated and tested.  They didn't waver from that until recently.  Saw a stat that 95+% of their customer base is vaccinated as of right now.

 

But, as much as I have irritated by NCL (and, over the years, that's been a lot), I keep coming back. I'm not exclusive to NCL though.  I like the product Celebrity puts out, too.  I know @JamieLogical gas taken a similar route with her NCL frustrations and turning to Celebrity.

 

As an aside, I guess it could be worse.  I just saw a blurb that Carnival is now charging for Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches.  Don't know the details, but talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face with a policy.......LOL!

The issue was timing.  The Airlines are now much more flexible with giving credit if you have not left yet.  NCL force you to get on a flight by only informing you of your situation at 03:00 AM the night before.  I think we can substitute other cruise brands in the place of NCL in waiting for the last minute to cancel.  It does not make it right.  Nobody would want to be on a ship or an plane during a hurricane.  The covid cancelations did not kill the cruise industry but it changed it for sure.  When the lost all that money, they knew they had to make it back as soon as possible. 

 

Not giving guest the option of cancelations prior to a hurricane is in my estimation not a good look for the cruising industry as a whole.  Maybe like with many things in the past, they can learn from this experience. 

 

On the Peanut butter and Jelly issue, that is so very strange.  It used to be bacon.  Price go up and BB&J is an add on.  Who would have thought that would happened? Crazy world we life in.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[luvcruzing]

5 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Yeah…that was a cluster.  I was really steamed at NCL.  They refused to cancel our Caribbean cruise regardless of all the weather predictions of the impending hurricane.  They finally did cancel 7 hours before embarkation time (3:00 a.m.).  My TA called me at my hotel to inform me.  That‘s when I decided she would get ALL of my business, as she was dedicated enough to call her clients who she’d booked on the same cruise, staying up practically all night to do so.

 

Trying to get a flight back home was quite the endeavor, too.  One of those cruise (or, should I say “non-cruise” experiences) I’d rather forget.

 

Hoping those affected by Ian stay well and safe.

Many of us on Cruise Critic were following along with your journey.  It was like reading a thriller.

[graphicguy]

2 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

The issue was timing.  The Airlines are now much more flexible with giving credit if you have not left yet.  NCL force you to get on a flight by only informing you of your situation at 03:00 AM the night before.  I think we can substitute other cruise brands in the place of NCL in waiting for the last minute to cancel.  It does not make it right.  Nobody would want to be on a ship or an plane during a hurricane.  The covid cancelations did not kill the cruise industry but it changed it for sure.  When the lost all that money, they knew they had to make it back as soon as possible. 

 

Not giving guest the option of cancelations prior to a hurricane is in my estimation not a good look for the cruising industry as a whole.  Maybe like with many things in the past, they can learn from this experience. 

 

On the Peanut butter and Jelly issue, that is so very strange.  It used to be bacon.  Price go up and BB&J is an add on.  Who would have thought that would happened? Crazy world we life in.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

There has been a teeny sliver of silver lining come out of the travel industry since COVID.  Airlines are more flexible.  Still not remotely where they need to be, but at least a wee bit better.  

 

The cruise lines can't afford to do anything that impedes their progress in getting guests on board their sailings.  They have too much ground to make up.  That's why I'm a surprised that Carnival is making such moves to irritate their customer base. Out of all the major cruise lines, I always viewed Carnival has having the most loyal customer base.  

 

Trying to remember the report I watched regarding the PB&J charges, but it escapes me.  The report went further in saying the move (as well as some others in which Carnival is now charging for) is to combat food waste.  Really?  You think your customer base is going to swallow that (pun intended)?

 

Bottom line, I don't think the cruise lines can all of a sudden start getting away with "unfriendly to guest" policies, as they've done in the past.  The industry overall is too fragile for that.

[genealogyfan]

On 9/27/2022 at 10:22 AM, JamieLogical said:

@graphicguy It looks like I could upgrade to a GTY Club Balcony Suite for ~$60 more than I paid for my current angled balcony on deck 13. The room I am currently booked in, I have stayed in before and I definitely enjoyed the slightly larger balcony, since the balconies on the Breakaway are so teeny tiny. But with this being a cold weather cruise, I might not spend much time on the balcony anyway. Think it's worth the extra space and nicer bathroom, but giving up the balcony space and the choice of room location?

If you haven't upgraded to a club balcony, you may want to look at Family Club Balcony Suites and then call Norwegian. Those you can see and pick online. I actually called Norwegian since I saw the price drop again (I thought I got a good deal a couple weeks ago), and for $25 more I was able to change from a Family Balcony to a Family Club Balcony. The increase was due to the service charges increasing.  I could only choose the cabin I wanted by going with the Family balcony.

 

Originally the cabin I wanted wasn't available, and although I couldn't see it was available, the regular club balcony right next door was available to choose by the Norwegian agent. Once I cleared out of the orignal one (I had selected it when looking and it still looked unavailable to the agent), she was able to change me to the family club balcony I wanted. It makes me realize that the agents can see cabins available that we can't see when doing a mock booking.

 

Bonus - I had no idea their were extra perks with a club balcony besides more room. Free laundry bag and treats during the week.

[graphicguy]

Well…chalk this up as concerning and probably over reacting, but…….

 

I’m in my ‘60s.  Had a heart attack about a dozen years ago.  Result, had two stents inserted to “fix” things.

 

Fast forward to the “every 6 mos” visit to the Cardiologist last week, and he ordered a stress test to “let’s see where we are”.  Did OK with the stress test (do the 145 BPM for 10 minutes and then echo pics of what’s going on).  

 

Pretty danged happy, until….

 

Get a call from cardio yesterday stating on 2nd look, he wants to do an angiogram.  OK…..why?  Well, he saw something weird (not going to get into the medical gobbledygook).  

 

“Well, I’ve got a cruise coming up at the end of the month.  Can we do it right before Thanksgiving?”

 

”Ummmm….no….let’s get it done now!”

 

Well, that’s ominous. Scheduled for Thursday.

 

Three things can happen….

 

1.  It’s a disaster and they crack me open and start pulling out wires from my legs and putting them in my chest, in which case…..bye-bye cruise

2.  They rearrange some stents, maybe put in more.  Take a week off, and am better than ever come October 30th

3.  It’s a blip and there’s nothing to it.

 

I’ll take #2 or #3.  Not fond of #1.

[goldmom]

I have found that Cardiologists are probably the most cautious and the most pro-active of all our doctors.

Hopefully, it's nothing but it's better to check it out before you go.  Those medical e-vacs don't look like fun!

Try not to stress too much (I know, easier said than done).  And please let us know how it goes.

 

[Red-Sol]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Well…chalk this up as concerning and probably over reacting, but…….

 

I’m in my ‘60s.  Had a heart attack about a dozen years ago.  Result, had two stents inserted to “fix” things.

 

Fast forward to the “every 6 mos” visit to the Cardiologist last week, and he ordered a stress test to “let’s see where we are”.  Did OK with the stress test (do the 145 BPM for 10 minutes and then echo pics of what’s going on).  

 

Pretty danged happy, until….

 

Get a call from cardio yesterday stating on 2nd look, he wants to do an angiogram.  OK…..why?  Well, he saw something weird (not going to get into the medical gobbledygook).  

 

“Well, I’ve got a cruise coming up at the end of the month.  Can we do it right before Thanksgiving?”

 

”Ummmm….no….let’s get it done now!”

 

Well, that’s ominous. Scheduled for Thursday.

 

Three things can happen….

 

1.  It’s a disaster and they crack me open and start pulling out wires from my legs and putting them in my chest, in which case…..bye-bye cruise

2.  They rearrange some stents, maybe put in more.  Take a week off, and am better than ever come October 30th

3.  It’s a blip and there’s nothing to it.

 

I’ll take #2 or #3.  Not fond of #1.

 2 or 3 it is! You will be fine to go! No matter how hard they try they can't keep us old codgers down for long! (possible spelling since I never tried to type codger? before. 😄 Hang in there everything will work out fine.

[cruiseny4life]

Sending some positive vibes to you from NY! Keep on looking forward to that cruise of yours When the doc tells you good news, bust out your favorite drink and celebrate.

[graphicguy]

46 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Sending some positive vibes to you from NY! Keep on looking forward to that cruise of yours When the doc tells you good news, bust out your favorite drink and celebrate.

Amen!

[mking8288]

Dan, you'll be fine regardless. We're put our trust & faith with our cardiologist too, amazing medical advances happening nowadays. Health and well beings come first, then sit back and enjoy continued living longer. Among the reasons that DW opted for early retirement path, preventive detection & intervention made a key difference.  Think positive and it'll be #3 just fine. 

 

Henry

[graphicguy]

13 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Dan, you'll be fine regardless. We're put our trust & faith with our cardiologist too, amazing medical advances happening nowadays. Health and well beings come first, then sit back and enjoy continued living longer. Among the reasons that DW opted for early retirement path, preventive detection & intervention made a key difference.  Think positive and it'll be #3 just fine. 

 

Henry

Thanks my friend!  

[graphicguy]

This is probably old news for those of us who are constantly combing for news about our cruise(s)....OK, maybe it's just me.  But, just got this in my email.  Doesn't really affect this cruise, as we already knew the masking, vaccination, and testing protocols have been dropped.  But, Bermuda, Columbia, Greece, Honduras and Israel bound cruises on NCL, there are still protocols that NCL is adhering to.

Sail Safe Travel Requirements.pdf

 

[dcipjr]

We'll all be thinking of you, @graphicguy...hope it simply leads to a clean bill of health!

[rxlowry]

On 9/27/2022 at 9:23 AM, graphicguy said:

If you want, sign up for the Meet and Greet.  I think this is going to be a fun one with a lot of us CC-ers on board.

I did sign up a few weeks ago but the time is not good.  I’ll try though it maybe hit a sailaway.  I’m not really thinking much of this one as I leave on an msc cruise this weekend!!

[jimbri]

Good luck with your test.  Hope everything is fine.

[graphicguy]

First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for your concerns.  It truly does mean a lot to know my CC friends care.  I'm appreciative and humbled.

 

2nd....yeah, I had some bad stuff that needed to be taken care of.  The good....I have two brand new stents, and aside from some soreness and post surgery anesthetic fog, I'm good to go for the cruise.

 

Let's go!

[cruiseny4life]

22 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for your concerns.  It truly does mean a lot to know my CC friends care.  I'm appreciative and humbled.

 

2nd....yeah, I had some bad stuff that needed to be taken care of.  The good....I have two brand new stents, and aside from some soreness and post surgery anesthetic fog, I'm good to go for the cruise.

 

Let's go!

Well - don't delay too long on the caring for yourself! 

But, also, glad to hear you're recovering and will be able to cruise! 

[mking8288]

Dan - Whew, amazing miracles happened every day and so glad to hear that your issues are in good hands, recovering from the procedures - and, in a little over 3 weeks ... you'll be traveling and on the ship again.  Thanks for sharing your personal story with us on CC.  Get some rest now.  

[Red-Sol]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for your concerns.  It truly does mean a lot to know my CC friends care.  I'm appreciative and humbled.

 

2nd....yeah, I had some bad stuff that needed to be taken care of.  The good....I have two brand new stents, and aside from some soreness and post surgery anesthetic fog, I'm good to go for the cruise.

 

Let's go!

The way we all feel:
 

 

[goldmom]

So glad they found the problem and were able to fix it.  That's why regular check-ups are important.  Rest up now and look forward to enjoying your cruise.  Thanks for updating your CC Crew.

[graphicguy]

Well....it's getting close now....just got this.....

 

Thank you for choosing Norwegian Cruise Line. Your sail date is quickly approaching, and your online check-in is now open. To expedite your time at the pier and select your embarkation time, we urge all guests to complete their online check-in to provide the necessary documentation required to board the ship.

Here's how to complete your online check-in:

	Register or log in to My NCL
	Follow prompts to check in for your reservation
	Register your credit card for onboard purchases
	Schedule your port arrival time
	Watch the mandatory safety video
	Print eDocs and luggage tags

Important note: Online Check in will be no longer available within 3 days of sailing.

Please contact your travel advisor or click here for necessary requirements and documentation needed prior to your sailing. If you have any further questions, contact your travel advisor or Norwegian Cruise Line at 1-800-327-7030.

Click here for all details about our new safety and check-in procedures that must be completed before you sail.

[laudergayle]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Well....it's getting close now....just got this..

So happy to know you are even better now and ready and able to sail.  Have an amazing, budget friendly-amenity rich experience.  You paid a different price this cruise…lol.  😊

[graphicguy]

3 hours ago, CptAleSpill said:

Thank God we live in a country with the best health care in the world. 😎  Best wishes!

Amen to that!