Bare Necessities - Warning: Pollyanna Post

[mugtech]

         We took  b2b cruises on the Gem out of San Juan end of October 2016!!!!  It was a total of 14 days with 10 different ports plus San Juan!!!!   Got to know a Cubs fan, listened to the World Series on his radio!!!!  Cubs won the World Series for the first time since they started making Lincoln head pennies!!!!  Saw places where Elton John hangs out!!!!  Voted by absentee ballot, said I was checking out investment possibilities!!!  They believed me!!!!  Had to go online to see election results!!!  The Gem is our favorite Norwegian Ship!!!!  We especially liked hearing Leo play all kinds of music and talk to him about life in the Philippines!!!!  They still had Second City in 2016!!!  Met the author of a book about the founding of Second City many years before, as a newbie he got to play gopher for one of the principle founders!!!!  Bought the book and read it when I got home!!!!  It was great!!!!  My Grateful Dead friends also loved it!!!!  Turns out the founder  was doing lights when the Dead were doing the music for Electric Kool Aid Acid Tests in San Francisco!!!  We were platinum, got free laundry both cruises!!!  Got two dinners for two each 7 day cruise!!!!  Got two free bottles of wine!!!!  Got chocolate covered strawberries first night of each cruise!!!

[okpaddy]

I enjoy the relaxed environment on NCL. I tend to prefer the small to medium sized ships. I'm not interested in the mega ships, but glad they exist to cater to the more ambitious travelers. I really enjoy the freestyle dining and the flexibility of dining on your own schedule. I enjoy getting to meet the staff and have encountered some truly fantastic crew members. I appreciate the hard work it takes to feed and clean up after so many people day after day.  There are changes that have occurred over the past 22 years that I have been cruising, but I can still find plenty of things to enjoy about the experience. 

I hope you enjoy your TA, as we have made at least half a dozen crossings. I have sailed both directions, but my preference is crossing east to west. That way the long plane flight is at the beginning of the trip while you're still energetic and excited. Then the crossing coming back home has time changes added into the schedule on five or six days, which allow for nap time 🥱

I'm off again the end of March to begin a B2B2B adventure. I'll be on the Jewel and I'm interested to see the changes from the most recent refurbishment. 

Wishing the OP safe journeys and wonderful adventures and hoping everyone else is enjoying their time at sea.

[idocdlw]

9 hours ago, nhtravels said:

Love NCL!  Love the Encore!  It's one of our favorite ships!  I'm an introvert, so for me, I book the Haven, as I crave the quieter times.  But when we wander through the ship, we love the Waterfront on the Encore.  The staff aboard that ship are some of the friendliest people we have met on the seas.  We'll be sailing her for the 3rd time in 2025 and can't wait!

 

Enjoy your time aboard! :😚

 

nhtravels - your post makes me feel so much better about my upcoming NCL adventure...thanks!

[idocdlw]

8 hours ago, mugtech said:

        Got to board the Jewel in a great international city, Singapore!!!!  Our first stop was Ko Samui Thailand.  They sell the best mangoes in the whole world!!!  Only $1.25 each!!!  The stores along the coast had great air conditioning!!!  They let you stay in the air con as long as you like!!!  All the excursions which included elephants were cancelled because of the cruelty to the elephants!!!  I was proud to not take those excersions!!!  They had one of the biggest coconut plantations in the world!!!!  They claimed 3 million coconuts were harvested every year!!!!  Most of the harvesting was done by trained monkeys!!!  The monkeys worked for less than minimum wage!!!!

           We got to stay in Bangkok overnight!!!!!  Saw some wonderful golden Buddhas!!!  We made three stops in Vietnam!!!  Got to see the provincial capital of Hue, scene of a great battle during the 1968 TET offensive!!!  Ate great Vietnamese food!!!!

            Cruise ended in Hong Kong, still very British!!!  They still drive on the wrong side of the road!!!  Hundreds were waiting in line for cabs, but we got a cab after only a 20 minute wait!!!  The driver spoke no English but took us directly to our hotel!!!  The driver did not expect a tip!!!!  We met family members who work there as domestic helpers!!!  They took us to great restaurants!!!  We avoided packed public transportation by walking!!! They have sheltered walkways above the streets to avoid having to cross the streets!!!

          We plan to take a similar cruise in the near future!!!!!

Wow mugtech - you have traveled to so many places that I would love to see. I can tell that you had a great time & made good memories by all the !!!!!!  lol

[idocdlw]

7 hours ago, okpaddy said:

I enjoy the relaxed environment on NCL. I tend to prefer the small to medium sized ships. I'm not interested in the mega ships, but glad they exist to cater to the more ambitious travelers. I really enjoy the freestyle dining and the flexibility of dining on your own schedule. I enjoy getting to meet the staff and have encountered some truly fantastic crew members. I appreciate the hard work it takes to feed and clean up after so many people day after day.  There are changes that have occurred over the past 22 years that I have been cruising, but I can still find plenty of things to enjoy about the experience. 

I hope you enjoy your TA, as we have made at least half a dozen crossings. I have sailed both directions, but my preference is crossing east to west. That way the long plane flight is at the beginning of the trip while you're still energetic and excited. Then the crossing coming back home has time changes added into the schedule on five or six days, which allow for nap time 🥱

I'm off again the end of March to begin a B2B2B adventure. I'll be on the Jewel and I'm interested to see the changes from the most recent refurbishment. 

Wishing the OP safe journeys and wonderful adventures and hoping everyone else is enjoying their time at sea.

Thanks for the share & the well wishes okpaddy. I'm doing west to east but will have to try an east to west (or even a B@B TA) in the future.

[bkrickles1]

15 hours ago, idocdlw said:

In this thread, please share only what you love about NCL, great experiences you have experienced on NCL & unforgettable interactions on NCL to help those of us who are first timers on NCL stop worrying that we may have a less than par cruise (no grievances please).

 

Please help me become more excited/less anxious about my upcoming cruise. Thanks a bunch!

 

Bare Necessities (you know the Jungle Book song...hum while you read)
Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities;
Forget about your worries and your strife.
I mean the bare necessities, or Mother Nature’s recipes
That bring the bare necessities of life!
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam,
I couldn’t be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzing in the trees
to make some honey just for me.
You look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants,
Then maybe try a few!
“Don’t mind if I do!”
Yeah!
The bare necessities of life will come to you (They’ll come to you)
They’ll come to you (They’ll come to you)
They’ll come to (They’ll come to you)
They’ll come to
You! You!
You! You!
The bare necessities of life!
Oh, yeah! 

 

My best evening ever on a cruise ship occurred in 2018 on Norwegian Escape.

It was a birthday cruise for my wife with my daughter, nieces and cousin. 

On her birthday I booked the Choir of Man show.

This was the very beginning of Choir of Man, when it was only performed on Escape and only in the Supper Club for a fee, which was a pretty small and intimate venue. It was with the original cast and they were selling their cd after the show which, of course, my daughter had to have because they were "all so cute"! Lol!

As many here know, you're invited to go up on stage and grab a beer and chat with the cast before showtime. I did this with my daughter and told a couple of cast members that it was my wife's birthday.

The show, which is the best show I've seen on a cruise ship, was made even better because my wife was brought up on stage to be serenaded to by the guitar player and then my niece was brought up for the Pina Colada song section of the show.

The food was pretty lousy, but the night was amazing!

I've got pictures and video and, for all of us that were there, it was our favorite night of the sailing.

 

I've since seen the show in the theater and, while it's still a great show, it lost the intimacy that it had in the supper club. I understand they had to move it because it became just about everyone's favorite show.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

RIP Richard Lewis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited February 29 by bkrickles1

[Davechipp74]

My favorite interaction with a crew member was aboard my last cruise, (The Getaway last January) I brought a sextant and a textbook on how to use it to teach myself. Who's walking by the ships navigation officer, he engaged me. He stood there talking to me for 15 minutes, giving me pointers, told me he had one of similar quality on the bridge, complemented me on being the only passenger he ever saw with a sextant and charts trying to plot the ships location in a dozen years. I had been drinking a little, so I had the courage to ask him if I could come up to the bridge, he said sorry not this time, and was on his way. I did however very much enjoy our conversation, and learned a few things.  

Edited February 29 by Davechipp74

[Miss Ellsworth]

15 hours ago, mugtech said:

  Warning, the pile of green stuff with your sushi is not avocado, treat it as such at your on peril.

HAH! I was on a family cruise in '08. My dad was making himself and my mom plates at the buffet. He thought the wasabi balls were some kind of mini brussel sprout and put a few on my mom's plate. She didn't see it well and popped a whole wasabi ball into her mouth. Hahaha. Thanks for the reminder of that. We still laugh about it

[9tee2Sea]

17 hours ago, idocdlw said:

In this thread, please share only what you love about NCL, great experiences you have experienced on NCL & unforgettable interactions on NCL to help those of us who are first timers on NCL stop worrying that we may have a less than par cruise (no grievances please).

 

Please help me become more excited/less anxious about my upcoming cruise. Thanks a bunch!

 

Bare Necessities (you know the Jungle Book song...hum while you read)
Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities;
Forget about your worries and your strife.
I mean the bare necessities, or Mother Nature’s recipes
That bring the bare necessities of life!
Wherever I wander, wherever I roam,
I couldn’t be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzing in the trees
to make some honey just for me.
You look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants,
Then maybe try a few!
“Don’t mind if I do!”
Yeah!
The bare necessities of life will come to you (They’ll come to you)
They’ll come to you (They’ll come to you)
They’ll come to (They’ll come to you)
They’ll come to
You! You!
You! You!
The bare necessities of life!
Oh, yeah! 

 

thanks for the childhood memory.  Haven't thought of that song in decades.  I remember seeing the movie in a Drive-in when it came out ( yes...Im that old).

[Alatraveler1]

Really enjoying the sharing of stories in this thread.  I plan to do much more of it after our next NCL Cruise coming up this summer.  The tips you get about NCL seem to be much more useful than those in the sections for other cruise lines we've used, and good to see some positive ones especially!

 

[EngrJones]

4 hours ago, idocdlw said:

or even a B@B TA

Has there ever been a B2B TA?  I would love that, but I doubt they happen.

[schmoopie17]

I can’t remember the last time we ordered dessert in a “land” restaurant. However, I will get dessert after every meal on NCL. 
 

People have opinions on overall NCL food (like they say…everyone has one). But I can definitively say that NCL excels at desserts. 

[DCGuy64]

What we love about NCL:

 

1. 1. The Crew. We are always surrounded by friendly, energetic people who are in a good mood. Every morning at the Garden Café, there's someone greeting you as you come in, often accompanied by "washy washy, happy happy!"
2. 2. Specialty restaurants. My favorites are La Cucina and Moderno. I love Italian food and Brazilian steakhouses, and they are delicious!
3. 3. The bars. NCL has an amazing menu of drinks. I've even downloaded the PDF to my phone so I always have it with me. I have discovered some very delicious new cocktails by sailing with NCL.
4. 4. The cabin stewards. They're always so nice, polite, and cheerful.
5. 5. O'Sheehan's/The Local: I love the idea of an always-available, free bar and grille. I'm a huge fan of their burgers, fish n' chips, and chicken wings.
6. 6. Included Asian restaurants like Shanghai or the Orchid Garden. Fresh food and it's free!

 

The whole vibe onboard is relaxed, and we've met some wonderful other guests while onboard. Hope that helps!

[DCGuy64]

2 hours ago, Miss Ellsworth said:

HAH! I was on a family cruise in '08. My dad was making himself and my mom plates at the buffet. He thought the wasabi balls were some kind of mini brussel sprout and put a few on my mom's plate. She didn't see it well and popped a whole wasabi ball into her mouth. Hahaha. Thanks for the reminder of that. We still laugh about it

That happened to a relative who thought it was guacamole. She sure didn't make that mistake twice!

[lepidoptera]

I love how NCL caters to solos. Even from being able to put in 1 guest when searching for cruises they make it so easy. I was looking at a sailing on another line due to NCL not working with my schedule and there was no way to search for just one guest, when I went to book there was a 300% solo supplement. 
 

I really love freestyle cruising-having a fixed dining time every night is not fun for me. 
 

I really like NCL thermal suites. Super nice place to relax and be chill. 

[DuckTollerFans]

Top moments:

* First cruise ever: stepping on the ship.  Seriously, that moment you're onboard for the first time ever is unforgettable to me.

* Like @bkrickles1 and his family: Totally swooned over The Choir of Man.  Their musicality and performance and energy make it the best show I've seen on a ship and better than many seen in a theater.  I play the CD and I'm transported back to the ship, grabbing a beer onstage, and being wow-ed. And as an amateur musician I'm always analyzing their harmonies and picking one to follow. 🎵

* Meeting wonderful people, many of them b/c of the interactions here on CC first before you board.  Even if you don't do much with them, seeing their familiar faces is nice. Checking in with how they're enjoying the cruise, their tips on whatever.  Maybe getting together on a sea day for a drink or a game of Left-Right-Center. (note: add to packing list)

* There's a local dive I go to often enough that the staff *should* know my name by now. But they don't.  On a cruise, it takes no time for staff to start greeting you by your name, especially in some of the bars. And they engage - asking you how you spent the day, or telling you about their home country.  (like Mauritius -- will I ever meet someone from there again?)

 

There's that famous Maya Angelou quote: "'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."   And I think cruising is like that.  Happy to be in sailing along the beautiful sea, or exploring in a new-to-me location, or not having any worries other than what to eat or drink, all that .... and knowing I am fortunate and grateful to be able to do vacations like this.

[bkrickles1]

4 minutes ago, DuckTollerFans said:

Top moments:

* First cruise ever: stepping on the ship.  Seriously, that moment you're onboard for the first time ever is unforgettable to me.

* Like @bkrickles1 and his family: Totally swooned over The Choir of Man.  Their musicality and performance and energy make it the best show I've seen on a ship and better than many seen in a theater.  I play the CD and I'm transported back to the ship, grabbing a beer onstage, and being wow-ed. And as an amateur musician I'm always analyzing their harmonies and picking one to follow. 🎵

* Meeting wonderful people, many of them b/c of the interactions here on CC first before you board.  Even if you don't do much with them, seeing their familiar faces is nice. Checking in with how they're enjoying the cruise, their tips on whatever.  Maybe getting together on a sea day for a drink or a game of Left-Right-Center. (note: add to packing list)

* There's a local dive I go to often enough that the staff *should* know my name by now. But they don't.  On a cruise, it takes no time for staff to start greeting you by your name, especially in some of the bars. And they engage - asking you how you spent the day, or telling you about their home country.  (like Mauritius -- will I ever meet someone from there again?)

 

There's that famous Maya Angelou quote: "'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."   And I think cruising is like that.  Happy to be in sailing along the beautiful sea, or exploring in a new-to-me location, or not having any worries other than what to eat or drink, all that .... and knowing I am fortunate and grateful to be able to do vacations like this.

My wife loves left-right-center. That's your in with her on our sailing!

I'll be at the bar. Lol!

[DuckTollerFans]

2 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

My wife loves left-right-center. That's your in with her on our sailing!

I'll be at the bar. Lol!

We can play in a bar and cover all the bases.  Why choose?

[fmrlkr]

I was on the Joy post refurbishment transatlantic with friends, husband and wife and me.  He had fallen in a cave on a cruise in December and had surgery on 3 rotator cuffs.  It was his right arm.  Our last specialty dining was at Le Bistro.  Best meal I have ever had on a ship.  Best waitress I have ever had on a ship.  The food was delicious, the presentation was excellent.  When they uncovered our meals, my friend reached for her husbands duck so she could cut it for him.  Our waitress told her, no, you start your meal, I will cut it for him.  She proceeded to cut his meal and even fed him one or two pieces so he could eat with us.  It was a beautiful thing to do.  We made sure to write a hero card for her.  

[idocdlw]

Oh my...I am so glad so many have participated & continue to participate in this "glad game". I can no longer reply to each post individually, but rest assured, I read them all & it makes me feel so good about taking a chance on NCL. 

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

[nordicacres]

What a lovely thread! We are taking our first cruise to Alaska in June, and are very much looking forward to it. I have come to realize that we aren’t as picky as many, ha!

[Go2SeaTheWorld]

5 minutes ago, nordicacres said:

What a lovely thread! We are taking our first cruise to Alaska in June, and are very much looking forward to it. I have come to realize that we aren’t as picky as many, ha!

We cruised Alaska 2023 last week of June into July on the Bliss. It was an incredible experience. So beautiful. The people at each port were so warm, friendly and anxious to share everything that is special about Alaska. Hope you have as much fun as we did. 

[mugtech]

        Back in 2012 I had a friend named Sandy extend our 9 day Caribbean cruise out of NYC to 13 days!!!!  No extra charge!!!  Not even DSC for the additional 4 Days!!!  We skipped our last port to try to beat Sandy back to NYC!!!  We won the race!!!  But the port was already closed!!!  So we headed out to Boston!!!  The elevators did not work for over 24 hours!!!  I walked from our cabin on deck 4 up to the buffet on deck 12, ate breakfast,  and brought some breakfast back for my wife!!!  Did the same for lunch and dinner!!!  We spent Halloween in Boston overnight!!!  We sat in downtown and speculated whether the people we saw were going to a costume party or did they always dress that way!!!  Some were close calls, hard to tell!!! We headed back to NYC as Second City did additional improv!!!  When we got back to NYC on a Friday night, we were offered to stay on board for an additional $100 each to take a 5 day cruise to Bermuda!!!!  We got off the ship, had to go back to work, was already 4 days late!!!  When we got home to Bethlehem our electricity was still off!!!  Electricity came back on that night!!!  Went to the accounting office the next day, found the electricity was off all week!!!  So I missed no work!!!  In addition, since no one could work, everyone, including me got paid for a full week!!!  People still ask us why do we go cruising in October out of NYC!!!  I tell them the final extended personal income returns are due with extensions on 10/15 every year!!!  Then I tell them about my generous friend Sandy!!!  Since we are retired we now go to the Philippines  every October!!! January 2025 planning on a Sky 12 day cruise from Taiwan to Singapore, making 4 stops in the Philippines!!! 

 

[mugtech]

          Our most financially rewarding cruise was one for which we never left the house!!!  We had scheduled and made final payment for our usual October cruise out of NYC, this time 7 days to Canada!!!  Got a phone call from NCL, made me an offer I could not refuse!!!  Offered me an immediate full refund for all we had paid, plus an additional $1000 credit for a future cruise!!!  Had to be used within a year!!!  So we booked 19 days on the Sun through the Panama Canal to Vancouver the following April.  Got double latitudes points for booking more than 6 months ahead of time!!!  Said cruise was on a special list, so we actually got triple points, 57 each for a cruise on which we paid more port taxes and fees than our actual cabin cost!!!  Decided to make it back to back and booked the 10 day Alaska cruise from Vancouver!!!  Post office held our mail for 31 days, only supposed to be for 30 days max!!!  Paid more for the 10 days Alaska than the 19 days through the canal!!!  Got the same cabin for both cruises!!!  Kicked ass in trivia and name that tune on the second cruise!!!

[idocdlw]

14 hours ago, mugtech said:

          Our most financially rewarding cruise was one for which we never left the house!!!  We had scheduled and made final payment for our usual October cruise out of NYC, this time 7 days to Canada!!!  Got a phone call from NCL, made me an offer I could not refuse!!!  Offered me an immediate full refund for all we had paid, plus an additional $1000 credit for a future cruise!!!  Had to be used within a year!!!  So we booked 19 days on the Sun through the Panama Canal to Vancouver the following April.  Got double latitudes points for booking more than 6 months ahead of time!!!  Said cruise was on a special list, so we actually got triple points, 57 each for a cruise on which we paid more port taxes and fees than our actual cabin cost!!!  Decided to make it back to back and booked the 10 day Alaska cruise from Vancouver!!!  Post office held our mail for 31 days, only supposed to be for 30 days max!!!  Paid more for the 10 days Alaska than the 19 days through the canal!!!  Got the same cabin for both cruises!!!  Kicked ass in trivia and name that tune on the second cruise!!!

Wow! Absolutely fantastic experience