mking8288

Weather forecasts on ports and while at sea crossing the north Atlantic toward Iceland, at this moment, based on several online sources are looking good - for sailway, short hop to Halifax and continuing to Reykjavik ... nothing that look bad, nasty or real rough, 10' to 15' seas or even 20' should be expected but for others, maybe not. Going to count on Windy App to help with predicting ahead. Prima's ship navigational channel provides very basic, limited and inadequate information to look ahead ... unless they finished the upgrade (in progress, last November - haven't heard anything different otherwise) Changed out some clothings and jacket to be even better prepared for wet weather in Europe, warmer than usual for this time of the year and less "heavy" winter gears, layers is the buzz word. @Sugar Magnolia DW frequently "borrow" my XXXL tees as sleepwear, LOL - don't have a choice but to pack extras; and, to make max use of free onboard laundry services, especially now that they've reverted back to the full-sized paper laundry bag for steerage use. I have an extra 30L stowaway backpack and "personal bag" sized compression cube, should you or someone need to borrow, LOL. ("bonafide" onboard CC'ers in good standing only) Prima has been maintaining her cruise speed of 21 kts +/1 toward NY, seas are calm, sunny skies - ETA on CruiseMapper given as 08:00 on 27th Apr. Unless NCL is going to have the Prima (and Getaway, 2 days later for the TA) slow down for other "unforeseen" reasons, besides fuel saving ... to sail & sustain and to observe other maritime regulations including whales protection, I question how late she's arriving into NY. Other cruise lines and their ships apparently have been speeding up & down, and along the coastal waters near NY & NJ area, breaking the "rules" whereas NCL must be a good corporate citizen, hmmm. Then, again, what do I know - humors intended, just an unproven theory. Link to live Prima shipcam - might have to refresh this or type in the URL on a new (mobile)browser page to see - https://www.ncl.com/shipcams/primacam/fullsize.jpg (ad blocks/VPN might need to be disabled) Second day in a row, more NCL "spam" emails about safety videos on Youtube, just click & let the 90seconds run its course, jump to another tab/browser page and resume. Maybe they are tracking as to see whether the email was opened or not using AI and placing "cookies" (no, nope, not the edible kinds) when they pushed them to 1,700+ email addresses (# of cabins and/or email addresses, probably more as it's "individually" addressed) Sea state, waves & crossing the pond - the bigger picture as far as I'm concerned ... since we don't have a "weather master" on the roll call, I'm going to "fake" it as best as I can to call it. Maybe "Jim" sitting home or somewhere can assume the task or at least backup or help the weather to make it more fun & lively. Nothing major in the north Atlantic ahead ...

@Arzeena Hahaha, first, apology as I should've "alerted" you to start reading earlier to catch up on our busy cruiselife but you know ... and I am not even responsible for the M&G, just keeping the lines straight, the t's and the d's crossed to have a good headcount, plus the other "stuff" which we won't get into her. What's this thing that @JIMESOPUS is referring to, think I have an idea, happening to a # of other roll calls, whatever. No, I am packing more than wires & cables, smartphones, tablet, adapter, accessories and those washy washy items (remember the "Escape" norovirus ... do not want to go thru that again) Let me think about a mini Black Wire Project - whatever it means - later when this is behind us. Susan found room to put "my" iPad mini in her carry-on and leaving her iPad home (too heavy to carry - LOL) - Apple better not do another iOS "urgent" security update in the next several days, since its' all set & powered down, fully charged for gaming, etc. Isn't it great to find & see other old friends thru this live report - got a feeling both new & old time CC'ers are going to pop up here, cheers all.

T minus 2 ... Online check-in closed at 3 days out. Today is the last day to pre-book NCL shorex. Upgrade Advantage bidding is still accepted ... nothing is final until sailing. Boarding docs and eLuggage tags all printed, other confirmations for tours, flights home printed and PDF saved. Norwegian Pearl has docked around 7 AM this morning at Pier 88 for her TA, late last night or several hours out from NYC doing 15 kts, already passed Atlantic City area (southern NJ coastal) - have a very good & active roll call, maybe some onboard will do a semi-live report en route. Their embarkation should be fairly "routine" Carnival Venezia is about a day behind, sailing north doing 17 kts with a pre-dawn arrival on the 26th. Tracking both ships for their speed in-bound as they approach Ambrose Channel toward NY Lower Bay - area subject to speed restrictions due to whales. Reasons - give us better indications of our delayed time to check-in, embark to start the vacation, etc. Meanwhile, Prima has been maintaining close to her top speed, cruising at 21+ kts toward NY, afternoon into evening, and late night. ETA as given ... MarineTraffic with slightly earlier arrival time into MCT or Pier 88 on the 27th. Going to be looking for the Prima here

An update - here she comes, left PP on time heading north. Windy app forecast showing a fair to good journey en route. Norwegian Pearl is setting up for 3 TA ahead, pacing at 15 kts north of Chesapeake Bay off eastern Maryland, looks good & on schedule to dock in the morning. Carnival V further back arriving on the 26th around 4 AM. No signs along this stretch of speed restrictions, slowdown is mostly closer off NJ around Sandy Hook & Ambrose as ships approach NY Lower Bay and with pilot boat escort as appropriate. ETA as given at this afternoon 🤔 we shall see - not a licensed marine pilot, so what do I know 😬 Feel free to draw your own conclusions and uninformed guess. Station Zebra, going 10-3, 10-7 for now for a coffee break and resume final prep' 😎 ... standing by.

NP, I am just the "messenger" of news and gossips around here, not a good fortune teller (stopped playing/buying lottery tickets & those scratch-offs years ago) Aren't you going to hang up over there somewhere, hop around & get another ship back across - not the QM2 as that's not to your liking, someone "claimed". Oops, Canadian CC'er on the roll call asked if Gatwick is a non-union shop or not, and whether or not, and how operations will be affected. Better printout or save that PDF of our 3rd party travel policy & terms of coverage/exclusions ... already filed our Travel Notices with date ranges with Citi, maybe I should extend that a bit, just in case.

Hate to share these news for anyone traveling post-cruise and flying out of LHR or London's Heathrow Int'l Airport on 12th or 13th of May ... awareness is key. A niece living in London texted me and I thought she was joking with her uncle H. Nope.

@Sugar Magnolia Hmmm, or the fact that you can bring clothes and get 2 big bags washed free. A few tips on laundry, now that NCL has raised the fees by $5 to $35 for wash, dry & fold - the old size in paper bag is back, can roll & stuff, and pack it full. Bring some plastic garbage bag as liner or insert, to avoid breaking the paper bag. Heaven get a nicer silk bag to use. A hanger and 2 or 3 small binder clips, handy for many things.

@Turtles06 Hi, how are you - all is good and well. Got these on a flash sale, not premium nor best, not fancy but get the job done. Holds 8 oz collapsed and up to 16 oz. - cautioned to hold carefully as it can flex & spill, no worse than popular bottler water sold around here. Rinse a few times to pre-condition them to rid any possible odor. Space-saver, don't want to lug insulated tall bottles all over & fly home with them.

Turn up the music video and "let's rock" or perhaps the theme song from "Rocky" and maybe some hits from Donna Summer and do your "Flashdance" from the 1983 movie, "Against All Odds" and don't "Let it Go, Let it Go" by quitting. Our ship is coming 🤗

Weather Channel - snapshots of upcoming ports of call, pack & repack accordingly - wet gears a must, layers, good walking shoes, and weatherproof outerwear. This is warm for us 😀 😎 Pearl is on track to arrive around 6 AM tomorrow and not in a hurry, average cruise speed since departing Miami w crews only at 15 to 16 kts. Prima depart from DR scheduled for 3 PM, ETA to NY should be updated ... stay tuned for my crystal ball forecast or guesstimate 😸

Good morning 🌄 sunny skies ahead, not today in NYC and that's okay. Seas forecasted to be good for next several + days to Halifax & Iceland.

Look here - My 22" expandable carry-on is 95% ready now, still heavy at 28+ lbs with Sony Vaio NB, mouse, charger, cables & the chargers, adapters, etc. 1 med. compression packing cube with sleepwear+ and a clean set of warm clothes (this is under 5 lbs) - convertible as standalone into a "personal bag" by itself, maybe in a recyclable shopping tote bag ... permitted, free, carry-on (if necessary) 2x Tumi pouches (toiletry in 1, minus liquid and 2nd one with meds) and slim 1/2 sized packing cube with all misc. & loose items, masks, clips, hooks & lanyards, etc. plus a field first aid pouch. All nested within a convertible, expandable 19" backpack/carry-on. Packing fresh OTC meds, dumping out old, undated vitamins & supplements (why risk expired ones) along with prescribed & labeled Rx ... in case of questions during border crossing or airport security en route home. Outbound or embarkation out of NYC, port security don't even blink while looking for other things. Once, someone paused my bag to examine a pen (metallic) and LED flashlight just to make sure it wasn't something else ... Coleman multi-tool with 1" blade passed thru, no issues whatsoever. Per latest weather forecast, warmer than the outfits already packed, going to re-pack ... sometime on Friday, not a big deal. Folks flying in tomorrow or Thursday, not an option. Not going anywhere at T minus 1 then, aside from lurking for Prima's whereabouts on high seas and calculating my best estimated ETA.

This year's Pearl TA, see post below from fella CC sailing shortly hasn't heard otherwise, fingers crossed for 2025. Deja vu - just saw this on Cruisehive now ...we aren't alone with the times-a-changing 😳🙄😤 but to my fellow RC members, Sharon got it - Let it Go, Let It Be and Let It Roll. It is what it is 😬 In short, not mechanical or engine ... Right whales protection & speed restriction regs, not exactly "unforseen circumstances" after most cruisers, including seasoned ones, have finalized travel plans. Just not (kindly fill in one's own) cool with this. Let the Getaway folks on this upcoming TA speak for themselves.

@ontheweb Great idea & worthy for those panicking last minute to find a tour in NS, "downtown" or city centre is walkable along the waterfront, very easy & safe ... some of the other popular stops are slightly uphill. From 2022, 2 of us took an Uber from Pier 20 to the Citadel (barrack/fortress) on the hilltop overlooking the city for $10 CN$ and slightly more hailing a taxi from one of the hotel's waiting zone back to the ship for a late lunch vs. spending more for the hop-on & off bus (price has gone up by an obscene amount since ...) As usual, we'll play by ears & just wing it again since our "Escape" had to skip the stop last September. Museum next door at the pier plus that indoor market/food court is the place for free & fast WiFi, with restrooms. If "The Price is Right" with fresh lobsters in town, not flash frozen as this is still early in the season (unless they have soft shells at 2+ lbs a piece, then I "dive" for them, outta my way) - not going to starve for a few hours. @snorklinbarb Confession: I got lost on the Prima earlier on, took 3 others on an unscheduled cabin crawl toward the far end of the ship ... just once. Now, "I believe I can fly" and neverlost (Hertz car rental commercial ...) Plan to, but haven't really look at Windy App to preview sea state and waves ahead - if the going gets tough, just rock and roll with it, minding the stairs and hold on (loosely, at least) to hand rails. Folks: remember, the triangles on the carpet, look closer, are pointing the way - Fwd/Aft) We have a lot of TA "veterans" on this sailing's roll call, many sailed NCL x times and more, and some with other lines and changing up their pace & sampling to compare. Those non-refundable OBC - head for the duty-free shops and spend it down to zero ... cosmetics prices are usually fair ... LV bags are for sale onboard, "tax-free" and that should "fix" or solve anyone with too much OBC, not sure how to zero it out. Wait, I do wonder if one can refill those Starbucks gift cards and pay for the reloading using OBC. Sharon @Fogfog Probably have a better idea by Thursday as to how bad things could become for Prima's day in NY - my gut feeling is that hailing the taxi from the doorsteps of the hotel is probably the best, fastest, easiest and it's going to be like $15 for the short ride, $20 at most with tips added. Carmel will likely "overcharge" and Uber might not play the surge pricing game except no cars on the display being available in the vicinity. Could be better than expected but too early to call the scores. @kattybiz Great & Bon Voyage in less than 2 days, another app showing the Pearl's scheduled departure time is 18:00 - with an empty ship in ready mode when she get to NYC, should see a relatively smooth embarkation. Besides, NCL can load provisions both while in Miami as well as NY for the TA crossing, unlike "our" Prima - fewer pax to get onboard. Yes, we will be cheering and watching for your 1st two stops as the "pioneer" and pave the way for us. Happy & safe travel ahead for a wonderful cruise. Lord, more spam NCL email about the video, oooookay - waiting, we ain't have a choice on the matter. Heck, it beats 3,000 or whatever #'s people all standing around to wait for the last 100 to show up and for the crew to start the emergency/safety drill demo, which you often can't really hear or watch and then to try to get back to the cabin or elsewhere for the sailaway. It's a no-win deal ... @Fogfog I feel and think we have a fun & diverse group of cruisers onboard this weekend, the M&G will just be the kickoff for 2 weeks of informal & random gathering ... maybe, I should propose, on sea days, we have a daily (PM) roundtable inside Indudge Food Hall for CC'ers to hang out & shoot the breeze. Close enough to the nearby bar at "The Loca" and the Haven elevator/lobby. It was under-utilized on our last TA except during meal services & keep this low profile - just a thought, of course. Too bad the notion of a sailaway didn't materialize and the slot pull is a bust, but at least Peter is gung ho for a bar crawl and maybe surprise us with a scheme for cabin crawl. Nor is there interest for LCR / LCR game on sea day (not that we play) fading away with the newer demographics ?

Important Notice (NCL) again 😬 OK, OK ... got it and stop spamming 🙄 Let's see if and how the Pearl is affected by these regulations or not. They are northbound now at just 15 kts with crews only. Once docked this Thursday morning at Pier 88 by/before 10 AM - they can possibly early board Haven & others by 11 AM, easily. Good for them on their TA. Staterooms will be ready and few will miss lunch on embarkation day ... Err... , I see. "Houston" HQ, we might have a few, slight, logistical challenges (I mean, NCL Miami) with pax possibly affected by these changes. Great for anyone flying in that morning or on a red-eye flight with delays, they'll have extra time to get to Pier 88, in time for afternoon tea & coffee or early bird dinner. Hoping that travel partners will have proper # of buses ready to do the transfers at both area airports for embarking pax, and, for disembarking pax - starting at 10 AM - many will be looking for the best way to ... This could set off surge pricing for Uber & Lyft and a shortage of vehicles at Dial 7 and Carmel. We are better off booking our local car service, 3 to ride minivan for the price of a Carmel standard sedan. Niece is going to meet us at the pier Fortune Teller said, port congestions & traffic jams, and hectic operations inside & outside the terminal ... on the bright side, weather is good. Re-repacking those clothing layers a bit, adjusting for slighting warmer weather; more ,"last minute" stuff coming from Amazon via USPS. Bills payment scheduled, another Fall cruise paid in full ... (yes) tax refunds expected tomorrow. No cooking, grocery runs, cleaning, laundry and garbage disposal, etc. Quoting another CC, another day at sea is better than at home, at work or otherwise staring at gossips & posts on CC or news of trouble around the world.