mking8288

@Sugar Magnolia Refreshed my AccuWeather app and now it looked more probable & match Weather Channel's - maybe silly AI doing a number on the app and me (or, I simply didn't do a full refresh going thru my list of cities to check ahead ...) At a minimum, heavy wool, gloves, scarf and boots probably optional at this point - that's weight saving & good for those riding the subway and or city bus on the final miles to Pier 88 this Saturday. Updated / corrected forecast for Halifax ahead - P.S. PistolPete13 - unofficial S.I. New York photographer still "AWOL" - well, I tried. Let me see if I can "page" alert to an old CC friend, usually over at a different CC forum these days @meatball_nyc - hello - any chance of "waving" at us (from your balcony window) this weekend when we sail down the Hudson in the evening. Trust all is well.

Holy cow, I might need to find & bring my Bermuda shorts & Hawaiian Tee's for next Monday, and an umbrella ... If AccuWeather forecast is even 85% accurate 😎 🤔 I should note - Weather Channel's Halifax forecast is "slightly" different & lower for Sunday & Monday, about the same for Iceland. Best to check the "official" government forecast issued to cross-reference. Watch out for Prima's chair hogs if not going ashore next Monday. Something about global warming and Europe being another hot summer ahead ... Ripley's, believe it or not.

Luggage, ideas & thoughts - Countdown toward final packing in progress, both of our checked 24" expandable (not) spinners are done, hers under 44 lbs. and mine at 43 lbs. That's not bad, aiming to stay with 40 lbs and only possible if we bring less clothes along, given the latest weather forecast trending - Iceland isn't as cold as it might be, that will help lighten our load. As mentioned, if we are just modestly over-weight for our return flight - each of us could do the compression packing cube trick (eBags, medium size or equivalent (14" x 10" x 4" wide if packed full & heavy at 3 to 5 lbs, depending on content) plus our carry-on ... and, not be bothered with paying Norse Air that extra $90 for 1 additional checked bag. Why play with the "pillow trick" to disguise & stuff it - just carry that packing cube (could be our "heavy" winter coat, compressed to fit ... and my 3XL fit) under our arms and board the aircraft - about the size of a child's or travel pillow (slip a case over it, viola) Advantage - flying a wide body B787, priority check-in & boarding, bulkhead/extra legroom - forward section/main cabin - odds of being asked to gate check our carry-on should be lower, personal bag will slip thru as well. Let's see, 4 x med packing cube @ 5 lbs ea is 20 lbs plus stealthy "loaded" travel vest at 8 to 10 lbs - close to 30 lbs combined weight "hidden" ... smartphones, chargers & other heavier items in the zipped jacket/parka pockets. This solved the "bulk" problems when trying to pack as much as we can into the 24" spinner. P.S. Ziplock bags (qt. and gallon sizes) and zip ties, don't travel without them.

T minus 4 ... almost, technically still T minus 5 for several hours based on EDT Norwegian Pearl has left Miami earlier today, crew-only sailing north to NYC at a leisurely 15 kts for her TA, ETA is 5:30 AM - Thurs. 25th Apr and will be visiting Halifax and then Iceland, basically 2 days ahead of us ... I look at the Pearl as being "Pace car" like to give us a good lead of what's ahead (make sense, huh) - whether on what's going in/around the ports, what's open & unexpected, and sea state/waves & weather, and arrival / departure or all abroad / sailaway time. It appear their arrival time isn't being affect by the Right whales speed restriction zones near/around NY's coastal waters. Norwegian Prima, just left USVI for a short run to San Juan, PR in the morning, then onward to Puerto Plata, DR on Wed - departing at 3 PM there - with 2 full sea days - head for NYC, arriving 2 hours later than scheduled at 10 AM (per officially NCL notifications) with pier arrival & check-in, embarkation no earlier than 12 noon - or risk getting turned away. Let's see what happen if and once we see an ETA for NY late Wednesday. Getting ready - time to set up & make some changes on the smartphone (or, iPhone) home screen, enabled that world clock widget < see below > 4 city's "current" time being displayed - NYC (home), Halifax, Iceland, and UK (London) ... of course, the key is to be aware of "ship time" as sometimes (if not always) - it is done slightly different, check the clock at/near the gangway if and when going ashore. Or, risk being involuntary induction into the infamous pier runners club & stranded on the pier, looking for the port agent ... and, always take a photo or note of the agent's contact info: name, email & phone numbers, etc. before stepping off the ship, things happen !

Supplement to "Station Zebra" on this TA cruise - most items are self-explanatory in an effort to miniaturize as much as possible ... having 2 USB-A thumb drive, loaded with bootable ChromeFlex OS and Linux Ubuntu OS, to run off just about any work station/computers. Packing a 12V USB car adapter/charger - renting a 4WD to drive on our own to sightsee - it will keep the smartphone and other's devices charged - wireless charging is expected. Sightseeing buses & trains are often equipped with USB charging ports - always a good idea to bring a cable along. @Ellis1138 - Thanks, will try to see if I can get as much MDR menus as possible and post them, possibly in 1 or 2 batches together, instead of scattering them on a live thread - especially if they made changes. Niece traveling with us has food allergies, with luck, we'll get a full preview early on and not have to do it daily to plan her special orders. From what I've seen thus far this year, maybe minor changes w MDR menus but otherwise, same as 2023 and not the usual large scale changeover. NCL "should" be changing menus as they normally do annually, it's been puzzling ... oh, well. @cruiseny4life - 150 trees for an orchid, that's serious. Your memory is just as excellent, ours an apartment-sized, tiny corner indoor garden ... 2 smaller plants protested over the last 2 years and quit on us, down to just 4 green plants. They are strong and required minimal moisture, a bit of "natural" light daily to be happy ... going in the Home smart app to set the daily schedule, switch on/off UV plant light as the window blinds will be closed. @dexddd just for your commentary 😆

Dan ... mucho thanks, appreciated. @Travelicious here ya go, see above. Happy & safe travel tomorrow, all systems go & good weather to fly - welcome to the Big Apple & enjoy pre-cruise in "my" town.

We noticed this recently and like the full disclosure, it's fair & reasonable, without burying the important line-items in fine/small fonts and/or going thru 4, 5 or 6 screens - making comparison easier for the "consumer" and agents alike, without paying games.

@cruiseny4life Hey there, how are 2 of you doing ... plotting another cruise later this year and hope to bring a smile or two to our friends on CC. NCL is doing things right, ship is basically sailing full, only Insides available lately - off and on, pricing trend holding - suites sold out weeks & weeks ago. Like @graphicguy - spoiled with Haven residency ... (Dan, a quickie question for someone else - are those Amex OBC non-refundable, you are the expert around here with that ... asking for someone else on the roll call. TIA) Wasn't last year's TA wonderful ... "we" help escorted her on the westbound TA and we are "escorting" her eastbound TA, with a different set of ports - hoping & wishing the captain won't need to cancel or skip any. There is always that possibility and planning for a rougher crossing, choppy sea and higher waves but really looking forward to seeing Iceland. Definitely going to test the Samsung smartphone/HDMI setup with the ship's smart TV input, etc. and share/report back (along with the Smart Tag2 for its tracking luggage performance.) I am for packing lighter, less is more when set up correctly. Didn't the two of you managed with a backpack and carry-on only ? Now, we'll just have to see if @PistolPete13 is around town, I think he's been very busy at work and should "add" some high quality Prima ship photos to his vast collection. Weather this weekend isn't picture perfect, 25% chance of shower/rain in the evening for sailaway with visibility at 9 miles.

@The P Sharon, good morning to you. Don't worry too much about our flight home with excess luggage, got a plan plus a backup ... Susan is the co-conspirator in this scheme, haha. Bringing (sneaking onto the Prima) an extra but empty 22" expandable suitcase, nested inside is my usual 19" convertible backpack which has work great & made it thru multiple flights, loaded and within that 22 lbs limited set by some airlines ... domestic , not a problem with weight. Shopping will be limited to what's offered onboard and along the way at each port ... but, if she see shoes, I dunno ... a few pairs, minus the boxes should fit. If the other 2 ladies join the shopping frenzy - that's a different ballgame, even with an extra suitcase. Maybe, everyone will have to start getting rid of old clothes, old shoes and leave behind those bottles of motion, shampoo, and even toothpaste - SIL is known to try to bring everything from home, except the faucets and kitchen sink. I've factored in the marginal cost of $80 (33 lbs, "light" checked bag as 2nd. piece) or $90 (50 lbs, "standard" checked bag) Flying Norse Atlantic Airways for the first time, a relatively new & unknown EU carrier with mixed reviews (definitely nowhere near Singapore Airlines, etc.) - I figure why not give them our business and a chance, just as I did before booking TAP-Portugal last year. Their full list of optional service fees - some are eye-opener, definitely they subscribe to the nickels and dimes doctrine ... not uncommon these days #cough #cough https://flynorse.com/en-US/support/optional-fees Hoping that this (extreme) measure isn't necessary - there is a trick we can pull, see those packing cubes that we have - several are compression style and can fit a lot, and well within airline limits & definition of a personal bag and/or under the seat small bag / tote / laptop case ... ladies' purse will have to be in there, along with whatever we can jam inside. Viola, a carry-on plus a (heavy) personal bag each. Plus, I will "deploy" my travel vest & walk onboard the plane with 10 lbs. of gadgets. If that doesn't work, will go to the extra route & pay Norse, before we get to the Gatwick (higher $$ if we wait until airport check-in ... sounds like Ryan Air) Reasonably confident think these measures will do the trick, combine & do both if we really have to. Anyway, are you going to be "spotting" for the Prima when she get here this Saturday. Chat with you later.

Lately, they are lightning quick, it seemed. Ours done a while back, and as a matter of fact, looked up the time/date stamp ... it came thru on a Saturday, wasn't expecting such a quick turnaround and not for non-business, normal working hours. Perhaps, shareholders support staff have an option for doing remote tele-work. BTW, nice - that's not for this coming weekend, I'm reasonably sure, haha.

Station Zebra - V3.1A beta/info for possible use by Android - Samsung devices only. << all others - skip ahead, experimental & educational only >> This is intended for tech geeks that has a new'ish Samsung smartphone - not iPhones, sorry on Android platform (Samsung Galaxy S22+ here) ... one of the free apps within their eco-system is "Samsung TV Plus" Yes, watch Sky News and CNN News live streams, BBC News, WeatherNation and others as available abroad (not necessary at sea over Starlink satellite WiFi, for variety of reasons or factors) - have not tested this onboard (worked fine in Canada) Hotels where we stayed at lately, all provided free access to dozens of channels and Youtube friendly, unlike #cough #cough ...) Add-on or extra "components" needed - USB to HDMI 4K UHD output adapter, Samsung tested to allow a direct cable output connection to just about any HDMI input ports on most display monitors, again # cough #cough A multi-port (mine has 6) USB dongle (optionally, has mSD card access/external storage) to maintain or keep the device charging while connected, and to access stored video contents & photos, documents, etc. on portable storage (mSD card) ... I tested as working, external SSD portable drive for full backup purposes while upgrading a laptop. Of course, a compliant USB charger for the Samsung (3A minimum is recommended) Reason I mentioned this, when we're enjoying our 3 nights in NY Lower Bay, anchored off VZ Bridge near Stapleton (Hyland Blvd) riding out a Nor-Easter storm on the Escape, there was virtually next to nothing live TV coverage, blocked or disabled to the licensing & broadcast restrictions per NCL with its provider ... duh. Could've watch live news & storm coverage and sports, etc. - this will be easy & simple since we had solid cellular coverage via our ISP and metered carefully, shouldn't blow past our 50GB allowance & risk getting throttled. Q1 - will this work onboard the Prima this weekend at sea with basic unlimited WiFi - TBA ... Q2 - will this stream or cast directly into the stateroom's interactive, Samsung Smart TV mounted on the wall, where side-facing HDMI ports are accessible, maybe from a reboot. Q3 - also, while Apple's AirTags are considered to be the "gold standard" in tracking ... Samsung's Smart Tag2 is closely behind, battery is easily user replacement & integrated into the eco-system to track. Likely putting one inside our checked bag, to do a side-by-side comparison once we drop the luggage at the pier with porters. On # 2 - if it doesn't work onboard and restrictions cannot be overriden, we can - if and when we have a good, reliable WiFi or cellular signal (4G is fine, 5G isn't necessary) while docked during port of call (from our balcony or in an open deck area within range of local signal towers) It is still, good to have - minimal addition needed - the 4K USB to HDMI adapter ... I know and verified, this "plug" is blocked & does not work on Google Pixel's smartphones, verified the restrictions by design, can't do anything (yet) within developer's mode. P.S. Getting tired of NCL's cuts in available "TV" news channels onboard (weather, too) and mostly info-channel. Stay tuned if curious and you are/own and use a Samsung smartphone, tablets by SS should work as well - followup findings later, TBA.

Poor me, need to have 3 along this time, if not 4, two cabins and each has 2 usable outlets with 220V, not to mention the secret one for CPAP users next to the bed. I look around the OL last time and the outlets accessible are cleverly hidden, not because they expected me to come along & write them up, not to mention the lounger hogs spread eagled across. This is a matter to follow up 😆 P.S. another excuse to select a cruise w a stop at Ponta D again and pickup more adapters from the waterfront (unofficial) crew store / stop for personal provisions - at 2.60 Euro vs. paying Amazon's $9.99 + tax with free shipping 😁

LOL and with thanks. Nope, I haven't thought of doing something similar, packing "light" - let's leave that for later. I try to plan & individualized on a per trip basis and what is essential and desirable to have, DW always tell this old guy to bring less along ... then she raid mine for chargers, cables, adapters & plugs, 😆 haha. Here's a few more from recent trips, would love to bring along my 2 meters/70cm portable radio to use as a scanner, common VHF marine frequencies, PTP simplex on port traffic, alas not permitted onboard. BTW, that's noise cancelling earbuds, MPOW is the old brand, pretty good from Amazon - not hearing aid, and does a good job inflight and other places, not disturbing others nearby. Home system, a 8 speakers subwoofer system, don't feel like spending $$ for mobile Bose - easily lost and Grado, too bulky to fit compactly (heard of them ?) A pair of old fashion Apple earbuds with USB adapter works fine for me as newer ones don't have the headset jack. Sennheiser and Xiaomi are good too, compact & slipped into a pocket - no pouches (plastic film - packed inside a pair of socks) I For a shorter cruise, I get by with a Chromebook and 6 port USB dongle ... otherwise, Sony Vaio on Linux is now the choice. Longer land vacation or trips, Dell notebook NVMe SSD 32GB memory W11Pro. A matter of picking & choosing to match the main components ... and some spares & backup options - otherwise, try to keep it as simple as possible. Hence, "Station Zebra" is really & truly scalable ... itching lately to get into the solar area. That 4.x earthquake recently, a modest wake up call for some - not just from rising sea levels along the coastlines. For this TA, most likely, leaving Roku w remote at home, but since I am bringing a HDMI cable to experiment, will leave the 2 oz. Chromecast in the tech pouch *** more on the Samsung next. With these 3 adapters, absolutely can getaway without a power strip, with or without surge protection circuit on the Prima/Viva and Aqua coming soon ... Glad this is sparking ideas ... happy Passover ? ?

Is Uber the better, preferred way to go or travel for cruise ship passeners, perhaps but maybe, not so fast ... the price difference vs. other traditional ground transport isn't as big as it used to be, maybe less competitive within that sector, and can be shockingly costlier than expected. Also, for pickup at MCT - surge pricing has been known to kick in quickly for disembarking ship passengers requesting a trip to area airports, and I know, personally, $20 to $25 more out to Queens due to demand, ouch is the word. A quick look at quoted prices from Uber, going to the pier on a weekend morning (Manhattan hotels in that area will be similar, same & possibly lower) and also on weekdays - anyone surprised how they have become pricey too, and really within a few dollars of popular, major car services like Dial 7 or Carmel. Disclaimer - YMMV and these are subject to change; plus a congestion fee/surcharge has been imposed by Carmel ... not sure about Dial 7. Weekdays morning, airports to Manhattan (P88 or nearby hotels) - from EWR, Uber X is $92, from LGA, Uber X is $98 and from JFK, Uber X is $146 (that is 30% higher than a yellow taxi on a special flat-rate pricing from JFK, with tips included (possibly 1 toll, extra & not included) These are sample fares and I did not add or include prices from Lyft, they are typically a little less than Uber, not always - compare first. We are east of LGA by several miles but our quoted fares are less than LGA to Manhattan (due in part, from airport surcharges & extra fees added) - Saturday or Sunday morning, airports to Manhattan (P88 or nearby hotels) - from EWR, Uber X is $66, from LGA, Uber X is $73 and from JFK, Uber X is $104. (all being better with traffic being lighter) These weekend morning fares are from MCT/P88 to area airports ... Solo cruiser confirmed or reported that NCL's airport transfers, both ways, for NYC - is just $75 in total, at least for this TA and that's a fair deal, worth looking into & compare for future cruising out/in of NYC. Carmel's quote from our area to MCT/P88 this morning - 6 minutes wait or less and we are further east of LGA (away from the cruise terminal) is $7 less than Uber's price, toll not included - nor tipping. Interesting, isn't it.

A bit of background, thoughts & commentary: (looking for "facts" & not interested in productive chats, kindly skip this post & move ahead) On this TA, we have a very active & lately, very busy roll call with "strangers" lurking, posting, popping in and out, not responding to reconfirming their expecting presence at the upcoming M&G or being "paged" - fine & understood if they are busy cruisers nearly always at sea, only on land in-between to take a rest ... and I have a pretty good idea who those CC with the group are. The rest, I dunno and not going to speculate their reasons for poaching, we've done away with being hijacked for the M&G, short of ... Seriously, the Escape TA sailing came thru NY, en route across and left and been keeping track of their ETA, expected/actual port harbor/port docking time & sailaway, etc. - no semi or live, not even post cruise summary or report that I've seen (most likely, I missed it, okay & stand corrected.) Pearl TA is next, 2 days ahead of us, origination is NY sailing east (this Thurs afternoon) also on a similar stops en route - Halifax & Iceland, then they go their way to different ports - we almost book that - an older, mild sized ship class that we are very comfortable with. Getaway TA is 2 days after us, originating out of NY with different port stops, some we've been to and others new - but, somewhat tired of being on that ship, too many times out of NY ... next time, perhaps. Prima TA is the focus (and, prime topic for filing this live report) with the delayed arrival of her repo from Miami to NY as officially announced just recently by NCL to those booked; plus, the changed to a later time for the "earliest" possible pier check-in and boarding time of no earlier than 12 noon, instead of the usual 9:30 AM + which we suspected of happening by the time we finished OLCI at Day 21, suffice to say - some of us smell fishy but crickets from NCL - conspiracy began to fly. Of course, we all subsequently learned, officially, indeed the fishy suspect is "responsible" - don't get mad at this protected marine species - Right whale protection and speed restriction zones or regulations in force, along the East Coast, applicable to all vessels - that is the "unforeseen" circumstance. Credits to NCL, as least they didn't wait until 3 days before embarkation to say & put the notice in writing with a specific explanation ... and, before those on the repo embarked from Miami. Let those on Prima now - getting off later than 7 to 8 AM in NY this Saturday, share their stories and impact, if any to changing flight plans & local/ground travel, etc. which is (was) on its own thread. The rippled or domino effects, of course, prompting us to adjust and revise our plans, including arrival time - will lunch services be extended, will see ... as latest check-in is 3:30 to 4 PM, sail away is newly set to 6 PM. Hence, stay tune for a live embarkation dinner update onboard the Hudson MDR while we remained docked on the Hudson River ... I give ours a less than 50:50 chance of sailing on time at 6 PM since provisioning for TA will take longer and she isn't scheduled to arrive until 10 AM (hopefully earlier, like 8:30 to 9:30 AM) as it isn't easy to start disembarkation and reach zero count for 3,000+ pax in less than 2 hours, doable but ... It is a little mind-boggling tracking other ships heading to and out of NY's harbor and nearby waterways, doing 18, 20 kts vs. NCL ships doing 15 kts, basically same or very similar course headings and GPS coordinates in transit, even on their final tracks near NJ's Ambrose / Sandy Hook channel. This was true with the Escape recently and true yesterday/this morning - Joy was inbound to NY at 15-16 kts with ETA at 4 AM into Pier 88, whereas RC's Anthem of the Seas heading for Cape Liberty, NJ was doing 20 kts with ETA at 1:30 AM - both about same distance coming in. This hold true from early, mid evening into the early morning hours. Long story short, Joy docked very early at P88 (like almost all NCL arrivals into NY - typically earlier than planned or scheduled) This morning, by 7:30 AM - express disembarkation started - visually confirmed on ship's livecam and by 10:30 AM, hardly anyone across 12th Ave waiting for a taxi or car service pickup with luggage. Escape left already for another Bermuda 7 days, on time around 4 PM at 18 kts coming south on the Hudson, nearly Statue of Liberty now ... whereas AOS is already out past Ambrose/Sandy Hook, NJ but at 10 kts ... There is an area where speed is reduced but it isn't as wide as imagined or broad in total square miles in coverage. Cruising slower at reduced speed, with 1 or even 2 engines not needed - the fuel saving can be substantial, as fuel costs apparently are climbing higher on the retail level ... we'll never know or at least, the numbers are hard to come by, buried in the details. For disembarkation pickup at the pier - i.e. those on the Prima repo this week ... 660th 12th Avenue, across the avenue, between W. 48 and W. 49th Street is the ideal pick-up location for car services and Uber or Lyft, with the yellow taxi stand on the SE corner. This is also where one can be dropped off, if port traffic at or near W. 55th St and 12th Avenue to backed up and heavily congested. That spot, is the low-rise building directly across - in the middle of the photo (ahead of the ship's bow) Porters do escort pax with luggage across 12th Avenue to drop them off in this area, and if you are lucky to catch one they'll take your checked bags & you can proceed up 1 level to go inside the terminal, thru security to check-in ... and wait for your turn to board the ship.