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A trip of this length requires some preparation beyond the norm. Sadly, I currently do not have pets, so nothing to line up there, unlike past trips. It is the first time since 7th grade (and I'm now 60) that I have had not a single dog. I miss having one, but with this trip and another, even longer one we have scheduled in 2 years, it is for the best right now. But bills still have to be paid, and it has become increasingly difficult to access online bank accounts while traveling. I mean, not too difficult as long as you have good wifi or cell service to receive a code for two-factor identification, but you don't always have that in the middle of the Atlantic. So I've set up auto withdrawals, which is something I have been resistant to until now. I don't really like giving corporations access to my bank account, but it seems like the simplest solution. I set it up a couple of months ago to make sure everything went smoothly. So far, so good. I'm sure I'll turn it off when I get back as I like to feel more in control. The other thing is that we had an inground pool installed a few years ago. We usually open it around the middle of May, and I've read if you wait until it gets very hot to open (mid-June in the south can be pretty warm), you wind up with lots of algae. Otherwise, the water is clear. So we solicited commitments from my brother-in-law and a couple of friends to help take care of it, clean it, etc., in exchange for its use while we are gone. We have these three people coming over the next couple of days for a "pool school" session. I also just completed a "how to" list. Hopefully, they will also mow at least the back yard. I mean, it wouldn't be much fun to use the pool with knee-high grass all around, now would it? Anyway, we won't book another trip during pool season. Lesson learned there.
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So, the map for the Dawn cruise looks different because, for some unknown reason, I have never been able to see the map for this on NCL's website. This is copied from information received from my TA. As you can see, there are 3 ports that will be visited 3 times. But that's okay, as we will be able to go to different places or maybe even take a day to rest.
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We are 8 days away from embarking upon a 48 day adventure. The excuse: my wife’s (hereinafter “Pookie”) recent retirement. She was a letter carrier for the USPS, mostly in a small town in a southern state, for 20 years, and was able to buy back her 10 years of military service to give her 30 years total. I retired in October, 2021, after 28 years as a state employee. Since then, I’ve done a few solo cruises. The first was in November, 2021 on the first sailing of the Escape after the Covid shutdown. It was on this cruise that I first began planning for Pookie's retirement trip. While onboard, I purchased Cruise Next certificates and used them to book a B2B2B on the Getaway. This was to have been a transatlantic from NYC beginning April 29, and including many ports in Northern and Western Europe, as well as the Baltics. At some point shortly after Russia began its current war against Ukraine, we were notified that the last of the 3 cruises, which would have included the Baltic ports, was canceled. We toyed with the idea of just spending a few days in Copenhagen, where the second cruise was ending, and then flying home. But Pookie really wanted to go to Sweden, from which her paternal ancestors migrated. We thought about traveling from Copenhagen to Stockholm, and spending a few days there before flying home. Ultimately, though, I found the May 24 sailing of the Dawn, which has 3 ports in Sweden, ending in Stockholm. It also includes other Baltic ports we were wanting to see. So we booked it in place of the canceled Getaway sailing. Some time back, sailings for the Getaway for this period disappeared from the NCL website. There was much speculation here and on other sites that these cruises would also be canceled. Some reported that they called NCL and were told it was just a website glitch. Others reported they were told by PCCs that they couldn’t say if the sailings would be canceled, but advised to look at other alternatives. As a result, I looked at the transatlantic sailing of the Prima 2 days earlier. The Prima would be a 15 day cruise, whereas the Getaway was 14. This would mean a $250 shareholder credit as opposed to $100. Also, I wanted to try the Prima, as it is a new to me ship. Finally, Prima ports in Reykjavik, but we would lose Dublin and, I believe, Belfast from the Getaway cruise. Ultimately, the Getaway cruise was not canceled by NCL, but we decided to cancel and join the Prima. So, instead of unpacking once for 3 cruises, we will have to pack up and juggle logistics between the cruises. We’ll disembark the Prima in Southampton, where we’ll spend one night before boarding the Getaway. We will disembark the Getaway in Copenhagen, where we will spend one night close to the airport, and will fly early the following morning to Paris. We will spend one night in Paris close to the train station, and will take a train to LaHavre to catch the Dawn. We will spend 2 nights in Stockholm post-cruise, and begin our flight home on June 7, hopefully arriving on June 8. We also plan to spend 4 nights in NYC pre-cruise. After 2.5 years of planning, we leave home in 1 week! I hope to post semi-regularly during the adventure, but the latter 2 cruises have only one sea day each. So we'll just have to see if there is any reserved energy in the tank on some of those days.
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Live from the Breakaway March 17-31, 2024
Travelicious replied to YVRteacher's topic in Norwegian Cruise Line
Love the Easter gators! You saw more in one day that I have in numerous trips to New Orleans.