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mking8288

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About Me

  • Location
    "Big Apple" NY
  • Interests
    Travel
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    NCL, CCL, RCL
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Bermuda/Caribbean
  • If you have a personal or hobby CRUISE or TRAVEL BLOG, include the url here:
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/5nup7xtw3ell4g0/CruiseCritic%20Abstract%20-%20mking8288%20-%2011.2018A.doc

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mking8288's Achievements

  1. @Mbcruiser704 - this offer ends March 29, this Friday - possible that NCL might extend it into Easter Sunday but they might not. Could well be for USA or North Americas only - if you can VPN into the NCL site, should see it.
  2. @Suetravel Welcome home. Enjoy a leisure breakfast, finally the sea is giving all a break as it sure looked bad most of yesterday, if not all. Ship was going against head wind, left Dockard to sail north at 18 - 19 kts but drop to 15 in that afternoon large swell. Latest live tracking suggest GA now off the LI coast can be on the Hudson around 10:30 with tugs assisting. BTW, come over to our Prima roll call next month, when you get a chance post-cruise. @dcipjr Happy cruising later and safe travel, you probably know too, going to be a bumpy ride out to Dockyard again, wind & sea state turning around again.
  3. @ShipawayAtx Mahalo. Dress code onboard the POA is typically resort casual - or, Hawaii casual - neat shorts and a colorful, open collar Hawaiian shirt ... or good old Polo shirt w a collar for men, will suffice (except, perhaps in Cagney's or Le Bistro, the upscale specialty dining restaurant) That's how we packed and dressed for our trip to Oahu and when we sail the POA then. Seriously doubtful that most pack a blazer or jacket, dress pants w shirt, let alone a tie - and oxford shoes, unless ... they wish & choose to.
  4. Agreed and I didn't want others to flame us to generalize. It is trending in the wrong direction for us to sustain but the moves are to grow NCL's revenue. Most buffet uses 8.5 or 9 inch plates these days As for above post's comment on food being not hot, we never expect it ... warm at best but mostly like better than just above room temperature ... Items available upon request, as in cook to order should be close to hot
  5. Isn't CC's search engine a piece of work ... in progress There are a # of more recent ones that outlined & described what to do - you can call NCL (CruiseNext) to start the process. Helped 2 nieces transfered them that was coming the uncle's account and ours, emailed NCL and it was quickly processed, turned around in less than 1 or 2 days, confirmed & notified and showed up in the account. Second one was delayed as the "exact" information was not submitted correctly, once that was resolved - quickly processed. Basically, a very simple dated letter - # of CNC to be transferred to (person's name, Latitudes number, email address and if possible, contact telephone #) and the person with the certificate(s) requesting the transfer - full name that matches NCL's record, Latitudes number, email adddress (on file) and contact telephone number. Both parties are notified of the successful transfer upon completion ...
  6. FWIW, question for OP, you've previously sailed the Pearl, Jade, Jewel and Star - those mid-sized ships are slightly larger in overall tonnage, with differences in design or layout, but kind of similar to one of the oldest ship currently in the fleet - what is your impression and how they compare ? Are some of the food stations in the buffet closed (not opened) so is the issue being raised here, more of the design faults and not having adequate space for variety of choices ? The Epic, Getaway and the Bliss are obviously a different class / category with more public space dedicated to buffet, and, by virture of seating capacity or sizes, by definitions - have the space to offer broader range of choices and varieties of food. Not a cheerleader or defender for NCL here, just trying to clarify and zoom in where the perceived limitations and issues are ... and, whether it can be addressed easily. Prima, one of the newest ship has a capacity of 3,000+ guests and we find their buffet to be relatively small and limited in food choices & varieties too, but some of the popular items are gone or no longer available - furthermore, within the past year, hours of operations have been trimmed and - fleetwide, it seems - buffet stopped services promptly at 9:30 PM, roped off and switched quickly to cleaning mode. Joking told a friend, if we are strictly buffet people onboard NCL, we will easily achieve weight watcher goals if we are only doing the buffet for meals, and steer clear of "The Local" and MDR's along with specialty restaurants. We found burgers but not chicken wings, desserts were lackluster on the Prima. Still, there are "more" "choices" than eating at home but lately, our expectations had certainly been "disappointed" onboard NCL ... and, it isn't just the "smaller" ships either, IMHO.
  7. All abroad, sailing right on time - safe travel on the return crossing, brace for a rough sea state, near/gale force wind and large waves en route. Rope course is open "now" (portcam power zoomed in for close-up) as she gets underway, inside the reef - calm & smooth, enjoy the sun. P.S. Engine room - be nice & kind and behave. She is currently at 13 kts heading northeast before turning toward St. George's - will need all engines to sync. in harmony and deliver max speed when called upon.
  8. With the "free" gratitudes - sorry, CC rules - cannot reveal name of TA partner - it is one of the online booking site and not exclusive to them, Siri/Alexa/Gogle Gemini and check their promo offers - one associated with a major US airline, mine from FL based address. Good luck. P.S. Airline's afffiliated site doesn't show this newest promo (yet) - call or live chat with them if you are a FF with them, currently showing OBC ... mindful of exceptions, exclusions (ships) & fine prints, etc.
  9. Existing balcony reservations, even via CAS, can take advantage of this TripleUp promo - "yes" is then, yes - we can. Wonderful. Furthermore, check to see if the booked cruise for 2024 qualify Latitudes Extra Point promotion might - this is probably a very narrow window to take advantage of these infrequent & "better" deals offer during the year. With all the changes and negatives going around, these are good. It doesn't hurt to ask or check but protect any other "better" promotions already taken. Good luck. Darn it, running out of CN Certs again, going to "borrow" some from BIL - NCLH stocks up solidly this week, after the recent quarterly financials ...
  10. It is small already and ... Are they doing this with the fancy nylon bags used for Haven too 😁 curious, asking for friends 🫢
  11. Please read and understand the disclosure & fine prints, exclusions & details. *** Free Gratuities is not from NCL but from TA source !!!
  12. Congrats for the scoring the upgrade on another week of GA being sold out, sailing full again - when did you "win" that jackpot - they are harder & harder to score these days. Our TA later next month is nearly sold out, just a handful of OV and IS remaining, all the balconies are gone ... one way or another, but with recent price drops - managed to get FCC (and, my feeling is that some negotiated & accepted upgrades) to use. Been tempted to catch one of these loops this winter, just no-can't-do. Now, we are focused on packing, waiting for tax refund & catching up on what's happening ahead. Will be watching shipcam & using cruisemapper, windy app to see - we missed Dockyard on our way back last November due to rough weather, nothing like what's ahead - didn't realize you are a proven Bermuda cruise warrior. That Joy ride was something a wild roller coaster b/c we definitely felt it - being midship & lower on the deck too ... coat hangers in the closet rattling all night and the bath tub's sliding doors slamming back-n-forth, improved with wet towels to stabilize & stop it on the track. I think @suetravel was also on the cruise and came to the M&G at Cagney's then - see if I find the roster. We ought to catch each other again on another cruise - quiet roll call and no M&G this time or are they all on the other platform, but whatever. It's a worsening problem for CC's and I've done my share to educate but ... still, get hijacked. Just told someone else to get off our "lawn" last night on another cruise - joined CC not long ago, came on ... hi, just made a deposit, seasoned solo traveler ... is anyone planning a M&G, LOL. Nicely welcomed her to the roll call with good # of seasoned NCL "seniors" cruising and there are other solo booked - linked the rules ... counter to hear what else she's bring to the table. Back on track, looks like the return this Saturday is the worst ahead, along with Sunday - timing is everything, if GA stay in NY a bit longer & sail south to ride the "better" part of the next storm before turning east, things should gradually ease by later Monday into Tuesday - perhaps a late day arrival or getting in early Wednesday. Nobody is going to be happy with the change, but safety first - actually surprised when I saw these loops with an extra day there - 3 overnights instead of 2. We'll see about that, you know how things are ... easy to be keyboard warrior.
  13. Yike - checking Windy App forecast ahead for this Friday-Saturday-Sunday into Monday ... angry north Atlantic / Bermuda waters ... high windy, rough sea state and huge waves expected, not pretty at all. Should calm down by Tuesday. Even if they modified this week's shortened stay at Dockyard, that has been extended by several hours to sail Friday afternoon instead of morning - there is no way to get around the storm system as sea. Maybe @bluesea777 can give us a more upbeat forecast issued by the official Bermuda weather service tomorrow ?? They are calling strong to gale force wind this Sunday there, seas outside the coral 9 ft. to 14 ft. (fast ferry will not be operated under those kinds of conditions - too choppy for safety)
  14. @Grumpella FWIW, we embarked on NCL's Prima on a TA last November, everything at the cruise terminal was smooth, efficient and quick. We spend several days sightseeing in Barcelona pre-cruise, can't really help you much with NCL's airport transfer. We taxi'ed from our hotel over to the terminal where the Prima was docked / assigned that day - one ship per terminal - driver pull up in the parking & dropff area, maybe 50 feet from the entrance into the terminal building. Porters are nearby to help take your checked luggage - use them & cash tips, cheerfully accepted and thanked, save you from joining the longer line to get inside to start the check-in. Have your passports & eDocs ready, continue walking and let one of the NCL "greeters" know that you only have hand or carry-on luggage - bypass the others with rollerboards & spinners in line, roped off that are moving slower. I don't recall them closely checking everyone's Latitudes status on the eDocs ... let the folks at the entrance you are traveling together and checking in - they shouldn't give you a hard time. Once inside, you will be directed to different "counters" to check-in, after clearing security first - lines moved quick. No need to spend extra for "Priority Access" - not in Barcelona. We also disembarked here last May, very smooth & efficient, well run - thru passport control quickly downstairs & turn the corner into luggage area, airport like set-up. There must be 30 to 40, maybe 50 NCL "agents" or "reps" working the check-in and also others moving around, making sure nobody arriving is confused, lost and/or sent away that need help boarding, etc. Once you finished the pier check-in and get your keycards (especially your flight lands at 10 AM with a 25+ minutes bus ride to the cruise piers, embarkation should be well underway - just proceed thru the duty-free shopping area, ahead for the "Up" escalators (or elevators) & follow the path to the gangway for boarding the ship. Very easy, simple, obvious & straight forward - well organized. We arrived around 10:30 AM and were done with it all, onboard the ship by 11:30 - the MDR wasn't even open yet - went to O'Sheehan's / The Local for a sit-down casual lunch ... do try to avoid the crowded buffet. On # 3 - I concur with poster's reply above - returning from excursion at various ports, there is really no difference, tours drop folks off at varied times, some stay in the shopping area while others take photos, make calls & use internet over cellular or port's WiFi signal ... unless, unless they are tender ports - maybe, but - just, maybe, it's worth paying that money. Otherwise, save it. If you click under the Semi-Live Prima TA trip report from last November below - there are a # of good pictures on boarding the Barcelona port, should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect and how things flow. Enjoy your cruise vacation.
  15. Customer service +354-552-1700 booking@mycar.is Vatnagarðar 12, 105 Reykjavík www.mycar.is We are renting from MyCar - 2 nights minimum required, but we can return the car earlier (i.e. an overnight stay only) without penalty but will be charged for 2 nights. Compared them against Hertz and MyCar has the advantage - booked & guaranteed to have our car availalble, no bait & switch - initially a Toyota RAV 4 AWD hybrid, good for 4 adults comfortably - upgraded/changed to a Toyota Highlander 4WD with hybrid engine that seats 6. Gasoline is $9 +/- per US gal in Iceland. Be sure to add the recommended windshield, sun/stone protections and paint too (against sand storm) MyCar has a rental office nearby, a 15 minutes from the cruise ship pier and is walkable. Rental rates are high, but compare to private or NCL tours, a relative bargain and affordable. There are plenty of open air, outside parking on the pier next to the ships, free & overnight.
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