GeezerCouple

If this particular person no longer wants to cruise and has 50 years experience, then let him be! He knows what it's like, and he no longer wants to do that. GC

How does she prefer to "be treated"? If she likes things like this, then having breakfast brought in by the Butler is very nice. They'll set up a white tablecloth, etc. Have her order "one of everything"... well not quite, but anything she wants. (We usually have a "good start" to our day.... oatmeal, scrambled eggs and extra crispy bacon, fresh orange juice, coffee... you don't need to stick with the menu in the Haven, although it's got to be on the ship 😉 ). Tell the Butler discreetly that you'd appreciate it if she gets some extra attention, and let them know what types of afternoon snacks she might like. We don't like the regular assortment, so we ask for certain fruits and cheeses, etc. They really try to make things special. The Haven is very nice, and a bit quieter, which is nice to have for a NYE cruise! GC

Welcome to CruiseCritic! Hopefully in the future we'll be able to help you with more positive answers/news. Are you new to cruising in general? If so, there is a huge amount of information here on CC, so keep reading! 😉 Look also at the "Roll Call" for your cruise for discussions with others on your particular cruise. There may be some activities you'd enjoy, or at least some information. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/626-norwegian-breakaway-roll-calls/ Enjoy your cruise! GC

This doesn't need to be even a trivial "problem". They each use their OWN CARD for any purchases. Very simple! And each gets a separate keycard for the "other room", with the permission of the named room occupant, obviously - and that wouldn't be any problem in this case. We've done this when we had a large suite, so our family members could just "come right in" at any time, whether we were there or not.... just like at home. The extra card didn't have details printed on it, so we put some identifier on it without including the suite number, in case it got lost. (We didn't do this, but it's like if the extra card was labeled in indelible marker, "Grandma" or "A & B's cabin".) And then there cannot be any confused charging because the "extra cards" don't have charge privileges, just the keycard access. Similarly, no problem with different excursions for each person. There's no rule that states that both guests in a cabin must go together on the same excursion. Just call prior to the cruise or speak with Guest Services or Excursions once on board. (It might be doable online for just one person, but I don't remember.) GC

Thank you for sharing this. It shouldn't be necessary for a real-life example to be described, but apparently... it is. GC

Is this serious? If you were in a store, and purchased, say, 2 sixpacks of beer (or *any* quantity!), would you feel entitled to "grab" an extra beer "for your friend"? Are you seriously asking how serious an offense it would be (!?) or "if anyone would care"? And yeah, just do it for "an occasional soda or maybe beer/wine" at that store - or any other...!? GC

This makes us appreciate the "Swimming with Dolphins" experience in New Zealand (different cruise line). We were in a large bay, and the little boat kept moving around to "find" the dolphins. Whether the humans actually swim with the dolphins is "up to the dolphins", as they are free-living. I think most excursions are fortunate, as was ours. Fortunately, some dolphins arrived in the area, swimming around us, but not too close. Several people in wetsuits (included in the excursion) went into the water, and soon, there were some dolphins closer. They didn't get "very" close, but there they were! I was one of two cruise passengers who remained on the boat, but DH was in the water. BTW, in that area, the water is *COLD*. There were a bunch of mild shrieks as the swimmers landed in the water! 😉 [Another excursion company at a different port apparently puts warm water into each wet suit just before the person goes into the water. It was a much larger boat, and more participants, but they cancelled for some undisclosed reason, so this was the next best choice. How much that helps... I have no idea.] We joked about whether the people were watching the dolphins or the dolphins were watching the people! 😀 I'm guessing a bit of each! GC

If I understand your question, it's good thinking. What you need to do is book the two cabins with the husbands in one (taking the bev package) and the wives in the other cabin, with no bev package. Keep it that way. Once on the ship, the crew doesn't do "bed checks". 😉 You won't want to swap cards or the billing will get messed up if anything at all is charged. So go to Guest Services, and one from each cabin needs to authorize someone in the other cabin (or even both) to have a key card for access only, no charging privileges. That card probably won't be marked. When we did this, we just wrote something like "A" and "B" on the extra cards, or perhaps the last number of the cabin, such as "8" or "3", so the cards could be kept straight. It was very simple. We ended up with all 4 adults having 2 cards: one for the room they "paid for", for charging (the "official" card), and one for access to the other cabin (including the one they actually slept in). You can have all 4 of you each have 2 cards, or do it some other way. No problem. Enjoy! GC

Yes, as others have said, as long as only one device is connected at a time, "sharing" the WiFi access is fine. Think about it: Someone could bring more than one devices, even someone traveling solo. (Many do: A laptop and a cell phone with internet capabilities, which is common these days.) The WiFi access is for one account. The system cannot "know who physically owns the device". Someone could have brought the device "owned" by a family member who is not traveling. Or borrowed from a friend. Etc. Why don't you think it would work on NCL? GC

In the worst case, you could inquire about having some affidavits certifying that "I have known Mr. X Y" since <date> and that is the only name I have know him as", from several different types of people (employer, neighbor, church official, local government official, etc.), plus documentation showing that he is indeed using that name (drivers license, tax returns, etc.). Years ago, I had this situation with two family members. In this case, there never was an official name change, but they were indeed *only* known to *everyone* now as SameFirstName TotallyDIfferentLastName. NO one in the state or region ever knew them under any other name. But if they had used the name on their birth certificates, there would have been no real indication that "this was actually *them*".... I assume I had spoken with the State Department about how to do this, and to get the affidavits, and from which types of people who currently knew them. The Passports were issued as: "Jane Jones Doe, k.a. Jane Doe Smith" - where the first name matched their birth certificate, and the second name was what they were exclusively known as. The "k.a." was for "known as". It was *not* an "aka" meaning "also known as", because they were each ONLY known by that 'other' name. NO one who knew them would have had any possible idea about the "Jones", and there was nothing to show that it was the same person as the one now "known as" having the last name "Smith". We allowed extra time for the Passports, and they were issued without any trouble. Now, this was pre-9/11, so things may be more strict. But there are times when documentation is either missing, or, as in our case, there never was any documentation about a name change. They had just started using the new name some years earlier. (There was no illicit purpose involved, so that wasn't something to be worried about.) It might be similar to someone who has a different "professional name" that is what they now only use, without any formal name change...? Keep something like this in mind if the documentation can't be found. And good luck! GC

Oh great!! Now I'm going to have to read EVERY WORD again! And look at every photo, too! 😁 As soon as we feel ready to travel again, this is at the top of the list. Trouble is, it's hard to grab those forward facing cabins/suites, and in other cruise lines, many ships don't have any good ones anyway. I can't imagine not having that view for that particular criuse! This view you are showing is just SO amazing! Thanks so much for all of your reports and photos! Happy Holidays, GC

I didn't realize that renewal of Global Entry was going to require another interview. At least they allow Zoom, but... that's not much help if the scheduling is impossible. 😞 GC

I figure Disko Bay is closer than Antarctica. 😉 Nope, not really a good substitute, but perhaps better than nothing? Again, we always love your photos! Many thanks! I'm not at all sure we'll ever get to Disko Bay at this point (and the COVID delays and worries certainly made some of that planning a lot worse, alas), but perhaps it's still possible. It's just very hard to get there. Before COVID, we were considering a small local ferry, one that had one or two private cabins in addition to a few bunk rooms. I'm sure that would be an "adventure". 🙂 They seem to be building a larger airport there, but that's going to take t-i-m-e. GC

Turtles06, Did you happen to get far enough north in Greenland, to Ilulissat, to see Disko Bay? GC

We LOVE forward facing... by far our favorite, but not all ships have accommodations like that, or in some cases, not the type we'd want. But please notice our avitar. 😁 Those are our feet. That was taken while we were resting in bed, heads propped up. The window is a bit further away than it might seem; that's where one walks to "get to the other side". The head of the bed is against the wall. What an amazing view! That entire wall was "window". We were mesmerized, even when it was "just water". And approaching ports... we especially love that. This was from a high deck, right above the Bridge. GC

I haven't looked at a calendar showing the phases of the moon, but as already mentioned briefly, the moon can really make a difference. IF you have a choice of sailing dates, you might want to consider a sailing when the night sky is mostly dark when the ship is in the best locations (probably farthest north). We took a Hurtigruten coastal cruise a few years ago, and *carefully* chose a cruise where there was less moonlight. It was also an astronomy cruise for some, so the astronomer would have selected that date for the same reason. Alas, LOTS of clouds! On the return trip, southbound, we finally saw just a bit of the Lights. If you've done much reading already, you probably came across information about how people's eyes do *not* capture the colors the way cameras do, unfortunately. So be prepared in case you see more of gray-ish "lights". But take photos, because those will probably have much more color! Enjoy! All of the landscapes there were just beautiful. GC

Double check what that NCL insurance will cover... and what it won't. Unfortunately, there often aren't explicit statements about what is "not" covered; it's just by omission... that is, things "not mentioned as covered". We always get third party insurance. Here is a link to the CC section about travel insurance: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ ALWAYS read the terms (yes, all of 'em). However, in general [ALWAYS read the terms/conditions of any policy you are considering], some differences with third party coverages are that they will cover you from the time you step out the door until you arrive back home. It's not "just what the cruise fare includes". And some policies do not exclude pre-existing conditions. This often involves starting the coverage with the *first* payment/deposit, although one usually only needs to insure the amount of that deposit until more payments are made. IF there is a need to cancel/interrupt the trip for a covered reason, one gets cash back, not a "credit" that must be used with a specific vendor, and with a time limit. We recommend https://tripinsurancestore.com We have no affiliation with them except as very satisifed clients, after learning about them here on CruiseCritic (and we had a very large claim when we had to cancel a major trip on very short notice the *first* time we got travel insurance. 😞 ). But CALL them. They are a travel insurance broker, and work with several vetted travel insurers. There are too many details in the various policies they offer that just don't show up in the online summaries, and there can be differences in coverage depending upon state of residence. They are incredibly patient with "newbies", including calling back to ask, "Well.... what if [this] happens, is it covered? And what about if [that] happens?" Asking such questions is *good*. 😉 And note that "pre-existing condition" has a different definition in travel insurance than it does in most of "everyday language". (This is actually a positive in most cases, but not all.) We've had too many claims (alas), but ALL have been covered and paid with a check received within about 2 weeks of submitting the completed claim. Note: KEEP RECEIPTS. And for claims based upon a medical even, SEE A PHYSICIAN and get documentation. One cannot just "declare ones' self sick" and then get reimbursed for expenses that would be covered, etc. (The insurer has the right to try to avoid fraudulent claims.) GC

How do you usually rise from a dining room type chair? Do you prefer a special type of chair (such as one with arms, as suggested)? Or....? Does the walker somehow help you to get up? Unless you have some very special and elaborate arrangements for regular life, it could probably be arranged to have something similar. Discuss what would be useful when you speak with the Special Needs at HAL. I'm sure there have been others with similar difficulties, and they might have some suggestions. GC

Spending a night off the ship is - or could be - quite different than leaving the ship at Port A and planning to get back on board at Port B. IF there is bad weather, or the ship needs to re-route for an emergency evacuation (or who knows what else) and they can't dock at Port B, then one would need to reconnect at some other future port. Given that those replacement port arrangements or permissions wouldn't have been made in advance, there's also the additional potential problem of that country not being able to arrange customs/immigrations for the reboarding. I don't if this would create problems in other countries if one is still getting off and then getting back on at two different ports in the same country, or if that is country-specific. (Presumably the original permission to remain behind when the ship sailed might make this easier.) GC

I know! And it's NOT just a matter of "taking the time to type it again". I've found that whenever I try to duplicate text that went missing, it's NEVER as good as it was the first time. My phrasing just isn't as good, perhaps because it's not flowing naturally; I'm trying to force certain remembered thoughts. Or I just forget to include something and then think of it later, etc. Grrrr. But it's also the annoyance of needing to do it again. And when it happens yet again, more than once, then.... GRRRR! 😉 GC

Not related to the ship, but about your vanishing text... I've had that happen occasionally (but not predictably) when it isn't a quick typing. I don't know if something times out, and if so, where that is happening. However, using hints from other uses, it might help to type on a Word.doc first, and then copy/paste it into CC, or perhaps type on CC, and every so often, copy and paste the work thus far into a Word.doc or such. Also, a few times, when I thought it had been lost... all gone, etc.... I later went to respond to something else, and when the edit window opened, there was my old text! And a message about did I want to save it or erase the old message-in-progress. There's another online Forum where this happens, but that one, although it's very rare, when it happens... suddenly it's just... "all gone!". 😡 That was when I started keeping copies of anything at all lengthy. Nope, I didn't learn it the first time, but I *did* learn it the second time it happened!! GC

Meds are among the things that we ALWAYS carry with us. And that means "hand carried". And *that* means: One of us always has a hand ON that carry-on, unless it's on the plane and under the seat in front of us or in an overhead compartment. And if it's overhead, we put it across the aisle and slightly forward, so we can keep any eye on it. (Yes, we'll sleep, but we do the best we can while we are vaguely conscious!) For critical meds (mostly Rx, but a few OTC), we'll keep a small supply in another carry on, such as my purse. There are a few meds that, IF they walked away, we'd probably need to visit an ER (preferably to get a new Rx, but possibly for ... treatment) or even return home. We can always find *some* sort/brand of socks or toothpaste if needed, but some meds, "not so much..." 😱 And a lot of these are little pills that don't take up a lot of space. (We have our pharmacist print out extra stick-on labels, and we place those on small - or tiny - ziploc type bags, so they become "official pharmacy issued", and we avoid the wasted air-space in the rigid plastic bottles. Or the pharmacist can do that for us. We had one med initially dispensed this way, and we never forgot about that! 😉 ) GC

Thanks very much. I have a couple of questions about the Vista suites. First, is there anyplace online where the actual layout of the Vista suite on each different deck is displayed? Also, notice on the photo, counting over from that round window on each Vista deck... it seems that on the upper two decks, there is an additional small window on the most center part of the forward wall, before the divider between the balconies of the Vista and the cabin next to it (one of the smaller cabins - and "IF ONLY" there were PH suites forward facing...! Sigh...). What does that extra window (if it's accurate) represent in terms of inside space? It looks like there is more "blank forward wall space" in that area on the lowest deck Vista? If so, does that affect the view forward? It's that view that would be the most important part to us, rather than some of the extra inside space (especially inside space without a forward view 😉 ). And what is the "thing" that appears to be some sort of dark brown structure on the balcony on deck 9, just next to the TV (?). It looks sort of like an ornate bed headboard...!? Many thanks! GC

I mentioned the issue of perhaps needing to get permission from another country because on another cruise line CC sub-forum there was a passenger who was absolutely furious that the cruise line would not make an exception from "their" rules about passports, without even considering that maybe it wasn't "only" the cruise line who had a say in the issue. Not everyone realizes what is involved sometimes, that a ship/cruise line isn't just being arbitrary (although they *do* have the right to whatever rules they wish to impose, as long as they are disclosed, etc. - and then the market will decide...). GC

Make sure you understand all of the terms and conditions of any policy. The insurance through the "charge cards" is sometimes (often?) more restrictive than what a 3rd party policy would be. Coverage for pre-existing conditions is important to double check, and that's more likely to be an issue as one ages. Although we always get MedJetAssist (until COVID kept us home), all of our travel insurance claims were on the regular policy, and we've been reimbursed a lot of money. We did start to consider contacting MJA once, but then didn't need to. With the help of regular travel insurance, we were able to re-arrange the remainder of our trip rather than returning home. The claims paid to us have exceeded all of the premiums we've paid, and we get relatively expensive travel insurance. We wish we had never needed to file a claim, and that the travel insurance had ended up being only for "peace of mind". Maybe in the future, we'll have better luck... GC