debenson0723

And a great crew party tonight!

Last November I had a week long business trip where I stayed at a very nice Hilton property. When I checked in on Monday, I was told my room would only be serviced on Wednesday. In the meantime, there would be a place downstairs where I could take my trash and if I needed towels, I could ask at the front desk. I was charged a $25 a day 'resort fee', which I paid on Friday upon check out and was of course reimbursed by my company. If you watch YouTube, Ben and David posted a video last Thursday from RCL Symphony of the Seas TA. The same complaints on this board about NCL (once a day service, short staffed, reduced food portions/poor quality) are happening on most cruise lines right now. So switching lines isn't going to be your answer unless you go up to the luxury ships and pay top dollar. I am currently planning a 10 day International vacation for May and while the airfare, hotel and excursions are comparable to a 10 day cruise, what is really going to up my budget is food and transportation. After this experience, I have a feeling my fall vacation will be back on an NCL cruise ship.

Solo cruising is the way to go! Make sure you go to the solo meet up the first night and you will find plenty of others to share meals with (if you want). Once on board, head to Hasuki to book your specialty dinner...you won't have any problem getting in. And as mentioned above, Indulge Food Hall is a great place to eat also. Enjoy your cruise.

On ships with a 'real' Starbucks (not an Atrium Cafe that sells Starbuck products) you can use a gift card and their app. It's been awhile since I was on a ship with an Atrium Cafe so if this has changed, please correct me. But I have used my app on Sky, Getaway, Bliss, Encore, Prima and Joy without a problem.

A quick Google search led me to Bounce, which is a luggage storage company throughout the US. We used their services in NYC after getting off the Prima TA and they have multiple locations in NOLA. You can book either online or through the app...typically $5-6 a bag and you do have to pre-pay. Our location was a souvenir store a few blocks from the port...they put the bags in a store room in the back and gave us claim tickets. Would use this company again.

Also post Covid

I would check the Ports of Call forum on this site for multiple options on getting from Southampton to London. If interested, I have a wonderful private driver that I have used twice going the opposite direction (he lives in Southampton and insisted on coming back to our hotel in the morning to take us to the port at not charge). He is not cheap but a wonderful fellow and a joy to talk to during the drive. Not sure if I can post his contact info here but will if allowed.

I would skip the Vibe for the thermal spa. I spent a wonderful afternoon as the only person there on a port day (after going out for a short stroll on a drizzly day in Ketchikan). Weather is just too unpredictable in Alaska.

Onda on the Encore was excellent both times I have eaten there, both pre and post covid. Agree about Los Lobos too. Teppanyaki is fun for a solo cruiser who wants to socialize, Cagneys for the chocolate cake and Food Republic for everything.

Always enjoy your reviews, especially as another solo cruiser, and Bliss is my favorite ship in the fleet (3 times so far). I always say if Bliss had Onda on board, it would be the perfect ship. I have become a very last minute booker (last month it was the Joy at 21 days out...booked and checked in the same day). Will be checking back in 30 days from now (or maybe a few earlier to check your pre-cruise posts).

MDR is not bad at all...many people eat there nightly. But others enjoy trying the specialty dining options. And the Indulge Food Hall (free) is great at dinner time.

Your room steward will clean your room daily...it is the twice a day cleaning/turn down that was cut back.

The first transfer out is going to depend on the first transfer in from PC. We used an NCL shuttle from PC to Orlando last year and arrived around 8:45 so once those passengers disembarked the bus, others could get on for the return trip to PC. There are lots of transfer options on the Florida Departures board on this forum.

A lot really depends on your comfort level but personally this is what I would do: you can reserve a Dial 7 car service to pick you up at JFK and take you to the Marriott for about $70-80. Much more comfortable and easier than an NCL transfer. Then on the day of your cruise a taxi or uber from the hotel to port should be about $12-$15...it's not that far and some would even walk it, depending on the amount of luggage, fitness, etc. Then I would either keep the NCL transfers after the cruise (they are about $37 p/p if I remember) or again, use Dial 7 to pick you up and take you to the airport. I like having control of my transportation, what time I debark the ship and not relying too much on traveling with the herd. I have never waited more than 10 minutes on hold with NCL and use chat quite often but for this I would talk to a person. Enjoy your cruise!

Day passes are only available if the weekly passes are not sold out and typically only on port days. I have had the weekly pass on the Bliss once and was able to get a day pass on 2 cruises, but both while in port. It was worth it to me to stay on board and have the place to myself since I has been to that port multiple times. Not sure if that strategy would be worth it in Alaska.

I received a Time Change notice card on my recently completed Joy cruise. It was a blue card if we were moving forward and an orange card if we were turning our clocks back.

This is sometimes possible depending on what time you are inside the terminal. On our Joy cruise last week, the app didn't even 'switch over' to our cruise until noon. We were on board the ship at 11:10 and went to the reservation desk and booked our restaurants and shows. We couldn't get 2 of our preferred times but checked back every day for cancellations and were able to get everything eventually (this was on a ship with 4530 passengers). So keep trying.

On my Joy cruise last week, both Taste and Savor were open for breakfast, lunch (on embarkation and sea days) and dinner. Haven't seen that in awhile. Depending on my mood, I do enjoy the Manhattan room but it does seem slower and louder (I think that might have to do with the music). We don't care for the dessert in Teppanyaki so about 2 hours after eating there, we stopped by Taste to ask if we could just have dessert. Was only a 5 minute wait for a window table.

There were lots and lots of Orange cards on my Joy cruise and the CruiseNext people told me they had more first time cruisers on that ship than ever. My first card was Orange...has been the Greenish card ever since. My friend was in the Haven on Prima and his card was Purple.

This worked for me on my Joy cruise last week. I have android and received/sent text messages via SMS to both Iphone and Android users with my settings at airplane mode on/ship's WiFi on. I have Verizon and an international plan (not sure if that has anything to do with it...just mentioning). No additional charges with Verizon.

Both restaurants were open from 11:30 to 1:30 last week.

You can remove it or add it up to about 3 days prior to the cruise, not just prior to final payment. I have done it multiple times. Enjoy your cruise.

I believe you can exchange them at Guest Services but the rate will not be favorable. Best to use a foreign transaction fee free card and an ATM at a local bank on land. There is another thread about this topic just a few below this one.

Just off the Joy that was fully packed (4530 passengers). Never waited long for a drink, certainly not 30 minutes (probably not even 5). If you want quicker service I would avoid any of the pool deck bars, the bars between restaurants (Mixx and Prime Meridian) during meal times and the Atrium bar during game shows. There is a bar in the buffet that was not busy most of the time, even during meals. But as others have mentioned, the 'out of the way' bars are usually pretty quick (and you can stop by the casino bar even if you are not in the casino...they were never busy). Enjoy your cruise on Escape...it's a great ship!

I would be a little concerned about a 10:40 flight. I was on a RCL ship that was delayed due to fog and we didn't dock until 7am. I think if you carry off your luggage and use a cab, you should be ok. I have waited over an hour for an Uber there so don't recommend them. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.