WickedRed

Kids selling rocks. That's awesome!! Last year when I was on the Star in Norway there was a kid at one of the scenic turn out spots selling raspberries. Lucky for us he was happy to take US $. (We weren't suppose to go to Norway so none of us had local currency.) Think he sold out thanks to our tour bus. Probably the best raspberries I have ever tasted.

When I did Iceland and Norway on the Star a year ago actually, the thermal pass was well worth the money. It was chilly outside and it gave my friend and I a quiet place to sit, read, and watch the scenery go by. Plus having a hot tub, indoor pool, and other spa fixtures nearby was nice too. Pretty sure the Spice H2O is a new addition to the Star. Maybe something they did during covid or around that time?? Hope you enjoy your time on the Star and feel better soon. I'm looking forward to following along.

I was on the Star's Iceland/Greenland cruise last year that went to Norway instead of Greenland. I also did a Prima cruise this past Thanksgiving. Really is a toss up. Though with the information that the Prima cannot use the lifeboats as a tender option... my vote swings slightly to the Star. Prima does have a forward observation lounge, but I'm going to imagine that will be very crowded. We had a balcony room and the thermal pass on the Star. Even in July it was chilly. Side note: most people in Norway were joking about how they weren't getting a summer last year, so it may have been colder than usual. The thermal pass was worth every penny. It was nice to be able to relax in a quiet area, watch the fjords pass by in the big windows, and be warm while doing it. I did use our balcony some, but my friend didn't use it at all. We're both from Maine and accustom to chilly weather. The ability to watch the scenery go by as you're were sailing through the fjords shouldn't be missed. IMHO. It's breath taking. My opinion between the 2 ships in general may be a bit tainted. The Star had only 1300 passengers when I sailed and the Prima had well over double occupancy. That in itself creates very different experiences. My biggest complaint about the Prima was that it was so wicked crowded. If you didn't book something (dining, shows, events...) on day 1 chances were you weren't doing it. The Star didn't even open one MDR and there were still no wait times to be seated. If I couldn't enjoy the outside, I'm not sure I'd book the Prima. Maybe having the thermal pass for the Prima in such a location is needed. For the Star, having the thermal pass was vital. Though I'll be back on the Star this October for a British Isles cruise, and won't be getting the pass because it's a very port intensive itinerary. Hoping that's not a mistake. Either ship is bound to have its challenges and highlights. I wouldn't hesitate booking on either. Tough choice. Best of luck. lol!

All weather and safety related. Safety first after all. I'm the type of person who's going to roll with it. Just happy to be away and not working. 2 of them involved more than one port and we were told either at check in or while we were leaving Miami. Itinerary changes keeps things interesting. lol.

IDK if this will help you, but it does sound like the changes are for next year. I am on a British Isles cruise this October with 2 ports in Ireland: Dun Laoghaire (Dublin) and Cobh (Cork). So far there have been no changes. If weather conditions are typically and issue for these locations starting in October, I expect any changes to be last minute. Honestly, when it comes to cruises that are not Boston to Bermuda then I'm batting about 60/40 with 60% of the cruises I've been on have had a last minute itinerary change.

OK. I guess I should have added a winky face or an LOL or laughing emoji to show I was completely kidding. Silly me thinking such a suggestion could only be in jest. But I'm in a mood today, so here's a quick 5. Just for fun. 1) What's the sound for an emergency? 2) Where are life jackets stored? 3) Should you return to your cabin for your life jacket and valuables if you hear the alarm while away from your cabin? 4) Where do you find information on where your muster station is? 5) Does your life jacket come with a whistle? 😆🙃😉🤗

I think there should be a quiz at port. If you can correctly answer 5 questions you get a pass, but if you answer any wrong you have to sit through the drill. Safety first.

My cruise back at the end of March into April. Not only did I get the video link a half a dozen times, but I also had to do the in person muster drill. It was just before they went back to just the video. We were all laughing about it in the roll call and hoping it was a sign they were starting a week early with no in person drills. No such luck.

I've gone solo on a number of NCL ships big and small. My advice is to go to the solo meet up. Many times a good number in the group will all head to the MDR right after to eat together. If you get a good host they will even help people plan going to shows, we did the ropes course as a group on the Getaway one time, one helped organize a group to do the escape room if there was interest. If you join the roll call, that is another way to connect with people who will be on your cruise. Also, if you're on FB (the site that cannot be named) there's usually a page for your sailing there too. Lately I have found it is more popular than the CC roll call and you could also meet other people there. Really the best way I've found is to go to the solo meetings in the evening. I've made a lot of great friends in the group. Whatever you decide, have a great cruise. If for any reason you're on the Escape for Aug. 13 - 19, let me know. Going with a friend but you're more than welcome to join.

I once had NCL use JetBlue, and I wasn't able to pick a seat until check-in 24 hrs before the flight. Iceland Air is a much different beast though. It does sound like an airline policy thing. Though I do believe JetBlue and Iceland Air have a partnership and sometimes JB flights to Iceland are on IA planes.

I'm sailing August 13th which is 79 days away. (yeah, not counting...lol) Some people on my sailing have already received flight information. Alas, I am not one of them. Last time I used NCL air for last November I received my flight information at about 45 days. As most have said, you should receive and email. Do keep an eye on your spam folder as sometimes their emails will end up there.

I had something similar happen to me on my last cruise. Some where along the line someone accidentally typed an f instead of an e at the end of my name. NCL went to run my card at the beginning of my cruise and copied my name wrong, which of course the card declined. Had to go to guest services to see what was up and present them with my card and ID I think so they could straighten in all out.

It's been fairly common to not get information until 45-30 days before. Also, keep an eye in your junk/spam folder. All the junk mail I get from NCL gets into my mailbox, but important cruise specific emails would frequently go to spam.

I was looking at parking in the C1 Lot at the bow of the ship. Used that lot before and it's wicked handy. One website says you need to make a reservation another makes no mention of making a reservation. Then if you click the make reservation link, you can't get that one to show up. Website's a mess. Left an email yesterday, but haven't heard back yet. Seagull poo doesn't really bother me as I work someplace with a lot of seagulls around, so my car always needs a bath. IDK. It's going to take me 3 hours to get down there, I'd like to have a plan on where I'm going to park.

That is how it's done. I took a cruise with a good friend and she had half my stockholders OBC. It kind of blows my mind really. I'm the one losing all the money with these stocks not my bff. LOL! Just make your husband give you $50. There even.

I've done this while waiting in both New York and Miami terminals in the past. The key, like hallux said, is being able to connect to the ships wifi. The app will give you instructions on how to do that. They are fairly easy to follow.

I also did an Iceland/Greenland cruise on the Star this summer only my Greenland portion turned into Norway. My first piece of advice is be flexible if you do this itinerary (or any itinerary really) because the cruise you do, may not be the one you planned for. Norway is beautiful! The excursions we took were long; 6-8 hrs on a bus to see a variety of things. Nothing is close together. The scenery on the bus rides was breath taking though. I'd definitely do it again. Would probably do a boat ride through the fjords mixed in with bus rides though. Some ports had almost nothing around them and others were in cities. Though with a 6-8 hr excursion tour, I didn't have a lot of time or energy to explore the ports. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either cruise. We did have a balcony. Since I run hot, I did use it. Enjoyed sitting out there as we moved through the fjords in and out of ports. My friend who runs cold, did not use it as much. Plus the cool air felt really nice in the room at night. The lack of true darkness took some getting used too, but the room seemed to get dark enough for sleeping with the curtain closed.

I do not support the use of Spicy Mustard on a lobster roll. As a life long Mainer, I am quite offended by the idea or the use of anything other than either butter or very light mayo on a lobster roll.

I was on the Escape for Halloween one year. They even had a haunted house. I'd love to do another Halloween cruise someday.

So far the magic and contortionist act was 2 showings and Band on the Run was 2 showings. Maybe the juggler was 2 as well, I forget. Tonight there was a violinist and that was just one show. Guess acts they think will be popular are 2 and others are 1.

Is there 2000 passengers on the ship? It feels wicked empty and so far they are only using 1 MDR at night. Bummed we aren't going to Greenland, but I've never been to Norway so I'm not complaining.

What do you mean, no... vodka truck? *stares in utter disbelief* Next thing you're going to tell me is there's no Santa or Tooth Fairy. The beef in grocery stores actually came from real cows... I'm not really related to some prince in Africa, who died, and if I send them $5,000. They will send me $5M. None of that is real? 🤣😂🤣

Nothing surprises me about establishments running out of items. Once went to Friendly's Ice Cream store and they were out of chocolate syrup. KFC, out of chicken. They had boneless items, but nothing with bones in them. Subway, no bread. You could have a salad. I've been a part of events, and we've drank the hotel bar out of rum. That may have happened twice. Honestly, with the shipping issues we're having in the US. I could completely see a truck not making it to a pier in time for the ship to load up on an item before leaving. Maybe that's what happened to the vodka truck.

Looked at the Walgreen's website today and looks like there are changes coming. Probably going to be a fee and could only book 3 days in advance. Though maybe the calendar is off cause they are revamping the site for people having to pay. IDK. Trying not to freak out since that was my plan for my upcoming cruise. Now I'm debating ordering a proctored test, so I know I have a test on the right day.

Yeah, I got one for both my July cruise Iceland & Greenland along with my Nov. cruise out of Miami back to Miami. Figure they are just sending it to everyone.