schmoopie17

This is no different than asking how much (in dollars) should we bring on a trip to Florida. Nobody knows your spending habits, how many and what types of shuttles you will take, and how many and what kinds of "small things" you will buy. To answer your question, I would say to start with 100-200 euro in small denominations so you aren't breaking big bills. If you run out, ATMs are everywhere.

Wait a minute. Now they're charging VAT on Specialty Dining? Even with the FAS package???

And now we can discuss among ourselves...I just hope we don't disgust anyone.

Apparently you haven't known me long enough to know that almost everything I say (especially on CC) has a certain degree of sarcasm attached to it. I told Mrs. Schmoopie that I posted this on CC and I would let her read the responses. She thought the whole thing was funny (of course, she also has the sarcasm gene...which is one thing that originally attracted me to her). No "$2500 decision" has been made...far from it. We're tossing around ideas (together, mind you) for a big 2025 cruise and this is only one option. And just to refresh your memory, I wasn't talking about spending $2500...it was about SAVING $2500. Big difference if you're implying I was going behind her back with "my decision to make".

Okay, thanks. But someone needs to update the NCL "Ports of Call" page on their website, where it says: Port Name & Location Amber Cove Cruise Terminal. Ship will DOCK at this port.

Do you know if you're going to Amber Cove or Taino Bay? I'm still trying to figure out where our December cruise stops in the DR and nobody has any consistent answers. Our itinerary only says "Puerto Plata"...no mention of which dock. The NCL website says they dock at Amber Cove in the DR...but many people have said they went to Taino Bay. And for what it's worth, all excursions for Puerto Plata show up on our planning page.

Is deck 5 any better, considering it's right below a number of public areas?

And here I thought Southampton was just a place to get on and off the ship. Will have to make a point of having a pint (or several) at these fine looking establishments next year.

In that case, does VAT stand for Vapid Arbitrary Tax?

My birthday is next week. Would I be out of line to wear my birthday suit? (Hey, it's a suit.) What about with a bow tie?

In the immortal words of Seinfeld, "Not that there's anything wrong with that."

Even though many Roll Calls are sparsely populated, I think it's better to have the discussion contained in a relevant place...rather than on the "general" board. But I could be wrong...it's happened before.

Not being a Haven cruiser, the next time I'm in steerage I'll try to find someone with the last name of Butler and ask them to stand in line for me.

Can't. I'm way too claustrophobic to be trapped inside a box with no window.

Mrs. Schmoopie just told me she saw a post from Jack saying he is leaving the Escape. Didn't say where he's going.

I just showed Mrs. Schmoopie the responses to my question (she's not on CC) and she (surprisingly) said, "Do what you want to do. I'm filing for divorce," Okay...not really. Actually, the first part of her response is true...the second half remains to be seen. 😁

I'm hoping @RN_Prof returns to actually comment on the Pearl, since we will be on her in two months. Especially since Mrs. Schmoopie had a leg fracture in July and will probably still be having mobility issues...would like to know how easy it is to maneuver around the ship.

Agree with some of the general observations/complaints about the Prima. I could add more, but this horse has been beaten to death previously. (Yes, I'm guilty). As for the Haven issues...can't comment. They won't allow us steerage folks anywhere near the Haven.

I'm a miner...a tinsmith...and a worm procurer. I'm also a joker...and a smoker...and a midnight toker. Jack of all trades...

I'm a tinsmith...I make my own cans.

No worries...I can my own worms.

I can hardly wait to see Pat Sajak in person on our next cruise. Apparently he needs something to do now that he's retiring. 😜

On our TA last November, we had two scheduled stops in the Azores. We missed the first one due to high winds. Miraculously, a credit showed up in our onboard account (and we weren't even expecting anything). It helped make up for some of the VAT taxes on drinks in Spain. (OOPS...did I really open that can of worms?)

Lots of New Orleans info/discussion here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/316-gulf-coast-departures/ Also, @Saint Greg (assuming he sees this) is a great source of knowledge for cruising out of New Orleans.

We had a cruise booked with NCL and later found the price to be a bit less through on online TA, along with cash back and prepaid gratuities. I called our PCC to see to let him know about this deal and he said there's no way he can match any of it. So we ended up canceling and re-booking with the TA (a very reputable one, by the way). He said he understood that we can't pass up such a great deal, but his hands were tied.