schmoopie17

Why would anyone want to go on a cruise with a bunch of moths? They'd eat your clothes. Oh, wait...it's goths. Don't know what they eat, but I'm not sure it would be better.. Never mind...

There are two ports in Puerto Plata...Amber Cove and Taino Bay. We have the same itinerary in December and all it says is "Puerto Plata", with no mention of the port. I guess we shall see...

I assume that's real whipped cream in those desserts and not artificial "creme"? If so, it looks quite yummy...and probably tastes even yummier.

Which port in Puerto Plata?

You Gopher them at the bar and bring them back.

I asked a similar question in another thread because our December, 2023 Puerto Plata stop in the itinerary simply says "Puerto Plata"...no specific dock is mentioned. There have been many discussions regarding Amber Cove vs. Taino Bay...with the majority of people saying NCL docks at Taino Bay. If that's the case, then why does the NCL website state the following under the Puerto Plata section? Port Name & Location Amber Cove Cruise Terminal. Ship will DOCK at this port https://www.ncl.com/port-of-call/cruises-to-puerto-plata

To the OP... Do you like to eat? If so, you might want to skip the Star. I suggest you read the live trip report from @YVRteacher. Caveat emptor...

I see you're relatively new to CC. Welcome to the zoo... As for your question, this has been a burning hot topic on this board for several years. A search will pull up more posts than you could ever possibly hope to shake a stick at...or read in a year. Have fun...

I've lived long enough to know the odds are almost never in my favor. 😁

A similar question...mentioned in another thread: Our Mediterranean cruise departs from Rome on September 14, The same cruise departs from Barcelona four days earlier. The Barcelona embarkers will have first crack at the Platinum events, since they can sign up for Platinum events before we even get on the ship. Granted, we will be on the ship four days after they disembark...but that does no good if the Platinum events (Wines Around the World, Behind the Scenes tour, etc.) are held in the first four days. How do they schedule these so everyone has a crack at them? I doubt they would schedule them twice. This will be our first Platinum cruise and really want to partake of all the benefits, Hoping @BirdTravelscan provide some insight.

Good point. But how many Wines Around the World and Behind the Scenes tours will they have? They can't have one for every set of passengers embarking...or can they?

We will have a similar experience for our Mediterranean cruise next September. We board in Rome September 14...but the cruise originates in Barcelona four days earlier. So...not only will we possibly be shut out of the Platinum event benefits, but people boarding in Barcelona will be able to get all of the prime Specialty restaurant spots before our day 125 rolls around. Double whammy...

If you intend to tip your cabin steward, you'll need cash, since no check is involved.

That's exactly what I meant to say. The process of manually taking and uploading your own photo numerous times before it "takes" is the pain. Taking it at the pier is a much better solution...until NCL figures a way to keep your photo in the system.

Viking ships probably don't have a very good beverage package...or towel animals...or... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_ships

Highly unlikely, since they would be a fire hazard. Besides, they need to be able to charge you for their laundry service.

Biggest waste of time and source of frustration (especially since they take your picture when you check in at the dock). For return Latitudes members, why can't your picture be stored in the system? Manually re-taking your mug shot for every cruise is a royal pain.

There have been many posts recently about theme cruises and people not finding out until after they have booked (or boarded). Sure would be nice if these were indicated on the NCL page so people can make an educated decision about whether they want to proceed with booking. Yes, you can always cancel before final payment, but at that point people have made hotel, air, excursion reservations. The OP said they "have heard" that their cruise will be a themed cruise. How did they hear and where did they hear it? Better yet, they would have known before booking.

That's correct...the good old days. Haven't seen you on the NCL board for awhile. Good seeing you...one of my favorite CCers.

The buffet bacon on NCL always comes across (to me, at least) as a big greasy blob swimming in grease under a heat lamp to keep the grease hot. On the bright side, I can usually find some crispy pieces...chewy bacon is gross (again, to me, at least).

Or lunch brunches...

The soft serve is ice milk...not nearly as good as ice cream, but kids seem to enjoy serving it to themselves and eating it. Adults might prefer the hard packed variety.

Booked a December Caribbean cruise on the Pearl last week. A couple days later we received an itinerary change dropping San Juan (one of the ports we were looking forward to, since we have friends who live there and were looking forward to showing us around). Disappointing, to be sure. While we're not going to cancel, it's just frustrating that the itinerary change came so quickly...especially since we had been eyeing this cruise/itinerary for several months...almost like they never really intended to go there in the first place.

If you or your husband is a veteran, you can enroll in the new NCL Veteran's program to save 10% of the base cruise fare. Although, it never seemed to come to 10% for my last two cruises. NCL math can be fuzzy.

Yeah, but don't get the wings.