PelicanBill

Reports are questioning the timing of the mayday now and whether the bridge was really closed before the ship hit - maybe one side closed - because 7 vehicles drive up and off and the pothole crew on the bridge got no warning. I agree the anchor drag could be found to have made this worse. Imagine of one of the cruise ships had been in port - trapped for weeks. This is a lot of steel and debris to remove. Due to the span size, and the old design, this will take years to replace. They will need new piers and a suspension design. I bet similar to the Cuomo bridge as the main span of each is 1200'. I bet the design of that bridge could be adapted quickly... but consider how long it took to put that bridge up even without the side parts of the bridge.

Due to sketchy weather in the Bahamas, Meraviglia annouced a change from Nassau tomorrow to Miami. And today as they approached Ocean Cay they turned around and waived off for what looks like a sea day.

Legend returns to port for disembarkation at 10am! So a 1pm time is actually quite close to the start. Check out and hang out in the Lobby, or breakfast area. Drive around if you are driving. You might meet fellow cruisers and socialize to pass the time.

I saw a report dated Sep. 28 that they hoped repairs would allow ships to return in 1 week. So I guess we should look to see if any call next week. There is debate over whether the pier extensions will be usable. This is what allows longer ships like Mardi Gras to dock. They could be limited to smaller ships, but I did not find anything to suggest what length is okay without extensions. I am on Legend scheduled there in a month.

Hotel has generally good reviews on Google. I have a reservation there for the 10/30 Legend sailing.

When we cruise from Manhattan, We stay in NJ closer to Hackensack and The Washington Bridge. It's an easy drive to cross the bridge and exit right on the other side to the Westside highway. Just after it gets to ground level and turns in to 12th avenue you are at the cruise port and you minimize your Manhattan traffic issues. Do track traffic through, as once in a while the bridge traffic comes to a halt and then you need to take an alternate route by Tunnel.

In addition, if your car carrying the scooter is classified by a Manhattan parking garage as "oversize" as many Minivans and SUVs are, your parking charge is inflated a lot. Park at the port. My wife is disabled and that has always been the easy way to go.

Sounds like they need IT repairs on their user management server. Not sure how they can offer day by day purchases while not allowing packages. If there were a "satellite issue" service would be unavailable entirely.

Does it dock at 10am, or does it dock at 9am, get clearance and set up, and start disembarkation at 10am?

Good info thanks. Francis Scott Key bridge is right after leaving port, as you said, and then comes the US 50 double span bridge at about 6pm. I am guessing you meant 7 AM for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel as it is 160 miles from port! I am hoping to see it if I get up early.

While @alyssamma is correct, the reality is most phone users do not have wifi calling turned on. So SMS Text messaging will not work in that case. If you need to send SMS Text you must enable wifi calling on your phone before you leave on your cruise, and verify it works. You cannot turn it on once you leave your home service area. Sometimes you need help from your carrier to get it working. Test it by going into airplane mode, enabling Wifi and connecting, then see if you can make a phone call and send SMS text message. If you use Facebook messenger, or you all have Apple products and user imessage, or you use Whatsapp, etc. you can just rely on Wifi and don't need to enable Wifi Calling. Also, be aware: SMS Texting is notorious for delivery issues, especially when relayed through WiFi calling. If you don't get a reply in an expected timeframe, send it again.

I have an upcoming cruise and when I try to schedule tests at CVS it gives me a quiz and tells me my insurance won't cover it and I must pay $139. And CVS won't provide it from my local pharmacies, they offer that I can travel 4 hours to some clinic. What are you all finding on testing and paying for it? EDIT: Looks like Onpoint is the cheapest way to get a valid proctored test using any FDA approved home test.

My brother just completed a cruise on Carnival Magic. 3 days after returning he tested positive. He had to pay $320 for proctored tests for his family of 4, because he was in NYC during the window a test had to be taken, and his insurance only pays for testing at specific locations not available there.

Confused. Vaccine attestation is in my online account along with all my information for my booking. I filled mine out months ago for my November cruise and it has showed done ever since.

Were any of your ports a different time zone than EDT, and did the ship's time change to match the port, or were you warned about the difference in local time?

There are 3 hotels in the block just east of the entrance to pier 88. An easy walk with luggage! Ink48 Comfort Inn Holiday Inn Express

When the airlines moves your flight that much, they will rebook you later when you tell them that earlier time is not possible. Be clear when you call it is because the airline changed the time. My last cruise on NCL Breakaway that left and returned to NYC had clearance on board the ship. They had facial recognition set up in the dining room and lines snaked around the ship. After identify was confirmed, they collected our customs form right there and from there it was off the ship, collect luggage if you set it out, and on to the street.

I agree with the above, about 9am off the ship, then allow 30-60 minutes to airport - you never know when you will hit a traffic jam and it happens often on a weekday. Checking in 1 hour prior for a flight is the minimum to get through luggage drop and security. So you have 0-30 minutes of safety margin here. Noon or later is a safer choice. Since you will have had an early breakfast, why not plan to grab lunch at the airport while waiting for the flight!

I don't tip an extra $1 per drink every time. But at a couple of regular bars I will tip $1 cash with each order of 1 or 2 drinks. It gets me remembered, and favored. More fun to sit at the bar when they entertain. My drinks have long pours and leftovers get pushed my way. And I feel good as these people are trying to support families from far away for months at a time.

So again, I read several accounts. Port agent: Did you carry the daily ashore with you that has the phone number? Once the ship sails the port agent disappears. Local police know nothing! Is your phone charged? Do you have broadband Internet? It's scary and confusing. The reality is the port agent may or may not be helpful. In one case they dumped the family at a bad hotel and gave them the address of the consulate and disappeared. Cozumel: That must be true in Mexico then. But you'll need to find all the phone numbers and a hotel first. I suspect you will need hotel help to print the letter and go to the airport to present it to book a flight. You can't put in a letter in the passport field online or on the phone. In other countries, the accounts I read were quite an ordeal, with multiple visits and lots of waiting! The point is this is confusing, you are stressed when left behind, possibly sick or injured, and lacking the clothes and phone charger and spending money like crazy. Trip insurance is important (but reimburses in most cases!)

I remembered it being expanded to cover the entirety of the deck, and found this agreeing. It was done in 2021. https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/shiptour.php?r=3417#:~:text=This area was expanded to,water spritzers and chilled towels. And the deck plan there reflects it. It should surprise nobody that NCL's own deck plans are out of date.

Read the stories of people who got stuck in a foreign country trying to get home. You don't want to be stuck on shore without clothes, phone charger, and personal items... now you have to go shopping. You have to be interviewed when they are open, get a hotel room, maybe go shopping, taxis all over. You may have to figure it out on your own. Some ports have an agent who will help, not all do. In some ports, you have a long way to get to a consulate or embassy. Stuck in Cozumel? You must get on the Ferry to the mainland, and take a long expensive ride to Merida to get to a consulate. Some assistance is available online if you have a PC. You can't make an airline reservation until you have your emergency passports. Then you may not get seats for a few days. Food and hotel costs accumulate.

I have been on many reroutes and delays. It takes a strong storm to be a threat to safety, but comfort is another thing and often controversial when a ship sails through or follows a storm closely (NCL has a few incidents of this). Choosing an alternate path and ports are a function of sailing time and distance, and availability of space and ability of some small ports to muster up resources if short notice. In the east I have been rerouted to Nassau, having a lot of dock space, but once it was a 3pm arrival after another ship left to create space. In the west, Cozumel is a popular spot having many docks. And you can tender there, or at Grand Cayman easily. Those are within reach for many itineraries to change and still return to Florida or reach a next port.

Agree that it's the benefits more than the tiers. For me it's Specialty Dinners Laundry Priority to tenders Free behind the scenes tour Priority Boarding (meaningless since most terminals don't have it any more and covid testing changed all boarding anyway)