BirdTravels

Except all of the new ships starting with the Prima where the back of the ship is Haven rooms. There is no longer a true Haven courtyard, just rooms on all of the top aft decks. With a lounge, pool, restaurant on the upper decks.

Testing. It's when you stick a swab up your nose and stick it in a card that tells you if you have SARS-CoV-2 or not.

Just your initial round of jabs. There are a few ports that still require you to be boosted if your vaccination was a long time ago.

As long as you remember that brining in >$10K into some countries and specifically the US, requires that you declare that to customs. Doesn't matter if it is cash, checks, or bearer bonds. If you have more than $10K in monetary instruments you need to declare. You need to fill out the information on their website and report to CBP before leaving the terminal.

Too bad. It would be nice to get some quick cash to help the cruise line. And using one of the older BA class ships (Getaway or Breakaway) would be perfect.

Yes. You need to present the vouchers at dinner.

Sorry, missed that Option 1 (minimize cost) Dinner 1: You and Sister use Platinum Voucher. S/O uses Free at Sea dining package. Dinner 2: S/O and Sister use Platinum Voucher. You use Free at Sea dining package. If you have two Free at Sea Specialty Dinners Dinner 3: You and S/O use the dining package. Sister does a room charge for her meal. Option 2 (maximize dinners) You buy a 3-dinner or 4-dinner package for sister (depending on how may Free at Sea dinners you got) Dinner 1: You and S/O use Platinum Voucher. Sister uses purchased dining package. Dinner 2: You and S/O use Platinum Voucher. Sister uses purchased dining package. Dinner 3: You and S/O use your Free at Sea dining package. Sister uses purchased dining package. If you have two Free at Sea Specialty Dinners Dinner 4: You and S/O use your Free at Sea dining package. Sister uses purchased dining package.

We were on the Encore after the Escape grounding and used Taino Bay.

Since the restart, entertainment has been "fluid". Factors like COVID impacting days performers are available has meant that entertainment schedules are not finalized until the week before departure. Yup, a crap shoot. We normally book dinners ahead of time. Then, when you embark, you go straight to the Box Office, Deck 7, in the starboard entrance to the Theater and make your show reservations (Six, Burn the Floor, Comedy Shows), then proceed to restaurant reservations to fix your specialty dining. While you can ask your waiter to "speed up" service to match your show schedule, we normally take at least 2 hours in a Specialty Restaurant. We want to enjoy the dinner,,, not inhale the food. Folks talk about using the touch screen kiosks to make entertainment reservations. But going to the Box Office, you will get a "menu" of all of the shows (including shows with no reservations), so you can better plan the week. BTW: While some people like Velvet. We hated the show. Not Bird recommended. Example:

Platinum vouchers will be in your stateroom. Based on your description, I assume that you did not get the Free at Sea dining package. You buy a 2-dinner package for sister Dinner 1: You and S/O use Platinum Voucher. Sister uses purchased dining package. Dinner 2: You and S/O use Platinum Voucher. Sister uses purchased dining package. Note: The person on the dining package will be able to order more food than those on the Platinum vouchers. There are different options if Sister is a light eater and you or your S/O are more hearty eaters.

Royal Caribbean Diamond Benefit: "Dinner Buffet" in the Diamond Club (August 2022). We never bother with the Diamond Lounge because there is a lot better food just about everywhere else on the ship, at no cost. I would take my two NCL specialty dining dinners over dried out meatballs any day. NCL Diamond Benefit:

You have selected a time to arrive at the terminal. When you arrive, you will need to wait in line and clear security. Then wait in line to check in. At check-in, you will be assigned a boarding group. You board with your boarding group. Haven (suite) boarding starts around 11:00 Priority Boarding (Latitudes Platinum, Sapphire, Diamond, Ambassador) starts around 11:15 General Boarding (by boarding group) will start around 11:30 If you arrive at 12:00, the lines at security and check in will be long and you will be standing around there.

Is it really that far from Marseille to Civitavecchia? She took 19 hours 0 minutes to sail from Civitavecchia to Marseille on September 12th.

Prime time dinner reservations for popular restaurants sell out quickly online and then on ship. If you are in a standard room, you should make reservations exactly 120 days prior to departure. Pre-pandemic, we have seen popular restaurants like Cagney's sell out for the entire cruise by 1 pm on embarkation day.

We actually won a "poor-range" Haven upgrade on the Escape pre-pandemic.

The Birds will be with you and are hoping for the same thing. There is a VIP media and travel agent cruise this week (the ship left New York yesterday). We are hoping for some left overs next week! The Birds have been fortunate to enjoy a VIP leftover on inaugural voyages of the Bliss, Encore (Thanksgiving Dinner 2019), and again on the Encore's first NCL US cruise in August 2021. Encore August 2021 - Celebrating all of the holidays missed during the pandemic Encore Thanksgiving 2019 And for something different... we were on the maiden voyage of the Wonder of the Seas earlier this year where seafood was served on embarkation day at the buffet.

People are excited to be on vacation. They are excited to be on a cruise ship. There is no reason for someone to push their way past someone taking a photo (even with a somewhat polite excuse me). To the best of my knowledge (and we only cruise 6 or 7 times a year), the ship won't be leaving dock with people in the gangway.

Welcome to NCL! Similar to RCCL. As soon as you embark, they direct you to your muster station. You scan your key card and you're on your way. If you have questions, the staff at the muster station will be there to demonstrate life vests and answer questions. NCL will send you a reminder a day to re-watch the safety video on the week before your cruise. They force you to watch it as part of the online check-in. If you are interested, there are a few photos from our recent Breakaway cruise on the live post link below

There is a coffee stand in the Windjammer. Your cruise card is marked with your beverage package and you can use it to get soda at any bar. Café Promenade Prices

I have the greatest sympathy for the OP and his wife. But, every week, there are dozens of people with "sad stories" on why they missed their cruise. These matters are covered by travel insurance. And the OP's wife would have had to be evaluated and found unfit to sail by a doctor to make a claim.

As long it fits through a standard airport scanner, you're o.k. That being said, your fellow passengers would greatly prefer that you check your luggage with the porters. The terminal, gangway, and ship is very crowded and busy on embarkation day.

Great News! Since the restart a year ago, they considered a clamshell a "rental" and not a "shore excursion" and did not allow you to use the ShoreEx credit. Happy that they are back to the "old normal"

Haven dining room seating is first come first serve. The dining room is actually too small and, weather permitting, sometimes overflow into the pool area. That being said, if you want to eat in the restaurant, the wait should be minimal. On our recent cruise on the Breakaway, we made friends with the restaurant manager and he went out of his way to clear tables and seat us.

To use the crew elevator, you will have to meet in the Haven lounge and wait to be escorted off via the crew elevator. The forward facing rooms are great... lots of extra space for less money than being up in the Haven enclave. Same is true for being escorted to shows.

Can you provide a web link to the source of your commentary?