BirdTravels

Frat party. Nothing we would every want.

The entrance to the Vibe and the grill entrance to the Buffet are in the same place.

If you have dietary restrictions, you can notify the Access Desk and then coordinate on the ship with the restaurants you will be dining in https://www.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising

Your signature shows that you're a seasoned cruiser, but not recently on MSC. A good travel agent will help you get the exact cruise you want (given all of the changes in MSC over the last decade). And get you some additional onboard perks. Keep a very open mind. Don't be shy about asking all the questions you have. That's what a travel agent is being paid for. And, for every aspect of your cruise, ask what alternatives you have (e.g., experiences). Then you make the decisions based on information provided to you. Don't let the travel agent push you into something you don't want.

Yes. But that thread is mostly discussing an architect’s concept drawings and not what NCL formally announced. The NCL announcement is far less than the early “what if” concept drawings,,, for now.

You don’t. You are paying the fare for one person.

Have a wonderful cruise!

2022 was an engine fire taking one engine offline. They could operate normally with 1 engine down. But, then RCCL made an operational decision to take a second engine offline for a scheduled maintenance overhaul. That caused a limit on maximum speed.

We show up when it fits our schedule. Each night, the hostess worked to seat us with the same waiters, who know our routine by Day 2 (water preferences, drink preferences, service preferences).

This is incorrect. In fact, the dining package terms and conditions says "no sharing" or giving a credit to someone else five times in one paragraph. Dining package Terms and Conditions: SDPs are personal (per person, e.g., 2 guests cannot share 1 SDP meal) and non-transferable (guests cannot give their SDP meals to someone else)... No sharing or to go orders permitted.

O.K. I think that I maybe too broad on that position. All of the OBC that I have ever received from big travel agents has been non-refundable. It is reasonable that some will actually buy refundable OBC. I was also reacting to the OP who said that NCL said that their OBC could not be used for DSC. That being said, NCL customer service is wrong more than it's right and really depends on the agent.

If mom gambles in the casino, try to call Casinos at Sea directly first to see what they have to offer. Never hurts to ask. And if you play a lot, then every room will be a comp'ed room directly through CAS in the future.

First, we always book a cabins on Deck 15 (we were in a mid-ship Deck 15 cabin last week). We like being in easy walking distance to the buffet, observation lounge, and spa. And we like to be on the top of the elevators (those middle decks often find full elevators when they are waiting to go up or down). Deck 15 you get a mix. During the day, you will always get stupid kids running on the deck above you. That never bothers us, even if we are in the room resting. At night, you may get a little noise bleed from any parties going on at the pool (probably no pool parties on your cruise). In the middle of the night, the crew will be washing down the deck, so you may hear whispers of water (does not bother us). And early in the morning, the crew will be setting up loungers for the day (for you, the set up will be limited). We travel 3-4 times a month and stay on ships an in hotels a lot. Background noise does not bother us. That being said, we would never select a room under the gym where treadmills start at 6:00 am. I think that we get more noise from adjacent rooms (will happen on any deck) versus noise from above.

Depending on ship, there are no obstructed view rooms (new ships). Also,,, don’t be like prior posters who rant that they had a great inside room on Deck 14 and got assigned an OV room on Deck 5 (which is where OV rooms are).

If it is refundable, you can go to guest services on embarkation day and withdraw it for cash. Then put it in a slot machine for no fee.

Have a great cruise. We love to hang out in Spice H20 with the jumbo hot tub.

The Joy is more like a Quantum class ship (bigger than Explorer, much smaller than Symphony). Right now, to a large extent, all ships on all cruise lines are sailing close to capacity. They are all busy. NCL's Freestyle Dining is like My Time Dining. You show up when you are hungry or when it fits your schedule. The Joy has three main dining rooms: Tropicana Room is the largest, Taste and Savor are smaller. They all serve the same menu, so if one is exceptionally busy, you can go to one of the others. Normally, unless you explicitly decide that you must eat at peak times, there is only a short wait to be seated. Like RCCL, the main theater show, Elements, needs a reservation. All other shows, you can walk in 15 minutes before show time and get a seat. If you want a seat front and center, you need to show up 30 minutes before show time. Most times you can walk into the buffet and find seating. Obviously, port days are busy since everyone is trying to eat before going ashore. What you will not find on NCL is the RCCL incessant announcements "If you are done stuffing your face, get out, so others can stuff their face" in the Windjammer... which really annoys me. If you want a quick peak at the Joy, the following link is to my live post from the ship in November. Since then, she went in for a dry dock.

It is a lot better to buy 2-meal plans for Guests 3 and 4.

Choir of Man can be booked on embarkation day in the Theater Box Office (Deck 7, Forward, Starboard Theater entrance). If the system cuts over quickly, you can also book it on the NCL App or the touch screen kiosks in elevator lobbies and the Atrium. If you go to the theater box office, you can also pick up a menu of all of the entertainment of the week. Last week, Beatles and Comedy were also in the Theater (if you don't want to wait in line at the Cavern Club or The Social). People were lining up 45-60 minutes before shows in the small venues. We never bothered. We walked into the Cavern Club one night to peek after the show started, but it was too full. If you go to Wheel of Fortune and buy electronic game cards, the top of the Theater (currently) has better wifi than lower toward the stage.

Also, carefully coordinate the pick-up point with your car service. They can pick-up on the departure level (which will be very crowded with people arriving... especially for a late departure). If they pick-up on the arrival level (street level), you usually have to haul your bag out of the terminal and across the street to the taxi/uber/limo stand which is a hike. We had a car service last October and we were not coordinated 😞

For a scheduled 7:00 am arrival, here's an example disembarkation schedule on a closed loop trip. If you are on a TA or non-closed loop trip, there may be delays in immigrations and customs.

Brewed (free) coffee is fine. That's all we drink. wrt to check-in, see your other thread for answers

The general answer is "no". Can you list the items you were charged for... What you should expect is. Cruise Fare Booking admin fees Port Taxes / Fees Travel Protection/Insurance (if you selected that) Beverage Package Service Charge/Gratuities (if you selected the free unlimited drinks package) Dining Package Service Charge/Gratuities (if you selected the 1 or 2 free dinners) Pre-paid daily service charge gratuities (if you selected to pre-pay those) Everything beyond the Cruise Fare would be in addition to the base fare you see on the website unless you do a full mock booking (which would not include the admin fee). You can opt out of the unlimited drinks package and pay for drinks by the glass. And you can opt out of the dining package and eat at complimentary restaurants. You can opt out of Travel Protection. The Daily Service Charge can be pre-paid or paid onboard. We find the BOGO airfare reasonable and saves a lot of money. So, before you fire unsubstantiated accusations, you need to do your homework. That being said, NCL will book the cheapest flights which may involve connections (where non-stop flights are available) and early/late flights. We're retired, so the flight times don't really matter to us.

wrt luggage, there are porters all along the curb and in the parking structure to collect your bags. They will have tags to put on your luggage. Make sure that the room number they write on the tags is clear and readable. There is a document check (red signs below) before you get to the x-ray machines. Make sure to have your Guest Confirmation (printed better - it's only 4 pages) and passport/birth certificate. You will go through x-ray security and on to check-in. Manhattan Cruise Terminal has two check-in areas based on what deck you are on - One immediately after security and one all the way at the back of the terminal (Haven check-in is about 2/3 the way back in the terminal). Chose wisely,,, your room keys are only at one. And with the late booking, they may have to go and print your keys manually, so expect a slight delay. Have a great cruise!

I can't speak to the Jade specifically, but we are just off the Encore and coffee was available 6:00 a.m. - 8:30 am. All ashore is normally about 9:30 a.m., so closing just before that makes sense. You needed to be out of your room by 8:00. For consideration, by 7:30 am, the elevators (going up or down) will be mostly unusable with people departing.