Rob_H

On the Star this May, we treated two friends to the Teppenyaki. My wife and I each used a Latitudes voucher (one with wine, one without), each inviting one guest. So the four of us could eat there at the same time. Others are right that there's a condition both vouchers can't be used in the same restaurant, in practice that can be flexible if you ask. The free at sea meals are not transferable, you can only invite guests using the Latitudes vouchers.

The charter to Lion was announced a few weeks ago: https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/06/norwegian-spirit-to-sail-from-taiwan-in-2024/ NCL can presumably get more money chartering than sending the Spirit back to the very crowded Alaska market again, or risking an Asia season themselves.

That was our experience last year as well, but with the switch to overworked cabin attendants making only one visit to each cabin each day, it's taking at least a day longer (here on the Spirit). Often the laundry isn't picked up till late (if your cabin is later to be serviced), then the attendant doesn't have the time to go check if it's been done. 48 hours or more turn around for "express" is normal now. Previously on this same ship it was excellent.

We're on nearly the same itinerary on the Star from Southampton on May 21 this year (there is also a May 11 sailing). Prices are low. More cruises (worldwide) for the second half of 2025 were added in the past few days. 700 different future cruises available to book is the highest I've ever seen.

Most of the ships already have cruises showing for the first half of 2025. Many have cruises through to October 2025. To find what's available, filter on the NCL search by date and select the months you want. Then if you filter by ship, the ships that are in bold (and selectable) are the ones that have at least some cruises during the time you've selected. This works the other way, to see what dates are available for a particular ship (or ships), filter by the ship then look at the date filter - the dates in bold are the months with cruises already listed. NCL has been releasing cruises further and further ahead recently, over two years ahead for most ships. The demand is there, and it's a good way to raise money, getting more deposits. Just bear in mind some of the cruises and even entire seasons might get changed or cancelled nearer the time.

We were on the Sun in October 2022 that sailed from Seattle to Miami (and then b2b on to Lisbon). A great trip, it went to smaller ports such as Astoria and Catalina Island on the west coast, before a more traditional set of ports in Mexico and Central America. In April 2022 we were on a b2b2b on the Encore, a week in the Caribbean, then 21 days Miami to Seattle, and a week in Alaska. This one was sold with three different options, you could get off in Los Angeles, or San Francisco, or Seattle. It wasn't super busy to start, then people got off in LA and SF, so only 800 or so passengers for the final SF to Seattle leg! These Caribbean to Alaska (or return) repositions are great - plenty of sea days to relax, generally good weather, and often a very affordable price per day (since not many people can do long cruises). We love them! Try to add a b2b at either or both ends if you have the time. If you're on the Encore, Bliss or Joy it'll sail through the new locks on the Panama canal. The older more historic locks are used for the smaller ships like the Sun.

Maybe doesn't apply in your case, but Sailaway rates don't get the extra points. Only "free at sea".

If you reprice a cruise before final payment, you normally get the offers available at that time. So if you have a booking with double points and then call to get a price reduction, you might lose the double points, if the offer has already expired. This works the other way as well. Although the terms say "for new reservations", if there's a new offer when you reprice, you should get that. For example I called recently to get an updated (lower) price on one of our cruises coming up this summer. As well as the lower price, the points went from one extra point ("LATITUDE") to three extra points ("LATRIPLE") per night.

The standard cabins have one US socket and two European sockets on the desk area. A (weak) hair dryer is provided in the bathroom.

It's like dial-up: you have to log in at the start, and log off when you're finished. The minutes between login and logoff are deducted from your 150 total, until you have none left. It's like dial-up another way as well: speed (or lack of).

We've done many back to backs. Often you have to wait till everybody has left, then go ashore, get herded into another area to wait with uncomfortable chairs, then get back on once the ship has been cleared. It's a very tedious and timewasting process. So most of the time we treat the turnaround port as a port day, sometimes just for shopping. We leave early along with the self-assist people, mention to immigration we're back to back if they ask, have a day enjoying the port, and head back to the ship well before the all aboard time. By this time the terminal is near empty so with the "still on vacation" sticker (and the new keycards) they provide we just walk straight through and get on. No need to bother with check in. You'll be able to get your new keycard at guest services onboard the night before (when you keep the same cabin), or the arrival morning if you are moving to a cabin that was occupied on the first cruise (you have to wait for those people to leave). You may also get given a keycard which just lets you back on the ship, but not to your new room, in that case you'll need to get another new keycard after getting back on board. Take with you everything you need for a port day, plus your passports. Luggage is not a problem. Just leave everything in your room if it's the same room. If you're changing room, pack everything up and attach the tags you were provided in the "back to back letter" that is delivered to your room a couple of days before arriving. Your bags will be moved to the new room by the stewards, before you get back.

There's not usually anything on any long Norwegian cruise, but on rare occasions we've had a guest lecturer. Quality varies a lot, to be kind. BTW, the Jewel Tokyo to Seward will have five sea days in a row, not four. The Tuesday marked "cross international date line" is a sea day - twice. You'll get another Tuesday as you travel eastbound.

That's an editing error by NCL, they've copied over wording from Food Republic and similar places. Everything is included at Teppanyaki (except alcohol or speciality coffees). Even a good Japanese green tea, if you ask for it (most people don't know it's available).

Winning a bid won't affect any of your promotions, including the extra points.

When were on the Sun for Seattle-Lisbon in November/December last year, the Sports Bar on 11 Aft was the late night spot, 5.30pm to 5.30am according to the Freestyle, with an Local style comfort food menu. On those cruises the Great Outdoors was open for late snacks from 9.30-11.30pm, but that seems to have been stopped on all ships from early December (our three cruises since, on the Star and Joy, have had no late night buffet snacks). There are no restrictions on taking food out of the buffet, you just have to get there earlier before they close! We found The Local in the Star was super busy and slow after the late show turned out, as the closed buffet meant there was nowhere else to eat. The speciality restaurants will also still send the dessert to your room if you ask (or you can carry it home), I don't think there's any restriction in the MDR either. There are no more snacks in the gift shop than before, it's not a paid replacement for the late buffet.

The UK (and EU I think) doesn't have refundable deposits. NCL has different deposit terms, cancellation terms and final payment dates for each region of the world.

The app and the website both show it limited to Diamond and Ambassador. There wouldn't be the capacity to extend it further, it's limited to the number of seats at the bar.

Same here, it's a free drink, and often interesting people. But on a recent short cruise with only one sea day it was scheduled just two hours after the wine tasting, too much for one day... It would be nice if there was some benefit to Diamonds (like free internet!) that wasn't just another way to promote alcohol sales (which doesn't work for us, we have no intention of paying for more of the same). Really once you reach Platinum (free meals, laundry) there's nothing significant added as you move up.

It's for Diamond and Ambassador, not Sapphire. On a sea day, one of the bars (like Great Outdoors or H2O) is set up with a selection of eight cocktails made from recycled food ingredients (like coffee grounds). The bartender explains how each is made as you taste each in turn. OK a couple of times, but the novelty soon wears off. We just go as a way to meet other Diamonds and above, there's usually only 4-10 people present.

They are discount coupons that can be brought on board, to use to pay part of the cost of future cruises on NCL. In effect, they are $250 gift vouchers that cost $125 each. You can use one per booking normally, more than one if some conditions are met (like two for a balcony or better booked more than six months ahead) or if there is a promo on.

Maximum eight cruisenexts per person (not stateroom) per cruise. There doesn't seem to be a limit to the total number you can accumulate on your account.

If you don't want to travel Cunard (which doesn't have any port stop on the way) look for a ship going the "wrong way" (not the usual seasonal migration between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean), and connect it with a normal transatlantic before or after. For example, the Norwegian Sun last month (which we were on) went from Miami to Lisbon to reposition there for the winter. Many people on our ship then took a different transatlantic back the other way afterwards - Europe to North America - as there are many that time of year. An example later next year would be the Carnival Freedom that goes from Port Canaveral to Barcelona on Sep 21, arriving Oct 4. Returns include Holland America from Amsterdam on Oct 7, Princess from Southampton on Oct 9, Celebrity from Barcelona on Oct 19.

Also an email address for each passenger (can be shared). The first time you use any email address, or a phone number, it'll be sent a verification code. So be sure you have access to the email addresses, and can see the texts on each phone. After you enter a (postal) address, the system may suggest a standardized (corrected) version. In some cases (like ours) that "corrected" version will then fail to be accepted (NSW changed to NS), so just press "use as entered" or similar words. You'll also need a decent internet connection. As part of the process you have to play a Youtube safety video one time for each passenger. We found that step impossible using the onboard wi-fi on a sea day (to check in for our next ship), had to wait for mobile data on land. Same for us. Doesn't have to be perfect, just get past the filter, if it's not that good a fresh photo will be taken at the physical check in.

Is the theatre in the Dawn the same as on the Star? We were just on the Star (Lisbon-Buenos Aires) and didn't like the theatre as much as most. The seat pitch is very tight, no legroom, like an economy airline, and there are no cupholders. Views from the side balconies instead are not great (too many curves and glass).

Thank you for such a detailed "live from", especially the photos! It's a lot of work, and it is appreciated. We're booked on the Dawn West Africa in 2024 probably b2b with one or two cruises before, South Africa r/t and Mauritius to South Africa, so the final stages of your cruise were especially useful to know what to expect. We took the Jade Athens to Dubai then on to Singapore in late 2019 so it was interesting to see and compare your experience on the first cruise as well.