WYB!

I have also had several PCR tests at CVS over the past few months (last test was in October) and have never been charged.

I usually get my test results back within 48 hours and I'm also vaccinated.

Once a month, I make an appointment online and use the cvs drive thru line for testing.

I still plan on getting a PCR test at CVS within 72 hours of my next voyage with the understanding that I will still need a rapid test once I 'm at the pier for embarkation.

Safe travels,

- WYB

Sorry for your loss.
If you have access to his computer see if you can access his NCL account and verify the information.

But if your status with NCL is Platinum or higher you should get another 2 dinners in either Le Bistro or Cagneys & Moderno or La Cuccina..

I believe the "Cash Advance Fees (3%) Waived " is for Ruby (35,000 points) and Elite.

Additional info and benefits on the rewards program:

https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/casino-cruise/players-club

Safe travels,

- WYB

So to find out which menu day you are on in the MDR, look at the bottom of the menu. It's written in small font and may also be hidden under the tucked portion if you are at the table.
You may also be able to see the day # posted on the menu outside of the MDR.

Also I forgot about, Moderno in my SPD list:

As for SPD I prefer:

1: Ocean Blue-The seafood place on the breakaway class (but I mainly travel on Jewel class vessels)

2: Le Bistro

3: Cagney's

4: Moderno

5: Teppanyaki

6: La Cucina

Hello,
Hope you are all well.
Back in 2019 & 2020 one of the stops on the Behind the scenes ship tour is the galley MDR.

That being said I'm not sure a behind the scenes ship tour still exists.

But on that tour in the galley on the wall is the 20 day menu with photos for the MDR (App, entree and dessert).

The menu sometimes also resets to 1 at the end of the voyage (ie if you are on a b2b voyage 8+8 day cruise, day 9 for you might be reset back to the day 1 menu or might continue on the day 9 also)

I'm not sure if that cycle menu has changed since 2020 (I image it has) but I take photos of each days galley wall menu so I can see not only the next day but the MDR menu for the entire voyage.

Attached are the MDR menu's from 1-6 from the Gem in 2020. 

I have them from Day 1 - 20 but not sure how relevant they are now.

As for SPD I prefer:

1: Ocean Blue-The seafood place on the breakaway class (but I mainly travel on Jewel class vessels)

2: Le Bistro

3: Cagney's

4: Teppanyaki

5: La Cucina

Safe travels,

- WYB

Hello,

I made a short video (3m 40s) about bringing a bicycle on board the NCL Gem from January of 2019 (Tender & Walk on).

Safe travels,

- WYB

Just water is the name of a company and not related to NCL.

https://www.amazon.com/Water-Premium-Paper-Based-Recyclable-Naturally/dp/B01B3A0S9S/ref=asc_df_B01B3A0S9S/

There are 12 (16.9 fl oz) bottles in a case.

I've also seen Just Water available in my local grocery store.

- WYB

On 5/16/2021 at 1:13 AM, True Trans Traveler said:

Trust me I would NOT check my bike as baggage. it freaks me out enough when I have to do so when I fly with it. luckily its pretty darned indestructible. the only thing that would give me pause is claim checking it's since it's stupidly expensive. TSA/Border Patrol/Customs  always goes through my bags with a fine toothed comb, I travel with items that are hard to categorize with the x-ray machines as well as a truly stupendous array of pharmaceuticals. 

Nice ride!

The thing about claim checking the bike once on board is that, a bike is really hard to steal or hide on a ship.

There are also video cameras onboard everywhere. Really, just look up in the ceiling and you'll see them every few feet. So I imagine theft of bikes while on cruise ships is pretty low.

Stay well and safe travels,

- Who'sYourBuddy

NCL will not store the bike for you. It's a liability thing.

It's really not a big deal to bring the bike on and off the ship (see attached photos).

On Embarkation day people arrive at staggered times and any checked luggage will be delivered to your state room (Do NOT check you bike as luggage). Once you board the ship, there will also usually be a baggage storage area (it's been either the Asian restaurant or the lounge/night club in the aft end of the ship) where you can claim check your bike until they call your room to be ready.

On Disembarkation day, if you're not in a hurry to say catch a plane, you can opt to be the last ones of the ship and wheel your bike off with you. I typically will wait until almost everyone has been called.

Also if security (and I mean US customs and boarder patrol or TSA or the people at the x-ray machine) want to search the bike for drugs, they call over a dog to walk around the bike. It takes a few moments for the dog to make a complete loop around the bike. Not sure where a saw would come in to play, (I'm guessing someone saw it on tv).

Remember, never check your bike as baggage.

Safe travels!

Oh, if you don't plan on riding each time in port, then once you get to your cabin just take off the wheels and store the frame and wheels either in the closet or under the bed. Let your cabin steward know where it is.

But I'm also going to say that you'll want to ride in each port too.

So if you are traveling single, just let your cabin steward know and perhaps they can push the beds together and against the wall and then put the bike under the bed so it will be out of the way.

At first I kept my folding bike under the bed but then just left it under desk (with the handle bars folded down), but I used the bike in each port, (also going around the UK and northern Europe).

What ever you do, don't check your bike as luggage. The first time I brought the bike on a cruise, I did on disembarkation and when I got it back I needed to get the rear tire realigned.

Safe travels,

- WYB

Hello, so yeah I travel with a folding bicycle (a citizen Miami) whenever I sail on NCL. While not a full size bicycle, NCL's policy doesn't specify that the bicycle has to be folding. That being said, I've always wanted to bring my non folding gravel bike with me on one of these voyages.

I guess you're going to have something to report after your voyage.

That all being said, I'm usually using the stairs and not the elevator to move my bike from floor to floor, so try to get a room with easy access to the gangway. The elevators were just to crowded to accommodate a bicycle on port days.

I've only once seen a full size non-folding bicycle being used ashore. It as a mountain bike or possible a hybrid bike but it was also being used by crew.

That also being said, here is a photo of a guy with a fat tire mountain bike on NCL:

But as with everything else after CoVid that is now up in the air.

Stay well & Safe travels.

Yes, my guess is going forward the B2B meta upgrade, along with everything else is going to be more of an uphill battle.

Safe travels,

- WYB

11 minutes ago, BSR said:

Glad it all worked out for you.  That is a good deal 30K points for a b2b cruise.  I have over 325K and trying to figure out what to book with all them points.

Thanks. Just wondering, what is your expiration schedule?

To the best of my knowledge, world points have a life of 6 years.

Be sure to redeem yourWorldPoints® before they expire.
Currently I have a balance of 0 world points.

Safe Travels,

- WYB

Well after being bounced around NCL for 1hr on the phone, I ended up at NCL Special Affairs.

The first 3 people I spoke with at NCL Meta customer support were useless/clueless. However NCL Special Affairs was pretty spot on and knowledgeable.

NCL Special Affairs fixed everything and now back on track in a BA cabin category cabin for my B2B voyage in Jan 2022 for 30k in points and also a slightly lower original price too.

But now I just need to keep a closer eye on this voyage to see that it holds in place.

Safe Travels,

- WYB

My TA found the email from March 09th in his spam folder and just forwarded it to me:

I suggest you check your B2B meta bookings and let me know if there is any updated both good or bad.

- WYB

We might have a problem here. I was randomly checking my monthly Bank of America (BoA) cc statement (March 2021) and noticed that I had 30,000 world points back in my account.

In December of 2020 I had booked and used 30k in points to upgrade my B2B cruise for Jan of 2022 but when I checked on my reservation with NCL I see that my cabin has been changed back to my O4 (Family Oceanview cabin catagory) and not my BA Balcony cabin category as agreed upon in Dec 2020.

I'm now on the phone with the NCL People @ 1-866-954-4077. They said that they sent an email and called my TA on March 09th (not to me) to inform me of this downgrade, but my TA has still not contacted me about this and they are unable to forward me the email they sent to my TA. It was just by random chance that I found that my cabin has been downgraded.

They also inform me that "Although the cruise is booked under 1 reservation it's a B2B cruise requiring double the amount of points" that is to say 30k in points per segment.

The representative I spoke with gave me 2 options of either using an additional 30k in points (60k total) or dividing the booking so that I could use 30k for 1 segment.

I asked her to investigate the change in policy with BoA. She got on the phone with her supervisor and together they tried to get in contact with BoA as neither understood what or why this happened. Rather then leave me on hold, they asked for additional time so I they will contact me back when they get additional information. I gave them 3 hours. I also gave them a previous reservation number where I used 30k in points on a B2B voyage with NCL. But right now I'm angry with BoA for changing this policy and my TA for not informing me of the change.

I'll let you know once I hear back from NCL/BoA on this clusterf*ck.

I suggest everyone also check their Meta upgrade B2B bookings to make sure they are still intact.

Stay well & Safe travels.

- WYB

January 26th, 2020 I was also sailing on the NCL Gem on a 42 day voyage from NY-SF-NY and docked in Los Angeles that day.

I had rented a car and was driving across LA to have lunch with relatives. I took a picture while driving in downtown LA on the highway about 3 miles from the staples center.

- WYB

10:14AM PST Jan 26th, 2020
Near the Staples center on the CA-110 heading north near Exit 22

On 1/19/2021 at 6:19 PM, hallux said:

Not really the topic here...

I can reword my comments for the topic police.

Royal Caribbean has a visa signature card with a rewards program that seems to be a bit of a mystery. If only NCL had a signature credit card.

Things I like about NCL over other cruise lines are:

NCL has the BoA CC which allows you to use points for things like upgrades.

The Cruise Next program (it really is free money if you know how to use it right)

NCL also allows bicycles to be brought on board and then used in port. Some other cruise lines have a full ban on bicycles but allow stipulations for knives and firearms that can be brought on board.

I would have like to see a laundry service center but I'm ok with the free laundry perk I already get by being platinum with NCL.

Stay well & Safe travels.

To the best of my knowledge, you can't make a reservation by calling the rewards number.

Making a reservation for a voyage and using points to upgrade are 2 separate departments that do not interact with each other.

Please read my posts from pages 192 and 193 of this post.

Safe travels,

- WYB

9 hours ago, winemaker1 said:

Ok, so I called the rewards desk and said I want to book a b2b2b2b using 60, 000 and be upgraded from inside to balcony. she said I have to use 60,000 points for each segment. I said no, I read on cruise critic that I only needed a total of 60,000 points for all. She put me on the line with a "resolution specialist" who said no, I needed 60,000 points for each segment, and that is that. 

What I am doing wrong?????????????

It's critical with the B2B voyage to make sure that you have only 1 reservation number for all voyages and then proceed with the meta upgrade using points. If you have more then 1 reservation number then something is wrong and you shouldn't proceed further with the meta upgrade for multiple voyages.

So 1st, I think you need to 1st cancel your world point upgrade and get your 60k in points back.

2nd cancel both reservations and get your Cruise Next deposit returned to your account.

3rd, rebook the B2B making sure that you have only 1 reservations number and then proceed with the meta upgrade using points.

Happy Holidays and Safe travels.

I would jump back about 6 pages and start reading from page 192 on for more information.

But this procedure is similar to what I wrote here on page 198:

1 hour ago, winemaker1 said:

This is the first time I am reading this thread so bear with me. Do I understand this correctly that if I book a B2B I only have to use 60,000 miles to get a double upgrade on both cruises? And, if I book a B2B2B I still only have to use 60,000 miles to get a double upgrade on all the cruises?

If this is true I am upset because I just booked a B2B with my NCL  cruise consultant, used 60,000 miles for an upgrade on the fist leg but paid full B2 fare on the second.

Thanks for any help.

Yep, you seem to have grasped the situation correctly.

Not only is the transported not 100% effective for germs and viruses removal (STE: S4E11: Observer Effect, TOS, S1E4: The Naked time or TNG, S1E3 The Naked Now are perfect examples), what happens when they aren't beamed aboard (ie arriving via shuttle craft)?

What happens then?

Even Dr McCoy was never a fan of using the transporter.

I thought everyone knew that, but I guess some people did not...

Archer and Trip used the shuttle craft all the time instead of the transporter.

Plus does the poop get emptied from the bowls when ever someone beams on and off the ship? Like the Brady household there are no toilets. Not even in 10 forward where you would expect at least a sonic hand washing station..

So now I'm thinking masks will be a mandatory item to be warn and that ships will be sail with a max sailing capacity around 80% at least for the 1st 4 months that ships restart sailings.

A bit of a stretch perhaps but for visiting ports and disembarkation are done in order of: ships excursion, then room status, then cruise line status, then floor by floor. How to accomplish this I'm not sure, however we shouldn't have everyone lining up in the stairwell anymore. Perhaps color coded arm bands or something easy to see. Previously, I've actually followed the instructions announced over the speakers for disembarkation at port.

Those that need special assistance would use the crew area to disembark.

Also in the Star Trek universe (kelvin timeline) there are no bathrooms on any starships and people also don't seem to clean their hands when returning from away missions. There really should be a washie washie person in the transporter room, shuttle bay and turbo lift or a hand sanitizer dispenser next to every food replicator. But there isn't even a sink in sick bay or in 10 forward.

Safe travels.