Cobra1365

We used NCL Air two yrs ago to go Philly to Barcelona.  Direct flight on American.  I was able to grab upgraded seats on the return.

We’re using them again on our July Prima cruise out of Southampton, UK.  Haven’t recd the flights yet.  But, even if they’re a one stop, I can’t find anything to London cheaper than what they offer.  If available, I plan to use the savings toward seat upgrades.

Two couples going with have opted out of the air package and are seeking their own arrangements.  I guess we’ll see how they compare.

Thanks for the feedback.  We’re talking to the other couples.  We are now deciding whether to get a hotel in London proper and sight see or get a hotel in Southampton.

some in the group have never been to London.  Personally, I prefer getting a National Express coach when we land and head straight to Southampton.  Several decent looking hotels close by the coach station and an easy taxi lift over to the port.

We’ll see what the group wants to do.

The main reason we’re now doing this is we’re part of a group of four couples.  Since they’re all staying there, we decided to join them rather than be “that couple” that had to be different.  So, we’ll eat the pain and I will hold it over their heads forever more! 😄

We’re flying in to LHR two days prior to our NCL cruise out of Southampton.  We were going to use the NCL Hotel/transfer package.  But, they said they had no hotels in Southampton and were using the Millennium Gloucester in Kensington.  But, that would be $1200!  So, our TA recommended we get a hotel by LHR and just use their transfers on the day of the cruise.  I know there are other opinions.  But, that ship has sailed (see what I did there 😉?).

My question is how easy is it to use the buses from Terminal 3( I assume that’s where we’ll arrive from Philly) to the Marriott on Bath Road with luggage?

Then, if we want to do day trips into London proper, would it be best to just get back on the bus to an airport terminal and take the tube in?  I don’t see on the map where there’s a tube station along Bath Road.

Lastly, any idea where we pick up the NCL transfer from LHR to the cruise port?

Thanks!

We were on Anthem last week.  A bit underwhelmed this go around.  We’ve sailed her twice before and had great journeys.  This one just didn’t live up to expectations.

Being Thanksgiving week, it was very crowded with a lot of kids.  Nothing wrong with that in itself.  But, I felt rules were bent to accommodate the kids.  Solarium is a nice relaxing place…18+ for a reason.  We had a lot of kids in there.  We liked to listen to Iconic band (she has a marvelous voice) but kids doing cartwheels across the dance floor was very distracting.  And please folks…we know your kids are adorable…but, enforce some table manners in the MDR! 
The crew was great!  Very polite and accommodating. Marina at Guest Services was awesome.  She was surprised when I pointed out what an apt name it was to be working in the cruise industry!

we never saw our stateroom attendant.  But, the cabin was always spotless.  Benford and Sheldon were our servers and they did magnificent.

I feel the food was kinda bland this time, too.

Maybe I’ve just hit the crotchety years! LOL.

We’re slated on the July 14 sailing on Prima.  Does anyone know what hotel NCL is using for their pre-cruise stay package?

We’re coming in a couple of days prior so as to wander Southampton a bit.

Thanks.

7 hours ago, skyking said:

Hi There, 

 

  We flew from Orlando to Dublin with a quick change of planes over to Heathrow. 

 

I arranged for ground transportation in advance, the driver was there an hour early which was super amazing and got us to Southampton early. 

Did you go thru BlackBerry cars?

We used them in ‘16 and the driver actually waited 2 full hrs while we cleared passport control.  Was waiting outside our hotel for our return trip to LHR.  
Great service!

4 hours ago, BennyBrun said:

Wow you are at the peak summer sailing too!  They do not serve Cacio e Pepe but you can ask them to make it but remember it will be their interpretation!  I recommend asking them make the carbonara without the carbonara sauce ( they use this weird liquid cream sauce and not an actual egg yolk) and just add olive oil and cheese and pepper and hold the pancetta if you don’t like it, I tell them to put extra because the pancetta is the best part 😆 

Ok, Thanks a lot for checking!  Wife and I chuckled when I asked.  We just spent a week in Italy where we didn’t get the chance to try any locally and now we’re asking if it’s available on a Cruise ship! 😄😄

We don’t usually cruise in the Summer due to the crowds.  But, wife was getting antsy to go and we cancelled an Oasis cruise during the height of the Pandemic.  So, when we saw this one and it being over my BDay…..(I’ll be 29 for the 34th time!).

1 hour ago, BennyBrun said:

It was a bit much with the crowd but because I have been on this ship I have the luxury of turning around and go some where else where there is less of a crowd and enjoy myself.  I heard that next week is about 6600.  

Ugh!

we’re on the Jul 22 sailing.  With numbers like that, I’m NOT looking forward to it!

Benny,

  Could you do us a favor and see if the Italian restaurant serves Cacio e Pepe? I’d appreciate it!

When we went to Barcelona in May, for the NCL Epic Med cruise, we had to have either a PCR or Antigen NET 72 hrs prior to sailing since we were traveling internationally.  We used Curative 2 hr PCR.  No fee and you get your results in your email within an hour and a half.  Just Google Curative COVID 19 testing and put in your location.  Not all locations have it avail.  But, if it is, it makes it very convenient!

After reading this thread, I called to change our dining time from “My Time” to the Early Seating.  The rep said it is full.  But, put us on a waiting list.

What time does the My Time open for first seating?

I agree with Sea Dog.  That’s a pretty sorry stock of bourbon.  Last thing I want is Jack in my Manhattan!

21 hours ago, krittykat said:

This is causing a lot of confusion for us too.  We are flying to London from the States in October. Cruising out of Southampton and around Spain.
Flying out on Thurs and sailing on Sunday.   Getting tested at the pier would be good but worried about playing "russian roulette" and finding one of us positive.  If we test on Thurs prior to flying - would that be ok?
We are also planning to extend the end of the cruise by 1 day in Rome (through NCL)  Will they provide the testing if we booked our extension through them?  Or are we on our own trying to find something near the airport?

 

We just returned from a Med cruise.  We tested on Thursday and sailed on Sunday out of Barcelona.  We didn’t want to risk flying all that way and not being able to sail.

For the return, you have to test within 24 hours of your return.  So, if you’re spending an extra day, I’m thinking you’ll be on your own to find a testing site.

Ship was at approx 50% capacity.  Personally, I was not crazy about the layout of the ship.  Counter intuitive for most cruisers.  Took til about halfway thru to be comfortable with where things are.  For example; it took a long time to get used to the Buffet being at the front of the ship!

No big issues in the cabin (balcony on 11th deck).  Bathroom layout was weird. But, no big deal.
 

Our return flight was at 1:40pm.  Friends had a 10:00am and tho they got to the airport in plenty of time (docked by 5:00am), none of the Delta check in gates were open!

Just returned from Barcelona Round trip.

Briefly….great cruise to see fantastic historic sites, beautiful country side!

Rundown.

Arrival into Barcelona:

contrary to what has been posted, there was no NCL rep at baggage claim area to facilitate transfers to heal (we arrived a day early).  There were drivers lined up and two people in our party of 6 had a guy with their names on an iPhone.  Until he made a call, there was nobody there for us.  Very chaotic.
At the hotel, there is an NCL rep to help with transfer to the ship the next day.  Be prepared to load/unload your own luggage on the bus!

check in at the pier was quick and easy for us.  Though our friends did not have their key cards ready.

Tours:

The tours listed on the NCL site seem to reflect activity one level BELOW what they actually are when you get your tickets.  Be careful if you have mobility issues.  Expect a LOT of walking on very uneven streets.  This became an issue for one of our party.  When we pointed out the difference to the Shore Excursion desk rep, we were greeted with, and I quote “you’re in Italy, what did you expect?” ! That did not go over well.  
Other than that, we had great tours with super guides.  Camilla, on the Rome and Vatican tour was amazing.  She was talking about typical Italian meals and said she eats pasta everyday.  All of the women in our group said “we want the skinny pasta she eats!” 😄

We didn’t set our bars high for onboard entertainment and meals as this was a destination cruise.  That said, the shows were limited and if you want to go, make reservations!  Dinner meals were average, in my opinion.  Cagney was great, as usual.

COVID testing:

You’ll receive a notice of when to go to get tested.  You have to go online and register with Eurofins for the free Antigen test.  We had to go to the Manhattan Dining Room Sat morning between 8:00-11:00am.  You then receive an email approx 1-2 hrs later and a hard copy of the results that evening delivered to your stateroom.

Debarkation:

Straight forward.  The Barcelona airport layout is confusing though.  After going through security, you have to also go through Passport control.  We were using gate E so, after security screening, we made a right and had to go back upstairs where it looked like it was going to lead us back through Security and outside.  But, that’s Passport control and after you go through, it takes you around to the gates.  There’s not much right by those gates.  So, if you want to shop at Duty Free or need a Starbucks, get it before going thru Passport control

Overall, it was a great time.  We had attempted this last year for our 40th and had to pause as the World stopped turning.  Happily, we made it this go around and we’re accompanied by great friends.

1 minute ago, KeithJenner said:

A few weeks ago on the Jade they were providing tests on the final day. I didn’t need one, so don’t know the detail, but they had times for different groups listed in the dailies and also a separate walk in area for those who hadn’t registered.

 

I was in a non Haven suite and we had a letter saying that we could get tests done in the Haven.

Thanks!

Been trying to find experiences with end of cruise testing prior to flying back to U.S.

What is the process on board?  Looking at the dailies, there was nothing listed.

We board this Sunday the 15th and fly home at 1:45 the following Sunday.  So, plenty of time pre-flight.  But, we understood NCL would provide the test prior to debarkation.

51 minutes ago, NCL_KC said:

Hey all---- 

 

Sailing June 5th on the Epic out of Barcelona.

 

So, since we don't know exactly when we can get off the ship nor the All Aboard time in advance....how are you all planning these excursions?  I am afraid to book anything for fear that I will miss the start of it OR not be back to the ship on time! Thanks!

We booked our excursions through NCL.  I know you can find them cheaper by booking on your own.  But, we’re a group of eight and when we booked, all excursions were still limited to those provided by the cruise line.  The added Benny is they don’t leave without you! 😉

Interesting pricing!  $23 for a Woodford Reserve?  You can buy a bottle for ~$35!

Just read something that said all of the restaurants and stores down town (all locations) only accept tap versions of credit cards now.  Did anyone else experience this?  Last time we traveled, chip cards were fine.  But, that was pre-COVID.

Thanks

26 minutes ago, bj81 said:

Thank you so much.  I was just trying to determine if we need two hotel night or one.  It's hard to determine since there is a big chance the flight arriving in Barcelona will be the next day.

Pretty sure you’ll find most the flights arrive in the morning.  So, while we set up to fly out “two days prior” we arrive the day prior and only needed one hotel night.

We got our flight info ~30 days prior (we leave next Fri and set sail Sun).

initially, the NCL summary page showed us going from Philly to Montreal then to Barcelona.  When our flight e-mail dropped, though, they had us Philly direct Barcelona (same on return with a 14:30 departure).

So, I guess what I’m saying is while folks can give you ideas or experiences, there are so many variables and you really won’t know til your email comes thru.

How was the NCL post cruise/pre flight home testing handled?  Did you sign up for a time slot?  Did they give you printed results or email results?

it’s probably the only thing that worries me about this cruise.  We leave next week.  We have all the pre cruise testing taken care of.  But, the thought of testing positive at the end of the cruise and then having to figure out what to do in Spain weighs heavy.

15 hours ago, jls pebbles said:

We arrived at 1230 and boarding was well under way. Ship departs at 5pm so everyone has to be checked in and on-board by 3pm so maybe misunderstanding. Didn't hear anything about Pompeii excursion cancellation 

That’s what I thought.  Thanks!

If I may ask.  How early did you get to the port in Barcelona?  We’re on the 15 May sailing and we fly in a day ahead of time and I signed up for a 1030 AM embarkation time the next day.  But, someone in our group heard from somewhere that they won’t let you start boarding until 3:00 PM! (sounds very odd).

Also, I heard the Pompeii and Amalfi coast excursion might cancel due to closures at Pompeii.  Though we have no heard anything official from NCL and it’s still showing on our paperwork.  Did you hear anything?

Thanks!

2 hours ago, julig22 said:

International flights should have at least 1 free bag/person.  Sometimes 2, depending on the destination.

 

On transatlantic flights, Economy passengers are permitted to check one piece of baggage at no charge. Should passengers need to book any additional checked baggage, there is a charge of $100 for the first additional piece and $200 for any additional pieces.

 

American Airlines 2022 Baggage Allowance | My Baggage | My Baggage

Thanks.

the part that is confusing is on AA’s site, it has the asterisked item below…

*Free bag excludes Basic Economy: For travel to / from Haiti, a $30 1st bag fee applies. For travel to / from Panama, a $30 1st bag fee applies for tickets issued on / before November 8, 2021, and for tickets issued on / after November 9, 2021, the 1st bag fee is $45. For travel to / from Colombia and Ecuador, a $30 1st bag fee applies for tickets issued on / before May 11, 2021, and for tickets issued on / after May 12, 2021, the 1st bag fee is $45. For travel to / from South America (excluding Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname) a $45 1st bag fee applies. For Transatlantic Basic Economy travel, a $75 1st bag fee applies.