jscott792

1.5 hours late. Not a big deal, but had to hear about it from a friend. Did anyone else not get notified? I’m not thinking it will be a big deal. Hoping that’s the case anyway.

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

A week and a half.

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Thank you - on Dawn week on Sunday...cant wait

Me too and can’t wait!

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

This afternoon I explored a HUGE list of drinks (along with the NCL recipes) that I found in another thread here in anticipation of enjoying my "free" UBP on our April 8 cruise. I do love a great Scotch or a fine Whiskey, but I also love a classic Mojito, other cocktails at various times of day, and I found a drink on this list that I will most definitely be trying called "Le Fizz" - can't wait to try that one on Day 1.

 

And the Lavender Patch - that just sounds TOO interesting! Also the Belvedere Peach Nectar, and the Jalapeño Cucumber Mojito, and....well there's no point in making a list of ALL the drinks I want to try. But if you want to spend a little time in fantasy drinkie land, here's the link...

 

http://nclrecipes.com/frontend/recipe/recipe_list

 

Be sure to allow some TIME to peruse this list and be sure to click on the drinks and read the recipes. That's what makes you really want to try the drinks.

 

I got very inspired after I read this stuff, so I sent DH to the liquor store for a bottle of St Germain :eek: and he just now got back. Now I have to go make a drinkie. I have a recipe!!:D

 

Judy

Wow! I’ve screen shotted the ones I want to try...it’s a looooong list! Thanks for posting!

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

Wow - some far and wide travels this week's thread - Zion, California mountains, U.S. Capital, and more. Plus some birds and cute cats. And an old SLR. What diversity!

 

I actually still have my first film SLR ever - my dad bought it for me in 1977 new, a Pentax ME Super...still works (though the battery for the meter is long dead, good old mechanical cameras still snap away). I also still have three other SLR bodies stored away, since I still occasionally play with the lenses on my E-mount. My first digital camera is gone - the 1MP Sony Mavica FD91. My second-ever digital camera is also gone - the Sony F717, traded in years ago. But I do still have some of my vintage digital gear, including my first ultracompact - the adorable Sony U20 which to this day still looks cool in electric blue...my old H5 superzoom...and my last DSLR, the Sony A580...still hanging around as a backup, or if I ever just feel inspired to pull it out again.

 

This weekend, I went out birding on Saturday, and caught a few nice experiences...

 

A great blue heron soaring by in a nice blue sky:

 

A mega-cool moment was spotting this small hawk perched deep in the forest - on closer inspection I realized it was a sharp-shinned hawk - a rare sighting around here. In fact, I've only seen one 3 other times in 12 years - all three times were terrible photos, barely good enough to ID - the most recent prior sighting was in February 2015. This time, he was practically posing for me:

 

He spotted something, and went into hawk mode - piercing eye, pointing head and neck, ready to fly off:

 

An adorable pied-billed grebe chick - probably around 1 1/2 to 2 months old here:

 

I'm not normally a flower photographer, but walking through the wetlands, I found this lovely wild lily really standing out against all the green reeds and decided it was worth a shot:

Wow! Great photography!

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

Spent this week in our nation’s capitol lobbying for School Nutrition.

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1466210

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Can I purchase Cruise Next certificates and use them toward a cruise I already have booked?

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Once you bid on an upgrade and it is accepted, is it allowable to call and ask for a different available stateroom in the same (upgraded) category? Our bid from OV to BA was accepted and we are happy with the room location, however our friends whose bid for the same category was also accepted, wouldn’t mind changing to a different area of the ship if it’s possible.

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

My girlfriend and I had the same delema as the OP so we brought two 20oz insulated drink containers with us, they are sleek and small and perfect for excursion days as well. We simply get 2 drinks each, transfer to the containers, then order one drink more of each type, so we have the original glass to drink from. When we need a refill, we have stored drinks in the insulated containers at a nice temp, especially if you keep them in the mini fridge while enjoying the first drink.

 

That made our balcony time much better in our opinion and we didn’t have to worry about spillage on the way back from the bar.

 

I hope this helps and enjoy your cruise!!

Great idea!

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

Hi everyone! Well, now that there is a huge nor'easter going on in NJ, I thought it would be a great time to write a review of our cruise and reminisce about the beautiful, tropical weather we had there. Sigh.

 

 

 

I am a teacher, and I have off for a week in February each year. This was our 4th cruise overall and our 3rd February cruise. We previously cruised on the Star to Bermuda in August 2012, the Gem in February 2016, and the Dawn in February 2017. We were originally booked on the Epic, but I had some reservations about it due to the layout of the ship and the embarkation issues I read about on here. Therefore. we switched to the Dawn even though it was the same itinerary as last year. We figured we had such a blast last year, we figured we would sail her again!

 

 

 

Hotel: While last year we cruised out of New Orleans, this year it was Tampa. The day before the cruise, we drove to Philadelphia Airport and left my car there for the week. We took a direct flight to Tampa and were picked up by the Holiday Inn Westshore shuttle. We had booked a cruise package through them that included the room, breakfast, transportation to and from the airport, and transportation to the cruise port. The transportation and room were fine, but the restaurant was disorganized.

 

 

 

Embarkation: While waiting in the hotel lobby for the shuttle to the cruise port, we made friends with bweeble, who turned out to be the nicest people! We got to the port, and embarkation was a breeze. We were on the ship very quickly, enjoying our first drinks up on the pool deck.

 

 

 

Beverages: We had the UBP and $50 shore excursion credits. We certainly made the most of the beverage package. While we're not big drinkers for 11 months out of the year, we make up for it on our February cruises! All around the ship, the bartenders were fantastic, but the best ones were at O'Sheehans. Leo and Mas remembered who we were (OK, so we were there a lot . . . ) and greeted us by name. They were awesome. Overall, we love the UBP because we don't have to worry about how much money we're spending throughout the week. We can just relax and have fun.

 

 

 

Food: We are not big foodies, so we don't do the UDP. However, we discovered Los Lobos last year and LOVED it, especially the tableside guacamole. We ate there twice this year and went one additional time to enjoy tequila shots and the guacamole. Every time, everything was delicious. Otherwise, we enjoyed the buffet for breakfast and lunch, but not for dinner. The dinner selections were not appetizing at all. My husband also loves the hamburgers and hot dogs setup by the pool, so we ate lunch out there many days. We love hibachi, so we booked Teppanyaki for the first time. The food and show were good, but I don't think I would do it again since we could go to the hibachi place where we live. We also had two wonderful dinners in the Venetian with out fabulous waiters Petu and Akash. We also ate there for lunch one day. Finally, we had one dinner in O'Sheehans, which was fine.

 

 

 

Crew: Everyone we encountered was super friendly and helpful. At the end of the cruise, I filled out Vacation Hero cards for four crew members because they were so amazing. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a more hardworking bunch of people. Our room steward was also very nice and helpful.

 

 

 

Room: In the past, we have always booked an inside or oceanview room. This year, we decided to spring for a balcony, which I was super excited about. Initially, since we booked the cruise a bit late, there were only guarantee balconies available. We were placed in a hull balcony, which basically means the balcony is partially enclosed. It's hard to explain, but there are plenty of threads on here about these rooms. I was disappointed because I wanted a true balcony. I kept checking NCL, and when I saw a regular balcony become available, I called NCL to switch. I had to pay a little because it was a category above ours, but it was worth it. We loved having the balcony, and we definitely enjoyed the extra space in the room. We were in 10212, which is all the way in the front of the ship. The room was quiet and spacious. We always bring an over-the-door shoe organizer, and between that and the storage in the room, it was perfect for us. We loved sitting on the balcony enjoying a drink while reading a book, and it was so nice to sit in the room with the balcony open. It's true what they say - once you go balcony, you can't go back!

 

 

 

Entertainment: Some of the entertainment was the same as last year, such as the Welcome Aboard show, Haines Magic, Elements, and the American Idol-style show that they have. New this year was Soul Rockin' Nights, different aerialists, and comic Alvin Williams. Alvin was our favorite - he was hilarious. He did a small set during the Welcome Aboard show, a family-friendly show, and a late-night adult show. We also loved the aerialists and Elements. The American Idol-style show was meh, and I don't love the theatrics of Haines Magic. We also caught the Newlywed, Not-So-Newlywed game show, which was hilarious, and the Battle of the Sexes, which was OK. However, the real disappointment was the music in Gatsby's, one of the bars. The piano player, whose name escapes me, had a backing track while he played. It was awful. Imagine Piano Man, of all things, played on the piano but with a dance beat that sounds like it's from a 1988 Casio keyboard. It was so bad, I was actually angry. Otherwise, we also enjoyed some activities with the cruise staff such as the bean bag toss and cup pong.

 

 

 

Excursions: We typically book most of our excursions through NCL because of the $50 credit and the fear of missing the boat. This year in Cozumel, we took an excursion to the Mayan ruins of Tulum. The ruins were amazing, albeit crowded, but the journey to get there was . . . adventurous to say the least. Cozumel is an island, so to get to the mainland of Mexico, you need to take a boat. I had read about the bumpy nature of the boat on these boards, so I came prepared with Dramamine, Sea Bands, and some kind of oil for behind my ears. I don't get seasick on the cruise ship, but smaller boats usually do it for me. Well, one or all of those things worked because I ended up being fine. It was pretty rocky on the way there, but it was nothing compared to the way back. About 2 minutes into our ride back, a huge wave hit the side of the boat and came into the windows, soaking our half of the boat. Everyone scrambled to tie down the window coverings, and we were eventually able to sit back down. However, that ride back was seriously like a roller coaster. We were flying all over the place.

 

 

 

In Roatan, we booked the South Shore ziplining. I was terrified, but my husband really wanted to do it. I'm glad we did. It was amazing - you go on about 10 zips up above the jungle. The staff there are great, and they give you the option to go once upside down with them. My husband did it (and we have the picture to prove it!), but I decided to play it safe.

 

 

 

In Costa Maya, we decided to do a beach day on our own. Maya Chan was all booked up, so I made reservations at Tropicante. It was OK. The ratings on TripAdvisor are crazy good, but we found it to be a bit overrated. It was very crowded, and even though it wasn't their fault, there were mountains of seaweed. We enjoyed last year's trip to Nachi Cocom in Cozumel more. Paying for the food and drinks instead of doing an all-inclusive was more cost-efficient, but the constant flow of vendors didn't help.

 

 

 

In Harvest Caye, we had booked parasailing, which we did last year and loved. However, when we went to check in, we were told it was canceled due to high winds. Bummer. We then spent a couple of hours on the beautiful beach. My husband then decided he wanted to do the zipline there because it was a Superman one. He loved it.

 

 

 

Casino: Last year, my husband won the $1000 bonus while playing blackjack. This year, we were not so lucky, which was fine. However, we were disappointed that there was only one $6 blackjack table open at a time. Often that table would be full with a bunch of people crowded around waiting to play while the $10 table next to it was empty. It would have been nice (and seemingly profitable for NCL) if they could have opened up another $6 table.

 

 

 

Meet and Greet: I was a bit worried because the roll call for this cruise started off very quiet. There was almost no one on it. However, it picked up steam, and MaineYachtClub was kind enough to take over organizing the meet and greet and cabin crawl. I organized the poker run, and Alan C organized the slot pull. All of these activities were a blast, and everyone was so nice. Even though we didn't win any money at our slot pull, we had a great time.

 

 

 

Disembarkation: Oh dear. The night before we got back to Tampa, there was an announcement that all non-US citizens should go to the Aqua restaurant at 7:00 am. Apparently, some people didn't show up, and there were numerous announcements that morning looking for them. We got in fairly early, but we couldn't get off the ship until these people were found so we could clear customs. It took a couple of hours, by which point people were lining up to get off the ship. The line wrapped all the way around the boat. The worst part was that there were no crew members helping. I understand it wasn't NCL's fault, but they definitely needed people out directing us where to go and keeping us apprised of what was going on. At one point, they opened up another exit, but that just meant that people who were not yet in line hopped on that line and got off ahead of us. It took a couple of hours to get off the ship. I was originally thinking about booking a 12:15 flight home, but luckily, I decided to play it safe and book a 2:45 flight. Thank goodness, because we didn't get off the ship until at least 11:15, and when we walked into the Tampa airport, I saw that the 12:15 flight had just left. Phew. Overall, I was so happy that I booked the later flight, I wasn't really angry at the moment. However, several people in line near us had booked 11:00 and 12:00 flights, which they obviously missed, so I felt bad for them. Once we got off the ship and back into the terminal, everything moved quickly.

 

 

 

I think that's it! We really had a wonderful time, and we were blessed with beautiful weather once again. We are already booked on the Gem out of NY next February, so at least we have that to look forward to! I hope this review was helpful, and please feel free to ask questions.

Great review! We are heading out on the same ship/itinerary very soon! We have a hull balcony booked and I’ve considered switching it, but mainly because it’s at the very front of the ship and I worry about motion sickness. The idea of the hull balcony itself is ok with me because I don’t mind a little privacy.

I hope they get the kinks worked out of the disembarkation in Tampa before we go. I’ve heard from more than one that the embarkation and disembarkation can be messy in Tampa...the fact that your embarkation was a breeze gives me hope! 29 Days....

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

Thanks for the tips and the review! 33 Days! ☀️☀️☀️

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80 days out for the Epic May 6 that leave Barcelona, go the upgrade option in. Y ncl account. Did a bid for the haven owners suite let's see how this goes lol

Good luck!

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

Prior to all this bidding, there were threads wondering about why some folks were upgraded or offered to buy an upgrade, while other's were not....

 

Some wondered if they upgraded frequent cruiser's to keep their loyalty, while other's speculated they took them for granted, and upgraded new cruiser's to earn their loyalty....

 

 

 

Whatever, it's all highly proprietary info, that most likely will remain so.....;)

Likely so! [emoji3]

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

Was it rejected or just not accepted yet? Did both cabins have 2 people in them? If the bid is per person, maybe the total for all people in one room is more than the total in the other room? Or maybe it has to do with capacity- rooms that can accommodate more than 2 people can’t always have more than 2 people depending on the lifeboat capacity for that section. Or maybe they accept/reject in waves.

 

 

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Mine was accepted. I don’t know the folks whose bids were not accepted. I was just tossing ideas around. I’ve seen other threads where some bids were accepted and others weren’t ... I just enjoy pondering is all.

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

No, because they already got that $1200 and $1000. No matter what, they have that money. So, if you had $2200 in the bank, would you rather get an check for $100 or $150 to add to it?

 

 

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What would your explanation be for a higher bid for the same stateroom category to not be accepted, but a lower bid to be accepted?

I’m, just for fun (because it really doesn’t matter much in the scheme of things), trying to figure why this would happen?

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

I think the bidding process is far more complex than just the bid itself.

Lots of variables can and likely are takin into account.

As I understand, not everyone even gets the option to bid.

Then take into account the price of bid, locations of the cabins, even the people bidding (past cruises, latitude points, etc).

Plus a big list of things I can't even think of for the upgrade bid process.

 

One thing I see in it.

 

Book a room you will be happy with and a price you are going to be happy with. Then if given the option to bid, bid what you are comfortable with bidding for what you gain if you win.

 

Remember, there are risks too. Cabin placement you get to book into a particular room unless doing a sail away.

If you win a bid, it could be anywhere.

 

Remember also you won't get additional perks with the bid win so if you book with 1 perk, you only keep that 1 even if current price includes 2 on the other room.

 

Say you bid on a BA from OV. You picked a OV with particular reason for placement on ship, the balcony could be anywhere in the category.

Not guaranteed to get the prime location, frankly more likely a poor location IMO unless you are bidding into a category that doesn't really have a down side like HAVEN rooms.

 

Also compare what it would cost to just upgrade to the higher room vs what your bid is. Don't forget you might go from 1 perk to 2 or other things included by just upgrading vs bidding.

Thank you Farmer at Sea...this was very informational!

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

The original booking $ are irrelevant. If both parties bid the same amount to upgrade, then the total revenue would be the same regardless of which bid is accepted.

Ok, I understand what you are saying. What if the bids are different though? Is it possible that they would take the bid of the party that would end up paying more overall over the party that bid a higher amount for the upgrade?

Example:

Party # 1- Pays 1200.00 pp for an OV room and bids 100.00 pp for a balcony upgrade for a total of 2600.00

Party # 2- Pays 1000.00 pp for an OV room and bids 150.00 pp for a balcony upgrade for a total of 2300.00

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

From a revenue-maximizing perspective, it would only make sense for NCL to only consider additional revenue offered, not past revenue paid.

I would think to maximize revenue, they would want to take the bid with the higher total amount (amount already paid + amount on the bid)

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

I just had a bid accepted for an upgrade from OV to Balcony. When I shared with a few folks what my bid was, some were upset when their bid that was higher in dollar amount hadn’t been accepted yet. My random thought is that maybe NCL takes into account what you originally paid for your booking as well as what you have bid for the upgrade. For example: if I originally paid 1200.00 pp for an OV and you originally paid 1000.00 pp for an OV and both parties bid 100.00 pp for a balcony upgrade, NCL could be more likely to accept the bid for the couple that will end up spending 1300.00 pp for the balcony.

I haven’t really seen any in depth discussions regarding the bidding process, so I was wondering if others had any ideas on how or why it all works the way it does. Just curious....

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

Not all PrivaSea balconies are the same. The image Sauer-Kraut posted looks like the type of hull balcony you would see on the Epic. There is no way I would book a PrivaSea balcony on the Epic.

 

On the Jewel class ships and the Star and the Dawn they look much different and really aren’t bad at all. As a matter of fact the PrivaSea balconies on these ships offer better protection from wind and weather.

 

When we cruised on the Dawn we were assigned to a PrivaSea (hull) balcony and were quite satisfied with it. Here are a couple of pictures.

 

A view looking out to the balcony from our cabin.

 

The balconies on deck 8 were just as wide as the balconies above them but they were partially enclosed by the hull. The red arrow points to the hull balcony we were assigned.

Thank you for posting these photos. We were just upgraded from an Ocean View to a Priva-sea balcony room. I was thinking we would like it and these pictures are helpful reassurance. :)

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

Our upgrade from Ocean View to balcony was accepted for Dawn on April 1st out of Tampa. So happy! We got a “priva sea” balcony and I think we will really like it!

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Which ship? Which day? :)

 

 

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Dawn April 1-8 out of Tampa!

Counting down the days!

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

I think on the busier sailings you don’t hear until last minute. Just a guess!

 

 

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Maybe you’re right, I didn’t think about that. I just hope I have the self control to not keep raising my bid in the meantime! :)

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

We are 80 days out the spirit, last night we received a upgrade offer, we were in an insidecabin the max amount on the balcony upgrade was set at $425 au each, i bid $300 au each this morning my upgrade was accepted paid for and room allocated really amazed this happened all in one day.

Wow! Congrats!

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]