Norovirus595

Just pull the trigger on Sailaway and trust in Jesus

The Gem 7-day to the Bahamas leaving this Saturday just vanished from NCL.com. Bunch of rooms left. 

Then poof, it vanished. I assumed it sold out, but then I checked another travel site and the same sailing is available, with pretty much all of the same rooms that had been showing on NCL's site just a few hours earlier. 

What gives? 

2 hours ago, zqvol said:

You can't tell anything by looking at a web cam. The breeze may be stronger than you think, the currents could be strong, so many possibilities. No reason to try to stir the pot about something that doesn't directly  impact you.

Oh chill out. I'm not "stirring the pot." I'm commenting on the webcam. Feel free to check out of the thread if this discussion doesn't interest you. 

On 10/26/2018 at 10:14 AM, shelbyg19 said:

We just had our offer accepted the other day, about 25 days out from sailing!  We got the spa mini suite for $150 pp from a BD angled balcony.

Shoulda kept the angled balcony

Seas look calm. No whitecaps...

Sunny skies on the webcam, but land nowhere in sight. 

46 minutes ago, JXR said:

I was on the Getaway last week and I had the pork belly as an appetizer but they told us that the ribeye was not available. There excuse was that the shipment was not of a good quality. (Friends of mine went the night before and the excuse that night was that it was being discontinued but the menus hadn’t been modified. )

So I guess they served them in the MDR

That parmesan crusted porkchop is very good. 

I checked out after reading you wake up at 5am on cruises to work out. Sorry. 

On 10/25/2018 at 2:04 PM, zry900402 said:

 

Seriously?! How much cheaper can they get? Based on this trend, we soon are going to be eating pizza, hot dog, and pudding cups in MDR...

 Last few cruises the Lava Cake has been on the menu, but only one night - whereas before it was always on the desert menu. 

12 hours ago, havanadaydreaming said:

There are always a certain percentage of men who wear baseball hats to the buffet or MDR or specialty restaurants. 

 

I find it distasteful but whom am I to encroach on someone else's vacation enjoyment.  that said, I always think those folks are just covering up unwashed hair, the cruise ship equivalent of the walk of shame.  ha!

 

I've been asked to remove my hat in the MDR many times. I comply, grudgingly, but one time I was even asked to take off my NCL visor at O'Sheehan's. There were literally people in bathing suits and flip flops eating chicken wings 5 feet away, and my visor somehow detracts from the dignity of the environs? I told the hostess, "This isn't Le Bistro. I'm keeping my hat on," and that was the end of it. 

The new menus kinda suck, so in this thread we'll list some easy hacks (that aren't hugely inconvenient for the staff) to make the food better. I'll start. 

1. They got rid of the option for grilled salmon on the spinach caesar salad on the lunch MDR menu, I assume as part of NCL's long-running plan to reduce any seafood outside of the Haven to fish sticks. However, they still have the cajun shrimp salad (which has tasty shrimp but is fairly unappetizing), so just ask for the spinach caeser with the cajun shrimp added. Easy for the waiter, easy for the kitchen, and I actually prefer it to the salmon to begin with. 

2. The new smoked mozzarella ravioli on the MDR dinner menu is pretty tasty, and it's on the appetizer list every night. Sadly it's covered in "lobster sauce" which is the same as NCL's disgusting brown lobster bisque. Some people rave about it, but I find it vile. Doesn't go with the smoked mozz AT ALL and totally overpowers the dish. Solution? Ask for it with marinara sauce instead. Easy enough for the kitchen to just ladle sauce out of a different pot, and voila...delicious. 

Your turn. 

6 minutes ago, ASell said:

I am curious and I forget from past experience.  

Do they post what will be served in the MDR for the whole cruise so it easier to maybe pick nights to eat in the specialty locations ? Or, do you find out the day of what is being served? 

I admit to being a picky eater  

they will sometimes put menus up the night before...but usually day of

Thanks. I'm so bummed I'm missing the Island Explorer bus by just 2 days! It looked like such a great resource, easy to use and a great way to zip all over the park.

To my great sadness/surprise, it looks like the Island Explorer bus stops running two days before my visit to Acadia.

Are there any routes to/from the park that are conveniently walkable? I don't mind hoofing it for a mile or two. Looking for some opportunities for quiet/mild hikes in the park, but without the free bus it looks like the only real options are book a tour or a taxi.

Am I wrong?

Why wouldn't the Island Explorer be running?

We went on our own ,BIG mistake.

What happened?!

Thanks for the response. I'm not a hardcore hiker, but was looking forward to some quiet solitude in the park.

Is that possible with the tour option? I was a little concerned that there are only 3 fifteen minute stops in a 2.5 hour tour. Seems like that's more for people to snap some photos than to let you do any exploring on foot, right?

Subject says it all.

Well what time is the last tender back if the itinerary shows a 5pm departure time?

Departure time is listed as 5pm. Does that mean the last tender is 4:30?

Looking at a tour that gets back at 4, and wondering if that's cutting it too close...

Someone on here joked awhile back that they'd soon be offering a bottom-rung option where you could only eat in the buffet and didn't have access to the MDR's.

I predict we'll see that implemented within 2 years.

I just snagged 8710 on the Escape for a last minute cruise leaving in less than a month for $999 with no solo supplement.

I'm rather pleased with myself.

According to the CN rep on board our last cruise, that is now a permanent thing.

If that's the case I'll for sure be cruising more frequently.

It's a great deal. Wonder why they keep it so quiet.