hallux

I think the Global Dream ship that Disney bought was rumored to have that kind of count as it was designed, though that one could be smaller than the Global Dream II that was JUST starting construction before it was stopped. Who knows what Disney's plans are for it but it's surely going to be a LOT of money to sail on her...

Some of you just have 'horrible' luck regarding getting called for this. I've been eligible for over half my life and have not gotten a single summons to this date (knock on wood!!!).

I wouldn't. The luggage is best handled with that pull handle retracted.

I watched a video yesterday - people here think NCL does nickel and dime to the extreme... Royal changes prices on add-ons based on what ship you're on. Not even ship-based items - activities on their private island have different prices based on what ship you arrived on. They want $150 to enjoy the water park for a couple hours. Their drink packages also vary in cost based on ship and itinerary, unlike NCL that has a set cost if you pay for it instead of getting the FAS...

Did they reduce it? It used to be 4 years, and the T&C's say 4 years still. It used to be you could get one courtesy extension for one year if you were in the process of booking a cruise that sailed outside that 4 year expiration and if you cancelled the cruise the applied CND would instantly expire...

If your itinerary says that's where you're going then it may well be happening, but NCL should be using Taino Bay when the itinerary is not specific as that is actually their port (Amber Cove is Carnival's port, they built it).

Hence the 'colorful' comments I referenced in my previous post...

But the question is - HOW MANY units? There would then need to be some kind of load balancing system in place so as not to overload a single connection with too many clients. How effective is that load balancing? Your one unit with a couple people using it vs. how many receivers with 5,000 people sharing them...

You sign up on board. I'm not sure if older versions will still work.

The Bliss has the CC in the same place as the Escape. The Joy is the way it is because of how the ship came to be - designed originally for Asia then brought over to the US and 'Westernized'. The CC/Pour House location on other ships is Ocean Blue on the Joy, the CC on the Joy is where Sugarcane is on the Bliss... Having sailed both ships and been in the venue on both it makes perfect sense...

Everything in front of the blue shirt in the middle of my picture is seating.

The lounge itself is a single level, but the Escape, Bliss and Encore all have a staircase inside the Studio area linking decks 10 and 12 with the lounge on deck 11.

I get the Marquise Au Chocolat as @debenson0723 does. When I dined at Le Bistro on my last cruise there was a party just getting their desserts as I was being seated. That dessert got some 'colorful' comments lol...

The lounge will be VERY different. The cabins seem to be very similar. A quick Google search gives me these videos - Keep in mind - the Epic is in a class by itself, the Encore is part of the Breakaway Plus class. The Encore, Bliss and Escape have nearly identical Studio areas as they're all BA+ ships.

Like others, I don't recall there being a dance floor (or at least a DESIGNATED one) in the Cavern Club on the Joy. I've also had the SRO experience, "holding up the wall" opposite or even past the bar. Here's a pic...

AIS, per marinetraffic.com, indicates Messina is her next port. 20:30 local time is the ETA...

When I was on the Escape in March they propped the door open for non-Studio solos to join the meet-ups in the lounge.

I understand that, and nearly had to report someone on my last cruise when they let KIDS into the lounge. But that's different from making the solo meet available to all solos, those people can let their friends or family in at any time by just holding the door open, it wouldn't have to be during the solo meet and locking the solo meet down to only those in the studio cabins won't prevent that from happening.

well isn't that some BS! They're trying to sully the reputation of being a solo-friendly cruise line! I get that the lounge is a benefit of being in a studio cabin, but at least let other solo cruisers come to the solo meets...

You just have to look for the cruises with solo cruiser discounts.

Interesting. I was not aware of that. I booked an inside with FAS but GTY was the only option still. I'll have to see how things settle out when the time comes (final payment is in a little over 6 weeks).

It does.

Yes, if you want control of your arrival time you should book your own flights.

The only non-refundable OBC that can be put towards the CruiseNext purchase is the OBC you get for that purchase (the buy $500 of CND's, get $250 OBC for the current cruise deal). Direct from the CruiseNext T&C's - https://www.ncl.com/about/terms-and-conditions/promotions#cruisenext Only refundable Onboard Credits and the Non-Refundable Onboard Credit given for purchasing CruieNext deposits may be used towards your CruiseNext purchase.

That's not how this works. You will need to pay for service on the ship. Starlink is the "backhaul" service. Think of it like at a hotel - the hotel pays for the internet connection and will either offer it to you for free or will charge you extra. In this case - they charge extra.