hallux

Just showering.

Those FB comments and the OP's account are definitely concerning. Especially considering I was on the Escape only a month ago with a similar passenger load and didn't experience the same issues.

Not that I'm proud of it, but I have 9" of height and probably 2.5x the weight on you. The door is more to close that off so you don't have to look at the toilet when you're not using it, I need to stick a leg out the opening. As a "fluffy cruiser" I had no trouble showering, and there's an even 'fluffier' Youtuber that stayed in one and didn't complain about the size of the shower (I don't really think it's that much smaller than a shower in other standard cabin types. I found it odd that the shower glass in my Studio cabin on the Escape was frosted in such a way as to provide modesty for the person using the shower. Because someone else in the cabin might see them?

I have been in the Studios on the Bliss and the Escape. I prefer the Studio lounge area on the Bliss as it has wood paneling rather than the "sterile" white that the Escape and some earlier ships have. I believe the Encore has wood as well. Bliss and Encore have the virtual porthole that @lepidoptera mentions, Prima and the upcoming Viva may have it as well. I liked some of the features in the Escape's Studio cabins compared to those in the Bliss (the mood lighting on the Escape was a neat touch and the bed may be SLIGHTLY bigger, which does reduce the walking space between the bed and wardrobe/closet).

Like the previous response - I've really liked them. On most of the ships with them there is also the Waterfront, which is a great substitute for a balcony (unless she wants to step on her balcony in her sleepwear). On my last cruise I used my Studio room just for sleeping, showering and changing clothes. The Studio is a great way to get on the ship at a lower cost and enjoy the amenities of the ship to their fullest.

This is why I bring battery banks (one 15,000 mAh, one 5,000 mAh) in my carry-on, and bring a USB charge hub of my own.

There are 14-21 menus, so what you've seen online may not be what you get for your particular cruise. The "classics" page stays the same, except for some appetizers/soups, the 'specials' page changes nightly.

I only carry on that which I'm comfortable carrying for a couple hours. I have a small backpack that is enough for my camera, a water bottle (or two) and (if I really wanted) a swimsuit. The rest goes in the checked bag with the porters.

Take only pictures, leave only footprints.

If you go to NCL's page, explore, ships, find the ship and then scroll down to the 'see staterooms' section, you can get a list of amenities for each cabin type.

On the login page (someplace) is a section for free pages - CruiseCritic is one of them. It may be slower when not logged in, but you can still access it!

I'm not allergic to mushrooms, I just say it's a 'mental allergy'. lol

On my last cruise I ordered the shrimp fettuccini alfredo, which normally comes with mushrooms, without the mushrooms. As they are not cooked in the sauce it was an easy omission and the request was followed. I also ordered the reuben at O'Sheehan's and asked for the 'slaw to be omitted, no issue. Make requests like that just as you would at a restaurant at home. While much of the prep is done in advance, the final "assembly" and plating is done to order so you can ask for adjustments to be made. Every meal seating started with a question about food allergies among the people at the table, prior to placing the basket of bread on the table (which could be detrimental to anyone with Celiac Disease or a gluten intolerance). The crew are generally very interested in your satisfaction and health while you're on board.

On my cruise on the Joy last year I recall time changes, to match the time zone of the port. On my cruise on the Bliss in October 2019 we might have had 3 time changes - two for time zone and once for DST to standard. I'd have to go back to check the dailies I've saved to confirm.

In the future, this information is useful in the original post.

They re-did the menus during COVID? I'm pretty sure they had 21 menus prior to COVID...

NCL actually has 14 or 21 menus that rotate. The only thing that changes are some of the appetizers and the 'special' entrees.

I guess I fall into the 'more memorable' category - when I sailed the Bliss 6 months after the cruise we were both on the assistant CD remembered me. Not by name, but he recognized me.

The outlet situation hasn't changed. Find any YouTube tour of the cabin type you're going to be in on the ship and they will cover these questions. As long as it isn't a 3-prong device advertising surge suppression it should be fine. I say 3-prong because I have a 2-prong device that, for some reason, DID indicate some kind of surge protection but because it didn't have a grounded plug it is ok. NCL lists the smoking areas for their ships right in their FAQ on the website. This ship actually has a cigar room. https://www.ncl.com/faq#!#smoking Shampoo and body wash (something that would also be answered through a room tour video)...

You're naïve if you think the plan used for a cruise ship follows the same pricing structure as a consumer product. Same would apply to the equipment. In fact, it seems there are no moving parts in the maritime equipment. A quick Google search for "Starlink Maritime" would have revealed the page where you can see the equipment - https://www.starlink.com/maritime Which appears to be the same one-time hardware cost for Starlink Maritime (see the page linked above), so that may be the same equipment. and yet the Starlink Maritime page linked above indicates global coverage in the "vast majority of the Earth's oceans and seas". Though no actual map is provided. I don't see Miami, Tampa and Canaveral "on the edge of availability". In reading the Maritime page, it seems the Bahamas don't have "available" on your map because they don't yet have an agreement for use there, but down in the Caribbean (USVI, BVI, PR, DR, Haiti) there seems to be coverage. It's about legal agreements for use in territorial waters, not lack of satellite coverage, so it'll work fine outside the territorial waters of the places there is no agreement.

1 from each section (soup, appetizer/salad, entree, dessert). They actually bring a slip at the end of the meal and it will show a $0 balance. You are free to add a gratuity that WILL be charged to your room, if you wish. The system doesn't know if your plan is to use the free-at-sea meal so it's boiler-plate for all reservations.

One VERY technical reason - they're just building the ship with Starlink from the beginning rather than equipping it with the current tech and then stripping it out a couple months later to install Starlink. Of course - that could lead to a LACK of internet if they can't get the approvals before Viva sets sail...

The $12.77 I received in March will argue that. No skipped port - I believe they under estimated the passenger load (thus the estimated per-passenger responsibility for port costs was too high) and as such we got a random OBC late in the cruise.

@COcruise HAVE you logged in to your account to see if the coupon is there? I'll be honest - every NCL mailing goes in the "circular file" so I'm not certain if a paper coupon was ever sent to me but there are several discounts loaded directly into my account on the site. Something else to consider - each person has their own Latitudes account, is it possible that it's loaded on your partner's account (you used 'we' so I'm assuming a couple) and the PCC only checked yours?

@shorne it's more for vehicle traffic control entering the port. Boarding can't start until every passenger from the previous trip is scanned off the ship, you will be waiting in the terminal until that time. For my most recent cruise I got to the port around 9:45 or 10 and didn't get called for boarding until 11 or 11:30. I selected a 9-9:30 check-in time when I completed my online check-in. This will be VERY ship-dependent. I think it would be fair to say that all ships built in at least the last 10 years (if not 15) for mass-market lines have sufficient elevator capacity in the crew areas to support luggage distribution without occupying passenger elevators for the task.