lazydaz

We had an aft balcony on the Joy on Deck 12 last year. Deck 9 is over restaurants so may have some noise, while Deck 13 has cabins above and below. The elevators are often crowded so we used the stairway most of the time  Take a look at the distance to activities from the cabin and decide which is most convenient, eg swimming closer from Deck 13. Aft cabins have an excellent view and we enjoyed the Joy.

Wonderful pictures of the Comfort in the Manhattan Cruise Terminal.  Was always on my bucket list to see New York but when I tried, my cruise ended having to bypass New York because of Hurricane Sandy. Still lots of snow up here in Canada and more expected tomorrow so it will be a while before we can get into the garden.  Booked on the NCL Joy cruise LA to Vancouver in April but still haven't heard anything from NCL.  Will see whether I get a refund or a credit. Neither Seattle or Vancouver are allowing cruise ships at the moment.

I am in Alberta, Canada and we are taking the coronavirus very seriously.  DH and I have not left our house in two weeks and have had groceries delivered twice.  Wearing gloves, we leave the non perishables in the garage for two days and wash other items.  Only stores that are open are grocery and pharmacy. Emergency quarters are being provided for the homeless.  Even though we have family nearby, we are only in contact with them through the phone and FaceTime. Take care and be safe all,  We want to resume our cruising as soon as these times have passed.

I am booked on the Los Angeles/Vancouver repo trip but once the coronavirus  showed up, I decided not to go.  I worried about going to LA. staying there for a few days and visiting tourist attractions while the infected numbers soar. I am a healthy senior, but for my own safety have decided to self isolate at home for the duration of the pandemic. I still have a Haven 2 bedroom booked so feel terrible not to use it. I have Platinum status with NCL and look forward to many cruises in the future, but for now, no.

What if NCL cancels the cruise.  Would they return the fare if the passenger was unavailable to take a future cruise?

I'm here in Canada  with high snowdrifts.  Can hardly wait for my next cruise in April.  I also need a wheelchair at the airport and assistance getting on and off the cruise but other than that, I manage well. Once I reached 80 I found the crowds challenging so started booking cabins in the Haven.  Looking back ten years, March 2010, hubby and I were on the Diamond Princess in the seas off China.  I feel so sorry for what the current passengers are going through.

1.  I am an octogenarian and travelling with my son and daughter in law.  We stay in the 2 bedroom in the Haven. It enables me to travel as I get older and I love it. I have travelled a lot with NCL and have platinum status so get the perks that go with it.

I'm a senior and love eating in the Haven on the Joy - much easier than fighting crowds and I always enjoy the menu.  If I want anything different, I call room service to avoid the crowds.

A couple of additional thoughts from a 80+ traveller.  I love the garden cafe but avoid it during busy times.  We are past the age of the pools and so so for hot tubs.  Lounging on the pool deck on a nice day is enjoyable.  The pubs are fun but preferably earlier in the evening before they get busy. Make sure they have any meds with them and that they are in the carry- ons.  I don't recall any ports in Alaska requiring tenders and there is lots of places to see within easy walking distance.I wouldn't book a handicap cabin as they usually sacrifice room size for a larger wheelchair accompanying bathroom. The Alaska cruise is marvellous but sometimes a little on the cool side so make sure to have your parents bring some warmer clothes just in case.

23 minutes ago, lazydaz said:

It will be an enjoyable holiday for your parents.  We are in our mid 80s and continue to cruise whenever we can.  Long flights are a bigger problem for me so we take cruises which involve shorter flights (driving would be wonderful but too long a distance). We are Platinum and enjoy priority boarding which makes a big difference. I use a cane onboard and get a wheelchair for getting on and off the ship. When we were in regular cabins we were early for meals to avoid the crowds. To make things easier, we finally switched to the Haven because of access to the restaurant. comfortable chairs, lots of snack foods, library, hot tubs and the helpful service for any extra services we might need from the butler.  I have one cruise booked and hope to continue for a few years yet.

It will be an enjoyable holiday for your parents.  We are in our mid 80s and continue to cruise whenever we can.  Long flights are a bigger problem for me so we take cruises which involve shorter flights (driving would be wonderful but too long a distance). We are Platinum and enjoy priority boarding which makes a big difference. I use a cane onboard and get a wheelchair for getting on and off the ship. When we were in regular cabins we were early for meals to avoid the crowds. To make things easier, we finally switched to the Haven because of access to the restaurant. comfortable chairs, lots of snack foods, library, hot tubs and the helpful service for any extra services we might need from the butler.  I have one cruise booked and hope to continue for a few years yet.

16 hours ago, Shellbelle28 said:

My husband and I are fairly experienced Norwegian cruisers, but my mother just mentioned (wistfully) that she would like to go on a cruise some day. So hubby and I are thinking of taking them on an Alaska trip on the Norwegian Sun out of Seattle (because we wouldn't have to fly and the smaller ship just seems more approachable for them). They're 81 and 79. Both of them have had some falls in the last year, luckily no serious injuries. Dad has a cane and sometimes a walker. We'd get them a balcony cabin not too far from the elevators. Should we get a handicapped room? What else do we need to keep in mind?

Thanks for the information.  Renting a car is out,  we are seniors and don't want to drive in LA traffic. We thought about the transit but just too much of a bother.  I have cancelled my original flight and will book a direct flight to LAX.  Expensive mistake unfortunately.  We took the same NCL cruise in October heading south so decided to take the same trip heading north in April.

On 12/29/2019 at 6:54 PM, SadieN said:

Know the OP changed their plans.  This info is for those searching options.

 

We live near ONT.  The only viable option is to rent a car, it'll be cheaper than any shuttle or Lyft/Uber/taxi.

 

If you were sailing out of Long Beach and wanted to ride the rails, plan about 3 hours.

San Bernardino Line (closest station is Rancho Cucamonga) to Union Station.

Transfer to the Red or Purple Line to the 7th St station.

Take the Blue Line to Long Beach.

Take the Passport Bus to Queen Mary.

On 12/30/2019 at 11:49 AM, scottbee said:

Alaska Air fly into 4 of the 5 airports in metro Los Angeles.

 

LAX - main airport

ONT - Ontario, as you've discovered, a long way from port

BUR - Burbank, also a long way from port

SNA - Santa Ana/Orange County (John Wayne Intl)

 

LAX and SNA would be the preferable ones.

 

I suspect your issue was you selected "All Los Angeles Airports" in your search.

 

Thanks for the information.  I probably will use Westjet which has a non stop  from Edmonton too LAX.  Costly mistake on my part, I could take Alaska Air to LAX but it does have a stop in Seattle.

Thank you so much for your help, sorting this out has been quite a challenge.  I have cancelled the Alaska Airline reservation and will rebook with Air Canada.  Will also change my hotel reservation.

thank you for your help, I have booked the Sunrise Hotel in San Pedro for the night before the cruise.  Don't know what I will do about my flight, will look at all the options.  

Didn't realize Alaska Airlines would land at the Ontario International Terminal so may have to rent a car to get to the San Pedro terminal unless there is a metro rail link or some easier way to get to the San Pedro cruise terminal.  Thanks for your help.

I'm not familiar with southern California so just trying to figure things out on the map.  My cruise is in April.  How far is San Pedro from Long Beach?

Arriving on Alaska Airline at Ontario International Airport and boarding NCL Joy in Long Beach Cruise Terminal.  Need advice on travel to the terminal at a reasonable cost. Have a hotel near the terminal for overnight before boarding.

That would probably be a good idea.  I always take a small detergent and some clothespins with me just in case.  We're on a 12 day cruise so I'm sure laundry will be an issue - I miss the days when cruise ships had laundry rooms.

52 minutes ago, Sauer-kraut said:

Use the mid-week laundry special.  $20 for all you can fit in the bag.  I had several long sleeve t shirts and at least 3 pairs of jeans and still had room in the bag.

Thanks for your reply, especially the laundry situation.  Because we are going to Alaska I am hoping it will be warm enough for the teens to hang out by the pool.

2 hours ago, RobinKY said:

I wouldn't say a lot to do for teens but others may feel differently.  Me and girlfriend each have 15 years olds (boy and girl) and they hung out and roamed the ship together.  They met another group of teens and hung out at night.  We let them stay out until the ship's 1 AM curfew.  There is a teen club I believe but our kids didn't use it.  They said you have to pay for it.

 

Our 17 and 18 year old daughters are a bit more quiet and like their alone time.  They hung out by pool.  They both enjoyed some battle of the sexes type game in the lounge in the evening. They both enjoyed the food, buffet and ice cream A LOT.

 

If your teens go through a lot of clothes like mine, plan ahead.  I made wrong assumption about laundry and they ran out of clean clothes.  I wasn't going to pay a couple hundred bucks for laundry service.

5 hours ago, RobinKY said:

One other comment - NCL Sun does not have self assist laundry.  We had 4 teens and A LOT of dirty clothes.  We assumed they would have laundry facility but you had to pay for NCL to do your laundry.

You mentioned teens, I'm taking my two teens (ages 15, 18) to Alaska on the Sun next summer.  Is there enough activity to keep them involved.I've been on the Sun before and loved it.

Have a family balcony cabin booked for four of us on an Alaska cruise next summer - got a reduction of over $600 on Thursday and then yesterday, price dropped another approx. $150.  Quite pleased with their sale, no agent, phoned NCL directly.