LCfromFL

We just got back on Monday from our 15-day Panama Canal cruise on the Encore. The embarkation process was really straightforward and we didn't wait long in the terminal before boarding (we found seats so it made the waiting a bit easier). Our cabin steward now has 24 rooms to service daily - he used to have 15 when he'd service the rooms twice each day. I don't recall a significant delay in getting access to our cabin on embarkation day...but it was really late when we finally got our 3 suitcases (like after dinner - yikes!). I was really starting to stress out about that! The disembarkation was really easy as well. We had breakfast in Savor and then waited in Sugarcane until our color was called. A bit of shuffling through the line to get off the ship and then chaos! HUGE line to get through Customs/Immigration. That process was the one that took the longest...nearly 5,000 passengers and only 7 Customs/Immigration people to process us all. 

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The Bird spent yesterday roosting at Trunk Bay on the island of St John. It is a beautiful beach with soft, white sand. It was about a 45 minute ferry ride from St Thomas and 15 minute drive one you are on the island. 
 

 

 

That's one of my fav beaches! ❤️ Love your updates during the cruise! 

I'll be following along, too. We board her in 1 week - doing the Panama Canal transit. Of the ports on the 15 day Panama Canal cruise, we've only been to Miami and Los Angeles - so really looking forward to 2 weeks of relaxation and fun. We've never sailed on the Encore - so appreciate any ship-board tips you'll share. 🙂

23 minutes ago, sarlin said:

Good morning,

 

My DH is immno-compromised.  Needless to say we have bot cruised since Covid arrived.  We have a cruise scheduled in early July in a Haven suite on the Breakway.

 

My question is, has anyone NOT gotten Covid in the last 2 or 3 weeks while cruising or shortly after they got home from a trip?

We are vaxxed and boosted and will mask up.  We are OK with not even getting opff the ship.  Or should we cancecl the cruise?-Like many of you we have booked and cancelled so many cruises over the last few years and really want to GO!!!!!!

Sarlin

 

Hi Sarlin, my DH and I cruised Alaska on the Bliss 4/30 - 5/7 with two other couples and knew three other couples that were also on our ship (crazy - 12 ppl from the same small town in FL on the same Alaskan cruise). Anyway - none of us developed COVID (or Norovirus) during or after our cruise or cross-country flights (thank you, Jesus!). We took advantage of the 'washy-washy' stations around the boat and used the hand sanitizer every time we passed one. We made conscious efforts to not use the hand rails on the stairs and used knuckles to press elevator buttons. I brought a little hand sanitizer in my purse for use when we'd be in port. We weren't masked unless required - which was pretty much just on the bus tour of Victoria. 

The idea of COVID is soooo scary. (At one point, my county had more new COVID cases than anywhere else in the US. We know many people who have lost their battles with COVID. Our eldest daughter had a terrifying battle with it during Delta - her hair is just growing back (yes, weird symptom was loss of hair)).  

May you have peace with whatever decision you make in terms of cruising. ❤️ 

We were on the Bliss 4/30 from Seattle. As cruiserbear55 mentioned, the casino wasn't open while in port. It was probably for the best as I lost my gambling money super fast! Like crazy fast! 😲 So I'd go up to the Observation Lounge with a good book and enjoy a cocktail instead. 🙂 DH fared slightly better in the casino - meaning it just took him a bit longer to lose his planned gambling money. Those machines were TIGHT! Good luck to you 🙂 

We sailed on the Bliss 4/30 (Saturday). I did our ArriveCan on Thursday (4/28) right after I did our COVID tests and before we headed to the airport. We were asked to show the COVID test results and the ArriveCan thing when we were going through one of the 'checks' at the port. It really was easy-peasy. No one actually asked for it when we were in Victoria. Oh...the cabin steward put a form in the room that we had to fill out and sign (almost like the US Customs Declaration form). I thought it odd that we had to fill it out a few days before arrival, but signed it as of the date of our arrival in Canada. The cabin steward collected it before our arrival. 

I love, love, LOVE the Thermal Suite! I've been on Bliss, Encore, Breakaway and Getaway and they were all pretty similar. DH is a late sleeper and I'm an early riser - so I love going first thing in the morning. There are usually only a couple of people in there so it's like it's all to yourself! We were on the Bliss last week and I went one afternoon and it was pretty full (I was still able to find a 'normal' lounger). I really prefer the hot tub to myself, so the early mornings are best for me. 

Have a fabulous time in the Thermal Suite...you will not e disappointed! ❤️ 

7 hours ago, marktwothousand said:

I just received a message from an NCL agent that cruisenext doubleup is back for balconies and above without the six month time limit on the booking window. I was told:

 

”The Doubleup offer is now valid for any sail date regardless of how close we are to the date”

Hi Mark...what, exactly, does this mean?  

What time does the Thermal Suite open? I cannot tell if it is 6 am or 8 am in the Daily's? I'm an early bird and the hubster likes to sleep in - so I plan to spend mornings there. 🙂

Yeah - our Alaskan cruise was cancelled this morning. 😞 This was our 3rd cancellation. Stupid COVID. Now back to searching for a cruise that isn't ridiculously priced (despite the 30% and All Free!). Really kicking ourselves for not just taking the refund when the first cruise cancelled back in early 2020. 

<sad little sigh> When I booked this Alaskan cruise as my 'third time's a charm' after two previous cancellations, I was sooooo hopeful. I wasn't sure that the Alaskan season would open this year - but, as they say, hope springs eternal. Then Canada issued their ruling. Again, I was holding out hope that they would change their position and somehow through vaccines or herd immunity sailings would resume by late summer/early fall. But my booking is now showing "Default Itinerary Name" which was the precursor to the cancellations. Again. <sad little sigh> 

So how many of you are kicking yourselves for taking that FCC when first offered? I know that we are. 

21 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Royal cancelled their Alaska season on the Quantum of the Seas a few weeks back. Unlike NCL, they allow guest to lift and shift the reservation into next year with the same price and perks. 

If only....<sigh>

If you are sailing on one of the larger ships with The Waterfront, check out the "Club Balcony Suites with Larger Balcony" on deck 8 (M6). These balconies are HUGE! Granted, part of the balcony is open and viewable from above...but since we never sit out there naked, it doesn't bother me LOL. The normal balconies on NCL are small - barely room for two chairs and a small table. These balconies have 2 chaise loungers with a small square table plus 2 normal chairs and a table. On Encore's deck 10, there are two M6 cabins with aft views (my favorite view on any ship), but those are wheelchair accessible rooms. 

One day, my DH and I will splurge for a Haven room...one day...

Last night we booked an Alaskan cruise on Encore 9/26 - 10/3/2021.  We were booked to Alaska in April 2020 (cancelled) and then a TransAtlantic in April 2021 (also cancelled). We are crossing our fingers that we will be able to get the vaccines by late summer (we are in FL...under 65 but with some of those health risks) and that this ship will sail.  

5 minutes ago, dumbth said:

 

My FCCs just showed up with valid date ending 6/30/21 and 10% discounts ending 1/19/22. My April reservations disappeared. Does this mean in a practical sense I can book thru 6/30/21 for cruise thru 1/19/22?

I am pretty sure that that those dates are when you need to book the cruise by - not actually sail. So if you want to combine both (because we all want to do that), you need to book your next cruise by 6/30/2021. 🙂

Just checked and ours has been issued. It is showing as a "100% Future Cruise Credit" and a "25% Single Use FCC Bonus Credit" (from the first cancellation last April). Both are showing a 6/30/2021 expiration date. 

For illustrative purposes, let's say that my DH and I have a total of these two credits as $1,250 plus I have two $250 CRUISENEXT credits. So does that mean we would have $1,750 (total) to spend on a cruise? So let's assume I found a cruise that costs $1,000 total for the two of us (Ha!)...could I pay the deposits with the $500 CRUISENEXT credits and then $500 using the new FCC certificates (leaving $750 in FCC). Could that remaining FCC balance be applied towards excursions or the spa? Does it have to be applied before sailing?  

Thanks for any insights!

For those who booked their recently cancelled cruise using FCC from a previously cancelled cruise, have your FCCs been deposited in your account yet? All that has shown up in our accounts is the 10% discounts - not the FCC. Curious how long it's taking for these to be posted? 

9 hours ago, Cruise Wonderland said:

 

It's the same thing. Everybody can have the 30% off.

That's what I was thinking...it's 30% off their higher prices so the net cost is still significantly higher. I think I can take the amount I paid for a Club Balcony room and buy an Inside.  Lovely. 

I have a chat window opened on NCL's site to ask about the stacking of the 30% offers. I suspect I will learn that there is only one 30% offer and it's on their higher base fares.  I'll let you know what I learn.

3 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Discounts are additive, so if you take advantage of the current 30% promo plus the 30% discount for booking by 1/11, total discount is about 51%.  Doesn't bring prices back to the great deals I had on my 2020 cancelled cruises but it is something.  So I will probably use my CN certificates, so no additional cash anyway.

Is the 30% in addition to the current 30% off on their website? I assumed it was talking about the same thing (only one 30% discount)? If we could get 30% off on top of the 30% off plus the 10% I'd be a happy girl. 

11 minutes ago, MechE31 said:

I really wish that NCL would do lift and shift like Royal. Right now, 2022 is 60% more expensive than I paid for 2021. Even with the 10%, I'd be spending 50% more than I was going to spend for 2021.

Yeah - that's the problem I keep having. Everything is just waaaaaaay higher. The 30% off plus 5 'free' sounds great - but the price is not. 😞 

Just now, mrlevin said:

Regent no longer giving FCC; isn't NCL the same?

NCL is giving FCC if the cancelled cruise was paid using a FCC (ours was - we booked the TransAtlantic after our 2020 Alaskan cruise was cancelled). From the NCL website:

"...Guests who had an active reservation on a suspended cruise in April 2021 will automatically receive a refund of their cruise fare in the original form of payment for the amount paid by February 22, 2021. Additionally, a 10% off coupon will be automatically added to the guest's account by January 20 which is valid for one year from date of issue, and can be used for any Norwegian Cruise Line voyage embarking through 2022 and is combinable with any Future Cruise Credits and all future promotions at time of booking.

For affected reservations paid via a previously issued Future Cruise Credit, the full value of the FCC used will be re-applied to the guest’s Latitudes account within 7 days. This is done automatically, and no further action is required on the guest or travel advisor’s part..."

Does anyone know how long the FCCs will be issued for? I'm thinking 6 months - one of my friends had her March 2021 cruise cancelled in December and she has until June to rebook. 

We've never pre-ordered alcohol for our cabin. We always get the beverage package and find it works well for us. My hubby likes to keep beer in the cabin as he likes to sit on the balcony with a beer and enjoy doing 'nothing' for a while. If we're planning to be in the cabin for a while, we'll ask for drinks without ice and add it when we're ready for them. 

We've cruised with family and friends and frequently get cabins side-by-side. It has been a looooong time since we had adjoining balconies that actually opened.  The Escape is a fabulous ship! We did her from NYC to Bermuda and loved her.  I've also been on her sister ships - the Breakaway and Getaway. The thing to remember with NCL vs Carnival is that you will need to make reservations for dinners and shows. They typically open up 120 days before sailing - so just set a reminder to do it. It's easy to do online and you can make reservations for more than just your cabin.  I think you can reserve up to a party of 8 under one dining reservation. That was great because we wanted to sit with our sailing friends - and NCL doesn't do the 'early' or 'late' seating for dinner. There are 2 main dining rooms on board (Taste and Savor) and they - and the Manhattan Room - all have serve the same menu on the same nights.  You'll also want to make reservations for the shows - as those waiting for stand-by seating don't always get in. I think our favorite evening activity is the Howl at the Moon dueling pianos/sing along in the comedy club. 

I hope you enjoy the Escape as much as we do! 🙂

Our TA on Escape (4/16 - 5/1) is also showing the 'default itinerary' thing and in the vacation summary the ship's name is blank. I've checked email - but nothing official yet. 

I never thought this pandemic would be going on this long. When they cancelled our April 2020 Alaskan cruise, we looked at rebooking for last fall. Almost a year later and no real end in sight. Crazy times for sure.