JamesIowa

Were you on the Dec bliss cruise as well or is this a more common occurrence? We took the dome rail car tour in Panama City and our guide (think his name was Miguel, he did the broadcast narrative on the ship as we transited, very smart and interesting dude) said the poor critter got caught in the basin. I dubbed him the Lock-o-dile.

It was so hot out there I believe that’s about the last thing I’d want to do. I’m so lazy I grabbed that screen cap off the bliss live feed while sitting in the observation lounge.

Having sat through my fair share of photo (up)sales I can only imagine what a perspectives session cost. If they’re anything like their land based counter-parts it’s probably a lot of: “most people go with the $12,000 platinum package that includes…” ”these are once in a lifetime memories, can’t put a price on that!” ”it may seem like a lot of money but it’s really only the price of a cup of coffee every 30 minutes” ”of course if you can’t afford the platinum package we have the popular gold package for only $8,000” ”don’t think of the cost, remember the value” The whole business model seems so outdated. Everybody has access to pretty good cameras. If you really wanted formal family photos you could easily do it on your own, worse case scenario you watch a few yt videos on posing and framing. Obviously there will be differences in quality, but for the price? Given the other option is free?

@vacation44 do you have a contingency plan if they’re still fcfs for your cruise? I wonder if a voluntary contribution to the vibe staff might help ensure they’re “reserved” for your party.

Yes, but having checked every day since the time joy cabanas were announced until 2 minutes ago, the option has never appeared. It’s mentioned in “explore ships” but nothing listed under “entertainment”. my PCC said they would be available for reservations “some time after” refurb…but nobody seems to really know. it’s not that it’s sold out, they haven’t been sold yet. We’re literally trying to throw more $ their way and can’t? Very non-NCL like.

It is! Here are a few pics from my bliss pc cruise in Dec 23….i thought we were going to hit for sure. One of my favorite parts of the entire cruise.

Awesome walk through of Joy vibe post refurb Courtesy of YouTuber Mike (@mikesBarbaricYawp) can’t wait to be on the tippy-top deck when passing under bridge of the americas on Nov Panama Canal cruise!

Looking forward to your review. Are any of you or your crew in the vibe? It’s been 2 months post refurb and still haven’t seen anything concrete/official from NCL about vibe cabana rentals. Any insight is appreciated! thanks

If it’s refundable obc you can, but you’ll pay a 3% fee unless you have Casinos at Sea status. Oftentimes I’ll pay the 3% money laundering fee just to avoid the line for guest services when I need to zero out my account.

I’ve never had a problem getting 2 drinks with 1 card anywhere with fas+, including Starbucks.

Their skit on the 206/425/253 area code change is still funny 20+ years later

Fwiw, I think it’s the same for me. Vibe access for 15 day cruise $309, and the cabana price I saw of $749 are the same as I paid last year (Dec 23). edit: this was on bliss

Somebody posted an image a few days ago that showed joy cabana rental prices, but I can’t find it. Rumor is they will eventually be available for rental but it may be a few months.

Was there an option to book a cabana?

From NCL.com On Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy, cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, cigars, pipe smoking and vapor smoking devices are permitted at Spice H2O, starboard side.

I was hoping they were for rent, but just not available for reservation online. That doesn’t seem to be the case based on early pics from @Rush fan and the fact my (awesome) PCC doesn’t see the cabana rental options, only access passes. For me it’s more than a minor point. May change my joy cruise (north-south Panama Canal) for a similar bliss (south-north) cruise based on that alone. I really enjoyed having my own private space in the vibe.

@OrcaGirl I often cruise with my elderly mom who uses a (portable/foldable) mobility scooter. So much planning is needed, especially given that only 1 person can handle the luggage. Wrangling the luggage from the car to airport check-in, baggage claim to car, car to hotel, hotel to porter at pier. Flight and airport logistics, getting to seat on plane. Ground transport. Point is I have plenty of time to plan and remediate. First class air so easy to get on/off, plan for her to have handicap accessible cabin, figure out in advance what’s needed to get luggage from point a to b, bringing a portable walker in case scooter fails, just in general a chance to lay it out in advance to keep from getting overwhelmed. It is very impressive how you persevered through this large, unexpected challenge and still had fun. Def have my vote for the 2024 Suck it up Buttercup award.

can you also please report on vibe cabanas? Are you able to buy them online yet? Have heard it’s not ready, but since the 1st cruise is a TA in Feb, they may have reprioritized.

Iirc it’s like $49 for 1 multicolored set of cards. Each color represents a game (eg 1 line anywhere, etc) and has 4-5 play areas per card. So you get to play a handful of games with a few cards. There’s also a $90 package. [s]If you go with the cheap package, it only cost like $1 per person per minute to attend a session [/s]

For those looking for a great deal on a bucket-list cruise, check out the Joy Miami - LA Panama Canal cruise 30 Nov - 15 Dec 2024. Booked 2 solo balcony cabins at US$2393 (military discount) and $2659 before taxes and blah blah. Saved over $3500 from when originally booked 2 Jan. Did this itinerary in Dec 23 on the Bliss and had an awesome time! good deal for double occupancy as well, balconies from ~$1900 p/p. Book it, then hit the roll call.

You can buy gifts for others via NCL here: https://www.ncl.com/onboard-gifts I’ve used this many times and have had no problems (items/cost will show on the recipients invoice but they will not be billed). If you want to cover their vibe, fas+, or something not offered through the gift site simply call NCL and provide what info you can (pax names, sailing dates, etc) and they should be able to help. I’ve done this in the past to add gifts when I only have a partial name or just the cabin number. I’ve found that insofar as money is concerned, NCL will do heir best to facilitate.

On the breakaway last year I connected at 113mbps in the theater on a sea day, not misleading at all.

I thought for sure we were going to hit the bridge. Nice seeing you up there, funny you caught me in this pic. Awesome cruise, great review so far.

how was upgraded wifi? I’ve heard you say it’s not great- I’ll have to check in with work throughout… I’ve been on the bliss twice, both with fas+ unlimited Wi-Fi w/streaming. Obviously not starlink, but wasn’t too bad all things considered. Was on a 15 day bliss pc few weeks ago and took some random speed tests, results below. For the most,part the only troubles I had were streaming video (nfl, Hulu+). Could usually get streaming to work but sometimes took some patience. Internet browsing, email, vpn, etc was usually fine.