coastcat

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I ended up managing to snag a non-connecting room that opened up today. Had my PCC switch me over as soon as I saw it had become available. It's room 12507, so it's also an "interior" room in that it doesn't share a wall with the public halway outside of the Studio complex. I am pretty excited about it, though there is some white space next to it. Hopefully that white space won't be the source of a bunch of noise at odd hours!

I should check my Encore cabin because I wanted a non-connecting Studio but none were showing. 
 

And yes, I managed to get all excited about the idea of a Studio cabin again, which is why I’m booked on Encore to Bermuda this September. More espresso!

2 hours ago, shefie123 said:

We have booked our first transatlantic April 2021 (Ft. Lauderdale to Amsterdam).   Following along and appreciate all of the information.  Now I have to go check and see if I booked the starboard side.

Thank goodness for the information here, right? I had just booked my first TA, on NCL Escape's April 2021 NYC-Southhampton trip, in a Studio cabin since I thought there was no point to having a balcony. And then I realized that I wanted a balcony after all! A little reading of CC, and then I called NCL to make the switch into a starboard balcony.

5 minutes ago, NSnJW said:

Coastcat,

When I was on the Jewel in Alaska last June, they had a great solo program.  I almost never initiate a conversation but I had no trouble making friends there.  As a matter of fact, I have been to solo meetings on 5 NCL ships and met people to talk to and eat with on all of them.  Just go to the solo meets, solo dinners and if they have it the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle.  You would have to be aggressively non communicative to remain isolated.  

I didn't like the solo meetings I've attended so far! I'll try again on Jewel, but conversation-focused gatherings with strangers just isn't my thing. On Bliss, I didn't enjoy the official solo meetings but did enjoy hanging out in the Studio Lounge and chatting casually - it's fun when the conversation arises naturally. Not so much when it's the expectation.

Believe it or not, I love the parts of my job which involve leading discussion, chatting with clients, and so forth. Maybe I only like talking when I get paid for it... 😎

7 minutes ago, Debbborra said:

I got the best advice on these boards. (You probably know this already, but in case) I had two go to ice breakers and they worked. "Where are you from?" "Are you having fun?"

This was big for me because I can feel very shy.

What works for me is chatting to people as part of an activity rather than it being the sole purpose of the activity. I am not great at making small talk at a party or gathering (in fact, I'm terrible at it) - but had some lovely chats during my last cruise while on excursions or browsing at a souvenir store.

Someone on the roll call for my extended cruise has already set up an activities sheet and I'm looking forward to playing games and tasting wines. I might even host a martini tasting.

Good grief, did I post that update only about a week ago? Because it's already been changed! NCL Spirit sailings have been cancelled through December, so now I've replaced it with two cruises because I'm crazy:  7-day NCL Epic from San Juan to the southern Caribbean in mid-December and the 15-day NCL Escape repositioning cruise next April (NYC to Southhampton). I might cancel the Bermuda trip and instead wait for Encore to start its Alaska sailings next year, we'll see.

Alaskan Way by the pier is going to be crazy on disembarkment day if you're coming off a huge NCL ship. Walk over to the Edgewater Hotel next to the pier and call for your Uber/Lyft there. There's traffic light access to the hotel (Alaskan Way at Wall Street) and the driver can avoid Alaskan Way traffic entirely.

I learned this tip from CC and my Lyft driver confirmed it was a good idea.

Kind of relevant to both topics... bring not mere lotion, but really good lotion. Frequent washing & sanitizing your hands wreaks havoc on your skin. I forgot to pack lotion last time and NCL's standard lotion isn't that great; my wonderful steward snuck me a bottle of the Bulgari lotion given to Haven guests! Normally I travel with cocoa butter lotion, which soothes your skin while leaving you smelling faintly like chocolate.

I bring a couple magnetic bag clips (plastic in bright colors) along with the usual recommended magnetic hooks. They're handy for holding papers/lanyards and do double-duty as clothespins.

Jaime, what would you add to your list for a longer cruise? I just booked a transatlantic and while I don't want to overpack, it's going to be a long stretch between ports if I forget any essentials.

4 hours ago, ladytimedramon said:

Galveston is a 6 hour drive for me, and I'd rather hop a cruise out of there than have to fly to another city (I'm dealing with inner ear problems). New Orleans would be another option, but again, no solo cruises out of there.

NCL Getaway is based in New Orleans through April 2020 sailing a Western Caribbean route, with its sister ship Breakaway taking over November 2020 - April 2021. Both feature Studio cabins and the Studio Lounge for solos.

2 hours ago, Joanne G. said:

I have heard about that.   I hope it's true even on the older NCL ships that don't have the solo studio cabins.   I would do that, and if it's early, that's fine with me.  This itinerary has a lot of ports, so I envision easy conversation about port activities. 

Every NCL sailing (or at least every NCL daily sheet I've seen posted on CC) includes a daily solo gathering. The quality of the gathering will depend on the people and setting, though.

• NCL Bliss: The official daily solo gathering was held in the Studio Lounge (all solos welcome, though) before dinner, with group dinners organized every night in one of the MDRs.
• NCL Joy: No Studio area, so the gatherings were held in one of the bars.

I much preferred the Bliss version. The solo director was cheerful and the lounge was set up well for casual conversation. On Joy, the bar was so noisy that I could barely hear the people next to me, and the solo director was the exuberant extrovert type of person that makes me want to run away! I went the first night, left as soon as I could extract myself, and never returned. That solo director noted that on the prior sailing there were no solos at all, so she wasn't quite prepared for the two dozen or so who showed up on this one.

I haven't decided if I'm going to attend the scheduled solo gatherings on my next trip. Maybe, but probably not.

The internet is dangerous. For example, I went back to re-read two extensive reviews of NCL Encore... and found myself clicking the Book button for the September 3rd sailing of NCL Encore to Bermuda. I went for a Studio cabin which, at this time anyway, is far less expensive than even a GTY inside cabin. This sailing is pricier than others due to the date (Labor Day weekend) but I'll make it up with all those free lattes in the Studio lounge!

So for 2020, I've got three solo sailings booked, not including the one already completed a couple weeks ago:

• NCL Jewel, June 1-8, Seward to Vancouver, inside
• NCL Encore, September 3-8, NYC <-> Bermuda, Studio
• NCL Spirit, November 23-December 7, Tokyo <-> Tokyo (visiting Japan and currently scheduled for an overnight in Shanghai but we'll see), balcony

I should try to de-introvert myself a bit for the 14-day cruise because that's a long time to go without a conversation!

7 hours ago, BDevilCruiser said:

I've started looking for my next cruise, and I can no longer find the "1 guest" filter on Celebrity or Royal.  Seems I have to check each cruise individually, doing a mock booking.

It's not just you. Celebrity used to have a guest # filter but it disappeared a few months ago. Royal Caribbean and Holland America also force you to go through the booking process to see solo rates. Carnival does not, and of course Norwegian makes it easy.

 I revisited this thread and enjoyed your narrative all over again... and damned if I didn’t find myself on the NCL site promptly thereafter. 
 

I’m now booked on the 5-day Labor Day cruise on Encore to Bermuda, in a Studio, and have every intention of snagging a Vibe pass. This is your fault!

2 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Breakfast buffet has been free, as far as I know...

• The breakfast buffet was free. They offered a small but adequate breakfast selection including pastries and breakfast sandwiches. Pro tip: the coffee is around the corner from the beverage station. I didn't figure that out until I was leaving the buffet.
• American Diner was open for lunch but not dinner, with a la carte pricing instead of the Margaritaville flat rate. I didn't get around to trying it (although I had intended to, oh well) and it never looked all that busy.

BirdTravels posted the menu (American Diner is also on Encore) in post #205:

1 hour ago, tutuwahineLV said:

Hmmm.  Wonder if they’ll still have a breakfast there?  

NCL Joy's American Diner offered a small breakfast buffet on my cruise a couple weeks ago.

12 hours ago, Kitty Ellas Mom said:

I will also be solo on Princess soon to Alaska.  It's my first cruise.  I'll be almost 45.  I chose Princess to be part of a group cruise but also I liked that it's elegant and will not be a party ship (that I've heard).  The main thing I"m worried about is that it could be awkward at dining but I'm hoping that being part of the group cruise will help with that.  

I chatted with a travel agent about HAL vs Princess for Alaska cruises. She strongly recommended Princess if you're older but reasonably active, seek a quieter experience than NCL/RCL/CCL, and prefer food that "humans with taste buds would like." (her words, not mine!)

I didn't quiz her about dining solo but definitely share your concern about the potential awkwardness. Sometimes I'm good with being social but most of the time the thought of being trapped at a table full of strangers is Not Fun. I'm completely happy to dine alone.

Something I love about NCL is that solo dining is easy and treated as perfectly normal there in all the restaurants, including specialty ones. The drawback to that, as I discovered on my last cruise, is that at Ocean Blue the server will give you an entire plateful of their ludicrously good bread and you will end up eating the whole thing because there's no one there to stop you...

This thread has me considering taking a Brita pitcher on my next cruise. We have a space-saver pitcher (5-cup capacity) which should fit neatly into the suitcase. Hmm. Overkill or a good idea? I do drink a lot of water and this would save a lot of extra trips to the buffet to refill my stainless water bottles.

You might be mixing up your cruises? The NCL Jewel Seward->Vancouver route includes Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point and Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier as well as Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. The only NCL stopping at Sitka is NCL Sun.

If this is your first cruise to Alaska, I'd pick the northbound one so you can visit Glacier Bay. It's truly stunning. I'm taking the Jewel southbound in June, but it's not my first visit nor is it likely to be my last.

6 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

The beds and pillows were very comfortable in our INSIDE cabin this past Dec 2019. Your trip was so long ago. I bet they had several mattress changes since 2006.  The Spirit will be an exemplary ship.

I must be the princess in Princess & the Pea. Spent last week on the fairly new Joy and thought the floor was softer than the mattress! Even with a mattress pad, it wasn’t great.  I slept on top of the pillows. That worked well but must have confused the room steward a bit.

Nevertheless, looking forward to the updated cabin decor. The renderings look elegant. Counting down the long weeks and months until November...

1 hour ago, Freya4000 said:

Awesome!! This is so helpful! Thank you! We're sailing 7/13, what about you? Any excursion ideas yet?

I’m on the June 1 sailing. I’m due to arrive in Seward around 1:30 and haven’t decided whether to drop my bag and explore the town or just board right away and drink that first Moscow Mule! 
 

Still considering the options in Icy Strait. I’ve tentatively decided on a bus excursion in Skagway to do some photography if the weather is good. Otherwise, since this is my third trip to SE Alaska, I’ll likely just wander around the towns and then go soak in a hot tub. 

Sounds like you’re on a Jewel sailing this summer. Me too! Someone posted dailies from a July 2019 sailing - the main muster drill was at 5:30pm with a second drill at 8:30pm for those who boarded later. 
 

8 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Its not as bad as it sounds and I was pleasantly surprised a few weeks ago when I tried it out-- the initial teething problems are gone and it moves reasonably well. I used Uber but Lyft looked just as easy.

Agreed, I took a Lyft from LAX about a week ago and it was a pretty painless process. The shuttle runs often and the LAX-It area had lots of signs and lots of employees directing us to the appropriate locations.

The separate LAX-it pickup area is for taxis and rideshares, but shuttles can still pick up curbside at the terminals. I flew Alaska Airlines to LAX earlier this month, landing at T6. There were Carnival and Princess reps at baggage claim and I saw a Carnival shuttle at curbside.

NCL offered post-cruise excursions for those with flights leaving after 5pm, so maybe Carnival will as well?

1 hour ago, hallux said:

I did the same!

 

I don't use "public" USB ports, I bring my own charging block.

Ah, but you can use data blockers. You plug your cable into the blocker and the blocker into the USB port. It allows power but no data transfer. Mine are PortaPows ($12 for two via Amazon).

The only drawback is that they’re about an inch long. This is not an issue for USB ports which face outward (Studio cabins, airplanes, airport waiting areas, etc). However, they were too long to use in the Joy mini-suite because the USB ports are on the side of the lighting fixture facing the headboard, and there was barely enough wiggle room to plug in even the naked USB cable. Luckily I had packed a charging block just in case.

18 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Does the water closet door open into the space where the connecting door is? In the videos I have seen there is a full length mirror in that space. Is there a mirror on the back of the connecting door?

If you face the connecting door, the WC will be on one side, the shower on the other. There’s a full-length mirror on the door plus two wall pegs for hanging towels, jackets, etc.

By the sink you’ll have the standard liquid soap dispenser, with the usual body wash and conditioning shampoo dispensers inside the shower. There’s also a soap dish which kind of gets in the way. It’s a metal ring with a separate dish that fits inside, and for a few days I had no idea what it was because the dish had been removed! I always travel with a mesh loofah and the ring was the perfect place to store it, so next time I’ll remove the dish again. 
 

While you can watch the bow view camera on any cabin’s TV, the virtual window in a Bliss Studio gives you a view without the annoying music! 

Also chiming in to note that luggage fits well under the bed. I brought a 28” rolling duffel and had no difficulty stashing it out of the way.
 

The desk space (under the TV) is small. Unless you’re planning to actually buy the pricey bottled water placed there, ask the room steward to take that stuff away. I also moved all the promotional junk from the bedside holder to the closet so I could put my phone and tablet there for charging. There are two USB ports below the phone - they’re hidden behind the art show brochure in the photo posted in this thread. 
 

I would absolutely book another Studio! 

14 hours ago, travelphreak said:

Coastcat - it sounds like you were with us on Rigo's bus from the Wine Country tour!  My wife and I enjoyed the first of our two bottles of L.A. Cetto chardonnay with dinner tonight.

I was on Abner’s bus - the party was going on everywhere! I gave away my Chardonnay but am planning to look for L.A. Cetto’s sparkling wine locally (allegedly Costco may have it) as that was my favorite of everything we sampled. Maybe I’ll get a bottle or 3 to bring on my upcoming Alaska cruise.