coastcat

46 minutes ago, OrcaGirl said:

I can’t believe it took me this long (this is my 19th day on the Bliss/Encore in the past six months) for me to notice that all of the lamps in the Observation Lounge have USB chargers! 
 

What…

I had no idea. OMG. 26 days on Bliss/Joy/Encore, many hours in the Observation Lounge (yes Sid, wearing socks!), and I never noticed this. 
 

I shall drink a toast to you next week Saturday night in the OL. What drink would best honor you?

14 hours ago, drumming cruisers said:

Bird travels. I thought it was pier 66. I hope so, we are staying at Marrott right across the street from that pier. 

Yes, it’s Pier 66, across from the Marriott. 
 

A Bliss/Encore tip for Alaska: the outdoor seating for the Garden Cafe is just outside the exit doors by the GC entrances. The outdoor area has overhead heaters so don’t hesitate to dine outside even in Alaska! The pool is heated as well. 

2 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

The tax is brutal - pretty much every day on this itinerary! There’s also no way to actually know if it’s the correct charge as it’s not broken down on the bill. Every one has been between 3-4 dollars so I’m guessing that’s between 8-10% of the cost of my drinks!

I'd never even thought about this as being an issue with a Pacific Coastal cruise! 
 

It’s a little sad (and worrisome) to read about so many service issues onboard. The crew was pretty flawless on my October Bliss cruise. I wonder if there was a lot of crew changes since then due to contract timings. Presumably the crew in place now will also start the Alaska season, which means it’s my turn to have a Wine Glass Battle… 

37 minutes ago, FLcruisergrl said:

I’m 0 for 2 at Le Bistro. The first time I found it bland and the 2nd I felt sick afterwards. I like Ocean Blue (that bread!) and La Cucina. Cagney’s is a reliable solid, but I love La Cucina because they have a wonderful filet AND you can get pasta!

OMG, the bread at Ocean Blue. Unfortunately it messed up the experience for me because I ate so much of the bread that I didn’t have any appetite left for the food. That’s why I’ve avoided a return visit. 
 

Another vote for La Cucina. It’s simple and unfussy and just a nice place to relax with a glass of lightweight Pinot Grigio. Its lack of popularity makes reservations easy, too…

But my favorite is Food Republic. 

5 hours ago, Red-Sol said:

The way actual bookings are going it's more like "wishful thinking" 🤣

Well, of the 73 Studios on Prima, 67 are booked for the first transatlantic. Other categories have low availability, too. Then again, final payment date is still a few months away. I wonder how/if prices will drop then? They're sure not going to get new bookings at the current jaw-dropping rates.

57 minutes ago, RVACruiser43 said:

How about $5600 for 2 for a midship balcony?  and that includes $599 for the air!  Can't get close to that at todays pricing.  I looked and Viva and went running LOL.

 

Oh man, the pricing on the new ships... for the first Prima transatlantic, I booked a Studio at $2400 on the first day of availability. Today, a Studio is $5300. I also booked a Studio on the first Viva transatlantic, $3000 at booking and $3464 today. Yikes. 

I think that's called "confident pricing."

18 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

They kept them secret!  I didn’t realize this until almost the end of the cruise.

That's really weird. I was on Bliss for the October return-to-service cruise, and went to buffet most nights for a little pizza & cookie indulgence. Hoping the cookies return to normal distribution levels in a couple weeks when I'm back onboard...

2 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Just as the title asks...

Before the cruise: Call NCL

Once onboard: Go to the dining reservations desk or call dining reservations from your cabin phone

5 hours ago, KristinLM said:

Thank you. I was aware of that. A day pass is not something we would purchase--we would feel we had to be in the spa the whole day--not just an hour or so in the evenings or mornings (that's one expensive hour). Day passes are almost as expensive as upgrading for my sailing right now.

I am just debating the room upgrade, not spa access in general; e.g. we will not be purchasing a $300/pp spa access for the week.

My question was more to the benefits of room upgrade + thermal spa access, not how to get into the spa. At this moment, the take is that bidding gives us a great chance of a loud room below the pool/fitness rooms with spa access. Upgrading may give us access to a quieter room with spa access.

 

My current feeling is to keep the room we have and skip the bidding. I would be disappointed to have a loud(er) room.

Chances are good that you’d get a quieter room. But that’s the deal with bidding - you get what you get. I just monitor prices obsessively and then buy into the fancier cabin if the price drops enough. I do like that big shower!

3 hours ago, Swells1 said:

Pardon me if this has been asked before, but I am unable to find the previous posts.

 

Does the Starbucks onboard have a full or limited menu (the Sky if that makes a difference)? Am I able to use an outside method of payment (ie- SB gift cards, reward redemptions), or is it strictly room charge only? 

 

TIA 

If the Starbucks is a licensed, branded location - and it is on Sky - you will have a full beverage menu and limited food menu. You can use SB gift cards or the app, and you do not need internet connectivity to use the app.

You will earn stars, too! Heck, I’ve finished Star Dashes twice while aboard NCL ships. I don’t think you can redeem stars but that might have changed. I’ll know in 12 days when I’m back on Bliss…

2 hours ago, matterdog919 said:

Hello All,

 

I am booked in a "Large Balcony Stateroom" - Attached a photo of  the option I chose when booking. Right now the minimum bid to upgrade to a Club Balcony is $75, which I would be fine with but I just know I'll end up in one of the rooms literally right by the elevators and would have to listen to them dinging all night. I keep  tracking every day the price to just "buy into" one of these rooms as it bounces up and down. I'm curious if anyone knows how NCL choses which rate you are buying into. I.E. right  now the sail-away is $1,299 ($50 more than I paid) and the Free-At-See version is $1,442. My guess is I would have to move into the $1,442 price. Is that the right way to think about it? Do I lose the ability to do that if the promotions have changed? I.E. Do I need to pull the trigger before the air-fare option drops off here in a couple weeks - or will they let me buy into the better cabin up until I check in irrelevant of which "Free At See" options are still being offered?

 

Thank you for the help!

 

 

1. If you're past final payment date, you can usually buy your way into another cabin type if the new cabin's fare is more expensive than what you already paid. My last two cruises were originally booked into Studios; when the fares dropped after the final payment date, I paid to move into something with a balcony. You buy into whatever you want to buy into, as long as the fare is higher.

2. If you do so, you lose the perks attached to your original booking and get the current perks, for better or worse.

3. But... if I recall correctly you cannot buy your way upward if you used the NCL Air promo, and it sounds like you did? If so, the question is moot.

A Club Balcony gets two deliveries of treats (nothing spectacular), a free bag of laundry, ability to book restaurants/shows 5 days earlier, and a bottle of inexpensive sparkling wine. The shower is really nice but otherwise... I'd rather have that large balcony!

Another caveat is that, at least from what I'm seeing in photos of Epic, it looks like all Club Balconies have tub/showers (that look pretty deep) rather than walk-in showers. If you're petite or have knee issues, this could be less than fun. 

1 hour ago, OrcaGirl said:

We loved the location of the spa cabins, and spent most of our time in Glacier Bay on the balcony versus up on the top deck. And we really loved being able to hop up to the spa even for an hour here and there when the weather outside turned nasty. LOVED being in the spa pool when the ship was rocking in the waves, but that might not be for everyone.

So I'm not the only one who loves that! It's like being in a wave pool.

Spa balcony pro: Thermal suite pass included, close to the spa area

Spa balcony con: Pricing could be more than regular balcony + spa passes, location could be a little noisy if you wind up under the fitness center or pool deck

The Encore/Bliss thermal suite is deck 16 aft with a wall of windows. The view is fabulous. I spend a couple hours there almost daily during cruises, relaxing in the pool and then on a padded lounger (I don't like the tiled ones).

On these ships, the spa balcony cabins are deck 15 aft; a set of the B9 cabins on the port side (15242-15258) are under the fitness center. 

I usually wear a drawstring backpack around the ship and always wear it to the buffet. I'll get a beverage and leave both it and the backpack on my selected table. So far so good.

I do scout out the buffet first to minimize how much time I'm away from the table.

Definitely Uber/Lyft unless you're renting a car. It's not in the most convenient location and there's nothing of note within walking distance. 

9 minutes ago, Yodalicious said:

How much does the upgrade cost to the premium package .  Considering that the upgrade includes tips, I’m thinking it might be worth while

 

For my upcoming Bliss 7-day cruise, the upgrade to Premium Plus is $34.80 per day ($29 + 20% gratuity), which comes to $243.60 per person.

22 hours ago, nicoleinwi said:

Sailing on the Encore end of May.  DH & I are seasoned cruisers with NCL (but first cruise since COVID).  But we are going with his parents who have never cruised before so I want to make sure everything goes smoothly.  When it's just us 2 I'm not as concerned but when I'm responsible for other people I want to be prepared.  

 

Soda Package - Dad will want that but not mom.  When I went to try to book it, it won't let me add it.  Do you know if this is something you now have to book onboard?  I thought when we cruised previously we could book ahead.  

Dailies - Do you still get those in your room or do they expect you to use your app?

Tea - Mom drinks hot tea.  I'm assuming that is included with regular cruise fare, she doesn't need to buy a package to get it?

Online Check - Is this where we select our boarding time?  I'm hoping we could get in by 11.  Do we need to be on this on day 21 to get the time or do we have some time to wait?  Also with online checkin, is this where we take our photo and upload now and also watch the safety video?

Muster Drill - Does it happen or not as I'm thinking we watch the online video?

 

Thanks in advance!

Complimentary hot tea is available in restaurants, the Garden Cafe, and the Observation Lounge. There's a small variety of black and herbal teas, but I just bring my own tea bags to quench my Stash lemon ginger tea addiction. I'm blanking out on the brand available onboard. Bigelow, maybe?

I've done six cruises since the restart, two on NCL, and received paper dailies every day on every cruise. I didn't want them since I prefer to do things on the app, but oh well.

Yes, if you want the earliest boarding period, check in on the first day you can. Everybody wants to be the first onboard! And yes, you'll complete all the check-in logistics ahead of time including the muster drill video.

Since you will watch the muster drill video ahead of time during check-in, the only thing you'll need to do onboard for muster is to visit your assigned muster station and get your card scanned. You don't have to do it immediately, but make it a priority.

Just now, vacation44 said:

YES!!!!   When it pops up on my tablet, I cannot see the "X" to "X" out and have to start my search all over again .

 

Does anyone have a suggestion to block it?

Rotate your tablet. You should be able to see the X then. Agreed, it’s super annoying. 

A random sample: May 20-27 on Bliss, BF balcony. It’s $2248 for two people ($1124 pp). For a solo, it’s $1686.

I’m on the April 30 sailing and darn it, I wish I’d done a last minute booking. BF is going for $948 solo, with BAs at $1169. You can book a BB for about the same price as a Studio. The deals appear to be for BF, BB, and BA; other categories don’t seem discounted.

I didn’t price out other ships and dates, but if you want an early-season Alaska balcony at a reasonable solo price, check it out!

TBH, if you want the local Seattle dining experience, that's carryout chicken teriyaki (sticky sweet sauce, served with rice and either mushy mixed veggies or salad with sesame dressing) from a hole-in-the-wall place. 

There are much fancier places, but teriyaki joints are pure Seattle. 

Assuming you're flying it, you can get a taste of Beecher's at the airport. Their mac & cheese is so dang good.

2 hours ago, Cruiseandgamble said:

 

The 3/20 Gem cruise had Diet Sierra Mist in cans at the Casino Bar.  

Good to know, thanks! I loathe diet Pepsi and there's only so much iced tea one can drink...

The most recent price I've seen is $3.45, which I do not think includes refills (anyone know for sure?). Three sodas a day will make the package worthwhile.

NCL is a Pepsi customer so you'll have Sierra Mist rather than Sprite. Ginger ale is available. The only diet soda is, as far as I can tell, diet Pepsi.

NCL has bad beverage packages if you're not interested in alcoholic drinks, since the options are soda or soda + booze. Unless you upgrade to the top tier beverage package, you'll pay out of pocket for specialty coffees, bottled water, and smoothies. I tried RC for the first time recently and felt that the Refreshment package was a great deal considering how often I used it. I mean, milkshakes and lattes and Coke Freestyle concoctions at no extra cost, it was amazing for someone used to NCL...

14 hours ago, Moon Orchid said:

Hi everyone, we have an upcoming cruise on Navigator May 30th. Our original plan was to fly from Denver to Long Beach airport and stay at Crowne Plaza in San Pedro the night before. But I saw that Southwest have a flight arrive LAX at 7:25 am. Would we be okay if we're flying into LAX that early? I keep reading that LAX airport is complicated. We had always flying in a day or two before so a little nervous if we take this flight. Thank you.

LAX is under construction. It always is. It's annoying and I'd rather avoid it, yet I keep booking flights to LAX even though I swear I'll fly into SNA... But it's more annoying than complicated. Kinda like cleaning a litter box.

LAX has an excellent website with tons of useful info including the ground transportation situation: https://www.flylax.com/

If you're flying Southwest, you'll be at Terminal 1. It's the terminal closest to the LAXit lot so you can walk instead of taking the LAXit shuttle (walking will likely be faster unless you have a lot of stuff to haul). 

Drop your bags at the hotel and then go play tourist! The Red Trolley is operating if you want to explore San Pedro (https://www.discoversanpedro.org/visit/getting-here-and-around, scroll down to the link). If you'd rather walk around downtown Long Beach, the LADOT Commuter Express route 142 bus bounces between downtown San Pedro and downtown Long Beach (https://www.ladottransit.com/comexp/routes/142/142.html), with a stop conveniently located next to the Crowne Plaza. It's $1.50 each way.

3 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

The days of the $18 shuttle ride are long gone.

Yup. Per the SuperShuttle site, they still have very limited operations for shared vans. They don't appear to be doing shared vans at LAX right now but do offer an Uber-ish experience with a private vehicle.

Their cheapest option is the standard SuperShuttle Express (max of 3 persons). A Friday afternoon ride from LAX to the Doubletree came up as $62, which is about twice the Lyft estimate for the same route.

Honestly, just go to the airport, go to LAXit, and grab a taxi. It's the easiest option for those without a smartphone.

1 hour ago, BoundForSea said:

Okay if they even just have that, that’s perfect. Didn’t know with all the shortages if they actually had it in stock or not. It will play a part in  whether we do the Premium Drink package or not for my wife’s SF Latte’s. 

 

Thanks!!

Unless you want the other offerings in the premium package, the upgrade cost isn't worth it just for the Starbucks.

The stores onboard NCL and RC ships are licensed ones (like the ones found in supermarkets, Target, etc.) and you can use your card or Starbucks app. You'll earn stars, too!

Can confirm that on both of my NCL cruises since the restart, the Starbucks locations had all the usual stuff.

4 hours ago, BoundForSea said:

Hello all,

 

In preparation for our May Bliss voyage, two questions for anyone who can give current info:

 

1.  Does Starbucks have Sugar Free Syrups for their drinks (typically Vanilla or Caramel in Land Stores)

 

2.  Can anyone provide the various CURRENT (I found 2019 prices online only)  drink prices as if they were purchased without a Drink Package? Just use typical Spirits and selections from the regular Drinks Package not anything from the Premium package. 

 

Thanks all

 

 

Like all U.S. Starbucks locations, the ones onboard only have sugar-free vanilla. 😞

FWIW, I've also been on RC and Princess recently. RC'S Cafe Promenade only has SF vanilla, but at least that's better than Princess which (at least on Majestic Princess) had none.