Cruiseandgamble

In January the Jade docked at the Cruise Piers right off of Front Street - this picture is from Mallory Square.

I was on the Jade TA this past November and BOTH soft-serve machines in the buffet were labeled as "Lactose-Free" for both Chocolate and Vanilla flavors. Definitely tasted very different from what I've had on other NCL ships so not their "normal" mix. Still ate it though 🙂

Nonstop flights to Rome from the east coast generally arrive before 10am. NCL probably booked them on a flight to another European hub (Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, etc.) and then a connection on to Rome.

Look at the itinerary section of your cruise confirmation - it'll have whether you're docking or tendering for each port (though that could always change based on weather conditions, harbor traffic, sustainability needs 🙂, etc.)

Google Maps shows its only 1.1 miles from the Marriott Marquis to Pier 88. 22 minutes to walk or 11 minute cab or Uber ride.

I did the Epic Western Med cruise followed by an Escape Greek Isles cruise a few days later, both out of Rome. We embarked and disembarked the Epic at the Cruise Terminal (Pier 12, along the breakwater). Embarking and disembarking the Escape was from the Rome Cruise Terminal at Pier 25. The Epic processes were smooth and easy as the terminal wasn't crowded and its a newer facility. The Escape process, not so much. The public busses for the Rome Cruise Terminal drop you off at an inner-port bus station where you then line up for your appropriate cruise ship and wait for another bus to take you to the "terminal" for check-in and boarding whereas the public busses for the Cruise Terminal at Pier 12 drop you off right outside that building.

I finally got around to submitting my 2 Shareholder OBC requests. Cruises are in June and November of 2023. Case numbers were assigned and Do Not Reply emails received (both around 5:40pm ET). Let the speculation begin!

I'll be submitting Shareholder OBC requests tomorrow for my June 2023 and November 2023 cruises. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Nor can I, hence my question 🙂

You're able to submit an upgrade bid on a cruise that far into the future???

I was on the Escape this summer and disembarked at Civitecchia. I had a 12:50pm flight to Amsterdam and used NCL's transfer to get to FCO with plenty of time to spare. When making the transfer request on NCL's site, it'll ask you for the the flight number and tell you if your flight is allowed to use their transfer service. I was actually going to Stockholm and the earlier nonstops or connections weren't allowed so settled for the AMS connection. Hope this helps.

I was booked in 10686 (same room but on the port side) for a 28-day Cape Town to Athens (originally 24-day Cape Town to Singapore) cruise. But that was supposed to sail on 3/22/20 and we all know what happened to those cruises. Would've been sweet having 28 days in that cabin, especially with 10 sea days!

Doubt it. Of the 26 days only 3 were sea days so my play was much lower than normal. Several of the port days had late departure times (Livorno x2, Palma, Santorini, Valetta, Kotka, Klaipeda, Warnemunde) so either spent little or no time in the casino those days - had dinner reservations or early shore excursions the next day. Waived Convenience Fees are listed as perks for Sapphire, Ruby and Elite across all NCL brands:

I’m just a lowly Sapphire tier player and my fees were automatically waived at the end of my last 3 cruises as well so not just Ruby and Elite.

I got off the Dawn on 7/20 and we arrived at Oceankaj, Terminal 2.

I did the Pompeii OYO tour last Wednesday. There was an escort that gave commentary on the bus ride to the site (about 30 minutes) then escorted us from the bus lot to the entrance, gave us the meeting time for the ride back, then we were on our own. At the entrance, there were two lines, one for those needing tickets and one for those that had purchased tickets on the internet - people on guided tours walked right in. I paid 16€ for the entrance fee and 8€ for an audio guide (rented across from the entrance behind the ice cream/lemonade stands - you need to leave your ID as collateral) and just wandered around the site. The time allotted was sufficient to see most of the site.

I'm embarking in Rome on Tuesday, so according to their chart the earliest I could test was today, which I did (negative too, whew!). If you're sailing from a US port, it's 2 days. The chart below is in the FAQs section of the SailSafe site (https://www.ncl.com/sail-safe), first question:

Got my upgrade email today for the 6/21 Epic out of Rome. Bid $100pp (minimum bid) to go from Inside to Club Balcony Suite and got it. Interestingly enough, I also bid $125pp to upgrade to a regular balcony but didn't get that category.

NCL has the schedule of when to test before your cruise based on embarkation port (U.S. vs. non-U.S.) and embarkation day. It's posted at https://www.ncl.com/sail-safe. To understand the earliest you should test prior to your cruise vacation, see below:

I got an updated letter from NCL implying the airport testing option won't be available any more (I'm on the June 21st Epic out of Rome):