craig01020

I agree. I haven't been on the Jade yet; I was on the Gem (which is similar) and really enjoyed it.

I just returned from a 7-day Mexico cruise on the beautiful Norwegian Jewel. And, yes, it is beautiful. We sailed on the Gem in 2021 and I expected the Jewel to look similar, but the last drydock really updated the look of the whole ship. The only thing I really miss is the fish carpet in the hallways; I found myself going the wrong way a couple of times. We had a balcony cabin. I expected it to be the same as the one we had on Gem, but after the dry dock improvements, there is less room. The safe is in an awkward spot. I even had to store some clothes in the nightstand. Bathroom felt tighter as well. The good: Ship was beautiful. Food in the MDR and buffet was very good. Shows were good (when they didn't conflict with my reserved dining) The odd: The atrium was unusually silent most days...nothing going on. No atrium bar, only Starbucks. The "shallow" end of both pools was about 5'4". I'm not a swimmer, just wanted to stand in the pool and cool off, but the water was up to my nose. There is no sign for Guest Services. That had to be a miss. Bottom line: I loved the Jewel. 👍

Not a worry. My future Escape cruise has zero sea days! 😂

Good morning all. I am planning to visit Bruges on a Sunday this October while on a cruise. Should I expect many shops/restaurants to be closed? Thanks.

I've been using a stretchy adhesive phone wallet on several of my recent cruises. Very handy.

Starting to have second thoughts about my 10-day Europe cruise booked on the Escape. I've read many bad reviews citing the crowds and inability to get into shows or even elevators. Certainly there has to be some Encore lovers out there. If so, please tell me why you're a fan. Thanks.

Choose both...that's 105% off!

I do that too, but it kind of kills the whole "freestyle" concept.

Well said.

Can someone tell me if the cabin doors on Dawn are steel? I'm wondering if a magnet will stick to it. (And, yes, I know the official Norwegian policy on cabin door decorations. I saw plenty on the Jewel 2 weeks ago.)

Was there a place to store luggage on the train?

Hello all! I have booked an Ireland cruise for May 2024 on Norwegian. On my booking confirmation, it specifies the ports of Waterford, Galway and Dingle as tender ports, but those ports are not included on Norwegian's list of tender ports: https://www.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising-tender-ports Anyone here have first-hand knowledge of these ports? Thanks.

No problem. I do it all the time.

Me too, especially when folks complain about the gratuities they knew about before sailing.

Where have you been? Free is a marketing term that doesn't really mean free. Ever hear of "buy one, get one free"? It sounds like you knew about the required gratuities beforehand, so I'm not sure why you're suddenly so upset.

I just finished my third Norwegian cruise, and they've all been a little different. I don't understand the "nickle-and-diming" comment because everything is spelled out when booking. I choose not to get the "free" beverage package because my wife and I aren't really big drinkers. On my latest 7-day cruise, my bar tab was only $100. I have sailed with Royal, Carnival and Celebrity. I like them all for different reasons. If you don't want to sail on a particular cruise line again, that's your right. Just be sure you read the booking details to avoid unwelcome surprises.

It's back to normal now.

I just logged in and looked at my 9-day Europe cruise. It now shows every day as a sea day! Anyone else have this issue?

Good afternoon, First timer to Amsterdam here. I am planning to arrive a couple days before my May 2024 cruise from Rotterdam. Would it make sense to go directly to Rotterdam from the airport, and take a train to Amsterdam (sans luggage) on day #2? Or would you recommend staying in Amsterdam, then traveling to Rotterdam on embarkation day? Thanks!

Is there luggage storage on this train?

Thanks! It looks like the Hampton and Holiday Inn Express are closest to the Hoofddorp train station.

I am planning to stay in Amsterdam for 2 nights before our cruise. I've noticed that hotels near Schiphol airport cost a lot less than hotels right in Amsterdam. Is it crazy to use an airport hotel as a base for exploring Amsterdam? Thanks.

I got the "free" open bar on my first two NCL cruises, but on my recent 6-day Royal cruise I saw that our bar tab was less than $250. So, I've since removed the "free" open bar on my future NCL cruises. I think I'll just break even at worst. If I had an itinerary with a lot of sea days, then it may be worth it for me.

Brilliant!

Spoken like a shareholder...or just a sycophant.