ChiefMateJRK

It's because I was there and you weren't. Here you go: If you look closely you can actually see the horses smiling! 😀 It was a happy time in a happy world where the horses didn't have to endure any of the horrors of NYC. 😎

Well it certainly wasn't in the case I outlined. Have you taken that Shorex?

Yes. Exactly. I asked a simple question. I can't find your text on this page: Latitudes Rewards Program Overview | Norwegian Cruise Line (ncl.com) Can you?

I see this: But I can't find any explanation of the purpose. Where did you read that it is to assist in reservations?

Interesting. On a related note, last fall we took the horse drawn tour in Canada (I forget which port). Had a great discussion with the young lady in charge. Those horses are dearly loved and have a very easy life. She shared that their ability to pull a wagon was about ten times what they were actually doing. In other words, they were just out for a fun run around town. A mild exercise. She also shared that they had been protested at times for the "cruel" treatment of their horses. You can't make this crap up.

What is this "priority" that you folks are talking about?

I think the crowds are mostly NCL's fault. For our last three cruises, we checked in promptly at 12:00 am ET and received terminal arrival times of 9:00. In all cases, they didn't open the doors until at least 9:30, resulting in growing lines. I don't blame that on the customers. I recently checked in for my next cruise (also at 12:00 ET) and the earliest available time was 9:30. Has anybody received a 9:00 arrival time in the past two weeks? Maybe NCL woke up and fixed the "problem."

And, unfortunately, CN purchases.

That's odd because both NCL and the railroad are continuing to show bookings available on 4/25.

I can see your point and won't argue it. I will still give modest additional tips to the room steward, bartenders and drink servers; but I certainly won't approach the world class level of tipping that some subscribe to.

Not exactly what I was saying but close enough. 😎 I'm guessing that you are in a somewhat HCOL area. While Denny's here have gone up like everything else, they're still pretty cheap. Also, I think we get some kind of AAA or AARP discount like 10% or so.

I'm guessing that this didn't come from NCL. Correct?

Did you even read my post? I suggested that since we're really only upgrading from an MDR dinner, than the incremental cash value likely wouldn't exceed $50 per person. You can argue that if you want, but I've eaten in the MDR many times and also had many specialty dinners. I certainly wouldn't pay more than $50 pp for any added specialty dining. btw: We've had breakfast for two at Denny's many times and have never approached $50. What are you ordering?

That's good to know! I have never felt any affects, but you never know.

You can get ice yourself in either the Observation Lounge or Buffet on the Encore. For some strange reason, they shut down the ice in the OL around 10:00 PM. I always carry around a Hydro-flask and ice will stay frozen in that all day long.

Keeping in mind that those menu "list prices" are crazy inflated to convince us that the "free" meals are worth a fortune. They're not, particularly considering that we're really just upgrading from an MDR dinner. With that in mind, I would place the cash value of a specialty dinner at no more than $50. So, the 20% tipper might leave $10. (hey, I just gave the analytical backup to @scar4711's suggestion 😎)

I would book the shows first. Remember, Platinum and above and some room classes have already had a five day head start. Besides, booking the shows takes only a minute or two, while the checkin process can take ten to fifteen minutes. Also, despite the earliest check ins getting the earliest port arrival times, we haven't heard of anybody actually checking those times at the terminal for a long time.

My iPhone receives messages and emails over wi-fi, so turning off cellular talk and data (i.e. putting it in airplane mode) has no impact. Beyond that, just log into and out of your free minutes as you see fit. When in a domestic port it is sometimes best to take the phone out of airplane mode and to use my plan's cellular data instead of consuming the free ship minutes. I just need to remember to put it back into airplane mode so it doesn't ping some foreign tower and purchase a $10 day plan (ATT). That's only happened to me once.

We've been on four AK cruises and, IIRC, had to wait for trains on three of them. No big deal. Once was a hotel shuttle, which we weren't paying for delays. Once was a cab (paid by the hotel because their shuttle had a "flat tire." Right 🤣) so we didn't pay the cab to sit and wait. The other was an Uber, which was a flat rate so the driver took a bit of a detour to minimize his down time. Nice!! Once he wears those on a ship, he'll be asking for more. Never to early to start that Christmas list 🎅. 😎 Don't forget to pack his slippers! 🤣

I pretty sure that is what most of us do. That doesn't mean we can't have meaningless debates/discussions though.😎 It's not like I'm wasting my time on the ship with these minutiae.

Interesting. What do you do for hot water?

We used to use those types of services. They were fine but had a few drawbacks. a) we sometimes had to wait a while for the van to arrive and/or fill up b) often times we had to squeeze through to one of the back rows and that isn't easy for somebody like me who barely fits into an airline seat c) depending on your luck of the draw, you might have to stop at several other hotels for drop offs before reaching your hotel d) they typically required advance purchase and were non-refundable in some scenarios As I mentioned earlier, Uber/Lyft have become our transfers of choice. I resisted for a while because of typical human "reluctance to change," but eventually forced myself to try them out and I've been very pleased with them. When DD travels with us we need to order an XL, which theoretically seats up to five. That's a joke, but typically the driver will let one of us sit in the front seat so it's very comfortable. WRT Pier 66, I've had Uber pick us up on Bell street before and that makes it very quick and simple, as they don't have to navigate the chaos that is Alaskan way during ship loading/unloading. We may try that for drop off next AK cruise, as it avoids being delayed by trains which for some reason are blocking the streets every single time.

My most preferred: Shorex purchased on ship Taxes on drinks in port If I buy one low priced Shorex on board (think Juneau tram, Icy Strait gondola, bus tours, etc.) then I get one free with FAS and we pay about $50 for DW. Add in a typical $20 - $30 in drink taxes while in port and we're left with couch change for a $100 SH OBC. Add a second Shorex and it's gone.

That's not this. See below satellite of SeaTac terminal. Uber/Lyft is indicated on the right (obviously, not on the top level of the garage).