laudergayle

If you do consider Lauterbrunnen, the connecting train station is Interlachen. The train stops in the center of Lauterbrunnen, right at the co-op market. There was…and probably still is, a free shuttle that takes you to almost anywhere you need to go in the village. We stayed in an AirBnB on Luterbach and the shuttle stopped right in front of the complex. There is a tram from the center of town up to Murren, a ski resort, and then cable access up to Schiltornbahn and Piz Gloria…where the 007 film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed. Train access from the center of town allows for quick easy access to other beautiful areas around Interlachen. Just thought I would give you more context for your travel planning.

Sounds amazing. ☝️That would be my vote!! I don’t know where you’re going in Switzerland, but if you have the chance, Lauterbrunnen Valley is the most beautiful place in spring and summer. We went there in winter for snow skiing and it was beautiful…but the pictures we have seen of spring/summer are breathtaking.

Yeah, of the 120 itineraries there are 9 that are 4-8 nights…so about 6%. The Rome to Venice looks decent until you get to the cost. They are pricing a balcony at $2399-$3349 pp for a 7/8 day cruise…yikes. Either demand is high or they are purposely dissuading people from booking. But thanks for doing that research for me.

Only if you want to. Your service will be just as good regardless of whether you tip or not. Mocktails are included in FAS drink package. Fresh squeezed fruit juice is not.

Yes something else to consider. Hotels in Miami are expensive. Hotels in Orlando are fairly inexpensive. Also transportation cost from hotel to port. In considering the Orlando option, look at goport.com. They offer one-way, RT and bundles with Orlando hotels. Pretty soon you really need to make a list of This or That. Check only one and the most checks wins. For instance: More Social or Less Social, Drinks Included or Drinks Separate, Orlando hotel or Miami hotel, Epcot/NASA, or local Miami sightseeing, Burn the Floor or Choir of Men, Older Funky Fun ship or Newer Stately ship, Daytime fun outside or Daytime fun inside. More checks on Left = Epic, More on Right = Encore. Good luck…time is ticking😎. Of course this is only my opinion based on the things you have stated.

Hey thanks for that. When I use NCL sort feature for 6-8 day duration, the only European or Med cruises that come up are for the Escape’s 5 sailings. Maybe I need to search ship by ship. Unfortunately we did the Greek Islands in 2021.

Valid point with the “new” cruiser. And, I also agree that a longer cruise is ideal. There was a reason your co-worker chose a 7-day cruise and it was likely a time/cost equation. I guess my point in my original post is that all of the ‘24 are long. 114 itineraries with multiple sailing dates, all but 5 sailings are greater than 8 days. That’s a lot of cabins to fill with people who can travel more freely.

Only if they can find enough couples that can cruise longer to make up for the displacement of those not able to travel longer.

@The Traveling Man Happy that longer and B2B itineraries work great for you…that certainly sounds ideal. And, that is what NCL is counting on. They factored in a 2% occupancy drop for ‘24. I have to believe there are many more people who can’t travel longer than those who can. Time will tell how this goes for NCL.

@latebuyer since you haven’t already booked, you could possibly take advantage of the Cruise First offer that is running right now. You can buy a CF certificate. get $500 certificate for $250 US. You can use this for your deposit. Don’t know how it works in Canada but hopefully you could take advantage of this savings.

Since the itineraries are the same and Miami is a better flight option, if it were me I would choose Encore. I think you will enjoy the more upscale feel of the ship. Epic is fun…but I think Encore will satisfy what you are looking for. Happy cruising 😊

Wow, NCL execs weren’t kidding when they said that in 2024 they would be looking at longer, more immersive itineraries. We’re looking at European and Mediterranean cruises for 2024. Out of 114 cruise itineraries (with multiple sailings) the only ship that offers a cruise of 6-8 days is the Escape, which has a total of 5 sailings in all of 2024. That’s crazy IMO. For us, coming from the US, we have to add 3-4 days just to allow for acceptable travel. Unfortunately, due to elder care, we’re not able to do long cruises. We try to keep our time away to 10-11 days at best. NCL’s 10+ night itineraries plus our 3-4 travel days makes NCL a no-go for us. As a shareholder I say 👎

What two or three itineraries are you considering? Re: soot in aft area really depends on which way wind is blowing. All ships can experience some soot from time to time. Epic does have soot at times and honestly we didn’t find Spice to be all that. It was a bunch of drinking smoking loud adults.

@CruiseCriticAaron Looking forward sailing Viva someday (when the $$$ go to $$ lol). My question is about the soft seating around the ship…especially in OL and Deck 8. Does the Viva still have the fabric upholstery or have they changed it to be more durable against staining? Also, did they increase the size of Surfside Cafe, and is it still a through-way for some to get from aft to pool?

I sort of feel the blue heart is neutral. Right now it means : like, agree, empathy, sympathy, happy, sad, and so on.

And, here I would have put a 🙁

CC…please can you add more emojis? my vote would be for 🙂 happy. 🙁 sad.

I hope the CD is still Marchena (sp.)…she took over from Simon on our Prima cruise in May. Very energetic and personable. Loved her flashy clothing style, too.

I think at this point, all of us are thinking, “is this for real??”

It makes me wonder at this point if your food is being served this way on purpose. This is crazy.

I’d say this is a little diametrically opposed to a Haven Maven. More power to you…🙌

For anyone wanting to do a pre-cruise in Venice, I highly recommend staying on Murano. The water taxi goes from the airport directly to Murano, where there are two stops. Main Murano waterfront and then right by the Hyatt Centric. We stayed in main at Murano Palace, a small boutique hotel. The water taxi will take you to all of the Venitian islands. Very easy to get around.

It is indeed a personal and pocketbook preference. Alaska excursions are very expensive compared to other destinations, so saving on cabin to experience Alaska may make more sense for some. If you are prone to claustrophobia or seasickness, having a balcony can be a saving grace. Another option you may consider. Checkout the NCL Mastercard thread on page 1 of this group. (Just read the last 15ish pages not all 232…lol). We just got the card, earned the 20k bonus. We are going to book an OV cabin, pay for it with our NCL card (3x points for cruise price). The 20k plus 3x cruise price will get us close to the 30k needed to do a one level upgrade from OV to Balcony. Pre booking a NCL excursion or two should get you to that 30k mark. Alaska is beautiful however you decide to experience her.

I don’t believe it is legal for the dude in 7-11 to be selling weed. I guess my point is…that it is sad that the police can’t/won’t enforce illegal behavior because there are no consequences. I didn’t bash those who smoke, I simply stated reality.

Holiday Inn Times Square at W 39th and 8th Ave. the police precinct is right in front of the hotel and the 7-11 is next door. It’s a good location…it’s just that weed has taken over the city.