laudergayle

I am thrilled to report that my BoA NCL WP card has arrived and I will be able to use it for final payment. This may not be new info to the thread…but, in reading through the small print (which I typically don’t do), I discovered that BoA has a program called Preferred Rewards. You can earn 25-75% more on your card spending if you have a 3-month combined avg of $20k or more in combined BoA accounts…which also includes Merrill investing. I just opened a Merrill account and initiated a 401k rollover for an old employer account. Unfortunately with the holiday I doubt the funds will rollover quick enough to get the bonus this time…but will be nice for future spending. as an example…$3000 spend on NCL expenses = 9000 WP and with a 50% bonus one would earn 4500 WP for a total of 13,500 WP. Sweet.

Yes..this layout is often found in hotels, BUT with the shower and toilet are in the same room with the sink vanity outside….and separated from the sleeping area. That being stated…we loved our Epic cruise and would book again with right price/itinerary despite the different cabin configuration. Hope you “Birds’” are enjoying your new nest.

My interruption was because I thought the $360 was for multiple ppl. Then I realized you were prob taking a 14 day cruise (that which I have not been able to take…yet🙁🙂). If I were a parent of a 14 yo half child/adult…YES invest in the $360. my fav story is when we took our 3 teenage boys on a mini-cruise in the early ‘90’s. We gave each one a phone card to call home ONCE WE GOT TO THE BAHAMAS. Well…on the first Sea Day, middle son met us before dinner to proclaim he had used entire 10 mins. calling his GF back in the states. Problem being…he used the cabin phone!! YIKES. Yeah…$250 ish later. Still have the photo…and over time the memory is worth so much more than the expense.

Never mind my interruption…🤣

This is 12017 FWD large balcony on the Epic with bed by the balcony. You can typically tell where the bed is located in the balcony rooms from the NCL deck plan.

Hotel Platka in the Platka neighborhood. It is within walking distance to everything you want to see and in a safe area. Some of the rooms face the Acropolis, and they have a rooftop bar that looks out over it as well. When we stayed, the rates were reasonable. Book yourself at https://www.plakahotel.gr/ We LOVED Athens and the Platka area. It’s about a 15-20 min taxi ride from the port and 25ish mins from the airport.

People also ask Is it tostada or tostado? noun,plural tos·ta·das [toh-stah-duhz; Spanish taws-tah-thahs]. Mexican Cooking. a tortilla fried until crisp and usually topped with a variety of ingredients, as shredded meat or chicken, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. at least according to Google…lol

Yes…we did too, we picked that setup so that we would be further away from the sink in the cabin. The Epic bathroom layout didn’t bother us, loved the water fun on the ship.

Try Food Republic if that is cuisine you like. It’s more casual but great food. Take a look at their menu. You get 4 items per person and it’s a lot of food. The sushi rolls were good. But two things I loved were the Firecracker Shrimp (simple, but basically fresh shrimp elongated in a fried wonton wrapper) with sweet Thai chili sauce, and I really really liked the flavor of the Shitake & water Chestnut Dumplings…amazing flavor blend. Bon appetite 😋

Wow, that’s a lot of caramel…lol. But def OMG.

I ❤️ crème brûlée too!! We have only cruised post Covid but it’s been on the menu since at least Oct. 2021. I thought the Ile Flontante in LeBistro was very similar to a crème brûlée only lighter. It had a crunchy top and a creamy meringue below it. You should try that if you can.

@cruiseny4life those “tortilla chips” (lol) look amazingly fresh and delish. It is silly how small they are!! We’re they served in the Haven?

@GORDONCHICK @frayedend @UKstages @cruiseny4life calling all true NY style cheesecake lovers. If you haven’t tried the OMG Butterscotch Cheesecake in Cagney’s…you must!! Also Onda ricotta cheesecake is good…but not nearly as good as Cagney’s…IMO.

Yeah, if you typically book club balcony or above…then the upgrade isn’t as attractive. We typically book club balcony. We just got our new card so once I pay for our November cruise we will trigger the 20k points plus 3x what we still owe on that cruise, plus use the card for all onboard expenses. Once we’ve completed our November cruise we will have enough to upgrade from OV to balcony. We will be looking for a longer more expensive cruise to get the most value from the upgrade. I think we’ll be fine in a regular balcony. Enjoy your cruises.

Yes. We stayed on starboard side in 12017…which is just below the bridge. It was nice because we had a clear view down to the ocean…no lifeboats below.

If you’re a frequent cruiser…don’t cash your 20000 points in fir a $200 OBC. For 30000 you can do a one category upgrade from OV to Balcony. Read back through the posts from the last 5ish pages and you will some great tips.

My DH agrees.

We found it was a great place to get a drink after getting back on board…in the AC (or warm in cold weather) and typically not crowded at that time.

Don’t know what ship you’re sailing, but if there is an Observation Lounge they are typically found there too.

Some of our favs: Grilled chicken salad sandwich in The Local Dessert Cheese & Fruit Plate as appetizer in MDR (goes great with rolls) Goat Cheese croquettes and Beet Salad in LeBistro Ile Flontante dessert in LeBistro Butterscotch Cheesecake in Cagney’s Salad Bar in Moderno Grilled Pineapple in Moderno Frito Misto in LaCucina I made myself hungry 🤤 here is a pic of the grilled chicken salad from the Local.

Glutton for Punishment for sure. 😂 As much as I enjoyed the Prima…after hearing about the excessive noise in wide open waters, there is no way in $#%% I would do 5 days across the Atlantic in November!!

Rinse and repeat.

Ditto for us. We would def book another cruise if they would send us an offer. But, now, I’m hesitant to book anything knowing we haven’t received one yet…it’s part “hopeful we’ll get one” and “pissed that we haven’t “. Lol.

I honestly believe you when you speak of cabin noise. We had it for two nights due to quite rough seas. With the drink package and white noise, I was fine. DH…who normally sleeps sound was kept more awake. However, we both loved Prima snd would sail again. that being said, NCL really needs to find her sweet spot. TA cruises need to be rock bottom pricing due to the impact of rough seas and cabin noise. Hot summer Caribbean cruises wouldn’t be ideal due to limited pool access and competition. Bermuda out of NYC was ideal (not until Spring) because people left the ship to enjoy Bermuda for several days. Alaska would be a good itinerary…especially the Vancouver/Seward or Whittier/Vancouver run. Mediterranean in shoulder season…awesome. Northern Europe in Summer (not shoulder) season is likely a good fit. NCL will figure it out eventually. Right now they’re showing off their newest ship…and falling short. PRIMA is a good ship when on the right itinerary.

There’s a couple old sayings (yes I’m older than many). 1) don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. 2) variety is the spice of life. YOLO… so why not catch a deal and form your own opinion. Yes, Prima prices are going ⬇️.