NEW 2 CRUISIN

I admit, I skipped right past this thread when I first saw it.....but then I went to print out our documents this morning and there they were -- all 9 pages -- with plenty of blank space, AND the barcode separate from the rest of the ticket!

Good point made by the OP!

By the time I added in 4 luggage tags, the amenities page, and booked dining and entertainment pages, I had quite the stack there!

I read other folks' suggestions, but have to admit, as savvy a user as I think I am, I could not get

to the options to "shrink to fit" or adjust to a certain percentage.

They are there every other time i print something, but just were not there on the cruise documents!

Plus....for those who may be OCD, that little bar code all alone on its own page, away form the document it goes with, can be anxiety-inducing! HAHA!

Oh well, if it's 16 pages they want, I'll have them for them at check-in!

Under 60 days now til we head to Europe, so I thought I'd bump this back on to the front page.

If anyone will be joining us, let us know here, or join us over on the "main" cruise roll call page for this sailing.

:)

This post once again makes me wonder....

Why do people book a trip first....THEN read the reviews???

In any event, just remember that people are more likely to complain about stuff than to compliment stuff.

To keep it in perspective.....there are THOUSANDS of people on each cruise, and only a very small handful of bad reviews.

You should be more excited than nervous!

We've been on 5 different lines and loved everyone of them!

You picked a great itinerary and the Gem is a great ship!

HAVE FUN!!

As I have done in the past, I went to my local bank branch to order up some Euros for our upcoming trip.

To my surprise, they had them readily available (instead of ordering and coming back to pick them up a course days later). So I took them!

Rate was exactly as printed in the paper that morning (1.4) and there was no service charge, as I am a long time customer with them.

For me, I like knowing I have cash available to pay for anything right away. The thought that my ATM card might not work for some reason when I get to Europe far outweighs carrying some extra euros in my money belt.

I especially like having smaller bills for taxi drivers and tips, snacks, etc. The ATM in Paris gave only 100 and 50 denominations last time.

Everyone has their own comfort level, and this method satisfies mine.

Now I can't wait to go spend them!!!!

:)

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Those museums were a crazy mess 3 years ago when we visited!

We were lucky to get an "OK glance" at everything from "The David" to "Mona" and "The Sistine" among others, but certainly could not spend any length of time in the crowded viewing areas. There was too much else to do!!

Any successful event is the same way - they need the crowd to survive, but the crowds can kill them! I wouldn't be surprised to see the museums go to a "timed" entry to control the crowd flow, but if nobody leaves that doesn't work either! LOL

Seems to work well at Sagrada Famillia and The Leaning Tower, so there's still hope!

Whatever possesses entire families to "squat" in front of a museum piece for hours is beyond me. I suspect they've grown anxious from not being able to hog deck chairs for the day! HAHA!

Still, we can't wait to get back there in a couple months!!

we would just point out that for those of us who pay our entire credit card bill when due, there are zero interest charges on almost any card.

This!

Unless you absolutely have to, don't cut it so close or you'll spend the morning worrying - especially of the train is late, etc.

We took a private tour from the ship at 8AM and they recommended we get our tickets for 9 AM. We made it just in time due to some traffic jams along the way.

It's an awesome experience, so enjoy!!!

Thanks Terry!

I agree with Cathy!

Those museums were a crazy mess 3 years ago when we visited!

We were lucky to get an "OK glance" at everything from "The David" to "Mona" and "The Sistine" among others, but certainly could not spend any length of time in the crowded viewing areas. There was too much else to do!!

Any successful event is the same way - they need the crowd to survive, but the crowds can kill them! I wouldn't be surprised to see the museums go to a "timed" entry to control the crowd flow, but if nobody leaves that doesn't work either! LOL

Seems to work well at Sagrada Famillia and The Leaning Tower, so there's still hope!

Whatever possesses entire families to "squat" in front of a museum piece for hours is beyond me. I suspect they've grown anxious from not being able to hog deck chairs for the day! HAHA!

Still, we can't wait to get back there in a couple months!!

We use a Tour Company that provides a driver, BUT, also arranges for a tour guide at both the Vatican and Pompeii for our group (at an extra cost for the private guide, of course!)

For Pisa/Florence, a guide is not needed, as everything is right there. I think it's more important to print off a map of each city and check their websites to get some idea of the route you want to follow in each town. A little precruise planning anda pick up spot from the driver is all you need for this port.

Generally, any tickets needed for the Pisa Tower, Vatican, or Museums need to be arranged in advance so you can "skip the lines ". Check with your tour company to see how they handle this.

HAVE FUN!!!

This is also what happens in Europe. On some relatively small purchases the card works without a PIN. A good example would be on toll roads (except in the southern part of France) where no PIN or signature is required. We have also purchased lower priced train tickets (and Metro tickets) in vending machines without being ask for a PIN.

 

Hank

Thanks, Hank!

I suspected that was the case after I made my purchase.

I am traveling for work this week, but will try the Andrews card again this weekend with a larger purchase to satisfy my curiosity!

A few of the major retailers in NY already have equipment installed for the chip/pin transacations.

Just chiming in here with an odd experience from this week --

I have my new Andrews CC and want to use it a few times before our trip, to assure all is well.

I was excited to learn that our local Walmart Stores are now processing cards like this.

All excited, I ran over to Walmart after work, grabbed a few small items and checked out, using my new Andrews CC.

I stuck the card in, the transaction was processed, I removed my card as instructed, and was handed a receipt and a thank you!

BUMMER -- Much to my dismay....I was never asked for a PIN or a signature!

So now, I know I can buy stuff with it.....but I still don't know if the CHIP/PIN part of it works! HAHA!

That night I wondered if perhaps the purchase needs to be of a certain value and I didn't spend enough? Many stores now do not even make you sign with your old CC if the purchase is less than $25 or so. Wonder if that's the case with triggering the PIN entry?

I'll be calling Andrews in the morning. :cool:

One more chance to get this post noticed!

Anyone joining us on this EPIC cruise out of Barcelona inOctober??

Looks like I picked a bad week to start smoking on cruises.............

We loved the chilled fruit soups too!

Ordered them every time (sometimes more than once <wink>!)

Read a post recently on here where they might be making a comeback!

I'd be happy to see that!

Any thoughts as to the reasons for Breakaway and Sun's relatively poor records especially compared to the Getaway and the NCL Dawn? Sizes and number of passengers on Breakaway are similar to Getaway and Sun and Dawn seem comparable. How did the ships score on previous inspections that might indicate a one-time problem or a persistent one?

At the link provided, search for a perticular ship and read the "CORRECTIVE REPORT" link.

This shows what items had points deducted from a perfect "100".

Some infractions have points attached, while others do not.

Pretty interesting reports!

Many of the deducted points on the Breakaway were for poorly cleaned meat slicers and storage of other cooking materials.

I would think these are important basic health/safety issues no matter what size the ship is. Re-training staff is generally mentioned as part of the solution.

You can see lots more by looking around the posetd link (re: history of scores, etc.)

This has become our favorite NCL restaurant. Wondering if there are plans to add one on Spirit. Thanks.

I remember reading that Spirit had a drydock earlier this year, but it was just for technical and cosmetic improvements.

Funny about Moderno....folks either love it or hate it.

We loved it on our first cruise on the EPIC a few years ago, but on another ship later (Gem, maybe??) it was awful.

We're afraid to try it again! HAHA!

Plus, I realized that by the time I decide to turn my thing to "RED"...its already two servings too late! :eek:

As this will be our first time in this part of the world, we'll need to do more research and planning than normal. (Part of the fun, RIGHT?!?!)

So excited to be going to Norway, but always like to extend the vacation to explore some cities on land before or after the cruise.

For those familiar with cruising out of Copenhagen, here is our BIGGEST QUESTION:

- We'll be flying from New York and wondering what cities everyone would recommend visiting for a couple days before heading to Copenhagen? It looks like some choices could include London, Oslo, Iceland (on the way over), among many others, I'm sure.

Considering logistics, airfares, local hotel costs, and availability of things to do/see in each location....

Which pre-cruise city(or cities) would YOU recommend??

THANKS!

:)

We have a Friday and Saturday to spend in Paris in September, and Saturday happens to be my husband's birthday. I'm looking for some special ideas that may or may not include dinner. (Yes, I will check on Trip Advisor as well, but am very comfortable on the CC boards :))

Not sure about your mobility or interests, but my favorite celebratory thing to do in Paris was an evening bicycle tour that took us to all of the lit up monuments around town on a fun tour. We never could have found our way to all those places on foot, and got some great pictures of everything lit up.

The tour ended with wine and cruise on the Seine.

What an AWESOME night! Can't wait to do it again this year!

Just keeping this post alive to see if anyone is looking for private shore excursion groups for this sailing.

We've got them started on the "EPIC" section of the Roll Call Board.

UNDER 90 DAYS NOW!!!

:D

I have not seen the show on the ship, but just wanted to offer that you could always rent the movie and watch it before you sail. While not a musical production as on the ship, you'll be able to detect any "potential issues" in the storyline.

It would also familiarize the girls with the story line so they could follow along and enjoy it more on the ship!

Young girls will love the main character and the "pop-ish" music - especially if they have heard the broadway recording (you can find some of the songs on the online video sites).

Also...consider that its way better to take them to see Legally Blonde on the ship than to have to pay $75 a head to take them to the local touring production later! HAHA!

OK....Let me be the first to say I got a good laugh at your thread title! HAHA!

I think someone may have mentioned it earlier in this thread or another one, but there is a new way to buy tickets from the US that we found very easy to use.

It is called "Capitaine Train" and they take the fuss out of buying European train tickets....and it's the same price on the more confusing SNCF site!

https://www.capitainetrain.com/search/

After reading much about them, I bought our train tickets from Paris to Avignon through them to see how it worked.

It was so easy I booked the rest our our train travel through them.

The best part is -- I printed the tickets at home immediately!

They also "store" the tickets for you in your account in case they need to be printed again, or pulled up on your phone while traveling.

It was a very user-friendly site, and I will use it again as needed!

HAPPY TRAVELS!

:)

Norwegian Fjords out of Copenhagen in Summer, 2015!

Less than a year away, now, and really looking forward to visiting that part of the world for the first time!

:)

This issue is important to my wife and I. We are doing the 8 day land tour prior to the cruise from Rome. I have called NCL and no one there seems to know when the laundry special is. There is no way my wife and I can pack enough clothes for two weeks in the one suitcase each we are allowed to take on the land package. I was told by the company handling the land tour that the price for doing laundry in Rome is prohibitly expensive. If anyone find out more please post it immediately.

We each washed a load at our hotel in France after a week, before getting on the train to Barcelona for the cruise! Not expensive at all!

I'd rather keep an eye on the stuff than send it off to the ship's laundry and worry about getting it all back! HAHA!

We'll probably do the same thing this Fall!