pete_coach

We were on Bliss and in 15 days, there was no Indian food in either the MDR or Taste or Savour. You had to go to the buffet to get it.

Most taxis and Ubers in Europe are small cars. 3 passengers at most.... if the driver lets you use the front seat LOL As for excursions picking you up at meeting points, most ships dock at piers and some times they are not allowed on the pier so you have to walk off the pier. The pick up points can all be arranged with your excursion operator prior to the tour. They are normally very accommodating.

The Panama Canal is very scheduled. Delays are common. Gatun Lake is where they stage the ships.

The towels and robes in the thermal suite are supposed to stay there. You could "sneak" one out if you tried hard enough. Oh and there are lockers too. If you want one for your cabin, ask your steward. My wife got one (on Bliss last January)

We just did LA to Miami If it was us, we would do Miami to Panama. Panama City did not seem like a place I would want to stay, even overnight while waiting for the cruise.

Interesting excursion. When coming back to Canada, they used to ask if you had been on a farm.

Sorry, never been on the Epic so I have not idea what the "weird bathroom thing" is. 😀 Been to Italy many time, used to do business there. Have been to lots of restaurants that had porcelain holes in the floor bathrooms LOL

May is perfect. The tourist season is starting and everyone will be eager to host you. We also do our cruising in May and September. The bathroom thing in Italy is pretty good nowadays. Most are real and not just a hole in the floor LOL You will love the Greek Islands. I suggest ship excursions if you are solo. Oh and, there is some importance to the ship. It has to be comfortable to relax on and, you will have a couple sea days.

It depends on time of year. I would stay away mid June ot beginning of Sept. Not only is it super hot but there will be lots of kids everywhere. Personally, having done the Med 3 times, I would do Italy/Greece especially if it has stops on some of the Greek Islands. Also, in my opinion, the Pearl, being a smaller ship will just be more fun that a larger ship with many more passengers.

LOL What is there in Italy except art galleries with a hundred paintings of Madonna and Child and a church or 10 in every town/city LOL For the OP, one thing I would like to caution you on is that the ship docks in Naples. The Amalfi Coast (an hour or more away) while nice is very very busy. The road is very very small and winding and anything can slow you down or make you come to a grinding halt. There is no return short cut once on it except at Amalfi. Point is, if there was any time to consider a ships excursion, this may be it.

Often it is a computer problem...your computer. I suggest you clean out all your cookies. They can make websites slow or confused.

That would make 4 adults in the cabin even more uncomfortable. Not so much storage, according to the floor plans.

Our Son had a family balcony on Bliss. Him and his Wife, a 17 year old and a 14 year old. It had a big bed and the other two were basically bunk beds. the couch was a bed and the other one pulled from the ceiling. It was a disaster LOL Having said that, there is no way this situation would be comfortable for 4 adults. Closets would not be big enough. No room under the bed for 4 suitcases. the bathroom storage would be totally inadequate for 4 peoples stuff.

Bar harbour has limited it's passenger debarking to 1000. As of 4 March 2024: U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker has ruled that the Maine town of Bar Harbor has the right to limit how many cruise passengers visit. Walker ruled that Bar Harbor's new 1,000-passenger daily limit on cruise ship visitors is lawful and does not violate federal laws governing interstate commerce. The limit is an exercise of home rule authority under the Maine Constitution, he said. https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Judge-allows-Bar-Harbor-cruise-visitor-limit

I find it interesting so many people are claiming the ship is over 100% capacity. Where are all these extra people sleeping? I think there is a lot of conjecture here LOL Bottom line on the topic, the folks pooched and missed the bus (I mean boat LOL). It happens far too frequently. No one to blame but the passengers themselves..

Google "Pier Runners". There are hundreds of YouTube videos of folks missing the boat. They all have their own sad story I do not blame NCL at all. Ya pay your dollar and take your chances.

We did a 15 day LA to Miami on the Bliss and the pass was $600. Premium WiFi was $300. On a Transatlantic with so many sea days, I think it is money well spent.

Here is your Roll Call

You realize the post you responded to back on Feb 17 was facetious?? I did not make the original post.

Well said. My sentiments exactly. Food is the most debated topic on every forum on this Board. I too have never had a bad meal aboard any ship we have ever been on. Did I like every meal? No, but that is just dependant on how I felt that particular day. Quantities are just right and if you wanted more, all anyone has to do is ask. Entertainment is an area I feel is lacking too. We would have liked to see the Beatles show on bliss but with a line up an hour before the show, we just did not want to wait. The empty theatre would easily accommodate it. Cruising is a business and all businesses are in it to make money. Why should NCL be any different? We have only been on 3 NCL cruises and enjoyed them all. Never felt undeserved or neglected or starving.

You can catch a train in Mestre to Rome and be there in 3 1/2 hours. The high speed train is fantastic, almost 300 km/hr (185 MPH). https://www.thetrainline.com/train-times/venice-to-rome?gad_source=1 Lots of great train travel info here https://www.seat61.com

You can drop off your luggage at the embarkation point but you do not have to get on the ship, you can go and tour the city. I saw artificial sweetener but did not take note of the brand. You are not supposed to use your own hair dryer but many do. No USB by the beds. In Venice you can take the Vaporetta (water bus) all over the city and out to Murano and Burano.They are small islands easily walkable and the glass places and lace shops are all free. No guides needed. The Vaporetto can also be used to go the entire length of the Grand Canal. It is cheap. https://venicelover.com/transport.html?gad_source=1 Also, if you do not want to pay the 100 or so euros for a Gondola ride, there is a traghetto gondola. https://www.ourescapeclause.com/gondola-traghetto-venice/

Take a train from Trieste to Mestre, the town on the mainland, then the 2 euro, 10 minute train ride to Santa Lucia station in Venice. The sight of the Grand Canal from the steps of Santa Lucia station is one of the most memorable sights in all of Italy.

Check in times mean nothing. As much as they try, it is always first come first served. There has been, in my experience, any enforcement of the check in times.

In my experience with only 3 NCL cruises it has been: 1. People with physical disabilities (crutches, wheelchairs, etc) 2. Everybody else 3. 4. 🙂