Moby Dick

   ISP is fabulous.  Wife and I are boarding NCL Spirit Wed. 8/24/22 to Alaska.  We hope to have some of the good fortune humpback whale watching that we experienced a few years ago in ISP.  We were on a small boat with two ladies we had just met.  One was a whale fanatic who follows whales the world over as she cruises. I know what you are thinking but she is no relation to Melville's characters from Moby Dick.  But she truly was a whale enthusiast.  She took no pictures, claimed they were all in her head. 

   The captain has since retired so I can't recommend him.  It was late May and he told us they were feeding on exceptionally plentiful schools of herring at that time. These little fish were about the size of sardines.  It surprised me as I thought the humpback ate plankton mostly.  Well, we witnessed multiple occasions of bubble net feedings where the whales (about three, four, or five of them) churned the schools of herring up to the top and the humpbacks lurched high out of the water to capture them.  It was incredible

  When we went back to our ship, we went to the garden cafe on deck eight for lunch.  Right outside the window and just below us, the humpbacks were bubble net feeding again.  It was a spectacular memory.

   ISP blew Juneau away from a whale watching standpoint though we saw several Beluga killers which were unique but few humpbacks.  Well, that's my story.  Maybe I will put on a few pictures from our soon to be cruise.  If not, I will try to put on some of my wife's really great pics from before but not until we return.  Gotta finish packing.        

On 4/15/2022 at 10:28 PM, pamps2801 said:

I wouldn’t get to excited about the bottle of Sparkling Wine. We normally just gave it to someone. It’s worst than Baby Duck, which is bad enough. Put in a few extra $$ to buy a bottle of Champagne(not sparkling wine) at a store. and bring it on board with you, you’ll be much happier. 

I agree, we've had that sparkling wine several times prior, including on the Dawn in Feb. and though I don't pretend to be a connoisseur, I found it unpalatable.  If it's in our room on the Spirit to Alaska this August I won't even pop the cork.  Maybe others like it-different tastes perhaps.  My opinion.

As a past Manager of a major food retailer in Chicago area with a big family, I have always watched pricing and availability.   Surprisingly, prices on OJ. and availability haven't been crazy this year in my view.  Yes, this time of year usually gets spotty.  Yes, cartons have gone down from 64 oz. to 59 oz. and now some at 54 oz. 

Now the price for beer at ballparks can really induce heart failure not to change the subject. 

   My wife and I were on Jan 29th/2022 Dawn sailing from Tampa.   We were in a club balcony suite.  I saw a sign somewhere that the ship was at capacity, don't ask for upgrades or room changes.  I was surprised as we knew it had approximately only 900 passengers.  We were puzzled, going to breakfast after about four or five days as we noticed our neighbors putting suitcases just outside their door.  They appeared normally dressed.  They were obviously going somewhere.  My wife suggested it was my snoring and it could have been, who knows.  She loves her earplugs. 

   Unlikely that they were departing to one of the islands.  Covid, I don't think so. Room upgrade possibility ran contrary to previously mentioned NCL signage.  Family emergency or such perhaps.  Just hope it wasn't my snoring. 

   When we checked in there was a gentleman beside us in a wheelchair by himself.  They announced to him that they were upgrading him at that point.  Kind of late don't you think?  I think they implied or said he was a frequent cruiser, not sure.  There wasn't lots of excitement exhibited by him or NCL.  Always a few unusual events on most cruises.  We enjoyed it immensely.   

5 hours ago, Laurablue said:

We are scheduled to leave from Tampa on February 9th on the Dawn. We are bidding on a club balcony suite from an OV as well. Just curious what your “good” bid was? Thank you!

Always happy to help a Hoosier, it was $280 p.p.  Like I said, we wanted it and probably could have bid way less. That was my frame of mind, some will say way too much.  No buyer's remorse here.  Good luck.

   Scheduled to sail on 1/29/22 Dawn from Tampa.  We got our upgrade bid accepted this morning, so that's (9) nine days out for anyone wondering about time frame of bid notifications.  We went from OV to club suite using a "good" bid on the meter.  Probably would have got it for much less but on reflection, wanted the open air.  Still very happy.  Dawn will resume sailing on this cruise after several weeks off, so it looks like a good possibility hopefully.  Prospects are improving for cruising.  

 Some facts and lots of conjecture in these posts.  We all want to know more.  Well, the Encore and Epic weren't held back with the other ships and are on their course now back to Miami and San Juan respectively.  They are both scheduled to embark again on Jan 16th.  It will be interesting to observe if they resume normally and if not why?  And will the Gem, which is returning earlier to N.Y. currently depart again on its normal schedule on Jan 19th?  Probably not. But then what does a whale know?

Our Jan 29th Dawn sailing should be able to launch as planned as it has been one of the cancelled cruises since Jan 11th.  That leaves plenty of time to sanitize unless port closures are part of the equation also.  Of course, as mentioned, staffing can be an issue on many of these ships as can low bookings.  We will be putting more pieces of the puzzle together all the time. 

I wouldn't be surprised if training isn't holding up some of these cruises, especially Pride of America.  I thought they were required by law to have an American crew.  Between required vaccinations and infections and the like they could use more staff-can't most businesses?  Maybe that's why they are held up until the end of Feb.  Interestingly, they appear to be in Vancouver according to cruise mapper.   

  So, three more ships added to the Jan. 5th cancellations announcement today.  I was just becoming very confident we could do our Jan. 29th, Dawn 11 day.  Now the previous Dawn 11 day is squashed, not a good omen.  Will we continue to experience death by 1000 cuts (so to speak) one cruise after another?   Cross my fingers.  Very unnerving for so many people.  At least there is some long-term hope I think.

Wondering if some of the passengers on the eight cancelled NCL cruises are searching for replacement cruises and perhaps restricting the normal upgrade system?  Yea, lots of open rooms at low-capacity ship bookings but not as many after all the cancellations recently since Jan 5th announcement.

  To go, or not to go, that is the question?  We are booked on the Pequod, er, Dawn for Jan 29th, 2022, 11-day So. Caribbean. We are still considering going.  Probably won't go if numbers remain extreme.  But there is still time for cases to flatten and dip.  We recognize the drop might be significant but not too a level that is comfortable for everyone-that's not happening any time soon.  We could live with that because we want to cruise if possible, if numbers improve, we will see. 

  We have endured several years in this difficult situation as have all.  Fortunately, we haven't been sick, knock-on wood.  Almost all of my golf buddies (I call them my golf community) have caught it though vaxed, but have recovered.  Also, 60% of our five children and grandchildren, mostly vaxed, have gotten it and recovered.  We have some time to decide, it's not easy as you all know.  We are vaxed for what it's worth.

  A few thoughts I would like to share.  Many of you question numbers of infected on current cruises. That info is not readily available.  Our room steward on our Feb. 2020 cruise shared info with us on norovirus cases when I told him I had been ill. I had suspected some cases but won't elaborate. Obviously, he was cautious discussing, wanting to be discreet and avoid controversy.   He was wonderful and probably credible and reliable to a high degree.  I would value rank and file info frequently over administrative staff much of the time who have an interest in disguising facts.  Just saying!  Cruisers might obtain some info that way.

  But you can be sure the business knows the facts and stats.  After my personal one-night norovirus case, I went down early to medical to get checked as Covid was just emerging at that time.  I was negative, but told I had Noro or such.  It was truly only one night, one I want to forget.  I was given some meds and told to isolate that day.  Couldn't take my wife to Valentine's dinner.  While I was in the office that morning the med tech got a call from some leadership staff asking the case count for the day.  They obviously keep close tabs on those stats.  

  Don't know if I have helped or clouded perspective on near future cruises.  Pray this spike drops quickly.  We need some sun and warmth.  

Cruising doesn't lend itself to well to the current environment.  We thought we would get our life back with double vax and boosts and NCL thought that would work also.  But that philosophy is somewhat worthless with the myriad Omicron "breakthrough" infections, especially away from home.  Yea, I know symptoms are less severe in general.  And cruising to the islands of "Utopia" where we fear to disembark and hospitals, doctors, and medical facilities are less than desirable, if even available, make it a questionable decision.  Though NCL has cancelled and postponed some cruises, ours is still listed, Jan. 29th Dawn from Tampa.  Would anyone in their right mind still consider this or are we waiting for NCL to make up our minds for us?

I feel bad for NCL, they thought they had a good system designed with all the vaccinations.  I remember hearing more than a year ago that testing would be a way out of this.  The ball was dropped on that one.  Therapeutics have been somewhat ignored until recently also.  Have we been too one dimensional?  We really should be allowed to discuss it or we will repeat the same mistakes.  Just a thought about free speech as I know politics is discouraged.  Tried not to be too judgemental.  We can still dream can't we, about cruising?      

We are scheduled on Jan. 29th Dawn Southern Caribbean.  Just waiting, could the surge peak before then?  We just need sunny warmth and a good book.  Oh, and the bar needs to be open.  If I can't get a few beers I'm jumping ship, it's man overboard! 

Our 2003 Norway sailing shows up as our first cruise, followed by our 1993 Windward and 1996 Dreamward cruise.  I had NCL add our Norway cruise to get the points awarded, otherwise it was missing as was our 1978 first cruise.  Perhaps that is why the chronology is out of order.

Sadly, we disembarked the Norway on the Saturday just prior to the fateful engine room explosion where eight crew members died that May 28, 2003.  Never could we have imagined such tragical circumstances occurring on that beautiful ship.  Only that one cruise succeeded ours.     

   Our cruise history is not totally chronological but close.  Also, our first Norwegian cruise on the Sunward in Oct. 1978 doesn't show up in our history at all.  Latitudes didn't exist back then, and the line has changed ownership also.  But we will never forget our first cruise.  Port of Miami was very undeveloped then.  It was basically a dusty gravel road, and the "ships" were a variety of shapes and sizes, certainly not the sleek, modern ships of today.  I remember being amazed by the quantity of food dropped on the pier awaiting loading.  Things have changed. More food now, but you don't notice it.

   We just hope things work out for our upcoming 11 day Southern Caribbean sailing Jan. 29th. on the Dawn.  Just anxious about all the possible potentialities.  Yes, it was a simpler world in 1978 for sure.  More to worry and stress about.     

   We got our BOGO air assignment on day 55 out from ORD.  We are on 1/29/22 Dawn Caribbean sailing from Tampa although we are coming in one day earlier (deviation.)  We are non-stop both ways.  We just called our carrier United and arranged seat assignments.  Looked like there were still plenty available.  Seemed like a decent deal, less than we could have arranged independently.

   We bid on upgrades to balcony and club balcony in the lower "good" range.  Guess we have to wait until about fourteen days out or more for a response.  We will be happy with sun and warm weather; the cold here is irritating. 

My wife and I did an Eastern/Western Caribbean b2b on the Spirit in 2015 (I believe.) We both love the Spirit, she is one of NCL's smaller if not smallest ship, but very cozy and comfortable. I think the smaller ships service to passenger ratio is better. We loved the aft terraces for dining and lounging. The kids pool at the base of the terraces was quiet but there weren't many kids in early February at the time.

I found plenty of nooks in the sun or shade for reading on sea days. I loved daily uncrowded walks on the Promenade deck. The sun deck was nice too, I can't think of any thing we didn't like. Henry's Pub was a nice Euro atmosphere and I believe it opened out to the Promenade where a smoking section was available. Several people leisurely read or napped on the wide Promenade We really liked the layout of the ship, not exotic but roomy enough. We just got off the Dawn and we would prefer the Spirit's upper deck's anytime. Though a bit smaller we didn't notice any unusual rocking or movement. I think you will enjoy it immensely.

Moby Dick

We just got off the Dawn on Sunday 2/18/18 after our 11 day Caribbean cruise. Some of the early days, esp. sea days, the sun deck was congested. Later in the week there was plenty of open space for sun or shade. Our cruise was predominately a geriatric crowd. Get up there early and grab your preferred location early on. Later in your cruise space should be more available.

Early week was very windy a day or two. It was tough to lift a lounger without it sailing away. I think you will find suitable positions. There are stepped sun terraces that many loungers utilize overlooking the pool. But less mobile guests will opt for the regular flat deck with adequate space usually there also. Enjoy.

Moby Dick

It's best to go a day early but this crazy cold and snowy weather can really wreak havoc. My daughter and her husband were departing Chicago on Saturday, 1/5/14 for a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale on Celebrity the next day. Both Chicago airports had been virtually shut down Thursday, 1/3 and Friday, 1/4. Both were essentially closed Sunday 1/6 also. Same day departure wouldn't have got out.

Their one day early departure worked well, with just a few hour flight delay (caused by construction on Lauderdale's runways.) One day early is usually ample but here was a case where the window had to be almost perfect. As I said, two and three day early flights were scratched too.

Throughout this drama I was searching for flights to take them to their first port of call, San Juan. Glad it didn't come to that. Do I sound like a promoter of trip insurance?

Don't know all of your circumstances ( like when you cruise) however, your location appears to be Toronto. NCL will get you there as soon as they can since the flight is through them. I recommend you take a carry on with a few summer clothes, bathing suits, etc. in case your luggage has to catchup with you from cold weather climates.

I've witnessed cruisers on the ship awaiting their luggage during bad weather. Arriving early is always a good idea but not always possible. Good luck and have a great cruise!

We booked a four day cruise on the Sky embarking 2/10/14 back in June on NCL.com. All categories have remained steady in price for months. However, I saw discounts on their site today.

Despite having made final payment previously I called and asked about a potential upsell. We were previously booked in an obstructed ocean view but accepted the offer to a BC balcony for $50 pp. additional. I simply asked if they had any discounted offers on nicer rooms than we had booked.

My wife and I can't wait to shake off this snow and cold for the Bahamas.