cliffd64

Our NCL SKY cruise for 9/12 - 9/19 was moved from the Sky to the GEM same date and leaving from Miami.  They appeared to have moved the entire passenger list over matching categories.  Feeling a bit more confident about going now...  GEM will supposedly have been sailing for almost 30 days when we board.  Keeping fingers and toes crossed.... 86 days ....

Our September 12 cruise on Sky out of Miami  was moved the Norwegian Gem out of Miami.  The transition seems to have been done quite well...  Our category did not change at all (AFT Balcony) and only a little itinerary change:  Grand Cayman was eliminated in favor of Costa Maya... 

On 3/22/2021 at 5:54 PM, coastcat said:

"the Homeporting concept means that a cruise line would use Bermuda as their home base for a cruise to nowhere or their private island to our south, for three or four months; all passengers and crew would be fully immunised and subject to Bermuda’s Ministry of Health COVID-19 protocols. Passengers would fly into Bermuda to pick up their cruise and have the option to book a pre-and/or post-hotel stay and enjoy Bermuda longer."

 

Oh, I'd be lunging for the Book button if NCL announced sailings out of Bermuda. A 3-day cruise to nowhere combined with a few days in Bermuda would be awesome. The only sticking point for me (er, no pun intended) is that I'm so far down the vaccine eligibility list that it could be the end of summer by the time my immune system is ready for travel.

All US adults supposedly will be vaccinated by May 1 according to the current administration...

On 6/22/2020 at 6:32 AM, KateQ22003 said:

It may be the second largest venue on the ship, but the seating is sorely lacking. Way too many people for way too few seats. We couldn't see half of the game shows or bands due to nowhere to sit or even stand.

I guess getting there a tad earlier was out of the question?  On Breakaway we never had this issue  as we planned ahead and enjoyed a beverage or two before the activities...  It's kind of like the pool deck...  Arrive early, you find plenty of seats...

23 hours ago, copper004 said:

Owning 100+ shares of NCL stock can earn you anywhere from $50 to $250 OBC, depending on the length of the cruise. The fine print for the benefits said it excludes the Reduced Rates programs. With a lot of us re-booking cruises, aren’t we getting “reduced rates”? A lot of people on other social media sites and bragging about buying NCL stock when it was really low. And yes, the price has doubled from its low point. (Yes, I bought 100 shares too) But I’m not really sure I am going to see any OBC in my future sailings. Does anyone have some experience with the shareholders benefits? I would also not be surprised if they cancel shareholder benefits due to how low the stock went and so many people buying in. Has anyone heard anything from NCL on this topic?

Why would people buying the stock (in other words provide capital dollars to Norwegian Cruise Line Holding Company) make them not offer the benefit?   That makes no sense...  Publicly traded companies WANT people to buy the stock regardless of the price.  The benefit has nothing to do with stock price.

It's simple logistics...  Ships are still positioned in Europe, Alaska and beginning to do the Canada/New England  at this time...  Come late October you will see ships re-position to ports servicing the Caribbean.

Norwegian has always avoided having ships in the Caribbean during the summer months historically.  Most are seen relocating to either the Alaska market and Mediterranean market, as well as Bermuda during this time frame.  Carnival has many more ships so they have more of a presence in the Caribbean during these off peak times.

12 minutes ago, Mike_DeA said:

 

Some lad based casinos are smoke free form what I understand, but most are not.  It'll likely change at some point in the future. Most cruise line casinos still allow smoking.

 

All poker rooms on land are smoke free as far as I know.  Players are just too close together to allow it.

Had the pleasure of dining with the Casino Director aboard Breakaway...  Smoking is being addressed on the newest ships, and ships like Encore and Bliss have closed off areas in the casino for smokers, as opposed to the other way around.  Kin d of like a "smoke-aquarium" as he described it.

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

As an aside, the door to move the props, the gear and anything associated with setting up these shows is MASSIVE.  I can see why they don’t want to swap these shows out with more frequency.  It’s a huge undertaking.

I think that's why SIX will be welcome... It's a one act, one set show...  not much to the stage except for the performers and lighting...

11 minutes ago, brilyga said:

 

Thank you. I will have to give them a call anyway as our passports list both our middle names and there is not a spot for middle names on NCL's website. 

This is a typical problem...  once they fix it however, it is on your profile correctly.

49 minutes ago, brilyga said:

Hello,

 

I completed the online check-in for my partner and I and, no matter how many times I edit it, I cannot list our separate addresses. It always changes the other's address. Is there a way I can fix this? I'm currently waiting on a call back from NCL. 

 

We don't mind if we have the other's address listed, but I don't want to show up at the port and be sent on our way because the address on the reservation does not match the address on our driver's license. Or do they only look at the passport? 

The address is not a concern.  Vital information is that the name on the reservation matches the passports exactly.

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

SIX is already a Broadway show being brought to NCL ships. 

SIX is not on Broadway yet...  opens 2/13/2020...  the show is currently running in London.  This is a unique contract to bring a successful show on board before it hits NYC.

Don't experience any of those issues.  Always pretty smooth for me.

17 hours ago, esm54687 said:

I wish fellow passengers would just follow the color system and not think it's optional for them. There's plenty of notice of where / when to pick up tags and if there's none left then respect that window and wait for your color.  The poor crew have to deal with people yelling about the lines and they have a system on place that would work if followed. NCL will call all colors because it really doesn't matter since passengers act entitled and do what they want. If your color isn't until later then don't go to the Atrium and wait because that bottlenecks the areas and ties up elevators. NCL cannot win when passengers do what they want. 

 

While I'm at it....... please for the love of sanity..... if you have 2 adults, 4 children under 5, 3 strollers, 7 luggage pieces, 8 pack backs, sippy cups, a bagel and a hot coffee, and your ship cards / IDs in ONE of the back packs but not sure which .... PLEASE UNDERSTAND YOU'RE NOT A CANDIDATE FOR SELF ASSIST!!! 

 

Ugh

We had Gray luggage tags, and they were called at about 9:10 AM (originally scheduled for 9:45 since we had a late flight out).  The entrance to the line was Forward on deck 7, and we passed through the casino area twice before we actually got to the gangway.  By this time all self assist were gone, but the line was still huge.  There should be two gangways into the terminal for 4000 passengers...  not one.  One on each side would have made a big difference. It really wasn't caused by people not obeying their color, but by the lack of gangways in Canaveral at terminal 10.

23 hours ago, Cruisin MarcnFran said:

I’m thrilled to hear some positive feedback about this show.  Do you know if it’s a limited engagement on Breakaway or it run indefinitely?  We’re booked but not until 2021. 

 

Thanks!  

I am fairly certain it's here for a while...  but I don't know for sure about into 2021.  NCL has exclusive rights to the show for now...

18 hours ago, Sand and Seas said:

Thanks for letting us know!   I'm excited to see "Six".  

Do they still have another show like Burn the Floor?  Or another show?   

Yes, they still have Burn the Floor in the theater, and Velvet is running in the Speigel Tent... (for an upcharge fee for dinner show) 

Problem in Canaveral aboard the Breakway was not with facial recognition, but the winding pathway up and back down deck 7 just to get to the facial recognition and sign out.   I swear we had had to traverse the length of the ship twice to get to that point.  

14 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

This is an NCL thing or a government thing?  I'm confused as to what you are referring to.

 

Appreciate more info.  Thanks.

This is a new process used by Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection.  Essentially it only applies to passport holders.  If you used other documents to board, this will not work for you and you will have to go through customs the traditional way.  

What happens is this:  People with passports will be in a different line from other document holders.  As you prepare to leave the ship there will be a station you will pass with a special tablet on a pole that will scan your face and if the green light comes on you will have matched to the photo on your passport and therefore you do not have to visit a customs agent and the process is expedited.  For US Citizens, the photo used is then discarded, but for foreign nationals the picture is retained.

The best way to describe a Sailaway rate is basically a no-frills category.  Typically, you do not get to choose a cabin, and none of the Free At Sea promotions are available to you.  Depending on your flexibility, this can be a good value.  If you have certain desires about cabin location you might wish to avoid this category. 

4 hours ago, nyc2pdx said:

do you use cash to play at the casino?  your card?  how does that work?

You can actually do either, and cash is certainly very convenient and incurs zero fees.

On 12/3/2019 at 8:52 AM, Keltag said:

Hi we got the free drink drink package included in our cruise package. Does this include soda and canned/bottled beer as well? 

Certainly does.

Saw the new musical "Six" this past week while cruising on Breakaway!  This show was fantastic!  Very well done and very entertaining!

The theme of the play is about the Six Wives of Henry VIII  - who hold a pop concert, as the wives take turns singing and telling their story to see who suffered the most due to Henry and should therefore become the group's lead singer.

Interesting premise and very amusing!  First time I can remember a play debuting on NCL prior to it's actual arrival on Broadway (schedule to open Feb 13, 2020 in New York).

There is no correlation to 30% off and Latitude points.  Regardless how much you paid, whether a sail-away cabin or not, you ALWAYS get points towards your latitude level.

2 hours ago, Lionkingrichard said:

Boarding time?

 

Looked at my Docs on Breakaway leaving Port Canaveral in Feb. and it says boarding starts at 12 and not to arrive more then 1 hour before.

 

I guess that means 4,000 people will be showing up at 11?

People begin arriving as early as 10 AM...  some even earlier...

18 hours ago, Niffernay said:

 

Yes Leo is still there