NeurosurgeryNP

We are doing this same cruise in Feb.  I just booked a private small boat charter in order to do JVD from Tortola.  We booked this itinerary for Tortola and didn't realize the shortened stop until after we booked.  We too are White Bay an Soggy Dollar fans.  

Keep in mind arrival time doesn't mean clearance time or disembarkation time. We were on the Bliss and disembarked Saturday (docked by 6 am or so) and the first group of self carry off wasnt cleared to get off until about 8 :15 AM. We were in the third group and off by 8:30 AM. 

Disembarked yesterday. Chose the ship's transfers to FLL as it was going to be cheaper ($25 PP)  than a cab which cost us $84 with tip from Hollywood Beach where we were staying on embarkation day. Disembarkation was a breeze. Customs was trialing a new entry system with facial recognition so if you were a US Passport holder they scanned your face before you left the ship.  If you weren't a US Passport holder you had to go through a separate immigration line, also before you left the ship. 

We wound up eating in the main dining room 2 more times for dinner.  We also had room service for late night snacks the last 2 nights and NCL has more of an expansive room service menu than Princess.  Food was OK, but I do prefer Princess in this category. Again, we did not do any of the specialty dining venues (with the exception of Margaritaville), as we felt we were already being nickeled and dimed and didn't want to sit down to a $100 cagney's a la carte dinner when we paid already so much for our cruise fare with the basic dining included.  

We wound up doing the Go Karts 3 times and we had a blast. All were booked on embarkation through the touch terminals. We booked 3 times in case weather cancelled and wound up being able to ride three times and we are so happy we did! It poured before our first reservation, but the track was quickly dried up and we were able to race. 

Many kids on the sailing, I heard some issues with noise in the cabin hallways where they would congregate at all hours of the night outside ststerooms. Once complained about and moved by security, they would just move to another space. Also we had several instances of all of the elevator floor buttons being pushed which wasn't amusing.  In one instance we got on as older teens (about 16)  were leaving an elevator snickering, and all of the  buttons were pushed and quickly followed them out,  then they went into another elevator where we followed, and were going to push all the buttons again until we basically told them don't you dare and they smirked at us and rolled their eyes. Little kids OK but older teens I couldn't stand for it.  It tied up many of the aft elevators for a period of time while in port in Nassau. They were going from elevator to elevator doing this. 

Overall we had an amazing cruise (we are not complainers).  We did put a cruise next deposit down because the group we travel with has been booking on NCL exclusively and we wanted to have this deposit for the next NCL trip.  

22 hours ago, cruisetimeforme said:

Thanks for your update. Curious if you know who's replaced Jim Badger in the District Brewhouse? And who are the comedians currently? We're on the March 23 sailing!

Beau Tehanu I think his name was. 

Was having too much fun to start until now, the next to last day of our cruise. 

We are Normally Princess cruisers but we are with a group. 

Having a blast!  Crew has been amazing. Food good - we have been eating in the Local or Buffet and only 2 times for sit down dinner in Taste/Savour with no wait at all. Have hit breakfast 2 times in Taste and lunch on embarkation day. Room service too. We ate lunch at Margaritaville today and it was VERY good. Well worth the $15 PP charge for us.  One app. One entree and a dessert were included. Other than room sevice, it was the only paid dining we have done. Although we love food, we are not critics. If it is edible we love it.  Local was a big surprise with several prime rib nights.  On a side note, my husband is gluten free and they have been catering to his restriction amazingly. We ordered room service last night and I ordered a pizza but they weren't sure if it was for him and made it gluten free still very tasty. 

Bartenders have been great. Theme night deck parties have been a blast. If you like country, please check out Nashville Junction at the Q nightly. Amazing country band. Very fun!  You don't have to eat there to go for the music. They have unset tables for music listeners.  

Jersey Boys was amazing. The Beatles band Britian's  Finest has been AMAZING but get there early. 

The nightly entertainment has been amazing. Multiple bands and genres throughout the ship. 

We.took one ships tour in Tortola, the escape to Jost Van Dyke and I highly recommend it.  The catamaran Caprain and her crew were amazing on the Rebel Yell. White Bay is to die for  and paradise. And of course the original Painkillers st the Soggy Dollar bar. 

Go Karts are a BLAST!  You MUST reserve on embarkation day via the touch terminals.

We were boarding group 5 and WAY too late for the Vibe passes. I heard they were charging $209 for this week. 

Only complaint has been the chair hogs at the main pool deck. Unless you're on the pool deck before 7 AM you will not have a chair lounger due to the multitude of towels and stuff placed and people not showing up for hours. They don't enforce the 30 minute rule they boldly post on the jumbotron throughout the day. This was disappointing but not unexpected through CC posts. Not enough pool space/loungers for the amount of passengers on a Caribbean cruise. If the rule was enforced, it would be golden.  Spice H2O was also victim to the chair hogs. Many empty through out the day only with towels, while we sat on the railing by the water fall. 

That's all for now. Will post tomorrow. 

Thanks for the review. We will be boarding the Bliss Saturday. 

Not sure about the energy drinks as a mixer but yes GREY goose is now included. 

ubp_drinks (2).pdf

Not sure about the energy drinks as a mixer but yes GREY goose is now included. 

56 minutes ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Does each adult in a room have to purchase the same level alcohol package? 

Its been awhile since I’ve been on NCL and I’m considering doing a Bermuda on Escape.

Yes. 

9 minutes ago, kapcruiser said:

If I bought insurance, do I get a refund or credit?

Depends I guess. We get trip insurance not through NCL. We get the highest tier. And we would get our fare back. 

Without trip insurance, not much you can do.  Lesson learned to purchase trip insurance for your next voyage.   Sorry about your emergency. 😞

Have fun. We will be boarding the day you disembark!  

Always have your phone in airplane mode to avoid exorbitant charges by Cellular at sea. You can still use the ships Intranet and on board app and purchase internet minutes if you desire.  

When you get on the ship, immediately go to the customer service desk and ask to transfer the UBP to the person in the same room you would like to have it. We did this a few years back on the Escape. They did it gladly. I did tip him $20 after the transaction was completed (which he was very surprised at) because it saved me mucho bucks from buying a plan for my husband. We were traveling with my Mom as Passenger 1 and she doesn't drink at all.  Not sure if they will still do that but it is certainly worth a shot. 

Looks like she is in port now in NYC. 

7 hours ago, tunaman2011 said:

Greetings

 

We just got off Bliss.  He is on vacation.  For those who know him well, his son recently died so he is taking a little time off.  He is still scheduled for Encore as far as the crew knew.

Good Sailing

Tom  

Bummer. We loved him on the Escape. We will be on the Bliss in less than a weeks. Good Speed to his family. 

2 minutes ago, twoznuff2 said:

Congratulations on your anniversary and what a great video. It looks like you guys had an amazing trip. You said no drone questions, but I loved the drone footage. I don't understand why that footage is supposed to be a problem. Can you tell me what I don't know about that?

Drones aren't  probably permitted on the ship. 

Sweet.  Thanks for sharing. We will be sailing on her in less than 2 weeks. Non haven though. 

Best of luck. This situation stinks for all involved. They should allow you to fly in a day early when using the free air as a perk. 

3 minutes ago, RedwingHockeyFan said:

I believe earlier posts showed Patron Silver was but Anejo was not.

Thanks. Just saw the upgraded list!  

On 2/18/2019 at 10:34 AM, Norwegian Cruise Line said:

We strive to provide our guests with exceptional experiences and added value whenever possible. As recent changes to our beverage program caused some disappointment, we have made adjustments which we hope demonstrate our deep commitment to guest satisfaction. Customer favorites including Grey Goose and Grand Marnier have been reintroduced into the Ultimate Beverage Package, which provides guests with unlimited beverages up to $15 per glass during the entirety of their cruise.  For additional information about our offerings, please click here - https://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages.

good to see the additions. 

Does anyone know if this up charge is now implemented on the Bliss?   We are sailing on her in 2 weeks. 

Anyone know if HATM is on the Bliss?

7 hours ago, hallux said:

My parents tell me that other cruise lines allow you to check your luggage onboard and for a fee it's processed all the way to your home airport (including customs if needed) so you don't have to see it it until you get to baggage claim at home.  Does NCL not offer this?

 

I'm kind of in a similar situation but on a different cruise.  I'm going to be on a cruise ending in Vancouver but my flight home isn't until 11 PM, there's a tour I'm considering but if I have the tour drop me off at the airport I'll be spending quite a few hours in the terminal (I'll even end up there before I can check in with the airline).  The tour will handle my luggage for me but if I'm not getting dropped off at the airport I'll still need to wrangle it until I go to the airport.

 

In the case of Vancouver - I have a backup plan as there's a service at the cruise port that will transfer my luggage to the airport, for me to then pick up and check with the airline when I check in.

Yes, this is called EZ check.  It is usually available for a small fee (about $25 I believe)  per person  on the ship.  It is only for checked bags and not all airlines participate.  You can find out once you're on the ship.  If eligible, you have to usually sign up early on in the cruise, and they will process your check in and take your checked bags the night before the cruise ends, and you will see them again at your home airport. 

I am not aware of anywhere to leave the luggage in Miami.