dmwnc1959

4 hours ago, IAcruising said:

 

Excellent. Now, how about the cheeeese?

 

I saw this in my head…🤣

2 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

It’s possible that your itinerary may get a slight alteration.  Right. Ow I am watching the Viking Octantis docked in Fuerte Amador.  Her schedule was to transit April 4 and dock in Colon April 5.  Fuerte Amador was not on her itinerary.  But she was there April 4, I expect her to transit eastbound today and skip Colon.  So maybe your itinerary will change to transit a day early and spend the original transit at Fuerte Amador.  EM

Even when I check for these shore excursions not logged-in there are none showing. The  website shouldn't recognize me as a booked guest at this point, so it would at least show them as available. Correct? I’ve also looked at other cities/tours and they show the non-discounted (-$50 credit) rate indicating that I am not logged in. So Colon shore excursions should show up. But they aren’t. And when I do select Panama as an itinerary, Colon isn’t even offered, it’s like the port has disappeared from NCL all together. 

1 hour ago, Ellis1138 said:

There's been a lot of civil unrest in Colon. Maybe they were removed because it's not safe?

I know last November there were some issues with cancellations and safety concerns due to civil unrest. But I hadn’t read anything in the news lately that would indicate this to be the case? 

I had been browsing the NCL website to get an idea of the shore excursions that may be available for my Panama Canal cruise next April. There were more than 20 that would populate on screen once Colon was selected. I’d even taken screenshots of these. Now there’s nothing. At all.
 

Is this because - I don’t know - maybe they’re redeploying itineraries from the last big cancellation announcement? I’ve been checking for a week and they’re just gone, both when being signed in and logged out. 
 

2 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I always get a kick out of those who do not want 'recycled' water.

Recycled water? 😳 Gasp, the horror!!! 
 

😉

50 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I've never  understood the fascination with bottled water.  Water is water.  The ships water is the same as that in the plastic bottles.

My bottled water comes from the pristine springs of a regional mountainous snow-capped wonderland graced by Mother Nature’s loving hand, and it’s bottled by magical forest dwelling pixies and then delivered to my local market by unicorns through the rainbow filled countryside. Or at least it says say on the label. 😉 

🤣

8 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

I just leased my 6th Honda Accord in a row. A 2024 Sport Hybrid. 

I really wanted the red with black leather but inventory is still awful where I live, so I settled on the white. 

The black 19" wheels and spoiler look real good. 

I will hopefully enjoy my sailing on Getaway in 15 days as much as I've enjoyed every one of my Hondas. Lol 😂 

Love Honda, I’ll be sticking with them for a

while. 🥰
 

And after the beating I gave NCL in some of my posts and threads, I’ll probably be sticking with them as well. I have a feeling Norwegian Jade is going to be a wonderful little ship. Can’t wait for the NCL 2026-2027 itinerary release dates, since HAL has me for 2026. 😁

This is a current screenshot from the NCL shore excursions page, not including the NCL Free At Sea $50 credit (applies to Passenger 1 only):

41 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

I'm going with Honda!

My 2020 Honda Accord - in a stunning radiant red - gets a LOT of compliments. When the sun hits it, it just glows. Absolutely love Honda.
 

That aside, I’ve never really looked at cruise lines as car brands lol but more like hotel chains. And based on the ship construction and design classes, that can differ quite a bit. If I ever go back to Carnival Cruise Line it will only be on one of the newest Excel-class, but with NCL, Princess Cruises, and Holland-America I’m fine with the small ships. I look at the onboard accommodations exactly the same, I’m just renting the room for a week or three and not buying a house. 

3 minutes ago, zqvol said:

I have been in studios cabins 3 times. Quietest places on the ship. Never heard a sound. 

I’ve read a lot of reviews over the years while checking NCL ships, it seems that the ones by the exit doors from the studio area are the most problematic. All of the ‘prime locations’ that weren’t adjoining cabins were already taken. 

Just now, zqvol said:

You didn’t grow up drinking out of the garden hose along with a dozen of your friends. 😉

Oh, thanks for that flashback. 😉 I can still taste that now more than 55 years later. 🤢 And my friends all had cooties 🤣 which probably explains why my immune system is so good! 

Just now, Asawi said:

Gee... I don't know... At least three standing. I haven't had any need for more so haven't really thought about it.
(I empty the fridge and put the bottles that were in it in the back of a shelf.)

I’ll have to keep the water cartons in constant rotation from the shelf to the fridge. Like some others may have mentioned here, I drink a LOT of water. The medication I’m on for my cluster headaches severely dehydrates me, and the neurologist suggested a minimum of +100 ounces a day. So even here at home (and when out in town) I typically go through more than 10-16.9oz bottles of water in a 24 hour period. And yes, for anyone asking, I do recycle them. 😉

4 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

they have solo cabins on all the ships, including the ones with studio cabins

Didn’t know that. Guess I only ever first checked Studios! I’ll have to look into those when deciding on my next NCL cruise. I’m still leaning toward the smaller ships, even with the 2026 cruise I have booked with Holland-America on Noordam. 

42 minutes ago, Asawi said:

If someone wants to pay lots of money for water it's up to them. I wouldn't do that, but I do spend money on other things lots of other people wouldn't. To each their own!

 

I just thought I'd chime in on the "refillable water bottle" subject: I do not own any expensive refillable water bottle. I use empty soda/water bottles and on cruises also the carton my gold status gives me. They are all "refillable". And should I not want to take them back from a tour I can just discard them. I can also keep a couple of them in the fridge, should I want to.

How many of the water cartons will fit in the fridge? I’m in a Solo Inside on Norwegian Jade and have seen some old pictures of the exact cabin I am staying in. 
 

This from an old thread by @shealea

11 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

That's one of the key reasons we stick with NCL...along with the Veteran discount.

 

Refundable deposits are a big thing for people who like to change their minds regularly.

Then change them again. 

That would be us.

That was one of the main reasons between my indecision between my booked Panama Canal cruises with NCL and Princess Cruises.
 

My veteran OBC for a long cruise with Princess was $250, whereas my veteran discount on NCL with a 25-night cruise was $270. 
 

19 hours ago, Andoria said:

Last NCL cruise I was on, the food was much better but I had a studio cabin and it was like staying in a college dorm. Noise-canceling headphones didn't help.  I should've realized that the studio cabins probably aren't geared for those over 50.  

This is the biggest fear I have in booking a Studio Cabin on NCL’s bigger ships. It’s pretty much why my first cruise with them is on one of the smaller ships, Norwegian Jade - instead of Studio Cabins they have what’s called a Solo Cabin. These are basically a ‘regular cabin’ but is restricted to single-occupancy. Booking these as a solo traveler saved me more than $600 over a ‘regular inside’ on a 25-night cruise. 
 

5 minutes ago, macewank said:

Yep. Your first cruise will have the orange card, and then for your 2nd you'll get the greenish one and it'll show Silver for status. 

Green and silver is a very nice combination. 🥰

11 minutes ago, swmichigan cruiser said:

No they didn't ask when I bought it at the bar. Of course the person I bought it from might have been inexperienced doing it. My biggest problem was getting billed for it 5 or 6 times when I only bought it once.

YOIKES! That creates a customer service issue I’d hate to have dealt with. 😢

On 2/18/2024 at 12:51 PM, macewank said:

 

I thought the colors were different than that. 

Orange - first NCL cruise

Purple - suites + club balcony

Gold - haven

 

Green/blueish - everyone else

 

edit: had a couple of these flipped on accident 

So, as a first-timer on NCL, I can proudly flaunt my beautiful ORANGE card? 🎉 😉

If after my first cruise - I am doing a B2B - my status changes from a NEWBIE to a cruiser with 25-nights and jumps from that past bronze to silver, do I actually get the SILVER CARD at the beginning of the 2nd half of the B2B? Or only the benefits and the card comes later? My B2B was booked as two different cruises. 

Per NCL:

If I change tier level during a back to back cruise, will I receive the benefits for our next tier?

If your back to back sailing was booked as two different reservations, and you graduate a tier after your first cruise, you will receive the benefits of your new tier on your second cruise. If your sailing was booked as one reservation, you will not receive the new tier benefits on your current cruise. You will receive benefits for your new tier on your next cruise.

18 hours ago, disgirl said:

Sorry if this is a stupid question but isnt bottle water included in the beverage package?  (asked by someone who hasnt been on NCL in 25 years).   I may have assumed incorrectly as it is with all the other cruises i have done with packages.  

15 hours ago, Caligirl33 said:

No it isn’t and I find that ridiculous. If you have the drink package on Princess or Celebrity water IS included. NCL should take note and also include it 

Totally agree @Caligirl33 my last drink package was with Princess Cruises and it also included bottled water, specialty coffees, and the juice bar. I probably would’ve kept the NCL Unlimited Drink Package if this was the case, but after much hemming and hawing decided to delete it. 

17 hours ago, blackwing said:

I see people here telling OP to bring water bottles and fill from the buffet, bar or tap.  That wasn't his question.  His question was whether he should buy the water in advance or wait to buy once onboard, and if it makes a difference.

 

Some people don't like the idea of drinking tap water, they want to have their bottled/boxed water.  To each their own.  I'm fine with the water from the buffet but even though it's the same water, I can't bring myself to drink from the tap in my cabin.  No idea if my cabin steward is cleaning the cabinets/counters/toilet with a cleaning rag and then using the same rag to clean the sink spout.

Great point about the cabin steward cleaning the sink tap with a rag. Never even thought about that. I’m sure it can be resolved by flushing the water back up into the spout, but that just doesn’t seem to be an option for me. I’m probably more paranoid about that than most of the people.

8 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

I’d get a Nalgene (or similar) liter bottle and fill it up with tap. If that gets boring, you can always get juice, coffee, etc with meals.

 

I like Nalgene bottles as I have hiked extensively with them. There are cheaper options.

I’ll definitely look into that. 👍
 

Being new to NCL - but not new to cruising - I wasn’t sure how it was going to work on the Norwegian Jade, especially in restaurants. Was figuring on being able to order a glass of water, iced tea, or some other complementary beverage. For some reason, I would just feel a little awkward bringing in a 1-liter container of any kind into a restaurant, other than maybe the buffet and The Great Outdoors, O’Sheehan’s, or Topsiders. Definitely don’t want to get any stares from patrons in the fancy places. 
 

1 minute ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

I bought the bottled water once. It was nice to have something you could stick in your backpack for excursions.

 

That said, I would not buy it again. Get a refillable bottle or Premium Plus.

If I can ask you a question about this - since I don’t drink alcohol or soda I’ve eliminated the Unlimited Drink Package. If you were going to be on a ship for 32 days, would you reconsider buying a drink package? Even if it was for the 6 or 12 ‘bottle’ package? 

22 hours ago, swmichigan cruiser said:

Our experience with buying water onboard wasn't that great. We bought one of the packages onboard at one of the bars. Didn't get delivered for 2 days so I contacted guest relations and it finally got delivered and the hotel directors secretary made that happen. Also we bought it only  once and were charged 6 times for it. Did finally get it straightened out again  with the HD secretary help.

 

I do have a question for you about this. When someone purchases a package on their online cruise reservation, it gives a ‘requested delivery date’.
 

When you purchased it at the bar, did they give you an option of the delivery date? Was this something that you did, and it still didn’t get delivered for two days?

On 4/3/2024 at 8:18 AM, Sim1979 said:

I don't remember exactly how expensive is the water package on board, i would need to buy the 24x1L bottle (gonna share with my parents) and those show as 59.94 pre-cruise (with 63% off... supposedly...).

 

I know on board you don't have taxes added in (only service charge), so i'm wondering if it's worth it to buy it pre-cruise or i should get the same price on board (without taxes)?

 

Any recent cruiser could tell me what's the onboard price for the 24x1L

 

Thanks

I plan on buying the water package as well. I find it a little more convenient to be able to toss the container when I’m done and not have to drag around a large empty stainless steel water bottle or empty Yeti around she ship. I also plan on bringing at least a dozen small boxes of water additive. Now that I think about it, I could probably dump all of the packets into a Ziploc bag and carry it that way. 
 

I took these screenshots off of my booking for the different prices: