dmwnc1959
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Posts posted by dmwnc1959
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4 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:
Jade's last dry-dock was in March 2022, therefore she's not due for next one for 3 years.
This information is what I was basing that on, and would consider this a very reliable source…
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On 3/28/2024 at 11:29 AM, erisajd said:
omg - there will be SIX ships in port the day we arrive in KTN . . . a day to stay on the boat. No way are we going to fight the crowds to walk a street where everyone selling the same stuff for the same prices - I'll work out that morning - maybe get a $300 massage
From what I’ve seen already, they do offer some excursions from Ward’s Cove that stay close by like canoeing, paddle boats, and hiking. -
On 3/27/2024 at 3:35 PM, dpavid said:
What is there time to do in town now that the window is so short if you don't book an excursion? Arrive at 7 am but nothing in the town opens until 10 am. The last shuttle back is at 11 am. Walk Creek Street? That's about it. What a waste hanging out in their tourist trap.
For your ship’s arrival time check out what time sunrise occurs. It’s probably been up for a couple of hours already. Having been to Ketchikan a few times already, it’s worth it just to walk around and take a few pictures, go into town and support some of the local donut and breakfast shops. Be the first off of the ship, enjoy the scenery around town, and get some exercise! I’ll be there twice in 2025, and twice in 2026, and having already visited Ketchikan I’m still going to go into town.
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1 hour ago, NikiPinkston said:
The bus ride can actually be pretty entertaining. Last time, the driver had some great bear stories!
I’ve seen that from a couple of YouTube videos! 🤣 Maybe it’s not as horrible as people are making it out to be.
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1 hour ago, Panhandle Couple said:
only a few would be eligible for booking flights, as airlines only book 52 weeks in advance.
Hotels are easily cancelled.
Not so much for people that do independent travel when booking airfare and hotels, and choosing a lower promotional price which may be nonrefundable. I’ve already scouted out hotels and flights for next April/May using this year’s schedule. As soon as flights and hotels become available, I’m booking them. That’s the hazards I was eluding to. -
1 hour ago, Mary229 said:
This is another one I wouldn’t be bothered by, I grew up directly next to the Mississippi River and close to the fog horn, to me it is a lullaby. It is funny how we all have different experiences that is what Cruise Critic is excellent to uncover all of the issues
You would think that after having spent 10 years at sea in the Navy I’d be used to fog horns now and then. Been a while since I’ve heard one on a cruise ship, the last time were the horns on Royal Princess playing ‘The Love Boat’ theme. 🤣😁
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5 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:
…if it’s a foggy night, the foghorn blasts directly into your room and even the walls vibrate. It’s like sleeping inside a drum in a marching band.
Well that’s sort of terrifying! 😳 @Mary229 @crystalspin -
19 hours ago, njkate said:
Redeployments? Dry dock? I doubt all of those sailings are charters
It had been mentioned in another thread that Norwegian Jade was due for a drydock in March 2025, despite the fact that there had been a full schedule already published for that month. I imagine she’ll go in for maintenance and upkeep for two weeks, followed by a couple of Caribbean cruises prior to her repositioning cruise to Alaska.-
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20 hours ago, NikiPinkston said:
@PandaBear62 That is the correct address for Berth 4, but here are the directions from Berth 4 to downtown from Google Maps. It shows that walking will take you 11 minutes. I read somewhere that there's another shuttle from Berth 4 to downtown but can't confirm that. Perhaps someone else on this board knows, although then that would be another shuttle to have to wait for.
I’ve watched a couple of videos of Wards Cove, one of them was the full bus ride from the dock into town. The walk from the downtown bus stop into ‘center city’ is definitely not ideal, but manageable.-
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11 hours ago, dhanakorn said:
Got my clothes back after talking to the guest service. No explanation why it took so long. I suspect that they already finished the laundry but there’s no crew available to take the basket to guest room.
The new bag is big. I’ve 10-day worth of laundry and I still have some room left in the bag.
😳 WOW that’s an awful lot of clothes! Much more than what I had been anticipating. 👍 -
20 minutes ago, Mary229 said:
Two years! You are an advanced planner, for sure. I haven’t read the whole thread but if no one has suggested there are two websites worth clicking about, both done by avid HAL cruisers. They contain photos, menus, floor plans and more
halfacts.com
and
My big cruise is April 2025 - 32nts on Norwegian Jade from Tampa through the Panama Canal to Whittier, AK and then the 7-night Southbound from there to Vancouver. However, when I accidentally stumbled across the ‘Great Bear Rainforest’ itinerary on FB there was no doubt that I had to do this.
And thank you for the links, my last cruise with Holland-America was in August 2003 so it’s been a while lol. After that cruise (which was also Alaska), I bounced around a lot between Cunard, Carnival, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean. Quite the variety!-
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23 minutes ago, Mary229 said:
I visited my neighbor who had that room in January. It is a nifty room and quite spacious as all of the Ks are, not quite as spacious as Js but the real estate location is wonderful. I love quirky rooms. Other fascinating rooms are the high forward OV cabins on the Pinnacle ships
Even more excited! It’s going to kill me to have to wait two entire years. 🤣 -
18 hours ago, crystalspin said:
I think you have it there. The door-slamming noise is concentrated on times when you are up and about yourself.
Let me tell you a secret: Insides 10021 and 10024 have a Window! to be sure a window with no view (over the top of the Lido Pool roof), but you get natural light and can check the weather.
Just found a YouTube video of 10021 including a view out the window! Looks wonderful. 🥰 -
26 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:
And then we have a puzzlement. I was quite surprised when Explora l headed for the new locks. Her dimensions are 813x105, 64000 by. Why? No live from on the Explora board, and the roll call went silent more than two weeks ago. @BillB48Any ideas?
I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw were heading for the new locks this morning. Grabbed a screenshot of her in the Cocoli Locks and don’t see a single passenger or anyone standing topside, not on any of the balconies, nowhere. Maybe it’s because of the heat? You would at least think someone will be on a balcony, but no. weird.-
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I think the only saving grace on any of this is that most have not yet booked airfare or hotels.
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1 hour ago, Mary229 said:
I agree that the door sound is not loud or frequent. The door is heavy and can’t be banged shut. On busy glacier days we had trouble with people leaving it cracked open letting in a draft. It is infrequently used except on scenic cruising days. I think most of the sports people come up from the back of the ship at the steps on 9, it just seems that way. I was quite surprised that you hear nothing from the crow’s nest.
Great information! Thank you! 😁 -
8 hours ago, crystalspin said:
I think you have it there. The door-slamming noise is concentrated on times when you are up and about yourself.
Let me tell you a secret: Insides 10021 and 10024 have a Window! to be sure a window with no view (over the top of the Lido Pool roof), but you get natural light and can check the weather.
Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle! 😳 Went back and looked at the video and sure enough there’s a window with curtains!!! 🤯 I never would’ve guessed in a million years. 🥰 -
1 hour ago, crystalspin said:
Well, it's not just a "fire door" but general access to the deck. Oh you mean "fire" as in being a heavy door? Yes, and it shuts loudly, I have read some complaints but didn't notice it after maybe the first day! And we spent some time each evening in the cabin as my husband was still working and needed (to try) to log in to the computer... before StarLink was a glimmer!
Will have to give that part of it some thought. I’m sure, especially with an Inside Passage cruise, there would be lots of foot traffic heading from the Observation Deck towards the Crow’s Nest and visa versa, but maybe not so much at night when it’s cold outside? I do rather like the idea of being just steps from the great outdoors with the sky above me and surrounded on all sides by scenery.
😁
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42 minutes ago, crystalspin said:
We did a TA in K10021 on the Zuiderdam. While there were no storms, we felt no motion (and DH does have history of Mal de Mer). We risked it based on how much time we spent in the Crows Nest anyway!
One thing about the K-inside, that seems to be true of every cabin below a suite on the Vista ships, is a dearth of drawers: small ones in the nightstands and large ones under the beds. I obtained and bought collapsible shallow boxes (sold as drawer organizers) and used them on the closet shelves.
Just watched a video tour of Noordam which walked right past K10021 and you’d think there’d be issues with the exterior fire door being right there? Did you experience that?I’m not particularly prone to seasickness either, but most of my prior cabins have been amidship and about halfway up. I have always insured that I had enough Bonine in me (at least 24hrs before flight-time heading down to the port) to where it’s in my system well before boarding the ship.
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32 minutes ago, Mary229 said:
I have never noted a problem but I am not prone to motion sickness.
One more question, if I may. Any issues with the Oak Room, and cigarette smoke wafting into the hallways? 🤔 -
19 minutes ago, Mary229 said:
All of the 10th floor K’s are nice. There are so few cabins up there it does truly develop a neighborhood feel. Plus you are a few steps to the coffee, the crow’s nest and a few steps to the outside walk and sports.
How was it for motion? I think on the second half of the B2B I’m contemplating Noordam travels on the outside of Vancouver Island into the open ocean. That would probably be the worst of it. I do rather like the idea of being only a step or two from the outside.😁
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7 minutes ago, RuthC said:
I'm sorry, but I really am not yet in a position to judge. The program hasn't been in effect long enough for people to have been displaced, and for us to know under what circumstances.
I do know that many of the J-cabins on Main Deck on the Noordam are for two people, but are connecting cabins to a cabin for four, or three---good family areas. I would be concerned that a larger family might want the two connecting cabins---the double for the parents, and the one for 3-4 for the kids. So even booking the double might not be safe.
I think since your cruise is quite early in the season, and is a longer cruise, the demand for the cabin you have might not be there.
I hope this works out for you!
THANK YOU! 👍😁
Actually just off of them phone with a PCC - our first contact - with him making an initial ‘how’s it going’ introduction. I went over my concerns as laid out above, and he confirmed that the new ‘policy’ is in play. He also agreed that the itinerary, time of year, and ship made it a lot less likely that I’d get bumped, saying it was probably around 5%.
I only booked that category based on the fact that it has much more room to spread out, but that’s not so important to risk that 5% and having a B2B bumped to separate cabins in less than desirable locations.
I’m not really interested in the balcony cabin, even if I get upgraded to one. Past experience shows that I just never spend any time there, even in Alaska. I’ve researched other inside cabins, specifically the sideways inside cabins aft on Verandah Deck.
Time is definitely on my side, I’d just rather get this out of the way so that I can focus on my current booking for April 2025.
😁
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8 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:
I comprehend. Four of us travel together and can pack for up to a 13 day crusie in one suitcase each. Havng served in the military, one learns quickly how to maximize the amount that can be stored in one piece of luggage. 🙂
I haven’t had to pack a sea bag or stow my bunk lockers in over 35 years. LOL 😂 Enjoy the luxury of being able to pack two suitcases, a carry-on, and a personal item. 😁 -
12 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:
I am lucky I guess. All my checked bags are free when I fly! Also, I have only sailed up to a 14 day cruise so far.
This will be my first flight in more than a decade. I rarely fly, since my more recent cruises where all from a drive-to port, so checked luggage wasn’t ever a factor.
Many cancellations next year
in Norwegian Cruise Line
Posted
Not everyone has the luxury of waiting last-minute. Even retired people (me) book their vacations and cruises a year in advance, or even longer. Just this week I booked a cruise for April 2026 on Holland-America. Rare, exotic, unique, and once-in-a-lifetime cruises can book up really quickly, and folks want to make sure they’re part of the experience.