dmwnc1959

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

You have come here pre-dispositioned against ncl. Endless quotes about how everyone else is better. Not very open minded. 

7 hours ago, FPMoosally said:

 

Your attitude makes that end inevitable. It will be one-and-done because that is what you're expecting.

Yet I’m still here asking questions, digging for answers on what’s good, applied for and been approved for the NCL BofA Mastercard, still trying to decide if I want to buy the 🍪 cookies 🍪 from the online store 😉, poring over restaurant menus and picking out my meals, and studying the Norwegian Jade on MarineTraffic and checking out the bridge cam. Me, being all sorts of open-minded with an actual positive outlook. Wow. 

Have you seen this thread… 🤣

6 hours ago, FPMoosally said:

 

Your attitude makes that end inevitable. It will be one-and-done because that is what you're expecting.

 

 

As opposed to?

 

That’s funny because I’m already looking at Norwegian Breakaway out of New York. 🤣

As opposed to? Comparing NCL against other cruise lines beverage packages. The ones that seem to be more all-inclusive, or offer a better combination of non-alcoholic beverages like specialty coffees, tea, soda, smoothies, etc.

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

You have come here pre-dispositioned against ncl. Endless quotes about how everyone else is better. Not very open minded. 

It’s not so much as me being pre-dispositioned against NCL, I would not have already booked the Norwegian Jade and sat here for countless hours checking out NCL shore excursions and putting online goodies into my shipboard basket otherwise. That’s being very open-minded.
 

It’s an attempt by me to place those who love NCL on offensive to defend the product and tell me what’s good (or great) about it. The best defense is a good offense. Nothing wrong with that.

😁

56 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I'm glad you added this emphasis that this was your experience, and your opinion, only. Many of us, I think, would not want NCL to "up their game" and include all of the things Princess does, because it would cause an automatic increase in the price. We've not sailed on Princess yet, but would like to. However, when I tried a couple of mock bookings a week or so ago, the sticker shock was real.

There’s a chance that after my first NCL cruise my eyes will have been opened realizing that I’ve been overpaying for benefits and conveniences that most people would never use. When you’re in the sheep pen it’s hard to tell when I’m surrounded by wolves after my hard-earned dollar. I’d like to think Princess Cruises has been an outstanding value for my money. And it’s a great company with some truly gorgeous ships, the Royal-class and the new Sun Princess are simply stunning. But give it a year and we’ll see where my next booking lands me. It’ll be something out of NYC so my options for January 2026 are somewhat limited, although I do see the Norwegian Jade has a Panama Canal sailing from there! Hmmmmm. 😉

1 hour ago, Hooley said:

I understand that there is a shuttle from Ward Cove to Ketchikan.  How often does it run and is there a cost?  We're taking a private excursion that starts and ends at the dock in Ward Cove.  We'd like to be dropped off in town.  Is it easy to take the ship's shuttle back to Ward Cove?  Thanks.

Here’s an interesting video from YouTube showing the port facilities at Ward Cove as they were last summer. You can see toward the end of this four minute video that the shuttles are often full-sized motor coaches or school buses.

Here’s a thread over on the Alaska forum with lots of details and information. You might want to also check the ship schedule to see if another ship will be docked with you at Ward Cove. NCL as well as some of the NCL Holdings ships use that one pier. 
 

1 hour ago, Auralee said:

…this is our first time trying Norwegian.

 

I am hoping I will find things to love about Norwegian! This is the first cruise we will try a specialty restaurant so I am looking forward to that. I hope the vibe is fun - but a lot of folks on here post about lack of fun themes and such.. so I am unsure what to expect till I go and find out if Norwegian is our “Jam”. 

Same here, I’m hoping this isn’t going to be a one-and-done. After having sailed and loved both Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises this cruise will be an interesting departure.

I’ve also done the specialty restaurants on both of those cruise lines and they were very good, and in anticipation of having a similar experience I’m booking a 7-meal specialty dining package (for a total of 9 with the FAS offer), with four of those evenings being spent at La Cucina. The one thing I do like about Norwegian Jade is the variety of dining options.

Not sure I’d ever consider Carnival or MSC, although if a good deal pops up on MSC Meraviglia out of NYC I may have to reconsider. Might even check out the Norwegian Breakway if this cruise pans out.  Just wish NCL had better beverage packages. 😉

😁

7 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Unfortunately, most of the items on Premiere list (other than the service charge specialty meals, and beverage package) have zero value to us. And even the beverage package, we would never upgrade to the NCL Plus package, so in a price analysis, I would degrade the benefit of the being able to get specialty coffee, water, juices, etc. that are not in the basic NCL package.

 

I never understood the fascination of eating cold room service food served to me on my bed (since there isn't counter space to place a tray). In several decades of cruising, other than a few times that we have had our butler serve us a hot meal on a proper dining table in our suite, we have never ordered room service. And I certainly don't need to tip someone to bring me a hot dog while sitting in a hot tub. 

There are a LOT more items on the OceanNow Delivery than a hot dog. 🤣 And they’ll deliver to a LOT more places on the ship than a hot tub.

And, of course, we all travel and cruise for different reasons, with different expectations, and different needs. Like, for instance, I don’t need a Butler, I don’t need a suite, and I certainly don’t need a dining room table in my cabin.
 

My needs and wants are different than yours. That’s why I specifically said that when comparing the two packages for my Panama Canal cruise, and for these two specific itineraries for my vacation, my per diem came out to be nearly identical. There are a lot of aspects and really nice things that I take for granted that are part of the Princess Premier package which I’ll do without on NCL. In the long run it really doesn’t make my price any ‘cheaper’ if it’s giving me a lot fewer options of the things that are important to me. That is, unless I buy the extra packages and upgrades to equal what I am used to getting on Princess Cruises.  
 

The main reason I’m looking at NCL and the Norwegian Jade is for the itinerary, and that it checks off a lot of final Bucket List items. If Princess Cruises were offering this exact same itinerary, don’t think I wouldn’t be sailing with them again. That’s probably why I’ve never cruised NCL up to this point. For me, Princess Cruises is the better cruise line.

And there are a lot of reasons people order room service. Maybe they just want to spend the evening alone in their cabin, or they’re not feeling up to confronting the crowds, or maybe just want a light snack that they can enjoy on their balcony after a rough day. Room services is 24 /7 even though a lot of the venues on most ships are not. And in my several decades of cruising I’ve never had a bad experience with room service. The food has always been good. The food is always been delivered promptly. And the food has always been completely satisfying. No Butler needed. 
 

😁

3 hours ago, zqvol said:

And it cost you a lot more

There are a LOT of things baked into the ‘included’ price for Princess Cruises that are not in NCL’s Free at Sea package. For instance, Princess Premier combines all of these:

- Crew appreciation (tips and gratuities)

- Unlimited Wi-Fi (up to 4 devices per guest)

- Premier Beverage Package (all sodas, specialty coffees, teas, hot chocolate, water to go, smoothies and unlimited juice bar, and a premium selection of beers, spirits, cocktails and wine by the glass up to $20 each)

- Premium desserts (unlimited)

- Fitness classes (unlimited)

- Photo package (unlimited digital + 3 prints)

- Princess Prizes

- 2 specialty dining meals per guest

- Medallion accessory

- Reserved theater seating (for production shows only)

- NEW Unlimited casual dining meals

- NEW Room service delivery (delivery fees waived) 

- NEW OceanNow® delivery (food and drinks delivered to wherever you are by ordering on the app)

These are more in line with the Free at Sea PLUS package, but even that is still lacking.
 

Once I start having to buy other NCL packages and upgrades and then adding all of those into my Norwegian Jade cruise the cost gets pretty darned high, and although I may not use every single one of the items Princess Cruises offers (i.e. the fitness classes) in their package I would use the vast majority. 
 

Based on the two Panama Canal cruises I am comparing (considering all of the packages and offerings from NCL and Princess) the associated per diem costs are nearly identical. 

48 minutes ago, n4w said:

All the photos are staged shots, none are "candid."  There will be a handful of locations in front of backdrops or some ship architecture (staircase) nightly.  There will be a port photo at each port, there will be some roped off areas for glaciers (Alaska itineraries) and perhaps others on other itineraries (Panama Canal transit).  You might be able to stop a photographer passing by with their camera.

 

As for the digital prints, this package gets you 10 (the welcome aboard and route map pics and the 8 others that you choose).  Yes, they will sell you $20 each (print plus digital copy).  I've seen some of your posts in recent threads, I believe you will end up disappointed if you buy this package.

 

Take as many photos with their photographers as you wish. Go to the photo gallery and pick out the best ones is how it works.  They take the pics and ask you for your room number so they can be filed for retrieval.  They also have packages to sell you onboard, those are marginally better than this package, IMO.

It’s like a freaking lightbulb just came on in my head. 😳 I get it now.

- (8) Portrait 8x10 Prints

- Digital Files of all selected photos 

These aren’t two distinctly different things, it’s basically the same thing, twice. You select the eight pictures you want, then get digital files of those. For some reason I was interpreting it as you were getting two separate bullet points: the 8-8x10’s, and then digital files of all of the pictures you select that have been taken during the cruise. Which is not the case. Princess Cruises gives you unlimited digital, which is what I was thinking NCL does. 

The more I think about this, a lot of those pictures are just going to end up shoved in a drawer somewhere when I get home. Kind of like where all the others from past cruises go to die. Man, this is depressing, 🥺 but on the bright side you just saved me $200. 😁
 

Think I’ll skip the entire idea of buying vacation pictures this time. 

7 minutes ago, Auralee said:

Ok called Norwegian and it’s confirmed - only way to get the icy Starbucks drinks is to stand in line yourself at the atrium coffee bar. We cancelled our packages and will just use hot chocolate or coffee with ice cream. And buy as we go if we want something special. — sad. Really limited beverage options for non- drinkers trying to avoid pop! 

As much as I love a good cappuccino in the morning with breakfast, Norwegian Jade doesn’t appear to have anywhere in the buffet to grab a specialty coffee. I love the coffee card I had on Royal Princess, and there was always somewhere to grab a tasty frothy cup of java. I think I’m better off buying it à la carte this next trip. Princess Cruises had a much MUCH better Premium Beverage Package, a lot more all-inclusive of everything from soda to specialty coffees to alcoholic beverages. I do wish NCL would step up their game.

4 minutes ago, ChrysFox said:

I'm not entirely positive this is what you're looking for.  

 

The key phrase here is   "Digital Files of all selected photos"
From what I've been led to believe in other forums, this means you get 10 pictures - just the Welcome Aboard, and 8 more that you choose to have printed..
That's not what I'd call a lot.  Apparently, NCL doesn't seem to offer the complete collection of digital photos anywhere.
 

Don’t the 8x10 prints usually run around $20 each? That seems to be about average though I don’t know what they run on NCL, like the embarkation picture, formal night backdrops, and maybe some stock pictures of the ship? 
 

As for digital images, are those just a lot of candid snaps taken by the staff photographers during port visits (at the pier), maybe during the Panama Canal transit, at staged set-ups around the ship, etc.? I’m wondering how these are acquired to add to the ‘selected photos’?  

Have added this selection to my pre-cruise online bundle (not yet pulled the trigger) for the NCL BofA Mastercard 3X points and was wondering if any here have actually purchased this package, and what your thoughts were.
 

The cost is $199 for 25-nights, and I’ve included some screenshots of what it includes. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thinking maybe this would add a lot of digital pictures without me viewing my vacation through an iPhone camera. Last cruise I went overboard and took over 1,100 pictures on one week. 🤣

1 hour ago, Huntingdon1701 said:

 

Yes, you can sit there without eating at the restaurant. It's one of my favourite bars because it tends to be quite quiet so the bartenders get to know you well.

 

It has a set of mojitos on the menu that you can't find elsewhere, but does serve other drinks. https://profcruise.com/norwegian-bar-menus-2022/ [scroll down]

Thank you! Some of these look pretty amazing! 🍹

32 minutes ago, 9tee2Sea said:

this is how I sort of cheat on the specialty coffees.  I go to the buffet, get a glass 1/2 filled with regular coffee.  I then go to the soft service ice cream station, add the soft serve into the coffee glass.  Then go back to the coffee station and top off with just a bit more coffee.  Obviously that is not a specialty mocha frappo non-whipped whatever, but it is still a tasty mix.  Maybe add hot chocolate to the mix.

YUM!!! Actually sounds fantastic! We have to try it with the hot chocolate mix. 😋

38 minutes ago, Auralee said:

Thank you. We are going to have to re-think this package. (We have fas~ but opted out of the alcoholic drink package as we don’t drink and 700$ each just for the gratuities wasn’t worth it!! ) Approx 300$ each for the Starbucks drink package was a bit more reasonable and sounded fun to try the drinks.. but with limited mobility the idea of standing in line each time seems unreasonable since others with a drink package can just ask any server for a drink!!

LOTS of great questions I didn’t even consider! Had the specialty coffee package on my last Princess and Royal Caribbean cruises and there were always several places to grab a fancy coffee. On NCL at least restaurants will be able to follow up a meal with a tasty coffee-styled beverage? Don’t really do Frappuccino, but with the only place cracking out those iced-delights in the atrium it does put a limitation on my desire to stand in a long line. 
 

😁

On 1/12/2024 at 7:01 PM, CAKEisgood said:

About your question regarding lounging on the promenade deck. There are none. Promenade deck is deck 7. Lifeboats hang above this deck. It appears it would not be practical for loungers on this deck for safety reasons. 

Looks like the big loungers that use to be on Coral Princess have also disappeared, but replaced with wood slat chairs and small tables. It’s better than nothing, and I’m wondering if NCL could do the same thing? Coral Princess also has a sheltered promenade deck with lifeboats hanging above. 
 

Here’s a recent picture for a visual that was recently posted by @arxcards currently on the Coral Princess in Australia…

On 2/15/2024 at 5:06 PM, Turtles06 said:

P.S. I love The Lion King. 😊

During one of The Lion King performances that I attended purchased the most absolute perfect stuffed Musfasa. He sat at my desk at work for years, and one of my coworkers loved him. When I retired this past December I gifted it to her, along with a framed Playbill. She was moved to tears. 🥲

16 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

There was no meeting of B2B guests. On the final day of the first cruise, we were given our sea pass cards for the second cruise as well as “NCL Still on Vacation — in transit” stickers to put on our shirts when returning to the ship so that we would not have to go through check in (at the Convention Center, which was being used as a temporary cruise terminal).  On the turnaround day, we got off the ship whenever we wanted, went wherever we wanted, and returned whenever we wanted.

Just one more question, if I may, about turnaround day. Do you remember what time the ship docked that morning, early enough that might facilitate very early morning private tours? 

14 minutes ago, smillerholmes said:

True.

 
Sort of heard this in my heard as if Spock was saying it in his voice. 🤣
 

True = correct, I assume? 😉

I’m curios about the (love this name) Sugarcane Mojito Bar that’s inside the Moderno Churrascaria Brazilian Steakhouse. Can anyone sit at the bar even if they’re not eating in the restaurant?  Does this bar have a unique menu of drinks not found anywhere else in the ship. I’ve eaten at this type of restaurant on another cruise line and they are always intriguing. 

Wanted to also double-check that NCL CRUISE DEPOSITS count towards the triple point accruals. 
 

In the Terms and Conditions it says this: 

“To qualify for the 3 points per $1 for Norwegian Cruise Line Net Purchases, the eligible transaction must appear on your monthly credit card statement and contain either “Norwegian Cruise Line” or the name of a Norwegian Cruise Line vessel.”

So, if I’m booking future cruises and using the NCL BofA card to make reservation deposits, this counts and gets 3x points? 
 

😁

On 2/21/2024 at 7:45 PM, Eggs2Go said:

The statement credit will give me a very nice discount when I make final payment on my next cruise. (I only use the NCL credit card for NCL payments.) Thanks so much.

Makes a lot of sense. I’m planning on using it (within the first 90 days) to purchase just over $1000 worth from the NCL website, then pay off the cruise when the balance comes due. With triple points that’ll give another 15,000 points, so 40,000 total. 

On 1/31/2024 at 4:44 PM, Turtles06 said:

You’ve definitely been doing your research! 😊 Yes, these were taken on B2B cruises. The NCL Gem sailed one-way from NY to Panama City, and then returned to NY. Quite a good-sized group doing the 23-day B2B. It was a great trip!  The second leg was our first northbound transit, and it turned out to be so much more than just seeing things in reverse order. We loved the whole experience. 

I was curious about your turn-around day at Fuerte Amador. I’m assuming that there’s an early gathering of the B2B passengers in one of the ship’s lounges, that will then disembark as a group then re-embark (all for security purposes).
 

Once this process has been completed,  are those passengers that do the B2B allowed to get off the ship and go into town, or maybe do a private tour? And on that turn-around day, what time that night did the ship leave Fuerte Amador? 
 

THANK YOU again for all of your pictures and tips! 🥰

1 hour ago, smillerholmes said:

I am an early riser and I typically like to explore from 3a -5a, maybe I miss the late night menu but in O'Sheehan's, it's typically a large cofee urn? and finger sandwiches (pb&j/some rando sort of meat slathered in mayo) on a tray. The staff is usually deeply involved in cleaning. 

 

Suggestion:  Do not ingest these items.

YIKES!!! 😳