mking8288

@JessLCH Current prices (valid as of last month) was/is $30 per day for the "basic" or non-streaming unlimited WiFi x 7 days = $210, minus a 20% Latitudes Sapphire discount (if you do not have the FAS 150 minutes) or $168 will be your net cost. < please note, I rounded up all the pennies to nearest dollar for simplicity > With your FAS 150 minutes - you are given a trade-in credit of $100 for those unused minutes to upgrade. Thus $30 x 7 = $210 minus $100 = your quoted $110 or $109.93 to be "exact". But, you cannot apply or get the 20% Latitudes discount, it's either one or the other - and; there is no advantage to paid ahead now, aside from simplicity or getting it out of the way. It's the same deal or price doing it onboard the ship - difference being that, if you have or are expecting some kind of non-refundable OBC coming, adjustments/refunds and/or NCLH shareholders OBC, etc. can and will be automatically applied. If you go to your "MyNCL" account, the details about internet package options "should" be there, hiding deep but in plain sights, just not easy to find for some and "unintentional" misleading, that you must upgrade both pax #1 and #2 - when, in fact, you can just upgrade 1 person and share it, one device at a time only.

Sapphire's 20% discount is not combinable with the offered "upgrade" ... looks like it's based on a 7 nights cruise with 125 free minutes included. If you wait until onboard & upgrade at 00:01 after midnight, it's Day 2 and you will be charged for 6 days, less the trade-in credit ... your net cost will be lowered by $30 to about $80. And, if you have any non-refundable OBC, they will be applied to offset automatically - which you cannot do pre-cruise.

Shore-based NCL check-in agent will ask you 2 or 3, maybe 4 quick screening questions that's health related, click thru on their tablet, acknowledged & signed as your consent - done. Then, you'll get the guest key cards and then a matter of boarding/wait until your group or zone # is called, etc.

Given a choice, especially this time of the year, would prefer a day in Miami instead of another sea day - visit Little Havana for a good cup of sidewalk Cuban coffee. Norwegian Dawn used to do a 7 days out of NY back on the good old days on its Florida/Bahamas run with some interesting shorex available.

@Dorhead1230 ... Woohoo - go for it ... This is wonderful for CC addicts hovering on NCL and eager to read and learn about the latest & newest with the Getaway. We've done our share and tried to maintain a little bit of continuity, carry on and keep the reports going - with your own style, angles & approach. I like your plan for LM in Florida, your recognition of the pro's & con's of GSC - and good old Nassau (they are expanding the port facilities, completion by this May ...) Will just see what'll NCL make of the Bermuda segment. @sailorusvi Embarkation & disembarkation will be much streamlined as the perks come with your bundled booking package. If you get the butler to order the items we had from Shanghai Noodles & bring them upstairs for a private dining, you'll find the comfort food experience much nicer vs. sitting next to/behind the smoky casino area. @PistolPete13 commented earlier that he is considering, planning and going to try to contribute & do his share following this weekend's sailing on the 12 nights. Cruise with an open mind, sense of humor and knowing that the crew as a whole are doing their best - the best cruise vacation is what and how you make the best & most out of it. Will be following along and that'll help us deal with missing our "at sea" experience ... as our next one isn't exactly around the corner. Started looking at Windy and CruiseMapper apps plus the usual forecast apps. Have a wonderful cruise - ships nearly always sail at 110% and higher during school break - hopefully, NCL and Mario, the GM are working hard to turn those corners with all their resources & people-power on hand.

@PistolPete13 Sounds like a plan to me. Yeah, 300 minutes doesn't go too far - without OBC, I don't feel it's necessary to upgrade & spent all that extra for unlimited ... wasn't sure if we're going to use our OBC to trade-up as we had 600 minutes. Back in 2019, did Semi Live on the Escape 14 nights (W. Carib) with 350+ minutes - plus an extra 60 minutes toward the end. It can be done Compose off-line, connect & log-in, go to "your" active thread & upload to post quickly ... then, logoff & disconnect from inTERnet. Then, read the rest of CC offline while remaining connected to ship's inTRAnet, thus keep your airtime usage to a minimum. Set your device cloud updates & uploads to disabled or turned off (hate it with a major Android or iOS system update/security patches & most apps can "wait" for routine updates). Do your major pictorial posting at San Juan and St. Thomas, 5G and 4G signals are excellent from cellular towers, and the rest of the pictures & video clips post-cruise, as the ship's network can be awfully slow (worst being full sea days & mid/late evenings.) Game plan suggestions would be to limit "on air" from 45 to 60 minutes on Day 2 and 3 (both full sea days) - local cell services Day 4 afternoon from PR land tower, then 45 minutes daily for other islands (3 of them have "free" WiFi at the terminal building & duty-free shopping area ... crew members were "online" so must be usable. Don't short yourself of valuable time exploring & sightseeing taking pro quality pix & videos. Day 1, Pier 88 now has good WiFi and VZW signal is stronger toward bow of ship & outdoors - spotty for few moments sailing down the Hudson & then gradually fade away once you're out past VZB & shorelines - that's plenty of time for quickie posts with embarkation. Look forward to following and should be very good with a refreshing look from your angle. Have a great cruise, enjoy & best wishes for a wonderful bon voyage next week. P.S. Someone else (CC'er) just posted that they are planning to do a little of semi or live reporting this weekend on the shorter 8 nights Getaway cruise, that's good for continuity. There is always something different, new and interesting to share.

Just to clarify, DWO (Dinner with Officers) typically is for Sapphire and higher ... and, yes, you ask & ask up at the CruiseNext desk ... Approval came from the GM's executive assistant or secretary with a written invitation. Sapphire friends on one of last December's T/A signed up but apparently never dine under the program. That's not to say, on last year's early Spring sailings with much lower occupancies, exceptions were made - only for a handful of cruises that managed to do so. It was promptly suspended with the Spring surge in Covid cases and gradually restored last month, AFAIK. Pre-Covid, DWO was Latitudes Plus or higher ...

One of my virtual assisant helped Google a little extra details, I only read one earlier - doesn't mention all of them but sounding like yours could well be one of them - Alaska prices for NCL this season seemed pretty low for less preferred cabins too ... https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-cruise-line-to-host-13-back-to-back-charters/91947 https://www.nclhltd.com/news-media/press-releases/detail/523/norwegian-cruise-line-holdings-new-experiences-at https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/NCLH-new-charter-division

For considerations be given to priority dining with Sapphire (and Diamond) status, show your card(s) to the host once you reach the podium, especially if and when there is a long line and you do not have a reservation, smile & be patient - you will likely be given one of the vibrating pager like everyone else; and, asked to step aside and wait like everyone else, once a "suitable" table is available. Most of the time, the wait at one of the MDR is usually not more than 5 to 10 minutes (mostly) but not always - and, you will be "paged" and escorted/shown to your table - best, choice or most preferred seating like next to the dance floor or with a window view will not necessary be offered or given. But, odds are - you probably were discretely bypassing a few others waiting too, and skipped to almost the front of the line to be seated for your meal. On our most recent cruise last month, I can't say for sure how much time we've saved but pretty sure, otherwise, we could've waited easily another 15 to 30 minutes without a reservation when there are dozens all waiting outside for the "next" table to become available. For smaller venue like Shanghai Noodles, this subtle discretion used by the host/ess to give "priority" probably doesn't really work that well - given its very limited seating capacity and long lines. To get faster & better services, I would still recommend going early at 5:00 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. for best available prime seating ... and, you are also less likely to be asked as to whether you mind sharing a table with others, especially for at breakfast & lunch in the MDR. As always, YMMV.

Sorry to break the news, NCL is doing more charters this year, especially off-seasons ... not necessary the entire ship but partial ones - it was recently announced by corporate with a new department & VP in charge. There was a calendar & lists of ships already with premium deals being cooked up, LOL - some of them offering CEC's with onboard "classes" & lectures, presentations, etc. - revenues generated per guests are higher, as a general rule, for these sailings ... NCL welcoming them with an open arm. If you have a quiet roll call, very quiet ones and yet many cabins are sold ... do your homework and due diligence to see, i.e. nursing, doctors, real estate agents, etc. not just your music charters.

Haha, just wasn't of much values-added dining on its own since we didn't dine at LC in recent past ... had stayed away but it was mainly to "sample" the beef tenderloin ... without an upgrade. Nowadays, we'll just have to cruise with an open mind, patience and prepared for surprises. It kind of reminded us of Harvest Caye, NCL's other private island (GSC) - we didn't go check out the pool area and someone else mentioned the cable car ride up the mountain, a short taxi ride away ... shops were okay with the usuals. Duty-free shop prices beat those at St. Thomas, glad we didn't make any onboard gift-shop purchases ... no bargains at 2 for $25. Our steward told us they're running low on facial tissues during NYC's turnaround day and had to wait until crates and cartons were opened to restore their service closets ... imagine rationing in fear of being out of TP. I didn't want to make a big deal out earlier about tomato & apple juice being unavailable, bananas and wrapped butter ... and, they're out of regular Sprite (in a can) at the bar. Flat pods of coffee being out of stock were mentioned here - learned to pack our own extras, just in case - only need to find hot water. As for skipping Amber Cove/Puerto Platta - per their roll call, those on current sailing notified via NCL email last month (after final payment, of course) of the changes, plus revised port times elsewhere on the 12 nights itinerary - should be interesting if they received any credits and/or OBC adjustments. Thus far, it's been "radio silence" - no news should be good news - mostly having a great time on the ship. Aren't you next on the GA after this week's shorter cruise - get ready & let's give us an updated onboard Report, as briefly as you can make it on highlights should get us to re-live ours again. Corp's VP for planning & logistics, provisioning and F&B owns these problem, annoying at a minimum - not exactly isolated and they think most of us will give them free passes on these recurring (isolated ??) shortage, nope. It's somewhat difficult to accept that they can't fully restock the ship in New York for 12+ days with plenty of distributors nearby. Instead, a tractor trailer pulled up at St. Thomas (USVI) when we docked there last month, obviously delivering urgent or important items needed, just in time, to the ship - perhaps locally sourced products. Everything being more expensive on these islands, unless locally produced. These take up very little luggage space, I slip them into one of the side pockets of my cabin-sized backpack ... right along with spare charger, USB battery powerbank, personal meds & mini first aid kit, etc. 👇 👇 👇 Food for overall thoughts - next week's 12 nights trip is the last one for the Getaway this winter season ... the rest are shorter ones to Florida & Bahamas, with the Dockyard, Bermuda day visit in question - interesting to continue to follow. Getaway slated to be upgraded (next or second in line) to Starlink satellite internet access, which should be a simple & straight forward upgrade - as the Cisco hardware/servers and NEC hotspots onboard, etc. do not need to changed or replaced, the network gears are in fine shape - unblock the upstream bottleneck ... more users, more paid upgrade, and hopefully, a win-win. The rest that choose to stay disconnected, feel free to power off & lock them up in the mini-safe. Directly dialed from land to ship is just $4.99 a minute + taxes/fees, credit/debit cards to the party making those calls, urgent/emergency/routine wellness ones - for your convenience, of course.

Valid point, in theory. Imagine, just imagine from a different service and managerial angle - if NCL can fully staff their dining room & gallery operations, can "speed" up the dining experience by 15% to 25% and reduce that 1-1-1 plus 1 specialty dining time from 90 to 120 minutes down a click or two, say 75 to 90 minutes instead. The average diner can easily finish that soup or salad or appetizer (mostly petite, single-serving sized these days using a larger plate or bowl, however) and the entrees with the micro-sized decorative trimmings (Cagney steakhouse, possibly being an exception) and be done with, clear the dishes & plates, bring out the dessert (choice of 1 among the 5 or 6 on the menu) plus coffee/tea - done. Countless times we sat at the table, waiting and chatting, eat and spend more time waiting - watching them dancing around to/from the gallery, usually 1 deck below, sometimes 2 decks. Mindful that Cagney's, Q, Food Republic, and Teppanyaki (along, O'Sheehan's and The Local) run their own mini kitchen directly nearby and once the order is on queue. Get the diners in promptly, service and clear the table once it's vacant, clean & set it up and then you can seat other guests with reservations quickly (and, probably watching & waiting nearby already) - regardless of whether they are sharing and/or feasting on extra sides, wining while dining, etc. Lately, whether it's in the MDR or SD, we've sat thru 2 hours+ leisure dining onboard from 6 to 8:15 p.m. and know for certain, the odds of NCL "needing" or able to "use" that table again that evening for the next "seating" is low to none. Besides, NCL does NOT have a cover charge or minimum per person or plate charge in the "upscale" dining venue - it is perfectly acceptable and not against any written rules for someone, myself included, to just enjoy a soup and salad in Le Bistro while other guests are doing a 5 course full meal. To share is not to waste ... isn't it ??

iOS or iPhone users should be on latest b by latest 16.3 version and to avoid hidden roaming data charge，make sure data roaming is off and that low data mode is ON, as that will restrict all those background uploads & updates to iCloud, backing up those photos & videos quietly without alerting you - but dinging your home carrier’s account on billable charges. Android users, look under your device's settings, find the tab for Mobile networks - and see if your Data roaming is enabled or not, as additional charges may result for not disabling that setting. Not sure how & where, stop at your ISP (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Bell Mobility or Rogers Wireless (Canada), Vodafone, Orange, Movistar, etc. etc.) and ask for help on how to check and learn your device's appropriate settings - before your next cruise. Google, Siri and Bing for online tutorial on how to do that ... and there's probably a good # of videos on Youtube about doing these ... then, you can "dance" with your digital companion on a cruise.

Fully appreciated OP's frustration but unlike Harvest Caye and other cruiseline's private island with a tier that is accessible friendly, GSC isn't one of them - for a variety of reasons. The only way for NCL ships to get guests ashore is via these double decker tender boat that can hold up to 500 passengers at a time. The tender will bounce up-n-down or move vertically, sometimes for more than a few inches across that narrow platform "bridge" on the tender deck - challenging even for able-bodied. Realistically and practically speaking, it is just not safe nor possible, IMHO, to safely transfer and transport someone using a wheelchair and/or scooter, etc. to firmly make that few steps across and then step down/up to the upper deck of the tender boat, From there, it's like 12 to 15 additional steps down the (fairly "steep") metal stairs onto the lower deck of the boat after the tender is docked at the island pier, to disembark or get onto the sandy island. NCL does have specialized wheelchairs designed to move & get someone around the sandy island and its walk paths. I pulled up 2 more pictures to help illustrate the GSC tendering challenges (that's from the GEM in 2017) - with a bit of breezy wind and small waves, the tender boat will be rocking and rolling, up & down and it's not as easy as a walk in the park. Ships do not always make it to GSC to tender anyone due to maritime weather & forecast - it's better, perhaps, to have a backup plan and/or just enjoy a nice day onboard a less crowded ship. Do contact NCL's Access Desk and speak with them to ask about whether they can be of further assistance.

Perhaps ... NCL has "unforeseen" insight into long range maritime weather forecast at GSC for beginning of May ? This has been confirmed by the GA's Group Events via Miami already. Isn't this a jumping ahead to request and schedule an onboard Meet & Greet this "early" in advance - almost 3 months away ?? Maybe, wait until 2 to 4 weeks prior with a better headcount or write back now to propose moving it to a full sea day now and see what they say. FWIW, NCL has scheduled VIP reception smack in the middle of dinner time in the Lounge and/or CruiseNext / Latitude welcome back sales presentation at lunch time, for our (in)convenience, of course ... and even the Dinner With Officers on a port day with all abroad time of 9 p.m. recently on the Getaway. Subsequently, DWO was rescheduled to a different day and all abroad was 6:30 p.m. - that was better.

Going off-topics here ... US CDC's online portal has detailed for all cruise ships - found under its VSP - NCL's fleet of ships generally score quite well, not perfect but better than others - not all the scores or inspections were recent. It does give you a pretty good idea on how clean things were - Link to the green sheet - have fun if you want to use the advance search function - https://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionGreenSheetRpt.aspx A number of FB'er on the recent Jan 20 Getaway sailing posted on the group's page post-cruise & shared theirs ... at least several had both Covid & noro symptoms and were treated onboard. As long as it's below 2%, not alarming but at 3% or higher, then ship has to put extra measures in place & report immediately to CDC, etc. (I'm fuzzy on the detailed particulars, but ... we ran into that onboard the Escape in Jan 2019 on a 14 nighters to the Caribbean. Usually, you don't hear or read much about noro on shorter cruises. Back to the Beatles, we're planning to go there on the Joy last September but when we saw the line & size of the crowd, DW said heck no ... and occupancy was around 70% to 75% only.

Nah, NCL isn't going to and what can they do, short of a major dry dock and given their finances lately - simply cannot easily re-configure some of the venue to jam in more live souls. As for the Prima & Viva, etc. - that's a different conversation themselves. Space usage as is now, is equally bad on the Getaway, Breakaway, Escape and not "exclusive" to the Joy (on her twice in 2022) in many of the public area, IMHO. Speaking of petri dishes, we simply wasn't going to squeeze into those overcrowded clubs & lounges ... some of them probably exceeded occupancy limits with live performance going on, standing room only - elbows to elbows, impossible to social distance or not practical to mask up. Glad that we didn't bother trying - more than a few came down with not just Covid but also noroviruses on our sailing last month.

That's good to hear - how recent was this and just to be clear, POA ?? We're in Cagney's about 3 weeks ago and the Getaway waiter was instructed otherwise, no takeout of the dessert, which we've had done often on previous sailings - last September, our waiter escorted us to the AFT elevator and was going to help deliver it to our stateroom ... our cash tipping must've been really flipped things around then. Wasn't going to ask for the asst. manager or hostess to come over to explain or call the GM's secretarial assistant to "straighten" matters out ... Of course, these minor matters - YMMV, always. As to OP's question, basically limited to 1-1-1 plus choice of 1 from the dessert menu, regular/decaf coffee or tea is complimentary, upcharge for Starbucks or specialty coffees (use those non-refundable OBC ...) Porterhouse has a $20 upcharge, Surf & Turf (or add a [frozen] lobster tail) for $25 and the Bone-In Tomahawk for $30 extra / upcharge with the dining package. Surcharge for the Crab Cake was dropped - these prices were the current ones last month (Jan 2023) on the Getaway. ... I'm waiting for NCL to come around with "market pricing" next, ask your friendly waiter on the upcharge amount for the current cruise, LOL. Just kidding & joking, but - I used to help manage F&B decades ago, on the side - never say "never".

Hmmm - it's either me or their website ... whatever, go with the "Flow" or hike to the buffet with the 20 oz. insulated mug & grab 3 clean cup's worth of filtered water from the dispenser, rinse & repeat. I'm not seeing water package options & it's not in the "gift" section either - this is on an upcoming cruise. I would upload the prices of those water cartons from this January ... but might be moot if NCL is changing again (twice already in 2022) since it's now Coke instead of Pepsi products. Logistically, easier for them to deal with the same vendor/supplier - and, was somewhat surprised that they are now stocking up cans of Coke products onboard. This old fellow gotta be behind these changing times in how that's consistent with Sail & Sustain. Slightly off-topic: but, I'll take a 10 oz or 12 oz can any day over a highball glass of soda filled with ice first, that's for my convenience ... and I can walk with one in my hand without spilling - it's like really getting 2 glasses of soda by getting 1 can, ice on the side.

In all of 20+ years tendering GSC, not always successful and don't ever recall powered scooter being taken ashore - only part of the island is paved, rest of the walk path being over sand. Have you called into & check with the Access Desk about this ?? I also recalled weight restrictions about combined weight of passengers & transport wheelchairs allowed, as the tendering process isn't any easy one - for all practical purposes, NCL really wasn't making it easy or permitting, for safety reasons. It's often just as relaxing to stay onboard and enjoy a less crowded pool deck and buffet, etc. Best of luck and do let us know, as things might've changed lately ... These are older pictures in my collection ... we're there again in 2018 and 2019, and also last Spring, different ships but essentially the tendering process is the same. From the ship, you need to transfer & be able to walk across the short ramp to the upper deck of the Norway I or II, and once at the private island - need to be able to walk downstairs & then exit via the front "ramp" of the tender. Process to return to the ship is a full reverse of the sequence and we've seen folks struggled, even with assistance from other family members & friends traveling together giving strong helping hands. There are (were) limitations on how much assistance and the type of help crew members are allowed to offer.

Hmmm, looking at a booked cruise further down the calendar and it's gone too. Just wondering if NCL is getting rid of the current "Flow Water" partnership and going with something else marketed under the "Coke" corporate branding, and, adjusting pricing upward again ... for our (in)convenience, of course.

Thanks for this post review on the Epic ... considering doing her on a possible last minute booking (we've never sail her) How was that sofa - we might have a 3rd adult sharing either a balcony and/or possibly a club suite, although the tiny extra length isn't going to make much difference for space. How was the balcony compared to other mega ships like the Breakaway, Getaway or Escape, etc. Sounds just like almost every other dining review onboard NCL lately, hit-n-miss and premier items, either taken off the menu or go with an upcharge that's not worth paying extras for; and, ditto for fine services but don't plan for being out of there in under 90 minutes ... will just plan accordingly & go with the flow. Could you tell a little more about Shanghai being "awful" If you happened to attend the M&G and/or recall (perhaps from Freestyle Dailies) who the GM was/is and rest of the senior officers, etc. onboard. Thanks in advance.

@tartantiara - OK, found it. Getaway 13 days, sailing London to NY, arriving Sat - 3 Nov in NY. I can assure you that 99.5% that it is NOT going to be at Cape Liberty, rather NY side's MCT - Pier 88, which will make an easy transfer to JFK. You will not be deal with NJ unless you can find better options, price & flights out of EWR (Newark Int'l). License yellow taxi from the port to JFK is a flat rate plus toll & surcharges, about $70 to $80 plus tips (20% typically suggested). We're just off the GA on our 12 nights to the Caribbean - airport transfer to LGA (domestic flights) and JFK were priced just under $40 USD p/p each for international flights departing after 1 p.m. (recommend booking something later, since most Euro bound non-stops are late afternoon & evenings, lots of choices at JFK) There is also a drive-by bus tour offered by NCL, with 2 or 3 quick photo stops before dropping off at LGA and JFK for those with later flights, partially covered by the $50 OBC (first person only). This is assuming you are not extending your stay in NYC to sightsee - do NOT fly out the next day as it is the world famous NYC Marathon Sunday - and getting to/from JFK (and LGA) can be a major headache in terms of ground transportation due to road closures across town.

@tartantiara NCL typically does not dock or use Cape Liberty for its ship (which is across the Hudson River in nearby New Jersey) and your transfer to JFK could be a problem - please recheck your cruise for details. It is more expensive for ground transfer from NJ (and its EWR Airport) to NY's JFK Airport, car service (and Uber) at $100 + tolls + tips, and you'll need to allow at least 2 to 2.5 hours for the transfer or trip itself, and not worth the hassle involved. You will likely be better off using JFK for your flights, especially when almost all NCL ships will (should) be docking in NYC. There is also an East Coast destination forum here on CC dedicated to NY departure/port info, etc. that's more appropriate to inquire about specific details. Happy planning & cruising ! P.S. What ship & dates is this for, if you don't mind sharing ?

Amber Cove (instead of Puerto Plata, DR) - finally, we're still unsure of whether we might be going here at all while onboard and already in the Caribbean, especially after skipping St. Lucia. We're pushing hard and cruising near full speed for a 11 a.m. arrival - and were slightly behind schedule, crowds lined up on the stairs and areas near the gangway deck. Not much time allocated for shore excursion and/or doing anything on your own / with private tours, etc. Downtown or the city centre is 20 minutes each way with a pricy taxi ride. There was a slim to no chance of possibly being able to dock at Pureto Plata Photos - ... almost there and we have a good cellular signal, again !! Just past all abroad time of 3:30 pm - plenty of passengers coming back toward the ship, blue towels ... from nearby beach ?? Apparently, not in a hurry - doing the slow walk. Hold it - there's a lot more of them, just coming in - not running at all. We got time, they are going to wait - we are here already ... There is another one on the way back ... Two more That's another dozen coming thru How about a quick ride ... nope, most of them just kept walking I think, that's about it - ship's thruster on and we are going now That's a 20X digital zoom - pretty sharp, amazing clarity for a smartphone Homeward bound for NY now Looks almost like a rainbow - just sunlight cutting thru the clouds