mking8288

cruiseny4life - I remember the hash brown shortage back in September ... we had them on our sailing, which I think, followed yours or shortly thereafter, both in the Local and in MDR for sit-down breakfast. Yeah, they're yummy good but sometimes, on the oily or greasy side, not sometime that my PCP and cardiologist wanted to hear about, LOL. There was a news article about these popular (but, pricey) on-demand delivery services ... merchants losing 20% to 30% to the markup and/or raising prices for everyone to cover their margins; and, then even with all the fees & add-ons, some drivers won't deliver or pickup the "job" unless their tip is at least $5 to $10, not 20% or 25% or even 30% ... that it often come to like 50% ++ of the food costs subtotal. And, most often, that McDonald or Popeyes delivery get dropped off 45 minutes to an hour later, cold & needed to be reheated. That was the story for metro NY area ... delivery drivers in the upstate area, perhaps, aren't as picky (my baby brother lived & worked at Rome Cable nearby in the 80's) We typically don't order breakfast in room but the ship was rocking and rolling still in 20' to 25' waves and very rough sea state in the morning en route out to Bermuda, a wise move for us to call for delivery ... besides, we had the living room space & small dining table in the Family Suite then. laudergayle - sorry, I'm not sure but you can probably write your request on the door hanger ... items like white toast or whole wheat toast hasn't been listed as an easy order item for room service, that was possible for us. Birdtravel uploaded the long list of items currently offered ... and it looked fine on what's available. Hmmm, maybe - we'll write in smoked salmon & toasted bagel with cream cheese for delivery, and see what happen.

When we order hot breakfast earlier this year on the Joy, it was $9.95 for the cabin ... 2 trays worth for 3. I believe and expect that to be the same, each time an order is called into room service or using the door hanger. On a side note: has anyone used Uber Eat to order lately ... and know what their charges & fees are, on top of tipping ??

Just my 2 cents - this is the trend across the cruise industries and happening elsewhere as well ... local mom-n-pop diners in our areas had to raise their prices on breakfast items lately to stay on par with inflation (whew, gasoline prices are down, for now) and rising wages, struggling to find workers, willing & able to work the hours. If you haven't walk into a supermarket lately to buy 2 cartons of eggs, have fun & it might be shocking unless you regularly shop & pay for groceries - those aren't pricing errors on sale. We are going to paying more, one way or another, lines like NCL cannot afford not to past along their costs to us indefinitely, postponing the inevitable is not a viable but just a survival option, as occupancies are rising ... while staring down reports of another winter surge in Covid-19 cases. I get it ... CC'ers spending thousands on the typical cruises, granted that this is another hated "nickel-and-dime" move on NCL's part, which nobody wants, needs and appreciated. These days, I hardly read about folks complaining about the Vibe passes, Spa & "Plus" packages, or streaming, unlimited WiFi upgrades. Take a deep breath and look around ... the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I do know, that we aren't going to be paying $1,200+ a week to rent a midsize car on our next vacation. Happy cruising ...

Bermuda might get the occasional passing thru showers, usually not downpours and you are free to buy those disposable rain poncho, sold at the gangway - for your convenience - was most recently priced at $3 USD each ... stores at nearby Dockyard (Clock Tower Malls) and in the city /downtown & on the East End (St. George's) will have them out for sale, similarly priced.

Some of our CC friends from NY are on this GEM T/A coming back home from its Euro crossing, wishing OP and all, a great & wonderful trip. Be sure to check-in onboard with the CruiseNext/Latitude desk to make sure that they know you are on a B2B (if they don't already know ... they should) as you will receive special info & instructions about what, how, when & where - pack your luggage & how your bags will be moved to your new cabin (if you are changing stateroom, etc.) Once arrived into NY (and, there is a very good chance that the ship will arrive much earlier than 10 am) and the ship is clear, you should be among the first group to get escorted together & cleared ... and be permitted to get back on the ship; and/or, to leave for shorex - NCL tours and DIY on your own. New guest key cards should be issued while you on on the ship. Intrepid is just south of the cruise terminals, literally right next door and a 5 to 10 minutes walk, outside in typical December weather for NY (check weather & dress accordingly). Only small (daypack) packs allowed on the Intrepid for security reasons. Book that tour for 11 or 11:30 and you should be safe, and get 2.5 plus hours to see it. Reconfirm the all-abroad time for the 2nd segment of your cruise in NY.

Following this - interesting - with a bit of curiosity. Looking at Encore's live shipcam this morning/now, she is docked right next to the Carnival Horizon and furthermore, that's at Amber Cove ... at Porta Platta, DR (confused, which is what's listed ??? - doesn't specifically mention the Cove). Our "Getaway" next month has our last port stop at Porta Platta too, doesn't say Amber Cove - and starting to seriously look at shorex options. NCL's posted time for arrival & departure being shorter than what I'm seeing on Cruisemapper - with just 3 to 4 hours on land, might not be worthwhile to bother going ashore & just stay onboard. Maybe, hit concrete / pavement briefly for a couple of "hi, here's our stop & surroundings" photos and browse at the souvenir kiosks for visiting tourists, etc.

This article might offer some info as to price ranges, which vary widely as expected - $20,000 would be on the low end. Probably a good idea to check into one's own health plan coverage as to the fine prints, ours supposed to include worldwide emergency care. https://health.costhelper.com/air-ambulances.html

These photos should help a little bit, as you drive along & approach PC Cruise Terminal across the causeway & over the bridge - you'll see all the ships along with various piers and good signage. Cruise parking is very convenient with covered & connected walkways, depending on which terminal the ship is berthed that day ... We're there just about a month before the beginning of Covid-19 and shutdown, overnighted & rented a car to go to downtown Orlando, parked overnight there with a 5 minutes walk to get back on the ship. Nowadays, gotta be careful with surge pricing at Uber when cruise ships docked and ...

Satellite WiFi inTERnet access while on high seas sailing on one of the NCL ships ... best described as usable and functional, definitions varied depending on a variety of factors. At times, it can be almost like old copper analog, dial-up speed with the Hayes 56k modem days - remember those, but typically at least 2G/Edge to 3G and DSL speed, seldom does it reach anywhere near 4G or LTE cellular speed. If one is used to fast cable and/or superior FiOS speed at work or WFM, then one would likely be disappointed (if expectations were mis-aligned.) It also matter as to what the "end users" (that's "me" or "you" and "others") are using - to access those technologies. Not all laptops, tablets, iPhones and smartphones (Androids) are alike with "identical" radios, features, settings, configurations, and "enabled" capabilities ... How that tiny transceiver chipset is "connected" (wired, wirelessly) affect the connectivity (802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, etc.) How is one "connecting" ?? wirelessly via an iPhone 14 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy 21 or 22 Ultra, or aging iPhone 8, end-of-life (support/update) Google Pixel XL, maybe an iPad Air 2 or old Mac ... as those computer chips inside the Lenovo or Acer/Asus Chromebook do help make a difference to max out broadband usage. EMC has been partnering with NCL for quite a few years now and unless newer & better partnership come along with superior alliance, like Starlink - the onboard digital experience surfing the inTERnet can be a frustrating and, to some, miserable experience. Basic email, messaging, VoIP, and catching up on news are generally doable these days on a given NCL ship. IMHO, unlimited streaming at 720p, let alone 1080p or Zoom/Skype or similar Webex aren't going to be practical as passenger occupancies continue to climb higher toward normal & full again. Benchmarked speedtest results below ... feel free to decide on how you wish to grade them & whether it's good or not. Compared to other mass cruise lines ... NCL consistently scored on the bottom in speed, usability & costs (CNN actually reached out & contacted a handful of us via CC then) Hmmm, disappointed about what's been said about Prima's bandwidth & connectivity issues. These are typical, unlimited basic WiFi speed onboard - streaming "premium" WiFi might, might not be much better & will cost an extra $10 per day per user-account. Feel free to spent money for it, for your convenience, of course, as @dexddd often joked - if it's worth it or not. Afterall, folks spent money on those UBP alike onboard ... and NCL doesn't tag on 20% service charge (yet) but it's probably already built-in, someone is supporting that outsourced iCafe manager's payroll cost, room & board, meal costs, etc. 😁

Our last 14 days (Jan 2019) "Escape" to West Caribbean & Mexico had already been reduced to just $100 for the cabin, or $50 p/p x 2 ... same as sailing for 7 or 10 days. Checked my notes & the confirmation of updated Amenities ... 15 days and longer, then it bump up to $250 or $125 x 2 for the cabin. And, there aren't too many 15+ days on NCL's cruise horizon ahead.

Midnight/Chocolate Buffet was discontinued over 10 years ago, I don't remember the exact timeline (last one that we knew was on a mini-scale in the mid-afternoon in the Garden Cafe, not as elaborate as the "full scale" major production ones, including the sugar-free sections ... and ice carving demo on display) AFAIK, it was never offered on the Breakaway or other newer *.Away/Plus class ships. Had to really search into my digital folders in the NAD server to find those old photos, these're either from the mid-sized Jewel or Star, over 10 years ago & held in the AFT Main Dining Room. IMHO, nice for photo ops but fairly wasteful, and after seeing one or two, the third time ... pretty boring & we skipped them. Here's to memory lanes, the old days - not missing anything

@workink - just a note, not sure if you doing the GEM's T/A crossing next month, friends of ours on that too. Streaming might not work that well during the passage ... nature of satellite coverage in the huge Atlantic. Those that recently sailed on the newest Prima into NY also reported major issues, and, one of the niece had similar experience pre-Covid, basic WiFi internet was "mostly" usable at best. Enjoy and happy cruising.

Q: How does one fill those upscale coffee/expresso machine provided in Haven/suites - pods/capsules are refilled on a complimentary basis but ... does the room steward/butler also restock with water cartons as needed. Or ... will this also change come next January ? Asking for a CAS friend sailing soon with us, curious mind would like to know ahead. He's been able to get bottled water, including premium ones from the beverage servers at the casino and/or bar counter there (only) for their needs/use back in their cabin. For us, we believe in traveling/packing light and probably will just bring one tall, insulated bottle for hot water (from the buffet) and re-use the Flow water again, after rinsing them out, to get clean refills with a cup.

These are industrial, hospitality-grade dual band WiFi hotspot (Access Points) strategically located throughout the ship, everywhere, bow to stern, easily seen if you look up as they are mounted high on the walls, to provide overlapping coverage and multi-channels; plus, different AP with unique SSid's for crew/other usage - suffice to say, WiFi 5 (ac band) and WiFi 6 (ax) are well covered from what I checked, inTRAnet "speed" was excellent - robust signals to/from onboard (Cisco/Lenovo) servers. InTERnet coverage access, in terms of speed, latency & ping time, that's a different story in itself. Short answer specific to the question asked, inTERnet access is "available" and offered. Of course, can't wait to see if NCL will partner with and deploy the superior "Starlink" satellite coverage ... while holding down prices, haha. These were some of the "best" WiFi speed onboard the Joy on 2 different sailings - current provider/partner is / was "EMC" on the unlimited WiFi (non-streaming) plan. Stats/numbers speak for itself ...

Don't book at those crazy prices, wait until beginning of next Summer while watching prices - unless you "must" be in a certain category of cabins, deck and location - as it'll likely begin to come down & slide on a slope, like this season - OV and Inside for about the same and for just a little more, Balcony GTY & even those Club Balconies. NCL ships sailing out of NY doing donuts from late August into October ... (it's a longer drive into NY, depending on how far you are in RI but weekends - fairly easy. Happy planning !

Systems out there exist that also monitor, optionally for, leaks, smoke/CO alarms, pets & parcels delivered on front porch/yard, "interactive" baby-cam and possibly as a lifeline for frail persons & elderly parents/relatives living alone without 24/7 attended care, etc. ... tracking in real time. Not needed nor appreciated until someone close to you are on the opposite end. You can reach out virtually to chat, say hi on a video link and to see that s/he is fine ... with privacy safeguards agreed on/established. Aside from spotty satellite WiFi links at sea, mine go thru a secured VPN. To each her/his own ... Twice, our neighbors were thankful twice, on her fully covered no-fault, hit-n-run auto insurance claims by 2 different hit-n-run drivers in front as videos served as proof, saved the 3 owners' vehicles hit, around $23,000 worth of body shop repairs ... "poor" Geico as the insurer for all 3 cars. No need to be thankful for those all weather, IR night vision camera. To each her/his own about what's important, or not. In this day & age, peace-of-mind, regardless - "big brother is watching from out there, somewhere ... as noted by Snowden in exile abroad.

No problems while at sea with access, sometimes it'll lag badly due to latency - playback of clips acceptable. Test run it before leaving home to make sure your apps are updated ... ours integrated into central station monitoring & if activated, system would text alert & operator would call (thankfully, yet to happen) We do test ours on a periodic basis with motion & other sensors. Enjoy your cruise.

On the Joy in May (Bermuda) and again in September (Canada & New England) - no problems accessing WiFi from Deck 10 and Deck 15, where our staterooms were ... and everywhere else. Access Points (dual band, WiFi 5 and 6) strategically located throughout the ship's hallways & corridors, etc. - coverage isn't a problem ... LATENCY, bandwidth & speed were the problem, just barely usable with unlimited plan (non-streaming) YMMV ... Starlink would be nice. Refer to Semi-Live reviews below for additional details.

Happy, safe & healthy Thanksgiving to all (OP for this post). Read this initially before posting as informational or FYI only - being the intent and not to stir up the pot. Can't imagine this being moral boosters for the crew as a whole, and recognized, outside of their contract(s), privileges were given & earned and taking them or reverting aren't going to be popular. If crew drinking while off-duty and roaming above their deck is a problem, then, isn't that a managerial and supervisory failure to enforce, test & discipline; and the chains of command should also be held responsible to police their directly reporting ?? We saw plenty of mid/upper tiered managerial & officers in stripes doing their high profile management-by-walking-around, and, mingling at the VIP gatherings "upstairs" as usual - on the 2 NCL ships. Not going to speculate beyond my "tunnel visions". We didn't see off-duty dancers & shop managers hanging out in group, eating everywhere & drinking, or taking over the fitness center (don't go to crowded venues or dance floor indoors ... still mindful of best practices with C19 going around & social distancing). IMHO, the ones that "abused" their extra crew member privileges accorded to them should be dealt with directly and promptly. Come to think of it, have never seen anyone in the laundry department eat "upstairs" in Cagney's. The ones that work in the Art Gallery, not uncommon to see them in a far corner of the MDR and/or buffet, usually very late in the evening - perhaps, hitting or exceeding their auction sales target for the month. The room stewards that we had, from what we knew, much rather spent their off-duty time resting and sleeping in their shared cabin, if they could. Instead of partying outside their zones, the last one we had - took extra time to do fancy towel animals in our cabin and other's - never requested, asked or suggested. @dexddd with extra, extra luck - Dine w Officers will come back and if we go again, this meant ... it will not be Asst Gift Shop manager or alike hosting the table, but someone with 2 stripes, at least ?? Just kidding ... LOL @graphicguy - thanks for sharing that video ... sometimes, these stories aren't just as plain as black & white, grey matters and then, other angles & dimensions to consider. As always, to others: agree to disagree. I have nothing further to add.

Short answer - is No. If you are asking about new bookings for the Joy's "suites" (Penthouse Suites w Balcony or Family Inside Suites) - coded SC & SP. They do not - changes made since beginning of 2022. You do get double Latitude points and possibly triple points stacked together with the current promotion for select sailing(s). *** In addition to what NCL listed below, you should (might/not) receive Priority Luggage tags (for embarkation) and Priority Disembarkation tags. Room Service is the standard menu (not Haven) & complimentary for continental breakfast only, delivery charge applied otherwise. Lavazza Single Serve Espresso Coffee Machine was in both of our "suites" and re/stocked on request / daily with capsules, etc. - however, no bottled water included. AMENITIES Concierge Service/Reservation Services Only Fine Bed Linens & Pillow-top Mattress Plush Bathrobe Room Service Available 24-hours Priority Specialty Dining Reservations

If you log into your upcoming Prima reservation next month, it'll display your upgrade/discounted pricing with different options/tiers, for up to 4 devices ... And, if 2 of you can be "disciplined" enough to hold off not all going online at the same time (evening) and wait until after midnight or 12:01 am ship time, you should be paying a reduced total for 6 days, minus any adjustments and, do make use of any & all available, applicable non-refundable OBC. To do the upgrade using FAS minutes/MB data given, do not use them until the trade-up/exchange/upgrade are done (easy DIY via the app/account logged in) after 12:01 am. For the 3rd & 4th person, if all they are getting you to pay for their satellite access, speak to the iCafe manager upon embarkation and see whether or not s/he can do a discount pricing for 2 devices with unlimited access (and, whether the social media package has been discontinued or not ... those options, as available before, aren't exactly inexpensive either). Looking at our upcoming Prima cruise as booked, it's doable to keep it just under $500 for all 4 together ... 😮😮 Good luck, enjoy the cruise - depending on your cellular plan(s) options - superior and faster 4G and 5G access could be much better on port days while docked and on land.

Looking at our upcoming NCL cruise, no getting the email or reminders to watch the eMuster safety video on YT like before, hmmm. We'll see what happen once we are able to complete OLCI next month - not thrilled about lining up at the assembly station, packed sometimes in the hundreds closely together ... But, it is what it is 🤔

@LauraAnneC NCL ships typically returned to & are docked at the Manhattan pier by 6:30 to 7 a.m. - weather, sea state & tidal conditions permitting ... and the Express / Priority self walk-off with one's luggage began around 7:15 to 7:30 a.m. - and usually, those with airport transfer/drive-by tour with airport drop-off are called fairly early, once the Platinum's & Haven folks are down, outside & heading toward the gangways into the terminal ... around 8 to 8:15 a.m. would be reasonable, based on experience. Allowing 20 to 30 minutes to retrieve checked bags in the luggage mall, going thru CBP inspection as usual for bus passengers - usually are completed by/before 9 a.m. and off they go. Latest time for any & all passengers to leave the ship would be 9 to 9:30 a.m. at the latest or (10 a.m. - pushing it, security will be everywhere sweeping) else, NCL won't reach a "zero" count to then flip things around for the next sailing's embarkation. NCL airport tours are mostly, from what I understood, a drive-thru tour of key hightlights in NYC, mostly all Manhattan, for those with flights after 3 to 4 p.m. (domestic/international) - tour duration is around 4 hours with airport dropoff with a 2 to 3 hours "window" before scheduled flight. There are 1 or 2 quick stops to get off the bus, to strech & photos ... not sure if there's enough time to run for a public restroom (if any) and/or to get a quick bite as lunch. Most recently, it was priced at $125 p/p (and, if you have FAS promo - reduced by $50 = $75, a pretty reasonable deal especially for solo cruisers.) Taxi fares to JFK is a flat rate (tolls for bridges & tunnels are going up, again ... like everything else, globally) with 20% tips, and congestion/MTA surcharges - come close to around $75 for the one-way ride to the airport, good for 3 adults hauling with reasonable luggage. Simple JFK airport transfer by NCL was either $35 or $40, but FAS credit isn't applicable as I recall. For your international departure at JFK, you want to allow at least 3 hours, 3.5 to 4 hours being better (thus, you should be at JFK no later than 3:30 to 4 p.m. as the evenings are busy & peak time for international arrivals & departures, 7 days a week ...) The NCL tour-ending-at JFK should drop you off by 2 to 3 pm, practical for those on a late afternoon or evening flight ... all the terminals should have functioning free WiFi (not VPN secured) for travelers to use at no charge. Perhaps just a little too early but not by much, after getting thru check-in & security, passport checks ... plenty of time for a late lunch/early bird dinner, even if you don't have lounge access and not wanting to pay for a day pass/if available & offer in your airline's terminal.

Happy crew members and junior officers, etc. with cheerful smiles are often seen, reflected and spread to guests, passengers onboard ... well, this newly reported change impacting those with ranks below 2 strips. Unless, a request for permission was made (and, approved) - detailed news here. https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-cruise-line-takes-away-popular-crew-member-privilege/88476 Washy Washy, Happy Happy ... if your friendly steward and dining team aren't looking too cheerful, perhaps, this help explain 🤨 Healthy, safe & happy holidays and Thanksgiving to all on CC.

Maybe this is the mystery Black Friday Sale ... now you see it, again and blink, blink - might be gone by next Monday ... or standby for this test by marketing for responses, LOL. Just did a quick group chat in my F&F cruise circles, apparently not everyone seeing the offer ... possibly related to Latitudes tier status (Gold & above) and/or whether one has cruise on NCL since the restart between 2021 up until now - just wild guesses in speculating. Here's a partial screenshot on where to find it and what it looked like, too bad, it's restricted to a specific sailing on the Escape and not transferrable Meanwhile, been getting tele-messages from a CruiseNext Concierge Specialist on VoiceMail, self-introducing & offering, as an expert, to assist in planning future vacation. "CLICK HERE" to schedule an appointment with me, my available times are included. From a 855 area code with a 5 digits extension & NCL email address ... Early start for NCL Wave Season ??