mking8288

Congestion (people traffic) inside the building, Express stopped and lines not moving, no idea when priority groups can proceed to gangway - 9 am

Hanging out in our stateroom for now, Express Walk-off just called at 8:18 am - this group expected to take 45 minutes before priority is announced with luggage taken into the terminal. Price quoted now for Uber to LGA airport & to our townhouse in NE Queens, Whitestone/Bayside area.

Disembarkation delay, gangways set up but ship hasn't been cleared yet at 8:08 am - asking guests to wait in staterooms as those on Express Walk-off already jamming 6-7-8 plus luggages everywhere. Called our Carmel car services to delay our pickup time by 15 minutes to 9:45 am, just in case, for the ride out to Queens - not in a rush like others. Surprised to see a light coating of snow outside.

Getaway's Bermuda update - FWIW, I asked and was told just now by onboard Guest Services that they are not aware of changes to itinerary for next 5 day, that they will be sailing to the island. That's their words now, take that with a grain of salt (lots of it) and if true, brace for a very rough ride getting home, unless they do not stay overnight & leave earlier & spent more time at sea. Prepare for motion sickness with high & strong gale force wind, and large waves. Henry a/k/a mking8288

And isn't the Viva on her way ... It's been my pleasure to do this and be aknowledged, thank you for being mentioned in sharing a tiny spotlight among so many others. Taste MDR not that busy, everyone up in the buffet or standing in line to jump the gangway ... almost turning into Pier 88, in about 5 minutes (7:20 am) Express Breakfast menu used on disembarkation day only. 7:30 - fully stopped

Statue of Liberty @ 6:35 am - port side

Rise-n-Shine 😎 we are almost home, just coming under the VZ Bridge now @ 6:20 am, on schedule - should be at MCT around 7:30'ish. Oh, no ... It's almost time to go. Let's continue our tradition, MDR for that full breakfast first before we disembark.

Relative wind, northerly at 50 mph or 40 knots as we are still doing 20 knots, about 7 hours to go.

Sit-down leisurely breakfast on sea days are the best, including O'Sheehan's w it's simple choices as food is served hot there, MDR can be slow if you wish to rush out of there w booked Shorex. We tipped $2 USD each way for both of us, which they cheerfully thank us - there's no suggested minimum, as my knees were complaining about too much walking lately so it was good for that short ride in the hot sun. AFAIK, the casino bar stays open quite late and as long as there are players in the gaming area. Oddly enough, even the pool deck shut down quite early on a nightly basis & all the chairs stacked up by 10 pm. If you can plan ahead, given how crowded & ships are sailing lately, I would book ahead now if you can. For port days, we left ours open & just try to show up 10 minutes before they open and always get seated quickly, without much waiting even when / if given a pager to hang around nearby. Maybe, our Sapphire status also sometimes gave us a bit of priority & a better table.

200 nm to go at 8 pm, cruise speed at 20 knots or 10 hours+ to port. Barf bags are placed on stairs when we came out of MDR, oh no ... seas remain calm and waves at 4.9 ft. - scratching heads 🫣🙄😳🤔 Our two 24" bags packed & ready to go by morning, tagged & photographed to aid in tracking ... handed off to room Steward already, took care of cash tipping her in the morning. Sweeping the buffet for fresh fruits to relax & watch the food sections roped off & closed at 9:35 pm as latecomers from MDQ came up for supper, still folks sitting around - using it as a lounge to socialize. Atrium lobby remained too crowded & busy throughout the cruise. Heard far more coughing everywhere in the last few days. 😷😷😷😷 Noticed slightly more masks being worn & used, vast majority aren't & carry on their cruise vacation as usual. About the fate of tomorrow's 5 day Bermuda cruise, thus far, nothing to share or update, sorry ... will continue to try Code Alpha - (not a drill) just called around 9:40 pm over ship's PA system, location - La Cucina, Deck 8 Port ...

MDR Menu on Day 14 on this ship - everything seemed better tonight, we even get an extra treat of cookies. Hmmm 🤔

FYI Memo - We had lunch with a friend of 40+ years & retired colleague of mine, sailing solo and he confirmed that on the Getaway, Platinum & higher Latitudes member have been able to invite each other or have a guest to share their dining vouchers (not the SD package plan) so he has done 6 nights of Specialty Dining on this cruise. An average of 20 to 30 attended the nightly solo events, moved from the solo lounge to the Bliss Lounge, to the Illusionarium.

There are others onboard doing B2B and staying onboard, I will try & see what I can find out ... maybe Mario's secretary might let me know. I looked at Windy App & also Bermuda's island maritime forecast, the 2nd leg of the short cruise returning to NY is the main challenge, similar to the Gem was facing earlier this month & as you probably recall, Getaway was also delayed.

Those that are returning to cruising NCL for the 1st time since the COVID shutdown, do remember to pickup your Latitudes pin, complimentary. Ship pins like our Norwegian Sea's,, discontinued and none ever made for newer ship's like the Joy or Bliss

Earlier's lunch menu ... MDR serving oversized starters or 2 for 1 portions, final Sea Day Specials. Large serving of meatball sliders, entree portion. Boston bluefish was good.

Costs for add-on extra WiFi minutes if one's limited plan were used up & needed a little extra toward the end of a cruise - $75 for 100 minutes and $125 for 250 minutes, used to sell a 30 minutes add-on plan.

Update on our ETA tomorrow for @EllieinNJ and others following, bon voyage & best wishes for sailing 👌 Expected to meet the pilot around 5 am, passed VZ Bridge & past SOL around 6:15 and docking between 7 to 7:30 am. Express Walk-off starting at 8, Priority around 8:30 (all guests to be out of the staterooms by then) and other color tags around 9'ish. Zero count after 10 am.

Well, it was clear last night but apparently, unavoidable during the day, not shown ... 2 full sized baby strollers in the inside passage with the inside staterooms connecting port & starboard side, not primary egress route But ... something to be aware of when sailing the Getaway. Concern was communicated in writing to Dear Mario, the GM with a note in the atrium mailbox. There are no accessible cabins in this entire Fwd section at all 🤔

Latest Ocean Blue menu, note items with upcharge. Ice Bar on Deck 8 Mid.

Bargain sales, used to be $10, now up 50% to $15. CAS players with lots of OBC to spend, I found items in Photo Shop ... besides watches & jewelry items and duty-free buying. Hi, to @fstuff1 where are you cruising to lately 😉

Go with the flow, look beyond the changes and maintain that sense of humor, that's how we are doing to best enjoy this cruise vacation ... while looking at things critically. Our breakfast was good and most of the staff are trying hard while getting stretched.

As expected, the MDR are jammed packed this morning for that last full sea day sit-down breakfast, must be about 75 to 100 waiting for a table in Savor and Taste, holding that pager. Priority restaurant seating really doesn't mean much this morning, everyone gained back that extra hour of sleep - hungry and wants to eat. AND, they are asking folks to share tables too if they show up as solo, 2's and 3's Got our own table of 4 a few minutes ago ... Menu has 2 Daily Features Sliced butter instead of wrapped ones ... supply logistics in provisioning

Good & beautiful Tuesday morning, 69 degree F outside, light wind and 450 nm to NY, cruising at 20.2 knots and small waves at 4.9 ft. in calm seas. Time for another relaxing breakfast at sea.

Ship's satellite WiFi crashed about 2 hours ago (2.4 Ghz band only) ... maybe just overwhelmed when majority of 3,900 pax decided to go online. Anyway, Pixel 7 Pro locked onto 5Ghz band & I could do things again online, speed remained fine too ... others onboard might not be lucky as the iCafe help desk is closed for the evening

Almost forgot, our CAS friends said, if you need a mid-morning bite & coffee, feel free to stop by the casino area, starboard side near the table games in the center atrium ... and cookies (only) after 11 pm - no more wings, finger sandwiches, cheese, etc. for your convenience, of course.