mking8288

@cruiseny4life It's a good thing I finished my morning cup of Joe already or else ... that's among the first change DW noticed a few days after a cruise. I "regret" to share a secret with you, there is no cure for missing the rolling seas and the remedy is to just move and do the next cruise, sooner the better - think you are set to go again soon. I was going to edit my last post here, that @JIMESOPUS is probably using NCL Air with either 1 or maybe 2 day deviation, leave the GA next Friday & use the $50 shorex credit to do the direct airport transfer, relax & fly to NOLA (that hang around in NYC, which he can do easily year-round) being that it's winter (already it's rather nice & warm here, wearing shorts inside our townhouse) - as that take the stress of flying these days ... and perhaps, go check out Bourbon Street before boarding on the 22nd. How's that for "detective" work in guessing his scheme 😉 And, GA's WiFi remains unreliable and inconsistent - apparently.

@uneamie NCL's iCafe will happily sell 30, 60 and 100 minutes of extra airtime as add-on to you, especially toward the latter part of any cruise, promotion calling it their disembarkation special. It was priced something like $1 /min for the smallest plan, 75 cents /min for the larger 60 or 100 minutes - don't quote me on the exact amount they are charging these days ... probably someone else will have the current / latest costs. After Feb. 1st. - I will know the $$ amount after getting back from the GA. And, you can use any available non-refundable OBC to pay for it. For voice & text, WiFi calling - it's plentiful if you run low - of course, on sea days and toward the end of the cruise, satellite WiFi internet is the worst onboard b/c about 1/3 to 1/2 of the ship are making plans, reconfirming limo pickup, getting flights online check-in & seat assignments, saying hi to their pet-sitting services, etc. - expect it to be even slower & sluggish ... at least until NCL decide to switch & roll out Starlink (now used on the Breakaway only)

Gooood morning, beautiful pictures uploaded and looks like a nearly perfect trip southbound on the Atlantic with calm seas. Continued to follow along 😃 @Joesantos CD is Alvin Olivia, info also in the Freestyle Daily. We first met him as ACD on the Breakaway in 2014 and earned his CD promotion later, he's friendly & outgoing and fun. Perhaps Tiara was just relieving and Alvin just came back from vacation as the regular 😎

@cruiseny4life He (Jim) as OP, is currently on the GA, sailing with Laszlo & others and ran the Roll Call, M&G ... but not doing a Live Report, just posting as needed. He is then hopping over to the BA that sail on 1/22 out of NOLA, not going back home up the Hudson ... staying somewhere between 1/20 after disembarking GA before embarking the BA. I think, that is his plan - just starting his real Live Report focused on the BA 2 weeks early, LOL. Keep us CC "addicts" busy following the trails, read & post, and comments, etc.

Oh mine, here we go again. A couple of ziplock bags, that often works wonders - sweets called for tupperware with covers. It's not as if folks are taking food items against government regulations to go ashore for health & safety reasons. NCL tried and did this several years ago (i.e. no takeout & nothing permitted to be taken out from O'Sheehan's and Garden Cafe, etc. with the crew police watching ... ) and there was plenty of uproar with the differential enforcement and/or lack thereof. Guess what, didn't take long for corporate to backpaddled on the unpopular move. One of the updated, fine print sentence stated no takeout and sharing allowed in specialty dining. Funny thing, last September - server in Cagney's not only wrapped our layered cake to go but escorted us out to the AFT elevator, ready to "help" us bring it up to our room. The way I see it, Sail and Sustain perhaps could result in less "incentive" to tip really extras on top of the DSC as higher "fees" being passed back to us. For we, the customers, the battle could be a tie but the crew members could - might - possibly be the loser - especially if they are "prohibited" to do it. Sad. Vacation Heros - pretty difficult for the ordinary crews to earn them in 2023, unless they are fortunate to have Haven assignments. Just my two cents and IMHO, feel free to disagree, for your convenience. On the other hand, I am going to start pre-writing those Dear GM comment notes as feedback to management, I am sure it will fit right into Sail & Sustain.

Ours were sent about 32 days prior to sailing, on Dec 19 and 1st Case No assigned - knowing it was the holidays plus announced corporate back office workforce reduction ... Waited, and sent a 2nd email, as followup and reference the 1st. case # - auto replied with a 2nd and NEW case no. - previously, that usually resulted in getting the revised/updated Amenity Summary with the OBC posted. Nothing happened until 2023, after the New Year. Apparently, someone must be WFH because, OBC was posted on Jan 2nd, 2023 - email received with the new Amenity Summary and also loaded on MyNCL account within 24 hours (probably when server refreshed & updated overnight) - still well outside the "15 days" for submission cutoff. Since OP submitted their on Dec. 20th and there is an email trail for it, it should be processed & credit posted ... they are probably seriously backlogged while coping with Sail & Sustain ... or, is that a subtle way of saying (feel free to fill in your "thoughts") Good luck ! It should come thru & please let us know once it did.

FWIW - just check the Encore's live shipcam - she is docked this morning at Amber Cove, next to the Carnival Celebration - which matched one of the posted AC port schedule https://www.cruisingearth.com/ship-webcams/norwegian-cruise-line/norwegian-encore/ No other NCL mega ships listed/shown on that schedule for AC this month, hmmm ... 😮 Of course, mid-sized ships can dock at Taino Bay. Maybe, Taino Bay's work is done and bigger ships from NCL can go there & safely use the pier, which is right next to downtown.

With 22 cabins assigned and the hospitality industry *** average cleaning time of 20 to 25 minutes (high end & suites, 30 minutes+ easily) Do the math yourself, it will take your friendly & efficient room "attendant" to take anywhere from 7.5 hours to 9 plus hours, starting with cabin #1 - without taking a lunch or other break at all, to get thru cabin #22. For earlybirds on a sea day, waiting for housekeeping, you will likely be leaving for dinner by then ... yeah, that's your evening turn-down and daily service all-in-one. Balcony and the ones with extra beds, we all know - takes a few minutes more each vs. the studios and inside cabins. Me think, those blue beach towels will be a DIY up at the pool deck, less work for everyone else unless you need & use it ... /s Marketing materials, just jam them outside the room - there's a place to hold them, or go digital, sail & sustain. 😆

Just a comment - Getaway's satellite WiFi has been reported by multiple CC'er posting onboard recently that connectivity isn't great, coverage is spotty. My understanding is that she's sailing further east out in the North Atlantic toward San Juan due to jet streams & weather, and high-orbit coverage via satellite isn't the best in that region ... it is NOT Starlink (currently in use/pilot testing on the Breakaway). Probably, when they can, with a better & faster connection - you will / should see those photos coming live - it's not a matter of what, but when - this sailing's itinerary is different compared to last week's Live Report. We're on the Getaway last March and the benchmarked #'s were not good at all - my guess is that, it isn't much better with the ship sailing at 98% occupancy vs. 50% last year. Laszlo and/or Jimesopus (and others) onboard can check & compare the WiFi "status" this week. Just as eager to see what's changed, different, new and enhanced ... These were unlimited (non-streaming) WiFi speed - not a chance that streaming is going to work even if stepped up to premium streaming, IMHO over the shared narrow bandwidth.

Here's my take to help put some insights into the questions & inject into the discussions, FWIW - Look for this bold email message header from NCL - this one was awarded 43 days from sailing date - You've Been Awarded An Upgrade Advantage! If your bid(s) status said "pending" - it is just that, pending and nothing more. Only time and this will change again in a matter of hours, usually, if you are clicking the refresh key every 2 hours - is , one of the bid changed to "processing" and that's likely being accepted, that you've won or been "awarded" a new stateroom for that winning bid - credit card is being charged. Once that is completed successfully, the new stateroom # will be shown in your Reservation and an email should be on its way. Status then changed for all other non-winning bids to "expired" and the bid that "won" is then "upgraded" and consider completed. As far as timeline, I can vouch that 3 of the recent winning bids were "upgraded" further out from the embarkation date, at 3 to 4 weeks and 5 to 6 weeks, moving from lower categories to balconies - 2 different ships and 3 different reservations. Timing seemed to vary but happening much sooner than expected ... ships sailing out of NYC are almost at full double occupancies lately - with Haven & Spa Balcony sold out weeks earlier. Insides & Studios (where available at all) remaining in limited #'s days before and not deeply discounted.

Being Latitudes Sapphire and perhaps, even Diamonds, supposed to be given Priority Dining Reservations - but, truthfully, have yet to experience that in real - whether it's standing in line in the crowded area by the host/ess kiosk or desk outside any of the MDR ... or when calling the internal extension on the ship. The concierge helpline and/or services pre-cruise to help with booking, another mythical virtual benefits that only exist in prints and a joke. We try that once last year & used the given number that came with one of the welcome email pre-cruise, and submitted our preference or request, and was acknowledged ... that was it, boiler plate reply that our request has been forwarded to the ship's dining reservation desk (as it was fairly close to our sailing date) and to contact them once onboard to confirm the detailed choice, etc.. Needless to say, they had no record of our request, preference and out of the 3 reservations "forwarded" - only 1 was showing in the system and the time was entirely wrong, not 5:30 or 6 p.m. but rather 8:30 p.m. (to their credit, they got the "date" choice itself correctly, hahahha !!! ) Forgetaboutit - it's a joke and embarrassment against NCL's infamous reputation, to put it bluntly. Delete that "perk" from the description of benefits as the offer is deceptive at best. With the cruise coming up later this month, IMHO, it is useless to even bother trying to get them involved and book ... just wait until you are onboard on Day 1, up to 75% of the MDR reservations and (to a lesser percentage) are held until sailing time, only the smaller fractions are released ahead ... that, by itself, almost against the spirit & principles of "freestyle cruising" Ooops, I (kinda, really) meant to say, it's now "Sail & Sustain" the new corporate tagline, for your (who's) convenience. Corporate communications from NCL/H has never been their strength and it is consistently inconsistent and unreliable. Hey, it give us reasons to lurk here on CC and beat the still horse until it regains a pulse, LOL /s

Love it and thank you for sharing, the time and having us virtually along - tomorrow is 10 on our countdown. Packing warm/tropical weather clothing for a mid January winter cruise is nice and no blizzard in weather forecast next week. Your are going to love the JOY with the main Observation Lounge and the Haven Fwd Observation Lounge, shouldn't be as packed full as the Getaway last week in March. Since you like comfort food from Shanghai Noodles, you gotta to sample some of the Asian fusion items from Food Republic ... and sent the butler for it, better yet - go there & enjoy, it was never crowded & you are literally sitting under the bridge. Warning, portions are HUGE. Just read that BA is currently on Starlink and that's promising & hopefully, that NCL can come to its smarter sense & adopt, deploy superior satellite WiFi fleetwide. Sounded like disembarkation was smooth, quick & easy and you had an easy ride up the Thruway to get home ... did they use facial recognition or old fashion face-to-face with CPB inspection inside the terminal. Cruising can be truly addictive 😆 😎 😉

Good morning and thanks for the update, glad to know that the Haven experience is good & great whereas satellite WiFi isn't so smooth. I'm sure one of you will get the #'s on how full the ship is for this sailing & headcounts, etc. later on. Regardless, we've come to expect slower services in general in the large Tropicana Room, but even on the first evening and that's not good, coupled with staffing "adjustments" - can't imagine what the last 3 sea days will be like, as nearly everyone discovered it by then and do the "let's go try out the MDR" because they are done with the buffet mindset. Following along and have a great day ahead, how' the "ride" thus far and weather for later today.

Old-timers, I found & retrieved an old, very old Cagney's Menu from my NAS server drives, from 2009 & was digitized years later for storage. Almost certain, this was either the Star doing Mexico or Alaska or Pride of America in Hawaii ... Selections, choices & options are impressive, especially compared to the last few years ... even worst nowadays. Memories !

Typically, a good & efficient houskeeper can clean the average "hotel" room in about 20 minutes, maybe 25 to 30 minutes if more work is needed (families with infants, children or teens, piles of extra disposables, food plates & cups, etc.) Good luck if one of "your" stateroom is #20 or 21 on her/his list of assigned cabins to be cleaned - especially you like to return to a clean room for an afternoon power nap after a nice lunch, or just to relax & read a book, or catch the ocean breeze on the balcony. Because, it is going take, easily, 7 to 8 hours, when your friendly & busy steward begin her/his workday at 8 or 8:30 a.m. starting with preparing the carts, supplies & prep work - to get to you (20 cabins x 25 minutes = 500 minutes ... about 8 1/2 hours later, even if s/he doesn't take a 30 minutes meal break to rest. We've seen plenty of sloppy housekeeping work at 4 and 5 stars land hotel struggling with their post-Covid recovery mode, cutting corners and not wiping down certain surfaces - and maybe only when the guests checkout after a multi-day stay.

Hmmm, about 1 hour + minimum after the first tender boat get ashore, completed provisioning unloading & transfer to land facility and get thing ready ... they "can" have meal service & things ready after 10:30 or 11 a.m. if the first tender reached the island at 9 a.m. Whether that's that you and I consider breakfast, brunch or lunch is an open question. Short answer, in other words, no. Maybe, except, for brown bag "to go" specials upon special request via the access desk or the Haven butlers for pickup 😄 ?? And, with crew members being re-assigned and re-trained for other new duties, kind of doubtful on mission impossible.

There she goes - sailing on time, backed and turned, heading down the Hudson now 😎 air temp 39 deg F and that's mild for January in NY - Bon Voyage Take good care of her, the crew and happy sailing. Some of us need to get on that "home away from home" next Friday 😉

Probably his smartphone's buggy "auto" photo editing software acting on its own, plus, those intoxicating welcome abroad drinks with the beverage package, haha.

As other 2 posts noted, AT&T does have international roaming coverage in Bermuda, if you are their direct subscribers, dependent on the specific plan's "native" coverage - and/or with add-on charge for voice, text & data access while abroad, i.e. Bermuda or Nassau, Looks like you aren't sailing until May and you have plan to change to another MNVO carrier ... if T-Mobile coverage is good, you might want to consider using (as a suggestion only) Mint Mobile instead, their unlimited plan are very competitive, using T-Mobile & partner's network when roaming is supported (and, fees paid in advance with funds deposited) Mint with the add-on works in Bermuda b/c we have a backup line with them - add $10 to the prepaid account balance for roaming, allowing for voice, text & data access while on the island. Whether it's with Cricket or Mint, or similar MNVO carriers with AT&T, T-Mo and even Verizon's partners - there is no services onboard the ship while at sea, only when you are in range of land's cellular tower signals - and, if you plan is correctly provisioned for it, that you get "services". Carrier's help desk is usually accessible from abroad, away from home - you should have their toll-free and direct # to reach them (usually at no charge even when calling outside the U.S.) But, if you can manage & familiar with - and your smartphone/iPhone is WiFi enabled/supported - you can do WiFi calling (VoIP) using cellular or hotspot/"WiFi" data free, from places like Bermuda and Nassau, etc. BTW, I forgot to mention, Clocktower Mall at Dockyard has free, limited WiFi access for visitors to use - a simple registration will provide you with 30 minutes of data access - we've tested in last May while docked there for 2 days, much - much faster than ship's satellite WiFi paid plan !! With it, you can do WiFi calling. Bermuda's paid WiFi plans for visitors are still available & sold, it's not expensive but the signal isn't really reachable & usable onboard the ship, unless you find a good spot on the Waterfront outside closest to the pier building ... you can usually spot off-duty crew members hanging out with the laptops, iPads and other mobile devices, etc. See screenshots below - DW and I switch to Google Fi (T-Mobile MNVO) when we travel abroad, coverage for voice, text & data expanded from 130 countries in 2015 to over 200 countries in 2022 and it is very affordable. Mint Mobile provides 1 of our lines with unlimited voice & text and 4GB monthly data, plus international roaming - under $20/mo taxes & fees all inclusive, prepaid ahead on a yearly basis.

Make that 3 pieces of zucchini, priced at a suggested $9 per item today ... it was $2 just 5 years ago. Sail and Sustain 🙄 🙄 🙄 I just call them portion sized small & petite , haha. One of our favorite local steakhouse, Bryant & Cooper (ranked #3) in Long Island is as good as, if not better than Peter Luger's - cream spinach for 2 in serving size is just $12.50. Here's the old menu ... I understood that you can still find pork bellies ... upstairs in the Haven dining section, but they too are "rationing" too, LOL. Must be the good old "Cooking Light" making its come back to NCL again. Beef and goat cheese napoleons, anyone ?? Some folks have a healthier appetite while others eat in moderation ... and, we sometimes have one of the dessert wrapped to go & enjoy later in our stateroom, not necessary skipping it and not wasting food either.

Are things really any different now compared to 2009 ... armed patrol stationed at the Mazatlan cruise terminal ?? What does the U.S. State Dept advisory(s) recommend / caution against ?? We sailed from Los Angeles and lost CNN live news access onboard ... LOL but still managed to keep up with developing news on the go. It's always good to be street-wise, maintain a low profile and exercise common sense when traveling in unfamiliar places ... certain neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, District of Columbia, and yes, even New York. The "violence" didn't stop us from going ashore and joined a local tour that met us just outside the pier.

Goooood morning to you and to all on the Getaway. Welcome to the Big Apple ... Sunrise is 7:20 am. Next Friday is our turn to embark & Bon Voyage to Laszlo, Jimesopus and others. Many on our CC roll call organized by disfan13 are continuing to follow along.

Good, all of us just like to be helpful. Check with Cricket about your phone plan's ability - my quick check on their coverage not showing anything for Bermuda, it's a MNVO that uses AT&T's signal/tower for domestic services, and select plans that's good for Mexico & Canada.

The Norwegian Pearl isn't likely to face problems filling the ship for a little while - anyone booked on the Pearl, especially this Spring ... probably should check carefully to see Charters, Meetings and Incentives (“CM&I”) division, will host 13 consecutive events over 66 nights in Spring 2023 showcasing (NCL)’s dedication to providing one of a kind, immersive adventures at sea for a range of passionate affinity communities. The newly formed “Experiences at Sea” brand will leverage Sixthman’s 21 years of experience ... (oops - wait, full ship chartered - good for Frankie & company) https://finance.yahoo.com/news/norwegian-cruise-line-holdings-experiences-140000208.html This has been in the news and not discussed/debated here 😉 This should be forward-looking as positive for revenue outlooks. And, the Epic is doing charter in the Fall as well. Surely, it is good for Sail and Sustain. Now, happy debate.

Bermuda has excellent 4G LTE cellular services all over its chain of small islands with a population of 65,000 residents, hence - 5G coverage isn't a priority nor really needed. GSM carriers are the main carriers for the island, with both AT&T and T-Mobile's roaming partners in place. Those using VZW will also have very good roaming coverage. Just check with your home carrier's global and/or international support desk on the details. Once the cruise ships are making its turn near St. George's on the east end, cellular signals are usually good enough for voice services initially, and then also data connections - even as it seemed to turn back out to sea to reach Dockyard b/c of the coral reefs that ships must carefully navigate safely thru to avoid hitting the sandy & rocky bottom. Cellular signal is good to excellent at Dockyard where most cruise ships dock these days - especially on whichever side facing the shops & pier, and Clocktower Mall, etc. If you are on the higher/upper deck of mega ships, signal might not be as strong, you'll just have to move to a different spot - but, we've on H20 which is Deck 16 and no problem with coverage. WiFi signals from Dockyard (which isn't free) is accessible on the pier below, but it will not reach the mid to upper decks at all - signals picked up on Deck 7 and 8 on ship's "Waterfront" are barely usable ... different technologies vs. cellular signals. iPhone users might find iMessage and Facetime to be a good alternative. Android users can use Google Voice instead of "classic" calling as the cost of data might be more frugal & less expensive. All these depends on your "phone" and cellular plan subscription, and how comfortable you are in staying in touch with your son.