mking8288

Okie dokie for Haven guests to be given plastic wrapped food to go b/c ... Plus, others are using not just ziplock bags but also Tupperware containers. Heck, if that's the case, why not just walk out with their plates & bowls, covered or otherwise - perhaps, crew members are instructed to not confront their onboard guests to make corporate's announced decisions worst than what it is ... Junior crew members, perhaps, not wishing to further see more "steerage" guests endangering the practice and traditions of giving cash "recognitions" for going above & beyond. "Enforcements" of the "no takeouts" were reversed several years ago under Frankie's stewardship and there is hope & reasons to believe that this attempt would meet its demise soon, again. Hoarding of extras isn't a solution to waste management - more plates, cups & dishes piling up along the corridors being reported on another recent cruise report.

CC mods/admin have made it easier by designating the NCL decoding a sticky, just look it up on the top of page 1 here with the NCL forum, it's right there for all the previous & currently "known" codes - Going to fix this for GC ... goin' to be a happy guy b/c LATDBLX 2 extra Latitude points per night. That shall be 3 points per night for this particular cruise.

Thank you for the post-cruise Epic trip report. If you did take part and went to the M&G and/or Latitudes gathering (a/k/a CruiseNext marketing sales presentation, LOL) - please kindly post the names of some of the senior officers, if available, to share, i.e. GM or HD, CD, head of F&B, etc. etc. as sometimes, those can be informative & helpful for others planning ahead, to see if so & so had previously cruised with them. With the transition to once a day housekeeping expected to be 100% done from early January thru March, it's now done and apparently, few finding it to be a pleasant & positive change, but some of us can deal and live with it, others cannot. But, as long as we can get fresh towels, tissues & TP stocked, garbage liners to use (so that we can toss the tied bags outside or somewhere for pickup & disposal without turning the cabin into a mini landfill, LOL) - we can probably "cope" and "live" with the beds not being made up twice a day ... roll with the changes and humor, and give us a week's worth of coffee pouches & tea bags, we can grab sugar & creamers elsewhere - just empty out the mini-refrigerator of items for "sale" as a matter of convenience. But, a good question was raised by one of our regular CC poster/critics as he's been on just about every NCL ship out there these days, and more than just once or twice - until these recent changes, the typical crew member are contracted to work a 12 to 14 hours day, 7 days a week for much of their 6 to 8 months contract ... some said for as much as 16 hours daily, leaving just 8 hours as personal time. Now, the unsolved puzzle is that, the room steward (attendant) are now tasked with cleaning 22 or more cabins a day, working apparently from 8 to 9 a.m. non-stop - except for meal & brief breaks - until 5 or 6 p.m. and no longer doing any kind of evening turn down services ... hence, a 9 to 10 hours work day. And, maybe spending another 1 or 2 hour to do a quick check of all their assigned cabins ... placing Freestyle Dailies outside on the door/message slot or inside the cabin, and not touch anything else. Their work load are heavy, for sure, but aren't they getting extra time on any given day - working 10 to 12 hours only now, instead of 12 to 14 hours like before ? I don't have a clear answer or insight into this - have you seen or noticed room stewards making their usual rounds in the evenings, and are they out & about, working as early as 8 or 9 a.m. daily non-stop until the late afternoon/early evening. Raising this for a bit of constructive discussion, not to stir up the "pot" and get a better feel for what's going on these days with ship's hotel operations - it seems unlikely that cruise lines will go back ... but, never say "never" like those e-Muster or virtual emergency/life safety drills for the assembly / muster stations required of all passengers. Look forward to the rest of your report, reflections and thoughts when you get the time & chance. Thanks again and much appreciated.

Ditto ... NCL's marketing is what I've called & considered, the art of deception - cautions for the less than well informed passengers beware with extra due diligence. Non-breakfast, regular room service (aside from Haven & suites) is $9.95 - hot/cold breakfast delivered (yes, that is if one wish for a pot of coffee alone) at $4.95 - PLUS 20% service charge ! ! ! I don't see them waiving it with that many club balconies onboard a typical NCL ship. Who's going to pay for Frank's rich compensation package doing consulting work 😁 😁 😁

You are on a cruise, go ahead & enjoy your vacation time onboard & ashore. Suffice to assume, Starlink hasn't rolled out yet, no Joy. Apparently, someone claimed that the Getaway is switching over, unconfirmed. We stick with Google Fi unlimited Plus plan traveling abroad, on T-Mobile & their GSM cellular partner networks ... 5G and 4G LTE signals & coverage, switch off ship's satellite WiFi as soon as pickup a solid land tower's ping, with data only sims and tethering included at no extra charge.

F&F - nephew/GF and niece/family & their in-laws, etc. sailing the Prima next month ... and they got prompted to watch the online safety video as part of the check-in, short & sweet and done. Probably get reminded again, still, to watch again ... still has to "report" to their assigned Assembly Station to get their cards scanned once onboard on Day 1, etc. to be considered finished. Otherwise, online check-in will be stalled & incomplete. Better "watch" the video while taking a short coffee/tea/beer/beverage and/or bathroom break during the check-in, let it finish & click thru the rest of the steps. IMHO, much easier to report in person 30 to 45 minutes before sailaway to wait for 694 others to eventually, hopefully, slowly gather to wait for the in-person drills, which you typically can't see or hear anyway, with all the chatters and heads moving around ... and the "we can't wait to get out of there" to rush for the stairs, elevators, watch the sailway, run for the nearest bar to get another drink, etc.

https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-warns-guests-about-heavy-weekend-homeport-traffic/96869 Well, hello - NCL 🫣

Sail and Sustain - with FDR's transitional retirement to bonus-enriched consulting work, corporate board room has to come up with other savings, i.e. run the current milky route on just 2 engines instead of 3 and 4 also ... think about the fuel saved, LOL. Currently, approximately 120 nm to PC at 11 knots, expected arrival around 0600 hours tomorrow. No "promised" stop to Bermuda this week, none whatsoever ... regardless what was advertised previously. Wow, surprised that pax on another sold-out cruise hasn't protested with the buffet at 50% capacity due to overhead water leaks & probably sections roped off for safety reasons ...

Starlink gone live on the GA, you meant ?? Haven't read or heard anything but good. If true, that's good news - yeah, give them a little time to switch & get their new server configurations straighten out. It can't get worst than before (now) Ships is heading to Florida, slowly - due to arrival tomorrow morning ... hopefully, we'll hear sooner than later. Give them a break, they are vacationing on their cruise.

Following and thank you. Always refreshing to get a newbie's perspective to cruising - the good, the so so and the not so great onboard experience, getting on the ship and hearing the announcement of it's final call, get off the ship, etc. Watch for the pier runners. Do go to the M&G, it's informal, fun and you get to see some of the senior officers in charge of the ship's operations. They give out a card with their names, titles and onboard extensions to dial directly - if you can post that here, much appreciated in advance. As for that unique shower & bathroom setup ... pack some sort of (spray it) air freshener - that, plus a bit of natural sound coming from the TV if both of you are in the cabin. Enjoy that first cruise experience, start the final countdown. Just think, the ship is boarding with 20 to 25 aircraft's worth of passengers on just one end of Terminal 1 at O'Hare with just 2 gates (referred to as "gangways") Go with the flow, patience and humor.

Satellite internet onboard has been reaffirmed ... apparently, as being slow, sluggish & barely working with 4,800+ pax onboard and floating at sea.

Sticking to virtual mustering again, but it is still going to be announced - the CD conducted the drill while we're onboard on our last 4 cruises within the past years ... made for a better overall experience without the massive gathering. Maybe, someone figured it out for their convenience, not ours, and that it still comply with various regulations, including the USCG ... since other cruise lines are okay with it. With fewer crew members onboard these days, this does make sense - and some of us will probably see our checked luggage, hmmm, a little faster and the stateroom attendants can get the remaining cabins ready sooner than later. Frankie is going to claim credits for this as one of his accomplishments, LOL.

Exactly, we aren't exactly seeing how this is going to benefit our onboard experience. And, do stay clear of competing in the China market b/c they are about to launch their own first home-built mega cruise ship from their own shipyard - not going to be another Joy 2.0

When the GEM recently skipped / cancelled her 5 days NYC-Bermuda quickie round-trip due to marine forecast and weather (this January) - she sailed south for Bahamas & made an evening stop at Nassau, for technical reason to satisfy USG regulations, for several hours & then it was all abroad for the return to NY ... not really enough time to do anything in Nassau (shops & restaurants mostly closed ahead of/by ship's late arrival) - doubtful that it was worthwhile for go anywhere else there, i.e. Atlantis Strong headwind and rough seas didn't help either - unusual winter storms & weather pattern for the Northeast this season ... didn't help. Prima has a 5 nighter coming up ... CC friends on her next week and early forecast for Bermuda isn't looking all that great, but. Some of the Bahamas sailings have Norfolk, VA as a scheduled stop within the last 12 months and some of them met similar cancellations due to "unforeseen reasons" for your (in)convenience, of course. NCL, historically, AFAIW - over the last 20+ years, seldom put Bermuda on the fleet's winter schedule until post-Covid era in 2022-23 season. I cannot think of any "recent" diversion north to Canada during the winter months. At least one T/A last December, might be 2 T/A westbound with scheduled stop at Bermuda also cancelled & skipped, sailed way south across the Atlantic into warmer ocean bordering the Caribbeans.

A good summary of some of the challenges onboard last week from Paul ... thank you from another CC addict here. There is additional comment/feedback, another brief summary posted this morning on the GA's roll call - here's the link, easier to go direct as newbies might get lost with CC's no so great "search" function - https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2857287-march-10-2023-ncl-getaway/page/3/#comments If the above report is true & close to accurate - 4,850 pax is practically almost at max lifeboat capacity and being short on staff (crew members ... plus the relative lack of experienced one & trainees in action on their first contract) - oh mine, that'll not make for a smooth onboard experience. As I learned to say often these days, just go with the flow and easy does it.

I thought 🫣 it was the washy washy line at the entrance to the buffet 😁 Patience, sense of humor and go with the flow.

NCL has made the Latitudes Platinum dining more flexible in the past year, this letter was in our cabin along with the mini booklet. NCL's website descriptions haven't been kept up and or updated with all the changes, when in doubt - ask onboard. Of course, CruiseNext or Latitudes desk and SD host/ess might give you different guidance vs. what your waiter/ress say, bottom line is will you get charged extra, LOL Confusing, sure. Why worry about that extra $10 or $20 ?

Bon Voyage ! Off to a good start with quick & smooth check-in, ship came back very early & should've reached zero count by 10 am (if not sooner ... as you often see last groups "staggering" off with luggage, not in a hurry to leave) Go check out that satellite WiFi access (probably still on EMC and not yet switched over to Starlink) - marine conditions for your 2 days sailing southbound looks favorable & getting into PC early for a full day is far, far better than a 1 pm (sometimes late) arrival. Forecast for GSC can be self-checked using Windy App, for now - looks better than 50:50 for next Wed - on the windy side and waves at 5 ft. could be iffy but still too early to be reliable, afterall, GA made it earlier this week & they enjoyed a full day there. Happy cruising and following along.

As Turtles06 said above, you should this card (folded) with coupons inside. If you do not find one, stop by the CruiseNext Desk in the lobby to ask for it. You should stop there anyway, returning to cruising - pickup your new "Latitudes Platinum" pin (they are new) and ask for/sign up for a Behind The Scene tour if you are interested in seeing what's below decks and walk down I-95, etc. (as they recently resumed those complimentary tours) ... The "current" dining terms for the complimentary meals are slightly different & not on the printed voucher, ask but usually, the host/ess will kindly explain to you. P.S. Just realized that these are now "personalized" with the label for different upper tiers - hardly paid attention to them before.

Bon Voyage 😎 That nice & new NCL terminal in Miami is nice, imagine that for a moment, the same experience in NY. Next week, those emotions will be flipped 🙃 - make the most, max out of it all. Happy Happy 😁 Washy Washy 🐱

Always come from NCL ... you should check with your agent if you booked thru them, TA should receive the copy and forward to you. It's on the upper right corner among the promo codes.

You will find more parking info, discussions, tips and helps over at the East Coast forum under NY here - MCT / Pier 88-90-92 Parking fees going up $5 a day to $45 (all inclusive & no surcharges or surprises, etc.) starting April 1st - still a relative bargain for NYC. see link below for detailed info, plus a few helpful pix .... https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2921461-fyi-nyc-cruise-parking-rates-going-up-april-1-2023-mct-and-bct-to-45-daily/ In brief, coming from NJ - you might want to park over at the Weehawkin Ferry Terminal on the NJ side, take the ferry over and walk a few short blocks, take the complimentary ferry shuttle north on 12th Ave or a short taxi ride if you rather not do the walk with luggage in tow. Also, highly recommend that you find the CC roll call and see who's who on the sailing, fellow cruisers on the sailing are often well informed with additional tips & ideas, with specifics on Q's asked here. BTW, belated welcome as someone fairly new to CC.

Saw that - maybe NCL hasn't uploaded details yet ?? IMHO, mainly for those 6 or 7 sea day evenings, 2nd. segment are ports intensive - not a big deal (probably difficult to fit anything into the evening schedule after dinner)

As you walk down the hallway or the corridor down to your AFT corner, look up for one of these ... the nearest one, if it's no more than 25+ cabins away ... generally speaking, you should be in good shape, even behind close doors. These are WiFi hotspots or routers that relayed the satellite signals to all cabins - speed of the "network" itself is always fast, the bottleneck "problems" are further upstream with the satellite (EMC, current provider for most ships, besides the Breakway already said to be on Starlink ...) using high/med orbit signals vs. superior & fast low-orbit signals (different technologies as deployed) The hardware, your devices, themselves ... also a part of these equations - an older laptop isn't going to help, expect it to run but slower. If you have issues and things do not look right, take a walk down to the iCafe manager's desk during posted office hours and ask for help & advice ... sometimes, a simple setting change is all it'll need to fix things up.

and to @YVRteacher Wow, here's my "takeaway" - fortunately, our recent one on the Getaway was better. GM's secretary or executive assistant is the delegated staff responsible for the guest lists, date & time, dispatching the invites and re-confirming with the invitees, preparing name tags and greeting the "upper tiered" Latitutdes guests in the atrium/guest services area and escort the small group to designated dining. That reflects poorly, very poorly on ship's senior management - I would most definitely leave a well written note to the GM, as well as on the post-cruise eSurvey, we should not leave without letting them know while not letting individual members of their leadership team ruined our onboard experience. I do wonder why they seemed to prefer to use the rectangular or long table format that seats up to 10, 2 officers and 8 guests vs. using the larger round tables that can seat 10 - perhaps, this is part of their strategic plan ... absolutely agreed that the semi-circular/round table format is better suited to conversation and listening vs. the long table with someone chatting on the opposite end ... and, in the noisy MDR environment. Pre-Covid, we're on either the GEM or Dawn and the group was seated around a large round table in one corner, away from others and were able to carry on the conversation & listen. We also didn't get a group photo taken either, unless last year on the Joy ... recently, someone reported that s/he was at one of these DWO and was asked to "pay" for the group photo - talk about being disgraceful for doing that. Next time, maybe I will take our "selfie stick" along, just in case, LOL. The waiter and assistant that catered to our dining were very good, kept the wine and other beverages (sparkling water, etc.) flowing non-stop all evening, and, it's not as if they (including the maître d and asst. manager responsible for that sections in the MDR) are clueless about all the guests seated at the table to be VIP's and to not mess things up, etc. Sometimes, reading all these reports and critiques, I stopped to wondered - what is going on, really, behind the scenes and below decks ... are the junior crew and even some of the ranking folks reacting and demonstrating their dissatisfactions, projecting their anger & hostile feelings and directing it at the passengers instead ?? I just don't have an answer for it, just sounding this out loud. I much rather be proven wrong, but still afraid, that the worst days are still ahead, in a matter of months, maybe just weeks away from imploding - if some of the crew members are truly going to finish out their contract, go home and not come back and re-sign a new contract or extend one. One of the senior officer onboard told us that he was going to take his vacation and take a rest, but asked to stay on for another 2 months - which was agreed upon ... Recruitment and retention of crew members and even junior officers could become a critical issues this summer and we are beginning to transition into the busiest time of the year, Easter is around the corner & before we know it, colleges will be out by mid/late May and then ... Again, to OP, thank you for taking the time to write, post and share ... and, I am surprised (slightly) to read that NCL now has around 300 with "Ambassador" status - before Covid shutdown, that number was down to under 50 only (it was hovering around 50 to 60 for a while) ... waves of double & triple point promo, and quad points being quite possible if suites and Havens were booked - not that difficult for fast track to hit Diamond & even Ambassdaor status on NCL. However, the trends that we seemed to be reading about isn't all that encouraging as a whole, caution & flags being tossed almost every week - signaling the "general alarms" are being sounded - some are already considering heading to the muster stations to abandon ships to move to the competitors. These negative views aren't just showing up on CC but also all across other social media platforms, not just FB but other less frequented sites - even DW has begun to noticed and asking questions, as to what's happening lately. Until lately, she felt that "some" of us had been too critical, nowadays, she isn't so sure anymore. Alas, humor and go with the flow, the grass isn't necessary greener over the horizon ... but, we "shall" see, again and soon.