mking8288

Wow. Thanks for that "heads up" OMG - imagine the "horror." Me think, NCL has 😬 our healthy heart & enhanced diet 😮 in mind, for our convenience 😤 too; of course - going back to the dated "Cooking Lite" menu of years gone by 😉 It's not a deal breaker by itself and not going to ruin our upcoming cruises on NCL (too late, hahaha - final payment made & insurance isn't CFAR either and "Covid" isn't a valid claim to cancel and get reimbursed in the form of FCC) - just gonna deal with it as always, always room for humor along with patience & tolerance. We'll "miss" those crispy hash browns but not going to hassle the crew and F&B manager, etc. - but ... maybe it's just a one-time logistical issue. Disappointed, not going to sweat it, not until it reach a thousand cuts. As for the lava cake, DW always said it's too sweet for her taste, besides - she has no plans to risk elevating her A1C beyond borderline and I'm not going to risk going higher than 5.5, went up by 0.1 on the last CBC workup to 5.4. Otherwise, it was a great cruise, huh. Thanks for an excellent report - maybe, we'll return to the Joy after her 2024 dry dock to see the changes.

Short answer, as others already reaffirmed is "no" Of course, it is not an absolutely guarantee - YMMV, as always -changes can be done, with and sometimes without advance notice, but unlikely, me think. We're onboard the Epic not longer ago (15 nights, from mid April thru early May) and the nightly MDR menus were used in rotations, based in part on provisioning, FIFO availability - there are a few Every Day menu items on the bottom left ... otherwise, the starter & entrees, and desserts were different. Epic, like other ships (and, even the "pilot" Prima switched back & moved away from the "experimental" MDR singular menu nightly. For sit-down breakfast and MDR lunch on sea days, the Epic presented 3,900 guests with different menu choices with variations ... breakfast with 2 daily specials, rest of the items weren't. But, if it isn't to your personal "liking" - feel free to go to the Garden Cafe (buffet) or O'Sheehan's. BON APPÉTIT and happy cruising.

@Aaronscat and @MrsTabs Again, thanks for sharing for others to see, know & appreciate with your details. Congrats & well done. Bidding isn't for everyone but for the odds & chances that we sometimes are willing to risk and take, the "payoff" can be rather rewarding. We ended up recently (2022) when ships weren't sailing full, with a very nice "BA" category, balcony on Deck 15 Mid/Fwd for a very reasonable, low bid with a port intensive itinerary, perfectly okay if we didn't win & happy with our chosen OV for 2, one without the extra pullman/upper bed. We're "disappointed, not ... in "failing" to get a larger club balcony (mini) suite, LOL. It's often very difficult to generalize but within the past year, including some of the 2023 sailings, NCL apparently started processing and accepting bids to upgrade early. Have a balcony booked ahead at our preferred & chosen deck/location ... probably not going to be "bidding" up since this (among the newest) ship has more spacious cabins as a whole, including the "larger" balcony ... but, we might put in a very low bid for the fun of it & see what happen. Happy cruising and cheers !

@MrsTabs and @Aaronscat Congrats on getting a balcony at 7 to 8 weeks out, that's pretty early unlike ... anyway, each sailing / ship / itinerary do vary and sometimes with the available upgrade cabin categories. Were yours in the fair (or higher) zones or poor, barely moving the needle ?? (my feeling is that it's over in "fair" and/or just beyond "poor". I hope that that NCL assigned each of the winning bidders this early on, a decent cabin in terms of deck and location, etc. In years past, balcony upgrades were held & not done until a lot closer ... nowadays, it seemed like once they are done with taking most of the Haven bidders and the spa/club suites, the balconies joined the musical chairs in getting shuffled around next. Toward the end (closer to sail date) extra revenues collected and NCL still get a good # of Insides for last minute fire sale, including last minute "solo" specials ... sometimes but not always.

Interesting, look forward to reading about what changes NCL Joy made this year to those "SC" Inside Family 2 bedroom suites with the virtual balcony (dual displays) - we booked & stayed in 2 of them last May (Deck 10, one deck below yours - equivalent of 11525, across the hallway from yours and 11531) Behind one of your bedroom, that large "white" space is the room attendant/steward's work & storage room, where they stock & come in out ... with luck, you should not hear doors being slammed & chatting behind the wall. If they are, just speak to your steward directly to let him/her know - otherwise, it is a very quiet area & "private" corridor, and, convenient access. Those "suites" across have a slightly different layout, primarily in that living room with the sofabed/couch. It is very spacious and just 3 of us sharing the cabin in each of them. If only NCL would give that living room a little more "fanicer" decorations and some extras, better curtains for that virtual balcony - it would look much nicer. Have you gotten 1 of your 2 special "treats" delivered yet (by room services team in a service cart, not a butler last year) - either today or tomorrow and another one later in the week ?? Don't be shocked but ours were ... wow, from last year (see below) Curious to see ... I contacted/left a note for the GM, and the follow-up was delegated to the asst. manager for guest services, a special "treat" & bottle of wine was subsequently delivered. You probably received a welcome letter upon embarkation - is Patrick still the concierge onboard (or, someone else) but we never found the need for services nor did we heard or get to meet him during our weeklong stay, that's okay. Same with help with booking dining & show reservations - the number to dial was (for us) actually routed to the CruiseNext team, but do give it a try if you need assistance. We're able to get help on hidden dining times by directly going to the reservation desk downstairs (calls often just ring & go unanswered, no voice mail options for a call-back) - but, we are Sapphire & supposed to have priorities anyway. There should be a nice umbrella in the main bedroom closet for use - in case it is needed for those brief Bermuda showers that quickly pass thru. The sliding bathtub clear plastic doors made a lot of noise, sliding back-n-forth as we encountered very, very rough seas en route to Bermuda ... lasted about 12+ hours overnight, made it almost impossible to sleep on top of the rocking & rolling. Solution & quick fix, FYI - grab those towels, wet them & use it as "stoppers" to prevent them from slamming & banging against the rails, worked for us. Looking at the video, looks like the bath gel/wash & shampoo/conditioner are not 100% wall mounted, we got upgraded toiletries last year ... Toward the end of your cruise, you should receive also specially colored priority disembarkation tags to use ... useful if you are in a hurry to disembark & get home to MA. Otherwise, enjoy the last morning & go to Taste or Savor to do a sit-down special breakfast first. I do believe that you can get "escorted" to cut to the front of the line at the gangway for priority disembarkation, look for a letter and/or instructions with the luggage tag. If not, check & ask at the CruiseNext desk - or, try the concierge contact as given. With the nice square dining table, not a bad idea to have room service, or perhaps a hot breakfast delivered (don't believe NCL will "waive" the charge, but ... I stand corrected as YMMV) All the PPV movies available in the stateroom are free, no charge (2022) - enjoy them. How's the Joy satellite WiFi now ?? Enjoy Bermuda & the Joy, look forward to reading about what's new and different, and your thoughts about the suite's perk nowadays and values added.

Four to five years ago, there're about 40'ish, maybe 50+ Latitudes Ambassadors in the program and the numbers reduced to 30'ish in 2019, from my recollection. During the our recent TA, there're some onboard (as usual, always on the move & cruising) and the rank had grown significantly to 300'ish - per CruiseNext, probably boosted by the double & triple points to leap forward.

The Norwegian App (by design) does NOT need a WiFi connections for most (if not all) of the functions to work, like accessing onboard account to review charges on a daily basis. It only needs an inTRAnet connection to the ship's (internal) WiFi network. To access email, browse popular websites like IG or FB, etc. - an inTERnet connection is required, whether it's using the "limited" FAS minutes or being on the unlimited basic or (optionally, the so called "streaming" premium plan) For the duration of our cruise, I can choose to stay connected to the ship's inTRAnet (internal to ship's server systems) continuously and NOT worry about using any inTERnet minutes on the same SSiD, as long as I'm signed into the NCL App - but, not additionally logged in, to agree to use & access the inTERnet (and, begin using airtime minutes). Yes, confusing & complicated for the average user to appreciate and understood.

It also vary depending on tides - outside metal ramp on the dock, typically crew members only at an incline Our SIL does use a walking cane and/or rollator-walker these days, after recovering from metal rods surgery into her once compound fractured upper thigh - requested & confirmed wheelchair assistance in a # of weeks boarding MCT at Pier 88 (embarkation & disembarkation on ship's return) Mega ships like the BA, GA and Escape ... typically (as noted above) board on Deck 7 (lifeboat deck) - could be the Fwd or Aft gangway. Perhaps, these visuals can help OP

This April to May, we did 3 loads (4 bags) of laundry on the Epic, turnaround was a little over 24 to 36 hours - alerted our room attendant ahead - picked up before noon or in the morning, and it was back by the next early evening - the last batch was back by early afternoon on the second day (those freshed folded laundry went straight into packing cubes.) The expected standard is next day/afternoon when given & picked up before noon - rush service available with a nominal or extra charge.

Look and sounded like you might've been busy filling out those Vacation Hero cards & drop them off before disembarking in the morning. Nice & cute towel animals - by special requests ?? or your room attendant finding time to give that extra cheers, LM gotta be happy. That was a (yike) nasty hazmat pool incident involving red bag waste & a deep cleaning, probably meant shutting the splash pool, etc. - perhaps, a mandatory clean-up charge imposed could serve as a detergent, just an idea. Specialty dining onboard NCL ships these days, are consistently inconsistent, mirrored what one can often discover or find in the MDR ... since NCL sourced most of their provisions from their given pool of vendors. Variations come down to, maybe, the skills & presentation of the junior chefs responsible down in the gallery. Leaving them under the heat lamps for an extended period of time, also, doesn't help - luke warm entrees seem to be mostly the norm. Portion sizes in Cagney's, seemed to be on the "petite" side - never impressed about them (alas, food opinions are highly subjective & personal ...) Already seeing the Joy "live" on Cruisemapper being tracked doing 18 knots and the Summit slightly behind & port side, looking like an early to on-time arrival ,,, Captain & bridge in a hurry to bring her in ?? There are whale sightings in the area so probably will need to slow down once in the designated "zone" Have a great evening & safe journey getting home in the morning.

Go to Spain destination forum for more specifics. We didn't see luggage lockers but there is paid luggage storage inside Barcelona cruise terminals to use. Although, you might be able to drop off to the bags as early as 7:30 to 8 am. That's assuming that the tour will meet you & pickup there, and drop you off afterward. Metered taxis are plentiful and inexpensive, driver's English are limited - Google Translate.

Nowadays, it's a guessing game ... to gamble as to whether 🙄🙄🙄. Give new meanings to freestyle cruising, like tendering and skipping ports, gotcha 😤🤔🫣

OP, please see below - NCL's published official guide to their upgraded WiFi packages as it clearly describe what works and what not, the premium is mainly aimed to not exclude streaming, not a guarantee that live video streaming will work 98% of the time, as it is not guaranteed to be (same like the home Fios and/or cable broadband access, satellite at sea are more challenging ...) Premium upgrade isn't necessary for your intended purposes, and the unlimited WiFi package will suffice - the difference with your included 150 minutes under the Free At Sea promotion is that, yours is "limited" and metered for up to 150 minutes of usage. There is an established procedure on how to log in and log out properly to avoid running the minutes "meter" as 2.5 hour or 150 minutes will be gone quickly. If you follow the steps and do it, there is no "absolute" reasons to pay anything extra or upgrade, unless you wanted to and need to. The steps are shown below, NCL added a "QR" code this year to help simplify matters for the less tech-inclined users. There is a "NCL" app on iOS and Android, free to download, install and use onboard, access your onboard account and deck plans, read the digital Freestyle Daily and (usually) Specialty Dining menus, etc. - that connects to the ship's WiFi inTRAnet only and does not use or need airtime inTERnet minutes ... that's one of the loophole or "backdoor", in a simplified way, to explain why & how SMS & text message (headers only) but not MMS, will and do get thru - and, this is mostly successful inbound messaging - but, not across different platforms (iOS to Android or vice versa). Outbound messaging (iOS devices are reported to be able to do this "all the time") sometimes are delayed but on a "test" basis, been able to that using Android smartphone (13.0 stock) too, without connecting to the inTERnet, in Airplane Mode. Of course, once you are "live" using inTERnet minutes, both SMS and MMS will work - onboard the ships to/from other "connected" users, in addition to those in the "outside" world. NCL's IT are well aware of it and this can be shut down or blocked in the future without notice or warning, once they figure other things out - thus, YMMV. The end "users" hardware, that is, what I am using and you are using, i.e. iPhone SE 2022 (mine) and Google Pixel 7 Pro or DW's Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus - can and do often make a difference as the newer "gadgets" more broadly support newer WiFi 5 and 6/+ dual and tri-band protocols. My Androids runs a VPN at all times, but has to disable or turn it off on the ship. Onboard NCL's ships, WiFi 5 and higher devices should suffice - WiFi hotspots strategically placed all over the ship plus the (Cisco/Lenovo) servers could use additional upgrade, especially if Starlink does roll out in 2024 as stated. As a suggestion, if other parties are on iOS, consider using Facetime and/or platforms like WhatsApp to reach out & get in touch, it is going to be more reliable & consistent - that, does require using your "limited" FAS 150 WiFi minutes onboard at sea. Cabin-to-Cabin, leave each other voicemail messages on the ship, that's free, of course.

Caught that on Dockyard's cam ... gotta be a ship excursion or else, NCL wouldn't waited patiently for them to get back if late ... other 2 pier runners came out of nowhere, on the right side of the streaming feed. Looks like Willie (pier's) crew are starting to release the rope lines, getting her ready to set sail shortly - 2 done, 1 more nearby.

@cruiseny4life - Nay, I think LM and her are probably going to be out on their balcony to watch the action outside on the pier shortly (quite a few on their balconies "watching"). Spirt of St. George just returned a short while ago - watching the Port Bermuda live streaming video feeds - most of them headed directly back up onboard the ship, probably for a late lunch. But, quite a few of them headed away from the ship, walking alongside the pier & maybe rushing over to Clocktower Mall for some last minute shopping ??? ( I dunno ) From the Joy's live webcam, over the bow of the ship, it is low tide at Dockyard - perhaps, maybe she isn't going to set sail exactly at 3 p.m. (that's less than 30 minutes from now) and folks know they "still" have time to enjoy the extra time - casually strolling back now, not in a hurry. It's nice to see Dockyard is once again busy & well, we saw the pirate boat docked there in late April (she was gone & "missing" last year, folks fearing that it's out of business) - as the boat with its live music & bar, free WiFi (very popular for off-duty crews ashore to hangout there during their short time-off). Bermuda's tourism continued to "bomb" us with marketing emails on a routine & regular basis, announcing that the island is open & looking forward to see us, and to welcome & hope to see us returning again soon ... who can forget that $45 pre-authorization fee p/p plus the mandatory C19 testing routine last year. @ 14:45 - solo pier runner (light top, dark color shorts) made it back - ran at a good pace toward the terminal for the gangway. "Powerful" the pilot boat already moved into position for escort, port side just ahead of ship's bow. Looks like a ship security officer is standing "guard" outside the terminal building waiting ... Looks like they are still waiting @ 14:55

Ditto, here. Well, approaching 1 p.m. local/ship time and all abroad time soon - are you going to be on deck to look for pier runners and watch for them to get "cheered" - it's already day 6, time flies when you are enjoying. I'm sure you are looking forward to sailing home to a heat wave with all that creature comfort onboard. The paper slip reminders about entertainment & dining is a good idea, since the Norwegian App is still not ready for prime time across the board with the "promised" functionality, are you able to access & see the digital version of the Freestyle Daily on the app (we couldn't, recently) and/or see the Specialty Dining menu on the app ?? Curious mind wanted to ask & know, thanks & much appreciated ... comment later, post-cruise & please be careful about "metering" those remaining & unused WiFi minutes onboard. Per Windy app, seeing a smooth homeward bound sailing later & overnight, fairly calm & smooth sea state, tomorrow with a bit of tailwind, light to moderate choppy - outdoors & waterfront should be fine all the way in.

@Flattycruiser Look further down on that page / screen - under Vacations Add-Ons Included Items - all of your Free At Seas promotions should be there; plus, the Non-Refundable Onboard Credits for owning 100 shares of NCLH (typically allocated to Guest #1 and #2) Free $50 USD On-Board Credit Certificate Non -Refundable Free $50 USD On-Board Credit Certificate Non -Refundable QTY: 2 GUESTS: Comment - If your TA is giving you $200 OBC, that is what you are seeing and the other $100 OBC isn't showing up there, correctly and should be there - for a total of $300. Give NCL's system to update overnight, if still not showing up after processing. Contact shareholders support again. We have another request in "progress" - will keep my eyes on them as well. Please share if yours successful get posted.

Joy going eastbound for (major) drydock in early 2024 - been discussed here recently, with additional sailing dates cancelled ... be careful about booking one, as this - unlike others - can be subject to change & cancellations, before & after final payment is made. https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/01/norwegian-joy-to-undergo-revitalization-in-2024/

LOL, maybe, just maybe, any remote possibility that you might cancel & forfeit your DOS 😁 😁 😁 if the DOS is a last-minute no-show and/or cancellation, etc. for whatever reason, NCL wanted to make sure they can upsell that to others, up until sailaway time on the dafe of embarkation. Besides, knowing the competency of their I.T. Department and database programming & filters ... nothing surprises me these days. Enjoy your cruise, coming up soon 😎 /mking8288 - Henry

Lately, we've yet to see ... read or hear about any rooftop parking issues at Pier 88, MCT. If and when it is full, they will open up rooftop parking next door at Pier 90, which can fit also fit hundreds of vehicles and that's seldom more than half full at most.

@KKB - Was looking to see if Miami has successfully processed your 2nd request 😟 but ... give them a few more days, hopefully it'll be taken care of (memo / reminder to others - nowadays, NCL will honor these OBC submission up to 2 weeks prior to embarkation (or, is it 15 days ... calendar or business days 🤔) and you have a digital email trail to use. Worst case scenario - have the emails available & onboard, speak to the CruiseNext folks and they can track it down to help get it credited to your onboard account (someone else recently did it successfully and apparently, their request was "missed" somehow) Good luck, enjoy the cruise and cheers !

Interested and thanks @bluesea777 for sharing. Had a chance to review the details published by Lion Travel. Summary & highlights: The Spirit isn't going to get renamed or going into drydock to get this new name "Endeavour" painted, it's a partnership effort with NCL's Charter ... for the given duration nex year only. There is a current promotion booking thru Lion Travel, 50% off based on double occupancies only - 1st pax pay full and 2nd. pax is "free" - no discount for solo cruiser or children (regardless of age) that require their own bedding, unless they share a cabin with triple or quad occupancy bedding, etc. (then discounted with 2 adult fares) Port taxes & fees included in the prices quoted (TWD) except for DSC of $20 USD or $25 USD p/p per day for Suites. There is an extra charge for ship itinerary calling upon Japan, to be added. Additional upcharge for onboard specialty dining options. Also included is basic travel/trip insurance covered by Lion Travel but additional insurance is recommended. These are mostly short duration cruises, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 nights out of Keelung, TW ROC (on the northeastern tip of the island, where most cruises sailing to/from) - that's about 1 hour to 90 minutes from Taipei City (capital) - Int'l Airport is 90 minutes to 2 hour via highway, west of the port & city centre. There will be 3 sailings of 5 days duration out of Kaohsiung City, near the southeastern tip of Taiwan ROC. In short, I checked with our TA friend locally and it appeared that this is marketed primary at the local & regional market, and perhaps, for oversea nationals and expatriates ... not the typical CC from the Americas and elsewhere. Going to be interesting, the refreshed 25 years old Spirit to compete regionally against the first mainland China home-built & larger Adora Magic City, with 5G onboard WiFi services and other state-of-the-art innovations (will be somewhat like competing against the Viva/Prima class in tonnage) https://www.cruisemapper.com/ships/Adora-Magic-City-2181#news

That's more than a full, morning breakfast at the American Diner in our books ... eating light & healthy, DW had 1 slice (2 for me) of toasted whole wheat bread & coffee, that's it when we aren't on a cruise, haha, as we sleep until whenever. iCafe managers are usually nice onboard and they can see your usage, traffic & history (and, probably URL's visited 😁 😂 ) and are known to restore, as a one-time courtesy when forgotten to log out & wasted the remaining free minutes. Surely, having LM come along didn't "hurt" the kindness ... and especially if s/he probably saw that you're surfing on CC too 😄 Enjoy the beautiful islands for the next 2+ days.

@graphicguy KnowRoaming eSim, consider this as your EU data roaming backup, in addition to your VZW global or int'l options for data ... nowadays, it's mainly fast 4G LTE data as 5G isn't everywhere and often not important for "less" populated & non-urban places, like small towns & villages and countrysides, small islands with 25,000 (or less) local residents. Another CC couple we met a few years ago are frequent cruisers and they recommended this, it's valid all over Europe (EU) and all the islands, including Azores - one of the better deal is a 30 days pass for 5GB at $22 USD, there are similar ones for more data at similar prices, and options for 2 weeks or 7 to 10 days, etc. designed for travelers. Since some of us with digital toys have dual or eSim capabilities anyway, easy to set that up online ahead, then just activate OTA upon arrival to begin using it ... and renew/add extra data as need while on the go, all without stopping at a local "store" or "shop" for a nano-sim at the airport. If there was one at BCN's busy cruise terminals, it wasn't obvious or highly visible, easy to find - hence, this KR eSim is apparently a good buy. Are you checking out the possibility of catching a westbound TA back - instead of flying back, everything set & locked up ? Viva, perhaps - "last minute" deals to be "found", just saying, but will disembark in Miami (got a bunch of CC'er on her, not us) & then, a short flight home ?? We'll be in Spain by mid November too, looking at additional options before our next TA coming back (# 2 crossing, both within the same year) Might "play" with KnowRoaming eSim & load that on the Mrs. SS Galaxy+ for data, while I'll stick with Google Fi - Vodafone and Orange are the big EU players, along with "3" all of them have travelers data sim option, since you are going to be there for a # of weeks - might be a smarter option than paying VZW for the add-ons.