realcindylouwho

Although this article doesn't name the cruise line the female passenger had sailed on, she recently returned from a cruise originating in San Francisco and went to Mexico. This could be a number of cruise lines and ships. However, after knowing she had been in Sonoma County for the past 10 days, it makes me wonder if she was on a Princess 10 day cruise that left the U.S. on February 11th? 

What does everyone else guess? Do you think passengers will be alerted to watch for symptoms?

https://www.kron4.com/health/coronavirus/local-emergency-declared-in-sonoma-county-after-person-tests-presumptive-positive-for-coronavirus/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

NEW: Cayman Islands government says it is denying entry to the Meraviglia cruise ship because 2 of its crew members aren't well. Jamaica also denied entry. https://t.co/YABjOLCju7

Wont be going to Grand Cayman tomorrow either. Sorry guys...

NEW: Cayman Islands government says it is denying entry to the Meraviglia cruise ship because 2 of its crew members aren't well. Jamaica also denied entry. https://t.co/YABjOLCju7

Arrived to the port at 12 p.m. The line to get through security snaked upstairs and back downstairs but moved quickly. We went through the scanner, paid our $15 fee for the Vueve and immediately checked in and had our photo taken at the Haven check-in. 

We were escorted up the escalator and into the area for Suite guests and waited about 2 minutes before being escorted onto the ship. Total process....28 minutes from the outside drop off to Moderno for suite lunch.

 Currently hanging out at a Starbucks passing time since we received an email LAST NIGHT telling us not to show up to the Tampa port until noon. I can report back here how our embarkation went later today. We are also Platinum Plus suite cruisers so that might make a bit of a difference in how quickly we board.

http://nclrecipes.com/frontend/recipe/recipe_details/38

4 hours ago, bhampshire said:

Oh man I had Grass Clippings on the escape.  I think at the bar near cigar place. it was one of the best drinks I had on the ship I want it again on my upcoming JOY cruise.  what is in it?

OMG I love the Grass Clippings  Martini also. However, it can be difficult to find as it has fresh Cilantro as an ingredient. If you can find a great bartender and make fast friends (cash IS king) and they know you will be repeatedly visiting their bar in the evening, it can happen for you. Some NCL bartenders are happy to gather and set aside fresh ingredients like cucumber, basil, mint and cilantro for you but understand this is outside of their duties and you should tip nicely for having this access. I have been able to get them with the nightly bar staff at the Champagne Bar on the Dawn. Outside of that I have been able to order lovely martinis with fresh herbs and speciality enhanced simple syrups on multiple ship's Haven bars. Any where I cruise, I tip well, get to know multiple bartenders, and tell them what I'm in the mood to drink. I think as long as they aren't highly busy, they enjoy making a special drink for you, in my experience. 

To the OP and others who have contributed to this thread:

My DH and I sailed the Dawn 5 day out of Miami on April 26th. The fellow cruisers were a very diverse crowd and we enjoyed this cruise greatly. On May 1st, less than 2 dozen of us gathered and went through customs and reboarded the ship because we were doing a back-to-back. Let's just say that the 4 day on the Dawn, May 1st had a very different cruise passenger than the 5 day before it!

Day one, at 5:30 p.m. we were seated in Cagney's for what we expected to be a quiet dinner. After all, it was just after the sail away from Miami. However after being seated next to a couple aged 80- wife and 71- husband, we realized our quiet, specialty restraunt dinner would not be as we expected. There was a group of three couples who had been seated minutes before us sitting mearly 2 tables away who were obnoxiously loud, very drunk and dropping the F bomb numerous times in each sentence. The older couple next to us were giving them the stink eye, as were we. Several times over 10 or so minutes, at least one of them would stand up and yell, use foul words and gesture to get their point across to their fellow table mates. Finally the husband sitting near us (he was an ex-marine, heavily tatooed and ex-police) turned to their table and asked them to "tone it down, you are being rude". at that point, all four of us, the older couple and my husband and I became the recipients of their foul language and insults were hurled non-stop to us. 

At this point, about 15 minutes into our meal, I could take it no longer. I got up and spoke to the Concierge Roel and the hostess. We are Platinum Plus and cruise in suites. Because we had already been on the ship for 5 days, we were familiar with both people at the Cagney's check in area. I briefly told them the problem, stated that their behavior was NOT appropriate in a specialty restraunt and I wanted NCL staff to diffuse the situation. I went back in, sat down and the terible insults continued to be thrown our direction. Finallly, the (female) Assitant Maitre d showed up with another  person (male) and spoke to them about the "noise level" and asked them to move to another table. This table was about 15 feet away from us. While they moved over, one of the men shouted out his room number, said he made love once and that he had a giant dil** for me waiting.

The insults from them continued to be shouted out and sometime during the meal, a father who was holding a young child approached their table abd asked if they were the table making so much noise. They answered YEP! and did nothing to tone down their language nor their noise level. 

At the end of the meal, while they left, I turned on my phone anticipating there may be an incident occur. While they walked out they shouted more insults and one of the females fli[[ed off the 8- year old lady seated next to us. I filmed this experience.

Later in the cruise we spoke with other officers and they stated although there is a "policy" for the guests, unless they physically lay hands on another passenger, there is little to nothing they will do to stop this type of behavior. They used the example that if a child is running and screaming and crying and crawling in a specialty area, or disturbing other passengers in public spaces, they will do NOTHING. The cruisers have a right to experience the cruise in this way. 

So...if you want to pay money or use your perks in the specialty dining, do not expect to have a nice, adult style, quiet dinner. The rude, obnoxious, drunk, loud, screaming passenger has the right to their experience. If this is happening in the paid areas, what do you think they will allow in the "free" areas of the ship?

BTW, this was my 15th cruise since 2009 on NCL. I cruise suites which I purchase at the full retail price at least a year and a half before sailing. I'm Platinum Plus. I like to drink, no, make that LOVE to drink on a cruise. I might get a little loud when I'm drinking. But the diffence between me and the guests we experienced on the Dawn 4 day sailing out of Miami was I have the ability to understand how to act in certain areas of a ship. My behavior and language will be different at the smoking area of the upper pool  bar vs the attrium vs the Haven Bar vs the Mojito Bar. There are some people that do not have the ability to grasp this simple concept and ruin the experience of others around them. There were MANY people on this sailing who simply didn't understand how to adjust their behavior on this cruise. 

OP, I agree with you. I certainly wish that NCL would make strong suggestions to those who are standing out in a group of people that their behavior needs modified. We did see the bar staff on this 4 day sailing not serve MULTIPLE people, mostly female at the Champagne Bar during the evenings. These gals were having problems standing up and walking and were past the point of being able to speak enough words to even order a drink. I thank the bar staff who make those quick decions to stop serving. We also saw a guest being escourted to the briggs after an altercation in one of the hot tubs on the second day of our 5 day cruise. One of the officers told us he would be staying locked up until we got back to Miami and then woud be handed off to the Miami-Dade Police! What a bummer for his cruise mates...NOT! Cause problems, pay the consquences I say. 

We have a 12 day in January and after this cruise, we might be done with cruising for awhile and may return to all inclusives or simply fly in and stay at a few islands for vacation. I don't think the issues I don't care for are due to the drink package, I think they are due to the increasing rudeness/angry-ness/poor character of our society. I don't care to spend my vacation time and dollar with this segment of the population on these shorter cruises. 

I appreciate your link soooo much! Thank you for your quick reply, it will make our cruise just that much bettet!

Help please. I'm currently sitting in Moderno for embarkation lunch, on the Dawn and I've used the search but I'm not having much luck.

Someone posted a couple of months ago, a "Recipe book" of the ingredients and measurements for NCL drinks. It was dated from this year and had 3 pages of beverages NCL used to have on the drinks menus once upon a time but have taken off. Could someone locate that thread and post it for me?  I bookmarked it on my laptop but forgot to put it on my phone!!!

For those who have stayed in the Owner's Suite in one or both, what are your pro's and con's of Deck 9 vs. Deck 10?

I have always felt the motion more in the Theater than other locations on the ship. I take Dramamine for the first couple of days until I get acclimated to the movement of the ship. What has been your experience with motion being in an Owner's Suite if you have a sensitivity to this like myself? *I don't get sick, just feel a bit off from motion.

We will soon be on a 5 day cruise on the Dawn. considering upgrading ourselves to the Deluxe Owner's Suite. It used to be it came with a bottle of Moet, the cheap sparkling wine and 3 bottles from a list of spirits (many have sucessfully subbed out for their preferred type). However with the recent changes going on, I've heard for the 5 day sailings the number of bottles may have dropped from 3 to only one. Has anyone recently/within the past two months taken a 5 day and stayed in the DOS or positively knows the number of bottles that some with this suite? 

Your answer may help tip us into spending the additional $400 total to directly upgrade! 

We were in the Dawn's  port side Garden Villa 14500 the week of Thanksgiving 2017. For our sailing there was NO chair/love seat sleeper in the middle bedroom. Which means two college boys shared the bed. We didn't bother or want to take any extra floor space up with a rollaway, plus one boy is 6'2 and one 6'7. It would have been way too short! The room had a high backed, easy chair and a wooden table with two chairs.

We had 17 people on the cruise and having the amount of outdoor space was perfect for our group. 

13 minutes ago, TPgal said:

Google says it's the Dawn that is haunted, also this thread - but it degrades to pure speculation pretty quickly. 

 

 

Excellent! Hubby and I will be doing a B2B on her staying on deck 10 and then 9 in late April-May. We will have to do some snooping around. We were on the Dawn Thanksgiving of 2017 in the port-side Garden Villa and there were no ghostly experiences during our stay. There were some strange things that happened, but they were all done by tipsy humans!

We have been locked out on the balcony of our aft suite on Jewel class ships before also. Luckily we had neighbors enjoying their balcony as well and they were able to get the steward to lend us a hand.

Although I have no way to explain it, I've had items go missing and they ended up right where they should be. There have been stories about certain NCL ships being "haunted" 👻 but I can't recall the ships or the deck area. Maybe someone else can chime in with a link?

I've sailed on Pearl, Jewel, Sky, Star, Dawn, Getaway, Breakaway and Epic. From the Studios (1x) to the Garden Villas (3x). I've enjoyed every one of my cruises. However, I think many people simply are uncomfortable with the bathroom design in the majority of the cabins. It does lack a sense of "privacy" that American people have with using the restroom and washing their hands afterwards. Also, the seats in the theater do tend to somewhat place your legs lower than your fanny which is akward for many people. In addition, it does seems like you have to try harder to view the ocean from the public places. All my opionions of course.

I scoured NCL website and could not find anything in the Terms and Conditions for Premium Plus other than this, which is for the Sun and Sky 3-6 day sailings. It looks as though there may be some sailings where it can be a choice like in the pick 1-6 options depending on ship, sailing and category of cabin. 

HERE IS THE LINK: https://www.ncl.com/termsandconditions/promotions#takeall

Premium Plus Beverage Package (3-6 Day Norwegian Sun & Sky Cruises)
Applicable to guests 1-2 on the reservation. 
Guests 1-2 regardless of age will receive the Premium Plus Beverage Package. However, guests under the age of 21 at the time of sailing, may not consume alcoholic beverages.
Eligible guests are entitled to two beverages per person per transaction. 
Includes all beverages by the glass. Beverage selection is subject to change onboard.
Includes select wines by the bottle when dining. 
Includes fountain soda, freshly squeezed juice, bottled water (flat and sparkling), non-alcoholic beer, and specialty coffee (specialty coffee inclusion shall be limited to dining rooms only).
A 40% discount will be given on bottles of wine (champagne and sparkling included), Wine and Spirit Experiences, tastings or Flights purchased on board.
Offer is not applicable at Harvest Caye bars, restaurants, or venues.
Does not include: Wine and Spirit Experiences, tastings or Flights, specialty coffee outside of the restaurants, room service, mini bar purchases, wine dispenser or vending machines.
Guest's check may reflect applicable VAT and/or taxes for certain ports or itineraries.
Guest is responsible for 20% gratuities on the retail value of the Premium Plus Beverage Package ($5.80 USD per person per day) prior to cruise.
Retail value of Premium Plus Beverage Package is $29.00 USD per person per day. Package price is subject to change.
No substitute for package if guest cannot consume all beverages included.
 

Hubby and I sail (all but once) exclusively in suites with 3 sailing in the GV. On a shorter cruise with a Haven bar, we could be interested in the Premium Package if we planned on not spending much time off the ship. Hubby loves the older, more costly liquors such as the Don Julio, which we have had at NO up charge  years ago on the Getaway in the Haven. If it was on the shelf, we would be served no extra cost. Was that the policy then, I don't think so but that is what we exoerienced. However, I also agree as a stockholder, a Platinum Plus and a suite cruise...throw the gosh darn Premind Plus in for suites. I'll even agree to pay the "service charge/gratuity/tip" and allow it to cover any alcohol on the ship.

I scoured NCL website and could not find anything in the Terms and Conditions for Premium Plus other than this, which is for the Sun and Sky 3-6 day sailings. It looks as though there may be some sailings where it can be a choice like in the pick 1-6 options depending on ship, sailing and category of cabin. 

HERE IS THE LINK: https://www.ncl.com/termsandconditions/promotions#takeall

Premium Plus Beverage Package (3-6 Day Norwegian Sun & Sky Cruises)
Applicable to guests 1-2 on the reservation. 
Guests 1-2 regardless of age will receive the Premium Plus Beverage Package. However, guests under the age of 21 at the time of sailing, may not consume alcoholic beverages.
Eligible guests are entitled to two beverages per person per transaction. 
Includes all beverages by the glass. Beverage selection is subject to change onboard.
Includes select wines by the bottle when dining. 
Includes fountain soda, freshly squeezed juice, bottled water (flat and sparkling), non-alcoholic beer, and specialty coffee (specialty coffee inclusion shall be limited to dining rooms only).
A 40% discount will be given on bottles of wine (champagne and sparkling included), Wine and Spirit Experiences, tastings or Flights purchased on board.
Offer is not applicable at Harvest Caye bars, restaurants, or venues.
Does not include: Wine and Spirit Experiences, tastings or Flights, specialty coffee outside of the restaurants, room service, mini bar purchases, wine dispenser or vending machines.
Guest's check may reflect applicable VAT and/or taxes for certain ports or itineraries.
Guest is responsible for 20% gratuities on the retail value of the Premium Plus Beverage Package ($5.80 USD per person per day) prior to cruise.
Retail value of Premium Plus Beverage Package is $29.00 USD per person per day. Package price is subject to change.
No substitute for package if guest cannot consume all beverages included.
 

Hubby and I sail (all but once) exclusively in suites with 3 sailing in the GV. On a shorter cruise with a Haven bar, we could be interested in the Premium Package if we planned on not spending much time off the ship. Hubby loves the older, more costly liquors such as the Don Julio, which we have had at NO up charge  years ago on the Getaway in the Haven. If it was on the shelf, we would be served no extra cost. Was that the policy then, I don't think so but that is what we exoerienced. However, I also agree as a stockholder, a Platinum Plus and a suite cruise...throw the gosh darn Premind Plus in for suites. I'll even agree to pay the "service charge/gratuity/tip" and allow it to cover any alcohol on the ship.

Any chance you could tell us who will be the Conceirge on the Novemeber 11th sailing this Sunday? I saw Virginia is on currently, but we don't know if she will be remaining or if there will be a change. Hubby and I board Sunday and I havent even started packing yet, but...I painted my nails tonight, so I'm making a ittle progress. 

Enjoy the remaining cruise days and may your disembarkation and my embarkation go much smoother in New Orleans!!!

I also suggest Shout wipes, cheapo beach balls or air mattress (we leave it with others to enjoy when we go back to the ship early) breath mints or gum, glow sticks/necklaces/etc for the glow party, little bottles of bubbles to blow at each sail away (come on now, everybody is happy when they see bubbles!) Post it notes/pen/highlighter. Maybe a small flashlight for those late night trips to the toilet?

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So we did the barrier reef snorkel on 9/27. It was just okay. First, they cram you on a boat, not a catamaran. Did not have much room to move around and we had over 30 participants. The staff was very friendly and funny. There were 10 crew plus the captain. Once at the site, you are placed in groups of 8 and you were assigned to a crew member. They did not allow you to snorkel the area on your own, you had to stay with the crew member you were assigned to. The visibility and colors were not the best but it did rain just prior to us arriving in Harvest Caye, and the sun was not out full force, so that may have contributed to this. The crew member that DH and I were assigned to was very informative. He would point out fish, shells, coral, etc and then explain about those things. On the ride back to Harvest Caye, water, juice or rum punch was served. However, the juice and rum punches tasted watered down. Overall, we had a good time but not a great time. If we return to Harvest Caye, we have decided we would not do the snorkeling there.

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Aw darn! not even on the cabin door? I bought magnets for the sole purpose of leaving my DH messages in the stateroom door. We're in the Haven...

P.S. we don't use our phones on the ship to text each other. Only way my husband gets to truly relax on vaca and disconnect from work. Hence, the notes.

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I struggled to link my post so I copied and pasted. This is our personal experience.

In early 2015 my DH and I booked the Dawn for a 9 day cruise out of New Orleans. If you have booked this far in advance, you know the time creeps by so slowly and it seems as though the day of embarkation will never arrive!

 

Time does go by and 2016 was a hard year for us with family illnesses, two deaths, a divorce, and a major health and job transition for our oldest son. I turned 50 this year and at this age we have growing concerns with our aging parents, don't we?!

 

Introduce late September, we are getting SO excited about our rapidly arriving cruise. Two days in the French Quarter before getting on the boat and drinking, sunning, snorkeling, eating and laughing with friends on our aft suite balcony. Our happy place is approaching!!!

 

However, as life is in control, this is not what happened. Our newly turned 20 year old college student son called us on September 26th to tell us he had just been diagnosed with Testicular Cancer. in the following days he had surgery, CT scans of the torso and MRI's of the brain. His final diagnosis was T.C. with metastasis to the abdominal lymph nodes and both lobes of the lungs. Stage III. We had been kicked hard in the gut and as a parent all you want to do is fight for your child to be cured. We pulled him out of college, contacted one of the top specialists in the nation and gathered a team of doctors to treat his aggressive form of cancer. The cost to fight cancer is high, treatments are pricey and just one shot he may need to increase his white blood cell counts would cost $18,000. We have excellent insurance through my DH's employer and are fortunate that we have the financial means to pay.

 

Honestly, I was sad about needing to cancel the trip and I allowed myself to have short little pity parties over it, I'm human. We made the call to our PCC and he instructed us the next steps to take to receive a refund through NCL's travel insurance, which we ALWAYS purchase. Yes, I know there are other companies out there, yes, I know we could do it cheaper, for better coverage. The simplicity of adding this on when we book our cruise is a convenience we use. Truly, its just EASY. In the meantime, NCL refunded us our taxes, gratuities and other costs we had pre-paid.

 

An e-mail was sent with a document that we and our oncologist would need to fill out. Our doctor was familiar with the form and handed it off to his nurse. A few days later it was handed back to us completed and it was sent on to the company. An e-mail reply came to us with confirmation they had received our form and they would review our claim. Exactly three weeks later we had an e-mail stating everything was approved and a check was going out in the mail in two days for $xxx amount of money. 100% of our cruise costs were refunded between NCL and NCL's travel insurance. The amount of time it took was just over three weeks.

 

Rarely have I read on C.C. cases of NCL cruisers taking out NCL's travel insurance and needing to cancel. I wanted to give our story with the timetable for others to refer to in the future.

 

In addition, our son will be starting his third round of chem on Monday 12/05. As you remember from above, he was staged as three. After his first round of chemo, blood cancer markers were drawn and they were in the NORMAL RANGE!!! He has the most aggressive form of Testicular Cancer yet it is the MOST responsive form to this advanced blend of chemotherapy (BEP). This type of cancer can double in size every 10-30 days. Please, do monthly self examinations! Women, tell every male in your life how important it is to self examine and anything feels abnormal to go to a doctor immediately, do not wait a week, a month. T.C. is the most curable cancer a man can get in his lifetime IF it is caught early, as our sons was. He will be done with chemo on 12/19 and after another month of his parents doting on him, he will return back to college in January, 100% cancer free! As a "Thank God 2016 is finally done!" DH and I are likely jumping on the Getaway in late January.

 

Moral to the story is two part: Buy travel insurance for all of the WHAT IF THIS HAPPENS and SELF CHECK YOUR BALLS!!!;)

 

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I struggled to link my post so I copied and pasted. This is our personal experience.

In early 2015 my DH and I booked the Dawn for a 9 day cruise out of New Orleans. If you have booked this far in advance, you know the time creeps by so slowly and it seems as though the day of embarkation will never arrive!

Time does go by and 2016 was a hard year for us with family illnesses, two deaths, a divorce, and a major health and job transition for our oldest son. I turned 50 this year and at this age we have growing concerns with our aging parents, don't we?!

Introduce late September, we are getting SO excited about our rapidly arriving cruise. Two days in the French Quarter before getting on the boat and drinking, sunning, snorkeling, eating and laughing with friends on our aft suite balcony. Our happy place is approaching!!!

However, as life is in control, this is not what happened. Our newly turned 20 year old college student son called us on September 26th to tell us he had just been diagnosed with Testicular Cancer. in the following days he had surgery, CT scans of the torso and MRI's of the brain. His final diagnosis was T.C. with metastasis to the abdominal lymph nodes and both lobes of the lungs. Stage III. We had been kicked hard in the gut and as a parent all you want to do is fight for your child to be cured. We pulled him out of college, contacted one of the top specialists in the nation and gathered a team of doctors to treat his aggressive form of cancer. The cost to fight cancer is high, treatments are pricey and just one shot he may need to increase his white blood cell counts would cost $18,000. We have excellent insurance through my DH's employer and are fortunate that we have the financial means to pay.

Honestly, I was sad about needing to cancel the trip and I allowed myself to have short little pity parties over it, I'm human. We made the call to our PCC and he instructed us the next steps to take to receive a refund through NCL's travel insurance, which we ALWAYS purchase. Yes, I know there are other companies out there, yes, I know we could do it cheaper, for better coverage. The simplicity of adding this on when we book our cruise is a convenience we use. Truly, its just EASY. In the meantime, NCL refunded us our taxes, gratuities and other costs we had pre-paid.

An e-mail was sent with a document that we and our oncologist would need to fill out. Our doctor was familiar with the form and handed it off to his nurse. A few days later it was handed back to us completed and it was sent on to the company. An e-mail reply came to us with confirmation they had received our form and they would review our claim. Exactly three weeks later we had an e-mail stating everything was approved and a check was going out in the mail in two days for $xxx amount of money. 100% of our cruise costs were refunded between NCL and NCL's travel insurance. The amount of time it took was just over three weeks.

Rarely have I read on C.C. cases of NCL cruisers taking out NCL's travel insurance and needing to cancel. I wanted to give our story with the timetable for others to refer to in the future.

In addition, our son will be starting his third round of chem on Monday 12/05. As you remember from above, he was staged as three. After his first round of chemo, blood cancer markers were drawn and they were in the NORMAL RANGE!!! He has the most aggressive form of Testicular Cancer yet it is the MOST responsive form to this advanced blend of chemotherapy (BEP). This type of cancer can double in size every 10-30 days. Please, do monthly self examinations! Women, tell every male in your life how important it is to self examine and anything feels abnormal to go to a doctor immediately, do not wait a week, a month. T.C. is the most curable cancer a man can get in his lifetime IF it is caught early, as our sons was. He will be done with chemo on 12/19 and after another month of his parents doting on him, he will return back to college in January, 100% cancer free! As a "Thank God 2016 is finally done!" DH and I are likely jumping on the Getaway in late January.

Moral to the story is two part: Buy travel insurance for all of the WHAT IF THIS HAPPENS and SELF CHECK YOUR BALLS!!!;)

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Our case on the Dawn, November 2017, Garden Villa, 6 guests 21 and older. Guest one and two received the UBP as a promotion. One additional guest aged 21 purchased the UBP. No other guest chose or were required to purchase the UBP or the soda plan. Our PCC took care of this for us before the cruise.

There is conflicting information floating around on C.C. so do not be embarrased to ask your PCC what can be done for your situation . Sometimes NCL conflicts it's own statements on their website.

Swap the guest listed as one and three and this should fix the UBP problem. Enjoy your cruise and the delicious beverages as well!

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