Turtles06

That’s a shame! Maybe go see a show on Broadway …

Well, apart from the millions of ignorant Americans, not to mention the ability to print anything on just about anything, I’m sure that all of the mostly non-American crew on most cruise ships have had to take a course on the U.S. monetary system in order to be hired.

Even in the U.S., some will question it as fake. I would never tip in a denomination that is not in common use or one that otherwise might be difficult for the recipient to spend. From time to time, there have been other threads like this one, and I always wonder why the tipper would not make it as easy as possible for the recipient.

I would consider the Sky, Spirit, Dawn, Star, POA, and all of the Jewel-class ships to be NCL's "smaller ships."

It would help if you posted NCL’s description of both tours, and the length of each. Also, I have found the NCL shorex desk to be helpful in answering questions, and getting answers if they don’t know them.

We've taken (and loved) the On Your Own tour twice, and each time we had about four hours in Antigua, give or take. It was enough time to walk around and get a great sense of the central area, see some sites, have lunch, and not feel too rushed. In terms of lunch, I will pass along a fabulous recommendation we received here on CC for a truly local meal (several years ago, may have changed -- no menus in English [just point to the chicken and sides 🙂], fabulous food, Guatemalan cash needed for payment. Worth getting some). Chickens roasting over an open wooden spit fire, great atmosphere. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g295366-d2422724-Reviews-Rincon_Tipico-Antigua_Sacatepequez_Department.html Enjoy your trip!

Perfectly said. Thank you.

Assuming OP means the May 11, 2023 sailing of the Star, the site I use (not allowed to name on here) also shows available BA staterooms. But the OP is correct that NCL’S site only shows “guarantee” balconies available. Weird. I agree with the advice to the OP to call NCL or a travel agent.

(Deleted)

One would have to be certain it covered missed ports for reasons like this (within the control of the cruise line), which I suspect is doubtful. I’ve seen coverage for ports missed because of weather and other specific events beyond the control of the cruise line.

Respectfully, Cape Liberty is in Bayonne, New Jersey, it's not in NYC. 🙂

Here’s a new thread started by someone who was just docked at Fuerte Amador. Sounds like a total mess.

Thank you for your post. The status of the cruise terminal at Fuerte Amador has been a subject of great discussion in this forum (see thread linked below), and it’s helpful to have current reports as the Canal transit season progresses. We’ll be at Fuerte Amador on the Gem in early February on a B2B cruise, and the situation that you and others have described is distressing. Quick question: others have reported that the shuttle leaves guests on Flamenco Island (where the tenders used to drop folks off), but you said Perico. Are you certain? Thanks again!

Just know that the transit on those big ships will go through the new locks, not the original, historic locks, which many consider more interesting, especially for a first transit.

If you want a good example of how important it is to be in contact with the port agent if you are late getting back to the ship, check out comment 109 (with photos) in my review here of a NE/Canada cruise on Celebrity in 2019. We never expected to see pier runners in Quebec City. Yet, as the all-aboard time passed, calls went out over the ship’s intercom for two missing guests. After some time, there were lots of animated phone calls going on between the port agent and, presumably, those missing guests. They were so late, a security officer went up to their cabin and handed their passports over to the port agent. The Captain needed to sail because of speed limits in the St. Lawrence River, and the missing guests were almost left behind.

Excellent advice. We do the same thing.

Since your question is specific to NCL, you should ask it in the NCL forum. (In fact, if you do some reading there, you’ll readily find the answer, which is that if the price drops before final payment, you can have your cruise repriced, and you can do so multiple times.. After final payment, if there’s a price drop, you can request a FCC, but only once per reservation. That’s a fairly new practice, and it could change.) https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/64-norwegian-cruise-line/

Folks, the OP has posted their questions in the Panama Canal forum, where they are being answered.

I believe that all three ships named (Emerald Princess and both NCL ships) would use the new locks. If this will be your first Canal transit, I agree with @Essiesmom that you should look for a ship that would use the original locks. Just more interesting and historic imho. I've done two full transits on NCL ships -- on the smaller, Jewel-class ships, which use the original locks, with two more booked for this winter. At least on our two prior cruises (both pre-pandemic), NCL did not have much in the way of lectures about the Canal before we got there, but there's an expert who comes on board EVERY cruise ship transiting the Canal to "narrate" the transit. And reading David McCulloch's "The Path Between the Seas" is something I think everyone should do before a first transit, regardless of cruise line. You'll appreciate the Canal that much more. I also agree with @Essiesmom that it's important to consider the rest of the itinerary, since the Canal is just one day out of two weeks. A very important single day to be sure... I don't see any NCL Jewel-class ships being used for Canal transits in early 2024. You might want to take a look at the HAL Zaandam in January 2024. One of HAL's smaller and older ships (no bells and whistles), but a nice itinerary. Pre-pandemic, HAL did a great job with enrichment lectures; you'd want to see how they are doing since the re-start. (And read up on the ship and HAL to see if they would be for you.) You may not find a good option for your dates using the historic locks. If not, the Bliss, Joy, and Emerald Princess itineraries have trade-offs among the ports. Puerto Quetzal (Bliss and Joy) lets you visit Antigua de Guatemala, but the Princess ship calls at Puntarenas, where there are some interesting shorex possibilities (crocs, birds, monkeys). The Bliss also calls at Mazatlan, which we found to be very interesting. Do spend some time looking at the various ports.

Agree with that advice. There’s a good reason why Trip Advisor locks dormant threads after a certain period of time.

I submitted my GE renewal application on line yesterday (Saturday) and just received notice a little while ago (Sunday night) that it's been approved. (Unlike my prior renewal, no interview was required this time.) Do we really think folks are working on these applications on the weekends? Or is it possible that computers are handling these (or, at least some of these) based on certain criteria? (E.g., the number of times you've renewed; verification of foreign travel and other personal factors?)

A small group of us from our Roll Call had a fabulous tour a number of years ago with Dora de Zubiria ("Dora the Explorer"). She's very well regarded here on CC; if you scroll around or do a search, you'll find other recommendations for her. http://www.cartagenatour.com/

Neither has Christmas. 😊

Based on what? It’s hot and humid all year.

Something else to consider: I’ve been on two NCL cruises since the restart, both out of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, and on neither occasion did anyone check guests’ scheduled arrival times. I’m not against having check-in times as a way to manage crowding, but if no one checks for those times, it’s pointless.