Turtles06

Yes, any foreign port was required under U.S. law for your closed loop cruise.

I would not describe the Pacific locks as "more impressive." It's all the same impressive (and historic!) technology. What is truly impressive is to do a full transit where you really appreciate the full "scope" (to use your word) of the Canal and the extraordinary engineering that was required to build the Canal, and is still required to keep it operating. (For example, the continued dredging needed.) In particular, doing the full transit (or, at least, a partial including the small-boat excursion through the Pacific locks) allows you to sail through the Continental Divide -- imagine what it took to cut through those mountains and keep the earth from tumbling back in. I encourage you to read "The Path Between the Seas" if you haven't done so already. I think you'd really enjoy it. And it's certainly imho a "must read" before any first transit of the Canal.

We've done two full transits of the Canal, and I very much appreciate your description and photos of the small-boat excursion through the Pacific locks that you took on your partial transit. Thanks for sharing them. (If we ever do a partial transit, I'd love to do that excursion.) One small correction for others who may be reading: the bridge in your photo is the Centennial Bridge, which is not at the Pacific end of the Canal, it's the bridge that crosses the Culebra Cut/Continental Divide. The bridge at the Pacific entrance to the Canal is the Bridge of the Americas, pictured below. (Three bridges span the Canal, easy to be confused, especially in the heat! 🙂 ) (photo by turtles06)

Update: Bermuda replied to my email and said the Fort will be open in November. (I hadn't noticed the following originally, because I wasn't looking for NCL excursions in Bermuda, but NCL does have an excursion on our first day there that includes admission to the Fort, which the Bermuda email to me noted.) They really should update their web site. https://www.gov.bm/fortstcatherine

Unless I've missed something (in which case I welcome the correction), the problem isn't power strips per se, it's anything that has a surge protector on it (which not all power strips have).

@travelmama06since your question is a general one and not related to NCL, a good place to post it would be the general "Ask a Cruise Question" forum, where you'll also have more eyes than just those of NCL-followers. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/69-ask-a-cruise-question/

I should have included this in my comment above: NCL runs a free ferry to St. George’s for its own guests. Hopefully it will be operating when you are there.

Exactly as Charles said above: ferry to Hamilton, bus to Caves. I wanted to add the advice given to me by the Caves last year -- you should consider making a reservation. When a ship is in port, it often books up many slots for its tours. (Perhaps this will not be a big problem in February; you might want to contact the Caves and inquire.) You'll be quite close to the Swizzle Inn -- a great place for lunch (before or after)!

Yup. Months ago, we booked an Avanti train from Glasgow to London for a specific date in October. Avanti cancelled it at the last minute. For many weeks prior to that journey (but after we'd booked), Avanti's web site kept warning about "reduced timetables."

I hope you are correct! 🙂 In the meantime, we're leaving in two weeks for an actual "Bermuda cruise" aboard the Joy. Submitted our TA applications at the 30-day mark, and since we cruised to Bermuda a year ago, the application form not only populated with that info, but it also said we didn't need to upload our vaccine cards again. So there was nothing for them to do but take our $40 each, which they did immediately. Although there's nothing for them to approve, we still haven't received the actual TAs. I called them yesterday just to inquire, and they said the system randomly pulls guests from each sailing to "approve," and that if we haven't rec'd the TAs in a week, to call them, as they can't do anything manually until seven days out. I realize they didn't set up the TA system this way to start, but for folks who are returning, vaxxed travelers, since they specifically said they don't need our vax cards again, the TAs should be issued as soon as the $40 are paid. Total PITA at this point for vaxxed travelers.

Interesting. Re those "occasional callers" -- we are booked on one of those cruises, the Celebrity Beyond westbound transatlantic leaving Italy a year from today. I find the Bermuda stop on TAs to be a throwaway; it doesn't affect my booking of a TA one way or the other. But NCL just a few weeks ago (right after final payment) *added* Bermuda as a port call to our Panama Canal cruise on the Gem leaving NY on Jan. 25, 2023. No one who booked that cruise signed up for Bermuda. I'll be pretty ticked if Bermuda will still be requiring Travel Authorizations then; I rather suspect it will, since I've read that the money they are collecting for the TA applications is in their budget until next March. And while I've previously defended Bermuda's right to protect its citizens from covid as it sees fit, I think that the TA has, at this point, with its watered-down requirements, including no testing, really seems to have become just a money grab.

I'm seeing it in December and will post my thoughts. In the meantime, some of the reviews were total raves (including WSJ; Peter Marks/Wash Post).

Yes. A terrific tour. Big difference between being in a small group with an excellent guide and on a bus/walking around with 40 or so of your new best friends. Not sure why you thought it might be the same or cheaper to take a small group private tour than a big group ship's tour, but smaller private tours are typically more expensive. We have been to Cartagena twice, really enjoyed it. I hope you do too!

We have stayed in both the aft- and forward-facing Penthouses on the Gem. You are correct that the Gem (like the other Jewel class ships) does not have a special restaurant for the Haven. ALL true suite guests, Haven or otherwise (that is, stateroom categories starting with H or S), get to eat a private breakfast and lunch in the space occupied by Moderno and/or Cagney's. Special suite menu. Breakfast in particular is wonderful; a nice, quiet way to start the day. Table service as well as a small buffet. The non-Haven suites do have butler and concierge services. (Prior to the pandemic, NCL was talking about eliminating butler services from some of the non-Haven suites. I don't think that's happened.) And you do have priority boarding in NYC; you wait in the same little lounge as the Haven guests. The Haven area does have a narrow thing they call a pool, but it's nothing I would pay Haven prices for; it's inside a Haven courtyard. And I think there's a sundeck. That's pretty much all the "extra" you get for being in a Haven suite v. a non-Haven suite on the Jewel class ships. (If there's more, I hope folks will correct me.) I hope that's helpful.

Discussed often in the Panama Canal port of call forum, where I suggest you do a search and also ask your question.

Since you are going to be picked up at LHR, one thing you might want to consider in choosing a car company for booking is where they are based. And you therefore might want to pick a London-based operator like Blackberrycars.com. I don't have experience with the other companies you may be looking at, but I do know that Blackberry monitors your flight and adjusts your pickup time accordingly. (That may be more difficult for a company that is not based in London.) Last month, our flight from the U.S. to LHR arrived 45 minutes early. Blackberry had been monitoring this, and their driver was at the airport waiting for us when we arrived early. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Cruisedeckplans.com says that the Gem is supposed to go into dry dock in November. https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/Norwegian-Gem I don't believe there are any cruises scheduled for the Gem from Nov. 13-Dec. 8. Assuming the dry dock information is accurate, it's possible that NCL will remove the tub/shower combo from the suites that have them and put in a stall shower, as it apparently has done on other Jewel-class ships. I hope that happens. 🙂 Perhaps others have some information about this.

I'd seen that, which is why the Bermuda government web page that I quoted in my first post is very confusing.

I agree.

We'll be in Bermuda in November. We've visited several times, but have never been to Fort St. Catherine and were hoping to visit on this trip. However, the government of Bermuda web page linked below says: "Now you can march in the footsteps of our earliest soldiers as you tour one of Bermuda’s most impressive historic forts. Bring your family to visit Fort St. Catherine daily from June 3 – August 26, from 10am – 4pm. Special 20 minute tours at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 2.30pm. Call to book a tour." https://www.gov.bm/fortstcatherine Is the Fort only open in the summer? I've sent them an email to ask, but haven't received a reply so far. Thanks for any info!

I'm on the same cruise as you know, and I feel the same way in terms of the short port call and visiting St. George's. But I'm also on the Joy in two weeks, which is an actual "Bermuda cruise" (nearly three days there), and I really hope the NCL ferry is operating, as we haven't been to St. George's in years and were planning to visit this trip.

Many thanks for posting. (Is it too late for you to correct the typo in the thread title? 2012-2023... 🙂 )

Thanks! (I always resist being steered to the buffet, hence my question. 😂)

For guests not in the Haven, what are the options for lunch on embarkation day besides the buffet? Taste or Savor? The Local? Thanks for any info!

I’ve never had a problem getting more hangers from our steward.