trivia addict

A lot of opinions and assumptions here. Seems like there are three entities involved. The family, NCL, and the tour company. Probably all bear some responsibility, but who among us knows the real story? What should be noted is that there was a happy ending. No one got hurt, no one got sick, compensation was given for the two missed cruise days, total reimbursement was givenfor the two days in Ketchikan, ( no it is not a wilderness), all fees incurred by the family because of international laws was paid by the cruise line, and future credit for travel was given. Did the cruise line not stick to its contract of not leaving groups behind? Or did it see that all tour buses had returned and not know that some had not gotten on the bus? whose fault was it that they did not get on the bus ? Was it filled? Did they get on the wrong bus? Were others on the wrong bus? Who knows? Whose story do I believe? Mistakes were made but efforts have been made to mitigate the damage. Life happens. Most of us travel for new adventures and should expect the unexpected. I think that all of us have experienced glitches on our journeys. And sometimes those glitches lead to great outcomes! If safety is not an issue embrace the adventure! I would have looked upon this as a free two days in a new port and had quite a story to tell when I got home. Travel is filled with uncertainty. If you can’t adapt, don’t travel. And lessons learned for all of us: leave your passport in the safe and carry a photo copy and a passport card with you when leaving the ship. Carry a credit and debit card with you. Make sure you get back to your tour bus with extra time to spare and seek out the driver for instructions, not a fellow passenger! If meds are crucial take a small supply with you and leave others in the safe with the passport Take a picture of the port agent phone # with you. Be responsible for yourself. All shore excursions, private or ship sponsored, carry a degree of risk. Be aware of your surroundings and use a clear head.

You will be happy that you did! I speak from experience.

I called also and was told that I could not book over the phone but should book online. I did that and received an email with a confirmation and a receipt for my excursion. Here’s hoping it all works out😬

The Sugarcane Mojito Bar is also the liveliest bar on board and the best one for live music and dancing, IMO.

I have been on the Joy three times, and I love her. (BTW, They did take half of the OL away for more cabins, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be). Never been on the Breakaway so can’t help you there. Been to Bermuda 5 times out of NY, and done 3 New England cruises, once out of Boston, twice out of NY. Here are my observations - two very different experiences. Are you the type to sit on a beach and do you enjoy being on the ship rather than an excursion each day? or do you prefer sightseeing and nature, and active excursions? -Autumn is the perfect time to go to New England ( but maybe not late October or November….weather can turn quickly) -Perfect time for Bermuda is May and June before it gets too hot. Not sure if October / November is warm enough to actually go into the water and swim. -A cruise to Bermuda will only be a one port stop, and three sea days. New England will give you several different places to see. Not sure where you are from, but if you have never been to New England, places such as Portland, Boston, Halifax, Montreal and Quebec, are definitely worth visiting.

A roll call thread is where people who are on your sailing discuss that particular sailing and get to know each other before the cruise. It is a good place to arrange slot pulls, bar crawls, shared private excursions, questions about your particular cruise, or even arranging an informal dinner to meet and greet the night before a cruise in the port city. Since I never use a ship excursion. I have had great success on a roll call finding and making many private excursions with those I will be sailing with. In fact on my Bermuda cruise last month my daughter and I booked a fantastic private sailing excursion. The cost was $1,000, but we found 8 other people on the roll call who were willing to pay $100 each and all of us had an afternoon of snorkeling, beach, and cliff diving! Made new friends and had a great time! For private excursions use google or I have even taken suggestions from Rick Steves and other guide books to find local guides.

And thank you for your service! My father served on a Navy ship in the Pacific in WWII. I honor him and all who fought with him. The least we can do is remember them.

Although we enjoy the food in Ocean Blue ( ate there twice on the Joy last month), the cioppino was indeed a sad little bowl, and I would not order it again. My daughter liked the scallops and I liked the sea bass. Didn’t try the lobster. I have never found lobster on a cruise ship to be worthwhile.

I don’t consider a person a chair hog if he leaves his belongings on the chair while actively using any of the facilities at the pool. Swimming, hot tub, bathroom, getting a drink at the bar, etc. Nor do I consider him a chair hog if he wants to sit by the pool in the same chair for two hours and sleep, read, socialize, etc. What I do consider a chair hog to be is those who get up at 7 am, while the family is still sleeping, and put their belongings on a row of chairs to be used by the family after they get up and have breakfast. Then they saunter back to the pool around 10am, expecting that their chairs are still there. Perhaps this could be stopped by not allowing people to leave their belongs on chairs anytime before say 9am, unless they are physically in the pool area?

We were on the Joy last month and found the thermal spa to be absolutely worthwhile. A quiet place to read, relax and take advantage of its several therapeutic rooms. We had both the spa and the Vibe and found that these two places were where we spent most of our time while on the ship. Although we are very happy to cruise with Norwegian, we find that the daytime activities on board are lacking. The game shows are silly and the alternatives are activities designed to sell a service or a product.

Just remember that October is hurricane season in the Atlantic….

The fun of NYC is to experience its quirkiness and individuality. So I suggest you stay away from the formal “ white glove” touristy restaurants. You can find restaurants like these in any big city Many Irish bars in midtown will give you a real taste of NY. Big sandwiches, pot pies, and lots of beer. One that I often went to was the Pig and Whistle. For a fancy NY cocktail experience find a rooftop hotel bar. Although you will be here in March, they all have outdoor heaters. One of my favorites is the rooftop bar at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. For Italian food go downtown to Greenwich Village. Piccolo Angelo is my favorite Italian in the City. It is true home cooked Italian. It is a tiny restaurant where the entire owning family is present. The cook, waitress, the matre d’. all are family. Reservations are needed because it is small and it is a neighborhood favorite. Take a day or two to wander Greenwich Village, the West Village, or TriBeCa. It is much more interesting than midtown. I know you are far from there,but subways or Ubers are options. Might even want to try and find an off off Broadway play while down there! Finally, as mentioned above, walking tours are your friend. Try to get a food walking tour while there. You will learn history, architecture and true NY food tastes.

Try Carmel Car and Limo Service. Not sure if they have vans but I would think they do. We have used this service a lot and have been happy Daughter just used them to get from Newark airport to our home in Nassau County a few weeks ago and we all used the service last week to go to and from the cruise terminal in Manhattan. They were very reliable.

Just got back from a cruise on the Joy where I spent a lot of time in the Thermal Spa. While I would agree that the robes are a one size fits all, I strongly disagree that they are of low quality.

Oh, they are little! Not sure then if a beach would be the best idea either. Hopefully some others will have some good ideas for you! Whatever you do, enjoy your trip!

How old are the little ones? We are just now disembarking the Norwegian Joy after a week in Bermuda, which we have visited several times. I agree with the poster above who advises skipping St George if you are only there for one day. It is too far to do comfortably. But why would you want to take little ones into Hamilton? Its attraction is mostly shopping. With little ones, I would grab a shuttle off from the boat and visit one of the beautiful nearby beaches.

We will be renting a car and doing our own excursions everyday except for the last day. This is a shorter port day and we do not want to deal with having to return the car early. Not interested in candy stores either, but just thought that taking a tour on that last day might be the easiest thing to do.

We are on Norwegian Pride of America in early September. I called Robert’s to ask about the excursion. She said that there was availability, but to get the discount I had to book on their website. The website is Robert’s Hawaii Shore Excursions. That brings you to a drop down menu for whichever cruise line on which you are travelling. i haven’t done so yet as I am still looking around. Meanwhile does anyone have any thoughts or information on Smiths Garden Luau?

If you post this question on the West Coast departures board, you might get an answer. There are a few very knowledgeable port source posters on this board.

Last year we snagged our passes at a table set outside of the Teppanyaki restaurant on Deck 6.

I’m not understanding the vitriol over Ward Cove. Two years ago we were on RC ship that docked there. We got off the ship, immediately bordered a bus shuttle and went into Ketchikan. The driver gave us an overview of the land and the history of where we were as we were driving. After walking around the town, ( not much there but tourist shops), we bordered another shuttle that as soon as it was full, took us back to the ship. Easy Peasy. BTW Three cruises to Alaska, Take rain gear!

Yes, unless it has changed, all Lines did their excursions to Orient Beach. We also did this excursion many years ago on our first visit to St Martin. It is a long bus ride from the port (it is on Ste. Martin, the French part of the Island) and this end of the Island has strong waves. We did not feel that it was worth the price of the excursion since a lot of time is taken up in travel. In subsequent cruises to St Maarten, ( the Dutch side), we did our own thing and we took taxis to closer beaches. Maho Beach was fun because of watching the planes fly low overhead and it has a lively party scene. We also went to Dawn Beach which is close to the port and quiet with good snorkeling. At the time we were there, you could rent chairs and there was a small bar and bathroom facilities. All of these trips were taken before the Island was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017, so I really can’t say if everything is still as it was.

As stated above, the Dockyard is touristy and not my cup of tea either, but considering your ship is leaving at 6 pm, and the excursion returns at 1:30, I would stay at the Dockyard after the excursion. By the time you have lunch at the Frog and Onion, ( or grab a quick bite onboard the ship), that gives you an hour or two to walk around the shops which is definitely all of the time you would need to see them all. Not much to buy other than touristy knickknacks and clothes. Although the Bermuda Perfume company does have a shop there that we always make a stop at!

History lesson. The state of Florida did not convince Northern schools to change the date of Spring Break. The shift to giving a break in February instead of April was made during the oil crisis during the Presidency of Jimmy Carter. Schools closed during this cold winter week in Northern states in order to save on oil heating.

In February 2023 we were on the Joy on a cruise from LA to Mexico. The weather was horrible. Heavy rain and winds. The entertainment staff did alter their daily activities. No alternate Daily was given out, but announcements on the PA system were given to inform passengers of new activities being held around the ship. It wasn’t a perfect solution, since with every passenger now inside every venue was very crowded, but at least the staff was trying.