ldlewis45

Just now, troyphoto said:

Oh, don't worry. I've got a fever and blah head. I tried to ride it out without cold meds, but my fever is over 100f so time to control it.

I'll waste the test tomorrow, but it's pretty obvious. We're in hibernation mode for the next week.

Same here.  It got to the point today that I had to lay down twice while I was getting ready for work because my head was spinning.  My friend at work talked me into taking another test, and I'm glad he did because I was certain it was a sinus infection.  So I got to go home early and am now working from home for the next several days.

I did the White Pass Railway, Bennett Lake, and Yukon Territory one.  It's absolutely gorgeous.  But to be honest, if you're on a north or southbound cruise, the Alaska Railroad trip between Seward and Anchorage had better scenery, was cheaper, and if you get the Gold Class Service, includes more modern seating in a glass dome cab with better food (with menu choice!) and a couple of alcoholic drinks.  The White Pass train had a prepacked box lunch of an inedible (to me, as I have some aversions) turkey sandwich with a weird sauce, cookie, chips, a few grapes and cubes of cheese, and a bottle of water.  Apparently, they don't serve many vegetarians or vegans.  While the scenery was admittedly very beautiful and the lakes fantastic, it didn't compare to what we saw coming south from Anchorage.

3 hours ago, troyphoto said:

And another update before the recap. 

 

Monday, wife noticed a tickle in her throat, but chalked it up to being around all the diesel exhaust (the Anchorage city busses had a bit of exhaust make it inside each one). 

After the redeye flight home, I noticed a tickle in my throat. Hoped it was the lack of sleep on the flight. 

 

This morning still had a tickle, so I tested for Cov!d. Negative! Headed out for a more complete grocery run.

 

Came home, wife was still in bed. So I tossed a test kit in the bathroom for her.

 

An hour later, she's Positive! And not the type of Positive that resolves itself in 9 mos (we're just turned 60, that's not our job any longer).

And my symptoms started getting worse. Stuffy head. Slight headache. What the wife said had yesterday but chalked up to the flight. Today, she's the same. with a very mild fever. So it looks like I'm a day behind her on symptoms. We're vaccinated, and have had it before (this is my third time). 

 

So my final wrap up may wait a few days. 

 

Here's some more pics.

Me in my happy place on the Jewel class

 

an inside cabin on deck 9

 

I always forget we're platinum level and get strawberries. By the time I see them, I'm not hungry. Then we go to dinner, and I'm really not hungry when we come back.

 

The mouse-ship leaving Vancouver.

 

Who's favorite drink is this? For me it was OK, but I like whiskey cocktails better. Wife loved it and had a few more through the cruise.

 

A very foggy morning at sea.

 

A boring pic but an interesting story you might have heard before. Our travel buddies are Japanese-Americans (He's dual citizen, as his parents were Japanes-Americans, but he was born in Japan, and came to the US when he was 6). And he laughed every time we walked past this sign. Wife finally asked why. 

"Because that is Japanese slang for Naughty Bits"

I have no idea if that's correct, but that's what he remembers. Though his command of the language is mostly forgotten. His parents pushed him to learn English early on after immigrating when he was 6.

I'm sorry!  Like I said before, I was on the cruise immediately before it, and we definitely had a severe outbreak that NCL ignored until the last night.  I tested positive today, too, but started showing symptoms that I'd hoped were just allergies or a cold on Friday or Saturday.  I'd recommend testing again in another day or so (the test I took on Saturday was negative).

Hopefully you won't wind up with Covid after your cruise.  I was on the one that debarked on the 19th and we apparently had an outbreak on board.  One person removed in Juneau with covid and pneumonia (family was allowed to stay on the shop and continue their cruise), another died the last night (room roped off and personnel started misting everywhere).  At least 5 people in my group for the cruise on another platform have now tested positive.  

The amount of coughing that I heard during the debarkation process was wild.

2 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Understood, and I'm really sad to be reading about this first hand reporting from onboard.  I'm by no means defending NCL's throttling practice after rolling out Starlink, supposingly already fleet-wide (promised completion was / is 2024) as there was no question the bottleneck isn't with Starlink, rather NCL's I.T. people are restricting AND limiting the available shared bandwidth among all the users paying for its use onboard as passengers ... NOT ACCEPTABLE.  

 

Have you taken speedtest and/or other comparable results since you are on the basic unlimited WiFi plan, which is what we selectively upgrade and "pay" for onboard b/c I know, the streaming & higher costs option is a ripoff for sure.  Show that to the iCafe manager during his/her office hours onboard, ask for an explanation and request a refund - and, if you don't mind, upload the results and if that failed, post the numerical numbers.  

 

If refused or denied a refund, dispute the charges with your credit card issuer and document it.  

 

The $10 NCL Messaging function within the free NCL App is a different wild thing and it is a shame, for $10 per device to register & use for the duration of the cruise ... well, what more can I say.  We tried it once 2 years ago and for $20, not worth or wasting time to stand in a long time to demand a refund.  

 

Looking forward to see how Starlink works on our 2 upcoming cruises later this month and next month, neither being on NCL ... that speak for itself from this Latitudes Diamond member. 

I'm trying.  Right now, I can't even get into a speed test website.  I've been trying to load the site for 6+ minutes now.

58 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

FWIW, the upgrade to Starlink from EMC as NCL's satellite ISP provider does NOT make internet any faster pe se ... it's a complex configuration involving many elements and components.  The bottleneck can no longer be attributed upstream, as I've obtained relatively decent and usable WiFi speed on NCL ships without Starlink, whereas some of the NCL ships confirmed & verified with Starlink upgrade, actually were / are seeing slower speed - latency are down.  Prime reason - NCL's I.T. Dept throttled the speed and (dynamically) set the available bandwidth allocation to end users ... shared with ship safety, operations & business functions that require data access 24/7, i.e. POS billings and transactions on the move and on the go.  

 

For basic web access, browsing news & emails, and simple social media use ... WiFi speed on EMC and mostly, if not entirely 100% converted, with Starlink do work for the most part, subject to known interference, poor orbital coverage and other restrictions in open water while moving.  

 

There is a live trip report onboard the Jewel currently, photos were uploaded fine and unless I missed something, appeared to be working and operational - not necessary optimized but seemed adequate - alas, a matter of living up to one's expectations and demands vs. prices paid or its costs.  

I'm aboard the Jewel now.  It's definitely the worst internet I've ever experienced on a ship, including sailings 10+ years ago.  I'm not trying to stream or anything like that, just go on news sites and Facebook.  I paid to upgrade to unlimited wifi, which is kind of a joke, since I can't get a basic listing of Yahoo news stories to load right now.  And I've heard multiple people complaining that the messaging through the NCL app isn't working at all.

In today's age, this isn't anywhere close to adequate, let alone satisfactory.  

17 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

You need to realize that the Bliss eastbound TA in Jan 2025 is the pre-drydock (in Brest France) crossing. Eastbound means you have several 23 hour days. January = definitely NOT a warm weather crossing. They will start stripping parts of ships toward the end of cruise.

 

A month later, in Feb 2025 Bliss is on westbound post-drydock TA back to Miami with same ports of calls but with some 25 hour days. Still not a warm weather crossing either. They will be finishing the uncompleted jobs and making finishing touches during the voyage.

 

 

 

 

True, but I figure $1200 is pretty a pretty darn cheap way to get across the pond for a vacation.  That's basically the same price as a 1-way economy plane ticket.  I figure I'll do the cruise and then spend the next week being a tourist in London and Paris, then fly back from Paris.

19 minutes ago, Asawi said:

I don't think it's a mistake. I have had my eye on both Bliss TAs (east and west) for a while and they have really been that cheap for a solo traveller. The only reason I haven't booked is that I don't want to do the flight to/from Miami at that time.

They have had a bit of yoyo pricing though. Up/down/up/down...

That is insane that a balcony is that cheap.  It's literally cheaper to sail in a balcony than it is to sail in a studio cabin. 

The confirmation came through for the balcony, so I called and canceled the oceanview booking.  And, once my CruiseNext certificates get restored to my account from the other (far more expensive) cruise I canceled when I found this one, I'll be able to apply two to it, since it's more than 120 days prior to the cruise!  Even better deal!

So weird.  It wouldn't let me book the balcony with a certificate, but it went through when I paid the deposit with a credit card.  So now I'll just cancel the oceanview one if the balcony actually goes through and doesn't get canceled by NCL.

I'm guessing it's a mistake and they found it, because it wouldn't let me complete the booking when I went back into the held booking.  It was a transatlantic from Miami to London on the Bliss in January, and it was showing balconies for $1200 pp and not applying the usual single supplement to it.  I went ahead and booked the oceanview, but I wouldn't be surprised if they cancel it on me.

I usually buy a spa pass for my NCL cruises.  I usually buy in advance, but would it be better to purchase once I board?  I can't remember if they add perks or have special deals for purchasing it on-board.  I'll be sailing to Alaska from Seward to Vancouver on the Jewel in August.  This is my first smaller NCL ship cruise, since normally I've sailed on one of the big guys (Epic, Breakaway, Getaway).

9 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

Thank you!  I’ll have the premium package. I’ve heard prior that the Oosterdam internet was awful; so this report is very encouraging!

It has far improved since the last time I sailed on her.  In 2017 and 2019, I could rarely even pick up internet in the room.  I upgraded to the premium wifi on this cruise, and I've been able to stream without issues (granted, I haven't used Zoom, just streamed videos on FB and websites).

6 hours ago, erewhon said:

Thanks for your report. sorry about the water and the bed.

You mentioned some Elemis products no longer supplied in the Neptune Suite, what Elemis products are still provided?  

The regular shampoo, conditioner, and bodywash dispensers in the shower and bathtub, liquid hand soap and lotion dispensers at the sinks, mini bar of soap, and a shower cap.  

5 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Based on last year’s TA where internet was practically impossible on the transatlantic portion (don’t know why - it has been before) and that the OP is posting in the middle of the ocean, it certainly sounds like the Oosterdam may have it?  

For me, the internet has been fine.  I have heard several people complain about the internet, but I've never had an issue.  And I did on previous cruises, so it has definitely improved.

1 hour ago, Shalandara said:

Also on this cruise and I have had no issues with water temperature.  I’m sorry you are.

 

I am more than amused by the complaints on the Facebook pages … even more so by the complainers being contradicted by others on this cruise (sone even shutting off comments since they are not getting the reactions they want.)

I figure that every cruise can be a different experience for each cruiser, depending on their expectations, their stateroom location, stewards, etc.  I've had cruises that I thought were fantastic and I've later listened to people say it was the worst cruise they've been on.  I'm sure that other cruisers probably would have been screaming down the house at guest services with the water issues, but while it is frustrating to not  know from day to day whether I'll have sufficiently hot water, it isn't like screeching at the Neptune Suite concierge or guest services is likely going to change anything.  Bad pipes or water systems in that section of the ship isn't necessarily something they're going to make perfect without going into drydock.  What matters is that they have been responsive and have been trying to fix it, even going to the extent of shutting off the water entirely one morning nd basically destroying a hallway to try to get it fixed.

4 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Clipping toenails in the spa, that's awful:

Especially since she didn't even clean them up!  She couldn't have figured out in the changing room that she needed clipping and done it there?  

1 minute ago, FLCruiser97 said:

Nice balcony.

I'm sailing on Her in April Trans-Atlantic. Hopefully by then some of the cabin issues will be fixed.

It's weird, because it seems like water issues are a problem in multiple areas.  One of the people in my rollcall said that they've got the opposite problem, that their hot water can get so hot sporadically that it probably isn't safe.

1 minute ago, puppycanducruise said:

Thanks for sharing your comments.

Too bad about the tepid water and the rude person (I can't call her a lady) in the spa.

She literally just lifted her leg and let another one rip right before she sat up to clip her toenails.  Not even an, "Oh, excuse me," or anything.  I thought it was unintentional until then, then I realized that was definitely not the issue at hand.

So a bit of back-story first.  This is my 3rd HAL cruise, and coincidentally, also my third on thr Oosterdam and in Neptune Suite 5190.  My other cruises were 7-day round-trip Alaska cruises from Seattle, so this was my longest cruise on the ship.  To be honest, I was worrying that I would run out of things to do on a longer cruise, since the Oosterdam is not a massive ship. 

I was pleasantly surprised, although there were a few changes in the 4 years since I'd last boarded her that I wasn't thrilled with.  For one, I miss B.B. King's.  It was replaced with the Rolling Stone lounge earlier this year, and while I'll admit that the variation in musical styles is nice, the lounge isn't acoustically suited for rock music (the reverberation is a little too much sometimes), in my opinion.  Another change is that they aren't doing the Rudi's pop-up dinner in the Pinnacle Grill, and that was one of the dining highlights of the Alaska cruises I took on the Oosterdam.   HAL has apparently also cut out the additional Elemis toiletries in the suites now (used to have pillow spray, lip balm, eye gel, etc. provided at night). And apparently chocolates are no longer provided every night.  I was given a couple of pieces on the cruise so far, but not since the first week (and I think only on two occasions that week).  

My biggest complaint has been that I have been unable to get truly hot water in my suite at any point on this cruise.  To the point where there was literally only cold water on two mornings.  I've made a couple of complaints, but it's only been a temporary fix and still has never resulted in actually hot water.  I've kept the knob turned as hot as it'll go, and it's still usually a bit tepid at best.  To make the point, the mineral pool in the spa has always been hotter than the hottest water I've gotten in my suite.  I'm guessing the root cause is a lack of maintenance, as this was never an issue during my previous cruises in the same suite.  While she's still a nice ship, the Oosterdam is badly in need of updating in the staterooms. 

The view from 5190 and its balcony can't be beat (it's a massive, completely covered aft corner wrap balcony with a dining table, four dining chairs, 2 arm chairs, and 2 lounge chairs with a side table) but the room and especially the bathroom are in need of updates.  While admittedly subjective, the bed is probably the least comfortable bed I've had on a cruise, and that's counting the two previous Oosterdam cruises, where I was sleeping on the couch bed.  The two sides have definitely had uneven wear.  It's not a deal-breaker or the end of the world, but again shows a need for refurbishment.

In terms of food, service and quality has been decent to very good.  I've dined in the Pinnacle Grill twice and Canaletto once.  The Canaletto meal was okay, but the appetizers (burrata with tomatoes and some really tasty meatballs) were better than the ossobuco, which had decent flavor but seemed like it had been improperly pressure cooked (kind of tender, but somehow still dry).  The highlight of the premium meals was the chocolate souffle that I had both times I ate at the Pinnacle Grill.   It was perfectly cooked and just the right level of richness and sweetness.  Again, I miss the pop-up Rudi's, as they have replaced it with a seafood boil in the lido.  I'm not a fan, as I don't eat that much seafood and when I do, it's almost always going to be either fresh fish or king crab legs.  As usual, the lido has been surprisingly good, to the point that I have yet to go the dining room.  I'm still a big fan of the custom omelets and crepes.

We have today, tomorrow, and Tuesday remaining, and arrive in Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday.  This has been overall a good cruise, but I'll admit I am hoping I can actually get a truly hot shower in my stateroom before I get off the ship, especially with how much this vacation cost.

Although, I am finding today a bit questionable since I'm currently laying on a hot tile lounger in the spa listening to a lady casually pass gas multiple times on lounger two down from me and literally just started clipping her toenails.  😬😬😬

Yeah, JD is available on this one, too, but it's not to my taste.  Now, if they had Widow Jane or Russell's Reserve, I'd be all over it, even though I'd hate to see how much they'd charge!

16 minutes ago, Roz said:

Jim Beam, the preferred bourbon of UK frat boys. 😁

YES.  It's so gross.  I really wish that HAL would put a great bourbon/whisky bar on board, with really good bourbon that's harder to find.  I'd be willing to pay for really good quality stuff.  But I'm not paying almost $90 for a bottle of crummy Jim Beam and 3 cans of Coke, lol.

I'd love to get a decent bottle of bourbon to have in my stateroom for when I'm chilling on the balcony (it's an AMAZING balcony, lol).  Problem is, the only bourbon that they offer on the website to buy in advance is Jim Beam, which isn't gonna cut it, lol.  Can you purchase a full bottle at one of the bars and just keep it in your stateroom?  I really don't feel like having to run out to one of the bars when I'm enjoying the balcony.  I know they won't have my preferred brands on board (they're from small-batch distilleries), but I'd be satisfied with Maker's Mark or Woodford Reserve.

Well, part of it, anyway.  I turn 40 in 2023, so I booked the Oosterdam 14-day Spanish Farewell Transatlantic in Nov 2023 in an aft suite.  My current idea is to fly to Europe early and hopefully see Paris (mostly for the Louvre), Italy, and Spain.  It's a massive splurge for me, but I figure I'll only turn 40 once!

Good for Key West.  I'll admit, I never saw the point of spending over $1000 for a cruise that stops in Florida, of all places.  When I lived in Florida, I always told people, "I live in Florida, why in God's name would I spend money to take a cruise that stops here?  The whole point of taking a cruise is to get away!"  But, that's also why I've never taken a New England cruise or a California coast cruise.  I've never really seen the point, since I take cruises to visit locations to which I can't drive (Alaska, Europe, Caribbean, etc.). 

On 5/2/2019 at 4:47 PM, Crew News said:

I would not trade my Deck 5 aft balconies in Alaska for even a Neptune Suite.  The 12-foot deep balcony is great for entertaining friends and the full overhead coverage allows me to stand on the balcony in a driving rain in Glacier Bay and take photos/videos in a dry environment.  With no wind while the ship is moving, I can eat dinner and enjoy the scenery while most passengers cannot.  I can stay on my aft balcony and see both sides of the ship and not have to compete for space at the railings.

 

Others who are not photographers may prefer a bigger stateroom, and not being able to use their balconies in the rain, over the photo and scenery-watching opportunities available on a Deck 5 aft stateroom on Vista-class ship (except Noordam).

I agree!  I've sailed in the same deck 5 corner aft Neptune Suite (5190) twice to Alaska on the Oosterdam.  The deep, covered balcony is fantastic!  I just booked a transatlantic from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale for next year in a deck 5 aft balcony (5189) on the Westerdam.  I had been waivering on booking the cruise, but when I saw that one of the deck 5 aft balcony staterooms was available, I had to jump on it.  It's perfect for cold or potentially cool weather.