Scurrent

On our recent cruise on the Jewel out of Bali, the ship had an area by the casino where passengers could store their luggage until cabins were ready on departure day.  We are on the Star out of Southampton on May 18 and would prefer to carry our luggage on and leave it until the room is ready as opposed to having it delivered in the evening.  Is this luggage drop process also available on the Star as we saw on the Jewel?  Thank you - Steve

We are on the NCL Star as well, departing from Reykjavik May 30, 2024.  We too were questioning what to do in the hours before we board.  We decided to book the Reykjavik Hop on Hop off Bus for the day.  $35.00 per person, it has a stop right in the cruise port and hits all the major sites.  It starts at 9:30 in the morning, and the loop takes about 90 minutes.  More than enough time to see the main city sites, and be back on the board in time for the 2:00 All Aboard.  -  Steve

On our recent trip on the Jewel out of Bali, we saw travelers getting on the boat on embarcation day and dropping all of their luggage in the casino.  There was a special area called "BAG DROP".  People then picked up their bags and took them to their room when the rooms were prepared.  Is this a new NCL process we can use?  Is this available on every ship?  I would love to bring my bag on board and not risk having it misplaced.  Thank you.  

I was at Magens Bay last week. Chairs and umbrellas for rent but no floats for rent. Be forewarned, two chairs and “shade” for $40.00. They only provide an umbrella if they have one available. If not they stick you under a palm tree. 

We just got off the NCL Breakaway with a stop at St. Martin. We booked a day at Big Bastards Beach Bar and can’t speak highly enough of the experience. It is on Great Bay, a 5 minute $6.00 taxi ride from the ship. For $30.00 we got two comfortable lounge chairs ocean front, umbrella and 5 beers included. Value was excellent and the facilities well appointed. The beach is beautiful and we were attended to by owner Steve who couldn’t do enough. I highly recommend the experience. We booked online in advance and was set up on the beach minutes after arrival. Blazing fast WiFi included on the beach was a bonus.   We will repeat on our next cruise. 

I am traveling on the NCL Getaway this Sunday. As a Platinum member how do I schedule my Behind the Scenes tour and the Wine Tasting?  There is nothing online to schedule. Much thanx. Steve

We will be on the NCL Getaway, visiting Bermuda on November 28. I have read that there is a paid ferry from the Naval Dockyard to Hamilton daily, along with a supposedly free ferry sponsored by NCL from the Dockyard to St. George.  Can anyone confirm whether both are still operating in November?  I did find the website for the Dockyard/Hamilton ferry, but nothing about the NCL Ferry to St. George, which we would like to visit.  Any assistance is appreciated.

We are scheduled to depart on the NCL Jewel out of Bali, Indonesia to Thailand in February of 2023.  There are very few shore excursions offered by NCL in any of the ports. In fact two of the ports have no shore excursions at all offered through NCL.  The ports with no excursions offered are major ports in Indonesia, Surabaya and Semarang, but NCL offers nothing.  Outside vendors do have multiple tours in these ports though.  We were hoping to use our onboard credit for all of the ports.  My question is will NCL at some point in the next four months open up excursions for the two ports, or increase the number of excursions in the other ports? Should we just book with an outside vendor now?  Much thanx  -  Steve

We will be coming to St. Maarten on an NCL cruise on November 30th.  We are looking for a beach not too distant from the cruise port that also has amenities available, such as food and beach chairs.  Great Bay Beach appears close on the map, but I am uncertain how busy it is.  We would like something on the quiet side, but with food and other amenities.  Any recommendations?  Much thanx.  

We will be in Bermuda on the NCL Getaway in late November 2023.  We arrive at 9:00 and depart at 3:45, a very short time.  Any suggestions on what we should do for a first visit to Bermuda in the winter?  Any suggestions are appreciated.  -  Steve

We just got off the Spirit in Seward last Wednesday. Those who were taking the NCL bus to the Anchorage airport departed the ship very early. When we went to the buffet at 7:00, those transfers had already left the ship. The train for Anchorage leaves much later. 

I was on the Gem in February of 2023 and made my specialty dining reservations prior to leaving with no problem. However, when I tried to book dining reservations in the Main Dining room beforehand, I could not.  When we got on the boat, people had dining reservations set up in the Main Dining room.  I called NCL and was advised that there are no reservations for the main dining room.  I am now unsure who to believe.

How did these people get reservations for the main dining room, and how do I do so for our upcoming cruise on the NCL Spirit?

Much thanx - Steve

We are arriving in Valdez, Alaska on the NCL Spirit on August 22, 2023.  I understand that the dock where the ship rests is some distance from downtown.  Does the cruise line normally provide transport to downtown, or is there another easy way to get downtown?  Additionally, we are considering renting electric bikes for the day.  Based on the size of Valdez, is this recommended?  Any assistance is appreciated

We  are sailing on the NCL Epic out of Puerto Rico on January 22, 2023.  We made our two free dining reservations which were afforded to us when we booked at Cagney's and Teppanyaki.  I also know that we get two free meals for being Sapphire members.  When I tried to book the two other meals, the website demands payment. I called NCL to no avail.  I am being told that I need to wait until I get on the boat before I can make those two free Sapphire reservations. Is the information I am being provided correct?  Any assistance is appreciated.  -  Steve

Our family of six will be on the NCL Escape leaving January 4, 2020. We booked this cruise only a few weeks ago and as you can imagine, there are very few dining reservations to be had. We are Platinum Plus members and are trying to determine the most expeditious way to book dining reservations the we get on the ship. Should we go directly to the dining reservations desk or is there some type of concierge on the boat who could better assist platinum/Platinum Plus members? We do have a land-based concierge who said reservations must be made on the boat. Any assistance would be appreciated. Steve

We will be on the NCL Escape on January 4, 2020.  Are there assigned "dress up" nights where you can wear formal attire?  I am trying to plan around specialty dinners.  Thank you  -  Steve

Can anyone advise if Mr. Sancho's still has the Pay as You Go program?  On their website, the only offering is the all inclusive.  We will be there in January, 2020.  Much thanks  -  Steve

I will be on the NCL Spirit out of Stockholm this weekend. Does anyone know if the IPhone internal communicator is available on this ship? It was available on most others, costs about $10.00 for the trip.   Much thanks  -  Steve

I am traveling on the NCL Spirit leaving Stockholm on 8/17/2019. Our favorite restaurant, Teppanyaki, isn’t available to book on line. The NCL website says no reservations available. I called NCL and they say I can book on the boat. Can anyone provide clarification?  Thanks. We don’t want to be caught out. Steve

My wife and I will be berthing in Imjuiden this August and wish to tour Amsterdam.  Is Uber a viable option to get from the port to downtown Amsterdam for a private tour?  I couldn't find any reasonable independent tour companies that provide an Amsterdam tour from Imjuiden to Amsterdam and back.  Any help is appreciated.

Steve

Can anyone recommend a quiet, non-windy place to sit on deck and get some sun on the Getaway?  We are traveling out of Miami on 1/6/19.  Not interested in the Vibe, as we only have two sea days.  Any inside tips as to where to sit and get some sun away from the craziness of the main pool is appreciated  - Steve

I know as a Platinum member I get two free meals from a choice of four restaurants.  When I sailed out of Barcelona last June, I sailed with my wife, both of us Platinum members, and my two daughters, who aren't.  I was told that we were only entitled to one coupon, not two, despite the fact we are both Platinum members.  This is a huge difference, as we needed to buy four additional meals.  Any clarification I can point to before our upcoming cruise? - Much thanks  -  Steve

About two years back, we took a taxi to West Bay Beach in Roatan at the suggestion of the driver.  He took us to the Paradise Beach Hotel, and purchased a day pass for $15.00 per person for use of the facility.  Does this hotel still provide day passes at the door?  I do see them available on line, but they are substantially more expensive.  Are they still available for purchase at the door, and is there still a large price differential?  I am looking for a place that has a beach, chairs and pool, but if I can purchase them at the door at a discount, it is preferable.  -  Steve

I was on the Star last week. We were let off the boat precisely at the stated time. No issues, but not much earlier.

I have been taking my Yaesu VX-7 handhelds for years on my NCL cruises with no problems. The crew can't tell the difference between HF and the Walmart walkie talkies, which were prevalent years back. I used 2 meter simplex on land, and found that 440 worked great in getting through the metal bulkheads. 5 watts was more than sufficient.