EvilBanker

There was nothing going on when I sailed 9/26-10/4. At least nothing we could see....

Just got off the Gem yesterday; nothing visible underway.

I'm new to this whole thing, and I'm sure there are nuances I don't "get," so please forgive my confusion.

I can absolutely understand being miffed about not getting points you deserve, but - if the last time you sailed with NCL was 11 years ago, doesn't that toss the whole purpose of a loyalty program out the window (or porthole, as the case may be)?

If they can book Maya Angelou, no wonder they're charging a hefty premium!

My favorite cabin on the Star!

 

 

 

Enjoy! :D

DSO and I had that very same suite on the Star for our first cruise. Loved it!

I wonder how well cuffs would work on her? She only has one hand apparantly.

Well, I'm stumped. :eek:

... All posts and morality lessons aside, let me say that we did not purchase the UBP and neither did my boys (18 & 21). The boys however, met a tons of guys who did and they bought drinks alllllll the time for them on the Breakaway. My boys hardly ever bought any drinks.

It sounds like they were (literally) the toast of the Friends of Dorothy gatherings. :eek:

That was a great review. Thank you for taking the time to make it both informative AND entertaining!

Now even more excited to be going on the Gem in two months!

Ironically, for my past and upcoming cruise - I purchased insurance from one of the sponsors of Elliott's website, from a link on his site. :cool:

100 days to go. I'm beginning to think Dorothy might need to recruit some more friends! :rolleyes:

Hi Everyone,

We are going on the Equinox Med cruise leaving June 1 and was wondering if anyone know if there will be any issues using our debit cards at the European ATMs? Some people were saying we may have an issue because our US issued cards do not have the chip that the European car holders have. We did not have an issue previously but it was 5 years ago...a lifetime in technology. TIA

Kathy

Check with your bank to see if they have any global "ATM alliance" partners in the countries you'll be visiting. Mine does; although I still pay the modest currency conversion fee, using a "partner" ATM saves me the foreign ATM usage fee, which would otherwise be extra. :D

The line to get Colosseum tickets can be horrendously long (when DSO and I went during a land vacation, the people who were at the back of the queue still hadn't reached the front when we left two hours later). If you can't use the web to arrange tix ahead of time, buy your tickets at either the Palatine or Forum entrances - the same ticket covers all three, and both of those have MUCH shorter waits (like, 15 minutes at the Palatine and usually nothing at the Forum). Then just breeze right past the queue at the Colosseum. :D

I would sell one of my parents to take that 24-day itinerary - but I believe I've read that cruises departing Barcelona are subject to Spain's 18% VAT rate. Not sure if that would apply to the whole cruise or just the EU portions, but it might be a consideration.

Thanks, Everyone! You've clarified a lot for me!

You may also want to check with your bank to see if they have "ATM alliance" partners in the countries you'll be visiting. If I use a partner bank's ATM whilst traveling abroad, I don't get hit with a foreign ATM fee (although I would still pay the percentage for currency conversion).

Meanwhile, the whole cleaning-her-hairbrush-thing really bothers me. I mean, even if it DIDN'T land on your balcony, did the woman really need to be tossed into the ocean?

The entirety of her landing on the balcony would have been even more distressing (LOL). :eek:

129 days down, 200 to go!

Not being an experienced cruiser (my SO and I have only been on one cruise, with another booked for next year), I sat on my hands for several days debating whether I had enough "cred" to post a reply ... but a quick scan of most of the forums shows boatloads of people who seem to never let that stop them, so here I go! At least you didn't ask about hairdryers. :eek:

With the "inexperience" caveat in place, I can't say that RCCL is better than NCL or vice-versa, but I can relate our experience with NCL. We opted for them as our first cruise experience for some of the same reasons you and others have written about: proximity to the port (I'm from NYC, now living in the Poconos), a good reputation as being gay-friendly, and it being a "regular" (i.e, not all gay), cruise - an entire ship of men named "Mary" would have gotten stale by the middle of the second day. We picked the Bermuda sailing for the Goldilocks factor: it wasn't too long if we decided we loathed it, it wasn't too short for us to be able to decide if we enjoyed cruising, and the three days in a single port seemed just right for learning "how ports work."

NCL met (and in most cases, exceeded), our expectations. The crew was without exception professional and cordial, even in scenarios that might have invited an ugly phobia to rear its head (aboard ship, it'd be a stretch to imagine two men sharing a bottle of wine over dinner at the upcharge French restaurant are having a business meeting (LOL)). There was a nightly GLBTQ "Friends of Dorothy" hour in one of the bars which often coincided with the happy hour / drink specials. The FOD mix mirrored that of the ship in general, being somewhat weighted towards the 50+/couples demographic, but with every other age range and togetherness status well represented. The ship on which we sailed didn't have the studio cabins, but there were nevertheless many other singles, the vast majority of which were sailing with their families. The cruise overall was more fun and exciting than we had imagined, and we ended up enjoying the overall experience so much that before it ended, we purchased a future cruise certificate which we redeemed for another next year.

Since my CC screen name sort of gives away the industry in which I work, I wanted to add a paragraph on the credit card issue. Affinity cards (those issued in conjunction with a specific team, charity or cruise line), are a great feel-good way to show loyalty to a specific logo, but you would be better off with a general-purpose rewards card that lets you redeem for cash - you wouldn't "earn" any less, but you'd have much more flexibility in your redemptions. I'm not going to tout any specific one, but my current favorite offers 1.5% back on all spending and incurs no foreign transaction fees when used abroad. To really make it pay off for you, use it for everyday spending and pay it in full at the end of each month - every cent in interest you pay on a carried balance effectively dilutes any reward you might earning.

Hope you find this helpful, and happy sailing!

Athens. You port at Piraeus, about 8 miles from central Athens.

Cheapest way to get to Athens is by metro, but its a 20 min walk to metro station. Just a few euros each.

Or by ho-ho. Two ho-ho operators, little difference between them, all-day is about €20 - that's cheaper than ship's transfer & more useful/flexible. They both operate two routes, one between port & city & one around the city.

Or by taxi. Agree a price before you get in, can be reasonable cost if you share a full taxi.

However you choose to get to Athens, go to the Acropolis first to avoid the crowds & the heat (yes, even in May).

JB :)

SO and I just returned from a land vacation to Athens, and wanted to add a little here to John Bull's spot-on information.

All the signage in the "tourist zone" in Athens is bilingual, including the metro (which we found fast, clean and comfortable). The people were at the least bilingual.

Were you to take the metro from Piraeus (current fare is, I believe, €1.20 each way), getting off at the Acropolis stop would put you right around the corner from the new Acropolis Museum (€5 entry). The entrance to the south slope of the Acropolis is directly across the "pedestrianized" street from that, where you can buy a ticket good for just about everything in Athens for €12. You do want to get there as early as possible to avoid the crowds - we had no problem with an 9 AM arrival, but when leaving around noon, the lines made us wonder if they were giving out something free and we'd missed it. :eek:

The street onto which the metro exits is chock-full of tourist spots (souvenir shops up the hill and cafes down), but if you go another block down and one over, there's a charming cafe/restaurant named Smile which offers really good value and free wi-fi that actually works. The owner's wife is originally from Chicago and it's family run (and the baklava is to die for).

Hi. Your photo is what most aft SFs look like EXCEPT the two that are considered handicap-accessible SF, which are 9670 and 9672. The photos the OP posted are one of those two cabins. There is no dining table in either of these two cabins.

 

Also, only 9670 and 9672 have the switch-operated balcony door opener (picture in OP photos) as well. Other SF don't have this.

May I beg for some clarification about 9670? The Gem deck plan on NCL.com doesn't show that SF as handicap-accessible, only the neighboring 9672 (and 9172, three cabins starboard).

SO and I have been following this review avidly as we're booked on the Gem next year, but we certainly don't want to take up a handicapped suite without need.

Could someone please give me the answer to the above question?

In the US, the term "hot pot" usually refers to a small carafe with a heating element and a modest (typically 1-2 cup) water capacity. They typically are used to heat water to a temperature suitable for instant coffee, tea, instant soup, ramen noodles, etc.

I'm not embarrassed by wearing it at all but will it cause a "problem?" You know how some American's are...

One third will be scandalized and clutching their pearls, another third will be wondering what they would look like in them, and the final third will be wondering what you look like out of them.

It pays to remember America was founded by people who left England because it wasn't uptight enough. :confused:

NCL is currently piloting all new main dining room menses. They will first be tested on the Breakaway. .

Eww! Who asked for *that* in the main dining room? :eek:

SO and I did our very first cruise last year, sailing NYC - Bermuda on the Star, and we splurged for the aft penthouse.

Best travel decision we ever made! :D

The cabin was generously proportioned and the views were spectacular whether at sea or docked in Bermuda. The extra perks (Triptolemus listed some of our favorites above), left us feeling more pampered than we had been probably since we were wearing them as infants.

We did not take advantage of having the butler unpack our luggage, but the possibility did spawn many hysterical conversations around unusual/bizarre items one could bring, just to see the reactions.

My other half and I just booked this one today. 329 days out and already looking forward to it!

I'm another vote for Why dine at Cagney's with children?

 

I love all the parents that come on here and say that there kids are the best, well behaved blah blah blah.

Out of all our cruises and can count on one finger the number of times I have gone to dinner and seen well behaved kids in the specialty restaurants, so I guess what parents are saying on here is that it's perfectly fine for their well behaved child to have a melt down. JMO

Children are always well-behaved in the first person (i.e., "my precious snowflake is an angel"). They only turn into satanic little monsters hell-bent on the ear-splitting destruction of everything decent and holy in the second person ("your caterwauling demonspawn"), or in the third person ("his/her/their food-flinging anklebiter").

If anyone is actually reading this (seriously, anyone but the two that have commented? lol) then be prepared for a ton of pictures. Santorini did not disappoint. In fact, in over 50+ ports that I have been to, this one shot to the very top for me.

Thank you so much for sharing your awesome photos and great commentary!