*LIVE* NCL Joy Bermuda 7-nite sailing from NYC in HAVEN-06/16/2024-w/pics

[graphicguy]

5 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Did I mention this earlier?

 

iMessage between iPhones no longer works on the Joy unless you are using the FAS free internet minutes or paid internet. This is true for me and has also been reported by others on that other site. Loophole has been closed. 
 

Well…Hell!

[graphicguy]

12 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

WOW!!!  Another very stupid person!!

Question for you:  Can you ask someone what positions qualify as an "Officer"??  I have a couple of friends on NCL ships who are "Head Mixologists (Head Bartenders" and they are considered "Officers".  Blew my mind at that-  but good for them-- better pay (benefits, I hope) and schedule rotation (six months on two off rather than eight and two).

 

Yeah…I’m not really sure how the ranks work on a ship.  I’m an old Army man, but cruise ship ranks don’t seem to follow any system I’ve ever known.

 

The Cruise Next lady helping on the tour this a.m. graduated from Penn State with a dual degree in marketing and international business.  Impressive!  She had to take some maritime courses (assuming non-degree related).  Don’t know how that is parlayed into an Officer’s Position. 

 

Maybe the same as becoming a 2nd Lieutenant with a degree.  Still don’t know how it works on a private tourist vessel, though!

 

Part of it looks like a military operation the way they run the ships.  Then, you have the sales/marketing aspect.  Wouldn’t seem like a sales person or a bartender would be an officer!  Then again, I’m not the sharpest crayon in the Crayola box, either!

[mking8288]

11 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

iMessage between iPhones no longer works on the Joy unless you are using the FAS free internet minutes or paid internet. This is true for me and has also been reported by others on that other site. Loophole has been closed. 

4 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Well…Hell!

Boo'ooo but not surprised at all, just a matter of time of having competent IT reprogrammed the http ports (tcp/udp) used by NCL handy & handheld devices to function correctly without the default ports open, now that others are widely deploying RFID and NFC onboard (Royal & Princess' Medallion, and wristband, etc.)  

 

The other option - aside from using free VoiceMail between staterooms - is to pay $10 per device (good for duration of a given cruise) to use the Message & onboard only voice calling app built into the Cruise Norwegian App ... which we tried once but was subpar and poor.  

 

Crew members among users of this (formerly) undocumented feature loophole easily stay in touch with loved ones & families back home while at sea ... now, I imagine some of them will have to come up with a different scheme to be "reachable", as they too, have to pay for "discounted" WiFi at crew member rates.   Ever wonder why iPhones were/are the dominant mobile device of choice among them ... 

 

Now, standby for the uproar on the NCL board/forum about this "blockage" 

[graphicguy]

Think I’ll forego pool time today and hang out here this afternoon for a while….

[debenson0723]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

File this under…”do you act like this at home”?

 

An….ummmmm….”ample” person thought it would be a good idea to sit on the railing in the elevator.

 

I mean….REALLY?

 

Her butt, fortunately, padded her against injury.  Good thing I was the only person who saw this, as someone would have already posted the scene on TikToc!

She knew you were the Fall Guy and was trying to one up you!

[Sugar Magnolia]

23 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Then again, I’m not the sharpest crayon in the Crayola box, either!

But if you were a Crayola crayon what color would you be? I’m thinking Periwinkle for you. 
 

[graphicguy]

12 minutes ago, debenson0723 said:

She knew you were the Fall Guy and was trying to one up you!

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

21 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Think I’ll forego pool time today and hang out here this afternoon for a while….

Smart man…he learns 

 

[graphicguy]

1 minute ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

But if you were a Crayola crayon what color would you be? I’m thinking Periwinkle for you. 
 

I can live with that!  Or, maybe….

 

https://www.crayola.com/explore-colors/periwinkle.aspx#:~:text=periwinkle | crayola.com

[Sugar Magnolia]

24 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

The other option - aside from using free VoiceMail between staterooms - is to pay $10 per device (good for duration of a given cruise) to use the Message & onboard only voice calling app built into the Cruise Norwegian App ... which we tried once but was subpar and poor.  

My posse and I used the NCL $10 option and it worked well for us on the Prima TA. It was the only way to coordinate meals, shows, pickleball tournaments and Monopoly showdowns. 
 

[debenson0723]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

 

There are some colorful guests on this sailing!  🙃

Boy, is that an understatement!

[KKB]

@graphicguy Just caught up...enjoying living vicarously thru u!

Had to miss a trip last week due to potential jury duty (THAT NEVER HAPPENED)...ALMOST booked Breakaway for this Sunday to make myself feel better...

We have a cruise/month booked Dec-Mar (including Prima in Feb) so decided I'd wait...

ENJOY!!!

[Captain-John]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Didn’t know this, but Cruise Next employees are college grads and are actually Officers on the ship!

 

They have 4 months on and two months off the ship!

 

The Chef de Cuisine works 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, 4 months on, 2 off!

 

 

1 hour ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Yes, I found out when I attended a dinner with officers and one officer was the CruiseNext manager. He asked me if there were any questions or concerns he could take back to the ship’s group of officers. My only complaint on that cruise was that the lava cake had no lava. So he promised to make sure that the lava cake was more lava-ey. 
 

 

News to me... one of the roles that impact me the least whilst onboard, apart from when I want to buy CN certificates. Didn't think you had to be a marketing genius to push a pre-recorded call to a stateroom voicemail, and in my experience they seem very limited in what they can do, and interested in very little other than selling certificates or booking future cruises. Surprised this warrants officer status. Am I missing the full scope of their role?

[debenson0723]

19 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

My posse and I used the NCL $10 option and it worked well for us on the Prima TA. It was the only way to coordinate meals, shows, pickleball tournaments and Monopoly showdowns. 
 

My travel companion is iPhone and I am android. We both have unlimited internet and use FB messenger to communicate. He has also been working for a few hours every morning and says this is the fastest internet he has had on any ship/line. No lagging or buffering. YMMV

[Sugar Magnolia]

3 minutes ago, debenson0723 said:

My travel companion is iPhone and I am android. We both have unlimited internet and use FB messenger to communicate. He has also been working for a few hours every morning and says this is the fastest internet he has had on any ship/line. No lagging or buffering. YMMV

I usually use WhatsApp with unlimited wifi. But with a large group, some might not have a FB account, some don’t want to download WhatsApp, and some don’t have unlimited wifi. The NCL $10 option was the compromise and I offered to pay the $10 for anyone who balked at the expense. No one dared. 
 

[graphicguy]

I think Cruise Next personnel duties are more than selling CN certs.  I know they do the tours, book new cruises, do the future ship presos, port background presos, probably other behind the scenes stuff.

 

But, does it take a degree for any of that?  Ummmm…dunno?  Only NCL can answer that.

 

It’s not like the cruise industry is at the top

of the pay heap.  It’s not like the work hours per day is an easy gig.  Once a contract is complete, they do get extended time off.  Just like the army, it seems a degree puts them further up the ladder immediately.

 

I used to think it’s a great career for a young single person.  But every cruise ai talk to more and more crew who are married and both spouses are working in the industry but on different ships.  So, not sure that’s a valid assumption either!

 

It does seem like it’s a lifestyle career.  Most of the crew I talk to have quite a bit of tenure and none of them talk as if they have a back up career in mind.

 

Maybe ascension through the ranks is the thing that keeps them motivated.

Edited June 18 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

17 minutes ago, debenson0723 said:

My travel companion is iPhone and I am android. We both have unlimited internet and use FB messenger to communicate. He has also been working for a few hours every morning and says this is the fastest internet he has had on any ship/line. No lagging or buffering. YMMV

WiFi has been good the last few cruises I’ve taken…Epic, Prima and now Joy.  All have had Starlink, though!

 

The bar was pretty low compared to what we used to cruise with though!

[graphicguy]

@mking8288…Henry, not nearly as impressive as your command central, but this is what I’m working with!

[Roscoe13]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I saw her get on, press her button, and immediately try to “climb on” the railing before the elevator doors even closed.  

 

Before I could get the words “that’s probably not a good idea”, I heard the poor railing give a “oh no” sound and then crash under her ummmm…posterior!  An embarrassing demise,  to be certain!

 

I tried to help her up.  She swatted me away and got, ran out (OK, waddled out) when the elevator doors opened again!  

 

I went to Customer Service to tell them what happened!  The Service person made me repeat myself.  Not sure if they didn’t believe me or misunderstood.  

 

I showed them the picture.  Pointed to the elevator bank and felt I did my civic duty.

 

Will have to check on it later!

 

There are some colorful guests on this sailing!  🙃

Wait, is this gal that was hitting on you at the bar?

[graphicguy]

6 minutes ago, Roscoe13 said:

Wait, is this gal that was hitting on you at the bar?

Shhhhhh!  She needed some lovin’!

[Sugar Magnolia]

Daily cookies at the Observation Lounge

 

 

I don’t think anyone read this…

 

 

 

 

[debenson0723]

13 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Daily cookies at the Observation Lounge

 

 

I don’t think anyone read this…

 

 

 

 

This seems to be the loudest cruise I have been on. Even last night at Cagneys I commented on how loud it was. No one seems to use their inside voice anymore. 

And now I am going to have to trek all the way up to the Observation Lounge for cookies.

[Sugar Magnolia]

5 minutes ago, debenson0723 said:

This seems to be the loudest cruise I have been on. Even last night at Cagneys I commented on how loud it was. No one seems to use their inside voice anymore. 

And now I am going to have to trek all the way up to the Observation Lounge for cookies.

Bring earplugs

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

I would do this except I am concerned that my phone won’t recognize my new youthful face and shut me out. Or worse, the TSA face scanners won’t work and I am led to a private room to be interrogated why my face looks decades younger than my passport photo. 
 

 

[debenson0723]

10 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Bring earplugs

 

It was a commando mission. Walk in, grab a plate, get 2 cookies and back to my cabin with my bounty. I have 5:15 dinner in Ocean Blue so will save these for a bedtime snack.