waterbabies7415

Totally agree with OP-we too were loyal to NCL for years. You can see in my signature how many cruises we’ve been on. Our fav area is the spa also. We love to relax and explore new places. I generally book excursions with local companies as I find they have the best tours and we have never come close to missing a ship’s departure.  However, NCL is so over priced right now that our last 3 cruises have been with MSC as is our upcoming March 2023 trip.  We have been lucky enough to sail in Yacht Club due to my husbands time at the gaming tables - nothing crazy- just a bit of fun!!  AND MSC had already given us more loyalty points (Diamond/Black) and rewards than NCL has ever given us.  I understand that NCL and a Royal are trying to payback their COVID loans now that they are due, but it’s ridiculous for them to think they can charge outrageous fees for their mismanagement of funds. MSC is a family owned Private company that did not take out loans during Covid-which is why their pricing has not become exorbitant.  I have my facts from employees who know about the loans and price increases.  I hope everyone makes the best choice for them and have fun sailing! But it’s ok to look at other lines too. 
Happy sailing everyone!! 
 

On 8/24/2021 at 6:42 PM, alyssamma said:

 

 

Sorry, should have clarified...I meant the Aug short cruises. For the Oct ones...I think there is a good chance you'll get it, but won't find out until late Sept at the earliest. Still plenty of time for others to pay full price for it.

 

Labor Day is a crap shoot...please post back and let us know if you got it...

We received the bid award over Labor Day, balcony fantastica to YC Deluxe. Just a bit over min bid 

So while I was on the phone with a rep for another matter, I asked about emailing the department for the status match and she told me that those working in other departments were pulled to help assist with calls regarding the cancellations for July sailings.  (I was one of those cancelled)  She said to give it 3-4 weeks before resending the email.  So, I'm still waiting.  Has anyone had any updates to their requests?  Patiently waiting..........(sort of) 

ps: Does anyone know how Marriott matches with MSC?  Ambassador to Black?  or Should I have used my status with another cruise line to match? Does it matter?

I submitted twice 3 1/2 weeks ago the first time. Waited 3 days like the rep said, then emailed them. It’s been 3 weeks and I still haven’t heard anything. Should I call or email them again or just be patient? Also, does anyone know if Marriott Ambassador matches with MSC Black?

thanks everyone… 

Just booked for July 3rd last weekend.  I spoke with 3 different customer reps and no one said anything about not sailing.  I was under the assumption (yes, I know the saying) that if a sailing was not available it would not be listed as such and therefore not be able to book - I looked online first.  For example, NCL, no cruises available in July, Aug or Sept from Miami.  So we had wanted to sail MSC for awhile now and saw there were cruises available for this time frame.  I called and booked and called twice more with questions and at no time did anyone even hint that this sailing would not happen.  

Guess I'll be calling again.......

Hi All,

I started a low carb eating lifestyle about 2 months ago. I’m down 20lbs but I’m having a hard time getting my carbs down to 20 grams/day. I’ve been averaging 35/day. I use the Lose It! App and track everything I put in my mouth. I don’t eat breakfast, around 11 I’ll have 2oz cheese with a celery stick, lunch is minimal too. Dinner is healthy protein & veggies. I’m losing consistently, but wonder if I could do more. I test and I’m not in Ketosis 🤨 although I do not eat anything with sugar! Did I mention that I read Every label. Oh, but I do love a 3/4 c of sugar free pudding made with 2cups heavy cream/1 cup water.....could this be the reason?

Any advise?

Kim

We saw it on Getaway and it was beautiful and very romantic.

Here it is February and for summer 2019 Europe cruises there are still only Med, Greek, and Baltic cruises available. I am beginning to wonder if NCL will be offering British Isles or Scotland/Iceland cruises next summer? The Spirit isn't listed yet so we know it would be on her, but this is taking so long for them to figure out. I have a backup Princess cruise but would really like to see what will be available on the Spirit. Do any NCL people (there are some here on CC) have any idea of when these itineraries will be released, or if they are going to send the Spirit somewhere else entirely?

I've been waiting and waiting and finally gave up and booked an 11 day Med! But what I really want is the British Isles/Ireland/Scotland -why so long?

Yes please, if you remember the name of the restaurant that would be great. We sail in just 17 days and have a trip planned to visit Sorrento. Knowing a great place to stop for lunch would be helpful if you remember it.

Name of the restaurant is Fattoria La Tagliata and it is fabulous! Please check out their website....they grow their own vegetables and the food is presented beautifully. With lunch was also red and white wine, of course. We still talk about our experience there 3 years ago and look forward to going back.

I agree. Rome in Limo will accommodate you as needed. They are wonderful.

First thank you for starting this thread - I will be following any advice given.

 

We will be starting our cruise from Rome. We have nearly two years to research and plan and I am always searching for ideas.

 

We plan on going to Ostia post cruise and also spending the night at a hotel airport before our early morning flight home.

 

My DH is the one that wants to stop at any and all churches. Me, I love the history. We cruised Italy in 2015 and I have been wanting to go back since then.

 

You mentioned Pompeii - I really enjoyed my time there, the others thought it was ok but that was their thoughts on the Forum in Rome also. I am wired differently then they are because I could envision the whole whole thing. A lot of that is because I love the history but I read Rick Steves and he brings it to life if that makes sense.

 

Anyway I will definitely be following this thread.

I totally agree with you. I love the History. Loved Pompeii in 2015 while others in our group thought it was just ok-they must have known the people in your group!! LOL We used RIL for our tour of Rome back then and it was amazing. I loved every minute of the history lessons and I could see clearly how it was back then. My DH thought he was back in school cramming for an exam and on brain overload, lol. I will be following this thread as well.

We are sailing Jade the week before you and I can't wait. I've always wanted to go to Greece and Italy is our happy place. We did an extensive land vacation and put over 500 miles on our convertible rental in Tuscany (2016) We love Italy. Now it's time to go back. Can't wait to see Sorrent/Positano again. We know a mountaintop restaurant that serves family style authentic mid day meals. Let me know if you would like the name. Totally getting off topic, sorry. Following.

Kim

I spent a lot of time looking at hotels in Civitavecchia pre cruise. After a long overnight flight I didn't think we'd have a lot of energy to explore Rome in an afternoon/evening and then get up and transfer to the ship the next day. I also considered the cost of a taxi to a hotel in Rome and the additional cost of the transfer to the ship. the transfer from FCO to Civitavecchia is 120 Euros- the hotels there are less expensive than Rome- some on the water, some out of town in the hills with great views. I finally decided on the Borgo Del Mare- a family owned small hotel. Great reviews- negatives are that the rooms are smallish (175 sq ft) with a double bed ( the lesser expensive rooms) Free wifi, offer airport pickup/dropoff and free wifi- restaurant on premises with free breakfast, free bicycles to use and free transfer to the ship ( not at the gate) I will report back after our stay

I would also love to hear your comments after your stay at Borgo Del Mare. I'm just starting the process of looking into hotels and the debate of Rome/Civitavecchia. This is not our first time in Rome, however, we only spent a day touring with RIL and it was a lot in a day to take in. My thinking is that we would extend our stay after the cruise and go directly to the port area after our long overnight flight. Thanks for your review in advance~Hope you are enjoying your vacation!

We also used Rome in Limo, shared with roll call members and was awesome! I can’t even imagine doing it without a guide. The information alone is worth it

We used "Rome in Limo" -Rome, Naples - they were excellent to work with.

On our roll call - Several of us got together & shared a tour

 

Much less expensive. Have fun planning

 

Ditto for Rome in Limo, wonderful company and definitely get a couple other couples to share small intimate tours with and share the cost. We were very happy with this company.

Yes you need to wait till they post and you need the full 40,000 as earned before you call.

 

 

There is no issue using points as long as you have them. They don't care, they just redeem them.

When you have the 40K, call world points to book and redeem in same call. World points is at NCL so they are sort of one and the same.

I have used double meta upgrades,kids sail free, birthday decorations, and OBC all in the same cruise.:D

 

Steve

Thanks Steve! that was exactly the answer I was looking for!

Happy Sailing, :D

Kim

Hello,

We are NCL cruisers who purchased the cc. As of today we have 39,930 points. Since I've paid the charges we've made this month they show as 'pending'. Am I to understand that I need to wait until they have posted before I contact World Points Reps?

Has anyone used points for their children to sail free? 40,000 pts. Is there anything I need to know before I call asking for kids to sail free? We want to book a balcony cabin but only if the kids are free. So, since July sailings are less than 90 days and we are in the final payment time frame I'm hesitant to book until after I speak with the World Points agent.

Any advice?

Thanks so much,

Kim

Hello BlueLadyBlue,

I've organized several slot pulls and they have all turned out really well. I usually speak with the casino manager once we are at sea and the casino opens. I don't like going there during peak times so you will have to judge how busy they are. I have always set up the slot pull for the 2nd sea day. Not after a M&G because there have been cabin crawls planned for that time. I've found the casino managers very nice. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Good Luck and Have a Great cruise!!

Kim

Hi Waterbabies

 

I know this is an old post but hoping you will see it.

 

Thanks for the info on the slot pull. I told our roll call that I would look into setting up a slot pull for immediately following our meet & greet.

 

Question - did you do anything/contact anyone before boarding the ship or just speak to the casino manager once on board?

 

Our M&G is the morning of second day. Is that enough time for the casino to do whatever they do? I can't see that they would actually have to do much of anything but i'm a newbie to this. :confused:

 

Thanks for any help/guidance.

 

BLB

We were on the same sailing and had a totally different experience-Loved Teppanaki as well as O'Sheehans, Cagneys, La Cuccina....thought the buffet was vast with choices and loved how multiple drink stations were positioned so it didn't interfere with lines! Isn't it amazing how perspectives can be so different? We never went hungry! LOL, now back to reality!!

Spice H2O is were we chose to hang out-pool area felt claustrophobic to me with so many bodies Everywhere....lined up like sardines! Santhoas (pronounced Santos) was the best bartender on the ship too!

Maximizing dance time Escape Manhattan Dining Room

 

To wife and I, dancing is what cruising is all about. On the Epic TA a few years ago, the dancers would grab a few tables on the dance floor at about 5 pm, and other dancers would come and go to the stables to about 9 PM.

 

What is the best way to have the best table near the dance floor and maximize dance time in Manhattan dining room?

We just got off Escape this morning-here's what we did....ask the hostess for table 100 or close to it. We ate there twice and had a blast each time! Have fun!!

My itinerary says the Escape gets back to the port of Miami to disembark at 8AM. For those who have been on her has this been the case? Before or after 8? What time have most people been off the ship? Thanks!

Hello :)

I see we are on the same sailing. Have you signed in to our roll call? We have a few activities you might be interested in.... Meet & Greet, Slot Pull...Just thought I'd invite you if you didn't know about it.

We booked our 2nd Epic vacation and we can't wait to sail her again! We really loved Epic, last time was our first Aft Balcony, this time we are booked in a Haven Spa Suite!!

Hope you have a great sailing!!

Does anyone know how I would go about doing this? We are traveling with 20 adults and I thought it could be a fun activity while at sea one day when the kids are at the club. Thanks!

here's a copy of the rules I use when planning slot pulls....I'm planning the 3rd one right now - your welcome to use them-have fun!!!

SLOT PULL INSTRUCTIONS.docx

Your photo of the Left Hand Milk Stout Looks De-Lish! Just added it to my list-we are counting down for our turn. Have Fun!

Like I said in my original post....this was just something the NCL rep told me and she was surprised because she hadn't heard the formal announcement yet....time will tell...

Hello,

I just got off the phone with NCL and the new supper club show is Cabaret. Rep was surprised bc she hadn't heard the announcement yet but it was posted as the new option for my sailing.... She said to expect the announcement and details soon.

Thought I'd share...