schmoopie17

I wish. Maybe in the UK. Try getting away with under $1,000 in the US. We just booked the Escape for September and even with my Veteran's discount of 10%, we're looking at over $5,000...plus flights and gratuities.

I'm wondering what the "F" stands for in FCC...given the fact that in order to get the credit, you shell out thousands more.

That's exactly why they issue FCC...to suck you in for a few thousand more dollars to collect your $100. It's a win for them every time. If you don't book another cruise they keep their $100. If you do book another cruise, well, you know the rest...

Luckily they have the chocolate croissants on all ships. Not being a big breakfast eater, they are my go-to...

Wine & Champagne Policy Guests may bring bottles of wine and champagne on board. When bottles are brought on board and served or consumed in any restaurant, public room area or in their stateroom, a corkage fee will be charged according to bottle sizes noted below. 750 ml Bottle: $15.00 USD 1,500 ml Magnum: $30.00 USD Wine or champagne sent directly to the ship by travel agents, friends, family, etc. or from another retail source, are subject to the same fees. Box wines are not allowed on board. Corkage Fee is not applicable to guest with beverage package.

We recently canceled an Epic cruise and substituted the Escape. This will be our second time on the Escape. I guess you could say we like it.

People say NCL secretly peruses the CC board. I highly doubt it. If they did, they would do something about those soggy chicken wings. 🤮

If you're staying in cabin 10858, try not to make a mess. We hate cleaning up after people we don't know.

That's exactly how I refer to them. I have yet to receive any satisfactory service at the onboard service desk, especially after waiting in line for 25 minutes. I actually prefer to put "service" in quotes...and the phone/chat "service is usually no better. Fortunately, we have a great PCC who is able to untangle most messes if they occur before boarding.

I'm with you on the Haven issue. Give me a balcony and a drink (actually, several) and I'm a happy camper...er, cruiser. Although, it would be nice to have the Haven experience just once, so if something bad happens in the cabin while we're out, I'll be able to say, "The butler did it".

Just made a reservation for September, 2024. Transfer cost from Civatavecchia to FCO is $150 ($75 per person). We'll probably end up canceling the transfer and taking Rome Cabs (great company...used them before) for 160 euro (80 per person). There are a couple of other less expensive options, as well.

Those cruisers on the drink package are on bartender hooks...

Unless things have changed on Celebrity, NCL has lower deposits and they're refundable.

Tons of posts on this subject in the last several days...even hours/minutes. The whole thing is confusing and depending on who you believe, it's either resolved...or it isn't. But is your question an epic question (as in a gigantic question) or is it an Epic question (as in the NCL Epic)?? If it's an Epic question, drink issues will impact all NCL ships, not just the Epic. If it's a gigantic question, here's hoping you get some gigantic answers. 😁

Then you need a new PCC. He can't be very good (or useful) if he doesn't have his own direct line and voicemail. We have our PCC's business card magnet on our fridge. "Pool" reps wouldn't have business cards with direct phone lines on them.

So which country collects the tax when you're not in port and out "at sea", if you don't leave the EU??

So France, Italy and Portugal are now outside of the EU?? As I said, the ONLY ports we paid the tax were the four in Spain.

The good thing is, you can book the BOGO at the time of making the cruise reservation. If you find airfares or flights on your own that are better down the road (and before final payment) you can always drop the BOGO. I would view BOGO more as insurance against soaring airfares than a plan that is set in stone. And if you end up actually using the BOGO, at least you'll get there at a lower cost...even at higher hassle.

Doesn't matter to me. Hard to see the hull art when you're on the ship.

Be careful to make sure that your TA can provide the same benefits. For example, a very famous Big Box TA (rhymes with Bosco) is not able to provide the BOGO airfare. So if you booked with NCL and you chose the BOGO, you'll lose it if you transfer.

Charging tax at sea???? Since when?? And which country collects the tax in the middle of the sea? We were on a TA last November on the Escape out of Rome with a stop in Livorno, four stops in Spain, one in France and three in Portugal. The only place we were charged tax on drinks was in the four Spain ports (yes, we had the drink package and yes, they had signs up at the bars informing us of the tax in Spain). Once we escaped the Spain waters, no tax was charged in any other port or at sea.

Not sure where you got this information, but it is not true. Our PCC has his own direct line that he answers personally. He also has his own personal voicemail where we can leave a message and he calls back promptly.

I know people have reported long waits when walking up to the MDR. We have never experienced this. In fact, on our recent Prima cruise, our party of eight walked up to Hudson's five times (we had specialty dining the other nights) and were seated immediately. Of course, we're old and eat early...so maybe that worked in our favor.

Actually, I had it in writing. A copied the chat transcript of our on-line conversation and showed it to Customer "Service" on the ship. Didn't matter...

@UKstagesI may have been one of the first "cantankerous curmudgeons" who reported the creaking issue on the Prima. (We were in cabin 10770). The creaking was happening on the wall with the balcony door...and yes, it was quite loud. Loud enough to keep me awake most of our last night (and I sleep with ear plugs). My wife can sleep through anything. As I said, luckily it started on our last night, but it was annoying enough that I mentioned it to Customer Service the last morning...and mentioned it in a follow-up e-mail to NCL following the cruise. It's obvious that we weren't alone...and that nothing has been done to resolve it.