salty dingo

1 minute ago, LinnieRed said:

Maybe next time leave a timed note? Seems a polite way of “securing” prime seating. If I came across a pool lounger with just a towel on it, I’d by all means take it. 

Interesting, but I have never carried pen and paper with me on a cruise. Would be nice if the wait staff could manage this sort of thing but they are so busy as it is.

I thought about one of us going back to the room at a time, but my wife is disabled and frankly could not even find the room, so that option was out for us.

About 80% of the times can only be reserved onboard. We had no problem getting the reservations we wanted. Even the Vibe passes were available, and we were in boarding group 14.

Let me start by saying how much I despise chair hogs. The classic example of a hog is someone who gets out on deck early to throw a towel, book, and flip flops across chairs they have no intention to use at that time. Then they go enjoy their morning secure to know a great spot awaits whenever they choose to go back on deck.

Our story is a little different. We were strolling one morning and spotted some choice loungers in Spice H2O. We sat down, got towels, got several rounds of drinks, and camped out for a couple of hours. Eventually it got hot and we needed to go back to the cabin to change into swimwear.

Now our cabin was at the opposite end of Escape, and we are not the fastest people to change clothes, but we did not go to eat, and we did not hang out in the room and watch a movie. We changed and came right back... to find that another couple had tossed our towels aside and plopped down!

I made a bit of a scene and succeeded in getting a man to switch the chair he was saving for his wife, and we plopped right next to the poachers with an attitude. They bolted, and I don't blame them. Who can relax right next to the people who you took their stuff and tossed it aside?

It soured my mood for a bit but nothing a few drinks can't cure! Anyone else encounter poachers?

We are just off Escape last week also. Towels are a pain, but by the way they are handling it, they do NOT comb through the handwritten logs to see who did and did not turn in their towels. They should just trust us, since they don't enforce the policy.

8 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Why do you think that it took "way too long" and you wasted time? The NCL ferry between Dockyard and St. George doesn't take very much longer than the public ferry, so the difference in travel time would hardly put a dent into someone's activities for the day.

 

Now if you mean that the public ferry's schedule was better suited to your personal schedule that's another thing, but that doesn't make the public ferries "better" . 

 

Saying the public ferry was free after you buy the pass is like saying your car is free because you paid for it before you drove off the dealer's lot. 

It took way too long because they pack way too many people on it.

The pay ferry goes the same route as the free ferry, so both take 45 minutes.

The public ferry would have been free because we bought the pass. There was no benefit in the free ferry for us, and we waited longer. We wanted to go all over the island, not just to St. George's so the pass was a no brainer. Much cheaper than pay as you go, if you go to see lots of places.

Oh, ok good. I tried to find out by searching online if the cruise next OBC was refundable or not and it appeared to be use it on the current cruise, or lose it.

I just re-read my statement and it looks like the NYC taxes came out of the non refundable and the extra tips came out of refundable. I also see a "Due to Guest" line item for the balance of the refundable amount, in addition to the unused nonrefundable amount forfeited.

9 minutes ago, shof515 said:

certain transactions like your room gratuity (if you did not prepaid it) only use the REFUNDABLE OBC. it does not use the non refundable obc

 

by default, all transactions from the gift shop, bars, shore excursions, and other normal purchases use up the non refundable obc first then the non refundable obc

Our room gratuity was prepaid by the TA. We did no excursions, only used our SDP for dining costs. All we used the OBC for was 1) taxes on drinks consumed in NYC, and 2) extra tips for the staff. Both came out of refundable OBC.

Just got back from Bermuda /  NYC on Escape. Arrived at 9 am day one, full day two, back on board 2:30 day three. So not three full days. One full day and two partials.

We took the first NCL free ferry after we arrived. This was a mistake. It took way too long and had way too many people. Plus if you buy the bus ferry pass like we did there are better ferries which are free ( after you pay for the pass.) We wasted a lot of time on that free ferry right after we arrived which cut into the port time.

Also the last day we decided to hang near the Dockyard because of the departure time, but it was very crowded with both Escape and Disney Magic in port. We had been there before so not much to do there compared to the rest of the island.

Not all bars stock all ingredients, so if you order a drink which they cannot make, yes you will be denied. I saw this happen this past week.

However, in general if they can make it at the bar, they will.

We just got off Escape today and when I looked the final statement I had an unwelcome surprise. We had both refundable and non refundable OBC in equal amounts. I had been to the Guest Services desk earlier in the cruise to ask, if we have both, which type is used first? I was very clear and repeated back the answer, which was "non refundable is used first." So, I asked, if I use up most, but not all the OBC, I might get a refund? "Yes sir" was the answer from NCL.

I am here to tell you, do not believe that. It is not true.

The refundable deposit was consumed first, and the small amount of OBC I did not use was forfeited. This was not a big issue for me, as the amount was not worth fighting for, but if I had been told the truth, I would have spend it and not lost it.

This could be a big issue with someone with substantial refundable OBC who also gets a Cruise Next OBC which is not refundable. Buyer beware!

On escape this past week I just asked the bartender for two landsharks to go, and he gave them to me unopened.

It was nice when we came back from port with not much time before our dinner reservation, to have a couple cold beers in the mini fridge (which do not cost extra.)

When the ship will stay docked for three days, you really don't need to worry about what time you return or possibility of missing the ship. Except for the last day, that is.

On 10/4/2019 at 5:53 PM, Qcruise said:

OK then.....don't convince us.......

Stay with Princess 😁

I actually called NCL on this. The phone rep said she could not sell me any more specialty dining days but that I could buy more once on the ship.

I asked for details and she pulled it up - minimum of two days for $79 per person. I did not ask about the price for more than two days. That includes the gratuity. Not a great deal but a little savings anyway. So it's possible to extend the three day SDP into a five day SDP if you want to. You can buy three day or longer packages online but not the two day.

8 minutes ago, JaysMom2 said:

The reason I'm asking if I am allowed to take a plate of food from the buffet into Spice H2O is because, on embarkation day, my DIL wants to go there and use the hot tub before things get crowded, and I really wanted to do lunch instead, so I'm trying to see if there is a possibility of a compromise here.

So, on embarkation day the buffet will be a total zoo. My recommendation is to get lunch in the Main Dining Room and then go to spice.

17 minutes ago, fstuff1 said:

21day Panama canal:

EMBARK New York (New York); Cartagena (Colombia); Puntarenas (Puerto Caldera) (Costa Rica); Puerto Quetzal (Guatemala); Puerto Vallarta (Mexico); Cabo San Lucas (Mexico); Los Angeles (California); Victoria (British Columbia); DISEMBARK Seattle (Washington)

, im assuming its going to Canada because it cant go from LA and end at Seattle w/o a foreign port?

Only if pax were embarking in LA and disembarking in Seattle. Those on the full 21 day trip are good to go from LA to Seattle with no stop in between.

19 minutes ago, JaysMom2 said:

Can I bring food into Spice H2O (a plate from the buffet), or is it only drinks?

Sure, you can bring food into there. The main draw is easy access to drinks, as there is a private bar right there, but they may not serve you much more than skewered fruit and whatever veggies they lob into your drink.

I'm headed to Bermuda on Escape Sunday and had the same question. It's per day, and unfortunately the credit is $50 per cabin but (assuming you are traveling with a partner) there is nothing you can do that is anywhere near $50 for two people.

The least expensive excursion is the beach near the ship, but that is the least desirable beach in Bermuda.

We're going to by a bus/ferry pass and do the island all by ourselves. We did it last time we cruised to Bermuda and it worked out great.

6 minutes ago, HowardK said:

dark and stormy and then maybe a rum and coke- best thinkg to do if you are a light drinker is to train for the cruise and make some of your own drinks and have  few in the preceeding months

Thanks for the tips, everyone. We're headed to Bermuda and a dark and stormy is the national beverage there, I believe. We'll definitely have to have that. Or just keep trying things until we find something that works.

2 hours ago, JohnIreland said:

$179 per cabin for 7 day. I wouldn't call it worth $1.79 per cabin.

Got that right. No value for me in there.

Priority security... are you kidding me?

4 minutes ago, FLcruisergrl said:

Thanks! Can I do it at any time? I definitely plan on doing it soon, but wasn’t sure of how much of a priority it should be.

You can't schedule flights now for June 2021. Airlines only open up their schedules for booking about 330 days in advance. You can try in July.

2 hours ago, Island Beachdog said:

I do not want to fly "free" as it simply is not worth the aggravation.

I am with you on that on. Nothing is free. You pay for the flights one way or another. May as well pay for the flights you want. They do go on sale, same as cruises do sometimes. I would never let the cruise line pick flights for me.

Maybe Homeland Security actually inspects luggage sometimes?

1 hour ago, MotownVoice said:

Yeah, fat shaming.

That's hilarious.

Ever heard of a chair hog? That's what I meant.

Thanks for the ideas. Maybe I'll ask for two and see if they can put all the alcohol in just one of them 😉!