farjar

Bring a couple plastic hangers and a few clothes pins.  They are helpful to hang wet items in the shower and the clothes pins can also be used to hold your towel to the deck chair. 

Photocopy passports, credit cards and medical cards.  Leave the copy of the credit cards and medical cards in the safe along with contact numbers for the companies involved. Take the copy of the passport or the original on shore depending on what port you are in.  Leave the other in the safe in case something unforeseen happens. 

20 hours ago, farjar said:

Our flights showed up in our edocs under "air itinerary confirmation" 82 days before our Alaska cruise.  Our return flight was an overnight, 14 hour, 2 connection nightmare.  I called and got it changed to a perfect 7 hour, one connection flight.  We are now about 50 days out and waiting for NCL to actually pay the 2 airlines involved so we can choose our seats.  I have set up "frequent flyer" accounts with the 2 airlines and now check everyday to see if the flight have actually been ticketed.  Nothing yet.

UPDATE:  Just got our airline confirmation numbers via NCL email.  We're 48 days out.  Went to the airlines' involved and were quite pleased with the seat assignments.  As I mentioned, I had already set up accounts with the 2 airlines with seat preferences and our Known Traveler Numbers to make TSA screening easier. Now we can relax and wait for our cruise to begin.

4 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

How and when does NCL inform you of your flight information?  EDocs, email, etc.?  We tried calling but after 45 minutes on hold we gave up.  We took advantage of the free airfare promotion and we are 59 days out from our cruise and still haven’t gotten any flight information.

Our flights showed up in our edocs under "air itinerary confirmation" 82 days before our Alaska cruise.  Our return flight was an overnight, 14 hour, 2 connection nightmare.  I called and got it changed to a perfect 7 hour, one connection flight.  We are now about 50 days out and waiting for NCL to actually pay the 2 airlines involved so we can choose our seats.  I have set up "frequent flyer" accounts with the 2 airlines and now check everyday to see if the flight have actually been ticketed.  Nothing yet.

2 hours ago, AtlantaJ said:

We were on it last week and all the crew and staff in ports were talking about how it was unseasonably warm.  We packed a bunch of winter stuff and really needed tank tops and shorts.  Most mornings were chilly (especially at the glaciers), late morning to mid-afternoon was HOT (people were happily using the pools), and then by the evening it was chilly again.  Barely any rain, we brought rain coats and umbrellas and didn't need them once.

We'll be on the same cruise in August.  Someone posted a picture of a fabulous looking seafood buffet.  Did they have it on your cruise, if so, what night (port) and in which dining venue?  Do you happen to have the dailies or any other information you would care to share.  Anything would be appreciated.  Did you take any excursions you thought were worth it or not? 

1 hour ago, barric said:

How/when is payment made for pre-booking a shore excursion?

 

I am looking at shore excursions on the NCL web site for a sailing in Sept.  When I select one, it goes into the "cart".  On viewing the cart, it asks me to pay with credit card or NCL gift card.

I have an NCL $50 per port perk, and I get a discount for NCL platinum.  But I don't see this going into effect.  Does this mean that I am simply making a res and guaranteeing it with a credit card?  And therefore, the charge will go onto my ship account for settlement after the excursion is completed, with perks applied?

 

 

 

 

Call the NCL Shore Excursion Department directly at 1-866-625-1167 (outside US 0845-201-8900).  The charge for the excursion will be added to you onboard account and the $50 per port credit subtracted after the excursion is completed.  You won't have to pay anything in advance.  Be sure to go to the Shore Excursion Desk on the ship to get you 10% platinum discount.  It will be taken before the $50 per port credit saving a few extra dollars.  For example: an excursion for 2 people that costs $200 total would get $20 off for platinum, plus $50 per port for a final total of $130 for two people. 

On ‎7‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 2:01 PM, geomancer said:

Thanks, finally found that post!

 

I really hope the menus are the same, it looks VASTLY better than our last cruise (RCL Adventure of the Seas) and everyone is very excited. We'll see on the quality of the food, but it wouldn't take much to top the last one either so...

 

I'll do a more generic search for the kids menu then if all the ships have the same menus.

 

Appreciate it!

There is an area in the Garden Café called Kid's Café.  The tables and chairs are smaller and the buffet food, as I recall, has mac & cheese, Jello, applesauce, hot dogs, chicken fingers, fish sticks, cookies, etc.  You don't have to eat in that area as food can be taken anywhere you want, indoors, outdoors or even back to your room.  It is possible the MDR has a "child's menu" that you can ask to see but I don't know.  Perhaps someone else can say.  You can, however, ask for smaller portions of anything on the regular menu.  Don't forget to try another free dining option O'Sheehan's.  They have a wonderful grilled Reuben sandwich and other pub type food.  You can find their menu by looking on any of the "big search engines". 

Hoping someone will post the dailies too.

7 minutes ago, geomancer said:

We'll be on the Jewel mid August. I've tried searching around but haven't been able to find much. As I understand it, there are two MDRs on the Jewel and that all seating is freestyle in that you just show up when you want. What's the difference between the two (if any)?

 

Looking for both the regular menu, and the kid's menu.

 

There also appears to be two buffets, one indoors and one outdoors. Is there any difference in what's served?

 

What does "The Pit Stop" have? It's listed under Dinning but looks like just a bar.

 

Sorry for all the questions, thank you for any information you can point me to!

We prefer Tsar's to Azura because of the large windows and more open feel. Try both. Only Tsar's is open for breakfast and lunch and the menus are the same everyday.  Dinner menus in Tsar's and Azura are the same but change daily. Outside each dining room the menu for the next meal is posted.  You can go to Tsar's after lunch and see what they will be serving for dinner for example.

Yes, the Garden Café is indoors and the Great Outdoors is open but with shade. Nice place to sit and watch the scenery go by.  Food from either venue can be carried to anywhere you want to sit. 

You might find a previous post on Cruisecritic by canvasowl on June 10, 2018 called NCL Escape Menu and Food Pics helpful since menu items are the same on all ships. 

1 hour ago, SailorMan20 said:

So I got reduced air for My cruise in December of 2020 on The NCL Encore. I will be flying to Miami from Little Rock. I am  wondering what Airline NCL uses?

Based on what I've read in other posts NCL uses American, Delta, Air Canada and Alaska for sure.  I've seen they don't use Southwest or United.  Don't know about any others.

1 hour ago, SailorMan20 said:

I got reduced air as part of My package as well. LIT to MIA. There will be layovers. Is that $99 pp roundtrip or one way?

It is $99 per person roundtrip regardless of connections or layovers.  You will automatically be charged for transfers arranged by NCL from the airport to the ship and from the ship back to the airport.  Price depends on the distance.  We are paying $20 per person each way or an additional $80 total on top of the $99 per person airfare. 

1 hour ago, ddlb said:

Did you have to wait till the flight numbers and airline was assigned?  I'm asking because on my summary an itinerary shows up Vancouver to Toronto to Atlanta to Birmingham - and when I called they said I had to do a deviation email which I have had no response to.  Should I call again and wait for a long time?

I think you are looking at the wrong place in your travel documents.  Don't look under "travel summary" instead click on "download edocs".  That is where the full breakdown of your flights is.

16 minutes ago, ddlb said:

Did you have to wait till the flight numbers and airline was assigned?  I'm asking because on my summary an itinerary shows up Vancouver to Toronto to Atlanta to Birmingham - and when I called they said I had to do a deviation email which I have had no response to.  Should I call again and wait for a long time?

Our original itinerary showed up in our edocs under "air itinerary confirmation" about 80 days before the cruise showing the airlines, flight numbers and departure times. I was extremely upset with the return flights.  Before calling their air travel department, I went to most of the major airline sites to see what options might be available and would work best for us.  When I called NCL I waited 45 minutes on hold but finally spoke with a wonderful representative who changed our return flight.  Without me specifically asking she put us on the exact flights I would have chosen myself cutting our travel time in half.  I never communicated by email only by phone. It did take about a week before the new flights showed up in my paperwork since they also had to change the airport transfer information.  You might try calling again and see if you get the same response.  Sometimes different representatives give different answers.  We are now about 60 days out and are waiting for our reservation to actually be ticketed so we can go to the airlines' sites and pick our seats. 

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

I have done one NCL cruise and am considering another.  NCL is offering $99 air packages.  I normally make my own air arragements and/or work with a TA.  If using NCL, do they pretty much tell you what you get even if it is inconvenient (leave early in the morning, or have 2 or more stops).  Do you have any input into what flights they book for you?

We are using a $99pp NCL air package on our up coming Alaska cruise.  Our original flight to Vancouver is a perfect non-stop flight on Air Canada.  Our original return from Anchorage was a 14 hour, overnight, 2 layover nightmare.  After calling the air travel department our return trip is now on a perfect 7 hour, one connection flight on Alaska Air.  We are very pleased with the FINAL itinerary.

5 hours ago, Jasonmom said:

Guess topic says it all 😜

I can only tell you about our upcoming Alaska Cruise.  We are booked on a non-stop Air Canada flight to Vancouver and a one connection Alaska Air returning from Anchorage for $99pp.  I have read in other post NCL also uses American and Delta.  I think it is all based on price.  Our original return itinerary was a 14 hour, overnight, 2 connection nightmare.  I called their travel department and got it changed to possibly the best option available.

On ‎6‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 12:26 PM, Redsky5292 said:

We are 23 days from flying to Copenhagen and we are in the same position. We have confirmed flights but no seats...

Did you get your ticket number yet?  If so, where did you find it in your edocs?  We are less than 50 days out and only have our "record locator ticket number" which neither of the two airlines we are reserved on recognizes. 

43 minutes ago, phoenix1975 said:

Is this something that is popular in the US, as I've never heard of it in the UK?

 

Thanks for the other replies.

 

What is Moderno Churrascaria like, and what about Teppanyaki, or is the latter more style over substance? I probably won't do La Cucina as I'm spending some time in Italian cities both before and after the cruise.

 

Sunbathing - I don't do so much. Are there any shaded areas outside - like what you would have on a promenade deck?

We love Moderno.  You begin by going to a salad bar with a great selection of salad items and cheeses.  Servers then bring around skewers of lamb, filet mignon, sirloin, chicken breast, sausages, pork ribs and beef ribs. They cut off as much as you want.  It allows you to have a variety of meats at one meal. If you really like something, you get more the next time they come by. There are also side dishes, dessert and grilled pineapple that is delicious. 

34 minutes ago, CardFanDubG said:

Will be taking the northbound July 1. I will scan them in when I return.  

That would be very much appreciated.  I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. Counting down the days until we leave.

I still hoping someone returning from this itinerary will post the dailies. 

We are using NCL's airfare promotion for Alaska and are about 60 days out.  We have received our "Air Itinerary Confirmation" showing our flights and airlines.  I've gone to the two airlines involved to pick our seats but the only number I see in our edocs is called a "Record Locator Ticket Number" that the airlines don't recognize.  How long before sailing did you get an eticket number and where was it in your travel documents?

On ‎6‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 3:26 PM, farjar said:

Received the flight information for our Alaska cruise about 75 days out.  We were thrilled with the flight to Vancouver, non stop at a perfect time.  The return flight from Anchorage was HORRIBLE.  It involved an over night flight with two layovers for a total of 14 hours travel time half of which to be spent in airports.  I called NCL air travel department, waited on hold for 45 minutes and finally spoke with a lovely women who changed our flight to a one connection flight that gets us home the day we dock with 7 hours total travel time.  After a week the new reservation hadn't shown up in our edocs so I called again and waited another 45 minutes.  I was told the change order has been put in but it will be awhile before we see it in our documents.  Since it is still two months until we sail I assume they are dealing with other passengers first.  Needless to say I will be checking daily for the new flights to be confirmed.  The flights must have been chosen by a computer because no human would ever have knowingly picked such a ridiculous itinerary when a much better option was available.  Must have been based on price!

I just reviewed my edocs again and the flight changes that were requested have now shown up.  It is a huge relief since it cuts our return trip in half.  Considering we are still 2 months out I am quite pleased with the outcome.  Yes, it was stressful having to call twice then wait to make sure the promised revision was made.  We now, however, have what are possibly the best flights available both ways.  From reading other posts we will probably still have to wait another month before NCL actually pays for the tickets.  Then we will be able to sign into the two different airlines and choose our seats.  Our issue has been resolved to our complete satisfaction.

15 minutes ago, mertziek said:

Boy is this system ever goofed up.  Flights booked disappear, then reappear but wrong Class.  Can’t get NCL Premium Air to respond either by phone or email to me.  Nothing new there about poor guest relations, is there?  PCC also not helpful nor his supervisors.  Anyone else getting replies from the Air department?  I realize this is all being worked on or so they say but they look incompetent and lack of communication is inexcusable!

Received the flight information for our Alaska cruise about 75 days out.  We were thrilled with the flight to Vancouver, non stop at a perfect time.  The return flight from Anchorage was HORRIBLE.  It involved an over night flight with two layovers for a total of 14 hours travel time half of which to be spent in airports.  I called NCL air travel department, waited on hold for 45 minutes and finally spoke with a lovely women who changed our flight to a one connection flight that gets us home the day we dock with 7 hours total travel time.  After a week the new reservation hadn't shown up in our edocs so I called again and waited another 45 minutes.  I was told the change order has been put in but it will be awhile before we see it in our documents.  Since it is still two months until we sail I assume they are dealing with other passengers first.  Needless to say I will be checking daily for the new flights to be confirmed.  The flights must have been chosen by a computer because no human would ever have knowingly picked such a ridiculous itinerary when a much better option was available.  Must have been based on price!

49 minutes ago, MTCruiserToo said:

We booked our own flights. We took advantage of the Free alcohol package instead. I don't think free airfare was an option actually. As of right now, we don't have any excursions planned but that of course could change. I know we may be doing some sight seeing in Vancouver for sure. We are staying in Anchorage after the cruise for a few days to sight see. I will definitely answer any questions if i can. This is our first trip to Alaska, and first time on the Jewel. So if you know anything about the Jewel that would be useful, we'd appreciate. Thank you.

Our previous cruises on the Jewel were a 7 day Mexican Riviera in 2016 and a 5 day Pacific Coast in 2017.  Both were before the recent dry dock so the renovations will be new to us.  Aside from the two specialty nights our platinum level provides we will eat all our dinners in Tsar's MDR.  We prefer its floor to ceiling windows at the rear of the ship compared to Azura's darker atmosphere.  Since we are early diners anyway we will wait at the door for the restaurant to open and nearly always get a table for 2 by a window.  With the recently rolled out new menus many of my favorite entrees are no longer available. We are, however, able to find something we like and it is more relaxing than the Garden Café.  Except on early shore excursion days we will also eat breakfast there.  Most anything available in the buffet is on the menu, you don't have to fight crowds and it is brought to you.  NCL now has only one terrible MDR lunch menu that doesn't change the entire cruise so we will get Grilled Rueben on rye sandwiches in O'Sheehan's at least twice and buffet lunches or eat ashore the rest of the time. We also visit the self serve ice cream machine in the Garden Café often and look for afternoon cookies in the Great Outdoors. The Spinnaker Lounge is a great place to spend time although it is used for other activities that can be a bit distracting.  I always bring a couple paperback books to read then use the library's free book exchange when I'm done with them.  Bring along pencils with erasers if you intend to pick up daily crossword or Suduko puzzles there.  That's all that comes to mind now. I hope you have a great time with wonderful weather. 

Seeing the dailies would be wonderful.  They will allow us to plan sea day activities and book specialty dining nights based on evening shows.  If you are using the "free airfare" offer could you let us know how the transfer from Seward to Anchorage went. NCL has us booked on a 1:00pm flight home and are interested in what time they got you to the airport from the ship.  If you did a shore excursions you really enjoyed or didn't think was worth the money we would like to know that too.  We've been on the Jewel twice before so we are familiar with the ship but not to Alaska. Thank you in advance.  It is much appreciated.

53 minutes ago, MTCruiserToo said:

We get on board the Jewel on July 15th from Vancouver to Seward. As soon as I get home, I will upload all the Dailies :) What else would you guys like to see?

Although it does not appear to be the case in this tragic situation, it reminds me of the recent increase in serious injuries and deaths caused but people trying to get that "perfect selfie".  Vacations are for fun and relaxation not for risking ones life for a photograph.  I encourage people to obey signs, barriers, and refrain from going into restricted or potentially dangerous areas on board ship or while on shore excursions.  No one likes to read about such horrific accidents, especially those that could have been avoided. No family should have to endure this pain regardless of the cause.  Travel safely.

You might wish to check out Seattle's free "Port Valet" service and see if it works for you.  Your luggage will be transported directly from your stateroom to the airport and onto your flight FOR FREE.  You also don't have to pay for any overweight baggage fees.