Georgia_Peaches

4 hours ago, beerman2 said:

😂😂😂 And to think people worry about having $50.00 "given" to them. If it's still on the account when boarding GREAT it's a bonus. 

 

If its not you or or someone else didn't purchase or gift it to you. 

 

Whats the old saying "Never look a gift horse in the mouth".

Well I am relatively new to NCL and while I'm not "worried" about extra OBC, my concern was that it fell under the "Purchased" item category.  Since I made no such purchase, I think it's legit to ask the question.  I am fairly confident that it is a Lattitudes reward as mentioned in post seven but I didn't rule out that it could have been an unauthorized use of my credit card in which case, it would not be a "gift horse" but rather a fraudulent transaction.  

2 minutes ago, esm54687 said:

I had to talk to CAS today about some other things and I asked the same question...... it is a Latitude Reward automatically applied.   I immediately printed out my Vacation Summary and Amenity Confirmation just in case it's not on my shipboard portfolio 

Good to know.  Thank you for the tip.  I will do the same!!

2 minutes ago, jjlen11 said:

its an included promo....I got the same....it gets lost by the other gimmes

Hmm, interesting.  So they threw in an extra $50?  Why would they put it in the "purchased" category instead of the "Included Promos" category.

One of my thoughts was that maybe my TA bought it...IDK.

Just now, StolidCruiser said:

Your Free at Sea On Board Credit (the last bullet point in your promo list)?

No, I don't think so.  The free at sea OBC is listed under a category of things I've purchased.  The other OBC is for $300 and it's listed under the heading of "Included Promos"  There are 2 different categories in the summary:  Included Promos and Purchased.  I have not purchased additional OBC.

Was just checking my NCL vacation summary with just 10 days to go.  Listed are all of my promos:

• Shore excursion credit
• Adult Beverage Package
• Internet Package (250 min)
• Specialty Dining 
• Free At Sea On Board Credit

At the bottom of the screen there is this:

But the thing is, I didn't purchase this.  So where would it have come from?  My DH does not have access to my NCL and even if he did, he wouldn't purchase additional OBC.  Any ideas?

Hey PB thank you for the review of your ongoing trip. Sounds like you all have had quite an adventure between weather and evacuations. I hope things get settled for the remainder of your cruise.  We are on the Breakaway for Thanksgiving and I'm so ready to get to NOLA and let the fun begin.  Sorry to hear that Howl at the Moon isn't living up to expectations.  This has been one of our favorite go to spots.  We will give the beer house a try though.  Have you had an opportunity to try any of the specialty dining venues?  This will be our first Breakaway experience and I'm looking forward to some good food.  Thanks again for your review...am reading every word 

2 hours ago, Pebbs48 said:

Our first cruise together on the Sun in April 2007, my husband & I were playing quarter slots side by side.  I won $900+ and he won $600+ at the same time. 

My only winning experience thus far on NCL was also on the Sun.  Played max bet ($1.50) on a quick hits machine and 7 of them popped up for a payout of $725.  It paid for my balcony stateroom fare and was the most I've ever won on a cruise ship.  Unfortunately, I didn't do as well last year on the Epic but I sure had fun trying!!

Is it still priced out for the whole week?  or has the price been adjusted to reflect less availability?

I enjoy sidling up to the bar for that first cruise vacation cocktail...none of them after that taste as good as the first!

I also enjoy dropping my things off after lunch on embarkation day and then heading straight to the casino to see what slot games are offered.

On 11/4/2018 at 11:36 AM, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

The YC lounge is huge and is surrounded by windows to the sea.....

You can get any drinks here (all included in the fare) and there are refreshments available (which change, depending on the time of day.

 

 

 

Thank you for the review/comparison.  I have also considered a YC experience.  Was wondering if the included cocktails extend to bars and restaurants outside of the YC or do you pay for those?

Thank you! 

13 minutes ago, CanadianTourist said:

Is it against the rules to post the exact prices available and where they can be found?

Exact prices?  No.  Where they can be found?  Yes, if it means giving the name of a specific TA or website.  

Wow!  Nice spread!!  Do they charge extra to set up the food buffet?  or is it just extra for bartender and entertainment?  Am thinking this might be a nice way to throw a wedding party.

So I just did a mock booking on our TA site for the 9 night Edge to compare it to our booking on Silhouette for next Thanksgiving.  Both are 9 nights and both are for a suite:

Mock booking:  Sky Suite (S3) for $12, 216 with $1500 OBC (on Edge)

Current booking: Royal Suite (RS) for $12, 250 with $1550 OBC (on Silhouette)

Not sure I'd pay $12k for an entry level suite, new ship or not.  We are in a S2 in April on the Edge and we paid what I think is pretty typical (or typical on S-class ships).  But we booked 18 months ago when the prices were still reasonable.

We enjoy cruising in a suite and chose the Silhouette for next year because of the length of the itinerary and the availability of the RS.  It's our 15 year wedding anniversary so a bit of a splurge.  Silhouette will not have gone through its Edgeification at that time.  I'm wondering what will happen to prices on S-class ships after they come out of dry dock resembling the Edge class amenities.

So over priced? It's all relative to the individual.  Edge is currently over priced for me.  I'm grateful for the booking I have bc we may not otherwise get to sail on her at her current price point.

I noticed the heart and like it as well.  What I'm still trying to figure out is the purpose of the 5 grey stars at the top of the thread just under the thread-starter's name.  Every thread has these and they are presumably for rating a thread's content?  Kinda like rating a restaurant, but I've never seen them "lit up" and so therefore, have no idea what purpose they serve.  Any guesses? 

Agree with TexasCruiser.  We leave notes for family members on our door all the time.  I'm not really interested in the app because I don't want to take my phone everywhere I go...I'm sure it works for some.  And if a passer by happens to read my message and should care to join, well more the merrier.  We've never had an issue with it but I do agree that the cuter the magnet, the riskier it is that it won't be there at the end of the cruise.  Sad, but true.

Thank you!!  Yes, I'm ready.  Glad to know you had a good Thanksgiving experience.  Safe travels...have a great time!

It seems like an eternity since we booked this cruise leaving from NOLA.  With just 2 weeks until embarkation day, the packing has begun...well at least clothes are piling up on the guest room bed.  Scouring the boards for information has yielded the creation of a pretty fancy first aid kit, multiple dinner reservations, a list of things to see and do in NOLA the day before we leave, and countless other things I can't remember at the moment.  To say I'm excited to get away from it all for a few days is an understatement!  We are staying in a category H5 and this will be our first Haven experience. So here are my wonderings...

1. Will the Haven concierge be able to arrange passes to the thermal suite or will we need to do this in the spa?
2. Is Margaritaville still complimentary for Haven guests on embarkation day? 
3. Must we wait to be escorted onto the ship or can we walk on after checking in?

Also, I am seeking opinions on the dining experience at the specialties along the waterfront...for example, should we try for an outside table at say Ocean Blue or is inside better?

Thank you!!

On 10/30/2018 at 5:40 AM, nixc said:

I have to say that I think Celebrity really messed this up terribly - the freakish bad weather can’t be helped, however there is no excuse for the shambolic lack of communication.

 

The collision with the Magica happened around 3:30pm but the captain didn’t make a formal announcement until 20:30 and we were given no assurances as to the general status of the ship or when/if we would be sailing. The staff were extremely unsympathetic to people’s concerns about getting home safely.

 

In fact as of dinner time all staff were sticking to the party line that we would dock normally in Citivechia this morning which was so patently untrue it was actually pretty insulting to guests’ intelligence.

 

At 22:30 the captain made a second announcement that people could disembark between 23:00–1:00am for a free transfer to Rome Fiumicino Airport  OR stay onboard as the ship would move as soon as possible once the high winds died down (yep that’s half an hour’s notice of a pretty major decision). 

 

I’m one of the people who decided to get the coach, staff were obviously tired and stressed but that doesn’t excuse how hostile and unpleasant they were to guests. As the initial announcement said we could disembark from the gangway at 11pm myself and several others went straight to Deck 1 to disembark at 11 only to discover that this time was wildly  inaccurate as we weren’t able to leave and board the coach until after midnight.

 

We arrived at the airport at 6am after a long, stressful and unpleasant end to what should have been a lovely trip.

 

This should and could have been handled better as even our iphone’s Weather app was showing terribly stormy conditions in La Spezia - so much so in fact that my partner opted to disembark early on Monday and miss the crazy weather 

 

 

It's a shame that your vacation ended in this manner and I feel for all those who were on board.  Just glad everyone involved is safe. Having said that, I think it's really easy to sit back and "arm-chair quarterback" every move that Celebrity made (or didn't make) in the situation...what they should have done, could have done, or didn't do is easy to speculate on after the fact.  I'm sure crew on board did their very best to accommodate passengers in what was certainly a stressful situation.  

For us, it's suite all the way.  Sky suite is entry level but comes with a greatly enhanced experienced IMO.  Luminae and MC are great.  If you're just looking a the perks, 1 for 1, then you may want to stick with FV.  But if you're looking for a possible enhancement to the over all experience, then SS for sure.

4 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Well, IF I wasn't going to tip him hardly anything, I would tell him the snacks, etc he was going to provide me would not be needed.  At least let the guy know what he's getting into.  Seems only fair.

Agree...I'd almost like to have an opt out button just in case I didn't want to use my butler for anything...which I don't.  We don't book a suite because it comes with a butler.  Just not our thing...and it has nothing to do with affordability.  It's about not really having anything for a butler to do.  

Also, look for the star next to the title of the thread and click on it to take you to first unread post.  See example:

1 minute ago, pieshops said:

we can agree to disagree with the description - very time we have ever had a butler they have added significantly to our overall cruise experience and a "glorified food runner" would not have that effect.

 

I can appreciate that and hope to find out in a few weeks 

29 minutes ago, pieshops said:

not sure what your experience with NCL;s butlers are but you are not even close.   

There are a ton of things they can do to make your trip more enjoyable, if you do not request anything they will bring you snacks every day .  Some things they can do are, unpack for you, have a dinner in your room for you or if you want to have some guests that is fine also ( you can even order apps from one restaurant, entree from another and dessert from another) they will arrange a sail away party with food in your room or like we are doing on our forward facing penthouse on the Panama canal cruise they will bring snacks and apps so you can enjoy the views from your balcony. they can also provide this service on any occasion.  They will also get you random snacks for instance if you or your kids like gummy bears or m and m's let them know and they will make sure they are always in your room

There is also a phone in each room that is portable and you can bring it with you and say you are sitting by the main pool and want a special snack etc - call them and they will bring it for you or if you forgot something in your room, just ask and it will appear.  If you want something specific sticked in your frig again just ask, we get a bottle of vodka on day one and then ask the butler to make sure there are various juices and lemons and limes in the frig and it is done

Also regular room service but not just regular, no charge room service pretty much any breakfast you want just ask

Although what you describe sounds great and I appreciate the elaboration, what you have just detailed is what another poster referred to as a "glorified food runner".  Don't get me wrong, we will use our butler for lots of the food related items you described but I can't say I'd be all that comfortable having my butler unpack for me or bring me something I'd forgotten in my room.  I wouldn't feel good about that and I'm probably not alone in that.  So that leaves food running and perhaps help with reservations.  Either way, I'm glad to have one if I need it (him/her).

As for grats...well that's very subjective to each individual experience and I don't think it can be standardized.  Tip as you see fit.

Wonder if I can have it applied to my 2 upcoming Celebrity cruises, one on Edge and the other on Silhouette?  Neither have reach final payment.  I will look into it and report back.

BTW, I got the e-mail.

Our first Celebrity experience was in an Aqua class cabin several years ago and we were hooked.  We love the sophistication of the line and have always had exceptional service.  I've read plenty of reviews that indicate that Celebrity isn't what it used to be but since we've sailed with them 6 years ago, I can't think of a single negative experience.  Since Aqua we have opted for suites for an even more elevated experience.