bruzin_for_a_cruizin

I have had a great experience diving off a cruise ship with VIP Diving Bonaire. Truly a bespoke service, with the guide only responsible for me and one other diver.

I did manage to connect by phone. It seems as if it's just a bug in the way the Premium Plus package appears online in the trip summary. IMO, a Purchased Item should appear in the Purchased Items section and only the Purchased Items section (like Vibe does in my screenshot above). Only items Included in "Free at Sea" should appear in the Included Items section. The inconsistency breeds confusion.

Maybe I'm being a bit obtuse, but it is unnecessarily confusing, and if I was the IT Director, I'd have that bit of code fixed. Something is being incorrectly flagged in the code somewhere.

I sent an email to my "Personal Cruise Consultant" at NCL asking about this. She just sent me a cut/paste explanation of the Premium Plus Beverage Package.

I didn't get any kind of discount when I purchased it, so I'd like to try just canceling it and see if it remains in the Included Items section. If not, I'll just rebuy it. I don't see a way to cancel purchased items with NCL. Is there a way to do that on the website?

4 minutes ago, hancock said:

Try turning off your phone, then turn in back on.  Had the issue a few months back.  It reset the app.

This won't help. The issue isn't with your phone or PC, it's on the server side.

The account pages on both royalcaribbean.com and celebritycruises.com are down.

17 hours ago, behan said:

This is how it always appears on my bookings.  Once you buy the upgrade it will show up under included items and under purchased items.  Doesn’t really make sense to show it this way, but that’s just how they do it.

I attached a screenshow of how it looks in my planner. @behan, you're right. It doesn't make any sense at all, which is why I'm questioning it here!

13 hours ago, grobma said:

Correct. Same for me and adding that like the OP's, my Vibe pass shows up under Purchased, but not Included. Ultimately, your cruise confirmation should have everything laid out correctly (you can call and ask them to send you an updated one).

Looking at my confirmation, I see the following promo codes:

ALL4CHO
BEVUP
DISC35
EASYFARE
PPSRVCHG
SHX50

Is it possible that "BEVUP" is a promo code to get the Premium Plus Beverage Package actually included?

I was just going to cancel the purchase and see how it looked in the planner, but I can't see an intuitive way to do that with NCL (with RCI, you can easily cancel from the cruise planner). Am I just being obtuse, or do I actually have to call in for that?

Some months ago, I booked an April 2023 sailing on Prima through NCL directly, our first voyage with NCL. After many sailings on RCL's inwardly focused Oasis-class ships, we are keen to see how Prima opens up towards the sea and puts the focus outwards, where it should be!

I took advantage of several promos when booking with NCL (reduced deposit, free airfare, etc), and have subsequently added on the Premium Plus Beverage Package as well as Vibe Beach Club Acess Passes. In reviewing my booking, however, I do see that the Premium Plus Beverage Package appears not only in the "Purchased Items" category, but also in the "Include Items" section! Is it possible I got the PPBP as part of my included package, and can therefore cancel it from my add-ons? The Vibe passes don't show up in both sections; would NCL allow a customer to add-on something which is already in their booking? I know I was certainly billed for it!

Do any of you more-seasoned NCL customers have any similar experiences? Is there anything I should be looking for on my booking documentation? I suppose I could just cancel it and see how it reflects on my reservation, but I figured I'd check here first. 

The whole Magic Carpet is a poorly-thought-out idea. It's a gimmick that doesn't really deliver, and for what it must cost, I can't imagine there's an R on that I.

Its best function is as a tender dock. The tendering experience is much more pleasant on E-class ships because the Magic Carpet allows the tender boats to come right up snug to the side and ingress/egress becomes very easy.

It certainly looks great, and the furniture they have out there is very comfy, but it's simply too windy when the ship is moving. It's not even pleasant to sit out there for a drink under power.

To me, what's most fascinating about E-class ships is that I don't like the two key features of the vessels -- Magic Carpet and Infinite Verandas -- and yet the overall experience on them is fantastic. I've got two more E-class bookings (one SS and one SV) coming up in the next 14 months! 

I had my first visit to Coco Cay a couple weeks ago, and I was thoroughly impressed. RCI did a great job building out the island. We had the water park passes, but I was fortunate to have purchased them last Black Friday and paid less than $30 pp. At that price, I didn't feel compelled to "get my money's worth" and was satisfied with 5 or 6 slide rides and some quality time by the wave pool. 

I would certainly include Coco Cay itineraries on future sailings, but wouldn't pay more than $50-$60 for the water park. $130+ is absolutely insane, and RCI is clearly taking advantage of pent up travel demand. Hey, if someone else will pay it, I hope they have a great time!

I did notice that the balloon didn't go up even once when we were there. I wondered if that was because of technical issues, or because the crazy pricing for that ride.

And yet another vote for deck 8 on Oasis-class here.

Central Park is perhaps my favorite space on the ship. Park Cafe is fantastic for grabbing coffee in the morning to enjoy on the balcony, and you're on a deck where walking up or down stairs isn't too much of a challenge. I managed to avoid elevators almost completely on our recent Symphony sailing (took it going up from deck 2 coming back from tiring excursions).

If you're booking a balcony, try to get the hump cabins. The balcony space is much larger.

Great dives on our last visit. Dive buddies were two very experienced divers staying in hotels on the island, and three young guys off one of the Carnival ships and freshly certified.

We did Santa Rosa Wall, a great drift up to 23m with some cool swim-throughs, and Tormentos Reef, a shallower 18m drift which I had never dived before. Visibility was great and the water was 29C!

Enjoy your dives! 

1 hour ago, CanHardlyWait4NextYear said:

But I'm curious as to what that individual I quoted paid per person. Hopefully, they will respond with the specifics. 

I got you!

Total paid (incl. grat) was USD$788.16 for 4 people, or 197.04 per person for 7 nights. That's $28 per day and I never even had to set foot in the Windjammer.

As someone upthread said, calculate the cost of the UDP into your total cruise budget, and if it all rolls up into a number you can live with, sail with the UDP. I keep a spreadsheet for all my cruises to track costs and show me the end-cost per-person/per-day. This past cruise on Symphony, even with the UDP and drinks for 3 of 4 of us (youngest child is only 20) was my best priced cruise ever. 

We are just back from a 7-night cruise on Symphony. It was our first cruise with the UDP, and it was completely "worth it." I was able to secure the package for four of us during the Black Friday sale at 55% off; I wouldn't have paid full price for it. 

While I never really complained about the food in the MDR, it was always just "fine." Never really hot, but understandable when the galley is serving thousands of plated dishes during a service. The specialty restaurants each have their own galley, meaning food is prepared to order, and as such is hot and fresh. 

We particularly enjoyed the experience at Wonderland, which is something we would never have tried otherwise. Jamie's Italian was also quite good, and we ate there twice. I also used the UDP for wings, onion rings, fries and massive sundaes at Playmakers. The biggest disappointment was actually Chops, where my rib steak was clearly not of any quality grade.  

I'll definitely be buying the package for future cruises, and watching closely for the 55% off sale.

How quickly after a cruise do Crown & Anchor points usually appear in one's account? I am expecting to reach Emerald with the cruise ended Saturday.

Just back yesterday from our cruise, diving with Gypsea in Mahuahal, Dive Paradise in Cozumel and the RCL 1-tank dive at Perfect Day.

Harris, Catherine was an absolute *joy.* She sends her regards! I was fortunate to be the only diver that day, and GaLa was one of the best guides I've ever had. The reef was great, and we got to see a nice big stingray, along with all the usual Mexico life. 

Thanks for that recommendation. I will definitely be back there!

I do believe the only shop left in town (most operators are in San Pedro) is Sea Sports Belize. It's a short walk from the pier, which is great, and the service from Linda and her crew is excellent. 

It really is hard to make a comparison, but try comparing it to a familiar landmark: 

Oasis of the Seas is 360 metres long, stern to bow. If you took the Chrysler Building in New York City and tipped it on its side, it would only be 319 metres long.

There are other buildings which your group might better recognize, but the Chrysler Building is pretty well-known.

6 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Bermuda has 6 people hospitalized for covid right now. Odds are that no more than 2 are actually being treated FOR covid.

Looks like requiring testing is working for them, huh?

I cannot lay any blame on island governments requiring testing to set foot on their soil. One positive case could be devastating to the island economy and health of the citizens.

I've got a cruise to Bermuda coming up in April. While I *hate* having that stick shoved up my nose, I will gladly do it if the government there is still insisting on the test.

Personally, I wouldn't risk it. There are plenty of third-party options (I've used www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/ a couple times) who will get you back on-board well before all-aboard.

If your concern is the late arrival in port, I can tell you I've had two great experiences with Dive Paradise. They are located just across the street from the Wyndham Hotel, which was an $8 cab ride last time (I think rates have gone up a bit since then).

The reason I use them is that they offer what I believe to be the only 10:00 a.m. 2-tank Express Boat. Their state-side rep, Susan, is great to work with, and I've not had more than 4 other divers on the boat with me. I believe this is a far-superior experience to diving with any of the shops at Chankanaab Park. I will be diving with them at the end of this month off Symphony.

4 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

The last time I checked E class had about 36 sunset verandas AKA real balconies.  These need to be booked about a year or two in advance in order to get one

I was on Apex, in a Sky Suite Move-Up bid from a Concierge IV. We did have travel companions in an IV on that sailing, and upon visiting their cabin my wife and I agreed the minimum Move-Up bid was the best money we ever spent on a cruise.

Both couples subsequently booked on Beyond in SV cabins for November 2023 (I'm a big fan of E-class!). Another friend of mine tried to book the same cruise in an SV just a few weeks ago, and those staterooms are already all booked, more than 16 months before sailing. There's clearly a demand for "real balconies."

Sailing on Symphony from Port of Miami at the end of August. We are flying in from Toronto the day before, and staying at SpringHill Suites Miami Downtown/Medical Center, so we're looking at options somewhere close by (we will have a rental car). 

What is the current state of rapid tests in Miami? Is it easiest just to walk into a Walgreen's or whatever? Or should we all get tested here before we leave?

Stuart Cove's is indeed the only dive operation on the island. They do work with the cruise lines on excursions, so it's possible RCL will make some arrangements with the shop which work with their new port times. Otherwise, you're pretty much out of luck for Nassau.

That said, I was in Nassau in April and dove with Stuart Cove's for 4 days. The diving was fine, but I probably wouldn't go back to Nassau in the future. You really aren't missing anything. There are islands with much better diving (which is probably why there's only one shop there).

Yeahhhhhhh.... I think you've helped make up my mind, Harris.

I've seen the Sand Dollar Sports boats around, and they're all big cattle boats, IIRC. I'll cancel the RCL excursion and book with Dive Paradise. I've gone with them a few times, and had pretty good experiences.

I recently did a diving trip in Nassau/Paradise Island. As I understand it, the only operator left on the island is Stuart Cove's. It's a pretty big operation, with 4 large boats making multiple trips per day. They seemed to manage several cruise ships worth of snorkelers/divers every day. They have branded buses which pick up and drop off at the cruise terminal.

I found the diving in Nassau to be lackluster. It wasn't "bad" but I don't think I'd book another trip there. If the diving wasn't great, I can't imagine the snorkeling being very good.

You can always tell the newbie cruisers because they're the ones shouting into a walkie-talkie on Day 1. By Day 3 you don't see walkie-talkies anywhere, because they just don't work.

When our (now-adult) children were smaller, we used cruises as "trust tests" and the kids passed wonderfully. We acknowledged the vacation was as much theirs as it is ours, and that the last thing they wanted was for Mom & Dad to be in their ear all week. We simply stuck a magnetic white-board to the cabin wall (ships are made of steel!), and had a policy that mandated any change of venue required a note to be left on the message-board. So, if after breakfast they went off to the Kid's Club, but then went to the pool at 11:30, we expected them to leave a note with the time and the new location. Same for Mom & Dad! This way, a quick run to the cabin and one could get a family member's location easily. We still do this, after 10 years and almost as many cruises.