cwtravel

Hi-

I am on the Legend May 30th cruise from Barcelona. Ship is in after dry dock and not scheduled to depart until 7pm. 
 

Anyone know if you are allowed off the ship after checking in/boarding? Some ports allow, some do not.

Also, since the ship will have no passengers due to being in dry dock is boarding begins about the same general time as other cruises?

Thanks!!

4 hours ago, GrammieK said:

1978 Home Lines Oceanic

First for me was also on the Oceanic in 1973. 7 night from NYC to Nassau. I was 12, am 62 now and am taking cruise #45 next week on the Rotterdam.

Booked on a European Carnival cruise departing Barcelona late May. Daughter just diagnosed with breast cancer. Final payment for cruise due March 1.

Not sure what the treatment schedule will be or when it will start but, is cancelling due to daughter starting chemo a covered situation? If we make final we will have vacation protection thru Carnival.

Is there a men’s and woman’s sauna on the Oasis of the Seas? Going over Christmas and I would love a good steam/sweat while onboard.

Thanks!

Hi-

Going on the Oasis over Christmas. We have family flying into Miami from all over the US and Europe. Does the Oasis have self serve laundry machines onboard?

Thanks in advance for the responses!

I think they are “smoking the drink” - think dry ice, not a person smoking.

But, I could be wrong.

On the Legend from Baltimore departing Sat. 9/16. I expect to be routed south, would enjoy a stop in Charleston. Something different.

Not sure where you are going but:

May 2023 BWI to Athens

To- British thru London Heathrow

From - Air Canada thru Toronto

No issues with either set of flights

Just flew thru CDG in May going to Athens from DC Dulles and based on my experience that is a very tight connection for you and your luggage. Fortunately our return flight was on Delta thru Atlanta.

You probably will need to switch terminals and will need to go through immigration (get your passport stamped as you are leaving the Schengen zone) at CDG.

32 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We have a cruise booked from Athens to Venice for next summer.  We booked with the "free air", which cost about $1500.  Since you can only deviate by a couple days, we would only use the first leg, but it still looks cheaper than what we could buy two one way flights to Athens.  My question is, would we be able to upgrade to premium economy because I don't want to fly that far in economy.  

No.

depending on the airline ( United and American) you can probably purchase the economy plus type seats (additional leg room).

If you want premium economy don’t do the BOGO promo. 

1 hour ago, RIvacationgirl said:

My husband and our best friends are just beginning to plan for a Mediterranean cruise for next summer. We have only cruised from U.S. ports, and have no knowledge about the differences cruising from Europe. We also do not know how the promotion works with airfare included. Do you get to pick where you fly from?

Any tips you can share would be helpful about these two topics.

Thank you!

I am fortunate to have taken six European cruises with the most recent one being in May on the Norwegian Jade from Athens to Greece/Turkey and Israel. My advice:

- Read and understand the terms and conditions for the BOGO air promo to determine if it works for you/your group. If you must fly together with another couple or are looking for business class or premium do not use the BOGO. Living in RI if you open to fly from Boston Logan (where more non-stop flights to Europe depart from) vs. TF Greene (where you will probably be routed through NY/Newark) put Logan as your departure airport. In my opinion the BOGO is a great deal for flight to Europe if you want to save money but are willing to make a connection or fly on an airline that you might not typically fly such as Icelandair. The BOGO air amount was $500 per person round trip from the DC area for the guests in my group that used it while published rates were over $1200 per person round trip to Athens. One thing to remember, buying the air on your own does not mean there will not be problems. I did not use the BOGO air and had all kinds of issues with Air France with cancelled and changed flights. I also would avoid Paris Charles de Gaulle airport at all costs!

- Go to Europe at least one day early though two is better. With the BOGO you can fly in up to two days early. The vast majority of the flights from the US to Europe are overnight so if your cruise departs on a Saturday you would want to depart the US on a Wednesday to arrive in Europe on Thursday (2 days early).

- Book your own hotel, do not do the cruise hotel package. The cruise generally charges about double the amount of the room. You should also arrange your own transfers to/from the ship.

- Use Viator and Tripadvisor to research and book private/small group tours.

- Make sure your passport is good for 6 months after you return from your trip

Hope this helps & good luck!

18 hours ago, adonisr said:

We're doing this cruise in August. 

Can you tell us what nights were the "dress up or not" nights?

How easy/difficult was it to get in and out of the port areas in Ashdod and Haifa?

I do not believe there are any “dress up nights” on this or any other NCL cruises. This is a very port intensive cruise (especially the Israel stops) unlike say your typical Caribbean cruise. Feel free to dress up but fortunately there is no formal/smart casual, etc type evenings.

Getting in/out of both Ashdod and Haifa is a bit of a challenge as you must deal with Israel security and procedures at each port. Ashdod certainly took the longest, once off the ship you went into another building (think customs facility) where you line up, answer a few question & then go through metal detectors before being allowed out. The various tour companies were waiting in the public area.

Haifa took a little while just to get off the ship as the Israel security people were checking passports on the ship before going thru the metal detectors. It seemed to be pretty well organized but you will not just walk off the ship. I doubt you could walk out either port though there was/is a shuttle in Ashdod to a local mall where bus transportation is available.

The only real negative I had with NCL was the evening return at Patmos. Most guests returned around 10:30-11pm and the only place open for food was O’sheanes which could not handle the volume. I was surprised they did not have stuff in either the buffet or Great Outdoors.

Overall I thought it was a great cruise. I would certainly sail on the Jade again and for a Europe sailing would definitely use the BOGO air promo. If you read the kind of small number of people complaining about BOGO on this board the vast majority did not seem know or understand the terms and conditions with the air promo. 
 

Have a great trip!

Thanks for the answers. Seems kind of silly as the ship would have already been to Canada plus made the stop in Portland. 
 

I am on a Canada/New England sailing from Baltimore in September and now have a conflict with my schedule. This booking was made after numerous cancellations from what was originally a booking on the Mardi Gras for its first season. Between building delays and Covid there were at least three cancellations and each time additional cruise credit (both onboard credit and future cruise credit) was awarded. I did this booking because at the time (early 2020) this was as far out as I could book plus living near Baltimore I have always wanted to sail from Baltimore and I did not want to lose any of the various credits that had been awarded.

Last week (final payment is not due until later this month) I called about changing to a different sailing date and the amount of cabin credit and cruise fare credit that would not transfer would be about $1500. That's not going to work. So, the last few days are a stop in Boston (a stop in Maine is earlier) than a sea day before arriving back into Baltimore. I would like to get off in Boston, which is the last stop of the cruise. Any idea how I could arrange for early disembarkation? Is there a specific department that would handle something like early disembarkation?

Thanks!

Thanks. What did the tour cost?

Was in a Club Balcony on deck 11 in May and there was a magnifying/lit mirror in a drawer at the desk/television piece of furniture.

I had a group on the May 14-21 Athens sailing on the Jade. Everyone (except my wife and I) used the BOGO, most from the DC area. There were no issues with any of the flights except for the flights I did that were not BOGO. The biggest issue is the very limited number of flights available for the return from Athens given the time to get off the ship, get to the airport and make the flight. Delta has one thru Atlanta and two thru JFK, United has one thru Newark and alsoWashington Dulles. Otherwise a limited few on Air Canada, BA and possibly Lufthansa.

I am not a NCL cheerleader and did not use the BOGO myself but, there are many that do not know or understand the terms and conditions and thus are not happy when say their friends are on different flights or they are routed thru Toronto to get to Charlotte. If you are flexible and do not need a specific airline or do not need premium or business class the BOGO is extremely cost friendly. 
 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise. I was pleasantly surprised with the Norwegian Jade and the onboard experience.

2 hours ago, steve49589 said:

If possible, cancel the air portion of your reservation with NCL for a full refund of that portion of the reservation, and book direct with the airline. Even it the cost is 25% to 50% more, do it.

Look online, and you'll find hundreds of issues regarding the NCL Air Department. They are a total train wreck.

This has to be the most irresponsible post I have ever read. You do not know if this person has booked the BOGO promo (and understands it) or if they are using the NCL custom air. Also, any idea where they are flying to/from? Let’s say, for example, they are departing from Charlotte to Athens, which does not have that much air capacity compared to say London or even Rome. 

Easy to make silly comments when it is not your money.

Stayed at the Grand Hyatt Athens for 2 nights a couple weeks ago. I loved the hotel as it has large well appointed rooms (many with the Acropolis view), good F&B options/service and a beautiful roof top pool.

Lots of shops and restaurants right behind the hotel. It is also only about 15-20 minutes from the cruise port.

Just left the Jade yesterday (May 14-21) & yes, no alcohol sold while in Greek ports unless you had the beverage package. We were in Patmos from about 6pm to 11 and I purchased a couple of local beers (1 euro each) for my balcony. Santorini was possibly a bigger deal for many due to the time in port (1-9pm) and it was the last night.

I am not sure if this is a NCL thing or, most likely a Greek rule. Lot’s of cruisers in the tavernas on Patmos. 

Hello - I am currently sitting in the Athens Airport, having disembarked from the Norwegian Jade earlier this morning. This was cruise #45 for me and my 4th on Norwegian. This cruise met my expectations and in many ways exceeded them.

Pre-cruise: most of my group used the BOGO air offer thru NCL and all of the flights were on time, no issues. Everyone understood that NCL would pick the airline and people flying from the same airport would not necessarily be on the same flight. I decided to not use the BOGO promo (used Delta points to book Air France) for and had numerous changes in flights, times which resulted in multiple calls with Air France before things were straightened out. I would definitely use the BOGO flights, especially to/from Europe.

We had 2 nights in Athens pre-cruise and stayed at the Grand Hyatt Athens, which is also the hotel NCL uses for their pre-cruise package. I am a World of Hyatt member and thus booked directly with Hyatt and received early check in, late check out and a room with a beautiful Acropolis view. Overall very pleased with the Grand Hyatt and certainly will stay there again when in Athens.

I thought the ship was very well maintained and very clean. Food was good. I had a 2 meal speciality dining package and, at least for this trip, was not necessary. Used it for Le Bistro (good) and Cagney’s (very good). Service was very good and the crew was outstanding. Ports were good with the highlight being Ashdod and Haifa in Israel.

7 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

If you booked your flights with the airline, the airline has responsibilities to get you to the destination next available flight.

There are federal laws.

If you book thorough one agency (NCL) that passes you on to another (travel agency booking your flights) that books the flight you become the 3 or 4th party. Airlines will take care of their customers first.

This is not true. The airlines responsibility is to get you on the next available flight with seats available. It does not matter if you did the airline booking or NCL did the booking.

I am amazed at the amount if mis-information there is about the cruise booking your air and specifically with NCL’s BOGO program.

https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/flight-delays-cancellations

Thanks for the quick responses.

The info/description onNCL’s website is very vague.

Hello- The wife and I are on the Jade out of Athens in a couple of weeks and we are booked in a Club Balcony Suite. Can someone tell me what the laundry perk is? Is it a bag of laundry per person, a bag for the cabin or what? We are gone for almost 3 weeks with pre cruise in Athens and post cruise in Italy and want to keep our packing/luggage to a minimum. Laundry mid trip would certainly help.

Thanks!

Flights from US to Europe are generally always overnight except for a few from NYC or DC to London. There is a 6 hour time difference from the US East coast to Rome.