The Traveling Man

7 hours ago, complawyer said:

if  you recall, i was on the cruise right after yours. you underline my point exactly! 

changing or cancelling a cruise port, while certainly both an inconvenience and disappointment, shouldnt ruin the entire cruise.

 

changing the final disembarkation port is beyond outrageous.

Actually it was the other way around.  You sailed on the Star around Southeast Asia in December 2016 or January 2017, as I recall.  We boarded in Sydney on 6 February 2017.  The point, of course, is that even though that ship suffered multiple itinerary changes over a period of more than two months, NCL at least made it to the scheduled ports of embarkation and debarkation on time.  They also offered varying amounts of compensation to the passengers on the several cruise segments.  Not everyone was happy with the amounts offered, of course.  Remember the near mutiny that occurred in late January?  I think you’re right about changing the debarkation and embarkation port for this coming cruise, though.  That really crosses the line.

I had one taken from me that I had forgotten to remove from my carry on bag.  Since then I always have placed it in my checked luggage.  I have it in my pocket right now while on board a ship.  The ship’s security folks never have questioned me about it.

@complawyer

There have been many threads on this forum concerning last minute itinerary changes.  In most cases I have shrugged them off, thinking that I could tolerate them if they occurred on one of my trips.  I even was satisfied with NCL’s response to the fiasco of the 2016-2017 misadventures of the Star.  Changing the debarkation/embarkation port, however, really gives me pause.  I think that in future I may only book an NCL cruise a few weeks before it sails, well after the final payment date.  If they ever were to change a port of embarkation or debarkation so near to travel time that it cost me extra money to change my flight or hotel, I’m pretty sure that would be my last NCL cruise.

29 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

It's not really asking permission, while they cannot detain you, they are within their rights to place an "innkeeper's lien" against you until all of the above are paid, and this means they can confiscate all of your luggage.

Now that is something I never considered.  If an innkeepers lien allows the cruise line to seize your luggage, that alone should be incentive enough to keep anyone from attempting this without written permission in advance.

23 minutes ago, yakcruiser said:

I hope so! I am counting on some really cheap cruises in 27 or 28 when they run out of "new wallets" who most will not be return cruisers and offer some really good deals to the loyal cruisers who have jumped ship to lure them back.

As P.T. Barnum is credited with saying “There’s one born every minute.”  I don’t think that NCL is likely to run out of new customers any time soon.

On 8/29/2024 at 9:27 AM, SAmome said:

 

 

Why not leave St John at a normal time and at least keep Halifax a daytime experience from advertised itinerary instead of 4pm-11pm (Oct 18th - likely cold)?

The tide.  Ships have to sail when the water in the channel is deep enough for them.  The Bay of Fundy has some of the highest tides on earth.

On 8/29/2024 at 8:42 AM, SAmome said:

 

Can Portland not just host the Breakaway Oct 16th?  The 15th we'll be in Boston.  The Gem is scheduled to be there on the 16th; can Portland port not host two big ships? 

 

We were in Portland three days ago on a small ship, about 160 passengers.  There were two other similar size ships plus a 3000 and a 5000 passenger ship in town.  The city was crowded with visitors, but things seemed to run smoothly.

On 9/4/2024 at 7:16 PM, kaysha2004 said:

Bar Harbor recently restricted their port to no more than 1000 passengers per day, so there's been some juggling.  NCL is eliminating ports of call with no substitute and keeping the money for port fees and taxes.  We need to push back on this.  It's not legal.

We were in Bah Hah Bah two days ago on a small ship (160 passengers).  There also was a Princess behemoth (about 5000 passengers?) in port.  The tenders kept busy all day and the town was packed with cruisers.

1 minute ago, ggTexasGal said:

We have an upcoming cruise booked with Final Payment “due.”

However, we made our “Final Payment” yesterday and received a zero-balance invoice from NCL shortly after making that payment.

 

(Our credit card shows the correct amount owed to NCL has been charged.)

 

Later in the day, hubby submitted the form for NCL Shareholder’s OBC, which NCL quickly processed.  NCL provided a new invoice with the NCL OBC, so we were happy… until today!

 

Lo and behold, today we somehow owe NCL 2 cents…  Go figure!!! 

Definitely give them your two cents worth!!!  🤣

10 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

 

And you did not have to settle with guest services for your onboard bill?

Probably ended up paying the DSC on the remaining days and received the final bill via email.

On 9/15/2024 at 8:57 AM, steamboats said:

 

Within EU ports there is no immigration if you stay in the Schengen area.

 

If UK is involved this might be another story.

 

steamboats

When we did this, we had sailed from NYC to Southampton on the Getaway, then continued to Amsterdam on just the first three days of a ten day cruise that was destined for Copenhagen.  I am not sure what paperwork was required, but NCL VP Katty Byrd took care of it for us.  No worries.

On 9/15/2024 at 8:45 AM, mscdivina2016 said:

When requesting , always state you want to break your voyage early and you understand there will be no refund for unused days.

Yes to Katy Bird for email.

The time we did this, we only sailed the first three days of a ten day cruise.  NCL VP Katty Byrd arranged a special fare for us which was significantly less than the lowest advertised rate for the entire ten day cruise.  It was more than just 30% of the regular price, of course, but low enough to be comparable to what we would have paid for taxis, trains, planes, hotels, and restaurants to get us from Southampton to Amsterdam.  Depending on the specifics of the request, you may expect to pay the full fare for the entire cruise, but we were fortunate to be quoted a discounted rate.  YMMV.

1 hour ago, ohioNCLcruiser said:

I could be wrong, but it sounds like this might be skipping a passenger TA sailing and just start from Miami. This is what others have been doing recently too. 

Several of NCL’s recent ships have sailed without paying passengers on their inaugural voyage.  They may have carried travel agents, reporters, or other guests on a complimentary basis, but no paying passengers.  That may be the case for the Luna.

12 hours ago, boxedmoon said:

A booked 9 day cruise now qualifies for the past guest offer for an extra Latitudes point. The issues is that the fare price has increased by about $80/person, so to get the offer we would have to pay the current rates.

 

Would you pay $80 to get 9 more Latitude points? We are already platinum level and anticipate cruising with NCL for several more decades.

It does seem like a good deal since it is so much cheaper than an another entire cruise for the points, but I don't like the idea of paying more.

It really depends on how close you are to the next Latitudes level and how important the benefits of that level are to you.  If you frequently take tours booked through the NCL Shorex desk, then the extra 5% may make it worth it to you.  If having dinner with an officer and several other frequent travelers is appealing, then that may be enough reason to rebook for the extra points.  We’re about 100 points away from the next level, but that level includes a free cruise for each of us, so I probably would pay the extra $80 to get to Ambassador sooner.  It all depends on your situation an your preferences.

27 minutes ago, Seekup said:

Our ship is nearly full so my upgrade bids didn't get accepted. A NCL rep suggested I go to the guest services desk once on board and ask about an upgrade. But I'm wondering if it would just be an offer to pay the most recent posted prices (no deal), which are really high.

 

Any experience?

 

Thanks!

We have been on about three dozen cruises with NCL.  On virtually every one there has been an engraved sign on the Guest Services desk indicating that the ship was at full capacity and that no upgrades were available. Not a hastily printed sign, but a permanent, carefully crafted one, indicating that it would be displayed on a regular basis. 

23 hours ago, Beaumont Barbie said:

Points expire after five years. From B of A website: How You May Lose Points: As long as your card account is open and has active charging privileges, points expire 5 years after the month they were earned.

https://www.bankofamerica.com/credit-cards/terms-and-conditions/?campaignid=4070523&productoffercode=7Q&locale=en_US

 

Thank you for that.  We usually sail several times a year, so I don’t think we need to worry about that.

21 hours ago, 9tee2Sea said:

points expire I believe 3 years after posting on account ( unlike some other cards where points dont expire).  Keep that in mind when doing your bookings.  Im going to start using my points for statement credits instead of upgrades.

I did not know that they expired.  We sail often enough that we use them within a few months after earning them.

On 9/13/2024 at 4:31 PM, FLcruiser2011 said:

I totally understand, but whom does one have to reach at NCL?  I have gotten approvals in the past from other cruise lines, and know what departments to reach there, but I have not been able to determine what process is necessary at NCL. 

My wife and I have done this.  Contact Ms. Katty Byrd, NCL Senior VP for Guest Services, kbyrd@ncl.com.  

14 hours ago, laudergayle said:

I just noticed that sign up bonus is now 30,000.  Unless the rules have changed, this is enough for a one category upgrade.

Correct, 30,000 points are enough for a single meta upgrade.

On 9/12/2024 at 8:04 PM, Kierste said:

Hi all! Just got our card a month ago, by my calculations I will have 60k points racked up before final payment for our cruise for next summer (11 night European cruise). We are in adjoining club balcony with a regular balcony next door (for my dd) I assume that since we will be close to final payment that the 60k to upgrade, that we don’t fit the upgrade ideal. We rarely need OBC because I pre-pay for gratuities etc and try to walk out with no bill. Do I use the points as a statement credit, or knock off some of the price of our room, save it for the next cruise (because there is always a next cruise) Is there something I am missing?

Or save the points to apply to some future cruise.  Remember that the World Points upgrade is only available up to a Balcony.  If you normally travel in a Club Balcony, Suite, or Haven stateroom, then the upgrade option will be of no value to you.

23 hours ago, complawyer said:

usually, i can roll with the punches if an itinerary is changed. 2016-2017 our cruise cancelled taipei and hanoi. to me it was a massive disappointment, but ncl deducted 50% of the price i had paid (we were in a penthouse suite) and deducted 50% on whatever following cruise i wanted to take. not a bad exchange, although i understand they have never again been that generous.

Well, never say never.  The Star missed ports of call in Taipei and Hanoi because propulsion problems cut it to about half speed, so you got half back on your fare.  A couple of months later, 10 February 2017, we were on the Star when it lost all propulsion and was adrift in the Tasman Sea.  We received 100% of our cruise fare, taxes, port fees, gratuities, and "all monies paid" for that cruise, plus FCC equal to 50% of our cruise fare.  Now that may have been the last of NCL's magnanimity.

On 9/8/2024 at 11:54 PM, jds2001 said:

I just looked at it for this cruise - it's $4517 from OA to BA so the first 30K points is still ~$1700

And maybe next month you spot another cruise you want to take where the price difference between OV and Balcony is $3000 or more.  If you already have spent all 60,000 of your points on the Sun, you may not have enough points left to take advantage of that next cruise.  YMMV, so check carefully before jumping in with both feet.  We usually try to keep somewhere close to 30,000 points in reserve and always look for a savings of at least $2500 or $3000 per 30,000 points.

On 9/8/2024 at 11:11 PM, wncretired said:

This doesn’t seem possible. Or is it???

17 day Trans Pacific on the Norwegian Sun, October, 2025.  Leaves Vancouver, makes 3 stops in Alaska, and 3 in Japan, ending in Tokyo. 
 

price for an Interior (IA) is $4,454, including all FAS.

price for Balcony (BA), is $10,669 including all FAS. 

 

Can I use 60,000 WP’s to upgrade from IA to BA and save $6,215 ??????
I love the idea, but it seems to good to be true!!

Yes you can.  If you earned all your points for purchases you made with Norwegian, you received three points for each dollar spent, so those 60,000 points cost $20,000.  Saving $6,215 amounts to a "cash back" equivalent of more than 31%.  That certain tops the standard one or two percent on most "cash back" cards.  We try to average at least 25% return on our BoA NCL World Points Mastercard.  Our best was over 40%. 

If you intend to cruise frequently with NCL, you may find that it makes more sense to pay for an Ocean View stateroom and just use 30,000 points for a single meta upgrade.  Save the other 30,000 points for a future cruise.  On many cruises the price difference between Inside and OV is rather negligible, while the difference between OV and Balcony is much greater.  Spend your points wisely and enjoy saving money on your cruises!

10 hours ago, K and S said:

I don't know where to put this question so please help. 

In April we became carnivores, due to health issues. 

I would like to hear from other carnivores re their eating experiences on a Norwegian cruise. Thanks. 

Sorry, but I misread the title of your thread.  I wondered why you would post on the NCL board if you had a question about sailing with Carnival. 😁

31 minutes ago, hallux said:

Anyone that read the entire thread before responding would see it was resolved 4 days ago...

Well, you got me.  I usually read a thread from the top and respond whenever I see a post that attracts my attention.  I usually do not read all of the following posts to see if anyone has already responded.  I just go ahead and put in my two cents worth, then continue reading the following posts.  Yep, it happens sometimes.  So, if my johnny-come-lately posts bother you, you always can put me on your "ignore" list.