Middleager

We've been on several NCL cruises, including 6 since Covid. Never heard of "Early Bird" window for tendering. Before we became Gold/Platinum, we always had to either get a tender ticket or an excursion. For excursion, we'd go to a specific area and are given/assigned tender tickets there, and basically followed the group as we're called. For Gold/Plat and up, we were told to wait in a (different than the excursions) specific area. While waiting there, we don't need tender tickets and we're just escorted to get on a tender. There's usually not that many people, and we thought we were on the first tender going out, for guests. Never heard of "Early Bird" tendering, for all of the NCL cruises we had been on.

I have seen excursions I booked, disappear. My friends couldn't book any more, because they are sold out. I've also encountered an excursion that shows up, but when I tried to book, I found there's only one spot. After talking to NCL, I booked that one spot and kept checking to see if a spot come up (it did, and my wife and I were able to get on that excursion).

Wait till you guys travel to many other airports. In some other airports there's no heating in the winter. In some others there's no A/C in the summer. In many airports there's no place to buy any food, and definitely not finding charging stations. Many airports don't provide wifi (try Cairo). At Pearson at least they seem to have improved in getting people through immigration, and the luggages are coming out fast enough. We've travelled quite a bit since Covid, and have seen so many airports where luggages come out much much slower.

Do they need to wait for the next turn-around port to get off, or they can get off at any upcoming port? Before getting to the port where they can get off, are they then charged the room & board for those days they don't work? If it happens to be a long cruise, that could be many days from the time they said they quit.

What happens when they don't survive the first few weeks of a contract?

Ever since we became Platinum two years ago, we were told to wait at a certain place, and they'd escort us to the tender, usually the first tender.

This can go to Hawaii port forum. But it's better you book the Pearl Harbour Arizona Memorial tender ticket yourself, 8 weeks before. That way you have a confirmed tender time/ticket. The policy for the Arizona Memorial tender ticket has been changing. In the past you can still go there on site and see if you can get a ticket (taking your chance there may still be ticket available), but they've changed that no more tickets to be handed out on site. It may still change, but it's just best that you book that ticket yourself. For Hawaii, I find it's easiest to rent a car, so you can get around yourself.

I wouldn't chance not getting back on ship by the all aboard time.

That's why I suggester water_baby to check again, because s/he apparently didn't know of the charge. And yes Amex is awful, to charge more if it's different foreign currency than USD. And again that's hidden into the rate they use.

You better check again. Every other Cobalt cards, including my wife's and my supplementary card, got charged the extra 2.5% if spending in USD, or if in other currencies it'll be 2.5% extra to USD then another 2.5% to Cad. Check the rates you got charged, vs the mid market rate.

This is really rough. Just curious how many days till the flight were the changes made? We don't know the reasons and which airlines. We've bought air through NCL in the past when the savings were substantial. We are commoners, so we fly economy, and sometimes we'd pay for seat selections, and sometimes take a chance especially for short flight segments. For luggages, if we need to pay, we'd try to wait till just before getting on to buy ahead if there's discount, or wait till airport check-in. There's pros and cons for buying air through NCL, but this is a bad negative to consider for the future. -- For changing from Canadian dollars, there are lots of money exchange places that give better rates than the banks, even bank's Private Banking rates. There was a time I went across the street to buy US$ from a money exchange place, then back to a bank to buy money order (about $1800), saving about $45. Some people wouldn't bother and just buy from bank. For me, that extra half hour, saved me $45.

Do you know of any cruise ship that doesn't need maintenance? You've never seen many drunken elderly people on a cruise, where have you sailed? Maybe your son will be hooked on cruising. We've been on several cruises. Ship happens, with all ships. Cancelled or changed itineraries. Shortened port of calls. Services/shows cancelled. We may or may not like the compensations, sometimes zero compensation. But we always get pampered on cruises, I get to be on vacation with my wife. Life is short, we make the best of it and enjoy it.

Ok, that's a special one, of Scotiabank/Amex partnership. You apply for that card through Scotiabank, not Amex. Amex doesn't list that as a card you can apply through them, or show that card in Amex websites. I don't know of Amex Amex card with no FX fee.

For the immigration/border agents, those IDs may suffice. But the cruiseline may still require you to show passport.

Which Amex card? Most of the Amex cards we know of, charge foreign exchange fees. If paying USD, it's 2.5%. If other countries, they charge 2.5% to convert to USD, then another 2.5% converting to Cad.

It had happened to us before. After booking, NCL came up with an offer of double points, but went up in price a bit. For you, if the price went up, you'd have to evaluate whether the double points is important to you that you'd like to rebook at the slightly higher price. If the price is the same or lower, then it's a no brainer to rebook.

We had bought NCL fare. For long haul (transatlantic, transpacific, or transcontinental) flights, they often do include a checked bag. For short haul or US/Canadian domestic flights, no there is no free checked bags. You can believe as much as you wish that you'll get free checked bag, but there is reality especially proven experience.

If you were NCL, will you book the lowest cost airfare, or will you try to pay higher fare out of the goodness of their heart so passengers will get more benefits?

In the last two cruises we were on, they both offered double up, if you book on cruise. They also both offered to upgrade you to the highest cabin, in the same category.

It's likely the transfer was made by the NCL rep, then the booking. That's because when doing bookings, the CF or CN certs or discounts, to be applied, they need to show up for the person applying. My BIL and my wife were just involved in doing a transfer and booking. The NCL rep was able to do the transfer (no forms or signatures needed, just transferred), then can do the booking.

That's right. No myth. Lattitude members who get priority tender, don't need to get tender tickets. I usually ask the Cruise Next desk. On different ship, sailing, things can be done differently. Sometimes they tell you just to show up (probably because they know from experience there is not line up, especially if tender starts really early), and sometimes they tell you to go to a certain room and wait there. NCL staff will then escort those, to the front of the line. If you have a small group going on a non-NCL excursion, as long as one of them has lattitude for priority tendering, NCL had allowed all to go together.

Didn't many people say NCL was going bankrupt, no way to climb out of the huge debt.

There is a lot to see in Oahu. Driving is easy, other than the traffic jams around Waikiki. Robert's Tours are good, but they start and end in Waikiki. If you like to see Pearl Harbor, it's best to book your time for Arizona Memorial. https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/233338/ticket/16 Other places to see, not too far from airport or Aloha Tower (for ship), include Punchbowl Cemetery, Pali Lookout, Ionali Palace. Even Aloha Stadium Swap meet. No time to go to Polynesia Cultural Center to enjoy it fully. But you can stop at Waikiki for a bit of time. If you still don't want to drive, it can be expensive to hire a private driver, but that gives you flexibility.

We have bought NCL air from Toronto to Rome, then Miami to Toronto, for a Transatlantic cruise before. We did 2day deviation before, and after, and did our own hotel booking, and transfer arrangements. At that time, 2d is the maximum deviation. Interesting to hear they offer 3day deviation now. There are lots of pros and cons to buy air from NCL and there are lots of threads and posts. For us, the money saved was good. We knew were were taking a chance and can get bad flight/connection times. You have to decide if that's for you.

Hmm. So for 17d cruise, 2 weeks plus 3 days, do we (Saphires) get 2 bags or 3 bags each of laundry?