MagnoliaBlossom

We were on CCL in October and rooms were not ready until 2:00. on some ships NCL has a baggage drop, usually in a closed bar near the atrium, where you left your bags and got a ticket for them. Nice not to have them cluttering up passageways as people drug them around. I don’t believe they had one of the Star in August but as Diamonds we can drop off our bags in our room then head out to lunch.

I know I have seen a site referenced here with dry dock / refurbishment schedules but can’t locate it. Anyone know? Thanks.

Love having a coffee maker, but I do wish they would bring back the four cup pots. We have a small percolator that we take when traveling.

Usually the complimentary upgrade verbage is in small print near the bottom of the invoice, but above the TC verbage. I believe msc is right that you cannot get a reduction because it is considered “a special rate”. recently I had a discussion with my PCC about rate reductions and it has changed over the years. In the past for an inside and jumped to a balcony a rate drop in the I category would get you a reduction, assuming all perks and benefits were the same. Now they base the reduction on the category you upgraded to. I had her check the rates on my six booked cruises last week and while my paid rate was an I4, I was in a BA, and that is the basis for reduction. All the balconies had increased in price so no price drops for me. But six months ago I got reductions on three of the cruises, so the axe swings both ways. I don’t see your estimation that you have a triple threat, it’s just the way it is. Group rates will usually lock you in to whatever their arrangement is with the cruise line. Some of your shipmates may have booked under perks that are different from your perks. The offers (bar, dining,internet, % off, etc) must match exactly to het a reduction. For instance I had a price reduction recently but couldn’t receive a drop because my offer was 45% off fares,band the new offer was 50% off fares. I think the boa card is a terrific program, and FWIW, you can have multiple cards. I have six, so I could benefit from those bonus points. You can transfer points within cards at no cost.

These pods look like little pillows. Harder to find than the cups. The brand of coffee they use is not too bad. I am not a coffee snob, but I do bring my Community Coffee pods.

Coffee is free, as is continental breakfast, you only pay if you order bacon, eggs, etc. yes, it is a carafe. steward will get you a coffee maker if you ask. Some have reported finding theirs in the closet, so check there.

Years ago we were on another line that sailed out of NOLA on a 7 day cruise. By our final evening the Mississippi had risen suddenly and the river was unnavigable for our ship. Provision was made to offload us in Gulfport MS at the Chicita warehouse. Every bus in the area from NOLA to Mobile was called in to transport people to their cars at the dock or the airport. It was pretty well handled all things considered and then they had to get everyone from the NO pier to Gulfport because most people were in transit by the time emails went out and this was pre text messaging. This went on for six weeks until the mighty Mississippi slimmed down enough to accommodate larger ships again. and let us not forget when Ike hit Galveston. Of course none of those cars were salvageable, which was a whole different kind of mess.

FYI, they are not the 4 cup coffee makers like in the past, they are single cup machines that use a pod, not a cup.

The Path Between the Seas - a must for those cruising the Panama Canal. Pillars of the Earth Oil and Marble, the stories of Leonardo and Michelangelo

I did my IDme two days ago and they DID ask for SSN.

You will receive 25,000 points after you spend $1,000 in the first three months. For any charges with NCL you will receive 3 points per dollar. You can redeem those points in a variety of ways.

Well, the masks and covid restrictions are now history so at least we don’t have that to deal with. My biggest concern is leaving our vehicle in the whale lot with all the reports of break ins.

New Orleans is usually a mess. Pre COVID we sailed from Nzobthree or four times a year and it was rare that the procedure and layout was the same. At one time it seemed they had a pretty good system, but our last cruise out of there was chaotic. We sail from there 12/4 so it will be a pre cruise “adventure”

When you upgrade with points it’s not like bidding on an upgrade where they assign your cabin, this way you choose your own stateroom. But you can only upgrade to a BA, you can’t go for club balconies or suites. Enjoy your cruise. BTW, I noticed the card now offers 25,000 points. They go back and forth between that and 20,000.

It was available every day on the Breeze last month.

Mscloyd, we have found that using points for cabin upgrades is the best way to maximize bang for the buck. That may not interest you, but if you haven’t looked into it closel, you might check it out. Enjoy your cruise.

This program is new, but it is a reactivating of their former veterans program which was discontinued around 2010 or so. Glad to see it back. Thank you NCL!

Yes, there is a statement credit or cash back option. You can’t see it on the page you linked to because that only contains the NCL options. There are also options for gift cards and other travel discounts. I have never used any of those options, but the point calculator shows that it is a 1% reward.

We were on the Star in August, Southampton to Reyjakvik. Our cruise was cut from 11 days to 10 in order to accommodate the Prima and her big event. I found the food t be the worst we have had on any of our 82 cruises. Even the drinks were not mixed properly. ie, at two separate bars a whisky sour was made with whiskey and lemon lime juice. Period. No simple syrup, no cherry. they did take on 140 new staff members during our stop in Norway so maybe these bartenders were rookies, even the specialty restaurants were bad. Very poor cuts of meat, filled with gristle, fish looked like it was freezer burned. But we didn’t starve and everything else was fine. One of the best itineraries we’ve ever done and I would certainly do it again. we did not go to any of the shows, but we made a point of listening to the trio of violinists who played in the atrium most evenings. A great treat.

No

We were supposed to have an overnight in Reyjakvik but when the Prima decided to launch and film their promotional videos there we were bumped and our 11 day became a 10 night. So we had to add a day to our hotel reservations which cost us about $250. Very disappointing but we truly lived our time in Reyjakvik and would do this cruise again.

Wevdisembarked the Star on 8/24 and we were off surprisingly early. Do NOT plan on taking a taxi. The line for taxis was probably 100 people long and there were very few taxis. We were waiting for a tour to pick us up at the pier and we’re amazed at how slow the line moved. During our three days stay we learned that Reyjakvik is striving to reduce the number of vehicles on the street which is why there were so few taxis. the security line was very slow and it seemed we had to do two checks but I’m a little fuzzy on that. If you can possibly swing it, stay at least one day and do a golden circle tour. It is amazing.

Retired medic, CCL has its own version of some drinks. I used to enjoy cosmopolitans, but not the way Carnival makes them. I asked for a classic and it was awful. Never could find anyone who could make a descent cosmo.

It will be interesting to see if CCL follows NCLs lead on ship size. The Prima class actually has a smaller capacity than the previous class (Breakaway Plus). Buzz from the Future Cruise Consultants onboard is that customers were requesting, new, well appointed, with around 3,000 passengers. It will also allow them to sail itineraries that cannot accolade an aircraft carrier. We were on the CCL Breeze last week and enjoyed the size of that ship. We docked in Cozumel next to the MG and OMG! Watching people exit that ship was amazing. I’ve lived in towns with fewer people!