Firstin87

luv2kroooz, thanks for the kind thoughts. We'll still enjoy our cruise. Especially looking forward to Grand Cayman for the second time and experiencing the Jade (we've done most of it's sister ships). We've cruised enough to know that if you really want to see a port, don't go by cruise ship, plan a direct visit. Things can and do happen - we've missed ports due to weather before and have no complaint with that. As so many have said, it's the fake excuses, purposely waiting until after final payment to make a change that might cause people to cancel, etc.

We are on the Jade in Feb. and were originally going to St. Croix - a unique port we haven't been to since our honeymoon 37 years ago and a key reason we booked (and I know it could be cancelled for weather, etc., so was prepared for that possibility). After final payment, surprise - St. Croix was cancelled, replaced by a sea day, and they blamed their environmental program. Makes no sense since they would use less fuel docked for a day than they will at sea. Plus, if that was the 'real' reason, NCL knew about it well before final payment was due. I'm getting a bit frustrated with this 'bait and switch' for phony reasons.

I, and it sounds like Russiamomm also, was not suggesting a straight A=B transfer, just some sort of acknowledgement that we have cruised several times on NCL. A small OBC, bottle of wine, something small to show they know that while we are new to Oceania, they appreciate that we have sailed 'in their family' many times before.

There's not even an acknowledgement between brands. We've done over 15 NCL cruises, just made Diamond, but on our first Oceania cruise last March (of 2023), we were treated like newbies. I was disappointed that there is no acknowledgement that you' re 'still in the family' and got no benefits or perks of any kind

I think we're on the same cruise as you, Slyfox16. Thanks for the post and all the helpful info.

thank you! I'll look into contacting Jackie.

Hi, We'll be in Grand Cayman this Feb. and have a tour booked with Cayman Safari Adventures for the Crystal Caves and tour of that part of the island. I got an email saying that they are waiting for the public transport license to be renewed and will complete my booking when that happens. Not wanting to be stuck at the last minute, I looked at a similar shore excursion through NCL, but it is almost twice as expensive. Ouch! Wondering if anyone has any experience with Cayman Safari Adventure and if they are, well... flaky or not. Or, we might do a private tour. We've used Jackie's Historical Land Tours for a private tour a few years ago, but cannot find their website online. Does anyone know if they have gone out of business? Sure hope her business survived the pandemic, but no website is surely not a good sign of a thriving tour business. Thanks, Cyndy

Hi All, We are considering staying at the Clermont Victoria Station in May of 2024. Looks gorgeous! We've never been to England before and I know some things about the hotel will be different than what we are used to here in the States. Anyone have thoughts on the room type? I'm looking at at least a "Deluxe King", but also see a "Superior King" and "Studio Suite" listed and the price difference isn't significant enough to make the decision for us. Other than the size difference, anything else I should consider when choosing our room? Also, there is an option to add breakfast daily - is it worth the extra money? Thanks for the help! Cyndy

For us, part of the fun of going on a cruise with friends would be the pre-planning together. I'm glad surprising friends has worked for those who have posted about it and to each his own. Definitely not a 'once size fits all'.

Yes! Just because you are friends doesn't mean you would be good travel companions. Some people dine at different times, some people like to disembark early and other like to sleep in, some like bus tour excursions and some like adventurous ones. I'd only travel with friends if we planned it in advance and were clear about expectations. A bad travel experience can harm a friendship, so I'd be careful not to risk that.

Guests in the Haven can dine at any restaurant, attend all events, etc. They have access to the entire ship the same as everyone else. What people mean by Haven guests not seeing non-Haven guests is that the Haven has specific perks (i.e., it's own restaurant - on most Haven ships - it's own bar/lounge) that are only for Haven guests - and you pay more to be in the Haven because of those amenities. Only Haven guests can use those areas, so if a friend/ is booked in a non-Haven cabin, they cannot join you in the Haven restaurant, bar, pool, etc. Consequently, to spend time with them, you are 'missing out' on using the Haven benefits that you have paid a pretty penny for. Many guests book the Haven specifically for those benefits, so being surprised by a friend who is not also in the Haven can be tricky - you may be happy to see them, but would not have booked the Haven had you known they would be onboard, too.

Just because you are friends does not necessarily mean you have the same travel preferences or expectations. If we were ever to travel with friends, I'd want to be sure we planned it together and were all clear about what amount of time we'd spend together, doing what shore excursions together, etc. Some people's routines don't align well - eating dinner early or later? disembarking right away or sleeping in?

That is scary! Thank goodness you were able to get him to leave. I hope this happened many years ago and that this international hotel chain has revised their policies. If for no other reason, the hotel could be liable if something horrible happened to a guest after the business gave out the guest's room number without the guest's permission.

Totally agree. Very surprising that NCL is that liberal with such personal information.

Tickets did not appear to be available for purchase in advance. We bought them when we arrived - quick and easy. Their booth is right at the end of the port, right at the parking lot by their buses. We waited for less than a minute. I can't remember if they were finishing with another customer when we walked up or if there was no one in line. No problem buying when you get there. Hope you have a great trip!

that's right... you jogged my memory. Got off at Stop 4, across the street from a church that was a popular site, and someone from the HOHO company gave a short talk about the church. You could catch the next HOHO at that stop, or walk to Stop 5, Tourism Information. We tried to walk to Stop 5, could not find it, so returned to Stop 4 and boarded the next bus. I recommend browsing the area of stop 4, lots of stores, and returning to where you disembarked the bus. We could not find the Tourism Information site's name on our phone to get walking directions, so some wasted time and energy there.

The narration is live. The language and amount of narration varied by driver. Some drivers spoke only English and some were bilingual. Some were more 'talkative' than others, but passengers were always clearly told what stop they were at and where to meet the next bus. FYI - the bus does not stop at the Little White House - it stops below the hill the house is on and you can walk up to the building. This was clearly explained to passengers upon embarkation at the port and during the ride. The time between buses at each stop was about 20 minutes.

We recently returned from a lovely Quebec to Baltimore cruise on NCL that stopped in Saguenay. We looked for non-ship excursions to do and found limited and outdated information about a Hop On Hop Off bus at the port, but we couldn't tell if it still existed. Luckily, it does! Cost was $30 (CAD) each, ran the whole day, and had good narration. I'm attaching a scan of it's stops. Hope others enjoy it as much as we did. Saguenay HOHO Bus.pdf

One reason for pre-purchasing OBC and cashing it out the night before disembarkation is to lessen the amount of cash one would carry on the trip. If it's a long cruise and cash is brought for tips used both onboard and in port, that may be more cash than someone is comfortable carrying.

Sounds like that could be it.

On pg. 1, pinned at the top, item 2 "NCL Promo Code List" is a great resource for finding what most of those mysterious codes mean.

Not only will the butler bring your breakfast at no charge during the time frame (half hour increments) you mark on your order card, they will lay out a tablecloth and arrange the covered dishes very nicely on the table. It feels very luxurious and is a great way to go if you have an early morning excursion. I'll often order a bold breakfast so I can be getting ready to go while I eat. Quite a time saver.

WE had NCL book our air for a trip to Panama City in Feb. Knowing that we'd get the cheapest flight possible (they aren't going to put you on an easy to sell flight), I looked on Expedia and Google flights for the cheapest flight. We decided that flight would be OK with us, so we let NCL do our air. Sure enough, that the was flight they put us on. So, check what the lowest price flight is from Houston to Heathrow and if it's one you'd be OK with taking, let NCL book it and save some money. We ended up saving several hundred dollars by having NCL do that flight.

This alone is a reason to check your bags with the porter. Embarkation day is hectic for everyone and the crowded areas The Bird mentioned above are not helped by having people bringing their luggage with them - makes the lines longer, the processes slower, and more chaos for everyone to get around. We board with just a backpack that contains anything we need for the afternoon as we're only without our luggage for a few hours.

I've wondered if this would work. The vendor had no problem, I assume.