Alatraveler1

9 hours ago, Laszlo said:

I've been to Bar Harbor a half dozen times during the spring summer and fall. Lots of non cruise tourist there, I don't think they are too worried about the loss

Perhaps, and only having been there a couple of times, it seemed overcrowded (and not just due to cruisers).  We are bigger fans of Boothbay and other locales.  Maybe that is what it will take for this to stop, other nearby communities welcoming cruisers and their dollars.   Even though they may be fewer dollars it would be more than from land tourists they are not currently getting anyway.

Check out IQ Hotel Roma, great reviews on ********, walking distance to sites and Roma Termini Train Station.  More modern, but varied room sized for different family sizes.

We turned down the specialty dining this cruise as part of FAS.  I guess we've been spoiled by great service in the MDRs on the past two cruises.  We also tend to prefer to be more spontaneous with dining times and reserving dining times interferes with that.

Thank you for the indepth review.  Hope your trip home is uneventful and according to plan.  I know you've given me some things to both pay attention to and look forward to.  Hopefully our first foray into a new cabin class will improve even more on what have been enjoyable and worthwhile cruises in the past.

Planning on doing a trip report on our upcoming cruise on the Epic, hope to focus on the positives and go with the flow as you say as much as possible.  However, some of the issues you are experiencing while minor are concerning from a customer service standpoint.  These also deserve to be pointed out when considering the value proposition of cabin selection/class, included or extra charge dining preference and other optional services.  Thanks for writing about the positive and negative experiences when warranted.

Price on our cruise has gone down several $100 since final payment and I'm tempted to ask for a better cabin as opposed to FCC or something else.  However, I also have bids in on upgrades and am concerned if I move cabins those upgrade "requests" will become invalid since the cabin # on which they are based will change.  

19 hours ago, DrUrsula said:

We were on Rebel Yell with captain -dang-Megan? Connie?

she was brutal to the inebriated masses in the trip back. They just didn't know it!!

 

One of our favorite excursions of all time, done it twice!

Really enjoying the sharing of stories in this thread.  I plan to do much more of it after our next NCL Cruise coming up this summer.  The tips you get about NCL seem to be much more useful than those in the sections for other cruise lines we've used, and good to see some positive ones especially!

Can't wait for our upcoming cruise on the Epic!  We loved the location and quick bites at O'Sheehan's and the show at Teppanyaki and drinks on the balcony.  Bowling, yes bowling on the mini-lanes and the amazing crew!  Love the Waterfront of other ships, but the activities and crew made up for it.  Dreaming of hopefully trying Haven on the Epic someday.

Look into a catamaran to Jost Van Dyke.  Stay on beach near but down from world famous Soggy Dollar Bar.  That way you can enjoy all the bars and beach but not so much the crowd.  Beach is beautiful and has great sand.

On 2/21/2024 at 9:54 PM, erby2283 said:

Well I supposed that's up to what people are willing to pay for a private car....which is why I stated I'd prefer a shared shuttle. I personally don't need a "private" ride. I've already received quotes from two companies who offer shared rides:  3 people - 110 euros for one and 120 euros for the other. There are other options which is why people should research....and why they come here for advice. 

Would you mind sharing the names of those two companies and/or websites?  

Great information on getting from port to Rome for touring, and maybe I missed it in the thread, but I have a question on getting from Rome TO Port for embarkation.  If we depart from Roma Termini via train and select Civitavecchia Porto (and with the extra 6 Euro fee), does a bus take us directly from the train station to the ship or to the free port shuttle stop?  In other words, one bus from station to ship as opposed to bus to port entrance and then additional free port bus to ship?

Asked and was told the breakfast time tours, with meal in courtyard before or after tour were not going to be offered this year.  This came directly from Vatican office.  I guess anything can change though.

2 hours ago, macewank said:

Errr.. Maybe I'm misunderstanding here, but how much earlier in the process than "View Dates and Prices on the very first page" do they need to get?

Errr.  Maybe you should read the comments after you posted this since you actually do misunderstand.  When the special was first announced via email and later online, this was not there.  It was added later as others can attest to.  Most likely as questions/complaints began to come in about the misleading (intentional or not) wording.

13 hours ago, boxedmoon said:

Yeah I had to wait a good 20min while the rep talked with their leads about the situation. My rep understand it the way most would, that all Europe sailings should qualify. At least 2024 ones.

I later did a courtesy hold for the next sailing and verified it did not list the bonus point promo.

 

I don't get how the whatever NCL team (marketing?) can be so bad at thier jobs.

I think they know exactly what they are doing.  Lead you in and then not deliver on the advertised promotion by using a multitude of excuses/exclusions.  They hope you'll book anyway or just see the promotion and look for the same when you're ready to book a cruise without checking other lines for the same itinerary/dates.  

When I click through from the promotion to a cruise that's listed as being eligible, it should count.  If it is only certain dates/sailings, that needs to be made more clear early in the process.  You shouldn't get all the way to booking before being able to tell your choice isn't included.

5 hours ago, boxedmoon said:

Beware that the NCL terms page says 'Europe product sailings' but it's not true. They mean select sailings in 2024 that are already the picks of the month.

Confirmed this with CAS when I tried to get a 2024 Europe trip adjusted but the promo wasn't listening on the invoice.

Not only that, only certain sailings of the picks of the month qualify, and you can't tell which ones unless you call to ask.  Ours was listed prominently as both a double points qualifying itinerary and ship, was also a pick of the month, but was told not our particular sailing.  Had to get my TA and NCL rep on conference call to verify this.  I feel extremely misled by this false advertising gimmick.  At least I called to verify and should have known there would be some fine print to disqualify us from getting the promotion.  Still going to try once more to get a different rep to be sure, but if told our sailing does qualify will insist on a written email to that effect.

Calling to see if I can get points applied since our sailing is listed as eligible.

Why the change?  Be sure to make the most of your dining and bev packages that day!  Probably a cheaper port for NCL?

Noticed their excursions only had one or a few reviews anyway, and all were glowingly positive.  Apparently all were absolutely perfect.  Private excursions have more reviews, not to mention the fewer passengers per tour and usually less expensive price tag.  

8 hours ago, prekcruiser said:

Hi alatraveler1,

   I think we are on the same cruise.  With such a short time in port, I've decided to simply walk around the town and maybe grab lunch somewhere.  I'm afraid that with having to be back on ship by 1:00, there isn't really enough time to do much else 😌

Agree, we aren't too thrilled with the short port time.  Beach clubs aren't our thing and Delos would have been interesting.  Might even be a quick walk ashore for us as well and then back on the ship for lunch.  We have some good excursions for other ports booked so this might just have to be a glorified rest day for us.

That is what I am afraid of, the only "early" boat will be the ones handling passengers for the $$$ ship excursion.  They will be able to arrive, tour and depart in time for the 2pm departure.  Others will not be able to catch the second trip over to Delos, tour and get back in time.  I was hoping someone would know of a smaller boat tour or someone not servicing the cruise companies who could arrange a tour within timeframes necessary for independent tourers to make it work?

How convenient for NCL that the port stop is not long enough for one of the most popular things to do here UNLESS you choose the $$$ ship excursion that leaves and returns in time to catch the ship.  The ships excursion is 3X the price of private excursions, however private trips I can find leave at or after 10 am and return no earlier than 130pm which risks missing the ships departure.  Does anyone know of a way/private tour company that begins their tour before 10 am which would allow us to visit Delos during our stop?

On 11/28/2023 at 11:29 AM, REV_Cruiser said:

Took a tour with this company, italytours.eu on October 26, 2023.  Tour was Florence and Pisa.  The tour guide was informative and pleasant for the day.  It was a great day and we loved the tour itself.  Dealing with italytours was seamless and responses were timely. I would recommend them highly.

Doing this one on the EPIC in May and hoping our tour fills up, we only need 3-4 more passengers!

We are using Italytours.eu for a couple of ports, they are highly recommended by those on cruise critic that have used them.  We have one completely booked right now, and one for Florence we hope will fill up soon so we have that one confirmed as well.

7 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Don't think they operate in Greece.

You're right, I had Rome on the brain and said Athens.