HuliHuli

I've been to Great Stirrup Cay on a prior NCL cruise and since we caught one of the first tenders, we had no trouble finding lounge chairs in the shade.  There are lots of palm trees on the island, but of course depending on when you arrive, your chances of getting a place in the shade are dependent upon timing.  My family has booked a Large Cabana for our next visit to ensure a good location for the grandsons.  I'm not familiar with the Oceanview Villa - new since my last visit.

2 minutes ago, Zippeedee said:

I'm sorry I posted bad information. I was going by this and missed the "and beyond". Not sure how the 2019 cruise slipped in...This is the offer as listed in the Past Guest section of the NCL website.  "For a very limited time, past guests get 20% off regular rates on over 350 cruises, sailing from January 2020 and beyond. Simply log in to view eligible sailings – featuring all Norwegian ships and destinations – with reduced rates already applied. Plus, Take ALL 5 of the below Free at Sea Offers when you book a Balcony or above. Book an Oceanview and Pick 2 Free Offers, or book an Inside or Studio and Pick 1."

Don't feel bad - the language changed on August 1st.  In July, select 2019 cruises were included.

I concur with Peachypooh that the 20% off is "currently" for cruises in 2020, but last month it was applicable to some 2019 cruises.  Such "sales" come and go almost daily on NCL, so nothing says NCL won't bring it back in the future to stimulate sales of select 2019 cruises.  "Take All Free" is a core part of NCL's marketing strategy and will likely be a theme of their sales strategy for months to come.  As a shareholder in NCLH, and having tuned into their earnings calls, the CEO has made it clear that "packaging" of perks is at the heart of their forward strategy.  Cruise Next Certificates can be used on any cruise for the downpayment - sometimes two certificates, sometimes only one.  Check the NCL website for the details.  If you know you are going to cruise on NCL again, CNC's are a no brainer.

In the end, money is fungible to the cruise line.  As "for profit" businesses, cruise lines are constantly balancing incomes (fares, service charges, gratuities, on-board sales, etc.) and expenditures (staff wages, materials, food, fuel, etc.) to produce a profit for their business and shareholders.  No matter the label put on it, a DSC is just another part of the income equation that the cruise line can apply to their cost equation as they deem best for their business.  Personally, I prefer cash in an envelope in the hands of staff that provide exceptional service.  At least that way, there is less of a chance the cruise line can get their hands on it to use it for other purposes.

10 hours ago, Zippeedee said:

The 20% off sale is only on cruises in 2020.

Not true.  My Thanksgiving 2019 cruise was part of the sale and I saved $400 and improved my included amenities.

1 hour ago, KateQ22003 said:

I would double check to make sure your latitudes number is in your reservation.

And log-in to the NCL website and confirm your past cruises are properly recorded.

25 minutes ago, bearette said:

My thanksgiving 2019 cruise was not less(even with OBC), but it was included in the sail. It's past final payment now, too so time to stop looking unless I want to upgrade!

Fortunately, I found this offer a few days before final payment of my Thanksgiving cruise on the Bliss and saved $400 on my Mini-Suite.  Sorry you were not successful.

One other point for all - the pricing can be very fluid so move quickly if you see something you like.  I booked another sailing under this offer yesterday and in a two-hour period from when the website said the fare was $1,351.20 (confirmed with an NCL agent on the phone), NCL bumped it up by $40 when my TA called to book it.  I challenged the increase with a supervisor, but was unsuccessful.  I was also told by the NCL agent that this cruise carried the LATREW code providing an extra Latitudes point per night, but two hours later, NCL would not honor that and said they would "re-train" their representative.  Again, according to the supervisor, many of the LATVIP cruises do not carry the extra Latitudes credit we are used to with "Past Guest" offers.  Just a word of caution (not whining).

Go to Customer Service.  On our last Gem cruise, they had someone dedicated to offering reservation assistance on the first day of the cruise.  You can also use the NCL App and the many interactive screens around the ship to make/change reservations.  Keep in mind, only a portion of the reservation times are made available on NCL pre-cruise.  Don't panic - it should all work out.

We found two on our recent Carnival cruise.  DW is gearing up to hide some on our upcoming NCL Bliss cruise.  Kids love them when they find them!

We book through Costco and had verified that our November cruise was one of the discounted cruises.  Not only was Costco happy to contact NCL to "re-fare" our cruise, but we also received some "Take All Free" perks we did not previously have, and the extra Latitudes point for each night of the cruise.  It's time to start shopping for another cruise while this lasts. 😊

Great Stirrup Cay is a tender port as currently there is no pier there.  When we called at Grand Cayman Island, we likewise had to tender into port from a remote location due weather.  Basically you need to research your ports.

19 minutes ago, tomk3212 said:

@HuliHuli @KeithJenner My experience(s) with the app are in the NYC cruise ship port; I probably should have made that clearer so thanks!  The ship's WiFi radio signal there is pretty strong.  As long as you're near the window or the wall facing the ship you should be good-to-go.  I've sat there for the past 3 or 4 cruises out of NYC on the Get- & Breakaway & connected with each ship's respective WiFi network quite easily.

Fully concur.  My experience is NYC and Port Canaveral

1 hour ago, tomk3212 said:

HINT: get the NCL app for your phone before your cruise & you can make your dinner, show, etc. reservations in the cruise ship terminal while you're waiting to board.

You can also book Tenders from the App in the terminal.  But, note that you may have to walk over near to the ship to get an adequate WiFi link to log in.

Maybe they could add an area up by the ship's funnels and suck the secondary smoke up with the rest of the ship's exhaust. 🤔

Welcome to cruising Janetonboard and CC.  Of all of the web-forums on the topic, CC seems to have a better clientele and the information here is 'typically' more accurate.  However, do not blindly believe everything you read here; be sure to confirm things with your TA, PCC or the cruise line directly.  As to NCL PCCs, I've had experiences similar to others posted above.  Our current PCC is fairly good and attentive to our questions if we book through him, but we have learned that we can always get all he offers he can provide AND cash back by booking through COSTCO.  It pays to comparison shop (as others have suggested).  Now that you are booked to cruise with NCL in September, take the time to find your "Roll Call" for that cruise where you will find other passengers on your cruise and maybe make new friends.  Cheers!

We recently returned from the June 15th sailing of the Elation to the same two ports - Grand Turk and Amber Cove.  I've posted a lengthy review that is still undergoing the obligatory review.  You may want to watch for it.

On our first cruise out of Manhattan we arrived around 9:30 AM and found the security lines had not yet opened.  On the next cruise we arrived around 10:00 AM and breezed through security and check-in.  In both cases we were among the earliest groups to board the ship with no priority status or FTTF.  We are targeting 10:30 AM for our next NYC departure.  Happy sailing!

On the Online Check-In page for your cruise (NCL's website), once you have completed all of the questions, and accepted the Terms and Conditions of the cruise contract, simply hit the " Click here to Print " link and your docs will come up on your computer screen.

6 minutes ago, shadow1972 said:

Thank you SO MUCH for explaining that to me.  I would never have guessed that a floating hotel would be more complicated than my Toyota Corrola.  And just to be clear, that was sarcasm in return.

 

My point was that cruise ships have redundancies...at least that's what they keep highlighting during episodes of "Mighty Ships".  I was just commenting that it had to be a very serious problem that they can't get it fixed in 2 or 3 days.  

 

Oh...and clearly you've NEVER been upset or frustrated over a ruined vacation...so thanks so much for the empathy.

"Commenting" that it is a problem that cannot be fixed in a couple of days is quite different from posing it as a question.

As a professional aviator I have had to land with as many as two of four engines malfunctioning/failed.  I was thankful for the "redundancies" of my aircraft, but would never take-off with a non-functioning engine.  Just look at what resulted with the Viking Sky cruise ship that had to be evacuated off the coast of Norway when something as simple as low oil levels led to their complete engine failure.

And I have cruised where we did not go to any single port of our original 12-day  itinerary so I do understand the frustration.  All affected passengers have been dealt a lousy hand and I hope it does not sour them on taking future cruises!

6 hours ago, shadow1972 said:

Agreed.  what I don't get is how big is this problem that you can't get it fixed in 3 days.

Let's see - The Pearl is

• 93,530 Gross Register Tonnage
• 965_ft Overall Length
• 125_ft Max Beam
• Built in 2006 and Refurbished in 2017
• Loaded with sophisticated engineering propulsion and technology including two ABB Azipod azimuth thrusters, 3 × Brunvoll bow thrusters, and a complex electric propulsion system.  (https://vesselregister.dnvgl.com/VesselRegister/vesseldetails.html?vesselid=26307)

"we docked at 1pm and all aboard at 8:30pm.  1:30p is the ksc excursion. 1/2hr travel time each way only gives us 4hrs."

Well it might only be 4 hours, but the math suggests 6 hours are available and the excursion is listed as "5 hrs Estimate Duration."  As to the closing time of KSC, their website (https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/) says " closing time varies by season."

I partially agree with evandbob that more people may get sick on the ship, but right now more are dying ashore.  The common thread to all of the cases seems to be linked to consuming alcohol from the mini-bar in the affected resorts.  Note: These are not like the sealed mini-bottles we are used to in the U.S., but refillable bottles in a dispenser in the room, which leaves them wide open to potential tampering.  We visited Amber Cove two weeks ago on the Carnival Elation and because it is a self contained, private facility for Carnival passengers, the risks are quite low that what is happening around Puerto Plata will happen in this port.  Erring on the side of extreme caution, we stayed at the port facility, which is very nice, brought drinks ashore and returned to the ship to eat.  Since returning I have seen reports that DR tourism is off 74% in recent weeks and will likely remain so until the government there comes clean on how these deaths occurred. 

For what it is worth, I just sailed on the Carnival Elation out of its new home-port at Port Canaveral and did not get FTTF.  But, by reserving an early check-in time as soon as it was possible to do so, it was totally unnecessary.  From the time we arrived in the luggage drop-off area (11:06 AM) until we were headed up the gangway (11:26 AM) we did not stand in any lines, and no, we are not even Gold.  One should consider the ship size, port efficiency, itinerary and especially their selected check-in time to see if FTTF will be a good value for them.  We were among the first off the ship at Amber Cove and Grand Turk and the very first passengers to embark after Platinum.  For us FTTF would have been a complete waste of money.  Just my opinion based on experience.

I just returned from a cruise on the Elation to the same two ports (June 15-20) where we had an Aft Balcony on Deck 6 (Upper).  Upon boarding, we asked our room steward to add a lounger to our balcony - he brought two and they were there in the early evening the day we sailed.  Two made it a little tight on that balcony with two chairs and small table, but it all worked out well for the cruise.  Enjoy your cruise!

On 5/24/2019 at 9:32 AM, FoxyGator said:

I’ve heard from some seasoned travelers in the family that we should take photocopies of our passport, license, and birth certificate and bring those on land and keep originals in the ship safe.  Is it even legal to only carry just photocopies?  We’re going to Bahamas and grand Turks. I’ve never done photocopies before on any cruise and was fine.

Simply put - carry your passport ashore.  It is Friday in the Bahamas and your taxi driver has an accident that delays your return to the port and you miss the ship.  With your photocopy, the U.S. Consultant will not be able to replace your passport until Monday or Tuesday at best.  Only then can you travel back to the U.S. with the experience of a ruined vacation.  And you didn't carry your passport (that you already paid for) ashore because...?