HuliHuli

3 hours ago, LaCal said:

I once asked our butler for peanut M&Ms and gummy bears as snacks and he said they don’t have them and never had 

That is funny as we received the M&M's from our Butler on the Jade in July.  I tipped our Butler $50 upfront for a special request and that set the stage for special services he initiated throughout the cruise, which earned him a larger tip at the end.  Tipping this way gives you the information you need to separate the great butlers from the good or mediocre ones.

On 9/16/2022 at 11:21 AM, JamieLogical said:

 

I checked out OnPoint and their instructions say to make sure the test box is unopened.... I only have an open box of a 5-pack of tests left (4 tests remaining), so I don't think I can use that? By the time I spend the cash for a new box of tests and pay for the proctoring, I might as well do eMed....

Hey @JamieLogical- I thought you quit sailing on NCL.  Are you back now?

On 7/25/2022 at 5:45 AM, Viajera7 said:

So NCL reinstated it this month. I was on the Dawn last month and received a $50 OBC because it was not offered, there wasn’t a ship tour and no dinner with officers as Sapphire. Same thing on the Breakaway in February. My next NCL cruise is the Jade next month. Let’s see what happens there.

We were on the Jade at the end of July and they held this tasting.  We did not need to sign up; it was a small event with only about a dozen attending.  The Cruise Next staff were there to push their product and they collected our names/cabin information so they could target us twice a day for the balance of the cruise.  Most of the wines were unimpressive as others have said,but still it was nice to wet our whistle shortly after boarding.

On 9/13/2022 at 6:44 PM, wtang said:

 

Thanks @Travelicious and @ziggyuk for your help. I contacted my travel agent and she agreed that the Free At Sea perks should show up when I log into NCL. She called NCL (and she waited over an hour on hold) to ask them to fix it. I just logged into the Norwegian website again to check it, and now I see the free perks on my booking. Thanks again to everyone who replied to my question here.

Another thing you might want to do @wtang (or have your TA do) is call NCL and ask them to send you an "AMENITY CONFIRMATION".  This will give you a .PDF of the confirmed 'perks' on your cruise, by passenger.  Print and take this on your cruise.  In the event you are denied any 'perk' onboard, you can pull this out and show it to NCL staff to resolve the issue.  The Amenity Confirmation also ensures that those 'perks' that your TA funded have been correctly transmitted to the cruise line.  On my last cruise we had 21 'perks' and this document was helpful in collecting what we were due.

19 hours ago, MPHennessy said:

@HuliHuli So what (I think) you're saying is that we don't need a PCR test......?

No, not exactly.  Greece did not require any type of COVID testing before we arrived.  However, NCL did, but since our vaccination and testing records were in order, we glided through check-in.

55 minutes ago, jazzydiver said:

I just looked, and cruisedeckplans dot com has it correct.

It pays to double check and clarify before booking!

12 hours ago, MPHennessy said:

From what I can see on the Greek Government Website, no documentation is necessary. (Please correct me if I'm reading it wrong).

You are comparing apples to oranges @MPHennessy.  The rules for entering Greece have nothing to do with embarkation on an NCL cruise.  We made this sailing recently and both were a breeze - airport entry on arrival was uneventful; boarding was equally uneventful as we had our paperwork in order.

11 hours ago, Strenz said:

flights are always cheaper further out at least that has been our experience, if we are using flying points the point return is always better further out.

This too is a great point @Strenz!  Booking 6-months or more out has proven to save us points or dollars on airfare.  On our most recent booking, I found a Business-class fare that was nearly 40% less than some Coach fares for flights on the same day.  Whereas when we've had to change flights shortly prior to sailing, we've paid premiums of 50% or more to re-book the air portion.  Again timing is everything and a little luck never hurts.

I too have a somewhat different take on this as @Strenz did.  But first, I think it should be noted that price fluctuations up and down and policies restricting re-booking w/o penalty after final payment are not unique to Windstar; all of the cruise lines do this in one form or another.

In our case, we are booked on the Wind Surf in March 2023.  We saw the cruise we liked months ago at a reasonable price ($3,999 pp) for a 14-day sailing, but waited patiently for it to show up on the 7 for 7 sale at $3,299 pp, and then booked with the loyalty discount as well as $300 pp OBC combined from Windstar and our TA.  Today, the same cruise is listed at $4,399 pp, a full $1,500 pp more than we paid.  Similarly, on our NCL cruise later this year we booked early enough to secure our desired cabins, but watched the fare daily as we approached final payment.  We re-fared the cruise twice in the final two weeks before final payment saving well over $1,000 pp on that cruise and getting a pile of perks from our TA during a simultaneous two week sale they were having.

I've watched cruise prices rise and fall in the waning days prior to final payment on many lines and have learned that either you or your TA must be especially watchful for changes that will benefit you.  Timing is everything in booking a cruise and you won't always win.

40 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

So . . . you've stopped calling him Shirley but are now calling him a chicken?

HA!  Good one @Travelling2Some.  But to be fair, Huli-Huli is an Hawaiian cooking style commonly used for chicken (see https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/how-to-make-hawaii-style-huli-huli-chicken/), but also pig.  Most tourists only know Kalua Pig from the Waikiki luaus - wrapped in banana leaves, cooked in a covered pit with hot stones.  But if you live in more rural parts of the state, Huli-Huli pig (meaning to turn and turn, i.e., on a spit) is more common and is what the locals do when celebrating an important event such as the 1st year birthday of a child.  So yes @joelheather I hail from the islands, where I made the effort to build cultural ties with Hawaiian, Samoan and my other Polynesian neighbors, Huli-Huli(ing) a few pigs.  The nick name stuck.  As you note, you can still buy Huli-Huli-style chicken in the Islands, practically anywhere you see billows of great-smelling Kiawe-wood smoke emanating from a large roadside grill.  Hawai'i no ka oi! and ʻO Huli-Huli ka ʻono loa!

Aloha

3 hours ago, complawyer said:

ok chiefmatejrk, here's one where we will differ.

 

it's not a matter of stupidity, some cars for the past few years do not offer a spare tire. you dont have a choice, and there isnt an option to purchase one.

 

this is mostly true, regardless of make, model, or price.

OK @complawyer, here's one that doesn't pass the laugh test.  "there isn't an option to purchase one."  Really?  I'll bet the tire shop he visited could sell him a spare.  Never heard of AɱǻȥȫȠ?  If you want a spare, there are endless sources and choices to choose from, including the car dealership.

4 hours ago, dcipjr said:

I am super confused by this...is there a change for vaccinated travelers?

 

Before arrival? Surely they mean before embarkation?

I'm not sure why you would conclude that.  And please, don't call me Shirley.

1 hour ago, BennyBrun said:

Might want to pre arrange a ride because the taxis might take you for a ride.  Make sure you negotiate the price before you get in the taxi.  It’s not metered.

Indeed @BennyBrun - When we returned from the cruise and elected to try a taxi from the queue.  Both police and Coast Guard port officials were monitoring the queue.  We took a taxi that did not immediately start the meter as they are obliged to do; we demanded he start the meter and he reluctantly agreed.  We used a car service for all other trips and found the slightly higher price to be well worth avoiding hassle.

6 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

I'm sorry that happened to you.  However,  that's not a reason to avoid the metro.  It's a reason to research your trips and prepare appropriately.   Athens is notorious for pickpockets.   It's very well known.  Simply take precautions like wearing a purse in front of you, wallet in a front pocket or around your neck inside your shirt, lock the zippers on your luggage, be aware of your surroundings,  etc.

You ASS-U-ME I didn't come prepared.  My wallet was in a zippered pocket on the front of my trousers.  When the locals suggest avoiding the metro, I listen.

On 8/2/2022 at 6:44 AM, BennyBrun said:

Rhodes… I am going to Lindos to see the Acropolis Athena’ temple and explore the village with NCL excursion.

This is a great excursion, but a very steep climb on a narrow trail.  So if you have any mobility challenges, you might want to reconsider this excursion.

On 7/31/2022 at 11:54 AM, BennyBrun said:

There is no priority line… just regular line and heaven line … but it moved very quickly 

Indeed, there was no "posted" priority/Haven line.  We had to press the port staff to recognize our priority status - they have a list on a clipboard and once they confirm you are on the list, you are escorted to a table at the front of the tent where you meet the concierge and are rapidly processed.  Once processed, there was a short delay awaiting immigration review, but then we were among the first few passengers to board.  We headed straight to Cagney's and were seated for lunch by noon.

On 7/30/2022 at 8:26 AM, BennyBrun said:

I walked from the Moxy and it took about 24 minutes.  You can take the Metro to the Acropolis station.  The Metro is the way to go!

I cannot stress strongly enough, the Metro is NOT the way to go anywhere in Athens!  We were on this cruise as well and during our two days in Athens, I was pick-pocketed outside the Omonoia station, directly across the street from the Moxy Athens City hotel and a second attempted theft while on the metro itself by a team of thieves.  They assaulted my DW as we attempted to disembark, opening zippers on her bag and my pants trying to get our belongings.  We spoke with local police (who are stationed around the corner from the Moxy) and with hotel staff.  We learned that pick-pocketing is an industry in Greece in the summer months and once we were alert to the problem, it was easy to pick out the culprits in the vicinity of Omonoia and other places.  Be forewarned!

12 hours ago, PATRLR said:

Now that it's happened, I would hope they are adjusting their model and they start stockpiling so it doesn't happen again.

Clearly a comment by someone lacking business experience.  Inventories have carrying costs, costs NCL can ill afford to pay as the cruise economy is still so tight.  And it is not a single inventory, but multiple departure ports would need to be covered.  As a shareholder and a passenger, I can live without any one particular liquor on a cruise.

7 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

On my last cruise, they ran out of dark ale.  Guinness was the only option and at day five I couldn't get any more (I may have drank it all).

So you're the guy that drank them dry before I boarded.

15 minutes ago, IMNOFUN said:

Color me ticked off and no longer a NCL customer for any future cruises. 

GREAT!  Another deck chair we can use.

12 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

It's Freeeeee!

Nothing is free on a cruise ship!  You've already paid for it.

1 hour ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

Covid has not gone away.  It is spiking in many places now. 

 

Well I will definitely not be cruising on Norwegian.  Don’t want to sail around in a Petri dish 

Great!  One more available deck chair.

11 minutes ago, wolft927 said:

Scratch that, testing still required for all cruises leaving out of US port, new it was to good to be true lol

NCLH "will no longer require guests to complete precruise COVID-19 testing unless required by local regulations."  So it is not the cruise line requiring testing.

Also see the new EU announcement:

17 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

This is why I now pack at least one change of clothes in the backpack I have with me when boarding the ship.  Two sets of clothes is infinitely better than one.

 

Also, as is recommended here constantly, don't use NCL to book your flights if you want to minimize problems.

From several past experiences, this is why I ONLY pack carry-on regardless of the trip duration.  I've had bags go to Haiti, when I was headed to San Juan; bags left in New York when I was headed to Cairo; and bags thoroughly damaged on flights from Italy.  This doesn't solve the OP's issue, but may save someone the same experience in the future.

NCLH announced this morning that the requirement for pre-cruise COVID-19 testing will end August 1, 2022.