smokeykat

Thank you for the excellent information 😀

Which cruise are you on?

We are doing the same but staying at H10 Metropolitian.

I am trying to figure it all out like you. We are arriving early morning so I am planing an easy day because of possible jet lag.

Day 1 see if hotel room is ready early. If not drop off luggage and walk La Ramblas visit the market and find someplace for an early dinner.

Day 2 Sagrada Familia early entry then visit other Gaudi sites.Not sure which ones yet.

Looking at Flamenco show for early evening and a nice dinner after.

Day 3 Gothic walking tour is booked. Lunch after and then shopping.

Day 4 leisurely breakfast then head to cruise port.

Would love any recommendations for lunch or dinner restaurants. ☺️

Some rewards have wait limits and some do not. Call the NCL Casino and they can help. Also read the print on the reward you want to purchase. I am pretty sure this is a premium reward and there are specific rules that apply.

We have an overnight on our cruise scheduled for Livorno. I already have tours set up for both days we are in port. On day one we should be back at the ship around 5:30pm so not wanting to just stay on the ship I was thinking of finding a nice restaurant in Livorno for dinner probably using a cab for transportation. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good restaurant not to far from the port?

Thank you all for the information I was looking for ☺️

This question is probably posted somewhere but I could not find my answer.  This is my 1st time going on European cruise.

When visiting different ports in Europe, do you leave your passport in the safe on the ship or do you carry it always with you? A friend of mine says she leaves it in the safe and has a photo of it on her phone.

What is the best thing to do?

How did you book the NCL transfer? Are you using NCL air? How much was it per person?

Thank you Roger! This looks amazing ☺️

Hi Roger

Reading through all the messages looking for a really nice tapas bar that is open on Sundays. We are arriving Sunday September 8th at 12 noon and will depart at 11pm on NCL Escape. Its our 45th anniversary that day! We plan to take the shuttle to start at the Cathedral and then walk to the Palace. After that tapas and shopping.

I read that you recommend OMBU which I see is open on Sunday. Would you have another Sunday recommendation?

We have sailed both RC and NCL. I have a cruise on NCL booked for September only because of the itinerary. NCL had all the ports I wanted compared to RC. I think the food is better on RC both in the main dining room and the specialties. You can't beat the RC oasis class ships. Central Park is our favorite place for drinks. So much for the kids to do on RC compared to NCL. The RC private island is better too. As far as pricing goes if you add in what you want for the RC cruise it comes out pretty close. Nothing is really for free with NCL as it is worked into the price.

Thank you for the info!

I was looking at this tour. How much was it per person? I don't see any prices listed on their web site.

Thanks

I booked H10 Metropolitan just off Placa Catalunya and they are having a black Friday sale now Join the H10 club before you book and you will get 20% off booking this weekend only. I booked Rambla room which has the  juliette balcony with the breakfast. The HOHO bus is right at the corner.

Thank

3 minutes ago, hallux said:

@smokeykat I wouldn't do it that way.  Use the NCL credit card to pay the $250 then get 750 points (3x the NCL spend) for future use on the card.  THEN use the points you would have used for OBC to convert to statement credit in the same amount instead.

 

The same CN manager that had the proper and clear explanation regarding OBC also suggested this path, in addition to others on this site.

Thanks! That is what I was thinking lol. I have a friend that uses her NCL points from her card to purchase the cruise next certificates and I always thought she was doing it wrong. Now I have confirmation 😉

I have a different scenario to throw out there 🤪

I have the NCL credit card and I have enough points to use to get $500 OBC. Can I use the OBC to purchase my two cruise next certs for $500 and then would I get credited back $250 to my account that ends up going back on my credit card?

What is the date of your cruise? We will be on the Escape September 2024.

Go to Roll Calls section and search for your cruise. Plenty of people posting information there.

If my final payment isn't until May 2024 and I want to charge Amex $1000.00 towards payment for the cruise fare to get the $200 back deal, what happens if I cancel the cruise before the final payment is due? Anyone know?

Look at MSC and Royal Caribbean. Either one would work for you. MSC also offers included drink packages and free wifi per person.

Royal you would need to purchase these. Pricing is better with MSC.

You may be able to request a coffee machine in your room. This may depend on the cabin you are in. We were in a balcony and had one setup and replenished daily. I would do this and grab the day before the excursion at the buffet some muffins or pastries fruit etc. and bring it back to your cabin to have in the morning.

Does club balcony cabins get one free laundry bag? I think I read that somewhere.

14 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Go to Guest Services and get cash before your cruise end. Currently, you are not allowed to disembark with a balance on your account. (i.e., after waiting in line for 45 minutes to get to security on the gangway to disembark, when you scan your card, it will indicate you are not allowed off the ship and then you'll have to go to the cashier in the gangway and wait in line to get cash back). 

Thanks for the information! I would hate for that to happen especially when you want to make a flight. When we were on the Joy and I bought something in one of the shops. Well this happened to me because my credit card did not go through because we were at the time in international waters. Got sent to customer service after standing on the long carry your luggage off line and they ran the card and I was good to go.

5 hours ago, zqvol said:

All it takes is a phone call to cancel an excursion and get a refund. If within 48 hours of sailing it is given as a refundable OBC, else it goes back to the method of payment used.

If it goes to refundable OBC how do you get it if you do not use it?

Has anyone ever received a refund back to their credit card after cancelling an excursion that you booked through the NCL website? Is it easy to get refunded if you change your mind before the cruise?

I know on RCCL its very easy to cancel a booked excursion before the cruise leaves. Is NCL easy also?

Thanks

Anyone know if NCL follows suit? This would be a good reason to book with NCL premium air service.

Anthem of the Seas!! It checks all your boxes off. This ship is made for cooler weather with a lot to do indoors. The free at sea is tempting but Anthem's solarium and pool will win me over. Cruised two times on Anthem, one of my favorites!