Russiamomm

Looking at the invoice, it was per person. We started with a comped inside and paid $315 each for the upgrade to a Club Balcony. It would have been a little higher for a regular balcony. It wasn’t worth blowing 60k points for the balcony.

Completely agree. We don’t always do the Haven, but sometimes even using points to upgrade isn’t worth burning the points. We’re doing a short five nighter to Bermuda in October. The difference in cost between a OV and a Club Balcony was less than $300. In fact the Club Balcony was $9 cheaper than a regular balcony. I couldn’t believe it. We paid outright for the Club Balcony and will get the 3 points per dollar.

I think so, but I’m not sure of the details. The answer is probably in the long stickied thread on the MC. I think how it works is that you have to book the highest category of Inside or OV to get the highest category of balcony. The one time I did it I could only go to a BB because of the cabin I was booked in. But I was able to chose my cabin in that category.

Hmm. Will look into it,it not inclined to move our money around.

Just a technical note. I agree with all you’ve said, but want to note that you don’t need to cash in the points for OBC. They can also be cashed in for a direct statement credit. Much easier and more flexible than taking OBC. The way I look at it is that I get an automatic additional 3% off any cruise by using the card for NCL charges. I have used it for upgrades before, but we’ve kind of gotten hooked on the Haven and the points don’t really help if you want to be in the Haven. But you do get 3 points for every dollar spent, which can be used to take a statement credit. Works for us.

Nope. It’s non-refundable credit. Use it or lose it. It also can’t be used for the casino or for your daily service charges. But it’s good for just about anything else. Food, drinks, spa, gift shop, excursions (if booked onboard), etc.

Thank you! I’ll never understand the complaints about “Nickle and Diming” on NCL. To me they are much more transparent than the other lines. Is Free at Sea free? No. Is it a good deal? Absolutely. I also like that they treat like an adult and allow you to get two drinks at once and you don’t have to sign for every drink with the package.

Thanks! I guess we can navigate that. Will miss the dedicated shuttle though. 😢

Hi. We sail out on Friday, We’ve done several previous Virgin cruises out of Miami. Is the shuttle to Bayside still running? I think I saw something somewhere that they discontinued it. Please tell me it ain’t so!

Just a footnote. On Friday I submitted the form for my October Bermuda cruise. Again, I’m traveling with a friend. I forgot to add the note to apply it only to me, so I was anticipating it being split. Today I got notice it was applied. They posted it as a $50 purchased OBC certificate just to me. I have no idea why, but either way it works for me.

I completely agree. We did one short RCL cruise a year or so ago. The drink package was something like $110 pp/pd. We declined it. The first drink on the pool deck was almost $18! All I could think was this would have been almost a whole day of drinking on NCL. Similarly, we did a Carnival last August. It was a casino comp and we drank free in the casino. Again, we declined the package, which was pricey. Needless to say, we didn’t drink much on either of those trips. And I’ll never set foot on another Carnival ship again - for completely different reasons. 😂

Any liquor is likely at least $10 or $11. If you buy it outright you’ll be paying a 20% service charge on top of the cost of the drink. The FAS gratuities are $21.80 pp/pd. As a general rule if you’re going to drink more than two drinks a day, the package is a no brainer. Also, remember that soft drinks are also included. If you don’t have the package, you will be paying for each soda, with a service charge. I declined the drink package once. Never again. The convenience factor alone is worth it for me.

Then I’m ok with splitting it. But I’ve never been in that situation. 😃

agree with this. I travel with friends often and we can work it out between us. But I also recently discovered that if you put a note on the form to only appply the credit to my account and not split it, they will. I agree with you on the $50 shorex credit. I’ll happily share that. The benefit doesn’t cost you anything and I think both should get some benefit from it. It’s fine if you’re booking it upfront and have to pay in advance. As the “first” sailor, I just pay for two, divide the cost in half and have my friend pay me. It’s a little more complicated when you’re booking onboard as the credit will only show on my account. We just work it out amongst ourselves. But I look at the OBC differently. My stock, my credit. 😃

Sorry, but why are you bumping a nearly seven year old thread? on the substance, if you’re looking for four or five star service, book a Haven cabin. You can order food at the pool or on the sundeck that will brought to you. Outside of the Haven, yes, you have to walk to the buffet.

Obviously I don’t have any inside information, but I doubt seriously that they “hold back” cabins (especially Haven cabins) for upgrades. If they can sell the cabins for full price, that’s what they will do. They accept bids on sold out categories in case of last minute cancellations, which do happen. We’ve won two upgrades into the Haven on modest bids, but they were both in the immediate aftermath of Covid when they were still testing before being allowed to board the ship. We found out we won the bid two hours after we boarded. I strongly suspect the original occupants of our cabin tested positive on the pier. There have been very few upgrades into the Haven in the last couple of years. The cabins are selling out. So I agree with the others. Your chances of getting an upgrade into the Haven - even with a very strong bid - are close to zero.

That may be so, but I believe they check when you check in for your reservation. They scan one card, but have always asked to confirm who the second person is. I believe the cabin mate’s name and picture pops up on the hostess’s screen when checking in. They have to record who was getting the meals in the system to make sure the number of meals each person has had shows properly in the system.

That’s correct with a Latitudes meal that you get for Platinum. They are meals for two and it doesn’t matter who you take as a guest. But if you’re using the FAS meals, it is individual. They will take the cards for everyone to make sure they all had the package (and meals left on the package).

I think there’s a misstatement here. Yes, each person will get two meals, but they are tied to the passenger. The parents can’t use the kids FAS meals. The kids use them or they’re lost. At least that’s my understanding.

It’s a game. 50% off all passengers. Then 70% off second guest. There are variations on the theme. Pay no attention to the marketing. At the end of the day the prices will be what NCL thinks they can sell the cabin for and adjust the “base” fare accordingly. If cabins are selling well, the price will stay the same or go up. If they’re not selling, the price will go down. If it’s close to sail date and there’s tons of cabins left, the price will drop. Alternatively, if the sailing is sold out except for a few cabins, the price will go up. Long way of saying its supply and demand and the “sales” are largely marketing gimmicks. What matters is the bottom line. If it hits a point you’re comfortable with, book it. If the price goes down, you can rebook before final payment at the new price (although in certain circumstances, like if you bought NCL air, you might be limited.). If it’s after final payment date you can ask for a one time Future Cruise Credit for the difference.

I wasn’t aware of the two smaller ships. I was going to be in Quito for work in February and priced out the larger Celebrity ship. $25k for seven days as a solo. 😳. I passed. 😂

Been many years since I’ve flown SW. At my little regional airport were pretty much stuck with AA or Delta.

That happened to me last month on a casino sailing as well. I thought it was a mistake, but didn’t complain. 😃. I wonder if this is the new policy for CAS sailings or even if it’s across the board.

Yup. There is no option for one. Just book for two. You won’t be charged twice. 😃

Echoing others, but just adding that if you are booking online make sure you book the fixed price restaurants (Teppanyaki and Moderno) first. If you don’t, the system will try to charge you. The system does not recognize the Latitudes meals and will try to charge you if you’ve already reserved your FAS meals.