dolfan1980

I was trying to change a credit card for a cruise next week and doesn't want to work.  I'm wondering if that is linked to this and if it will clear up or if I have to call.  

Southern Caribbean ports are the best warm weather islands to visit IMO.  Have done one on NCL last winter and one on RCCL a few years ago, of my ~12 cruises, those are the best two.

Arriving 1pm next Saturday and looking for your suggestions to see the other side of the island.  It seems most things leave in the morning or are sold out.  We are two people, suggestions welcome!

23 hours ago, cmaleblanc said:

Hi everyone, 

 

I've been thinking about a NEXUS, and while I know that no one can predict the future I'm hoping someone with experience can provide some advice. With traveling starting again, I've decided I want to look at getting a NEXUS card, we travel frequently and the quick pass and Pre-Check are of interest to me. That being said I'm located in Newfoundland, so we have no station here for the interview. We have a planned trip to Nova Scotia in June/July and I was thinking of putting in an application and booking an appointment in the Halifax location, but it seems like most of the other Canadian locations this one is not taking interviews. 

 

My question is how quickly do you need to complete an interview once you have you conditional approval, or whatever steps is needed pre-interview? It's not easy or cheap to get off the island, and I don't fancy spending an extra $1000 to fly to another province JUST for an interview, so I'm trying to align with a work or personal trip. I have another trip to Sask. in September, but doesn't look like they have a interview site in that province. 

 

Should we forget about the NEXUS for now, and wait until things get back...to whatever we are calling normal now?

 

Thanks all!  

I would do the application and then hopefully the interview stuff sorts itself out sooner than later.  I don't think you're at much risk of timing out for an interview.

This is very much the normal now and a hotel as a goodwill gesture canceling for you is the exception.  Travel insurance is really your best bet.

2 hours ago, asmit4 said:

2242 is the number you should use b/c basically NCL includes the 'extras' in every package (or most) these days- so if you see it less than that then rebook. 

Agreed or 2242 minus the insurance.

I believe Pan American for cruises that originate in San Juan and Old San Juan if visiting for the day.

The duty free in the airport is sadly no longer worth the trouble, the LCBO back in Ontario often the same price nowadays.

I had trouble with the website today too, it worked on the app.  

7 minutes ago, shof515 said:

which NCL ship docked in Cuba? I remember a few Royal and Carnival ships docked there

 

This article is about the NCL corporation and NCL other brands like Oceania and Regent

Sky did a bunch for a while.

I only see on data point in this thread as a "should be".  I am sailing Jan 22nd, does anyone know if I purchase on Tuesday when the markets open if that should still get enough time to get the OBC?  I suspect the downside of the stock isn't as bad as when it was trading in the $20s earlier this year and last.  Getting a near 10% return right away isn't bad. 

Does anyone Canadian know if they get $100 US OBC?  Hopefully that is the case.

2 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-judge-orders-norwegian-cruise-line-pay-110-mln-use-cuba-port-2022-12-30/
 

One would assume this will be appealed ten ways to Sunday.  

3 hours ago, poffles said:

This is all so disheartening for those of us Halagonians who have the WestJet card for the companion pass.  I was recently pricing flights Halifax to/from Ft. Lauderdale and seeing the 'best' of the reasonably priced options return flight was first flying to Calgary for a stop over ... come on.

 

Fort Lauderdale to Calgary  4,762 km

Calgary to Halifax       5,162 km

vs

Fort Lauderdale to Halifax  3,462 km

 

Guess it will be good bye WestJet

 

Edit to note that my distances are driving so not flight distance but it still paints the relative picture.

Wow, WS wouldn't be making any money on that one!  

27 minutes ago, RD64 said:

If you do not take the original outbound flight, the return flight automatically cancels. This is an airline thing plane and simple. No exceptions.

I wonder if it was booked as a return ticket or two one ways in his case since he said it was American down and United back...either way, it's the 23rd, so he's either made the ship or not by now.

7 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

It could be that you pay in American  dollars and your bank (credit card company) will convert on your statement.

 

If you need a conversion tool, here is one. 

 

https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=CAD&To=USD

 

However, it may not be the exact rate that your bank gives  you.

I can do the conversion too, but it just sucks to have to think that way.  Try booking in Pesos or something and you'll understand.  NCL and Royal both offer Canadian pricing on their sites.  Carnival seems to only have US and Australia for some strange reason.

Is there a way to get the Carnival website to give pricing in Canadian dollars?  Can't get Canadian pricing on the Carnival site and can't seem to get $50 deposits on third party sites.  Frustrating!

6 hours ago, Travelexpert35 said:

I was looking for the Halifax - Dublin flight in their schedule. Now I know why I couldn’t find it. Pretty sad for Halifax that they’ve cut 4 routes. We always seem to be backtracking to Montreal or Toronto. Ugh.

3 hours ago, gold1953 said:

I was on the last flight direct flight Halifax to Dublin early Oct. They cancelled our Glasgow flight and rerouted us home from London via Toronto! That trip went from 5 hours to 12. Bad enough they are doing this but now Air Canada won't have competition!!

 Will be looking at any airline but West Jet after this!!

Halifax is going to be a bit of a big loser in all of this I think.  WS pulling out of most of the region means really just YHZ-YYZ for most of the year on WS.  I also think the Porter jet expansion is going to start to see the several flights a day that do YYZ-YHZ-YYT/YOW-YHZ-YYT overfly YHZ too.  It really leaves just AC with a bit of a mini-hub in YHZ and even they have been flowing more of the Atlantic flying directly through YYZ/YUL too, especially in summer.

2 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

I guess I wouldn’t  be booking any EU flights with Westjet as it would add atleast 6 hours to any flight 

https://simpleflying.com/westjet-cuts-non-calgary-europe-routes/?fbclid=IwAR2OUWII3EXmhOGOVm2HRlfp-I14xWwmnq-dvTYYveMp18Kl6oJ_iVF6Xlc

 

Westjet is pulling back from the east overall.  Most Quebec/Atlantic/Ontario/Transborder flights in the east also either canceled, reduced or seasonal.  Similiarly, AC significantly cutting back on Alberta flights preferring to focus on Vancouver and Toronto/Montreal hubs over Calgary. 

3 hours ago, Brian V said:

Hey all, just looking for some recent experience - how bad is connecting Canada to US through Pearson these days?

I know it was a S($& show 🤡for a while but am not hearing anything lately, does that mean things are back to "normal"?

 

We are heading to San Juan the first week in January, YYC - YYZ - SJU with about 2:25 layover if all on time.

We will be carry on only.

 

Does this sound doable or should we be looking at alternatives?

 

Any and all input welcomed 🙂

I've only transited YYZ to/from US twice and domestic connections twice in the past two months, so my experience is purely anecdotal, but here goes...IMO you have plenty of time, the US customs hall for connections isn't too bad and quite fast if you have Nexus.  I was able to connect through both times in about a half an hour from arriving at one gate from a domestic flight to walk to the connections security/customs and then be sitting in the AC lounge inside US area of Terminal 1.  

What I find AC has not gotten solved in Toronto is the chronic problem of understaffing under wing.  I've constantly waited for gates/ground crews/baggage on almost every flight in/out of there the past ~2 years since I started flying post-covid.  The delays are getting better, but I find departures seem to go 10-30 mins late almost every flight.  I was 45 mins late leaving YYZ last Monday for no reason other than staffing shortages and my folks were also 45 mins delayed for same reason Wednesday.   I've probably had 25 of these delays in the past year.

If you're travel savvy yes, if you're fotsg then take the later one.

3 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

The flight out of PHX was the night before the cruise. OP and NCL didn’t take a risky, last minute cruise. OP explained efforts made over and over to mitigate risk and overcome major efforts in a good faith effort to board the ship on time. There is really not a lesson-learned life experience for the OP to draw from this. 

A red eye from the west coast with the time difference is leaving day of.  There's really no other options to make it if the one flight is canceled.  A ten day vacation at risk is just not worth it.  I certainly do sympathize with the OP, but at same time people can hopefully learn from this to have back up options.  

1 hour ago, PATRLR said:

This is one of the most insensitive posts I've seen in a while.  Did you even read was was written?  They had NCL book their air and NCL didn't book the last flight out.  If you actually read the post, it sounds like after NCL air failed them they booked a flight on their own that did indeed make it in time but the NCL bus that was there at the airport wouldn't take them.  So they actually made it in time!

 

 

 

May sound insensitive, but it's well known not to fly in the day of a cruise.  NCL offered to get them to to the next port to join the ship and they refused.  I understand the frustration, but taking risks can backfire and in this case it unfortunately did big time.  

Do you have any credit card insurance that would cover anything?  Taking the last flight in for a cruise you invested $4k in without any back up plan is unfortunately a hard lesson to learn.   You should have left a day earlier or at least that morning.

13 minutes ago, pookel said:

Oof, sorry this turned into such a contentious topic. I'm still trying to gauge how I feel about it. Like, sure, stealing is stealing, right? But there are levels of wrongness, like if I take an extra beer from my friend's fridge without asking, that's pretty different from if I stole his car, and THAT would be pretty different from if I embezzled $1 million from his business. Filling an extra drink for a friend seems on the minor end of things to me, but I'll keep in mind how many people here seem to think it's a serious offense.

I think the reality is nobody feels too bad about taking a drink from someone charging like a 400% upcharge against their cost for a drink or stealing from a huge corporation.  If you were to grab four packs of gum from a mom and pop convenience store everyone would  say it's clearly theft.  Everyone has a different view.  I would have absolutely no problem doing it knowing they get their fair share of skin from me on a sailing.

Would you drive 20 over on the highway, take food away from a buffet when it's not allowed or slip a few extra apples in your purse when apple picking?  I sort of consider this to be similar.