complawyer

i dont know, but any time a cruise ship gets bad press, or something goes wrong, it seems to usually be a carnival ship. I would never exchange my ncl cruise for carnival. of course, at 76 my partying days are long, long, gone regardless, of the cruise line, youre on a cruise, which imho is a joy unto itself

my only question is why are you so adamant about being anywhere in europe, and tipping in U.S. dollars. is it so hard to exchange around $100 for euros? and it will make it much easier on you and the server

if you're going direct from the ship to the airport, you're doing yourself a major disservice. rome is an absolutely beautiful and amazing city. i would book a hotel and stay for at least 2 days, you wont be sorry

last time we had lobster in the mdr had to be at least 7-8 years ago, and i commented they looked like shrimp on steroids

im being quite serious, i dont believe a server in the us would appreciate a tip in a foreign currency. if any one is being "obtuse" it must be you for insisting and belaboring the issue. why are you so insistent on tipping in a foreign currency to an american server. i dont think anyone on this site, would even consider doing so. if i get home with a lot of foreign currency (usually doesnt happen), i just go to my bank and get it converted. by the way, this response is in no way intended to insult you or your position and the opinion expressed herein is strictly my own

they're being hostile for the same reason hostilities arise about trying to get a non-haven guest into the haven complex. i guess they feel you're trying to GAME the system. personally, i dont care. that being said, ncl only awards the points after the cruise is over. your status prior sailing, remains your status until the end. sorry, you cant get the extra brownie points

iacruising. sorry to disagree, but i think not. i dont believe that any server at any facility, would accept a tip in another currency. even on a $100 meal, if you tip 20% that's $20 in another currency, requiring the server to find a place to exchange it for us dollars. if it's just maybe $20-$30 youre dropping at a coffee shop the 3-5 euros would be almost worthless. your post begs the question (at least imho) why carry around euros, or any other type of foreign currency in the U.S. Money is not Money, if it's going to be a pain in the tushie to convert it to something your server can use.

mmackey. Once again, i'm not a cheerleader for NCL, but i understand that Panama is restricting use of the canal. apparently they dont have enough water flowing through the canal at this time.

my 60th is coming up next year, i have a bit of a pot belly, and thanks to a combover, it looks like i still have my hair

hey bkrickles1. ok you got me, we always get the drink package. By the way. you're also invited for a beer. 1st ones on me also

got a loan for our 1st house thru the G.I.bill, and it paid for mu tuition all the way thru law school. my point about introducing yourself at the cocktail party, since i'm 76 years old, is akin to sitting around with a bunch of old men with pot bellies, talking about their days in the "NAM" it's been 54 years since i got out of the army, and to me it's now ancient history

bandagain, OK you win you're welcome, and if we're ever on a cruise at the same time, the 1st beer is on me

WOW!! guys, I didnt mean to start a tempest in a teacup. I just think it's a little weird to be thanked for something that was forced on me. While in all honesty, i dont regret my 2 years in the service or the year i spent in Vietnam, and all the benefits i received under the G.I. bill, it's just a little strange being thanked for someting i really didnt want to do

sorry, im a died in the wool anti-socialite, i dont want to introduce myself to anyone. i dont mind attending these cocktail parties, as ncl has gone out of their way to do something nice and acknowledge veterans. that being said , however, when they have a latitudes cocktail party, there is almost always a limited turnout. as ive previously posted, dont thank me for my service, i was drafted in 1968

ok iacruising. regretably i am calling you an ugly american. most places in italy definitely will not take us dollars. if you travel a lot in europe, how much trouble is it to get a few 100 in euros. we are on the star april 10th from rio, and have been advised to only use their currency wouldn't you be a little embarrassed if you were in an italian restaurant, finished your meal and found out they only accept euros? same with cab drivers, although some do take credit cards. also, it you tried to pay in american money, would you be upset if you only received change in euros, and what about the exchange rate? how do you know you arent being ripped off. many years ago, we were on a cruise and one of the ports was martinique. they only wanted francs. another cruise the final port was venice, we needed a cab to take us from the ship to our hotel as we were staying overnight before our flight the next morning. we could not find 1 cab that would accept american dollars. so obviously, you will do a you please but why intentionally put yourself in a potential hole, when the issue can be so easily resolved

hey schmoopie, i apologize if you interpreted my comment to you as an attack. it certainly wasnt my intent to attack your position, i just wanted to point out that ncl doesnt owe veteran's any special recognition, but the 10%, the goodie package and the cocktail party (regardless of it's length ) in and of itself is a nice gesture. who wouldnt want to stop by for a free drink? am i forgiven?

we were on a b2b last year, and i got the package on both legs. the cocktail party was poorly attended, but i think your philosophy is 100% schmoopie, i am very disappointed in you (not that you would care either way) NCL or any other company or organization doesnt owe us a thing. it's been over 50 years since i got out of the army. the package, and the cocktail party was a nice gesture. it may not have been much but ncl did give recognition to past and present service people. accept it as such. it's much better then a stick in your eye. by the way, my wife always gets mad at me when anyone says "thank you for your service" as i invariably reply "dont thank me, i was drafted" by the way. on both legs of our cruise, the party lasted at least 30 minutes. as the goodie package and the cocktail party was unexpected there was nothing to be disappointed about. so what do you want? a rubber beesquit?

graphic guy, on prior cruises, we also had pizza in naples just outside of pompeii, got to ride in a gondola in venice (on my bucket list) and rode an elephant in Bangkok. my wife and i may be old, but to quote the beach boys, "we get around" smilegirls children may still be a little young to fully appreciate this cruise, but it's great that she's giving them the opportunity at a young age. when my grandson was in jr high, he was studying world history. we took him on out cruise and one of the ports was Athens. our tour went to the acropolis, and while the guide was giving her lecture, my grandson looked at me and said "papa. she doesnt know what she talking about" go figure

smile girl there are different age levels for kids in splash academy. the entourage is specifically for "teens" if your girls are under 13, sorry, it's a no go. ncl rules. it has also been mentioned, would you want your12 year old, hanging out with kids just under 18? im sure they will enjoy the other kids in splash academy. there are "guppies" for younger children, kind out like kindergarten. im not sure where the actual splash academy age starts, but if it's 7, she can hang out with her sisters. if you ever meet my wife, she will also tell you how "anal" i am when booking a vacation. if it helps you choose a hotel, i usually go to bookings.com or hotels.com. they both give you a wide variety of choices, prices, location and pictures/descriptions of the hotels. they also allow you to book without asking for money up front. they ask for a credit card, just to hold the reservation and dont charge the card. hope this helps, we've been on a number of cruises, loved barcelona, rome, been to majorca, nice town, not to much to se or do. same with marseilles. we hired a cab to take us around.

why dont you book the haven 2 bedroom suite.... problem solved

smilegirl, just an added thought. docking at liverno, there is no way i would miss the leaning tower of pisa, also, if you can do it, try and stay a few days in rome. turn every corner, and there is another magnificent structure to see. and of course the colleseum and the vatican, although the wait to get into the vatican may be too long for your kids. one thing we did last year, we stayed at a marriott, took a walk, and stopped at an outdoor cafe for a cappuccino. it was a beautiful bright sunny day, clear blue skies, great for people watching, and jokingly as we sipped our coffee, we commented, wonder what the poor people are doing now.

no, but it was there, a major surprise, and we took advantage of the opportunity. it was convenient, but if it wasnt there, we would have just as easily hired a cab. we stayed at the hilton doubletree hotel, and it wasnt very far from the port

dear ncl ruined.. would it have made a major difference if you had known about the changes prior to boarding. would you have turned around and headed for home? while i'm not sticking up for ncl, do you think it's easy to try and track down over 2000 people prior to sailing and let each and every one of them know the change of itinerary. Yes, if i booked to see Antarctica and or South Africa, i'd be plenty p***ed off. I readily admit, i was more disappointed then angry when our cruise couldnt dock in Hanoi. It was one of the contributing factors for my booking (although not the only factor) but i got over it in a hurry. We were also disappointed in not docking in berlin on another cruise. while i was looking forward to seeing this city, as it wasnt a primary factor in booking this cruise, i merely shrugged my shoulders, went up to modreno's for a leisurely breakfast, had a glass of proseco, went back to bed for a few more hours, and all was right again with the world. dont let a change of ports ruin the rest of the cruise, no matter how much you wanted to visit a specific port

leaving in the star on april 10th, rio to lisbon. my hope is that it doesnt get stuck in the middle of the atlantic ocean. please light a candle for us, and keep your fingers crossed. LOL

i am no pollyanna, and one of mankind's eternal skeptics. Having sailed on over 25 cruises with ncl over the past 13 years, while disappointed at times, i dont believe ncl intentionally lists ports of call that they have no intention of visiting. sorry folks, stuff happens. if you miss a port try and enjoy the cruise anyway. last year we missed berlin and edinburgh. disappointment YES! complete downer NO! 7 years ago, we were on the 1st southeast asian cruise offered by ncl. due to mechanical problems, we were unable to dock in taipei, and hanoi. being a vietnam vet, not getting to see Hanoi was in fact a massive disappointment. However, as it must, the show must go on