complawyer

imho, ncl and IT issue is redundant, it's like the old frank sinatra song, you can't have one without the other.* i love when the screen comes up: Oops this sight is taking a short vacation! * LOVE AND MARRIAGE, for those on CC to young to remember the song. LOL!

there is absolutely no problem in/with a connecting room, and you have 0 to worry about unless you are completely anti-social. even then, there is no difference between a connecting room and non-connecting room. even if you get the room , assuming it's balcony or above, when you step onto your balcony, if your next door neighbor is out on their respective balcony you may/can still see each other. you dont have/need to communicate, but be aware they are still next door whether your cabin is connecting or not. while i certainly concede that everyone has the right to choose a specific cabin ( if it's available). i dont understand your reluctance/ desire to switch. this is purely a rhetorical question, you owe neither me nor anyone else on CC, an answer or explanation, but i hope you get what you want

what happens when it gets to the pier. does the company rep give it directly to the porters, does he tip them. what happens if by some chance the luggage tags get torn off in transit, as your company has no control over the bags once they're on the plane. what happens if they are arent there at final destination or were somehow misdirected by the airline? also you indicated that it was expensive. might i inquire what was the actual cost, and do you book the service round trip? last january, we were on the trans-canal on the ncl jewel. there were 2 very nice ladies in the cabin next door (haven suite)who utilized the ncl bogo air offer and the hotel offer. while everything almost went well, somehow in transit from the hotel (remember booked by/thru ncl) their luggage never made it to the ship prior to departure. while all was not lost, their luggage arrived 3 days later (( 9 day cruise) im glad for you that it works out well. i have admitted to being a pessimist, and a devout adherent to "murphy's law" so personally i would never take the chance. im absolutely certain that most of the posters have had the feeling of dread, watching the luggage carousel go round and round and round and not seeing their bags, and the overwhelming feeling of joy and relief when they finally arrive. im also certain that anyone who has ever flown has experienced the feeling of despair when the carousel finally stops and their luggage isnt there. just imagine, flying into any port (especially european) on the exact day of embarkation, and finding out your luggage didnt make it. hellova way to start a vacation! sorry for the drama!

hey schmoopie 17. yes, you are correct, if they cancel ports, they in fact could do a cruise to nowhere, man, but that would be 1000xs better that sittin on the dock of the bay or having mechanical problems, and changing the ship to the sloop john b sorry, couldnt resist ! LMAO!!!

maisonrose: i believe that msc line caters to a larger european crowd, so it's not surprising that they would show world cup matches we were on the ncl dawn this past july/ aug, and they had a specific channel dedicated to sports. the showed the women's world cup matches

cruise bear 55. there are different stages at casinos at sea, depending on your rate of play. consequently, one can have diamond status at the casino, and ambassador status with ncl directly. my wife has platinum status at CAS, and we both have "diamond" status with 391 points.

you're 100% correct, only a minor beef. just let it go. if you wanted to watch the sports, you could have stayed home. there is so much more to see and do on a cruise, dont waste your precious time watching t.v. i'm a devout dodgers fan, but i can forego the games if i'm in europe.

probably need to know the ports you are visiting prior to giving any excursion advice. that being said, however, my best advice is prior to reaching any port, review the excursion descriptions, decide which ones you'd like to do, then when you get off the ship, find a cab, show him what you want, negotiate a price and go and enjoy. sometimes we show a driver 2 excursions, and he'll take us to both. the overall price is substantially less that what you'd pay for the ncl excursion.

air tags will do you absolutely "NO GOOD" if you're at he cruise ship pier, and your luggage isn't, especially of you're at a foreign port. my strong advice (unless you're a gambling man): dont do it!!

well, since i originally posted "dont look a gift horse in the mouth" i was pleasantly surprised at the 5 point per night. i was expecting 3 max

i know i'm probably going to get blasted for this post, but personally i dont even consider the entertainment (or lack thereof) as any criteria for booking a cruise. After 25 cruises, sometimes i dont even bother with going to the stardust theater, or sitting at a lounge listening to some off key and often to loud singer. the cruise/itinerary is the most important. (at least imho)

i would be really worried about my luggage getting on board. you need to put your tags on the luggage so when (if) it gets to the dock a porter will pick it up, and hope that the tags dont fall off in transit. then you have to worry about your luggage sitting at the pier, and it getting on/off the plane and who will pick it up at the arrival carousel. im 75,sometimes i put the cpap into my carry-on, sometimes i check it in with my other luggage. you can always find someone to assist you with your luggage at most airports. then you have to take the entire package and worry that your luggage even gets on the correct plane (this even happens if you check in your bags) especially if there are one or more connections. personally, i wouldnt take the chance, but i'm an avowed pessimist, and always see the glass as 1/2 empty. i'm also a strict adherent to murphy's law.

if it's not to late, why dont you see if one or the other cabins are available for the entire length of your cruise, or the same category cabin for the entire time. that way if doesnt entail moving (although you still need a new key card) when ever we book a b2b, the first thing i always ask, is if there are available cabins so i dont have to change.

my wife wanted to go on a cruise to ireland. we got a brochure last year with a great price for a suite for 10 days. i immediately looked it up on the web site, but it wasnt here. i called ncl to book, only to be told the cruise didnt even exist. obviously, i asked, if it didnt exist, why is it in the brochure? to which the reply was only, sorry, there's nothing we can do.

got you beat... we had a 19 day b2b cruise in a 2 bedroom suite this past july through aug. when we got home, i checked and we earned 95 points. i was stunned, and the points shot us up from sapphire to diamond. we now have 391 points. while i figured i'd be old and grey, (since im already 75 and the wife is 74) before i'd be near ambassador status, it doesnt seem so out of reach now

figoodships: thats why i indicated we havent been there in at least 8-9 years. i assure you my experience was completely different. there was even a guy on the sidewalk, selling those hand made leaf hats, that wanted to fight me because he had "paid" for that space and i was on it. also back then the good citizens of key west demanded "all" cruise ships be gone by 3:00 p.m. they didnt want to have their view of the sunsetting blocked. i believe at one point there was even a vote by the citizens to that effect. while key west was nice, i would have no regrets if i never saw it again

1st off, the prices on board are sky hi. 2nd, although we havent docked in key west in at least 8-9 years, as i recall their citizens are extremely close-minded and hate anyone getting off a cruise ship

while i certainly see your point, and sympathize with your position, i believe the best you can be is p****d off. to me, it's like anything you buy that goes on sale later on. If the prices drops, cars, appliances, groceries, etc. once you've bought and paid for the goods, if they go down later on, you're pretty much out of luck. if you do get either a fcc, or on board credit, consider it an unearned gift or a goodwill gesture

in that case, have a great time and enjoy your cruise!!!!

while the offer, in and of itself, isnt bad, i have posted before, if what you have posted flightwise, is really what you wish to do, i STRONGELY, suggest you book your own flights. that way you can pick the time of departure, estimate the arrival time, depart from wherever you wish and most importantly what category seats you want. Just google an airline, chooses multi-city and go from there. It may cost a little more, but for my money (and i dont presume to tell anyone else how to spend their's) it's well worth it. personally, i would never let ncl book/choose my flights, regardless of flights. Since you're flying from lax to oslo, visualize sitting in economy for the entire duration, then to make matters worse, visualize being stuck in the middle seat. NO THANKS!

so far, on any shore excursions we've ever booked thru ncl no one has ever (and i mean never) checked if the name corresponds with the person getting on the bus. they dont check if you have to wait in the stardust theater until your excursion is called, they just rip off the ticket when you board the bus. by the way, i find its cheaper to take the tour description that you want with you and hire a taxi. btw, we've taken dozens of excursions by/thru ncl and on our own

sorry for the late response. if the ship you're booking, has both a haven and a suite designation(not club balcony suite) you will find the size and description almost identical. there is a significant price difference, the perks are identical, the only difference is no access to the haven complex if you book a suite. personally i find that at the difference in price, i can forgo the haven pool, bar and restaurant, you still have breakfast at modeno, lunch at cagneys, and all the other goodies. butler, concierge, priority getting on/off the ship dont get me wrong, staying in the haven complex is amazing, truly a different world, but does it equate with saving a few $1000 dollars for almost the same thing?

imho, i believe its so much better to book your own flights, allowing you to determine when you want to leave/return, ( this is especially helpful on a multi-city cruise where it begins in one port and concludes in another, especially if you want to visit the cities prior to and after your cruise ) where you want to sit, allowing you to view/pick your own seat. i agree, sitting in economy, especially if you're stuck in the middle seat is unbearable at the least, and tortuous at best.

does this include departures from european ports also?

luv2kroooz. hate to argue with you on such a minor point, but "quality Broadway entertainment" is really only available in places like Broadway itself, or London's west end theater district. while the cruise shows are nice (some even entertaining) there is really no comparison. if you dont want to pay for wheel of fortune, or any other like activities, DON'T! in reality, any of those activities are of no interest to me. after 10pm. i'd rather be in my cabin reading my kindle. im 75 years old, and only choose a cruise based on both its price and itinerary. the other bells and whistles are of no furtherr consequence. im even contemplating removing the drink package (1) it saves about $500-$700 of the cruise price (2) i find i drink a whole lot more on a daily basis, because i bought the package