Freshycat

On 7/25/2019 at 7:36 PM, dinkydee718 said:

I’ll try that but I am pretty sure that’s who I called last year. May be stuck trying to work it out in board again. Oh well. 

Dinkydee718, did you get this worked out? 

I've got 14 in my extended family on our cruise so this is a big issue as we would like to eat together every night. Teppanyaki was the trickiest, but we got reservations of 4+4+2 for 6 pm, and another 4 for 5:45 pm. My sister's travel agent is working with pre-concierge (she is Haven like you) to try to get us all in at the same time. If that doesn't work, we will all show up and explain the circumstances and try to be grouped together or close together (or maybe swap with another family who shows up early for their 6 pm reservation). Worse comes to worse, it's not terrible if one family starts 15 minutes before the others.

I think the best you can do is make provisional bookings and then try to straighten it out with concierge or once you're on board. But you should book as much as you can for now, because at least it gives the concierge space to work with and you can always cancel later. 

27 minutes ago, Extra Kim said:

We have done several trips on cruise ferries in the Baltic. You can get some signal now and then near Sweden, Åland, Finland, Estonia, Germany and Poland but not at open sea.

Thanks, that's handy. We're porting in Germany, Estonia and Poland so I will look for a signal if we are close to shore.

6 hours ago, hallasm said:

Dont know where those spotty connections should be.

Depending on your itinerary you might be close to Finland coast either the day before or after St. Petersburg - or close to Åland islands, Gotland or Bornholm - - definitely nothing to count on!

We're porting in Warnemunde in Germany, Gdynia in Poland, Talinn in Estonia and St. Petersburg. Orange is supposed to work everywhere except St. Petersburg so the cards will be useful in port at least.

I read a thread where somebody said they were sometimes able to pick up a signal at sea. They must have been close-ish to shore when it happened but I wondered if the range was known. 

Thanks, hallasm. I read some people say they could get a spotty connection in some parts of the Baltic Sea at sea sometimes, but I guess I won't count on it. 

We're cruising the Baltic Sea on the NCL Getaway this August. Anybody know if Europe SIM cards will work on a cruise ship (e.g., is there any interference in the signal), and whether there's any signal in the Baltic Sea or part of it? I'm planning to get "Orange" SIM cards. 

Just to be clear, I'm not wondering whether it is worth it, as we'll be travelling in Europe for a couple weeks prior to the cruise and will need the SIM cards anyway. I'm just wondering if they'll be any use on board the ship. We're travelling with teenagers (14 and 15) and I'd like to give them independence but also keep in touch. Also, if the SIM cards work, we'll stretch out the flat amount of data a bit longer. 

Thanks for any responses!

6 minutes ago, newmexicoNita said:

I have been cruising for many years and doing land vacations around the world as well: there is absolutely no cruise line that can guarantee you they will not change the itinerary or won't cancel for that matter.. It is rare, but things do happen that are out of the control of the cruise lines. 

 From my own experience and what others are saying in this thread, it does not seem rare at all with NCL. 

I'm not looking for a guarantee nor do I want one -- safety first, please! -- but I am looking for reliability and I don't think a cruise line that likes to significantly change the product after they start selling it is reliable. Changing Stockholm to Gdynia/Gdansk is not the same thing as moving my dinner reservation from 6:00 to 6:20, which is a closer equivalent to the types of changes airlines make. Lopping off two days is a different vacation entirely.

Also, any airline that I have flown on that makes a change of significance usually offers me the option of a full refund even if it's a non-refundable fare. That's what happened when my direct flight got converted to a connecting flight four months before the time. (And I did cancel -- I couldn't handle a connecting flight with young kids at that time.) For some people it was an inconsequential change. For me it was the material aspect of the flight.

If travel companies want reliability as a selling point, they have to make changes only very reluctantly and compensate heavily to show they take it seriously. If they don't, they signal that this is not a core aspect of the product they sell.

I do expect to have a great time on the cruise (my needs are pretty simple: hot coffee, daily shower, good company) -- but when it comes to cruising again, we won't be able to look at NCL without discounting the reliability of the itinerary. And when somebody asks me whether I will recommend NCL, even if I had a great time, I'll have to warn them that it's an unreliable cruise line so don't pick it unless the itinerary doesn't matter to you. 

I mean, that is what even the NCL boosters here say -- don't count on the ports. So if that's how NCL chooses to market itself, it should be aware of the consequence. 

2 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

What is bothering you so much that you will never cruise NCL again? Changes happen. What about when, for some reason an airline slightly changes the route but still gets you to where you are going, is that a problem for you? If a change in ports was a daily happening or they were cutting a day off, I would totally understand, but a change in one port? That is nothing to be so upset about, at least I wouldn't be. 

You mistake me, I am not the least bit upset. I am actually quite happy about the itinerary change because it resulted in a price drop that saved my extended family collectively over $12,000 on about $50,000 worth of cabins. I feel more than compensated for the change.

Nevertheless, in the future I will choose a more reliable cruise line because that is one of the aspects of the product I am looking for. It is difficult to organize an extended family vacation with many moving parts. This cruise is also just one part of a month-long European family vacation for us. Many of our bookings and deposits were made a year ago to ensure we could coordinate a large group and get the right mix of cabins close together.

A cruise line that demonstrates frequent changes for no good reason is unreliable and not one that offers me what I need. NCL is appropriate for people who have no need to plan ahead or who are comfortable with a high probability that their plans will be put in disarray. That's just not me, so I will find a cruise line that suits my needs better. 

7 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

May I ask why you thought that the old itinerary was better?

 

As I see it they will get one extra port, which in my opinion is a very nice port. I also think that they will dock in Stockholm instead of Nynäshamn and that's also much better.

You might say objectively the ports have the same value, but that doesn't help if somebody chose a particular cruise over another because they were looking for an overnight in Stockholm. 

On our 9-day Baltics cruise in August 2019, NCL changed the originally scheduled port of Stockholm to Gdansk. This was long before final payments so I think tons of people must have switched cruises because the prices fell by about 25%.  We couldn't switch because we are travelling with extended family and couldn't reschedule so we got the benefit of the price drop. But if it happens after final payments, it doesn't seem fair. 

I know the contract specifies they can change whatever, and I completely understand changing for emergencies and weather, but changing willy-nilly for no apparent reason other than poor planning becomes unfair and disrespectful to customers.

It's a question of trust and goodwill. This will be our first cruise ever, and if we keep cruising after that, I have decided based on this thread and my own experience that we will not book on NCL again. A company that does not respect its customers is simply too risky. The money is the least of it. My time and plans are precious too.

I'm on a Baltics cruise in August and NCL cancelled the Nynashamn/Stockholm port altogether and replaced it with Gdynia/Gdansk. I wonder if they're having some issues with porting in Stockholm. 

The itinerary change doesn't bother me too much because Gdansk will also be interesting and I think the decision caused the 25% price drop, which we were able to take advantage of. Also, the main attraction on our cruise is a 2-day visit to St. Petersburg and that appears to be intact. (If they changed that for reasons other than mechanical breakdown or weather emergency, I would be extremely annoyed, however.) 

If you can't feel fairly secure about the promised ports, then to me as a cruise ship newbie that indicates that cruising isn't a good way to see desired cities, it's mainly about the cruise ship experience with ports as just a bit of bonus/distraction. If you really want to visit a city, you better just do a land-based vacation there.

For Canadian travellers, this site might be a good place to look? 

https://www.canadiantravelagents.ca/

It lets you search by location of agent, destination specialization (including cruise specialists) and there are reviews and ratings too. Of course there's a lot of self-selection involved, but I think travel agents who take the trouble to build up a good profile and good reviews are more likely to take the trouble to provide good service. 

I would be leery of going with an Internet travel agent outside of my province or country. Legal recourse outside of your jurisdiction if something goes wrong is tough and much more expensive.

I think my brother-in-law's mistake was using his corporate travel agent who sets up his conferences and work travel. (For our NCL cruise for extended family.) He swears by her ability to get him swanky hotel and resort deals, but that's because she has expertise in that setting up his conferences. Based on my family's experience, I don't think she had any special knowledge about cruising. 

For now, I'm content to DIY online. It may cost me 5-10% in perks, but until I have the time to do the research properly, it seems risky going with just any TA. They could just as easily be bad as good, and agencies go under a lot more frequently than cruise lines. Plus, I got tons of important emails direct from the cruise line, which the TA does not seem to be forwarding to my family members who went through her. E.g., they didn't know that one of the ports of call had been changed, and missed the two large (20-25%) price drops and additional perks offered, like free airfare. My family booked $35K worth of cabins through the TA, so if she didn't get the price drops for them that I got DIYing, that's a loss of about $7-9K. I expect to have to hold my family's hand through the reservations and buying extras, because their TA does not seem to be keeping them informed.

OK, pending first-time cruiser here so I don't pretend to know anything at all. I am speaking only from my own personal experience. 

My extended family are going on an NCL cruise -- 5 cabins over 4 families. My brother-in-law offered his big-time corporate travel agent for the whole family (all cruise newbies) and initially I said thanks. However, the price she got was the exact same as the price I got going through the website. In addition, she put us all in for the unlimited free booze perk without asking, but since we hardly drink it did not make sense to pay the 20% gratuity, which would have added about $700 per booking. 

In the end the rest of my family went through this travel agent (dropping the booze perk once I told them about the autogratuity) and I booked direct with NCL because I wanted an alternate route for comparison purposes. Since that time, I have seen two price drops and taken advantage of both of them by calling NCL directly (5 minute phone call each time), for a total savings of $2,000 on my own initial $8500 reservation for the exact same cabin. The travel agent did not volunteer either price drop and seems to be unaware they occurred -- it took prodding from me for her to check for my family members and I still don't know if she was able to get the price drops. She also has not volunteered any OBC or other perks to anybody in the family, including my sister and brother-in-law, who are getting the $20,000 luxury cabin ( for the exact same price I saw on the website). I am waiting to see if she even sends them some wine or chocolates or something. 

I have no doubt that some travel agents can get big volume discounts and work the system like a grandmaster. However, based on my own experience, I would just say NOT ALL TRAVEL AGENTS ARE CREATED EQUAL. As a newbie, I would love to get advice on how one gets in with the amazing cruise TAs or how one can tell the TA they are working with is not just going through the motions. Maybe they don't exist in Canada (where I am)? Or do you have to do a certain volume of business before you can get in?

Edited to add: I didn't have a chance to read all the other posts when I posted, so I missed that some people did have tips. I'll be checking them out.

3 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

You should call ahead of time, they will note it on your reservation and someone will meet with you the day you board, if you eat in the MDR for lunch, usually there. I think only organic will be the only one with issues.

Thank you! 

3 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

Here is the email/phone # for the folks you would want to talk to about special needs and to get permission to bring your liquids on board.

 

https://www.ncl.com/faq#accessible-cruising

That's very helpful, thank you! I will be calling them asap.

16 minutes ago, champagne123 said:

 

Just a little tip.  For small things like bathing suits,  socks, undies, etc... roll up items, put in ziploc bag and put in shoes. Even some toiletries will work for this.

That's a great idea! I tuck gloves into ski boots, but never thought to tuck things into regular shoes. That's way better than just squishing them really flat as I've been doing.

Hello, my family group of 14 is travelling on the NCL Getaway's Aug 18-27, 2019 Baltic Cruise. We have several and various food issues in our group: 

- My nephew (21) has a severe peanut allergy. He's used to handling it and travels with an epi pen. 

- My DH is gluten sensitive.

- Several members are sometime vegetarians.

- Several members are lactose intolerant.  

- My sister is an organic foodie.

The only real medical concern is the peanut allergy, but dealing with the other options would greatly enhance everybody's enjoyment of the cruise. On the other hand, we don't want to cause a big headache for the staff and don't want a lot of special meals made (especially because they are sometimes awful). Is there clear food labelling? Does anybody have tips on how to handle it that will make it easiest on us and the staff? I booked directly through NCL online and didn't use a travel agent. Should I call them up now or wait until we're onboard to deal with it? 

Also, does anybody know the policy for bringing food onboard? My DH loves his coffee but usually drinks it with lactose-free cream. If we can find some in Copenhagen I'd like to bring it onboard. (I found the policy that says no food aboard to store in their kitchen, but we could put the LF cream in our mini-fridge.)

Thanks in advance for all replies.

9 hours ago, purplegrapefruit said:

One bathing suit is not enough for a cruise!  Those things don't dry in a day hanging on the little shower clothes line!

Haha, true, but bathing suits are small. You can get a lot of them into a carry-on. :) It's the extra shoes and multiple jackets, sweaters and  jeans that will kill you.

On 12/1/2018 at 5:19 PM, Nebr.cruiser said:

I have cruised for 7 days in a carry-on--we were flying with 7 (seven!) grandkids and did not want to pay baggage fees for 9.  

I hear you! Between DH's kids and our own, we used to travel as a family of 7. It was a lot easier to keep track of baggage when everybody had just the one carry-on! Every time you look at a kid, he better have his bag somewhere close at hand. I suppose that's another reason I've learned to travel light -- it's hard to squeeze luggage for 7 into a single vehicle if they all start bringing extra bags.

14 minutes ago, champagne123 said:

Love your post FRESHYCAT

Haha, thanks, champagne123! 

I forgot to add my newest love -- my cheap Chromebook, which is so small and lightweight I actually carry it in my purse. It works just fine as a laptop in a pinch. My purse holds my Chromebook, smartphone, wallet, the family's travel documents and a bottle of water once I clear security. My carry-on holds clothing, 2 pairs of shoes (the Crocs heels and sneakers) and my toiletries bag.

I always have room left over, which is good because my kids are always asking me to carry stuff for them. 

No judgment of anybody intended or implied, but I love to travel with just a carry-on. I suppose it's because I've had a few bad experiences. Once, the airline mis-routed my checked bag for a 3-day houseboat trip for somebody's anniversary. I was forced to spend the weekend in clothing purchased at 9 pm from the grocery store and looked and felt awful in the photos. Another time, we almost missed our int'l connection because we had to reclaim and re-check baggage.

Since then, I've tried to master the art of carry-on and travelling light. I like how nimble and adaptable it makes me feel. You're quick off the plane, quick to the cab, get first-in-line access over fellow travellers and can change your plans on a dime.  

Frankly, I also think I look better under the carry-on philosophy. Before when I filled a large suitcase, my focus was on quantity and variety. Now, knowing I have to be extremely selective with what I bring, I focus on a few high quality, classic and versatile pieces and don't feel shy about paying big $$ for quality gear because I know the items will be well-used.

My current travel go-tos are:

- a Burberry shawl in burgundy and rose tones I alternately use as a blanket on the plane, a neck scarf for dressing up an outfit, and a shawl paired with an evening gown. Weighs a few grams and tucks into my purse.

- 3-inch Crocs heels that look great with a business suit, but which I can also walk in comfortably for a whole day of city sightseeing. 

- a silky little black dress, which I dress down for plane travel and sightseeing and dress up to use as a cocktail dress. Makes me look like a million bucks. 

- Icebreaker clothes in 100% merino. Incredibly lightweight, warm and comfortable. It's anti-microbial so stays fresh without washing for quite a long time (mountaineers tell disgusting stories about going 30+ days without washing their Icebreaker, but truly the stuff does not smell). I have a hoodie that is my light jacket, which I also use for an extra warm layer. Also a few shirts pretty enough to be blouses, but can also be worn under shirts. And a pair of pants that work as regular trousers, but can also be used for light workouts (eg x-country skiing), or as a baselayer for skiing. A t-shirt is about $100 and the hoodie $300, but it's so useful it's worth it. Really easy to wash/hang, everything folds quite small, and wrinkles can be shaken out. And OK, I'll admit that it's so warm and comfortable I use them as pyjamas in a pinch.

On a recent 3-day work retreat with a formal evening event, business meetings and 2 casual outings, I only filled half my carry-on, yet got compliments all weekend on my "fashion" and "style," which made me chuckle. People's eyes bugged out when I rolled up with my little bag, and they looked on with envy when they had to wait 40 minutes for their stalled luggage to come out on the conveyor while I walked straight from the plane into a cab. 

Does anybody have favourite travel go-tos they'd like to share? I'm always on the lookout for great ideas/items.

22 hours ago, Jonslola said:

The exchange I had with my travel agent regarding my very first cruise a few years ago:

 

Me: I found a great deal on a cruise!

Agent: That IS a great deal! Oh, it's on the Dawn, I don't like that ship.

Me: We've never been on a cruise, we have nothing to compare it to.

Agent: Oh well then, you will have a great time!

 

We had a FABULOUS time and decided to cruise as often as possible. Why? Sun, sand, waves, unlimited Mojitos, no cooking, no driving, no cleaning. I'm sure whatever ship or cruise line you choose, you will have an amazing time! 

 

 

Haha, I love the sound of your travel agent. 

Just in case anybody is on this cruise ... I noticed a price drop of $1,109 on our $8,322 cruise so I called the number on my confirmation and they issued an immediate price adjustment. I didn't have to cancel my room and rebook or anything like that. I just called up and said, "I'd like to take advantage of the price reduction" and she said, "OK, give me a moment," then told me the new price and issued me a new confirmation with the lower price. It took about 30 seconds.

I'm in Canada. I understand this works in the U.S. as well, and you can keep doing price adjustments right up until final payment, 120 days before sailing. 

Not sure if it's just this cruise (I'm guessing people may have jumped ship after they swapped Stockholm for Gdansk) or whether there are a lot of sales, but if you haven't reached final payment, it might be a good idea to check for November price drops on your cruise. 

Happy cruising!

I'm convinced, we will stay local and explore the towns nearer by. Thank you to everybody for sharing your experiences.

We just did this. We opted to stay in Warnemunde and Rostock rather than take six hours out of our day to go to Berlin. We had a wonderful day with an amazing guide who provided us a walking tour of these towns (with a short train ride between them). Our group was just six people so our guide was able to really talk with us about the places we saw and what his experiences were like in the changeover from East Germany to now. Absolutely fascinating. I highly recommend you stay local to enjoy these lovely small towns.

That sounds great! Do you recall the name of the tour or tour guide?

Tipping is such a contentious issue. I travelled in Europe as a teenager with my class and insisted on tipping generously in restaurants (because my parents always did in North America). I knew it was not expected, but thought it was nice. However, one waitress did not seem particularly pleased to receive the tip (she said it was "not necessary" and I said, "I know, but I would like to leave it as a token of our appreciation"), and I found out afterwards that some people are actually offended because it implies that they are low-wage workers when they see themselves as trained professionals.

Now I inquire into the culture, try to be flexible and check my judgment at the door. In York, England, I noticed that there was no auto gratuity on the bill for our hotel restaurant (unlike in London), but I was also told that tipping is not normal in England so I confirmed with the maître d' and asked if I could add a tip. He looked surprised but pleased and said, "Yes" and "thank you."

I don't think there is a "right" answer. There are different cultural practices. I think the default is you follow the practice of the locale, or, if you want to depart from it, then tread delicately and recognize there's a bit of negotiation involved. I don't think we should just impose our practices on others without asking first.

Sorry, I have nothing helpful to say about the Splash Academy workers, except maybe inquire discreetly with a manager whether it would be acceptable to tip them. I'm sure you will be told it's fine, and then you can tip whatever you want since it's not the established practice.

New cruisers should be made aware that portable radios do not work inside the ship. On the outer decks you may be able to communicate, but inside the ship the radio wave propogation is very poor due the number of steel bulkheads. In my experience of 40 years at sea, the UHF frequencies were better than the marine band VHF frequencies, but they were still useless.

 

Even with commercial dual band portable VHF/UHF radios (about $900 each), to communicate effectively throughout the ship, we required a repeater system, which had numerous receivers and transmitters throughout the ship.

Haha, it sounds like you have to go old-fashioned on a cruise ship. I've read people saying "bring sticky notes and pens" so you can leave messages for your cabin mates. Maybe another alternative is to get a chalkboard or whiteboard vinyl sticker and use it to write messages to each other (and the cabin steward??). Amazon has them for about $5 to 10 and they come off easily, leaving no marks.

Would the Cruise Ship protest anything on their walls, though?

Well, I beg your forgiveness for not catching the sarcasm, since I have answered several threads on here where folks have claimed that rescue in the case of a cruise ship disaster would only be "hours away, since all the ships follow the shipping lanes". So, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you as someone who may actually know what a "shipping lane" is.

Sarcasm or no, I appreciated the info. I looked up "shipping lanes" on Wikipedia after it got mentioned, but I wasn't sure how big they were and was imagining all of these ships sticking to this tiny imaginary "road" on the sea. 50-100 miles makes more sense!

Thank you!

... Only what will fit into a single carry-on.

I haven't checked luggage in over a decade, and the only thing I checked was a child's safety seat, since there were no guarantees I could get one where we were going. Otherwise, anything beyond a carry-on slows you down like crazy, especially on international flights. Unless you're going off-grid, there are usually pharmacies and shops where you can pick up whatever you need, including at the airport. Even if the prices are higher, you have to factor in the value of your vacation time waiting for your checked bags and extra baggage fees.

So: passport, wallet, smartphone, essential toiletries (e.g., glasses/contacts, prescription drugs), a little black dress, a cold weather outfit, a warm weather outfit, a couple pieces for layering, appropriate outerwear and a fine scarf or necklace to dress it up. Best if everything can be mixed-and-matched.

Lol, I forgot to even bring the above when we went to England for a week earlier this year! I was in such a rush due to last-minute work details I left half the clothing I intended to take in the dryer. Other than the clothes on my back, I only had underthings, 1 pair of capris, a dress and 2 light sweaters in my suitcase. It was OK, I got the hotel to do some laundry and bought a shirt. But when the weather turned cold, I had to put on most of my wardrobe!

The more you bring the more you have to keep track of. Mostly I worry about passports, phone, wallet, glasses and children. The rest should be optional / dispensable, and DH can take care of himself. :)