Jump to content

John E. Canuck

Members
  • Posts

    34
  • Joined

About Me

  • Location
    Toronto, Canada
  • Interests
    Snowmobiling, Trawlers
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Azamara
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Alaska

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

John E. Canuck's Achievements

Cool Cruiser

Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. When we bought them at the Cruise Next counter, onboard, we didn't ask if they could be in our home (Canadian) currency. They were attached to our onboard account ( which is always in $US, to my knowledge ) - so not much choice there. I don't forsee ever being at tha Cruise Next counter again, but will ask if I am.
  2. Thanks. Since the topic is about shares - I'll take that "pre-paying is optional" and chalk it up to a new TA at a very popular U.S. online agency. He was adament NCL required gratuities be paid up front. I'll go with the above and stick to our Canadian travel agent (who I never got to final pricing with due to a Cruise Next issue). Thank, again. Enjoy Panama Canal. The history of the endeavour is incredible . The onboard presentations, from retired 'pilots' to professors are fasinating.
  3. Recently asked to pay gratuities up front (US travel agent said it was NCL policy). Wondered 'why'? I really like this idea of a share purchase but when you started dicsussing NCL 'finances' I reflected on a call I had with an agent (I'd called NCL directly, then my Canadian travel agent then USA travel agent - because Cruise Next was in US $). Booked through US agent until he said "price you see, plus taxes and port charge (fine) plus...prepaid gratuities. The latter was new - so many things can happen. You cancel, for whatever reason; this seems like Uber asking for a tip as soon as you get into the car. Anyhow, the stock tip great. NCL finances, like any stock purchase, educate yourself. Have to wonder why gratuities requested months before saling and (in our case) why are prepaid Cruise Next credits so tough to apply?? (bought in $US - can't be applied to a future Canadian cruise purchase. Option to convert, etc..gonna happen. Black Friday pricing. Who knows..long process). Many nice memories. We let our $$ for Covid cancelled cruises ride with the cruise line (to support them!) rather than ask for a refund. Sailed with NCL again using those fully paid for 2020 cruise $$. But lately ...
  4. We also tried to book a February 2024 cruise and noticed similar ('what are they thinking') onboard pricing. But, sadly, bought Cruise Next - which for a Canadian buying in $US is proving to be a nightmare to apply. Meaning, we fell down this rabbit hole - 'They're onboard future prices are out of line". Look, over here, Cruise Next - why don't we just 'park' our money for a future cruise (with increntives) rather than buy an actual cruise. Cruise Next has been a mistake for us. Easy to buy. Tought for Canadians to apply (don't pay for Cruise Next in $US if you're not a US resident...every future cruise will have to be in $US, unless you go through an email process 'converting' them to Canadian funds)
  5. We have regretted our Cruise Next purchases. Easy to buy, sooooo hard to apply. *Can only be used 120 days out. Cannot be used on interior rooms (occassionally, actually enjoy them for the peace and quiet) MOST IMPORTANTLY - Cannot be used by a Canadian travel agent because we bought them in $US at sea while travelling on a direct buy NCL Cruise. You'll find this amusing: 1. * Call NCL (USA) - ask to buy an upcoming cruise. WANT TO SPEND $3,000 but (hat in hand) humbly ask if we can apply one of the $250 Cruise credits AND have the booking assiged to our Canadian travel agent (the agent who found it for us). No - less than 90 days. Can't assign the booking to your agent, we're told . "We're NCL, not a travel agent". Travel agent is out of luck if we book direct, in $US. So we decide to keep trying with Canadian travel agent and pay on our home country's currency (and the currency of our credit card). 2. Canadian Travel Agent (**Edit..not sure if we're allowed to mentioned TA names) - spoke to NCL rep and 3 Supervisors (some NCL and some TA). Can't pay in $ Cdn AND apply US $ 250 'coupon. Why? Because we bought in $ US. So?? Toggle it, give us 30 percent or so..what's that, $75 Cdn??get it done. No. Computer doesn't allow Cdn purchases to apply US credits. No override. If we book from Canada, can't apply US $ Cruise Next. But Travel Agent says we can write an email to Cruise Next, convert ALL those Cruise Nexts to Canadian. Fine. I start that process. Receive email - it takes 3 to 5 business days to respond (odd..the cruise purchase decision by telephone often has to be immediate - next day hold at most, for us). Reply by email from NCL- we would be happy to convert any or all of your CND to the currency of choice (CAD). NCL got it wrong. We're not trying to convert CDN to CDN (who would ? ). I call them. Nope. "Cruise Next' can only be handled by email (that's very telling - you can solve most things by 'explaining' in a conversation. Not NCL Cruise Next). So..we're sitting on $1250 of cruise credits, tried to purchase a cruise Black Friday weekend..ran into a speed bump involving a minor currency consersions...and sense that time will not be on our side. Canadian travel agent (and 3 of his immediate supervisors) are almost laughing. "You want to spend $3,000. All you want to do is apply $250 - that's your money, funds you've paid for. And they don't want your money"?? * and I suppose that's my next question. We're less than 120 days but they're willing to accept 1 cruise credit. How do all those promotional emails I've received actually 'work'. Apply 2 Cruise Next. Apply 3. (is the 'small print' in those emails ..Must book 4 months in advance..Must purchase in the currency Cruise Next is in? Must book balcony and above). This cruise is a balcony or above btw...nice Caribbean weather. But truly, for other cruises, expecially northern, no problem inside. Keep you posted on our attempt to use our money for a future cruise. Live and learn.
  6. https://destinationstmartins.com/ The above is a link to a great Saint John destination. We saw many taxis there - presumably from town. About an hour's ride...great beach walk. Caves. Tide rises fast, so stay with the crowd. You can get trapped in an inlet.
  7. Thanks for all contributions to this thread. We did a last minute cruise (same itinerary) Sept 3-10. Drove to NYC from Toronto (8 hrs driving time, a bit more with stops). Parked at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal onsite ($320 US for those wondering). Tried parking nearby first, in private car elevator spaces....they wanted $270 and it was a distance to walk with luggage. Calm waters, so the tender stops were seamless. I will say that the most disappointing shore excursion (ever ! any cruise line) was the NCL HALX1411 'Views of Halifax' bus tour. Ticket said meet onshore at 2 pm. We arrived a few minutes before that. Long hot lines in the sun. We boarded at 2:45 pm. The bus (Tidal Bay Express, bus 1152) was not air conditioned on a brutally hot day. Many people advised the tour operator they were 'done' at the first stop, Victorian Garden. The poor tour guide was taking their names, while those who wished to continue stood idly by. Waste of time. More left later. Sounds like a first world problem, no AC. And it is, for the $129 or so spent by each of us. But the galling part was that the bus driver knew, played with buttons, all he got was air. We registered displeasure with NCL onboard, were reassured they'd get back to us (how, I asked. Voicmail in stateroom. Didn't happen). Want to warn others to stay away from this red bus in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Really not fussy or picky eaters. Buffet upstairs met our needs. Savor one night was great. Steak supplier has changed, gone are the thin, but 'tough' steaks. Replaced by the current thicker product. It was a last minute trip for us (gap in work schedule). 'NCL assigned the room, only inside left' - fine with us. The good: Clean ship. Seemingly happy employees (always a hello, always lookng to imporve our day and we, if we could, theirs - big believer in regular, daily tipping ). Two comedians (Frank Townsend, from memory, seen him before..always good); Motown; Dining. The bad: NCL shore excursion. __ Glad to be travelling again. We'll be back aboard NCL and wish all bon voyage.
×
×
  • Create New...