funat55

Does anyone know if this hotel is within walking distance to a monorail station.

I used their services in 2018 and plan to use them again next year.  I wish I could remember the name of our driver.   She was great.   We actually used their services to pick us up from the airport, full day tour, ride to the ship and ride from the ship to the airport.  

Is Cagneys now ala carte or is it also included in the specialty dining package?  If it is included what are you entitled to order off the menu at no charge?

Although I didn't expect it, I was given a full refund of my post cruise hotel in Seattle and airfare.  I booked through Expedia and I know that no one had to give me a refund.   The air was with Alaska airlines but booked through Expedia.  I am very satisfied but in retrospect, I would probably book through a site next time separately for the hotel that has free cancellation.  I am happy that you are getting your refund.

Final payment for my Alaska cruise came due during this pandemic.   I knew in my heart of hearts that eventually my cruise would be cancelled but if I didn't pay it off, I would not receive a 100% refund.     I decided to wait it out and this week I got the email giving me the option to get a future cruise credit or apply for a full refund.  So for now, the bank of NCL has my money and when the form becomes available next week I will ask for my refund and then wait 60 to 90 days.   By the way, when final payment was due, I was having a banking issue and asked for a one day extension which they denied.

I don't have a problem if they cancel my cruise on the Joy set for June 27th.   I'm expecting them to cancel.

My problem is that I believe they already know that they are going to cancel and are waiting until who knows when to tell us.  I booked my airfare and precruise hotel through Expedia.   Does any one know if they are issuing refunds?    I don't mind making new plans but let me know the sooner the better.    

I was in a similar situation a couple of weeks ago.  I ended up making final payment on my June 27th cruise to Alaska on the Joy.   The reason for my decision was because I was told that if NCL cancels my cruise I could get a refund (get my money back) or do the future cruise credit.  If I had requested a refund before final payment, I would have taken a hit so I spun the wheel feeling fairly confidant that the cruise will be cancelled.  

5 hours ago, peterwl694 said:

I have a cruise planned for August on the Breakaway. Final payment was due this weekend and it certainly was not an easy decision whether or not to make that payment or not. Ultimately, we decided to go ahead and make our payment. I want to believe that we'll be getting on the ship (my 3/15 on the Encore was cancelled so hopefully I wont be 0 for 2 this year), but part of me knows that there is a very high chance that it won't be happening. I want to cruise and do plan on cruising, I'm in great health in my 20's, and my parents are in good health as well. (And yes, I am very much aware what is going on in the world - I am an EMT and also work in a nursing home and have been working straight for the past 3 weeks without a day off).

I think the cruise Gods are try to tell me to stay home.   It all started last year.  Was supposed to go to Cuba and that got cancelled.   Then booked a cruise to Japan for this June.   That got cancelled.  I now have a cruise booked for May 9th to Mexico and another one booked for June 27th to Alaska.  Those will probably get cancelled.   I have a sister who lives in Virginia Beach and read that the Carnival Magic will be sailing out of Norfolk.  That one is on my short list for October next year not this year.

2 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

This is something I would definitely consider doing.. no one knows if cruises will be back to normal by end of June.  

This situation with the virus causing so much turmoil is so new, it can't be predicted what will happen or when with any accuracy.  

Best guess is that cruises to AK this upcoming season may very well be a miss.  

I am prepared for the cruise line to cancel me.  I'm holding out to see if it benefits me to cancel rather then for me to cancel.

I was previously booked on the Spirit going to Japan and NCL cancelled that cruise and gave me a 10% discount for the trip to Alaska.  Our family is willing to wait and see.   I once booked a last minute cruise on Carnival 3 days before sailing.

2 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Some travel agents like to collect the final payment information a week or so in advance of the actual due date to make sure their clients don’t miss the date and get canceled. That is likely what is happening. 

99% of the time I would totally agree with you because it makes sense.  But let me disclose that my TA is also my sister and she knew that I needed a few more days to collect so she was batting for me to get an extension.  She was told that if I didn't pay by today, I would be cancelled.

On 3/13/2020 at 5:36 PM, Love my butler said:

NCL won't be doing Alaska this year til July at the earliest.  Canada has closed ALL ports until July.  NCL had 4 ships scheduled into Alaska this summer.  First time they ever had that many.  Oh well.

My cruise on the Joy, if I get to go begins in Seattle on June 27th but doesn't arrive in Victoria until July 3rd.  Do you think this sailing will be cancelled??

I am currently booked for an Alaskan Cruise on the Joy the end of June.   I have my invoice in hand that clearly states  "final payment March 29th"   So why is it that my travel agent told me yesterday that my final payment is due today????   Apparently they can change the date and ask for the money sooner if they want to.  One day notice. (and in case you are wondering, she told me the minute she found out)   Really, to come up with over $6,000 when I thought I had until the end of the month.   The investment/source of my cruise money is not slated to be released to me until next week, so out comes the credit card.   Their agreement is unilateral and one-sided but I've always been willing to abide by their terms and conditions.  However, this little rule slipped right by me.  So according to the supervisor my TA spoke too, they can indeed change the due date for final payment anytime they want to.  

Your pictures are amazing.  I was booked on the Spirit for a 9 day cruise to Japan but it got cancelled.  Maybe someday I will get another chance to try out the Spirit.

On 1/17/2020 at 10:58 AM, Zippeedee said:

I'd rather fly JetBlue than either of the other two. MUCH more comfortable and much better service!  I hope they have added them to the list of possible choices.

I see that you will be on the Sprit in Japan.  So will I leaving July 6.  Do you know what airline they will be using.  I will be coming from Los Angeles.

I sailed out of New York when she was the Triumph.    I really like the mega ships and most recently sailed on the Symphony of the Seas.  I thought the Triumph would be too small for me but she was just right.  I am sailing to Cuba in December when she will be the Sunrise.   With the "extreme makeover" that she is getting, it will feel like a new ship.  I hope the Flying Scotsman will still be the cruise director by then.  He was supposed to be on the Dream when we sailed a couple years ago, but he was on vacation.  Looking forward in any event.

I love the idea.  You get the best of both worlds, Disney World and a cruise.  

I was on the Bliss recently for the last trip to Mexico.  Got off on November 3rd.  We did not notice any problems with elevators except after the shows.  I too was disappointed that I couldn't find lobster on the ship.  I'm not from the East coast where you can get the best lobster in the world.  I'm from California and to get the delicious lobster that the East coast folk talk about, you have to go to a pretty nice restaurant and expect to pay a hefty price.  That is why my lobster on a cruise has always been the one special dinner treat that I looked forward too.  And I might say, that to me, based on what I've had otherwise, cruise ship lobster has always been just fine for me.

I would also like to mention that there is a show on the Bliss called "Prohibition".  I heard it was pretty good but we cancelled our reservation because it was not a dinner show like we thought.  I was surprised based on the $34.99 price tag.  On the other NCL ships that we have been on, the Imaginarium and Cirque shows included dinner.  Prohibition included drinks, but big deal when more then half the ship had the drink package anyway.

As to the cruise in general, we had excellent service in every dining venue and we were satisfied with all our meals.  The crew was very friendly and never had to wait for a table, even when we didn't have reservations.

Just got off the Bliss yesterday and had an amazing cruise.  But in response to the topic of this thread, there was no lobster on the entire ship.  Not even in the specialty restaurants or for an extra fee.  Don't know if it is just the Bliss or all the NCL fleet.

I was disappointed but I did not starve lol, plenty of good food.  However, my lobster on a cruise is the treat that I missed.

I'm on the Bliss leaving this Saturday October 27th.  I have not received any notification that the itinerary will be changed.  Frankly, I don't care where the ship goes.   My sister got this cruise from gambling a lot, and the port is close to home, so no airfare involved.  We already feel like winners.  I'm going to pack a couple of warm outfits regardless cause you never know.

I'm still waiting to hear on my bid.  I'm on the Bliss sailing October 27th.  Thought I would have heard something by now.  Not expecting them to accept my bid.  Ship has been sold out for some time.  But it's interesting that they are still offering requests for bids.

This is just my opinion for what it's worth. I wish there was some sort of in between solution for people who do not buy the insurance. If you are not asking for a refund, then why not let them re-book another cruise and perhaps charge a small fee to compensate the cruise line for their trouble. You often see companies who sell products give a refund when the item is returned but charge a re-stocking fee. It's very likely that someone will grab the cabin that was cancelled and an otherwise loyal customer will continue to maintain their loyalty. If insurance guarantees that you will get a full refund of all your money, then by all means buy insurance. But I find it difficult to believe that the cruise line will lose$$$$$$ if they keep your money and let you take a cruise at some time in the future. They have your money and who knows for how long. I feel the same way about airlines that don't have the same policy that Southwest has. Every time I fly, seems like they are always asking for volunteers to give up their seats on oversold flights. The airlines are more then happy to keep your money if you can't fly and re-sell your seat. The same seat that you are not allowed to sell yourself or even give to another family member.

Don’t worry about the criticism. On the last cruise my son was gambling next to me and ordered a drink (he had the drink package, I did not). Any way the drink turned out to be way too sweet and not to his liking so he gave it to me. There was no problem except with those on the boards that had read about my experience on another post and had suggested that I should have refused the drink or thrown it away. What a waste that would have been and for an isolated incident.

Can you ask the karaoke host if we can bring our own karaoke disks. I have my favorite songs that you rarely find in the ships songbook.

thank you

Is it necessary to make reservations if you have my time dining? We don't want to have a set time. Can't we just go to the dining room when we feel hungry as long as they are still open?