lkjacobs

For what it’s worth, let me add a fresh voice to this conversation. I’d like to take wearing tier pins to the Latitudes cocktail party off the table. The party is to recognize frequent cruisers and provide a forum for them to share experiences and knowledge. Contrary to what many attendees believe, it’s not just for a free drink and cheese cubes. In that environment, the pins are no different than raising your hands and applauding when each tier is pointed out by many CruiseNext managers. Outside of the party, many senior Latitudes members wear their pins as an open invitation to fellow passengers to ask them questions, knowing that they have a depth of NCL cruising knowledge. Back when I was Diamond, I wore that pin on occasion, and several guests opened dialogues in the theater before a show, on a bus to an excursion or in a restaurant, comfortable asking another passenger things that would be uncomfortable or inappropriate to broach with the crew. I welcomed those exchanges and was glad to help. I haven’t yet received my Ambassador pin, but likely will wear it sometimes for the same reason. It won’t be to show off, but after turning over many tens of thousands of dollars to Norwegian, I’d have absolutely no issue with someone else having that motive.

I know more NCL officers than I can count, many of whom are friends - much more than acquaintances. When I get on a ship that I frequent, not only do the officers know me by name, but so do many restaurant hostesses and waiters. Sure, if you cruise once every few years, nobody will know you, nor will they if you make no effort to interact with them; they’re not mind readers. My bigger question is this: if you feel that keeping track of key crew members is so pointless, why are you even reading this board, let alone throwing insults at those of us who have relationships you never will?

I can’t tell; was this question directed to me? Obviously, I can’t have sailed recently enough on all 16 NCL ships I’ve boarded to provide relevant lists for all of them. I was on the Star in November 2017, so any information I have would be useless today.

Here’s the officer screen on the Sky as of today:

Officers on the NCL Sky as of today

Not quite. You and the second person in the cabin each have a 150 minute FAS plan. They’re separate plans. Neither, one or both may be upgraded to the Unlimited Basic package each for the prices you note. Most Internet Managers don’t care if minutes have been used before upgrading, though they need to manually process those upgrades (you can do it yourself if not redeemed), though I can’t speak for every one of them.

Looks like they’re offering the social media for only $12.50 per day. Again, check with the Internet Manager onboard. Also ask if there’s a special package available only on the last day that accesses all non-streaming sites. That’s specifically for flight check-ins. I’ve seen things like 30 minutes for 20 bucks.

I obviously made an assumption about cruise length, not knowing that you’re on a 14-day itinerary. Be sure to check with the Internet Manager before making a decision to assure that the daily rates don’t change on such a long cruise. You can also view the upgrade costs when you log into your My NCL account and look at the Summary page. By the way, I think that 14 x 15 = $210 rather than $175. If you select the Social Media plan, realize that it will block everything else. You can’t Google, check any emails, access banking apps or even check in for your flight home.

To specifically answer your question, the Unlimited Social Media package supports just about every app that anyone typically would put in that category, except for TikTok, which is considered to be streaming. It certainly includes FB, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp. Stand-alone video conferencing apps, other than FaceTime, (Zoom, Duo, Teams, etc.) require the Premium Unlimited package, though similar functions are supported in all packages if they’re within social media apps. However… if you have promotional minutes (250 or, more likely, 150) do the math. You’ll probably end up better off upgrading it to a Basic Unlimited plan and taking the credit for your promo. On a 7-day cruise, for example, upgrading on embarkation day would cost (7 x 30) = $210 minus $100 for 150 minutes or $125 for 250 minutes. The USM plan would be (7 x 15) = $105. If you can wait until Day 2, it gets even better, since the BU drops by $30 but the USM only goes down $15.

The upgrade parameters typically relate to cruise length. The standard for 7-day itineraries is to charge one day less on Day 2 and then either to remove upgrade options completely or lock the cost at the Day 2 price. I’ve seen the occasional manager who does something different, but most follow one of those two paths. On very short itineraries, upgrading may only be allowed on embarkation day. For the 10-day cruise being questioned, I’d strongly recommend touching base with the Internet Manager to clarify his/her plan. Though it may be extended to Day 3, I’d be more than shocked if upgrading to a 5-day price was allowed. It’s not just a matter of revenue; such a policy would overstress available bandwidth with lots of passengers uploading photos and videos saved over all the previous days.

The price for Basic Unlimited internet is (rounding off) $30 per day. That’s $300 for a 10-day cruise. You’ll get a $100 credit against that cost for your 150 minute promotion. That’s where the price you see comes from. It’s the same in advance or onboard on embarkation day. On Day 2, the cost drops by one day ($30). On a 10-day itinerary, the Internet Manager may extend the upgrade window to 3 days, but that should be confirmed before assuming anything. When you redeem the promo minutes onboard, a pop-up window will offer you the upgrades (Basic and Premium unlimited). You don’t need to speak with anyone to avail yourself of the offer and receive the $100 credit (read the small print under the prices to verify the credit). The Unlimited Social Media plan is half the price of the Basic Unlimited, so it never included what’s the heart of that plan. Otherwise, there’d be no sense offering both. By the way, there’s no upgrade credit for the USM package. All of this, and much more, is included in my earlier posts on this board.

Getaway senior hotel officers as of today. Plamenko and Bon will leave for vacay on August 20.

I’m getting onboard Saturday for 2 weeks. I’ll post information after then.

Just taken moments ago on the Sky...

Sorry, but that’s not completely accurate. Once you log in on each device, using your last name and birthdate, it will remember your credentials. When “login.com” (without quotes) is again typed in the browser’s address bar, you’ll get the screen showing remaining minutes and a “Go Online” button. Tapping that button will put you on the internet if it was the last device used, or will offer a button to disconnect the other device if not. Except for short itineraries, upgrades from Free-at-Sea minutes to an unlimited plan are available on Days 1 and 2. Waiting for Day 2 reduces the upgrade cost by one day, though the credit for your FAS package is the same. The Internet Manager may choose to extend the upgrade window, particularly on cruises longer than 7 days, but that’s at his/her discretion. A Latitudes discount is available for the full purchase of a basic or premium unlimited package for Platinum members or above. It cannot be applied to upgrades nor the unlimited social media plan. Except when grandfathered for old reservations, free Latitudes minutes no longer are offered. If your booking was made long ago, those minutes can be added to the FAS minutes if the reservation wasn’t a Sail-Away rate. You are correct that internet purchases made aboard, including upgrades, can be debited against non-refundable OBC.