Smitheroo

Sounds like that was a good option and it worked out well for you. I learn so much on this forum. What you did was a comfortable way to deal with post cruise luggage and a wait until flight departure

Not greedy at all! they offer these promotions, its not greedy to use them. If not allowed, they correct. Its not like you are being dishonest. Sometimes its hard to understand what the rules allow.

I just checked BA. Seats were almost 2,000 pounds (conversion to USD not too different) each. Seriously? NCL Air is looking better and better, even with the risks involved. Jet Blue were between 500-600 carryon only. The cost NCL estimated on the Air flights were no where near these.

Oh, I know , I love the idea of visiting other countries. But since I'm just starting out with cruising there's a lot to choose from US Ports to avoid steep fares. "Just book Business Class" is not an option for a lot of people! (I have flown First Class domestically quite a few times and yes, it is wonderful but it was on frequent flyer miles) Maybe its better to find a flight and then find a cruise that fits the schedule. Because I know fares change

I will stick with cruises that leave and return from US Ports until I run out of choices. For me its actually the ship ride rather than the ports that I enjoy most, with a TA being the ultimate experience lol. Good point about the different rules for luggage with foreign airlines I'm not familiar with. I fly domestic and there is often a wide range of fares. I'm not picky and will fly overnight. I got an overnight flight on Spirit coast to coast recently for $64. Ok, no luggage lol but $64??? It worked for me at the time. You are right, I would never arrange to arrive on the day of my cruise. So someone might say, well you are adding to your overall costs by paying for a hotel. Not to me, because that would be an experience, paying extra to sit on a plane is not.

I dont have a big problem with paying baggage fees (of course I dont like it, who does) unless the fee is $75- $100 on a fare of $500 (one way). The cheaper fares often are carry-on only (kind of hard on a cruise) and I have even seen personal bag only. The answer for me right now seems to be stick to cruises that leave and return to domestic (US) Ports.

I have tentative plans for an Alaskan cruise from Seattle. So I will have another experience. I may have experienced the worst first

In my situation there was not a lot of luggage on the very very long unmoving line. I dont know what the hold up was. Maybe there was no hold up, maybe that's how it is on a huge ship at San Pedro. Actually the baggage claim area was very well organized. Would it not work to assign passengers the same color as their luggage and assign that group to wait in a certain area of the ship? Sure, the Joy has a huge number of passengers but its also a huge ship. Are there not enough areas on the ship where groups of people could wait. (this is what I experienced with Cunard on the QM2) Then your group is called and you get on line. They could stagger it so the next group is not called until the last group on line is getting near the top. And have a crew member at the line turning people back "because your group has not been called yet" No getting on line when you feel like it. And if there is a group of Haven passengers being escorted down then dont call another group till they are through.

This is the advice I read on another older thread on this same topic: So disembarkation times are just like check in times on embarkation day. No matter what you yourself agree to, its Freestyle and you should do whatever you want when the time comes. You might get through faster or you might end up causing delays for yourself or others.. The important thing is that nobody gets to tell you what to do on NCL.

I was not aware of anyone cutting the line and shoving. You can join the line early by getting on the end of it. No shoving and like I said, I dont recall seeing any luggage. Now I know the reason why. It was as far as I could see an orderly very very long line that stood in place at several points for a long time.

My experience was that the line did not move quickly at all. It was unbearable. We stood in place several times for at least 15-20 minutes (It felt a lot longer) like in the arcade with the music.

I'm wondering how many people here have disembarked at San Piedro, California. That's the only disembarkation experience I have with NCL. A lot of room for improvement

So some people have not had to pay baggage fees and some have. Hmmmmmm confusing

That doesnt look at all familiar to me but I admit I may have forgotten. I do remember us getting something put into our cabin in the evening. Even if you choose a time/color for your luggage there is nothing preventing you from joining the line at another time, either earlier or later. There was no, or very few, crew present. And if you chose to join the line later the crew if present isnt going to argue with you. If you are saying that the times and colors are JUST for the luggage then there is no hope of managing the crowd. I agree, if you go too early your luggage might not be waiting for you at the other end. I dont know what caused the chaos or if it can be prevented by better crowd management. I plan to do the self assist next time and if that doesnt work for me, the time after I will pick a time/color for my luggage and then sit down somewhere and wait with a book. I personally have experienced a much more controlled disembarkation on another line but 1,000 less passengers might have had something to do with it.

You cant deduct the certificates or the extra 15% offered now. You could do them mentally I suppose. I just delete the emails so its not a big problem getting them but that one caught my eye

All I know is that 1) I will try self assist. If it doesnt work for me the next time I will 2) wait untiil most of the line is off the ship. I am not going to stand in that line again while the priority passengers are escorted ahead. I dont mind waiting but not standing while I wait. Of course its a different story if someone has a time schedule to keep. In February I did not It was a local port for me.

True, but other people are saying that people with luggage get in line and cause problems, bumping into people etc. Unlesss a self assist passenger gets up early and makes an attempt to get off early that passenger will get caught up in the masses

.;Is this new? (since February?) Because I dont recall seeing anything like that. I thought information was given to us through our door (no verbal communication that I remember) which told us when to leave. But I could be wrong about that. I had no idea what the line would be like and now I know that I can choose the latest time and then sit in the Atrium until I see the line is progressing. I dont recall any crew checking to see that you were getting on the line at the right time. Anyway, how does choosing the time yourself help with jammed up lines" What if a huge number chose 10 am.? That would be a real mess. That's why I thought they assigned times but didnt enforce them. But my memory might be fading on those details but it is not fading concerning the line which I will try to avoid next time. There has to be a way to better regulate that mess. The above , while it looks good, didnt do that.

I understand now. But with self assist you have the option of trying to get to the head of the line. You may not succeed but you can try. I guess the people I saw sitting in the Atrium were like the people in an airplane who remain in their seats while the others jump up immediately just to stand in line.

Fair enough. the people I saw sitting in the Atrium while our line snaked through were probably not self assist as I saw no luggage. They were passengers who disregarded their notice about when they should leave. I can't remember if there were crew not allowing people to join the line early but I know no one seemed to bother with the ones sitting in the Atrium. People joining the line when they want to can lead to chaos.

Well, it doesnt actually say you can use it sooner than 120 days. It doesnt say anything about "120 days" so its sneaky.

NCL doesnt explain this process very well. We did get the part about putting our luggage out the night before and I also knew that from previous ships I've been on. But we were clueless about having a time to get on line and puzzled when we saw people siitting relaxed in chairs in the Atrium. Got it now. I laughed when I saw that I had posted a HOT Topic!

But from what I'm reading in the comments, even if you dont choose self assist you can join the line anytime. You may have to wait at the end for your luggage though.

so I guess you either have to be up and out very early or wait until the end if you want to avoid lines, or at least never ending lines.

That's why I saw people sitting in chairs in the Atrium reading as our line snaked past. Just sit there until the end of the line, if you are in no rush