Smitheroo

Ok, I might not know my geography very well but how far are the US Ports from the route the ship takes through the Interior Passage on the Alaska cruise? The reason I ask this is because I am deciding on trip insurance and whether it needs to include medical. I am on Original Medicare and have a Plan F Supplement (so I am covered 100% as long as the service is allowed by Medicare and the provider accepts Medicare) The rule seems to be that Medicare will cover you on a cruise ship if a US port is 6 hrs or less away. Can anyone give me examples of which cruises would qualify? What about transatlantic cruises? I have EU citizenship and I've been told that allows me to access healthcare in any EU country. I really dont know how this works though, just thought I'd throw it in in case anyone does. And if Medicare does apply would it still provide evacuation ? Which leads to the next question. If I am in an EU country accessing their healthcare I would still need medical trip insurance for evacuation, correct?

Or maybe like you said, the cost of the cruise was different.

Ok, I admit I got fooled. I just did the math now that the 70% 2nd passenger promo is on and the bottom line for that and for the last promo (35% off cruises) is the exact same. (in the scenario I used) Why do they do this? Are they trying to trick people? I'm still not convinced (I'm stubborn) that in some scenarios the bottom lines are different or maybe its the promo. Isnt there a "2nd person sails free" promo? I remember getting a discount on the breakdown of charges , as a solo traveler, and wondering why since there was no 2nd person. But anyway, doesnt really matter. Look at the bottom line and decide if that works.

I was just reading something that referred to connecting studios also so they exist

we both do lol. the drink package is fun

I have to check but I'm sure it was that long ago because I did a cost comparison for the CAS offer vs a regular booking (same sailing) and it gave me the option to use my CruiseFirst certificates.

well that is confusing lol. It isnt important though if we arent right next to each other. Thanks for clarifying

AHA. One of two things happened 1) my travel partner confused what the person said as he is not as familiar as I am with all the ins and outs of cruising 2) the person on the phone who gave the info was wrong and he was confused. Yes, we already own the certificates!!! Thank you.

Could it also work the opposite? Closer to sailing date, the ship has many unbooked cabins, so good deals are offered to try to increase the passengers on the ship.

that is good information to know. I didnt know you can get adjoining studios which is even better than side by side. I still have to check my math on my cost comparison described in my post

My travel partner and I have the opportunity to book an inside cabin through CAS. We inquired and were told that we could not use a Cruise First certificate if the sailing was closer than 120 days, which is is. The certificate would reduce to fare to a really attractive price. I remember reading that said it depends on who you talk to on the phone at NCL. You might get a different answer from another person on another day. So, has anyone been able to use a CruiseFirst certificate on a CAS sailing closer than 120 days. You can use a certificate on a non-CAS sailing closer than 120 days

I found this interesting. I did a cost comparison of 3 bookings. Traveling with another person (not a spouse or "partner") it was actually cheaper (not by much but still cheaper) for us to get two studio cabins than it was for us to share a cabin or to get an inside cabin for each of us. I still have to check my math. I'm guessing it might be due to the fact that a $500 cruisefirst certificate can be used on each, while only one certificate can be used on the shared cabin. I realize that this comparison is only valid for this one particular cruise at a certain time. (depends on the fare at the time) this is a better deal than I thought beccause I didnt realize that the studio cabin area had so many amenities. I am interested because I thought the cabins looked cozy and fun. And better for two people who dont normally share a bed than sharing an inside cabin because with the latter you would have a twin bed. At least with two separate inside cabins for 2 people each could have a big bed because the twins are pushed together. One thing I did not take into consideration were the service charges (general gratuities)

I thought he meant that he found it cheaper to travel solo in a regular cabin that to have a studio cabin. And I thought maybe extra is charged because of the key card protection. However, I didnt know about snacks and happy hours in the studio section. That would also add to the slightly increased cost of a studio

Maybe because Studio has the special area that is protected by keycard?

well that sounds disgusting

I understand the Joy transatlantic voyage Miami to Southampton was changed from 1/4 to 1/11 2024. I just noticed that it (do we still refer to ships as "she?" ) is returning to Miami from Southhampton 2/13/2024. Was the dry dock cancelled? 3 weeks?

All I know is that when I did the math in March/April I liked the bottom line better than when I do the math now. Its not a huge difference but still nice. I believe when it was Second Passenger Savings (whatever the percentage was) there was also a percentage off the cruise. I understand what you are saying and it sounds believable, but I also saw the math and I liked it better before

I remember the promo specifically said "2nd passenger" in the breakdown of the total fare. Now it says 35% off all cruises.

It really did make a difference. I think it lowered the price of the Jan 11 transatlantic to below $500 for me (solo) except for general gratuities. That was with using a $500 cruisefirst coupon. I also planned to take off the gratuities for the drink package (and omit the drink package) but not sure if I did that before I calculated the final price. Traveling solo I really dont think I would get the worth of the drink package. I think I could get by with an occasional drink and pay for it. I found transatlantics to be cheaper overall because the port charges of a voyage with many ports can really add up. Good thing I prefer many sea days. I like seeing other places but dislike the disruption in the atmosphere of the ship on port days

No one has responded to my comment on the thread about promo codes for all the features of the FAS program. So I will ask with a new topic. How often does the Second Passenge Fare Savings run? (not the Air Fare) It was running back in March/April but was discontinued and hasnt returned yet. I'm curious to know how often they run it, if anyone knows. Thank you

I did owe nothing lol. We ordered 1 drink in port (LA) and there was a notice at the bar about the local tax while in port. I guess if your onboard account is less than a certain amount they dont bill you. How many drinks can you have while in port pre-cruise? Oooooh, unless the OP was referring to drinks while the ship was docked at others ports which could be hours. Got it. I'm kind of proud I didnt spend anything on board and yet had a wonderful time. CAS covered gratuities and we did prepay fees etc with our fare.

I understand why some people would need decent wifi- many reasons I wont go into. But if none of this applies to you, then why bother? Why not just "unplug" and relax. I did get on the internet because my partner had some extra deal through CAS because it was there. But I turned my phone off and it stayed off. Like I said, I know some people "work" on board (my partner, the reason for the wifi he had) others have situations at home where they have to be in contact, or medical needs etc. But if none of this applies, does anyone just not bother with the wifi?

Not like *all* other cruise lines. Maybe most. On Cunard the drink package covers a drink up to a certain amount (and I forget the amount). If you chose a more expensive drink you dont have to pay just the difference, you have to pay the entire amount of the more expensive drink. I like NCL's much better.

I went to the Beatles show on the Joy. I dont recall any dance floor in the room. Maybe it was packed with people? We were packed in the side back by the bar but could still see the performers.

I thought when I first started getting interested (after my Feb cruise on the Joy) there was a promo running at that time for the 2nd person. It wasnt 2nd person free, more like either 50% off or maybe 75% off. It wasnt 2nd person *flies* free. I remember it gave me a discount on my cabin as a solo in an inside cabin. I was going to ask how often they run that but I dont see it on the list. It made a difference in the total fare for me Here it is,found on a website that explains NCL 's Free at Sea promos