senseib

1 hour ago, erdoran said:

Never done that before.   We’re coming in on Amtrak.  Do I tell them what time my train arrives (hopefully, if it isn’t late) and they arrange a place where we meet up?  What’s a reasonable fare for a car service?  We’re getting in around 930 on a Sunday morning.

Just get an Uber or Lyft when you get out of the station.  Should be about $40/$50 for the ride.

2 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

I was clarifying that the information in senselb's post, that

 

"Most travel insurance policies have a look back period for pre-existing conditions that will not be covered."

 

is NOT the case for "most" third party insurers, unless one specifically selects one of the policies that does not have that feature, or has missed *all* of the deadlines.

And that is the case for some people, but not for "most".

 

Others who read CC topics tend to "learn from what they read", and we all have had that advantage.

But it's nice when something is clarified to be more accurate than it might appear.

We all benefit.

 

GC

I used the word "most" because GeoBlue's Voyager Choice is the only travel medical insurance plan I have found that covers pre-existing conditions.  Because of my wife's situation I do not want to take the risk of an insurance company deciding that a potential medical emergency is the result of a pre-existing condition.  I would rather travel worry free.  So I have compared many policies and so far have found only one that covered pre-existing conditions.  I think my characterization of "most" is accurate but would be happy to be proved wrong.

4 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

Where does that leave the OP, they are not fit to travel on their cruise tomorrow (Monday), they are paid in full for the June cruise and now want to take out insurance for it.

For the June trip she can get the GeoBlue Voyager Choice, if she is currently insured.  It covers pre-existing conditions.  There still might be time for tomorrow but she should contact them.  She cannot get it once she has left the USA.  She can get it through insuremytrip.com

Most travel insurance policies have a look back period for pre-existing conditions that will not be covered. 

NCL' s definition: 

"Pre-Existing Condition means an illness, disease, or other condition during the sixty (60) day period immediately prior to the Effective Date for which You, a Traveling Companion, a Family Member booked to travel with You: 1) exhibited symptoms that would have caused one to seek care or treatment; or 2) received or received a recommendation for a test, examination, or medical treatment; or 3) took or received a prescription for drugs or medicine. Item (3) of this definition does not apply to a condition that is treated or controlled solely through the taking of prescription drugs or medicine and remains treated or controlled without any adjustment or change in the required prescription throughout the sixty (60) day period before the Effective Date."

There are variations to the definition by state of residence so you should check the policy to be sure.  Also the benefits of NCL's medical insurance are limited.  GeoBlue has a medical travel policy that covers pre-existing conditions as long as you have a current medical policy (Medicare counts).

1 hour ago, DaCruiseBug said:

As a matter of fact, if you upgrade to the classic or premium package you don't pay service charges at all. It's a flat $18 or $26 per day.

MSC $26.00 per day vs NCL $19.80 per day for a comparable package?  Who's charging more?

32 minutes ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

That's if you want to upgrade to the premium package. The classic package is only $18 per day. The drinks on MSC cost about 1/2 what they do on NCL so when they say things up to $12 are included it's basically as if NCL said drinks up to $22 are included. So $26 per person plus $15% service charge is roughly $210 per week for the premium package or $145 per week for the classic. Now consider the fact that a balcony cabin with the drinks on us runs you about $600-800 per person whereas you're lucky to find anything under $1,100 per person with MSC and you come out WAY ahead with MSC. The service charges alone on NCL are $125 per person per week.

The classic package is an $18 upgrade to a drinks included room and $35 as a package.   It limits you to cocktails under $8 and wine under $7.50.  The premium package is $26 upgrade to a drinks included room and $62 as a package.  It limits you to cocktails and wine und $12.  With the upgrades you pay a 15% on the price of each drink ordered.  So if you have 5 $8 drinks on the $18 upgrade you pay an additional $6 per day.  On the $26 upgrade the daily service charge would be about $8 daily service charge for a total upgrade cost of $34 per day.  On NCL you pay $19.80 for a package comparable to the MSC premium package.  That's about $15 a day cheaper.  I have search MSC but have not found drinks included balcony room for less than $1,000 on a 7 day Caribbean cruise. 

14 hours ago, DaCruiseBug said:

This is the reason NCL has the most restrictive beverage package at sea, this is the reason NCL has the most expensive package at sea, and this is the reason they charge the highest percent of service charges on their dining/beverage package. It's simple math.

MSC is promoting their "All In - UNLIMITED Drinks and FREE Wi-fi" on 4 ships sailing the Caribbean.  However the package is limited to 2 types of beer and only house wines and spirits.  If you upgrade to the premium package which includes drinks up to $12, it costs $26 per day plus a 15% service based on the value of each drink ordered.  Drinks over $12 are paid for in full, not just the difference.  Seems MSC "free" package is more restrictive and ultimately more expensive than NCL. 

1 hour ago, macandlucy said:

On the efficacy of hand sanitizers we disagree.  This is a quote from the World Health Organization on alcohol based hand sanitizers:

 

The CDC says:

"There are important differences between washing hands with soap and water and cleaning them with hand sanitizer. For example, alcohol-based hand sanitizers don’t kill ALL types of germs, such as a stomach bug called norovirus, some parasites, and Clostridium difficile, which causes severe diarrhea."

https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/pdf/hand-sanitizer-factsheet.pdf

And WHO does not claim ethanol-based sanitizers kill norovirus, rather they recommend their use as an important factor for changing behavior and improving overall health.  The next paragraph after your WHO quote reads:

"Whether alcohol is effective against microbes such as Clostridium difficile and norovirus can divert attention from a much overlooked issue. Alcohol-based handrubs play a critical role in mass behaviour change and health improvement. Discouraging their widespread use in response to diarrhoeal infections, will only jeopardize overall patient safety in the long term."

22 hours ago, macandlucy said:

Alcohol based hand sanitizers are effective on both viral and bacterial illness (it's antibiotics that don't work on viruses).

Only on a very few viruses and not on norovirus.  You can't use antibiotics to clean your hands.

1 hour ago, erdoran said:

On my Jade 14 day TA in late April:

Inside sailaway $779     cheapest with perks $1129      $700 difference for two

Oceanview    $849                                               $1279      $860 difference for two

balcony         $1299                                             $1729       $860 

Minisuite      $1499                                              $1879      $760

 

So the price of the perks BEFORE the fake gratuities (and yes, the UBP is fake because NCL clearly states it is "beverage service charge AND gratuity) seems to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $800 for two.

 

Add $560 for UBP gratuities

probably about $30 for SDP (a bargain I think)

 

for the total out of pocket for the "Free" perks

 

This is just one cruise, as others have said, YMMV may vary depending on sail date.  

I agree with your math so far but you forgot the other perks that come with the non-sailaway balcony.  At this pricing it comes with 4 additional perks:  SDP ($218 for two on a 14 day cruise), Wifi ($105), shore excursions ($350), and reduced airfare (I'll use $250 for 2 people to be conservative).  Total savings $923.  So non-sailaway couple pays $1,458 more (cabin $860 + UBP $554 + SDP $44) but saves $923 for a net higher cost of $535 or $38 a day for 2 people.  At $10 a drink that's about 4 drinks a day or 2 drinks a day per person to break even.

1 minute ago, erdoran said:

and $400-$700 extra for a non-sailaway cabin, plus $119.80/day for additional pax in the cabin beyond 2.

There is rarely a $400-$700 difference for a non-sailaway cabin and there are other perks included in the difference.  But it's really how the math works for each person and their priorities.  If a cruiser wants to take the risks of a sailaway cabin (like a bad location, obstructed view, wrong side of the ship, etc.) and don't plan to have many adult beverages then it makes sense and it will be a great cruise.  If cabin location is important then non-sailaway makes sense with the added benefit of several perks and it will be a great cruise.

21 minutes ago, erdoran said:

So if it is such a good thing for NCL and they WANT customers to use UBP, then there should be a financial incentive, not a disincentive, and $120/day/pp is NOT an incentive.  

NCL wants customers to take the UBP perk which is 19.80 per day.  

11 hours ago, blcruising said:

 

Why do you think that is the case?

Several reasons:

• Each transaction is easier since there is no need to sign anything unless there is an up-charge
• Bookkeeping is easier since there is less chance of bookkeeping errors
• Fewer disputes about the charges at the end of the cruise
• Upfront payment so fewer end-of-cruise situations where the customer is unable to pay
• Known minimum income flow (there could always be more with up-charges)
• Less cases of customer sticker shock at the end of the cruise

34 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

It is for me! with my email I can print and take with me, I have it in writing everything on that list is included in my package.

Good luck.  Let us know how that works out.

13 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

NCL say otherwise.

 

As I said, it was sent to me by NCL today.

The bottom is clearly cropped by them and they say it is a full list of what is included FOC on my upcoming cruise.

It has everything to do with this thread as according to NCL, it lists everything still available after the price hike.

So Woodford Reserve which has always been an up-charge and according to the most recent menu posts is now $22.95 has been moved to the included list?  Very generous of NCL.

1 minute ago, ziggyuk said:

 

Of course, it's nothing to do with Premium Plus, as per the replies above it's supposedly everything available under $15 but as has been pointed out already some items like Kettle One and Tito’s are missing for some reason.

Yes.  As per the footnote it is from March 2017 so has nothing to do with what is on the new price lists.

2 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

 

I have done just this as I have an upcoming cruise in a few weeks, their reply has no compassion or explanation, they simply gave me a list of what is included now.

I have also now passed my concerns to a UK BBC consumer program called "Rip of Britain - Holidays".

 

The list is actually quite useful and shows what is now covered and I post it below FYI.

That appears to be the list from the all inclusive cruises and not the new Premium Plus beverage package.  See the * footnotes on the full document below:

19 minutes ago, Christophene said:

Like I said, we were approached by a mob of them and I was just curious what they were quoting. I agree with NLH Arizona, they had Uber cards in their hands, but who knows if they were legit. 

Yes, but you cannot request an Uber by talking to the driver and you cannot select a specific Uber driver, nor would the Uber driver be likely to know the exact fare to a specific address unless it was a popular destination like LGA.

6 minutes ago, Christophene said:

As we approached the stand we were mobbed by Uber drivers, or at least they claimed they were. I asked one for a rate to 28th st and 6th Ave in Manhattan. He quoted $50! I said, you gotta be kidding me! And he just walked away hoping for some sucker to pay too much. 

Just curious, but why would you ask an Uber driver the cost?  The Uber app gives you upfront pricing before you confirm a pickup.  You need the app to request a ride and pay for the ride.

I'm not aware of go-kart tracks that allow anyone under 55" drive karts like the ones on Bliss.  Some tracks have smaller karts for those over 48" but they don't have the same speed and don't run at the same time as the larger karts.   I'm sure insurance was a important factor in the revised height requirement.  

I wouldn't want a small child struggling to drive a too-big kart on the same track as a teenager pushing their kart up to 30mph.  Of course the operators will limit the kart speeds if there are too many slower drivers on the track, but then that's not fair to the drivers who expected to drive the kart at 30mph as advertised.  

10 hours ago, pspercy said:

We booked a 14dy oceanview  with package and so on a while back,  yesterday I did a (intended to be) mock booking using Sailaway rate for oceanview (OX).

 

It was $2,000 cheaper overall ($1000/pp) and showed a cabin assignment as well !! So I booked it too  and will likely cancel the first one.

 

Feb 29, 2020, NCL Star, 'round the Horn westbound.

There are 2 Sail Away Oceanview rooms on the Star that are assigned at booking rather than closer to sailing.  Both however are obstructed view rooms on deck 8 behind the life boats.  So rather than being $1,000 per person price difference there is only a $400 per person price difference between an Obstructed Oceanview and a Sail Away Oceanview.  The Obstructed Oceanview also comes with 3 offers right now so just the Shore Excursion alone make it break even and you still have two more offers to select.  I think on a Sail Away booking you're better off waiting for an assignment closer to sailing where there is always the chance of a very nice upgrade.  

14 hours ago, ukbecky said:

 

Exactly:

 

No straws = money saver

bottled water = money maker

 

NCL is run by bean-counters, not environmentalists

You do realize that banning of plastic straws is industry wide.  Most major cruise lines have banned or have plans to ban plastic straws, the major hotel chains are banning plastic straws and the airlines are banning them as well.  It is an industry wide environmental effort.  There is a lot more to do, but it is a good start.

7 hours ago, pspercy said:

 

We booked a 14dy oceanview  with package and so on a while back,  yesterday I did a (intended to be) mock booking using Sailaway rate for oceanview (OX).

 

It was $2,000 cheaper overall ($1000/pp) and showed a cabin assignment as well !! So I booked it too  and will likely cancel the first one.

Which cruise is that?

2 hours ago, Fragile-Beauty said:

Just booked 21 day Jade and drink package was almost $500 paid in advance as 20%fee.  We declined. 

21 days would be $415.80, so not almost $500.  If you’re not going to average 2 adult beverages a day on a 21 day cruise then you should take a different offer.  NCL will be more than happy to accomodate you.

28 minutes ago, misslyss1220 said:

I was just looking into this! Can someone explain how it works? For example, to make a call while on the ship, is that wifi calling or am I actually connected to a cellular signal? If cellular, how do I make sure I am not using data? And does the cruise line charge anything for this in addition to AT&T?

 

Sailing on the Escape in February and leaving our 15 month old at home with the grandparents. I would like unlimited texting at the very least! 

You are using the cellular provider on the ship so it is basically the same as a land-based roaming package.  There is no extra charge from NCL to use their cell network.  I don't think all NCL ships are covered by the AT&T package so you should check the list.  If you turn off data roaming you won't accidentally use data.  When the ship enters a port the cellular service is shut down so your phone will begin roaming with the land-based provider.  Also having the $10 per day international will cover any land-based usage.