julig22

1 hour ago, abellkathleen said:

Wow didn’t realize this assumed solo were only inside without balconies. Appreciate the info!

Some ships have solo studios, which are inside and smaller than a regular cabin - and there is a studio lounge. At the beginning of 2024 they introduced a solo category for inside, ov and balcony. A little cheaper than paying double occupancy, these are regular cabins. If the ship happens to have a solo lounge, you also have access. So it helps to be specific when talking about solo cabins.

54 minutes ago, CruiseMH said:

 

If they are "free" then they are actually only included in the cruise fare.In this case all guests would have to pay even if they don`t use it(due to having a private excursion)

 

The same way that the FAS benefits, BOGO airfare, shuttles in some ports, tenders etc. are included in cruise fare.

Mostly I'd include it because people that aren't taking NCL excursions aren't necessarily expecting to have to pay when their plan is to simply explore the port.

29 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I guess I'm trying to understand how "free shuttles" would work?  Where do you want these shuttles to drop you off?  

Drop off would be the same place as the $10-$20 shuttles.

Solo cabins are no different than other cabins, although I suspect than NCL chose the less popular locations. And since some people are adverse to being in a connecting room, I would presume that there are some. But you'd have to look at the deck plans on the ship to find them - or call someone at NCL

I often choose my cruises because of the unique itineraries. Unique very often equates to industrial docks - itinerary wouldn't be unique if they only stopped at ports built for cruise ships.

But I'm a little miffed at the charging for transportation to the city when it's not within reasonable walking distance. Shuttles are free for Alaska, I personally think they should be free at other ports as well.

Neets Bay Bear Encounter was my favorite- but it's not always offered, might not be available depending on the season and length of time in port.

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

For US cruises, most non-perishable food comes frozen from central provisioning in Florida. That includes NY and Boston. USDA requires foods such as fish to be frozen to kill parasites. Even the “Alaskan Salmon” served on Alaska cruises has to be frozen before it is delivered to the ships. 

Dairy and Produce can be sourced locally. That is true of NY and Boston. 

That's pretty much what's been said at various Q&As or behind the scenes tours. Other than perishables, provisioning is done at embarkation ports. Except for Salmon, which does come from Alaska.

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Yes, it does.  I'm surprised that you still don't get it.  If  you spend $300 for any reason,  you've spent $300.  Even if that saves  you $1200, you've still spent $300.

That's another DUH. Nowhere has anyone said you aren't "spending" $300 for your upgrade. But you seem to have forgotten your catch phrase of "additional spending" this time.

In case you've forgotten...

On 6/5/2024 at 6:32 AM, RocketMan275 said:

The big danger of a branded credit card like the NCL card is the temptation to spend more to get more points.  You wind up justifying additional spending because of the points.

On 6/5/2024 at 7:12 AM, RocketMan275 said:

That's exactly the point.  That NCL card is enticing  you to spend more than what  you would normally.  Those points  you're spending to upgrade are not 'free'.  They could be converted to cash.  While the upgrade might seem to be cost effective, it is still additional spending.

11 hours ago, lepidoptera said:

I will be trying out one of the “solo balconies.” There are not a ton of them on the Sun. I am sure some of you Sherlocks at home will probably be able to figure out what room I am, please don’t share.

My favorite balcony of all time, because of the location, is on the Sun and just happens to be one of the balconies now designated as solo. Was able to snag it for the repo cruise - Vancouver/Alaska to Hawaii in October.

9 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Points are real money.  Anything except redeemng for cash is spending real money.

Duh. And if I can spend $300 in "real money" to get a $1,500 credit, that's what I'm going to do. And if the difference in fare is not significantly more than $300, I don't use points, I pay the difference with the card (and get more points)

I guess you don't understand how spending $125 on a cruise next gets you $250 towards another cruise either. Sheesh.

There is NO extra spending involved anywhere, anyway, anyhow.

48 minutes ago, hallux said:

@julig22 I think I see a LITTLE of @RocketMan275's logic.  Some of it really depends on the cruise and what the fares are.

 

In my case - I'd book an OV and upgrade to a BA.  That upgrade is 30,000 points.  30,000 points redeemed in another way such as a statement credit is worth $300, but on some cruises the difference in cost from OV to BA is not even $300 (speaking strictly of guarantee cabins, lowest price for the category), extrapolated because there is no 30,000 point redemption except for the stateroom upgrade unless you do the statement credit.

 

There are other things to consider in that example though, I think...

And if the difference between an OV and a balcony isn't significant, I pay the difference, save my points for the next cruise. Worst case scenario would be that I take a statement credit. Still NO extra money spent.

6 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Does not that 'investment' require you to spend more?

I'm not saying that 'investment' is a bad 'investment'.  But it is additional spending.

Wash, rinse, repeat. NO, my investment is the rewards of spending that I would do anyway, regardless of what credit card I choose to use. And I use the rewards to pay for something that I would have to pay for otherwise. Aside from sometimes using my NCL card while I'm traveling (no foreign fees) I only use the NCL card for NCL purchases that I would normally make. And it's free, no annual fees. Do I use it to buy airfare, pay for hotels, etc - absolutely not. I use other cards, depending on their "rewards" program. 

59 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

They did address that in the marketing classes where it is taught that the easiest sale is to convince the buyer they are getting something for nothing.  

Question:  if this feature is saving you so much money, why is the cruise line making this offere that costs them revenue?

Why does NCL allow me to reprice my cruise if the price drops - isn't that costing them revenue? Other cruise lines charge re-booking/cancellation fees.

Your definition of getting something for nothing is just as fuzzy as thinking that getting a 5x return on my "investment" is somehow spending more. Yea, I took marketing.

Obviously it's not the card for you.

1 hour ago, The Traveling Man said:

Not at all.  We most likely would have ponied up the additional cash to travel in a Balcony stateroom, anyway.  We simply got a discount.  A huge discount.

 

I think I have done the best job I am capable of doing in laying out the plusses and minuses of using NCL BOA Master Card World Points for room upgrades.  Yes, there are certain limitations and yes, the upgrade option may not be right for some travelers, notably those who prefer Suites or the Haven, which are beyond the scope of this type of upgrade.  For the overwhelming majority of frequent NCL customers, however, a reasonable, rational, thoughtful analysis of the benefits of using World Points for upgrades ought to be compelling.  If I have somehow failed to make that clear, I apologize for my lack of perspicacity.  Otherwise, I think I have contributed everything I possibly can to this discussion, so I will now bow out.

Same here. Too much fuzzy logic (or lack therof) to wrap my mind around how using points for an upgrade I'd be paying for anyway, at more than 5x the return I'd get if I just cashed in the points for a statement credit, is extra spending. They didn't address that in any of my math or accounting classes.

3 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

After wading through pages of discussion on this thread, it occurred to me that the key piece of information was the woman posting her booking number. If someone she knows has a grudge against her, they obviously know her name and would most likely know her DOB and email address. 

 

Having said that...every time I contact NCL about an existing reservation they ask:

 

Name

Booking number

Ship name

Sail dates

 

I don't recall ever being asked DOB or email address.

But anyone who knows her and was impersonating her would know those, just in case they were asked.

 

 

My thoughts exactly. And I've never been asked for my DOB, email address only when confirming where to send the confirmation.

Unless the "scammer" has some sort of inside access (TA/PCC), they really couldn't count on being able to book the upgraded room when it opened up. Since I'm not privy to how the bid process works at that point, I can only speculate that a vacant room goes into the open-for-purchase pile first, before it's available. So grudge/revenge jumps to mind, or a random prank.

@Laszlo no, they do not keep your passport info on file. Or at least not in a place where an agent would have access. It's been debated whether or not they keep it at all.

There is no requirement to even have a passport in order to make a reservation - and if you are a first-time cruiser, that info is only entered when you check-in at day 21.

4 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

When  you opted for using the points for the upgrade,  you choose to spend more than you otherwise would have.  Points are cash.

You must be using some sort of new math. When I opt to use points for an upgrade, I am using points instead of cash to book the same cabin I would have booked without points. So if a $1,500 upgrade is only equal to $300 when I use points, I'm spending $1,200 LESS.

But if you don't get it, that's fine.

Just now, ngrund said:

I believe that there are foreign transaction fees

Nope.

4 hours ago, Heather1972 said:

Ok found what I was looking for under transfers on this reservation. Apparently I don’t have a transfer set up... This was on my account: 

We have found your flight information!

Sorry, we are unable to arrange a transfer for you at this time. For assistance, please call 1.800.327.7030.

I would definitely call to at least find out what's up. A couple of years ago they cancelled my excursions to JFK for lack of interest and didn't have a transfer. And it was halfway through the cruise before they notified me. Fortunately for me they decided to arrange for a transfer after I complained.

6 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

The big danger of a branded credit card like the NCL card is the temptation to spend more to get more points.  You wind up justifying additional spending because of the points.

Spending more to get points - not really, at least I don't. But there's a caveat to that. I do charge my casino play (which isn't excessive) - so I charge $100, I get 309 points, which covers the $3 service fee, plus some. So basically a wash if I took a statement credit. But I use my points for upgrades - my OV to balcony upgrade cost me $300 in points, current price difference is about $1,500.

No annual fee, no foreign transaction fees don't hurt the value to me either. But I'm leaving soon for NCL cruise #23, not too hard to build up points. And I pay my card off monthly, so no worries about interest rates.

35 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

Perhaps it's true Carnival did not HAVE to help them, but I still think it would have been the right thing to do (and more importantly, FIX the security gap.)

How is it a security gap if the person calling has all the information necessary? What do you expect Carnival - or any other agency - to do to verify? It's not like whoever called is going to be able to benefit financially - since any refunds go to the original form of payment.

Maybe they scammer got the information simply from what was posted in this instance, but it's also possible it came from multiple sources. It might be someone they know. It wouldn't be hard to get the required info. But what a scammer would get out of it is a mystery. Someone with a grudge?

13 minutes ago, Ellis1138 said:

My feeling is that if a credit card needs a specific FAQ thread that's 247 pages long, it's not the credit card for me. 

The card doesn't "need" a specific FAQ. Lots of people ask the same questions over and over so there is a pinned thread to hopefully address questions. Guessing this post will be moved to that thread shortly.

1 hour ago, mistertomatoe said:

 

Are you referring to buying it from another individual? I believe the certificates are transferable.

I was referring to the fact that posting a link to the sale site wasn't allowed.

Are you sure it was 2023? Prices were good (no solo supplement for my cruise in late August on the Jewel) but I don't think the ships were only half-full. Most were in GTY status long before even final payment - which usually indicates low inventory.

I was on the Sun in May of 2023, I didn't pay that much attention to how full it was. It's the perfect ship for me, I found an ideal cabin for my purposes. I will be on the Sun in October (same cabin LOL) when she moves out of Alaska, to Hawaii and beyond.

2 minutes ago, smokey11 said:

How do you get. Statement credit as as opposed to OBC? 

Log into your BofA account on the website. Find the Rewards & deals tab. There should be a link there that takes you to a rewards page, choose cash.

I'm not 100% sure but if you can't use it for the OSC, good chance you can't use it in the casino either. Conflicting reports on how it's handled, possibly because there are different accounting systems on different ships.

If you haven't already traded in your points, I highly advise you to get a statement credit instead. It's the same value, plus whatever you charge on your NCL card gets you more points. So if you charge $100 onboard for the casino for example, you get 3x points (covers the 3% service charge). Then cash in 10,309 points for a statement credit of $103. You are actually ahead because if you are able to use the OBC in the casino, you are still charged the 3% fee.