julig22

So did NCL silently remove the soda restriction? Did it ever really exist? Boarding today I was grabbing a Pepsi from the machine that was after security and someone said they had brought a 6 pack with him, said he always does. Had my single bottle of Pepsi confiscated in Seattle last year so I know it wasn't my imagination on no liquids. But every so often someone claims they bring a 6 pack. Thoughts? Cans vs bottles?

Not sure of the website issue, I wasn't aware that you could get quotes for one way without calling. To clarify what I was saying is that if you aren't returning to the same port, the price quoted is the cost of 2 one way tickets. So if you live in the west, the cost to fly to east is usually considerably more than the cost to fly home once the ship docks in in LA for example. So if they are quoting $400 for example, that price is based on say $600 to fly to your cruise, $200 home. So if you are only going to FL for example, your 1/2 price is $300.

It's been per port for years. I went to Norway in 2019 and it was any excursion then. I thought they'd made a mistake. They've changed the verbiage a few times since then to make it clearer but it's not new.

You pay half price for the fare to each gateway, so no, you wouldn't simply pay half the fare shown on the website if you're not starting/ending at the same port.

I think they say at least 2 weeks before but that doesn't seem to be a hard and fast rule. On the other side, you don't have to wait to request it, I've done it more than a year in advance.

You can request it but but they factor in the current price of your airfare so it usually has to be a pretty big price drop.

Sometimes when the fares drop you can pay the difference to get a better cabin. So that balcony that was $2k more when you booked might be yours for $200 if you ask. You are too late to ask for future credit if you leave in 4 days.

Never seen a minimum $ amount but some TA's have been known to refuse small amount from what I've read. Also, the last I heard requests had to be in at least 2 weeks prior to sailing so you're too late anyway. No obc, just future credit or pay to upgrade.

So my cruise is in 2 days, just got an email that says they're still considering my bid. Does everyone with an active bid get the same email or does it indicate that I'm on a short list for an upgrade?

go to the airline website and add them. But you might have to call, depends on the airline. I'm flying SW soon and wasn't able to access anything on the website, had to call.

On a couple of recent cruises, the Freestyle Daily specifically advised passengers to take a picture of the port information with their phone if they were going ashore. But of course, that assumes people actually read the instructions,,,,

Every medicare advantage plan is different. I have multiple retiree plans through my former employer and the one I chose treats international as out of network, so just a slightly higher co-pay.

As long as you are before final payment you can make a gateway change. If there is a price difference they will adjust your balance due accordingly.

Don't know what it means, maybe a code that has to be put in when they enter the deviation request? But it's always said that as far as I know.

Experienced with respect to an extensive knowledge base. Not necessarily a direct correlation to how long they've been with the company. I fired a PCC who claimed to have 8 years or more experience. He (and apparently his supervisor) couldn't even figure out how to add back an airport transfer if I had a flight deviation but wanted to go back to the airport and take the NCL shuttle. And a few other things. Some people gain experience while doing their job, others never progress beyond what they were told during their initial orientation.

Just noticed this, hadn't seen any comments so assuming it's a very recent change.

Yes, they are posted daily. However, if you take the behind the scenes tour, you might see them when you tour the galley.

A little perspective - maybe the crew didn't handle it appropriately, only you were there. Yes the cards do indicate the status level but that may not have been obvious to you. Not sure that I would consider it condescending if someone informed me that I'd gotten the benefit of someone else's mistake but it wasn't happening again - but I wasn't there. I've seen many threads where people claim that it's OK to pass your free latitudes meals to someone else - and even keep them for another cruise. Not true and the crew really has no idea how you got the coupon, only that the system said it wasn't valid. For all you know, you were the 10th person that evening who tried to use a coupon that wasn't theirs. Sorry it happened but 2 specialty dinners weren't in your plans when you boarded the ship - assuming you didn't pay for the dining package (which you would have been able to use). No reason you can't go to the MDR if you're all dressed up.

In a minor defense of the NCL agents, I'm not sure it's always their fault. Not defending those who just barely function but in some cases I think it's corporate that's at fault. They seem to change things willy nilly, so what worked last week doesn't necessarily work this week. More experienced reps might have better knowledge of workarounds. Same for TA's. They read the "rules" and assume that their interpretation is how it really works. And we all know how convoluted those rules may be. So if you have a TA or PCC that's willing to try something, you are ahead of the game - it may work, it might not, just be prepared to accept the worst-case scenario.

Exactly what the theatre director told us during a backstage tour.

You won't find one - NCL might not even know at this point. Plus they don't tend to book comedians on cruises where they expect large number of non-english speaking passengers. So there might not be one.

They are NOT the same. GTY is something NCL assigns to cabins eligible for FAS promos. Why they do it is an unsolved mystery however, as it's not necessarily due to low inventory as commonly thought. For example, several Alaska cruises this summer were GTY (or "Best Available) months before sail date. Sailaway does not include any promos, other than the $50 excursion benefit.

What you were told and/or read is not what has happened in my experience. The certificates are applied as a deposit, any payment prior to final payment date is always a deposit. Unless you are not in the US, then the terms might be different. Just go to your account, use them to make a payment and they will either accept or reject that payment, depending on the current terms of use. The only effect on your reservation is a payment. Unless of course the terms have changed in the last month, since I just applied an additional one (double up promo) to a booking I made almost 2 years ago and still has a few months to go before final payment is due...

It's always said that, at least in all the time that I've been using them. Is it a bug in their system - maybe. However, my take is that since you can always cancel and rebook up until final payment due date (US bookings), anything that is not past final payment due date is still considered a "new" reservation.

Color indicates the ship, nothing more. So not necessary to print in color.