julig22

Yes, that's what I've been led to believe. But it's happened twice now, 2 different ships. I'll take the win!

I have no clue what you are trying to say. A person in a sold out category is in a perfect position to win an upgrade - been there, done that. As to gty, that is irrelevant- any cabin has a value, categories go from sold out to gty to buyers choice, depending on how NCL wants to market it. Once a cabin is vacant, it's once again available to sell.

I'm talking about the SH obc - I know how the CN obc works. If I buy 2 CNs, have $100 SH obc, and charge $100 to my room in the casino and my final charge is $253, the $100 SH obc is being used to pay for either the CN or the casino charges.

I'm not 100% sure about the casino. I've been able to use it, 2 different cruises, when I've bought CruiseNext certificates and gotten cash in the casino - but I don't know which one because it was all done the same day. Next time I sail I'll see if it works in the casino, don't need any more CNs at the moment. Yes, you can use for excursions booked onboard.

I guess you missed the part about same category. And the same bid amount. All I'm saying is that a $100 bid, regardless of how NCL arrives at the bid range, is $100. And it makes sense that upgrade amounts might depend on the VALUE of the current cabin. But the current value isn't the same as what someone actually paid. Now how they evaluate a $400 bid vs a $1500 when the current cabins aren't the same is where the algorithm comes into play. That $400 bid might be better if it frees up a cabin they can resell for $3K, especially if there are empty cabins in the category with $1500 bids.

NCL reps should be somewhere near baggage claim or after customs/immigration if international. I usually try to arrive 8-9 am but it depends on the port. Sometimes I'll ask in the roll call what time others are arriving if they are doing same day flights.

What was paid before would not be a factor in assessing additional income from bidding. They already have the money you initially paid. Any bid that they accept only increases their income. So what was already paid would be irrelevant, when matching upgrade requests within the same category. Do they flip a coin when the bid amount is the same- not likely, since they have numerous other parameters that they can use to maximize the effects of bidding. I might pay $1K for an OV and then upgrade onboard to a family OV worth $2K, based on double occupancy - been there, done that. And got my upgrade to a balcony, with a minimum bid, when the category sold out 3 months prior to the cruise. If family of 4 pays $2K or more for that same OV, both bids would be on equal footing with respect to additional income from the bid. We both bid $100. As a solo, my bid might be accepted because I can move to a 2-person balcony which allows NCL to resell my family balcony, possibly bringing a family of 4 onboard. Or my $100 bid might also be accepted over a slightly higher bid because moving a solo passenger may also help with capacity restrictions, again allowing more passengers onboard. And yes, you are correct. They aren't doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.

If you choose the BOGO airfare, cost of airfare is added to your reservation. Cost of transfers to/from the airport/port are added to your reservation. If you choose a 1-day deviation pre-cruise, the cost of the airfare does not change. You will get a $25 credit on your invoice. The cost of the 1-way transfer is removed, the post-cruise transfer remains. If you choose to stay after the cruise, you also get a $25 credit and the cost of that transfer is also removed. You might arrive in the morning, before hotel checkin, so be prepared. If you wish to stay near the airport so you can return and take the NCL transfer, you will need to call and have that transfer cost added back. I have done this many times. But be forewarned, not all reps understand that process. Some will tell you to just go to the NCL rep when you get to the airport. Nope, I want to be sure that they have a reservation for me. If you make the request after final payment but before the 75 day deadline the system might charge a penalty - if that doesn't resolve within a couple of days, you'll have to call to get it fixed. And on rare occasions, they will not allow you to return to the airport (had that issue in Buenos Aires, don't know why). I'm assuming the $25 credit is an incentive to get people to fly in a day earlier - less of a hassle for NCL, so they don't have to contend with people missing cruises due to flight delays on the day of the cruise. Hope that clears up your questions.

No, assuming you let them know at least 75 days prior to your cruise.

They give you a $25 credit. But you have to factor in hotel and transportation costs.

Rules across the pond are absolutely different. I believe the "cancellation" fee is the deposit, so yes the CN certificate would be lost.

Anything charged to your onboard account is processed as a US travel expense. So no FTF, use the card that gives the best travel reimbursement. Cash in the casino is also charged as a travel purchase, so the 3% convenience fee could be offset by points, depending on the card - but no cash advance fee. I sometimes use my NCL MC for casino cash just to build up points for future upgrades.

I've submitted a request 13 months in advance, no problem.

Generally speaking, you can get either FCC or pay for an upgrade if prices drop after final payment. Not both.

My reservations always have 2 listed, never have figured out why. You just get 1 discount.

Yes, still had shower curtains in May. At least in my balcony stateroom.

NCL is not responsible for airline schedule changes - they happen, regardless of who books the tickets. As to multi-leg trips, their standards are 2 legs for domestic, 3 for international. Their bigger issue IMHO is that they often choose routes with shorter - but airline-approved - layovers and that does present a problem due to the airlines not keeping their schedules. But it does depend on your itinerary and chances are you won't get the fastest, most direct route. Because of where I live, chances are slim to none that I'll ever get a non-stop flight anyway - they just don't exist. So I'll take the savings and let NCL do the legwork.

Yes, I realize they are the flights NCL has apparently booked. But NCL - and/or the airline - have also been known to change flight info after sending out the initial flight info. Had my flights changed 10 days before my trip once, due to an expected airline worker strike. New booking was no longer connected to my original flight.

There is no difference as far as actual revenue from the bid. Additional revenue from the bid is exactly the same. $100. Just because someone paid more doesn't mean they are more valuable, nor would giving them a better cabin probably have a significant effect on their onboard spending. That person with the free cabin might be "paying" for that free cabin in the casino. But the cabin that is vacated by the upgrade is where there is a potential increase in revenue. So upgrading from a cheap family inside that they can resell might be more valuable than a 2-person OV for example. Haven upgrades are often less likely to win low bids simply because there are fewer available and more people bidding. But it depends on the itinerary and ship capacity. No reason to believe that latitudes promos have anything to do with upgrades.

To be honest, you are pretty much in uncharted territory - since 100 days out is bizarre to begin with, as is the ability to make changes with the airline. Since you have the ability to change your flights with respect to deviations 75 days out, I would be super hesitant to believe that your flight information is actually finalized. Where I see a potential problem would be if the reservations are linked and NCL makes a change to the pre-cruise flight. Good luck!

Not sure how helpful I can be - I sail because of itinerary, so food and ship amenities aren't things that are overly important to me. It's usually the buffet for me! But I just got off of the Jewel and I can say that the food on the Jewel was probably better. My steward on the Sun was fantastic. Ship layout is a little strange but once you learn which hallways are dead-ends.... However, I had the best "standard" balcony cabin ever IMHO. Not sure of the actual category because it was a courtesy upgrade. Deck 8, last cabin and the deck wrapped around the back - best glacier bay viewing ever, since I had views from the side and the back. Sailing to Canada on the Sky, sister ship, in a couple of weeks.

Nope, still not 24 hrs. Was on the Sun in Alaska in May.

It was actually prime rib.... So same menu.

Requests are done on a case by case basis. Seems like a reasonable request, especially since you would be within the same country, although NCL may tell you to wait until you are onboard to make arrangements.

No, not what they are saying. You need a current statement, so one that is 90 days old could be denied.