julig22

Umm, you can request a deviation anytime up to 75 days before your cruise. So it makes absolutely no sense that you have your flights at day 105. Are they confirmed flights or are you just seeing placeholders on your reservation.

Depends a little on the itinerary - port or sea day. If they are showing movies, they will probably be Halloween themed. The rest depends on the staff and the cruise director. Decorations. Dishes of candy. Both Halloween cruises that I've been on have been port days, so people were in port most of the day, not in costume. The costumes ranged from Halloween tshirts/sweatshirts to some that were fairly elaborate. There was a carnival and a party on one, a haunted house and "halloween bash" on the other. I didn't attend, so can't provide any additional details.

Yes, your risk is the same whether you book your own flights or not. NCL doesn't intentionally book flights that they think won't get there. In fact, they once changed my flights last minute when there was a possibility of a strike causing problems with my itinerary. I am assuming that the NCL rep comments were made when they were told that they couldn't change their flights -or at least not change them without a significant cost. Not sure I would call that assurance. Guess they should have said something along the lines of "it's your own stupid fault for booking the day of".

Can't when the cruise starts in the only foreign port. Had they been doing the land tour first or starting from Seward, they would have been OK. But they were starting in Vancouver. Not sure why they couldn't have picked up the land portion in Seward tho.

Sort of true, with respect that NCL will leave you "high and dry" if your flight is cancelled. Just the same as they will leave the other 50 passengers who booked the same flight, but on their own. Terms clearly state that they have no skin in the game within 72 hours of the first flight. The original article is now behind a paywall, so only going from memory on what was said. My impression was that they realized their mistake once they got their tickets - so too late to make changes. The video mentions that NCL gave them the opportunity pay to change, which they could have done if that is true.

There is no sense in asking about what happens most of the time in this specific instance. Flights to Quebec are limited and aren't on a daily basis. Been there, done that when trying to book my own flights from the west coast to QC last year. And the flight I had booked got cancelled at the last minute but I did manage to book something else that allowed me to catch up to the final leg (note: it really pays to get to the airport early - I got the last seat on the replacement flight). So at best you probably have a 50/50 chance of either Quebec or Montreal.

And I don't care how much bad press (justified or not) NCL airfare gets, I'm not about to book a 33 hr flight from London for $300 (no luggage) when NCL will book RT for probably around $600, depending on the itinerary, luggage included. Especially when there is no guarantee that the flight I book has any better chance of arriving on time over the flights NCL chooses!

You are absolutely correct. I even posted a link that lists the baggage allowances for international flights on the different MAJOR airlines. And I can verify that I have never paid luggage fees for international flights arranged through NCL - 1 or 2 bags, and I do NOT have special status with any airline.

You have to call

I've read the article on this. While this guy actually does a reasonable job of presenting the case if you listen to the entire thing, there are a few omissions/misstatements. First, NCL does not dictate when you fly, something he stated. The default is to fly the day of the cruise but you can choose to arrive early. I highly doubt that any NCL rep said "you'll be fine" in any context other than when telling them that the flights are already booked and can't be changed. A big difference from saying it when they originally booked the airfare. When you get your tickets, it is clearly stated that any issues within 72 hours are between you and the airline. Not NCL's fault that there were issues with the original flight, then the rebooked flight. Not being able to join the cruise at the next port is a PVSA rule, has nothing to do with NCL. The only part I really don't get is why they couldn't have met the ship in Seward and taken the land tour.

You just do what my totally clueless neighbors did once. They put their luggage in front of my door! Fortunately it wasn't an outward door.

I don't know by day but I have seen offers for additional time, thinking it was maybe an additional 150/300 minutes. It might depend on the ship. Also, remember that you can often get free service in the ports. By your signature, it looks like you are going to Alaska on the Sun - there is usually really good service at the terminal in Ward Cove - and it's free.

If you cancel an excursion prior to the cruise, they will refund the cost to the CC you originally used. However, not 100% sure on the time frame for getting a refund to your CC. You can usually cancel 48hrs prior to arrival at the port (rarely there are ones that can not be cancelled, clearly specified in the description). If you cancel onboard or too close to your sail date, you will get OBC (refundable) - and your account must be cleared before they will allow you to disembark at the end of the cruise. There isn't a link between booking prior to a cruise vs onboard accounts which is why OBC instead of refund to original payment method. But cancelled excursions are fully refundable in some form or another, assuming you cancel within the given time frame. The same goes for excursions cancelled by NCL.

It depends on the airline policy and the destination. Some airlines are listed here. thepointsguy.com/guide/airline-baggage-fees

For US bookings it is never necessary to actually cancel and rebook. Nor would you ever want to do it after final payment, as that would trigger cancellation fees - so you answer is confusing. If prior to final payment due date, you get a refund/statement adjustment. If after final payment due date, you get FCC. A price adjustment does act like a cancellation/rebooking within the NCL system with respect to current prices and available promos but you retain your original booking date (valuable for a few line items, like DSC). Any payments/deposits will carry over. With respect to your Amex promo, it depends on the terms of the promo. If it is date-sensitive, then retaining your original booking date might save the promo. And yes, you can completely transfer an existing reservation to a different itinerary. Having a PCC is your best option in that case. The person who does the transfer won't get any credit for the booking but if they think they'll possibly get future bookings from you they might willingly do the work.

I love my balcony because I love to watch and photograph the sunrise/sunset and see the nighttime sky. I'm now the proud owner of a camera that has a specific setting for moon shots, LOL. Not a fan of going on deck a 4am in the cold to see what's happening. Speaking of cruises to Alaska and Antarctica in particular. Or the midnight sun in Norway.

Assuming you mean Quebec. Those flights are a nightmare to schedule. Even when they fly to Montreal, it's not easy. When I was looking at booking on my own (my cruise ends in Quebec), the flight times to Oregon were terrible, with long layovers. One reason I specifically chose to end my cruise in Quebec not start there. It may be unavoidable.

Well, 8 international cruises/flights through NCL and I have yet to pay any baggage fees. And I usually am able to pick my seats, sometimes for a fee if I want to upgrade. NCL, in my experience, books economy, not basic if there is a difference. And I do pay baggage fees for domestic flights at the prices I'm willing to pay - because I do take the basic option.

Yes, access to CruiseCritic is free but can be somewhat limited. And no, I don't think they would reimburse you if you used your minutes, as the site can be reached without using your login. However, I have had issues with maintaining my login while on CC - so no notifications, access to roll calls or ability to respond to comments when that happens. At that point, I've had to use my wifi account to login to CC, then logout of the wifi. Inconvenient, yes but it works.

Of course you are getting different answers because there are hundreds of different outcomes, depending on your itinerary and airline chosen. You can't generalize. NCL does NOT pay baggage fees. That is easily said. And they book economy flights. MOST domestic carriers, SW excluded, charge baggage fees for domestic if you book economy. Your mileage will vary depending on the ticket you choose and the airline carrier, your status with the airline, etc. Most of the larger airlines include 1 or 2 bags for international flights, depending on the destination. Has nothing to do with who booked the ticket, it's the policy of the airline.

You have to ask at Guest Services if you are eligible and need a priority tag. If you have a NCL transfer or post-cruise excursion, they will deliver the tags to your stateroom. Otherwise, the tags are usually available in the lobby, if not you get them from guest services.

As opposed to leaving your bags with the porters when you embark and then expecting to find them in the hallway. Or at the airport when you check your bags and expect to find them at your destination? And unless I'm mistaken, there are surveillance cameras in the hallways. I for one don't want to lug my suitcase around anymore than required - let someone else get it up/down the stairs, down the gangway and into the terminal. Anything of value is in the carryon that I keep with me.

I was on the Sun a few months ago and I took both tours. Staff may have changed by now but the staff doing the tour were for the most part super passionate about their jobs, so both tours were interesting and fun IMHO. Each ship is different so I'll probably keep going on the latitudes tours, but maybe pay for the longer tour on some as well. The theater arrangement is probably the biggest difference and very interesting. And it was comforting to me to see that there was an official "whale watcher" on duty on the bridge. Now if we could only convince them to make an announcement when they spot whales...

If you do get a line of credit, I would think that you could put money onto a slot machine, then just cash in the voucher.

NCL couldn't care less who sleeps where, assuming you aren't talking about a suite/Haven upgrade. You can just get access cards to the other rooms but you would have to watch room charges. Any possibility that you can gift the upgrade to your friend? I'm considering using my NCL points to give an upgrade to family going on a cruise with me, and I don't see why I wouldn't be able to upgrade their room.