julig22

I just got letters for 2 upcoming cruises, 1 to Alaska in about 3 weeks, 1 to Europe in late October. Same letter, dated September 2. I also got a letter for the Alaska cruise earlier this month (dated August 11), with the September 3 requirements. So no reason to believe that anyone sailing today didn't get notified, at least once, of the requirements.

Also saw a couple of posts regarding boarding delays in Seattle, people blaming the backup on unprepared passengers.

on another site this morning, Bermuda itinerary.

Probably, as long as you book through NCL or a TA that participates. But check the prices carefully - I just paid $100 to upgrade OV to balcony on a cruise leaving in 6 weeks. Minimum bid would have been $250, partially because you pay 2x for a bid, I got a solo discount with the upgrade.

You have to work with whoever you booked thru - so if you booked through a TA, they "own" the reservation, NCL can't/won't work with you.

Also use Schwab debit card to get foreign currency when needed. It's not connected to my regular bank accounts so if there are any problems with fraudulent activity, any losses are limited to the pre-loaded amount in the account. But I could also call and have money transferred into that account if I needed emergency cash while traveling. But the ATM onboard is US-based, so no foreign charges for US passengers. And for what it's worth, some ships do have euros at guest services (not the ATM) but I don't know what conversion rate they use.

No, the poster wasn't scammed. I totally agree there. Cruise First is something similar to Cruise Next but CN can only be bought onboard (or from 3rd party resellers). Cruise First, which is apparently what the OP bought has slightly different rules but the idea is the same. The offers change frequently, so it might be $150 or $250 for a certificate for 2x the value. They are only good for 3 years and often are only good on cruises 6 months out.

Except that if they actually bought a Cruise First certificate it's non-refundable.

Didn't say it was an issue. Just fair warning that IF you are paying solo (reduced) fare, they CAN reduce the amount, per the T&C's. If you are traveling solo but paying full fare, you will always get the full amount. Only had it happen once, have gotten the full amount every other trip, probably 9 or 10 times with reduced solo fare. They even attached a letter to the acknowledgement, explaining why I only got half.

Not exactly rocket science if you look at your invoice. If you don't have that, check your spam folder. If you bought a cruise first certificate, it will say paid by Cruise first and give the amount. Half of that amount would have been charged to your credit card but might not be on your invoice, I don't know how that purchase process works.

That sounds like cruise first, not 2 for 1 deposit. CruiseFirst | Vacation Savings | Norwegian Cruise Line (ncl.com)

Terms are pretty well spelled out. If you are talking about the 2-for-1 deposits, that means you only have to pay half as a deposit toward your cruise. Doesn't mean you don't have to pay the full remaining balance at a later date. Norwegian Cruise Line - Promotions Terms and Conditions (ncl.com)

Probably Florida, but just a guess. Depending on what you need in the way of cash, charging to your account in the casino can be cheaper. I believe the ATM is $5.95 plus whatever your bank charges. Charging to your on-board account is 3%, travel purchase. So no cash advance or foreign transaction fees. Depending on what your card rebates for travel, you can get some, if not all, of your fee back in points or statement credit.

You weren't too vague but every ship, every cruise is going to be different. They basically let anybody on any ship (assuming they pay the fare and have whatever documentation needed). So if there was an unruly group of kids on the Pearl one week, there might be nothing but baby boomers on the next one, depending on timing and itinerary. Yea, how the staff handles problems could be an issue but even then, with staff contract cycles, what happened last week doesn't always predict what will happen down the road.

Haven't seen too many unruly kids but I kinda wish there was a rule about unaccompanied kids in the buffet. Oh wait, that wouldn't work because some of the adults are just as bad!

Cruise Next purchase in simple terms: Certificates are worth $250 towards a deposit on a future cruise. If you buy 2 or more, you will pay $125 each. Cruise Next in NCL speak Buy 2 CN deposits and get free money! Pay $500 and get $250 OBC! or pay $1000 for 4 and get 4 more free! Translation - You can only buy 8, so the maximum you could actually be charged would be $1000 ($2000 - $1000 OBC which is applied to your account and offsets the $2000 purchase price). I think the philosophy is that people think they are getting money to spend on the ship, not realizing that they've already spent the "free money" on the certificates. Sometimes you can use 2 certificates on a cruise, usually if it is 6 months in advance and often requires balcony or above. Again, if you are on the ship and there happens to be a "double-up" promotion they will tell you that you can use 2, not necessarily telling you that the offer is time-limited. You do not have to book onboard, certificates are available after your cruise, are good for 4 years. Also, if you book onboard they will give you a room upgrade within the same category - so you pay for an obstructed OV and get a picture window instead. Or a better location on the ship. Not sure if/how it works for categories above balcony. A few months ago they also offered a 10% fare discount - so it pays to ask. On that cruise they never announced it, never had a presentation because of scheduling difficulties so I only knew to ask because someone had posted about the discount.

Most of the time. But if you get solo fare they might only give you $50. Only happened to me once but it is in the terms. Must be the luck of the draw on who processes your request - don't think they always pay attention but once in awhile somebody does.

When I once commented that BF sales haven't really been special for many years (they did do an additional 10% one year, not sure if it was everyone or just past cruisers), someone actually told me how sorry they were that I hadn't gotten a good deal on the Black Friday Sale, LOL! If they only knew the depth of my bargain-hunting skills. Even my original TA was impressed by the bargains I was getting at the time (sadly the best ones got cancelled...)

Taking off topic a little farther down the rabbit hole 😁 A very simple explanation on why they may choose to keep port fees/DSC etc. as a separate line item. They advertise 30%-35%-40% off on cruise FARE. Those other costs are static. Imagine the complaints if the "sale price" was only 38.8% off because there was no discount on the set/static charges.

Almost done with mine - I have the name of a few who actually might want/appreciate my business. Had one that could work miracles, knew how to get things done - and then got promoted. It was good while it lasted. So to vent: No call back last time I wanted a price adjustment - the CN manager on a cruise shortly thereafter did a wonderful job of making price adjustments, plus room upgrade bonus for on-board booking. Second reason I'd called was to make sure he would get the benefit of anything I booked onboard. Used to care, now I don't! Fast forward to now - been waiting all day for a callback "as soon as he's got a supervisor on the phone so I don't have to wait." Good thing I didn't have any plans for the day!

If you are bringing from home and flying in, especially day of, it will be in your checked luggage due to airline regulations.

Was just coming to post the same. Also had a discussion with the IT manager while in the Baltics and he was saying that the political/war issues were also affecting reliability and security.

At 60 days they send a notice that it will probably be more like 30. And it was for 2 European cruises.

????? What is hamburder meat? In my much younger days I worked at jack in the box and at that time their "meat" was a mixture of beef and fillers. No thanks.

I apparently missed the part where there was an offer to substitute the soda package for just the cost of gratuities.