julig22

48 hours is 2 days but 2 days can be more than 48 hours. 12:01am on Monday to 11:59pm on Wednesday is 2 days but 71hrs, 58 minutes. Most excursion tickets specifically state 48hrs prior to port arrival, not 2 days. And the excursion desk isn't open 24/7 so if port arrival is 7am for example you would need to cancel earlier than 48 hours. Not uncommon to use the terms interchangeably but the devil is in the details.

Anything you cancel onboard results in a cash credit to your onboard account. Their onboard accounting system is completely whack so I suppose they might call it refundable obc, although I've not seen it that way on my account. If you have a positive balance at the end of the cruise you have to get the cash from guest services. If you cancel prior to boarding the ship, it should be credited back to the original form of payment - although sometimes they lock their systems, so they might not let you cancel right before your cruise date and you'd have to do it onboard.

extra 5% on excursions at sapphire - more valuable to me than priority seating or dinner with officers (that doesn't happen anyway) - but not necessarily worth chasing points. Same with the cabin upgrade - I already get that with my world points.

Just a fyi - if you wait to book onboard, transfers do sell out so make your arrangements early. Also, in my experience, the late transfers often coincide with the last call to get off the ship, so no real choice with staying onboard longer.

Same here. I don't like the concept of paying for things I'm not using so I would much rather pay for the things I want, not what appeals to others as part of a package. So if that's what you are calling "nickel and dime BS" then bring it on!

As with most things, it depends. NCL has no control over flights and airline policies but in my experience they will do what they can. I had a flight cancelled 2 days before I was scheduled to leave and NCL rescheduled the flights - and quickly corrected a logistics error once I called. They have much better access for scheduling and aren't as limited to rebooking with the same airline. Realize that once tickets are issued NCL may no longer be in the loop so to speak - they might not even be notified if the airline makes a change. Why it's very important to register with the airline as soon as you get your flight info so the airline notifies you, as the ticket holder. My flight home on that same trip was delayed and I called the emergency number- they were more than willing to rebook my flights, although I ultimately opted to let the airline take care of it. I have been on cruises where we waited for passengers - so they will wait if they can, but obviously that's not always possible. Do I use NCL for short, domestic flights - no, I can usually meet prices and use points for those. But so far NCL has been quite good for arranging my international flights.

Not sure that is 100% true, at least not with respect to Katty Byrd, based on a couple of interactions I've had. Probably true for the majority of complaints but some requests are escalated past that first line of support. Just depends on the nature of the correspondence. I learned years ago that if you send a complaint it might be acknowledged, if you ask for something specific or pose an actual question you are more likely to get an answer and resolution. Business letter writing 101.

Yes, depending on your flight time. Last time I cruised out of LAX, transfers for early flights disembarked between 8 and 9:10, late flights 9:20-9:40.

Post cruise excursions might be an option. I think they've offered tours to Beverly Hills or Farmer's Market in the past.

Pretty sure every cabin I've ever stayed in on a NCL ship has had a stopper. But the sinks can be pretty shallow. You might also consider using a dry bag, like used for camping/boating - they come in lots of different sizes and you can fill it with water/detergent and shake it to wash clothes. Also, the ships will run a laundry special mid-way through the cruise, $29 for whatever you can stuff in the bag they give you. Or bid on a club balcony suite - you'll get laundry for free!

They checked and held people back last month when boarding the Dawn in Stockholm. But I think it's the only time I've ever noticed anyone checking. And they were swamped at the time, so it might have just been a crowd control issue at the time.

The outlet on the Dawn (club balcony) wasn't working properly and things weren't getting charged. Fortunately I had a European USB plug that I used for charging tablet and camera batteries. No USB outlets in the bedside lamps. Best to be prepared for any scenario.

FCC is a different animal but if I was in that situation, and in the absence of any additional information, I'd give it a go. Based on my assumption that the on-board accounting system doesn't know how you paid. My cancelled excursions were pre-paid in cash - and I had a balance at the end of the cruise so they gave me the cash at the end. So yes, it could be just that easy, assuming they handle it the same way. In fact they insisted on the cash, wouldn't return it to my credit card. Make sure you check the cancellation policies if you go that route - some of the more "exotic" type excursions may have a non-cancellation policy.

Often it's the only option, they prefer it I believe. Used it for NCL cruise, so pier 66. Waited maybe 10 minutes for my ride to the pier - you park your car by the entrance, they move it later. Just took a couple of minutes for them to bring my car to me when I returned.

Probably not going to help you whatsoever but I flew (BOGO) from Rome to JFK last fall on the first leg of my return trip; flew to Rome out of Toronto. But I was coming from a small regional airport in Oregon, so normally have at least 1, but usually 2 legs just to get me to an international airport for Europe. However, when my cruise was leaving from NY, they flew me into Newark, out of JFK. Bottom line is that they can book you from either JFK or Newark and they can book up to 3 legs, really no way to know and it will be different every time. Heard a number of complaints from people in Toronto who did not get booked on a direct flight to Rome. My theory is that priority for "direct" overseas flights go to people who can't fly direct to begin with.

Totally different experience with fcc. Split between passengers. Only refund FCC showed in my account, bonus FCC (unless a % coupon) only visible to my pcc. But I've always gotten a letter telling me the amount. I am currently searching for my FCC from a price adjustment.... It was supposed to be in my account last month.

Not specific to London but in my experience there will probably be someone representing NCL at baggage claim when you arrive, even that early. But they will direct you to a waiting area. When the bus leaves somewhat depends on how many early birds but I would guess busses wouldn't start leaving until 8 or 8:30 at the earliest. I just returned and was on the first transfer bus out of Southampton to Heathrow, we arrived about 8 (making very good time). Presumably that bus would then turn around to take new arrivals to the port.

They are waaaay before final payment, so no problem with getting a full refund - unless of course they originally paid with a fcc. Happened to me for a cruise to Iceland (just returned, it was beautiful). They changed the itinerary from Europe to Norway. Nothing against Norway but I've been, specifically wanted the Europe/UK itinerary, which was offered at a different time, so simply changed to the different date with the itinerary I wanted.

On the Star earlier this month, got the OBC. They did not offer the wine tasting. On the Dawn last month, no OBC because they offered the wine tasting (as stated by the CN manager). As with so many comments about policies and services these days, timing is important. What happened last week/month/year/decade may no longer have any relevance to what is happening this week or on a particular ship. So the wine tasting seems to determine whether or not they believe they are sufficiently providing Platinum perks on a particular ship on a specific sailing. Similar issue with the Platinum meals - sometimes it's for any specialty restaurant, sometimes only for those listed on the coupons. No clue what determines that adjustment.

Only guessing - their accounting system defies logic and doesn't even seem to be consistent between ships, so I can only give you my experience. I believe that any refunds are considered cash - not refundable OBC, so they should use your existing OBC to book anything new. When they cancel an excursion, they will refund the full amount (including the $50 promo, if applicable). Then they will add back the $50. In theory, they are supposed to use OBC first so if you book another excursion, it should come from the OBC and you would have a credit for what was cancelled. But whether or not that happens, I can't say. On my last cruise I had OBC and a small credit from a cancelled excursion. In the first couple of days on the ship, the only things I'd charged were CN certificates and cash in the casino (neither of which should be eligible for OBC), yet when I got a print-out, it showed 0 remaining balance for my OBC. On a previous cruise, my OBC balance kept changing even when I wasn't charging anything to my card! If you have access to your account on the TV, it should give you a balance on OBC - but that can be a moving target...Using the NCL account on your phone only gives you a total so you have to get a printout from customer service.

I completely disagree, but it also depends on the location. I took 2 different "selfie" tours on a Mediterranean cruise in places that didn't offer busses to the distant points of interest. The ones I went on took you mostly to scenic areas, specifically for photography. It's not like they are taking you to places that take time to explore, although we did have time at a few landmarks. And to this day I've never taken a selfie.

My carryon is smaller than 22" but it does have my medications, camera, ipad etc. Things that are more critical than my clothes, should it get lost, stolen, smashed or dropped in the harbor. I could use a backpack but the suitcase has wheels so I don't have to actually carry it much (and camera equipment can get pretty heavy).

They will be fine, although they may have to wait for awhile for the shuttle to leave. But once they get to the port they will be able to leave their luggage with the porters. Check in time will be on their eDocs (normally they would choose a time when they do their pre-cruise check in but sometimes with the shuttle it just reverts to open) - again, they may have to wait in the terminal, boarding probably won't start until 11:30-12, rooms available sometime after that so they need to be prepared to lug around any carry-on items...

Why would lifeboats be an issue? As far as I know they are under the deck so won't block your view - but could be a noise issue I suppose if you have tender ports AND they use the lifeboats on that side as tenders.

I would assume you could buy whatever you needed - and they'd probably be more than happy to book another cruise for you. But there are also CN buying sites on social media, possibly eBay as well?