sr71_1

3 minutes ago, Jason82 said:

So what is the actual penalty to a ship or captain if they don’t have a foreign port?
 

Refusal to dock? Fine? Imprisonments? If it’s a fine, probably cheaper than canceling cruises...

 

 

It's in the $700 USD / passenger range 

41 minutes ago, beachseasand said:

...we planned this 18 months ago and there are 19 of us going. We more than likely will not be able to all get our schedules together again. Best wishes to all as we work our way through this.

We're on the Jewel - June 1 from Seward to Vancouver.  Same story ... planned 16 months ago... a group of us.   With Canadian ports closing until July 1,  I'm expecting all the Alaska cruises (due to PVSA ) to be cancelled until July 1.   I'm totally bummed about this ...the only good news is that if NCL cancels they will have to offer a full refund.  Our plan is to rebook for same time next year.         

.... not to be picky but I believe it is the PVSA Act and not the Jones Act that is important here.    For foreign flagged ships (NCL)...Alaskan (USA) passenger 1 way trips must include a foreign port.  Assuming the news reported earlier in this thread is accurate, I'm thinking NCL will have no choice but to cancel their Alaskan cruises through July.    We are on one in June ... I'd rather have my money back that a credit (crossing fingers on this news)  

3 hours ago, kdmbluerzr said:

Following.  We have an Alaska cruise but not until end of July on the Jewel, Seward to Vancouver. Hoping we are far enough out things will resolve and stabilize before then. Have no plans to cancel, keepin' fingers crossed. Good luck everyone. Stay safe and healthy! 

we are on the jewel in june - seward to vancouver.     while i woke up feeling positive about this ...  our group started cancelling   ... as of now all have cancelled except us 😞 .        

Every policy is different so the only way to know (for sure) is to read yours carefully.   There are a number of threads on this board - concensus is that unless you paid the premium for CFAR insurance (cancel for any reason) , you are not likely to be successful.   

Cruise is in June.   Is there any benefit to check-in early and/or prepay service charges? 

On 2/11/2020 at 10:05 PM, elwood_98034 said:

We even ordered room service to be served in the restaurant one night.

Wow - too funny!!  

We're looking forward to the Haven for Alaska in June.    Perhaps another way to look at Haven is to  book it for Alaska first ... then every other Haven cruise following will "feel" like a great deal 🙂      

should i be worried if the docking time listed in the attached link is different than the cruise ship itinerary.... OR is this link a "draft" ?     

6 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Well that only works if the other guests are paying.   🤑.  

too funny .......thanks for the response.  We have the 2-bedroom for Alaska ... our college aged girls will be joining us as well (we're paying 🙂.)      This is our first time cruising in years  - the last time time was with Disney  ... stopped in Bahama's and spent the day at Atlantis (nice place)!.     Congrat's on med school - that is  long educational journey - I bet she's exhausted.   I'm digging the $20k/6 math..totally agree that it's a no brainer for say 3 close couples to have a blast in the Caribbean.. the  3-bdrm is a massive space .. both indoors and outdoors.  I'm sure you will have a blast.        

Georgia:    You caught my attention with $20k for the 3- bDRM.    Just curious what your destination is ?    (Guessing it is not Alaska... when i was checking rooms for our Alaska cruise the 3bdrm Haven started at $16k each)        

Barnos... if you guys enjoy a good bottle of wine...  (as we do) just bring your own supply.  There are a few threads on the forum about this  - you'll get charged a $15 / bottle uncorking fee when you check in ... you keep the wine in your room and bring with you to dinner as needed.   We have not done this before but plan to on our upcoming June trip (also in the Haven).   

** Also ... given that you'll pay an automatic  20% gratuity on drinks (including wine) ....you'll likely be saving money drinking the wine you enjoy **

supercrew....that is a great picture !!

We also considered the same excursion but have decided to try the train ride up + mountain bike back down (Sockeye Cycle runs the trip).   

22 hours ago, Rocky of London said:

 

We have 3 days in Vancouver, so we will head for Stanley Park....not sure after that ?

Vancouver is a destination itself.....so much to see and do ... personally I love the mountains sooo...   if you have a car take a 2 hour drive north to Whistler.... the drive/scenery is breathtaking....have lunch in the village... stay there a night if you have time.      

Closer to Vancouver take the Skyride up Grouse Mountain.... amazing views from up there

We were bitten once - never again will we fly the day of ship departure.      

Story:  Direct flight was to arrive in Orlando at 10:00 am with  Disney cruise to depart at 5:00 pm.    Seemed like loads of time... BUT... we missed the boat - it does not wait for you!    

In our case while the plane was being pushed back from the gate the ground crew pushed it too far ...off the tarmac and into the grass/mud.    They could not get it out ... and could not arrange alternatives in time.    

We caught up with the ship a day later at its 1st port of call... don't think you will have that option if you miss this boat.    We were not the only ones ...dozens of cruisers missed their ships that day as well. 

I hope it all works out for you -

Thanks for the replies.    Tried to change from #1 to #2.   Turns out that for #2, Costal only runs 1 helicopter per hour with a max of 6 passengers.   We have 8 in the group so we are out of luck.  

Costal offers:

1) Helicopter to Glacier & Dogsled ride:  3hrs = $539/each

2) Same as above but with additional helicopter glacier landing (exposed lower ice sheet) :  3.5 hrs.  $649

Currently have the family booked on (1) but now thinking to switch to (2).   

Anyone with experience with 1 and 2  - comments?  

1st time to Alaska coming up or us as well.  Best time to be in Alaska... when you're there!    Seriously ...I'm sure anytime is great (for different reasons) ...we choose early June because: 

• we wanted a shot at seeing Orca's  (May/June only) in Seward
• May/June typically the driest months
• Moose are calving in June (might catch a glimpse) 
• June is apparently the best time to see herds of caribou (float plane trip perhaps)

For what it's worth... Doing Alaska for the 1st time in June 2020.  

• June to catch bubblenetting & Orca's  - we hope:)
• NCL Jewel (wanted a smaller ship)
• 1-way southbound from Seward to Vancouver = port side cabin 
• Balcony seems like an easy choice for what I think will be a very scenic trip (with 18+ hours of sunshine / day)    
• Get an extra stop on the 1-ways 
• Will see both the Hubbard and Sawyer glaciers on the itinerary        

4 out of 5 I booked for June 2020 were independent.   In addition to above (which I agree with) the way I see it... it's likely that you will also have people on the tour that did book through the cruise line  = you'll be treated he same and back on time .    

perfect warmer upper drink.... really slide down well after a cold day on the snowmobile trails 🙂  

I'm a bit of a martini snob ... starting with ....there is only one martini and it does not contain vodka.   With that out of the way my favorite...Bombay Sapphire, a splash of fresh Noilly Pratt dry vermouth, shaken, poured into a chilled glass and finished with 2 anchovy stuffed olives (never touch the olives until the drink is done).   Yeah - I have Martini issues.    

Excellent question.. glad to see drink package includes - Cheers 

booked our flight in Sept.   No regrets - seats & departure that we wanted  (no surprises)    

...i think what i was remembering was a 20% gratuity on bottles of wine ... etc....   clearly not = $15/bottle.    Still.... I'll likely bring a few nice bottles for the room.  

tx 

Someone please confirm ....I recall reading on this forum someone noting that there was a surcharge on purchased bottles of wine that was equal to or greater than the $15/bottle uncorking fee - their thinking was that if you were a wine lover it made a lot of sense to bring your own (do you guys agree)  ?   Sorry to hijack the thread 

42 minutes ago, jdvmd said:

Yes, there is always the fee no matter where you drink it. I actually love NCL's policy and routinely will bring a case onboard and pay the fee.

Curious about the details on this.    When you bring a "case"...

• Do you declare it when you board and pay the $15/bottle uncorking fee/bottle then? 
• Does NCL manage most of the case for dinners and you keep a few bottles in your room?  

tx