UKstages

i use cruise first certificates on every cruise and have two $250/$500 certificates in my account now. the thing that people always get confused about with this is the 120 day requirement. they assume (incorrectly) that you have to be 120 days out when you book. you do not! the certificate has to have been purchased 120 days before the cruise. so if you have a previously purchased certificate siting in your account, which you bought at least four months ago... you can apply it to any cruise, even one leaving next week. you can also buy a certificate with your cruise consultant over the phone at the time of booking, and apply it to that booking, if you're booking a cruise that departs in 120 days or more. (no guarantee you'll be able to get the $250 certificate, however, but you'll always be able to get the $150.) cruise first can be combined with other forms of payment, including FCC, but not with other certificates, such as cruise next. and it can be used to defray the cost of fees and taxes on "free" cruises, such as CAS comps.

thanks for this info; very helpful. the curmudgeon in me would just like to point out that despite this being the official line, we don't know if it's true. it's the story that NCL is putting out there. it's what they say happened. i'm sure there is a fee to be paid. given the fact that other cruise lines seem to have had no problem, and given the fact this has been somewhat of a recurring problem for NCL, the part of the story that i think may involve a bit of stretching of the truth is that they were only given two days notice. that just doesn't seem likely. it's far more likely that NCL dropped the ball somehow and have opted to shift blame to the port authority to save face. it's a lot easier to say to your guests, "our hands are tied. the port authority screwed up" than to say " our legal and finance teams screwed up and we can't serve you a drink because we'd be fined and possibly prevented from using the port again." also, i don't think this is necessarily the way this works... i doubt the port sends send out invoices. it's far more likely that the cruise line applies and submits paperwork and the required fee.

yes, the one bar per deck thing is a very real canadian restriction. i've experienced it many times and anticipate experiencing it again next week in halifax and sydney.

do you have carryon only? if so, you can take it onboard yourself. but anything you take onboard must be able to fit through the x-ray machines at the port, so if you have larger bags, you most likely won't be able to do that.

THIS. extra points per night for suites and haven, plus ridiculously frequent point multiplier promos. i hadn't cruised on NCL for sixteen years or so... i only had one seven night cruise under my belt when i returned in 2019. now, five cruises later, i'm at sapphire. (or at least i will be after next week's cruise). it's been discussed before, but the elite levels may have been devalued largely because of the influx of more members achieving these levels more easily.

i'm surprised at how many people like such few dishes. my impression is that NCL is generally praised for the quality of its food overall, including the MDRs. many people have pointed out that food is subjective... true, but that's really about how you respond to an individual dish and the flavor palette. in general, the food in the MDRs is well prepared, served hot (or cold) as the dish requires and attractively presented. it's like good catering food... mass prepared and generally pleasing to most palates. special requests are almost always honored. and if you don't like the dish, don't eat it. order another! (it'll be out in a minute or two... it's not cooked to order). rinse. lather. repeat. the only problem i have with NCL food (throughout the entire ship) is that it's often under seasoned or not seasoned at all.

but, of course, NCL doesn't pay the tax. it's passed along to their guests.

perhaps they were waiting for the cabin attendant to pick it up, since - apparently - the attendant is expected ton pick up everything.

technically, it doesn't show that the change hasn't taken place on the sky. it may simply be that not all employees have been notified of the change. or that rouge employees - at least temporarily - have decided to ignore the change. THIS. how many times has NCL implemented something without adequately informing frontline employees? (in this case, it works to the advantage of purchasers of the premium plus package.)

sounds like a lack of attention to detail and very poor service recovery on NCL's part. you have some legitimate complaints. but one doesn't catch a cold from "freezing cold" temperatures... indoors our outdoors. one catches a cold from airborne respiratory droplets or by touching contaminated surfaces or being in close contact with people who have a cold. you didn't catch a cold because your room was cold. you caught a cold because you're sailing with three or four thousand of your new friends, many of whom have poor hygiene. you caught a cold because they sneezed near you or you touched the same elevator buttons they did or the same menu they did or you ran your hand down an infected bannister.

the key thing they are asking here is for guests not to arrive before 4 PM. and that's because the prima is leaving from the same pier (but not the same berth) at approximately 4 PM that same day. many of the contracted employees handling the prima embarkation will also be handling the joy embarkation. NCL will also likely need some of the same guest waiting areas, so on that unique day, there is a real chance of chaos and overcrowding and mixing up luggage given to porters if guests sailing on the joy arrive before 4 PM. that's why you have check-in starting at 4 PM and sail away at, presumably, 11... if your last check-in time is 9 PM. if your real question is "can i arrive anytime up until 9 PM to avoid crowds?" ...my take is: yes. the system works more efficiently when everybody arrives at their designated time, but enforcement of check-in time is indeed lax. and people often show up before their scheduled time, which does add to overcrowding. and it is generally the most crowded when check-in first opens. but my take is that you already have the earliest check-in time. so nobody will look twice if you show up at any time before 9 PM. plus, you have a serious mobility issue to contend with, which trumps everything. not sure of the nature of your dad's issue, but, if i recall, there is a handicapped lane that can be used by those who qualify. (i don't know much more about this, but i've seen folks in wheel chairs glide by while others were waiting in line.)

what i said was that there was no "easy" way for them to do this. to properly enforce this, they would have to look at the card and/or swipe the card before making the drink. presumably for everybody... or at least for those who "look" like they may be 18 - 21 years old. that's not part of their current process. you order a drink, the bartender makes the drink, then the bartender swipes your card, often without looking at it. if they don't verify the age before making the drink, they're wasting time and product. when in international orders, they can follow their regular process, take the order, make the drink and swipe - and charge - as efficiently as they always do.

the reason for NCL's policy regarding making "underage" patrons pay for individual drinks may have more to do with the bit about drinking in "international waters." adults can use their drink package while in port. if those under 21 can only drink in international waters, then how do you police that? it would seem to me that the only way is to force an interaction with bartenders and servers. if an 18 year old is given a drink package, NCL has no easy way of prohibiting drinks while in port. and that becomes especially problematic while in american ports. just a thought.

NCL call center agents, a.k.a "personal cruise consultants" are not minimum wage employees.

a bootle of johnnie walker blue should run about $245. indulge food hall is open for breakfast, but it's a grab and go type of thing... pre-made breakfast sandwiches and such.

yes, all venues, but not all venues have the platinum free bottle of wine selection. i forget, but i think it's palomar and/or onda at which you can't redeem for a free bottle of wine.

not at all... have you considered that there is a marked difference between selling somebody something and creating an opportunity for people to buy? when you have a customer-focused sales organization, your reps create opportunities for people to buy stuff... you don't have to "sell" them anything and there is nothing remotely resembling what you have described as a sales pitch. it only becomes a sales pitch after you've told the agent no and the agent insists on attempting to sell you the thing you've just said you didn't want. based on your numerous accounts of your "being upfront" methodology detailed above, it doesn't sound like that's what happened at all. in many of your posts, you appear to be conflating your personal and appropriate distaste for NCL air with agent behavior.

yes, indeed. there is a line there, where you're waiting with those five, six or seven people to pick up the thing that you'e waiting for... there... with those five or six or seven people! omelets, pizza, what have you. but there is no "buffet line" per se in which the sheep shuffle along through the entire buffet patiently waiting their turn, each having to pass by countless food items they don't want. there just isn't. (except in some people's minds. and then they get their knickers in a twist when somebody dares to jump their imaginary line.)

it really depends on what you mean by a "line." is there a notice at the buffet that says people should start in one place and dutifully push their tray or their plate along some imaginary path to the buffet's end point? where is the buffet's end point? where does the line begin? where does it end? what if you only want ice cream? do you have to shuffle along through the burgers and the salads and the indian food until you get to the ice cream? without a doubt, there are lines for certain foods... a carving station, perhaps. so, maybe that's what you mean and we're actually on the same page. there may even be a line for pizza... three or four people might be waiting for a new pie to come out. similarly, there may be a backup of three or four people waiting for burgers. it would be rude to jump ahead of them. but if the french fires are out next to where the hamburgers are supposed to be... and all you want is the french fries, there is no reason to wait... you go up, take your fries and go on your way. no harm, no foul. but if you think there is a line that runs through the buffet from start to finish, respectfully, how do you know there is a line? because you see other people near you at the buffet, some of whom are behind you or to the right of you? is that what you believe constitutes a line? or perhaps they are confused by what you said. because they know that a buffet is not a cafeteria. it's not the DMV. you're not buying concert tickets at a box office. buffets are not linear concepts. there is no correct or required path to navigating a buffet. yes, you pay attention to others around you; you don't go ahead of other people waiting for the same food item as you, but feel free to dart in and out and take what you need... that's the way the buffet has been set up. if it weren't meant to be used that way, it would be designed with a clear entrance and exit and a path that required people to pretend that they were liam payne or harry styles and only go in one direction.

all well and good. and how do you suppose the rep would learn that you're not interested and that a product or service doesn't fit your requirements? geez, i dunno... maybe by engaging you in conversation and having you tell him or her that you weren't interested? in which case, i am pretty darn sure that you would not be subjected to a "sales pitch." if you don't want to talk to a human being, and be subjected to a "sales pitch," use the website or the app. by the way, nowhere in my post did i suggest that a "sales pitch" was necessary. that's because a "sales pitch" is not required in order for someone to buy something or someone to sell something. a "sales pitch" is the pejorative phrase that you are using after the fact to describe a customer service interaction for a product or service that you yourself are not interested in. yeah, i get that... but TAs are not NCL's cruise consultants... the folks you get when you call NCL. the promo materials used for TAs should not be used to train frontline agents. if they are, NCL should be prepared for whatever is in them to be quoted by agents to their customers. they should also be prepared for TAs to use that same language! and that means they should probably rewrite those promo materials. people (whether they be TAs or phone reps or customers) respond much better to positive messages. that doesn't mean you should lie... it just means you should reframe your message to express it positively.

thanks. for most of my my career, i have been affiliated with contact centers providing sales, customer service and client support and, sadly, it's all too common for reps to place the company in a bad light or to misrepresent the product or service or terms. NCL is somewhat unique in that their cruise consultants actually work for the company and are not subcontracted, but they still say things they shouldn't or are imprecise with their language. i had a consultant tell me recently that the indulge food hall on the prima really should be open longer hours, but they can't do it because the food quality is too high and it would cost too much. that is a rouge interpretation of one rep and it sounds OK on the surface... the indulge food hall is great and serves high quality food! the problem is that he also said - essentially - that it was too expensive to operate and that is why NCL has chosen to deprive its valuable guests of high quality food. that is not a message that NCL wishes to promote, i'm sure.

you're correct, but there is a workaround. the "trick" is to book those first before reserving other (a la carte) restaurants. if your cruise has two FAS meals, plus two platinum meals... book the fixed price restaurants first, such as moderno or teppanyaki, then book the a la care restaurants, such as cagney's and le bistro. if you've already reserved beyond what your FAS meals cover, the system will always try to charge you for the prix fix. if you do it in reverse, there should be no problem. if you want to book all your meals at fixed price restaurants, there is no workaround.

one thing to remember is that the POA, due to its routing within the USA and complicated laws regarding how you can staff a ship that doesn't leave the USA, has a completely american crew. that has caused staffing issues and some people believe quality of service issues. i was born and bred in america, but i do believe that the foreign born staff on most of the other NCL ships are more dedicated to service. hospitality is in their blood and they take great pride in service and customer satisfaction. many of the frontline american crew members on the POA are just passing through on their way to their next gig. so, some of the negative comments you hear about the POA may be related to its crew.

well, actually, they probably should be trained to say something like "our air program offers a wonderful opportunity for you to save money, if you're flexible with your time and don't have a preferred airline." if you're trying to sell something, you shouldn't emphasize the product's drawbacks! that statement says basically the same thing, but in reverse... hey, you can save money if you're flexible, thereby emphasizing the product's chief benefit, but also opening it up for a discussion as to how the program works. "well, what do you mean if i'm flexible?" "NCL chooses the most affordable routing from the airlines available to us at the time the air travel is coordinated." "that sounds OK, but I only travel on delta and american airlines." "well, in that case, we'd ask you to book your own flights directly with those airlines. we can't guarantee a flight on any particular airline, so the NCL air program is probably not a good fit with your travel plans." that's a very different conversation than "yeah, i hear ya. NCL air sucks. a lot of my customers tell me that. i don't recommend it." just sayin.'

you are correct. i think i'm confusing it with the breakaway. no lunch at moderno on the breakaway when i sailed.