ChiefMateJRK

I used to own a home. Paid off. It was a PITA at times. Now I rent. Life it good! Thank you. 😎

I'm pretty sure that they would have given it back to you at the end of the cruise.

I've cruised many times and never seen this. I hope you're not on my next cruise.

Unfortunately, many don't. Their budget defaults to whatever cash they can earn/beg/borrow/steal. I don't really have a budget, other than just not spending more than I need to for necessities, and not wasting money on discretionary things. Is cruising (even in an inside cabin) a waste? On some level, yes. I'm spending money on myself that would probably do more good for others. Does only spending the minimum to get me on the ship make the cruise more enjoyable? Absolutely. It's ironic, but I would enjoy a cruise less if every day I felt like I was throwing away money on crap that I don't need. Decades ago, my new DW and I headed out cross country with a job offer, an engineering degree and marriage cert (both with fresh ink), two crappy cars and about 2 grand in our checking account. Life was GREAT!!!!!! Now? Life is good. Any inside cabin is luxury compared to the dorm room I had just moved out of. The food, booze and entertainment is better than anything I had back then. But, you can't go home. However, you can cruise(even inside!), and "enjoy every moment of it!" Thanks for your post Gary. I always enjoy our discussions.😎 disclaimer: NCL just offered me a bazillion dollars of (non-refundable) OBC if I would quit posting crap that helped people feel better about NOT booking the Haven. (that didn't really happen) 🤣

Absolutely!

I agree 100% Gary. I'm sure that those top end cabins are very nice. They might even marginally add to my overall enjoyment of the cruise. As I've stated, the few times I've upgraded to modest balconies, I found it to be worth the couple hundred bucks (or less) that I paid. What generally triggers me to post is the posts that read like: "Once I went Haven, I could never go back" "I would never cruise if I couldn't be in the Haven" "Sucks to not be able to afford better than inside" "I would die in an inside" "You should have worked harder so that you didn't have to sail inside" Okay, there's a bit of hyperbole mixed into those, but not a lot. Truth.

Good questions. At this point, my most enjoyable cruises have been Alaska itineraries. I haven't yet sailed the Hawaii to Alaska repositioning itinerary, but when I do that will likely be my favorite. I generally avoid foreign travel, but we have the Iceland/Norway/England scheduled in 2025 as a B2B. That will be 21 days and we're really looking forward to it. Ironically, the best inside cabin I've had was on the Sun last Summer in AK. That said, I'm fine in any inside cabin. I just sleep and shower there, so it really doesn't matter. I've had regular balconies, but only because they cost one or two hundred to upgrade. That's probably about what it was worth to me to have a couch and be able to step outside on occasion. I've once had an aft balcony with loungers, and that was nice. But, again, it was a one or two hundred dollar upgrade from the basic balcony we had originally booked. I just like being on the ship, and itinerary, cabin, etc. are secondary. I'm more concerned about who the performers are in the bars and lounges. Alexa, Siglo, Louis Rizon, Matthew, Ed Kelly, Ryan North, Raul Rojas (guns and Rojas) all stick out in my mind. There were many others that I enjoyed, but a tier below the ones I listed. Thanks for asking.

Yikes!! So NCL is putting the steerage passenger's lives at risk? Have you reported this to the authorities? Yep. Most of us do. Some of us (the tiny minority) consider an inside cabin on an NCL ship to be a "nice cabin." We are humble peasants who can appreciate whatever we can afford (or choose to spend.) You wouldn't have to work so hard if you could be happy in a nice inside cabin. Apparently, you can't. That sounds like private stuff that has no business being posted on the internet, regardless of what you're trying to accomplish here. Extremely disrespectful to a person who may be encountering health struggles. Many do, but don't use somebody else's challenges as a tool.

It really doesn't matter if your walking, taking an Uber/Lyft or anything else. Just be aware, if you arrive early (let's say 9:00 - 10:00), expect to use the early drop off. By 9:30 - 10:00, NCL has kicked everybody's butt off the ship and they've largely cleared out from the port building. That means a lot of the traffic has (hopefully) cleared and cabs/etc. can more easily drop off at the North end of the building. I now only arrange Uber/Lyft pickups and drop offs over on Elliott Ave (no train delays, no Alaskan Way traffic, peaceful and easy). YMMV.

When was the last NCL sale? I don't ever remember one.

That's funny. It's binary. You either follow the rules or you don't. Anything else is a very slippery slope.

You have a building code for your house? How would an inside cabin fail to comply? Well, you might show a bit more respect for those who aren't "you." Then again, likely not. Some can't afford more than an inside. Some choose not to waste money on things that they don't need. Some want to spend on that favorite human being in the mirror who is more important than everybody else. "Enjoy" that.

Good grief. Really?

Never. They fully understand the OBC thing. Unless you're dealing with the new guy.

Finally, after 16 pages, somebody points out the obvious.

The call that the Captain made is to "follow our process." There was not on-the-fly decision making.

Yes, but will you ever set foot on another NCL ship?

That makes sense. I was describing a scenario where a person was intending to go on an excursion. They get the same $50 laundering per excursion benefit by cancelling/rebooking on board. Each time I've done this, I've been purchasing CNs on the ship, so essentially the laundered shareholder OBC goes toward payment of the CNs.

Don't you wind up in the same place with more expensive excursions?

I've only done it at the Shorex desk. I barely trust NCL's app for viewing the dailies. You would need to go there anyways to turn in your vouchers for the original reservation you are cancelling. Can you even do that on the app?

Let's clarify. Luggage drop is generally in two locations. While a previous sailing is disembarking, early embarkation arrivals are directed to the South end of the port building where there is an "early drop off" station. This is in the same area @valleyvillageis referring to where embarking passengers enter the port building to check in. Later on, when the previous sailing has largely disembarked, arriving passengers will check their baggage towards the North end of the port building, right off the street.

I've booked/paid in advance and then cancelled/rebooked on the ship. People claim that there is a risk of losing your slot to somebody on an alleged "wait list" but most/all haven't had this problem. Certainly, if the Shorex is not sold out when you do this, there is zero risk.

Yeah. That looks "safe." What could go wrong? (with pregnant, elderly, disabled....)

They must have been in the Haven.

The Captain has a job to do. It is a responsibility to his employer and its shareholders. He hasn't the luxury of overriding that with some internet poster's sense of what's morally right. You should be ashamed of yourself for spewing such nonsense.