Grumpella

I did go to the Cruisenext desk (which was not open when we boarded) to find out that Platinum members (and other people who bought Priority Tendering as part of the priority package) go to the Supper Club to leave for the tenders from there, no ticket needed. The luggage arrived at 4 pm. The Lets Take a Selfie tour from NCL from Palma was pretty good, we spent an hour in Valldemossa, which I like. There were some good stops and some stops where there wasn’t much to see. Lol. One of the reasons I picked this tour was that it was 6 hrs, while other tours were 4 hrs. I give the tour a 7 out of 10. I ate breakfast in the MDR the next morning. See menus.

The Level flight was very good. They did weigh my carryon, which I have never had done before. I arrived back at the airport at 9 am for the NCL transfer. The first bus left at 10 am. We arrived at 10:30 to the pier and were brought right in to check in. I went into a separate line for Platinum check in and then boarded the ship immediately after, at 10:45 am. Eating lunch now in Taste.

I am flying out Friday on the "dreaded" Level Airlines, lol. It is a direct flight from JFK and was $ 450 cheaper than the next cheapest flight, which was not direct. I received an offer for $ 200 to upgrade to Premium class (there is no first class) on the way to Barcelona, which I happily accepted. I had to pay another $ 39 to select my seat, but they refunded the $ 34 I paid to select my previous Economy seat. Their website is not the greatest and I was not able to originally select a seat in Premium class. I did learn by calling their Customer Service number that while I have a booking code for Level Airlines, I also had a booking code for Iberia Airlines, which is a different booking code number that I did not know about. I was able to use this other booking code on Iberia to select my seat in Premium and pay for it. If this flight s#&*ks, I will blame my husband who suggested it. lol I am staying at a hotel near the airport, as I arrive late in the afternoon, with a free shuttle. I will be taking the free shuttle back to the airport in the morning for the NCL transfer, which starts at 9 am or 10 am or 11 am, depending on who answers the phone at NCL. lol This will be my first time taking the NCL transfer to the ship. I have taken the transfer several times from the ship to the airport and have been happy with the service.

where do you make dinner reservations? Thank you, your answer was very helpful.

When you say skip the line, you just walk past all the people up to the staff person scanning the cards for the tender? Thanks.

Sorry, I could care less who the captain, cruise director, etc. are, so I will not be noticing. Lol

How did you get the first tender? In the app? On the onboard screens? At cruisenext? Thanks

I have been told it is open for lunch, but they try to discourage you. i will let you know about lunch and the cost of laundry. Someone said it is 1/2 price toward the middle of the cruise.

Thanks. If it is open when I board. lol The tender process should not be that difficult or such a mystery.

First, thank you for the well wishes, some people on here are so mean. lol Yes, I will be eating in the MDR most nights, except for my 3 specialty dinners. I don't like the buffet, I like to be waited on. And I will be eating 2 breakfasts in there too, as most days the ports are very early. Honestly though, I'm not much of a food critic. I'm not too picky about food, I can eat pasta, pizza, fries, etc.. all the time. lol I will definitely be hitting up the Gelato and the Bake Shop. And 1 thing I am going to try that I have not done yet is O'Sheehan's for breakfast. I like their lunch (and the carrot cake).

I am going on the Escape next week. We have 1 tender port, Cannes. I am hearing conflicting information on how the tender process works: get tickets at onboard screens as soon as I board or get on the app the night before or meet in the theater and people with NCL tours are let off first and then others or line up the day before to get my ticket. What the $%#% Can someone with experience on the Escape tell me how it works? I am Platinum, but am concerned about just leaving it to my Platinum status, as others have complained their priority tender did not work for them. Thank you in advance for your help.

Yes, May 5th was also modified. I notified Italytours so they are aware of the changes, they have forwarded to their logistics team. If you book an NCL tour, your don’t need a tender “ticket”. I suggest you pay attention on the app the day before Cannes, to see if the book tender tickets button is not grayed out. I have seen it sometimes happen in the afternoon of the day before, but usually at night. I am Platinum, so supposedly I can join the line at any time. Lol So glad only 1 tender port.

This will be my 24th (and 25th) cruise, and my 9th (and 10th) on NCL. I have also cruised on Carnival, Royal, Celebrity, Holland, Princess, P and O and MSC. This is my first B2B. I will be in a solo inside cabin. This is my first cruise as Platinum, so I am looking forward to the priority embarkation, priority tender at Cannes, free laundry and 2 specialty dinners. I will be focusing my review on the excursions I take, as I find that information is often lacking or difficult to find. I don't go to any shows or activities or bars, so there will be no information about that. lol My plans: Palma- Let's Take a Selfie, NCL excursion Cannes- Best of the Riviera, italytours.eu Livorno- Cinque Terre, italytoursharing Rome- Off the Beaten Path- Hilltop Towns, NCL Excursion Naples- Amalfi, italytoursharing Messina- Small Group- Highlights of Taormina, NCL excursion Valletta- City of Knights and Medina, NCL excursion Corfu- Mons Repos Palace and Corfu Town, NCL excursion Dubrovnik- Dubrovnik at Leisure, NCL excursion Split- Ancient Salona and Trogir Medieval City, NCL excursion Next cruise: Split- Split Old Town and Trogir Medieval City, NCL excursion Dubrovnik- Scenic Dubronik by Land and Sea, NCL excursion Corfu- Small Group- Timeless Villages and Scenic Drive, NCL excursion Messina- Savoca and Forza D'Agro: The Godfather Tour, NCL excursion Naples- Amalfi, italytours.eu Rome- Striking Hill-Top City of Orvieto, NCL excursion Livorno- Best of Tuscany, italytours.eu Cannes- Best of the Riviera, italytours.eu (this tour is a repeat of first week, but it has a little bit different stops due to Grand Prix in Monaco) Palma- Palma in Depth, NCL excursion Barcelona- Scenic Barcelona with Airport Transfer, NCL excursion I will be looking for the elusive cookies. lol I hope to find them in the Solo Lounge. I certainly will be asking.

I did this tour in October on the Dawn. Some of it was very good and some of it was not. The lunch was not very good and a waste of time, over an hour and a half. The movie we saw at the theater was also not very good. There was a nice store after the movie to purchase Normandy things. However, we did get to see many different places and it really was breathtaking. Could you find a better tour elsewhere? Sure. But if it is a choice between NCL tour or skipping Normandy, take the tour. I did not look for other tours, as I travel solo and mostly prefer the “safety” of NCL tours.

I need to book my dinner reservations, I only booked this cruise 1 month ago and there wasnt much left for dinner reservations. I am platinum, my first time, so I will get priority boarding. And free laundry. Lol Thank you.

10 more days until I check in. Is it faster to use the app? Also, I think I read somewhere before that I can skip ahead to select my check in time and then go back and enter my information? Is this correct? On the app? Thank you in advance for your help.

When I cruised in October on the Dawn, i asked if I could have 2 desserts instead of the appetizer, which I have done many times in the past. They said this was no longer allowed. Does anyone else have experience with this? Or in other words, a sweet tooth. Lol

I also used National Express once. We waited at the bus station which is attached to LHR. It was a very long walk. They announce the buses arriving on monitors. Then it is a scramble to get on. Lol I did pay a little extra to reserve seats. Once you arrive at Southampton bus station, you will probably need to take a taxi to your hotel, depending on where you are staying. It was 10 pounds to get to the Holiday Inn Southampton. If you need to use the toilet there, have change ready. Lol We used the taxi the next time, as we just wanted no stress after a long flight. I have used Paragon Taxis several times. Great service.

I have used Paragon taxis several times. Very reliable. Adrian is the nicest guy. It was 150 euros last fall.

I am arriving the day before the cruise, so I will be heading back to the airport for the NCL transfer. I’m staying near the airport with a hotel with free shuttle service. Does anyone know what time the transfers start? I called NCL, and was told at 9 am, 10 am and 11 am on 3 different calls. Lol Thank you in advance for your help.

Thank you. Did it take them a long time to respond? I wrote to them 4 days ago and haven't gotten a response yet. It was the weekend, but I am trying to get everything organized, including my hotel.

is the Splash of Romance worth it? I have Expedited Boarding with my Deep Blue Extras, so not sure if it is worth it. I am not sure if the Priority Boarding with Splash of Romance is different than the Expedited Boarding with Deep Blue. I read somewhere that I could buy a bottle of liquor from a bar with my Bar Tab and take it with me to my room. Is this correct? Thank you in advance for your help.

Has anyone used this company and would you recommend? Also, did you take the private or semi-private tours? I am concerned that if I book the semi-private tour and they don't reach the minimum, the tour will be cancelled. We will be in Barcelona for 2 full days before our cruise in June. They seem to have good reviews. Thank you in advance for your help.

Thank you very much for all the information.

1. I booked a transfer from the airport to the cruise port. It starts at 10 am (or earlier depending on who you talk to at NCL lol). Does NCL let these people check in when they arrive or do they put them in "holding pens" based on their assigned check in times? 2. I have platinum status. Would my sister be able to board with me? We are in different cabins. 3. My sister said there is such a thing as Priority Access from NCL for about $200 which lets you board faster after coming back from excursions. I have never heard of such a thing and I have not had any issues on my 8 NCL cruises, as people come back at all different times. The only slight delay is when my tour bus was off loaded, but not a big deal. Thank you in advance for your help.