dancingfish

The biggest problem is no one wants to be helpful at NCL when it comes to issues with your Air travel. I got my email saying Heres your flights... when i looked up the flights on the airlines website it was totally different. So I called per the directions in my email.. I got the "ok we will open a case for you" then its crickets...

So i call back a week later.. we have until 30 days before your sailing! .....

Then i get another email... but this time I only have a ticket for me... nothing for my husband... I call back again.  We are working on it....

Then another email.... still we are working on it.

I asked them if they ever heard the phrase work smarter not harder? it should take them 5 min max to put my husband on my flight. but instead they want to drag it out. 

I am still trying to figure out if this stress is worth the $1200 I am saving?

Thanks! that is very helpful!

I have contacted Georges and then mention that the driver is not a tour guide but for an additional fee we could hire one. Does anyone have any information on this? I do not mind hiring one but not sure if its necessary!

Has anyone done an NCL Tour for Athens? did you enjoy?  Which one did you do?

I have not been there so my opinions are just that... We are planning on just walking around on our own.. But waiting until everyone has left and then coming back early. It may or may not work... but since we have no expectation I would also be ok with a pool day on the ship if it looks like the lines are crazy!

On 11/6/2023 at 7:23 AM, BlueCattleDog said:

Hi! Let me see what I can do to share a blank version you can use, may take me a little bit after work.

 

Would 100% recommend Rome cabs for transfers in Rome, they were great.

 

Id also recommend doing the golf cart tour with My Best Tour, was an awesome way to see a lot in Rome. Was such a great start to the trip.

 

Driver in Rome was OK. Id do it again because it was a super convenient option to have a pickup with all our luggage and still be able to tour before we went to the ship (and not worry about luggage after hotel checkout or a separate transfer to the ship).  The driver wasn't the nicest, but wasn't a big deal. We had a separate tour guide for the Vatican.

 

Italy Tours was good for Pompeii and the Amalfi coast. I was worried about how long and far sone of these were, but they were super knowledgeable and planned things to esnure we had no issues being back on time.

 

I see theres a typo - we used Barcelona Day Tours in Barcelona. They were good, the only issue I had was that I didnt realize we weren't going inside Sagarada Familia. I would have skipped other stuff on the tour to do that. Montserrat was an absolute highlight of the trip for me, so I was glad we did it. So if I were to do this again I'd make sure it was included 

 

We did a lot of the longer scheduled tours early in the trip and towards the end did more on our own, like the train in Palma and the ferry in Cinque Terre.  This was a great strategy, as the cruise went on we started to get pretty tired. This gave us a lot of flexibility. Doing both those on our own was easy and fun. We ended up taking the ferry out and train back in Cinque Terre because the train was faster. I'd recommend that.

On 11/6/2023 at 7:23 AM, BlueCattleDog said:

 

Yes if you have the blank I would love it too. Also more info on the driver in Rome!

 

 

Didn't your PCC email you the new invoice? I just called for my cruise yesterday and before I was off the phone she had sent my new invoice. Which details where the $ are.

I admit to being a coffee snob. We grind our own beans every morning. I dislike what starbucks serves. So if I am not going to like the coffee I will go with the free every day!

I am interested in having a machine in our room-- what kind of coffee would I need for this?

For me I look at the itinerary. If the cruise is port heavy- Then I really don't need the ship to entertain me. I know we will be exhausted and want dinner, a drink and bed!

I did Alaska 20 years ago (wow that hurts saying it out loud lol) and it was a trip of a lifetime. For alaska you must have a balcony! We sat on ours each night and watched the shore, the sealife and waves each night! Many times not realizing it was past midnight (daylight all the time!) with 8am tours. The cruise provided blankets for sitting outside! 

You have to realize that you will not be in the pool! 

We booked all our own excursions. Went on a whale sightseeing trip with only 4 people. Again a trip of a lifetime!

So to answer your question.. look at the stops and book based on that!

First I agree wholeheartedly that people who feel they had a bad experience are more likely to post a negative review than someone who had a great time. This is the world we live in.

Second: 

"First, people have different expectation. Some book a mid-stream cruise line and expect a luxury cruise or private yacht experience like they see on TV. Then complain when there are 4300 other people on their private cruise."   

So many people have decided that cruising is their thing but they don't want to wear pants for dinner or partake in cruise ritual.. then they complain that the cruise isn't like the upscale photos they have seen... Taking a vacation should be something special IMO, and we should treat it that way! Enjoying every moment. 

Question about your hotel-  Did you like it? Did you choose it for location? 

Trying to decide if I want a hotel closer to city center? or Vatican or airport or......

And as a planner- I can appreciate your google sheets! 

Our ship does not arrive until 1pm.. I am at a loss for what to do- I do not want to spend my day waiting for cable cars. I was hoping there were alternatives.

@bones5  the Pier is very long and I ended up hailing a wheel chair for my hubby on the way back. If you can get to the port there are dolphins you can watch and birds and lots of people watching! I think its a good port to hang out in. They have pools etc. BUT the walk is tough if you are not physically up to it.

I just got back from my cruise yesterday and we did the Ruins and Bacalor Lagoon tour with NATIVE CHOICE and it was wonderful!  

We got our educational activity in and we got to play in the water and have lunch and drinks!  They are a first class group that has comfortable vans with great guides! 

I agree there was a bit more walking then we thought there would be it was great to see the ruins. 

@BNL1213  Just got back from our cruise and Cozemel Cruise Excursions was an excellent choice (in my opinion) They meet that the HOTEL EL CID which is literally steps out side of the port on the left.  They use their dock to pick you up in a small little boat. There were 16 of us. They took us to three spots where we saw a TON of fish. And then took us to an area to have nachos and drinks and just chill out in the water. 

It was worth it !!! I can't imagine anyone not having a great time.  I suggest no matter how great a swimmer you are to take them up on the waist floats. It is a lot of swimming.  (if you have non swimmers in the group they will put full life jackets and have them hang on to floats as well.) . 

They are just as great in person as they were in emails! You are in for a treat!

Thanks! Picking out my favorites now!

Just now, Host Clarea said:

 

It's free, how can it not be "worth it"?

It takes up space on my phone 🙂  and now that I know my ship doesn't use it... so not worth having it hanging around my phone... hahaha

Thanks! I see my ship is not a participant @Biker19

Independent operators

Is it worth it to download the APP? Do all ships use this or is it just the newer ships?

Thanks! 

How much should I bring to tip our tour guide? Do they share with the driver or do I need to separate this? 

This is good to know. My husband does not require a wheelchair but can not walk long distances and I have been worried about getting him off the pier.

We are signed up to take a tour with Native choice next week! Thanks for sharing your positive experience.

The ever important questions will there be a blow dryer and is there a coffee pot in the room?