amypintx

Check your confirmation email from NCL. Mine has an itinerary that shows whether each port is dock or tender.

Yes, I get it... now. Just one more thing to learn about different procedures/policies between cruise lines. We've been sailing mostly Carnival for the past 10 years since that's where my husband gets the best casino offers and that's not how they handle it so it was a learning experience for sure. It just would have been so simple for her to explain it to me instead of just rudely blowing me off, leaving me to figure it all out on my own. For me, though, the whole package/price drop thing is just one more reason to not take the air. I would have missed out on 2 price drops that gave us more money to put toward our own air where we can pick our days/times/flights. It's a trade off for sure but, for a big European trip, well worth it in my opinion.

Yes, you can cancel the air part. I did the same thing and do not regret it at all after reading all the posts here. Here's what happened to me... when I originally booked, I got assigned a PCC since this was our first cruise with NCL in over 10 years. About 6 months later, I noticed that the cruise fare had gone down and emailed her to find out how NCL handles price drops (she had told me when I booked that she would be watching and would let me know, but I didn't hear anything from her). She was super snippy with me and said that there wasn't a drop. The problem was that there was a drop in the cruise fare but an increase in the airfare so the overall price wasn't lower. (note: we were still over a year out from the cruise). I tried to argue that the actual cruise part was lower but she refused to change it. At this point I'd read horror stories about NCL air and had also decided that I wanted more of a deviation than they would allow anyway so I called the regular customer service number and they were able to cancel the airfare part AND price match the lower cruise fare I'd seen. We're definitely paying more for the airfare now without the deal but it's totally worth it for my peace of mind getting to pick my own flights, as well as getting to go earlier and stay later since this will likely be a once in a lifetime trip for us too. I've also called the regular number to price match again and ask questions and they've always been super helpful and quick. I'll definitely never contact that PCC again.

@Happycrafter123 Yes! We were supposed to go on a similar itinerary in July of 2020 which was, of course, cancelled for Covid. This is our makeup cruise for that one... finally!

We're doing this same cruise in July. Excited to follow along with you for a preview!

@msufan90 I’m so sorry. I’m just now seeing this. We always just get a regular car. The only place we’ve gone that’s bumpy is getting to the old natural bridge. Everywhere else is roads. @Ravensfan1973 Ours was automatic but I don’t know for sure that all of them are. If none of you can drive standard, I’d maybe call the company just to verify beforehand.

Thanks @UKstages and @Big_G_111 for the info! This is very helpful.

Could someone who has used a casino line of credit provide some insight? I’ve read their info page online and know that you have to apply ahead of time and the min to pre approve is $5K. My questions are 1) Is there a fee for this? 2) How does it actually work once you’re on the ship? 3) Could both my husband and I access the same line of credit or would we each have to do our own? 4) Do you have to use the whole $5K? 5) Any pros/cons you’ve experienced? We normally sail Carnival and haven’t cruises NCL in over 10 years so I’m trying to figure out all the differences. On Carnival you can just charge to the room for free so it’s easy. I know that NCL charges 3% or the ATM charges $6 in addition to whatever your bank charges. We’re sailing out of Rome this summer and spending the week before in Venice/Rome so I don’t want to take a bunch of cash with us. Wondering if the line of credit is a better option. Thanks for any info!

If you're a AAA member and have a store near you, you can order foreign currency there. That's what we did last summer when we went to France and the UK. I found they were cheaper than my local Chase bank in conversion/fees. Just be sure to call or check the store services online before you go because not all stores offer all the travel services.

I'll be on the Pride for the July 10th sailing. We were originally going to Portree but it got changed. These were the 2 excursions that I had found for Isle of Skye. I was going to do the Trip Advisor one and many people in our group were going to do the Wow one. Trip Advisor - https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g186585-d19881690-Trotternish_Shore_Excursion_Tour-Isle_of_Skye_The_Hebrides_Scotland.html# Wow - https://www.wowscotlandtours.com/scotland-shore-excursions/portree-shore-excursions/?fbclid=IwAR3l_XxH45ILd6nwCwM-CZj1K37RPndxtSAaO0-lcWxiadoNTSErE9di5LA

Here's what the Carnival site says about unvaccinated guests getting off the ship (the original question that was asked). I don't personally know how "strict" they are being about it. I know when the bubble excursions were being required they were strict because I heard multiple people at guest services complaining about it as though they didn't know the rules before they got on board. I'm guessing no one has answered because it seems not a lot of unvaccinated adults are getting exemptions to cruise at all to even know if they're being strict. Shore Excursions and Destination Requirements for Unvaccinated Guests Unvaccinated guests age 12 and older cannot go ashore in the ports of call on their own and guests may only debark in the ports of call if booked on a Carnival tour. At the conclusion of the tour, guests are encouraged to return to the ship; however, they may also enjoy dining and shopping in the port facility area. In the event you choose not to purchase a Carnival tour, unvaccinated guests will have to remain on board. Unvaccinated children age 11 and under are not required to purchase a Carnival shore excursion and may go ashore with their vaccinated parents/guardians to enjoy independent sightseeing (see below for specific requirements for certain destinations). If your cruise visits a private port of call, such as Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays, unvaccinated guests may go ashore on their own or purchase any of our tours. We cannot guarantee that additional restrictions will not be imposed by local authorities in the destinations we visit. Please review the destination requirements for unvaccinated guests in the ports of call listed below: San Juan – Based on our agreement with the destination, guests will have to remain on board Cartagena, Colombia – age 18 and older will have to remain on board Grand Turk – age 16 and older will have to remain on board Bermuda – age 12 and older will have to remain on board Bonaire – age 12 and older will have to remain on board Grand Cayman – age 12 and older will have to remain on board St. Kitts – age 12 and older will have to remain on board Tortola – age 12 and older will have to remain on board

Nope! We used a credit card to pay the rental fee and then they put I think a $100 hold on the credit card as a deposit that then dropped off after we returned the car.

We were just in Aruba on a cruise for Spring Break and rented a car from Smart Car Rentals (https://www.aruba-car-rental.com/). I had done some research on this board before going and know that a lot of people ask about rental car companies so I just wanted to share our experience. When I was researching, I just stumbled across the Smart Car Rental website and it let me make a reservation without any kind of deposit. I wasn't sure what to expect when we got there (because it seemed a little sketchy since the site didn't take a deposit) but it was great. The guy met us at the entrance to the port (he had a sign with our name on it) and we just had to walk over to the next parking lot, filled out the paper work, paid him and we were off. So easy. We told him what time we wanted to return it and he met us in the lot at that time. I'd definitely rent from them again next time we go.