jkrislc

I print everything and keep a digital copy as well. However, for our trip on the Encore next week, I will be using an electronic copy of the test results as I will not have access to the printer as we are arriving to the port a week early. I would suggest downloading and saving any digital document on your phone or tablet so that you don't need to rely on a cellular data connection at the port.

It really depends on the itinerary and the ship. Ships where the majority of cabins are balconies tend to have a lower price difference between OV and balcony. The itinerary also makes a big difference. If you're doing Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, etc., you can expect a significant price difference between the categories.

As long as you're onboard the next day by the all-aboard time, you'll be fine. The gangway remains open the entire time your ship is in port, so if you wanted to return at 3 in the morning and then leave again at 7 a.m., you'd be free to do so.

On 6/23/2022 at 7:07 AM, TrumpyNor said:

Yes, but after the cruise has started the reimbursement would be added to your OBC, so you would then have even more OBC to spend...

This OBC would be refundable, however, whereas the OBC they already have is likely not refundable.

@IMNOFUN Testing information does not need to be entered into the ArriveCAN app and is not required for entry into Canada if vaccinated. Also, there are a variety of proctored at-home tests that are much less expensive than what you're paying. For 6 of us, we paid $150 plus shipping and do it through a video call. There's also a new proctoring service that allows you to use your own tests and will certify the results.

As the PP stated, just bring them along with you to the port. Unfortunately, NCL doesn't have you upload the documents in advance, so keep them handy to be viewed during check in.

We sailed Holland America a couple of months ago and they had a service where you upload your test results and proof of vaccination, so they only thing we had to show at the port was our passports. It was the easiest embarkation I've ever had. It was about 5 minutes from getting dropped off to boarding the ship. The longest delay was going through security and having our security photo taken.

On 6/17/2022 at 9:21 AM, RGEDad said:

Where is this option to Make the document off-line.

I was recently at a foreign airport and when i went to the cruise travel page, it would not come up. Dealing with all the papers, and luggage, and stuff, I used an alternative to get the images needed by the flight check-in. Luckily I had the images still in my iPhone photos - But I was surprised when the page I wanted did not come up/resident on my phone. Would like to make sure that does not happen again. I think the images were placed on the pages on my Mac while in the hotel the day before (doing theCOVID tests), cannot recall if I had linked my phone to the hotel WiFi that night previous but that MIGHT have been the reason it was not loaded on my phone.

Sorry that I missed your reply. 

OneNote should auto sync so that the documents are available offline unless you've turned it off, but it's the default. For OneDrive, you need to click on the three dots next to the folder if you have Microsoft 365 and you'll have the option to make the entire folder available offline. If not, then you need to click on the three dots next to each document and select "make available offline."

This was very helpful; thanks for asking.

We've spent some enjoyable, quality time playing board games with my son and our nieces while on cruises along with everything else that the ship has to offer. My wife and niece even enjoyed putting a puzzle together as that's something that don't normally get to do together.

On 6/8/2022 at 11:51 AM, Shel71 said:

Can anyone give me an idea of what an Uber cost would be from SeaTac to the Courtyard Marriott in Lake Union around 11 AM on Monday, July 4th for 2 people and 3 suitcases? I've never used Uber in Seattle and wondering if the Premier Shuttle would be more economical for us?

You can get a price estimate here: https://www.uber.com/global/en/price-estimate/ You can also schedule ahead up to 30 days in advance in many cases, although sometimes this isn't possible from airport pickup locations.

As others have said, you should really considering bringing your own conditioner if you use it as NCL only provides shampoo. They claim it's conditioning shampoo, but it's barely shampoo and I didn't experience anything that would suggest it was conditioning.

NCL's messaging has not been very clear. Upon first reading, I'm guessing many thought that testing would not be required to board the ship. We also received luggage tags from NCL for some reason. Inside, there was a letting stating that you needing to be vaccinated at least two weeks prior to board the vessel, yet there was no mention of the testing requirement. As a result, a friend on the same sailing assumed that they had dropped the testing requirement since it wasn't mentioned.

10 hours ago, KKB said:

It says OBC  is per cabin.

Both DH & my name r on the shares.

We r sailing w/ our YA kids next summer.

We had to book he in 1 cabin & I in another to get casino rate 4 both.

Will we get OBC for each cabin?

You might be able to provided that you hold 200 shares of stock.

Something similar happened to me. I had the screenshot showing that they were selected, but when I received the confirmation, they weren't there. It was just a matter of waiting on hold and having the gratuities applied as they were also not one the confirmation.

If you booked a sail away rate, then you will need to rebook/reprice. If it's just a matter of adding the perks, then you should only need to pay the gratuities.

2 hours ago, destar said:

I have 2 amex, Gold and Delta airlines, i can see the 100 offers, nothing on NCL.

I have the Delta Airlines Platinum card and it's not showing for us, either.

2 hours ago, RGEDad said:

PDFs of all stored in a OneNote document with all other Trip Information, and Photos of identification and Vaccination documents. Since DW worked for many years in contracts...Paper documents of all.

I use OneNote, along with OneDrive, too. I just make sure to select the option to make the document available offline so that data isn't required to bring it up. I also attach the documents to my calendar items. For example, for our boarding time, I have it in my calendar and have our boarding documents attached to that appointment as well as our proof of vaccination. When the tests are completed, I'll add those as well.

I haven't considered OneNote specifically, but that's a great idea as you can put all of the necessary information together in a collection.

We have 6, but as a previous poster has stated, they limit your times for groups that large. As a result, we've been booking tables for 4 and 2 at the same time and just ask for them to be combined when we board. Since often times they put tables of 4 and 2 together to make 6, we figure that if we at least have a reservation for all 6 of us, that will help some. So far, it has.

4 hours ago, MyTMo777 said:

After reading stuff on CC, I swore I would never use the free air promo. But there was no way I could get flights as cheap as they were offering with the 2-for-1 deal. We're paying $500 total for flights that would cost $2000+ EACH if I booked on my own. So I'm hoping it all works out. What makes me most nervous is flying in the day of embarkation. We NEVER do that. So I'm hoping we can get a deviation at least for that. If not, getting to LA is the cheap part so we can book our own flights.

We did the same thing for both our New York cruise ($200 R/T from California) and for our Iceland/Greenland/Norway cruise next year. When airfare from California often runs $1200 to $1400 to Europe and the cost usually increases when arriving in one port and returning from another, it was a no brainer to get the one ticket included in the price.

I read this does not apply to sailing from the U.S. and Canada and that precruise testing will still be required.

I'd recommend taking screen pics of all the documents that you'll need so that you don't need to rely on the internet at the port. Also, that way you can quickly scroll through all of the documents that you'll need to show if you don't have them printed out.

I like backups, so I have printed and electronic copies of everything just in case.

4 hours ago, Suetravel said:

Does anyone know how long it would take for ncl to get back to you after you emailed the stock to ncl?

 

how would you know if you receive the OBC?

I received a confirmation three days after I sent mine in.

Make sure to check the expiration dates when the tests are received just to make sure they'll be valid when you go to use them.

I've done this in Europe and looked into doing it this year with NCL, but you need to book first and then request permission. I would definitely recommend using a travel agent to handle this. We also didn't want to risk it this year given that the the policies are likely in flux as the COVID regulations change. As a result, we opted to do Vancouver and Victoria by car precruise returning to Seattle by ferry a couple of days before our cruise.

Note that the difference in fare between a one way and a roundtrip ferry to Seattle is only about $40, so you could always relax onboard when your ships visits Victoria and then take the ferry the day after disembarkation and do a couple of days in Victoria.

Keep in mind that the drink package includes sodas and non-alcoholic cocktails, so if you enjoy those then it could make sense to still get the package. It only takes about 2 alcoholic drinks or 4 non-alcoholic cocktails. We really struggled with whether or not to get the package as we aren't big drinkers, but with a couple of sodas per day and a couple of non-alcoholic cocktails for dessert, it made sense for us. 

We received pretty crummy flights from NCL, but it's hard for us to complain since three of us flew roundtrip to NYC from California over the holiday season for $599 total. That said, we were put on a redeye from CA to NYC and had a late returning flight. Our friends, who booked at the same time as we did, had much better flights for the same price, so it may be luck of the draw.

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Oooooops!!! You are so totally correct @KeithJenner! I stand corrected and appreciate you setting the record straight.

Even if your husband doesn't use the package, paying the gratuity for the two of you would still be cheaper than buying the package outright for just you once onboard. We nearly declined it and were going to just buy the soda package on our own. However, we figured that between non-alcoholic cocktails and one or two real cocktails we could justify the $20 per person per day gratuity fee.