croozer2B

On 5/16/2019 at 11:48 AM, TenForward said:

 

Can you tell me about the "double up"?  I just received a message about my cruise next certificate and he said something about Doubling but I don't know what that means.  Can you usually only use one Cruise Next per stateroom?  TIA

My understanding is the same as Jamie's.  Generally you can use only one, but are allowed to use two in certain circumstances. If you contact NCL cruise consultants they will guide you through using the certificates.

When in December 2017 our daughter in a cabin as a single couldn't go with us at the last minute, we informed NCL at check-in. We forfeited the fare, but were not charged any taxes or port fees.(Small refund.)  I think if we had informed them ahead of time, there may have been some compensation if they had been able to rebook the cabin.

I've been following this post as we try to determine if we should give control of our air itinerary over to NCL. We'll be flying Seattle to Venice next June.At this point we're going for it, flying in two days early, and leaving two days after. Even with the double deviation fees, the fare is less than half of what Kayak is showing currently for that RT, even in the off-season. In the very, very fine print on the email promotion notice I received notifying me of the deal, I found a terms and conditions link. https://www.ncl.com/termsandconditions/promotions?cheetahid=5000007937246&cid=EM_MKD_NA_PRO_EML_tac1_EML_TAKEALLAIR0519_CNTAKEALL051519A

This was the relevant information for me: 

All guests booked within a singular reservation will be booked on the same flight.
Norwegian Cruise Line will book guests' airfare with a maximum of one connection when possible; air schedules permitting.
Norwegian Cruise Line reserves the right to select an alternate airport within 60 miles based on itinerary, choose the air carrier,
routing and city airport from each gateway city and reserves the right to substitute commuter service and/or charter air service for scheduled air carriers without prior notice. 
 Even with this information from the NCL website, I'm interested to hear about real life experiences.  

I remember asking that question when I bought my certificates in December 2017. My understanding was that the cruise needed to be booked within the time limit, but not necessarily sailed. In fact, here's the statement from my confirmation letter:

• CruiseNext Deposits are valid for one stateroom for new reservations of 6 days or longer made within 4 years from the date of purchase.

That reads to me that the reservation must be made within the valid time frame. I just used four certificates to book two staterooms during the double up period. Used two for our room and gifted two to our travel buddies. Easy peasy.

I see. But if they don't know the final amount to charge each passenger until the last minute, do they make adjustments (additional charges or partial refunds) on board, based on how much each passenger was already made to pay? I know they do this on some other lines, but NCL doesn't always do things like other lines…

We were just on the Pearl in December out of New Orleans to Western Caribbean. While aboard we were credited $8 per person in shipboard credit. When I inquired the reason, Guest Services told me it was because the port charges were lower than originally estimated.

Hi, we got back into NOLA yesterday and dropped our bags at the Hilton at the port, they charge 2 dollars per bag for the day and were used to providing this service for cruise passengers . We had a day in NOLA and picked them up later

Thanks, Drivencruise! I think this should work the best for us.

Fascinating trip report! I love your straightforward writing style! Thanks for the great detail and fantastic pictures. You make a persuasive case for both our next cruise and our next TV series to binge. My husband and I are new to cruising as well, live north of Bellingham, and are traveling to Italy in the spring. Perhaps we will cross paths with you on a future cruise! Or maybe at a coffee shop near Seattle.......

Check with some of the hotels near the pier and see if they hold your luggage for you or you can get a day room from one of the hotels.

Good idea! I'll check with the hotel where we are staying prior to the cruise. Thanks!

A quick Google search brought up this. Looks exactly like what you are looking for:

 

http://www.advancecheckin.com/

Thanks, Colin. Your Google skills are superior to mine! This is the sort of thing I was looking for, but yowza! I was not expecting such a steep price tag! I'll be contacting them tomorrow, however, to see about onsite storage.

I'm curious about this as well. I just reserved dinner on the Pearl for our Christmas cruise and saw no charge come up and my credit card is not on file with NCL. I read the fine print and saw no reference regarding not being able to reserve without paying. I got a confirmation email as well for the reservation. Last year when I tried to book ahead, there was a fee associated at the time I tried to reserve, so I waited. Maybe the policy has changed?

Hello, all,

Our family of five adults are cruising on the NCL Pearl at Christmas time and returning to New Orleans on Saturday, Dec. 30. We have an evening flight home and want to spend a few hours in New Orleans without hauling our luggage around with us. I notice that the Port website refers to a baggage transfer service. Has anyone used such a service in New Orleans? Did you find it reliable? Alternatively, does is anyone aware of a way we might be able to store bags for several hours? Thanks for your insights.

Polly