Maryscooking

Thanks for that info! I am surprised that they aren't keeping the clubs open on port days, but then again, I guess not. It has been so long since we've thought about using that service. I think my daughter only stayed on the ship once in all of our trips. I will check the NCL boards, but I'm not sure how helpful it will be b/c I am pretty sure my friend told me the cruise is the first one after the ship returns from Europe. So who knows how things will apply.

Also, I have to say, in regards to the RC club experience. I was just on Wonder over Thanksgiving break, and they had grouped two of the younger age groups together. So it was a huge amount of kids and very hectic, and my cousin's son didn't enjoy it at all. He barely went. My daughter was similarly not impressed with way the teen club was being conducted, and it was not a great experience for her either - and she is a very social, make friends right away type of person.  idk, maybe this is just one more area that the ships are struggling with post-covid.

Our friends will have a 7 and 9 yr old and will be first time cruisers. My daughter is 16, so my kids club info is just a little out of date.

What are the typical sea day open hours? Port day open hours? And can you still leave the kiddos on the ship in the club while you are in port (like to do an age restricted excursion)? It is a Western Caribbean itinerary if that matters.

Does anyone have daily programs I could show them as examples?

6 minutes ago, Hannodcruise said:

Per the Frequently asked questions on the website

Yes thank you, they have read all of the available information.

The FAQ aside - they were actually told by NCL reps that if they miss the ship, the decision to allow them to meet up with the ship, and if so, in which port, would be made on embarkation day. They did not receive a "that will not be allowed" answer. And they called two different times. They were given the phone number to call if they miss their flight to port.

Makes me anxious for them. But at least we are just talking about a cruise getaway with a group of friends, not a once in a lifetime irreplaceable vacation.

9 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

If it helps, when we were on the NCL Jewel in May 2022 on the second leg of a cruise from Seward to Vancouver, Alaska Airlines cancelled a flight from Seattle to Seward which impacted 40 people who were scheduled to board the ship in Seward.  Shore side NCL staff were in frequent contact with ship management and the passengers who were affected boarded in Juneau.  NCL crew even helped them carry their luggage up the gangway!

 

On these boards, one person will say “no, that can’t happen, these are the rules…” but then someone else will say “it can happen.”

 

I wonder if your friends could contact the general manager of the ship in advance?

 

Best wishes to both you and your friends.  I truly hope it works out well.

Thank you for sharing your experience!

20 minutes ago, Babr said:

Don’t assume that insurance will cover missing the ship. It depends on language in the policy and the reason for failing to arrive on time.

Right.

My impression is that it wouldn't be covered. But I'm also not reading the details of their policy either. The financial cost isn't really any of my business.

1 hour ago, tallyho8 said:

I missed my self booked flight to Fort Lauderdale on November 13, 2022 on Holland American, therefore missing my cruise. My next stops were Puerto Rico and St Thomas. Holland American said there was nothing they could do about it and that I could not board at another port and also, sorry, no refund.

Augh that stinks, I'm sorry 😞

Did they give you a specific reason why they couldn't let you board?

57 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

If NCL gets wind of the fact that your "friends" are asking to board mid-cruise, it is likely going to be denied. If your "friends" are in constant communication with them on embarkation day (let's say Saturday), documenting where you are and how you can not get to the port (not that the dog sitter can't start until Sunday), they may permit a mid-cruise embarkation. It is a lot of effort on NCL's part to get approved to embark people mid-cruise. And once you return to Miami/PC, the entire ship will have to wait for the non-closed-loop passengers to be fully processed back into the US by CBP, who will also have questions on why you boarded mid-cruise. Lately, they have been giving away no-show rooms to make money on upgrades, so you have to be talking to NCL's emergency number on embarkation day. 

 

The best advice is for your "friends" to cancel and file an insurance claim. 

Your presumptions are awfully rude. And wrong. They didn't call and ask to board mid-cruise, that is their last desire, to intentionally cut their trip short.

A group of us are cruising together. A couple has happened into a very tight schedule that cannot be changed. They want to do their best to make the trip and cruise with the group. If they miss the ship (and of course we hope they don't!), and they can't board at a later port, then I guess they'll have to file an insurance claim then.

Personally this type of thing makes me too anxious just on a secondhand basis. We do everything possible to come into the cruise port the day before the ship leaves. 

17 minutes ago, Greenpea2 said:

From things I have read,it could be a real problem..if it leaves from the US and returns to the Us, there can be a problem embarking in a different country. You probably should not take advice from anyone here because it all sounds a bit confusing. You need to contact someone (who knows what they are talking about) at NCL. Which I’m not sure you will get at their customer service number. Or do more research than I just did…good luck. 
 

 

So I think you are referring to boarding in US ports when a cruise embarks from a US port. I and they did read about that, and asked a travel agent who pointed them to info that shows the USVI (ie St Thomas) are an exception to the law in question. 

They have called NCL and got a wishy washy response. Basically they won't commit to or promise anything ahead of time, which isn't surprising. They are really not being helpful at all from what I gather hearing about it secondhand.

5 hours ago, JesseB said:

I think a lot of how much NCL would help would depend on if they were somehow "involved" in you missing the ship (i.e. got airfare through them, etc).  If you had your own arrangements to get to the port and missed it I think its on you to get to the next port....

Yes I agree. They definitely expect to have to make their own arrangements in that case, as NCL doesn't have anything to do with their schedule conflict. 

I guess I am more wondering if anyone has run into problems with NCL not letting them board at the next port? Or how hard it is to do overall?

If so, would you mind sharing your experience? How NCL helped or didn't, how it went overall?

For reasons and a story too long to explain, friends we are cruising with face a good possibility of missing the ship on embarkation day. Switching to a new sailing in advance isn't an option. If they do miss it, it appears the first chance to board would be meeting the ship in St. Thomas. 

I don't like the unknown lol and so hearing what others have experienced would help. Thanks for any stories!

On 4/8/2022 at 8:23 PM, sberg23 said:

We used the Thermal Suite on the Pearl in 2010, and back then it was $99pp for the week.  IMO $139pp for the week is a must buy pre-cruise if you have any interest in using it daily.  That’s still a good price for a nice TS.  I can confirm that the price pre-cruise is cheaper than buying passes after you board (yes they will have availabilities after you board but they will likely sell out within hours).  We are right now on the Encore (via Escape cancellation) and our then-$199pp pre-booked Thermal Suite carried over to the Encore’s $249pp price.   If I recall correctly I saw it available for $279pp after boarding.  They did have a day where they sold a single day pass, but unfortunately I didn’t pay attention to the price.  I would jump on that $139pp price for the week. 

It is so nice that the $199 was honored for you. They canceled our $199 passes and re-booked them at $249 for the Encore :(. I had too many other things going on to argue about it for very long.

9 hours ago, Ray4Fun said:

Maybe, Just maybe, NCL has figured out they can fill one ship by cancelling another? Encore was chock full last week. Just like the good old days. Fuel costs are , what, 60% of the cruise? Hmmm,,, Since we are all guessing, why not? 

I guess it would be a good way to stress test their full ship "back to sail" operations lol.

In some ways the Encore passed spectacularly and in other ways, there is still some work to be done!

10 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

I won't dispute what your husband was told, just that in my experience, the vast majority of crew on a ship don't have the foggiest about how it works, or what is going on, even in crisis, and those at corporate, unless they are in the technical departments, know even less.  I find it hard to believe that an azipod was damaged, for a couple of reasons.  One, as noted, she made 17 knots, average, after the incident, indicating that both azipods were working, and two, that the azipods do not extend out past the side of the ship, so striking the side of a coral channel would not affect the pod.  Another NCL ship had a similar experience in one of the Florida ports a few years back, running out of the channel to avoid something, and there was no damage to the pods.

 

As the temporary hull certificate was issued in the DR before the ship sailed back to the US, I don't think the pod "failed" during the voyage, all damage was determined before the ship left the DR.  If true, the damage would have been to the propeller blades, and the ships carry, or the company stores, a spare set of blades, and this job can be done in less than a week, while in the water.

 

I would place my bet on a damaged fin stabilizer, which would not affect safety, but while some ships have operated for quite a while with one out of operation, would have affected passenger comfort, so they may have wanted to fix it before the crossing, and there was a part shortage.  This would be in addition to some hull bending, and possible, though not confirmed breaching of the hull.

I'm 100% sure you know more than me lol! Considering people can pretend to be whoever they want when they are among strangers, especially when *slightly* intoxicated, who knows how credible this person was? I thought it was interesting info just because so much discussion has been about repairing the hull. And b/c the night before Apr 2 was canceled, people were on TV saying the cruise was moving forward.

14 hours ago, RVACruiser43 said:

Yes its semantics.  Like the daily gratuities,  whether the amount is added separately or included in the base, ends up being the same bottom line cost.  Its just a revenue thing for NCL.  A discount reduces their revenue by lowering the base fare.  A payment probably means they would have to post an expense to balance the FCC as a deposit.  

Gotcha!

6 hours ago, RVACruiser43 said:

I am wondering if the bonus FCC will be the invisible kind that only shows on the PCC or TA side of the system.  I had a covid cancellation of the Feb 4 2022 Bliss Cruise and that was returned as FCC and it was not visible on my end.  I had to get a PCC to post it.

 

Bonus FCC is generally applied as a discount to the base fare, not as a payment.  

Ugh that would be unfortunate for the simple reason that I have already spent waaaay too many hours on the phone with customer service reps related to this cancelation and dread the thought of more phone time. It would be so nice just to be able to apply it online.

And I'm not sure what discounting the base fare means vs being a payment? What is the difference? If the new cruise is X price, and my FCC is Y price, at the end of the day, isn't my out of pocket X minus Y, whether you call Y a payment or a discount?

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The Escape cruised back to Port Canaveral at 17+ knots. The propulsion appeared to be working o.k. 

I have no idea. I'm sure all kinds of suppositions can be made based on appearances. Perhaps the damage wasn't apparent until examined more closely, or perhaps the cruise back caused the issue? Who *really* knows? No one on this forum that's talking at least. Maybe the person my husband spoke with has insider knowledge, maybe not. There's no real way to judge. They said a few other things I won't share for fear of "outing" them if the comments were accurate.

I was supposed to be on the Apr 2 sailing and transferred to the Encore instead. While onboard my husband talked to an NCL employee who told him that the problem is a damaged azipod (I think that's the word?). Not sure if that is common knowledge or not. He (the employee) didn't know the timeline for getting it fixed.

Has anyone gotten their FCC yet? It was supposed to be available yesterday 4/11, but I don't see it in my acct yet.

On 3/25/2022 at 7:24 AM, dexddd said:

Don't think it so much kid wants to go to school vs getting behind on assignments and tests.  Especially if in high school.

You are exactly right. She goes to a STEM high school with an education philosophy of hands on, experiential, project based learning, and that means catching up on instruction and making up work is much tougher than you'd already think making up high school work would be.

1 hour ago, Middleager said:

Come join the Jewel 3/29 Panama canal cruise, 12 days, price is very good (never been so cheap before).  Ship was 55% full a few days ago.

Oh that would be so tempting if I didn't have a high schooler already a bit stressed that she is missing one day of school before her official spring break starts...

2 minutes ago, theolivers777 said:

I am so sorry to hear this.  How did they alert you?  Letter, phone call?  Are they giving you options?  I am on the 4/2 sailing and hope this doesn't mean ours is canceled too.

Right there with you holding my breath for 4/2.

I told my husband if we get canceled, I'm immediately jumping on the website with my credit card to book whatever looks the best, and dealing with the aftermath later 🤣.

On 2/23/2022 at 8:39 AM, gcbama said:

Iguana Mama was cheaper and have been doing tours at the falls for a lot longer. Iguana Mama sends a guide with you as well you get 2 guides from the park when you get there. After we got back on the ship we talked to a few people that we saw at the falls and we compared what all we got and Iguana Mama much a much better deal. They include a buffet lunch at the base camp with authentic DR food that was one of the best meals I had. The 12 falls was a good number to do but the hike up the mountain is tough for 55 year folks that are out of shape. But our guides were great.

Thank you for that comparison, you have helped me decide!

This post is perfect timing! Thank you for the review. We will be on the Escape in April and I was just reading about NCL's ship excursion to Damajagua Falls that includes waterfalls and ziplines and came here to research it. What made you decide to book privately vs going with the ship's trip?

On 2/16/2022 at 10:28 AM, Starry Eyes said:

Royal Caribbean has also become more flexible during the pandemic.  While the OP is unhappy that CWC does not cover his October 2022 cruise, it has covered many cruises.

I am glad United’s policies work well for you, and you seem happy buying “no change fee” plane tickets.  Refundable is different…do refundable tickets sell at a higher cost or not?  I have caught fabulous deals on nonrefundable hotels; maybe you don’t search for those due to family circumstances.  I do not welcome the nonrefundable deposits nor will I enjoy the return of change fees as CWC ends…I just did not find it surprising.  

Well I am not really so sure why you are interested in my opinions but no, the no change fee airfare doesn't bother me at all. Because I know I'll be flying again on the vacation that I'm needing to reschedule. I would be fine if Royal would do the same, without issuing penalities. I'm not sure what "fabulous deals" on hotels that you speak of, but I have largely found that the pricing isn't that different, and I always look at a wide variety of hotel options (you don't have to search for nonrefundable pricing separately; both options will show up when you are booking).

Honestly, you do you. For me, the good thing to come out of Royal adding these change penalities is that the increased cost pushed me to look outside my normal cruiseline travel bubble and find many other appealing options with companies that don't want to charge us extra for having careers that demand flexibility. I'm giving Royal another try on the Wonder over Thanksgiving but the other three trips we have booked in the next 12 months are not with them. Note: For this Wonder cruise, I bought very good "cancel for any reason" comprehensive coverage, highly rated travel insurance covering the cruise, the pre-cruise hotel, and our flights, for $500 LESS than the added cost of Royal's "refundable deposit" option!

16 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I guess those would be the passengers who were enticed by the 125% FCC? 

I let them hold my money because in my mind it was already gone, spent on the trip, so I didn't need it for the budget (ie, wasn't traveling at the time). I also thought it would help them through an impossibly tough time and I knew I'd be re-booking. The 25% was supposed to be a bonus, but in my case was eaten up by the increased cost of the replacement cruise I chose, due to being forced to a different season (off season vs summer cruising).

15 hours ago, Starry Eyes said:

Are you also upset by airlines and hotels that charge more for refundable reservations vs nonrefundable?  We have watch these other travel businesses switch  away from selling only refundable travel  services to offering the consumer the choice of premium priced refundable or less expensive nonrefundable.  It is unsurprising to see the same happen to cruising.

I pay attention to these clauses because my husband's job requires this kind of flexibility. So I can confidently say that acros the travel industry, refundable pricing is NOT only offered at the premium level. In fact, since the pandemic I've seen more companies offering flexible cancellation policies than ever before.

I don't book airline reservations without the "no change fee" clause. I'm pretty loyal to United for that reason but I know other lines offer it too. They do have a very basic fare that doesn't come with anything and seats you in the back of the plane, but their standard fares have no change fees, right up until you fly. And I'm not referring to premium pricing. Just standard economy.

And hotels?  Nearly every hotel chain (even the premium ones) offers free cancellation up until a week to one day before the reservation. Even when there is "non-refundable" pricing, its usually only a $5-$30 discount per night over standard pricing depending on the room price. 

The big resorts like Universal and Disney? Same thing, free cancellation.

We are spending two weeks in Alaska in July and every outfitter that I've booked with offers free cancellation up until at minimum a month in advance - and most are within a few days to a week.

Cruise lines are already exceptional in the travel industry for their 90-120 day cancellation policy to qualify for a full deposit refund. And now Royal Carribbean wants $250 to upwards of $750 (maybe more but that's the highest I've seen) just to have the privilege to cancel three months in advance? Honestly, its ridiculous. They are to the point where their prices, when comparing apples to apples (ie, adding in the things they don't include that other lines' pricing does include) have motivated me to look at cruise lines I haven't considered before. I've cruised Royal for 20 years but have travelled enough by other means to know they aren't the only way to have a fantastic vacation.