kismetique

3 hours ago, wncretired said:

Probably has been answered, but as poster above, I don’t want to read all 246 pages of this thread, although I have probably read at least 1/3 to 1/2 of them. If I have over 60,000 WP’s, and want to upgrade from interior to balcony (2Meta), can I go from an IA to BA on any cruise? I am looking at a 21 day cruise. It just seems to me that it would take more points to upgrade a longer cruise. What am I missing here?

I'm not good with what's allowed room to room,  but yes 60,000 will get your double meta upgrade,  HOWEVER,  I would look at the difference of going OV to balcony vs Inside to balcony.  I usually book an OV then call and they will tell me what type of balcony I qualify for and if I can pay something like $60 to get the specific balcony I want. 

 

Sometimes it's more cost effective to book OV to balcony where you save as an example $1500, rather than inside to balcony and save only $1700... making the first 30,000 points only worth $200. 

 

Other more seasoned upgraders can correct me if I'm wrong!

1 hour ago, Candy Apple 12 said:

Care to share your poem? I’d love to read it. 

Sorry, I hit send before I put the other poems in!

 

Here's the Concierge thank you that went in Envelope 2 of 2:

 

To our dear concierge, we have to say

Your service and care made our trip, day by day

From the warmest of greetings to the tiniest detail

You made us feel special, and never once did you fail

 

We've come to the end of our cruise, it's true

And we wanted to say, we appreciate you

For all the hard work, the effort, the time

You put in, to make our trip, oh so fine

 

So we're leaving an additional tip, you see

To reflect the gratitude, we feel, so deeply

As a family of eight, we understand the effort you make

And we want to ensure, that your kindness, we don't mistake

 

Your smile, your warmth, and your hospitality

Will always have a place in our memory

We hope that our gesture, brings a smile to your face

And makes you feel appreciated, in every place

 

So thank you, dear concierge, for all that you do

We wish you all the best, in everything, that's true

Your services exceeded our every expectation

Making our cruise unforgettable, a true vacation!

 

Here's the butler's poem and since he didn't speak very good English, our cabin was decorated to the hilt with birthday balloons, streamers, party favors and a cake on the table when we returned from dinner the first night.  Which was not exactly what I had in mind as I wanted celebrate on our 1 sea day.  But that's my fault for not making it clear.  I just assumed he would ask before doing it.  He kept saying, but Mrs...you said birthday!  You said birthday!  I kept telling him, it's fine, really it's not a problem.  I think he could tell it wasn't what I wanted but we were perfectly fine to have cake and kept the room decorated the entire cruise so it worked out really well in the end.

 

Envelope 1 of 2 poem:

 

On embarkation day, as we board this grand ship,

We come with excitement and our hearts-a-flip,

And in this first envelope, we’ve left a tip for you,

To express our gratitude, for all that you do.

 

On this grand cruise, a special occasion we share,

Three birthdays, three loved ones, a joyous affair,

As we journey on, seeking adventure and fun,

We turn to the butler, to help us get things done.

 

We are celebrating three birthdays, all in one,

A group of eight, filled with laughter and fun,

There’s just one special request, we hope to make,

A birthday bash, for the ages, a true give and take.

 

Dear butler, we have a request to make,

Please serve us a birthday meal in our stateroom suite,

A meal so decadent to share and savor, what a treat!

And for dessert, a group dessert we’ll all partake.

 

We want to indulge in the delicious fare,

That Cagney’s has to offer, with great flair!

Start with a fresh salad, crisp and bright,

Followed by a soup, creamy and light,

 

Bring us the tenderest cuts of meat,

That will melt in our mouths, oh so sweet.

Accompanied by sides that are divine,

The perfect compliment to this feast so fine.

 

With your help, we'll make memories to last,

Of laghter, love and good times that won't be surpassed,

And when we look back on this grand adventure,

We'll think of you, butler, with infinite pleasure!

 

And the envelope 2 of 2 Thank you to butler:

 

 

Dear butler, we want to take a moment to express

Our heartfelt thanks, for you are the best!

You served us with grace, with skill, with care

And made our birthday celebration an occasion so rare

 

You tended to our needs with a smile so bright

And made our every wish come to light

From morning coffee to evening desserts galore

You served us with kindness, even when we asked for more

 

For our birthday celebration, you brought us joy

With cakes and decorations, fit for a royal envoy

You made us feel special, cherished and loved

And for that, dear butler, we thank you from above

 

Your attention to detail was impeccable and fine

And your service, dear butler, was nothing less than divine

So let us raise a glass and give you a toast

For making our cruise a dream we'll cherish the most

 

So we'd like to thank you with a little gift

Enclosed in this envelope, a tip for you to lift

We know that your job is not an easy one

But you did it with grace, and made it so much fun

 

Oh dear, dear butler, we'll miss you so

For you've become a friend, not just a service pro

But in our hearts, you'll forever stay

As the butler who made our cruise a special day.

1 hour ago, Candy Apple 12 said:

Care to share your poem? I’d love to read it. 

I didn't write them, I had ChatGPT give me loads and loads of suggestions then I took what worked and pieced it together.  I'll tell you the one to the Concierge worked like a charm!  We got 8 tender tickets delivered to our suite the next day!  It's a little corny, but hey - I got what I wanted with very little effort on my part.  We were celebrating 3 birthdays, within days of each other.  I put birthday banners on all the room doors.

 

On this grand cruise, we're celebrating with cheer

Three birthdays, a triple treat, oh so dear

As we set sail, seeking adventure and more

We turn to the concierge, to help us explore

 

For a group of eight, celebrating three birthdays in style

We have one big wish, that we hope will make them smile.

Our wish is simple, but we need your helping hand

To make our shore excursions go exactly as planned.

 

Our big wish is for eight tender tickets ashore

To explore in port and make memories galore

With your magic touch, we know it's all possible

To make this wish come true and make it remarkable.

 

Brother, sister and wife, all in one

Together we'll celebrate, under the sun

With eight tender tickets, our hearts will sing,

And we'll cherish these memories with everything.

 

We understand that not all wishes can come true

But we hold onto hope, and we turn to you

To make this celebration, beyond compare

And leave us feeling pampered, and full of care.

 

So here's a little something, to start our journey off right

And to let you know, that our appreciation is bright

And there's more to come, from this family of eight

As we set sail, we understand the efforts you make.

On 4/26/2024 at 8:49 PM, 5onadime said:

 I am perfectly fine booking this just for the layout, but was wondering if we book it as one large travel party if there is any way to pay a little extra and have the 2 that are physically booked in the club balcony also get the suite perks.  

Our family of 6 just did this exact same set up.  

 

You could always pay for Priority Access for the 2 in the club balcony.   BTW the set up is perfect!  We as parents, left the door open between the rooms and our married child could close the door in the club balcony when they wanted privacy but always had access to the living area which was not used as a sleeping space.  We had another friend and his child with us,  so once we were up for the day,  we left our cabin door open so they could also come and go as they pleased. It was a great way for the steward, butler and concierge to easily access us more often! More familiarity equals more service and perks. We always greeted them with a smile and were welcoming of any small talk.  It was great!

 

If I had thought of paying for Priority Access I would have.  I don't particularly think of eating lunch in Carney's as a perk. The food is not that great and the menu NEVER changes.  We never ate in there.  We did have breakfast delivered each morning and whomever said they won't limit you... it's quite subjective.  If I ordered too much more than what appeared appropriate for the 3 in our suite,  it simply wasn't included in the delivery, twice it happened.  My husband is a huge breakfast eater and I discussed this with our butler and the Order was never shorted again.  The rest of the family and friend actually preferred the buffet, so that wasn't a big deal for us. 

 

Here's where I wanted the perks....

Tendering and snacks.   I gave both the butler and concierge an envelope marked 1 of 2 with a tip inside and a poem written using AI about my specific requests.  Both knew there would be more tip coming at the end and we got both Priority Tendering and extra treats and candy for the whole party. 

Money talks. 

2 hours ago, julig22 said:

No and No. There just has to be an eligible cabin available, so sooner rather than later might be a good idea.

And from experience,  don't take their first word for it, if they say there are no cabins available. If you can do a mock reservation for the cabin or cabin level you want and show availability,  tell them you can see cabins available!  They might want to charge you a little more for the correct upgrade levels.  On one of mine,  I paid $40 and on the second,  I paid $60.

I also learned a lesson last night in redeeming points.  I called and got ahold of someone that did not know what they were doing.  I know, I know, I know...I should have just said nvm and hung up and called back.  But she was so very nice and seemed to be trying so hard.  This was my only second time to redeem points so I stuck it out with her.  BIG MISTAKE. 

 

She took my points asked me which cabin I wanted and promptly rebooked me into an O4, as I was already in!  No upgrade.  When I pulled up the confirmation I realized that line in the invoice for the amount "saved" was missing.  The confirmation showed 04 - BA, with the cabin we discussed, and I didn't realize until I called NCL, but the cabin number online was 10014, which is an Oceanview, not a balcony.  

 

In the meantime, I had decided I wanted to change the cabin we had discussed and so I called NCL and told them the price had dropped, and I wanted to change my cabin.  We went round and round and she kept putting me on hold and coming back after 10 solid minutes and acting like she was a new CSR, only her accent gave her away.  I let her get away with it the first time, then the second, third and fourth times, I laughed at her and said - how many times do you plan to pretend to be someone new?  Dead silence.  She ended up taking away all mentions of an upgrade and sticking me in a guarantee balcony, charging me full price!

 

I called Points Rewards back this morning and they got it all straightened out with the price drop as well.  But the invoice STILL doesn't show the "saved" line. Everything else is correct and the cabin is showing correct online, so I'm guessing it all worked out. 

 

Let this be a lesson to the first timers - don't be afraid to hang up and call back, just because they are being nice, it will likely get screwed up!  🙂

11 minutes ago, julig22 said:

The cash-advance goes onto your casino account, so you would need to cash that out, in the casino, before you leave (or whenever you want it).

To get cash, you'd go to one of the slots in the casino, access your account and make a charge to your account. Once you've done that, you would transfer the cash to the machine - play or not, your choice. Then cash out, take the receipt to the cashier. If you have problems, one of the casino staff can walk you through it.

 

Thank you both for the information!  Wow. 

My mom was a casino nut, I'm angry that she never shared this idea with me!  🙂

Just now, smillerholmes said:

I'm not sure if this was made clear or not, but you are not taking a cash advance on your card.  You are "charging" to your room which is in turn billed to your NCL card.  They charge you 3% for the convenience, but it goes on your folio as a charge and then you pay your total folio with your NCL card to earn the 3X points.

Gosh - I'm feel like a newbie.  I had no idea this was even possible.  So, does the ship then give you cash back at the end of the cruise after your folio is paid?

 

For a non-gambler, can you explain the process? Sorry to be so dumb.

3 minutes ago, kismetique said:

 

How about if you pre-paid charges on board, would they give you the cash back at the end of the cruise?  We never spend anything other than our gratuities, so if we prepaid them before the cruise and then put money on account somehow?  I'm not sure if it's possible as I've never thought to do it because we never spend a dime. Needless to say, we aren't the cruisers NCL likes to give bargains to! 🙂

Oh - I see...my mistake.  We don't gamble so I wasn't aware you could make a casino charge!

Interesting.

On 3/20/2024 at 3:17 PM, laudergayle said:

Hmmm. Interesting.  I don’t know I would want to have that much cash on hand when traveling…but certainly a creative way to earn credits.  Are you going to try it anytime soon?  Report back if you do!

Wouldn't taking cash on the NCL BoA card be considered a cash advance and begin incurring interest immediately?  When I read this it sent red flags up immediately - only because I constantly have to stay on top of hubby when on vacation which card to use for what.  He's so used to using our credit cards for taxi's, meals, etc.  He tends to want to stick the same CC in the bank machine to get cash and I'm always like, NO NO NO NO!  That will incur immediate AND a higher rate of interest than purchases.  

 

I much prefer to get cash on my debit card while on board the ship and pay the 3% because I trust it so much more than machines in any town.

 

Here's what I found generically : Most cards do not offer a grace period for cash advances. You will begin paying interest from the first day the cash advance posts to your credit card. For most credit cards, the cash advance APR is significantly higher than the APR for purchases. Cash advance interest rates typically range from 17.99% to 29.99% APR.

 

 

 

I love the way you think and wished this were a workable way to get those points!  But I'm thinking not.

 

How about if you pre-paid charges on board, would they give you the cash back at the end of the cruise?  We never spend anything other than our gratuities, so if we prepaid them before the cruise and then put money on account somehow?  I'm not sure if it's possible as I've never thought to do it because we never spend a dime. Needless to say, we aren't the cruisers NCL likes to give bargains to! 🙂

4 hours ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

I don’t understand the aversion some people have to making a phone call.

I don't know but i suffer from it.  If I can do it on line,  I'm going to do that over a phone call.  I think it has to do more with getting CSRs that don't soak good English and having a slight hearing deficit.  Those two issues make for excruciating phone convos!!! 😊

2 hours ago, julig22 said:

The option to redeem points is available on the BofA site - that's where your points are, they administer the program, not NCL.

I called to ask several questions before I actually did the upgrade and then inquired about just doing it online rather than calling back and the gentlemen said,  NO!!  Don't book online,  always call us,  less chance it goes bad!  I've only ever done this once,  so I have no real experience,  but he tickled me with his emphatic NO!

2 hours ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

I’ve always had my points returned 

When I recently did my 4 upgrades,  I asked specifically,  if while booking my 4 b2b's if something didn't work with the chained cruises and I needed to cancel would I get my points refunded,  both people I talked to said absolutely, no problem.  Just my experience. 

On 2/24/2024 at 8:03 AM, MagnoliaBlossom said:

Taken from the TCs on the BOA site

 

Onboard credit may not be used toward onboard service charges or pre-purchased activities

Yup... on my last cruise,  they gave us OBC for a missed port.  I've always been able to have it applied to gratuities, so the night before when I got my bill and they hadn't offset the amounts,  I went and asked and was told,  no more.  We hadn't spent a penny on the ship so I had to go to the shops and spend $250 on crap I had no room in my bags to carry around on the rest of my trip.  Either that or leave money on the table,  and that wasn't happening!!!!  If I had known,  I'd have eaten better!!!

39 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Sadly, sailing with NCL isn't as enticing as it once was, for a number of reasons, so I'm more apt to use my points rather than keeping them.

I would agree.  This is a 4 leg b2b for us.  The first leg I found a comparable Cruse on Princess.  I was able to book an upgraded mini suite on Princess for what the inside was going to cost me on NCL.  Making it very easy for me to cheat on NCL.

 

Now I'm looking at an a Asain cruise on Princess where again,  even the upgraded mini suite is the cost of the NCL inside.  I think NCL is pricing themselves out of my range and with their food quality taking a hit lately, moving to Princess is looking better and better.  I will miss my loyalty perks...I so wished Princess would loyalty match. 

 

We like to book the 2 bedroom suite with the connecting club balcony for the entire family and the newer NCL ships have phased that cabin set up out,  so I have to look for Cruises on their older ships.  2 upgraded mini suites on the Princess will work perfect for us. 

First time doing upgrades and I did 3.  I lacked 6,000 points having enough to do 3 inside to balcony, so I did 2 inside to balcony and 1 ov to balcony.  Afterwards, wondering if Inside to Balcony is worth it, or if it's more cost effective to go OV to Balcony and save the 30k points for the next cruise.  Anyway, thought it might help other first timers.

 

As a first timer here's how it went for me.  I called NCL and booked the 3 cruises so I could buy cruise first certs as I booked, as I had used all I purchased from my last cruise and my next one isn't till May and the cabins were looking sparse, so I didn't want to wait.  I asked for $500 certs, but only got 2 and the 3rd one at $250.🤔

 

I called the world points line and got a lady that was less than helpful, unfortunately.  But, I guess it all worked out as I knew what to say and ask from reading this board.  I had to upgrade two of the cruises in order to chose my balcony and I was worried since ncl.com showed only guarantees left for balconies, that didn't appear to actually be the case, perhaps because we are over a year out, but on cruise number 2, I seemingly got the last balcony available on the preferred Deck 9.  I ASKED how much I had to pay to chose my cabin, otherwise she would have not offered.  $80 for the first, nothing for the second and $60 for the last.  I thought that was pretty good.  So I got to pick my cabin on all 3 cruises.  Also, we didn't opt to book any of NCLs air.  We like to fly premium economy and it's just easier and cheaper to book with points.

 

I saved $4800 on the first cruise going IB to BB, 

I saved $4700 on the second cruise going from OB to BB,

I saved $4800 on the third cruise going from IF to BA

So an overall savings of $14,300

I'm quite impressed!

 

I was thinking of giving up on my NCL card, because we usually sail in suites, but for that savings, I think I can do without a butler and concierge!

 

I decided to cheat on NCL and booked the first leg of this 4 b2b on Princess.  We've never sailed Princess, but the price was unbeatable when compared to the same to/from itinerary on NCL.  We don't drink enough to pay for the package, so we skip it.  Princess has more add on's than NCL and they are more costly!  I booked an upgraded mini-suite on the Princess for what the inside was going to cost on NCL - same itenerary,1 day difference, so I'll have a hotel room for that one off night, booked with hotel points hopefully.  So the savings is closer to $18K when considering how much I saved on the first leg combined with the above savings.

 

Question#1 - I've purchased enough to bring my total points to 30,000 on my next BoA billing cycle.  Can I call and drop back down to an inside booking for my second cruise to save more money? Even if I had to cancel and rebook, it might be worth it - I'm not sure - my brain is fried from trying to keep 4 cruises straight and calculating inside/outside/balcony rates!  I think I'll stick it all in a spreadsheet and see (not sure why I didn't do that to begin with!)  I'm working hard to see how cheaply and how long I can sail before having to fly home.  😊

 

Question #2 - does anyone know if Princess does status matching or if it's even worth it to ask? We're only Platinum on NCL.

 

Thanks for the help from the board!

2 hours ago, jds2001 said:

Blergh. Inside is more than $1K more than I paid for a studio (and studio has gone up $300 from what I paid). Insanity. Is this the "new ship tax?" I wouldn't think that a TA would be this insanely priced.

It seems to be the "new sailing full" price. 🙂

12 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Aft is out of the question.

Max upgrade is to a BA. Aft is in it's own category above Balcony.

Knowing that the aft is out of the question,  is there any upside to waiting till on my Cruse in May to book these 4 cruises?

 

What is the lowest inside and lowest OV I can book and still get to pick my balcony cabin?

 

Thanks!

I've been reading and trying to figure these cross meta and meta upgrades out.  I've never done this type of upgrade.  We usually just book the suite we want and be done with it.

 

I'm planning a B2B2B2B cruise and I understand each segment needs to be upgraded on it's own, that's not a problem.  I have 176,000 points.  I have a couple of scenarios to ask about.

 

If I book an O4, can I use 30,000 points to upgrade to a B4, then use another 10,000 to go up 2 categories to the Aft Balcony?  If that would work I'd have enough points to do that on all 4 segments.

 

If that is not permissible, I'm sailing in May this year.  We're in the Garden Villa - does that pull any weight when booking 4 cruises on the ship? 

 

My problem is - even through these 4 cruises are over a year out - one of them shows to only have 1 aft balcony left.  Can I book the actual cabins I want in order to secure the aft balcony then re-book when I'm on the ship to get the 1 category upgrade to help me secure the aft balcony? Or is there absolutely no way to get into an aft with points, other than by fluke when they do allow it? 😊

 

If I have this strategy all wrong - can someone help me?  I like to map things all out on paper before I make the calls to make the reservations. Thanks for any help, suggestions, or ideas!

1 hour ago, Gk9 said:

 

We just weren't prepared to stump up with so much cash for the few hours we were there 

Agreed!  A full e-visa was going to be $261 each!

13 minutes ago, Gk9 said:

 

Hope this helps and this info is still current.

Thank you so much for the info.  I have applied for the transit visa, but was never asked about insurance.  I'm about to decide they are not longer requiring this of US passengers, as our Canadians and UK passengers said they still had to purchase insurance.  The cost of the transit visa was $10.50 but it has sat with the same status now for over a month.  I emailed them and asked them to check on it and while they responded with a non-answer of sorts, the next day the status of my visa changed from Send to Embassy to Send to Representative.  I'm not sure if that is really any different, but at least something changed.

 

NCL has now changed the wording on our embarkation document that we just need to have applied before we sail if we plan to get off the ship.  If I have my visa, I'll get off and do a uturn and get right back on the ship.  Saudi should not be rewarded for such a cluster of a mess on getting visa's.  Everyone was panicked thinking we would be denied boarding if we didn't have it, but seemingly couldn't get it.

 

Again, thank you for your insight!

On 10/17/2023 at 9:52 AM, Fletcher said:

The previous day I had disembarked the Silver Cloud having sailed from Muscat via Djibouti, Saudi Arabia and Alexandria. 

 

NCL has a cruise leaving November 24 going to Saudi.  We're having a huge discussion on our roll call about the requirements of a Saudi Visa.  NCL is NOW, less than 30 days before sailing, telling us that we need a Saudi Visa to even be allowed to board the ship.  Did you have to have a Saudi Visa and if so, can you please tell me how you applied and how much you paid for it and how quickly you received it?  Some of us have applied a month ago and have heard nothing from them. Thank you ever so much for any information and help you can send my way!

 

Kismetique

1 hour ago, millybess said:

 the chances of something happening to you are minuscule IMO.)

As long as the Dawn goes - we will be on it.  We've always understood the pitfalls of traveling abroad and while this time the danger is ramped up a bit, we're excited and we are going!  If we make it home, just think of the stories to tell and if we don't, just think of the stories our children will have to tell!

 

I bought an international health insurance policy when we booked this trip with a healthy sum to repatriate our bodies should the need arise.  My son, emailed me and thanked me for thinking ahead!  🤔🤣

1 hour ago, DMH15 said:

Needless to say we ate and ran.

Yes, they were stingy, but we just kept going back and asking for more because the food was so much better than the buffet!  We were still pretty new at cruising at that point, and with no specialty restaurants, if you didn't like your table mates in the MDR, the buffet was the only alternative.

 

Speaking of table mates... Sounds like you had interesting ones!  Sometimes you have to wonder if it wasn't all a rouse. Like an inside joke between the two of them to spin such a story. Likely she was on the level, but I could see my son pulling such a stunt. He absolutely loves to mess with people he's forced to spend time with. Telling them the most outlandish stories, and the problem is, he's so good at it, they believe every word!  

 

I would have been uncomfortable with her story and like... What do you say to someone like that?  I'm sure you tried to change the subject or stear the conversation in a different direction, but given that the story was told in the first place, I would imagine she couldn't be deterred!!🤣

 

I read your post to my husband and he got a belly laugh from it! He said, I would have ran too!

14 minutes ago, DMH15 said:

Loved the DOS on Epic but also adore the aft corner suites on the Sun.  

I didn't realized the Sun was still in service.  We did a 12 day on her to South America and loved loved loved that ship!  Of course, that was back before specialty dining.  I think they were just starting to experiment with dining options and they had this little Bistro set up on the back of the ship, tucked away by the buffet dining area.  They didn't advertise it, but once we stumbled upon it, we kept going there for dinner each night.  It was like ordering Tapa's.  They wouldn't give you very much at at time, so you had to keep going back and ask for another serving....but no one knew it was there and we were usually the only ones!  It was magical and free of course!

 

Our concierge on the Jewel was fabulous.  The butler seemed somewhat new and not comfortable with his duties yet.  I had to keep asking for lemonade and tea each day for the room.  I told him on day one, that's all my husband drinks and to please provide a pitcher of each, each day.  We were also celebrating 4 birthdays and I told him I would like to have a cake one evening after we had our meal in Cagney's - but I didn't tell him what night - I told him I would let him know.  We got back to the room after the Azura dining disaster to find our room decorated with balloons and streamers and a birthday cake!

 

We didn't eat it because of the dining snafu and the next day he kept saying, but Madame - you said, you said.  I told him it was fine, we would eat it eventually, not to worry.  He fretted over the cake until we finally just threw it away so he would stop worrying.

 

I'm looking forward to this same cabin on the Dawn.  That bathroom is to die for and I'm seeing the newer ships don't have that configuration for that type of suite.  I may just have to stick to the older ships ...or switch lines.