KeithJenner

That does sound very annoying, but in my experience it is not normal. I don’t recall ever seeing anyone trying to make reservations at the restaurant check in (or if they did then they were directed elsewhere). This isn’t something that I would have a concern about being a regular problem.

The above post is correct, there are reservations that are kept back for booking on the day and you should be able to get what you need as long as you don’t wait too long. The exact proportion of bookings that are released or held back is not known, as far as I’m aware. I often see specific proportions quoted, and they vary greatly. I suspect that this comes from NCL phone staff just making up numbers. Whether it is 10%, 25% or 50% that are released (or any of the other numbers quoted) it still leaves a lot of availability onboard. Just don’t wait until the second day or you may find options limited. We do it first thing after boarding and have never had any trouble getting reservations we want.

No it isn’t. There was a bottle at the wine bar on our last cruise and whilst enjoying many glasses of Veuve there we did discuss the Cognac and how often people buy some. It certainly wasn’t included in the package. The answer to how often they sell any was, as you’d expect, not very often. However I don’t think that your experience is that unusual. It seems that when they do sell some then it can be a few shots so I imagine it is individuals, or a group, getting carried away or showing off.

I’ve not been on the Spirit since the refurb, but (like many older ship), they are very unlikely to have Veuve in the Atrium bar as it is likely to just be a coffee place. Hence why specifying the ship was so important.

On our cruises last year the champagne by the bottle was Moet, with Veuve by the glass. More often than not, if we asked for glasses of Veuve then they bought a bottle over and left it near our table, so we effectively had bottles to ourselves anyway, including taking the bottle with us after the meal on a couple of occasions.

Yes it is.

If you have the beverage package (even the standard one that comes with free at sea) then you don’t have to pay corkage fees.

The problem with questions like this is that there is no way of us answering them. I did two cruises last year where Veuve was available in multiple bars (although not the Atrium bar either time) and we got through plenty of it. Meanwhile, a poster who I trust recently posted that they were unable to get it anywhere other than with meals. It depends on the ship, itinerary, staff, stocking issue, so many factors. As the OP hasn’t specified the ship then it is even harder to give an answer which has a chance of being helpful. As for the “ruining the cruise” thing, given the cost of upgrading it can certainly be something that will impact someone’s enjoyment and their feeing towards NCL. However it is dangerous these days to pin your enjoyment of anything on the availability of one thing at the moment, but relying on NCL for things such as this is particularly risky.

No, you can’t adjust the free at sea gratuities.

When the usual suspects arrive to have a huge discussions about how the service charge isn’t a tip, just ignore them. They have to go through that at least once a month, but it’s irrelevant.

The $20 referred to Is the gratuities.

In Santorini the excursion starts on the ship, as there is a special tender for tours. All shore excursions start at a central meeting place (usually the theatre), so there is no need to get ashore to meet your tour for the scheduled time.

That’s correct.

Yes, there are always anomalies, especially since Covid, and people may always find that some things aren’t available to book at the time that they should be. However, MDRs and Speciaity restaurants are scheduled to be available, and in my experience are available, at the same time.

Yes they do.

NCL are very slow at updating their website, and there is often conflicting information because of this. The vouchers can be used in all restaurants.

They are too far out for the full list of excursions to be offered yet. Excursions are added as and when NCL release them. It can vary, with some appearing years out and some only a few months. In the OPs case there are only a few showing for a cruise over a year away. There will certainly be many more added.

Late departure times are relatively common in Europe, and I have done quite a few cruises where departure was after 7pm (including some where we haven’t left until after midnight). Without exception, boarding has still started at around midday. You can usually check in and then leave if you want (I’ve never done this myself) and as far as I am aware latest boarding time has always still been a couple of hours before departure (although again I’ve never been that late).

There is no Palomar on the Spirit. Le Bistro doesn’t allow shorts and in the past Windows (aft dining room) has also not allowed them. The dress code in the aft dining room can vary by ship, but I would expect this to still be the same on the Spirit. Shorts will be fine everywhere else.

There is no “two bottles of wine” rule on NCL. You can carry on as much wine as you want but corkage is charged regardless of where you consume it. However, if you have the beverage package then the corkage fee isn’t charged.

You can either pay per meal or buy a dining package for the kids. In the a la carte places it may be cheaper to pay the menu price rather than get a package, depending on how much they will eat. Have a look at the menus to get an idea of how much they are likely to spend. Regardless of how you plan to pay for them you book the restaurants in the normal way.

You will get wildly differing amounts suggested, and it is up to you. Don't feel pressured to overtip if you don't use their services though. If people are using the butler and concierge for lots of things then it is appropriate to give a decent tip. We are similar to you and don't request anything from the butler. We may use the concierge once or twice during a cruise, if we tender for example. We do tip them, but much less than others suggest. We don't stay in the Haven, so probably have less interaction with the Concierge especially than you may have in the Haven area. That could affect things.

The big difference is that Tile relies on people with devices that are running the Tile app in order to report the location (unless that has changed recently). Airtags locations are reported by any iPhone. The chances of nobody with an iPhone walking near your luggage is slim. We have travelled numerous times with AirTags and the location is always correctly reporting when we first check, which is usually soon after leaving the plane.

You won’t be able to get a reservation for 3. Book for 4 instead.

I think this is the answer. I suspect that the OP is looking at the upgrade. If they look at the normal package they will be able to purchase for their daughter.