KeithJenner

A different answer is almost guaranteed if you do that. Its still unlikely to be the correct answer though. 🙂

Yes they are. And the problem is that they are the same colour (which depicts a category) as the standard balcony rooms. Therefore NCL can move you if required to a different room in the same category and it isn’t classed as a downgrade. The benefit of that is that they cost the same amount to book as a standard balcony room.

I think that the category change thing isn’t true. NCL phone staff don’t have a great record of giving correct information and this one doesn’t even make any sense. These changes do happen occasionally and you have been unlucky, but I really don’t think that it is anything more than that.

We don’t know why they would. There are plenty of possibilities, but we can only speculate. I don’t think that anyone would argue that it is a good way to treat their customers, but NCL are quite within their rights to move someone to another room within the same category. It does seem to be fairly rare, but that obviously doesn’t help the OP. It is something that is worth knowing when you book an angled balcony though. These things can happen, for whatever reason. If I was the OP I would be on to them to try to get a better room, but the fact that this room was taken from them would suggest that there may not be too many good rooms available.

This is a problem with angled balconies. They are not in a separate category, which means that they can be a real bargain as you are paying the same price as a standard room, but it also means that NCL could move you to a standard room as in this case. It is a lot harder for NCL to move you from an aft balcony, as an example, but you will very likely be paying quite a premium over a standard room. I think the reclassification excuse was just a way to fob the OP off, so I wouldn’t be particularly worried that this will start happening to everyone, but we should always remember that this is a risk when you go for an angled balcony rather than one in a specific category. It is still relatively rare though.

Unless you are on a transatlantic or similar then disembarkation will be very quick. You mention Ireland, so I’m guessing that this is probably a round trip in which. Getting off the ship in Europe is usually nothing like in the US as you only have to deal with customs in rare circumstances (ie having sailed from the US), and any customs/immigration issues they have are usually done onboard if they can (Irish immigration staff came onboard on our cruise last year and checked our passports the day before). It is extremely likely that you will just be able to walk off the ship very soon after the published arrival time. You will have plenty of time for a 9am coach. No need even to rush. If I’m wrong about your itinerary then things could be different.

Does it matter? The OP asked a question and has had their answer. They clearly aren’t here to discuss or sensationalise their issue, so why not let them just get on with it now they have some contacts that they requested.

Yes, you can reserve 120 days out (it could be 125 or 130 depending on cabin type or latitudes status). just log in to NCL or use the app and select dining from within your cruise reservation. It’s fairly simple.

Views are rather limited on the Epic. Getting a balcony is probably the best bet. Spice H2O has some reasonable aft views, although the big screen does get in the way. The buffet faces forward and you can get good views ahead from there. La Cucina is also forward and is probably the best place for views whilst dining.

That certainly isn’t always the case.

There are occasional extra deals that are offered, but the one that is relatively standard is a within category upgrade, so you can pay for a cheaper balcony and get booked on a more expensive balcony for example. Doesn’t work with things like aft rooms or large balconies, but it could save you a small amount.

Yes, they certainly have decaf tea. My wife drinks tea and sometimes I find it tricky to find non decaf. But certainly consider bringing your own anyway, as the tea they do have is apparently awful (very weak). My wife always brings some bags of tea that has she can taste onboard with her.

Covid affects my cruising decisions as much as it does any other aspects of my life these days. Not at all. The only time I ever even consider or mention covid is when I see questions like this, or occasionally I use the term pre or post covid to describe when something happened. Other than that, it’s done now, time to move on.

Often, in my experience, NCL split transactions up when you are purchasing add ins (I.e. a different charge for individual excursions). If so then this could fall foul of the stated requirement that the £1,000 is done in one transaction. However, that is a requirement that often isn’t actually followed by Amex. So, I think that you would get the credit if purchasing shore excursions, but it isn’t guaranteed and if the cash back didn’t happen (which is sometimes the case even if everything is fine) and you had to make a claim then you could find it is rejected because of the T&Cs. I’d certainly give it a go if you are going to be spending that money anyway.

Interesting, I’d missed that. As we very rarely ordered multiples it doesn’t affect us much (in fact it’s good to have clarity), but I know some people like yourself used to do particularly well out of the SDP credits. This would seem to make where you use the different payment methods fairly irrelevant.

I often see varying percentages quoted for the amount of reservations they keep back. All said with great confidence, but all ultimately guesses. We know some are held back, but not how many.

Yes, not having the dining package is the problem. Whilst quite out of date now, the link in my signature covers this bit fairly well. You are not specifically booking your latitudes meal, so normal rules apply (you get charged for any job a la carte places that you don’t have credits for).

But a standard filet doesn’t have an upcharge in Cagneys, La Cucina and Ocean Blue, so it is just Le Bistro where you have to pay extra to get filet. The lobster upcharge has been around since they reintroduced lobster to the menus.

You do see reservations available for odd numbers at times. We used to travel as a group of three and I have made reservations for three a few times, but more often than not we had to go for four. It is possible that they have stopped offering them recently, but you certainly used to be able to get the occasional table for odd numbers pre covid.

Yes it can. We often use it there. In fact, if you are likely to want to order multiple apps or desserts in other places then it is best to use the latitudes voucher in Moderno. The wine list is available there. Just remember, when making reservations, reserve Moderno first to avoid having to pay for it when booking.

You are likely to have to make reservations for 6, as there aren’t many slots released for odd numbers. There is no issue with a group of 5 booking a table for 6.

Yes, it covers any payment direct to NCL over £1,000. Last time I got the offer for both of us my paying off our upcoming cruise (timing was better then as final payment was due whilst the offer was on). I can’t recall how you make part payments. We were able to do it online though.

Shorts are absolutely fine in almost all restaurants. When I was in POA the restaurants where they didn’t allow shorts were Liberty and Jefferson’s Bistro. I would be surprised if that has changed, as it if the standard for NCL ships.

Not my experience, but it has been reported enough times on here to know that it is correct info. The website hasn’t been changed but many people have used the changed options. The change isn’t particularly new. It has been around for a few months now.

I can confirm that it works for supplementary cards. Done it many times in the past (including the days when we had four cards between us - my wife is currently on a two year break). 4x cash back was always especially good. 🙂