cruiser2015

Not having to pay duty? Only if you do not declare your purchases on your customs form. On our last Caribbean cruise, my DW fell for a somewhat pricey Tanzanite bracelet. We did put it on our form - and paid customs in Bayonne, N.J. If the agent you get decides to search your personals, watch out.

Sorry about the error, BirdTravels. But, "slamming" sounds a bit dramatic for someone merely questioning the information. The use of the word "period" was simply to emphasize what I thought the terms were, not to insult you. As for those T&C's - when I booked my upcoming January cruise, the terms were per port, as noted by eileeshb above. And that was only months ago, as opposed to, say, years out of date.

Thanks, eileeshb. My sanity is saved! 😉

Holy wow! You're right. I just looked up their description of the FAS benefit and it reads $50 per tour. Of course, their will likely be a small number of days on a cruise when one could exercise that option. Probably none on most itineraries.

I don't recall any notations about the booking requiring a round-trip fare. Your BOGO deal should be for whatever you request, R/T or one-way. However, a quick call to NCL or your TA should give you a quick and accurate confirmation.

The FAS deal is supposed to be for $50 per port...period. How could Passenger 1 in your example take 2 excursions and get 2 credits?

There have been no comments on this point, so perhaps it's not true, but I would have expected the MDR strip steak to be of lower quality than the one in Cagney's. The title of the cut does not always meet one's expectations.

Noting that I have not sailed for a few years now, my recollections from the past are that menus were only posted one day at a time. It was either after the MDR's closed for the night or the next morning. However, I have made inquiries at the MDR, asking to see the menus. They usually accommodated. Although 15 is a lot of menus, LOL.

I'm in the pick the specialty venue when I least like the MDR mains club. While I have to agree about the unpredictability, I have noticed when thing amongst assorted posts of the menus here on CC. All of the first seven nights are pretty much a perfect match. So, for my 15 night cruise this January, I am expecting the first 7 nights to go along, as well, possibly, the 5 additional menus (nights 9, 10, 13, 14, 15) a reviewer posted from last spring (that member omitted 3 nights that they were night in the MDR). Time will tell.

Not 100% sure, but I think it's only for the big production shows. Right now, there are two on the Bliss. BTW, we are on the Bliss this January, in a Club balcony. Today is day 120 prior. Specialty dining opened as of today, as has been posted here already. And, today, An NCL rep mentioned that the show reservations are, indeed, open at 21 days.

While I cannot dispute your answer, rules do vary among the cruise lines. As for the U.S. rules for NCL, the deposit is refundable before the final payment date, which in this case, is about 10 months from now. Furthermore, even if they do have a forfeiture policy for cancelling, perhaps not so in this case, as the OP wants to rebook - making this a change of reservation, not an outright cancellation.

I would certainly expect that you should not lose anything. Such a rebooking should allow transferring your cruise credit, But, check with your agent, or, if no agent is involved, contact NCL directly. They will supply a quick answer for you. Hopefully, the rules on your side of the pond are the same as over here.

While I suppose any particular system on board may become less clean, all of the water should start out pure from the desalination process. An ice maker is actually an extra "step" in the journey. As all water is presumed pure at the start, there may be no filters beyond the conversion of the sea water.

This doesn't seem to be that much of an introduction to S.A. for you. Seven whole hours (Cartegena). Not a whole lot of time for the continent. By the way, I'm on the same cruise. Regardless of the current drought, there's another four months for possible rainfall before we sail.

When you are researching what's available, please be aware that at least some of the cruise lines parcel out the cabins that you can see as "available" in batches. There are likely many others in the same category unbooked - but they don't let you see them unless they want to. Once upon a time, you could request a cabin number and if it wasn't booked, it was yours. Not anymore. Here's another NCL hiccup. I have a booking, also this January, on the Bliss. I periodically check to see if there is a price drop. For the past several days, on NCL's website, they do not show all of the separate levels for the Club Suites. They show Family, Larger Balcony, Spa & a bargain-priced Sailaway. All others (MA, MB, MC) are shown as a single item. There's a price, no specific ID (as MA) and no cabin selection. However, the TA I am using, shows all of the separate cats and the selection of cabins. There is no reason for them to withhold cabin selection - the rate shown is neither a Guarantee or Sailaway. I suspect a cabin choice will come up at some point. I took the mock booking as close to the end as I wanted to, but not up to the payment page, so I'm unsure what NCL's game is. Also note that my TA, a large online national cruise specialist agency, enables you to do your own search - no need to call an agent unless you want to for assistance. I used this TA many years ago, then some direct line bookings and finally to some other online TA's. I switched back to this one as they offered the best givebacks currently. But I have used them throughout the years for research as they make it easy. You can search any line or multiple lines at once to see what's available and the general pricing; then, if you like, drill down to the specific sailing as well as cabin selections - all anonymous whether you have an account with them or not. And there are others that are similar.

Typically, a TA will offer everything that the cruise line does - and possibly more. Since names shall not me uttered here, I suggest you do an online search, such as "cruise discounts". Check out a few (not the ones linked back to the lines) and you will spot TA's who do more. I've been doing it for years. One I used some years ago was recommended by a friend. Later, I found one more generous on my own. Good luck saving!

Thanks, RocketMan, for launching your insightful response. Viewing the transaction in terms of a net price is spot on. By the way, for my recent booking for an NCL cruise this January, my TA perks come to 14.4%, with daily gratuities nearly 8% of the total.

About your use of the word "discount". Several years ago, some cruise lines (including NCL & RCCL) changed policy on pricing. They no longer allow anyone to sell cruises for a price other than what they are offering themselves at any point in time. Some TA's will offer incentives like prepaid gratuities, on board credits (or additional credits to those offered by the cruise company) or post-cruise gift cards or cash back to gain your business. But the cabin price is totally set by the cruise line.

I did read your original post. The email you quoted references the certificate, but nothing at all about the "rules". So, if that message reads the way you're saying, it's completely wrong. Shame on NCL.

You're quite right. But my comment indicated it's of no use if your planned sail date is LESS than 120 days. Perhaps it's a marketing ploy to "lock in" a customer who isn't sure what they want to do as yet, with a bargain deal.

That's exactly the point - and why my trip fits the Cruise First rules. If you are planning to sail within a shorter time frame, then you may not use these certificates for your next cruise.

Sorry, but that' is incorrect. I just checked NCL's website. The certificate actually must be used for a sailing MORE than 120 days ahead. And, it is valid for three years. I recently purchased one for $250/value $500 and used it immediately for a January 2024 sailing. The 2 for 1 deposit offer is, technically, a special offer and may be revoked at any time. It is of a modest value as it only defers a small payment until the full payment date. I do agree about the $300 covering the current deposit requirement.

Okay. Sounds great. I do believe that that is more of an exception to the usual. Obviously, it depends on what agency you are using. Your agency is treating it as a pure kick back, so it doesn't matter how you use it.

Typically, a TA credit can be used for just about anything, including your daily cabin/dining gratuities. Of course, yours are also covered on this cruise, so it doesn't matter. NCL OBC's would have otherwise not been usable for daily gratuities, but can be used for most everything else you purchase onboard. Credits are never usable in a casino - only purchases of food, beverages, excursions & services (such as in the Spa). I can't imagine paying for additional credits. I'm not even aware that NCL sells them. In any event, why pay for these when you don't know how much you actually will need? You might be able to put an advance credit on your cabin account to use for these items. If so, any unused balance should be returnable. But, again, why go through the possible hassle? Pay end of cruise. Also, note that any unused OBC from your TA or NCL is forfeited.

Thanks for the correction - I missed that one. Bliss has a Teppanyaki, priced @ $59