room with a view

Thanks, David and Bin man . Another question ...we are booking our fights with P&O but by the time we get through passport control, waiting for luggage then the transport to the ship we will probably be the last people boarding . We would like to book some speciality restaurants but by the time we get on board I guess most of the slots will be taken . Can these be booked in advance or is that facility only available to P&0 passengers who have sailed many times with P&O.

We are looking to book the Azura ... hope the very knowledgeable people on CC can help. Deck D Superior Deluxe we like the extra space in the cabin and are not bothered by the fact that the balcony is overlooked . Questions ... with these cabins with the lifeboats below ... is there any creaking noises from the lifeboats and the equipment ....we like our balcony door open. Is water served with dinner or do you have to pay for it ? I understand that you are allocated a table which you have for the length of the cruise ...can you change it mid cruise ? ...are tables for two available ? By taking the "Select price" option you can choose your dining time 6.30 and 8.30 and "freedom dining" ..if you choose 6.30 and the ship is in port longer .. can you then change to freedom for one night ? . With freedom dining do you have a long wait for a table.? and can you choose a time 6.30 on booking and then change it to freedom ? Lots of questions from two newbies ..lastly is there anything you can advise that's made your cruise extra good !!! thanks

Hi, did you post any photos of 501 ..thanks >

Thanks, we have looked at the videos and yes D is overlooked but nothing on C is available.

Thanks, just spoke to P&O deluxe cabins available are 420,421,415,417, 501 and 502 all deck 9. All these cabins are near to the lifts and stairs (probably available because the more popular cabins have been booked ) ..looking at the cabins notes at the top of the website ..cabins 501 and 502 have two dots .. Cabin has two additional beds in the form of a double sofa bed . I thought this category already had a sofa bed ? . Sorry for all the questions ... we are used to NCL but they took their EPIC ship out of Europe for Christmas/ New Year . Thanks

Thanks, that's brilliant !!!! though I don't like the shower over the bath and the shower does not have a hand held attachment . Though they are minor points . Great balcony !!

Hi .... Deck 9 on Azura ...is this a good deck to be on ? .....probably d503 thanks

So ....how is this calculated ? ...is it paid to the Spanish government per ship , per month, per year ? How is it paid and to whom in Spain ..? A large ship like the Epic with xxxx passengers paying xxxx tax per drink ? ...nice amount of revenue !! In or out of Spanish waters ..does Portugal count ..or is it "just" Spain ? NCL customer "services " will not give answers ....maybe our American cruisers can get some answers.

Yes, it's an add on ...for example our 12 day cruise has a basic price plus government taxes /port charges (the usual) then Free at Sea £498 (632 US Dollars) then service charge £372 . We were led to believe that the £498 included VAT as had been on previous NCL cruises . It would be a major operation to find if MSC/RCL etc have this charge .

Not a case of ruining our holiday ... matter of interest we in the UK for a 12 day European cruise pay £249 each for the "free at sea " package ..£498 .. equal to 632 US Dollars . What is the charge for a 12 night FAS when booked in the USA ?

We board in Bilbao (Spain) and disembark in Rome ....very confusing .

Found this from someone positing on CC. Dear We understand your concern in regards to the taxes that have been charged during the cruise and appreciate you did not expect to pay an extra amount on the drinks you ordered. Unfortunately we were not made aware of that issue during the cruise and only learned of it when the first guests contacted us after the end of the voyage. We have now received feedback from our head Office as well as from the colleagues on-board confirming the mistake. This sailing has been considered an intra EU sailing starting and ending within the EU and only touching EU ports of call. For such sailings the respective national VAT is applicable, but only for purchase sales - so e.g. if guests for example didn’t have a drinks package either pre-paid or complimentary and pay per drink, then these costs were subject to Spanish VAT for the whole duration of the cruise. By mistake also guests with included drinks packages were charged with the Spanish VAT, which shouldn’t have happened. We realized that indeed there has been misleading and incorrect communication on-board and you can be assured that different steps were taken in the meantime to avoid similar issues on future sailings. We already received feedback that a proper debriefing of the situation has been conducted. We fully appreciate the frustration this situation during the cruise caused and we sincerely apologize for this highly negative Impression. I have reviewed your final invoice and found that you have been incorrectly charged for an amount of 142,30 USD. In order to refund you, would you please provide us with your bank account number and sort code? A refund back to the credit card is not possible. Kind regards, Mariano CalzadaGuest Relations Executive

Hi Bird, thanks for the link. That's a lot to get through !!! ... though if I have purchased a drinks package and speciality dining as part of the cruise ...paid before sailing . I can't see how the EU or any Spanish or NCL can level an additional charge . This also applies to Greece, France, Portugal and many other European countries.

We have the drinks package and the speciality meals package purchased with our cruise . This reads as if the charge will be on regardless.

Received an email from NCL that ..."Due to local tax regulations that a 21% Spanish VAT tax will be added to applicable retail items purchased on board for sailins departing from Spain and departing European port cities . Additionally a 10% VAT will be applies to all food and beverage packages made onboard , including purchases made under our unlimited open bar or speciality dining packages foe certain sailings departing from Spain or any European itinerary while in Spanish waters."

Just thought i would bounce back into this post. We booked the NCL Epic for Christmas/ New Year 2023/2024 around the Med. NCL cancelled the cruise and pulled the Epic out of Europe for Christmas/ New Year.

Have you received any information from NCL or ABTA .? ...Thanks

Thanks ..I will get a guote for 2 people .

Thanks .. I will see if I can arrange that - and have some idea of cost.

Hi, Is there a fixed rate for a taxi from port to a hotel in the Cavour metro area ? We do not want to take a shuttle to the railway station then train to Termini then Metro to Cavour . thanks for any info .

When we leave our ship we are staying a few nights in Rome . Can't manage suitcases and getting on and off trains /metro. Is there a shuttle to central Rome ...we are staying near the Colosseum . Or a fixed rate taxi ride ? thanks

Pac safe is a good option ...I wear mine around my neck .

Doubt if you will receive the £100 penalty ...how much is your claim ? ..as I said in previous posts NCL have offered £50 - though I don't know how that was calculated !!

Thanks pity we can't PM on CC .

Not wanting reimbursement for a new cruise