piglet55cc

Yesterday when I was looking at my summary, I noticed that for the 3 days I had reservations for the Liberty restaurant  they were no longer there. They didn't inform me, I just happen to see it. I called my PCC and he was confused because he was not informed of any changes. As of right now, the website states the Liberty is closed. I was able to make reservations for Skyline.  Makes me wonder if they are having a problem getting staff again, now that the 6 months are up for the staff/crew contracts.

Thank you for the heads up on what you experienced. I would rather know what to expect in advance. This will be my 13th cruise. I know what I have experienced. To get less service for a full price cruise is sad. But unfortunately that is the world we live in now.  So many restaurants have closed down in Cleveland because they can't get enough workers, just like POA.  

I like that you still gave the correct gratuity, instead of taking it off like some people.  It is because of those kind of people that the staff doesn't stay for more than one tour.

You have prepared me, and I appreciate your help.

I hope you are finding more excursions. For a whole week in mid-August I had "0" excursions for the Pride of America. Now I had booked 4 of the 7 days with excursions. I knew had 40 to look at. All of sudden, nothing.  I called every day to see what was going on. No one could tell me. A week later the 40 were back.

I ended up having NCL book the hotel they use. We are staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The cost is $530. The AAA and AARP price for that Friday night is $520 (including tax & resort fees). I had NCL book it because I am coming in from the Ohio. The cheapest flights now on Google Flights has me  landing at 9pm Hawaiian time.  My biggest worry is not arriving until Saturday without my luggage.

I always had to have a separate piece of paper to right down everything. Before I go had my cruise cancelled for August 27, I kept seeing that I owed $50. But my cruise consultant and another customer service person both said I owed nothing. Also, I would have to subtract the "SAVINGS" line from the "GUEST FARE" line to see what I thought the price of my room should be.

As far as FCC, I would have to long into my account and my husband's to see what I had. My consultant had advised me to use them for payment until the final payment was due.

Hope everything worked out for you.

After all the problems with delays and cancellations, I made sure to come in a day early. I chose to have NCL book the hotel and transfers, because of all the uncertainties of when we would arrive. The cheapest flight I have seen the past week is $596 pp. It doesn't get us into HNL until 8:57pm. If they choose this flight I will have to pay extra for a carry-on.

I am scheduled to go on Pride of America in Nov. 2022. I was wondering if anyone has used the NCL option for airfare where it was BOGO.  Do they book you on a flight where you have to pay extra for a carry-on or choose your seat?  Were able to sit with your spouse or travel companions? When I booked last November I was told I would know 60 days out. Now I am told I will not find out until mid-October.

Anything else you could add would be helpful. Right now when I look at flights, I am looking a 20+ hour travel time from Ohio with 2 stops.

I recently had to switch my Jan. 21, 2023 cruise on POA to Nov.12, 2022. Road to Hana was no longer available so we chose the Sunrise excursion on recommendations from my daughter. She and her husband said if you are going to the crater, you absolutely should do the sunrise. They were in Maui in late May of this year. Knowing that just seeing the crater during the day was $60 pp cheaper, I asked if spending the extra money was worth it. Both agreed that it was.

They also told us it was important to dress warm. 

I am so sorry that anyone has to experience this. I booked the Hawaiian cruise in Nov., 2021. I was to go on Aug. 27 of this year on the PoA. I received my cancellation on June 21. I got all my money returned and FCC that had to be used by Dec. 2023. The FCC are what I orginal paid for my room. They can only be used to pay for another room. So my room must cost $3997.  That money can only be used for a room. I booked for January 21. By now the cost of rooms were up. Airfare, excursion, water pkg., and soda pkg. were all up.  

If this cruise gets cancelled will just fly  to Oahu for a few days. This is the last state I need to visit. I have been all the others.

My husband and I booked the POA for August 27 in Nov, 2021. We received a letter stating on June 21 that our reservations for an inside room were cancelled.  We were given up to $3997( the cost of our room) to book again. We decided to sail mid January. We are limited to the time we can go on vacation. Right now only 2 of our 5 excursions we had booked are available  at a much higher rate. And still only showing 12 areas to dine. The obstructed view room I booked costs $3800, so I am leaving $197 on the table, and the extra money can not be used for anything else. Not complaining, just explaining so people know how it works.

I would also recommend that people read the reviews of sailings in May and June sailings. I may have dodged a bullet.

I just got off the phone with a NCL cruise consultant  to  get the pricing of NCL's SPIRIT to Hawaii.   The FCC for any cruise I look at will be will be $3994 that can only be used toward the price of a room and nothing else. She also told me that they are only taking reservations for POA starting in October of 2022. I will have to wait until July or August of next year.

I am out of pocket for the 2 night hotel room and 2 excursions I purchased for Honolulu. I have never had my other cruises cancelled.

Thank you all for the recommendations. Because of family commitments, I can only travel at certain times of the year and for less than 2 weeks. I even looked at a cruise on Celebrity in October, but the airfare would be over $1000 pp.

I too was very confused by what I would be compensated for. It is 100%  the cost that I paid for the room I booked and, nothing else. 

My cruise consultant stated I am only compensated for the cost of my inside room without taxes. So I don't get a free cruise. And if I go on this cruise at a later date, and my same inside room now costs $4500, I must pay the extra $500.  

I paid $6166  for just the cruise, taxes, and airfare.

From talking to to my consultant. I will get a full refund for the cruise and my air that I booked through NCL. And yes I will receive compensated  $2000pp only for my room. I now have to pay the increased prices of the room, taxes, airfare, transfers, hotels and excursions.  All these items have increased tremendously since I book in Nov. 2021. 

If this had been just another cruise, I would just live with it.  This was a replacement for a cruise we were to have taken in Sept. 2020 that was cancelled because of the pandemic.  That cruise was a celebration of my 65th birthday, my husband retiring after teaching for 41 years, and us going to our 50th state. 

As you can see they did offer compensation.  As I had booked this a long time ago, my inside room cost $1998 pp. Therefore, I would get $4000 towards a later date. Anything above that cost I would be resposible for. Airfare has increased by $1,000.  My same excursions have increased by $400.   

Sorry,I only copy and paste my email I couldn't get it to open as an attachment.

June 17, 2022

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners: On behalf of Norwegian Cruise Line, thank you for your loyalty and for making us your vacation of choice. We have important information regarding your upcoming sailing aboard Pride of America. Now more than ever we understand the desire to travel and to reconnect with the people and places you’ve missed most. Although our great cruise comeback has been an exciting journey, it has not been an easy feat. Despite unexpected challenges, we have maintained our focus on delivering exceptional guest experiences. As such, due to recent staffing levels onboard Pride of America, we will be operating at a lower guest capacity to ensure we are able to deliver a high-caliber vacation experience. In order to adjust to the current staffing levels, unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate your upcoming reservation aboard Pride of America and will be canceling your current booking. We share your disappointment and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. A full monetary refund of the fare paid will be automatically returned to the form of payment provided at the time of reservation. No further action is required; your refund will be automatically processed within 5 business days. You will see the refund returned to the original form of payment in seven to 10 business days from the processed date. The visibility of the funds is dependent on each financial institution’s internal policies. If your most current reservation was paid via a Future Cruise Credit (FCC), 100% of the FCC used will be reapplied to your Latitudes account. No further action is required; the FCC will be automatically added within seven business days. Additionally, we will be extending the book and sail by date of your FCC to Dec. 31, 2023. As we share your disappointment, we will be issuing you an FCC valued at 100% of the voyage fare paid for this reservation. This credit is valid through December 31, 2023 and may be redeemed for any published voyage through the aforementioned date. The FCC will be available in your Latitudes account on June 24, 2022. Our team is ready to assist you with rebooking you on another one of our unforgettable voyages. Once you’re ready, please contact us at 1-800-327-7030 or your travel professional. Guests residing outside of the U.S. or Canada should visit www.ncl.com for local contact information. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you aboard very soon.

Sincerely,

Katty Byrd

Senior Vice President, Guest Services

😂💥😤  I HATE NCL!!!!!!  I got a letter from NCL regarding my cruise on the Pride of America. I booked a cruise on Nov 29, 2021 for a sailing date of August 27, 2022.   We made our final payment on April 24th.  Yesterday, I got an email saying they are under staffed and therefore cancelling my reservation. The ship is still sailing, but my husband and I are not.  I am sure I was kicked off because we paid for an inside room. I am sure no one with a balcony has been cancelled. We spent over 2 hours trying to get an answer. Waited to talk to a supervisor who said she could do nothing for us. My husband asked to speak to someone higher up, and she stated she was as high as we could go and hung up on him.  Our cruise consultant only suggest we final a complaint, because there is no phone number for guest services. We received an email and were given a case number. It said we would receive a response in the next 30 days. 

 https://www.fastcompany.com/90474397/its-time-to-redesign-travel-for-the-age-of-covid-19

This was similar to report I read. Could not find the original. But in both aritcles Dr. Chen from Perdue was quoted.

Hawaii recorded their first case later than most states. Sadly, I go to this website everyday  https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus.

I also live in Ohio. Gov. DeWine and Dr. Akton say they have no clue when things will be safe again. When I hear that people are dying in nursing homes or prisons, it makes you think who is giving this to them. Could we be required to have a test saying we are safe to get on the ship?

I read all the new policies that Carnival has put in place. But until I read that the air filtration system has been updated with hepa-filters, I am scared.  They said that after 17 days of the people leaving the Diamond Princess, the virus was still found in the room. The article further stated that the reason, so many continued to get sick was the virus was travelling through the air vents from room to room. 

Sorry to be such a downer. It has been our dream to go to Hawaii. After teaching for 41 years, he said he was ready to retire. So this was not just another vacation. 

I truly hope to see you all in September.

(BTW have any of you checked are your air travel? For the second time American Airlines has placed me on a different flight.)

So many worries. We know nothing about this virus. If the ships start sailing again, will we be able to sail out of Vancouver and be able to dock in Hawaii. I live in Ohio and we are told that the peak might be until mid-May. Also, how can we be sure that once we are permitted to move freely again that a new wave will not start.

I hate to be such a downer about this, but until I am on a ship I cannot even hope it will happen in September.

I am using a TA for my cruise in June. With her help I have booked 3 shore excursions using viator.com. You must view only the shore excursions, because they offer a guarantee to get you back to the ship. There is also reviews for the excursions.

I was able to look in my paper work when making notes of things to do after making my final payment. The case of 24 bottles was $70.74. It still is amazing what they charge for the bottles. In my local stores, prices run from $1 - $1.49 for liter bottles of that brand. Last year, I paid $5 for 12 half liter bottles (= 6L) on the Carnival Pride. It is still going to cost me just under $18 on the Epic. But I still need to make the purchase. I was told that in Europe when you go out to eat they charge for water.

Took this directly from Carnival's website:

Bringing Liquor and Beverages Onboard - Embarkation

Guests are prohibited from bringing water, sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages onboard that are packaged in bottles.

A small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, juice, and milk) packaged in cans or cartons may be brought onboard on embarkation day and must be in the guest's carry-on luggage. A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12 ounces each or less per person.

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with the following exception:

At the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day only, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring one 750 ml bottle of sealed/unopened wine or champagne per person in their carry-on luggage.

A $15 USD corkage fee (a charge exacted at a restaurant for every bottle of wine served that was not bought on the premises), per 750 ml bottle, will be charged should guests wish to consume their wine or champagne in the main dining room, steakhouse or bar.

All liquor, beer, other forms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages outside of the exceptions referenced above are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and checked luggage and such items will be confiscated and discarded and no compensation will be provided.

I was wondering if anyone has ever been waitlisted for dinner time. I want the 6pm time, but was waitlisted. I was hoping to hear by now if I got that time. I would prefer eating on the 2nd level for anytime dining than be forced to eat at 8pm. Should I still wait or go for the anytime dining?

When I was on the ship 6/2014 I used quarters. I bought a roll of quarters with me. I would suggest that you do the laundry on a day we are in port. Especially, when we stop at Freeport. Not much to do there.