zerooveride

We are seriously considering going this summer when he is about 10-11 months old. I like the idea of bringing a babysitter. Maybe i'll ask my mother and take care of her fare. 

Thanks everyone for the insights.

As for the pool/splash pads: I have no intention of letting the little one use them. The only thing we will need is a room with a tub.

Thanks!

Great information so far . . . keep it coming!

We're not 100% sure what we plan to do yet. Maybe this summer at 11-months old or at 23-months old the following summer

This has probably already been discussed in the past, but seeing as things in the world are different after the C-word, I thought I'd simply ask my question.

Me and my wife enjoy cruising, with our last cruise being on the Encore to Alaska in August 2021. This summer we welcomed our first child and are considering either a cruise in the summer of 2023 or 2024.

He will be a hair under 1 if we do one in summer of 2023. Has anyone done this with such a young child. We live in New York and are the same distance to either the New York or Boston cruise ports and and would drive to one of them.

I know that my son would be too young for any of the kids clubs but I have heard about babysitting services and such. Also, are cribs available?

Any insights would be appreciated. 

1 hour ago, NikiPinkston said:

I sent Latitude Support this link this morning asking if we were at least eligible for double points and I already received their answer: "We received your email and would be happy to assist. The promotion offering double points is the "Latitudes Insider Offer" (code: LATITUDE). That promotion is for select sailings but in the case of the one available when your booking was made, was not be available for the Encore until its 11/21/2021 sailing. Reviewing all the select sailings, the only ship that was included that also did Alaska at the time of your sailing was the Norwegian Bliss.  If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us again." 

Pretty much what I expected and a little confusing as I don't believe the Bliss was sailing in Alaska this past summer.  I guess I'll just have to accept defeat at this point but, sadly, NCL has lost our loyalty.

The Encore sailings were the Bliss sailings. The Encore was substituted for the Bliss and those who booked the Bliss ended up sailing on the Encore. On 06/07/2021 they announced the change officially:

https://www.ncl.com/newsroom/norwegian-cruise-line-announces-additional-voyages-restarting-from-the-us/

After 06/07/2021, you could not book the Bliss for Alaska. 

12 hours ago, lixogab said:

Here it goes. Now, the email had  “June 2021” on the top left corner, but it’s not part of the image!

 

The email has this link. Hope it works
 

http://x.email.ncl.com/ats/msg.aspx?sg1=0dbd702c0ebdde62e77ab9b0fc0c0013f7af3c6364d13a236374d5abcb747d8f&type=family&type=notcn&type=notfcc&cheetahid=5000007741636&mi_u=5000007741636&cid=EM_MKL_LTM_PGU_EML_web_EML_LATOFF_LAT060521
 

 

 

I don't delete e-mails. I have e-mails going back to 2006 on my computer! So after they said the sailing wasn't included I responded back to them with this exact e-mail. Pretty clearly Alaska sailings are advertised right? Well that was on September 29th and guess what? They stopped communicating at that point and I haven't heard anything else back. 

After the experience we had on the cruise my wife NEVER wants to book NCL again and she has said this just makes her feelings even stronger. I already cancelled our December sailing with NCL and it actually worked out for us. We got a sailing on Anthem of the Seas for about 1/3 the cost of the NCL cruise for almost the exact same dates. I guess the actions of NCL were a blessing in disguise.

5 hours ago, NikiPinkston said:

Thank you, Aubrey!  At least now I know that we weren't eligible, but it sounds like @zerooveridewas!  Hopefully, they can get their triple points now.

The last response that they sent me was a list of "eligible" cruises for the promo. Below is the chart of Encore cruises they say are the ONLY ones in 2021 that are eligible. As you can see they claim that the first Encore to allow double/triple points isn't until the 11/21/2021 sailing out of Miami. So what Joelle Brito (JBrito@ncl.com if anyone would like to talk with her) is saying is that NONE of the Alaska sailings on the Encore were eligible for bonus points.

I really don't think I'll ever cruise with NCL again, just out of principal. They come up with one story and then when I show proof otherwise they have a new story. I guess NCL just doesn't care about their customers. 

On 10/3/2021 at 10:45 AM, Nataly1982 said:

On Epic. When you collect towels you have to hand over your key card and you get a receipt for deposit, $30 per towel. At the end of the day you return the towels and a paper receipt. You can see all the deposit IN and OUTS on your onboard account. I guess if you fail to return the towels you are charged for the deposit.

On the Encore in August, we asked for towels at the towel station and were just handed 2 without them asking even for our room numbers.

On 10/3/2021 at 9:01 AM, Sthrngary said:

Yes, this in every single cruise that I have been on. Where I just move the towels and sit down, my wife won't let me do it.  She says, "someone will come back and it will create a scene."  My response is, "Good". 

That's exactly how my wife is and that is my attitude. I just don't give a crap!

My thinking:

You're rude by hogging the chairs so I have no problem being rude and moving your ship issued towel!

My wife would say I enjoy confrontation . . . not always, but sometimes it could be fun!

10 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Thanks.  DW flew twice in June. Nobody asked nothing. I think folks just make some of this crap up. 

I know when I did my check in 24-hours before my flight on United to Seattle in August, the check-in process did ask COVID questions. As for our horrid American flight back home, I don't know as PortValet did the check-in for us.

4 hours ago, julig22 said:

Latitude/past guest promos change monthly, so what you get depends on when you booked.  I have a couple of upcoming cruises that have triple points - but not everyone on those cruises will have the same offer.  So what the T&C's say now has nothing to do with what was in effect when you booked.

I booked during the promotion

1 hour ago, yankprintster said:

lixogab posted the link the other day to the terms and conditions.  If you got a sailaway rate (IX, OX, BX, etc.) it is not eligible.

No Sailaway. An MC Club Balcony Suite.

1 hour ago, yankprintster said:

I ran into this issue on a booking I did the other day and did not see the LATDBLX code.  Had several back and forth with my PCC on this.  She said it was ineligible but I asked where it actually said this on the website, because the promo, as you stated, had said "all 2021 sailings".  She was unable to point me to anything even when consulting with her supervisor.

Would agree, the offer I received was for all 2021 sailings and the ad in it even referred to Summer Alaska sailings. I thought August was still summer . . . 

1 hour ago, yankprintster said:

In my opinion, it is very misleading the way they market the promotion for the double points. It should be much more clear it doesn't apply to sailaway.  And the PCC's aren't even able to find the T&C page on the website either.

I wasn't in a sailaway cabin. I personally like to choose my own cabin and get the additional perks so I always choose a specific category. I have only done sailaway once, on my first cruise; a 3-day in an Inside Cabin on the Carnival Sensation. 

On 9/19/2021 at 8:51 AM, Old & Retired said:

There is no lawful authority to lock you up in a quarantine location.  At least not in the USA.  Certainly you can go home.

Not quite true. Back last September or October, my wife was quarantined because she was a close contact to someone who tested positive. She was actually served (including others from her classroom where the exposure took place) with a Court order that stated she could not leave the house for 14 days. She also had to check in daily with someone to verify that she had not left the residence. 

Personally, if I saw only a Towel on a chair and it was there for a long time and no one came by, I would remove it and sit my fat you know what down. Done it before and would do it again!

Or, I would just go grab my own lounger off the pile of unused ones.

People are very inconsiderate, selfish and rude and I have no problem telling them that!

Do we know what was done in the 2nd Dry Dock?

I finally got a response back from Jolle Brito, Senior Director Guest Relations, that now says that the sailing wasn't eligible. Neither the Terms and Conditions or the Offer e-mail says this. It actually says 2021 Sailings and does not list any exclusions. Plus I know of individuals on my sailing that DID get the bonus points. I am just blown away by excuse after excuse that they keep coming up with not to honor it. I prove one assertion wrong, then they come back with a different reason . . . Everyday more and more I feel I made the right decision to cancel my December 2021 Breakaway sailing . . .

19 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

A while ago when I was watching their seemed to be a half dozen passengers who got off and were standing around. Their were some carts that came off with what looked like luggage on them.

Did the luggage appear to be wrapped in plastic?

15 hours ago, lixogab said:

Did they provide any explanation why you are supposedly not eligible ?

They told us that the booking wasn't made until 07/01/2021, the day after the promotion ended. I have an invoice showing it was created on 06/14/2021, but have yet to hear back since we provided it. 

15 hours ago, lixogab said:

The 2 addtl points are available only for existing lattitude menbers, meaning that a new customer  will not get 3 points, just one. If during the booking your TA didn't provide your lattitude number, but added it later, that could trigger the NCL system not applying the promotion.

Booked every NCL cruise I have ever done with this agency and they have both mine and my wife's latitudes number and it was on the invoice for both of us.

I might have been the one the OP is referring to. My TA contacted the Latitudes Department when we got back and only the regular 1 point was applied and they simply said that it wasn't eligible. My TA then wrote back showing proof that it was and they never had the decency to respond back to him or me.

I know that I am not the only one from my sailing that had this happen to them. NCL's shoreside customer service is absolutely terrible. This issue with the points was the icing on the cake for cancelling my December cruise with NCL and selecting a different cruise line. We had a very bad experience on Encore as well. I will say that this doesn't feel like the NCL that I have sailed on in the past. Del Rio needs to stop worrying about nickel and diming their guests and worry more about making sure they have a good time and do what's right for them.

11 minutes ago, CruiseKeeper said:

On Oasis now.  Special needs supplied one.  😀. CPAP plugs in behind bed, no extension cord required but have theirs to use.  Score.  

Is that the case on all ships, or just Oasis Class

I am new to RCCL, so from what I gather from reading is that they will provide them for CPAP machines? Both me and my wife use CPAPs so will they provide 2?

I know on NCL, they tell you to bring your own.

If you bring one and they take it, will it be returned to you at the end of the cruise?

1 hour ago, LeeW said:

They reminded you to put a mask on when you went through pier security

I know in Alaska on NCL, they told us that we had to wear a mask while in port but no one ever enforced it. Even when someone wasn't wearing a mask, when leaving or entering the ship, no one said anything to them and port security never said anything to anyone. Lots of people not wearing masks in port when we were there and no one batted an eye.

10 hours ago, Ms02 said:

It also seems like we have been given the $50 excursion discount as credit on the onboard account even though it was subtracted when i prepaid for the tours.

I know when I booked my Encore sailing, my TA was offering with NCL a special promotion that offered an additional $50 per excursion credit. I did not receive it until I got on the ship as a credit. It showed up on the last day or second to last day on my onboard account.

1 hour ago, LadyShiva said:

Yes, I have.  IRS (US) allows reimbursement under diagnostic tests.  Use your shipping receipt for your proof artifact.

OP asked about Health Insurance reimbursement, not the IRS. IRS doesn't reimburse anything. They can use the cost as a medical expense under the tax deduction for medical expenses (if they itemize their deductions and meet a certain threshold).

As for your insurance, I would be surprised if they would, especially if it is for travel. Every insurance carrier will be different so you would need to reach out to them to ask. What my insurance company may do, could be very different than what yours may do. Call the number on the back of your Insurance card.

I use TravelGuard and like @thepla it covers COVID.

I thought if you followed all of the Sail Safe policies, that NCL footed the bill for anything COVID related. Did they change something?