ClarkBHM

31 minutes ago, DorothyB said:

And be absolutely sure you LOGOUT after each use!

Yep! I accidentally fell asleep when I was checking email late on the first night of our cruise and burned up my entire package by morning. They generously restored it for me, but I wouldn't count on them to do that in the future.

I'm someone who loves to collect currency, rare coins, foreign coins and bills, etc. While I like the idea of handing out $2 bills or presidential dollar coins, etc., I realized that if you're outside of the US it's an oddity that causes inconvenience for the other party. Sure, they may smile as you hand them a $2, but in the back of their minds their thinking how much of a b*tch it'll be to deal with it.

If you're in port, their local bank may or may not take it, so they are stuck with trying to give it out as change to some other American tourist. If they are crew on the ship, they have to figure out the best way to deposit it so that they can send it back to their family in their home country. 

So sure, if you want to tip that way, feel free. There is nothing stopping you. But don't believe that their smile doesn't mask their hidden annoyance in now having to handle the problem that you just gave them.

Actually had a ship turn around on day 2 while we were away. Best of both worlds I guess?

Make sure you ask about the kid's menu. We took our kids to Teppanyaki many years ago and they were charged the full price. No one ever mentioned that there was a special kids menu...

Agree that that seems odd. We had adjoining balconies on the Wonder of the Seas and it was already opened for us when we boarded. Seems odd that Norwegian wouldn't/couldn't do the same thing.

6 hours ago, CDR Benson said:

I hope your experience in the Haven on Joy is equally as enjoyable, or more so.

Oh, I don't doubt it'll be nice. We're actually on the same Bermuda itinerary as when were on the Escape in 2019. When we were exploring options for the year, we knew that this was a relatively easy trip to plan out and since we had fun last time, we might as well go again. 

My commentary was more directed towards being forced to pay Haven prices on the newer ship if you are wanting a 2-BR suite like the older ships had.

Hello world! I've been slowly catching up on this thread over the matter of a few weeks. It's certainly an active one!

We're looking forward to our fourth NCL cruise this June in a 2-BR Haven suite in the Joy. We'd previously been in the 2-BR suites on the Gem (outside the Haven), the Dawn (no Haven), and most recently in the Haven on the Escape. 

Talking about the price increases, it doesn't really help that the 2-BR suites on the newer ships are in the Haven without any options outside of it. We have certainly appreciated having access to the concierge and the butler on the Gem and Dawn and didn't really miss the Haven. And while the Haven on the Escape was great, I'm not sure it's worth the $$$ difference just to have courtyard access. Nevertheless, we're in the Haven on the Joy, so I might as well enjoy it!

Lots and lots of differing opinions, and lots of disagreements. I suggest searching the forums. 

In this case, you get what you pay for. The "insurance" that NCL offered was practically worthless. A third party trip insurance provider will be able to give you something you can use. But, the greater the benefit that you want to insure, the more you will have to pay.

We just booked a $13k cruise on the Joy for this summer. We bought "cancel for any reason" insurance which is certainly expensive ($800 for the four of us) but when we factor it into the overall cost of the vacation, it's well worth the peace of mind. We know it works too--we had to utilize it to cover an April 2020 vacation as covid shut everything down. 

Anyway, really sorry for the OP because it's a sucky situation. I would hope that NCL would accommodate you on a future cruise. In the meantime, the rest of us can try to learn from this misfortune.

Yes, the beds in the second bedroom are fine. I even climbed up into the top bunk to see how comfortable it is. I'm 6'0 and was not cramped up top. If you're just using the lower bunk there should be no problem.

Just wanted to thank everyone for this conversation. We'll be there in June and I had the same question, but you answered it.

Seems like RCL thinks this is fully resolved. See https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/11/12/why-did-royal-caribbean-put-less-suites-wonder-of-the-seas
 

"Ms. Freed also noted that unfortunately the swapping of Allure of the Seas to Wonder of the Seas in Europe in summer 2022 resulted in some guests being left without an available room, "We had to unfortunately downgrade some people who are in top suite categories because we had fewer suites on the line there. But that's all been sorted out now to the best of our ability."

8 hours ago, LPTCruiser said:

Keep pushing for resolution.

Suggestions on how to do that? They won't talk to me, and our TA isn't as motivated to resolve it as I would have hoped. 

Sailing Date: June 9, 2022 (Rome)

Date you were moved: 10/8/2021

Allure Cabin Category: Connecting ocean-view balcony

Wonder Cabin Category: Non-connecting ocean-view balcony on different decks

Like several others on there, they did not pay attention to linked reservations and connecting rooms. We originally had connecting rooms on deck 11, but the newly assigned rooms were on deck 12 and 7. Our travel agent was able to get us moved to two rooms on the same deck, but they are on the port and starboard sides, nowhere near each other. It’s four of us with two kids (ages 15 and 13) so that’s why we booked connecting rooms in the first place.

Not sure why they wouldn’t have filled these before filling standalone balcony rooms, nor why they are showing as “sold out” on the connecting balcony rooms. Why would you transfer a reservation from a non-connecting room on Allure to a connecting room on Wonder?

Anyway, still waiting for a resolution. We have not been offered a refund as far as I am aware.

Finally received my personal vacation schedule for next summer and just found an awesome cruise that we want to take. Problem is that we prefer to travel in the Haven 2-br suites due to the size of our family--and those suites are already booked for the cruise.

Is there any easy way to monitor this category for cancellations to that if it becomes available, I can book it?

24 minutes ago, Son of a son of a ... said:

 

I am very serious.  I would never have booked a cruise from NYC to FL to go to port that I have been to many times already.  This was not like skipping GSC.  Imagine your vacation to Las Vegas was switched not to Reno, but to Atlantic City.  

I had the exact same happen in the Gem in 2011 when we were diverted to the Bahamas due to Hurricane Katia threatening Bermuda. We enjoyed perfect weather all week, likely much better than the gale force winds buffeting Bermuda. While we were disappointed, we endeavored to have a good time and enjoyed ourselves greatly. 

The threat of hurricanes will always bring the chance of a diversion. You can always choose to cruise when it's NOT hurricane season...

On 6/7/2019 at 10:09 AM, njhorseman said:

Assuming it's on a weekday, when the Dockyard to St. George ferry is running, I'd consider taking the ferry to St. George and then a taxi. The reason is that the taxi ride is about half as long so it will cost you significantly less.

We did this last week. Taxi was only $14 from St. George, so it wasn't really that expensive at all. We took the first ferry over and were at the caves by 9:45 or so.

The advantages are that you get butler and concierge access. This also gives you priority embarkation/debarkation, a special seating section at the theater, etc. 

I didn't think the Dawn's pool chair situation was that bad, but getting a suite isn't necessarily going to change anything there.

Wow! I bet the taxi drivers are happy though. Is the NCL ferry to St. George's still running?

Very helpful! Thank you.

Cruising on the Escape from New York to Bermuda, what night does the ship change time zones from Eastern to Atlantic? How about on the way home?

16 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

 

Ok, as a non smoker, can someone explain why you wouldn't be able to smoke cigarettes, but cigars are ok?

All the signs about not reserving deck chairs...

On 4/21/2019 at 1:04 PM, Lisalk12 said:

They gave my husband a card to call. When we called the number they said he was eligible for a discount according to his play on the ship. He played a mixture of slots and table games.

The offer ended up being a balcony for two on most sailings.


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Just wondering how much one has to "donate" in order to be eligible for a balcony cabin... 🙂

So, if you have the beverage package, you could get a single mojito that's included, but you have to pay if you want a flight. I suppose I could just order six mojitos back to back and it would be free?