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karoo

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Posts posted by karoo

    Creating NO Onboard Account. Possible?

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted · Edited by karoo

    Still don’t understand why the OP wants to go to all this trouble just to avoid the daily service charge. Yes I give them my Credit Card, but then it is up to me how much I spend. I’ve even had cruises where I’ve had credit back due to mechanical issues and change of itinerary etc. Why fight the system- bigger things to stress about in life. I just go with what each cruiseline requests. I’ve never done a cruise though where you don’t set up an account. Maybe if I had an uncontrollable gambling problem, but I can control what I spend and never visit the casinos onboard as I’m used to smoke free casinos in my country. Maybe an overspending SO, but I think I would have left him. So I see no reason not to set up an account.

     

     

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    P and O Australia - Australia Day Cruise Disappointment

    in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers

    Posted

     

     

     

    In my view, fireworks are overrated & I just don't get this "it's not a celebration (of anything) if there's not fireworks" fixation.

     

     

    They’re are pretty impressive out of Sydney actually. I’m lucky as they can be seen from where my daughter lives. The Harbour will be full of dinner cruises, etc. and all the Harbour front restaurants will be full. In the park near where my daughter lives people will get there extremely early often camping out the night before, (although I think they may have banned that) to get a good viewpoint. It would be disappointing to miss out after booking the cruise believing you would see them. A cruise ship would be a great viewing spot.

     

     

     

     

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    Norwegian Jewel live 1/5/18 - 1/21/18

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted · Edited by karoo

    Did you notice if there were any tours available on the dock? I’m not planning anything for that port. I don’t like to overplan and book something for every port. Sometimes it’s good just to get off and see what’s available and what you feel like doing on the day. A wine tour might be good though if available.

     

     

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    Norwegian Jewel live 1/5/18 - 1/21/18

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    I would like to invite you to join our Roll Call for this cruise. We have a great group and will be happy to answer any questions for this cruise. Many have already done much research and planning. We have quite a few from the UK on this cruise in our Roll Call. Please consider it

     

     

     

    I did that itinerary or very similar on the Star last year. Sorry to post off topic.

    To the OP (Andrew) - do you know if Hector and Gabby ( entertainment team) are still onboard for the Jan 31st sailing. I like Alex too, pretty sure he’d just got on in November so I figure he’ll still be onboard.

     

     

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    Leaving a cruise early?

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    I was on a cruise where a passenger left early as he only had one week off work. He just went down to guest services that morning, settled his account etc and told them. They asked if he was leaving because he was unhappy with the cruise. He told them no- he had to go back to work and off he got. This was on a Med cruise though/ Norwegian Jade that doesn’t have the Restrictions of US laws, but I think the law is you can’t go from one US port and disembark at another US port so I think because you are disembarking in Grand Cayman which is not a US port you should be right.

     

     

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    Jewel SE and H3 deck 9 bow cabins - heads up on noise

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    Had Jewel SE (bow) cabin 9500 and then Jewel Owners Suite (9004) for the past 3 weeks. Overall, both

     

    were great cruises.

     

     

     

    We did experience significant noise in both of these cabins - normally we book aft cabins and were surprised

     

    at the noises we experienced up front. So a heads up if you are considering one of these cabins.

     

     

     

    Stardust Theater - 9500 - 3 times a day (practice and 2 shows) the sound was so loud from the theater that

     

    we could clearly hear the show going on 2 decks below. I suspect, but don't know

     

    first hand, that it was the same in the other 9th deck SE suites.

     

     

     

    9004 - low theater noise, apparent particularly during the high energy dance shows. Easily

     

    handled by turning on the tv or opening the door to one of the balconies

     

     

     

    Anchor noise - Both 9500 and 9004 we experienced LOUD crashing noises whenever the ship was in rougher

     

    water. At first we thought balcony furniture on the 10th deck was rolling around (the deck 10

     

    SE suite balconies are right above the deck 9 SE rooms. When we asked to have it checked,

     

    an officer came down and listened and then told us the noise was actually

     

    the anchor moving around while the ship pitched with the waves. And that's what it sounded

     

    like - heavy metal hitting metal.

     

     

     

    The officer mentioned folks on deck 8 forward were also complaining and they had it even worse

     

    as they could hear the anchor scraping along the side of the ship as well as banging. Several

     

    nights this banging happened for several hours as the ship had rougher water around Australia

     

    and New Zealand. Hard to get a decent night's sleep some nights.

     

     

     

    Later in the 2nd cruise the noise continued in rough water but quit after 1 or 2 times. Don't know

     

    if the bridge adjusted speed or direction after hearing the noise but at least it didn't go on for

     

    hours.

     

     

     

    Eek! I’m on deck 8 forward on my upcoming cruise. I might just have to turn on my TV extra loud. Although I’ve discovered I actually tolerate noise better than cigarette smoke. Unfortunately I was on deck 5 under the casino last November on the Jewel and had to get engineers etc to try and find out why there was cigarette smoke in my cabin particularly at night. I wasn’t the only cabin with the same problem. So after day 7 (17 night cruise) I pretty much coughed and wheezed until I disembarked when miraculously it stopped. Port days on land I was fine too. So if my cabin is noisy, but has clean air I won’t be complaining.

     

     

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    NCL 13-Day South Pacific from Sydney question

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    I’ve done two cruises with a similar itinerary. The first one was fine and we had no problems. The second one was Easter time and we had to sail around an approaching cyclone and so missed Noumea. The Seas were rough, but it was also a smaller older ship than the Jewel. I recently did the Tahiti to Sydney on the Jewel which visited most of the ports and from memory it wasn’t rough at all.

    The NZ to Aus waters are rougher- particularly if you go to Tasmania/Melbourne across the Bass Straight. Having said that I sailed from Auckland to Sydney last January on the Star and the seas were very calm. Weather though is always hard to predict, but the Jewel is a fairly stable ship compared to many of the smaller/older boats that have traditionally sailed out of Aus.

     

     

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    Some random comments on a Christmas cruise on the Getaway

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    I don't understand the "overheard" complaint about 18-20 year olds drinking. Is it that the parents can't use their packages to give beer and wine to their offspring without payment? Can't the 18-20 year old just pay for a couple of beers per day by the drink?

     

     

     

    The UBP only covers the first and second guest in a cabin. I’m assuming the 18-20 year olds were 3rd or 4th guests. Also if it was a holiday or spring break cruise you have to be over a certain age to qualify for the UBP.

    Regarding wine - I have the opposite problem. They seem to push their housewine which is from California. I don’t drink Californian wine, so I have to beg them for another wine. I’m used to drinking the fruitier Savignon Blancs from NZ. Don’t mind an Italian white either. I guess you can’t please everyone.

     

     

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    Do all NCL ships have a brig aka jail?

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    As has probably already answered here. This question was asked on a backstage tour. We were told- the brig is often used for ‘spring breakers etc who need to sleep it off for a while’ if they’re being violent etc. Other crimes, offenses, they can disable the lock and detain the passenger in the cabin. Sometimes security will stand outside a door if the person has died on the cruise, while they’re doing the post Mortem, paper work etc. On one of my cruises last year on the Star, border control officers in Darwin Aus came onboard and took a guy off in handcuffs. There was also a passenger detained on the ship who was not allowed off in Darwin due to creating large disturbances onboard. Two passengers were actually arrested. Rumour was one due to bringing gun/large knife onboard, unsure about the other.

     

     

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    What happens with a death at sea (& kudos to NCL)

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    I was taken ill on an NCL shipwhen cruising with my sister. I did not see the ship doctor but saw a doctor at the port next morning. He sent me to hospital for further tests and I was then informed I was to be admitted. I had pneumonia in both lungs. I was transferred to a different hospital and spent 9 nights there.

     

    When the hospital said I needed to be admitted my sister returned to the ship in a cab to pack our things and explain our sudden departure. She was helped by staff to clear the paperwork, they charged my card on file for our account (I expect to pay this account for the days we were on the vessel), got porters to take our luggage off, accompanied her to a cab and we were officially gone. I got no refund from NCL for the lost days.

    I was called everyday in my hospital room by NCL Customer Care Miami to see how I was and if I needed any help from them. I was visited by the port agent on 2 occasions to my room to see if they could help and I had their number to call if I wanted to. My husband contacted my insurance to tell them what happened, which hospital etc. and they said all things will be covered and asked if he needed to fly out to be with me. They would pay. I told him to stay at home until we had updates as to if this was necessary. My sister stayed in a hotel near me and I paid her bill with my card.

    When I felt a little better my sister flew home. I booked and paid with my card online. After discharge I was in the port city for 2 more days at a hotel until I was cleared to fly home. NCL customer care still continued to call me on my cell phone. My flight home was booked by my insurance when I called them and told them I was OK to go. My flight home was to an airport 130 miles from where I live and my husband collected me. I was called at home by NCL one final time to make sure everything was fine.

    A few weeks later I sat down with all of the invoices and receipts for the cruise, cab fares, hotel bills and flights for my sister, incidental expenses, fuel for picking me up etc. I filled out my insurance forms and copied every bill or receipt. About 2 weeks later they gave me 2 nights x 2 persons cruise fare, they paid my sisters hotel bill and flights, they gave me around $100 per day to cover incidentals and cabs, they paid for the fuel used to collect me from the airport and get me home. My hospital bill, my hotel bill and my flight home they settled directly with the hospital, hotel and airline respectively so I don't know how much any of that was and was never asked for anything by those vendors.

     

    Take four lessons from this. 1. Always have insurance. 2.Call insurance as soon as you can when things go wrong, I found them really helpful and they made everything very easy and really helped take the strain of it all. 3. Have access to some cash and a card with credit available. We used both to settle incidentals that we were refunded. 4.Get receipts for everything you pay.

     

     

     

    Yes- I would never travel without travel insurance. As they say in Aus- if you can’t afford travel insurance you can’t afford to travel. I have been lucky so far that I’ve never had to use it, but the cost of a medivac would bankrupt me. Even on my last cruise I spoke to people who had gone to see the doctor with a chest infection or cough and there bills were nearly $2000.

     

     

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