smallestdog

I think those cabins are very near/ right under the bridge which extends out from the sides of the ship. So not much privacy when you are on your balcony Deck 9 is the first deck with balconies

Actually, that cruise disappeared from NCL's website about 2 weeks before final payment date. I suspected that changes were brewing

I've also posted this interesting snippet in the other thread on whether NCL has crossed the line with this change - after taking into account different time zones, it looks like the change notice from NCL arrived in my email inbox just 12 hours after final payment deadline. Talk about good timing...

I believe that would be me. I've attached the contents of NCL's email below for those interested to read it. This is for the 10 December 2024 sailing from Manila. On closer inspection of the date and time stamp on the email in my Gmail inbox, it is dated 12 hours after the final payment deadline. So not even 1 day after.

TS, I'm on the cruise after yours, and yes, we were supposed to board in Manila. The reason given to us for the change in embarkation port to Hong Kong was that the port of Manila had operational issues affecting turnaround. I've also noted that the Norwegian Sky departs from Manila in January 2025, and that this cruise is still available for booking today. Either NCL expects the operational issues in Manila to go away a month later, or is just waiting till after final payment date for that sailing to issue the change notice. 🤔

The email from NCL on the change in embarkation port for the 10 December 2024 Spirit sailing alluded to problems at the Manila port affecting turnaround. There may be some truth to that, as there are reports of chaos at the Manila port when the Jewel docked in December 2023. But that begs the question, what took NCL so long to make up their minds about Manila ? Were they just waiting for after final payment date to announce the change ? Also its noteworthy that the Sky is also set to sail from Manila a month later on 17 January 2025. This cruise is still available for booking on NCL's site, and I do not see anyone on that roll-call talking about change in embarkation port. It would be interesting to see if they get notified after their final payment date next month...

If the cruise is now starting in HK instead of Manila, I'd expect cruisers on the sailing before this to also be affected as their cruise will now be ending in a different port, in a different country. 😵

just the usual 300 per person. yeah it sucks. the cruise disappeared from NCL's booking site for a week before the announcement so I had a feeling something was brewing. Reason for change as per the email - "Due to operational challenges at the port and current limitations in available support and facilities, we are unable to deliver the high-quality turnaround experience we aim to deliver."

NCL Spirit, 10 December 2024. Change in departure port from Manila to Hong Kong 😵‍💫, additional sea day, changes in some port timings, and substitution of port of Taichung for Hualien. Change notice received 1 day after final payment 🤐

Thank you for the suggestion. I have done exactly this.

Thank you. That is the online form I used previously (and was trying to use now). It looks like there may have been changes to the form. Previously I remember a checkbox for requesting distilled water, and NCL would then reply by email to confirm that this would be available on the ship. Now it looks like the checkbox on the form is to notify NCL that I will be bringing distilled water, which is something quite different. I will ask my PCC if she can make the request on my behalf.

On previous NCL cruises, I've always filled out the accessible cruising questionnaire and requested for distilled water. I remember there was a specific question whether we needed distilled water to be provided. https://www.ncl.com/in/en/about/accessible-cruising Today I was trying to make the same request for my December cruise, but now I do not see any option to request for distilled water. Instead the question asks whether I am bringing distilled water. Has NCL stopped supplying distilled water on request and do I now have to bring my own (and declare it) ?

I booked a private car pickup via a booking site from Haneda to Osanbashi earlier this month, the service provider was BB Trip. I received Whatsapp updates with driver information plus car number a few days prior, and the driver messaged me after I landed with clear instructions where to exit and where her car was parked. Not exactly a meet and greet service but everything went smoothly and I was happy.