lixogab

8 hours ago, hallux said:

@lixogabyour math is applicable if you ONLY take the beverage perk, but that $16 per day gets you other perks also, reducing the "cost" of the beverage package...

Correct. But that depends what value other perks have for you.

Personally I enjoy the dinner package but for me neither of specialty restaurants is $48pp better than MDR. If I had to pay, may be $20-25pp for Cagneys and Bistro on top of the already included and paid MDR dinner.

Having few Internet minutes is nice but I wouldn’t pay for 300 minutes more than $10. NCL excursions are so expensive that even with $50 discount per couple local providers are cheaper. (Exception: Harvest key zipline that becomes free for the 1st person in the party and any cheap excursions: for example a beach transfer  that may cost $25pp otherwise NCL charges $50, making essentially the same price because the 1st person gets it free.)

7 hours ago, coastcat said:

 

You're right, if you calculate based on the gratuities, the Premium Beverage Package is a good deal if you enjoy 3 or so alcoholic drinks a day. The drawback with NCL's package is that it does not include specialty coffees, smoothies, bottled water, or fresh-squeezed juices. If you're a non-drinker, paying even just the gratuities is a bad deal unless you drink a whole lot of soda and mocktails.

 

Kind of. 
On a 7 day cruise the non-sailaway cabins are $100pp more expensive than the ones that qualify for the FAS. That’s $16 per day. The UPB gratuities are $20 per day so the total is $36 per person per day.

If both yourself and your significant one drink 3 cocktails per day everyday then yes, it definitely make sense. 
However, keep in mind that you ended up spending additional around $500 per couple.

But if both of you are wine drinkers and a bottle of wine for dinner fits your lifestyle the an 4-6-8 bottle viva vino ( or $15 per bottle + actual wine price), you can save $300-400.

3 hours ago, casofilia said:

A personal story based on this!!!

 

Till, one evening, I was at "Dining with Officers" and had to show my card at one point.   One pair of passengers at the table pointedly refused to speak to Pauline or I all evening!!!   The next morning at breakfast you should have seen the looks they gave us!!!!!!!!   If looks could kill.

OMG!
Keycard color discrimination by a fellow passenger?
That’s beyond my understanding.

4 hours ago, Seany527 said:

Oh I completely understand. And I expect nothing less from NCL. Just showing a contrast between the two brands and how they handle a similar situation. 

Not sure if the situation is similar. There is no mixup with paperwork on the NCL side. Bermuda government requires some paperwork. It’s the passengers responsibility to follow the news and have all required paperwork, tests, visas, etc.

Many passengers were not diligent enough to follow the instructions even though NCL sent a reminder.

NCL could easily deny boarding to those passengers but instead they helped the passenger delaying the departure.

I could understand if the passengers who followed the rules and boarded timely got couple of free drinks while waiting for other guys but an OBC for everyone? Doesn’t make sense for me.

7 hours ago, shof515 said:

depending on your booking, it could also be under the old booking code of just LATITUDE

That one is just 1 additional point.

16 hours ago, caitlynambrai said:

There are home tests that you use while a proctor is watching you from your computer or phone. It’s called BinaxNow RX (don’t get the BinaxNow OTC) and you can order them online in packs of 2

https://store.optum.com/shop/products/abbott-binaxNOW-COVID-19-ag-at-home-test-kit-2-pack/

Or packs of 6

https://www.emed.com/products/covid-at-home-testkit-six-pack?hsLang=en
 

It a good idea to have more than 1 per person, in case you mess up the first test. 
 

You can find videos of how to use it on YouTube. There are several cruisers who made videos about these tests.

Well, those tests are not free.

We both are working from home, plan to self quarantine 12 days before the cruise:  our cruise is on Sunday, we leave home Friday night and plan to stay home starting Monday of previous week.

So no chance we test positive before we leave.

However there is a tiny chance we could get infected in on our way (Hotels, restaurants, etc). Not sure if this can be even detected in less than 36 hours. 
So for me is important to know if NCL requires to get the 72 hours test to refund if the pier test is positive.

The cancellation policy at https://www.ncl.com/refund-and-cancellation-policy-covid-19

mentions that there is no refund if we fail to comply with their Covid policies and procedures with a link to the Peace of Mind FAQ. But Peace of Mind expired on Oct 1st.

Also there is mention of the Cruise ticket contract.

Where can I find that?

Is it possible to pass the cruise to someone else?
May be you can resell it. 
Or, if it’s use it or lose it, change your mind / rearrange the plans and go!
 

Before Covid several hotels close to the pier used to offer reasonable stay and park rates. Now I can’t find anything.

May be some hotel near airport offers a park and fly but then you have to pay Uber both ways eating most of savings.

1 minute ago, KAYKAY121 said:

Did you check into purchasing another 2 meal plan?

Additional 2 meal plan is $79 pp while the price difference is $114-$79 = $35.

18 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Nor the website...

 

Item #	Description	Per Person Price
Please call to find out pricing for sailings longer than 15 days. 20% gratuity and specialty service charge will be added at time of purchase.
2UDP	2-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$79.00 USD
3UDP	3-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$99.00 USD
4UDP	4-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$114.00 USD
5UDP	5-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$129.00 USD
6UDP	6-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$139.00 USD
7UDP	7-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$149.00 USD
8UDP	8-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$159.00 USD
9UDP	9-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$169.00 USD
10UDP	10-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$179.00 USD
11UDP	11-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$189.00 USD
12UDP	12-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$199.00 USD
13UDP	13-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$209.00 USD
14UDP	14-Meal Specialty Dining Package	$219.00 USD

I wish I could upgrade my “free” 2 meal plan to 4 or 5 paying the price difference . 🙂

Some appetizers and main course dishes carry a supplement charge,.

For example a tomahawk steak at Cagney’s will cost you additional $25.

However, couple of years ago they used to waive it on the embarkation day.

Also they offer add boiled lobster tail for additional $19. Not sure if that applies to dining packages as well.

13 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Is there a difference between simply having the WiFi on and having the WiFi on but also connected to the internet through the 250 minute promo?  I thought that a person could use the NCL app via ship intranet without eating into any minutes.  Was I mistaken?

When you have WiFi on but not logged into NCL Internet

- You will not consume your Internet plan minutes.

- NCL app will work and allow you to check your bill, upcoming reservations, etc.

- As far as I remember you will be able to access NCL website, check itineraries, may be even make a reservation.

But you will not be able to access any other website.

When you log onto NCL Internet you will be able to access any websites at pretty low speed. However, I don’t know if you can use any kind of voice over IP such as wifi calling, WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram calling.

Logging out from NCL Internet using NCL app stops counting the minutes on your Internet plan.

2 hours ago, Candy Apple 12 said:

Aargh…so much information and I’m still not sure I understand. What do I need to do if I want to be able to receive text messages to my iPhone from an iPhone? Do I need to sign up for a plan? TIA!

Basically any wifi based messengers will work.

How to test it: turn Airplane mode ON on your phone. The turn ON wifi, so you have wifi but no cell connection.

Test sending and receiving a message. If it works it will most likely work with NCL internet package.

(“Most likely” because I’m not 100% sure that they didn’t have some firewall preventing the connection)

I just booked my Thanksgiving Breakaway cruise from NOLA!

So excited. 

We sailed before on Sun, Spirit and Jewel and It will be our first time on a “big” NCL ship.

Will greatly appreciate if somebody can share post-Covid experience on Breakaway: is everything open and working? MDR menus, wine and beer lists, etc.

Also I thought I had to make reservations for shows but that doesn’t show up on the NCL website.

What about messenger callings, like WhatsApp, Viber or Telegram.

Do they work? 

15 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I never get an invoice until after I pay the deposit.  I do get a booking confirmation screen, but those haven't shown the double point promos.  They do show the free at sea promos.  I would just pay the deposit to lock in the double points.  If the price drops and the points promo ends, a person can then just choose which they would rather have.

I just held 2 reservations : one for OX and another for OA. 
For each reservation got an email with subject “Courtesy Hold Communication ” with a PDF attachment that has the invoice.

As suspected, the OX reservation doesn’t include LATDBLX code while the OA does.

On 9/25/2021 at 2:15 PM, zerooveride said:

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. 

 

Just found one interesting thing.

NCL doesn't mention that on the insider web page not on the email, but the offer terms and conditions https://www.ncl.com/latitudes-rewards-program/insider-offer/terms?hide_hf=true

say that the offer is:

"Not applicable to categories IX, OX, BX, MX (Sail Away Categories)."

I planned to book a BX, because I don't really care what exact room I get as soon as it's a balcony.

Now I have to think what to do.

And the double point offer ends tomorrow...

There are two things here that don’t make sense for me:

- NCL is doin a ( PCR? ) test anyway. They could use this test to satisfy Bermuda government requirements. Why they are not doing that?
- Bermuda government started requiring the tests -after- Bermuda  got the surge of cases. Shouldn’t they do it before? 

Just a guess: may be the difference is the amount of taxes and port fees and NCL will reimburse it directly back to your ( or your TA) credit card?

On 9/23/2021 at 10:56 AM, zerooveride said:

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.

Thank you.

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

I was trying to guess  what could go wrong in your case.

- Some NCL system glitch. NCL  (and all other cruise companies ) lost a lot of money during the cruise ban, so  I guess they  let go many people, including the most paid (= the best )  from the IT dept.

- Somehow your booking date is wrong (could be caused by a system glitch as well)

- 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.

Hope they will fix it an you'll get your points.

Couple of days ago a fellow cruiser posted here a sad story that NCL didn't honor the two extra points past guest offer.

I checked the NCL site and noticed couple of weird things:

- If you search for a cruise (pick your favorite within next few months) the Past guest offer DOESN'T show up among the promotions.

- When you log in and search for a cruise, the Past Guest offer DOES show up.

- However, if you complete a mock reservation, it doesn't show that offer:

- If you choose a sailaway rate (IX,OX,BX, etc) it says:

" YOUR OFFERS: All guests received 30% off cruise fares. Enjoy a $50 Per Tour Shore Excursion Credit. Offer has been applied to Guest 1. " .

- If you choose a non-sailaway rate, it says "YOUR OFFERS: All guests received 30% off cruise fares. Your stateroom includes Free Excursion Credits and WiFi. Plus, you added Free Unlimited Beverages for all guests 21 years or older, and Specialty Dining Packages for Guests 1 & 2."

It doesn't mention the 2 additional points.

Question for those who already booked under this offer: Do you see the offer mentioned anywhere in the documents sent by NCL ?

I used it in 2017 and they were not delivered to you but instead you could request them any time at any restaurant or bar. Don’t remember how they tracked the unopened bottles.
If the bottle was already open it could take some time to bring it.

Could be related to Covid/ CDC Conditional  Sailing Order protocols.

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/cruise-ship-color-status.html

Breakaway didn’t show up couple of days ago on the color list. Now it’s there as Orange, but “Crew only”.

1 hour ago, elwood_98034 said:

People are getting pretty nervous, that's for sure.

Only those who had early flights. Our luggage tag  was supposed to be called at 9:15, was called at 9:45.

The only annoying thing was the a broadcast announcement around 7 am that they are working on clearance.

The ship came from NZ with no cases of coronavirus and the only problem we had was a mild norovirus outbreak( less than 2% - so will not show up on the CDC website). 

6 minutes ago, blcruising said:

What am I missing here? This policy required them to know who has or hasn't traveled to mainland China. I wonder how they intend to obtain that information?

That’s an interesting question. Who has the burden of proof?
Let’s suppose the guest is a Chinese citizen and has no foreign country residence card.

Will NCL assume he is coming from China?