HappyTvlr

Just off the Getaway with FAS+.  Veuve was only available by the glass in Le Bistro and Ocean where they were happy to pour it like water.  We enjoyed the Pommery Rose which we were already familiar with, but believe it is crazy that they made their only option for real champagne a rose.  We were able to get it from the Atrium and Mixx around dinner time, but suspect it was available all day.  Someone posted a picture of the Veuve offered by the glass a featured wine in the MDR, but it was not on offer as part of the plus package.  We don't drink any spirit other than gin so can't say what was really available.  As for gin, they had a Monkey 47 from Germany that was on the menu for $35 and included in the + so we had that instead of our regular Sapphire.   

I thought NCL couldn't mess things up any worse than they had, but they went to a new low.  I followed up after the weekend reboot as advised.  The first agent told me I had to call the warehouse "travel agent" I booked with.  I tried to explain that most of what I needed done had been done directly with NCL.  She hung up on me.  I called back and a different agent said the same thing and that the people from NCL that assisted me last week "shouldn't have". Wow.  I called my warehouse "travel agent", and the amazing rep had to act as a middle man and put me on hold to relay my requests to NCL.  The warehouse TA was told I had nothing booked (dinners or shows), and the TA got very frustrated because she could see all the bookings that I could see in the app.  The TA lost it when NCL agent hung up on her.  She eventually got through to someone at NCL and all was made right.  This took over an hour just to cancel a dinner and book a show.  KJDJ, how insane you were told you have to have 2.5hrs.  I was told 30 minutes which meant I would need a 5:30 dinner for a 7pm show.  I ended up with a 5:30 dinner for a 7:30 show.  I am done with all the reservations, and now want to forget about the frustration and try to reset my mind to try to enjoy my first NCL cruise.  I am going to pop over to the Celebrity boards to see if Celebrity has the same issues with reservations.  I haven't been on an ocean cruise since 2018 and I am wondering if things changed with them.

I looked up information on previous trips to refresh my memory.  Our Uniworld trip to India (land and river cruise) in 2018 indicated that gratuities were not included for crew and tour directors, but they were included for onshore personnel (guides/drivers).  However, our European river cruise in 2019 included all gratuities.

"Gratuities Program • Europe, Russia, Asia and Egypt: Gratuities for onboard and onshore personnel (ship staff, crew, Cruise/Tour Manager, local experts, drivers) are included , both during the cruise-tour as well as on any pre- or post-cruise land extensions."

I couldn't find the electronic docs for India, but the above quote is from our Europe trip.

So it seems that Uniworld has indeed changed their tipping policy.  This is from our most recent booking for France in Oct 2023:

"Europe: Gratuities for onboard personnel (ship staff, crew, Cruise-Tour Manager) are included during the cruise-tour."

I admit I never would have noticed this fine print on my own.

No resolution after a couple more lengthy phone calls.  It got really frustrating when the helpful agent said her system froze and she was unable to cancel a dinner reservation that would remove the time conflict and allow her to book the show.  She said they are doing a system upgrade over the weekend so things "should" be better Monday.  Another general problem with all the reservations is that a vast majority no show without penalty.  We spent Christmas at a very nice AI resort in Mexico that we previously visited.  On this visit they had implemented a reservation system and we stuggled constantly to secure reservations for specialty restaurants only to find most empty.  The staff were disgusted because the tables went empty and there was significant food waste. They acknowledged that it was horrilble having to turn away walk ups only to hold a table for yet another no show.  I get that plans change or people don't have the energy or appetite for an evening meal, but this could be easily solved by going with the first come first served system.  I have cruised extensively on Celebrity and dined "anytime" without an issue.  We would enjoy a martini before heading to the show and then off to dinner.  As I said, this is my first NCL cruise and I am not optimistic.  

I am crazy upset with this whole booking process.  I am 21 days out and jumped online to book shows.  After countless error messages I called to get the reservations.  I was told that I can't book Burn the Floor at 7:30 or 9:30 which is advertised as a 45 minute show because I have an 8:30 dinner reservation and the "system" has a conflict because the show has a run time of 1 hour.  I asked to move the dinner reservation at Ocean Blue, but that is now completely booked for the entire duration of the cruise.  I have the same conflict with MDQ on a different day.  I booked my dinner reservations long ago before I even knew the show times.  The NCL agent told me to just head to book the show as soon as I board.  Give me a break.  We are slapped in the face with the pressure to prebook everything only to be told to do it in person.   This is my first NCL cruise, and I am not looking forward to it now.  Too much hassle and too many errors with prebooking.  

I'm new to NCL and was looking over the shore excursions.  I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on the selfie tours in the Caribbean.  I'm not into the selfie thing, but they seem to make a lot of interesting stops in places I have never visited.  They seem to cover a lot more sites and territory than other tours.  It seems like a great way to get a taste of a port stop.  Thanks.

16 hours ago, Vagabond Knight said:

We usually cruise on Celebrity, but are considering trying Norwegian.  Are you saying that you need to make reservations to attend the shows on Norwegian???

Really appreciate your question because I have been wondering the same thing.  I've only been on Celebrity, but I recently booked my first NCL cruise because I found a great deal.  We always went to the shows on Celebrity with no issues getting seats.  I'm on the Getaway in May and will post a review and include the show experience.

Thanks to the original poster of the topic.  Without that post I would not have known about the discount.  I spent a fair bit of time on the phone this morning trying to get the discount, and I am happy to say I succeeded.  I booked and paid in full with an online warehouse place in January for a cruise coming up in May. Today I started by successfully going through the IDMe process, and the military status showed up instantly on my NCL account.  I was concerned that I would not be eligible for the discount because I paid in full already, but figured I would give it a shot.  I contacted NCL, and the rep was kind and helpful.  She put me on hold and contacted a supervisor.  She said I would need to contact the online group I booked with for a "reprice".  She acknowledged that I had already paid in full, but said they could still do the reprice.  I called them, they called NCL, and told me it was too late because I had paid in full even though final payment was not yet due.  Not happy that they were not able to get the same information from NCL that I did, I again contacted NCL.  The rep was just as kind and helpful.  After a long wait on hold, I was put in contact with someone from the resolution department.  They said I would need to contact the online group again and have them contact the resolution department.  I did, and woo hoo! They gave me about 8% back in the form of a credit card refund.  I questioned the amount because it was odd and the online group said it was NCL that authorized the amount and that they do not know what formula was used.  They were not as helpful as NCL and seemed upset when I questioned the amount.  The difference was nominal and more than I had in my pocket this morning so I'm taking it as a win.  I hope this helps, and have to say that it was time consuming but the reps at NCL were very helpful and stuck with me to get the discount.  

Thanks.  I finally got someone to pick up at Celebrity, and he gave me the same info you did.  You did it better because he kept getting bogged down in "final payment day".  

Funny you mention testing positive because he hung up on me when I said I was refusing to book until testing goes away. My question about the refund was because I refuse to cruise until testing goes away.  I did find an online travel agency familiar to most that offers a shopping card equal to the amount of the fee for a refundable deposit so that may be the direction I go.  BTW, it was only $500 not $720.  Have a great day.

I am considering a holiday cruise in December, but I am confused about the deposit.  I go through the online booking process, and get an option to pay an extra $720 for a refundable deposit.  When I click cancelation fees it shows 25%+++ fees if I cancel 90 days... out.  Is the $720 giving me flexibility to cancel up to 48hrs and the 90 day rule still applies if I don't pay the extra.  I wish it was clearly stated that the deposit is non-refundable if I opt out of the $720, but it simply leads to the 90 day info. Thanks.

On 10/26/2021 at 6:43 PM, bella c said:

We are booked on Antarctica Jan. 19, 2022 on Ponant with Tauck.  I have read the information and requirements on COVID issues but have a great many concerns .  The  tour has us flying into Buenos Ares.  As far as today it is not really open.  Museums and other tourist attractions are closed and getting around by public transportation is limited.

Flying into BA makes us go through an international airport with hundreds of people, some locals who may or may not be vaccinated.  Then back to the airport to fly to Ushuaia.  Ushuaia is not considered safe by other Cruise lines .  Hurtigruten and Crystal will not depart from there,  They are using Punta Arenas.  They are also avoiding airport exposure by chartering their own plane from Miami.   Then onto PA

You can test all you want but if a person is exposed it may not show up for 4 days in which case many, many people will be effected.   Then if the ship leaves and someone is testing positive they will be confined to stateroom along with mate and or friends who they dine with. Going to the far end of the earth and not being able to experiences it seems illogical  If anyone gets very very sick from COVID there is no way to get them off the ship to a hospital or clinic.  What if any procedures are in place if someone is very sick.  Do they have the meds on board to properly deal with Covid complications   

I know the Antarctica season has not started and glitches may surface with all Lines

Would it not be wise to see how the first ships make out before committing  to Air arrangements, land arrangements etc.  As I said before these are questions that should be addressed in some form now, not after the fact.

I agree with you.  I canceled my Jan 2022 trip just before final payment in September.  Things are still changing daily, and just because operations are planned does not mean they will happen.  Sadly your questions can not be answered definitively because no one can know for sure what will come up. We've seen this with other cruises that have resumed. 

I am healthy, vaccinated, and not faint of heart.  My main concern is testing positive or being near someone who does.  I can't stand the thought of being confined to my room because someone else I shared a meal with tests positive or someone I don't know being confined because of me.  Or my spouse testing positive with the same outcome.  The worst consideration is of course getting sick.  This is not an inexpensive trip, and missing out on anything would be unacceptable.  While tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone, I am betting on future possibilities and things stabilizing.  My heart goes out to those wanting to see the eclipse and facing this choice, but for me it is not a now or never trip but one of many trips I plan on taking if and when things change.  It is clear based on the posts here that some are willing to take the risk, and I really do hope that things go well.  I also hope that when they return they are willing to post and be honest about their experiences.  

I've been following this thread with interest because I was booked for Jan 2022 with Scenic.  I was going Jan 2021, but bumped to 2022 thinking that was so far away it would be fine. DOH!  As final payment of $40k came into view next week, I opted to cancel for a FTC because I do not think it will happen or want to deal with testing and masks if it does.  Not for nearly $75k (trip +airfare).  I am disgusted that I can not get back the $11k deposit, but that is another story.  Please keep posting on your experiences and thoughts.  It is all so surreal.  

22 hours ago, notamermaid said:

A thought on coaches. There are too many of those at busy ports already and locals quite rightly have complained about noise and pollution.  Even more coaches could be a logistical problem, also as most regional coaches will be tied up otherwise. It could result in more vehicles on the relevant roads rather than a redistribution of already existing coaches. Not a good thought, especially with more ships this year and next.

 

There could be longer walking distances when coaches are relegated to coach parks further away.

 

A row of coaches lined up along the river bank is just not possible in some places (and not a nice thing to look at either).Quick loading and unloading with stressed out guides from slow walkers? Hmm...

 

Even more coaches going up the hill towards Marksburg castle? Hopefully not.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

I agree completely.  This was our first European river cruise.  We did a couple smaller ones in India and Egypt.  In Europe we were extremely disappointed by the number of coaches we were put on. One of our first stops in Cologne we were on the opposite side of the city center, and it took ages just to load and get a very short distance.  When I booked, I naively had images of strolling on and off the boat.  We did that in several stops during our 25 days, but not as many as I had hoped.  There were many things I loved about the river boat experience, but I didn't feel it was the best way to truly see a location. We reflect on it as a taster.  Based on that experience, I arranged a 30 day trip to northern Italy this year. I had us moving around by train every 3-4 days starting in Venice and ending in Rome.  We were supposed to leave 7 May. So much for that. Luckily I was able to easily cancel everything.

The set dinner sounds like a nightmare. We loved meeting new people and having dinner with them to actually get to know one another.  As for Uniworld's tours, the limit on capacity is alarming to me. We were disgusted by the competition to get on certain tours last year during are 25 day journey from AMS to BUC. After the discussion of the tours in the lounge, there was a mad rush to get in line to sign up because spaces were limited.  This was such a surprise and disappointment because there was no mention of limits to anything other than Masterpiece tours in the cruise literature.  A coach typically fit 40-50 people, and they were very reluctant to pay the price for an additional coach for popular tours.  Limiting the number of people on the coaches will force them to either add more coaches at a cost they are likely unwilling to pay, or severely limit the number of people on each tour.  

Thanks for the update, but I am so sorry. It’s so disappointing because they have such wonderful itineraries, but I feel they can’t be counted on. I enjoyed them immensely in India because everyone was allowed to do anything offered without restrictions, but they have a different and inconsistent operation in Europe that doesn’t work for me.

11 hours ago, wanderingoz said:

Hmmm.. that will make us think twice about it as well.  While I'm sure the castle is spectacular I doubt it will be the last castle we get to see on the trip.

I wonder what the minimum numbers would be?  Many minivans are 8 seaters and quite common for tours of that length.

Steve

The minimum on ours was 25, and only 8 signed up.  Not sure which direction you are going, but for us this was the last day before flying unless you extended on your own.  We were certainly "cooked", and couldn't face a long coach ride.  We did the Dictator's home which was over the top extravagant, and the MC people's palace.  Palace has interesting history, and was beautiful inside.  It lacked a bit of wow factor when compared to other things we visited which is saying a lot, but well worth a couple hours and few euros to see. 

We really loved Bucharest.  Easy to city to walk, fantastic local food in old town, great restaurants in the hotel, and ridiculously good craft beer.  Safe city, but we were told to beware of pick pocketers.  Not unusual.

1 hour ago, Mimosa09 said:

To wanderingoz (Steve),

  After reading that you already got your documents, we called our travel agent asking about ours. We should be getting them Saturday or Tuesday (Monday is a holiday in the States).  That should really get us going on our packing. 

   And we too, are interested in the Peles Castle tour. Hope we can sign up for it when we get to Bucharest. We couldn’t see any other way to sign up for it until we got there. 

  So 31 more days!

- Rose

I was interested in it as well, but decided against it when I found out about the driving time required. The drive out was about 2.5 hrs, and return 3.5 depending on traffic. They didn’t get the minimum to sign up, but offered to organize a private trip for the 8 interested at a slightly higher price. Not sure if anyone ended up going.

 I am guessing they won’t sign people up pre-cruise because they want everyone aware of the journey. I appreciate this because it avoids non-refundable prepayment issues.

It was a combination with the change in Budapest.  It was flawless for those of us staying onboard, and they even planned a day trip to two wineries.  It was fantastic.  We lost and gained around 100 people which was interesting.  We had a good group of 30+ that stayed on, and I think did a great job of integrating with the new passengers.

Yes, some were closed out. Having 2 CMs didn’t seem to impact things closing, but illustrated the inconsistency in the process. It seems totally up to them how things are booked, and my opinion is that there should be a fleet wide standard. It should also be made clear in pre-cruise literature that most excursions have minimum  and maximum slots.

Thanks Steve.  I will be happy to get in touch via email.  I do want to clarify that it was not the MC that filled up, but the general excursions.  MC can be booked prior to travel, but the others can not.  To Uniworld's credit, they did appear to do their best to make things right.  However, the race to sign up was definitely not in keeping with high end travel.

I just started following a thread here on CC from a person in France on Scenic.  I was over the moon to see that they are provided a full list of options at the beginning of the cruise and simply have to tic their choice, and there is no mention of limits. As it should be.

Just off Uniworld Amsterdam to Bucharest.  Prior to departure I was concerned about the Masterpiece options filling up, and little did I know there was a risk of the listed options also filling up.  I certainly don't mean to cause you concern, but pass on the information because it was what I would have wanted.  We had two cruise managers (CM) on board as the first departed mid-cruise.  Both had different ways of booking what I am calling listed excursions like do as the locals or bike tours.  The first had a meeting day two to book the days 3-9, and a second meeting to book 10-15.  We were not "allowed" to book up to day 15 on day 2.  I was very concerned about excursions filling up that I booked specifically to see, and I told the CM that we would have a problem if the day 12 excursion was unavailable.  At the end of each of the two meetings there was a mad dash to sign up.  Not at all dignified, and not acceptable to me based on the price and expected level of service.  Imagine having a mobility issue and not being able to get to the front of the line.  Horrible.  The second CM held a meeting and opened up booking for the rest of the cruise.  Again there was a dash, but not as much because there were more slots in each option.  As a note, others said that on previous Uniworld cruises they had to book every single night for the next day. Outrageous in my opinion.

In the end most people got their first choice which added a bit of frustration for creating a negative situation.  I hated looking at the faces of friends I had made at the back of the line knowing I may have taken the last spot.  We all paid the same and should have the same options because there is no mention whatsoever of limits placed on the listed excursions in the brochure.

I have traveled extensively but this was my first full river cruise, and I will be looking into other options that do not have the same issue with limits and inconsistency in the booking process.  It is up to the CM how things are done on board, and I am a traveler that likes to plan and know I am getting what I signed up and paid for.  I am most interested in Scenic because I traveled through Egypt and Jordan with them and there were no limits on any of the options.  Not sure if the same goes for their river cruises, but I will be looking into them. 

I did receive an email that didn’t address my questions so I called again. This agent was nearly as rude as the first, but clarified that the Weikersheim Slow Food Academy excursion out of Wurzburg is not sold out but is no longer being offered. 

He also said the same as mentioned above that with the exception of Bucharest all other MC excursions can be booked in advance. 

I’ve decided to wait to board to book and accept missing out. I’m just praying that things smooth out onboard. We enjoyed Uniworld in India, but this experience will determine our future choices. 

djett, thanks for the information.  That is one of the days that I really want clarification on because my schedule says Pele's is in the AM and the People's Palace is in the PM.  I didn't see how that was possible based on the distance.

As for pre booking Masterpiece options, here is what is on the website in the day to day itinerary:

*Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences can be added to a booking up to 48 hours prior to the cruise/tour start date–if the booking window is missed, guests can book onboard (space permitting) and pay in Euros. Pre-booked Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are refundable up to 48 hours prior to the cruise/tour start date–if inside of 48 hours they are non-refundable. Select Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences require a minimum number of participants and are subject to cancellation (with full refund) if minimum is not met. Gratuities are included. Masterpiece Collection Optional Experiences are non-commissionable. Prices are subject to change.

Based on this, I wanted more information to book things I am certain I want to do.  There is nothing, however, that gives them the right to sell out prior to the start date.  One of the things that appealed to me about Uniworld was the general all-inclusive nature of the excursions and the belief that booking optional tours would be pretty easy based on what I have read here on CC.   This confusion is just unnecessary, and they should be able to easily clarify.  I received a standard email response that I should expect an actual response to my question in 5-10 days which is ridiculous.  I am going to call Monday to allow staff to return from the holiday.

Thanks again for all the support.

Thanks so much. I’m on the Ultimate European Journey from Amsterdam to Bucharest. I’m happy to hear they do well with the coordination. I’m glad I am not alone in being put off by the tour being booked. I’ve taken several land tours, and can see the similarities in having a port talk and having a discussion on upcoming tours. So much more information is provided when compared to brochures. I understand needing a minimum to carry out the tours, but nearly blind booking bothers me. I sent an email asking for clarification, and hope they shed some light on my concerns.

Also, we too are unable to book Pele’s in advance. That whole day is unclear. They have Ceauscescu’s Palace as an AM included option, and Pele’s as a Masterpiece AM option and the People’s Palace as a PM Masterpiece option. The odd thing is that based on a google search People’s and Ceauscescu’s are the same. It is large and could be different tours, but there’s no additional information.

 I really appreciate the responses. I’m not stressing, but want to get it right. I did a three week self drive tour around Spain last year, and I’m just looking to make this one easier by leaving the planning to them. 

I asked a previous question about Masterpiece collection excursions, and I am back again trying to get clarification.  I received my documents for my 28 July trip, and I was left with lingering questions about the AM/PM options because some seem to overlap.  I called for clarification, and was told one excursion was already sold out.  I protested because it is clearly stated that these can be booked up to 48 hours prior to departure, and that the space permitting limitations only apply once onboard.  I was rudely told sorry, and to "try" once onboard.  Not acceptable to me.  I was floored when they had no information for the last and busiest day with multiple Masterpiece options are listed.  I was told that day will obviously be handled onboard.  

Now for my question.  I want to know if I can reasonably count on being able to do excursions listed as AM and PM.  The times seem to overlap in the descriptions, and I am very hesitant to book an optional Masterpiece excursion that can't be cancelled if it conflicts with another excursion.

Also, I have read here in CC that Masterpiece options don't usually sell out so I was floored by this one being sold out well in advance.  Please let me know your experiences.  This is my first European river cruise, and I am used to timetables available on ocean cruises.  I did a river cruise with Uniworld in India, but that was different because there were so few excursions.

Thanks in advance.