pcakes122

I am not a techno geek and I mostly or probably totally have no idea what you're talking about (lol) BUT I do regularly use NordVPN on the ships if that helps.

I am honestly curious about something I've read on this thread and other "gift" threads but I think probably only @chengkp75may be able to answer since he worked on NCL ships. I see people saying that crew members have asked passengers to get/bring them toothpaste or feminine products, etc. My sister and brother-in-law worked on NCL ships for many years, but it has been some time since then. When they were onboard, there were crew shops that had very reasonable prices for these types of necessities (including lots of snacks.) Has NCL done away with that in recent years?

Yes, this. And if you have Sapphire, Ruby or Elite status with the casino, you will not be charged any fees (if not, you will be charged 3% which basically negates any benefit.) But, for example, if you are looking to build points on an airline credit card or get 3X points on an NCL credit card (which can be used for OBC or upgrades), you can withdraw money at the slot machine, let it post to your folio (and credit card bill where it will reflect as a purchase - not a cash advance) and just take that cash home and pay off the bill in total. "Free" points/money. 👍🏻 I realized a while ago that I was being dopey by using my casino winnings to recycle in the slot machines during the cruise. Now I just put my winnings in the safe and keep withdrawing against my cabin daily to play. My bill is usually at LEAST $10K (strictly from casino withdrawals - I'm Ruby level so I don't pay fees and as a perk of my play the casino picks up any other incidental charges.) A $10K bill on my NCL card (which I pay in full immediately upon returning home) equates to $300 FREE REFUNDABLE OBC for my next cruise. 😁

As others have shared, that's not correct - but you may be thinking about the solo upgrade fee perk? (Ruby and Elite solo cruisers do not pay double to upgrade, all others do.)

Another note for those who enjoy the "net benefits" including NCL (and other) credit card rewards. When you charge money against your cabin folio to gamble, nobody monitors or cares whether you actually gamble with it. So there's also that. 😉

If you've ever actually held one and used one, it's clearly not a cell phone. I also used it on the NCL Gem (many times, but most recently this past December) and on the Joy two months ago in May. I have used it on the Bliss as well. Here's a photo of the phone on the Joy. It's very similar to this Cisco portable handset that goes with the cabin phone system.

Yes, this is a regular thing on embarkation day.

This can't be correct because I have been on 8 NCL ships in Haven/Suites and have always had the portable "house" phone (Someone earlier referred to it as a cell phone, but it's not a cell phone - it's just a hand-held house phone.) And you can use it to call anywhere on the ship at any time (just like your cabin phone.) It's a portable extension of your cabin phone. PS It actually even works off the ship if you are close to the ship. I've used it outside from the pier to communicate with my butler at times.

I don't know if your little ^^^^ indicates that this was directed at me, but I've never posted anywhere on these forums that I thought NCL employees were my "new best friends" (or even that I wanted them to be.) What I posted was a snippet from an online conversation with a former butler who shared that he was concerned he would have no income because no passengers seemed to want to utilize his services during that particular cruise. I posted it strictly as a point to encourage people to use their butlers and not be afraid to "bother" them. It seems some other people saw that and felt the need to point out that this butler (who referred to me in the message as "his favorite") could really care less about me and was only interested in my money. Others chimed in with assumptions that I had given the butler my personal phone number (I didn't), some assumed that I was the one that had asked the butler if we could keep in touch (I wasn't) and I guess they also assumed that I actually believed that I was that butler's "favorite" passenger (I don't lol.) However, you seem to be very invested (by the number and length of your posts on the topic) in making sure that I don't think for a second that anybody I've met on a cruise actually cares about me or remembers me (not that you would have any way of actually knowing this lol.) I'm not sure what your motivation is there, but you might want to self-reflect about why you feel the need to do that to strangers on the internet.

Please let's get back on topic! I don't deserve all this attention, really. I'm not that fascinating. I'm out of this thread - carry on! 😊

OK, well then just sit back and enjoy and don't feel compelled to jump in every single time I say something or I will just have to hit the Ignore button on you. 🙃 Your commentary on my post has derailed this thread. Let's get back to other folks sharing what their controversial options are! 😊

You're welcome! 😂 I have also found this very entertaining lately but I'm getting kind of bored so I might check out soon and go back to my normal lurk mode. 😉

🤣 You don't know me at all. I have an extremely hectic and stressful job where I deal with lots of people and chaos. My idea of a vacation is to go on full stop. (Not that I owe you an explanation .) Obviously yours isn't, but to each its own. Frankly, I don't care what you do on vacation and you probably shouldn't care what I do either. (I've noticed you have alot of feedback on my posts lately. Maybe try and ignore me or better yet block me so I dont rile you up. 👍🏻)

Nobody says you have to stay in the Haven, relax. LOL You commented that I said people "hate" the Haven and I never said that so I just wanted to clarify.

You probably should read this thread more carefully. The question was what do you love TO DO that others don't? There are several people on this thread who have already posted they don't love TO DO the Haven. I know, words are tricky. 😉

What can you not stand that everyone else raves about? --The buffet (Have not even passed through it the past 10-15 cruises) --Bars and drinking (except for the very occasional Pina Colada, Mudslide or Lemon Drop Martini.) --The pool deck --"Caribbean" music --Trivia and other cruise game shows --The majority of theatre shows (rarely go anymore) --Any kind of attraction that is better left on land (IMO) such as racing cars, rock climbing walls, roller-coaster slides, laser tag, ice skating rinks, etc.) --"Art" galleries / sales -- Overpriced onboard jewelry stores What do you love to do that everyone else doesn’t? --The Haven --Quiet time on the balcony or on an empty part of the deck. --Butler service --Being pampered --Staying onboard on port days --Massages --Reading or doing needlework on the balcony --Binge-watching my fave TV shows eating popcorn the butler brought --Going to bed early & waking up in time to watch the sunrise.

Also, if you contact the NCL Access Department a regular (small) refrigerator can also be supplied. The "mini-fridge" that is standard in the cabins is not actually a refrigerator that cools to a certain temperature if you need to refrigerate meds. The unit that the Access Department will supply is the "real thing."

I totally agree that some people are overthinking this! I also agree with your assessment that it is cultural. I don't consider that someone asking to be my FB "friend" is asking to be my "real life" friend or has expectations of daily, monthly (or even ANY) chit chats about weekend plans, etc LOL I think that folks who don't use social media a lot may misinterpret this. Social media networks and real life friendships and relationships are COMPLETELY different things. Maybe folks were confused because I posted an excerpt from a chat with an NCL butler. He used terms of endearment like "my favorite", etc. which -- depending upon your culture -- could be misconstrued. I took that the same way I take it when my nail manicurist calls me honey, dear and her favorite customer.I don't think that I am her honey or her favorite customer. LOL It's just that in her culture, it's a way to be nice and pleasant. I do kind of feel sad for all of those who automatically assume that the only reason butlers or others in the service industry are nice to guests is that they are looking for tips. Not only is it a cynical view, but it overlooks the fact that most people working on a cruise ship are separated from their families and don't always get the opportunity to call/video home as much as they would like. So while I am sure that there are some who are motivated by money, others are just human beings that truly enjoy having the opportunity to connect with others. None of us knows anybody's true motives, on land or on sea. But that doesn't change how I interact with people because other people's motives are on them, not me. 🙂

This is exactly how I have my FB accounts set up! I have an account that is strictly for my "cruise" people. While I am not really a big FB user anymore, the types of things I would share on my "real" account are not the kind of things I would share with people I've met on cruises. I think it's a stretch to say that keeping in touch with someone you've met on a cruise equates to believing you have found a "good friend." People connect because of common interests. My "cruise" people (even NCL employees I've stayed in touch with) and I have a common interest in either cruising or gambling -- and we've clearly had a great time doing one or both together! That said, we keep in touch and coordinate schedules to hopefully one day cross paths again one day. It doesn't require us to know much more about each other then that and I don't know that it makes us "good friends" or that either party would even want or expect that. Try and think of it like Cruise Critic. We're all here because we like cruising (or talking about cruising lol.) We're not "good friends" and, while some people may have a few other common interests, the chances of discovering that on this board are slim. But it's still fun to connect and chat about our one common interest. Same with folks I stay in touch with on my "cruise" FB profile. Main topic of chats with NCL employees are new ship updates (they ask ME because we know more than them most of the time lol), upcoming schedules (particularly entertainers I like), etc. No one has asked me for any money (yet lol.) Anyway, I guess I'm just confused as to why this is so hard to understand. If you are concerned that I am sharing daily details of my personal life with NCL butlers under the misguided impression that they are my new best friends (who really only pretend to like me because I have money), you can relax. It's just not that deep. 😉

However you spell it, I have plenty to keep slot machines and butlers happy for a long, long time & have fun doing it! 😂

But I love $haring the wealth - I probably get more out of it then they do (and they certainly need it more than me!) I've been blessed, but I can't take it with me when I go so might as well $pread it around! 🤷‍♀️😊

I've never shared my phone number with an NCL employee (messages posted above are from FB.) One thing you may not have considered is that there are people who do actually keep in touch with folks they have met onboard between cruises - including NCL employees. It really depends upon how much you've interacted or bonded with someone during your cruise if they ask you for your social media info. I have no trouble sharing my FB info with an NCL employee who has asked (I've never had anyone ask me for my personal phone number, nor would I provide it.) Most of the people I keep in touch with on FB from cruises are folks that I have met in the casino. We check in with each other periodically to compare or coordinate cruise schedules. But I've definitely had NCL concierges and butlers ask me for my FB info and it's fun when you reconnect on future cruises. So I agree that most employees probably don't remember random cruisers, but those who've asked to keep in touch with you definitely remember you!

My number? I'm not following?

I encourage people to 1000% use their butlers for every service they want and expect their vacation (that they paid for) to be. It's NCL's responsibility to hire and pay for adequate resources to deliver full services to everyone from whom they have collected Haven fares (promising personalized butler service.) Settling for less than what you have paid for doesn't help the butlers. It helps NCL's bottom line and even if you are a shareholder you are not breaking even by doing that. Also, butlers WANT you to utilize their services. They want the opportunity to earn $$ by responding to your requests. Here is a screenshot of a message I received from my Haven butler after I got home from my May cruise (and, by the way if you search my post history, you will see that I'm probably one of the highest maintenance passengers the Haven has seen lol)

I haven't, actually! I am used to the ribbing, I get it from my real-life friends all the time! 😂 I am single and I have had a housekeeper and laundry service since I moved out of my parents house when I was 21. And that was a looooong time ago! I have friends that would never *think* of allowing someone else to clean their house or do their laundry, but I have no issues with that and I pay/tip very, very well. I work hard and am blessed to earn a great living. I have rheumatoid arthritis and so my energy is limited. I choose to use the energy I do have to have fun and not to clean house or do laundry and I have zero guilt about that. I only go on vacations where I can be pampered (again, I work hard!) and I enjoy every minute of it. I understand that is not everybody's thing, but it's mine. Like I said in an earlier post, some people like to party on vacation and drink and overindulge in other ways. Not my thing, but all power to them! You only live one life, do what makes you happy! (Oh, and live & let live! 😉)