sanger727

On 2/19/2024 at 2:12 PM, leaveitallbehind said:

First of all, as pointed out by myself and others (and as you indicate by 'free'), the NCL beverage packages are not free and have their cost buried in the base fare.  It's just effective marketing language.

 

To your other point, as one example, here is information as stated on (and copied from) the RCCL website:

 

For most sailings, beverage package gratuities of 18% are added at final checkout and not included in the initial cost. 

 

So NCL is not alone in this practice. 

all cruise lines charge a gratuity if you purchase the drink package. If you get the ‘free’ package; on celebrity and princess there is no additional charge. NCL is the only one I know of that adds the gratuity to a ‘free’ drink package.

Glad you made it. I’ve never had a major flight issue until we used american as part of a package. It was an all inclusive, but we were getting married on the trip and had to arrive 2 days ahead - which was the day we were supposed to fly our. American cancelled our flight and couldn’t get us there until the next day. Luckily, there was a delta flight we just barely made and we had travel insurance.

A twin bed is pretty uncomfortable for an adult used to a normal size bed. Also, the cabins are designed for the two beds so you won’t gain much extra room if it was removed. But generally, that is way too much to ask of your room steward. 

The only cruise line I’m aware of that charges gratuity on the ‘free’ drink package is NCL. So no, that’s not the norm. But it’s not optional. Feel confident that your tips are prepaid. Everyone charges a daily gratuity. Again, no tip above and beyond that is expected.

They are nothing alike

The vibe beach club has an extra charge and is capacity controlled. It is also an outdoor location, I believe with loungers and a bar

The solarium on Celebrity is free and not capacity controlled. It is also indoors. 

Do you have traditional or anytime dining? If you have anytime dining, you can certainly go up to the host stand and request a table for 1. And she can go up and request to sit at a shared table. 

If you choose FAS and the beverage package or dining package, NCL tacks on a fee for the gratuity. That's probably the biggest fee difference you are seeing between them and other lines. 

I frequently book cruises with discount websites. I have had good and bad experiences. the main downside is that until you get in touch with a TA you like to work with, you are randomly assigned one of their agents. They could be good or bad. The positive is they typically have a main number you call and if you have an urgent issue, any TA can deal with it if your TA is unavailable. Also, read the fine print, some of these agencies do charge booking fees and/or cancellation fees.

I will continue to use discount sites if I get a good price, but if the price is close to the cruise line's price then I just book direct.

I would also consider the sleeping arrangements in this. If two people are getting beds and one person is getting the couch. I would probably want to pay less if I got the couch. 

5 hours ago, rucruisn2 said:

I was not starting a tipping rant, I simply had a question.  If I always tipped X$'s and had my stateroom done twice a day, how does it compute that I am now getting the service once a day and still tipping what I did for twice a day?  

the cabin stewards never did a full clean twice a day. They did a full cleaning service in the morning or afternoon and then a turn down in the evening. So yes, they are performing somewhat less work for you. But certainly not half the work.

10 hours ago, MWarren3549 said:

Yes - that is true for the onboard venues.  I  have been part of very large groups many times and I'm heading out on another cruise on 1/20th.  We pay a large premium to have these venues closed and used for our group alone.  The Piano Barbarians close the Piano Bar throughout the cruise where it is only our group inside.  They are a great, rowdy bunch ... My tribe.  

I don't think anyone disagrees with the fact that large groups pay a premium. But it's unfair to the non-group cruiser to pay full price and then have normally open venues closed to them. They aren't benefiting from the group's premium prices. 

On 1/3/2024 at 7:00 AM, Mary229 said:

I gave it as an example, for heavens sake.  Any business can be born quickly and profitably.  You make my point that most people on these board don’t really know how business operates or is created.  I created my 30 year business overnight, I created my first website on a bet while talking to a friend in the phone.  Each of my integrated businesses were profitable in the very first year and that is the simplest way to pass the IRS sniff test and deduct this travel expense on this year’s taxes 

It's foolhardy to create a business without an idea, a business plan, or a funding plan. 90% of businesses fail in the first 3 years. And those that survive are typically not profitable for the first 3 years. That's a lot of money down the drain to potentially deduct a vacation expense. 

I always bring a refillable bottle. I drink a ton of water and hate wasting disposable bottles 

22 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

Huh?  Illegally prescribed? What is that?

Type, Meant legally prescribed. 

1 hour ago, cmaleblanc said:

 

I post something similar every time this question comes up, and it comes up often. I'm sorry OP your sister has to go through this, and I wish her the best. and this isn't specifically directed at you or your sister. But the number of people that responded to these questions advising people to "risk it" or "they've never seen it so it's ok" is astonishing. It doesn't matter what the FDA says or even the state/federal government has to say. You can not transport narcotics across international borders. even prescription drugs should be checked with any country you are traveling to, as a medication prescribed in the US could be illegal in other countries. 

 

This is an extremely broad and untrue statement. Plenty of "narcotics" are illegally prescribed and can be legally brought when you travel.

When you say online booking; do you complete your booking completely online or can you call someone. In this case I wouldn't complete the booking without talking to an agent. That should be an option. Then they will send you an invoice detailing what you have an don't have. 

This is the second thread about this recently. No, there is no reason to think they are overbooking cruises the way they overbook flights. Why would them having cabins available to book cause you to think they are oversold? 

27 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

Just because a drug is FDA approved, doesn't mean you can travel internationally with it. Places like UAE have very tough laws on importing pharmaceuticals, prescribed or not.

But that's not what was asked. OP wanted to know if her friend could bring her medication on board. Celebrity only prohibits marijuana and illegal drugs. 

1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:

Are you certain that the FDA Approved medications are allowed? Again, here is the policy

 

 

Yes. Marijuana is not a FDA approved medication. Therefore it never is allowed the same way a prescription is allowed. Drugs and only illegal substances specifically say "illegal" drugs, legally prescribed medications are not illegal drugs. If you get a refill at Walgreens, you have a legally prescribed medication. Last time I checked, Walgreens doesn't dispense Marijuana. 

On 12/30/2023 at 10:36 AM, Mary229 said:

I am a bit belligerent about encouraging people to start a business 😉

I don't think there any disagreement about deducting legitimate business expenses. 

The OP's question just came from the wrong place. Not, "I want to start a business doing X,Y, and Z". They want to figure out how to deduct their cruising expenses off their taxes in the hopes that someday they cruise lines will give them free cruises. That isn't how paid social media influencers start. 

22 hours ago, JudyD0114 said:

Adding to my last comment, I know the “patch” cannot prevent Noroviris. I was just wondering if one gets that virus, would the patch help alleviate the symptoms, at least somewhat? So I guess the answer is no. 😞
 

My next question to the general cruisecritic community….how likely is it that you will catch a virus that’s going around the ship? I know that hand sanitizer doesn’t kill the virus. The only thing that prevents Noroviris is washing your hands w/soap & warm/hot water. Besides washing your hands before touching anything near your face, (eating, rubbing your eyes, etc) & wearing a mask when in any kind of a crowd, what are your suggestions for staying well? I AM taking this cruise, so PLEASE don’t tell me to cancel. We are paying a fortune for this “trip of a lifetime” and want to do everything possible to stay well & enjoy every minute of it. THANK YOU. 

I've only caught a Norovirus like illness once and it was on an incredibly small boat - 12 cabins, in the Galapagos. It made its way through the entire ship, but we also ate every meal together and did every excusion together. I don't really worry about catching Noro on a cruise. 

I catch colds on cruises frequently. Anything that is airborne is pretty easy to catch if people are coughing around you.  Assuming you are up to date on vaccinations (flu, covid, etc) and not immune-compromised; it's not a huge deal. 

On 1/1/2024 at 12:25 AM, sherylc said:

Wow, they have always gotten it right and served hot? Our whole table actually finished our food while waiting for them to serve a steak to our 4th that was anywhere near mid-rare (first was well done and then just took forever for a replacement). Maybe the people around you are willing to spend thousands of dollars and then just accept whatever comes, regardless of quality.

On 1/1/2024 at 12:35 AM, ChiefMateJRK said:

You spend thousands of dollars for a cheapo MDR meal?

On our last NCL cruise, the food in the MDR was terrible. The specialty dining wasn't much better.

So yes, in the MDR we each ordered a soup/salad, appetizer, entree, and dessert - and we typically found enough that was edible to not send it back. If we were still hungry we just did a run by the buffet before they closed. When we went to Cagneys there was a woman complaining at the host stand that she had sent her steak back 3 times and it never came our right. Ours came out incorrectly cooked and poorly seasoned, but we didn't think we would get any thing better if we sent it back so just ate what we wanted and got a couple more sides. 

Something needs to be clarified here. Is this weed? Or is this a FDA approved prescription medication that uses cannabis based ingredients? Weed is not allowed even with a prescription. FDA approved medications are allowed. Does she get this capsule filled at Walgreens at the pharmacy counter or is it some no name brand "supplement".

On 12/31/2023 at 7:43 PM, llarsen said:

I do have a Verizon international plan that I have used when we have traveled to Italy. It's $10 for a 24/hr period (can't remember how much data) but it was enough for me to check in with my daughter at home and send some photos 🙂

Thanks!

Ok, so something to keep in mind. That plan ONLY works while you are connected to land cell towers. So you'll need to put your phone in airplane mode before the ship pulls out of port each day.

9 minutes ago, wahooker said:

Regarding your questions - She was in a room with one of her 17 year old brothers, directly adjacent to mine and my wife's room. All of us went to the same agent as a group at checkin. About the higher sensitivity because of current events, Why did they ask "Is she adopted?". We could have just as easily said no, and explained there was a previous marriage. We had no idea that telling the truth would put us under extra scrutiny - not that we would be inclined to lie in the first place.

 

exactly. My step sister had a child in a biracial relationship and they divorced. Her daughter is her daughter; not adopted. No reason to think it’s a sex trafficking situation.