Tango99

5 hours ago, JoyMBee said:

Hi everyone, I know this is a popular topic on here.  We will be in Europe for 12 days in Oct. I've been doing some research and I'm thinking that I won't buy any sim card or data.  We will use Whats App or Messenger to stay in touch with family at home, we will be together so won't be calling each other.  We are on a river cruise so will be partaking in their tours/excursions.  There is wifi on the ship and hotels.   Staying two nights before the cruise and one night after.  We will need transportation to the airport but I have heard from others that the hotel will call you a taxi.  I think it is $15 a day to add it to my current cell phone plan.  So am I missing anything?  Any reason I need a cell phone or data?

 Check what services you already have on your phone. Sounds like you have data already if you are already using What’s App and Messenger on board and in hotels. But check anyway. When you board the airplane turn your phone to airplane mode to avoid inadvertent calls once you reach Europe. (Airplane mode prevents your cell service provider from tracking you using wherever you are on the planet. It’s also essential to use that while on board ship.  Only turn off Airplane mode when you really need to call home. It might cost you just 15-16$ a day but that includes your regular data (assuming you have it already). Keep in mind that daily Roam like home (or whatever the daily out of country rate plan is called)  starts and ends in the time zone you’re in. So you might need to leave your phone on for a while longer if you’re waiting for family to get gone from work. There’s a 6-7 hour time difference minimum depending on where your home is and it could be 9-10. Best to leave airplane mode on if you get stuck anywhere and then you can snag wifi close by (hotel, coffee shop, restaurant, bar, etc…ask for their password) and use to wifi call or email or messenger whoever you need to pick you up and the landmark and/or intersection where you are. Or just ask the hotel to call a cab. Enjoy your cruise. A.

17 hours ago, mattR said:

Have always booked my cruises directly with the cruise line but I head people seem to get better deals going through a TA lots of times.  How do I find a good Canadian TA?  

I haven’t. Going to the cruise line direct I found I had an immediate point of contact for assistance with price drops, anything newsworthy that needed attention like their cancellation, changes in ports, etc. I’d much rather check out my own options than through a consolidator or a group or TA that might offer some deals….knowing the scope is limited to their own best interests. And that may include better offers to some, but not all in their quest to garner loyalty. That does come at a cost to one of bookings. 

If you’re heading to US ports and need cell service to call anyone who isn’t on WA, your cellular provider will have daily rates for US around 12-14/day that’s charged only if you use it. So keep your phone in airplane mode when in port in the US or you’ll incur charges if, for example your furnace people call you to schedule annual cleaning, or the Diabetes association wants donations, or your dentist calls you to change an appointment months away….etc. Enjoy! 

20 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

Read the cruise contract, (they are all the same in this respect), it is a passenger's responsibility to determine and obtain whatever documentation is necessary. Failing which boarding may be denied without compensation.

 

Staying aboard in a port doesn't negate the need to have a visa if required for entry into the country.

You’re right. Mea culpa! Just have to look at Vancouver for evidence of that. But in the case of the OP the rules that come into effect October 1 were only announced this week. To their credit the OP is doing whatever they can for the requirements to be met. The cruise line could offer some sort of reprieve…like you said in some words, the Canadian contingent is comparatively small …in which case compensation might be minor. And I’m sure that the cruise line wouldn’t be affected by Egypt doing anything bigger in retaliation….. here’s hoping that those affected are all able to get things sorted.  And that they’re all aware of what is now required. 

3 hours ago, broberts said:

 

Out of 2,000 - 3,000 passengers I would not expect the Canadian contingent to be more than a few dozen. While a cruise line may be willing to exert some effort, ultimately it's a very small problem in their universe.

I just arrived at this thread. While I would normally agree that it’s a small problem for the cruise line, it could be catastrophic for any Canadians travelling without essential documents. Especially as they’d be considered foreign nationals in a country where documentation and approvals are now being demanded in retaliation for some real or imagined political misdemeanour. The authorities are not exactly the same as we’d know of at home. There are times when I’ve travelled to some iffy countries in the Middle East and Asia, alone and on business and have had no issues. It’s pretty telling that the Embassy here isn’t replying calls or messages. It would be hoped that they would be busy trying to find a way to offer assurances to the few cruisers caught up in the political dilemma ….  In this case, I wouldn’t even want to get off the ship in Egypt, in case I couldn’t get back on. But I would plan to cruise to all the other countries destinations unless Azamara won’t let me on…then I’m guessing it might on their dime. 

2 hours ago, gold1953 said:

Have any fellow Canucks figured out the best way to fly for  Tampa cruise departure? I am in Halifax and very complicated and expensive. We usually sail Celebrity and there is a good TA going from there in March

You might want to check out the very few direct flights from Halifax via Ottawa to Tampa. Unless you can get to Tampa direct from Halifax by then. Most airline flight schedules change at least every 3 months. They’re synced but far from what we had. Have you thought of a layover in Philadelphia or Newark? You’d have to book a couple of days out anyway as the weather is still not predictable at end of March. If you’re able to do an overnite and add a booking you may still be ahead. Love TAs. They’re worth the extra $ for one way. Or you could even look at a “multi city” option to get you to Tampa and back to Halifax from wherever in Europe you want to leave from. Yes. It’s a lot of planning. I like to have bookings done but I wait till around the 3 month mark as new routes are opening up all the time. Sometimes planning is part of the fun. You can find flights on Expedia and make notes of the flight details and play with that closer to time with the airline sites. Make lots of notes. You can save $$$ and/or at least Mel informed decisions. 

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

I see  non stops to /from FLL  in Dec    but later  in the afternoon

 depends on your dates

 

Beats  AA 😉

 

Thank you for checking and sharing. If I remember correctly, the “to” works because we like to have 2-3 days safety net to get there. The “from” schedule would mean a 1-2 night stay at the end. That’s the frustration of our capital city - still with only one or two direct flights to FLL a week. And nothing to MIA. Fingers crossed in a week this might change and I’ll be jumping on it! 😎

We haven’t booked ours yet for December. Still looking for direct flights. Anything to avoid YYZ. The schedules might improve in September. 

19 hours ago, bortman23 said:

 

Thanks! I'm aware, i've used their wifi for work before, and it got the job done, I don't need anything too high quality 😉

Gotcha! 

6 hours ago, bortman23 said:

Thanks for all who responded. I was mainly asking of times when I'm not in port. Basically I'm debating whether or not I'm going to pay for the unlimited wifi (I'm on NCL so I have the 150min).

 

Our ship leaves on a Wed from Quebec City, with two sea days during the week, where I'll need to be connected for work. I have a great roaming plan that gives me a huge amount of roaming coverage in Canada and the USA. I guess the real question is how far coverage usually extends off shore in Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

 

Thanks for sharing all the coverage maps, seems like I might have to bite the bullet and buy the package even though I only need it for a couple days...

 

TY!

Unlimited wifi is only going to cover you for excess minutes. It’s not a guarantee of quality or uninterrupted or hi speed service for work. Chances are your days at sea are the days that (not quite) everyone else is on line catching up. Your at home roaming plan is not a guarantee. I live in Ottawa and my home cell tower is in Quebec. Other times I’ve been in Cornwall and picking up signals and roaming on the US side of the St Lawrence river.  That was Bell and Telus. I don’t want to be a downer but I’m thinking you might best upgrade to top tier service if there is one….or take a couple of days off an enjoy yourself. Just my 2CW

3 hours ago, PatandStu said:

Checking flight prices for Nov cruise out of Miami. Nothing direct, so Montreal or Toronto. Prices are ridiculously high. Any suggestions on when to book for best price?  Think Fort Lauderdale flights are cheaper but still $700 pp plus seat selection & baggage. 
We have 2 elderly parents with us, one in a wheelchair so we cannot fly early am or have long layovers which reduces our options dramatically. 

FLL is definitely less $ and there are direct flights from Ottawa. I’ll start with the return. The advantage direct with elderly parents is the ease and short transit from the plane through customs on the return trip. Mind you direct flight days are limited. And yes Tuesday is less expensive but I don’t think there’s a direct that day. Make a note of what you see on line so you can look it up again.  Montreal has been a zoo and is improving. Toronto no fun at all. You definitely need to prebook wheelchair assistance both ways regardless of airport selection…. for both mum and dad. Even if they object. They will be pretty tired as it’s a long day if you plan to return same day from the cruise. And when you start your journey it’s nice if it’s easy.  On that note… always try to fly in a day or two early. It avoids snow delays and worries and enables getting acclimatized to the heat and sun. Well worth the extra days to relax before embarking if you can enjoy that.  We’re looking for pre Christmas. Hope you find a good option. 

3 hours ago, neeuqdrazil said:

You can also frequently find free wifi - airports and hotels generally have wifi available, and I think many ports do as well, which mean you don't need your phone data at all. 

That’s best way. 

6 hours ago, lakelivin2 said:

Will my Canadian phone and phone number work if I want to order an Uber ride to/from port?  Or do I have to purchase an American sim card?  Thanks!

You may not be able to connect even with a US daily rate plan if your phone is 3G.

Att and t mobile are not supporting 3G technology on cell service. So if you can set your cell service choice to another US cell phone carrier with LTE you may be okay. 5G phone no problem. 

6 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I heard of an american receive a 10% off promo code in the mail and wonder if any canadians received it. This may be too much to hope for on top of amex promo but just checking.

Might have been a Casinos at Sea offer. NCL do not issue promo codes. I know that Carnival do, but rarely.  Ive read quite a few times that in the US there is a way to buy a gift card at a discounted cost and the gift card can be applied to the cost of cruise fare and/or used for OBC once on board. One of the organizations I see most often that offers this occasionally is AARP. And you don’t have to be 60 to join. Though I looked into that for a Carnival cruise on the CARP site and couldn’t find it. I did find one on a broker type site called Raise that was recommended but the cost of the deal was to get 500 value for 450 …admin fees made up the other 50. A lot of it is smoke and mirrors. 

6 hours ago, JillK said:

I have also posted on the NCL board but thought I would try here as well....

 

Does anyone know if you have paid in a currency other than USD, if the prices in the Cruise Planner are locked in at the exchange rate at time of booking or if it is variable monthly depending on the prevailing rate? 

 

In the past when I booked a Royal cruise in CDN dollars, my cruise planner exchange rate was locked in at the rate at the time I booked. In that case it worked to my advantage as the Loonie lost a lot of ground between the time of booking and cruising so we were able to realize that savings. 

 

As it stands the exchange has slightly improved since booking and I'm curious if I should just look at buying any time between final payment and cruising (assuming the rate is locked in so it doesn't matter when I book) or waiting to see how the dollar performs if the rate is variable.

 

This is my first time booking with NCL in CDN dollars and I didn't write down prices in the planner I was seeing when I first booked so can't compare to be sure. 

 

Thanks! 

It’s been my experience that the only time our exchange is affected is for on board purchases…. the cost of those is shown in USD on the on line account.  We switched our NCL account to Canadian a long time ago. What you see when you set up your cruise and on your confirmation is what you pay for your fare, taxes, port fees, gratuities on the FAS etc. And OBC issued at the time of booking, and any FCC credits are issued at same value you originally paid (even though they could be up to a year old). Cruise Next are issued at the rate you buy them and last 3 years.  On board purchases are itemized in USD and converted to CDN for you to pay any balance. We always set up and prepay the service charge as it’s not worth the hassle of checking rates. NCL Montreal is where the banking is done so we pay an extra day or two before pay in full date to to be sure our payment reaches them. 

2 hours ago, Middleager said:

I got this on an Amex card.  My wife also got this on her Amex card (different type of Amex card).

 

It says not valid on bookings made through third party travel agents or travel sites, including Amex travel service.   But in the past, when buying through TAs, the charges still show up as payment to NCL.  So I wonder if paying through our TA for an upcoming Nov. cruise would qualify.  Or if it's only for booking direct with NCL, then we have to look at some future bookings.

 

==

Details

Spend at least $1,000 in qualifying purchases using your registered Card at www.ncl.com/ca/en/vacations by 19/08/2023 and earn a one-time $250 statement credit. Registration cap applies. Terms apply.

 

Offer Terms

Note: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, travel restrictions may apply. Please check the latest government advisories and Norwegian Cruise Line policies before booking.
Only the first 20,000 cards to be successfully registered are eligible for the offer. When you click on the applicable link, you will be redirected to the merchant website.
The registered Card account must be in good standing. Must first register your Card to the offer and use same Card to make qualifying purchase(s) by 19/08/2023. Date format is DD/MM/YYYY. A purchase made during the offer period prior to registration of your eligible Card in this program is not a qualifying purchase. Your registration of an eligible American Express Card for this offer extends only to qualifying purchases on that Card.

To be eligible for a $250 (CAD) statement credit, one single qualifying purchase or cumulative qualifying purchase(s) that total at least $1,000 (CAD) after taxes and applicable fees, must be charged to your registered Card online at www.ncl.com/ca/en/vacations during the offer period and subsequently posted to your account. In the case of a purchase made during the offer period, it may not qualify if the registered Card is charged by the merchant on a different date, and that date occurs after the offer ends.

Offer valid on cruise bookings made online at www.ncl.com/ca/en/vacations. Excludes onboard purchases, Norwegian gift cards, food and drink packages, travel insurance, shore excursions, and transportation to and from the ship. Not valid on bookings made through third party travel agents or travel sites, including American Express Travel Services. Purchases must be made through the Canadian version of the merchant’s website and in Canadian dollars to be eligible. Offer is non-transferable. You can earn a maximum of $250 (CAD) in statement credit/s per registered Card during the offer period.
Statement credit will be applied to your registered Card account within 90 days after 19/08/2023, provided that American Express receives information from the merchant about your qualifying purchase(s). American Express may not receive information about your qualifying purchase from the merchant until all items from your qualifying purchase have been provided/shipped by the merchant. Statement credit may be reversed if qualifying purchase(s) is returned/cancelled. If American Express does not receive information that identifies your transaction as qualifying for the offer, you will not receive the statement credit. Unless expressly stated otherwise in the offer, the following transactions are not qualifying purchases for this offer: purchasing a merchant’s goods through a third party, such as through concession stores in department stores, payment account or service of a third party, a card reader attached to a mobile phone, online aggregators that sell goods of other merchants or if the merchant category is otherwise not identified. A statement credit does not constitute a payment and does not satisfy the requirement to pay the minimum due on a credit card. The Basic/Primary Cardmember must continue to make separate payments of at least the minimum due in accordance with the Cardmember agreement and account statement applicable to their registered Card account.

In the event that you replace your registered Card through Amex Bank of Canada or other participating American Express card issuer (as applicable) during the offer period, your participation in this offer will end and you will need to re-register for this offer.
For full terms that apply to registering your Card in the program, see Program Terms.

Looks like lots of small print. Here’s my take after a quick glance. Your final payment date is some time in July/August so at 120 days to your cruise there’ll be no benefit on that one.  Looks like there’s $XX purchases to be made to qualify for the increments of 250.00.  The credits will be available on the statement 90 days after August 19 2023. They can only be used for on-line bookings at NCL.com. (Mind you, they do have an excellent chat line if you have questions about your new booking and may also refer you to an NCL PCC (personal cruise consultant). They are great but they may not be able to  help with questions if you were to need to change the new booking, etc.

22 hours ago, CGinMTL said:

Hello fellow Canadians,

Does transport Canada have  a passenger rights law for buses as they do for airlines ? I have looked but can find anything 

.

I am looking for info before I contact Greyhound.

.

Here is my story if you want more info 

.

Friday May 26th, my party of 6 ( plus another couple) 

Had booked the 11:30 pm  bus Montreal to Boston 

.

Greyhound forgot to schedule a driver and officially cancelled the bus at 12:30.

.

No effort was made to replace / reschedule that bus 

.

Officially, we were offered 

Vouchers and 15 % off our next trip 

The next bus was leaving at 8am and we would have arrived too late 

.

When we contact Greyhound, we will ask for a full refund ,( and get help from credit card if they push back )

.

But was wondering if we are entitled to some other form of compensation.

 

In the end, we rented a car and drove to Boston. 

Made it with 15 min to spare

( Cost for minivan was approx $450 cad . Will be are plan A in the future ).

.

The other couple got the last 2 plane tickets at a cost of $600 ea.

.

Thanks for any help you can provide 

 

That’s awful for you but happy you made it to your cruise on time. Hope you had a great time with everyone. As someone said rules are provincial as Greyhound is dropping off the map in other provinces. No harm in trying for compensation and make a formal claim for all out of pocket expenses through Greyhound and then the ministry in Quebec.  Though they’ll push you to travel insurance, maybe through your credit card. That may have a timeline for claims so take that into account as well. And there may need to be individual claims made for the cost of air as well. 

Preferred seats are 5-6 rows directly behind the first 10-11 rows. They’re roomier and can be separated by the half curtain or bulkhead. I don’t recommend those if you’ve mobility issues. But for the price you also have choices of beverage incl wine and beer, snack, and lunch which is not part of the economy fare. They’re really worth in on the shorter haul flights. Happy landings!

‘For now’, the new process applies only to Canada’s 4 ‘international’ airports ie: Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.  So from my Ottawa perspective, it’s not a convenience at all for anyone from the Maritimes, Manitoba, and a greater chunk of Ontario and Quebec who are currently routed through Montreal or Toronto, sometimes both…. And yay, in July Ottawa gets its first international flight, Air France, once a week. It’s a start I suppose…..

We use 3 cruise lines. All offered a competitive rate in Canadian compared to current exchange. Our last 2 cruises were at 1.35 and 1.37. We booked them in November 2022. The rates are reviewed periodically. When you’re contemplating setting your account to Canadian or US ask how easy it is to flip to the other. It can affect how you feel about a future booking you may make while you have one still active. Cruise lines closed quite a few loopholes during the pandemic as many switched to ‘new accounting system’. If you have free time try booking in CDN and in USD using a different ip address. You’ll be able to compare rates. Even with GBP if you’re there. 

Not sure about Fido, but there are some occasional glitches on board when using the ships network hub, in some phones that enable text messages from home to get through ….and replies don’t. There’s nothing reliable with Canadian service (and sometimes US service) while on board in a US port.  Go higher up on the ship, or hang around in the Internet cafe on board for best chances.  Any of the full on cell and data plans have a daily rate ~ 12 and 14 $Canadian and shares with local providers if you’re in another country, Same in the US if you don’t have a a can/Us plan. On your device you can go to network and the list of what’s available, usually in the most favoured order eg ATT and Verizon show up first, not in the same order. If one doesn’t work, switch it to another.  In the USVI its US rates. Other Caribbean I look for Digicell. Always keep your phone on airplane mode as you leave port. And follow the instructions if you buy ship wifi packages, and disconnect when you’re done your session.

1 hour ago, JillK said:

Thanks everyone. 

 

What you are all saying is exactly how I thought all the cruise lines worked.... which is why I was surprised by her assertion that my on board account would automatically be in CDN dollars at the exchange rate in effect the day I book the cruise (and is how any pre-purchases on myncl.com would function). 

 

I generally book in USD but even when I have booked in CDN, as others have said, it is always at my discretion if I want the cruise line to do the conversion for me to CDN using their fee/rate which I have never used.

 

This is not the first time that she has given me incorrect information so I'm not sure how reliable she is!

 

I'm hopeful that the exchange will improve at least a little bit between now and the fall so think I might gamble booking in US and hoping that I can save a few dollars down the road in exchange rather than locking in today's NCL rate (guessing around 1.33 since their daily gratuities are $26.61 pp in CDN 🤨).

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think it’s around 1.34.  Though my shareholder benefit was applied at 136.56. I find NCL rate better than my bank credit card so I’m okay with the cost in USD. We did have it switched to Canadian for a couple of cruises and went back to US. 

19 hours ago, Happytobeme2 said:

Has anyone had any experience with MEDOC travel insurance?  As a retired federal employee, the annual plan seems extremely reasonable. It piggybacks on our PSHCP coverage so I guess that keeps the premiums lower. 
 

I would appreciate any feedback on it before we purchase. 
 

Thanks!

Well worth the cost for the annual and the extended coverage. And now a trip back to Canadian soil after the first 40 days is no longer required so the coverage is seamless. 

On 1/24/2023 at 7:59 AM, lesters said:

There was a post specific to Pearson but it’s divulged into COVID status checks so I am trying a fresh post!

 

My daughter leaves for Ottawa on Friday via westjet for the weekend (not cruise related but asking) and we leave next Saturday for Orlando via Toronto for our cruise out of Miami. 
 

AirTags are in place and I am checking bags.  Just not manageable otherwise.  
 

Any recent experiences?  I haven’t heard or seen pictures of mass chaos lately so hoping things have improved!

 

 

 

We’re expecting snow again before Friday, and around -16 to -19C overnight. The warm weather may cause fog delays, and the snow… so far so good.  Flight Aware is a useful tool as it tracks not only where your plane is currently, but also shows where its flight path originated. Bon voyage. 

18 hours ago, bebe81 said:

Hi all,

I looked everywhere but wasn't able to find what I was looking for.

Here's just a bit of my situation:

We were flying out of YYZ on Dec. 23  to MIA but our flight got delayed twice and I called the hotel twice to let them know what was happening. By 9:30 pm our flight got cancelled. As soon as we got out of the plane as we were told to do this. I called the hotel as soon as we could and they charged me one day because it was considered a no-show. At what circumstances/situations should I get a refund? I talk to head office of IHG group and they basically said too bad so sad we have to charge you one night. Should I book a hotel through the cruise line from now on? I didn't do it this time because it was $500 CAD a night. 

Some guidance and insight for our next cruise!

Thanks!

If there’s any delay in flights ever caused by weather always contact your hotel directly and alert them before their no pay deadline. Most will extend it. You could call the hotel itself. Sometimes they can help. Another thing you can try is make a claim for the cost through your credit card company. Or trip interruption on your travel insurance. Or the airline itself. I gather you had to pay to sleep in Toronto. I’d definitely submit claim to the airline. It cost us 465.00 ovegnight at yyz when this happened to us last February and the storm wasn’t nearly as bad. We were compensated with 25% off flights. But at their posted rate. Crazy  🤣