Tips for a new cruiser (please dont yell at me :0)

[Kclovesken]

5 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

The three meals will be three specialty dining credits per person to use on the trip. When you use them at a flat-fee restaurant, like Teppanyakli, they cover the full cost of the meal. If you use them at an a la carte restaurant, you get unlimited apps, sides and desserts, and one entree.

Perfect. Thank you so much for clearing that up :0)

[julig22]

Beach tote if you are going somewhere with a beach or you have an excursion involving snorkeling- cruise ship will provide towel but you have to carry it, plus your extra clothes.  Environment-friendly sun screen/lotion if going in the water on an excursion.

Backpack/tote/large purse to carry necessities on excursions.

And depending on where you are going, shopping totes because more and more locations are becoming bag-free. 

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, Kclovesken said:

I'm so glad you posted and yes that was what I meant. So the excursion is per port. I honestly didnt know that. Ok. I assumed it was a one time credit. That's good to know. We arent sure if I want to pay with my credit card or load with cash once there. If I load with cash I would have to have the port excursions plus some extra right? Do they credit the 50 pretty quick after the excursion or does it take some time to post. 

 

Your card/payment method is not charged for anything until the end of the cruise. Everything is charged to your room and on the last day of the cruise, it is "settled up" against whatever payment method you chose. So if you do a shore excursion that costs, say $120... you will see that charged to your room account and then once the excursion is completed, you will see a $50 credit applied to your account, so at the end of the cruise, you credit card is charged the remaining $70.

[julig22]

5 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Your card/payment method is not charged for anything until the end of the cruise. Everything is charged to your room and on the last day of the cruise, it is "settled up" against whatever payment method you chose. So if you do a shore excursion that costs, say $120... you will see that charged to your room account and then once the excursion is completed, you will see a $50 credit applied to your account, so at the end of the cruise, you credit card is charged the remaining $70.

I believe cash accounts are charged immediately and if your balance goes below a certain point, they request additional money.  Credit cards are not charged until the day you disembark.  I always use credit cards - many give you extra points for travel purchases.

[Yinster]

My tips

 

1. Make sure in your carry on you have everything you might need like swimming costume, change of clothes etc when you board as it may be a few hours before you get your luggage. 

 

2. Even though NCL is freestyle you find restaurants like the main dining room or others that are bookable tend to fill up pretty quickly in peak times. Same with bookable shows. However they will be a queue for walk ups on the night.

 

3. Dress up or dress down. NCL are pretty relax with what people wear most of the time. There are a couple of restaurants where you do need to dress up a little but as you are female you can get away with a nice pair of shorts in the main dining room.

 

4. Someone else mention you aren't limited to just one restaurant so try as many as you can. The same is true of the menu in the free restaurants. If you fancy more than one starter, main or dessert then just order what you want. 

 

5. The dailies will be delivered to your cabin the night before so take some time to see what's happening on the day. 

 

6. Do as much or as little as you want. You on holiday. 

[sanger727]

2 hours ago, Kclovesken said:

I'm so glad you posted and yes that was what I meant. So the excursion is per port. I honestly didnt know that. Ok. I assumed it was a one time credit. That's good to know. We arent sure if I want to pay with my credit card or load with cash once there. If I load with cash I would have to have the port excursions plus some extra right? Do they credit the 50 pretty quick after the excursion or does it take some time to post. 

your shipboard account doesn’t get settled until the last night. Throughout the cruise there will be charges from anything you spent onboard, the daily gratuities, and then any credits you get from the excursion credits. So you don’t need to purchase anything extra to use the $50 per port. If you pay cash you’ll have to keep upping the amount you have loaded, but it’s far easier to put a credit card on your account. The final balance on the final night will be charges to your account after all expenses and credits have been balanced. 

[leithbones]

On 1/26/2020 at 4:30 PM, sanger727 said:

....... The final balance on the final night will be charges to your account after all expenses and credits have been balanced. 

As far as your billing goes, track it AS YOU GO.  Keep an eye on your account, viewable on your stateroom TV > if not daily, at least every other day. Resolve questions or disputes ASAP.

 If you wait until the last night to contest anything, or debarkation day, you'll likely be standing in a line with many dozens of your newest friends at Guest Services.  And once you're off the ship, good F*ing luck if you need to straighten out any charges by phone/email/snailmail etc.

[jlowe420]

Wait... I got like 20 updates in and nobody yelled at you.  WHAT IS GOING ON?

[Von & John]

On 1/23/2020 at 5:14 PM, Kclovesken said:

Ok so I am freshly divorced and me and my daughter are finally going to achieve one of my bucket list items. After 21 years of marriage I'm ready to enjoy life :0) 

 

I understand this topic is probably everywhere but wanted to chat with yall and see what kind of ticks or hacks you all use :0) 

We are doing a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise. Balcony room on the Bliss. I am a diet coke junky so am I allowed soda? Can you buy it? Any savings tips yall know. Excursions etc. I do have the 5 free thingy majigs if that matters. 

 

Cant wait to see what yall have to say and what interesting tips you will share. Have a good eve :0)

 

As a Coke (Coca Cola that is) Aficionado - I make do when on the ship. 

NCL is currently Pepsi Only & you are not allowed to carry soda nor water on.

However, I generally enjoy my Coke products in every port 😎

Enjoy your Mother/Daughter Time & have a Fantabulous Cruise!!!

My sisters & I took my Mom on a Cruise - What memories it created...

Unfortunately, she is no longer with us - but that cruise was very special!

Edited January 28, 2020 by Von & John

[jlowe420]

2 minutes ago, Von & John said:

My sisters & I took my Mom on a Cruise - What memories it created...

Unfortunately, she is no longer with us - but that cruise was very special!

 

Funny when I booked this solo cruise leaving Feb 2nd my mother finally went and got her new real ID and updated her passport.  She's really jealous now and so the next cruise I have to take is with her.  She's worried about me going to Columbia thinking I'm going to be kidnapped. LOL.  

[Von & John]

8 minutes ago, jlowe420 said:

 

Funny when I booked this solo cruise leaving Feb 2nd my mother finally went and got her new real ID and updated her passport.  She's really jealous now and so the next cruise I have to take is with her.  She's worried about me going to Columbia thinking I'm going to be kidnapped. LOL.  

 

Enjoy her, while you have her...

LOL is right on the kidnapping &/or any other catastrophe parents worry may happen.

These can & do happen, but most people who travel are pretty good @ taking precautions.

Luckily for me - my family has always traveled - so my parents weren't too bad.

I found the older they got, the greater their concerns 🙂

[Kclovesken]

14 hours ago, jlowe420 said:

Wait... I got like 20 updates in and nobody yelled at you.  WHAT IS GOING ON?

I have to say I love this forum. I had a horrible experience on another group so felt I had to get that out of the way. Haha. 

 

[Kclovesken]

14 hours ago, Von & John said:

 

As a Coke (Coca Cola that is) Aficionado - I make do when on the ship. 

NCL is currently Pepsi Only & you are not allowed to carry soda nor water on.

However, I generally enjoy my Coke products in every port 😎

Enjoy your Mother/Daughter Time & have a Fantabulous Cruise!!!

My sisters & I took my Mom on a Cruise - What memories it created...

Unfortunately, she is no longer with us - but that cruise was very special!

I'm sorry for your loss I understand how that feels. That's exactly why I told her I want to create those memories with her. Its important to me she has them. And I want to spend as much time with my kiddos as possible.  I did comic con with my son and a cruise with her :0)

[Kclovesken]

Is it a necessity to have the real ID for cruising as well? 

[ColeThornton]

2 minutes ago, Kclovesken said:

Is it a necessity to have the real ID for cruising as well? 

 

 

No.

[JamieLogical]

54 minutes ago, Kclovesken said:

Is it a necessity to have the real ID for cruising as well? 

 

Taken from here: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

 

"U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) are able to enter the United States with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents."

 

 

[julig22]

2 hours ago, Kclovesken said:

Is it a necessity to have the real ID for cruising as well? 

Real ID is a federal program, so not at this time.  But it will be necessary for domestic flights, so unless you don't have to fly to your departure/arrival ports, you will need proper ID, which is a passport or real id starting October 2020.

Edited January 28, 2020 by julig22

[Von & John]

3 hours ago, Kclovesken said:

Is it a necessity to have the real ID for cruising as well? 

 

Your passport works for both air travel & cruising 🙂

[hallux]

3 hours ago, Kclovesken said:

Is it a necessity to have the real ID for cruising as well? 

As noted - no.  If your state (there are only a few) offers the EDL - Enhanced Driver's License - it WILL work for cruising from US ports and domestic air travel.  I'm not brave enough to try using JUST my EDL to cruise, but I have a passport that's valid for 3 more years so there's no reason to not take it.

[FitchburgWIFamily]

Lots of good advice already.

 

In addition to the dollar store storage cubes (I love the dollar store), I also bring a shoe cubby that attaches to the closet rod.  It only takes up about 8 inches of closet space, but gives me a place to store shoes, clutches, scarves, caps, etc.

 

Make sure you bring a carry on you can carry on (and off).   You leave your luggage out the night before you get off and you need a way to carry off your last change of clothes and your night ware.  Yes, you can use a plastic bag, but better to have a tote that is light and easy to carry.  

 

Only eat in the buffet if you love the buffet:  there are a lot of other free food venues that offer very different dining experiences.

 

You can get free continental breakfast brought to your room (you select what you want and hang a tag on your door the night before).  We call it first breakfast, but it is sometimes nice to have coffee and juice before getting all dressed up and ready for the day.

 

As to excursions:  you need to do what you feel comfortable doing.   Some people are go it alone types, some are not.   I was on a Mexican Riviera Cruise on the Joy over Thanksgiving and here is what we did at each port.   

 

Cabo:  there is a whole gauntlet of vendors hawking all sorts of excursions as you leave the tender docks.  They will deal with you a little bit on price.   There is zip line, 4 wheel tours, parasailing, etc.  We had my girls (both age 17) talk to a few to get the best deal.   We got a water taxi to take us over to the beach area (which we also could have long walked to) and sent our girls off parasailing.  We sat on the beach at a restaurant while we waited.  The water taxi came back for us at the appointed time and took us back to the tender dock area.   Water taxi  round trip (5pp, 20.00 total), parasailing (40.00 for 2), restaurant bill (2 margaritas, 2 shots, 2 sodas, chips and guac, chips and salsa 60.00)   120.00 for the day for 4.   Overall impression:  The weather wasn't perfect, and if you don't like vendors, this is not the port for you as they are pretty much everywhere.  I didn't mind and they were very polite about accepting a no and going off somewhere else to sell their wares:  hats/jewelry/tshirts/carvings/cover-ups/etc.   

 

Mazatlan:  again, there are a whole gauntlet of taxi and tour vendors in and outside of the port-side market place.  Right when you get off the ship, grab a map of the town.  They had them by the ship but not in the little port-side mall.  We planned on walking to the city center, but a pulmonia driver offered to give us a city tour for only 20.00.   He stopped at the central square to give us time to take pictures of the cathedral, took us on a quick tour of the sights with stops for pictures, and the dropped us off at the beach at a restaurant he recommended.  It was excellent.  We were the only obvious tourists in the place, but everyone was very welcoming and helpful.   They cooked fish to order (fresh caught fish cooked whole) and made great shrimp cocktail.   Our girls played on the beach for a bit while we sat in the restaurant and watched.  Our driver came back at the agreed on time and took us back to the port.   Pulmonia and tour (20.00) restaurant bill (2 beer, 1 margarita, 2 sodas, shrimp cocktail for 4, coconut water, chips and salsa 22.00).   Total for the day for 4:  $42.00 (52.00 with tips).  Overall impression:  so glad we hired the driver and so glad we went where he recommended.   Wish we would have gotten the fish.

 

Puerto Vallarta:  this of all the ports had the least pushy vendors when we got off the ship.   We walked from the port out to where the taxis were picking people up by the street, and talked to someone about hiring someone for the day.   They picked out who would take us, and we had a driver give us a tour of the city, stopping for pictures at some of the major sites, going up and seeing Elizabeth Taylor's house, driving a little ways out of town to see some more sites.   He brought us back into town and dropped us off at  a great restaurant (Oscar's) where we had a leisurely meal.  He waited outside the restaurant while we ate and drove us back to the port afterwards.   Driver/tour for 3:  $100.00.  Restaurant bill:  3 margaritas, 3 appetizers, 2 desserts 90.00.   Total cost for day 210.00 with tip.  Overall impression:  Puerto is a beautiful city with very very steep roads and lots to see.  Glad we had a private driver to get us up close and personal, and even more glad we were not trying to drive ourselves on those very steep roads.

 

Since we were always a group of 3 or 4, NCL excursions (even with the credit per stateroom per port) just weren't affordable for us.   Doing it on our own was much more affordable and it all three ports, it was really easy to arrange something on the fly.

 

Hope you and your daughter have a great time!

 

[ammorgan86]

Great advice on here although of course we have different opinions, too! Mine is that NCL excursions are expensive and not worth it. You can get way better excursions for less money elsewhere. I know the peace of mind about being left behind if your tour runs late but if you’re careful about planning I don’t think that’s a problem with private companies who stay in business with satisfied customers. 

 

Related to the same topic—don’t feel like you have to be off the ship all day at a port unless you really want to. Sometimes it’s nice to not even have an organized excursion and just get a shuttle or explore on your own. 

[JamieLogical]

The free continental breakfast is awesome if you want decent coffee and light pastries/yogurt/cereal before doing a real, hot breakfast. If you are in a balcony room, you will have a single cup coffee maker with little coffee filter pucks like at a hotel, but it's not the greatest. The room service coffee is better. As long as you only fill out the top portion of the door hanger card (bottom has hot food items), the delivery is free.

[ellenw]

48 minutes ago, ammorgan86 said:

Related to the same topic—don’t feel like you have to be off the ship all day at a port unless you really want to. Sometimes it’s nice to not even have an organized excursion and just get a shuttle or explore on your own. 

And then there is the pleasure of staying on board when most of the passengers go into port. 

[jlowe420]

1 hour ago, ellenw said:

And then there is the pleasure of staying on board when most of the passengers go into port. 

I really enjoy staying onboard sometimes.  I think that's because when I book a cruise the destination to me is the cruse.  The ports are a bonus if they are nice... but I don't always care to go wonder strange lands and have people try to sell me stuff made in china.

[Kclovesken]

6 hours ago, FitchburgWIFamily said:

Lots of good advice already.

 

In addition to the dollar store storage cubes (I love the dollar store), I also bring a shoe cubby that attaches to the closet rod.  It only takes up about 8 inches of closet space, but gives me a place to store shoes, clutches, scarves, caps, etc.

 

Make sure you bring a carry on you can carry on (and off).   You leave your luggage out the night before you get off and you need a way to carry off your last change of clothes and your night ware.  Yes, you can use a plastic bag, but better to have a tote that is light and easy to carry.  

 

Only eat in the buffet if you love the buffet:  there are a lot of other free food venues that offer very different dining experiences.

 

You can get free continental breakfast brought to your room (you select what you want and hang a tag on your door the night before).  We call it first breakfast, but it is sometimes nice to have coffee and juice before getting all dressed up and ready for the day.

 

As to excursions:  you need to do what you feel comfortable doing.   Some people are go it alone types, some are not.   I was on a Mexican Riviera Cruise on the Joy over Thanksgiving and here is what we did at each port.   

 

Cabo:  there is a whole gauntlet of vendors hawking all sorts of excursions as you leave the tender docks.  They will deal with you a little bit on price.   There is zip line, 4 wheel tours, parasailing, etc.  We had my girls (both age 17) talk to a few to get the best deal.   We got a water taxi to take us over to the beach area (which we also could have long walked to) and sent our girls off parasailing.  We sat on the beach at a restaurant while we waited.  The water taxi came back for us at the appointed time and took us back to the tender dock area.   Water taxi  round trip (5pp, 20.00 total), parasailing (40.00 for 2), restaurant bill (2 margaritas, 2 shots, 2 sodas, chips and guac, chips and salsa 60.00)   120.00 for the day for 4.   Overall impression:  The weather wasn't perfect, and if you don't like vendors, this is not the port for you as they are pretty much everywhere.  I didn't mind and they were very polite about accepting a no and going off somewhere else to sell their wares:  hats/jewelry/tshirts/carvings/cover-ups/etc.   

 

Mazatlan:  again, there are a whole gauntlet of taxi and tour vendors in and outside of the port-side market place.  Right when you get off the ship, grab a map of the town.  They had them by the ship but not in the little port-side mall.  We planned on walking to the city center, but a pulmonia driver offered to give us a city tour for only 20.00.   He stopped at the central square to give us time to take pictures of the cathedral, took us on a quick tour of the sights with stops for pictures, and the dropped us off at the beach at a restaurant he recommended.  It was excellent.  We were the only obvious tourists in the place, but everyone was very welcoming and helpful.   They cooked fish to order (fresh caught fish cooked whole) and made great shrimp cocktail.   Our girls played on the beach for a bit while we sat in the restaurant and watched.  Our driver came back at the agreed on time and took us back to the port.   Pulmonia and tour (20.00) restaurant bill (2 beer, 1 margarita, 2 sodas, shrimp cocktail for 4, coconut water, chips and salsa 22.00).   Total for the day for 4:  $42.00 (52.00 with tips).  Overall impression:  so glad we hired the driver and so glad we went where he recommended.   Wish we would have gotten the fish.

 

Puerto Vallarta:  this of all the ports had the least pushy vendors when we got off the ship.   We walked from the port out to where the taxis were picking people up by the street, and talked to someone about hiring someone for the day.   They picked out who would take us, and we had a driver give us a tour of the city, stopping for pictures at some of the major sites, going up and seeing Elizabeth Taylor's house, driving a little ways out of town to see some more sites.   He brought us back into town and dropped us off at  a great restaurant (Oscar's) where we had a leisurely meal.  He waited outside the restaurant while we ate and drove us back to the port afterwards.   Driver/tour for 3:  $100.00.  Restaurant bill:  3 margaritas, 3 appetizers, 2 desserts 90.00.   Total cost for day 210.00 with tip.  Overall impression:  Puerto is a beautiful city with very very steep roads and lots to see.  Glad we had a private driver to get us up close and personal, and even more glad we were not trying to drive ourselves on those very steep roads.

 

Since we were always a group of 3 or 4, NCL excursions (even with the credit per stateroom per port) just weren't affordable for us.   Doing it on our own was much more affordable and it all three ports, it was really easy to arrange something on the fly.

 

Hope you and your daughter have a great time!

 

Thank you so much for this info. It was very helpful. 🙂