Just off Star. A few disappointments.

[ChiefMateJRK]

10 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

giving me $100 worth of stuff I can buy myself doesn't inspire loyalty.  Hence, my consideration of it being a joke.

I would agree with this.  It doesn't "inspire" loyalty (whatever that is), but it is a nice perk to reward me for coming back to NCL.  Beats a stick in the eye.

 

18 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

The other perk that Latitudes has, the 125 day reservation window, is a legit perk but I've not had a problem getting reservations at 120 days so no value to me.

Yeah, I wan't thinking about that, but it is nice added perk.

[ChiefMateJRK]

7 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

Curious about this but I assume there will be no definitive answer here …

Perhaps.  But if nobody else reports seeing this, it may be an isolated instance.

[PATRLR]

12 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Has anybody else witnessed this situation where NCL just lets anybody board once they call group one?  I've never heard of this before.

Nov 13, 2022 Encore:  Witnessed when Group 1/2 called at least 100, people, probably a couple hundred people proceed to board.  Then I started paying attention to the group numbers presented to the NCL staff, saw many other than 1 or 2.  Saw NCL staff look right at the numbers and not say a word.  When I saw a Group 39 presented and NCL person did nothing to stop them, I realized it was a free-for-all and I proceeded to board.  I wasn't even asked for my group number (I still have it - group 6).

[ChiefMateJRK]

17 hours ago, PATRLR said:

Nov 13, 2022 Encore:  Witnessed when Group 1/2 called at least 100, people, probably a couple hundred people proceed to board.  Then I started paying attention to the group numbers presented to the NCL staff, saw many other than 1 or 2.  Saw NCL staff look right at the numbers and not say a word.  When I saw a Group 39 presented and NCL person did nothing to stop them, I realized it was a free-for-all and I proceeded to board.  I wasn't even asked for my group number (I still have it - group 6).

Yes, and I believe you've already posted this.  I'm not suggesting that it didn't happen, just trying to understand if this is widespread or only isolated instances.  That is why I asked if anybody ELSE had witnessed such an event.

[ChiefMateJRK]

17 hours ago, PATRLR said:

I wasn't even asked for my group number (I still have it - group 6).

Did you really jack the NCL boarding paddle?

[debenson0723]

3 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Yes, and I believe you've already posted this.  I'm not suggesting that it didn't happen, just trying to understand if this is widespread or only isolated instances.  That is why I asked if anybody ELSE had witnessed such an event.

The only time I have seen anyone with a higher number boarding card get on board early (including myself) is if they had that high number and were Platinum or higher ie,  I had card number 16, which I handed over when boarding with the Platinum group. Last time I boarded in Miami they actually looked at each person's room card to see if they were Platinum or higher before they would let them pass. But each boarding is different.

PS - someone on one of my cruises kept their Group 1 card and later gave it to me.  I keep it for 'emergencies' LOL.

[ChiefMateJRK]

44 minutes ago, debenson0723 said:

PS - someone on one of my cruises kept their Group 1 card and later gave it to me.  I keep it for 'emergencies' LOL.

That's funny.  I've turned in Group 1 cards that I didn't need.  Thanks for responding.  I think you've solved the mystery of the "group bazillion who boards with group one" mystery.  Apparently, some just want to skirt the process and butt into the line.....

[PATRLR]

4 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Did you really jack the NCL boarding paddle?

"jack" is such an unpleasant term.  I prefer "kept a souvenir".

[PATRLR]

13 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Apparently, some just want to skirt the process and butt into the line.....

I'd say hundreds did on November 13.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

8 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

"jack" is such an unpleasant term.  I prefer "kept a souvenir".

Actually, "jack" is likely the most pleasant term.  Would you rather "steal" "embezzle" "hoist" "abscond", etc?

[PATRLR]

1 minute ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Actually, "jack" is likely the most pleasant term.  Would you rather "steal" "embezzle" "hoist" "abscond", etc?

I already answered that question. 

They gave it to me, they never asked for it back.  Had they asked, I'd have gladly handed it to them.  

[ggTexasGal]

On 11/25/2022 at 12:10 AM, PATRLR said:

Nov 13, 2022 Encore:  Witnessed when Group 1/2 called at least 100, people, probably a couple hundred people proceed to board.  Then I started paying attention to the group numbers presented to the NCL staff, saw many other than 1 or 2.  Saw NCL staff look right at the numbers and not say a word.  When I saw a Group 39 presented and NCL person did nothing to stop them, I realized it was a free-for-all and I proceeded to board.  I wasn't even asked for my group number (I still have it - group 6).

We have witnessed the above.  We certainly don't feel that being a "Platinum or above" matters to NCL when boarding.

Yet, it does seem particularly sad that NCL doesn't care what happens during boarding within the Miami terminal.  If they can't make more effort there, it really has no real value.

[Cruising Lynne]

On 10/28/2022 at 4:00 AM, woodley said:

We knew we booked an inside cabin but the picture posted above shows a chair we did not get a chair and the space around the bed was blocked by the vanity unit on one side and a pull down bed on the other so the room was quite different from the picture you posted above.

I really wish they would add chairs back to the rooms. I prefer a chair to one of those stools. Especially in an inside cabin where there is no couch. I also miss the set up that had a table that you could move out of the corner if you wanted to put it some where else. We would move it sometimes to make eating our room service food more comfortable.

 

Some of the images on the NCL website are old. I have looked at the 360 virtual tours on the NCL web site for ships that have been updated, but still show old 360 virtual tours of some of the ships venues. 

[Cruising Lynne]

18 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Yes, and I believe you've already posted this.  I'm not suggesting that it didn't happen, just trying to understand if this is widespread or only isolated instances.  That is why I asked if anybody ELSE had witnessed such an event.

Yup. We are now Sapphire so board with Platinum and above. The last two times we boarded in NY, they gave us boarding group numbers for whatever group they had cards for next. Last time our card said group 22. When they called for Platinum and above to board, we handed the card in as we proceeded to get our cards swiped. We showed them our sign and sail cards so that they could see we were Platinum or above. This all happened very quickly. We also noticed that there just happened to be a lot of passengers that are Platinum and above. The seating area for Priority boarding had gotten full so Platinum cruisers were coming up from different directions.

 

There was quite a variety of boarding group numbers in this large Platinum and above group. I can see where it would look like a free for all, but I did see them turn away some people that weren't Platinum or above.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, Cruising Lynne said:

Yup. We are now Sapphire so board with Platinum and above. The last two times we boarded in NY, they gave us boarding group numbers for whatever group they had cards for next. Last time our card said group 22. When they called for Platinum and above to board, we handed the card in as we proceeded to get our cards swiped. We showed them our sign and sail cards so that they could see we were Platinum or above. This all happened very quickly. We also noticed that there just happened to be a lot of passengers that are Platinum and above. The seating area for Priority boarding had gotten full so Platinum cruisers were coming up from different directions.

 

There was quite a variety of boarding group numbers in this large Platinum and above group. I can see where it would look like a free for all, but I did see them turn away some people that weren't Platinum or above.

Thank you.  That is what I was expecting.  It's good to hear that you saw them turning people away.  That is how it is supposed to work.

[PATRLR]

2 hours ago, Cruising Lynne said:

Yup. We are now Sapphire so board with Platinum and above. The last two times we boarded in NY, they gave us boarding group numbers for whatever group they had cards for next. Last time our card said group 22. When they called for Platinum and above to board, we handed the card in as we proceeded to get our cards swiped. We showed them our sign and sail cards so that they could see we were Platinum or above. This all happened very quickly. We also noticed that there just happened to be a lot of passengers that are Platinum and above. The seating area for Priority boarding had gotten full so Platinum cruisers were coming up from different directions.

 

There was quite a variety of boarding group numbers in this large Platinum and above group. I can see where it would look like a free for all, but I did see them turn away some people that weren't Platinum or above.

I believe Miami does it similarly to NY described above. I did see all sorts of boarding group numbers during the elite boarding window and also the "those who need assistance" group.  But both of those boarding windows are well defined and not what I was referring to. In fact, that boarding seemed orderly except for the gate lice blocking access for the wheel cheer folks to get through.  I was referring specifically to the group 1/2 window.