Okmyx

If you'd prefer an 11 day TA with only 1 port before you reach Barcelona, the NCL Epic is offering a solo balcony for $1138, studio only $469. IMO no point in going all the way across the Atlantic if you are not stopping at ports, but I guess if you wanted to do some touring in Spain after arriving it would be a great deal.

NCL's website is not the best, and you need to look past the initial price page to see actual costs. A balcony on this cruise currently starts at $854 and that includes a promo choice of $75 OBC or air flight credit, or the Ultimate Dining Package (which is otherwise $179). So if you would buy the UDP anyway (as I would) then the cabin is really just $675. And, you can find the same cabin elsewhere for about $815...

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But! It also includes na beverages!

If it included coffee drinks and bottled water, I could see it being more valuable but since I avoid soda (none of us need the sugar, or even the sugar free substitutes...) I don't think it's worthwhile.

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Thanks! I don't see that package as an option on my upcoming cruise (Epic TA in April) but will call to find out more and a price.

Update: details at https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/gifts-and-more

$44 +15% per day seems a lot for this to me since eight beers a day every day seems quite excessive, and that's just to break even on the plan. I'll just buy beer at $5.25 each...

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There is a package called Corks and Caps.

See this link. Hope this helps.

http://www.ncl.com/promo/corks-and-caps-package/terms

Thanks! I don't see that package as an option on my upcoming cruise (Epic TA in April) but will call to find out more and a price.

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No, you have to buy them all together. They come in a bucket and we usually have one or two unfinished buckets in our room, which is handy for when you want to grab a beer before going out.

Thanks, sounds like a good plan. Too bad they don't offer a beer package, tho.

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It depends what beer, but I usually pay $5.25 for a bottle of Sam Adams, plus 15% tip. If you buy 5 you get one free.

Can you buy five (and get six) on account and receive them one at a time at any ship venue? I'd like a small beer package but it doesn't seem like they offer one.

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Wondering if someone can explain the double cross meta upgrade more clearly for me. We would like to book an Alaskan cruise for 3 people. Ideally, I would like to use my points to pay for an interior cabin, but get a balcony cabin. My confusion is how many points does that take? Is it 60,000 total or 60,000 x 3 people for a total of 180,000 points?

Good question. This seems to be the best way to use the points, and I'm reviewing it myself as it just might convince me to get one of these cards. According to the cc t&c:

Double Cross-Meta upgrade refers to having the option to book a specific Balcony category for the price of a specific Interior category.

Since it doesn't mention the number of people, I assume that you pay for the inside for the number of people you want and then use this upgrade to get a balcony cabin instead. It should be just 60,000 regardless of the number of people (assuming the cabin is rated for the number you have, of course).

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The 3 day and 14 day showed up with the itinerary change several hours ago. The prices on the 11 day did take a short plunge a week or so ago. That's when I rearranged my 14 day to 11+3 so we voice get the spa room on the 11 day portion. That extra 3 days adds a LOT to the cost right now.

 

 

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Yes, that's wise. When I originally booked in July the 14 day was substantially more, on a per day average, than the 11 day. That doesn't seem to have changed much since then.

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I see the 11 day right now but not the 14 day. Maybe they pulled that one (and the 3 day Med) to alter the itinerary list which had to be switched around due to holiday in Marseilles.

 

 

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I see the promo with the 14 day. Prices are higher, though...I'm not on that since it's more than double the cost vs the 11 day.

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You're right, my mistake. If you find the cruise and click through the first few pages, eventually the promo codes are listed. But if you go through the cruise finder and activate the "Freestyle Choice" filter (plus Epic, plus April 2015), only the 18-day TA shows up. The 11-day is listed wrong somewhere in their system.

NCL's website truly sucks and could be so much better.

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Looks like they have removed that TA from the list of eligible sailings. It was there yesterday, gone now :mad:

It's still there. Check again.

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One caveat to your post; I have a skin allergy to most soaps however I do wash my hands with warm water and for at least 30 sec when I am in a public rest room. This is not an excuse for the casino worker but there is another side to not using the soap offered. :)

There are always exceptions. Had the staff member simply said that he's allergic to soap and has an alternative solution then I wouldn't have worried about the lack of control NCL has on their staff. However, he said something which makes absolutely no sense at all, and is contrary to NCL's stated policy (and all are reminded by the signs above the sinks). There's really no excuse for the staff not to wash thoroughly, not just for their own health but because it's part of their job.

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That is why there is a paper dispenser at the door to exit the public restrooms, use the paper to open the door and toss it in the small receptacle provided. Clean hands that have not touched anything when exiting the restroom. ;)

Absolutely. What really got me pissed was when I saw a NCL casino staff member (not a dealer) not use soap to wash his hands in the restroom by the casino - he did a five second water only clean. When I asked him he said he was going downship and intends to use the spray. Of course, I told him that's not the same, he should know better, etc. He then ignored me and left. I got his name, from his name tag, and told NCL. They told me they'd follow up, took my name with the obvious intention of updating me and I never heard from them.

If they can't get the staff to follow procedure, how do we expect other passengers to do so?

On a related note, I don't touch other people at all when on a cruise. No shaking hands, etc. I apologize, when they reach out, but they universally understand. There's no reason for any of us to increase the odds of infection by such a simple change, and so far no one has been offended.

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I'm at the point where I no longer believe much of what I read on CC in regards to anyone's opinion. Facts about ships, itineraries, and more I can handle. But this thread, and others like them, are absurd.

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Of course. Any upscale French restaurant would take that sort of time. The point here is that the restaurant failed to perform and that was acknowledged. Appears to me that IF the meal finally arrived and it was acceptable no issue would have existed. IT WASN'T. It was cold, tough and not eatable. Let's try and keep all the facts together.

Exactly. What is with these NCL fanatics who believe they can do no wrong? It's obvious, based on many posts here and elsewhere, that NCL isn't perfect. Yet some here continue to trivialize first hand poor experiences with ridiculous comparisons, excuses, or other disingenuous comments intended to obfuscate the reported issue.

Le Bistro is supposed to be a nice restaurant. As my own experience proves, it's nice in appearance and that's all. The food is okay, but not great. The OPs experience is completely believable to me. I'm sure I'll return on my next cruise, as I'm part of the captive audience on the ship and given the choices Le Bistro is among the best available. But that doesn't mean it's a true fine dining experience.

In my opinion, if any critical comment of the OPs post should be made, it was overly optimistic to expect a flawless evening at any NCL restaurant. Even so, a cold and bad meal exceeds even my own rather mediocre opinion of NCL food services. The OP is completely in the right to complain, and should do so in writing to NCL as well.

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Bad internet service is my number one complaint about cruising, and the reason why I don't cruise more often. We are going to have to buy some kind of ship internet when we do a TA on the Epic next April. It's not just the cost that is annoying-although I would appreciate better rates. it is the slow speed.

 

With no ports for 8 or 9 days I will need to hop on occasionally to check in with my office.

 

It also seems that it would benefit the cruise lines to make this more accessible-wouldn't everyone then be spreading delightful pics of their fab cruise all over social media? mucho free advertising for the cruise industry.

I'm on that cruise and agree with you. I'm hoping NCL has their new internet plan by then where they charge by data rather than time. I also need to check in often while traveling.

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I'm hoping they add this to the Epic sometime in the next six months...

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For my last two cruises, I booked a studio and then upgraded later for not an unreasonable amount more to get into a balcony.

I booked a TA on the Epic in a studio from an online vendor. I'm curious if upgrades can easily be done when bought anywhere other than NCL directly. If I wanted to upgrade would I be required to do so from the same vendor I used for the original purchase? I would assume so, but really don't know. Like you, I'd like to upgrade to a balcony and have been watching prices (since my purchase all cabin prices have increased noticeably). Thanks.

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I read that statement often, about better rates using an ATM. And I'm not saying it's false. But most people who spout that line really have no hard evidence, they are just passing along what they have heard. And it's hard to hit a moving target. If I check a few exchange rate websites then go to the bank, I may get that rate or a very close one, within thousandths of a dollar. But who knows what I would get if I wait until I am in the foreign country.

I know that I save in convenience and cost by using foreign ATMs when I travel. But, my bank doesn't charge me anything when withdrawing abroad (which also permits me to withdraw enough funds for a few days at a time without worry about fees). Yours might not be so generous. These fees could easily outweigh any minor fluctuations in conversion rates.

Here's a good reference on ATM fees: http://thepointsguy.com/2013/07/avoiding-atm-withdrawal-fees-when-traveling-abroad/

Some ATMs will offer to convert the currency from US$ to the local currency when you withdraw the cash. Don't do it. Let your bank do the conversion, or else you'll likely end up paying more than any other option.

As I mentioned, I like going to Chase, at least a few weeks before the trip, so I know I have it. I do not get charged any fees.

Fees are the main issue. Many (I would hazard a guess that the majority) of bank customers would be paying a service charge of some amount to obtain foreign currency. And, there may be minimums as mentioned above in another post.

I really can't speak to the exchange rate they give me, because I do not research it online just prior to going to the bank. And then try to find out what it would be if I waited and used an ATM in the foreign country, etc. But I'd bet that the difference is negligible, and the convenience of already having the foreign currency, in hand, outweighs that. I can say that each time I did this, the amount of foreign currency I got for what it cost in US dollars seemed to be correct, what you would expect.

As for convenience...well, that's a subjective decision. When I travel, I don't bother with taking the time and paying the local bank fees (though mine may not charge me), which I don't consider to be convenient. At the destination airport (or town, if via ship...) I just stop by an ATM and have cash in a few minutes. No big deal. Easy and simple.

This is much simpler than it used to be years ago with travelers checques. When I lived in Europe I also linked my AMEX to my US checking account so that I could walk into any American Express office and write a check for cash in local currency (and use the very few ATMs AMEX had at the time). I prefer ATMs these days to all other when needing cash. FWIW, I've also found in recent years that I use less and less cash when in Europe (in other words, more and more merchants and restaurants are now accepting credit cards, which is the most convenient method to pay while traveling for me).

Of course, do whatever makes you most comfortable!

Your last sentence was my point. Adults should be capable of giving their opinions without the facetious and patronizing tone which is so prevalent on this forum. There would be a lot fewer arguments and disappearing threads if people would treat others as they would like to be treated. Just because you CAN say something doesn't mean you SHOULD.

+1

I shouldn't be surprised, but it always hits me as strange when I see some of the ridiculous and over the top responses on this forum to certain posts.

I sympathize with the OP. If I took time and spent money to set something special up as a surprise, and the vendor confirmed it would be, I would be unhappy, disappointed and absolutely upset at the vendor for not doing what they said.

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For 20+ years I've simply used ATMs (and it's now so simple there's no reason not to do so). It's highly likely you'll end up paying more in fees when exchanging at your local Stateside bank vs an ATM. ATMs are everywhere in Europe...after all, the locals use them, too. Also don't forget that many venues (especially tourist related) accept credit cards, which will typically offer the best conversion rates.

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There are better ways of getting exercise than carrying a case of water onto a cruise ship.

I simply checked a case of water, as suggested many times in other threads here. Showed up with my luggage as expected.

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Having experienced several other airports in the USA such as Atlanta, JFK, Dallas FW, Dulles, Orlando and even Miami and Chicago how come a prestigious gateway airport like LAX is such a dump in comparison?

Hey there. It's not a dump. It's just not near many tourist destinations.

If you had a car and wanted to relax for a few hours before your flight, which is what I would do, I'd rent a car and slowly drive up the coast the the beach communities (Manhattan Beach) and stop whenever you want. That road ends up right at LAX and you wouldn't need toke any freeways.

Alternatively, you could take the freeway and head to a tourist destination for a few hours. For instance, The Getty Center museum is about 25 minutes north of the airport but is freeway close and has great views of LA (and some nice art, too).

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Any suggestions?

I've used various private car firms in LA with success but haven't ever priced the ride to the port so not sure which would be best. You'll likely need to call around a few to get accurate info. I think the shuttle companies also offer private vans, which may be quite affordable. When I'm with a group, the last thing I want to do is squeeze into a van with strangers.

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We will have six adults with luggage can we book the shuttle in advance to take us to San Pedro?

With six people you'll likely pay a similar amount for a private transfer. Check around, there are lots of options in LA.

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