mjcatlvr

1 hour ago, JTBCruiser said:

Haven't sailed NCL in over 12 years. How do they do the muster drill, is it done on the app like RCL and Carnival?

Things have really changed in the past 20 years that we have been sailing. In the early days, we had to actually put on a life jacket (smelled like mildew always) then had to stand in the 90 degree blazing sun, all lined up on deck, in front of our assigned lifeboat.....we really knew what to do in case of an emergency! 

On our NCL cruise last year, we watched a safety video at home then just swiped our card at our assigned Muster Station. I'm sure that this was due to covid though since it makes no sense to have thousands of people standing around together for 30 minutes plus! I suspect that this might change back at some point since going through the motions might more prepare most folks.

Our youngest was 20 on our last cruise together. We signed nothing. He was always able to get a beer with us at meals and at bars. He was never "carded" or even asked for his NCL card. My husband just whipped out his card like he did at all of the meals and we all enjoyed the "drink package" that we never paid for him. Truth be told though, on a vacay with your folks, there wasn't any crazy partying going on for sure, but he was able to enjoy with us.

8 hours ago, DAllenTCY said:

How does NCL manage this?

 

Do you have to pay extra if you have free drinks?

 

Thanks.

David

 

 

If you have the Upgraded drink package then order a bottle or two (you might both like a different type) with dinner then take them back to the cabin. When we are sailing with just the standard drink package, all of the bars will let us walk away with two glasses of wine each. We carry them (carefully) back to the cabin and store them in the fridge for late at night when we like to relax on our balcony and enjoy a couple! Last cruise I remembered to pack a bit of Saran Wrap to top them in the fridge as to not make a mess in rough seas 😊

Also, on a couple of past cruises (prior to us having any drink package) just after boarding in the Atrium there was a table set up where they were selling wine bottle packages that they delivered to our cabin, that was handy!

1 hour ago, rbxlady said:

Hi all, my husband and I are cruising NCL in a few months, and because I handled the booking, I'm listed as the primary passenger, and he's listed as secondary. Long story short, my investment account won't let me purchase individual stocks as opposed to funds. His investment account (with a different brokerage) allows him to do that, no problem, so I wanted him to just go ahead and buy 100 shares of NCLH to save me the trouble of opening a new account.

 

Anyway, I know OBCs are limited to one per cabin, but does NCL care if he owns the stock vs me if I'm the primary person on the reservation?

 

Thanks!

No problem at all! Our NCL stock is in my husbands name but each time we get the credit it shows as $50 credit for him and $50 for me (for a 7 day cruise) without any directions from us.

On 3/3/2022 at 12:15 AM, drumming cruisers said:

A few things. Pretty much and you shall receive. 

 

Wow! That is one huge snack spread after another! I saw everything except my favorite Hummus and Pita bread... so delish!

21 minutes ago, RRSeeker said:

Power strip (without surge protector), Bonine or Dramamine, travel clothes hangers, mesh laundry bag (for dirty clothing), wrinkle release spray and magnetized hooks.

Also emergency medical kit (cold meds, cough medicine, pain reliever, band aids, etc.)

Hell yes to the emergency medical kit! We pack Aspirin, Pepto Bismol, DayQuil, NiQuil, Allergy Tabs, Bandaids, Alcohol wipes, Poison Ivy wipes etc... we come prepared for anything since we do like to get out and enjoy everywhere!!! All of this stuff is hard to find in ports then very expensive when you do find it.

10 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

An old hotel keycard to keep the power on in the stateroom

 

A non-surge protected multiplug 

 

This is also something that we always bring! Great idea

56 minutes ago, peg013 said:

 

If you are in the Haven call the Pre-concierge to make all your reservations  1-855-625-4283. They made all 7 of ours - 6 Specialty & 1 @Hudsons. On ncl dot com only Los Lobos & Hudson  Commodore are available to book but pre-concierge made all of ours (Los Lobos, Cagneys, LeBistro x2, Palomar, Onda and Hudson) and sent me the dining amenity confirmation.

Wow! Thanks for all of this. I guess I need to look at some menus somehow as some of these venues I have never experienced.

Just now, KeithJenner said:

I don't think that reservations have yet opened up for anyone yet on the Prima.

Oh, OK. That makes sense then. Thank you.

Lightweight nylon tote. Great to take into town, to the pool or the beach and once used it to carry home some souvenirs that wouldn't fit in the suitcase. Fits easily in my pocket. Amazon

At 130 days we should be able to book Specialty dining, right? (Haven). We have 119 days to go, fully paid now yet all of the restaurants are showing no reservations are available. Booked up? I find that hard to believe. What am I doing wrong here? Thank you in advance for any help 😊

12 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

If you have a Standard NCL plan, if you cancel for a covered reason, the insurance will cover your cruise fare. If you cancel for a non-covered reason, NCL will give you a 75% cruise credit for your cruise fare. If you have the Platinum plan, NCL will give you a 90% credit for cruise fare for a non-covered cancellation. Port fees and taxes, purchased items will all be refunded to the original form of payment. 

Always a solid answer from BirdTravels. Thank you, this is what NCL also told me. Had I been offered the Platinum Plan or even knew about it I would have purchased. Oh well, live and learn and fingers crossed.

5 minutes ago, cruzn4abruzn said:

 

oh i almost forgot to respond to you.  i only cruise now with NCL.  I am platinum but will be saphire on my cruise in september so yeah i cruise alot with them and my plan is to stick with them because of my benefits AND the freestyle cruising (dinner schedules and dressing up are not my priorities when vacationing).  I just want to thank you for your advice as well. very much appreciated!! 🙂 

Heck yes to all of this! We will always be loyal to NCL. Freestyle cruising is what we want and is what we have always been able to get here. Tried Two other cruise companies and said no way to them. We will keep our NCL stock and are buying more now. NCL will come roaring back soon.

The world is in chaos, be patient. 😊

17 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

OP - Sorry and can empathize with your aging parents, been there & gone thru that each & every time we travel abroad and/or take a vacation, whether it's a cruise or flying, etc.  Now that they are eternally free, happy & in a better world - we cruise with minimal worries, aside from this pandemic. 

 

Hintsight is often 20/20 ... If you cancel your upcoming trip yesterday, your losses will be minimal as there was no penalty - however, today being final payment, if you purchase standard insurance plan by NCL, this "should" be considered a non-covered reason and under current T&C, you should be able to claim & get 75% of your costs in the form of a FCC.  

 

Have you spoken to a CSR from Nationwide Insurance, they underwrite NCL's policies and will be handling your claim - AFTER, you first cancel this upcoming trip with NCL (or, via your TA if booked thru them).  Please speak to them first for their help & advice and understand what documentations, proof (if any) are needed to successfully make a claim - see below - and, good luck.  

 

P.S.  The inexpensive, bargain (cheap one) "Essential Plan" offered by NCL can usually be purchased only after final payment offering minimal travel & medical coverage, not for any kind of cancellations at all ... I stand correctly, but don't think this is your coverage, unless you only pay about $35 per person for it as part of the booking earlier. 

 

Time is valuable and when you have frail love ones on the edge, it's priceless to be able to spent time by their sides.  This is taking a financial loss but you'll look back years later and be glad that you made the appropriate choice - we cannot rewind the time machine.  Best wishes.  

 

FAQ - https://www.aontravelclaim.com/#/FAQ_p

Aon Travel Claim Contact Us

Managing your claim online and uploading documents via this site remains the fastest way to get it processed.

Have questions?

Complete this form, and a member of our customer service team will be in touch.

Prefer to talk? Call us: 1-800-453-4027, Mon-Fri 8am-10pm EST, Sat 9am-5pm EST.

 

 

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I called and "Death" is the only thing that is covered regarding my parents...ugh. This is for refund only though, my NCL Cruise Consultant told me that even on "uncovered" reasons that we would get a 75% FCC on the cruise fare and that required tips etc would be refunded. We are actually happy with that as we will hopefully cruise many more times in our lifetime. 

29 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

Your wording immediately struck me that it would be the likelihood.  I'm sorry it is the case for you. 

Wishing you the very best!

Thanks! Very kind

1 hour ago, ColeThornton said:

A good resource that's helped a lot of folks is the Cruise/Travel Insurance forum.   You may want to peruse that if the NCL coverage isn't what you need.  Here is the link:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

Great link, Thank you

1 hour ago, ggTexasGal said:

It is concerning that you used the term "Essentials" in your headline:

Essentials Travel Protection-Standard...

Using those words in a search, this is what came-up on NCL.com

https://affinitytravelcert.com/document/pdfs/NCL-LandingPage-ESSENTIALS-7-2017.html

 

Hopefully, between @CrazyTrain2 (above post) and this link above, you will be able to get in contact with somebody who can carefully guide you to/with the assurances that you need!

Yes, the wording is correct. Thank you for the link. According to that we would be S.O.L. if things were not good for my folks and we cancelled. Thanks for the info.

1 hour ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

This is a PCC question.  And a complex one.

 

Your reason is probably NOT covered unless you have one of those "CANCEL FOR ANY REASON" policies and then it will give you FCC not cash back.

 

https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/booksafe

 

You're covered for trip cancellation, trip interruption and trip delay.

BookSafe provides reimbursement for the prepaid, non-refundable, unused portion of your vacation should you need to cancel or interrupt your vacation due to unexpected illness, injury, job termination and other covered reasons as listed in the plan. The plan also covers additional out-of-pocket expenses for meals and accommodation, as well as for travel expenses to catch up to the vacation due to covered travel delays.

Best of all, if your reason for cancellation is not covered for reimbursement under the plan, we provide you with a credit for a future cruise.

 

Thank you for your response, I will call my PCC.

Hello, Today is final payment day for our cruise in mid October. Nervous to pay in full because my mother 89 with Alzheimers and father 85 who looks after her are both very fragile health wise. I cannot find the coverage information to see if I cancel because of having to care for them, if I have any coverage for that reason.  If everything stays as is, I have a son and friend that can look in on them if we are able to go. If things get any worse then of course we can't go. Please help with this info if you can.

Thank you in advance.

17 hours ago, Taishartrueblood said:

Thank you all for your help.

 

So we are doing Haven this year and have the drink package of course. I like alcohol but I am not a big drinker, i certainly drink more on cruises than i do on the rest of the year combined. I generally stick to the drinks i know.. beers, whiskey sour, tropical sweet drinks, brandy alexanders, etc.
 

Anyone have a favorite drink that they would recommend to try, even if it wouldnt be something i would normally order in a bar? Also, do you know if they have Blanton's Bourbon?

After a warm day on shore, a Miami Vice really hits the spot and for sail away I love a glass of fancy Champagne that I would never have at home.

8 hours ago, complawyer said:

we're always happy with the 2 bedroom. the extra bathroom is a terrific benefit, even if there are only 2 of us sailing

Heck yes, the two bed/ two bath for just the two of us works perfectly. It is so nice to have the extra closet space as well as the other bathroom so that getting ready there is no deciding who goes first!

We bid and won an Owners Suite while cruising the Mediterranean and it was a total waste of money since that cruise was so "port heavy", we truly just slept in the cabin. The only ship that we would like to stay in a top tier cabin is on NCL Prima, I like the idea of having our own private hot tub on the balcony😊.

Yes, Just redact everything except the NCLH info. We have been enjoying this OBC for years.

1 hour ago, Sthrngary said:

Any all of you Doubted me. The quest for 1942 has been achieved. They won and the ship has not even left the dock. I am not sharing with you what bar it is because there’s only a half a bottle left. Unless you’re really nice to me.

 

Cruise well in 1942!!!!

SO JEALOUS! Happy Sailing and I know that you will have an amazing time. CHEERS!!!

Following along with fingers crossed that the Upgrade Fairy blesses you. 😉

57 minutes ago, mearsfansinboise said:

I am seeing the upgrade offer for bid and wondering why I would leave what I have and go to something that *may* be a little bigger (or not) and a way smaller balcony.  Is there some great reason why I should want to switch to this room?

 

Currently in ... 

Room: The Haven Courtyard Penthouse with Large Balcony (HE) Total Approx. Size: 374 - 620 sq. ft. Total Approx. Balcony Size: 104 - 146 sq. ft.   Upgrade to ...  Room: The Haven 2-Bedroom Family Villa with Balcony (H6) Total Approx. Size: 538 sq. ft. Total Approx. Balcony Size: 43 sq. ft

We do appreciate the extra bathroom and closet space when we have a longer cruise especially! So nice to be able to shower and get ready for the evenings activities at the same time. Well worth the money to us. First time into a two bedroom it as an upgrade win. We loved it!!