Maddysdaddy

For some reason, the Roll Call for my upcoming Easter cruise on the Escape has less than 50 posts, whereas the sailing the week before has over 500.

All I can think is that given that most posters on the thread (including myself) are first time NCL'ers, rather than experienced cruisers, which is the reason why no one has stepped up to say "Let's do A, B & C". Personally, if a 'lifer' had stepped up to say that they would organize a reception or some sort of meet & greet, like I see in other threads, my family would absolutely come.

Note to all the whiners and complainers...NCL is not a bank. If you want to hedge your FX risk, buy USD at your bank or make your own arrangements in advance.

Which I would have done, had I not been advised by NCL that I could purchase OBC at the prevailing rate when I booked my cruise over a year ago.

NCL has now had the use of my money for well over a year, based on the perk for Canadians that the cruise, on-board expenses and OBC were being offered at a rate a few percentage points better than what I would have paid had I booked everything in USD.

If my OBC purchases over $1000 are now cancelled, I will now be stuck purchasing US cash at almost $1.45, rather than the $1.15-1.17 I could have purchased it at when I booked my cruise.

Is a limit fair to impose on a going-forward basis - absolutely, and I don't see many people disputing that (except for determining what a reasonable amount is). To not grandfather those who had already deposited their money with NCL is what I and most others object to.

At the end of the day, all it means is that I won't be spending any time in the casino (which I would have done with the OBC, or with money hedged at $1.15 from early 2015). That will be NCL's loss, not mine.

Given that it's a churrascaria, I'm wondering if you actually want to sit through a show afterwards with the 'meat sweats'?

I try to eat a sensible portion at most meals, but given that I'm a meatatarian, my personal theory at Brazilian BBQ is "if you're not sweating, you're not trying". ;)

Hi all.

From my Google search, I have been able to determine that cruise passengers who are US citizens do not need their passports to disembark on St. Thomas.

I'm wondering about the procedure for Canadians, as I have just booked a snorkeling excursion and would prefer not to have to trust my passports to a waterproof case that I would then have to leave on the catamaran or alternatively have to figure out a way to keep them with me underwater.

Thanks.

or else Clamato mixed with beer.

I'd never seen that until I went to law school in Saskatchewan and saw that everyone from there seemed to drink nothing but Pilsner with a shot of Clamato poured into it. I think they called it a "Red Eye", but I may have the name wrong.

I'm saddened that everyone (at least in this thread) seems to be having problems as well, but happy to know that my issues apparently aren't because of something that I did incorrectly.

And since I'm talking about emotions (my therapist would be so proud ;)), I am frustrated that the NCL dinner reservation system is so poorly designed that even NCL employees can't make a reservation for 3 instead of 4, and I'm annoyed that I'm out of pocket $90 for a phantom 4th diner.

I know - build a bridge and get over it - but it seems like such a silly and easily fixable problem...

What I understand happened was because Le Bistro and Teppanyaki would only accept reservations for 4 people, it meant that I was booking 11 meals (4+4+3 at Moderno) when the SDP only covered 9, so I was charged for meals 10 and 11.

I just checked my email from a NCL and Le Bistro, Teppanyaki and the 1st person at Moderno show up as $0, and the other two were charged for the Moderno dinner.

First, a big Lol at your thread title first :) A sense of humor --yay!

 

I have the same SDP, also three people, same deal (though different ship) with the unable to book for Teppanyaki for 3, so I picked four (with the intention to change it once on board), BUT -- I did it all online and was not charged anything for the reservation for four.

 

Was it auto charging you online? (not sure if that's why you called or if you called because you wanted the party number to be accurate)

I called in order to see if NCL could book a party of 3 for Le Bistro and Teppanyaki, since I was unable to do so online.

On the call, NCL booked Le Bistro for me over the phone (party of 4), as she said that her system wouldn't let her book for 3.

As I needed to play around with dinner days and times for Moderno and Teppanyaki, I told the agent that I would make those reservations online, and was told about the additional charges to my Visa, in response to my question about what would happen since I was exceeding the 9 meals on the SDP (3 people x 3 days).

I went back online and booked dinner for 3 at Moderno, and dinner for 4 at Teppanyaki (as 3 wasn't an option), and had to pay in order to confirm the reservations.

Hi all.

I went online last night to try to book a table for 3 at Le Bistro and Teppanyaki (on the Escape), and no matter what day or time I tried to book at, it would only let me book for 2 or 4, and not 3.

I called NCL to see if I was doing something wrong, and they could only book for 2 or 4 as well. They made the bookings for 4 and said that once we boarded, I could change the reservations to 3, which seems silly, but whatever - nothing to get too torqued about.

What did annoy me though, is that I've now had to pay out of pocket for the additional unneeded/unwanted reservations, because they put us over what we had available on the SDP (I booked Moderno as well, which allowed me to book for 3).

I get that it's 'only' a $93 dollar (Canadian) charge on my Visa, but the "This is how it is, and you'll get a refund when you change the reservation onboard" statement by the NCL rep on the phone, when the charge wasn't warranted in the first place, and with NCL having my money until that point, leaves me a bit peeved.

Wondering if anyone else has dealt with this issue before?

Thx.

The Caesar (and it's sibling, the Spicy Caesar) and Ginger Beef - Calgary's contributions to the culinary world...

And for those of you who are wondering, a Caesar is to a Bloody Mary as a diamond is to a cubic zirconia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_(cocktail)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_beef

We shared a table with another family on our first cruise and quite enjoyed having others to speak with.

On our sailing last year, we had a table to ourselves, so the dinner conversation went something like this:

"So... how was your day?"

"Pretty much exactly the same as yours..."

Followed by silence.

At home, at least we have our days at work and school to discuss over dinner - on the ship, we were together all day doing the exact same things, so not a whole lot to talk about.

Hi there!

I work online all the time! Do you know which operator in Us has the best service while we are onboard? For data?

 

 

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If you're talking about data use, then you will need to purchase a package from DCL. Last time I sailed, they sold packages based on minutes, but I believe they now sell packages by the amount of data used.

The online connections are done via satellite, so you need to be prepared that it can (and likely will be) a very slow connection. I have always had to work on board, and email was fine, but anything intensive like trying to log on to my office server via Citrix was almost impossible.

Your best bet for faster speeds is to do the bulk of your intensive work either very early in the day or very late at night, when others are sleeping.

If you are asking about cell service, I believe those connections are provided via something called Cellular at Sea. I have never needed to call from the ship, so I will leave it to others to bring you up to speed on that. (and I see that Moki's Mommy did just that while I was typing my response)

...or an old WKRP episode?

It's only January 22, but this gets my vote as post of the year.

I have searched this forum for a current answer to this question and cannot find one. On the Dream, do they still allow you to drop off a T-shirt or pillowcase with markers for signature by the characters?

My understanding from this and other DCL boards is that they discontinued that practice last fall, but perhaps someone who has sailed more recently than I have can talk about their recent experiences.

If you don't mind my asking, could I trouble you for your opinion on the Baths for a larger guy (football build - slightly pudgy with broad shoulders :rolleyes:)?

Some of the openings I saw from the pictures you took (which were great, by the way), made me question whether I'm going to be able to squeeze my middle-aged body through them.

If I purchase a package for X meals and I use that up before the end of the cruise, can I go to Guest Services to add days, or would I need to purchase a new 3+ day package?

Hi all.

For those of you who have seen the show, I am hoping you will provide your opinion as to whether or not it is appropriate for a 12 year old. Her only exposure to John Hughes movies to this point are Ferris Bueller and Planes, Trains and Automobiles (loved the former, little bored by the latter).

She has taken "health" class in school, so is familiar with people who "hug and kiss" (to use a euphemism from the Judge John Hodgman podcast) and while we try to watch our language around her, she will not be mortified to hear profanity.

[As an aside, we watched Ferris Bueller over the holidays, and she still walks around the house going "Bueller... Bueller... Anybody... Anybody...]

All opinions appreciated.

Thx.

Wondering if any other hotels or resorts offer something similar (not interested in Atlantis).

All advice greatly appreciated. Thanks.

This doesn't 'exactly' answer your question, but is something I posted in a different thread below regarding spring break pricing on DCL.

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I hear you, loud and clear.

My family has loved sailing on Disney, and have been ok paying the premium for the Disney touches and kids clubs (I'm known as "safety dad" and figured that if any company wasn't going to let something happen to my kid while in their care, it was Disney), but we've gotten to a point where my daughter is much more interested in spending her days laying on deck with her ipod and a book, than in going to the clubs. So....

Back in February when I started looking at a spring break cruise for 2016, and saw that I could get a "mini-suite with a large balcony" room (plus the unlimited 'beverage' package) on the Norweigan Escape for almost half the price of an oceanview room on DCL (which turns out to be significantly less than half, given that I could book NCL in Canadian dollars at a very favorable rate), I decided to give Disney a pass.

That being said, we love Disney and have loved our previous sailings on DCL, and I'm sure that your granddaughter will have an absolutely fantastic time. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about DCL (other than the cost).

Have a great trip

Have you ever traveled with this other family before? I ask because they may not be expecting to be attached at the hip for every meal. You may want to reconsider and book some reservations for just your family, especially if you can't stand the thought of everything not falling exactly into place. I like my travel friends but we certainly do our own things at times and it makes everyone that much happier.

I don't expect that we will actually be spending every evening with them - I just know that if I don't take the initiative to book restaurants and shows for them, they will walk onto the ship with exactly zero reservations. I'm trying to be a good friend by doing this for them, and, if they decide to switch things up as we go along (provided that they let me know 24 hours before the reservation), then no harm done.

I've always been comfortable with an oceanview, rather than a verandah, because for my clausterphobia, I just need to 'see' the outside (which is why I could never sail in an inside cabin).

Given that my family uses the cabin solely for sleeping and showering and we're on deck all day, the cost differential for a balcony has never made sense for us.

Thanks to everyone who replied. Your comments and advice are very much appreciated.

You can book for any number of people with the caveat being if you want to do so in advance for a specialty then you have to pay in advance.

 

 

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Thanks for the quick response. Am I correct that even if I book and pay for a specialty, as long as I cancel more than 24 hours in advance, I'll receive a credit back?

I hear you, loud and clear.

My family has loved sailing on Disney, and have been ok paying the premium for the Disney touches and kids clubs (I'm known as "safety dad" and figured that if any company wasn't going to let something happen to my kid while in their care, it was Disney), but we've gotten to a point where my daughter is much more interested in spending her days laying on deck with her ipod and a book, than in going to the clubs. So....

Back in February when I started looking at a spring break cruise for 2016, and saw that I could get a "mini-suite with a large balcony" room (plus the unlimited 'beverage' package) on the Norweigan Escape for almost half the price of an oceanview room on DCL (which turns out to be significantly less than half, given that I could book NCL in Canadian dollars at a very favorable rate), I decided to give Disney a pass.

That being said, we love Disney and have loved our previous sailings on DCL, and I'm sure that your granddaughter will have an absolutely fantastic time. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about DCL (other than the cost).

Have a great trip!

Hi all.

I'm hoping that this is a quick and easy one for you (since this will be my first sailing on NCL, I don't know the answer, and must be putting in the wrong search terms on the site).

My family (2 adults, 1 child) is sailing with friends (2 adults, 3 children) on the Escape in March.

If I understand correctly, if we all want to dine together in one of the MDR's, we just show up and wait for a table for 8, but what about specialty dining?

I'm a Type 'A' advance planner, and they are not planners at all (e.g., 90 days out, I want to be online at midnight booking dining and shows - and we're 100 days out and they haven't thought about booking their flights to Miami yet). I need to know well in advance where I'm going to be and what I'm going to be doing at any particular moment (yes, even on vacation, and yes, I get how really depressing that sounds, and no, I'm not a control freak - well, maybe I'm a bit of a control freak, but 'winging it' while on vacation freaks me out).

Can I book a table for 8 (or 4, depending on whether I think the kids will want to eat at the restaurant/see the show), or can I only book for my family, and they have to do their own booking? Can our reservations be linked?

Thanks for your (anticipated) assistance with this question.