CruisnDeb

10 minutes ago, room with a view said:

Thanks, Deb  .. phoning  America and explaining the problem would be a costly phone call ...and a letter would take some time . Perhaps I'll hand it over to ABTA ..Association of British Travel Agencies for help . NCL are members.

Did a little googling and came across this list that was update June 2023. I’d email them all. 
 

Executive Contacts

Primary Contact
Katty Byrd
Vice President, Guest Services
7665 Corporate Center Dr.
Miami, FL 33126
kbyrd@ncl.com

Secondary Contact
Chad Berkshire
Senior Vice President, Revenue Management
7665 Corporate Center Dr.
Miami, FL 33126
cberkshire@ncl.com

David J. Herrera
Senior Vice President, Brand Finance & Strategy
7665 Corporate Center Dr.
Miami, FL 33126
dherrera@ncl.com

Chief Executive
Harry Sommer
President and Chief Executive Officer
7665 Corporate Center Dr.
Miami, FL 33126
(305) 436-4000
hsommer@ncl.com

4 minutes ago, room with a view said:

That must be the reason ... it's regarding a refund that Southampton are reluctant to authorise . I'm now going to try dealing with Miami ...thanks

 

I don’t see any email addresses for an appropriate department. Here is the mailing address and phone numbers for reservations and corporate. Best I can do. 
 

1 hour ago, room with a view said:

Thanks, but that's the customer services at Southampton ... I need to get in touch by e-mail with the customer services in Miami .

I’m guessing your web browser is redirecting you to the UK site. If you let me know what you need help with I’ll see if I can find the email address for you. 

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

You'll  be clearing immigration, not customs, in Halifax. In my experience that's a quick process that is done from the manifest information for the ship as a whole with the exception of individual passengers that CBSA may need to interview because of questions about their admissibility to Canada, often due to having a DUI or other criminal conviction.

You'll go through customs clearance when you disembark in Quebec City, and even that is normally perfunctory unless CBSA wants to inspect what you're bringing ashore.

That sounds logical to me.  And I hadn't even given it a thought until came across this information I read on the Port of Quebec website (https://www.portquebec.ca/en/cruises/information-for-cruise-ship-passengers/boarding) so it got me wondering lol.

ARRIVAL IN QUEBEC CITY
(DISEMBARKING TIPS) 

• Most passengers leave the ship between 6:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
• Customs control is carried out at the first Canadian port the cruise ship reaches. Your cruise line will provide more information depending on your itinerary. 
• Luggage porters are available to help transfer your bags to the bus, limousine, taxi, or personal vehicle. 
• Tipping is optional.
• For relatives and friends picking up passengers, there are several parking lots in the sector. Go to parkindigo.ca and ville.quebec.qc.ca for options in the area. 
• Explore beautiful Quebec City while you’re here! Go to quebecregion.com.

17 minutes ago, genealogyfan said:

I took that exact same cruise in Sept 2022 and I don't remember any wait, lines or anything regarding customs. I just remember waiting to be cleared to get off the ship and the lines weren't that bad. We were both US citizens. 

Excellent.  Thanks for sharing your experience.  I'm anticipating this will be our experience too.

Just now, DCGuy64 said:

If you have nothing to declare, clearing customs is a breeze, it won't take you any time at all.

Will everyone have to clear customs before they let anyone exit the ship?  Do you have to signup for a customs appointment?  I read how on a recent Pearl Bermuda sailing, there were long lines to turn your customs form in (I think they had to signup for a time) and cruisers were held up from exiting the ship at Bar Harbor and a lot of port time was missed.  With Bar Harbor being a tender port, this made the tender process a royal mess.  I'm hoping since Halifax is a docking port, it won't be as much of an issue.  Just trying to get the process down in my head so I can make a plan and be mentally prepared lol.

We are on the Norwegian Pearl September 1st sailing Boston to Quebec City.  For those who have cruised the Boston to Quebec City (one way) itinerary, how did customs work?  I read on the Port of Quebec website that we will clear customs at our first Canadian port which is Halifax for us.  Just wondering how long this took?  We are scheduled for 9:00 am arrival and I guess I'm trying to figure out if some of our port time will be used to clear customs.  TIA for any information and/or helpful tips.

@Host Carolyn would it be possible to add Seascape to the list of ships on the dropdown?  The NCL board added Viva way before she sailed.  I know it can be searched on by putting it in the search box but it would be easier and more consistent with it listed with the other ships.

@imluvncruzn did you end up taking the Tri Rail?  I'm considering it for me and another adult (so no kids in tow).  Just wondering what your experience was.  Thanks.

3 hours ago, morrowz said:

No request for upgrade ,but we will go with the change ,we have never sailed so high up and always midship ,hoping the weather isn’t rough around Hawaii 

One thing to remember the next time you book a cruise, ask to have it noted that you do not want an upgrade. I usually do this because I am picky about my cabin location. 

3 hours ago, morrowz said:

We are on Pride of America ,on 30 th September ,I just noticed they have changed our stateroom ,we chose 4071 inside midship ,and that was correct at final payment ,now it is inside cabin 10519 ,I don’t understand ,why they would do this.Should I contact them ,or do I just go with it ?Thanks in advance.

Personally, I would like 10519 better--it has cabins above and below it and I feel it would be a quieter cabin.  4071 has public space above it.

I agree with Bird that the POA is the best way to get a good taste for islands. We cruised on the POA and discovered how much we loved Kauai and have been there for 2 land vacations so far. I personally did not care for Honolulu and think most people who dislike Hawaii have only vacationed there. Each island is unique and I’m so glad I got to experience them all. 

12 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

looks like it doesn't offer much benefit if you're there before boarding begins.  I like to get to the port around Noon (to avoid waiting around the check in area), and the benefit of the CAS line is it's usually near empty so you can go right to the front to check-in, then head straight onto the ship.

Thanks for this bit of advice.  Sounds like a great idea.

1 minute ago, BirdTravels said:

It means nothing.

 

In Miami, there is a check-in line for casino guests. If they did it right, which they don't, they would give you a low boarding group number. The only port that used to offer priority embarkation was New York. 

 

On our last few cruises, CAS and top-tier Latitudes were the same, long, line. 

 

 

 

Thank you.

We have booked a cruise through Casinos at Sea departing from Miami.  I noticed on the website it lists "Casinos at Sea Embarkation" as a benefit.  Can someone tell me what this is?  Do we get our own waiting area before boarding?  Priority boarding of some sort?  Just wondering what this means lol.

Yes.

If there is only one guest in the cabin, the airfare is 1/2 off, so you are still getting the same benefit (the online system has already discounted the airfare price that you see.)

Thank you @LHT28 and @GTJ for all the info and insight. Guess I will have instructions ready from both terminals. Hopefully we get moved to the older terminal—it looks more walker friendly. Not sure how the bike race will play into all this but all we can do is make plans and hope for the best. 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and advice.  We decided to purchase our tickets ahead of time 🙂.  

43 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Make sure you know what terminal the ship will dock at

Some are further away than the one you posted in your  link

 

 https://www.portquebec.ca/en/cruises/information-for-cruise-ship-passengers/access-to-docks

https://www.portquebec.ca/en/cruises/vessel-schedules/seasonal-schedule

I am being told by NCL that we will be at Wharf 30, which I believe is pretty close to where I marked on Google maps.  I appreciate the links and will check back as the cruise gets closer to make sure we are still at Wharf 30.

3 hours ago, GTJ said:

The last time we walked it was either along Quai Saint-Sandré or Rue Saint-Paul (I don't recall which). The former is less busy, while the latter has more commerce, but either route is fine. Absent any temporary construction there are plenty of sidewalks, so I do not fully understand the alleged lack of sidewalks . . . is there a particular location where no sidewalk was observed using Google street views?

@GTJ Here is one of the routes going down Rue Abraham Martin.  The 2nd picture shows the street view.

Does anyone know the best route to walk from the cruise port to the VIA Rail Gare du Palais?  Google maps shows 3 different ways to go.  When I look at the street view, it seems to be lacking sidewalks.  We will have 1 large suitcase each so I'm wondering which way would be best to go.  I hate to call Uber for such a short trip if I don't need to.

13 hours ago, GTJ said:

A good reason to purchase tickets ahead of time is that they're less expensive. An advance purchase ticket might be 42.00 CAD, while a last-minute ticket could be as much as 146.00 CAD (or even 217.00 CAD if only business class remains). Ask yourself if the possibility of having to spend an additional 104.00 CAD for a last-minute ticket is necessary to avoid the risk of losing 42.00 CAD for a ticket for a train you might miss. Another is the possibility of a particular train being "sold out," that being most likely (but still unlikely) on Fridays and Sundays, and at holiday time. But if you're not adamant about traveling on one particular train at a specific time, then under ordinary circumstances you should be able to obtain transportation even if that particular train were to be sold out. The Gare du Palais in Québec has both train and bus departures, and so under a worst case scenario Orléans Express could provide you with good quality transportation to Montréal (in fact, I have long found Orléans Express to be the best provider of regular bus service in all of Canada). Bus fare is 40.00 CAD for advance purchase, or 65.74 CAD for last-minute. These buses depart from Québec at 6h30, 7h30, 9h30, 10h30, 11h30, 12h30, 13h30, 15h30, 16h30, 17h30, 18h30, 19h30, about 3 hours travel time. Via Rail Canada trains depart from Québec at 5h25 (weekdays only), 8h10, 12h36, 15h00, 17h45, about 3 hours 15 minutes travel time.

I didn’t know the prices for the train would fluctuate like airline tickets. I also didn’t know about the Orléans Express bus. Our tour should end by 1:30 pm so it looks like we have a few options. I really appreciate all the information—you have been very helpful thank you. 

We plan to take the Via Rail from Quebec City to Montreal.  Do we need to worry about buying our tickets ahead of time?  We have an excursion in Quebec City planned for after our cruise and aren't sure of what time we will be dropped off at the train station, so I was hoping we could purchase once we got to the train station.

We plan to take the Via Rail from Quebec City to Montreal.  Do we need to worry about buying our tickets ahead of time?  We have an excursion in Quebec City planned for after our cruise and aren't sure of what time we will be dropped off at the train station, so I was hoping we could purchase once we got to the train station.