jkbec101

Anyone who recently disembarked willing to share the dailies?

Anyone flown WestJet internationally (Canada to Europe) recently?  

How was it? Did you leave on time?  How was service once in the air?

3 minutes ago, bbqbears said:

One last question about NCL 2:1 fares.  Son and DIL were told that once flight had been assigned, they would be able to go directly to the airline and request seat assignments, and even pay for upgrade.  We know the second part of that is not true, but wondering if anyone who has used the 2:1 air has been able to get requested seats when available? 

We were able to select our seats and upgrade to Premium Economy on WestJet and Air Canada.

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Then why didn't you just buy that ticket?

Because we had our flight through NCL and I got busy and never called NCL to request this flight.

Anyone change planes in Toronto recently (last two weeks), how was it?  

What's the mask situation in the airport?

I'm just a tad jealous.  

We too are flying out of LAX, but we're on WestJet through Toronto to BCN for our NCL Cruise in September.  I really wanted this flight.

It seems to me, that a very simple chart for each country that has the following information:

Vaccinated (w/Booster)  Yes or No

Pre-Cruise Testing  Yes or No

Then a statement that says if not vaccinated then must have a pre-cruise test.  

Then if someone wants more information, have a link.  All the explanation seems unduly burdensome and unnecessarily confusing.

We depart September 15th from LAX on Westjet to Barcelona with a change of Planes in Toronto.  

I know we have to fill out the ArriveCan information (already done).  We don't have to go through security again do we and we should be able to check our bags straight through to Barcelona without having to claim them, right?  

The information from the Canadian and Toronto governments are as clear as mud.

My reading of all the information, is that no pre-cruise testing is required prior to boarding in Barcelona by either NCL or Spanish Authorities.

I have read on here that if you're a Haven guest, you should expect luggage tags to be mailed to you along with a letter from the concierge about the Haven.  I have also read that the tags and letter come about 60 days out.  

We upgraded to the Haven 2 room family suite at roughly the 65 day mark.  I'm wondering if we missed some internal cutoff or if I should still force my kids to go check the mail daily? 

For anyone who has experienced both, can you please highlight the differences, what makes one (in your opinion) better than the other.

I know the Serenity deck on Carnival is free vs. Vibe which has a cost, so please set that aside.  

Thanks!

Is there a logical reason as to why NCL is not booking air until 30 days prior to departure, other than staffing shortages? 

In the case of international travel, I would have liked to have seen the air booked within 10 to 20 days after final payment.  

Some have stated in other places that prior to covid international travel was booked 75 days out, but I have no way of confirming that.

We're 66 days out and I just see no logical reason why NCL would wait another 36 days to book my airfare.

You would think that a company as large and with the purchasing power that NCL enjoys, they should be able to claim priority with any supplier to ensure that they are fully stocked on alcohol.  If any given supplier/vendor drops the ball, then reach out to another vendor and if it means departing an hour late to ensure the ship has alcohol, I think most guests wouldn't mind.

All I can say is that my local grocery stores have NEVER run out of Vodka, Whiskey, or Tequila and they certainly have never run out of beer.  So if my local Vons/Albertsons, Ralphs (Kroger) or Stater Brothers (local chain) can remain fully stocked, you would think that NCL could keep their ships fully stocked.   

I'm so sick and tired of hearing supply chain excuses for something like this.  One would have to believe that stocking a large cruise ship like the Joy would be a huge money maker/large account.  If I have 100 bottles of Vodka and the NCL Joy needs 60, fulfill that order first and then work your way down the client list.  

This is not just on the supplier, it is also on the JOY, there are people (I suspect) in corporate and at the ship who are responsible for this type of thing.  So, on the day of departure and you get to say 1:00 pm and you haven't seen the alcohol supplier, NCL should be on the phone screaming for the delivery.  Hell, delay the ship to get that stuff on board and let everyone know.  I guarantee that the compliments would far out weigh the complaints.

If this supplier cannot meet the demand, then find another supplier, I'm sure that there are others who would line up for the chance.

Blaming supply chain issues has become the easy way of justifying laziness.

Look if you're traveling from the US to Europe, you probably want a longer layover than you would if you were traveling domestically.  In some cases, you may be required to go through immigration or customs and you're going to want a bit of time to account for potentially long lines.  

If you end up with a really long layover, nothing says you can't leave the airport and tour whatever city for a few hours.

Bid on Haven for our NCL Epic cruise in September 2022.  Can the butler/concierge get us Spa passes or would we have to run to the Spa on embarkation day and get them.  Same thing with Vibe/Posh?

Last one, does the Ship reserve seats for Haven cruisers for the big shows in the theater? 

2 hours ago, nolatravelgirl said:

Just because you had a direct flight last time is no indication as to what you may receive on a future cruise. NCL is only interested in the cheapest flight possible. There is no real rhyme of reason and just because person X gets a non-stop perfectly timed flight this week has no bearing on what flight they may book you on months from now. Assume that you are going to get the worst flights with connections and lengthy layovers and be pleasantly surprised if you get anything better. 

 

As far as having an airline credit card I would read the terms and conditions of the card. Many of them limit your ability to check bags on a flight complimentary only if the ticket was purchased using said card. 

With all the problems that AMS and LHR have been having a lengthy layover might not be a bad thing.  AMS had a 6 hour wait time to get through security.  

You should be fine as the Summer travel season will be over and the numbers of people traveling will be greatly reduced.  I'm also traveling from LA to Barcelona in September and have tried to find this same information, but minimal success.  

If you want an idea of routing, you can go to Expedia and put in the dates and look at what it gives you.  

I learned something when making our specialty dining reservations that I thought was odd, but I thought I would share with all.

If you have the free at sea, where you get 2 free dinners at the specialty restaurants, the free tag applies to the first two reservations, regardless of the date. 

I made the reservations in this order:

La Cucina - Night 6

Cagney's - 2nd night

Teppanyaki - 1st night

Even though Teppanyaki is the first restaurant reservation, the system tried to charge us.  However, when I cancelled everything and rebooked the reservations in the following order, we were not charged:

Teppanyaki

Cagney's

La Cucina

Now we know that when we go to La Cucina on night 6, we'll have to pay for it, which we're fine with.  

I think it might be a glitch in the system, maybe not, but I wanted to share what we learned and how we handled it.

5 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I think you are missing a big piece of the puzzle.

 

I agree, the number of guests who testing eliminates is negligible.

I also suspect that NCL would lose some paying customers due to feeling 'unsafe'.

 

But I surmise that NCL will gain significantly more customers than they would lose when they eliminate pre testing. The rational is obvious. 

I did leave out a piece, not intentionally, it just never crossed my mind.  

It doesn't change the foundation of my point, which is that pre-cruise testing or not, all comes down to which action will make them the most amount of money with the least amount of negative PR.

Setting aside any governmental regulations, which obviously control, we should take a look at this from the cruise ship view.  

I make the following statement admitting I do not know actual numbers so I am working on hypothetical ones.  

NCL or any cruise line for that matter has a lot to balance.  Right now, ships are cruising at roughly 60% capacity, so for the sake of argument, lets call it 4,000 guests.  With pre-cruise testing, even if you only lose 2% to a positive covid test in the 2-3 days prior to departure, you are talking 80 people.  That can equate to as many as 40 cabins.  That's 40 cabins that up to 48 hours prior to the cruise had paying guests in them, spending money on excursions, shopping, specialty dining, gambling in the casino, all revenue that NCL is losing, not to mention money they'd be required to refund (i.e., excursions).  Plus, you have crew that are not servicing these cabins, who lose out on tips (pre-paid or otherwise), not to mention NCL is still paying them (I know they don't get paid squat) the same but for less work.  

On the flipside, if NCL were to drop pre-cruise covid testing, how many people would straight up cancel their cruise because they now felt unsafe?  I don't know if this is a number that can accurately be tracked or not, if it can and the the number of people who cancel due to a lack of testing exceeds the number of people denied boarding due to a positive, then pre-cruise testing is not going away.  If the number is equal to or less than the former, and NCL and other large cruise lines can avoid any negative PR, then the testing goes away.

It really all comes down to a numbers game.  

I might be the only one, but I would prefer that once I have made my final payment, that NCL would go ahead and book my airfare, at the 120 day mark.  When they wait until 30ish days, they not only limit our ability to select seats, but also upgrade and if there is an issue with the itinerary (i.e. too short of a connection), there is little time to correct it and find seats on the new flights.  

Not to mention that even at group rates or whatever discount NCL gets from the airlines, they are more than likely spending far more then they have to if they had just booked them sooner.  I get it that NCL's air department is short staffed and there are issues with the airlines, but all they had to do was move up the deadlines and just started sooner.  If you have to book say 1,500 people on the Epic in September it is far easier to book them starting in May and use June, July and August to get through the crush, than it would be to book them all in August.  Some people are being routed through Morocco to Spain.  Plus the majority of US based carrier flights are filling up or have very limited seats.  

This is just my two cents as someone who is cruising in September and wished I had my flight information now.

I know a lot of people will have the Butler empty the mini fridge, I was wondering, if you're on the free at see with the free alcohol, has anyone gotten the butler to empty the fridge and fill it with say beer from the bar?  

Is this something they would do?  It just seems like a reasonable request, I mean you get the drinks for free, heck, it my account for the tax if done while in port.  

I searched the NCL website and couldn't find anything. 

I have read that NCL only uses full service airlines US based airlines (Delta, United, American) for passengers traveling from the US to Europe.  

Can anyone confirm this?  Has anyone been booked on a foreign based airline, like British Air, Lufthansa, etc.?

Thanks!

On 5/11/2022 at 5:45 AM, Sailing12Away said:

From what I've read, the Utours are private tours, but handled by NCL. So if you want a much smaller group, or the ability to customize your excursion to what you specifically want to see/do, that's for you. But rather than go with an outside vendor, it's run through NCL so you have all their guarantees for returning to the ship on time and such.

 

We were considering doing it in Seville this week as we specifically want to see the Royal Palace and that is literally the only tour that includes a formal stop there. But at $360+ per person it's a bit steep.  I figure once we're on board in a few days we'll ask the concierge more about it to confirm how many people are in the tour and if it can be bumped to a bit more to save on the costs. I'm fine with 4 or 6 people at a higher price than the buses of 50+ people, but want to know exactly what you get before committing to 3x higher costs.

Thanks.  We're looking at the Ultimate Rome excursion, which I guess is a U Tour.  We were going to do it regardless as it allows us to visit a restaurant we ate at on our honeymoon.