kickbutt10

On 1/10/2024 at 1:05 AM, KeithJenner said:

Being confused is a very common result of phoning NCL.

 

If you want to increase your confusion further you could try calling again, asking the same question and comparing answers.

My OBC is refundable so I won't spend it and just get a refund.  That will teach them! LOL!

I called NCL a few days ago and was told I could upgrade to FAS+ when we boarded to use our OBC. I was also told that the extra $50 excursion credit for the 2nd person would be credited for excursions already paid for.  I am now very confused.  

10 hours ago, MCMC100 said:

They have umbrellas on the Encore. The Vibe staff puts them up/takes them down depending on wind speed.

 

The Encore Vibe is large….it takes up the sun deck space on deck 20 that is accessible to non-Vibe passengers on some other ships that I recall (Bliss and Escape). It’s very windy up there and umbrellas were a rarity on the upper deck. My best guess is they were closed slightly more than open due to wind on deck 19 - but I was on Encore in Alaska so it was not exactly a traditional sit-in-the-sun Vibe experience. 

Thank you so much.  The video sure doesn't show any (opened or closed) so I was perplexed.  

Semi unrelated.  We are sailing on Encore next year.  We always buy Vibe passes.  I just watched a YouTube video of Vibe on Encore.  I do not see any umbrellas.  OP......were there umbrellas on Encore? or do I need to book a cabana?  TiA

We had never heard of a discount until our recent cruise.  We booked a Haven class cabin while onboard Breakaway on July 9th.  We did get 10% but there was no mention of an upgrade.  Should we have received a cabin upgrade?  I wonder if we could still get it if we were due.  NCL did transfer it to our TA so I am betting they won't talk to me now.  

4 hours ago, AndyCapn said:

There are five big advantages with Vibe versus sitting poolside:

* No children or teenagers

* No chair hogs

* No loud music or poolside activities

* (Usually) No wait for the hot tub

* (Usually) No wait at the bar

 

Whether that's worth $209 a week extra is obviously subject to opinion. For $40 more you can buy a spa pass that has four of those things (no bar) and isn't affected by the rain or cold.

It is now $229

They also changed the 7/3 sailing of NCL Breakaway to Amber Cove

1 hour ago, hrmkr said:

Cruise Gopher,  

 

Thank you very much for seeing the Amex offer.  

 

I have the basic blue card and my promotion was $1250 off $1000.  Guess I got lucky.

 

Here is something for others to try.  I did this in the past with a Carnival Amex offer and it worked.  Contact Amex and ask for a 2nd card under your primary account. It will have a different account number.  The offer should/may also be eligible on the 2nd card. You can double dip. 

 

With my blue card, there is no annual fee so it is basically free money.  Just ordered the 2nd card. 

The last offer they had with American Express, the offer only appeared on the first card on our account.  I contacted Amex and they said it is not a given that both users will receive the same offer.  Just a heads up.  I was bummed out and none of our cards are part of this offer.  

I booked through an online agency and have been using them for years.  Just past out final pmt, the prices dropped and I request to upgrade my Haven cabin to a higher class.  The agent called NCL and was told no.  No upgrade even if I paid the difference, no refund, no FCC.  The reason given was the promos did not match.  I had rec'd paid gratuities as a perk and it was no longer offered.  I called NCL and they said I could have either an upgrade or the FCC IF I had booked directly with NCL.  I am not happy at all with any of this as you can imagine.  My category is now sold out so even if they offer the same promo again, I am out of luck.  I guess I won't be booking Haven early or perhaps ever again.  I just think it is cruddy customer service to not allow a paid upgrade.   

My first cruise was on the Skyward in 1979.  I thought it was the most fabulous thing I had ever done.  That was the birth of my love for cruising.  I wasn't able to go again until 2004 and we try to cruise once a year.  I was very fortunate that I had all of my cruise documents and I was able to receive Latitudes credit shortly before they put the time restriction on.  I have sailed a few lines but always seem to prefer NCL.

3 minutes ago, Budget Queen said:

Your credit is NOT a result of any of this year’s events.    It is a completely separate credit you got in 2019.  WITH it’s own terms.    Responses are not noting these SPECIFIC details.     You aren’t going to be able to ride your n totally different credits that are being issued this year- under their own terms

 

You’re now under a loose it or use it. By 9 -27-21.   So you might want to see if you can find a cruise that meets those conditions.   

 

You are correct.  My FCC has nothing to do with this year's events and I mentioned in my original post that it resulted from a cruise we took, not one that was canceled.  If you notice the FCC being questioned in the original post was also not a result of what is going on with the virus.  I understand the terms and understand I will lose it if it is not used.  I have found a cruise it would work on but they are unwilling to let me use it as part of my $1500 deposit so until I feel a bit more comfortable giving them more money, I will wait.

On 6/30/2020 at 10:36 PM, poohdreaming said:

 

I'm a little confused. If you wanted to cruise in Nov. of 2021, then why you cannot do so? Though it was to book a cruise by the deadline, not cruising??

I took the Traveling Man's advice and called again.  I spoke to three different departments and they all agreed.  I can't speak for other FCCs, the expiration on this one is a "sail by" date and not a booking date.  I have been told the FCC cannot be used on a Nov 2021 cruise regardless of the booking date.  The credit can only be used on a cruise that sails by Sept 27, 2021.  I tested the "sail by" aspect and asked about a sailing on NCL Joy for 9/25/21.  That one would work.  You don't have to come back by 9/27, just sail by.  LOL!

 Just be careful if you have one.  They did say I could write a letter to appeal but it most likely would not work.  

59 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

You may want to confirm that.  We have received FCC from NCL on several previous occasions.  We generally used them soon after receiving them, but as I recall they always were valid for any cruise booked before their expiration date.  So if they expired in March you could apply them in February to a November cruise.  If you cancelled your November cruise in April, however, the FCC would be forfeited.

For some reason I cannot see the FCC on my account but the TA and NCL can.  They have never reappeared on the account after the May cruise was cancelled.  My Cruise Next certificates did show back on the account.  Both the TA and a NCL rep.

 told me it is sail by date.  The only  thing I have is the letter left in our cabin which says "The future cruise credit is valid until Sept. 27, 2021"  It does not specify.  

9 hours ago, poohdreaming said:

 

I'm a little confused. If you wanted to cruise in Nov. of 2021, then why you cannot do so? Though it was to book a cruise by the deadline, not cruising??

I have been told our FCC expiration date is a sail by date, not a book by date.

We had a FCC than was given to everyone on a recent cruise we took.  We applied it to our May 2010 cruise which was canceled.  The expiration date is at the end of September 2021 and did not change.  We are unable to cruise in 2021 until November.   I called today to see if I could get an extension since we lost so much time to be able to use it because of the shutdown.  I was told no.  They did say that things could change later but probably not.  I was surprised they would want to pass up a booking of 2-3 Haven cabins by not extending our date by a month.  I guess they don't want my money.

We have a KYSS bag and we love it.  Another poster commented that if someone really wants to take something, they will.  I feel like my bag is obviously chained and locked so that "should" make my bag look like more of a hassle to steal than another one. 

We use the bag more than I thought I ever would.  For example, I was flying alone so I was able to lock the zipper top on the bag while I slept or went to the restroom.  The one downside is that it is canvas, so it is not waterproof and it not as easy to clean.  As tacky as it sounds, I keep a kitchen trash bag in a ziploc bag inside the bag. When we have to sit bag on the floor or in the sand, I whip out the trash bag and put the KYSS bag inside.  I know, not so attractive,   but it helps keep it clean and a bit less germier.  It is not machine washable but you can hand wash if you are careful.  Good luck~

7 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

On that topic of the "Premium PLUS Beverage Program".  I always upgrade my PERK to that program.  The biggest benefit to my wife and I is the Bottle of Selected wine at meal times.  My wife brings it back to the room if she does not finish it.  We always have wine to drink in the room without the expense of room service wine.  I also drink lots of water & non-suger energy drinks.  Those are included on the PLUS also. Finally, I go out of my way to find the best Drinks to try all week.  Since there is no $ drink limit, with very few exceptions, I life like a rock star for 7 days.  Then I go to rehab when I get home, LOL.  Cruise well.

 

I just wish they would allow me to upgrade and not make my husband upgrade too.  He is not a wine drinker and is happy with Bulliet bourbon.  I am a BIG bourbon fan and not crazy about Bulliet.  My only saving grace is that those Haven bartenders can work magic with it. I am not knowledgeable about wine but would love to be able to try a few.   I keep hearing about that Veuve Clicquot which I know nothing about but I am intriqued by the chatter about it.

  I try not to bellyache about it since I know there are many out there that have the situation where one person drinks alcohol and the other does not.  That is even worse for them.

I just checked our May 10th Breakaway dining options.  American Diner is now showing.  Haven guests were offered free lunch on embarkation day at Margaritaville.  I wonder if American Diner will be offered now?  I would be game to try it for free but I haven't heard anything that would make me want to pay an upcharge.  I will miss the watermelon margaritas but that is about it.

1 hour ago, versuco said:

We docked at the new pier on the Escape on Jan 6.  It was not totally finished, but is useable.  The Symphony of the Seas was docked next to us at the original pier.  We had a rainy, but enjoyable day.

Oh....thank you! That sounds like good news!  

We have been there several times but we are traveling with some them haven't been there.  We did not get off the ship in November but heard it was a diaster.  The guys were considering a golf excursion so we were trying to figure out what the deal was.  There was a photo of Escape posted at the beginning of January that looked like it was docked with a RCCL ship.  If that was the case, I would think the pier was complete.  Who knows?

On our November cruise on Getaway, we had to tender into Roatan due to the unfinished pier repair and a RCCL ship in port with us. Apparently RCCL has first dibs on docking so if they are in port, NCL has to tender.      It was a nightmare.  We are cruising again on Breakaway in May.  We are trying to find out if the pier is or will be done by then.  Does anyone have that information?  Suffice it to say, if we are tendering, we are staying on the ship.  We would like to know so we can decide if we want to plan an excursion.  Thanks for any information anyone can share!

2 hours ago, forgotmyCCname said:

Thank you!! Im a wealth of misinformation these days.

 

Oh, you were not really incorrect.  It is just different on Epic then on the other larger ships.  We wish they would include it or modify the Haven sundeck a bit to include an outside bar.  We love Haven but do not like that the bar area is so far removed from the sundeck.

6 hours ago, forgotmyCCname said:

When we sailed Epic it was included.

From what I understand, the area on Epic is called POSH and it shares the same space as the Haven sundeck.  That is why it is included.  On the ships that have VIBE, it is a separate space from Haven and is not included.  

42 minutes ago, gizfish said:

You can also ask your butler for a pitcher of OJ so you can make mimosas.

HIghly suggested because the "champagne" is not very good.  OJ may make it drinkable.

18 minutes ago, Suite Heart said:

About the 6 barstools at the Haven bar...

 

I like sitting at the bar, BUT pulling out and pushing in those barstools makes an AWFUL scraping sound. (At least on the Getaway and the Breakaway.) Maybe that's been fixed since my last cruise on the Breakaway last February. I guess I'll see in a couple of weeks. (Sheesh, all it would take is a few chair leg caps! Maybe I should bring some. ;-0

We enjoy sitting at the bar too.  As one of the contributors to this thread called us, "drunks"  Nice.  I agree the barstools can make an awful sound.  It would be nice if they were narrower and swiveled so they did not require as much movement and people could get around us "drunks"   Lol.