The Traveling Man

Some cruise itineraries include an overnight stop either at the beginning or the end of the cruise. In those cases you either check in and then have another full day to explore the port, or you arrive at your destination, then have the evening and the following morning before you need to disembark. The times listed on your itinerary can be confusing under these circumstances.

Correct. You have your card scanned at your muster station, answer “Yes” when asked if you saw the video, then go on your way. If you don’t check in, your name or stateroom number will be called on the PA. If you don’t respond, someone will come knocking on your door. Eventually you either will get checked in or escorted off the ship.

There seems to be a marked difference between US citizens and persons from other countries concerning carrying their passport at all times. Many Americans keep their passport locked in a safety deposit box most of the time, retrieving it only when needed for travel. They depend upon other forms of identification, such as a driver license, for everyday use. Many persons in other countries, however, rely on their passport as their primary identification and carry it with them at all times. I certainly can understand the advantages and disadvantages of each practice, but I choose to carry mine at all times. YMMV.

We have dined with some three dozen NCL officers. More than half have been senior officers (three stripes or above), including two Captains, three Chief Engineers, and six General Managers. About a third of our dinners were in a specialty restaurant, about a third were in the MDR, and the rest were in one of the smaller complimentary restaurants. Only twice have we been paired with an officer who spoke little English or who seemed to view the dinner as a drudgery to endure. In one of those cases we were able to get the officer to come out of his shell and share what turned out to be a very interesting life story. In addition to getting to know the officer, we look at it as a chance to meet other frequent cruisers. You get as much benefit from the experience as you put into it. Recently most of our dinners have been in Le Bistro with just four persons at the table - two senior officers, my wife, and myself. Those are especially enjoyable. Not only do we get an extra meal in a specialty restaurant at no extra charge, we also have the conversation with two senior officers all to ourselves.

Alain Magnier doesn’t so much host a dinner as “he holds court.” He’s a delight to get to know, so professional, so fastidious, and so personable. We have been very fortunate to dine with several senior officers who see this as an opportunity to get to know and interact with frequent passengers. Alain ranks at the top of that list. He really seems to enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to mix and mingle with loyal guests. He always prefers to host in Le Bistro and it always has been a memorable experience.

See you on board!

We have been to the canal three times, at different times of the year. We never have noticed any mosquitoes.

Actually it was the other way around. You sailed on the Star around Southeast Asia in December 2016 or January 2017, as I recall. We boarded in Sydney on 6 February 2017. The point, of course, is that even though that ship suffered multiple itinerary changes over a period of more than two months, NCL at least made it to the scheduled ports of embarkation and debarkation on time. They also offered varying amounts of compensation to the passengers on the several cruise segments. Not everyone was happy with the amounts offered, of course. Remember the near mutiny that occurred in late January? I think you’re right about changing the debarkation and embarkation port for this coming cruise, though. That really crosses the line.

I had one taken from me that I had forgotten to remove from my carry on bag. Since then I always have placed it in my checked luggage. I have it in my pocket right now while on board a ship. The ship’s security folks never have questioned me about it.

@complawyer There have been many threads on this forum concerning last minute itinerary changes. In most cases I have shrugged them off, thinking that I could tolerate them if they occurred on one of my trips. I even was satisfied with NCL’s response to the fiasco of the 2016-2017 misadventures of the Star. Changing the debarkation/embarkation port, however, really gives me pause. I think that in future I may only book an NCL cruise a few weeks before it sails, well after the final payment date. If they ever were to change a port of embarkation or debarkation so near to travel time that it cost me extra money to change my flight or hotel, I’m pretty sure that would be my last NCL cruise.

Now that is something I never considered. If an innkeepers lien allows the cruise line to seize your luggage, that alone should be incentive enough to keep anyone from attempting this without written permission in advance.

As P.T. Barnum is credited with saying “There’s one born every minute.” I don’t think that NCL is likely to run out of new customers any time soon.

The tide. Ships have to sail when the water in the channel is deep enough for them. The Bay of Fundy has some of the highest tides on earth.

We were in Portland three days ago on a small ship, about 160 passengers. There were two other similar size ships plus a 3000 and a 5000 passenger ship in town. The city was crowded with visitors, but things seemed to run smoothly.

We were in Bah Hah Bah two days ago on a small ship (160 passengers). There also was a Princess behemoth (about 5000 passengers?) in port. The tenders kept busy all day and the town was packed with cruisers.

Definitely give them your two cents worth!!! 🤣

Probably ended up paying the DSC on the remaining days and received the final bill via email.

When we did this, we had sailed from NYC to Southampton on the Getaway, then continued to Amsterdam on just the first three days of a ten day cruise that was destined for Copenhagen. I am not sure what paperwork was required, but NCL VP Katty Byrd took care of it for us. No worries.

The time we did this, we only sailed the first three days of a ten day cruise. NCL VP Katty Byrd arranged a special fare for us which was significantly less than the lowest advertised rate for the entire ten day cruise. It was more than just 30% of the regular price, of course, but low enough to be comparable to what we would have paid for taxis, trains, planes, hotels, and restaurants to get us from Southampton to Amsterdam. Depending on the specifics of the request, you may expect to pay the full fare for the entire cruise, but we were fortunate to be quoted a discounted rate. YMMV.

Several of NCL’s recent ships have sailed without paying passengers on their inaugural voyage. They may have carried travel agents, reporters, or other guests on a complimentary basis, but no paying passengers. That may be the case for the Luna.

It really depends on how close you are to the next Latitudes level and how important the benefits of that level are to you. If you frequently take tours booked through the NCL Shorex desk, then the extra 5% may make it worth it to you. If having dinner with an officer and several other frequent travelers is appealing, then that may be enough reason to rebook for the extra points. We’re about 100 points away from the next level, but that level includes a free cruise for each of us, so I probably would pay the extra $80 to get to Ambassador sooner. It all depends on your situation an your preferences.

We have been on about three dozen cruises with NCL. On virtually every one there has been an engraved sign on the Guest Services desk indicating that the ship was at full capacity and that no upgrades were available. Not a hastily printed sign, but a permanent, carefully crafted one, indicating that it would be displayed on a regular basis.

Thank you for that. We usually sail several times a year, so I don’t think we need to worry about that.

I did not know that they expired. We sail often enough that we use them within a few months after earning them.

My wife and I have done this. Contact Ms. Katty Byrd, NCL Senior VP for Guest Services, kbyrd@ncl.com.