cruisincuzz

I am one of the displaced cruisers affected by the Epic redeployment.  Because of the plethora of bad reviews I have seen on that ship (which I was unaware of before I booked it), I am now looking at other ships.  I am considering a transatlantic on the Breakaway departing from Rome on November 12th.  The cruise I had booked previously was very port-intensive - 12 ports in 12 days - so I was not really concerned about what activities were available on the ship.  However, with a TA cruise naturally involving a lot of days at sea, I want to make sure we won't get bored.  I am a water baby so would be very happy to spend my days topside, but I am concerned about the feasibility of that in late November.  The ship leaves Lisbon and stops in the Azores and Bermuda before heading for NYC.  Will the pools and waterslides even be operating and if so, will they be heated?  I realize that the closer we get to the States, the colder it's going to get, but am I being totally delusional for hoping to have beachy fun for the first few days?  Thanks.

20 hours ago, Asawi said:

So you were able to book already and get the 20%? It's supposed to be available from June 1st, but I would really like to book an October cruise right now. (I'm not in USA and I do not use a travel agent if that matters)

I rebooked already with one of Norwegian's agents.  I did not get the 20% yet, but he said to call on 6/1 and he will be able to apply it.  If he's wrong, I simply cancel and rebook.  I was afraid that if I waited until 6/1, I would be in the engine room.

4 hours ago, JandC_Cruising said:

Assuming you received the same letter as the OP:

1.  I assume you are asking about booking a "European" cruise before December 1st and use the 20% discount.  If so, YES....You can choose a November 2023 European Cruise (for example).

2.  According to the letter, you will receive your 20% discount coupon on June 1st.  Based on my experience, you will need to wait to book until that date so that you have the discount in your Latitude's Account so it can be applied to a cruise you book (Any European Cruise from that point until April 30th 2024 - per the letter)

3.  No issue, NCL did not buy your airfare yet (and you have only paid your deposit).  For you (in USA) The deposit is fully refundable and will go back to your original form of payment, again per the letter provide.  

4. The perks you receive on any newly booked cruise will be those which are in effect at the time of that new booking...None of your "old promo's" transfer to a new booking.  So, if you pick a cruise that is currently offering the 2-for-1 air for example, you will be able to select that.

 

Hope that helps with some clarification.   

Absolutely!  Thank you so much!

Would someone be good enough to clarify some things for a relative newbie?  December 1 was to be our fifth cruise and our first on NCL.  Needless to say, we have never encountered anything like this before so I have some questions:

1.  Am I allowed to book a cruise that takes place before December 1?  Because we are retired and every day is pretty much the same to us.  

2.  Am I allowed to book a new cruise now and apply the 20% discount on June 1 or do I have to wait until then to book another cruise in order to use the discount?

3.  I purchased airfare through NCL but it had not been arranged yet.  All I have paid to this point is the deposit.  Will I get the entire deposit back or will some of that go to the airline?

4.  Will we get the same perks as were offered for the cruise we originally booked, specifically 2-for-1 airfares, transfers, free at sea offers?

My apologies if these questions seem stupid, but I thought the wording of their letter could have made things a lot clearer.  TIA.

On 5/11/2022 at 9:21 PM, pasodancer said:

f you are spending the night prior - have you checked to see if your hotel offers extended parking?  You could always Uber/Lyft form the hotel to the terminal and back.   There is at least 1 hotel within walking distance to the terminal (Main), but do not know their parking situation.

Thanks for the suggestion, but our son lives in Richmond so we are spending the night with him.  I know it could be worse - at least it's not Manhattan!

Is there any offsite parking with a shuttle that anyone knows of?  I think $15/day is pretty steep when terminals with offsite privately owned lots offer parking for less than half of that.  I certainly haven't been able to find any other option, though.

Thanks, everyone.  Yes, I told them all activities were free and now I feel like a sh****ad telling them that they may have to pay for some of them.  We can blame covid, but it's really just good old-fashioned corporate greed.  JMO.

Thanks guys.  So what are the charges for Ripcord, Northstar and VR on sea days?  How hard is it to get a ressie on a port day?  And are you only allowed to do them once?  Are there any other activities that have a charge?  

Hi all, we are sending my son and DIL on a delayed honeymoon at the end of this week.  They are sailing on the Odyssey out of Fort Lauderdale on April 3rd.  I have read conflicting reports about extra charges for activities such as the North Star,  Ifly, bumper cars, etc.  Apparently, some times are free and some times you have to pay for.  Money is going to be tight for them and they'd like to get an idea of what they are going to have to spend on board for these kinds of things.  My son is an adrenaline junkie, so is going to want to do anything fun/dangerous.  Also, I can't get a clear picture of how these reservations are made, as we haven't sailed since covid.  Do all reservations have to be made on board the first day or can some of them be made on the app?  They've never cruised before so I am responsible for guiding them through this, and despite searching the RCI website (as well as this one), I am still confused.  Also, they have a free dinner - do they have to wait until they are on  board to book it? Thanks for any clarification you can give on this.

We will be on Anthem of the Seas in early February.  We are a group of four ranging from early 60's to early 70's.  We all have knee problems.  We love history, beaches, nature, etc., but the 3 pm arrival time really limits the possibilities.  Is there anything we can do other than limping around Old San Juan?  We would love to see the forts, but we will be too late for that.  Any ideas?

Thank you all!  Great answers and my mind is at ease.  Since we have never sailed with children, I never even thought of the kid's menu.  Great idea!

We are sailing on Anthem on January 31st.  From what I have seen, it looks like the only complimentary venue that will be open for dinner is the MDR - unless we want to eat sandwiches or pizza.  The RCL website says that the Windjammer is only open for lunch and dinner and Solarium Bistro is not open at all.  I find this very distressing as we have eaten dinner in the Windjammer many evenings on prior cruises.  Anyone who has been a passenger recently, is this truly the case?  Unfortunately, I have the palate of a 5-year-old and can't always find something in the MDR that I want to eat.

34 minutes ago, puppycanducruise said:

I thought the fee was 24.95 per person, so if you add in the 15% gratuity it comes to 28.69.

Enjoy the day!

That makes sense. Which makes it an even better deal!

7 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

The gratuity is on the package price.  $28.69 + is 15% = $32.99

Actually - and maybe someone can explain this to me - my credit card was charged a total of $57.38 for the two of us.  $28.69 x 2 = $57.38.  They did not charge a gratuity and I'm wondering if it will be charged once they "deliver" the package.  At any rate, my experience is that lying in the sun (hopefully) and being in salt water (hopefully) makes you very thirsty.  Since it also includes soda and bottled water (which I won't drink unless it's chilled), even if we only drink 2 alcoholic drinks each, I still think it's a fantastic deal.

I did it!  Read all 185 pages!  I would like my medal in gold, please....  I think the only question I have that hasn't been answered on this thread is regarding the cost of rentals on Half Moon Cay.  Do they rent floating mats and if so, can anyone tell me what they charge?  Also for snorkel equipment? 

I also wanted to share something I discovered that hasn't been mentioned.  We are leaving 2/26 on a western Caribbean itinerary that includes Half Moon Cay.  While browsing the HAL website, I found that you can purchase a drink package good for Half Moon Cay only.  It is $28.69 with all the same rules as a regular drink package, i.e., 15 drinks in the day, $11 limit, etc.  I thought it seemed like a fantastic deal and snapped it up.  Just wanted to share.

My husband and I are going to be in Ocho Rios on March 1st.  We have booked a private tour with Peat Taylor tours.  We are going to Blue Hole, Fern Gully, Sun Valley Plantation and lunch.  There are only the two of us going and the wonderful people at Sun Valley are opening just for us!  Since there will be room for more people, we welcome anyone who would like to join us.  Peat Taylor is charging us $75 pp with all fees included (except lunch).  I'm not sure if the cost would be the same if there are more people or if it would be reduced a bit.  We will be on the Veendam and will be docked in Ocho Rios from 8-5.  If anyone is interested, we would be glad to have the company.

No free drinks, I assume?

And when the tour guide asks you to show your appreciation for the bus driver give them a big clap.

:'):'):'):'):'):')

This is probably going to seem like a stupid question, but we have never gone on a shore excursion sponsored by a cruise line before. I know tips for guides are expected when you book your own excursion, but are line-sponsored excursions the same? Just wondering if the cruise lines might build tips into the cost, like they do with drink packages.

Sorry so late in replying. When we were there in 2016, tequila tasting was not only included, but they were very generous with it!:o The tequila is very expensive to purchase, but it was delicious, and I don't even like tequila!

Is this place included in the cruise fare?

If only(yn)

:o:D

Thank you for the tips, everyone. Apparently, I worded my original post very badly. I was getting frustrated that nobody seemed to be getting the point. I should have just asked, "What cruise line has the best pools?" and not tried to make myself sound like Michael Phelps. Mea culpa.

I didn't take the replies as condescension but just telling you the way it is. Due to limited space - and weight - cruise ship pools are not built for doing laps. Water weighs over 8 lbs per gallon. So even a 1000 gallon pool adds four tons of weight to the ship. Ship architects cannot change the laws of physics.

 

You told us that being able to swim laps is important to you, and you cannot afford to pay a premium for exclusive access to larger facilities. If this workout is a high priority then a cruise vacation is not for you. There aren't any ships with olympic sized pools. And it's unlikely any will be built with "endless" pools as only a few people would be able to use it each day. Imagine the anger from those waiting to use it while one person decides to get in a 45 minute workout.

If you had bothered to read my posts closely, you would have seen that I said I do not swim laps. I just wanted to be able to float around in a warm pool. I am far closer to Ursula than I am to Ariel. When I said I wanted to swim across the pool, I meant I wanted to swim across the pool, not lengthwise, but across. I do not need to be told what a cruise it about, or to receive a lesson in physics, nor to be told how I should narrow down my choices. To the poster who suggested I don't care about itineraries, price, etc., I have done my research and have narrowed my choices down to several cruises leaving in September and October on Carnival, RCI and NCL. I thought knowing which had the best pools might be the deciding factor. Never mind.