Halifax Dude

Wow.....that is extremely serious.  Have you contacted Virgin to report it?

Should be no problem....I made a 10:35 flight out of FLL a few weeks ago.  Head down to Deck 7 at 7:15 and stand in line....once the ship is cleared, you'll be off and through customs in 10 minutes.  BUT, do not wait any later than 7:15.....the line gets long quickly.

Thanks very much for the info.  I'm heading on my first VV cruise in April and have been wondering about the program.  Any other insight would be a appreciated.  I'm predominantly a craps player.

I have done it.....many times.  Unless the ship is delayed in porting, you'll have loads of time.  The key is to carry your own luggage off the ship. 

It seems that since they instituted the UBP that the bucket of beer offer has disappeared.

Hate that.

Indeed. I don't like it either, but can certainly understand it. Since 90% of the passengers have the UBP, it's an understandable rationing control.

Interesting. I literally booked this cruise yesterday (albeit, not cruising until June 2019.)

 

A couple semi-related questions for those who have done this before: 1) Venice customs: Do we have to clear customs when leaving the ship? I would think we would because of Kotor and Dubrovnik but wanted to check. 2) We're flying back to Newark via Montreal (hey, it was cheap!) I know I'll need to clear in Newark but what about Montreal? We won't be leaving the terminal.

 

Our return flight isn't until 1:45 but I'm a bit anal-retentive about such things :-)

 

Thanks!

I was on this cruise a month ago (and a year before that as well). We did not have to clear customs in Venice upon our return - just walked straight through the terminal. You will, however, have to go through a ridiculous secondary passport check at the Venice airport, which can take well over an hour. Don't mess around in the airport - get through passport control and find a seat near your gate. As for your second question, yes, you'll need to clear Canadian customs in Montreal. It's a very quick and efficient process.

Hi guys - just got off the Star this past Sunday. I was aboard her a year ago and all I can say is.......WOW. What a difference. She's still one of the older ships in the fleet, but they did a marvelous job renovating her public spaces. She almost feels new again. Last year, I noted how tired and dysfunctional some of her spaces were (strange lounges with cheap furniture/fixtures), but she's certainly been beautified. For those interested in Spice, I will caution that it's a very different space than what you'd find on the Away-class vessels.....not so much a nighttime party spot as a quiet outdoor space to grab a drink and eat. They didn't host any of the evening activities there. Overall, I think most would agree that she feels like a different ship.

If the hash browns are "one of the best parts of an NCL cruise", I suggest you skip the boat and find a local buffet.

Some of what I'm reading on this thread (actually quite a bit) is fiction, but some is close to fact. Here's the simple truth: The higher value of either your theoretical loss OR your actual loss over the course of an individual sailing (most often 7 days) dictates your comp. You will generally NOT get a comp if the higher of those values is less than $2,500 ON YOUR PREVIOUS CRUISE. For regular and long-term guests, the reps will sometimes evaluate your play history, which can result in a comp even if your last cruise fell below the $2,500 level. This is where the CAS reps have some discretion - but you typically need a fair number of sailings (8+) before they'll do any heavy lifting for you. Your CAS tier level means essentially nothing when it comes to comps - a reasonably low-level player could easily achieve Sapphire status if they took 6 cruises in a year (CAS does not care about the frequency or cumulative value of your cruising when assigning a comp - only your predicted loss on the next sailing). Additionally, the fact that a player is comped a Mini Suite on one sailing does not mean they should expect an equal cabin level on a subsequent sailing - the cabin comp level is determined by the retail price of a particular cruise. Hope that info helps. :)

Just off the Escape and did the Platinum tour. It was about 90 minutes long, but not very informative. Listened to the stage manager drone on about the current shows (not one peep about the technical side of the theatre, which would have been interesting), then viewed the laundry facility, galley and what they call the I95 (long corridor that connects all of the crew areas). I was looking forward to the tour, but it was pretty boring. Definitely not worth any cash.

The fact that this discussion has devolved into a math lesson on predicated gaming holds is evidence that "abuse" from NCL's viewpoint was taking place. As the consumer, vote with your dollars and feet if you don't like it.

I hope to God the OP meant this as satire. If so, bravo - witty and well written. If it's a serious post, he has serious and bizarre issues.

I totally agree. I've gotten very bored with NCL's Caribbean itineraries. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge NCL loyalist, but it's hard to keep St. Thomas, Tortola and Nassau fresh.

Love all the legal eagles on this thread. You people have far too much time on your hands.

This is the biggest non-story of all time. So, a 15-year-old kid nailed a 23-year-old woman while lying about his age? In the grand pantheon of society, this is no big deal. The girl wasn't his teacher. She wasn't his bible study coach. She was in a casino - obviously horny (no crime here) - and came upon a seemingly willing counterpart. I can assure you, the lad is no victim. His mother is simply a nutjob.

Well my question was "I have just returned from NCL Escape and Getaway, I also did the getaway last December, we obtained our lucky cards this time. We booked our first cruise via an american travelagent, the most recent via a UK travel agent due to exchange rate falls.

We go in the casino every night and both my parents and my husband and myself gamble, not heavily but over the 2 weeks my husband and I probably lost $6-7000- not lucky at all on this cruise, some slot play but mostly 3 card poker.

How do we see if we qualify for comped rooms for next cruise, as we wish to book for February 17"

All you need to do is call CAS (877-752-9625 or 877-PLAY-NCL). Just explain your situation to the agent - they'll ask for your Latitudes number (or numbers in your case) - your parents' play won't get you anything, but if both you and your husband are planning to travel together, a $6-7K loss will get you a comped room for sure - either oceanview or balcony.

Hi - just back from the Jewel. Overall, I thought the ship was underwhelming, but nothing terrible by any means. The food was pretty good - Moderno and Cagneys were the best; Le Bistro was disappointing because I've liked it so much in the past; La Cucina was poor; and Chin Chin was essentially inedible. I actually thought the buffet presented really solid meals. The temperature at sea was really nice - mid 80s - it really only got windy on one occasion, but as we all know, there's nothing anyone can do about that. The entertainment was crap - cheap even by cruise standards - but the cruise staff were really pleasant. The ship itself is in need of a serious facelift - starting to really show its age and some of the refurbished areas were clearly done "on the cheap" - the Fizz Lounge is a perfect example.

I'd strongly recommend the Bicycle Thief, which is just a short walk from the port along the Harbourfront. Just ask anyone to direct you to Bishop's Landing. Everyone is Halifax knows where it is. Bishop's Landing is the name of the development - the Bicycle Thief is one of its restaurants.

Like some of the other posters, I'm a casino player - not huge by any means, but a decent player. I usually get free rooms in Vegas, but that's about it. On an average cruise, I'll budget in the neighbourhood of $3K for potential gaming losses. I have never been turned away by the CAS program - and in fact, almost always get a comped balcony. Factor in the UBP, UDP and port fees/taxes, and I generally get a vacation for two for $850 USD. For me, this represents outstanding value. I understand the folks that are turned off by the nickel and diming - they're price sensitive and that's their prerogative. It's the beauty of capitalism - customers vote with their wallets and businesses respond. For me - and only for me - NCL is the way to go.

My goodness! Folks are sure harsh about NCL and their ongoing promos. Let me just interject to say that I don't think there's a better vacation value on the planet. Granted, I like to drink a fair bit - so I find the UBP (now Open Bar) is a huge perk, and well worth the value of the auto grat - frankly, I think it's worth 5x the value of the grat. I remember what my onboard bills used to be like and while the cost of the cruise has increased marginally, it doesn't come close to off-setting the savings of the built-in bar tab. For what it's worth, I hope the "free at sea" promotion continues ad infinitum.