Daniel A

@Sthrngary thank you for all of your help. It is always reassuring and realistic. I hope some day to meet up with you on some future sailing. Even if you did replace your original elegant avatar with a cartoon curmudgeon. Mister Wilson was enough of a role model for me!!

I just now discovered where one makes reservations for the shows. I cannot find any early shows still being available on the website. Is there a theater Haven reserved section on Breakaway? Will the concierge be able to book shows even if the times aren't available on the website?

So, it sounds like you will be flying direct from JFK to Rome. It's interesting that our Rome flights originate from JFK but we have a 2 hour layover in Iceland! Go figure. 🤷‍♂️ It's not a problem, just interesting...

Exactly! And to make their mistakes even more ironic is that they probably had to book and pay for separate flights back home after missing their cruise and land tour. They probably needed to pay for a hotel in Seattle as well. They could have done all of this pre-cruise and still had a nice Alaska vacation.

That's exactly why my last cruise on HAL was banned from Bora Bora, but PG was a tailored fit. Corruption knows no borders...

@McGarrett5oh before I retired from my job, there were plenty of times where I was told by my boss to "Book 'em Dano." And He meant it! 👮‍♂️

Just to be clear, they couldn't have altered a confirmed air reservation for the following reason: 1- or 2-day deviations may only be requested up to 75 days before embarkation. The air confirmations come out between 60 to 30 days, so they would only have learned their air reservation details after the deadline for requesting any deviations. By the time they learned their flight schedule, it was too late, so I would assume that they weren't told it wasn't necessary, it was more probable that they were told it wasn't possible to get a 1-day deviation at that point.

Sometimes one can be too thorough!! Each time I get another confirmation, I need to compare the new confirmation line by line with the original confirmation (including checking my purchased seat upgrades with each airline) just to make sure there weren't any changes. 🛫 🛬 🪂 😄

This morning I got the 8th. 😵

I call them politicians.......... 🤣

Three of us will be flying out to a Haven sailing next week. We took the BOGO Air and DS is staying for free in the second bedroom in the family villa suite. These incentives made the Haven much more affordable. We took a two-day pre-cruise deviation to give us some room for delays or cancellations. Actually, we got a discount on the air fares because we won't be able to take a NCL shuttle from the airport to the cruise ship. The flights are ok, just not on airlines I would have chosen, but the cost of the NCL Air BOGO couldn't be beat. We didn't get non-stop or direct, but the layovers are reasonable. The really screwy thing is that NCL keeps sending out the same air confirmation letters by e-mail. Just this morning I got the 8th set! Of course, each time I get another air confirmation I have to check to make sure there aren't any changes to the itinerary - no changes at all... Normally, I would have made my own flight arrangements, but the BOGO air made a very big difference in my case. YMMV

Even if the governments in Australia lift all requirements, I would still make sure what the cruise line's protocols are. Sometimes it takes time for changes to filter down the chain.

After coming back home from my first Haven sailing, when asked how I enjoyed the cruise, my response was always "I don't deserve to be treated so well..." 😏

Travel insurance can cover a whole host of unanticipated expenses. Should you need hospitalization/surgery at a foreign hospital do you have insurance that will cover it? There are plenty of nightmare stories about people who needed to fly home from a foreign port via a chartered air ambulance jet. That can be quite costly as well. Add the cost of surgery, hospital and air ambulance and you could be wishing you took out insurance. Travel insurance covers much more than your cruise fare or flights. As an aside, Dad in this story is a surgeon. He certainly had the option of saying the heck with the booking from NCL air and booked his own flights to Vancouver for the day before. Penny wise, pound foolish...

NCL advises the air arrangements anywhere between 60 to 30 days before embarkation day. Passengers who want to arrive in the embarkation city on a day prior to embarkation day must make their request no later than 75 days before departure. So, the family should not have waited to figure out that it wasn't such a good idea to fly in on embarkation day. They seem to be inexperienced at cruising and probably should have gone through a reputable travel agent who could have advised them how best to protect their $60K vacation. The wife was probably somewhat emotional with the NCL agent after learning they couldn't now switch to an earlier date, so the agent seeing a 5:40 AM departure was probably trying to calm the wife's concerns. I doubt there were any earlier flights out, especially from a small airport like Greensboro, NC. Life lesson for all of us.

How does a leisurely stroll in Iceland sound? 🚶‍♂️😄

I had a few observations. It seems as if this family are not experienced cruisers. For a $60K trip, they should have used a reputable travel agent. That agent should have been able to help them avoid the potential pitfalls. Not booking a one or two day deviation was the second error. (Maybe they weren't aware they could do it - a TA should have been able to help with that suggestion.) And the last error was something many of us may unknowingly make: Not having enough trip cancellation/interruption coverage. How many of us truly know if we would have had sufficient coverage if this had happened to us? I know I'm trusting the insurance agency rather than reading the fine print in my travel insurance policies.

I just watched this YouTube video which was just posted a couple of hours ago. I think it is very pertinent to this discussion.

I don't think there is a hard and fast rule that they MUST abide by, but this is what they say on their web site: How many connecting flights will I have if I am traveling domestically to and from my cruise vacation? For domestic travel, we strive to secure flight itineraries with no more than one connecting flight and minimize layovers that exceed three hours. How many connecting flights will I have if I am traveling internationally to and from my cruise vacation? For international travel, we strive to secure flight itineraries with no more than two connecting flights and minimize layovers that exceed five hours. Connecting flights through other countries may be required. Please note if you are flying to Europe, you may be routed through Canada. Norwegian's Flight Booking Service | Norwegian Cruise Line (ncl.com)

The stock can also be held in a retirement account as well.

I think @DrHemlock is looking at is for the stock to pay for itself. I bought the stock and the original price is holding firm or advanced somewhat. What makes me hold it is the idea that I'm getting more of a return from my next two cruises than the money would have gotten in a bank. YMMV NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE HOLDINGS LTD. IS THRILLED TO OFFER OUR SHAREHOLDERS THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS: $250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 15 Days or More. $100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 7 to 14 Days. $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 Days or Less. This exclusive benefit is reserved solely for shareholders owning a minimum of 100 shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. at time of sailing. Offer valid for any vacation on Norwegian Cruise Line®, Oceania Cruises® or Regent Seven Seas Cruises®, excluding charter sailings. Additional terms and conditions may apply.* To redeem this special offer, simply complete the attached Shareholder Benefit Request Form and mail or email (with accompanying documentation) request at least 15 days prior to sailing to: Email: ShareholderBenefit@ncl.com To learn more about Norwegian Cruise Line visit www.ncl.com Mailing Address: Oceania Cruises Shareholder Benefit Department 7665 Corporate Center Drive Miami, FL 33126 Email: ShareholderBenefit@oceaniacruises.com To learn more about Oceania Cruises visit www.oceaniacruises.com Mailing Address: Regent Seven Seas Cruises Shareholder Benefit Department 1401 NW 136th Avenue, Suite 101 Sunrise, FL 33323 Email: ShareholderBenefit@RSSC.com To learn more about Regent Seven Seas Cruises visit www.rssc.com

If you're already booked in your aft Haven suite, why not pose that question to the pre-cruise concierge? I don't know, but maybe they could arrange an escort to the Haven lounge on disembarkation day. Just a thought...

To bring the thread back to your original question, I use an online agency which provides mostly essential services, so I usually need to know which cruise I want. You can use the "request a quote tab" on their web site and enter general information and they'll come back with some quotes (including what perks and/or OBC the agency is throwing in.) My last cruise booked through them was a rack rate of $18,000 fare by the time I had added in a couple of upgrades (wifi & enhanced beverage pkg) My online agency provided the following: $1500 refundable OBC. I got another $250 shareholder OBC, an additional $50 agency loyalty OBC, and then I bought discounted cruise line gift cards to pay off the whole balance. In the end, the cruise came to about $15,000. Certainly, the cruise line, itinerary, and any cruise line and agency promotions will affect your final outcome. I did spend about another $500 for privately booked excursions. As I wrote in an earlier post, the same itinerary, which was a week shorter, I got a free specialty dinner as a thank you for giving that other agency a $22, 000 booking. So, it pays to shop around. I would never walk into a mom & pop agency and demand a rebate, but if it's being offered by a bigger agency, that can make a cruise more affordable or give you the option to get a better cabin category. My preference is to get as much OBC as I can. This way, I can decide which onboard perks I want to get, and not need to eat at a specialty restaurant just to use up a perk, nor do I want a complimentary photo package, or take an excursion I wouldn't have taken just to not let the free excursion go to waste. If I want to get them, OBC will still make it possible without added costs to me.

I do understand that they have to deal with 'tire kickers', but that's part of the business. I shouldn't be expected to compensate the TA for the tire kickers. As for firing a TA, the only time I 'fired' a TA was when I booked my fourth vacation with the same agent at a nationwide automobile club and travel agency. Not only was she always trying to steer me to a Disney product, (whether land or sea based) but after three prior trips booked through her I booked a $22,000 cruise with her and as a thank you I got one free specialty dinner for us. Fortunately, when Covid hit, the cruise was cancelled and when I booked the exact same itinerary with an online agency last year, it came in from another major cruise line and it was a week longer and with the online agency's perks I ended up spending $15,500 for the replacement sailing in the same cabin category.

@Sthrngary - While I understand your sentiments regarding above and beyond service and to a large degree, I agree with you. I think what is missing from this part of the conversation is a concept that I haven't seen mentioned here. It is commissions on upsells or cross sells. As much as we would love to believe that the TA lives to make my travel a perfect experience, in reality, the TA lives to make money to support their family and/or lifestyle. That being said, the consumer is becoming increasingly wary of tactics used by salespeople in all industries and professions to increase their commissions. I don't need the TA's excursion company or commissionable insurance sale in addition to booking my cruise. I don't need to be prompted to use a different cruise line because the TA's commission rate is higher than the line I was interested in. I'm sure there are many very reputable TAs who provide great service, but the bottom line is that they do it in order to make more money by retaining clients. Many of these reputable TAs probably provide better service to the clients who bring in the most income to the TA's office and provide less service to those clients who book the cheapest travel arrangements infrequently. Often the lesser provided service is deliberately done in order to convince those clients to seek assistance elsewhere providing more time to service the 'high rollers' better. To each their own, whether we are discussing the proclivities of the sellers or the buyers. 😉