Daniel A

Does the concierge have some pull to get passes for Vibe Beach Club?

Just to clarify; sometimes people refer to the workers who take your luggage and put it into the cages at embarkation as being porters. I would only tip them $5 regardless of the number of bags. I would tip $5/bag for a porter at disembarkation if the luggage is being taken to a drop point at a hotel shuttle stop or taxi stand. In Fort Lauderdale, I sometimes park in the port parking structure. If the porter takes my luggage all the way to my parked car, then I will be more generous than the $5/bag. My reasoning for this is that during the extra time it takes to get to the car in the structure, the porter could have gotten another run and tip. 🦺 💸

Trust me, the Longshoremen's Unions make sure they don't need to rely on your tips for their living. It's only beer money for them. $5 a bag is more than enough. (Spoken from a former member of several unions...) Nothing against unions here, but do you tip the kid at the supermarket who packs your bags, or the guy stocking the egg cartons in the dairy? There are too many workers with their hand out as if their existence is dependent on your generosity. The workers on the cruise ship aren't unionized and their salaries are calculated based upon the expectation that we will tip above and beyond the mandatory tips we are charged in our initial booking. The "porters" at the terminal are unionized port employees, not cruise line employees.

I will be travelling to Santorini, Piraeus, Mykonos, and Corfu. Where is the best place to buy good olive oil to ship back to home?

I guess I didn't make myself clear. I only highlighted that part of your post to indicate my full agreement with that request.

Well.... I think that was the point I was making. Thank you for pointing that aspect out.

That's really not a bad idea you have there!😂 Seriously, there are all kinds of priority perks offered at all levels and facets of our society. How about express lanes for carpools or EZPass drivers willing to pay more to beat the highway backups when all of the other drivers already paid for that express lane through their taxes? What about the better quality of foods offered by the higher end grocery stores or trendy coffee shops? What about the tax deductions given to families with children or people who own their own home and pay a mortgage? How about the benefits of being a family with children who own their own home and pay a mortgage? Senior citizen discounts, military discounts, student discounts... I won't beat the horse any longer. My point here is that we don't all get every perk or benefit our society provides, but we can get some. When it's my turn, I won't feel guilty taking advantage of a perk to which I am rightfully entitled. I also don't harbor a grudge against those who can use the express lane while I am stuck in rush hour traffic.

Deleted. I got the answer to my question after creating post. 🤷‍♂️

You made the correct decision because you chose what was right for you; not what would be right for others. Enjoy your cruise!

If you don't reward yourself for a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice, who will? I don't see the $350 as being the main issue. The main issue is which cabin will make your cruise more enjoyable? But how long will the up sell offer be available to you? Waiting too long is also making a decision.

Just curious. Why would you sail on a "bottom feeding sack of a corporation's" vessels, or do you just comment on their threads for free? I see you have been posting about 150 posts each month for the past year since you joined. Arent there any other hobbies you might enjoy? 🤷‍♂️

I have been using these for years on several cruise lines. They have worked out great for me! There was no need to staple the paper tags and were very easy to affix after claiming my baggage at the airport... Cruise Critic Store: Cruise Luggage Tag Holder - Cruise Critic Community

I was speaking with the pre-cruise concierge, and she gave me some details about one of the ports on our stop. I was not aware of these details when booking excursions, so I passed on making NCL excursions for that port. After being made aware of these details, I now want to look into booking an excursion there, but many of them have disappeared from the NCL website. Can the concierge, (either pre-cruise or on board) get us into ship excursions that may have 'filled up?'

I hope this doesn't cause a thread drift, but DW & I will never set foot on another Viking ship. We took a "7" day river cruise ending in Basel Switzerland where we were awakened at 4 AM to board buses to the airport for our flights home. That constituted the 7th day of the cruise! We spent 40% more for this 7-day Viking River cruise than we just spent for a 5-week Holland America cruise in a balcony stateroom going to French Polynesia!

So, as long as she knows that she will want screwdrivers, if she has the beverage package, she can just ask for screwdrivers without the ice and pour the pre-mixed drinks into the water bottle a few times. We keep the filled water bottle in the fridge on the cabin, so it's already chilled without watering it down with ice cubes.

DW likes to enjoy vodka on the rocks on our balcony. We usually get a beverage package, regardless of the cruise line. We ask for a vodka martini in a rock glass, and hold the vermouth and rocks. We take it back to our table or lounger and pour the drink into a metal reusable water bottle. Since we have a beverage package, we will do this a few times, and voila! We now have a full water bottle of vodka. The reason why we don't just ask for vodka on the rocks is because often bartenders will only pour one small jigger onto some ice in a glass whereas when it is a martini, you usually get a more substantial pour. 😉 🍸

I thought I read somewhere that open toed footwear is what is discouraged in a dining venue, not just flip flops. I really don't recall if I read it on the NCL threads or one of the other cruise lines. I'm not asking about the flip flop issue, but I want to give some guidance to a family member joining us in the Haven. TIA

Just make sure the power strip isn't protected by a surge suppressor. They will likely confiscate it from you as the surge suppressor is not compatible with the ship's electrical system and can create a fire hazard. One like this shouldn't be a problem: Amazon.com: Desktop Power Strip with 3 Outlet 4 USB Ports 4.5A, Flat Plug and 5 ft Long Braided Extension Cords for Cruise Ship Travel Home Office, ETL Listed : Electronics

Where are you seeing which shows are on your cruise? Concierge told me that they don't release that information until 26 days before. Thank you.

At the end of the cruise, do Haven passengers get priority disembarkation and luggage retrieval?

We will be taking an Eastern Mediterranean R/T from Civitavecchia. Upon completion of the cruise will we need to pass through Customs and Immigration in Civitavecchia? I am trying to figure out timing to request a car service from the port to a Rome hotel.

Thank you.

Thank you for your concern, but my post was more about knowing what one is booking into and not expecting privileges to avoid the standards in place for everyone else. I am seeing too many people on this thread trying to figure out how to get around the rules while the rest of us pack enough to comply, and endure without "nice shorts, flipflops, tee shirts, and well behaved under-aged children." I thought this thread was about how to enjoy an experience that isn't the same as the rest of the ship. Maybe I'm wrong....

I will disagree with you on this point. It seems as though some passengers want to be exempted from the standards, whether it is the age of a person allowed be on the sun deck or what kind of shorts, footwear and shirt they can wear in the Haven restaurant. Although crew may permit deviations, I don't want to eat a meal next to somebody wearing their gym clothes or swim clothes. I am paying a lot of money for an elegant experience, and please don't tell me to go to Cunard, I'm spending enough for a nice experience. There are plenty of other cruise lines that don't care how you dress or how old you are. I thought the Haven was different. The other cruise lines will welcome your dollars just as much. I can go to a cheap resort to see the same thing.

If I upgrade my FAS WiFi (150 minutes) to unlimited, is it limited to only one device or does it work for one device at a time? I plan to have a tablet plus a laptop but I can only use one at a time.