sjacobs11

I was on Escape when it first launched, and it was Margaritaville. The lines were around the deck - sometimes an hour to sit. We were the last sailing for it to be an included venue. Been on Bliss twice as American Diner and it has been d-e-a-d. The food is definitely better than the main dining rooms/buffet, so they're ordering special ingredients for this place, but not sure how it stays open!

We are on her on 9/4 and have the same issue in viewing dining online (other than MDR and Los Lobos). Received an email with all of the restaurants we requested and times, so feel confident that it's in their system, just not viewable online. Will bring a print-out onboard to show them, should there be any issues.

We just had the same panic on our 9/4 sailing of Viva. Showed "SOLD OUT" across all categories. Was worried they were delaying the launch of the ship, as they've done in the past for earlier sailings. But... it's seems to be back.

For a port intensive itinerary where you'll take a lot of excursions, it's well worth it for the second $50 discount + 2 nights of specialty dining + unlimited internet. We consider the drink upgrade as almost "free" when adding up the other values.

The price did go up earlier this year.

Just now, RocketMan275 said:

Take a look at the link I posted for all your options.

Thanks! Missed the link on the first read! 👓

3 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Have  you made reservations for that rental car?  Reports are one way rentals are not always available  there aren't many drop off places.

Hi. Not yet as we're unsure which Houston airport we were flying into. May just Uber to the hotel, which is ~$150 for an XL and we're splitting with another couple.

3 minutes ago, seapad said:

 

I'm considering the same option too. Can you share what transfer do you use from airport to hotel, and then hotel to pier, then pier back to airport? 

Thanks! 

There are four of us, so we're renting a car one-way from whatever airport we fly into to the hotel and then will Uber/Taxi from the hotel to the port as it's not too far from the property. We're using NCL transfers on the way home as we'll be heading back right after we return.

1 minute ago, RocketMan275 said:

What hotel was that?

Was it booked through NCL?

We booked the SpringHill Suites on Galveston Island on our own. If you have Bonvoy's, it's a reasonable 22K for the night and includes breakfast. Cash price was ~$100.

We are on the 3/1 sailing of Prima from Galveston and did an air deviation the day prior (they took one-way of transfers off the bill and another $25 off for the deviation) and will overnight on Galveston Island (hotel is $100). Not trusting a day-of flight to make the ship in time. We've all read too many horror stories on this board.

We are sailing this September and spent $50/ea on transfers from the airport. So after spending a couple of nights in Venice, we'll just return to VCE to pick up the NCL bus. Seemed the easiest and they handle your luggage. Oddly the transfer back to the airport in Athens is covered by the $50 shore excursion discount, but this transfer is not.

25 minutes ago, javaguru said:

How does one find this TA with the discount?

Ours, like many, is part of a larger company, so when booking a single or two cabins, you are sometimes placed within a "group" with others who are part of the same overall agency. This can allow for discounts/onboard credits that you wouldn't be able to get if you were only a single party.

Note that the standard gratuities are also higher in the “Club” room. 

24 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

Hi Tia, welcome.  The reservations usually do not open until midnight when the site rolls over to to appropriate day count.  It is based on the DAY you cruise, the TIME you are set to sail is irrelevant.  Hang in there and when they finish the updates simply log in and book.

It's partially available online/app, but not all restaurants show the ability to book. I called earlier and spoke with someone who was able to reserve everything we wanted over the phone - even though they're *still* not available this morning online.

It’s still not allowing reservations online or via the app for all restaurants, but they were able to book via phone. 

Just saw that the NCL site is down for maintenance and not back up until the morning. We are at 120 days as of 9p PT tonight. Does anyone know how to make dining reservations without the site being live? TIA!

6 hours ago, dhanakorn said:

Thank you for letting us know. I went to check my Amex account and found the offer. I just had similar offer last year so I am a little surprised that Amex gives me this offer again.  

 

 

🤫

Just checked in with our travel agent (so happy to have one!) and he told me that based on a discussion with NCL last week, "regular" Veuve is still included by the glass, but Veuve Rose is only available at Le Bistro while having dinner.

1 minute ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

We're on a port-intensive cruise in Europe, so not a great deal for us... but might work for some cruisers with lots of sea days. 

One thing to consider is that yesterday NCL made pretty dramatic cutbacks to the premium plus beverage package (no more Veuve, etc), so the value proposition there is getting much worse as well. 

Yes. Just reading and comparing the drink lists from an earlier PDF. The PLUS package is meant to be any drink by the glass other than a few very expensive whiskeys. Does this mean the line isn't offering Veuve by the glass any longer? Otherwise, I'd think that it *would* be covered.

This is really not right. We paid based on marketing that showed Veuve prominently (still does). Hopefully it's just a short-term supply issue and not necessarily a permanent change. We are sailing in September on Viva, so we'll find out soon enough!

Worth checking out the Free at Sea PLUS package, which includes the two additional meals per person - but also includes a lot more - free unlimited WiFi, an extra $50 off excursions for second passenger, along with the upgraded drink package, which includes bottled water, freshly squeezed juices, and Starbucks.

Are you able to pre-book the cabanas or does that have to be done onboard?

59 minutes ago, jdc987 said:

Your confirmation page at the very bottom shows your free at Sea offers accepted.  Maybe you chose the sail away with no offers?

The ncl.com application will show your available upgrades and the price.  I believe you can still upgrade to free at Sea before sailing.  Definitely not on ship! 

Definitely have FAS as it's not a sail-away booking. So odd. On another recent cruise, we saw 1 shore excursion listed and the rest of the parties traveling with us saw dozens! I'll have to take it personally, then! LOL.

We used to see "Free at Sea Upgrades" available to us in the app and online. It offered internet upgrades, 2-meal package upgrades, etc. This no longer appears for me on upcoming sailings. Did they do away with this option or is it some bug on my booking? TIA!

We are sailing on a 9-nighter from Venice and plan to take 6 shore excursions ($300). We would most definitely have spent for the 2 extra nights of specialty dining (~$170), and unlimited internet x 2 (~$400), so before even one cocktail/bottled water/fresh juice/energy drink, we're at the total cost of the upgrade to FAS+. Was a no-brainer in our case.