Russiamomm

I’m afraid you fell for the gimmick. What they don’t explain clearly is that the “OBC” can be used to offset the cost of the certificates. Bottom line is that as long as you buy two, they cost $125. The return is less if you only buy one. I’m afraid you did what they wanted you do - buy stuff you wouldn’t have otherwise bought. The certs are a good deal. I’ve used them extensively over the years and always try to have four in the bank. But I really hate how they market them.

Agreed. Istanbul is a fabulous city. One of my favorite cities on earth. Of course it’s your decision, but I would go in a heartbeat. Just don’t trust yourself if you promise yourself not to buy a carpet. 😂

And the casino.. Probably best that I don’t book this. 🤣

I agree. The perks offered by a RA come from the commission earned by the TA. NCL is highly unlikely to give OBC or reduce the published fares.

I’m loving it too! I was on the same cruise. Loving hearing about OP’s adventure. I’m also about the same age and did my first solo cruise two years ago. Loved it! Have done two since, as well as several with my Husband, son and/or a friend. Any cruise is a good cruise. If you can’t find someone to join you, just go by yourself!

I’m too much of a rule follower for that. 😳😂. It’s also altogether possible in the craziness of the times that it simply fell through the cracks at the TA. The cruise was scheduled for April 2020. It was one of the first ones cancelled with COVID. As we all know, the world was crazy and I’m sure NCL and the TAs were processing thousands of refunds. In hindsight I should have taken the 150% (?) FCC they were offering, but life was in such a state of flux that I opted for the refund.

Possibly. I’ve learned a lot about cruising since then. I’ve made up for a lot of lost COVID time in the last two years. 😂. We had used that TA before and it never occurred to me that it was an issue that the charge was to the TA and not to NCL. Live and learn, but if the experience helps someone else I’m happy about that. I just wish I could name the TA. It’s an online cruise seller that is still in business. I still get promotional emails from them at least once a week.

I agree. I discovered this the hard way at the beginning of COVID. I had booked a cruise through a TA. It was fully paid for. I had booked extras on my own directly through NCLs website. Those were refunded rather quickly, considering the circumstances. But months passed and I hadn’t gotten the cruise fare refunded. NCL said I had to talk to the TA. The TA said it was still being processed by NCL. I got really frustrated and escalated it within NCL. They finally told me that the refund had been processed two months earlier and gave me the last four digits of the card it was credited to. It wasn’t my card. Turns out that the TA put it on their own card, received the refund and never credited me back. I was furious. The TA credited us within a few days. That was obviously the last time we worked with that TA. I discovered CAS after that and have used them ever since.

Most NCL ships have a thermal suite. It’s a pay extra area with hot tubs, steam rooms, saunas, etc., as well as cushy loungers and hot stone loungers. Not necessarily “geared toward the winter”. The spaces are fabulous any time of year. 😃 They limit the numbers of passes sold on each sailing, so they are rarely crowded. It’s also an adults only space. The larger ships have bigger, nicer spaces. Do a YouTube search for NCL Thermal Suite for videos of the areas on the ship you’re interested in.

On the first question, I believe there are certain categories of non-Haven suites on some ships that have the Nespresso machine. For example, I know the suites on the smaller ships without a Haven (Star, Jade, Sun) do have them. But I don’t know if the French Press is available. I’ll find out in May when we’re in a suite on the Star. 😃 And I hear you on the machines! When we replaced our countertops we created a coffee nook. The Nespresso, Keurig, drip coffee pot and grinder are all lined up. Every morning starts with a Nespresso as the coffee is brewing. 😂. I used to have a Jura, but was a pain. When it broke I replaced it with the Nespresso and never looked back.

CNs have no such restraints. They can be used any time. I’ve used them several times when I booked after final payment date. If there’s a double up offer, you can use two.

Honestly, I’m not sure I’d pick this as your first TA. As others have stated, this is basically a repositioning cruise after a major dry dock during the winter. As also stated, if I were to do this, a thermal suite pass would be a must. At least the first half of the trip will likely be cold and windy with rough seas. BUT… the Joy currently doesn’t have a thermal suite. It’s one of the things that’s being added during the dry dock, but there’s no guarantee that it will be fully operational in time for this sailing. I LOVE the Joy. Especially if you’re fortunate enough to be in the Haven. I would do this trip in the Haven in a heartbeat. But there are a lot of question marks if you’re outside the complex. Either way, there will be a lot of down time. For a first TA, I think I’d look elsewhere. Just my 2 cents.

Loving your review! We were on the same sailing, can’t wait for the rest! And I have to admit I did chuckle on the confusion on the name of the ship. 😂

Yup. That was my first thought when I read the “ice cream” comment. Never seen that. Wish I could find it!

I agree with you, but a lot of it depends on where you are in life. After a lifetime of hard work and penny pinching, we’re at the point in life we can afford to not take those cheap red eyes. At this point in life we’re spending our kid’s’ inheritance. 😂. But even five years ago when the kids were still in college, we would have done it. Not now.

Personally, I would not bother with the Starbucks if staying in the Haven. I love the Nespresso machine and it works great for that first jolt before having the great French Press coffee at breakfast. But not everyone likes the Nespresso. It’s an espresso machine. The pulls are strong, but you can always run more water through to make it more of an Americano. Your butler will keep the room supplied with pods and keep the machine filled with water. I don’t know if it’s bottled water. I doubt it. But the water is fine. If you don’t care for the Nespresso, room service is always available and it will be the French Press. Not the swill from the buffet. Your butler can keep your fridge supplied with cream. When they changed from half and half to CoffeeMate 😡, I asked the butler for real cream. He kept a small pitcher of heavy cream stocked in our room.

And I’m speaking from personal experience as well. As has been mentioned, executives of large companies get thousands of emails a day. They are sorted through by staff. You may get a response from someone speaking on behalf of that executive, but chances are that the actual executive never saw it, much less personally drafted the response.

I’m not sure I follow your point here, but I agree with BirdTravels here. Top executives of publicly traded companies generally do not directly see or respond to emails from customers. They are sorted through by staff and directed to the proper part of the company to respond. It has to be that way. I worked for a large company. Many of my colleagues (pretty far below the C Suite) had an admin “triage” the emails.

Both areas are nice. As described in the OP, on Deck 6 it is a large enclosed room with some slot machines, chairs and tables. It is well ventilated. Unlike some lines, the room is also open all the time, even when the casino is closed.

Just to let everyone know that it appears they’re getting tired of hearing these complaints. I was just able to add the $200 loot to our December sailing via chat on the website. Just provided the reservation number and Access Key. It was added immediately and already shows in my account. Took less than five minutes after I got to an actual agent instead of the bot.

Looks like NCL’s standard language. They alternate between “35% off all cruises” and 70% off second guest”. It’s a marketing ploy. Same bottom line cost, which again can change daily. I don’t see anything in this about a specific cruise. What makes you think this is better than the fare you got? Have you checked the website and compared what you paid to it?

Agreed. The only one I want to see is one from Casinos at Sea saying I won a free cruise. 😂. The others go straight to the recycle bin,

Please don’t re-open threads that are almost five years old. better to start a new thread. in answer to your question, the shops will be open when the ship reaches international waters. I’ve never done a Key West sailing, but I imagine they will go out to sea the first night. Shops and casino usually open around 2 hours after Sailaway.

“Brochure” prices are never accurate, the price of any particular cruise depends on any number of factors, and can change daily, not the least of which is how close you are to sailing and how full the ship is. Check NCL’s website for the price any particular day. The “perks” you mention are pretty standard for any NCL ship. They are part of the “Free at Sea” packages, which are always offered, although some promotions (such as the 3rd and fourth traveler sails free” can change. As others have mentioned, these perks aren’t necessarily “free”. You need to pay the gratuities for the drink and dining packages, but you don’t need to take them. Spend some time on these boards and on NCL’s website. It’s all explained.

Hi. Upgrade offers are always X2. Even if you’re solo in a cabin you would pay twice your bid if you win.