complawyer

while of course all are welcome, these cruisers are people i would personally love to have along, you and mrs schmoopie, rocketman, traveling man, chiefmate jrk, cruiseny4life and husband, and of course bird travels. by the way, the heck with a "group discount" i'm thinking bigger than that. we're all baby boomers, lets get the entire ship!!!!!

well schmoop, im 76, wife 75, and we're still booking. booked on prima for iceland this sept, looking for south africa either this nov, or next may, or antarctica in jan. here's a different cruise idea (strictly for people 60+.) an oldies but goodies/doo wopp cruise! with the music of my youth, and my age, where the ship goes in entirely irrelevant and yes! 10 days minimum. if ncl agrees, i have literally 100's of oldie c/d's that i would be happy to DJ from either the pool area or a lounge. i have music from the doo wopp era, from groups most people have never heard of (unless they're east coast denizens) only caveat, any song after 1973 are not eligible to be played on board. gotta draw the line somewhere (LOL)

i've commented on ncl flight many times before. some people swear by them, some swear at them. simple solution (that always works for me, my wife, and our friend that usually sails with us) book the air by yourself. you can pick time, date and seat, rather than rely on ncl to indiscriminately book for you. (my sainted gramma one told me "if you want something done right: DO IT YOURSELF"

by the way, the bliss is an absolutely amazing vessel!!! it's worth the price of admission, just to sit in the observation deck and chill out!

i like your question, but ncl misspelled the haven, what's it like? it should be called "the heaven" there is only 1 major drawback, once you've stayed in the haven complex, it's really hard to book in a different category, unless your ship also offers "suite category cabins" Not club balcony

we bought the premium plus package. my wife and i usually start off the day with a starbucks. we are on a 10 day cruise, so that accounts for at least 20 drinks. add in any other coffee drinks during the day, and i think we're better than break even. the package also include, 2 extra specialty dinners, and extra $50 off on shore excursions, premium liquor etc. little pricey, i'll admit, but seems like a good deal in the long run.

actually, (and my wife does this whenever we travel abroad) you can google a shuttle service, and arrange transportation directly from the pier to the airport, and choose whichever type of vehicle you need. there are usually taxis available at the pier, and some are larger than others, so you can pick the one that best serves your needs.

we stayed overnight at the marriott, there were 3 of us, and we had the concierge arrange a taxi for us the next morning, no problems

just remember not all ncl ships have an "american diner". we were on the bliss a few years back, i wasnt that impressed with their menu, so we never tried it

by the way, the nov 21 from lisbon dollar wise is a better deal. the problem i have with the capetown to barcelona cruise, is my daughter owns a flower shop, and my wife always helps her out for mothers day which is may 11. even i we get the late flight out of los angeles, it doesnt get me there until the 14th. i had hoped to spend at least a few days in capetown, and maybe even see if a 1 day safari tour is available. the nov cruise ends in capetown, it gives me the few days i want. if we do end up on the same cruise, i would love to check in with you as i have been following your posts and answers all the way back to "asked and answered" on assorted ncl ships. we're also booked on the 10 day prima this sept iceland to southampton. the price went down almost $1,000 after the final payment date (of course it did, ncl sop) so i have a fcc which i cant use until we get back in oct. at that time i want to see if there has been a price reduction on either one. as the time gets closer, i would be more than happy to give you my email address so we can touch base. finally, the 1st to ports on the nov cruise are in morocco, which i would much rather visit than the last two ports before barcelona. incidentally, we've been to barcelona, and love it, but i dont plan to stay over when we dock

welcome to the wonderful world of ncl IT

hey zqvol, how about if i amend my post. why accept beer if you're being offered single malt scotch. if you're still hooked on the beer, i recommend the buffet (LOL)

since you're staying in a haven suite, why would you consider anything other than the haven restaurant. you're avoiding the crowds. But i would think that the buffet, one or both of the mdr's and o'sheehans would probably be open. but again, if you're being offered champagne, why settle for a beer?

traveling man. i was referring to the 21 day sailing, ending in barcelona, and a possible sailing this nov from lisbon, ending in capetown, regardless, the suites are priced way to high for my wife and i, and rocketman, as i quoted previously, if you like the itinerary, and your specific desired cabin category is unavailable, i would consider a different category. Consequently, for me and my wife, any category above ocean view would be acceptable.

i've seen many people, many times do this, whether or not they try to take it off ship, i do not know, but they do manage to take food out of the buffet. i dont think any food facility on any ncl ship will call the food ***'s to try and stop you

while people may have an extremely legitimate reason to ask why a particular port was changed (last year we missed out on berlin and edinburgh) the explanation was "rough seas. couldnt dock) even with an explanation, it wouldnt alter the fact the port has been changed or cancelled in it's entirety. unless it was a specific port someone wanted to see, the best you can do is get po'd and or very disappointed. ncl's paperwork cover's their tushies, and clearly states these changes can be made for any reason. so, rather than have it ruin the entire cruise for you, roll with the punches. as wise old man once said " it's much better to be po'd than p'd on"

hey rocketman. if i'm not mistaken, the original question was how late can you book a cruise. while in theory, your point is correct, in principle, if any category cabin is still available, and you're willing to book that cabin, the cruise is still available. the complexity lies in if the cruiser is willing to book a different cabin or not, or how badly any particular cruiser wants that itinerary, i would like to book the ncl sky african cruise next may. having posted this many times before, my wife and i like to book in the "suites" category. unfortunately (for us) the suites on the ncl sky are outrageously high. while they are available to book, for us it's cost prohibitive. so, thanks to this being only a 1st world problem, we will book a balcony and save about 6000. it's the itinerary i'm interested in, so we're willing to take a lower category cabin. the sky doesnt even offer a "club balcony"

we were on the star this past april, and also no potato chips

if anything, bird travels will know for sure. patiently await her response (if any)

ncl is in business to sell cabins, it's in their best interests to sail at full capacity. consequently, as long as there are cabins available, you can book, regardless of how many days are left prior to sailing

valleyvillage, yes it worked and the next day he was gone and we got another butler that was amazing. if it were me, i'd have fired the 1st one. we've been on to many ncl cruises with a butler, so we know exactly what we can ask for, and never, ever ask for something outrageous. gummie bears, peanut m&m's and the coffee/tea and muffins in the a.m. if we have an exceptionally friendly, helpful butler, a couple of bottles of heineken and a few cans of coke some times i will asl for cheese/crackers and deli meats for the afternoon snacks

i always prefer the "port" side as i have this mistaken belief that when the ship comes into port your cabin will be facing the city. I have found, unfortunately, this isnt always the case. sometimes, depending on when you book, the port side isnt available in a cabin you might prefer. actually, i have found after almost 30 cruises, i enjoy either side ( remember, you're on a cruise ship) and that's more than enough for me. If we're docked, and our cabin is facing the ocean as opposed to the port, if i want to take pictures, i merely go up to the buffet deck, or one of the higher decks, and shoot (probably the wrong word) away

on our last cruise, (april 2024) among other things, on the 1st day, the concierge came down to our cabin with a list of the specialty restaurants, and had us fill in the dates we wanted to attend for dinner. he also has a section of reserved seats at t he stardust theater, after a number of cruises in either the haven or a suite, this time we got a butler with an attitude. we always request the butler bring a pot of coffee, hot water for tea, and a tray of sweet rolls, muffins or croissants in the morning. this guy flat out refused and indicated " it's not my job" . if we wanted coffee, he pointed to the nesspresso machine, or told my wife to go to the buffet. we talked to the concierge, knowing that this was a service the butler is supposed to provide and asked for another butler. At the end of the cruise, he has both the haven and the regular suite people meet in a designated room, and escorts them off the ship, so there is no waiting in those horrendous lines. on some cruises, he has also been able to arrange transportation from the ship to either the airport or the hotel if we're staying over in the disembarkation city. we're at sea, so it's not like i need a concierge to get me theater tickets for a broadway show, and unless you really feel overly-entitled because you're staying in a haven (thankfully we're not) there isnt a great deal the concierge is needed for. he can take care of little annoyances you may find. BTW, dont forget my famous vegas handshake. remember, he's there to help you with any problems that may arise/occur during your cruise

if ncl feels you are eligible for an upgrade, they will send you an email with the appropriate cabins you are eligible to bid on. they have a sliding scale from poor bid to excellent bid. you indicate how much you are willing to bid within that framework and for which cabin, then just keep your fingers crossed. also, please remember (be aware) that whatever amount you bid will be multiplied by 2. if your bid is accepted, ncl will notify you (may not be notified until just prior to sailing)

njhorseman. are you just trying to be argumentative. you're the one suggesting and are absolutely certain ncl wont allow the diet orange soda. all im suggesting, it doesnt hurt to make the request. obviously, she wont be allowed without asking. i dont believe there will be any problem, you seem to be the doomsday prophet regardless, since it makes no difference to either of us whether or not op is allowed to bring the beverage on board, lets just stop our discussion at this time. it's totally pointless to try and argue this issue.