complawyer

depending on how far out your sailing date is, log on to my ncl, it will indicate review reservation. click on and you will see "dining as a choice" click that and the available restaurants will be listed, with the notation "make a reservation" it will also show you the menu. in the alternative, once you get on board, there is a station for reservations by the guest services desk, and usually another one either by/near the pool or the buffet. regardless, you should have no trouble getting a reservation (depending of the restaurant) teppanyaki is usually tough as it has limited seating, and limited dining time. if all else fails, and you cant pre-book a reservation, a $10.00 bill discretely given to the maitre'd via handshake (affectionaltely referred to as vegas handshake) will usually do the trick.

whatd'ya expect for nothing? a rubber beeskit (lol) and a tip of the hat to the blues brothers!

in 25 cruises with/on NCL, i have never spotted a duck. Of course, i really dont bother to look for one, and im not really sure what i would do if i spotted one. (probably just leave it there) i have indicated many times in the past, regardless of the DSC, i tip whoever performs any type of service for me, and i do this on a daily basis. i think cruiser 2015 is on the right track. im certain that the crew would much rather get $$$$ than a plastic duck

hey devonian cruiser, didnt you bother to check the cabin prices before you laid out 2000 poinds? if you are over 120 days from sailing, merely cancel this deposit, you will get 100% of your money back, and you can then rebook a lower category cabin. however, the haven experience ( if you cn afford it) is not to be missed.

we missed out on berlin and edinburgh on our last cruise in aug, due to the weather and the inability to dock in either ports. we were on the 1st asian cruise on the star dec 2016 thru jan 2017. it left from hong kong, and ended in signapore. we flew into hong kong 2 days prior to sailing. some of the ports i most wanted to see were taipai, hanoi, and cambodia. Due to some mechanical problem, the Star couldnt dock in any of those 3. being a Vietnam vet, i really wanted to see hanoi (for obvious reasons). a soon as we boarded, we were advised of the cancelations. we were offered a total refund if we didnt wish to continue, or a 50% reduction on this cruise, and another 50% reduction on a future cruise. having made plans to stay over in Singapore, and having already paid for the airfare back to los angeles and our hotel stay which was 14 days later, we opted for choice number 2 which i thought was a no brainer. so sometimes miracles do happen and ncl does the right thing

well, to be perfectly (or imperfectly ) honest as the case may be, i am neither drunk nor dead, or close to either, but the only alexa of which i am aware is the one you can have in your home and ask questions (just like siri) So, good buddy, who is she, and on which ship does she sing?

hey, chief!~ boy do you and i have different tastes. i dont even know who those people are, and i dont feel i would be missing anything if i dont get a chance to hear them. (LOL) regardless, im still holding onto a slim glimmer of hope that one day we will find a mutually attractive cruise, and be able to have that scotch.

couldnt you just enjoy being on a cruise ship for the simple joy of cruising. it would not ruin the experience for me if i were shut out of any of the shows.Rregardless of how "great they may be", im not waiting in line for an hour to try and get into syd norman's or the cavern club. You can only play so much trivia or bingo. me, im happy just to be on the ship and going to the ports included. I booked each particular cruise, contingent on these ports, and the prices involved. we're only paying $6,000 for a 2 bedroom suite, 17 day trans atlantic rio to lisbon. that my friends i consider a deal (steal) additionally, i love and appreciate sea days, i can chill in my cabin and sit on the balcony and read my kindle, or wander around the ship. either way, im happy just be be cruising, and after 25+ cruises on ncl which have taken me to a number of wonderful places, neither my wife nor i can really say anything negative about any of the ships, the food, the service etc. my only complaint is wherever i order a hamburger from on board, the bun ALWAYS manages to fall apart before im finished. That, to me is the only catastrophe i have ever encountered (and i can live with that)

hey texas gal! while the room itself "ain't no big deal" it does offer coffee, tea, water and some finger sandwiches. your key cards are on the table in alphabetical order waiting for you, and youre only there for about 15 minutes before someone comes and gets you on the ship. to me, it beats waiting in a large cavernous room for over an hour, with 3,000 of your closest friends, waiting for your group number to be called

in the past 13 years, we have been on almost all of the ncl fleet, other than the newer ones. we are diamond status at this time. i sail for the itinerary and the price. we've been on the dawn a number of times. to me personally, one ncl ship is just as good as another, as long as the ports of call are where i want to go. i dont need bells or whistles, we usually try and eat at cagneys and le bistro. i think the quality of the food in both moderno and teppanyaki has gone done, so if we miss going to those 2 its not a big deal. in all honesty, i cannot say 1 bad thing about the ncl ships we've been on or the experiences we have had on any of them. as long as i have a cabin with a balcony, my kindle, a cold beer or glass of champagne, i'm happy as a clam. the only negative experience we've ever had, was on the epic a few years back. we were coming out of the breakfast buffet, and the floor had just been mopped and was wet. the sign was not clearly marked, and my wife slipped and fell. Ruined the rest of the cruise . other than that one time, for the last 13 years and approximately 25 + cruises on ncl, it's been super!

hey raider fan! i'm just slightly confused(maybe just a little to much christmas cheer last night) are you talking about a cabin upgrade? if so, and your sail date is over 120 days away, you can cancel your cabin, get a full refund an rebook the cabin you are looking to upgrade to. other posters are correct, you may be offered a chance to bid for an upgraded cabin. be aware if you do so, and your bid is accepted, your actual cost is 2x what you have bid. if youre talking about dinner reservations, there are a few designated areas on board where you can make reservations once you get on the ship. (usually around the guest services desk, or in or next to the buffet). after almost 30 ncl cruises, i have found the most difficult reservation was for teppanyaki, although their quality seems to have gone down, so i try and bypass that restaurant. i cannot speak about the newer restaurants on the newer ships. I have also posted this before (some other posters have blasted be for being pretentious) but i find a well places $20 bill in the hands of a maitre'd usually will get me a reservation. also, if you happen to be in a cabin that offers concierge service he/she can probably pull a rabbit out of a hat and get you into a restaurant. I do recommend either cagney's or le bistro (or both)

dear mr sobe! perhaps (just a guess) you arent fully aware of the pluses and minuses of the drink package. the basic package requires only the 1st 2 people in a cabin to get the package. so if your traveling companion can drink only about 2 per day that will cover the costs. if the other 2 are in the same cabin, they dont get the package unless they pay for it. in your case since they dont drink much (if at all) there is no problem. If they are booked into a different cabin, the drink package can be waived in its entirety thereby having the cost of cruise reduced by that amount. you and your cabin mate can also elect to not take the drink package. A can of soda costs about $3.00 per, so equate that with the costs of the liquor package for the length of your cruise. Starbucks is not included. if you want a starbucks coffee you must pay at the individual rate. we are currently booked (2 people) on the 17 day trans atlantic in april from rio to lisbon. i had seriously considered not taking the drink package. This would have saved us approximately $600+. With the package, i tend to drink more than i normally would at any other time, so giving up and paying on a per drink didnt seem like such a bad idea. I would just drink that much less. my wife (who had recently developed a fondness for Riesling wine) , pointed out that it would be cheaper in the long run to get the package. Note, we've been married for 54 years and she has always been either a non or very lightweight drinker) our usual traveling companion introduced her to riesling on a recent cruise, and as they say "the rest is history" !!

i cant say about galveston in particular, but in any embarkation point,from where we sailed, especially in europe, there has always been a designated area for suites and haven. tell the people once you're past security, and they will take you to the waiting area. they have your name and cabin number and in about 15 minutes, the concierge or one of the butlers will round up the people in the area and take you to either the muster station where you can simply swipe your key card, or take you to cagneys for lunch. by the way, your key card is usually waiting for you in the designated area. i cant imagine why the procedure would be any different leaving from galveston

there is what is called a daily service charge. for anything less than a suite (haven included) i believe its $18 per day per person. theoretically this is in lieu of tipping, and ncl claims these funds are distributed among the staff. ( cabin stewards, waiters/ waitresses all all assorted back stage workers) in a suite or a haven suite i believe its 20 per person per day. if you book a suite you get a concierge, 24 hr on call butler, a special designated restaurant for breakfast and lunch, priority boarding and disembarking, and a few other goodies. the daily service charge for a haven or a suite, does not include the butler or concierge, so i always manage to tip them at the end of out cruise. there have been many posts about tipping or not. regardless of the service charge, i always tip anyone on board that performs a service for me. I tip the bartenders whenever i get a drink, i tip the wait staff that is serving me, even though they are included in the daily service charge plot. my wife and i are the other side of your coin. i'm 75 and she's 74 and we've been on almost 30 cruises, all with norwegian. i have claimed in the past that i am extremely anal when it comes to booking a cruise, cabin, and the airfare getting to and from our destination. i believe as far as amenities, choices of ports, prices and size of cabins, ncl gives you the best bang for your buck. i have checked celebrity, rccl, carnival, msc and most other carriers, and i still believe ncl gives me the best itinerary, the best prices, and the largest average cabins. This may not be of interest to you, but i find the ncl shore excursions to be by and large expensive. what we do is take along the descriptions of the excursion, and hire a cab when we dock. they usually charge us half of what the ncl excursion costs, they take credit cards, and will stop and go whenever you wish so you can get out and take pictures. we have had drivers drop us off in various locations, give us a few hours to eat, shop and generally just look around and then come pick us up at a designated time and spot. Knock on wood, we have never been late getting back too the ship. finally, it's tough getting off the ship on the last day along with 3000 of your closest friends. the fact that in a suite we have a concierge is worth the entire price of admission. he has us meet at a certain time at a pre-designated location, and takes us right of the ship and directly to our luggage. if you're in a suite, your luggage is in a separate designated area, and is most easy to find.take s15-20 minutes max. we usually (especially in european ports of call), like to fly in a few days prior to sailing, and stay at the disembarkation city a few days before flying home. the day before the ship docks, we have the concierge arrange a taxi to pick us up at the pier and drive us directly to our hotel (you absolutely can't beat that for convenience) sorry for the length of this post, i hope it was able to help you, and bon voyage i don't know what is comparable to the concierge you are used to, but i can assure you, if you book a haven suite, you (1) wont regret it (2) never want to book another type of cabin. that being said however, on the ships that offer both a haven suite and a "suite" the rooms and most of the goodies are identical, the rooms look the same sizewise, the only difference, is on some ships, there is also a specially designated haven deck. this has its own pool/jacuzzi area, sundeck, and its own bar and restaurant. its also about $3000 higher in price that the same type of "suite" while we love the haven complex, for $3000 less, i can forgo the pool/bar and restaurant.

i really dont mean to sound facetious, but after over 25 cruises with ncl, some as short as 7 days, some as long as 19, i found the very best place for both comfort and quiet is our very own balcony. sometimes when i cant sleep, i go out in the middle of the night and just watch the water go by. i quote dorothy "there's no place like home" in this case, the cabin balcony. or if you're on the encore, see if they have an observation lounge, and if so, how late is it open.

thanks for the update, now the extra $250 seems unnecessary, as there is nothing else i need it for. i cant imagine buying 250 worth of ncl t-shirts, and we get 3 meals for the cruise, 2 for diamond status, and we bought the extra 5 meal package. (17 day cruise)

as i said before, when the industry tanked i bought the 100 shares at $7.00 per. i figured that if i hold on long enough, the cruise industry might come bouncing back, and lo and behold, it has. for a $7.00 investment, i can hold onto the shares forever. that being said, on rare occasions, we do purchase cruise next certificates(rarely, but sometimes) I understand that whatever amount you purchase you immediately get 1/2 that as obc. so, if my math is right, if i buy 8 for $2000, use the credit for that, im only being charged $1,000. if i use my $250 stockholder credit, the total costs for 8 CN certificates is now $750. to be safe, we rarely buy anything on board, except for the last few days prior when i buy the t-shirts on sale. usually in port, rather than buy an excursion, we usually hire a taxi at 1/2 the cost. and yes, the credit showed up in less than 48 hrs.

we've had 100 shares since covid shut down the cruising industry and cruise stocks tanked. you need at least 100 shares to qualify although we have taken about 6 cruises since since the industry opened up, i never took advantage of their stockholder offer. we're on a 17 day cruise in april, and the offer was $250 on board credit, all you need to do is fill out a form and show that you own the stock. if you google ncl shareholder benefits, it will give you a breakdown. i think (although i could be mistaken) is that up to 14 days you get $100 OBC. after that its 250

YO! Chiefmate. For the 1st time in a very long time, i totally disagree with you. I thought SIX was amazing. When the show came here locally we went to see it again. My grandson took his girlfriend (who is not a theater lover) and she loved it also. i would see it again and again. What didnt you like about it. The girls in the play are non-stop energu throught. Never the less, if we ever make it to the same cruise, the 1st drink is still on me. LOL

hey dawg, if you bid $2500, weren't you actually willing to pay $5,000

hey, chief, even if they make "0" sense, they're always fun to read!

sorry, never had a problem logging in either my account or my wife's

lets do it, lets fall in love. Thank you Mr Cole Porter! By the way raiderfan,did you mean to say that "stinks"? That sticks makes no sense

We used to love eating at teppanyaki, but imho,it has gone way way down hill in the past few years. they have changed filet mignon to ny strip, and after you've eaten there a few times, even the show put on by the chef becomes slightly redundant. also, I'm 75 and through most of my life i have never been into "class participation" so i don't want to singalong, i don't want the chef to try and launch a piece of egg into my mouth, and really, the noise, if the restaurant is full, totally takes away from the experience. Even with the meal being free, at least 50% of the time we're cruising on an NCL ship, we pass on eating there, By the way, Benihana, it ain't! The opinions expressed herein, are strictly my own, and emphatically, "YES" I'm a grumpy, grouchy old man. Just ask my wife. LOL

i dont mean to rain on your parade, but last year we were on the ncl from southampton with the 1st port being paris. while the excursion says 9 hrs, le harve is about 3 hrs away from paris itself, do figure 3 hrs there/3 hrs back, and your 9 hr excursion is cut down to 6 hrs. you're 100% right, i wanted more time in paris, but seeing the eiffel tower was on my bucket list, so at least that was accomplished . if one of the ports onyour cruise is bruge, we took a cab from the port and had the driver take us around. it was a beautiful city, and we loved it.