complawyer

has anyone ever tried to stump them?

well, if you would allow the concierge to do all that for you, it would take the burden off your shoulders. i am the complete opposite. on the 21st day prior, i check in, print my cruise docs and im done. i am more than happy to allow the concierge to do all those things you mentioned once i get onboard. our last cruise last april, the concierge came to our cabin, with a list of the restaurants, and he had us fill in the times/dates we wanted to dine.. viola! no problem! after 30 ncl cruises, (1) only on rare occasions has a shore excursion i wanted ever been "sold out" (2) at most ports we hire a cab, show him the excursion description, negotiate a price and we're off. usually much, much cheaper. also on our last cruise, the butler assigned to our cabin was a complete jerk. The concierge had him reassigned immediately. finally,(this is important to me, maybe not to anyone else) the concierge has the ability to gather all his clients, and get us off the ship within 15 or 20 minutes. this avoids the long crowds, the long wait, and the clogged stairways, and elevators. if I advise him a day or 2 before final disembarkation, he has a cab or a shuttle waiting for us as soon as we get our luggage

im sorry, i dont understand... if the club balcony is free, what's the difference, what are you asking about when describing the extra $3,000. if it is fact for the cabin, youre 100% correct, just take the regular balcony. by the way, remember, if you hold diamond latitude status, you can also upgrade from the balcony to the club

hey cruiser2015 by the time dion recorded runaround sue, he had already split from the belmonts. as an aside, since i have never seen this show, do they actually know all these different songs?

except our cruise leaves from barcelona and ends in capetown. i have researched 1 day safaris from capetown, but they just seem to be glorified animal parks, not much different than the one at disneyworld. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

for me (although we havent been there for a few years) it's the ruins at tulum. HANDS DOWN!!!!

we're taking the same cruise but o n the dawn a week earlier, i needed a 2 bedroom suite which the sky didnt offer. i was hoping that at least 1 of these ports might have offered a safari shore excursion, but so far no luck

well please let me know how you father enjoys the cruise. im noit sure how much fun i can have in my mid 80's. by the way, i grew up in detroit,

god bless him, and an early happy birthday. are you aware you can pre-order a cake? but my point was by the time the new ships come out i will be in my mid to late 80's. you dad will be in his 90's

cvs offers sea sick bands that go around your wrist. my wife always takes them on a cruise with her and never has any problems

under this same theory (argument) this is why i always tip extra (outside of the DSC) i leave a tip after each meal, and to anyone that performs a personal service for me. IMHO, if a specialty restaurant is booked at a certain time, and the concierge gets me in, doesnt he deserve a little extra for his effort? same/same with any maitre'd. if they get you in, a vegas handshake is appropriate. in a few ncl ships, cagneys and moderno share the same kitchens. if im eating in cagney's, i ask the waiter to bring me some of (to die for) moderno's pineapple. he also deserves a little extra. the opinions expressed herein, are strictly my own, this is what i do on a cruise. since the dsc is tacked onto your total bill, many people feel that's sufficient. i personally do not feel that way (again my personal feelings) and my wife and i sit down prior to sailing to figure out how much extra we will need in tips, and to who sorry for the lengthy diatribe

well, ellis, i concede $1500 for a 10 day cruise is a great deal. that being said, however, and to make sure we aren't comparing apples to oranges, what is the sq footage of your cabin, what perks (if any) are you getting, what are the ports and when is the sailing? have you looked at anything comparable on ncl. while it's certainly not in the same ballpark, this nov we booked a 21 day cruise from barcelona to capetown, in a 2 bedroom suite (3 people) on the dawn, for $9900, with all the bells, whistles and perks attached to a suite. this past april, we booked a 17 day cruise with a 2 bedroom suite on the star for under $7,000. rio to lisbon. consequently, we'll stick with ncl. remember the old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" regardless, enjoy you cruise, i hope you can report back afterwards, and let us all know what you thought

among other denominations, i make sure i have sufficient singles for the bartender. it would never, and under any circumstances occur to me not to leave the bartender a tip. however, unlike cruiseny, i dont seek out the same bartender or the same bar on a recurring basis. by the way (if you are not as yet aware) the bus people in the buffet will also bring you drinks when requested. of course, it goes without saying TIP THEM!

hey ellis 138, it just sounded like you were disappointed in the cruise you booked, and the only positive was a potential weight loss. it wasnt a knee jerk reaction, if there are things you dont like, it was merely a suggestion, to cancel and book with ncl for things you do like. personally, i have checked out celebrity on numerous occasions and find that the prices for similar cabins are much higher than ncl, and oftentimes square footage wise, the cabins were slightly smaller for the extra $$$. this may not be across the board, but it was on the cabins and prices i was researching. plus, i believe ncl offers much more choices in the way of itineraries, and length of cruise

so what can it hurt if you give the bartender an extra buck or 2?

well since you have plenty of time, and there are enough negatives why dont you merely cancel?

god bless your mother, im 76 and couldnt drink that much. based on your post, i look at it like this (i believe in overkill) say 5 mimosas at breakfast, 5 throughout the day, poolside, and 5 before or after dinner, thats 15, and i cant believe your mother can drink much more than that! that being said, but imho, and this strictly my own opinion, 5 drinks before dinner, would either put me to sleep, or i couldnt taste the meal. on one of our 1st cruises, my wife and i sat at the sushi bar. from landside experience , i always offer the sushi chefs a glass of sake, and my wife usually has 1 so i ordered the large bottle. my wife didnt want any, and i was advised that it's against ncl policy for the chefs to accept. consequently, i drank the entire bottle. couldnt walk straight after that. so once again, if she indeed can consume that much liquor per day, god bless her

they are not "necessary" as those are allegedly covered by the DSC.. However, they are most appreciated by those that receive them!

by the time the new ships roll out, at the earliest i'll be 82, at the latest 88. by that time frankly Scarlett, I wont give a ****

if youve never booked an ncl suite, you'll be amazed and delighted (imho) they're cheaper than the similar haven suites, but you cant get into the haven complex. personally, unless i can get a phenomenal deal, i'd rather book the suite, and forgo the haven pool, lounge and restaurant. the dollar savings are remarkable. one caveat. once you book a suite (or a haven) it's really tough to settle for anything else. our 1st suite was on the getaway about 6 years back, and now i joke, if i cant book a suite, my wife refuses to go. you will not be sorry. most of the other ncl ships, have breakfast in moderno and lunch in cagney's . regardless, you CANNOT go wrong with what you have booked enjoy, and even though it's early. BON VOYAGE!

you will get exactly what you would if your cabin was in the haven complex, other than access to the haven lounge, pool, and restaurant.

whatever entertainment offered on my ncl cruise or any other cruise line, doesnt even enter into my thinking as to whether to book or not. itinerary and price, are my only criteria and schmoopie, good luck, ive had my posts suspended for up to a week, for writing less innocuous posts as your most recent response to this one.

after 30 cruise with NCL over the past 14 years, i dont think you can use "better or worse" as a criteria. just different. It probably is an overgeneralization, but when you hear of mishaps at sea, it's usually on a carnival ship. RCCL, while loaded with proverbial "bells and whistles", IMO, has gotten way to big. I really dont want to be on a ship with over 5,000 of my closest friends. i have posted many times before, i choose NCL as i believe (only my opinion) that as far as itinerary, price, and size of cabins, Norwegian gives you the best bang for your buck. suites, the haven complex and the attendant perks are wonderful additions. to me, the concierge being able to get me off the ship within 15-20 minutes of docking in and of itself is worth the price of admission. the catch for excursions and open bar are as follows, and neither are really free (1) while it claims "free excursions", the reality is $50 off each excursion, and then only to the person who made the reservation and only to that person. so if you book an excursion costing $50 or less, technically it's free. ( although they really are rarer then hen's teeth) there is a "service charge" tacked onto the drink package. while on board you can order drinks with no charge, you have prepaid the service fee up front. the total amount is disclosed when you do your booking. also you are limited to drinks $15 or less (although that does give you a very wide choice) anything over the $15 limit, you pay the difference and 20% tax. you can also waive the drink package and pay per drink as you go along still not a bad deal, and i rarely go over the $15 limit!. My problem is with the unlimited drink package, i have a tendency to drink more per day then i would normally drink in a year, that being said, thank god for chivas regal!

by the way, if you're in a suite, you can ask the butler to bring a cheese and crackers plate daily

it's like advising someone sitting next to you at a blackjack table, whether to stand or draw. i have a personal policy of never trying to tell anyone how to spend their money. you need a minimum of 100 shares. right now that's about $1600. if you want to hold on to the shares long term, as an investment, it's probably not such a great deal. in return, you get $100 OBC for cruises up to but not including 14 days, and $250 OBC for anything longer than that. bird is 100% correct. if you're planning a 1 and done, (while $100 OBC is better than a stick in the eye),it's probably not worth the 1600 investment. we were lucky enough to purchase 100 shares when covid struck, and bought at $7.00, so anything is a bonus. i have found, however, that with the drinks/dining package included with the cost of the cruise, there isnt a whole lot of other stuff I could/ would spend the $100 on. we were on a 17 night cruise this past april, and got $250 OBC. Again, i'm not sure we spent it all. By the way, there are only so many NCL commemorative t-shirts that one can buy, even at the reduced sale price. or a lobster tail with dinner at a $25 upcharge.