complawyer

we've been going on and on about the pros and cons of emuster vs. in person muster and how effective either one might or might not be. is this any more relevant to the safety briefing one gets for 5 minutes on an airplane? if youve ever flown more than once, or you have a flight with a change of planes, you go through this every time. in person or emuster, it's just a necessary evil that comes with sailing. when i watch the video, even though it's slightly over a minute, i still cant wait for it to end. same with in person. it's a chore that must be done. so my bottom line is : just do it, get it over with (regardless of how it's presented) and get on with enjoying your cruise

hey pete_coach. tipping or not has no impact whatsoever on being "a better man" no one is calling you out for not tipping, i think you crossed the line with your post attacking rocketman. you dont want to tip extra, "DON'T" no one else would really care (i sure don't) if i want to tip extra, that's on me. no one should care (or comment for that matter ) either. my cash for tips is like my american express card..... i dont leave home without it. what you choose to do is entirely up to you. by the way, it's entirely unnecessary to come back with some smart a** response. lets agree to disagree and leave it at that!! NUFF SAID!

yep, i totally disagree! so be it!!

maleficent'sdad. guess you just aint looking close enough. we always tip the bartenders, especially at the outdoor bars. certainly not after every round, but a few bucks here and a few bucks there while we're sitting enjoying the sun and the sea. if you can accept servers getting tips, why is it so strange if you give the bartender a buck or two if you order/get the drink yourself? i feel like a broken record, but once again: if you want to tip extra. do so. if not dont. we have beaten this poor dead horse into oblivion

back in the 70's the WHO had a great song entitled "wont get fooled again" A major line was meet the new boss, same as the old boss! guess what over 40 years later, meet the new promo.... same as the old promo. ncl has used some type of variation to their offers for the past few years. i'm anal about checking the ncl website, and have been on over 20 of their cruises since 2010. i was excited over what i think was their 1st promo offer 30% off the price. guess what? all that happened was the price was jacked up to compensate. while you may save some money depending on cabin, time of year and itinerary, your arithmetic and that of norwegian will still be miles apart. so (a word to the wise), dont hold your breath

WOW!!! I finally agree with mocruisefan on something. i fail too see what the big deal is, and why the issue of ncl brochures is the subject of so much discussion. if you dont want the brochure simply throw it out. there are days when i receive nothing but junk mail. guess what? it goes straight to the garbage.

i didnt mind the in person muster drills before, it was a d**n good way to catch a few extra zzzzz's before the ship took off. beside after a while of the crew person droning on and on you kind of tune out anyway

this seems like the old good news/bad news. good news e-muster drills.... bad news, for some inexplicable reason, ncl will make you watch and watch and watch the same minute and a half video at least 5 separate times

it usually takes a day after youve completed the sign in for the actual docs to appear. if you check in 21 days prior to sailing, they should be there the next day. give it the 24 hrs. log in, go to check your reservation, click summary, and at the bottom it should tell you to click and voila, your boarding documents should be there.

are you serious, or just posting bad sarcasm? there is no need to carry around stacks of money. that's why there is a cabin safe. we usually carry around $10-15 in singles, and about $20 in 5's. this is less than i would normally carry around in my wallet on an average day. when the $$$ run out, i go back to the safe and replenish. isnt it better to slip the maitre"d or the hostess a few bucks at the beginning of the cruise? dont know about you, but it always works for me. $20 vegas handshake goes a long way if its for the right people, especially if youre sailing on a cruise of 10 days or more and youre in a suite or a haven. but again, to each his own!!!

mary_228. i cant believe you would go on a cruise with any cruise line and not bring along cash. dont you ever tip the tour guides, taxi drivers, the porters at the pier, both embarking/disembarking and any one else that may provide a little extra service? how about a waiter that brings you an extra desert when you smile at him and ask for it., this thread has been going on ad nauseum. bottom line is tip if you want to! dont tip if you feel that the daily gratuities are included in your overall fare. personally, i wouldnt think of leaving home without an extra few $100(at least $500) cash. before we leave home ,my wife and i sit down and figure out exactly who we want to tip, regardless of whether or not gratuities have been included. please note, this is strictly our position, and if you choose not to tip, no one will care. so, to each his own

basically dollars

chiefmatejrk. it's good to read one of your posts again. seems like youve been hiding out, or abandoning cc altogether. welcome home !!

cmaygar! by the way the phrase "ncl overpriced booking excursions"is redundant lol!

we get tons and tons of junk mail (ncl brochures included) as im sure many of us do. i suggest that if you're not interested, merely throw it out with the rest of your junk mail. before you s**t can the brochure, give it a quick perusal. i have found some interesting itinerary's listed. then i just go onto ncl.com and get more info

bcos. while i hope you and your family enjoy the cruise, please be aware that the club balcony suite, while very nice in and of itself, might be a little crowded for 4 adults, especially when/if youre all trying to get ready, or someone needs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. also, if you do get the 2 bedroom, be aware that while its a great cabin, and you may never want to book anything other than a haven suite, the 2nd bedroom is very small. unless things have changed dramatically, i believe the minimum bid for a 2 bedroom is about $1200 making the cost $2400, and thats just a minimum. to stand a chance of scoring, you might need to bid in excess of 2500, making the cost an additional $5000. all things considered, you might find it cheaper in the long run, if you merely booked another club balcony

dont worry right now. as time gets closer to your sailing date, i assure you many more shore excursions will open up. you dont think ncl will miss a chance to make a few bucks do you? we have a 21 day cruise booked for march 2024 from capetown to barcelona, and right now there are only 7 excursions available, and they are all in the 2 ports of the canary islands, and none of which i have any interest in taking.

it's been my experience, as follows (1) the driver takes your luggage and puts them in the luggage compartment (2) the bus gets to the port and the driver unloads everyone's luggage(3) you get you luggage, call over a porter (4) he takes it from you (a tip now is in order) (5) assuming youve correctly put on the ncl luggage tags, your bags will be delivered to your cabin later on in the day.just did this end of january from panama airport, but hired a cab to take us from the ship to our hotel as we werent leaving until next morning no muss, no fuss, no bother, easy peasy! sometimes though, it may be cheaper to get a cab at the airport, or arrange private transportation (shuttle service) this works especially well, if youre flying in early and staying in a hotel. last year we were going from london to copenhagen. we rented a cab from heathrow to our hotel, stayed for 3 days, and had made prior arrangements before we left the states, to have a shuttle pick us up at the hotel in london, and take us directly to the pier in southampton. we did the same on a back to back. hired a cab from venice airport to our hotel, stayed a few days, arranged a shuttle to drive us to trieste. the hotel had an ncl desk. we put in our names and a bus arrived the next morning to take us to the pier. we have done it both ways. ncl bus is great and super convenient if youre flying in the day of departure

buck or 2 wont hurt, and if youre consistent, using the same bartender, he/she will get to know you and your drinks might come faster and a little stronger.

it is my understanding that as long as it's before final payment is due, you can make the change with no charge

we bought 100 shares at $7.00 just after covid hit, so im not really worried, but i hope it doesnt go down to 10

dcguy64. what youre saying is 100% correct, however, this post is chock full of writers lamenting about now they were abandoned by ncl, how their flights were screwed up by ncl etc. all i've added that was for over 20 cruises and the past 13 years, i've done my own booking and travel arrangement and never once had any problem with flights, hotels, transfers or cruises. in all that time, we had 1 close call, but still worked out. i dont see any disadvantage to doing it all yourself, if you just take the time and use due diligence. and its nice that you 've met family's that fly in the day of the cruise. (in the past i've also done it) the question is why take the chance, especially if you're departing from a foreign port. isnt it nice to take a few extra days to explore a foreign city. we've done this in many different ports and countries, and i assure you they were all amazing!

i think youre comparing apples to oranges. being in a haven doesnt automatically get you into the vibe area. also, if you do get the upgrade to a haven cabin, a great deal depends on the ship itself. some ncl ships have the entire enchilada, separate haven bar, restaurant etc. some ships have haven, where you eat breakfast at moderno and lunch in cagneys, but on separate bar or restaurant area. some ncl ships also offer "suites" as well as haven cabins. these are essentially the same cabin, but wont get you into a haven bar or restaurant. if youre expecting getting the upgrade + accessibility to the vide area. be careful what you wish for (you may not get it) . i would keep the vibe pass, regardless of what cabin youre in. while some ncl ships have a haven with its own pool area and sun deck, you still need the pass for the vibe. so, i dont understand why youre thinking about canceling your pass

julig22. youre absolutely correct. any flight can be cancelled regardless of when or who books it. i just feel safer if ive done it myself. i can fly into departure city a few days early to lessen the chances of missed flights/cruise. it also gives me a chance to explore the city to which ive flown (especially great from foreign ports) a number of people are ok with economy. with flights 8-10 hours or longer, i prefer a little more comfort, and i think it's worth the extra costs. it's like booking an inside cabin or a club balcony. your preference. if youre only using the cabin to sleep or change clothes an inside cabin is perfect. i admit to being ultra spoiled and want a little extra comfort

njkate: you just need to do little research. we're leaving from southhampton july 27th. we're booked on british airways july 25th to london. business class was 1300 one way, premium economy was 960 coming back from stockholm. Leaving from and returning to LAX. i dont think $2200 per person with those category seats is outrageous. it's 10 hr non stop flight from lax to lhr and im looking forward to business class perks if you choose economy, im sure it's much cheaper. remember the old cliche an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. i'd rather spend a little more money for the comfort and security of getting somewhere, then rely on ncl or a travel agent. this site is loaded with horror stories about flights missed or cancelled, cruises missed etc. i dont want to sound like im bragging, or more knowledgeable than someone else ( i acknowledge i am not), but we've been on over 20 ncl cruises since 2010. from u.s ports, to european ports. ive booked all our own flights, hotels, transportation to/from airport to hotel, hotel to ship, etc, and never once had a problem. thank god for the internet, google, booking and hotels.com. we have a very lovely consultant from casinos at sea ( cruise critic precludes me from naming her, unfortunately) but all she does is the actual cruise booking and pricing after i tell her what we want. or, i'd be more than willing to assist you on your next cruise/flight/hotel if you tell me where you want to go. finally, if you keep looking far enough in advance, you'll find good prices.