RRSeeker

Definitely not unreasonable and you should prioritize work and family as they are more important than any vacation. I would call NCL yourself and see if there is anything they can do. It really depends on who answers the call. There are some PCC's that will go over and above to help you and there are others that will give you the standard answer and not want to be bothered to do anything extra like contact their supervisor to see if they can get an exception. Good luck and I hope things work out.

My legal documents have my full middle name, my credit cards have my middle initial. NCL only shows my first and last name through no fault of my own, when I set up my account years ago they didn’t use middle name/ initials and I am not sure if they do now. Airlines also don’t use my middle name/ initial and I just flew to Las Vegas and it wasn’t an issue with security. It will be interesting to see what happens on my next cruise. Last May I had no issues with anything while cruising as far as my name.

I am sure . I just trust people. I was only up at 2 am because I was worried about my 25 year old son and 23 year old nephew who befriended a couple who I think were using them for their drink package. I didn’t trust them so I was uneasy going to bed. I should have known better but this girl was so nice to me I wanted my son to meet her so he could hang with better people. Of course the couple never came around again must have found another mark an I was used too.

I wouldn’t turn you in if I saw you buying drinks for someone without a package because I mind my own business but I would say pay by drink would be the best option. On my last cruise, it was around 2am and a girl came up to me and asked me to get her a drink because she left her card in the room and couldn’t get back in. I am old and trusting and I am not good at guessing ages so I ordered her a drink and yes I tipped the bartender as I always do. Later in talking to this girl she said this cruise was for her high school graduation. Needless to say I was mortified. Lesson learned, I will no longer trust when someone says they left their card in the room. Just limit them to a certain amount of drinks and make them reimburse you if they go over.

Thank you everyone for your input. Today I decided to just call and upgrade. I ended up choosing a Haven Courtyard Penthouse Suite and I had a wonderful CAS rep who talked me through the whole thing, explained my options and my upgrade only cost $2,700. I am very happy I did this and cannot wait for my cruise.

I appreciate everyone’s input. I didn’t know about Europes final payment date.

Depending on where you booked your cruise you may get an email from upgrade advantage giving you the option to bid on upgrades after the final payment date. It should also show up in your NCL account online but the NCL app can be funky so always check your account on the website. I only book with Norwegian so I have received the emails but if you book with a travel agent you may not receive one, just depends on if they participate. I am also not sure if everyone who books directly receives an offer. I am not familiar with which travel agents or travel sites participate but I am sure other members may know that information.

Thank you for your input. I also agree with you on Haven upgrades are harder to get. My last cruise I went pretty high and did not win which was kind of a relief because it was more than I was comfortable paying even if I can afford it. I think I will wait at least until final payment in 9 days to see what inventory is still available and figure out which way to go.

Thanks for the response. I do mock booking all the time and I was thinking the same thing to wait until after final payment. I always bid when I cruise and I always end up losing but I may not wait if the price goes down. The gambler in me says to bid but I can never trust that part of me because it doesn't always use common sense and I may end up paying more than the upgrade costs today.

So I am looking for a little advice. I am sailing on the Escape in 129 days to New England/Canada and I am currently in a MA - Club Balcony Suite. I book through Casinos at Sea and my cruise is now fully paid. I also purchased the Premium Plus package. I called about upgrading to the Haven Forward Facing Penthouse and the cost would be approximately an additional $3,900 total for both of us (which is more that I paid for the whole cruise). If I did upgrade I would probably cancel the Premium Plus package as I would not need all the dining and from what I have been reading the premium beverage package seems to have been reduced. So I would be refunded the $413/pp I paid for Premium Plus (I paid an extra $70/pp for wifi with streaming and would still pay to upgrade the wifi either $109 or $179pp). The first time I called the CAS Rep told me I may be better off bidding because all the fees have been raised substantially since I booked this in 2020 (DSC, Admin Fee, Port Taxes, Drink package Gratuities) and a bid would not have to pay the increased fees, only insurance. I thought about that for a day or two and decided to just call and book it. The next CAS Rep told me I would be charged all of the raised fees if I won my bid so I should just book it now. I ended up not upgrading because I was just confused trying to figure out what I should do and which rep was correct. Now, obviously, the price I was given was the bottom line including the raised fees but for some reason it bothered me to pay over a $100/pp extra in fees to just upgrade a room (yes, I was being, ridiculous I know). The bottom line is, not getting in the Haven would not be the end of my world. I was just trying to make this special since it is our 40th Wedding anniversary. I know bidding there is no guarantee I would get a Haven cabin. We can afford to pay for this upgrade but then again I could use that money and go on another vacation or probably lose it in the casino so I can get another "free" cruise. Does anyone have any words of wisdom or advice for me if I should just upgrade or just bid and see what happens?

May 2022 on the Breakaway, texting only worked I-phone to I-phone on the ship but I was able to text with my I-phone back home and receive responses from Android phones. The Android user in our group was unable to send or receive texts. We all had unlimited Wifi with streaming and stayed signed on the whole time. Wifi calling worked great on my I-phone but I have no clue if it worked on Android since no one attempted to make calls on their phones except me to check on things at home. For my next cruise on the Escape in September I plan to try to use WhatsApp since it is only my husband and I and he uses an Android phone. He is technologically challenged but WhatsApp looks pretty simple to use so I am hoping it works. It 2019 I purchased the NCL app and it was in my opinion not easy to know when you had a message or call coming through. For us, it was not worth the $9.95 we paid.

I always tip at least $1 per drink and $10 in a specialty restaurant. I don’t know if I get special service but it just feels right to me.

I didn’t cruise in the last 30 days but cruised in May from Miami. 3 of the 4 of us that shared a cabin tested positive when we returned. That was a warm weather cruise and on our group page a lot of other people also tested positive. I don’t think it makes a difference.

I had a connecting cabin on my last cruise on the Breakaway in May because I needed a cabin for 4. It was not what I would have picked but they were the only mid-ship club balconies left that slept 4 when I made a last minute change of date due to Covid.

Make sure you keep your confirmations they emailed to you. The ones on your NCL account do not show the promo codes which I find very annoying because they did in the past pre pandemic. I don't think we should have to rely on an email when it is just easier to have it on your account.

I am 3 days and I have the same issue, can't see them on my account and can still upgrade individually and I have the confirmations from NCL. The Rep I spoke to told me it is a technical issue and should eventually show up. In other words he really had not clue.

Good luck!

I agree with you. I cruised in May and 3 out of 4 of us came home with Covid. Everyone on the ship tested and it didn’t stop it. Lots of coughing by day 7 on the ship and the plane ride home was the same way.

I think you just need to find the right person to talk to. I go through Casinos at Sea and they are very helpful most times I call.

One more from confirmation email

I finally received my confirmation but had to call. It is not showing on my account but I was assured it is there. I am not very technologically inclined so hopefully my screen shots show that I have the free at sea plus

I had 2 adult women and our sons in their early 20’s in club balcony 15186 on the breakaway. It worked well for us. No, not a lot of room to unpack and move around but we only slept there. The boys had a Pullman and couch turned in to a bed like bunk beds and my sister and I split the bed to make 2 twins.

Only time will tell I guess. I don’t even know if I want the air promo. I prefer to do my own air but no harm leaving it there until I decide. It is only a little over an hour flight so how bad could it be😉. Last time I swore I would never use it again but booking my own didn’t go very smoothly my last cruise with all the Memorial Day flight cancellations and I was stuck in Miami for 2 extra days.

It should be $59 a day. I just looked at my notes I wrote during the call and it wasn’t 59.99 just my handwriting skills. I will verify once I actually get my invoice.

But what would the cost be for the extra $50 shore excursion credit for guest 2? That is showing on my account and it is not an upgrade you can purchase. Also, my option to upgrade to wifi with streaming has disappeared on my upgrade offers even though I am only seeing the 150 minutes pp right now. I know it could end up being an issue but I am willing to wait one day and see if my drink package and wifi upgrade show up. I do have 418 days until my cruise and 298 days until final payment so I have a lot of time. I read on one of the boards here ( no clue which topic) that someone else upgraded and it took a day to see everything in their account so I am waiting that one day. I will call and get my confirmation email also if it doesn't magically appear also by tomorrow but I am not in the mood to sit on hold again today.