Smitheroo

I read and was told verbally that the new *solo* insides, oceanview and balcony cabins did include access to the studio lounge which would be attractive to some solo cruisers.

LOL, that is funny (and true) ! But you know, I read through a thread somewhere asking about complaints about cabins they ended up with it. I have had a cheap , guarantee cabin 3 times in my life (actually the only times I've cruised so far) and I have had zero complaints about these cabins which usually are not well thought of. I agree that what is tolerable is subjective and also depends a lot on your personal traveling situation ie. one person vs group or even just a couple. As a solo traveler these 3 cabins that I had no choice in choosing (1 with was another cruise line) were perfect for me. I'm not fussy, but even so, they were not under, over , or near any source of obnoxious noise. They were pitch black at night, making for great sleeping conditions. They were quiet. No complaints from me. Some of the descriptions of the noise that the people in the thread commented on about their often much higher priced cabins made me realize you can end up with a lot worse than a "guarantee cabin' for a lot more money. But like I said, even two people might have a tight squeeze getting around these cabins I've been in . But they really were "ideal for the solo traveler" (who is not fussy) The only complaint I had on my recent cruise on the Encore was that it was a bit of a hike to get to my cabin but other than that, it was very comfy. For some people it might even be better than what they have at home.

A non stop flight is not an absolute requirement for me but I was curious about where people actually were sent to on their flight. Rome to Munich to NYC is not outrageous . Being sent to Lisbon with a 15 hour layover would not be good.

I went through the baggage fee discussion on the thread I started a few weeks ago and there was no agreement.Yes, people paid then, or airlines usually allowed one bag free. I realize I wont know that until I know what airline the flight is for. What I saw as a result of my internet research was worrisome. Looked like bag fees could be anywhere form $0-100. $100 bag fee would not be a good thing. People insisted on the thread that they were never charged $100 (which I can believe as that is outrageously expensive) but there it was on the screen. I dont know why I asked about bag fees this time because I know that the answer is that it will depend on which airline.

Hmmm, the $75 is on the reservation. I will have to check into this more, although I did ask questions on the phone. The woman was pleasant and helpful. Now, if I can rely on the fact that she is accurate will be another thing. It makes sense if you take a 2 day deviation that NCL would not be getting you to the airport (thus the ground transporation charge) becausse they have no idea where you will be as a result of the 2 day deviation.

thank you for your helpful answer

The way I see it, if so many people take this option (the Air Promo) it must work and since I dont think I'm so special , or have unusual circumstances, then it will work for me. I was looking for an answer from people's personal experiences especially since NCL seems to say one thing many different ways. So, yes, reading the Terms and Conditions is good, asking people for their personal experience can often be better. That is what I was looking for "reading the T & C" was not helpful, thank you.

NCL has started a new category in recent weeks- solo inside, solo oceanview, solo balcony (still having regular inside, regular oceanview, regular balcony. Those come with access fo the studio cabins lounge. My question is that they market these rooms as "ideal for the solo traveler". Other than access to the studio lounge I dont see how a solo inside would be different from a regular inside, its not like they have reconfigured the rooms

looks like they resurrected the 2nd person free promo. That was what was on when I first got interested in cruising on NCL. I patiently waited for awhile for it to reappear and during that time I was told it was no different than the other promos

so will your fare that you booked at be adjusted?

But if using a Cruise First certificate means you dont have to make any other payment until the date the final payment is due then it is like a deposit and would be considered "first payment" I think. This isnt that important because as I become wiser about purchasing insurance it is becoming easier to make a decison quickly.

I'm sure this has been covered here there and everywhere but can I have it in one place? I am booked on a TA from Cape Canaveral to Italy in April 2024. I took the air fare promo for return only. I requested a two day deviation. I was told that was the limit, more than that I would have to book a hotel through NCL and that would be expensive. So I agreed to a two day deviation. The air fare quoted to me is $322. (plus $75 ground transporation) This seems almost too good to be true (some might remember a thread I started a few weeks ago complaining about the price of air fare) My question is what can I expect with this fare ? Would a non stop flight be just wishful thinking? Or maybe there will be a 15 hour layover in Lisbon, Portugal? Will baggage fees and seat choice be only up to the airline that NCL chooses? I feel like this is a gamble but I'm fairly flexible in terms of layovers and even seat choice. Just get me home from Italy to Boston without it costing me a lot of extra money that I wont know about until close to departure.

for the multitrip plan. A single trip plan is available for 1,000,000 medical coverage

No, I am a solo traveler and I only had to buy one air promo fare, for the trip home. It was $322 for Rome to Boston which must be discounted

That's why I asked if CruiseFIrst is considered a first payment. Because if you dont use it then you will be expected to pay a deposit. At least that's how it looks to me bit I'm the new kid on the block with a lot of this stuff. So yes, CruiseFirst would be like a first payment.

Yes, that is what I discovered.

I was wrong when I said that GeoBlue does not include any of the trip cancellation type features. It didnt seem to include cancellation but did include interruption etc. I really dont get this. Yes, there are policies that cover these problems with low medical expense coverage but in my opinion the price of them is not low enough for what they do cover. Why does trip cancellation for 1 person for $1500 cost almost $200? (Allianz) Is it because of my age (73) ? and if so, what does age have to do with the likelihood of having to cancel travel plans. If you're elderly a greater chance you or your spouse will become ill or die? Yes there is a small amount of medical expense coverage with this policy but for just a little more I can get 1,000,000 with GeoBlue and some of the other coverage as well (this is found under "additional benefits" )

nothing stopping you from taking food from the buffet so I doubt that is the reason. Not sure about the main dining rooms. I didnt see any signs in the buffet that you couldnt take food outside of the area. You can walk around with Starbucks. Coffee can easily be spilled and make a mess. ditto for alcolholic drinks

I was just on the Encore to Alaska 10/22-10/29 and plenty of cabins had door decorations on them. Some were quite cute!

and that means that the date that you applied the CruiseFIRST certificate is the "first payment" for insurance purposes? Couldnt you apply the CruiseFIRST certificate at a later date (but before final payment) to give yourself more time for choosing insurance?

That was the impression I was given on my last cruise in Feb. That if you dont use the obc that comes along with CruiseNEXT on that cruise, you lose it. However, THIS time when the rep said what obc you dont spend on this cruise comes off the certiicates. Then I said "I thought that if you didnt use it on this cruise it was gone" and he said "that's the way we used to do it but our frequent cruisers almost always come on board with prepaid charges and have litte incentive to buy CruiseNext certificates for obc that they wont use". This led me to believe they have changed policies.

one advantage to the CruiseNEXT is that you can use them for less than a 6 day cruise

So, are you saying that medical coverage of 1,000,000 is way over what is necessary?

Looking at the plans on TheInsuranceStore that include trip cancellation/interruption etc. the amount of medical coverage is pathetic. (if not, then the premium is very high with still less than ideal medical coverage) I would think that that since medical coverage is the expensive part, a policy with travel cancellation etc and only minimal medical coverage would be much cheaper, so it could be piggy backed onto a robust medical coverage policy. Apparently not. At some point I guess you just have to decide what you are willing to lose when you are a single traveler with travel costs on the lower end. (I realize that high end cruises, expensive flights, or large families is a different situation) This decision could be different for every trip. In my case it wont break the bank if I have to "eat" $1500 of travel expenses due to sudden illness but I'm thinking back to those pandemic days where you might be required to quarantine when you arrived in a country. Right now a positive diagosis of that pandemic disease is a recommended 10 day quarantine. (in the US) Paying hotel bills for 10 days could be painful. And who knows what the actual quarantine requirement might be in the future. Does anyone have an example of trip interruption that ended up being very expensive for them ? I think I recall a recent example of someone having their cruise cancelled by NCL and they didnt have refundable flights.

maybe not *more* expensive but *as* expensive as the US. Like the plastic surgeon example,