JandC_Cruising

It means the occupants plan on overworking their drink package and think putting a big A#$ sticker on their door will help them find their cabin at the end of the day!

Yes. We have paid to move ourselves from balcony to the Haven after bidding had started but the price came down. When you do it this way, you get the extra Latitude nights from a Haven booking. If you win a bid, you only get the standard latitude points from your original cabin booking. After we changed our cabin, We had to contact NCL to have them do some sort of "reset" and then we got a new invitation, with new bidding opportunities. We didn't bother bidding again as we were happy with the suite we had purchased directly, but the answer to your question is YES.

Depending upon the wine club you belong to, it may have less to do with COVID and more to do with the 2020 California wild fires. Many northern Napa Valley wineries threw away their entire 2020 crops due to the the smoke and ash tainting the grapes. Others were able to continue to produce, but a lower volumes as many grapes just could not be used after harvesting.

$1159 ?!?!?!? Upgrading costs $34.80 per person per day.($29 +20% gratuity)..Are you on a 30 day cruise? If not, there is an error in your math...

NCL does not have any "formal night" on any of their ships. Typically only a couple of specialty restaurants have any dress code (men must wear pants and collared shirt). Le Bistro, for example. Most sailings will have an evening called "dress up or not night" and there will be photographers strategically placed throughout the ship for portraits. But honestly, they are out each evening taking pictures, We love the more casual environment. The dressiest I get are Khakis and a nice Tommy Bahama shirt. Enjoy!

The portions that NCL credits should each go back to the original form of payment. That's what happened to us in the past. So if you used multiple cards, each should get back what was charged to that specific card. The last cancellation we were involved with (actually helped my parents cancel) their insurance company mailed them a check for what they covered.

They just cancelled the December through April,2024 cruises and gave effected customers a 20% Discount on any European Cruise to be used from June 1 to April 30, 2024.. I wonder if they accidentally dropped one in your account and then caught the error before you could apply it. Gotta be faster on the draw next time! 🤣

@marne-cWe have travelled Haven with family. Like @Sthrngary suggested we were in the Joy 2BR with our two adult children and one of their SO's. This worked out great. That said, it can still be a healthy bill. On two other occasions, we have traveled with friends with tighter budgets. (heck we were even looking to save a bit of money as Haven is not an every time deal for us!) In those cases, we booked standard balconies (or Spa Balconies) and all get access to the Thermal Spa on-board and also booked the Vibe Beach Club (adult only sun deck). That gave us all nicer areas to relax at a lower cost than the Haven bill. Check out those options.

With NCL Air Promo, you must request a deviation (up to 2 days on either end) at least 75 days before departure. You must make that request, otherwise, you will arrive the day of your cruise. Keep in mind a flight from the US to Rome will likely be an overnight flight. Regarding booking a cabin, the NCL system will assign a cabin in the price category you are trying to book. There is an option to select a different stateroom on the screen. From there you will get to see floors, open cabins, and additional fees if a cabin has an upcharge from the originally selected cabin. I usually open up the ship's deck plan in a separate window on my computer to more easily see where any cabin I am considering is located within the ship

I've had to cancel a person in our cabin once. If you cancel, you will be refunded: 1. Your taxes and port fees 2. Any "Free at Sea" gratuities (if you selected f@s drinks/dining) 3. Any pre-paid Daily service fees 4. Any pre-paid excursions and other pre-paid service (Vibe, Thermal Spa, upgrade dining, drink, internet packages, etc.) In essence what you lose is the value of your "cabin fare".

We were on the Encore this January and the Encore Thermal Spa is wonderful. Unless you desperately wish to have a Haven Suite that has a separate living area (Forward Facing has that) then I would stick with the Haven Spa Suite and make use of the Thermal Spa throughout your cruise.

Assuming you received the same letter as the OP: 1. I assume you are asking about booking a "European" cruise before December 1st and use the 20% discount. If so, YES....You can choose a November 2023 European Cruise (for example). 2. According to the letter, you will receive your 20% discount coupon on June 1st. Based on my experience, you will need to wait to book until that date so that you have the discount in your Latitude's Account so it can be applied to a cruise you book (Any European Cruise from that point until April 30th 2024 - per the letter) 3. No issue, NCL did not buy your airfare yet (and you have only paid your deposit). For you (in USA) The deposit is fully refundable and will go back to your original form of payment, again per the letter provide. 4. The perks you receive on any newly booked cruise will be those which are in effect at the time of that new booking...None of your "old promo's" transfer to a new booking. So, if you pick a cruise that is currently offering the 2-for-1 air for example, you will be able to select that. Hope that helps with some clarification.

As @Two Wheels Only noted, you can get any 4 menu items there. Our experience has been that as a couple, we will only use 1 specialty meal there and "IF" we want more, we order additional items a la carte. Depending on the day, and what/when we ate earlier, Food Republic is a great place for a lighter dinner where everything is shared.

Your Key Card is coded so that it will open the sliding door into the Vibe. Our past two cruises (Encore in January and Joy in March) they also put an envelope in the stateroom with a letter with the Vibe hours and services along with wristbands. Most everyone wore the wristbands for the first couple of days, but then cut them off once it was clear who had Vibe access.

Closed toed shoes are required on the go-carts, such as sneakers. Flip flops are not allowed. Water shoes will only be allowed if they are fully closed toed.

As mentioned, experiences can vary. We have been able to pick a soup and a salad rather than an appetizer in the past. SIL did this at Cagney's earlier this year getting the Onion Soup and the Caesar Salad, rather than one of the seafood apps.

When we were on the Encore in January, they were doing in-person dinning reservations at a table in the Atrium just to the left of the Starbuck's entrance. On the Joy they actually setup the specialty dinning reservation sign-up in Teppanyaki. We've also seen them setup in the Social in the past. Since all those places are just a few paces from one another, you should be able to find it quickly.

We've enjoyed each of our cruises on the Escape. The lack of an OL is not really a big deal in warm weather, "non-scenic" cruises, in our opinion. Additionally, compared to the Joy, it has a Thermal Spa. For us, that is a great trade. We love the thermal spas and will spend time there every day, while the OL is only a couple of visits per cruise (again if "non-scenic" cruise) The Escape has one of our favorite quick-bite specialty restaurants "Pinchos", which is only on that ship. Another favorite of ours on every ship is Le Bistro, and honestly, I like the location and feel of that venue on the Escape. It is down on deck 6 and actually looks and feels like a real Bistro. The Encore and Joy venues don't have that character. On the downside (i guess) is that we also get Vibe passes and the Escape Vibe area is 1/2 the size of the Joy and the Encore Vibe is even bigger. It is only on one side and if that is the windy side, you are out of luck. That said, smaller venue=fewer passes, so it may be a wash.

The Cap'n was on the Joy last month...."Morgan", not "Crunch"

The "Specialty Dining Upgrade" is only to add 2 more meals to passengers 1&2. You sister would need to purchase a 2-meal package for herself. We've done this when our kids were traveling with us in the same cabin. Teppanyaki and Moderno are both "fixed price" meals. ($59 for each - I think) You may use a specialty credit or pay the flat fee (plus 20% gratuity) for either. La Cucina and Cagney's are both A la Carte (if not using a specialty credit).

I've seen that before and I've also seen a "spa" sticker on the back of some.

If you "buy" a pass (as opposed to getting a spa grade stateroom) they will put a sticker on your key-card. I think even if you pre-pay, you still need to get that sticker the first time you go to the spa. If you have spa stateroom, it will already say it on your key-card. Each time you go to the spa, you will check-in with the front desk. They will ask you if you need a locker or not and then take your key-card. They keep that at the front desk while you are at the spa. They will let you into the Thermal Suite area and you are then free to enjoy the spa! Just don't forget to pick-up your key-card before heading back to your stateroom. We've been so relaxed after some visits, we've forgotten 😆

Bird, thanks for the great review as always...Glad you had a wonderful cruise. We've not been lucky enough to cruise during one of these "meet the winemaker" cruises, but it looks great. Was this a separate cover? Could you use a specialty dining credit? Or perhaps was it discounted 20% or 40% depending upon bev package? Thx!

Totally Agree....If memory serves (been 4 yrs since in the Escape Thermal Spa) the Encore is bigger and has more loungers (both heated and cushioned). I try the heated one's ever time and I guess my 56yo body doesn't bend the way those are designed, so I'm always uncomfortable. But I love the cushioned ones along the starboard of the Encore. Great views and quiet! Perfect way to relax and read out of the sun each day.

Yes! We prefer the one on the Encore over the Escape in the Aft, but both have big picture windows to see the scenes passing by.