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28 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

This depends on the server. If you have no beverage package (as I did on a 2022 cruise), some servers will provide free seltzer. Others will ask that you pay. It was 50/50 on if I had to pay or not.

 

I almost never drink bottled water when cruising. I fill up bottles in my restroom, order tap water at the restaurants, and utilize the water stations in the buffet. I've never experienced swollen anything. Of course everyone's biology is different, but I have had swollen ankles in the past (usually when I'm hiking ten or more miles). This doesn't happen to me, though. 

I was thinking this also. That for many folks, they do way more walking on a cruise than they do regularly.

I just agreed to go with a friend on the 2025 cruise and came here looking for some info.

Thanks so much! I am not a Trekkie but am now looking forward to going.

5 hours ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

We set sail on the Encore this upcoming Sunday, July 21 (it doesn't seem like there's as many lives over here on the NCL board but I'll probably still do one as I usually do), and I'm wondering if it's worth it to get Vibe on an Alaskan cruise. 

 

I know it will be too cold to use the pool, but having a bar where we can grab a drink without a crowd + what I'm assuming will be mostly empty hot tubs may be worth it. 

 

Do they offer discounts on Vibe for these Alaskan sailings onboard by chance?

I did an Alaskan cruise the last week of June and plenty of people were in the pool.

Temps were in the mid 60's and hot in the sun. I was overdressed for my 1st excursion with 2 long sleeve pullovers and a fleece. LOL

On one cruise, a Panama Canal crossing, there were only 3 of us that regularly went to the solo meetup but we still had a nice time getting to know each other while dining together. The host still escorted us to the dining room to get our table and got us into shows.

Just be careful to pay attention to the DATE when you change the time on your phone. Somehow, when I moved the clock back an hour, the date went ahead a day? So the next day, all of the pics I took before I realized the error, are filed a day after I took them on my phone 6/27 instead of 6/26. I kept wondering why I wasn't capturing any of the pics I took. 

On 7/2/2024 at 7:01 AM, odessy said:

So I will be doing check in online this week for upcoming cruise out of NY to Bermuda. Some in my party who are not staying in my cabin are friends of my son, not my family. When they check in online using a credit card, will they need to show that credit card at Pier prior to boarding?

TIA

It doesn't need to be THAT card. It can be another card that you give them at the actual check in if you want a different card to be used. You can also switch it to a cash account and give money over at guest services once on board.

But I have never been asked to show the card at check in if I already had it on file. However, something might happen where guest services needs an updated form of payment. So something (card/cash) will be needed.

On 7/1/2024 at 5:34 PM, stellarose33 said:

is vibe worth it?

It depends. What would be your reason/s for purchasing a pass?

12 hours ago, caterpa said:

Yes that's exactly what she should do.   That and bring a tote bag to haul all her stuff to the bathroom with her.  Or you stay up there with her and hold her chair. 
 

Heres the thing.   It works like this in a normal system …..Go to the bathroom prior to getting a chair.  A normal persons bladder fills about 100-150 mls an hour. Most people therefor can go about 3 hours at least between bathroom breaks.  That's more than enough time to occupy a chair.  If she wants to use the bathroom and resume sitting she can get in the back of the defacto chair queue. 
 

Sorry to be difficult but this idea that exists exactly no where else without paying for the privilege,  that because a person gets to the deck early that they get an all day poolside chair is hogwash. 
 

PAY for a reserved chair in Vibe or get a cabana.    I shouldn't have to pay to keep your wife from being in a chair from 10 am to 4 pm.  Privilege comes with cost.  It should not come from a sense of entitlement.   

If I'm making good use of my drink package, I am going to the bathroom WAY more than once every 3 hours. But I have also had no problem, as a solo traveler, asking the person in the chair next to me to watch my seat while I run to the loo. Now I do not take advantage of that at all. Quickly using the bathroom is one of the most useful skills I gained in the military. 

On 6/26/2024 at 12:21 PM, detroitlions said:

Chair hogs and lines are the main reason I get Vibe pass when available.

I had a dude on the Belize private island put a shirt on a table between 2 chairs he thought that meant he owned the two chairs and the table LOL( we were sitting there for 25 mins).

After a exchange of words and a floating shirt in the pool I told him to keep the chairs in a not so pleasant way. 

He definitely avoided me on the ship when I saw him a few times.

Even in Vibe, I've seen people "reserve" seats at the bar with those stretchy towel holder things.

On 6/26/2024 at 9:29 AM, graphicguy said:

15 minutes is the limit....regardless of reason....per NCL policy.

 

If there's a towel or personal belongings on a chair couch in the pool area, Waterfront area, Observation/Horizon Lounge, let a crew member know and they'll remove it.

 

What someone says upon their return, if they return, is really an issue between them and the crew at that point.

The Daily on the cruise I got off Monday had a 60 minute limit. Items removed would be turned into guest services.

On 6/19/2024 at 7:37 PM, Sailor75 said:

Thank you for clearing that up for me.

You do have to call and request a deviation though. Otherwise, you will be booked to arrive same day.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I'll be doing my 1st NCL back-to-back next year. I've done several on Carnival and they were each slightly different. So I am definitely looking forward to experience it on NCL.

I've also been able to use cruise first certificates as an additional payment on already booked cruises.

On 6/18/2024 at 8:36 PM, ChiefMateJRK said:

It's probably like many rules, unenforced until somebody causes a problem.  That banana in my pocket?  Nobody cares.  Three dinner plates packed with cookies, cake, hamburgers, fries, roast beef, chicken legs, jello, etc?  That's when they step in and say "whoa, not so fast there partner."

Trust me when I say, they won't stop you even with all that. LOL I bring my buffet dinner(s) back to my room often. I don't recall seeing any signage prohibiting it. 

Well, so happy I read this thread. I had been getting air confirmation emails from NCL but there were no changes. I am flying to Vancouver for an Alaskan cruise this weekend. Well, OMG. I just checked my Air Canada flight (my outbound flight to Vancouver) to see it was cancelled!!! I had previously logged in and selected my seats and gave my contact info for updates. NOTHING from Air Canada. Air Canada did not move me to another flight and I don't have access to select another flight because they were purchased by NCL. This is the first time that has been an issue and I book all my flights using NCL BOGO. So it looks like it's an Air Canada thing. I have always received communication regarding changes directly from Delta, AA, and United once I went into my flight booking to update contact information. But I called NCL and let them know and they will be rebooking me on something else. Thank goodness I was travelling in 2 days early. 

It's weird how various rules need to be enforced while others are encouraged to be ignored. Sharing drinks vs clogging up the cruise terminal because you can't wait for your appointment time to arrive.

On 6/4/2024 at 12:23 AM, ChiefMateJRK said:

I'm fine as long as the cabin is ready at bedtime (around midnight).

I'm fine as long as the bar is open and there is a restroom close by.

I have never really received a big savings, if any, via the different sales. Most of the time I find the price has increased since I booked.  I figure that means I already got the best deal when I booked.

My last NCL cruise was in March. They announced the cabin availability by deck. I think they started around 1:30ish. It wasn't late enough that I started to wonder what was happening. My luggage arrived before the sailaway.

1 hour ago, pcakes122 said:

The Carnival countdown email the person received had a big SHARE COUNTDOWN button on it (which is what they clicked to post to FB.) I don't know how this hasn't happened to more people if Carnival is including the confirmation # in what is shared when you hit the button they provide.

 

I might feel differently if the people involved wrote a FB post of their own to talk about their trip and either added or included a screenshot of their booking - but that's not what happened here (according to the folks impacted.)

The email has your booking number but the countdown that is shared when you click the link does not. Did they just copy and paste the email?

On 5/14/2024 at 10:21 AM, schmoopie17 said:

@YVRteacher I found it amusing that they had a sign next to the cookies that said "cookies". I guess they felt the need to identify these rare things since people haven't seen them in a while and may not recognize what those things are.

I know I'm a late responder but if they didn't label them as cookies, some people might think they were biscuits.

On 5/26/2024 at 12:48 PM, carohs said:

What is this chair vs deck chair nonsense? I too never heard a distinction before. Is this like comparing sandals to flip flops? Some people argue adding bedazzled flip flops are indeed fashionable sandals suitable for MDR, etc. So let's all bedazzle some regular outdoor chairs and call them deck chairs! Woohoo 🎉 

My rule has always been, if it's leather it's a sandal. If it's rubber/plastic, it's a flip flop. That is a hill I am willing to die on. 

17 minutes ago, MohrPfun said:

Yay!  From what to what/where to where?!

inside to balcony. $600 total

I was awarded my upgrade bid today. 6/24/24 Jewel to Alaska.

I love this question and how I think about it is one of the reasons I majored in economics. Although a big part of me is extremely logical, going from $1600 to $2200 feels different than going from $2000 to $2600. And don't ask me which one feels better or worse 😂