julig22

Oh yea - been there. And from outside appearances, their current systems are spaghetti turning to mush, as patch after patch has been applied over the years. And when has any "new and improved" IT system come in on time??? Sometimes a basic system can be implemented but dealing with all the exceptions inherent in any business is a huge time drain. I was that person who knew all the business rules and exceptions when it came time to do an upgrade - and the IT people didn't listen LOL. They thought the departments should change their business models instead of building something that did what was needed. That didn't go over so well....

I've been amazed at how they get me home from Europe to my tiny airport on the west coast. Routes that I was never able to find on my own, partially because they can link flights that involve multiple airlines. Will they pay for a hotel - no. Will you have a 6-8 hour layover somewhere - probably not, their guidelines say no.

It isn't until after final payment that the pricing for the "regular" double-occupancy cabins seems to fall to lower than the solo pricing. And by then the limited solo cabins are sold out. For me, FCC is nearly as good as a price reduction prior to final payment, as I still have future plans with NCL.

I believe there are game tables in the internet cafe

That's the $64,000 question. Or in the case of a cruise I'm looking at, only about $150. In watching what's happening, the chances of solo pricing going down seems to be slim, due to inventory. So possibly worth the gamble.

Yes, my solo balcony is on the Sun is the cabin I chose because of location. I found it on an earlier cruise when I used my points to upgrade and that's what they gave me. I had to book solo OV in order to upgrade to a solo balcony. At the time, the solo was $400 less than a regular OV - but now the regular OV is less than what I paid and solo OV is sold out.

The new solo categories are regular cabins that they have "re-purposed" as solo. Completely different than the solo studios available on some ships. But they seem to be some of what NCL considers to be less favorable - so the PrivaSea cabins for example. Which I happen to like LOL.

I realize that the initial cost depends on the cruise but I'm thinking more in terms of the options for future price adjustments. I booked a solo OV (upgraded to balcony with WP points). Since I'm not using the NCL airfare on this one, I'd be eligible for FCC except that because of the limited number of solo cabins, they are sold out. The cost for a comparable regular cabin is now less than the cost of the solo cabin. Ironically, I did originally book as double-occupancy but the cabin I wanted on the upgrade just happened to be a solo, so had to change it. I'm thinking that I might just book my next cruise, paying double occupancy. More cabin choices. Note - access to solo lounge isn't a factor. They generally don't exist on the ships I'm considering, plus I wouldn't use it anyway. Thoughts? Experiences?

We had to miss Stanley when I went to Antarctica last year. Those with NCL excursions were actually in the theater waiting for the tenders when the captain announced the tenders couldn't make it because of weather. And people with private excursions said it wasn't true because their excursion folks told them that the weather was OK, ship shouldn't have cancelled. In reality, it might have been possible to get ashore at the time but then what happens when the approaching storm hits and you have 2000 people who can't get BACK to the ship in the afternoon???

I book through a PCC and WP had to call her to get permission to change my reservation. But it did involve changing the original booking to a solo because the cabin I wanted was not a solo.

True. And take complaints with a grain of salt from people who've never tried to book their own flights - it isn't always that easy to get from point A to point B at a convenient time, let alone at an affordable cost!

To simplify, you get 3x points, so if you buy 2CNs, you actually pay $250, get 750 in points, worth $7.50. But you can also use those points for a room upgrade - which is where the value comes in. 30,000 points ($300 in statement credit) can be worth thousands if you use them for an upgrade.

Same here. NCL doesn't give dividends, I bought it for OBC. Maybe someday if I have reason to sell, I'll care....but until then, owning stock doesn't make me a NCL defender/cheerleader.

Sadly, that's a big nope, I've tried. Points aren't transferrable, meaning your name has to be on the reservation. And you can't have more than 1 reservation in your name.

Reverse process, charter flights from Frankfurt to Tromso. 1 arriving 1 day pre-cruise, 1 arriving day of. In both cases, there were people on connecting flights that were delayed, charters waited. But they weren't very long delays, so that probably helped.

I have a private tour booked in Ketchikan later this year. And it picks up at Ward Cove. A happy find for me! NCL also invested heavily in Icy Straight Point, building a dock and skytram.

Some ships have solo studios, which are inside and smaller than a regular cabin - and there is a studio lounge. At the beginning of 2024 they introduced a solo category for inside, ov and balcony. A little cheaper than paying double occupancy, these are regular cabins. If the ship happens to have a solo lounge, you also have access. So it helps to be specific when talking about solo cabins.

The same way that the FAS benefits, BOGO airfare, shuttles in some ports, tenders etc. are included in cruise fare. Mostly I'd include it because people that aren't taking NCL excursions aren't necessarily expecting to have to pay when their plan is to simply explore the port.

Drop off would be the same place as the $10-$20 shuttles.

Solo cabins are no different than other cabins, although I suspect than NCL chose the less popular locations. And since some people are adverse to being in a connecting room, I would presume that there are some. But you'd have to look at the deck plans on the ship to find them - or call someone at NCL

I often choose my cruises because of the unique itineraries. Unique very often equates to industrial docks - itinerary wouldn't be unique if they only stopped at ports built for cruise ships. But I'm a little miffed at the charging for transportation to the city when it's not within reasonable walking distance. Shuttles are free for Alaska, I personally think they should be free at other ports as well.

Neets Bay Bear Encounter was my favorite- but it's not always offered, might not be available depending on the season and length of time in port.

That's pretty much what's been said at various Q&As or behind the scenes tours. Other than perishables, provisioning is done at embarkation ports. Except for Salmon, which does come from Alaska.

That's another DUH. Nowhere has anyone said you aren't "spending" $300 for your upgrade. But you seem to have forgotten your catch phrase of "additional spending" this time. In case you've forgotten...

My favorite balcony of all time, because of the location, is on the Sun and just happens to be one of the balconies now designated as solo. Was able to snag it for the repo cruise - Vancouver/Alaska to Hawaii in October.