julig22

Do I dare mention that I didn't get chocolate-covered strawberries on my last cruise? I got a plate of various candies and it was quite good. And much preferred in my case. Might have been a supply issue. Or wishful thinking that NCL finally got the message that some of us have allergies and don't eat strawberries...

I've seen white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, and chocolate chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon snack/grill areas. My last cruise was on the Dawn in December, don't remember if I ever looked for them on that cruise.

If you are asking if the OBC can be used to pay your DSC, I believe it's considered refundable so yes. However, that's the worst way I can think of to use your points. Use them as a statement credit. That way you are still collecting points when you use your card to pay your DSC - and any other onboard charges.

21-22 season cancelled. 22-23 season, 23-24 season. 2 seasons, maybe 8 cruises. Peace

Several years??? I hope you do a better job with research before you file your case because AFAIK, NCL has only been offering Anctarctica for 2 seasons- I don't believe they offered that itinerary prior to covid. I was booked for Antarctica on the Star in 2022 - cancelled due to Covid restrictions. Rebooked for Feb 2023 - I went, had a wonderful time. We missed Stanley - a very difficult port. And it's not a matter of tenders not being strong enough, it's a matter of not being able to dock. Or guarantee to be able to return to the ship at the end of the day. As a seasoned cruiser, I can tell you that it's no fun whatsoever trying to board a ship from a tender when there are 6 ft swells. Been there, done that, don't want to repeat.

Quite a big jump to not making port calls to an argument that the Star is old and not fit for the purpose of cruising Antarctica. She seems to sail there just fine. The issue is more that perhaps cruise ships have no business trying to sail there in the first place. As a reminder 'Rogue wave' hits Viking cruise ship, killing 1 passenger and injuring 4 others (nbcnews.com) I have no special insight on the reasons Paradise Bay was eliminated on later cruises but I haven't seen any evidence that she struggled on your trip. You didn't stop in Punta Arenas because the TENDERS weren't strong enough - not the ship itself. It's not like lifeboats are built to withstand all types of foul weather. Although you didn't say, cancelling Ushuaia was most likely weather related. I was on the Star in Antarctica last season - we were not scheduled for Paradise Bay. We stopped in Ushuaia, we stopped in Punta Arenas, we had smooth sailing in Drakes Bay. We also were bundled up, ready to go in Stanley when the tenders (again, not the ship) came back saying the conditions weren't ideal for docking at that time - and the stop was cancelled, rather than stranding a few thousand passengers later in the day. I would consider that I got the cruise that was advertised. Unless you are on an expedition ship (and paying $$$$$) you are at the mercy of what a CRUISE ship can tolerate, old or new.

On board is normally 30 minutes prior to departure at ports of call when the ship docks. Last tender or bus is often 1 hr or more prior to departure, depending on the time it takes to get back to the ship. However, when people wait until the last minute to get to the tender/bus, there can be a long line and you'll get to the ship when you get to the ship LOL - just make sure you get there before the last one leaves!

In the past, I've gotten some excellent results from Katty Byrd - but not so much more recently. They cancelled my cruise to Australia for December 2024 when they chartered out the ship and wouldn't match the compensation they gave to the people on the cruises preceeding or following. Somehow their system flagged the 2 Australia trips as Asian and gave us the opportunity to rebook on the Jewel in Asia (through Feb 2024) instead of choosing something similar to what was originally booked - neither location or time.

They (NCL or airline) could have overbooked - and they should correct it. When is your trip - I think they tend to wait until last minute for corrections, so it may be awhile before they fix it. But I'd keep calling, you might get a sympathetic person on the phone who can fix it while you wait. Have you gone to the airline(s) and used the tracking #s to verify how you and your partner are actually booked? I wouldn't rely solely on the NCL email.

That's too bad. They should have been checking tags - but the people doing the transfers don't always know what's going on so yes, it can be frustrating. But my comment was more in response to your statement about choosing a color. Last time I was in Seattle, they were checking tags. And directing you to the correct bus. But in that case, we also were delayed and they wouldn't let people get their luggage until their colors were called.

Just self carry if you are trying to get off early. No need for any tags. If you are taking the NCL bus, you don't choose your color, they give you the color for the bus - your tags are your ticket.

Not a matter of % for me, just total value. $300 vs the price difference for an upgrade. And rarely do I find a double meta to be a good value, I'll save my points for another cruise. But it also depends on how many points I have. Sadly, sailing with NCL isn't as enticing as it once was, for a number of reasons, so I'm more apt to use my points rather than keeping them. You omitted the actual double meta calculation in your example - inside to BA, which would be $590 + $1417, $600 cash back = 10.03% In your example, I'd do the OV to balcony and save my points for another OV to balcony upgrade.

It's doable, if everything goes as scheduled. No, they won't make any special effort to get you off the ship, other than to put you on the first bus IF you are using the NCL transfer. If you miss your flight, you deal with the airline. When I had an early flight leaving from Vancouver, we had to self-carry our luggage to avoid delays with unloading/collecting luggage, so that's a possibility.

They made a blanket statement regarding how refunds are handled. Did they also say that they would refund any FARE refunds to the original payment method - which they did not refund either, since you were at 100% penalty. Did they also happen to mention that you were at 100% penalty and would not get any refund on your cruise fare? If they had refunded the add-ons (taxes, gratuities, excursions) back in the form of your certificates (which they have done in the past) would you have considered yourself whole or be questioning why you didn't get those refunds, over and above the certificates. Yes, NCL should respond - but you're out of gas regarding your claim that they should return your certificates.

The person who took your cancellation request has no authority to promise a refund that isn't due. They may have misspoke, you may have misunderstood what they said. If you were due a refund, your certificates would have been returned. But certificates don't give you any cancellation protection, not sure why you would think otherwise.

Had they owed you anything in the way of a refund, yes the certificates would have been returned to your account. But you were in full penalty when you cancelled. You should be able to amend your insurance claim.

I asked the CN folks while onboard in December - the answer was a whopping yea, that kinda sounds familiar... charters still usually show on cruisemapper.

Too bad they won't include the soda package as a FAS option for adults that don't drink.

An ice bag doesn't take up much space, can be easily filled with ice from the buffet or an ice bucket when needed.

No guarantee they will give you the vacated cabin. And definitely don't want to cancel, as that would trigger a refund/new payment scenario which could affect your points. The folks at NCL can't assign you to an WP cabin, not sure how much maneuvering the WP people can do with your existing cabin - and I'm not sure what inventory they have to work with.

So @GinaRz says bids get extra specialty dining, personal experience. @bkrickles1 says bids do not get extra specialty dining, personal experience. Terms say no changes to promos. Inconsistency at it's best. Guess you get whatever you get, YMMV.

Not at all what you said. You merely said If they have the FAS meals... They DO NOT get another meal with an upgrade bid, even if they already have the FAS meals.

LOL, since you started with a statement regarding the extra interest NCL would be collecting, fairly easy to conclude that cost was a factor. NCL will also let you choose your flights - but you pay retail, not a discounted rate. No, it's not for everyone. It works for me, I appreciate the savings since most of my cruises are international. But reading and understanding the terms in advance would alleviate many of the complaints that people post.

No additional promotions with a bid. However, if you pay for an upgrade, I assume you might be eligible for the additional meal - but I can't say that for sure. Upgrade Advantage FAQ (ncl.com)

You should plan to be onboard by 7. Last year, I took a full-day Kenai Fjords tour (8:30-5pm) prior to the cruise, so boarded around 5:30-6pm. Tour company had already taken my luggage to the ship. Per the Freestyle Daily, Garden Cafe was open until 3:30, GreatOutdoors until 5pm O'Sheehan's always open Buffet (Prime Rib dinner), MDR, specialty restaurants opened at 5 or 5:30. GreatOutdoors, Magnum's, O'Sheehan's, Shakers, PitStop and Topsiders opened at 11am, others at 5:30pm.