julig22

No, it is not correct. You should arrive in London sometime on the 8th if your cruise is on the 10th. When you leave depends on how long it takes to get there, plus time differences.

I would be shocked to learn that the CG actually got involved at all. Anything is possible I suppose but I have my doubts LOL. Yes, I know the articles say the coast guard was involved but the reporters weren't there and the "facts" as relayed by the "abandoned" couple seem to have been creatively presented to sensationalize the incident, in favor of the "abandoned" passengers.

Why? Have you ever seen how boarding a ship at sea works after the platforms used for the tenders have been pulled up and stowed? No way would those passengers have been physically able to board the ship. And there is the question of the ship manifest, passports, etc. Lots of stories of pier runners being left behind - just because the ship is still there doesn't mean boarding is possible for any number of reasons. The Port Pilot Boarding a Cruise Ship (cruisedeals.expert)

Why do you have to wait to book? Book now, apply the 10% when it becomes available. Assuming the cruise you want to book is more than 5 months away.

I suspect there is more to the story, above and beyond the press lumping everything together as if the situations were the same. But it would be interesting to know if, on an NCL-booked excursion, who takes responsibility if someone is injured? I'd be looking to the tour guide at least for assistance with any land-based arrangements and communication with NCL if I was injured in a foreign country. Then let the various insurance companies fight out who pays.

From someone on the cruise, posted on another site. Note the point on the difficulty with simply transferring someone from another small boat on the fly. If you've ever seen how the pilots join the ship at sea, you'd understand. And yes, it's a different setup when they are using tenders. Hi everybody, admin here, and I am on the NCL Dawn sailing that the news article in another post is mentioned. I made this a comment in the OP, but figured since I'm on board I would give my two cents in its own post and you are all welcome to respond. I also don't mind if somebody posts the article, but would hope most people will understand that as we local news stations will jump on anything to get ratings and that might attract attention. They often don't have all the facts. I do want to address a few things This cruise has been visiting very much third world very poor countries along the coast of West Africa. There are a number of cruisers that like to save a few dollars and book their own shore excursions. Yes I have done the same thing in a few places I actually did a private excursion at this location. We are given strict instructions about boarding time and when people choose to think rules do not apply to them, there are issues. One thing to correct is our ship really was never anchored They actually do a special positioning something with ships no anchor was ever dropped. When people do not show up to check into the ship the ship knows because we sign in and off the ship. For this particular itinerary, NCL has collected and been holding our passports so the passports for the guests that did not come back aboard were given to the port agent for when those guests decided to maybe come back to the port. These people are not stranded They just now have to spend money out of their pocket to make it to our next port stop which is in Gambia. Of course they will have to do this at their own expense and then they will be allowed to reboard the ship. Generally when you are at a tender port, once all the tenders are back they have to be hoisted into place the doors or gangway area where the tenders are launched from are sealed up so that the ship can proceed, all of which is a process that I could not even begin to explain. Transporting from some other small boat to the large cruise ship, maybe like the experienced pilot harbors that come aboard is done through a small opening and people are highly trained to do this exchange. Seven people who cannot follow a simple rule to arrive back to the tender location on time, should we expect them to be responsible enough to actually be able to get on the ship from a small vessel. This particular cruise has more experienced cruisers than any I have been on and I am Diamond status with NCL and have probably been on 40 or more cruises with NCL. In my opinion these people went to the media because they were upset and they are trying to look for their 15 minutes of fame and trying to put the blame of themselves onto others. Most any cruiser especially an experienced cruiser knows that there are risks when taking and doing private excursions. This has been talked about multiple times on this cruise before this incident even happened. Just had to give my two cents on the situation since I am actually on this cruise.

Flights and transfers are also quite appealing to this frequent but solo female traveler. Unless I'm taking a cruise-tour, I do book my own hotels since NCL insists on charging double for those. But my flights are usually good because leg #1 is always going to be to a hub in my case, leaving fewer options for NCL. And I'm flexible, don't really care if I have to leave for the airport at 4 am or arrive home after midnight. Those are usually the same flights I'd be booking on my own anyway. Since I'm solo, it's usually fairly easy to get a decent seat. And if there is an issue with flights (whether or not NCL booked them), 1 seat on another last-minute flight is sometimes easier to get.

No, not necessarily. You are also paying to get early notification. And someone recently posted that they got the exact same flight without paying.

I don't know who the captain is but yea, there's more to the story. If allowing the passengers to board the ship would have been a possibility, it would have happened. Not too long ago I ended up spending the night in the SeaTac airport because they closed the door on me, plus 6-8 passengers coming from a delayed flight. I was there before the gate closed but there was an issue with my ticket (thanks AirCanada) and nope, not waiting. The other passengers were in sight. Nope, not waiting. And this was the last flight of the night, no connecting flight schedule to keep. But for some reason they couldn't/wouldn't wait. So it happens. Planes, trains, busses, ships don't wait.

A solo balcony is no different than a regular balcony, other than cost. But from what I've seen, they may be what NCL considers as "less desirable" due to location. So PrivaSea (enclosed) forward or aft balconies. You should be able to look at a newer deck plan to see the locations. Note - I happen to like the PrivaSea balconies since I go to colder locations.

Maybe they didn't call the captain directly but there is always port info, including how to contact the ship. Which is exactly what they should do. But it's up to the captain at that point to decide if they can wait. If they waited to call until after all the tenders were back at the ship and lifted, it was probably too late.

It's not uncommon in Mexico to see people taking water-taxis to the ship when they miss the last tender.

Seems like NCL previously changed itineraries from Whittier to Seward - rumor was that people complained about the lack of excursions. So I'm surprised to see it back on any itinerary.

Correct. Sometimes they wouldn't be able to wait. They may need to leave on time to make the next port. They may have a scheduled time for tugs/pilot boats, shipping channels. And in some ports, the tide can be an issue. We were told by the captain at a Q&A that the best thing to do if you are late on a private excursion is to call the ship - if they know you are on your way and have an ETA, they will tell you what to do - either they'll wait or tell you how to proceed to get to the ship at the next port of call ( on your dime LOL)

Cheaper to wait until onboard to upgrade to unlimited because they rebate some from the FAS. On a 7-day cruise, I upgraded on day 2 for $79 - they gave me a $100 credit for the FAS. I hadn't used any of my minutes yet but others have posted that it doesn't matter, and that you can also upgrade on day 3 for an even better discount. No more discount offers after day 3.

You pick your own seats with the airline. Maybe I've been lucky, but I've never had a middle seat. And to add to that, normally you have the opportunity to pay to upgrade within economy to preferred seats. Some airlines will also let you pay to upgrade to business but that is up to the airline and your status with the airline. 30 days to get your flight info is pretty late - I think the latest I've ever gotten mine was 45 days. Policy is a maximum of 1 layover for domestic flights, 2 for international. No overnight layovers. Are there exceptions - rare, but it happens. No arriving in the middle of the night, unless it's due to an airline delay. NCL doesn't make the airline schedules. Will you get the most convenient, most direct flight? maybe, maybe not. Will you be leaving at 6am - maybe. Will you be on a red-eye - maybe. No, NCL will not guarantee to fly groups together anymore. It's not that they can't figure out how to do it, it's because of the way they buy bulk tickets, it's too difficult. They have a Premium Air department that would book you together on the flights you choose but you pay prevailing rates, just like the other cruise lines. But you don't get the BOGO rates. Things do go wrong with NCL flights, just like they go wrong for the other passengers on the same flight. It's not a matter of who booked it. I've had flights cancelled and contrary to popular belief, you can call NCL -there is a special # to call for assistance. Have there been glitches with my NCL flights - yes. And the airlines made it right. Did NCL ever mess things up - yes. And NCL made it right. And NCL will actually pay you $25 to book a flight that arrives 1 or 2 days early. Same deal for leaving 1 or 2 days post-cruise. But you have to ask BEFORE they send you your flight information.

search for BOGO I have used NCL many times, I'm fully aware of the terms and the savings are worth it for me. I've flown to Reykjavik once, from Reykjavik once, through NCL both times. Direct flights on IcelandAir from/to Seattle. I don't fly from a major hub, so flight 1 of their 3-flight max for international flights will always be to a hub. I have a Norway/Iceland cruise in a few months, no flights assigned yet. NCL does not assign seats - that's done directly through the airline. So if you go to the airline website, hopefully you can get seats that you like - should be able to pay to upgrade within the economy cabin if you want more legroom.

Wasn't me

Reminds me of when I was in Buenos Aires - young bartender asked me if the $2 USD bill he'd gotten as a tip was real currency. Now USD was actually somewhat preferred due to the exchange rate at the time but the bank wouldn't take it. $2 bills are a novelty but not so much at the banks (that may also require "clean" bills).

I am fully aware of what cruise ships pay to transit the canal - as I said, I have no insider info. And of course, they are out to maximize revenue, that's a no-brainer. It will be interesting to see where the ships are re-deployed. NCL is trying to find a niche market. Last year Alaska was a target, can't wait to see what they come up with - hope it's somewhere good!

And if a more normal rainy season doesn't happen and NCL has to make itinerary changes closer to the sail date, they'd get accused of selling cruises to places they no longer intend to visit - since the water issues in the canal were a known issue when they started selling the cruise. Not saying I have any insider knowledge of what they are doing, just speculating that maybe they are trying to mitigate and address the current trend of changing itineraries at the last minute.

When mine hadn't shown up after almost 3 days, I contacted Guest Services. They called the laundry, my stuff showed up not too long afterwards. Don't know if calling made a difference or just coincidence with the timing. Everything had 2 sets of labels, still wondering what that was all about!

Also on the June 10, 2024 cruise - panicked when I saw the comment from @DCGuy64 until I realized those are 2025 cruises. I lost my December 2024 Australia cruise when they chartered the Spirit - their suggested substitute offering was for cruises in Asia, with a 20% discount on the Jewel - through February 2024 - not even close. I know my geography isn't great but I'm pretty sure Australia isn't in Asia!

Same here. Someone posted on another site asking if NCL would be handing out the funny glasses. Probably a reasonable question until I realized her cruise was nowhere near the path. I was right in the path for the last one -watched from my back porch.

Actually, I didn't have a clue what you were talking about - which is why I asked. Or why you'd need to pay anyone to get the flyer that everyone gets when they are running the special. Thanks for the update.