julig22

Unclear as to why the narrative about being nice and people will be nice when she didn't do anything special, your request didn't require her to use her discretion, she didn't offer anything special, etc.

Not sure what that person did for you? I always decline the drink package and the soda package is always available - but it's not discounted or substituted in lieu of the drink package. Only difference is that they don't try to up sell the soda package because I decline it when I book.

Iceland air is becoming more common as well. From what I was told, Reykjavic is positioning themselves to be a major hub so may become a bigger player for flights to Europe. Good for me since they fly from the west coast - and for me it's been the US-based flights that have the most connection/cancellation issues.

Did that once in the elevator - I was actually kinda venting, wasn't paying attention to who it was, just an officer who asked about my cruise experience - and I was in the middle trying to get my airport transfer fixed (don't call us, we'll call you). Gosh, it was fixed in record time. Looked at the nametag when I got out of the elevator - it was the GM (or whatever his title was). I do have an issue however with the heading for this post - "refused" is a pretty harsh term.

Yes, lots of people have asked the same questions. $50 excursion credit is for the first person on the reservation. No exceptions. Latitudes credits go to the name of the person on the excursion, not the person buying if different. Most tour operators do not check the names on the tickets, although some do require that you fill out a liability waiver. Use that information however you wish.

Here's crazy. Several months ago I booked a cruise that's about 6 months from now. Going solo, booked OV, planning to use points to upgrade. Well there is a reduced solo supplement on GTY balcony (BF, not sailaway) making it cheaper than the OV ( which doesn't have solo discount). Maybe they need solos to even out the balconies? I dunno but it works for me - I've never had a balcony I couldn't live with.

I've only heard it applied to the Local or O'Sheehans. I take food from the buffet to my room all the time - just use a second plate as a cover. Usually staff smiles and tells me to enjoy my afternoon/ evening.

First time I got FCC for a price reduction it never showed up in MyNCL - but my pcc was able to see it after the cruise and apply it to an upcoming cruise. Second time (circumstances were a little more complicated), FCC is still missing and it's been over a month, waiting to hear from NCL.

Nope - but I'm with you. I have asked corporate about offering different options - and always get a "thanks for your suggestions, we've passed them on to the appropriate department" I'd be more than happy to just pay the gratuities on the soda package - but the soda package itself costs way more than I'd drink, so I just stick to paying as I go. I tried a couple of times to get soda substituted for the wine that they used to give to returning latitudes members. I'm allergic. Nope - best they would do was to offer to substitute non-alcoholic wine. Keep suggesting they offer a choice of "treats" instead of chocolate-covered strawberries - or even an opt-out. Also allergic. Nope. So they go in the trash if they are delivered when I'm not in my room. One CN manager did however send me a substitute goodie tray when I mentioned that I couldn't eat the strawberries.

LOL NCL doesn't provide box lunches to take on excursions, regardless of where you go to get your food. In fact, nearly every port-day Freestyle daily has a section saying that no food is allowed on or off the ship. Just imagine the chaos if they did! I've never requested "take-out" from the Local because I was under the impression that you couldn't - but I usually get a cheeseburger that comes in a basket, not on a plate. And tends to get messy. But after my last 2 burgers (2 different ships) I probably won't be ordering a burger from them again - they were AWFUL! I don't know what they were using but it wasn't normal hamburger. Too bad because they used to have really good burgers.

48 hours is 2 days but 2 days can be more than 48 hours. 12:01am on Monday to 11:59pm on Wednesday is 2 days but 71hrs, 58 minutes. Most excursion tickets specifically state 48hrs prior to port arrival, not 2 days. And the excursion desk isn't open 24/7 so if port arrival is 7am for example you would need to cancel earlier than 48 hours. Not uncommon to use the terms interchangeably but the devil is in the details.

Anything you cancel onboard results in a cash credit to your onboard account. Their onboard accounting system is completely whack so I suppose they might call it refundable obc, although I've not seen it that way on my account. If you have a positive balance at the end of the cruise you have to get the cash from guest services. If you cancel prior to boarding the ship, it should be credited back to the original form of payment - although sometimes they lock their systems, so they might not let you cancel right before your cruise date and you'd have to do it onboard.

extra 5% on excursions at sapphire - more valuable to me than priority seating or dinner with officers (that doesn't happen anyway) - but not necessarily worth chasing points. Same with the cabin upgrade - I already get that with my world points.

Just a fyi - if you wait to book onboard, transfers do sell out so make your arrangements early. Also, in my experience, the late transfers often coincide with the last call to get off the ship, so no real choice with staying onboard longer.

Same here. I don't like the concept of paying for things I'm not using so I would much rather pay for the things I want, not what appeals to others as part of a package. So if that's what you are calling "nickel and dime BS" then bring it on!

As with most things, it depends. NCL has no control over flights and airline policies but in my experience they will do what they can. I had a flight cancelled 2 days before I was scheduled to leave and NCL rescheduled the flights - and quickly corrected a logistics error once I called. They have much better access for scheduling and aren't as limited to rebooking with the same airline. Realize that once tickets are issued NCL may no longer be in the loop so to speak - they might not even be notified if the airline makes a change. Why it's very important to register with the airline as soon as you get your flight info so the airline notifies you, as the ticket holder. My flight home on that same trip was delayed and I called the emergency number- they were more than willing to rebook my flights, although I ultimately opted to let the airline take care of it. I have been on cruises where we waited for passengers - so they will wait if they can, but obviously that's not always possible. Do I use NCL for short, domestic flights - no, I can usually meet prices and use points for those. But so far NCL has been quite good for arranging my international flights.

Not sure that is 100% true, at least not with respect to Katty Byrd, based on a couple of interactions I've had. Probably true for the majority of complaints but some requests are escalated past that first line of support. Just depends on the nature of the correspondence. I learned years ago that if you send a complaint it might be acknowledged, if you ask for something specific or pose an actual question you are more likely to get an answer and resolution. Business letter writing 101.

Yes, depending on your flight time. Last time I cruised out of LAX, transfers for early flights disembarked between 8 and 9:10, late flights 9:20-9:40.

Post cruise excursions might be an option. I think they've offered tours to Beverly Hills or Farmer's Market in the past.

Pretty sure every cabin I've ever stayed in on a NCL ship has had a stopper. But the sinks can be pretty shallow. You might also consider using a dry bag, like used for camping/boating - they come in lots of different sizes and you can fill it with water/detergent and shake it to wash clothes. Also, the ships will run a laundry special mid-way through the cruise, $29 for whatever you can stuff in the bag they give you. Or bid on a club balcony suite - you'll get laundry for free!

They checked and held people back last month when boarding the Dawn in Stockholm. But I think it's the only time I've ever noticed anyone checking. And they were swamped at the time, so it might have just been a crowd control issue at the time.

The outlet on the Dawn (club balcony) wasn't working properly and things weren't getting charged. Fortunately I had a European USB plug that I used for charging tablet and camera batteries. No USB outlets in the bedside lamps. Best to be prepared for any scenario.

FCC is a different animal but if I was in that situation, and in the absence of any additional information, I'd give it a go. Based on my assumption that the on-board accounting system doesn't know how you paid. My cancelled excursions were pre-paid in cash - and I had a balance at the end of the cruise so they gave me the cash at the end. So yes, it could be just that easy, assuming they handle it the same way. In fact they insisted on the cash, wouldn't return it to my credit card. Make sure you check the cancellation policies if you go that route - some of the more "exotic" type excursions may have a non-cancellation policy.

Often it's the only option, they prefer it I believe. Used it for NCL cruise, so pier 66. Waited maybe 10 minutes for my ride to the pier - you park your car by the entrance, they move it later. Just took a couple of minutes for them to bring my car to me when I returned.

Probably not going to help you whatsoever but I flew (BOGO) from Rome to JFK last fall on the first leg of my return trip; flew to Rome out of Toronto. But I was coming from a small regional airport in Oregon, so normally have at least 1, but usually 2 legs just to get me to an international airport for Europe. However, when my cruise was leaving from NY, they flew me into Newark, out of JFK. Bottom line is that they can book you from either JFK or Newark and they can book up to 3 legs, really no way to know and it will be different every time. Heard a number of complaints from people in Toronto who did not get booked on a direct flight to Rome. My theory is that priority for "direct" overseas flights go to people who can't fly direct to begin with.