julig22

Yes, you can use FCC and CNs FCC is much better for marketing/increasing income. With FCC you have to book another cruise, thereby potentially spending more money. They only lose if you've already booked your one and only last cruise with NCL and it's within the use it or lose it FCC window.

I book for itinerary and the Star goes places I want to go, ship is where I eat & sleep. Iceland, Western Europe so far, looking forward to Antarctica in a couple of months.

I was on the sailing following the op. One of the first times I didn't go to the theater show every night but it was because I just wasn't interested in most of the contracted entertainment. It appears that the production cast was new for this trip, they did a good job imho. Perhaps the performers on the previous cruise were just burned out and ready to go home. I was also on the Star in August, one of the contracted performers (Shimi Goodman) was phenomenal. So it's the luck of the draw on entertainment. We didn't have any issues with ports until the very end - the weather was preventing us from docking as scheduled in Liverno. By the time we got back from our day in Cannes, the Captain/crew had found a substitute port and arranged for a number of excursions, some very similar to the original offerings from Liverno. While the port change wasn't ideal for everyone, I felt NCL went above and beyond under the circumstances.

Been on 9 cruises post covid, each one was different. From a brief spiel/ demo to just a sign-in to nobody there when I was late boarding (NCL's fault, not mine!) On the cruise where I wasn't checked in I went to guest services and they couldn't have cared less - never did get checked in. On my last cruise they kept calling names over the intercom.

You should also be able to ask for a can of soda in some places, if that's what they prefer. At least if you're paying for it, not sure if that's true with a package.

What port? Last July they offered a number of 12 hr Berlin trips out of Warnemunde. It's a charter train to Berlin, chartered specifically for whatever cruise ships are in port that day. Your tour guide then meets you at the train station.

Seattle.

Under those circumstances I would assume you'd get it back BUT it will most likely be a cash refund, not a refund to your CC, if that's important. But mine was a refund because of cancelled excursions, not obc, so only speculating.

Check the prices for a direct upgrade - they often reduce the solo supplement closer to sail date. As long as new cabin costs more than what you already paid they will usually let you upgrade. On my last cruise, I paid about $100 to upgrade to a balcony - minimum bid would have cost more than 2x that amount, plus no guarantee.

Had a "real muster" on the Spirit in September. Stations were outside, might have something to do with it.

Curious as well. Had a situation on a cruise where my cabin steward was leaving at the end of the cruise. I usually leave a tip in the room the last day. In this case I gave it to her the last night when I realized she wouldn't be in my room in the morning but I wonder what would have happened to that final tip.

Congrats! I recently sent a "reminder" message since it's been over a month since I'd asked for a recount. And my pcc said she was looking into it as well so hope they do something. In the meantime, prices have dropped more, so a paid upgrade into a balcony isn't possible either.

If you asked for a 1-day deviation you will arrive the day before. If you didn't, you will arrive the day you embark. Flying to CT in December, from Oregon. Oregon to SFO to Zurich to CT. Arriving 8:20am, day of departure, no deviation requested. Total flight time about 24 hrs. Home is CT to Newark to LAX to Oregon. Flight to EWR is just under 16 hours, another 8+ hours to get home. January 2 so some holiday conflict.

On that you are absolutely correct. But you get $250 deposit credit by using a CN certificate that only cost you $125. Or whatever denomination of CN you bought for half face value. But I think you know that.

You either got 8 certificates or are conveniently ignoring the $500 in obc that you got, making the total amount charged to you account $500.

Saying someone has a set salary doesn't necessarily mean they don't also get added tips. Depends on their definition of salary - which may or may not be the same as their actual paycheck amount. Lots of people get a base salary, with bonuses, commissions, tips etc added to that salary, so while their salary is fixed, their paycheck varies based on other factors.

Sometimes, in addition to the upgrade, they might have other incentives. But they change and aren't always advertised - some CN staff are just more proactive than others. So it pays to go to the CN desk and ask. I got a 10% discount a few months ago and people have mentioned getting obc at times.

There is no way to not spend the CN "OBC" Your account is charged $1000, then you get $500 credited towards that $1000.

Sounds like Delta dropped the ball - not sure why the airline would send you back to NCL since NCL didn't rebook the flights? Had a totally different experience with regard to delayed flights. Flight home from Copenhagen to Reykjavik was delayed, so would miss my connection to Seattle. Airline said they would rebook and put us up in a hotel - which they did- but I did call the NCL emergency number and they offered to rebook my flights and to call back if the airline didn't come through. So I was a day late getting home, had nothing to do with the fact that NCL booked my flights. This was with IcelandAir.

You get a free bag of laundry, a bottle of wine and snacks a couple of times. Room is bigger and bathroom may have a tub or a double sink.

As I say to my pcc - A cash adjustment just pays for more excursions. FCC after final payment is a brilliant marketing move in my opinion - you aren't gonna let it go to waste, so spend more money to book another cruise. And if you don't, NCL still has your original payment, so win-win.

Good luck with that. It's been a month since I responded to their " there wasn't any price change " reply to my FCC request.

At a recent Q&A with the Sr. officers, the subject of pier runners came up. The Captain said that they obviously don't want to leave anyone behind, so they will do what they can - every port is different. But the best piece of advice was to CALL and let the ship know your situation and they will advise you. So very possible that they were told to get a water taxi and meet the ship.

For tender ports, you just have to make the last tender, which is normally 1 hr before departure. As long as you are at the tender dock in time you are good, tenders leave when they are full, not necessarily on a timed basis.

Update: I'm usually pretty supportive of NCL staff and tolerant of mistakes BUT please don't lie to cover your A** when you screw up. Latest iteration - onboard CN says that I requested to stay in the OV room (ya know, the one I never had in the first place) due to my mobility issues!!! Not sure how a porthole cabin on deck 4 (as far away from the elevator as possible) is better for mobility than a picture-window cabin on deck 9, fairly near the elevator - but that's kind of a moot point since I don't have mobility issues in the first place - I ain't no spring chicken but I get around just fine....