tandc2019

Forgive me if this has been asked. I skimmed a few pages looking for the question. 

Is there any way to use some of these? I booked our next trip with our new PCC and she never asked for any codes. When I was originally looking online, I went through most of the checkout process without hitting confirm so I could get pricing and I never saw a spot to apply codes.

Maybe these are just to identify the promos and perks you were given? Any help is appreciated.

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

You need to check carefully. The Free at Sea promotions are typically not offered to Guarantee cabins. 

I thought this is a good answer... people are reading over some of the most important parts though...

You need to check carefully. The Free at Sea promotions are typically not offered to Guarantee cabins. 

You need to check carefully = do your homework.

Typically = More often than not.

1 minute ago, HuliHuli said:

It is classic supply and demand economics IMHO.  Other cruise lines follow similar pricing strategies and the consumer can decide.  Again, isn't capitalism great!

Yes, I understand supply and demand and capitalism... I passed elementary school too.  And no, it's not a problem exclusively to NCL.  It's also not just a profit scheme, it's to increase the capacity of other sail dates... It's just irritating to have 4 weeks in a given year to take a family vacation and those are the 4 most expensive weeks.

I understand when NCL discontinues practices that are no longer profitable (such as chocolate night and lobster) and I know that ultimately they're working for shareholders.  I still find cruising a tremendous value compared to flights, hotels, and meals.  That being said, the one complaint that I have about NCL financially is that the price disparity of an itinerary depending on sail dates.  If you're looking at an itinerary around a holiday or school vacation, the price can jump sometimes as much as 100% from one sailing to another.  It's really not fair to families that don't have as much control over their schedules as other cruisers.  It's borderline price gouging and I really am turned off by it.

13 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

This is totally incorrect. A spa cabin comes with spa passes. Has nothing to do with perks. 

I agree that the spa cabin comes with spa passes.  However, the Upgrade Advantage verbiage is not clear as to what's considered a perk and it does mention that perks are not awarded with upgrades.  I was stating that if you want 100% assurance, simply call NCL.

2 hours ago, Greenhopster said:

Go visit Maya Chan. If you get off ship right away, you can be on the beach by 8. Enjoy 3 hours then come back to the port village for a look around and trinkets.

I agree... this is what I'd do with that time.  Go grab some drinks and have lunch at the beach!

On 10/27/2019 at 7:57 AM, cruisingiwish said:

If spa passes are already purchased and then upgrade bid for a spa mini-suite is accepted, how   are you able to get refund for purchased passes? Will refund be credited to credit card used for purchase?  Or, will NCL only refund as on-board credit? 

You might want to call to confirm... I remember reading that some of the perks of upgraded stateroom categories don't apply through the Upgrade Advantage program.  So before you cancel, you should call and talk to someone behind the scenes!

52 minutes ago, julig22 said:

If NCL was worried about recycling or trash, then they could do like Disney does in their resorts.  They could sell you a "souvenir" cup when you get on board (I think they were about $20 at the resort) and use them to get fountain drinks.  They have a chip in the bottom that activates the machine to fill your cup.  Once you get your drink, you can't get another one for a specified amount of time, like 10 minutes.  They expire once your cruise is over, so you can't reuse on another cruise.  Sell them by the room, just like they do other drink packages, so there isn't any sharing.  And the room steward doesn't have to keep an accounting of what's been taken from the mini-bar (which they don't ever seem to get right).

 

Fountain drinks are super cheap - I'm guessing they would actually make money this way, plus it's more eco-friendly.  I'd buy one for sure - and I've never spent $20 out of the mini-bar soft drinks - I mostly get my fill of caffeine while I'm on shore.

Or simplify it and build it into the cost of the fare and disguise it as a "perk" (lol).

1 hour ago, GA Dave said:

Me getting on my next cruise.  🤣

Love it!  Although you might need to upgrade your stateroom. Lol

Looks amazing!

21 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

I would say no but contacting NCL would be the only way to get an accurate answer. I wouldn’t rely on Cruise  Critic for a 100% accurate answer on this .

Agreed.  Go straight to the source!

2 minutes ago, joeyancho said:

What is a newspaper?  Lol

It's like a website, but on paper.  😂

The trade off is that you have to go to a store and pay for it in exchange for no pop-ups and annoying banner ads.

On 10/22/2019 at 5:25 AM, Beer Belly said:

If you are a beer drinker, like we are, just split up, hit the bar and each of you ask for 2 beers unopened and bring back to your cabin. Every time we headed back to our cabin for one reason or another, we did this, as soon the fridge was stocked....of course, you need to ask your attendant to empty the fridge first.

You can also bring an empty cooler or cooler bag and stock it with ice so you can get a collection of beer going and keep it cool without dealing with the fridges.  It's also handy to have in port!

My wife was pregnant on a cruise once and we had a doctor's not regarding drinking a water with specific ph level or something like that and they still wouldn't let us bring water on board... they told us that they sell water on board.  I think it has more to do with people trying to sneak liquor on board than anything.

On 10/26/2019 at 8:29 PM, Sauer-kraut said:

Don't slam doors.

THIS! Thank you! (lol)

13 hours ago, iggyc said:

Gotta admit I was a little panicky about what flights we would get through NCL for our trip to New Zealand.  NCL came through with great flights.  Minimal layovers.  It is a long enough flight around the world without getting crummy times.  I would have picked these flights myself.  Now if I can only get through to Qantas to find out how I can choose seats.

Congrats... I gotta say that I wouldn't have even considered the flights we were given.  We have layovers when there are plenty of direct flights.  It seems like a lot of unnecessary traveling time.

I can't answer your specific question about the time of day... it could be the departure time or midnight (but who's time zone).  However, if you're worried about making reservations, there are lots of opportunities to make reservations and the restaurants don't book up fully right away.  IF you can't get the reservations you want, you can call NCL and book over the phone.  The website only shows partial availability.  You can also book on the first day of your cruise (some availability held for in-person booking only).  Additionally, people change and cancel reservations all the time so check online frequently, call often, and look at the reservations boards onboard until you can sure up the reservations you want.

On 10/27/2019 at 4:39 PM, Chris_2448 said:

We are planning a cruise out of NY on the Bliss to Florida/Bahamas early April 2020 (Easter is 4/12 and Passover is 4/8-16). The two cruises we are looking at are 4/5 through 4/12 or 4/12 through 4/19. We need to do one of these 2 cruises due to construction being done on our house.

 

We prefer not sailing with a ton of kids and we realize this is prime time for this but like I said we are limited to these two weeks. Do you think that one week to the other would have a substantially different number of children sailing? If so, could that be part of the price difference? 

 

We are looking to book the Haven and right now there is a pretty big price difference in the two weeks. $1600 lower for 2 people on the 4/12 cruise. The pricing for the week of 4/12 is an anomaly when the previous sailings prices are considered. I realize I'm asking you to take a guess at the mind of NCL, but can anyone speculate as to why there is such a dramatic price difference? One would think the Easter week cruise would be priced higher, not substantially lower. 

 

Thanks for all input. 

   

Would you consider flying elsewhere to cruise??? Seems like that is a prime vacation time for elementary schools, high schools, and even some colleges.  If you don't want to cruise with a ton of kids, maybe look at a European itinerary.  Some of the promos going on include free or reduced airfare.  

Just throwing it out there...  good luck.

On 10/27/2019 at 5:30 AM, Sea Legs said:

I've seen on the boards that there is an app that cost $9.99 that each phone would have to have to be able to contact each other while on board.  Can someone get me some additional information?  Does it get purchased after boarding??

 

 

Yes, $9.99 for each phone.  Your best bet is to download it in advance, then as soon as you're on the boat, turn airplane mode on and then turn wifi on.  Open the app and it should give you the choice to pay for the service.  It's great for families that need to keep track of each other but I doubt that my wife and I will be using it for calling when we cruise this Dec (without the kids).

The app still works for some things if you don't pay the $9.99... I just don't think you can call each other.

14 hours ago, Sand and Seas said:

I can take the rougher seas.....reminds me of when we first cruised so many years ago.  Every cruise was bumpy😊

 

Thanks to everyone for the good advice!   We've been cruising out of Miami and New Orleans for years, then took a cruise out of Boston and enjoyed it immensely.    We will be picking up some more CruiseNext certificates on our cruise next month so I'm hoping to settle on a Bermuda cruise after that.    Sounds like early June or late August would be the way to go.

Glad to help!  If I remember correctly, they offer more promos with the later sail dates too!

I've done this itinerary multiple times.  The price stays consistent.  If you book later in the summer, the cost is less, however, the seas can be rougher.

Either 1 (because there are ports I haven't been to before) or 3 (because I had a blast in Tortola).

Tough choice for sure... have fun.

6 minutes ago, cruiseanon32 said:

NCL must have a process to sell cabins at the last minute. Often a sailing is sold out only days before the sail date whereas there was ample availability two weeks earlier.

I've seen last minute cruise deals in the newspaper before...

On 10/7/2019 at 5:01 PM, Icon901 said:

People find the silliest things to argue about on the internet. 
 

Stirring up an old topic... sorry if there's another thread.  

Any update on the amount of time that you can spend in Palencia, how many boats are offered, the times, and so on?

TYIA