CWMixer

We’re on this cruise: it was clearly and repeatedly communicated that it was an Immigration-related delay.

Vacation44: never there before this am. I was looking at something else on the summary page yesterday and this was definitely not there. Based on others comments that I read this morning I figured I check again, and there it was.

This just showed up today in Vacation Summary under "included items": quantity = "2", so not sure if it'll be 6 or 12 bottles but regardless we'll take it! (maybe NCL has been reading this thread?)

FWIW: I just noticed this on another posting (Getaway departure out of NYC this afternoon):

This is from a comparison document dated 09/22: The current/updated one (12/22) doesn't show anything about 6 liters. We're sailing in ~2 wks so we'll see: I'm not counting on it though!

That's what I'm hoping it means! We upgraded to FAS+ last month for a 15D next month; we never had the PP+ on prior cruises and were looking forward to the 'bottles w/wine' benefit. I'll watch to see how it goes on your upcoming cruise! Per FLcruisegrl's post #28, maybe all the recent changes may not yet be fully understood or followed by the staff??

The disclaimer at the bottom of the current (12/22) PP+ flyer now states "Premium Plus wine by the bottle is limited to one bottle at dinner per package. Wine is to be consumed at the restaurant".

The disclaimer at the bottom of this update says "...Premium Plus wine by the bottle is limited to one bottle at dinner per package. Wine is to be consumed at the restaurant.". I believe one bottle 'per package' is the same as one bottle "per person" because the PP+ package is per-person. Also, no more carry-out of partial bottles? I was looking at the PP+ comparison sheet (dated 9/22) last month and it didn't appear there were any quantity or carry-out restrictions. I guess more "Supply issues"?

“If all goes well” Flying out of the northeast in winter? Reasonable chance it won’t “go well”. If saving $500 to minimize the risks of missing the cruise outweighs the risks (aggravation, inconvenience, your time, 10% loss, etc) of trying to fly in the same day and hoping everything “ goes well”, that’s a personal choice. While I’m not sure what your overall trip cost is, $500 seems like a reasonable ‘insurance’ cost to me.

I'm surprised this took so long based on past 2+ yrs and near term forecasts. Any successful business of any size has to be continually looking for operational efficiencies and associated cost reductions (including headcount) to remain competitive: their competitors are doing the same thing. Meta, WaPo, Amazon recently announced similar significant cuts. Do a search on '2022 layoffs': NCL is hardly alone.

This past October it was to the left as you walked in; there was a Haven sign and ‘greeter’ that brought you up to the security desk. You then walked to the far back right side (towards the Hudson River) to the Haven check- in room. To board, you then walked all the way back to the front ( towards shoreline).

I never understood the former "continental breakfast is free, hot is not" policy. Why was it 'free' to deliver muffins and coffee but 'cost' $10 to put an omelette on the same cart? In either case the buffet food is already paid for under the cruise fare, so the 'cost' is the personnel time to deliver it, which is roughly the same in either case (the variable being waiting for hot food vs grabbing cold items). I guess the main issue now is that the continental breakfast service was free and now its not as I don't see any comments about the $10 charge remaining for room service at any other time of day: a $10 charge for a sandwich at 2pm is ok, but now $5 for coffee, muffins and maybe an omelette at 9am is not? FWIW, I don't know how this new breakfast charge compares to Carnival/RCCL/Celebrity/Princess/etc. I do think the new flat rate for breakfast room service is reasonable compromise between 'free' and $10. $5 for the convenience of having having fresh/hot food delivered to your stateroom for breakfast when you want it (the same food you could go get yourself and eat elsewhere, or carry back), seems reasonable. As an aside, I don't recall many hotels/resorts (all inclusive or not) that we've stayed at that had no fee for room service of any kind, regardless of time of day. (and yes, regardless of room service charge or not, we always tip the delivery person!).

First, forget the periodic marketing word salad: it means nothing. The only thing that matters is if your baseline cost for a given cruise date and cabin changes. Second, completely agree that the overall effort, professionalism and attitude of the crew members was and continues to be terrific. The attention and level of service we received on a recent cruise was outstanding, across the board (and we tipped accordingly).

It’s only a “sale” if you save money off whatever your baseline is for a given cruise in a given category. I disregard the marketing word salad of the day/week on NCL and just check the prices. The bottom line cost for a future given sailing and room can and will go up, down or stay the same regardless of the terms of the current “sale” changing, or not. I’ve seen 15%+ cost swings even under the same “sale”. If you’re interested in a specific sailing and category, check it regularly. You’ll periodically find that the cost decreased, increased or didn’t change vs your baseline, no matter what the current “sale” is.

We had a similar case with the current '50%' sale. When this sale came out on 11/01, a cruise we were watching dropped 15%: we booked it on the 1st. Two days later, with the same '50%' sale in place, the price is back up to where it was before 11/01.

We've been following a couple of cruises for January '23, hoping for an "after final payment" drop. The new pricing released today resulted in a 15% drop on one of them! We're booked.

The Haven waiting area in MCT. This is from 2019 and I’m not certain if anything has been changed since then. Security is outside the door in the upper left; once through that, this Haven area is to your immediate left. Check-in counter is at the front, as shown. Concierge will take you out a door at the front right (to the side of the desk area) to board. Not the most luxurious facility but at least there are chairs and some refreshments.

Princess has them on the Royal: pretty convenient.

5 things I’ve put in a “gift box” (ie envelope), in ascending order are: $1’s $5’s $10’s $20’s $50’s Quantity of each based on services received.

Someone falling asleep while on watch was my first thought when I read this, and seems more plausible based on your comments (seems to happen on Deadliest Catch a lot, especially to greenhorns). It’ll be interesting to see what the investigation shows as the cause.

We've also been looking for clarification on this for an upcoming US/Canadian cruise. The CDC website (cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html) states "Fully Vaccinated: 2 weeks after final dose in primary series" but also states "Up to Date: Immediately after getting all boosters recommended for you". NCL Sail Safe states "fully vaccinated", and says to check individual destination requirements. NCL.com/Travel Requirements by Country: Bermuda: following the links through to the Bermuda TA site, it states that boosters are not required to be considered "fully vaccinated" (which lines up with the CDC definition). Canada states "fully vaccinated", no mention of "Up to Date" or boosters; USA simply states "vaccinated", no mention "fully vaccinated", "Up to Date" or boosters; Europe/EU Healthy Gateways provides good detail on required timing since initial vaccine doses and booster requirements. We have a few months before we depart so will continue to watch if we'll need an additional booster or not. I haven't noted any recent posts regarding 'booster' issues?

Someone posted this Swift pricing sheet ~5-6 mos ago and I saved it for reference on an upcoming cruise. I recently rechecked and the pricing shown for the 6/12/24 Liter water packages still matches the current pricing on the NCL website for the same packages. I have no idea if some of the other items offered and/or costs are still valid: maybe someone has a more recent copy and could post?

With "Swift", 1L = $5 + 20% = $6/L. 6L = $16.95 + 20% = $20.34/6 = $3.39/L No idea what the cost is if you bought a liter at a bar.

Overall I agree with your comments, notably fares are generally higher further out (pretty much the same as with airlines). Personal circumstances prohibit us from booking last minute and we have to book at least 1+ years out (someday we'll hopefully be able to take advantage of last minute pricing). For the last 10+ years, booking 1+ years out, the pricing differences between NCL and other lines on similar agendas & cabins has been fairly comparable, and we've typically gone with NCL, sometimes paying a bit more. My comments are based on the significant differences I'm now seeing, causing us to reconsider final choices at this time: I didn't mean to say "we'll never sail NCL again". Hopefully comparable pricing levels evolve back to prior trends. (I took a quick look at some Pearl sailings in May and April: the biggest difference I saw was ~10%, most were ~5%).

Relying on brand loyalty to sustain high pricing has a tipping point. Checking some '23 & '24 NCL bookings vs comparable RCCL and Celebrity itinerary's and room categories I'm seeing pricing 15 - 25% below NCL. Example: 06/23 7D Bermuda: NCL Pearl: Haven OS (H4): $12,670 : Celebrity Summit: Royal Suite: $ 9,625 We've been on other lines and prefer NCL overall, but not at this price premium. Looks like it's time to try the others again.