Homosassa

Someone must live in an alternate universe....

OP, It is time for your friends to face facts: They need a passport for this cruise. No use arguing what is or isn't on the website or what NCL employees might answer to a random question on an information line, the information that a passport was required would have been included in the booking confirmation. It was (and still is) their responsibility to have all required documents at the time of embarkation They won't get past port side check in without them. Depending on how far out you are from the cruise, various penalties will attach to cancellation or being refused passage because of improper documentation. Read the NCL Terms and Conditions and Ticket Contract for the specific details applicable to your cruise. If there is no way they can obtain a passport, they need to call NCL if they did their own booking or their travel agent to notify NCL that they are canceling their cruise. If you are within a certain time period before the cruise, they will lose their money. However, there is a slim chance that they will be given a credit to use the funds to book a cruise in a specified time period.

The old "I won't get off the ship" rationale. It doesn't matter. The ship will need to be cleared by Immigration before anyone is allowed to disembark. Immigration doesn't care what excuse may be offered for not having a passport. Did your friends use a travel professional to help them book this cruise (travel agent or NCL person)? Did they read the confirmation documentation for the booking, including what was needed for the cruise?

As others have said forget the closed loop rhetoric. What is important is the requirements of the countries one visits. Two reason for passport on this cruise: 1. Colombia requires cruise ship passengers to have one. Passengers unvaccinated for covid also need a negative test. 2. Cruise has a port of call in Colon, Panama. Colon is a port of call in a country that requires a passport. Colon is a nothing port but is a jumping off point for excursions throughout the country.

As my sister was mortified to find out about twenty years ago when boarding a Royal Caribbean cruise. She had borrowed a suitcase from her son....

Having a drug sniffing dog on board is nothing new for certain itineraries and ports. I will not specify those ports and itineraries as why tip off cruisers to security features on board.

If you want to park at the port and save money, I highly recommend Mach Picchu for parking. Parking is secured and you won't have to worry about the car window smash and grabs going on in the port lots. https://www.machupicchutours.com/cruise-ship-parking.html

No. I am just a cruiser with over forty five years of cruising experience on a numerous cruise lines. I read the ticket contract and other information before booking a cruise (especially with a line I have never cruised before). I see and understand the restrictions and changes that cruise lines have implemented in reaction to passengers' behaviors and attempts to circumvent rules and restrictions.

You need to read the Cancellation section in the ticket contract and Terms and Conditions that you agreed to when booking the cruise and putting down the initial deposit. Your air was part of the cruise/air package and you are paying the published cancellation fee for less than sixty days from the cruise. The additional cost is for the new passenger at the current cruise rate. The name change is also considered a cancellation and subject to applicable cancellation fees. https://www.ncl.com/about/cancellation-fee-schedule

You are missing the big picture. How did she book the cruise to begin with? What wasn't research done to familiar herself with the restrictions on her purchase The information was there, she didn't do her homework. NCL made the information available; it isn't up to NCL to make sure that she read and understood what she was buying Part of what she is buying is agreeing to the Terms and Conditions and Ticket Contract. Checking that the TC has been read, understood and is part of the on line check in. Before that, the information link is included in the written confirmation.

I was talking about people who are brain wired to be addicted to types of behavior. The use of drugs, nicotine, alcohol, and gambling appeal to addictive personalities. Carnival profits from having alcohol consuming and gambling personalities on board. Until they can legally sell recreational drug packages on board and make a profit, it will be controlled.

I would be very careful about being a "no show" on ay part of your cruise package (includes the NCL air). It would be best if there is an official cancellation on the books.

We have had an issue where my husband was listed as female (definitely male) and I somehow ended up with his middle name of Henry. The information was correct in the MSC reservation system but was wrong on the E ticket. A quick call to MSC and the representative corrected the e ticket and sent us a link.

There is a marvelous feature that is included for each post. It is the date (month, day, year for older posts) hours and minutes for new posts. Pretty easy to determine if information is old.

As a long time cruiser, I can assure you that my husband and I know the most desirable cabins on a ship are low and amidships. Interior is preferred. We personally considered a balcony as a waste of cabin space that is put to better use inside the cabin than outside the cabin.

Skip the hand sanitizer (it only moves the surface dirt around on your hands) and use the rest room that are conveniently located with hot water and soap.

Yes, Citrus County is the northernmost county in the Tampa news area. We also have Orlando stations available. I agree we are not close to Tallahassee, I was just joking that we were closer to Tallahassee than the areas that had the hurricane damage and problems with red tide.

I would say the Carnival market target is addictive personalities in general The alcohol and gambling addictions work in their favor. The nicotine addicts are controlled. There is a problem with the drug addicts but they are working on controlling that behavior.

The answers to these questions are available on the NCL website under Terms and Conditions and Ticket Contract. The land package section applies to flights and transfers.

Let me make clear before I start this post that I am not a NCL cheerleader and have a personal opinion on the NCL "Freestyle" experience. It is not pertinent to this post. Again, the problem that the OP had is a result of her lack of knowledge of the information that is easily available on the NCL website. She compounded the problem by not using the services of someone familiar with NCL's (and many other cruise lines) restrictions. If one bothers to read the Ticket Contract and the Terms and Conditions where definitions of fares, land packages, payment schedules and cancellation fees are explained, the information given in the email to travel agents makes sense. NCL (other cruise lines) are for profit businesses and have procedures and fees to stop abuse by the consumer. (This can apply across the board to any business entity - the customer is not always right) NCL is also not responsible in judging whether a person is capable of booking themselves without the "intervention of a live person." They provide all the information needed. It is up to the consume to educate themselves and decide if they are capable of handling the arrangements without "intervention."

I am in Homosassa. The killer hurricane missed us (just some wind and brief rain showers) and no red tide this far north. Homosassa Springs is used only for the immediate area of the state park; everything else is Homosassa.

I live far enough north on the west coast that the killer hurricane missed us and the red tide is well south of us. On the other hand, I am closer to Tallahassee than the areas affected by the hurricane and red tide.

How often do we see posts on Cruise Critic where someone is screaming that a cruise line has "done them wrong" when it often simply boils down to the poster having screwed up their reservations and payments because the poster didn't know what they were doing or were not aware of the available information (rules) about bookings and payment? Is it sad that the cruiser that had her cruise cancelled because procedures in the fine print were not followed? Yes, it is. It is a very expensive lesson. However, NCL is not at fault and owns no money to the cruiser. This reminds me of the brouhaha several months ago about the "over one hundred" Princess cruisers left on the pier at embarkation because they did not have the required vaccinations to take a trans Atlantic cruise. Real story was that it was an extended family group of thirty seven that ignored the information that was there on the website, the booking confirmations, and the on line check ins that vaccination was required.

He has finished his out of state tour and is back in Tallahassee....

There can be sea grass of many species washing up on any beach in the world.