UKstages

well, again, it is extremely unlikely that the bag was stolen, even as it is remotely possible that it was. i can think of several scenarios under which another similar bag might not have been left behind, so i don't think that definitively proves that your bag was stolen.

perhaps. unlikely, but, yes, it could have been stolen. out of all the bags in the arrivals hall, why do you think your bag was chosen by a thief?

in most cases, bags are not "stolen," but taken mistakenly by somebody who has a very similar bag. it would be rare to steal a bag from an arrivals hall, because there is too much liability in walking through customs with unknown goods. the "thief" could be responsible for whatever is in there. and if there is nothing untoward in the bag, they still could be nabbed as a thief if they are unfamiliar with the contents of the bag. that being said, few people are ever stopped as they pass through the hall, but there is still a risk and it's one that criminals do not want to take. i can't help you navigate the messy compensation process and after-cruise experience you're going through and i sympathize. but i can offer a few tips for the future. have a unique identifier on your bag... some people use brightly colored pom poms or string. or brightly colored luggage tags. or a unique luggage strap. i use a luggage strap and also have a playful luggage tag that says "this is not your bag!" use TSA-approved locks on your bag, making your bag less desirable for a genuine thief. place an apple air tag or other portable GPS tracking device in your luggage to help you retrieve it. use a "lost and found smart QR code tag, which doesn't tell you where your bag is, but allows anybody who finds it (or walks away with it mistakenly) to scan the code and be put in touch with you. choose a luggage color other than black... most bags are black! and use inexpensive luggage.. if your bag looks like it cost $800, it's more likely to be stolen. use NCL's "self-assist" disembarkation scheme which allows you to walk off the ship with your luggage (best if you have no mobility issues and have only one bag and a carry on.)

well, the same could be said of almost every frontline restaurant worker in the USA, but that's not the way the system works. NCL employees' compensation package is highly dependent on tips and whatever small portion of the OSC (formerly DSC) they are given.

i was also on the joy in october and i concur. the food was, for the most part, great. MDRs, buffet and specialties... and even room service! but i was on the getaway in january and february and the food was not. it's difficult to say whether that's because the joy is a well run ship and the getaway is in need of improvements, or if there has been a precipitous decline in NCL's food and beverage product across the fleet in the past six months. based on reports in this thread (and other threads), it's looking increasingly like the latter. and that's the thing... it's no longer good enough to evaluate data points from posters here who think NCL is providing great or substandard service... we need to know when their most recent experience was. if it was a year or two years ago, people tend to have a much more favorable view of NCL and likely haven't experienced many cutbacks or declines in service or food. that may account for some of the more favorable comments in this thread but those who have traveled recently, in particular those who take three or four or more cruises a year, seem to have noticed a sharp decline in the product, especially within the past six months or so. as i said upthread, i'm one who still finds value in cruising on NCL, even as i've noticed the continuing decline in the product. but i typically travel on a casino comp. so there would have to be even more severe cutbacks before my value prop is so tilted as to make me abandon ship, so to speak.

NCL periodically makes marketing offers to past guests. in this case, those targeted had sailed transatlantic or transpacific repositioning cruises in the past. there may also have been a duration (length of cruise) requirement or a geographic requirement (guest's home address)..

the problem with HDMI ports on the prima is that NCL cancels ports all the time with little notice. there is no guarantee that they will call on HDMI at all. it's highly dependent on the weather and, sometimes, their ability to tender.

REFCC-25 = 25% off 2024 transatlantic and transpacific sailings book by 3/22/24 sail through 12/31/24 can't be certain about the "re," but my best guess is that it stands for "repositioning."

thanks for that report. just as a data point, the "regular" (non-streaming) internet usually clocks in at about 1.5 mbps.

again, you only pay $10 per person if you want them to be able to send messages using the proprietary system on the app. using the backend apple imessaging loophole costs nothing and doesn't consume wifi minutes.

respectfully, you probably didn't check your statement; you checked your online account, which shows all pending charges. "pending" charges, more commonly called "holds" or less commonly, "pre-authorizations," work exactly the same way in australia, as they do in the USA and throughout the world. the merchant wants to make sure your card is good for the amount you are likely to spend. if you're buying a $1000 widget, that's easy. the "authorization" will be for $1000 and after a very short time, the charge will no longer be pending, but appear as an actual charge on your account. for hospitality companies, it's a little different. they don't know how much you're ultimately going to spend. so they do an initial pre-authorization against your account upon check-in, and as you accrue charges on your folio, they do additional pre-authorizations to ensure you still have spending capacity on your card. the merchant generally has 45 days to submit the charge to the credit card company for payment, although - in most cases - it only takes three or four days. in the case of a hotel or a cruise line, that's three or four days after the cruise has ended. in the case of charges from another country (NCL charges will come from miami, florida, USA), the interbank communication may take longer.

at cagney's, the cost per person can be as much as $100 or more. but it's a fantasy value, as you would probably not spend real cash at those prices. cagney's is one of the best choices for using you dining vouchers onboard, if you're looking to maximize value.

do tell. no, seriously, do tell us what speed you're getting and which tests you ran. thanks!

kindly reread post #365.

what I always find curious about every cruise critic thread is that the folks who challenge other posters…. you know, the ones who say flat out that what has been posted is wrong and demand data… the ones who want links to “sources” and quotes and spread sheets and who invariably request blood samples and birth records… (and it’s always the same people)… these folks rarely return to say, “oops, looks like i was wrong, i guess a lot of people are reporting as accurate the very thing i questioned and ridiculed other posters for. my bad.” they’re just on to the next thread where they repeat the same demands and insist that others prove the validity of their statements.

the answer to your dilemma is in a close examination of these two statements. enjoy your cruise.

widely attributed to both churchill and john wayne, but it was actually w.c. fields who said it first.

in my case, on the joy in october of 2023, out of NYC, it was more like 11:20 AM. and it was at a table set up just outside of teppanyaki. i was the first in line. and on the second leg of the cruise out of miami, it was the same... about 11:20 or 11:30 AM, at a table set up just outside of teppanyaki.

in practice, there is no penalty for a no show, particularly on embarkation day and particularly if it's only one or two members of a larger party. but NCL's actual rule about restaurant reservations is that they require 24 hours notice to cancel and that you will be charged if you don't show. "Cancellations of dinner reservations must be made 24 hours prior to the scheduled dining time. If cancellation occurs with less than 24 hours' notice, the full price of the cover per guest will be charged. We strive for excellent service; therefore, we can only hold your dinner reservation for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, the unclaimed reservation will be released and the full price of the cover per guest will be charged to you. In the case of pre-paid reservation, no refunds will be issued for cancellations with less than 24 hours' notice."

no change. barring any unusual circumstances, like a recently reported computer glitch that oversold the vibe, resulting in a revocation of passes and a refund for some guests... a limited number of passes should be available for purchase on embarkation day, but passes can probably be purchased by more than a lucky few. the "change" is that they now sell the majority of passes online before the cruise. on my october back to back on the joy, they had dozens of passes available on the day on both legs of the cruise. i'm not even sure they sold them all. on the getaway in late january, the vibe was only at about 50% occupancy. now, if you're traveling in good weather in july, competition may be fierce and the number of passes may be extremely limited, but they will sell passes on embarkation day, barring any unusual circumstances.

indeed. in a perfect world, NCL would update its customer-facing website promptly when rules change. but they don't. in fact, there still are a lot of places where they refer to the "daily service charge," which has been renamed for quite some time. you can also find the term "mini suite" throughout the site! again, my understanding is that there is no 1 year requirement.

this didn't upset me, because before they removed 'em, they replaced them with paper straws which i abhor. but i soon started carrying onboard my own straws. i have on my last few cruises, but it's become unnecessary. NCL is now using either really good coated paper straws that hold up to the beverage. or they are back to using plastic straws. probably the former. in any case, straws are back, baby! no, not at all... that's like saying that burger king should conduct focus groups to see how consumers feel about the size of their burgers to see if what they've read online (people complaining about their burger size) is widespread. and then they should conduct competitive research to see how big wendy's and mcdonalds burgers are. and then they should do surveys on online platforms to test consumers' response to a bigger burger with a new name and a playful tag line and accompanying advertising campaign. and then they should go to franchisees in columbus, ohio and peoria, illinois to conduct an A and B test with two versions of their new burger concept with actual consumers. and then they should take the findings from those two tests and refine their burger and then go to two different cities to test the new burger once again. and assuming it's successful, and the data shows that the new burger will satisfy consumers and make the company more money, they should then launch the winning bigger burger nationally. that's what that's like saying.

that woman who sold the knives? where is she now? i never thought you'd ask! she is reportedly the park west gallery manager on the viva. very similar work, very similar margins.

actually, it does make a difference where and how you spend your OBC. excursions are high margin items that don't reflect the true vale provided. liquor and cosmetics are closer to actual retail prices, but don't compare favorably to most real duty free ships in airports. spa services and food purchased on board also have healthy margins tacked on. that is precisely why NCL would prefer you go around shopping onboard and buying services you don't necessarily want or need once you are awarded OBC for your cruise next purchase. if you know you're going to be buying a bottle of liquor or a pizza at la cucina or getting a massage or booking an NCL excursion... and you are truly committed to doing those things, then, no, it doesn't matter where you spend your OBC. but the better value for most people is not to spend the OBC at all and have the true cash value applied to the cost of the cruise next certificates they just purchased. the OBC you receive is nonrefundable, but can be used to purchase cruise next certificates, including the ones for which you just received the OBC. that's what this special OBC distribution is... it is essentially a discount on your cruise next purchase. in fact, that nonrefundable OBC will be applied to cruise next purchases before other onboard purchases in your folio.