ChiefMateJRK

It could also be that everybody doesn't live in a safe neighborhood with neighbors who always know that they are out of town.

If I was that other party of two I would politely (well, as politely as I could muster) say "thanks, but we'll just grab an Uber and skip the spice." I'm struggling to find the pony here. Really.

No, it wouldn't that's why I posted: An UberXL is NOT a Tahoe or Suburban. Think smaller. I've never been in an Uber XL that couldn't accommodate three full sized bags and three back packs or similar. We've done this a lot. DW and DD pack huge suitcases that weigh 49.9999 lbs (plus or minus). I pack the same size bag that weighs around 35 lbs. I'm about the same size as the two of them combined. Anyhow, Uber is your friend and nobody needs a stretch limo to get from a Miami hotel to the port. If you want to throw money away, just email me.😎

Your attitude-meter is apparently long past calibration....

I don't think a travel forum can help you with any of this. I could make some suggestions, but I doubt they would be well received here.🤣

Whatever. Whether it's uber XL, uber van or anything else uber or lyft. They'll get to the port quickly if they don't make it too complicated. disclaimer: it sounds like they want to make it complicated.

Why would this cause stress? Are you flying in same day? That would be the stress point.

Six people and bags? Two Uber XL's. They'll both get the OP there.

There it is!

Why would the piano player have to "tone it down" if the crowd was noisy? Who was complaining to him. The last time I was on the Joy, we had a great piano player (Ryan North) in the Brewhouse. Many gathered to enjoy him, but one group of idiots congregated and had a shouting contest to see who could talk louder. Many in the crowd were looking around with disappointed looks on their faces wondering "who are these clowns, why don't they shut up and enjoy a very talented entertainer?" I just mentioned it to the bar staff and they fixed it. I believe the group left in a huff. Oh well. The rest of the evening was again quite enjoyable. Do you remember the piano player's name?

The NCL rule is that agent's can't change reservations unless a) the person on the reservation is the one calling or b) the reservation shows a third party's name as authorized to make changes. I've had DD call NCL before to add my name and then I'm able to manage the reservation without any issues. That said, armed with enough information (i.e. the full reservation information that the person posted on social media), NCL can hardly be held at fault for unauthorized changes.

Yes. If you arrive at the earliest time, you'll likely wind up in boarding groups one or two. IIRC, the MDRs don't even open until 11:30 or 12:00. We usually go to the Local/O'Shehans which opens earlier. They sometimes will have dailies at the check in desks, but I've had to ask for one at times. Get one and you'll be ready to plan. If not, guest services have them. If you're lucky, the ships wifi will be cooperating and you'll be able to call up the daily on the app once on the ship. (that's often a really BIG IF)🤣

Why would you worry about a dinner reservation?

Have you done this yourself? I'm asking because I know that you are a smart guy and if you tell me that you did and it works it is meaningful to me. Since I have the mic, I'll toss out one other consideration. In August 2022, I booked an April 2023 B2B AK cruise. The latitudes bonus offer was an extra point per night. A month or two later, NCL announced a double bonus points latitudes offer for AK cruises in 2023. The prices had not changed. I called NCL and they told me they would apply the new promo. The invoices they sent still just reflected the "LATITUDE" single point promo. I didn't trust what I had been told, and decided just to cancel and rebook both legs. Upon checking, the first leg had reverted to "guarantee," and I didn't want to lose my room choice for both legs of the B2B. I did cancel and rebook the second leg, and the invoice correctly showed the "LATDBLX" promo. In a single phone call I cancelled the original reservation and had them immediately change the room on my new reservation so that my B2B rooms would be the same. After the cruise, I was awarded exactly what I expected. One bonus point per night for the first leg and two for the second. What's the point? If I had used a CF, I would not have been able to save that $250 for the rebooking. If I had used CNs, I would. I needed the double points for at least one leg to make it to Platinum, so that was a motivator.

That may make sense for you, but consider this. If you use a $500 CF on a 2026 cruise, you're lending NCL $250 interest free. If I book the same 2026 cruise with a single CN, I'm lending NCL $125 interest free. I have many cruises scheduled between now and then. I can buy another CN at any point up until final payment and just add that during the next DoubleUp. Not a huge difference, but I just consider CNs more liquid, which is a good thing.

Yeah. That was clear from context. That said, I wouldn't even post my itinerary anywhere, especially under my real name on social media. You've just told the world when you are going to be away from home.😬

You may be right. I have held off on stockpiling the new CNs and what I just did is a test case so I can see it for myself. It's one leg of a booked B2B2B. The other legs currently just have a single CN that I used for the deposit. These are in 2026, so I have plenty of time to watch and learn. On all cruises prior to that, I currently have a pair of older CNs applied to each reservation. We've never seen a report of that failing.

Kentucky family is out $15,000 after foolishly posting Carnival Cruise itinerary on social media (msn.com) I kind of feel sorry for them, but the only reason I can imagine why they posted such info is to brag to their friends about their expensive upcoming vacation. Fortunately, steerage passengers don't struggle with such nonsense.

I didn't know that you can buy a CruiseFirst and apply it to an existing reservation. Is that new? CRUISEFIRST CREDITS FREE $150 WITH CRUISEFIRST Booking Window: June 1st - June 6th, 2024 11:59 PM EST. Terms & Conditions For CruiseFirst Credits purchased on or after 12:30 PM EST, January 9, 2024 CFC(s) can be applied as stateroom deposits or as payment towards new reservations ONLY. CFC(s) are not applicable towards canceled/rebooked reservations. If a guest with an existing reservation cancels and rebooks the same ship and sail date with a CFC, the CFC will be removed. Have you tested and confirmed that they can be used like I just did with the CNs? Also, according to NCL's website, you can't save the $250 I just did by buying a CruiseFirst for your new reservation right now (only $150). I suppose you could just book it and then buy a CruiseFirst during the next promo and apply it to your reservation (assuming that the above terms don't really apply). Please let us know if this works. PURCHASE A CRUISEFIRST CREDIT Act now to secure a $150 CruiseFirst Credit for $300 off any 6+ day cruise you book today or in the future.

On a related note, I just confirmed (as others have reported) that CN's purchased under the new program terms can be applied to an existing reservation. CN purchased: 5/8/24 Cruise booked: 5/27/24 Deposit paid with (older) CN: 5/29/24 DoubleUp applied (added $250 payment via new CN purchased 5/8/24): 6/1/24 For those who aren't familiar, NCL's terms suggest that this cannot be done: CRUISENEXT CREDIT Terms & Conditions for CruiseNext Credits purchased on sailings embarking on or after January 11, 2024 CNC and CNHC are only redeemable as payment towards new reservations on future Norwegian Cruise Line sailings.

CRUISENEXT DOUBLEUP! OFFER Booking Window: June 1st – June 12th, 2024 11:59 PM EST Offer Details:Book any stateroom on any sailing booked 4 months prior to sailing and apply TWO CruiseNext, CruiseNext Haven or CruiseNext Lite credits.

Same here. I can fly from our local airport with a layover or nonstop from an airport 2 hrs away. We always drive the two hours.

Southwest?

Let's make a distinction here. A large portion of the population are very infrequent travelers. They generally aren't the folks posting on a travel forum. I believe that a large portion of frequent travelers are very focused on routing and connection times. I certainly am, and I doubt that I'm alone here.

They only require a recent statement showing that you owned NCL shares at the time of the statement. You could sell the shares the day after the statement. Obtain the OBC three weeks later and sail two years later. But, to your point, if you plan to sail NCL again there is little point in selling/buying such an insignificant amount of shares($$$). I spent around $1600 for my 100 shares. They've been up, down and all around.