RB9643

Count me in as a sucker. I do this all the time. I've got 4 cruises booked between August 2023 and August 2024. And the August 2023 was booked a year ago. 😄

Exactly. "Charge is reversed" is the most important part.

Yes, your memory is correct, mine is faulty. I now remember last time that I needed to read carefully to ensure we bid on what we wanted. Will likely try again going forward, but I'm not willing to be too aggressive. We are very satisfied with our normal Club Balcony.

Plus a bottle of wine. We always choose the Club Balcony. The double sinks and full-sized shower alone make it worth it to us. Add more storage space and just a generally larger "feel", and it's a winner in our book.

Thank you. I appreciate facts, not "oh no, the discounts are gone, prices have gone up". When they are actually still the same.

But what does that really mean?

I always bring the original bottles, but usually because we go on long cruises and I'd have to have 6 pill containers, so, what's the difference? At the very least, have a printout of your meds from your doctor, especially if they are controlled substances.

Interesting. So, I've seen absolutely no reason to buy the Key. Good info.

I can't imagine living to 80, let alone cruising. If you can do it, do it, even if that's just sitting on the balcony watching the sea go by. I've told my better half that when she finally gets to Heaven, just look for the cliff overlooking the ocean. I'll be there.

As all cruise lines are. Just do a mock booking and see the "real" price. It's not rocket science.

Dude, seriously. We all love CruiseCritic and the members here. But you really should just Google some stuff first. At least get a first clue.

Yes, as I understand it, you pick your arrival time first on the app, but last on the website. Use the app and do the rest later.

Yes, you are definitely naive.

Early boarding is almost always a challenge, and a wait. But it has its advantages. If you wait awhile, but get on board early, you can do your muster, book shows, and eat lunch in the MDR rather than the buffet. If you get there at 1:00, you will likely walk straight on board, but still have to do all that stuff and end up in a massively crowded buffet. Your choice, but we'll wait awhile and get onboard as soon as possible.

If you look at your reservation on the NCL website, "vacation summary" and scroll down, you will see an option to pre-pay service charges. We always do this after our final payment. One and done, forget about it.

Make sure you didn't book a "guaranteed" cabin, or "sail away". You don't get a choice. I've also seen cruises that are getting close to capacity that won't let you pick the cabin. If you call a CSS, they can tell you what's available and book it for you.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

I've never seen them check boarding times. But, to be safe, I'd just arrive right in the middle of your times.

Indulge is grab and go, but very good. I always eat breakfast at the Local, mainly because I'm always late. The Local is sit down and to order, and perfectly satisfactory for breakfast.

The most important thing is to know that you get what you get and pay for it regardless. We are leery to bid on a Haven cabin that may end up aft when the Haven proper is forward. Defeats the purpose for us. Certainly, inside or ocean view to a balcony is worth it -- if you can live with obstructed, far forward, far aft, under the lido, over the night venues, etc. etc. You get what you get.

Have you tried attaching your reservation to your good latitudes account through the app or the website?

You have to sail on or before the expiration date. The date your cruise ends makes no difference.

White bread on one side, multi-grain on the other. We're all the good stuff in between! Can't speak about Princess (yet), but you won't be disappointed with Encore.

Stayed there on our New England cruise last September. Incredible hotel and location in Times Square. Incredible price! 😄 We got a free night with our Marriott points. This November we're staying at the Four Points Sheraton in Flushing. They have a shuttle from La Guardia, and we'll taxi or Uber to the port.

The whole generational angst thing is overblown for sure. Just another way to divide people. We are just barely Xer's, but my wife's siblings are much older and solidly in Boomer territory. While there is little difference between us due mostly because of our environment and how we were raised, there are definitely some differences that are quite stark.