Birdnutty

As an addendum to my original post... we were on the Getaway last month, and yes, the quantity of abundant cookies available at any one time has been drastically reduced.

 However, as others have stated, we received a plate in our room (Club Balcony) early in the cruise, they were available in the wonderful spread that NCL put out for the M&G, and they were available every night in the casino as a late night snack.

 Knowing they would most likely be thrown away after the M&G, some of us took plates of the left over ones to our rooms, therefore helping us avoid the dry times when cookies were not to be found.  I always bring some Ziplock containers and/or bags to store things in, so they made keeping the cookies fresh easy.  I also would abscond with a couple when returning to our room after I was done in the casino.  God forbid we don't have cookies every time we want them.  🙄

Good to know! Really helps with the planning process.  

Just have to decide how much pressure we want to take on by building in too close a schedule.  

If we book an 8:10 train from Quebec City, and miss it, do you know if it can be exchanged for a later time?  

9 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Once cleared, the gangway will be open all night long.  I saw a few passengers disembarking with their luggage (your responsibility).

First of all, thank you for your responses!  

So we can get off earlier than the 6 AM "docking" time?  The ship will be there the whole previous day.  Or at 6 AM sharp? Would prefer to catch the 8:10 AM train to Montreal, and I am trying to figure out how doable that is.  

I am concerned that the entire disembarkation process won't start until then, at which point we'd have the rest of the passengers to deal with.  I've been in situations where that was a nightmare, and others where it was seamless and easy peasy.  I'm not accustomed to a ship that stays overnight in a port with disembarkation the next day, so I have no idea what to expect.

9 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I am not sure you will be able to get to Montreal by train in time to catch a flight EAST.  IF...they dock in the morning, it will take a train 2.5 hours to get from Quebec to Montreal.  You would still have to clear customs and immigrations in Montreal.  It will be another hour or so (terminal is large/Nexus or Global Entry?). 

We don't have either one.  Regular run-of-the-mill folks here.  Also have never flown in or out of Canada, so I have so many questions. We can expect that it takes at least an hour to go through Customs/Immigration without these special programs, or should we plan on much more?

We're considering a cruise on the Emerald Princess that begins in Boston, and ends in Quebec City.  As much as we'd like to stay and tour in Quebec City a second day (our ship is in port the day before and overnight before disembarkation), our time is very limited. We need to be home ASAP.

Flights from Quebec City are few, expensive and LONG.Montreal has more frequent, shorter and cheaper flights

 Montreal Disembarkation starts at 6AM. We know it's a quick trip to the train station, from where we'd like to take a train to Montreal Airport, hoping to get a non-stop flight back to Boston, from where we will drive home (about 3 hours).

Our problem is figuring out the timing. How rough or smooth disembarkation off the Emerald Princess is in Quebec City starts the whole chain.  Is it usually smooth, or notoriously disorganised and chaotic?  I do know stuff can happen.  I'm just looking for an average situation. 

Is it possible to buy a ticket for an earlier train and then exchange it for a later one if there's availability? Or can we buy the tickets when we get there, thereby avoiding the pre-purchase time debacle?  At that hour of the day, there's a 4+ hour difference between the first one we could get and the next, so the first one is infinitely preferable, but I realise how tight that is.  Not quite as bad as flying, however.

Has anyone done this, and how did it work?

Thank you!  I now know what to look for and think I've got it!

It appears that I have might have some refundable OBC from my TA that I'm hoping to use on a Cruisenext.  Will I be able to do that?

How does refundable vs unrefundable OBC get applied?  I have OBC from a variety of sources, and I have no idea which line item is for which credit.  There are no codes listed next to the line items on my account where my OBC credits are listed.  I got some from my TA, some as an incentive from NCL for booking, and I believe some as a shareholder, but it's impossible to tell which is which, which is refundable, which one gets used first against room charges, etc.  I'm no stranger to cruising, being Sapphire on NCL,and high status on other lines, but this has me befuddled.

Guess I'm lucky, then.  I haven't sailed NCL since last year and haven't been on the boards, so I'm a bit uninformed.  Got lucky and just purchased 2 $250 ones the day before it ended.  Whew!

Haven't called them yet, but I will tomorrow.  Hope my issue is as easy to fix as versuco's.  It's really bizarre to suddenly become a nobody.  

I was on the phone with my TA extensively today, booking rooms for this summer. Everything went pretty smoothly.

Tonight, I tried to go into my account to check status, and it doesn't recognise anything about me.  My email addresses, my username, password, nothing.  

Has this happened to anyone before?  I guess I'm going to have to call tech services, but they close at 6 ET and don't work weekends.  

Any pearls of wisdom?

Just spoke to an NCL rep, and confirmed this online.  The Cruisefirst program is now being offered at $150 for a $300 credit.  It was $250 for $500 but that is now changed.  

1 hour ago, cruiser2015 said:

I know.  I've never had an issue getting cookies.  But, if I did, it really isn't going to cause me to start an entire thread because I couldn't.

I know - it is kinda trite.  But it's one of the things many of us look forward to, and miss when they are gone.  Having Chocolate ganache is not quite the same, and it's hard to dip that in coffee...

Glad to see they are not gone from everywhere - yet.  For those of us not in the solo lounge, or in the Haven or with a butler, it's more challenging to find things sometimes.  Will be on a concentrated mission when we climb aboard our cruise soon.

4 hours ago, julig22 said:

An ice bag doesn't take up much space, can be easily filled with ice from the buffet or an ice bucket when needed.

I second this.  I have a similar issue, and need ice packs.  I just bought a refillable ice bag - the old fashioned kind - and can always go to the Garden Cafe and get ice.  Reading reviews on the ice bags reveal that it's a good idea to keep Ziplock bags at hand in case there is sweat or leakage issues.

29 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

The Studio lounge had declicious cookies (as well as some pound cake) on the Getaway Jan 12th. I picked some up every evening.

Now I'll have to figure out a way to sneak into the Studio Lounge to get some.

23 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

You know, I'm betting the room attendants are really glad the towel animals are gone. 

Maybe it's time for us to turn the tide and start entertaining our room attendants with animals that we make up!  

On 2/17/2024 at 9:22 PM, BirdTravels said:

Today at the buffet…

 

 

 

 

… on the Freedom of the Seas Windjammer. 

uhhhh - yeah, but this is an NCL discussion.  RCL is a whole nuther discussion. RCL always had better buffet desserts anyway, IMHO.  

23 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

So if I order these in advance and have them delivered to the room on embarkation day, just out of curiosity are these baked fresh on board or are they from packaged cookies?

 

Holy moly!  Dem's pretty pricey cookies!

On 2/13/2024 at 3:51 PM, CruisnHallelujahs said:

I, for one, can not wait to go on the hunt for cookies and hash browns in less than two weeks!  (Needed to shout it somewhere…🤗)

Please come back and let us know how you make out.  And have a great time on your cruise!

10 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Well....who knew this would be a topic that anyone cared about?  But, here we are.

 

There are cookies on board.  I think it depends on the ship, but I saw (and ate) chocolate chip cookies on the Prima last week.  I also saw and ate chocolate chip cookies on the Epic 4 months ago.

 

Yes, they were fresh. Yes, they were good

 

Not buying the OP's friend's story.

 

Sorry you’re not buying their story, but it’s what they experienced.  Maybe as an newer ship (Prima), they’re still providing the goodies they don’t bother with on the older ships like the Getaway. When my friend said they spoke to the GM and Captain and this is what they were told, I have a tendency to believe it. I will be on the Getaway in a few weeks and will come back with firsthand experience. As an experienced NCL traveler, I can try to work whatever angles I can find. And if I say no cookies (to non-Haven,non-Vibe people) then you can take that to the bank!  😁

7 hours ago, laudergayle said:

Shrinkflation is real.

 

Here’s a good one.

 

NCL announces their newest entertainment lineup. Introducing the Greatest Magic Show at Sea.  Right before your very eyes, watch in disbelief as cookies magically vanish, and dark chocolate turns to white.  The magic will have you gripping your seat as jumbo shrimp turn back time and become baby shrimp. Where an 8 oz filet becomes a strip sirloin.  This jelly-packed show (previously jam-) will leave you scratching your head…and wanting more.

Thanks for the giggle!  I noticed that last time I was on the Gem, about a year ago, there were no prunes.  Really?  That's a staple some of us older folks have come to rely on.  You could ask for prune juice, I was told.  Which put me in a conundrum.  I had found my magic formula to be 5 prunes.  No more, no less.  So, how much juice does it take to equate to 5 real prunes?  Too little, and it doesn't work, too much and...well... you know.  

Friends of ours just got off the Getaway last week.  Balcony cabins, so no Haven experience for them.  They said there were no cookies to be found.  Anywhere.  So they asked (and asked, and asked), and were told by the General Manager, Mario, who was sitting next to Captain Luigi, that it was a corporate decision that there were no cookies available except through room service, (and I would imagine in the Haven.)  

 Could it just be the Getaway, or could this be one more cutback rolled out fleet wide  to save $$?

What gives with that?

2 hours ago, njhorseman said:

The OP has already had their question answered on the other, lengthier thread. 

I did a search and was unable to find answers to this questions before I posted. Probably did something wrong.

Sorry if I bothered anyone.  But thank you for answering my questions anyway.

On 5/6/2023 at 12:28 PM, ngrund said:

Reservation made-

 

we'll see how it goes tomorrow -:)

I realise this is an older thread, but I'm hoping this poster is still active.

 Ngrund, how did it go?   I'm looking to do this myself.  It'll save me over $100 if I have a reservation.    I'm curious as to the start time... are they rigid about when you get there?  Or is the start time a general idea about the EARLIEST you can enter?

I understand that you can pre-pay for parking at the pier for a substantial discount by making a reservation through NYcruise.com.  A savings of about $100.  Has anyone here done that?  They say they offer free cancellation up to the time you're supposed to be parking.  Has anyone had to cancel?

I'm curious, intrigued and hesitant, all at the same time.  Please tell me your experiences.

8 hours ago, UKstages said:

 

as for doing research... that would usually be done before you call. most offers are not for specific cruises. you tell them which cruise you want to take. the offers stipulate the length of cruise, the level of accommodation (inside, balcony, haven, etc.) and any restrictions. the most common restrictions exclude the pride of america and the newest ships such as the viva and prima. occasionally, there are offers for specific cruises, but those are less common offers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow - so much useful info - thank you!  One more question - is the CAS program the same umbrella organisation for all cruise lines?  They all seem to call their gambling arm CAS, and each seem to offer discounts.  I have a friend who is a substantial gambler and has told me some of her offers, but even she doesn't understand any of the background.  Is it the same CAS for all lines, and they pool the info on all your gambling, or is it individually tallied by cruise line?  I hope this is understandable - let me know if clarification is needed.

UKStages, may I ask a total newbie question here?  I can tell you are a much higher stakes gambler than me, but I usually drop a few hundred in the casino with each cruise, and my upcoming cruise will be my 27th NCL cruise (over the course of 40 years) 

I never think to call CAS when considering making a booking.  Do you think my low level of gambling would get me anything significant?  Is one's gambling record cumulative, or only based on your last cruise? Are the offers very time-limited (like, you need to decide in three days), or can you have a chance to do more research?   

May I assume that since CAS would be doing the booking, there would be no going through a TA to get the perks?  Probably a really dumb question, actually. 
These questions have been on my mind for years.  I hope you don't mind answering them for me.  TIA!