skittl1321

My recent booking on Encore was like this. I selected Balcony, not sail away, and it gave me only one cabin.  I could not change it without paying more.  

When I called to ask why I could not choose my cabin they told me there were no others available in the category.

Thanks y'all

1 hour ago, Liljo22 said:

That is a laser tag course.  

No, the map is just wrong.

It's Cruise Mapper- Deck 20 shows a ropes course.  (The laser tag course is shown on deck 18)

https://www.cruisemapper.com/deckplans/Norwegian-Encore-1518/deck20-5687

I was looking at this site because I couldn't find them on NCL's.

38 minutes ago, Liljo22 said:

The ropes course on the Breakaway Plus ships was replaced with the speedway starting with the Joy. The go karts are an extra fee.   

Thanks! The website I was looking at deck plans on had a ropes course behind the speedway.  Bummer it's not really there. 

41 minutes ago, OrcaGirl said:

There is no ropes course on Encore. You may be thinking of the Escape, which does have a ropes course.

No, I was looking at Encore deck plans. It was behind the speedway, but I had never heard anything about it, so wondered if it was a mistake. Sounds like the deck plan is wrong.

Thanks!

Does Encore have a ropes course? Does anyone have a photo?  I see it on various deck plans, and a cruise critic page about them has height requirements, but I haven't seen it in ANY review of the Encore.  Is it possible it was planned but not built?  I'd love to know more about this feature. Is it extra charge?

NCL changed my Mendenhall Glacier and Gardens tour so that it no longer goes to the Glacier, but instead does the Mt Robert's tram.  They refunded 50% of the cost.

So I think they have run out of permits for late season (I go next week).

Just realized I was eligible for this. My veteran spouse isn't traveling so it didn't occur to me when I booked  😞

I chatted with them and they said they can't apply it to existing reservations.  Is it worth calling to see if I get a different answer? 

19 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

On my last Princess cruise, my mother and I got the thermal suite pass and it came with a little jar of sugar scrub and a little loofah. We never used it on the cruise, brought them home, still haven't used them. 🤣

Sugar scrubs are the best! I highly recommend them.  
Honestly, in the winter, I just like a jar of scrub next to soap that I use whenever I wash my hands. It feels so good.

22 hours ago, lgrover said:

I just tried to book thermal pass for the Getaway out of NYC January 2nd, 2024. I called NCL and was told that they were possibly sold out, but to check with spa 28 days prior or on ship. I have never had a problem with getting spa passes?

They do sell out.  It's a big ship, it is usually chilly out of NYC in the winter, so it might have just been very popular.

13 hours ago, Ixtoras said:

You might want to take a look at that again.  On the NCL site, the cruise may be titled "Alaska: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau" but it actually visits 4 ports plus a day cruising Glacier Bay.  The itinerary includes Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and Victoria BC.

 

 

 

Victoria hardly counts though...

I'm cruising on Encore, and incredibly excited about it, but the port times are super short.  I wish they could have extended them a bit. But Victoria is clearly just to meet a legal requirement, and Ketchikan is super short.

Thanks y'all! Wasn't sure if this was some sort of steam room thing ...  kinda glad it isn't, but it's weird they try to bundle it!

54 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

 

 

Thermal Suite = no scrubs

Deluxe Thermal Suite = with scrubs

 

I have not seen that the online price is the Deluxe Thermal Suite with scrubs. On all of our recent cruises, it has been the basic Thermal Suite. 

 

If you take a spa tour, recently (this year), they have been quoting the Deluxe Thermal Suite cost. And most people pay that cost. I always ask for the basic thermal suite and they write up a separate ticket for that (their pre-filled tickets are all for the Deluxe Thermal Suite). 

 

For thermal suites on big ships, there are shower gel and shampoo in the public showers (next to hydrotherapy pool and next to saunas) as well as the showers in the locker rooms. 

 

But where are people USING these scrubs?  Is it just when they shower afterwards (so it really has nothing to do with the thermal suite?)

Glad to hear there is shampoo and shower gel.

6 minutes ago, eileeshb said:

the upsell happens if you do any treatments like getting a massage or something. They will try to sell you various Elemis products. Thankfully I haven't had any sales pitches while I was in the Thermal Spa.

I honestly can't remember if there was conditioner in the locker room showers, I tend to bring my own as I've found too many bulk products have ingredients that I'm allergic to. 

No, that is a different upsell.

What I'm talking about is many people reported that the thermal spa pass costs more online because it "comes with" scrubs.  I'm just wondering where people are using these scrubs.  I've already purchased my pass, so not worried about the upsell. Just like a good scrub 🙂

They charge a high price to limit demand. If it was $10 the number of complaints they would get about how it was all booked would be massive.  People would be pissed, because they want to be on the tour and can't be. 

But for $129- no thanks, I'll pass.

People complain on message boards and in their groups that it is too expensive, but they aren't necessarily going to guest services to do that.  If it continually books up at this price, expect it to go higher. They are going to charge whatever they can still sell the spots for. 

17 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

The cruise lines are in business to make a profit. 

How does giving away free  upgrades contribute to profit?

I'm not saying they SHOULD do it. Just that OF COURSE the purpose of bidding is to get the most money out of people. 

However, free upgrades contribute to profit, if analysis shows that for a particular cruise higher level rooms are not selling, but this is still demand for lower level rooms- moving people from booked, but in-demand, rooms to the rooms that have a lower demand means they can resell the room.  Cruiselines used to do this all the time.  But then they figured out upgrade bidding, so now they figured out a way to make people pay for the upgrade, AND are able to resell the lower level in-demand room.   

On 1/3/2023 at 2:03 PM, SeaShark said:

 

FOR THE RECORD: I'd like to point out that in my post above (and also in post #5 of this thread), I've plainly accused NCL of manipulating people through the bid process just to get more money out of them. Clearly these statements are NOT something supportive of the cruise line, yet many people on this forum still try to label me as a "cheerleader". 

Is there actual evidence they say you've been outbid when you haven't?

Otherwise, I have always assumed the purpose of bidding was to get the most possible money out of people. If they really just wanted to free up lower price cabins to resell them, they could upgrade people, get this, FOR FREE.  

I keep reading that if you buy the thermal spa pass onboard they try to upsell you with some salt scrubs. Where in the thermal suite are people using these?  I love a good sugar scrub, so might consider bringing my own.

Is there shampoo/body wash in the showers in the thermal spa locker rooms so that you can get cleaned up after using the spa?  I'm going to press my luck, conditioner?

27 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

So the thermal suite should be closer to $336 USD/week ($48/day). That was what the rate was two weeks ago on the Encore. They spa girls were really pushing $386 as the rate (which is the Deluxe Thermal Suite pass - which includes 3 containers of oily, salt scrubs). 

 

In the past, there has not been a big problem in the Thermal Suite, but we normally go later in the day or early in the morning (not mid-day). The Encore itinerary has many "virtual sea days" like Juneau day and Victoria day where you get in to port late. Those days can be more crowded. 

The rate on the website was $379, which is $54 a day. So I did my math wrong, but it's higher than I e typically seen quoted. 

Where in the spa suite can you use scrubs? I don't like salt scrubs, but that makes me want to bring a sugar scrub...

I am cruising solo in two weeks, and decided to splurge on the Thermal Spa Pass. I've seen a lot of people post various ships that had much lower rates, but it was about $60 per day, so to me, that is quite high; a very big splurge.

Now I am really second guessing this... I see some people say the thermal suite is the best part of the ship and a must do, and others say that it is so crowded in Alaska that it is a total waste of money.

So...add your vote? Will it be so impossible to get a spot in the pool or a lounger to make it not worth it?

What times of day are typically more or less crowded? 

I am usually what I call "cruise card zero", where I spend NO money onboard, so something like this is a lot... I'm just really scared of having regrets.

15 minutes ago, eileeshb said:

#1 freshly squeezed/pressed juices are not included except for breakfast but processed/bottled juices that they have at the bars for mixing drinks are included, hence the seeming contradiction.

Oh, I know fresh squeezed juices are not.  But the difference is that the word juice literally doesn't appear on the website, but does in the app.   (The app I think actually says bar juices)

19 hours ago, Girr said:

I believe MSC charges $61 a day for their beverage easy package; whereas NCL FAS gratuity charge is $21. I’d say MSC can easily absorb the VAT. I’d much prefer paying $21 and a few dollars in VAT. 

Or you you can also book an MSC rate that includes the easy plus package, and then pay NO additional gratuities.  

No different than some NCL rates include FAS, and others people pay to add FAS. FAS is not free, it is included in the cost. Same as when MSC include easy plus in the cost.  (It raised our fare this summer about $5 a day vs. booking without it, but we also got to choose our cabin, and a few other things for the Fantastica experience vs Bella which did not include the drink package.)

Cruise pricing is up because demand is there.  LOTS of people want to cruise, and ships are selling out at these high prices, with the lower level of service.  There is no reason a cruise line would increase service or reduce pricing when the market is telling them that the premium prices they are charging are appropriate. 

When cruising was cheaper than a land vacation, it was because there was less demand for it. When service was premium, it was because that was how the lines had to be to attract customers. 

If you, and everyone else, stop buying at the price, they will come back down or the offerings will change to bring more value.

7 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Just connect to the ship's wifi. You will be able to use the NCL app and connect to a limited number of sites without logging onto the internet. 

 

Putting out a few text updates a day is a good use of your time. 

 

Maintaining a live post like the one above takes me about 5-8 hours a day while on vacation. Uploading photos is very slow and there are times when everyone is on the wifi that getting to the internet is very painful. And there is the time it takes to collect stuff the post. I take 2500-3000 photos and screen captures per cruise and have to sift through them to build the live post.  

Thanks for your comments!

No, I do not plan to do a live review to rival yours.  More updated while I am on the ship, the days events, food, menus; but not every thing about the ship.  So it's useful for cruise critic members; but also, a way for my family to check in, since I won't be able to call the kiddos.

(I do plan to take a few thousand photos, that's pretty typical for us on a cruise. Got a memory card a day ready!)

5 hours ago, Tutone56 said:

She does not work for the government and wouldn't be affected by a shutdown.  Just wanted to know if booking a last minute cruise would possibly be less expensive.

Possibly. But it could be the other side too- no rooms to be had.  Some cruises the rates go through the roof as the sailing approaches. (Maybe they drop them at  the very very end, but the pre 9/11 show up at the cruise dock and ask if there are rooms left is long gone.)