njhorseman

As both a former travel agency owner and a current client of a travel agent who is a high producer for your favorite premium line, I can tell you that your statement that I've quoted above is not always true. As a high producer for a mass market line, my agency earned high percentage commissions from that line. My current agent, who is a high producer for both your (and my) favorite premium line and my favorite mass market line also earns substantial commissions on the mass market line bookings and offers similar commission sharing percentages to me for both my mass market and premium line bookings. Obviously in terms of dollars of commission earned he earns more from the premium line because of the premium line's higher fares, but the percentages are not that far apart.

I don't recall seeing a single post on the NCL board complaining that the refunding of removed service charges only occurred after disembarkation. Nor have I heard anything like that from another passenger while on board . Since people complain about the most insignificant issues on a daily basis I find it unbelievable that refunds are only made after disembarkation . There would be continual howling about it, but just the opposite is true..not one person has mentioned anything of the sort...except you...someone who wouldn't cruise on NCL if they were paying you to do it. What evidence do you have to support your claim? I'm not interested in something that happened years ago, any more than I would give any credence to a 10 year old restaurant review. Something could have been true in the past but no longer is.

I suggest you read your own words which falsely claim that the process is difficult and can only be done after returning home. The process is easy. You fill out the form on board and your charges are adjusted. You're twisting the FAQ words to fit your narrative. I realize it's a total waste of time to discuss anything about NCL with you. For whatever the reason you have a long standing hatred of that cruise line and will say anything to knock it, whether your point has any foundation in fact or not. To boot your stereotyping of mass market cruise line passengers in general is nothing short of totally offensive.

Absolutely false. If you want to remove or reduce the daily service charge you go to the guest services desk on board and complete a form requesting removal or reduction of the service charge. https://www.ncl.com/faq#!#what-is-onboard-service-charge If there is a service issue can the service charges be adjusted on board?Guest satisfaction is the highest priority at Norwegian Cruise Line. We have structured a guest satisfaction program designed to handle any concerns about service or on-board product quickly and efficiently. However, in the event a service issue should arise during your cruise please let our on-board guest services desk staff know right away, so that we can address these in a timely manner. It is our goal to reach a satisfactory solution to any issue when it happens and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise. Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges.

@BirdTravelsanswered your question in post #128. I'll quote it: "

I fully understand that alcohol and shore excursions are the major inclusions, but it appears you're suggesting that Regent's allowance for business class air is comparable to O's allowance for coach air. I rather doubt that's the case. It doesn't matter that the free hotel isn't available for all cabin categories. For the categories that it is included it's built into the base fare, as the fact that it can be deleted for a credit proves. Obviously a one night hotel stay doesn't have a value that's in the thousands of dollars but it still has a value. I said that the land package is only on some cruises. Again, for cruises where it is included it has a value that is built into the fare. Just because you only want to count certain inclusions doesn't negate the fact that other inclusions have monetary value, and I don't need to have cruised on Regent to understand that. For a number of years I owned a travel agency that sold a fair amount of cruises, so I'm fairly certain I have a decent understanding of how the business works.

Regent also provides business class air for intercontinental flights. O uses coach. Regent provides a one night pre cruise hotel stay, O does not. Regent provides a pre or post cruise land program on some cruises. Oceania does not. It all adds up. You may want to dismiss it, but the all inclusive additions are significant. We consume very little alcohol, nor do we want to take the types of shore excursions that Regent presumably offers at no additional charge. Hence those inclusions are not something we wish to pay for. None of the above are relevant to my statement about the significant monetary value of Regent's all-inclusive structure. I never said that Regent might not be better in the above and other aspects of their product that may very well contribute to their higher fares.

A significant percentage of the higher fares are attributable to Regent being all-inclusive.

Since you're in Europe you're subject to different terms and conditions than someone who books in the US or Canada. Hence why I pointed out to @cruiseny4lifethat the terms and conditions they cited were from from the UK website rather than from the US or Canada. The OP is Canadian.

For a car service I recommend Carmel LImo (carmellimo.com) but an UberXL will probably be a bit cheaper.

Disagree about using Royal's transportation. They have 5 people in their group . The cruise line's transfers will be far more expensive than an Uber XL.

Maximum capacity of Uber X is four passengers. They'll need Uber XL for their party of 5 .

NCL announced it was removing their COVID requirements a few days before the Court of Appeals overturned the lower court ruling that blocked Florida from enforcing the ban. NCL had won the original suit in 2021. The Court of Appeals ruling came at a time when cruise lines had already made the business decision to remove their COVID protocols so the ruling was essentially irrelevant...at that point it was, as they say in the law, moot.

O has now adopted the COVID policy that has been used by its corporate sibling, NCL, for the past couple of months.

It's similar to the need to know why a ship still hasn't left port at it's scheduled departure time. 😏 I wish I had a dollar for every thread I've seen that starts "The (fill in the name of any ship) was supposed to depart at 4:30 and it's 4:55 but the ship is still in port" as if that signaled the possible start of a nuclear holocaust. People seem to have nothing better to do.

You're linking to and quoting the UK site (which says 18 and over, not 19 and over). Here's the US site and I don't see any mention of a minimum age . https://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/beverage-packages Unlimited Starbucks® Package $12.95 USDper person per day ITEM #: STBXP Whether you need to kick-start your morning or you’re looking for a post-dinner nightcap, you’ve got the perfect brew. Includes everything from classic coffees and teas to the delicious Frappuccino® favorites and other specialty beverages you love. Prepaid @ $12.95 USD per person per day x Cruise Days plus 20% gratuity and beverage service charge. A 20% gratuity and beverage service charge will be added at checkout.

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Direct_Guest_Reservation_Transfer_Form.pdf "IMPORTANT: Bookings may be transferred to a Travel Agent up to 14 days from creation, if the request is made outside of Final Payment period. For new reservations booked within final payment period, that are paid in full, transfer requests can be processed if the request is received within 7 or less days of final payment application. If the transfer request involves a change in currency, we cannot accommodate a transfer. If your reservation meets the required criteria and you would like to transfer your reservation, please complete this form. Transfer request must be sent by one of the guests on the reservation to Norwegian. When emailing the form to us at Dispatch@ncl.com, please copy your travel partner for their reference."

All Windstar ships.

When Crystal resumes service in 2023 under its new ownership their ships will also be able to use the original locks.

All Silversea ships.

All Viking Ocean ships can use the original locks.

All Regent Seven Seas ships can use the original locks.

All the Oceania ships can use the original locks: Insignia Nautica Regatta Sirena Marina Riviera

In four NCL cruises I've taken that called on Puerto Vallarta not one had ship time differ from port time, but as I stated I have been on two or three NCL cruises where this was done in at least one port. Just because it differed on one particular cruise does not guarantee it will differ on any subsequent cruises. How time changes are handled is at the discretion of the ship's master. It also would not surprise me if the general manager provides input to the captain as to whether the ship should follow local time.

I said I've had it happen two or three times. How is that insisting it doesn't happen ?