tomk3212

You can always turn the FAS drink package down. While DW & I aren't teetotalers we figure for the small amount of drinks we have on a typical cruise it's just not worth the $$ we'd spend on just the gratuities. So we always turn down the FAS package for alcoholic beverages. The Specialty Dining gratuities are around $25 so we go with them. My 2 cents.

Lots of times we’ll have dinner in the MDR or specialty restaurant, skip dessert, go to a show, and then have dessert up in the garden buffet. Sometimes even a second Mini dinner if we’re that hungry or there’s something really good up there, like prime rib. have fun and enjoy yourselves!

🤐 Good one!!! ROTFLMAO!!

Just tell your server that you have a reservation for SIX at 7PM. They'll take it from there & get you out in time. Have a good meal & enjoy SIX.

The pool(s) and sometimes the outside hot tubs on the same deck might also be closed off due to rough seas. We've been on two TAs (one on Epic) and we've seen this happen a couple of times in April/May. So I can only imagine how much rougher the North Atlantic might be in late Fall. Sorry that your cruise on Epic got cancelled but maybe it was just as well! Don't necessarily go by the bad reviews! We've been on Epic once (this past May) and it has a lot of good points and a few 'bad's. In reading the reviews here on CC for Epic I think people either love it or hate it. We didn't love it but we also didn't hate it either.

Agree! I sometimes miss the days when you handed people an envelope with cash on the last night. But then you also had folks who purposely 'stiffed' these people so now we have the DSC. HOWEVER...my problem with the DSC is where is this $$ actually going to? Ditto the 18.5% 'service charge' on bar bills & such. I have NO problem tipping these folks!!! My issue is that there should be some sort of accountability from EVERY cruise line as to 1) How much DSC $$ was collected and 2) Where EXACTLY did this $$ go towards? My 2 cents...

We've never tipped for laundry service & we've been Platinum for quite some time. We DO give our room steward (who picks up/delivers the laundry) a tip on the first day and a second tip (dependent on how the service was) on the last or next-to-last day.

We were on Spirit back in late October/Early November 2006 from a Caribbean cruise. I forget the name but we were 'chased' all the way back to NYC by a hurricane. We, literally, got bounced out of our bed(s) (Inside cabin, too!) around 0200 & spent the rest of the night/morning up in the Spinnaker Lounge watching the storm through the windows along with 100-150 other 'new best friends' (aka fellow pax...lol). Got into NYC safe & sound although quite tired...

We've used the bidding process for the past 4 cruises & are batting .250; one bid for a upgrade to balcony was accepted, the others denied. So as the old gambler said, 'Youse pays youse money and you take youse chances'...lol Just remember if $$ is a consideration that if your bid is accepted your CC is immediately charged & you MUST accept the upgrade.

I've had good, bad & very good experiences with our plethora (6 at last count...) of PCCs we've had in 20 years of cruising with NCL. My 'bottom line' is simply this; if they're helpful, use them. Otherwise ignore them & just book online using the website. We've booked both methods & haven't really noticed any great difference in the end. Our present PCC (Jonas) is quite good so we use him.

Hmmmm...in light of this I wonder if I should try them now for this claim? It's been 3 years but ya never know... For NCL we had to wait till July to get the $$ we paid back but they paid it back completely. They offered a FCC for 125% of what we paid but we decided to 'take the money & run'...lol For AA (American Airlines) I got a call from them in mid-May right after our return flight from Rome was 'officially' cancelled by them asking if I wanted the $$ back or a credit towards a future flight on AA. Naturally we took the money and ran...again. So Kudos to NCL & AA & a BIG Bronx cheer to Allianz!

Hey Judy, thanks a bunch! Glad to hear Allianz covered you 'and then some'... I'm not a big fan of them. We booked a TA on Encore in April 2020 that was ending in Rome/Civitavecchia. We had a 2-night hotel reservation in Rome that I used Allianz for the trip insurance. Everything got cancelled, due to the COVID outbreak, but we got ALL our $$ back from NCL & American Airlines. Allianz refused to cover the hotel. They 'weaseled' out of it by claiming they had issued a travel warning re: COVID in November 2019. It was only $300 but everybody else refunded the $$ we paid. Live and learn.

@ChiefMateJRK Thanks!!!

@BirdTravels Thanks again!!!

No, my father did; I was 15yo at the time & couldn't LEGALLY open anything...lol Anyway, my Dad was just ahead of his time. After all, Wells Fargo just got fined 1billion USD or so for opening THOUSANDS of bogus bank accounts.

I was looking if someone had some actual experience with a specific travel insurance provider; quality, price, what's covered, what's not, etc. etc. Yup, I know there are separate CC forum(s) for this subject but since this thread is on this topic I figured I'd ask here.

WOW!!! Thanks for bringing this up! My late Dad & I have the same name but my birth certificate does NOT have a 'Junior', 'Jr' or 'JR' on it so my LEGAL name is the same as his. So far, so good, right? When I got old enough to have a bank account (savings then checking) my Dad INSISTED that I use a 'JR" even though that wasn't my legal name. So my BANK accounts have a 'JR" and my CREDIT CARDS have my legal name. TG I've always used my CC instead of my bank/ATM card for NCL charges! Otherwise I'd have probably had the same issues that you unfortunately had! Thanks for the heads-up!

A LOT of US insurance carriers do NOT cover medical issues beyond US shores (Aetna, for example). It's a consideration if you're still working, cruise frequently and have to choose medical insurance as part of your employment package. I'm rapidly approaching the age where Medicare will have to kick-in as my primary healthcare. If anyone has any suggestions on cruise insurance that covers medical also I'd be glad to har about it.

We've stayed in inside cabins on a bunch of the Jewel-class ships (see signature) and have never noticed one. Unless they've added them in the last refurb or two I'd say, 'No'...

Agree with www3traveler; check the tide tables for NY harbor for that day. I'd be willing to bet that Joy's sailing time is a 'slack' tide time whereas 4pm (1600) the tide might be at its height. We were on Breakaway once & were late getting to NY & had to wait at the Verrazano for the tide to ease up before proceeding upriver.

We sailed on the Joy recently & were not all that impressed with 'Footloose'. Agree that it DOES suck if you were looking forward to it & it was cancelled. Agree with shof515 that this appears to be a cast change. Hope you have a good cruise despite this cancellation.

@cruiservictor Glad that you had a good cruise despite getting off to a rocky start.

@cruiservictor OMG I felt so sorry for you at that time!!! As we were getting off we saw the THRONGS of people like you waiting to board & DW said to me, "You think WE'VE got it bad, imagine those poor people who had to wait for hours also!!!" What time did you get to the pier that day? Did NCL at least warn you via email/phone/whatever that we were delayed coming back?

@hallux Ah ha! As Johnny Carson used to say, “I did not know that!” 😃 Thank you & @BirdTravels for clarifying this!

@BirdTravels Hmmmmm…sounds logical & makes sense BUT howcum I was able to make the switch from 4 to 2 persons w/no difficulty whatsoever? I would think if they were “sold out” of tables-for-two they’d have given me a harder time making the switch. Ok I am Sapphire but still…