burm

Is anyone aware of the maximum about of OBC one can buy? We recently purchased 20 x $100 OBC with no issues but now it will not let us purchase anymore. It stated that the item cannot be delivered on the date requested. We have tried numerous other dates also with no luck. Any thoughts? Yes, WE ARE CANADIAN....

I have purchased more than $2,000 over the phone. I, too, wonder if there is a maximum. Unfortunately. I ran out of money before I reached the limit. LOL.

I've not read that the OBC will be reversed to a CC - only refunded in cash (less than $50) or a USD cheque mailed (more than $50).

I was told by 3 different NCL reps that this is their custom. I am thinking that perhaps the people who were mailed the US cheque do not have a $US credit card in addition to the Canadian one with which they booked.

I was also assured that I would have no problem cashing out my OBC during the cruise by paying an extra 3% (still a bargain for those of us who booked months ago at a great exchange rate). Many have mentioned doing this in the casino, but I was told that one could do it at the main reception desk as well. All perfectly kosher and above board. No need to pretend you intend to gambol it away.

When we check in on board the ship, I will be sure to give them my US card.

I am sure you are going to do this, but when you check in for boarding on the ship, you will give them your US charge card (as opposed to a Cdn one) and therefore I assume they would then credit back to your US card any surplus onboard credit you have purchased and not use.:rolleyes:

Exactly. :)

No.

 

:( Thanks.

Does the UBP include the drinks in the cabin fridge?

Thanks Mike, yep found that and mine is the new rate of 13.50 so doesn't really appears to be any benefit.

If you got a conversion rate of 13.50 you are still far ahead of the game. When is your cruise?

We paid 1.11 conversion and have pre-paid gratuities, restaurants, purchased more OBC than we will ever need and booked one ship excursion which will be cheaper than even a private excursion considering the excellent rate.

For Canadians, pre-paying at an old rate can save them a huge amount. Anyone booking now will not get such a deal.

I purchased more OBC yesterday and was once again assured that at the end of the cruise, the balance could be placed on my $US credit card. (I paid in Canadian at 1.11) My credit card company told me that I can cash out any outstanding credit if there is no balance on my account. This money can then be added to my $US bank account with no extra conversion charge. Sweet. I will keep the money in the US account until our dollar eventually bounces back.

burm, not sure how you will feel about this but we are delighted that those teak original lounges and chairs (Titanic) on "our" deck have been replaced with this more modern and unquestionably more comfortable ensemble...

 

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag158/ONT-CA/dscn2910_zps0rxmofqm.jpg

As long as they don't take away my dance floor, I have no strong feelings about the specific type of deck lounges. However, like you, I would generally lean towards comfort and function.

I am quite sure that this year on the Sun, I will envy you your 3 closets.

Hi all!

Did you see this about balconies being added to Crystal?

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6685

I can't even imagine that!

 

Now, that is interesting. I can't wait to hear what they have done to "our" balcony, Ron.

Michael, do you have an aft balcony? If so, which floor? I see that a number of your pictures show the wake.

We did get mango meltdowns at almost every bar we went to during the day.

Do some bars have more extensive menus for mixed cocktails than others or do you have to know what to ask for?

A mango meltdown sounds yummy, but if it is not on a displayed menu, I would never remember to ask for it by February.

Would it be frowned on for us to order wine from a quiet bar and carry it into the dining room?

When we were staying at our favourite Casa Particular in Old Havana post cruise, there was a young couple there whose father and uncle were staying in the Nacional. The father said that while the public areas were quite grand, their room was quite dismal. He was hoping that after their journey around the island, they could also stay in the Casa, which he found to be more comfortable and welcoming. That says a lot, especially considering that he paid about 10 times what we did.

To our way of thinking, staying with a local family is almost always more pleasant than staying in a hotel. It is the best possible way to get to know a country. You might not always like what you see, but it will be an educational experience.

Your first learning experience in Cuba is to see how they put up with shortages. These experiences make us feel grateful for what we have, impressed by how resourceful the Cubans are and how they help each other out (when we had car trouble, many strangers stopped to offer help) and many times we had to laugh at some of the solutions to these shortages.

I highly recommend the Casas Particulares for anyone going early, but there is no need to stay in a hotel for the ship's overnighter. You can't beat the location of the dock.

That video is very well done. I had to smile to see the old man again with his donkey in Trinidad. I recently saw him on another travelogue as well.

And Vinales, oh, what a gorgeous place. A stunningly beautiful time machine.

How exactly would you define formal ( for ladies)? Does it have to be sequins? Or couture? how about a long black skirt? Heels? Or flats? Or dress pants? Where is the fine line between formal and smart casual?

 

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There is more than a fine line between formal and smart casual - it is more like a chasm. :D

I appreciate the feedback. I understand I won't really be able to see and do a lot, but the more I dig into my planning the more I'm realizing just how little it allows time for! I'm definitely concerned that these two stops are so brief. We are thinking of doing the Baths excursion in Tortola thru NCL. We had planned to just do our own thing in San Juan, I just fear we'll spend more time aimlessly trying to figure things out than anything else (hence the planning now).

Definitely do the Baths excursion through NCL. They are very special to see and the ship will always wait for their own excursions if they are late. You can't possibly go there on your own with so little time.

We choose our cruises for the ports, and do not appreciate these short days when they happen. A full day gives lots of interesting options, half days are incredibly limiting.

Depending on when our flight leaves we start packing either the night before the flight or if it is an afternoon flight we pack the morning of the flight. It doesn't matter how long the cruise is, packing schedule is always the same. I simply don't understand all this packing early concept.

Just curious - are you a man? Packing is so much easier for men. Sigh.

We only cruise once a year, always mid-winter. As we always try to go somewhere warm to escape our freezing temps and snow, I have to search for clothes that have not been worn in months. Then I have to check that they have not been outgrown since summer. ;) I try to start the process a few weeks early, because by January I have pretty much forgotten what I have in my summer wardrobe. Finally, again because these summer items have been sitting in depths of a storage area for months, they need to be freshened before packing.

As to buying anything that you have forgotten, that is not always easy in some ports, and the ships carry a very limited supply of goods for purchase. I once wasted hours trying to purchase dental floss because there was none left on the ship.

All this being said, if I received a phone call saying that I had won a free cruise but I must be ready for pickup in 30 minutes, I could do it!

Thanks for that burm. Here is what I found on Google;

 

https://www.google.ca/search?q=casa+de+la+trova+santiago+de+cuba&biw=1162&bih=807&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAmoVChMIhayIyu2LyQIVy6keCh0cIgQG

 

(I bet a beer will be more than 1 CUC this season.) :D

And I bet the Cubans don't even pay 1 CUC. But it was definitely a local hangout. For the hour or more that we were there chatting with everyone, we were the only foreigners. I bet it is really a lively spot at night.

You could have the tour bus drop you off in the main square of Santiago, Parque Céspedes, and when finished exploring and soaking in the atmosphere, just walk downhill towards the port. It would be hard to get lost.

From the main square you can head over to the nearby Casa de la Trova to listen to wonderful musicians while drinking 1 CUC beer. The locals sing along with the musicians and try to con you into buying drinks. There is no cover charge for the small room downstairs, you only have to tip a CUC or so to the musicians, who are well worth it. This is a fabulous place to mingle with the locals and people watch. We could have spent hours here.

What is the most anyone has bought via OBC to cash out while they are on their cruise:rolleyes: Just curious and did you encounter any difficulties/daily limits in cashing this out.

I would like to know that, too. We have a few excursions to pay in $US, and it would be nice to know that I could count on cashing out in the casino. I really need to know in advance, as we have to pay the guides in cash.

It is available on the Sun. It does NOT work well at all. We had to initialize it over and over, text messages were slow, 30 minutes to deliver. Calling from phone to phone did not work. We did have the $7.95 per phone charge reversed with no argument or problem so they know it does not work. We were told there were technical problems working with android and we could not make dining reservations because of that. On Getaway it worked great, Sun, not so much.

Thanks for the confirmation.

It is still new to the Sun, so hopefully they will work the bugs out soon.

NCL tech support emailed me back to confirm that there is now iconcierge on the Norwegian Sun.

I just called NCL tech support and asked if iconcierge were already available on the Sun. At first he said no, but when I told him that it was listed on their official website, he said that he would contact the ship directly to ask. He said he should call back by Tuesday or Wednesday to let me know the correct answer.

I do not believe that iconcierge app is available on The Sun until after Her dry dock next Spring.

It is now included on the available list on NCL's site.

My wife said, if I knew my boobs would get all that, she wonders if she was completely nude, if she would have received a free cruise.

DH heard a knock on the door as he was standing naked directly in front of it. Before he had a chance to open his mouth, the steward opened the door and got a full frontal from mere inches away.

When I tell DH your story, he will be hurt that he was not considered worth flowers and cookies, let alone a free cruise. :D

On another occasion, I hid in the closet when the butler entered the suite. To torment me, DH extended what should have been a very brief conversation. As the butler passed the closet to leave the cabin, he paused in front of the closed door and said loudly, "Good-bye Mrs X."