Lookingforfacts

The original itinerary allowed pax to cruise with a birth certificate and license. The new itinerary requires a passport. Required a Cuban passport if a US citizen was born in Cuba.

Not good for pax who booked a relatively inexpensive trip which didn't require a passport.

Passport and visa will be a significant expense for pax who booked inexpensive cabins.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2554

Travel Agents can book the exact same deals you get booking directly with the cruise lines. Some, many, TAs share some of their commissions via credits, paying for gratuities, special meals, rebates.....TAs aren't generally allowed to publicly actually discount the actual fare.

Some large TAs have special group bookings. Those offers include special pricing and a variety of included extras. Those deals aren't generally available from other TAS or directly from the cruise line. They might replace some of the extras otherwise offered by the cruise line. You might not be able to upgrade cabin type or upgrade amenities. You may, or may not, be able to pay an upcharge to up an included soda package to an adult beverage package.

A few TAs have booking fees, change fees and cancellation fees over and above any cruise line charges. Not common but check

The Insider credit is an OBC & has nothing to do with the deposit for the cruise.

I know. I was (at least I thought I was) clarifying which of the promotions is scheduled to end tonight.

The $50 deposit is scheduled to expire tonight.

If a cabin is occupied by one pax eligible for the insider credit and one who isn't will the credit be $50 or $100?

I'll call my TA later today.

Is it per cabin or per pax ? Two latitude pax share a cabin is the credit 100 or 200? If one passenger in the cabin qualifies and the other doesn't is the credit the full 100 or is it reduced to 50?

A couple of posters got it right. OPs TA booked a group cruise through a (consolidator, wholesale,...whatever) tour operator.

Group bookings are "negotiated". Years ago a poster offered details on Princess, I suspect NCL is similar. Based on the number of cabins booked, and other factors, determines how much money can be "allocated" to extras. It can be used for extra free cabins for the organizer, lower the rate, on board credits, specialty dining, drink packages or even tips. Years ago the only way to get a drink package was through group bookings.

The OP got exactly what they paid for. They were never promised free drinks and didn't get free drinks. It's not fair to compare (after final payment/fire sale pricing) with what they paid. They got a good deal if the price they paid offered value compared with what NCL was charging, with the freebies, at the time of booking. Cruise air, transfers and cruise hotel rooms aren't always the best deal. Sometimes a package, costing more then buying everything individually, is worth it for convenience.

How many people who skip "free drink plan" if you had the option of booking the cruise for $80 less per day?

Always been that way. Cruise lines can make 50℅ on shore excursions, with no liability. Great deal for the cruise line. Some people think the cruise line looks to see who vendor gives the guest the best possible experience. Others think it's basically put out to bid, whoever offers the excursion for the lowest price gets the contract.

Is GSC often skipped in August?

And none of that is relevant to this case.

 

The reality is the Bahamian Court will have no complaining victim present, no evidence and no witnesses. Gagne will have to spend time in jail waiting for all this to work out then go back to Canada.

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A PP already said murder cases are tried without a complaining victim. Statements taken by the police are probably all they need.

I'll agree with your conclusion, I suspect some kind of deal will be worked out. I don't think Bahamas want to keep a foreigner in jail for this kind of crime.

Dude...You've watched too many episode of CSI and Law and Order SVU. We are talking about the Bahamas, here. And they have no evidence or witnesses.

You can't have it both ways. Assume US type of trial and DNA evidence will make for a quick conviction. Assume Bahamas trial and statements made by kid and "rapist" to the police will make for a quick conviction.

Hopefully she can get a good enough lawyer to negotiate some kind of deal.

It's not that complicated. The "victim" is under 16. It sure sounds like the 23 year old's initial statement indicated the kid was 18 and agreed to sex. If so the kids testimony isn't needed. They have a confession. If not they can run a DNA test on bodily fluids in and around her body. Definition of sex is far broader then what was used by a former US President. Again the kids testimony isn't needed.

Two wheels---you don't need to speak fluent English to order a drink or proposition a fellow passenger. You certainly need an interpreter if you're going to trial.

I guess I have a double standard. My first impulse is to think the kid "got lucky". The 23 year old thought she was having sex with an 18 year old. Legally she's wrong but my first thought was his mother should have let it slide.

I'd probably have a different opinion if it was a 15 year old girl. Who was drinking with a 23 year old man and then had sex in a bathroom.

There is no evidence the kid was drinking. The source is the mother of the "rapist". She wasn't on the ship and has no first hand knowledge.

Everyone on the Sky drinks free. Do the bartenders ask to see, or swipe, cards?

A cruise out of Vancouver is likely to have calmer seas and better scenery. Alaskan cruises tend to be more about the ports then the ship.

What coffee maker, if any, is in balcony stateroom in the GEM?

I did read your entire post and at the end I read this...

 

She deserved to be arrested, and I only hope they make her pay a fine (maybe from her sales bonus!!), and let her go home.

 

The boy? His Mom needs a shorter leash.

 

A shorter leash is what you call punishment?

 

Sorry, but the teen's mother deserves to be arrested if the 23 years deserved to be arrested.

Having sex with someone under 16 is a crime in the Bahamas, and many states in the US. Lying about your age to a potential sex partner isn't a crime. A mother who reports an adult who engaged in statutory rape against her son isn't committing a crime.

Do I think the 15 year old is a victim. No but my opinion, and your opinion, is irrelevant. The law is clear.

The mother and son didn't violate laws and don't deserve arrest.

Google Luis Polonio, former baseball player. It's the responsibility of the adult to make sure of the age of his sex partner.

Not to make light of this but how many guys read that story and thought "damn, why did that never happen to me". :D

The kid is considered a crime victim. Not to make light but if he was a few months older he wouldn't be a crime victim. Some people would think he was lucky and had a great cruise.

The kid was hanging out in an adult area, looks 18 and said he was 18. The age of consent in the Bahamas is 16. The woman is in jail because the kid was 15, had he reached his 16th birthday the 23 year old wouldn't be in jail.

Posters seem to think the magic age is 18. The kid said he was 18 which gave the "seducer" 2 year of age fudging.

Nothing would have happened if the kids mother hadn't complained.

I don't know if the kid was drinking. Hanging out with a 23 year old at a bar. Certainly plausible the 23 year old ordered the drinks. Can't you generally get 2 adult drinks at once on the booze plan? It doesn't really matter if the kid was drinking. The 23 year old is in (probably serious) trouble because she had sex with a teenager who was short of his 16th birthday.

All of those ads say "FROM" in the pricing. It all depends on the date. Your $249 cruise is there. It sails on March 8, 2017. That is the only week that price is offered, but it is offered.

Take the time to read the OP before posting. The $249 still shows up for March 8. The price jumps when you attempt to book it.

Assume $249 cabins are sold out, NCL has no business promoting them.

A poster in a frequent flyer forum said a person who's never missed a flight is a person who's wasted too many hours in airports through the years. You'll probably (greater then a 50% chance) make your flight.

FLL suggests arriving at the airport 2 hours before your flight. Your airline has some kind of quick bag drop and you have TSA pre clear, you can probably cut that to an hour. Allow an hour to get to the airport, 45 minutes if you feel lucky. That suggests leaving the port at 9:30 is cutting it extremely close but leaving at 8:15 is very reasonable. Can you get off the ship by 8:15? Probably most of the time. Which is worse, to you not us, the possibility of missing your flight or the certainty of wasting a few hours?

I'd go with a later flight but I respect people who put a high value on their time, are willing to race off the ship and through the airport and like the suspense of missing or making your flight. Passengers flying Southwest should assume missing their boarding group and getting left over middle seats. Passengers flying other airlines should accept the risks of losing their assigned seats.

This is the one I have:

 

http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F8M102/

 

I checked with Belkin via two different communication channels and was told both times this one does not have surge protection. It has a manufacturer's warranty against damage to electronics and though I didn't ask them about that, I suspect it's (as Chief notes) an over-voltage protection feature. I like it because the USB ports have a higher output charging capacity which charges devices a little more quickly than other USB chargers we have.

 

Edit: we have not taken this on a cruise yet so I don't know if ship security would have an issue with it or not. I suspect not.

It's just over 2A total power. It's enough to charge 2 phones at once. It's enough to charge a tablet by itself, but not enough to charge anything else with it.

Health care cards and stateside insurance cards are not necessary, as the insurance won't be accepted outside the US. Any care has to be paid up front, and then you file for reimbursement when you get home. EM

Of course they should bring at least a copy of their health care cards, front and back.

They could need medical treatment at a US Port, possibly including embarkation and debarkation port.

Serious medical condition, chances are evacuation to the United States will have to be coordinated with primary health insurance. There are extreme circumstances where your US health policy will prepay your expenses.

Spirit charges $2 to print a BP at a Kiosk and ,$10 if an agent prints it.

Printing a BP in advance may save you waiting on one extra line at the airport. May be helpful if you get, or want to change, your assigned seat. An advance BP might reduce the required arrival time at the airport.

Does anyone know if you are allowed to get the DoD in a souvenir cup if the price is under the $15 max?

Souvenir glass has an * next to it on the posted drink menus. Anyone who reads the disclaimer at the bottom of the page, after * knows the souvenir cup isn't included.

Hotels are normally priced per room, double occupancy. Cruise lines typically price pre/post hotel rooms per passenger. What initially looks like a decent hotel rate becomes a very high rate after you double it.

Usually everyone in the cabin has to buy the plan. You're not allowed to share drinks with pax not only the plan, even if you haven't consumed whatever you think your quota is.

Reasons to purchase include number of sea days and possible inclusion of non adult beverages. The plan might include soft drinks, bottled water and specialty coffees.

Consumer protection laws are different (weaker) in the US vs Europe. We're used to items advertised as "free", but with an *. Free box spring (with a mattress purchase, free cell phone (with a bunch of terms)....NCL offers a free drink package, as long as you pay a service charge. I kind of agree it's not free but offered at a discount. We're used to looking for the * and finding out how much we'll have to pay for a "free" offer. I sort of agree it's not right calling it free, however that's they way things are allowed to be marketed in the US.

In some states gratuity implies an optional fee for good service. That's why it's called a service fee. A service fee doesn't have to be optional. An automatic tip or gratuity is subject to dispute (for bad service). A fee labeled as a service charge not as much.