kismetique

Our recent cruise was booked in my name, the credit card was in my husband's name. No problems. I failed to add the card (NCL CC) to the account for my 3rd passenger before the cruise. We get to check in and the lady STILL forgets to add the card to the 3rd person, my daughter. She said, just go do it before the last day. On the last day I go and tell her to put the 3rd person's charges on the same card for the whole room. Ahhhh NO, can't do that Miss. You'll need the card... Which is with my husband somewhere on the ship. I said, ok, no problem... You can figure out how to charge her then, I guess mail her a bill! Hahaha My conceige brought me the bill later and low and behold all her charges were on my husband's card! So totally opposite from OPs experience. That's crazy.

I'll be on the NCL Dawn in November and we have 2 stops in Egypt as well. The stop in Safaga is an overnight!

And we all know how strict they are on blanket policies! 🤣 Supposedly door decor is no longer allowed...but I had 3 birthday banners on our doors as well as I saw many others with decor. Nothing over the top and mine weren't either - just put on with strong magnets. But it sure helps find that cabin after 2 flights of Whiskey Sampling! Thanks for the info - I'll know for next year! This was our first cruise in 15 years - (kids had said they hated doing them so we stopped) - suddenly it was their idea again! SO MUCH has changed!

Oh, I had no idea. We've always had them opened on previous cruises. It all worked out just fine. We would just peer over the railing to visit and look in each other's rooms to see if they were still asleep first thing in the morning. 😳

No, he would never come with the square key to open them. We sussed by the end of the cruise, we could have unlocked them ourselves with some ingenuity, but for some reason we still never did. I think the parents enjoyed the children being separated while on the balcony, not sure if they ever figured out they could go inside the room and out to the other balcony or not!!! 🤣

Back from the Jewel and very pleased to report my poems (or maybe it was just the greenbacks) did the trick! I got all 8 of us priority tender off the ship and the concierge allowed us all to sit as a group in the balcony for the shows. Additionally, he made reservations for us at Cagney's for 8 one evening - although we were NOT impressed enough to even go to the second specialty dining room. We ate at the Palace MDR and requested Daisy each evening. She asked the Hostess to hold a table of 8 for us each evening. She gave great suggestions and would bring alternate dishes - just in case! When she saw us at the top of the stairs, she would go ahead and order our drinks. It was like having the old style servers from days gone by. She was wonderful - we tipped her well. The Butler was less accommodating, however, we didn't really ask for anything special from him. He decorated the room for the birthdays and served breakfast in the room each morning, but would only bring just enough food for 3 (in his opinion). We are hearty eaters and would have appreciated getting the cut fruit along with our omelet's, but I guess he decided we needed to be on a diet. He was not a very good Butler as I had to tell him each day that I wanted the same exact drinks as the day before. I had asked that one evening dinner be served in our cabin for the birthday celebration with a cake - instead I received the cake the first night with the decorations when we returned from dinner. He kept saying - Madame - I read your letter. So his English was not very good and there is the problem with my poem, I suppose. All in all, it was a great trip and we got pretty much everything we wished for. It took me a whole day to get the doors unlocked between cabins and we never managed to get the balcony door unlocked....Oh well - you can't have it all! Priority Embarkation was embarrassing and since my children decided not to wait on us to check in (we didn't use priority check in trying to stay with them) - they had to wait in line while we were paraded past everyone with me apologizing all along the way. However, we didn't get priority debarkation and were met with a very rude woman trying to swim past everyone in line claiming she had paid a lot of money to be the first off the ship! I laughed at her and said - so did I, but I'm no better than these other people and neither are you - get behind me sister! She scoffed at me and told me there was no way I could afford such expensive cabins...so my daughter whipped out her pink/purple cabin card and the woman put her nose up in the air and said - whatever - people like me were keeping her from enjoying her cruise. Some people! I swear.

Of course I could have, but choose not to, with the knowledge that I didn't even know that we would eat in ANY specialty restaurants, due to the makeup up the group. I find it to be a wash since we ate in only 1. There actually was a different planned trade off in place for the meal from one of the other rooms that didn't work out as planned. Ppl do things for all kinds of silly reasons. Could I have saved money? Yes, but I might also have spent $100 needlessly had we not eaten there. I really don't see $100 or even $200 as an issue. I threw larger sums than that to my Butler and Conceige, even Daisy in the MDR got more than that... It wasn't about the money. It was about the treatment I received even AFTER assuring everyone I was fine to pay for the meal. It was absurd for a line that claims to treat their suite/haven guests as VIPs. Why does anyone care how much I spend? I seemed to be the only who who didn't. 🙄

I don't eat oysters so I have no clue and could have misunderstood the issue with them. I was at the other end of the table and we didn't speak of the meal after we left Cagney's, other than agreed as a group to for-go the second specialty dining. We called at 4:00 to cancel the 6:45 reservation and was told we had missed our time slot and could no longer eat there. Ok.

Shouldn't the waiter then query you about the sauces? My husband's steak was so dry he asked for chimichuri, but never received it. I don't like ANYTHING on my steak but seasoning, and also couldn't even put salt on it, as the grinder was out of salt crystals. We asked for more but service was so slow, it arrived when the desserts were served. I just cannot imagine why you would ruin such a beautiful piece of meat by not seasoning it before packing for sous-vid or before searing it. If it were cooked on a wood fired grill, maybe you could get flavor from the fire, but that's not the case here.

My daughter was the 3rd in our suite and I just couldn't bring myself to buy the specialty dining package for her and decided I would just pay, in case we never made it to a specialty restaurant. We had the conceige get us reservations and from the moment we arrived, I was berrated about one of our party not having the package. I assured the hostess, I understood and would pay. No problem at all and it was fine. Multiple times this had to be conveyed. Once we sat, the waiter started in on me about the issue. I was tempted to stand up and announce to the entire restaurant my daughter has no dining package and we will be paying full price for her meal. 🤣 It was absurd. We all put our orders in and waited and waited and waited. Sitting right by the kitchen I could see the appetizers ready to be served, but our waiter kept flitting about the room.. despite having to use the conceige to get the reservations, the restaurant was NOT terribly busy. Finally, the appetizers made their way to the table. The shrimp were slimy and a bit limp. The crab cake was good and it was served the correct temp. I heard the oysters were boiled, not raw as is customary... But that was at the other end of the table of 8, so I'm not positive on that issue...I just know they were not consumed. I and several others had the lobster bisque. I swear it was an instant brown gravy mix with 5 lobster bits and it was barely luke warm. The waiter kept putting his hand on the bottom of the bowl to check the temp, but never did anything about the lack of warmth. It was strange. The ceaser salad was just ok. My husband said the balsamic dressing on his wedge salad was tasteless. None of the steaks were prepared with ANY seasonings, although they were cooked to perfection, eating a rare piece of extremely tender meat without any seasoning was disappointing. The salt shaker was empty and although we asked to have it refilled, we didn't receive it back until the dessert showed up. The baked or grilled tomatoes were hard as a rock. The mushrooms were a variety and the shitaki's were chewy. The mashed potatoes tasted like instant. The only dessert that anyone raved over was the chocolate cake. The rest seemed to be of the MDR quality. My daughter ordered basically what every one else did and her bill was $108. That meal simply was no where near worth $108. I would have been ok paying $55 for it, no more. Food was not up to par on that cruise. We finally found "our" server in the Palace MDR and fell in love with her. Tipped her extremely well and said we'll be back the rest of the cruise. She had the hostess hold a table of 8 in her section each night and as soon as she saw us at the stairs, she ordered our drinks. She made wonderful suggestions and brought alternative dishes to the table... Just in case. She treated the 2 children in our party like royalty bringing them over the top desserts. She was like the old style servers getting to know the guests and visiting with us on a personal level. She made out quite well as each family tipped graciously each and every meal she served us. If anyone is interested, her name was Daisy in the Palace MDR. She's the best server on that ship.

Just got off the Jewel on Sunday and I found these little viles of bubbles with their own wand on Amazon. 100 for $9 or something. If they spilled, it might be a half teaspoon. I bought them, put them in a ziplock in my bag. No problems at any security port. These viles made lots of these little bitty bubbles and we all had a great time blowing them. I brought them for my grandkids but the adults ended up having more fun with them. We blew them in the room and off the balcony. I never found any dots of soap residue. Great fun! Take the bubbles and blow them to your hearts content!!!

We just got off the Jewel doing the Mexican Riviera and got 4x points. I had no idea I was going to get those points...I was expecting 14, but got 28!

My daughter just sailed with us on the Jewel as the 3rd. I just couldn't bring myself to buy her a dining package, as I wasn't sure how things would shake out on our cruise as far as meals went. We went to Cagney's and the hostess and servers all made such a big deal out of the fact, it was embarrassing. I told the hostess I was fine paying full alacart prices.. No problems. I understood exactly how it worked. It was absurd at how they hammered me over the issue. The meal was AWFUL. The shrimp was slimy, the soup was brown gravy with lobster bits, and the steak was cooked to perfection without ANY seasoning whatsoever. We promptly cancelled our second specialty dining reservation and went to our regular waitress in the Palace MDR. On our next 20 day cruise, we will NOT be buying the dining packages.

We had problems on our way home off the Jewel this last Sunday the 24th. When I get confirmation of the tickets from NCL I always log into our airline accounts and add the tickets to our reward numbers. If the names aren't the same, it won't let you add them and sometimes the airlines will take care of it. American got us to San Diego just fine. But going home on Southwest was a different story. After 3 hours on the tarmac in Albuquerque, we couldn't make the connecting flight in Denver. Southwest at least issued vouchers and comped our rooms. Make sure you match those tickets to your rewards accounts to ensure there are no name snafus!

Just off the Jewel Sunday the 24th. We were in 11518. No tub, but a wonderfully huge shower with 3 windows, a rain head, 2 body heads, and a wand. Descriptions say queen bed, but ours was a king and so so so comfy! The second bath was small but not tiny. The shower was a stall with a corner toilet. The bed had a hump when made out, not the most comfortable. The balcony had 2 nice chairs, not loungers. The Butler was Felix and was acceptable, but had to be told each and every day that we wanted the same thing. He didn't ask when we wanted the birthday cake so had it the first day when we returned to the room after dinner. Tipped first day and last day... Likely too much for the service. He did want to please, but I don't want to tell you every day that I want the same thing. The concierge was Teo and was wonderful! We got everything we asked for, even over and above. Tipped first day and last day and would feel I hadn't tipped enough but we didn't get expedited debarkation (no biggy)... Ran into a rude woman who screamed to get out of her way, she paid a lot to get off quickly. I told her I had as well, but we were no better than the rest of the people waiting to get off. She called me a liar, that I couldn't afford a suite. 🤣 Some ppl!!! Food was not very good on this cruise. Azure host and servers were rude and disrespectful. Granddaughter went to sleep as entree was served and they charged my son and his wife $11 EACH to deliver the entree to the room!!! We were setting at a different table, or I would have grabbed them up and taken them myself! I should have called my Butler and told him to come get the entree's!!! We finally found Daisy in the Palace MDR and she gave wonderful suggestions, service, and would bring an alt... Just in case! She was an old style server, having our drinks already on the way once she saw us arrive and she also had the hostess save us a table each night, since we were a party of 8. She catered to the 2 children in our group bringing wildly over the top desserts! We tipped her extremely well and skipped our second specialty dining night, to dine with Daisy, as the first dinner in Cagney's was AWFUL. Shrimp was slimy, soup was brown gravy with lobster bits, steak cooked to perfection without any seasoning whatsoever. The 3rd guest in our room didn't have a dining package and it cost $108 for that meal. Totally not worth it! Have a great trip and enjoy that room... It's awesome and I'm missing that shower and view already!!!

Just off the Jewel on Sunday, the dinner menus in the MDR were the same as posted on professor cruises website. We only ate at Cagney's and it was truly awful. My daughter as a 3rd in our suite didn't have the dining package and it cost $108 for her to eat there. The food was FAR better in the MDR, so we decided to skip the second specialty restaurant all together. I'm not buying the dining package on the next cruise.

We took this train many years ago. I remember waiting quite some time at the little station for the train to arrive and the ride was wonderful. We arrived at the airport at 11pm, as the sun was barely setting. The Anchorage airport was the busiest airport I've ever seen at 2am when our flight left. The airport security was training their drug dogs and they kept circling around us and we couldn't decide if they thought we were mules or what. It was disconcerting. We got on the flight as the sun was already coming back up at 2am. The flight had many long term hikers that hadn't bathed in a month. Unfortunately I sat next to one and he was so wiggly trying to sleep, I thought about offering him a $100 if he could be still for 30 min!! The stewardess came through and shut all the window shades as the sun was extremely bright and most everyone was trying to sleep. Weirdly, I have fond memories of this trip home! Enjoy your train ride!

My cruise next month is in a 2 bedroom suite with 2 mini-suites booked next door. This cruise I'm trying to upgrade is in November. I was kicking myself that my cruise wasn't booked when I finally got through to him, I honestly think he would have tried to put me in the aft balcony - maybe he liked my voice or had a drink at dinner and was feeling generous! 🤣 I quizzed him heavily about being able to buy a OOV and he kept saying YES! Yes, yes! I can upgrade that to the highest balcony. Perhaps not, but that's what he said. The guy from NCL that booked the cruise also agreed with him and suggested I book the OOV. I've got plenty of time to switch things around and the cruise is not anywhere near sold out. The only reason I looked at this cruise was the sale price and hubby was looking over my shoulder and said...yes, please! Jeeze, I care nothing about Egypt, but....I'm tacking on my dream train ride through Italy to get to Istanbul...the long way! LOL So, I said sure! We don't drink and we are perfectly fine with main dining room and even an inside. But - for 19 days, a balcony would be nice if I can swing it...if not...no biggy. For the price difference, I'd take an inside over an OV any day. When I settle on a cabin, I'll report my score - or failure. 😉 Thanks!

At the time I called, I had not booked the cruise yet (I have now based on the employees suggestions). Here's what he told me... He was very nice and helpful. He said to book the lowest level OV...I said, even the Obstructed OV? Yes, absolutely he said. He said to call back after I booked and see if they could "slip" me in to an Aft Balcony, but definitely not the Club Balcony Suite. I had the cruise on hold, but needed to make changes to the cabin and take off air, so I called to book it. He assigned the cabin and said, you don't care right, since you plan to upgrade? Correct. He then said there are plenty of balconies left, so you might wait to upgrade to see if the OOV drops in price. Get your drop, then upgrade. I like to have things settled, but I have an elderly mother in very bad health and don't want to lose my 30k points if I have to cancel. These suggestions are just what I was told... Who knows if it's the same when I call back. I was just surprised when the first guy said he could try and slip me into the Aft Balcony from a OOV!!! He sounded very sincere. Not sure if he can see what other cruises I have booked or if it even matters, but I have a suite and 2 mini-suites booked next month for a Jewel cruise. Thanks to everyone for your input!

I've not actually booked it yet, so perhaps I should call Rewards and do as you did. "What do I have to book to get xyz." The price differences in these categories are quite a bit at this point. Thanks!

Well, I wouldn't cancel any of the bookings since my bid would only include 3 ppl. I've read where others can sleep in your cabin even if they aren't assigned to it. If that was not the case, I'm sure there would be many "infractions" going on!🤣 I decided against bidding anyway. I found another cruise that I'd much prefer to spend my money on, so I'll just cruise twice this year instead!

Newbie question. I noticed I have 30,000 points on my MC and I'm looking at booking a 19 day Egypt cruise on Dawn for November this year. I was going to book an inside and just deal with it, but with the points and the possibility of a balcony, I'm looking at booking an OV to upgrade. Do I have to book the best available OV which is the Family OV in order to get an Aft Facing Balcony which is the best available - or do I have no chance of getting an aft balcony? I honestly think there is only 1 left. If I can't get a really good balcony, I'd rather just stay in my inside and save the money. This will be a month long trip for us and I'd splurge for the aft balcony but I'm not really interested in paying extra for the OV. What should my strategy be for this and should I do the upgrade online or call? Thanks for any help or suggestions!

This is silly. So, as long as they all sleep in our cabin we can get the perks? I guess I could line them all up on the floor! 🤣 I've had really good luck in the past with giving them envelopes on the first day marked 1 of 2 with a very nice tip inside. They know there is another envelope at the end of the cruise with likely a matching dollar figure inside. The ONLY perk I would like for everyone is Tender Tickets. That's it. The rest is inconsequential to us and only that one because we are in port for such a short time in Cabo, if we spend 2 hours getting off the ship, we might as well stay on! I'd love for everyone to be able to eat at Cagney's but I'm happy to pay to bring breakfast to the room for the extras and we only have 2 sea days and the young people will likely be in the Casino anyway. The rest of the days we will be off the ship at Lunch, so we wouldn't partake anyway. And I could give a flip about specialty dining. I'm perfectly happy with the Main Dining Room myself. My son, who hasn't cruised in years was actually looking forward to the dining - as he thought it was still at specific times with the same server. He was actually disappointed when I told him about the new dining rules!!!! I'll report back here after our cruise and let everyone know if my plan worked or failed miserably! It's a crap shoot at this point, I know.

After doing more reading I see where the bidding process has eliminated the possibility of folding 3 rooms into 1. You'd think they would want the other 2 rooms to put back into inventory to make even MORE money by re-selling them. I would just upgrade mine and then the other 2 rooms would go unused if everyone slept in the GV - and why wouldn't they???? The extra people wouldn't get the perks, which that's fine, they don't get them now either being in mini-suites. I think I let my emotions get the best of me thinking how great it would be if all 8 of us could be together with the same perks. I see now, that is a VERY low possibility. 😊 I think I'll throw in a bid and know I won't get it but that way I can dream each night of how wonderful it could be since there IS at least a .0000000001% chance of it happening.🤣 Thanks!!!

Not sure if I should start a new thread, but I have an upgrade question. I have booked 3 cabins 50 days till sail date - 2bedroom suite with a connecting mini-suite and the next door mini-suite with a total of 8 passengers. I got an email today with upgrade offers. I'd like to bid on the 3 bedroom Garden Villa just for sh*ts and giggles because the cruise shows sold out. I would want to fold all 3 of the rooms above into the Garden Villa for the upgrade. Is this permissible and should I just call and tell them this is a desire and how much I'm willing to pay to upgrade? If I bid, on the Garden Villa - is it per person - I have 3 booked in the 2 bedroom suite, so would my bid be X3, or X2? Thanks for any insight!