treasure4two

I did find out that all amenities will carry over to the new booking so long as it is one of their options.

 

What irks the hell out of me is that there are sailings on the Jade after their charter bookings yet they will not allow me to book one of those with the same price and maintain my amenities. Since I live just south of Tampa I wanted to stay with that option. But, no, I have to either drive over to Port Canaveral, for the Epic, with crappy intineraries or buy airfare to New Orleans.

 

As a long time NCL cruiser, it saddens me to say that it might be time to look at other cruise line options. These charters, that mess with a lot of peoples lives, are happening much more frequently. That, and I believe FDR has his eye on a totally new clientele.

Try Celebrity. We are very pleased with them and have been on most of the cruise lines that serve the US, so we can compare.

Many thanks for your quick responses!:)

Does the Jewel have laundry rooms on it?

I meant that with the UBP(unlimited beverage pkg), I would not be spending as much $$ as on previous cruises. So say I have $100 TA OBC & $100 non refundable, I spend $150 on the ship, last day my bill is $339 ($189 DSC daily service charge, which non refundable OBC can not be used for) Do the apply my $100 TA OBC to the $150 I spent, then apply $50 from the $100 nr and charge the DSC to my CC and I forfeit $50?

OK-got it. I would confirm with NCL before or once you get on the ship, but the first payment for your $150 spent on ship, should be from the NR OBC and then your TA OBC of $100-they should take $50 and give you a cash refund of $50. I wish I could be of more help and maybe someone else can help more, but my best suggestion to ask someone once you get on board and if they will not do it the way I think they will, then you will need to make $50 in purchases on board not to lose it and then I would think about another cruise line. Not doing the way to benefit the cruiser is tacky in my opinion.

Non-refundable OBC is just what it says it is- non-refundable

Let's say you have $200 NR and $200 OBC from your travel agent(which is refundable). You spend $225 on the ship. You should get $175, or at least that is what every other cruise line I have been on(15+ cruises on different cruise lines). Just to be sure, check with them at the front desk. Also, good reason not to pay tips in advance or book cruises until you get on ship, so that way your OBCs will not be lost, no matter what NCL's policies are.

PS-did not understand what UBP and DSC meant so answer might not be addressing what you are asking-sorry.

I do not know the info about the upsells or losing dining package, but think that it may be a problem with the upsell, wanting connecting Haven and balcony cabins on the upsell. Good luck!

Give your travel agent another call and say in message that if they cannot return the call today, that you will call back and ask for a manager. That might get a quicker response.

I agree with the others about Celebrity. They are now our cruise line of choice but have to say that we that we look at the ports the cruise lines go to first. We also love Oceania a lot, but more expensive on every cabin/suite categories. I like Oceania's small ships. Better service-great service in fact- on smaller ships than the new larger ships. We just went on a terrible cruise with RCCL(ports great, many crew members were not) where someone at Customer Service desk told me not to expect a lot of RCCL, because they are the "cheap" cruise line. (Truth) We are sailing soon on NCL because of ports and great rates. Back to Oceania, Celebrity, and Cunard the remainder of this year. As you can tell, we LOVE cruising!

Also, Celebrity and Oceania are casual dressing, but you can dress up, but no jackets required.

FYI: Princess still requires(as of last Sept.) require jackets or long sleeved shirts for men. No special rules for women. Be sure to avoid Cunard if you do not want to dress up-they require jackets and ties most evens and black suits or tuxs for their formal nights. Women really dress up on formal nights and other nights more than office casual. Not a cruise line for those who do not to dress up.

We tend to tip in the currency of the area that the ship is based in for the season. If UK, British pounds and if the Med euros. After speaking to reception last year and asking for details of how the tips were split we made the decision to leave 50% of suggested tips on our account for Cunard to use as they see fit and the other 50% rounded up placed in envelopes with a little thank you for our cabin steward and dining room waiters. I know lots of crew send money home for their families but they also need cash to spend in port so feel that local currency is a good choice.

 

I like to take my own hair dryer and straighteners and have been prepared to lose a pair of shoes to ensure I can take them. It did upset my husband a little when he came to look for his alternative shoes but we all have to make sacrifices for the greater good at times :D

***

We always leave all the tips on our cabin account(unless we have a problem with our cabin steward) and then give extra to all those crew members that did special things for us. All personal preferences.

Really? Did you use an online agent? Any good agent will have a cruise line send a brochure to you. It's casual during the day & The daily guide will show the dress code of the evening.

Thank you.

I did use a travel agent. You comments made me look further on line and found out much more about the dress codes and I thank you. Our cruise actually have 3 nights where jackets are optional. The rest of the time my husband will be in a black suit, black jacket with other colors of pants, velvet jacket for formal nights, and of course, ties.

We realize Cunard is a special cruise line and it is important to us to be properly dressed! We look forward to the cruise! Thank you!

So just got back from the Dawn and cannot believe how much they pushed the Diamonds international and the Tanzinite International thing.

 

What is the deal with these two places? Went to some of the shoppers presentations and these were pushed...Hard...

 

Is it really that good of a deal or total ripoff?

 

Looking at some reviews and prices I didn't see anything exceptional and in fact came back with a lot of Ripoff reports.

 

Did I miss a great opportunity?

No, you did not miss anything but getting ripped off. My husband bought me a tanzanite pendant and they tossed in some other junk for $2500. Got home, had an appraised and he said it was worth $1650. Turns out the stone was cracked, so worth less! The necklace they gave me with it-the closure broke first time I touched it. The guarantee the cruise lines gives you is not worth the paper it is written on. They refused to accept my appraisal because my appraiser sold jewelry out of his home. The appraiser had to be someone that did not buy or sell jewelry. They gave me one name in Charlotte(19th largest city in US), but I did not trust him. The others were 3 hours away( one was dealing with a brain tumor) or I could go to New York, to their person there. Admittedly, I am not an educated buyer, but many people who buy on cruises, I believe, are impulse buyers, like we were. Carnival and their guarantee people plus TI people were worthless. I may not be an educated buyer, but I am a person who takes her problems to the top. I contacted the CEO of my credit card and his rep contacted me within 2 days. Long story short(finally!), after about one month of complaining and send 40 pages of e-mails, I got my $2500 back from the credit card people! So, moral of the story, I would not trust DI or TI as far as I could pick up and through their store, unless you have money to throw away and don't mind possibly end up looking a like fool.

Before I reply I must state I have my holiday head on, 2 more days of work and then Pack, travel to New York and then back on QM2.

On this subject.....

Open minds, common sense, NO JUDGING and...... Smile people, smile

Well said. Thank you!

Just one addition to the discussion. OP asked about what to wear ashore. In most places, the shorts are fine. I don't know QV's itinerary, but OP should check the ports and any local dress requirements. For example, I remember being in a church somewhere in Italy, and tourists not dressed conservatively enough were not admitted.

Thank you. We are traveling from Venice, to Zadar, Kotor, Corfu, Naples, Rome, Barcelona, Ajaccio, Monte Carlo, Livorno, and ends in Rome. We just came back from Oman and Israel and the dress codes were very strict and we were always properly dressed. We have never been improperly dressed on any cruise ship and cruise port, and most of the time, over dressed. We plan on packing to cover all possible dress codes enforced on the Queen Victoria. We appreciate all the kind and helpful comments we received on this thread and will go forward with packing, using those suggestions. Thank you all.

Very simple answer here...READ YOUR BROCHURE!!! It will list the dress codes & what is expected. The daily paper will post the expected dress code of the evening. The dress code is for the entire ship not JUST the MDR. The only Casual(relative)location is in the buffet & most pax there dress fairly nicely as well.

I never received a brochure.

Many thanks to all the people that commented. I feel much better now and know we will be dressed appropriately! Happy cruising!

PS-this is one of the reasons I love Cruise Critic-kind people like you all!

The kimonos, saris, kilts etc sound so wonderful! I'm going on my first cruise on RCCL next January but the dress code on Cunard makes me want to book my next cruise with them.

 

I wonder if my husband could wear a kilt on RCCL?

I just got off RCCL and saw one man in his kilt and looked great and was totally acceptable!

We are new to Cunard(very excited about cruising on the Queen Victoria July 30-Aug.13) and want to properly dress. We have cruised

on many lines including Oceania, Azamara, Celebrity, and others, but I am hearing the dress codes on Cunard are more formal that those cruise lines. Not wanting to offend anyone and break any dress code rules, I am asking for your help and it will be greatly appreciated. I know for dinner that my husband should wear a jacket and tie and formal nights, a black suit or his velvet jacket. I should wear a dressy blouse and long skirt on formal nights. Is that correct? During the day on the ship, is my husband OK to wear black jeans(no rips or tears in them) or long Bermuda shorts and print shirts or does he have to wear slacks and a polo shirt? Last, when going on tours, can he wear the black jeans or Bermuda shorts and print shirts or does he have to wear slacks and polo shirts? Many thanks for your time.

What tender port does RCCL use in Santorini? Thank you!

What was the cost my taxi from port to airport and how long did it take? Thank you.

We're setting sail for Europe in exactly 5 weeks and couldn't be more excited. Changing your plans only lets them win.

You are exactly right!

You're welcome.

 

I forget to mention that there is usually a "wash & fold" special that comes around mid-cruise. This is a bag in which you can stuff things like underwear, socks, shorts, t-shirts, etc., all you can stuff for $30. I would not put anything delicate in this bag.

Good idea-thank you!

Thank you all!

Laundry rooms on Splendour Of The Seas? Thank you.

Car service or taxi from Auckland airport to hotel near harbor-need help in deciding. Any suggestions? We are using airline miles and trip is extra long and do not want to hassle with shuttle/bus. Also, we will arriving about 1 AM.

Any suggestions will be GREATLY appreciated. We are arriving Feb. 13. Thank you.

I do not get perks but just wondering too. Thank you.

I was wondering if Celebrity will change the waitstaff dress code, not that they would made the decision.

I doubt that the waitstaff dress code will change, as Celebrity already has a lot of money invested in the present uniforms. I am not concerned who is dressed better. Also, although I do not like seeing cruisers in shorts, t-shirts, etc. in the dining rooms, I will dress as I feel comfortable-dress casual-and not get hung up on what others have on.