Turtles06

I agree that this post-final-payment change has really crossed a line. When you change the disembarkation port to an entirely different country, and especially one for which most people will need a visa (at the last minute), not to mention a country that many people might not even want to set foot in at this point in time, you need to give people the option to cancel and get a full refund. If no refunds are allowed, I think what NCL has done is particularly outrageous.

Don’t know about DIY. We were on a shorex. You could look into the train schedule. I would ask over in the Spain Port of Call forum.

I strongly recommend visiting Santiago de Compostela. The Cathedral is fascinating, architecturally and historically (regardless of one's religious beliefs). We found Vigo to be fairly uninteresting. Here are some very happy pilgrims who traveled to the Cathedral by bike:

I’m curious. Are they taken up by people standing around talking, drinking, etc., or are they too deep for that?

Welcome to Cruise Critic! The place for your inquiry is over in the NCL Roll Call for your cruise, which is here: You could also post over in the forum for LGBTQIA Roll Calls (link below). It doesn’t get much traffic, but there’s no downside. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/547-lgbtqia-roll-calls/ I also want to flag the Panama Canal forum for you, it’s a great resource: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/54-panama-canal/ Is this your first transit of the Canal? If you haven’t done so already, I highly recommend reading David McCullough’s masterful “The Path Between the Seas.” You’ll appreciate the Canal even more. Have a great cruise!

Except the hotels can’t sail off without you.

Perhaps then you could explain the relevance of their gender to their skills as a PCC.

OP here. I just want to close the loop by reporting that my PCC took the deposit, and has taken over the reservation. Many thanks again to those who replied to tell me that this was indeed do-able from a courtesy hold and that they had done this. Happy cruising to all. 😊

Congratulations on your upcoming retirement. I think it’s a bit early to see the 2027 options, but I hope you find just the cruise you are looking for! In terms of homework, please do read David McCullough’s masterful “The Path Between the Seas.” You will appreciate the Canal even more. And, as already noted, the Panama Canal forum here on CC is a great resource. Good luck!

If this will be your first transit of the Canal, you should seriously consider not “settling.” IMHO, going through the original locks — especially for a first transit — is far more interesting. (Do some reading over in the Panama Canal forum, and you’ll find many others who agree.)

@poffles is correct. The Pinnacle class ships are indeed too large for the original locks. Pinned to the top of the Panama Canal forum is a thread that lists, by cruise line, the Panamax ships — the ships that will fit in the original locks. HAL’s Pinnacle class ships are not among them.

Hmm . . . I wonder if having to apply an FCC put a wrinkle into that. I hope you didn't lose the cabin you'd chosen.

Thanks so much!

Thanks, but I’m not asking about transferring a booking to a travel agent, which is what you’re referring to. I’m asking about having my HAL PCC being able to handle the cruise from here on out, when I placed the courtesy hold myself directly on HAL’s website.

I meant take over the booking so I can deal with her directly going forward. So, yes, take the deposit from me and then I proceed with her going forward, the same as if I’d been able to book the cruise with her from the start. So, can that happen? Thanks for the help!

Quick question: if I put a courtesy hold on a cabin directly via HAL’s web site when my HAL PCC was off for a weekend, would my PCC be able to take over the booking when she returns (before the deposit is paid)? I know this can’t be done once the deposit is paid. Thanks!

Best wishes to you and your wife.

In that scenario, you can reprice regardless of whether the benefits are the same, you just have to be aware of whether you would lose something and whether the that would still be worth it given the price drop. Also, the OP here has already made final payment, but early, and is asking how, in those specific circumstances, NCL would handle this.

No need to make an assumption. As @CruiserBruce noted above, the Koningsdam is too large for the historic locks. BTW, there’s a handy reference list (sorted by cruise line) over in the Panama Canal Forum of Panamax ships — those ships that can fit in the historic locks. HAL’s Pinnacle class ships are not among them.

Have you also asked in the NCL forum?

I totally agree with you. And passports are good for ten years.

I'm very sorry this happened to you, and I'm sorry also that NCL cheerleaders seem to be out in force pushing back at you, as though you were to blame here. I think people ought to be able to rely on booking agents like the ones you dealt with. Might you have spotted the error had you looked at a deck plan? Perhaps. But it was NCL's obligation to give you accurate information in the first place. And your post-cruise experience with NCL is inexcusable. There's no justification for NCL making it impossible for you to speak to someone, especially if they are not going to read the communications you send them. Sadly, this is what "customer service" has become, and not just NCL, and not just the cruise industry. I wish you good luck in getting a satisfactory resolution.

Welcome to Cruise Critic, and thanks for the information. (I'm honored that your first posts were in reply to me. 🙂) I will check into this lead.

If you have not been to Antigua, it's well worth a visit. (We've in fact gone there both times we had port calls to Puerto Quetzal.) Book NCL's "Antigua on Your Own" shorex, which will give you R/T transportation. The drive (about 90 minutes each way) is very interesting, and a guide on the bus will tell you about the history. You'll be given a map of the historic area; you won't have any trouble walking around on your own. You'll have about four hours in Antigua, time to see the historic area, do some shopping if you are into that, and also have lunch. There's plenty of info about Antigua in the Guatemala Ports of Call forum. Also, I posted a detailed review with photos of our first transit of the Panama Canal in 2017; it's at the link below. My report about Antigua starts at comment 50, and I answered questions in later comments. (Since I posted that review, Photobucket changed its terms and has made it a bit harder to see photos. Not my fault. 😁)

The OP’s point is that their wife gets seasick. That can happen at night as well as during the day.