KingHal

Thanks for the heads up. Our two MB or better have been allocated as MA but 15 cabins or so apart from one another (11600 & 11630) for our 10/24/21 cruise on the Pearl. 

Thank you all. Very helpful. 
 

I too have 2 speciality dining meals included in my booking for my 7-night cruise. If I wish to avail of speciality dining for the other nights I presume I should just buy an upgrade for up to 5 more nights?
 

Which would you choose? The 2-Bed Family Suite is $1,300 more for our 7-night cruise. Would you upgrade for this or are the two Club Balcony Suites better (the “kids” are 21, 19 & 16)?

We are NCL first timers. I’d like Haven but that will be in the hands of the bid gods as I can’t justify the price currently. 
 

I am looking forward to the advice on offer from the experienced NCL cruisers here. 😀

Lol. No worries. 

Thank you.

Great, thanks again. 

I am looking to book speciality restaurants but don’t want to clash with American Feast dining.

Also does anyone know what night the Chef’s Table would be? I have booked it but don't know (haven’t been told) which night it will be.

We will be on the Sunrise, sailing August 15th.

Thanks in advance for any help. 👍 

My understanding is that the debarking luggage tag is just to tell you when your luggage will be off the ship. You can leave later than this, up until say 9:30am, but there's no point leaving before as you won't be able to collect your luggage. Debarking was the smoothest I have found for any ship.

You are supposed to have vacated your cabins by 8:30am and not return to them after then - any hand baggage should accompany you to the Lido or wherever. This would account for the "white suit" story above.

I would proceed to your apartment and see if you could leave your luggage there even if you can't check in until 11am. In similar circumstances in the past we have done this and caught the HoHo as a way of spending a few hours until our rooms were available.

Just to add to my last post, on RCI I had free Premium Drinks package as a booking perk. On boarding I upgraded to Ultimate (to match the Cheers package) at a cost of an extra $7 per night HOWEVER 18% gratuities AND 10% VAT were added to the purchase price of $7 per night for the upgrade.

I sailed the 12-night Vista cruise, and had a pre-purchased Cheers package. No tax was paid on the Cheers package at time of purchase. I was, like everyone else, charged vat on every drink ordered on Vista.

I am currently on Harmony of the Seas (lucky me) and have the Royal Caribbean equivalent of a Cheers Package (=Ultimate). On Hatmony when I order a drink I don't even see a bill - no additional charge. HOWEVER to put it all into perspective, the RCI equivalent of Cheers costs $62 a day vs $49 for Cheers, so they have more leeway to play with. When I go off package, to order a bottle of wine, I do get hit by VAT.

Can you explain the Euro Cash Card a bit more? I like this idea but where would I go about getting one/loading it?

 

 

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See https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/consumers/find-card-products/prepaid-cards/travel-card.html

Or

https://usa.visa.com/pay-with-visa/cards/prepaid-cards/travel-money-card.html

I'd like to know what the lines are like for the Skyride and other attractions. They look great but if the line is an hour or so they swiftly lose their appeal!

Have a great cruise.

If there are no cabins in a specific cabin category (4F, 8E, etc) left to sell, the price will not change - so there will be no more price drops regardless of which fare (Early Saver, Past Guest, etc) you booked under.

If there are cabins in a higher category that become cheaper you can change your booking, and if that category is cheaper than you were paying for yours then you can claim back the difference (either as reduced cost, or OBC).

A great way to monitor prices is Cruise Fish dot net which also shows price history too.

Here is what I'm planning to do - bring significant amount of $, my regular credit card (I let them know I'll be traveling) and atm card as a backup. Money exchange places are not hard to find and often offer best rates (except for ones at the airport where you get the least for your $) When you withdraw from atm you often get crappy rate (you don't know what the rate is) plus transaction fee. That's just my preference (I grew up in Europe and visit frequently).

 

 

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Good luck with that approach. If you find an exchange office offering better than the inter-bank rate used by Visa & MasterCard then I can only presume you have found a money laundering operation and are assisting organised crime :) LOL. That isn't to say that many don't beat the rates offered by banks to exchange actual cash - which is why you shouldn't take cash.

I will try to explain and hope it does not lead to more confusion. There is no such thing as an "official" or "fixed" exchange rate between the euro and the US dollar. There is something called the "interbank" rate. This rate is used by banks to exchange millions and millions at any given time and is the rate published say on xe.com or oanda.com.

 

Both visa and mastercard have established rules for currency exchange. To simplify it, although it is worded in a cnfusing way, both mastercard and visa sort of use this interbank rate and add on 1% to account for fluctuations in a short period of time. Many but not all banks may add an additional 2% to this making a total of 3% above the interbank rate as the going rate. However, in the USA for competitive reasons, many banks do not charge the 2% and some even eat the 1% mc/visa fee and bill themselves as no foreign transaction fees. This is probably the best you can but you have to check with your bank to get its actul policy which the truth in lending law requires them to provide upon issuing you a card.

 

Using a debit or atm card, you are at the mercy of your bank and its shared teller network but in general, since visa and mastercard control the plus and cirrus shared teller networks, the exchange rules are similar. However, many banks add on an additional fixed charge for atm withdrawals. As an example, Bank of America charges $5 for each ATM withdrawal but waives it if you use certain bank's atm in their global alliance. For example, in the UK, their global alliance partner is Barclay's Bank. Many other banks, do not add on this fee. Again, you have to check with your bank for its specific policy. In general, when you use cirrus or plus, the machine you pull your money out of is not allowed to add on its fee and in general this is true. But there are some atm's which get around this. Some banks will refund this fee.

 

Exchanging cash is by far the worst way to handle foreign currency. You will never get anything near the interbank rate. The mark up varies from about 7% to as much as 10%. Exchanging currency is a money maker for banks as they lower your return if you exchange back. Just as an example, if you change US dollar for British pounds at a cash exchange, assming the interbank rate is $1.40 = £1. to buy £100, the interbank rate would suggest it would cost you $140. However, it will most likely cost you $154 to get the £100 (a 10% markup). Some banks may claim they charge less but then add on fees. If you have £100 left over and try to exchange it back at the end of a trip, you will onlhy get $126 ($140 minus $14). That is the way banks make money. Now you can make your own decision whether it is worth it to exchange cash.

 

I will say this. When I travel to Europe, I may make a small ATM withdrawal but use a no foreign exchange fee card for everything else I buy and rarely spend cash. I, as I said above, do not understand why some people suggest not using credit cards for small purchases. I use my credit cards for everything whether I am at home or travelling. It is much more convenient and much more economical.

 

I hope this didn't confuse the issue even more.

That's a full and accurate explanation.

For general use abroad you should get a credit card which doesn't charge a foreign exchange transaction fee such as one of the cards shown on this website: http://www.creditcards.com/no-foreign-transaction-fee.php

In fact there's an excellent guide at http://flyerguide.com/index.php?title=Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange&mobileaction=toggle_view_desktop

The general principle is to have a small amount before you travel, say $200 worth; and to use ATMs to withdraw $300 worth at a time from your bank a/c (don't withdraw cash using a credit card); and finally, where possible use a foreign exchange transaction fee free credit card. If you plan ahead you should be able to save money.

I just discovered this by chance. I have registered for our Vista cruise and have highlighted it on the roll-call and Everything Vista thread, and elsewhere, too. Great news.

I just noticed that you can sign up for Meet & Mingle Parties on the Vista for sailings of 7-nights or longer. Full details are on this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2333010

Be sure to register for yours if your sailing qualifies. You can register at http://www.cruisecritic.com/rollcall/entry_cl.cfm?ship=982

Carnival Vista Meet & Mingle

Your Meet & Mingle will be hosted by Carnival Cruise Line on all sailings that are 7 nights or longer in duration, and you'll be able to register to attend as soon as the booking schedule opens.

 

If a minimum of 25 members are registered 14 days prior to your sail date, you will receive a confirmation email and you will have an opportunity to meet your new Cruise Critic friends on board at the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle on Carnival Cruise Line. If the minimum of 25 is not met prior to your sail date, you will receive an e-mail advising you that the minimum has not been met.

 

Notification of the date, time and location of your Meet & Mingle will be posted the evening prior to the event in Carnival's onboard daily activities newsletter, Fun Times.

 

Carnival Cruise Line will be providing a private lounge (or other venue) as well as an soft drinks and light refreshments. Registering will allow you to enjoy an opportunity to get acquainted on your cruise with fellow cruisers whom you've communicated with online! Share information and tips, make plans in advance of your cruise - and then meet your new friends on board during your private, complimentary Meet & Mingle!

 

So be sure to get registered everybody!!!

What is ESP?

 

Also at least most credit cards would consider this a cash advance and start charging you the interest rate on the card on the transaction date.

 

Do you know of a card that wouldn't consider this a cash advance?

ESP is, I think, an abbreviation for especially in this instance.

Cheapest method should be a Visa or MasterCard linked to your bank checking account, rather than a credit card. Most are still likely to charge a foreign exchange premium, but it's still likely to beat a bureau de change.

Well, it is cheaper to fly out from DFW but we're also wanting to spend some time in Dublin after the cruise. Also, it is significantly more expensive to fly one way to Barcelona and then one way back from Athens. What if we just take carry ons? Like one mini suitcase and a backpack each. Do you know if they allow that like others do?

Aer Lingus flights via DUB do seem to be the best deals to Europe. Aer Lingus from DUB to BCN seems to be the same price as Ryanair. From ATH to DUB it appears that Ryanair offers the only direct service, so you might have to fly them anyway.

That being the case, here's some on-line guidance for flying with Ryanair:

http://thetravelhack.com/travel-tips/ryanair-survival-guide-fly-ryanair-avoid-hassle/

http://thepointsguy.com/2014/03/top-10-ways-to-survive-a-ryanair-flight/

Here's Ryanair's baggage allowances:-

What cabin baggage can I carry?

You can carry one cabin bag weighing up to 10 kg with maximum dimensions of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm, plus 1 small bag up to 35 x 20 x 20 onboard the aircraft.

 

Due to cabin space limitations only 90 large cabin bags (55 x 40 x 20 cms) can be carried in the cabin, any bags remaining will be carried free of charge in the aircraft hold.

 

Passengers who have purchased Priority Boarding will not be asked to place their cabin bag in the aircraft hold, unless necessary due to operational reasons.

 

There is no cabin bag allowance for an infant (aged 8 days to 23 months) travelling on an adult’s lap; however a baby bag up to 5kg may be carried by the accompanying adult in addition to their own cabin bag allowance.

 

Oversized cabin baggage will be refused at the boarding gate, or where available, placed in the hold of the aircraft for a fee of £50/€50 (fee subject to VAT on domestic flights at applicable government rates). If you are unsure whether your bag is the correct size, check it at the Bag Drop desk before going through security.

 

What is my checked baggage allowance?

You can check-in up to two bags once you have purchased a checked baggage allowance of either 15 kilos or 20 kilos when you make your initial booking.

 

If you want to add checked bags after you’ve made your booking you can do so via Manage Booking up to 2 hours before your scheduled fight departure time.

 

Checked bags are charged per person, per one way flight.

 

Business Plus customers receive one 20 kilo checked bag included free of charge.

 

Fees may vary from time to time but it is the rates in force at the time you book and/or pay for your checked baggage allowance which apply.

 

(Source: https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/useful-info/help-centre/faq-overview/Baggage#undefined-undefined )

When I fly Ryanair, I normally book seat selection and prebook 20kg hold baggage too. These options add to the expense but make it a better flight. Most passengers take hand-baggage only.

Hello! My husband and I are going on the 10 day cruise on the Vista leaving May 14th from Barcelona. I think we may fly from home (Oklahoma) to Dublin, then use RyanAir to Barcelona, and use it again back from Athens to Dublin. Has anyone else done something like that before? It does create an extra stop for us but it will save us ~$1,500.

I personally wouldn't recommend using RyanAir for any complex itineraries as it isn't a full service airline. It's a cheap and efficient way of getting from A-to-B with little or no luggage, but you wouldn't want to be connecting directly from or to another flight; or having a lot of luggage (as you would be likely to have for a cruise) as their baggage allowance is low, and their costs for going over are high. Have you looked in to flying from DFW rather than OKC to save?

Any idea of the floorplan for this cabin?

These should be the same as 2470 and 2495 on the Carnival Breeze, albeit with Family Harbor decor. You can find photos of the layout of 2470 on http://www.cruisedeckplans.com (albeit you might need to subscribe). We had 2497 and the connecting 2495 booked for the 12-night Med cruise, but were upgraded to connecting 8A Balconies on Deck 6. :)

Thanks Gail - much appreciated. Nothing on that list that will stop me taking my kids to the cinema before our cruise! :)

Looking forward to reading this, thanks for posting. :)