Quilting_Cruiser

15 minutes ago, Aladdin22 said:

Yes, you’re right. I’m ‘lucky’ that the airline have relaxed their rules due to COVID 19, so I’m able to change flights until September 2022 which is very good. Have also been able to cancel hotels booked either side of cruise.  We’re holding off booking anything until 2021.

That’s great! I’m glad it worked out for you. I just booked a few weeks ago for 2021. I’ll re-evaluate as we approach final payment and make a decision then.

On 5/25/2020 at 5:36 AM, sanger727 said:

 

Is this trip booked for Sept 2020? Almost certainly this will be cancelled by them eventually. I would hold off on making changes until it gets closer. No one is going to reimburse you for non-refundable airfare. So you can either plan to go on a cruise if it goes and just change the airfare to match. Or plan on an entirely different trip and change the airfare to match. Or call the airlines and tell them you want to  cancel due to COVID and see if they will give you a voucher. I don't know what airline you are flying with but Delta is offering vouchers for flights through the end of Sept if you want to cancel. I assume most airlines are doing the same. 

Actually, some airlines are relaxing their refund policies due to Covid-19. I had non-refundable airfare for a trip later this summer and just received a full refund from Alaska Airlines. 😁

Like others, the price of my cruise didn’t go up.i received the OBC and didn’t have to rebook for it.

35 minutes ago, Aladdin22 said:

Thanks for all your replies. Very annoyed with NCL as we booked this in good faith, called twice before booking, no mention of any problem. We’ve now got non-refundable very expensive flights (not booked with NCL) we can’t use. Will NCL compensate for this? 

be sure to talk with tape airline and don’t assume that nothing can be done just because it’s no refundable. I had a nonrefundable airline ticket booked and had to cancel my plans due to Covid-19. The airline gave me a full refund for my no refundable ticket. My travel was booked for a couple months before yours, but maybe...just maybe. good luck!

As for cruiseline CS, sometimes it really sucks. A rep actually was adamant one time that I needed a passport to fly from Portland, Oregon to Anchorage, Alaska. As a U.S. citizen I absolutely don’t, but she was 100% certain in her convictions. LOL.

I always book Alaska out at least a year. If it’s cancelled, my FCCs will go back into my account. There’s really no risk since we’re more than six months before final payment. When that time comes I’ll evaluate and either pay it off or cancel.

Also, weather is a crap shoot. I’ve been there in August twice and the weather was beautiful both times, but it isn’t always. My last August trip it was 80 degrees!

I agree with those who said port times are important so when you’re rebooking be sure to look at that. I also agree that Glacier Bay is not the be all and end all. It IS gorgeous, but my Alaska cruises that haven’t included GBNP have been equally stunning.

For whales, look at Juneau excursions. Great whale watching there. For hiking, any port should have wonderful options for you. Read the trip reports—you’ll learn a lot about what’s good to do in each port. I’m going next year for the fifth time, and there are tons of options, the only repeat excursion I’ve ever done in Alaska is salmon fishing in Ketchikan. That’s a must-do for me, but in every other port I’ve done something different each time and loved it all.

I just booked May 2021 to Alaska. We’re feeling optimistic, but I won’t be making any payments until later.

OP here. Boy, was I surprised to see this old thread pop up!! We ended up having great massages, but I don't recall where it was--not that many years ago!

I agree with the posters who question activating a five-year-old thread. Things change quickly! And, most people won't notice the dates as they read the thread and can get out-dated and often inaccurate information. Best to post a new thread.

I was very surprised :eek: to find that I did not receive the 3 bonus points per $1 spent on my upcoming NCL cruise in January. I paid for it all using my NCL MC. The problem seems to be that my TA, CruisesOnly, billed it as a payment to themselves rather than a payment to NCL. I received only 8000 points and not the 24000 points that I was expecting. Did anyone else lose all these points just because they booked with a TA instead of booking with Norwegian directly? Will I always have to do without a TA?

Did anyone else have this problem? Thanks in advance! Jean

When I book with a TA, I lose a small portion of the credit but certainly not all of it! I talk with them before they charge my card and explain that I want the charge to be from NCL so I get the points. They say something ilke that for their own bookkeeping they have to charge part of it through the TA (usually a few hundred dollars), but the rest is from NCL. In one case I forgot to talk with them about it and the charge came from the TA, but hey gave me a $400 discount to cover the loss of points.

So a waiter telling what you can and can't eat is enough?? This is indeed what we had as well but that limited my options big time, they don't seem to go any further then this. Shouldn't it be that they replace things that contain dairy and not just tell you on lots of things "you can't have this"

 

Example...

 

We had mash patato at Moderno and the waiter told us this contains dairy so you can't eat it, how hard is it to have mash patato without milk in it as this was known because we booked the evening before and mentioned the lactose problem. Sure you can get this when asking for it at the evening itself but again we have provided the info the evening before so why can't they think of this ?

I was responding to the poster who said that the waitress told him or her that they could eat only rice as there was no way to know if something had come into contact with what the poster is allergic to. I find that ridiculous. In my case, I contacted the Access Desk prior to my cruise and the waiters and waitresses were very helpful when I placed my orders. I was sharing that my experience was that the wait staff was well educated on what can and cannot be ordered from the menu if the diner has food allergies. I don't have experience in placing an order the night before (that hasn't been necessary in my case) and would think that if I had a dairy allergy and placed my order the night before, they would prepare mashed potatoes without milk.

You said they don't go further than telling you what you can and cannot eat from the menu, but that's not the experience many of the posters with food allergies have had. I've read many reports where the diner has been told to order whatever they want, and their meal would be prepared with their allergies in mind (within reason, of course)--they place the order the night before and their meal is prepared away from the main part of the gallery to prevent cross-contamination.

Bonjour Quilting,

I am glad you enjoyed one of my favorite villages.

Happy future sailings!

Bonjour, Marazul! I can certainly see why. I enjoyed wandering around the village and soaking it in!

Merci!

QC

Somebody asked about filling the gas ...and our experience in Europe is similar to what happens in North America. They generally expect you to return the car with the same amount of gas (or Diesel) as when you picked it up. In Cannes, there are some gas stations just as you enter the city. Some gas stations have automatic pumps which work with Chip/PIN cards...and may or may not function with a US issued Chip/Signature card. Some US issued ATM cards will actually work in these pumps...if you input your PIN. If its during normal business hours, most stations are open inside with some staff. A credit card that might not work at the pump will generally be OK if you use it with an attendant inside. And cash (Euros) can always be used during regular business hours. Most cruisers do not have to deal with trying to fill a car late at night....but this can be an issue with some US credit cards . Many European gas stations will work 24/7.....but after hours you must have a credit card that works at the pump. Sometimes the pumps will also take Euro''s....but do not give change. So you must know how many Euros worth of gas or diesel you need before you pay.

 

And finally, many European rental cars are Diesel and use Diesel fuel. If you do have a Diesel,,,,make sure you fill it with Diesel....and if you have gas...make sure you fill with gas.

 

Hank

I opted to not fill my car before returning it as the woman at Avis let me know what the refill charge would be. It was E14 and for me it was worth paying that to not have to find a station and fill the car.

I really appreciate this thread. But it is long. :) I am on the Epic 10/29 an interested in a car rental for some of the listed sites. Will I be involved in the traffic and parking problems that are listed with this Friday port stop in November?

 

I understand there is nearby car rentals and would just like a walkable option? What would be the recommendation for company? I don't want to be involved in having to get a cab, like a recent above post.

I asked some of the same questions, BQ, as I read the post about how busy a Friday would be. But, I was assured (by marazul, I believe) that I would be there after the busy season, and he or she was correct. There was traffic, but no issues that caused any concern. Be prepared that pedestrians will step out in front of you so watch the sides o the roads, especially when you're going along slowly. :)

I rented from Avis, which was a bout a 30-minute walk from the port. It could be done faster than that, but I was walking slowly because eight days walking on the cobblestones in Rome had my knees begging for a slower pace. :)

Have a great time!

Hi, all! I'm back from my trip and wanted to thank Hiltner. marazul, and hitherandyon for the great information and encouragement! I had a wonderful time. I rented from Avis (about a 30-minute walk from the port--a lovely walk, BTW), and they were very helpful. I intended to drive to Tourettes-sur-Loop and then St. Paul en Vence, but spent my day in Tourettes-sur-Loop! It's a wonderful little village that fully captured my interest and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I believe I was the only tourist in town! Or, at least it felt like it! I ordered a couple items from a cute little patisserie and the young woman who helped me was quite self-conscious about speaking English, so I placed my order in French and stumbled through the conversation. I was happy my high school French from 40 years ago came through for me! LOL.

The drive was easy because of the GPS. I wouldn't have considered trying that without it since I travel solo and can't look at a map to navigate. For those renting, know that the toll on the highway is E3, so be prepared. I didn't have any change, but was happy there was the option to pay with a card. It was quick and easy.

Thanks again for all the help and information!

Perditax, I'm sorry to hear you're disappointed in RC. I've never sailed them--something about them just hasn't appealed. I hope you find some redeeming qualities and that you're far, far away from Maria!

Honestly if I compare an standard inside to the studio I would go with the studio. The layout is much more effective. It may be smaller, but due to the position of the bed and fixtures it has a nice feeling to it.

 

The shared common area is also a plus. Around breakfast time, there is coffee, orange juice, yogurt, fruit and pastries. Is it breakfast? For some yes, for other not. However it is still nice to be able to grab a coffee in the morning with no lineups or crowds. That is especially the case for the EPICS on those port intensive routes.

 

During the rest of the day there is coffee and some snacks available.

 

You have some common tables and lounge area that is quite and uncrowded as a retreat.

I totally agree. I'd much rather be in a studio than an inside. Whoever designed it knew what they were dong. If I could change anything I'd make the bed smaller--not as small as a twin, but a little smaller so there's more room to walk next to it in front of the closet. Other than that, I loved my studio. I'm back in a studio on the Epic next week!

Just off the Epic and I think it had been 4:30pm in Rome.

Thank you very much, Lisa. It's good to hear from someone who boarded in Rome so recently! I'll definitely try to change my dinner reservation.

Thanks all! I think I'll change my dining reservation to a little later when I board. I've been chatting with some of the folks on our roll call for well over a year and I don't want to have rush away to make my dining reservation.

Thanks!

I apologize for posting a new thread as I'm sure this has been discussed here before, but the search function is not working right now (even putting in just "Epic" results in a message telling me there are no matches and to try another search term), I was just looking over my spreadsheet (yes, I have a spreadsheet!) for my cruise and realized I may have booked specialty dining at time on embarkation day that could be a problem. We're having an informal meet and greet right after the muster drill and I have dining booked at 5:30. If you've boarded in Civitavecchia, what time was your muster drill?

Thanks!

Q_C

Ok thanks. That's what I'll have to do.

I live in the desert. We have Chase n Wells Fargo...no luck there.

My car service at BCN will just have to wait till I find an ATM.....if he wants a tip. BTW, do private transfers n taxis expect tips in Spain? Sorry, didn't mean to start a new thread.:rolleyes:Judy

There are ATMs in the airport. Easy. :)

If I had used my Chase debit card, I would have been charged atm fees - but Chase would have then re-imbursed them when they appeared on my account. I guess the best thing to do is to check with your bank before traveling and see what their policies are!!

Agreed!

If your local AAA office is close to you, and you are a member, I would just stop in. As you are not adverse to using an atm, I would get just a few euro in small denominations to carry, and then pull the rest out of atm's as you need them in Europe. Just beware - atm's sometimes carry a small fee to withdraw foreign money also. (3% for some)

I've never paid a fee at a European ATM--not saying some don't charge them, but I've never been charged by one and I've used ATMs in about 15 European countries. :D

It is only about 1 hour long - 15 minute intro, then 45 min. to try to solve all the puzzles and escape. I also did not want to "waste" my one sea day - but we did the 10:30 one and were out by 11:30.

Good to know! thanks!

We almost did one for my daughter's bridal shower but we had a few to many people--it looked like a blast.

You are so very welcome! BTW - If you like escape rooms, try to book Escape the Big Top as soon as you board. It is done on the sea day, and they only have 3 times they do it - 10:30, 1, and 3, if I remember correctly. It is free, and quite challenging, and books up very quickly. Have a great upcoming cruise!

I've never done it, but I know what it is. Sounds like fun! I'll have to think about whether I want to spend my one sea doing anything but lounging in the spa! LOL. But if i were to do anything, that is right up my alley. :)