armwinder

On 7/7/2023 at 7:33 AM, electro said:

Just booked an NCL cruise, as pf right now, they are not offering the military discount to Canadians.

They even offer a discount to Canadian teachers and their helpers but not to our Veterans. My wife and I are both Canadian Vets and feel slighted. 

Nice for the teachers, very tacky though for us Canadian Veterans who are not recognized by NCL and are not eligible for a 10% veterans discount the US Veterans get. Without us Veterans today’s world would be very different. Shame on NCL.

9 hours ago, LongIsland-Cruiser said:

I hope you enjoyed your cruise!  Were you able to get vibe passes while on ship?  Where did you go to purchase?

No luck on the passes, there was a sign at the guest services station when we boarded at 10:45.Apparently most, if not all passes are sold online well before the cruise. 

On 11/2/2023 at 8:21 AM, Pitzel said:

We were in an SL suite (Family Suite with Large Balcony) on the Prima this past April. The room itself is essentially the same as the Club Balcony suites next to it, but came with more perks.

The bottle of sparkling wine was WAY better than what used to be given out for Latitudes members. They no longer give out that stuff because so few people actually enjoyed it!

The VIP cocktail party was in the Observation Lounge, though it was attended by the Captain and most of the senior crew members. We never got to even see the Haven, unfortunately 😞

The haven bars can be very testy so to speak, some folks act very entitled and refer to no haven guests as "the normies" .I usually just frequent the other ships bars and meet some real nice folks. After a few years the Haven becomes less appealing and as time goes on a person can

out grow the experience.  

18 minutes ago, UKstages said:

many recent threads discuss this issue. do a search for "vibe pass." the chances of you getting a vibe pass on the day of embarkation are actually quite good (on any NCL ship) according to many reports, including my own, provided you can get on the ship as early as possible.

Thank you I will do just that. 

I missed the ability to purchase Vibe passes on line for a 7 day cruise coming up on the Prima in March. I understand there is a very slim chance of buying them once on board. I read where some lined up at guest services only to be directed to the restaurant reservation line up. Has anyone actually managed to get passes on the ship and what line up did you use?  

47 minutes ago, mugtech said:

Brazil is not worth the extra work required and price.

The more I look into this the more I agree with you. It was a cruise out of Lisbon and we booked only last week. No problem to rebook and visit a destination that wants us. I don’t need an exercise in stress and the unknown. 

13 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Just to clarify, the thread I've referenced includes a letter from NCL's corporate sibling Regent Seven Seas, and a thread on the Regent Seven Seas board includes a post with a link to this affidavit from NCLH's general counsel that passengers can use as part of the documentation required to obtain the visa:

https://www.rssc.com/sites/default/files/2023-12/cruise-line-declaration.pdf

Thank you for the information, we may look into a different cruise as this looks like a lot of work and a bit hit and miss. Really appreciate your help. 
 

6 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

There's a substantial thread  covering this topic on the South America Ports of Call Board. I believe one the posts includes a letter from NCLH's general counsel so NCL's parent company is well aware of the problem.

Thanks for the info. I think I might give the cruise a miss this time around and let things settle down  

As of January 10th Canadian and US citizens will need a Visa to visit Brazil.  The application is on line and quite complicated to some degree. I'm not sure if NCL will help out with the required documentation or even apply on the passengers behalf. .  I have friends cruising with another cruise line who are having problems obtaining the Visa even though they qualify and are US citizens. The paperwork is in a back and forth loop.  They sail in two weeks. .  We have a cruise booked out of Lisbon and ending in Brazil, it looks like the Brazilian Government need a lot of information to be able to issue the Visa. I'm posting this to make our members aware of the new visa requirements and welcome any input. I do not want  to start an argument or debate on the eligibility or the right of the Brazilian Government  to demand a Visa.  

We have used it many times, always good flights and the occasional time we get premium seats as part of the deal.  

This itinerary is no longer available on the NCL website, looks like there could be some port changes due to engine maintenance.  Another website reported this a few days ago and my account does not reflect the original cruise.  A few days ago NCL changed the days visiting a couple of ports but no mention of cancelled ports.  Has anyone heard anything? 

3 hours ago, Cruslovncpl said:

Hi all,

I'm sure this has been asked/answered but couldn't find it. We are Platinum which entitles us to 1 Dinner for 2 and 1 Dinner for 2 with a bottle of wine, is that correct? We also have the Dining Package for 3 dinners for 2. That should be 5 dinners total, correct?

 

I was able to reserve 4 dinners at no charge. When I tried to reserve the 5th dinner, it showed a payment amount due. Am I doing something wrong? If I reserve & pay the amount, will it be credited back to my account once I have the Platinum Dinner coupon in hand?  Appreciate any help/tips anyone can provide.

Irene

Teppanyaki has to be reserved first, otherwise it defaults to a charge.  Don"t ask me why it just does. 

On 1/4/2023 at 3:34 AM, shof515 said:

Teppanyaki is also reducing the food quality too. ive been seeing a new menu being posted that filet mignon is being replaced with a ny strip piece of meat

That is  too bad, the steak and eggs used to have a 5 oz filet a year or so they substituted  a new York strip, really thin also over seasoned in my opinion. 

We were on the Epic in November  and the Jewel over Christmas $1.00 surcharge for Crown Royal. 

35 minutes ago, NikiPinkston said:

Ah, I misunderstood about your flight arrangements; hopefully, using NCL air will work out well for us - I'll have to report back on that.  We were on the Bliss to Mexico for Christmas week, 2021 and I think she is my favorite ship, too! ❤️And thank you for saying you enjoyed my review. I feel that is high praise coming from you as you are the best!

We have used NCL air a number of times and have been very happy, we just flew down to San Diego and the flights worked out very well. Last month we used NCL air to fly to Rome and back from Lisbon, they gave us Premium seats over to Rome with Delta, all part of the package. You here some bad reports but no one is perfect, booking your own flights mat even be cheaper who knows. We have used them too many times to count and been very lucky. 

This last cruise was one of the most memorable with a nice parade on Christmas Day lots of very well behaved kids who lined up for presents from Santa and a photo session after the parade. We thought all the staff were wonderful and spent time to talk and exchange experiences. We spent many night in Maltings after shows or listening to the many different types of entertainment, we met some really nice people and enjoyed a few nightcaps. 

Worth noting regarding cutbacks, about a year or so ago we noticed some changes in the restaurants, one to note would be the breakfast steak and eggs.  The steak previously used was a 5 or 6 ounce fillet, it has been replaced with a very thin and over seasoned (imho) New York strip. Possibly steak and eggs is not the healthiest choice for breakfast though. 

57 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Sorry to hear about your luggage!  Did you get it eventually?

We picked some up in Kelowna last evening.  I think we sat behind you on the flight to Vancouver.  If you were in row 16 and your dads tv did not work then it was you. 

It was a good cruise, no one turned up for the mixology experience even though 8 people signed up for it. It was a lot better than some others we have done.  A very good cruise and smooth sailing all the way, a few small swells on the last night but not anything to worry about. Air Canada lost (sorry misplaced)  our bags out of Vancouver so we had to go shopping before the cruise, not the easiest thing to do just before Christmas. 

13 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

The flight next to ours was just cancelled. Ours is scheduled to board in 27 minutes and depart in 57 minutes.  Stay tuned!

Following. We are in Kelowna, not the nicest drive took over three hours from Osoyoos. -27°C right now. Looks like things will work out tomorrow for our 6:00am flight into Van then 9:30 out to San Diego, not holding our breath but it looks positive. 

39 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

are you driving from Osoyoos tomorrow?

No we are staying over in Kelowna and are planning to fly into Van on Thursday morning. Not looking good but we will see. Some snow here but way more in Kelowna. Talked to NCL cruise consultant today on another matter. He said just turn up for the flights if the airlines cancel and we don’t make the ship then insurance should look after it. Who knows until there is a claim. We may be home for Christmas. ☺️  You should be in a better position than us as you are already in Vancouver. 

On 12/14/2022 at 10:22 AM, Greygooser said:

just want to chime in and say the MDR and specialty restaurants (even complimentary noodle bar) always ask gentleman to remove their hats, at least for dinner. Or that was my experience on the Getaway last week.

It would be so nice if folks would remove their ball caps. Some think wearing it backwards constitutes formal wear. 

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

Yes, I was able to change our flights so now we are leaving on December 21.

We leave on the 21st also. We are staying in a hotel down near the marina in San Diego for a few days. Apparently it is about 18-20°C down in San Diego, a little warmer than Osoyoos right now. 

4 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Yes, I’ve done the mixology experience.  It is booked through CruiseNext, not through the concierge.  I was so tipsy afterward I had to have a nap.  All the drinks were really, really sweet.

We just use the concierge and they looked after it. Not sure if we will do it again on this trip, depends on the timings. 

On 12/15/2022 at 9:40 PM, YVRteacher said:

We are Diamond with NCL and this is my 29th cruise on NCL.

Have you tried the "mixology experience" we just did on the Epic, very different way of using up fruit.  We may try it again on the Jewel next week, ask your concierge about booking it.