scott in maine

Yuck. Please NO blenders at the specialty bars.

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Why the apostrophe?

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I disagree. There are many posts on CC highlighting the fact that those Aqua cabins are directly under the pool area where noise is an issue, whatever time of the day. It has also been documented by many that often Aqua cabins are in less desirable locations and that's why X provided the extra perks in order to sell those 'less' desirable (location wise) cabins.

 

Wow, that's a whopper of a tale. Long before CC or AQ concepts even existed, cabins on the top and next to the top floors were always, always, always the highest priced cabins on the ship. Everyone knows that.

I stand firmly with the OP here. 11pm needs to be the designated "reasonable" noise time on the pool deck. That doesn't mean library silence, but nor should it mean that the front half of AQ cabins need earplugs or white noise machines.

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11pm should be the universal hour that deck noise be lowered or eliminated. Some of the most expensive cabins on the ship are directly affected by excessive noise. It's not being a killjoy to ask that at 11pm, one be able to sleep in their stateroom.

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We were supposed to be called at 9:25 and I would say they called our tag around 9:00, but we weren't ready. Don't know if it's normal for them to call early. I think we got off closer to 9:30. I looked back at a text that I sent my husband while he was heading up the stairs in the Fulton parking garage and it was 10:22, so we were definitely off the ship in about 30 minutes. I know sometimes they have problems with customs holding things up, though, but we had none. Have a great trip!!

Wow - that's great. Sounds like you were in the middle of the pack getting off the ship and still managed to do it in a half an hour! that puts my mind at considerable ease since we'd read more than a few tales of folks finding themselves in 2 hour lines upon debarkation @ NOLA. That was making me very nervous.... Sure appreciate the timely and helpful information!! (Best wishes to your Dad.)

Exceptionally helpful reading since we sail on Dawn tomorrow afternoon! Please let me know how quickly you cleared custom on the return into NOLA. we have 12:40 flights that day and I'm not anticipating any issues, but would sure feel better knowing that it only took you 30-45 minutes or less to be on the curb once you left the ship. Thanks!!!

No coffees and no sodas.

This is the problem with the interwebs. Folks can post incorrect information in a most definitive way.

The truth is that sodas are included as long as they can be served by the glass/cup. No cans are included in the UBP.

Nice to read that your debarkation was so fast. We have 12:40pm flights in two weeks coming off this sailing, so you've given me confidence!

Enterprise will pick you up

Thanks for the feedback, folks. Really appreciate it.

Hi all --

We're sailing on the Jan 3 DAWN from New Orleans and I'm aware that there have been a few weeks where the ship came in late and embarkation was a zoo.

But, we're thinking *POSITIVE* and hoping all of those glitches are in the past!

With that said, can some of you (who've sailed the Dawn in the past few weeks) chime in with a recommended time to arrive at the dock to embark on day 1? We'll be in NOLA over New Years, so we can arrive anytime in the morning. I don't want to get there at 10:15 and have to wait for 90 minutes, but if getting there at 10am helps us beat the mad rush of the midday, we'd prefer to do that.

Yes, I understand that each embarkation is a little different, but I'd sure appreciate reports from some folks who've done this sailing in the past month out of New Orleans. Many thanks, in advance!

what was disembarkation like? I mean specifically timeframes. We've had some reports that it took HOURS before the ship was cleared and folks were still in queue for customs at noontime -- meaning so many missed flights! We're on this sailing in a few weeks and have a 1pm flight and getting a little ancy. Just looking for some additional data points.

thanks!

The beverage package might sound like a good deal, but probably is not when you add the surcharge.

 

 

 

Add the surcharge and the program is just too expensive.

Huh? We're talking $12 a day or so, right?? I am no heavy drinker, but I'll have a drink at the pool at lunch, a cocktail before dinner and probably a glass of wine at dinner. Often a nightcap after the show.

I can't understand how $12 seems "too expensive" given that some cocktails price out at $12.

70% of inventory is held back until sailing. You'll get in

I'm neither a cheerleader nor a hater, but we can all agree that clear, frequent communication goes a very long way when normal processes go awry. Just a concise explanation with adequate info given about the new plan would satisfy most.

Day 1 is never much more than fluff and day 2 is at sea, right? You're probably not missing all that much

Sad to say, but last year on the Sun - MDR guests often dined in tee shirts & shorts. Not a deal closer, but a little uncomfortable[emoji19]

I'm actually beginning to get somewhat apprehensive about our upcoming Jan sailing on NCL. we've never sailed NCL before, but have about 15 cruises under our belt, mostly on Celebrity and HAL. we knew NCL was certainly more relaxed, but did not know that would translate into shorts and t-shirts in the dining rooms for dinner. I can appreciate that not everyone wants to bring dress clothes, but it does seem intriguing that most would opt not to meet a business casual standard, no? We're talking basic khakis and a button down shirt.....

Just seems to me that when one is in a formal dining space and the waitstaff serves formally and is dressed formally, it's incongruous to have folks in football jerseys. We may have made an error with this cruise..... :(

it probably stands to reason that you should at least spell it's name correctly.

Probably worth pointing out that you have an unnecessary apostrophe there, SeaShark.

I'm on the 3 Jan sailing and won't be happy if the sail time in Costa Maya is 2:30. None of our documentation shows that, so I'm hopeful. Thanks for sharing!

dismemberment didn't go well either. very long lines no one telling you where to go. Walk off took forever and I was told if I got off early my bags wouldn't be there, really we were 6 hours early in port. All bags were sitting there for all colors and they had not called for any color to leave the ship. Wonder if I would still be there if I waited? Customs was short handed and only three agents for the ship, that was not NCLs fault.

 

But this was the first cruise I ever was on that I couldn't wait to get home.

 

Over all not happy with NCL, but I did get to spend our time with our dear friends.

Sorry, phatsneaks, but this review reeks of a complainer. You may have had a number of legit issues, but the way you've chosen to present your story paints you as a large part of the problem. There was no need to comment on customs being shorthanded (and, let's face it, 3 customs agents is about the norm these days most places domestically).

Del Rio wants to change that. When we priced our October cruise NCL was $800 more than Ccl. Spring of 2017 they were $400 more. I will continue to price NCL for now but if they continue to be that much higher i won't be booking with them no matter how much "free" stuff they throw at me.

Interesting. We're considering a number of sailings for late 2016 and we've not seen that in our experience, but it's interesting to hear that it's happening. I can't recall ever seeing a pattern (historically) where NCL ever priced out higher than the competition.

With all of that said, I certainly salute Del Rio for his efforts. I think NCL needs to step up its game somewhat with a better food program and a little more emphasis on execution across the board. But, everything I've read about his strategy is all about pricing the product at marketplace norms, but then offering enticements to fill the ships as needed. I think we can all agree this is what Princess, RCCL, and Celebrity have done for a very long time, right?

It looks like NCL will continue to be priced higher than RCCL and CCL. Well, it was good while it lasted I guess.

That's a curious position given that NCL has been the JCPenney in the cruise marketplace for a decade now. There may be the very occasional sailing where NCL has priced higher, but let's face it, NCL has been the value line now for quite some time.

confirmed that the park opens to the broad public on 15 NOV 2015. The park is already open to visitors in an unannounced soft opening to locals right now.

Prices will be about $90 per adult.

I think for now everyone can book through any office they want (if you go through a local TA, I suppose they can refuse your business once they find out you're outside their area, but you can book directly with NCL). As Demonyte said, this will determine the currency of your booking: if you book in GBP, then everything else you pre-purchase for your cruise (excursions, drink/dining packages, spa passes, etc.) will be charged in GBP.

 

As Demonyte also said, you should of course compare the base cruise fare in addition to whatever promotional terms they are offering. You could end up saving even more than just the UBP service charge, you never know.

Right. All of that makes good common sense. It just seems that if the three websites are pricing out close to one another (and they are for our Jan sailing), one should surely take into consideration the potential cost savings on the drink package of about $160+ USD if that cost is not applied to bookings on NCL.CO.UK or the NCL EU site.

More of a realist, and/or maybe just an American… It is simply illegal to slip in taxes/fees like that in much of the rest of the world. This is why NCL UK and NCL EU only quote tax-inclusive cruise fares. And why the Freestyle Choice UBP/SDP perk in those offices still includes the 18% auto-gratuity.

Which begs the obvious question.... as a US citizen, am I able to book an NCL sailing using a UK based travel agent or a UK based website? If so, problem solved and I've pocketed about $160 in savings.

Am I missing something?