graphicguy

As they say...different strokes.... I really liked Choir of Man. Get there early enough and share a beer with the cast as part of the show.

I agree. Syd's house band is probably my favorite show on any cruise line. And, you do indeed have to be there early (at least 30 mins...45 mins is better) to get a good seat...or any seat for that matter. It's really fun and well worth the wait.

(Knock wood) I haven’t experienced any of the supposed cutbacks reported. Maybe I’m lucky. Aside from some liquors that aren’t available, still a good product to me. Last Fall on the Bliss, nothing seemed amiss at all, entertainment, service, etc was all great. I’ve had my issues with NCL, mostly surrounding their policies during the restart. But none of it really had anything to do with entertainment, food or service. That said, entertainment for each ship is advertised on that ship’s WEB site. Are you saying they advertised a particular show(S) and then didn’t offer it? MSC has beautiful ships. Entertainment? Not their strong suit. Royal was just coming back up to speed after the restart, so there were pretty big holes in their food and entertainment offerings. That was offset by the fact I got a really good fare. Speaking of fares, given the coupons NCL has been sending out, their fares are great if you’re going to Alaska and/or Europe.

All drinks by the glass ARE NOT included with FAS. Those drinks that are what NCL considers premium are charged the delta between the $15 included drinks price and the price of the premium choice. It’s been that way as long as I’ve been cruising them. FAS+ includes nearly all the drinks, including what NCL considers premium. But, even there, drinks like Louis XIII cognac are not included in that, either.

About time. One of the big annoyances where passengers have to cognizance of the others around them and how annoying they're being.

Not running a sale as we think of them, but NCL has the Latitudes discounts, the $50/excursion credit with FAS and the additional $50 excursion credit if you buy FAS+. Utilizing all that, it makes the excursions they offer pretty cheap.

If you get on board and there are cabins available for upgrade, they'll tell you the upgrade price. I've seen this on Celebrity. Never on NCL. Matter of fact, they usually have a sign at the Customer Service Desk stating something along the lines of "no upgrade cabins available". I've NEVER heard of an NCL PCC being able to negotiate the fare. It is whatever is published. You can do the bid for an upgrade process, but unless your bid is pretty high, the odds of winning are slim, particularly for full ships, which NCL seems to be sailing at. But, as far as trying to negotiate like you would buying a car? NEVER heard of it happening. That said, I just upgraded (not bid, but asked for the upgrade charge) from an H9 Haven Spa Suite (which was a great fare to begin with using NCL Coupons) to a 2 BR Haven Villa for $113. That's a first for me. Keep an eye out for price drops. OP...what are you trying to upgrade to and what's your budget? Maybe we can steer you in the right direction.

If you don’t want to pay full boat for the Haven, I understand. But, I’ve NEVER won an upgrade I bid on that would net me any particular savings over just booking it outright. And, I’ve bid on upgrades A LOT! I see some here and there that say they have won upgrade bids that is less than the listed fare, but it’s extremely rare. The formula they use for upgrades is a mystery, even though we’ve all tried to figure it out. I personally believe the “bid for upgrade” process is little more than a marketing tool to get additional revenue or to fill cabins that may be slow selling (Haven cabins sell out). If you want the Haven, book the Haven. If it goes outside of your comfort zone financially, stick with the cabin you originally booked. That’s been my rule of thumb. Whether it’s ship capacities, new or old ships, particular itineraries, cabin size and location, there are a wealth of choices and prices for the Haven. I’ve booked a 7 day Bermuda bound Haven Spa Suite cabin for 2 @$3,800. I just booked an 11 day Mediterranean 2 BR Haven Suite for about $4,800. I consider both to be excellent fares. Conversely, I’ve seen people pay $8K, $9K even $10K + for a non Haven cabin and couldn’t get their Haven upgrade bid a sniff. Book what you want, in the category you want if the price is right. I would not count on finding a “deal” via the upgrade route. As mentioned, the Haven is the Haven. The big differences are the sizes of the cabins and their location on the ship. I’ve often wondered if there is a percentage of Haven cabins on NCL ships. But, I’m too lazy to do the math to get my answer. 😉

I love downtown Old San Juan. And agree, the restaurants there are quite good without dropping a lot of coin. The history is also amazing. I love that port.

What? I CAN NOT have my peas touch my potatoes. This is critical in presentation. 😉

Thanks for the link. Yeah…interesting!!!!🏉🏟️

Yeah…I had heard there was a rugby charter. I don’t know the specifics. What days are the rugby charter? As an aside, I played rugby in college. Back then, I wouldn’t have let me stay anywhere remotely nice! 😉

@UKstages…just going by past encounters with billing issues with NCL. Verbal agreements don’t usually carry weight. But, in this case, having an email from their own support dept has always clarified and rules in the guest’s favor. In this instance, I will turn it over to the Concierges on board. I’ll give him/her the email if there’s any question. I won’t spend any time with it. It’s $50 extra per excursion. Given how many excursions involved, I think the dollar amount will be around $250. Add in the unlimited WiFi upgrade, extra Specialty Dinners and the drinks, I’ll pull the trigger, especially given my OBC will have it covered!

I finally got their response today, in writing….. Hello Dan, Thank you for your email. We will be happy to assist you. Yes, if you wish to upgrade your promo for $462, you will get an additional discount for shore excursions. If you have any questions or further requests feel free to let us know.At your service,Norwegian Concierge Desk P: +1 855-625-4283 NorwegianConciergeDesk@ncl.com | www.ncl.com Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. 7665 Corporate Center Drive | Miami FL 33126 So, now I have it in writing. Will go ahead and use my OBC for FAS+

Mentioned I thought it might be a good deal to upgrade to Free at Sea Plus. Talked to 2 NCL per cruise concierges….2 different answers about whether I could use 2X excursion credits as part of that upgrade. I forgot I had emailed the NCL concierge dept. a while ago and figured it got buried on the NCL nether regions. Here’s that email…. Hi:I’m sailing on the NCL Epic out of Marseille France on October 2, 2023. I am just starting to look at Excursions and am also looking at Free at Sea Plus. There, it says the drink package is upgraded, the internet is upgraded to unlimited and 2 more Specialty Dinners are included. I am traveling solo, so I’m very interested in the additional $50 per excursion credit. Given I’m solo, does that mean I can add an additional $50 credit per excursion to my current $50 credit? Again, it’s only me. One phone Concierge said I could, and another just told me I couldn’t. Won’t upgrade if that isn’t available to me. Just want to make sure as it makes sense that I would get that perk if I do the upgrade. Appreciate your help.Warm Regards,

From memory, and not sure this is true of all NCL ships (as some have much smaller Haven areas) but I think the Haven cabins are on decks 10,11,12, 14 (Haven Spa Suites) 16 and 17. The Haven Proper is on deck 16, where the Haven Lounge, poll, restaurant and bar is. Deck 17 has the Haven lounging chairs and looks down on the Haven Pool area. It's only accessible with your specific cabin key card. If you want to be right in the Haven, then deck 16 is where you want to be.

I'm not in that sphere. And, I can only go by what I read here at Cruise Critic. So, apparently if you put upside down pineapple stickers on your cabin door, it means you're a swinger. Now, how that works is a bit of a mystery to me. Do you knock on the cabin door and tell whomever answers that you're there for the "swinger party"? Or, do you wait until you see someone leave the cabin and then go in and take their place? I dunno?

Ya know....I never even thought about that until you just mentioned it. I need me some pineapple stickers. Seriously, I was more embarrassed for him and her than for me. I sort of wondered if she knew he was showing me the pictures as the wife wasn't sitting near us when this was transpiring.

All Haven Cabins have total access to all Haven areas. Those who do not have a Haven Cabin do not have access to any Haven areas. Concierges seem to have uncanny ability to know who is a Haven guest and who doesn’t. Haven Cabins can be in the Haven Proper area (Haven Restaurant, Haven Bar, Haven Lounge, Haven Pool, etc) or in other areas of the ship. There are Haven Spa Suites, who also have free access to the Spa. There are Haven Aft Cabins. There are Haven Forward Facing Cabins. None of these are in the “Haven Proper” but have keycard access to the Haven Proper.

Henry….the trip back home is in flux. I’ll be disembarking in Marseille and traveling to Cortona to meet up with family for another 10 days, or so. Really the only way to get back home via cruise ship would be to sail out of Rome. I can fly back via the airport in Pisa. More focused on how to get from the port in Marseille after the cruise to Cortona.

PCCs are foremost sales people. Not unusual they believe and promote NCL. It’s how they make a living. Doesn’t matter if it’s NCL, Celebrity or any of the others. It’s their job. No PCC, on any line, has any authority to change pricing, negotiate the fare. Fares can and do change over time depending on how the ships’ cabins are selling. Also, independent travel agents, who represent multiple cruise lines, will sometimes offer part of their commission as a refund, on board credit (OBC), additional perks (e.g. pre paid tips), etc that cruise line PCCs can’t offer. Another way to get extra perks is to check with your charge card providers who sometimes offer OBC and/or additional perks. Just keep your eye on the fares for published fare reductions.

I'm going to be the party pooper. I always think my NEXT cruise, the next port, the next cabin are going to be my fave. If we're talking about so far.....my balcony cabin on the Bliss earlier this year was quite nice. Sailing with a few of my closest cruise friends (looking at you @ChiefMateJRK and your charming wife) made it all the better. First time I sailed a "big ship" a dozen years ago on the Epic was memorable. Never had seen anything like that before. First time I didn't have to pack a suit, dress shoes, tie, etc. First time we never had to make reservations for anything. That was an eye opener and forever changed the way I viewed cruising. First time I sailed in the Haven was a little over 10 years ago to Bermuda on the Breakaway. I know I'm a bumpkin, but that level of service was foreign to me. That sort of cabin was foreign with the Concierges, the Butler and being in a Spa Suite, the jetted tub IN THE ROOM, was a treat. Probably helped that my (then) GF and I were still in the throws of a fresh and new relationship. Enjoyed sailing the GEM in an Aft Cabin, which was the first time for me. We did a cabin crawl and finished with a party in the Haven Garden Suite complete with canapés and drinks served by the Butler. That's where I met @mking8288 and his charming wife. Sailed the Breakaway in a Balcony Cabin through New England, Portland and Bar Harbor. Weather was perfect and the scenery stunning. Had a grand time sailing with a group of us solos from Cruise Critic...including @JamieLogical, who was as nice and pretty as she seemed on line. Other cruise lines....sailed the Allure of the Seas. That was a wonder to behold, at first. But, by the end of the week, it just felt like spending a week in a large mall. Sticking with Royal, I had just turned Diamond right after the restart. There were GREAT deals to be had for a cruise then. I found one on the Ovation. It was super cheap. But, my first time I went into the Diamond Lounge I started conversing with a nice couple from MO. Found out, the husband was a muscle car enthusiast, as am I. We started sharing pictures of our latest "finds". He was scrolling through them on his phone. Until, he came to one of his wife (who was sitting 10' from us chatting with someone else) naked. I'm not a prude so if someone is proud of their partner and wants to cary nude pictures of them, have at it. I thought it was an accident and he had shown it to me by mistake. Until, he kept scrolling showing different pictures of his wife posing naked. He clearly wanted me to see them. Feeling a little uncomfortable, I excused myself and left the Diamond Lounge. Every time I saw him or his wife during the cruise, I walked the other way. The deals were great at the time, so found a Retreat Suite on the Celebrity EDGE. THAT is a great cabin. And, the EDGE is a great ship. Love me some Magic Carpet bar/restaurant time. Had the opportunity to meet and talk with Capt Kate often, who is an absolute joy. Celebrity should pay her ALL the money to stay with them Sailed MSC Divina when it first hit the U.S. That was a great looking ship. IT had the curved video dealing in the main promenade. That was a "wow" moment. The rest? Not quite what I had hoped. Although, because of price, I tried Meriviglia a little while later. Not in the category of "best", but certainly memorable. I sailed Carnival Vista in their (then) new Havana Cabin. Price was right and the cabin looked interesting. The cabin had a "porch" where there was a hammock. Problem, the porch overlooked an outside aisle that anyone had access to. There was a gate to the porch, but it was only 2'-3' high. So, you could reach over it, or climb over it to access my "porch". First night, right after I had gone to bed, I heard a commotion outside on my porch. It was 3 very drunk people on my porch trying to get into my hammock. Funny at first. Irritating the other 3 times drink people tried to do the same. That was when I understood the Carnival fans. Not casting stones. Just a different demographic that I usually like to cruise. All kinds of others I have. But, those are off the top of my head. There are others I've met from Cruise Critic and their omission was not intentional, as they are/were all great people. Sorry for getting stream of conscious and wordy.

Shows what I know. I thought those were rose buds. Y'all got some (ahem) vivid imaginations!!!!

LOL! Typical of all my investments. I rarely buy at rock bottom and I rarely sell at the tippy top of the market. C'est la vie! I know about a year and a half ago, there were some folks in the NCL threads belittling the stock and the company hoping that their short sale would prove fruitful. Obviously, that hasn't happened. Hope this thread proves helpful for you.

I did have NCLH shares I bought at $11/sh when they announced their restart. Promised myself I’d sell once they hit $17, which I did earlier this year. In the interim, I think I used at least $500-$600 OBC while I owned the shares. I thought I would slow down my cruising and the OBC wouldn’t mean as much. Boy, was I wrong. LOL! What’s it trading for these days? As mentioned, YT, NF, HuLu are services I’d use at home. On a cruise? I can’t think why I’d want to utilize them. Maybe to post to YT, but even there, I’m not sure how difficult it would be. I know posting vids to Cruise Critic is nearly impossible while on board. I’ve tried….several times. But, there seems to be some sort of incompatibilities between Cruise Critic and cruise internet services. So, it’s as much a Cruise Critic thing as it is a ship WiFi issue. And, I’ve tried with NCL, Celebrity and Royal. So, it’s not just NCL with the issue. I love Alaska. Would go again in a heart beat. But unfortunately, as bad as WiFi is cruising other parts of the world, I’ve found Alaska cruises to be the absolute worst. It’s fine when docked. Get anywhere away from the pier, and it just disappears or is so slow that’s it’s impossible to use. But, you’re in Alaska. So, you’ll have that going for you 😉