graphicguy

We do indeed. Our Meet and Greets are sometimes held in the Brew House. They put a sign up at the entrance stating “Closed for Private Function”. Granted, we’re only there for an hour or so. But, if given enough participants, we’ll dominate a venue even after the Meet and Greet is over. OL? That’s a really big space. I’m surprised someone had enough people to fill the entire OL. Then again, I’ve only been in the OL on Breakaway Plus ships. Maybe the Prima’s is smaller.

I like playing in Hold’Em cash games which NCL provides a dealer for (for a healthy rake). Invariably, there’s someone at the table wearing the sunglasses and some sort of trinket s/he puts in front of her/him that allegedly brings luck. It’s a straight copy of what some of the Poker Pros do. Pretty quickly it becomes clear not matter the lucky charm and sunglasses, they aren’t very good. They are also the ones who critique others’ play after he’s been beaten by us. Same with the BJ players who angrily chastise others for taking “his” card. No…it’s not your card because it’s sitting in front of me and not you! 😉

You’re welcome! Not surprised you had to go directly to the airlines. My experience with NCL Air has been 50-50. I think they want to help, but I get the distinct impression they are using some sort of rigid process/booking application that makes it difficult to deviate what the app assigns as the cheapest air fare. Like you, I’ve been working with NCL Air to book flights different than coming in day of my cruise. They say it can be done. They just haven’t done it. So glad it worked out for you. I may do the same and contact the airlines directly!

To me, rude and mean is rude and mean. No excuses…regardless of situation, place or time!!!!

Not sure about PCCs keeping track of pricing. TA would let me know, but not sure if she always knew every price change.

WOW is right. I feel for some of the crew to have to put up with jerks. In real life, those parents would have been treated “differently” with that sort of behavior. A little mannerly behavior, some general kindness, will go a long way in a guests enjoyment, and service that’s great vs adversarial.

Europe! In the States, there are some ports where this is common (NYC comes to mind). I’ve sailed Celebrity in the past, also. Their fares are almost always significantly higher than NCL’s whether you pre-book the “all included” fare or decline it. Inference being they bake in the taxes, fees, etc into the fare. NCL breaks out those taxes and fees as line items.

I was talking to a TA last night and asked about the VAT charged in Europe on drinks. She seemed quite knowledgeable and has been working in the industry for a while. She said there's a difference between pre-purchasing a drink package (which Free at Sea would qualify because it's applied to your cruise before you board). And, buying drinks a la carte once on board, which is subject to the taxes. It's an accounting process given drinks under the drink packages are not considered "point of sale" since the sale was made when you booked your fare. Packages or drinks sold once you're on board ARE a point of sale item(s) and subject to the taxes. Free at Sea is a pre-board item. Any taxes or fees broken out are simply line items of the package. Anyone buying a package or drinks on board in parts of Europe (subject to local regulations) either have the fees/taxes baked into the cost, with no breakout. Or, in NCL's case, those line items are shown separately. Whether they can or can't break out those line items is a matter of debate. But, since not everyone has Free at Sea, it gets jumbled. This extends to any gift shop or other store purchases....all point of sale items. This makes total sense.

Done both..PCC and a TA. Had a long time TA who left her agency. She knew exactly what I was looking for and always let me have all the perks that the PCC couldn’t offer (like OBC from using AMEX Plat) and some of her commission (sometimes hundreds of dollars depending on cruise/cabin). She would also take care of booking my flights and hotels if necessary. I doubt she made any money on that (maybe hotel commissions). But, she offered that service to me. But, I had probably booked 15+ cruises with her, too. Sad she left. PCCs can’t do any of that. I can call (most likely email) my TA with requests/changes to my cruise and she’d email me back with written confirmation of the changes. Never waited on hold. I have no issues with using PCCs. They tend to be transitory, though.

Safari isn’t an issue for me. It’s what I use most. Sometimes Firefox when I’m on a different computer. No issues there, either. Can’t remember if I tried Chrome.

My last Haven Cabin cruise I found the same with my Butler. Saw him briefly in day 1, where he introduced himself. Told him I didn’t want the Prosecco in the room, nor did not want the chocolate strawberries…ever. Prosecco was still there on my disembarkation, and the strawberries were replenished a couple of times, even though I never ate any. Didn’t see him again until the last day of the cruise as I was handing out tips, he was hanging outside my cabin door quite a bit and wanted to know if I needed anything else…..LOL!

every once in a while, I see someone talk about the Haven pool being crowded and filled with kids. Truth told, I’ve never experienced that. Not saying it doesn’t happen, just after 4-5 Haven cruises, it’s never been a problem! Have pool is at best, a wading pool, however! Celebrity Retreat pool? Good luck finding a chair, let alone a lounger…even with no kids around!

Just booked the Epic H9 Haven Spa Suite for October. Really looking forward to staying in what many believe to be the best Haven in the NCL fleet, plus, they just refurbished it.

@LrgPizza...thanks so much for the review. Kind of surprised about the Butler and Haven Restaurant experiences. Usually, they bend over backwards to accomodate. I had noticed a lack of Butler engagement the last Haven experience I had last year. Concierges have always been on top of anything I asked of them...from changing dinner reservations (including finding "space" for me at sold out times for Specialty Dining Restaurants), booking my excursions and entertainment (including getting me front row seats at extremely popular shows at Sid's and Cavern Club). Taking care of billing snafus and WiFi issues....all done without me waiting around at their desk. I tip them well. Haven Restaurant not listening to what you wanted or denying reasonable requests? Yeah, that's a "conversation" I would probably have with the Haven Restaurant Manager. But, good to hear you enjoyed it. Gary.....I think it depends on the ship regarding the quality of the Haven Staff. Just a guess from me. I've had great experiences on the "-Away" ships in the Haven. On the Jewel class ships? Not so much! Obviously personnel is different, but policies seem to be in a state of flux (no apple juice except for breakfast?). Communications seem to have breakdowns, too. What's normal for one Haven is not for the Haven on a different ship. That's a communications issue from management. At least, that's my take.

My TA left her agency and I can't find where (if anywhere) she went. Trying to nail down a new TA. But, as of right now, even though my cruise is booked, I'm doing some of the arrangements with flights myself. I explained that my TA had left the business, so NCL Flight Dept has been willing to assist me. Hope you get the air questions sorted out.

These are the numbers to call to find answers to the questions... For customized air arrangements, call 1-866-625-1163 For hotel, transfer, Travel Protection, call 1-800-327-7030 From NCL if things go sideways with their air arrangements.... Let's face it, sometimes unforeseen things happen; bad weather, delayed flights and even cancellations. If your flight is changed or a weather-related delay leaves you stuck while you're traveling to one of our Freestyle Cruises®, don't panic. The first thing you should do is immediately advise an airline representative at the airport that you are a guest of Norwegian Cruise Line, and you are on your way to join our cruise ship. Usually, they can arrange alternative flights at the airline counter, so you can get to your ship or hotel package destination. After you learn your new flight arrangements, please contact NCL's "Flight Assistance Hotline" at 1-800-456-7179, as soon as possible, with your new flight. The call is toll-free and our representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please note: This special number is operational only in the United States and Canada. Outside of the U.S. and Canada you may reach us at 1-305-468-2029 and we accept collect calls. Important: The above numbers are for emergency use only for unforeseen delays. If you have any other questions, please contact your travel professional. NCL is not responsible for any airline delays.

Finished the Deviation Request for coming in a day before, upgrading flights. Not hopeful there will be any "deals", but they're supposed to get back to me mid-week! And, I also agree with @cruiseny4life. Get any agreed upon Flight Deviations in writing. It should show up on your reservation. Not with NCL direct, but with some TAs I've been promised OBC, that never showed up on my reservation. Attempting to get any sort of agreed upon changes or perks without having a written record will only frustrate you and Customer Service once on board.

Thanks for your review. Enjoyed it. I think for many years now NCL (as well as many other cruise lines) have been treating the main pools more like wading pools vs legitimate "swimming" pools. Carnival may be the exception. But, even with them, their bigger pools are almost always way too crowded, too. Personally, given my son is now grown, I don't even go to the main pools any more. I will go to Spice H20 (adult area with some water features) or get a thermal Spa pass. Some like getting VIBE passes. I tried the VIBE once. It had hot tubs and comfy and plentiful seating. But personally didn't find much value there since NCL hiked the price. I think I got a pass for $79/pp/week. I think it's now $200+/pp/week. Some love it. For me, $200/pp/week for a Thermal Spa pass offers a lot more......hot tub, jetted swimming pool, saunas, steam room, salt room, showers, locker rooms, etc. I prefer the Breakaway Plus ships, but Breakaway/Getaway ships are fun in their own right as you can find some really good deals on them.

^^^^^ Not going to argue with you. Just relay what I’m going through and what the NCL Air Dept communicated to me. I’ll take their word for it over yours.

Spring Break cruises are a hard “NO” for me. Took my son on a Spring Break cruise many years ago when he was still a teen. He said the same thing.

Interesting point. Free Style does not apply to crowded pools that are too small. It doesn’t alleviate those who are chair hogs around those same pools that are too small. You can walk right up to a Specialty dining restaurant and get a seat. It may not be until 9 at nite, but you can get it. Some of the entertainment venues are too small for their best shows (thinking Cavern Club and Syd Norman’s). But, comparing that with having to identify which “seating” you’d like (5:30 or 8:30) every nite for dinner isn’t a “thing” with NCL as it is with other cruise lines. Having a “formal nite” isn’t an NCL thing as it is on other cruise lines…..etc! Whole heartedly agree about spending just a little prep time to make your on board experience more relaxed is excellent advice.

Amen to that! Every once in a great while, I’ll run into one of those chronic complainers. I tend to extricate myself from conversations with them.

I know door decorations are “banned”. But, every cruise I’ve taken, on any cruise line, always seems to have some cabins with door decorations. If crew are putting up door declarations, they must not be enforcing it. Just an observation!

From what I understand most complaints are about the fact that some don’t get the flights they wanted. Or, there was some sort of problem with one of the legs of the flights. Or, NLC won’t pay for a hotel for an overnight stay at an airport. I believe once you understand that the reason you’re using NCL Air is to get cheap flights and that’s where it begins and ends, you’ll be fine. If you want flexibility, more control over your flights, someone to pay for your hotel in there’s an overnight layover, best to book those on your own.

That’s what I’m working through now. I am flying cruising solo. All I really want to do is to come in a day early for the obvious reasons. I’ve talked to NCL Air dept. I asked them to transfer me to their “deviation dept”. The representative said they are one and the same. They are sending me some sort of form for the deviation. NCL’s flights are about ½ what I can book on my own. But, that’s without any deviation.