Manbo

I would appreciate any input on the process of currency exchange while on a European Cruise.

 

Are Euro's absolutely necessary?

 

Should I take Euro's with me, or exchange on the ship?

 

Does anyone take US Dollars in any of the ports?

 

Any advice will be appreciated, as I leave the first week in February.

 

I can officially say I will be cruising "next month" !!!

I am sure that you will get a lot of comments, but here are mine.

1. Take a credit card with no international transaction fees.

2. exchanging cash at an air port is expensive

3. Your local bank should give you a much better rate. Call them and tell them how much you need. Get more than you expect to spend, easier to refund, than if you run short in Europe.

4. I don't think the ship exchanges cash. The casino might payout in Euros but not a large sum.

5. Some folks go to AAA for money exchange, but unless you live in a very big city, call them 2-3 weeks in advance of your trip.

have fun!

Cheerleader response: I often wonder if there's an organized effort to slander NCL on cruise critic. I see and read all the negativity, and when I step on board the ships I just don't get it. Some of the negativity is so embellished it's humorous (imho).

As a long time NCL customer, I have not been as happy with NCL recently. They have drifted away from customer service and loyalty. Not to say we have abandoned them, but we are going on RCCL next month because NCL was not worth the price of a comparable cruise.

No organized effort to slander, just loyal customers reacting to the new management at NCL.

Hello we are looking to sail the Dawn on January 17 th out of New Orleans. There will be 2 adults and 2 children. We want to book an inside cabin. The least expensive is deck 4. Is is worth the extra $ to be on deck 12? Will we feel the motion more on deck 12? Thanks your any input.

:)

We sailed on deck 4, oceanview a few years back. Very, very noisy. Go for deck 12.

Thanks to all who post! can anyone give me the rough price of a typical cocktail? Say a rum and coke, or bloody Mary?

I think my wife and I would have 3 cocktails, 3 beers for me and 3 wines for her a day. Trying to do the math as to the best value.

thanks!

Anyone know in info games are on tv on the gem?

If I recall correctly, Magnums bar area had NFL.

Any suggestions for hotels that provide free parking with garage and shuttle to pier? Thanks for any information you can provide.

After reading the posts, no one responded regarding hotels with free park & cruise. I couldn't find any on line, either.

Does anyone know of any hotels with Free Park & Cruise?

No, NCL does not hand out lanyards. I went on my first NCL cruise a few weeks ago and loved it! It's a step up from Carnival.

WE were given lanyards when we signed up for the NCL Credit Card (which just resulted in sweet cash reward after 15 months). :)

Anyone know why NCL web site still doesn't show anything for the breakaway in Jan?

we (4) adults will need transportation from the port to airport to pick up a car after our cruise can anyone tell us the best way & least expensive?

WE took a taxi, cost about $25.

My choices were either cancel and rebook at the listed fair ($1000 more) or stick with what the booking that they extended. I was offered nothing for the inconvenience.

 

I will call again and try to get a supervisor to help...I didn't cancel yet. I am glad I hadn't purchased any flights!

Ok, my last post on this. I tried one last time today, spoke with a supervisor and pleaded my case. Same answer, my only choice was to cancel. So, I did.

Now, to call RC!!!

Yep it's 14 days now

 

 

....

 

They need to see if pax that booked months and months ago as well as those that booked in the last few weeks actually are willing and able to stay on a 14 day

 

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Agree!

I was booked on the Jan 31 that was extended to 14 days. Due to work, I cannot be gone the extra 2 days. NCL gave me no other option but to cancel. I was hoping to move on the cruise two weeks earlier (Jan. 17) but they would not honor the price ($1,000 more-spa balcony for 2 of us).

Needless to say, we are very disappointed.

RC here we come!

I feel really badly for the OP. I don't know the exact itinerary for the cruise you're on, but is there any way that you could "miss the boat" at your last port and fly home?

 

If it's just two extra sea days that were added on, then you could just miss those and get home for the 13th.

 

Good luck to you!

I never thought of that one!!!

So, what happened?

 

Did you have to cancel all together? Did NCL give you a refund or were you forced to take the crappy alternative at a higher price?

 

I would have thought that since NCL wanted everyone to wait until today to call there would be a some kind of plan to help make these re-bookings as painless as possible.

 

I hope you eventually get to sail where you want to go. :)

My choices were either cancel and rebook at the listed fair ($1000 more) or stick with what the booking that they extended. I was offered nothing for the inconvenience.

I will call again and try to get a supervisor to help...I didn't cancel yet. I am glad I hadn't purchased any flights!

Hope you enjoy RCCL as besides NCL you clearly do not enjoy following CC rules about duplicate threads either. ;)

I am sorry Officer Demonyte. However there is no duplicate thread. ;)

As I posted earlier, NCL changed my 12 day, Breakaway from NYC (Jan 31-Feb 12) into a 14 day, returning on Feb 14.

This would have been great, but I MUST be back at work on Feb 13.

After several calls, I was told I had to wait until Aug 10, to talk about moving back 2 weeks earlier (Jan 17).

I called just now and after 17 minutes on hold, I was informed all they would do is cancel and rebook me. My bill would good from $4001. to over $5000.

Plus the UBP & DSC have increased fees (not to mention loss of double Latitudes Points).

After many years of being a loyal and happy NCL customer, I am very disappointed.

NCL really misplayed this, especially by canceling trips without the new itineraries available. And failure to honor already agreed upon prices.

RCCL, here I come!

If I were you I wouldn't worry about this too much; just relax and see what they say next Monday. I am sure it will work out for you or at least you will get some compensation. You are right, they changed the dates, not you.

My only concern is if NCL doesn't honor my previous reservation price and perks, I just may "Jump Ship" and do RC from Baltimore to San Juan and right now the flights are pretty reasonable!

Unfortunately, by NCL extending our Jan 31 cruise by 2 days, we must reschedule. After 3 calls to NCL, I am being told I must wait until Aug 10 for answers to the following questions:

1. Can I rebook at the same price I paid originally?

2. Do I lose the double Latitudes Points I got for booking early?

3. Does my UBP reflect the old or new gratuity charges?

4. Do I have to pay the new DSC?

Keep in mind, NCL made the change, not us! I am hoping that we can just move 2 weeks earlier, and keep everything as it was. Doesn't seem too much to ask, does it????

We had a mid ship balcony on the Pearl and after about 20 minutes on deck in Glacier Bay, we went to our cabin, made a pot of coffee and enjoyed the glaciers from our room.

It was great!

I would strongly recommend it!!

We are cruising the 18 day Panama Canal in October and thinking of buying the dining package. We just don't know how many days we should pay for in advance. Is there dinner theater like on Getaway? If you were to go on this cruise (17 nights), how many nights would you pay for in advance for specialty dining?

 

Is there a clothesline in the bathroom?

 

Are the walls magnetic?

 

Does the A/C shut off if the room key is not in the slot?

 

Is there a coffee pot in the room?

 

Can you store suitcases under bed?

 

Thanks, Appreciate it!

We had a balcony on the Pearl with a coffee pot.

Magnetic walls?? Or do you mean steel walls? I am curious, why do you ask?

I just talked with Verizon about incurring roaming charges while traveling to Hawaii and being on the POA.

 

I was told their would be no additional charges to be in Hawaii and use my phone.

 

When I asked specifically about being aboard the Pride Of America, I was told that that ship is not in their database - so she said it would be the same as if we were in Hawaii on land.

 

Does anyone have any "different" experience than what I was just told? I hate to have any surprises with my cell bill after the cruise....

 

Thanks in advance!

Since you are never very far from land, you should be fine. We have Sprint with good service all through Hawaii, but i turned my phone off at night when we did most of our traveling.

Great review!!! We are going on the breakaway in January. One question, I thought the spa balcony came with a spa pass???:confused:

We were wondering what is the norm, extra gratuity or just the automatic for drinks? :confused:

Cab from PS to Pier for me was $12 going and $15 coming back plus tip.

If the weather is nice you can walk to the pier.

Can balcony dividers be removed on Pride of America? We are looking at booking either 9698 (aft 2 br family suite) and 9700 (connecting large aft balcony) or 3 connecting large balconies 8530, 8528, and 8520.

 

Thanks,

If I recall correctly, only certain ones can be removed and only by the room steward. I would call to be certain.

Reservations are open right now for all restaurants. Indigo and Summer Palace are complimentary, reservations are optional. Specialty restaurants are set price with other options you can purchase at an extra charge for more expensive dishes. You can make your reservations now or when you get on the ship. A lot of people have the unlimited dining package for the specialty restaurants so I'd do that online or as soon as you get on the ship. No set times or set dinner tables. No sitting with strangers.

In addition, the Orchid Garden (I think that is the name) the Asian place, is complimentary. If you will be running on east coast time, and going early, you will not need a reservation.

We just sailed the Pearl and always just walked in for immediate seating.