hominid

On 7/22/2019 at 4:29 PM, JFontaine said:

If it is true that the guide left those folks out there, and it appears that it is, I don't really need to hear any other side of the story.  It sounds like attempted murder to me, and should be dealt with accordingly. 

I've read that the appropriate procedure for "reckless driving/drunk" is that the tour operator takes the keys and either radios for a boat or goes to get help. Jet skis are very dangerous machines that can cause a lot of damage. I think there is another side of the story that I would love to hear. Perhaps he had just gone back to get help as the tourists were behaving in a dangerous manner. It seems they were only out there for 20 minutes. Of course, they are going to act like they did nothing wrong. But if there are 3 jet skis, why did they just let the tour guide take the keys? That is not a quick and easy task to just zip over and do. The tourists had to know that is what he was doing. Hence, for this story, there is another side that is very important to the whole picture of what happened, but it will probably never get out to the public.

If you want to be funny/clever, you could make it a puzzle to figure out. Like wrap up a package of King Hawaiian Rolls and go to a Chevy dealer and pick up a brochure for a Chevy Cruze and wrap that with it. LOL. We did something similar with our kids and it took them a minute to figure it out. They were so confused!  But also, the basket of Hawaiian things would probably be more appreciated.

Perhaps get a greeting card with photos of your state and put the cash inside. We usually leave our tips in a card with a message of gratitude. If they want to toss the card, doesn't hurt my feelings. But I know sometimes reading how you helped is meaningful for some people (in addition to the comment cards we fill out)

We've sailed out of NOLA twice on the Spirit and the Star. I found it really a neat experience to sail down the Mississippi and see along the river coast. Much different than just "boom! Your in open sea." It takes around 8 hours, so it's late when you get into the Gulf of Mexico, but you can see the lights of the oil rigs in the distance.

When we were on the Star in 2012, apparently there was some river traffic around 1 am. A smaller boat couldn't get out of the way and the Star had to pull a maneuver. The ship tilted 4 degrees and it was enough to dump the pool down the hallway on deck 12, where the SJ Family Suites are. We were in 12016. 12032 got flooded! The guests in that room had to be moved because the carpet was soaked, they had the room open with blower fans for much of the week. It was an experience-LOL!

I can sympathize with you. I received a similar letter from NCL in 2011. We were stranded in NOLA for 2 days because the ship could not come into port due to a tropical storm (took our 7 day cruise down to a 5). My travel insurance required a letter from the cruise line, on their letter head, detailing the reason for the delay. NCL was very difficult to deal with for this. It took me almost a month of badgering. I didn't want compensation, I just need to prove to my insurance company that NCL, as a carrier, did have a delay from the original sail date.

The couch folds flat into a full size. We cruised with our kids in one 2br and 2 of our couple friends were in another 2br. One of the couples was in the smaller bedroom with the bed made out into the larger bed and they didn't have any issues with it. They enjoyed it because it was extra dark.

Not sure about the BR Players.

The Dining Packages are for Guests 1 & 2 in a room. Any additional people are the cover charge. For example, we are traveling with our son. My self and my husband are covered for 3 specialty dining meals. If our son wants to eat there too, we would have to pay the charge for him.

December 2012 we sailed the Star to the Western Caribbean-7 nights. Family of 4 in a Family Suite (SJ). We got it for $2700 plus $600 OBC.

This was also the most expensive cruise because it was our first exposure to the "Suite Life" and now we don't want to sail any other way! Totally ruined our youngest. We stayed at a hotel a few months after the cruise and he wanted cookies. I told him we didn't have any. His response, "Can't you just call the butler and ask him to bring some?" Oh boy-LOL!

My now 19 yr old is gold, we started cruising when he was 10. He's mad at us though, because now that he's in college, he doesn't get to go on the cruise in November, so his younger brother is going to be Platinum-LOL!

I would recommend that you call NCL and get their Latitudes # and make sure every time you book, that number is applied to their name. Our kids had multiple accounts that I had to consolidate into one for each. Now I keep their numbers with our records for booking times.

We LOVED Bermuda, family of 4. Being parked allowed us to be more relaxed in how we saw the island. I hope to do it again, because there were things we didn't have time to do. If you have a membership to your local science center, check and see if it is reciprocal. Ours allowed us free entry into the Bermuda Institute of Underwater Exploration. It's an interesting museum with exhibits on the island, the marine life around it, and ship wrecks-including many artifacts. We did this in the morning, it took a couple hours. Then had lunch and went to the Crystal Caves in the afternoon.

I have purchased a 100 ct bottle at Costco for under $7. I find that it does make me sleepy. But, through trial and error, I discovered that if I start taking it before bed, the night before the cruise and every night of the cruise, I sleep through the "sleepy" part and I'm fine during the day. I get very motion sick, can't read or look at phone in the car. Meclazine works wonders for me.

We are taking our first cruise with RC on the Freedom of the Seas in December. We've cruised exclusively with NCL prior to this and I know all the tips/trick/perks with them. So I'm a little nervous about RC because I like to know EVERYTHING before I cruise. Heaven forbid I miss out on something because I didn't know about it.

DH and I are traveling with our two sons, 17 & 9.

So let me have it! What are the tips that I need to know for getting the most amount of fun out of our first RC cruise? Are there any great secret places to hang out or bars/shows that are Must See?

(PS. We LOVE the Freestyle dining concept on NCL and I'm a bit confused about how the My Time Dining works)

Thank you for your help!

Whenever I rent a car, I typically do one of the "name your price" sites because all rental places have the same cars (ford, chevy, toyota, etc). Often I can find a pre paid price there that's unbelievably cheap. Just last month I rented a Jetta for the weekend (friday-sunday Richmond, VA from the airport) and with taxes, fees and everything, it was $35! I couldn't believe how cheap it was. A cab, one way, was $40. No brainer.

We are also taking our kids out of school to go to Bermuda (both schools excuse it for educational/travel experience). If you are a member of your local science center, check their reciprocal benefits. We found out that our membership with our local museum will allow us to get into the Institute of Underwater Exploration in Bermuda for free! This will allow us some time for an educational excursion at no additional cost.

You can also buy a travel bottle of Downy Wrinkle Release. That stuff is quite amazing. I always take a bottle when I travel.

Chases Marriott Premier card offers this as well and we actually used it back in 2011. We were stranded in NOLA waiting for a tropical storm to clear so the Spirit could make the trip up the Mississippi River. It reimbursed us for our hotel and food and it was quite easy. The hardest part of the claim was getting a letter from NCL explaining that weather caused a 2 day delay. I'm not joking, it took almost a month to get that letter to state the reason for the delay and the length of the delay.

That one does cover cancellation due to death of an immediate family member. Not sure about medical evac though.

Alcohol only comes with Owner's suites and Garden Villas

With OS you get 3 bottles

With GV you get 6

Kids Sail Free has worked for us twice now. We cruised out of NOLA the first week of December 2012 (yes, we took the kids out of school). We had a family suite SJ on the Star for 4 and I booked it the first week of July 2012. Got the cruise for 4 for $2665 and $650 OBC. We already had a vacation booked for that year but it was such a crazy good deal, we had to take 2 vacations that year:D

And with the most recent KSF promo, we booked another SJ on the Dawn to Bermuda sailing out of Boston on Halloween. We were able to get it for $2770 with $350 OBC.

We would have really preferred to try one of the new ships, but my family got spoiled by the Suite Life the last time and cruising in the summer in a suite was almost 3X as much. I know we probably won't get as good a deal as these again, but I will definitely enjoy them when I can find them!

I have a work a holic DH as well! I have found that cruising is the ONLY way to get him to unplug from work for a week. He can't check email or make phone calls because I refuse to pay for the internet while on the ship. He goes off the grid (now when we are in port, you can bet he's scoping out for Wifi). But sometimes, we have to do what's best for our spouses by forcing them to relax. Because, let's face it, some won't do it on their own! And after the initial 24 hour withdrawal, he actually relaxes and has a great time.

So, I vote for the 7 day as well:D

And sometimes there are adventures sailing down the Mississippi. We were on the Star in December 2012 and around midnight on the sail out, there was unexpected river traffic. A small ship was directly in our way and the river pilot had to pull a maneuver to avoid a collision. We were in an SJ on deck 12 (the same deck as the pool). The ship tilted 4 degrees and the swimming pool got dumped all the way down the hall. We were in 12016 and didn't get wet, but 12032, 12030 and the library got flooded with pool water. I don't know where those people went for 3 days because they had the dehumidifiers on and the rooms opened to dry. By the end of the week, we noticed there were people staying in the rooms again. I'm just glad we were far enough back!

Cruise? Doesn't everyone just book that online nowadays?:cool:

 

What is a brick and morter TA? BJ's, Costco, AAA? I have always at least broke even on those prices booking direct. I have been to a couple real, supposedly "respectable", travel agencies in the past. Those ended up costing me more. And if they can book you a cruise, why would you not want them to book the other stuff too? Isn't that what they are for?

 

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Our cruise in 2012, we used one of these and I was able to get a suite (SJ) for $880 less than NCL was offering and $650 in OBC. It was a no brainer. Our upcoming, I was going to book direct with NCL, but checked with the same TA and their price was $191 less than NCL and an extra $50 in OBC.

For me, that means more $$ to play on the cruise:cool:

I would go on the western Caribbean cruise JUST to go to Nohoch Kay! One of my favorite places on earth. It has completely ruined fish tacos for me though, because every time I order some at home, they just don't compare to Jaime's. The shrimp ceviche is also amazing! It is a fishing village and Jaime knows the fishermen well, so he gets first pick of their catch and so everything is very fresh. The staff is super friendly and you will really enjoy yourself. The beach does have a lot of sea grass and you have to wade out a bit, because it's shallow. But there are also kayaks to use, if you are into that.

Keep an eye out for Betty Boop:)

Also, don't forget to print your edocs PRIOR to 48 hrs before departure. Once you are 48 hrs from departure, you can no longer print those edocs.

~You have to call~~

These alcoholic beverages are sold as Bar Set Up amenity orders. Available on all Ships excluding Pride of America.

Please Note: Pricing from Nov. 2013

Bar Set-Up is available for all stateroom categories.

Bar Set-Up is available for purchase onboard but you will be charged 15% on top of the price of the bottle instead of the $3 service fee.

Bar Set-Up must be pre-arranged before the voyage and can be requested up to the day prior to sailing.

Prices are subject to change. Service fee of $3.00 per bottle will be applied. 1.800.327.7030

Bourbon/Whiskey

Seagram's 7 Crown $80 1 Ltr

Jack Daniel's Black $100 1 Ltr

Crown Royal Special Reserve $100 750 Ml

Cognac

Courvoisier VS $120 750 ml

Rémy Martin V.S.O.P $100 700 ml

Gin

Beefeater $80 1 Ltr

Bombay Sapphire $100 1 Ltr

Liqueurs

Baileys Irish Cream $100 1 Ltr

Southern Comfort $100 1 Ltr

Disaronno Amaretto $100 1 Ltr

Godiva Chocolate $100 750 Ml

Grand Marnier $100 1 Ltr

Kahlua $100 1 Ltr

Rum

Bacardi Superior $80 1 Ltr

Captain Morgan $80 1 Ltr

Scotch Whiskey

J&B Rare $80 1 Ltr

Glenfiddich $100 1 Ltr

Chivas Regal $100 1 Ltr

JW Black $123 980 Ml

Tequila

Cuervo Gold $80 1 Ltr

1800 Reposado $100 750 Ml

Don Julio Reposado $120 750 Ml

Vodka

Smirnoff $80 1 Ltr

Absolut $100 1 Ltr

Absolut Citron $100 1 Ltr

Absolut Apeach $100 1 Ltr

Grey Goose $120 1 Ltr

Grey Goose L'Orange $120 1 Ltr

Grey Goose La Poire $120 1 Ltr

When guests purchase a bottle of liquor they can choose 3 garnishes and 3 mixers from the list below once they arrive onboard. **** Mixers consist of 3~ 12 oz cans ~ so bring your own!!

• Bloody Mary Mix • Apple slices• Pepsi• Banana• Club Soda• Carrot• Cranberry Juice• Celery• Diet Pepsi

• Lemon slices• Grapefruit Juice• Lime slices• Orange Juice• Maraschino Cherries• Pineapple Juice• Tonic •Orange slices• Sierra Mist• Peppers• Sweet and Sour Mix• Pineapple wedges• Tomato Juice• Pitted Olives • Strawberries

We've only ever booked through a TA. Our last trip was a suite on the Star and the TA's price was $700 cheaper than NCL's price AND we got an extra $150 in OBC.

Just booked one a few weeks ago and I was going to try NCL, but the TA company we used was $200 cheaper with an extra $50 OBC. No brainer. That's an extra $250 to spend on the cruise:D

Never had a problem changing anything. Just changed the room number and I call them they call NCL while I'm on the phone and get me confirmation numbers or whatever I need.