exgman

On 12/10/2021 at 6:16 AM, Hutcha said:

Any update from people that have sailed the Bliss lately?

We went to Jersey Boys last night. Fantastic show! They performed 2 nights on this cruise. (12/5)

1 hour ago, tripleboom said:

I've always wondered how on earth they haul those giant ropes in to moor the ship at each port, and on this morning I was up early enough to witness it. Weighted balls on the end of a much smaller rope are tossed ashore, and then the guys on the dock use those smaller ropes to haul in the larger mooring lines. Pretty cool process!

Those smaller ropes with the ball are called Monkey Fists. At least they were back in the 60’s/70’s in the Navy. 

2 hours ago, Crazy For Cats said:

There policy of not wearing a mask is why I’m giving them a try. 

Thats what got us to NCL too. 

19 minutes ago, Summerstravel said:

Are they still letting you order a bottle of wine with dinner? I wanted to send the left over back to my room to enjoy later. I hope this policy did not change. 

I've read on here that they will cork it and you can take it with you or they will cork it and keep it for you.

2 hours ago, ggTexasGal said:

 

https://www.ncl.com/terms/premium-plus-beverage-package-full

 

more specifically on this:

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/premium-plus-beverage-package-2021v2.pdf  (It states "dinner" on this document.  And of course, terms and conditions are subject to change!)

Thanks for the link. I had read that several times, but the “dinner” part didn’t sink in. I’m pretty sure I read on this board about people having champagne with breakfast and then wine with dinner. I assumed it was by the bottle, but maybe it was by the glass. It’s not a big deal, I just like to know how things work. 

I was under the impression that wine and champagne in the PP+ program are available any time of the day and no limitation on how many bottles could be ordered. Is this the policy or is there a one bottle limitation?

3 hours ago, cruising sister said:

Do you know if you can bring a copy of your Covid vaccine card or need the original?

The NCL website says they prefer the original but will accept a photo of the original. 

I like that luggage. Easy to spot on the luggage belt or anywhere else for that matter. 

Thank you JandC for “making me” read the rules again. I misunderstood them to say that I had to get tested 96 hours before the cruise to receive a refund if I tested positive at the pier. After my 10th reading, I understand that’s for help if I get quarantined. I’m driving to the pier, so I won’t need to get tested beforehand. 

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

While you could request quarantine assistance, I think it would be difficult to assert that the quarantine was “mandatory” and you could be potentially stuck with a hotel bill and room service bill ($2K) 10 days later. 

i agree with Bird. If you had airline tickets that would trigger a mandatory quarantine. I don’t see a mandatory quarantine for someone driving home, so there wouldn’t be a claim for reimbursement. 

It’s my understanding the J&J shot is considered “fully vaccinated” , no booster needed. I hope this is correct because I’m sailing on the 12/5 Bliss and do not plan on getting the booster. 

Thanks roger and ote.. I was looking elsewhere on the page. I didn’t realize that first number was considered the minimum bid. 🤗

I received an upgrade email from NCL for my upcoming cruise to Mexico. I’ve been researching threads relating to the subject and have a question. Several folks have mentioned a “minimum bid”. The link provided in my email takes me to a page with several Haven cabins and a Club Balconey. There’s a slide for each cabin that goes from $0 to a maximum bid. There’s a graph that goes from poor to excellent. I dont see anything about a minimum bid. Am I missing something?

Thanks Gary. 

43 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

Happy to clarify.  Good question also.  Simple answer, you can order any of the "Selected Bottles" (Has an asterisk next to the bottle and on footnote says available for "Plus" package) one at a time for the same bottle.  So if my wife wanted white and I wanted red, two bottles would be on the table.  When you consume on, they more then happy to provide another bottle.  Just not two of the same bottles at the same time.  It is all complementary and part of the package. 

 

For this reason is the main reason we always get the Premium Plus Beverage Package.  Please also know, we were n the Haven at the time.  So when I requested a bottle, either Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner; they brought it.  For use and our experiences was, any meal.  I also got bottled water from the Haven Bar with this program also.

 

I hope this answered your questions. 

 

Cruise well.

Does the Premium Plus get you multiple bottles of wine/champagne at a meal outside The Haven also?

Having never been on NCL before I knew nothing about the Haven and had many questions. After reading every page of this thread, I now have zero questions. I’m now a Haven expert. I’m on the 12/5 sailing of the Bliss and received an opportunity to upgrade (that’s a whole ‘ other search).  Most of the choices were for the Haven. Thanks to Gary and the rest of the posters for all the info and opinions. 

What isn’t clear to me is how a home COVID test works. I’ve had a couple of COVID tests to date (both negative) but they were administered by a hospital. Do the home tests provide “proof” of a negative test? Or do I need to do a home proctored test to have proof? I’m driving to the port so I don’t need anything for the airlines. I just need proof that I had a negative test in case I test positive at embarkation to qualify for  reimbursement. 

NCL is testing at the port, which they are paying for.  The 96 hour test is for the passengers benefit; so they don’t show up at the pier for their boarding test positive. 

They are recommending a PCR test 96 hours before boarding. At the dock, NCL will administer an antigen test. If it’s positive, they’ll give you a PCR test to confirm. 

I just received my booking confirmation and the statement roger posted is in my docs. I booked through NCL and the agent told me they would give me a future cruise credit equal to my full booking fee. So far I haven’t been able to find anything in writing on the website or my docs. 

30 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

And nobody has ever actually purchased the NCL drink package outright without getting it in the promo so their (NCL) price out of pocket is somewhat misleading and a bit laughable. 

I agree. I normally sail Princess and only get the drink package if it’s a perk. After comparing the Plus to to the Adult package on NCL, the main differences I see are upgraded spirits and bottles of wine for dinner. 
When I made my original post, I wasn’t saying it was a great deal to upgrade, I just  thought it was a pretty good discount from the rack rate. After researching, it’s not worth it to me. 

1 hour ago, tallnthensome said:

I think it's high myself. 

From what I’ve read, the normal plus package is around $1000pp. Dropping to 243pp seems like a significant savings. Did I read the info wrong?

Thanks for the link Cole. As usual, after I posted the question I found it. 😀

You’re right linswi, it looks like I they’re offering a pretty good discount for the Plus. 

I recently booked my first NCL cruise on the Bliss leaving San Pedro on 12/5. One of the promotions is the Adult Beverage Package. I’ve found what’s included in the Premium package, but I’m not sure what’s included in the ABP. NCL is offering a discounted upgrade to the Premium package and I’d like to know what the differences are. 

Skynight is right on. I’ve only done 1 Hawaii cruise but enjoyed it very much. You have to like sea days, which the wife and I do. When we cruise with kids and grandkids we the do Royal Caribbean big ships. More for the kids to do. Otherwise it’s usually Princess.