coldweather

Thanks for the fantastic information Pellaz!

I am excited to try Carnival again.

Does the Conquest have a guest laundry?

I just logged into Cruise Critic and went to the Carnival posting boards and this was the top post. It couldn't be more current!

Husband and I are just about to book a January 2018 cruise on the Conquest. We have jumped around cruise lines but have not been on Carnival since the Fascination in 1998. (I think it was new then. :-) )

Would someone be so kind as to provide a quick overview of things I may need to know?

We will be in an inside cabin and not have any beverage nor dining packages.

Is there anything I need to do prior to boarding the ship? For example, do I need to book any of the entertainment shows? I know I should review excursions and make port plans.

So far I read in the thread that their is an adult only pool in the rear. (Good to know.) Also a Serenity area for adults only has been added. (Sounds great!) Is there a charge for the Serenity area?

Any info on Carnival or Conquest is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

This new itinerary does look fantastic. I am looking at the NCL.com site and I cannot find a Dawn sailing in December. Will you please provide the sailing date. I would like to contact NCL to see about pricing. Thanks.

Good thread. When you do purchase "insurance" please be sure you know what you are insuring. "Trip Insurance" usually covers TRAVEL expenses related to cancelled or delayed travel, lost luggage, etc. Some credit cards offer this at no charge if you charge your travel on their card.

"Travel Health Insurance" is a different product. This covers you for HEALTH/ILLNESS related costs while you are traveling.

I just point this out so people understand that some companies will sell you "Trip Insurance" and "Travel Health Insurance" as one product. Others sell them as separate products. Know what you are buying.

fyi. On my most recent cruise, my mom got sick and spent 3 hours in the infirmary. The bill was $1200. Travel HEALTH insurance covered all but the $25 deductible.

I have not seen any comments but I was able to add the Distinctive Voyages promotion to my exisiting reservation booked through a travel agent. The promotion of Distinctive Voyages did not show up on the computer system of the TA. A quick call to NCL had this promotion added to my existing reservation.

Thanks for sharing your story.

There is a different between "trip insurance" and "travel HEALTH insurance" I receive trip cancellation/interruption/lost luggage insurance coverage for free with one of my credit cards.

I do buy travel HEALTH insurance. On an April 2017 NCL Gem cruise, my mother got sick with diarrhea. After a few days of self treatment we needed help and went to the ship doctor. For 3 hours in the ship ER the charge was over $1200. Travel health insurance covered it. We paid $60 for 10 days of coverage for a 72 year old. We had a $25 deductible.

Here is a link to my trip report with more details.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2505388

I see the only cruise listed for May 2019 and beyond is the Hawaii cruise. How far in advance does NCL release their cruise schedule?

Thanks in advance.

Hello

I would like to provide a “trip report” for the healthinsurance and claim experience I had.

I receive “travel” insurance from one of my credit cards forfree. It covers trip cancellation, interruption,lost luggage, etc.

I only needed to buy “health insurance” for my 10 day cruiseround trip from NY City to the Caribbean.

I bought a Medex Assist policy from Uniited Health Group for$63 for my 73 year old mother. Note: Medex Assist is now UnitedHealthcare Global.

The policy covered $100,000 of medical benefit (including evacuation)and had a $25 deductible.

Mom got sick on day 7 of our 10 day cruise. She had diarrhea and a slight fever. After almost 2 days of self treatment werealized we needed some help. We wentto see the ship doctor. We were intheir “Emergency Room” for 3 hours where we saw the doctor 2 or 3 times, nursechecked in 2-3 times, mom received IV fluids for dehydration, IV Tylenol forfever and blood draw for tests and some antibiotics. She has a bacterial infection. Not Norovirus.After 3 hours she felt much better and they released her.

The bill was $1278. Yikes!

I contacted United Healthcare. Their claims are processed by a 3rdparty. I submitted the claim and it paidoff exactly as I was expecting. In about10 days we received a check for $1253. That was the $1278 charges less the $25 deductible.

I have purchased travel health insurance from this companymultiple times. The buying process isvery, very easy. This was my first time submitting a claim and it was easy,peasy.

Summary – I paid $63 for a 10 day insurance policy for my 73year old mother. She incurred $1278 ofemergency room costs onboard the ship. The insurance company paid $1253 after they deducted her $25deductible. To be complete, I paid $44to cover me and I had no claims.

I was very pleased with the buying, claim submitting andclaim paying process.

I hope this helps folks with travel health insurance questions.

I have done this excursion 2 times. The vans start returning to the ship early. So, yes, you can return to the ship early.

Confirmed. I got off the Gem last week. No lobster in the main dining rooms.

I also observed there was no smoked salmon on the breakfast buffet. Salmon has been removed from the every day menu in the main dining rooms.

Does anyone have experience buying the Next Cruise certificates and applying them to an existing booking that is not near final payment? I have a cruise on Epic booked. The prices have increased since my booking so I don't want to rebook.

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I sent a letter to Andy Stuart, President and CEO or NCL. I included my phone number. I received a call from his office confirming they received my letter, thanking me for my comments and communicating they were passing it along to the appropriate department.

My letter was suggesting they should add more Southern Caribbean destinations. 1 month later when new itineraries were released there were more South Caribbean departures.

Not saying my letter influenced decisions but it supported what they were doing.

Will someone please tell more about "The Great Outdoors" area? Where is it and what is there?

Thank you.

Hello

I recall seeing a thread to track which dates/ship large groups have booked. I found an old thread listing groups for 2016. Is there a thread/tracking sheet for large groups in 2017. I couldn't find it.

Thanks.

Hello.

How can I tell if a port stop is a tender or a docked stop?

Thank you.

Thanks for this important Tortola info. I am also on the NCL Gem from 7-1pm. (later in the spring). The same day the NCL Escape will be in port from 7 - 3pm.

I am looking for a beach close (short taxi ride) from the cruise pier. Although we dock at 7am, I am not that early of a person. I would leave the ship around 9am and plan to return at noon.

So, is there a close by beach to take a swim and sit in some lounge chairs?

With the 2 ships in port that day, I am hesitant to venture too far and encounter too much traffic.

Still problems when trying to log in. I get a screen that say they are having a 500-Internal error. Try back later.

Is there a way to tell how full (or not full) your cruise is?

Thanks.

Inside cabin vs. Balcony is always a balance of personal preference and budget.

I am an inside cabin cruiser on about 15 cruises. The advantage of an inside is you will likely get great sleep. When the lights are off the cabin is dark (great for sleeping.) Also, if there is a storm you will not hear it. On more than a couple of cruises my fellow passengers complained about hearing the storms at night.

Look for an inside that is sandwiched between decks with cabins. Also, keep in mind the LOWER you are on the ship the less movement you will feel.

I would point out to you that the cheapest cabin is usually the inside guarantee. Under the current perk rules, you will not qualify. You may want to consider an inside where you can select your cabin and get a perk.

$700 is a significant difference. It goes a long way to pay for excursions or airfare to arrive at the port.

Also, on the tv in your cabin there is a channel that shows the webcam. I check it in the morning to see the weather.

Either choice you make will be a good one. Have fun!

A cheap lanyard for my cruise card.

I don't know about the final payment. I do know I just bought 2 on Saturday. While they say you g et the OBC you really just pay half price. I bought 2 for $500 was charged $250. So the OBC really just cuts the cruise next in half.

Thanks for the info.

Did you price any future cruises while onboard? How did the offers compare?

Good news. I am booked on an NCL Gem for March 2017.

Better news.... I have selected my future cruise for December 2017 on Epic.

If I already have a reservation for the 12/2017 Epic when I am on the Gem in 3/2017, can I still buy cruise next certificates and apply them to my 12/2017 Epic cruise even though I will already have a reservation?

Are the prices offered for future cruises booked onboard better than the prices offered from the website?

They always refer to the Cruise Next as "deposits." Can they be used as final payment?

The upside of the Cruise Next certificates are the incentive of OBC on your current cruise. What are the downsides? I recall I have seen postings that you cannot reschedule cruises that used Cruise Next certificates without a penalty.

Thanks in advance.

I bought mine at Staples before my cruise.

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You may want to watch which nights there will be photographers taking formal portraits and use that as your dress up night. You could capture a nice family photo.

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What is the name of the hotel that offers the package?

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