pcakes122

Yes - I get an annual plan from Nationwide. It not only covers cruising - it covers all travel. I paid $229 this year. Below is the coverage (note that I only take $2,500 trip cancellation because all of my cruises are casino comps and even if I upgrade I have never paid more than $2,500.) On top of this, for some reason I always take the NCL Essentials (runs from $25 to $49 pp.) I don't think I need it but it's so cheap I just say "why not."

I also wait until Day 2 - why pay more? 🤷🏻‍♀️ A reminder for the night owls... you only have to wait until midnight on embarkation day to save! 😊😉

For me, not really my style, but they sell great on eBay (especially brand new with all packaging, "authenticity" certificate, etc.) I've been able to get generally $875 to $1,250 per ring for pieces with diamonds, and then I use that money to buy things I actually want. 😊 For anyone wanting to use this idea, new digital cameras sell well on eBay, too! Sometimes I buy those as well with the casino credit. 😉

Agree! That's why I never would NEVER spend my own money on Effy - on a ship or otherwise. Probably shouldn't say this here, but I buy the pieces with the OBC that the casino gives me on the last night and then I put them on eBay when I get home & I make a few bucks! 😉

Buying jewelry or anything of significant value online is another reason to invest in getting Wi-Fi. Even in their duty-free perfume shops, what they say is a deal may not even be a deal. Just a few months ago I was on the Getaway and was actually surprised to see that their onboard store was selling Tom Ford perfume (and if you know Tom Ford perfume, it would be awesome to find it at a discount.) The same bottle they were selling for $325 was $295 on Sephora! So even with the tax savings, I would still have paid more. Another woman saw me on my phone looking up prices in the store and said "you know, that's very smart I never thought of that!" So I looked up her items as well and four out of five of them were more expensive on the ship! As far as jewelry, I have purchased some pieces on the ships BUT - and this is a big but - ONLY with OBC that the casino has given me. I've purchased a few Effy diamond and gold pieces with OBC and ALL of them were more expensive than on the Effy website - and twice as expensive as comparable pieces at other stores! But thanks to Wi-Fi I knew all of this at the time of purchase. This is not the 1970s and '80s when shopping was a big focus of cruising because you really could get awesome diamond and gold bargains in the islands. It's all a scam and a gimmick now. But definitely - before you drop any real money on jewelry or anything on any ship - invest a few bucks in Wi-Fi to ensure you can do adequate comparison shopping before handing over your card.

Mine is posted to my online account. It showed up about a week after I sent in the form.

Mine never showed up on Ncl.com and frankly that was a good thing for me. Because I had to have CAS apply the CASNext certificate for me on the phone, I guess the online system didn't realize I already had a certificate on my booking and it allowed me to apply two CruiseNext certificates on the same booking (this was not during the three certificate special.) 😊👍🏻

The end of night OBC is not based on your points earned, it is based on your actual loss. Several years ago one of the lovely casino hosts I'd grown close with over the years shared the formula with me. AT THE DISCRETION OF THE HOST (meaning this is the maximum they can offer you, however they do not have to offer you anything at all) you can receive up to 6% of your total actual $$$$ loss. The spending categories this can be applied to is the same as the CAS tier $$ (so can't be used for gratuities or DSC, etc.) The OBC amount has absolutely nothing to do with the points you earned. One thing that has changed with CAS Next is that she had also shared that you should always, always, always, play your earned points, otherwise NCL will add them into the OBC mentioned above. For example, say you earned 7,000 points (which is worth $70) and you lost $4,000 (which earns you $240 OBC) and you did NOT play the points back into the machine and "saved" them, on the final night you would get $240 (because they would first use your $70 and then add $170 for a total of $240.) On the other hand, if you played your points back into the machines, you would still get $240 on the final night based on your $$ loss (and you would have already gotten the benefit of spending the $70 in the machines) so your total perk would be $310. She told me they were instructed to use the points first because that results in less of an outlay for NCL. But if you use your points they can't do that 😉. ALL THAT SAID, if you are planning to get a CAS Next certificate, DO NOT SPEND YOUR POINTS because you need to have them to trade for the certificate.

This made me laugh! 😊 It also made me think about my old debate partner @seaman11 who used to call me pancakes lol (it's not an abbreviation for pancakes by the way 🙃)

I think Starbucks is the worst coffee ever! I firmly believe the reason the chain is so popular is that what they are really selling is hot and cold coffee-flavored milkshakes. I've yet to hear about anyone who drinks and enjoys Starbucks coffee black. Also, fair warning to any true coffee lovers that NCL also uses Starbucks coffee in the Haven, although they make it in a French press. It is horrendous. I travel with my own coffee (Illy) and just have the butler bring the French press and a carafe of boiling water. For those folks teasing us crazy coffee people, yes we are that serious about our coffee! ☕ I drink coffee throughout the day and it just wouldn't be vacation with terrible coffee, so you've got to do what you've got to do. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Whatever company processes the upgrades is an agent of NCL and should be considered NCL. For example, I work for a very large company and it's likely many people here are customers of that company. We utilize outside vendors to do some customer service call center work. If somebody at one of those call centers made a mistake on your account, you would not say "Oh, don't worry big company, we realize it wasn't you, it was your vendor." You would hold US responsible, and you should.

On the Summit now (in The Retreat but that should not make a difference.) I actually brought a universal remote to change the source so that I could use Smart View to cast from my Samsung tablet. This USED to work, but this time it would not. However my fantastic room steward showed me how to get there on the Celebrity cabin remote and then made me swear we never had the conversation. 😂 CC > Menu > Support > Source Smart View working like a dream. 👍🏻

They are primarily team-based incentives (which encourages people to work together.) Many, many companies do this successfully. I even remember McDonald's doing this when I worked there as a teenager lol (e.g., if food quality and presentation remained at a specified grade level during the busy Saturday lunch hour, every crew member working in the grill area that hour received $25.) NCL crew members not only stay for contract after contract after contract after contract with NCL, they encourage their family and friends at home to apply also! So I don't think they are really as oppressed, unhappy, depressed and destitute as some people seem to think. (Full disclosure: I have family members who worked on NCL ships for many, many years. Albeit in officer/staff positions, they had and still have many friends onboard!)

As long as you understand that what you are hearing is what others SAY they tip. My take is that the DSC is not supposed to be a tip, but it IS intended to eliminate an unfair/unbalanced tipping culture and practices. Before the DSC, anyone in the "back of the house" had no opportunity to earn anything above their base salary, and those in direct customer contact were reliant on the kindness (and uneven tipping practices) of guests to augment low wages. NCL cruise base salaries DID increase with the advent of the DSC. The DSC helps fund crew incentive programs, just like NCL says - programs that benefit MOST crew. That doesn't stop anybody from giving cash tips anytime or anywhere to any one as an expression of appreciation. However, nobody NEEDS to do it because "NCL employees are poorly paid and they don't get the DSC directly in their paycheck and therefore we must compensate blah blah blah." I've seen that stated before and that's not only inaccurate, it's ridiculous and insulting. (NCL crew are not ignorant indentured servants who have been blindly forced into work camps at sea and need us to save them from themselves and their poor job decisions. Thinking that way shows an unconscious bias that really needs addressing. Just because somebody doesn't speak English doesn't mean they're stupid. Everybody working on the ship signed a contract and knew AND agreed to their salary before they ever stepped on board.) It has been said many times before, but filling out comment cards REALLY helps crew members. Getting positive comment cards helps crew members earn recognition, get better job opportunities, get free specialty dining, Wi-Fi, time off and other nice perks. 😊

Luckily I had blood work that was only 10 days old so I didn't have to spend the money for a lot of those tests. Hope your insurance kicks in soon! Good on your mom for continuing to travel despite her age and medical conditions! I have a lot going on medically as well, but I don't let it stop me either. 😊 (That's why I always see a doctor, get blood work and get a check up before every trip.) Even so, I've now had Covid on ships three times. 🤦‍♀️ It is what it is.

Happy to hear your Mom recovered quickly! I was also on the Getaway for my Covid experience! I was not discouraged to come in on the phone, but I will say that I did not accept all the testing that was suggested (e.g., they had an EKG, heart enzyme test and lots of other crazy tests (kidney function?) on the estimate ("Why do I need that?" "To rule out a heart attack." "But I'm not having heart attack symptoms." "But you said you had chest pain." "What you asked was if it hurt when I cough and I said I was sore - I don't have any pain." "Ok, then fine.") And I was not charged for the actual Paxlovid pills, but I was charged for administering the pills lol. Reading your story, I hesitate to think of what my bill would have been if I had just accepted everything on the proposed treatment plan. Luckily, I only had one day of treatment and disembarked in the morning. I was actually shocked that my personal health insurance reimbursed me within a week via direct deposit. The extra $50 from the travel insurance took about a month.

Only problem is I didn't know that at the time. I was feeling pretty sick and was really short of breath (received nebulizer treatments in Medical) which is kind of scary. Two days at home and I was kicking myself for giving up a Haven casino comp (they are not giving those out as easily as they used to!)

Yes, I received Paxlovid and it really helped. It was the last day of the first leg of a back-to-back cruise and I nixed the second leg and went home. I tested negative on the third day. You should do some more research on Paxlovid. The only screening even the manufacturer recommends is to determine what other medications the patient is taking. There's no medical (or maritime lol) requirement or recommendation for any kind of pre-testing for Paxlovid use. Without proper education, it seems you might easily get taken for $6,000 should you wind up needing Paxlovid on a cruise (or some other medical treatment.) Everyone should be well informed and be diligent about being their own advocate - medically and financially!

You didn't fully read my post. I got the tests AND the meds 😊. All under $1K. Also when you go to the Medical Center, they evaluate you to determine what tests they want/need to do and they provide you with a WRITTEN estimate in hand before you make a decision to proceed with treatment. And then you can even choose what you want or don't want. They don't tell you over the phone that it's going to be xx dollars and discourage you to come in. (Unfortunately, I have too much experience going to the Medical Center on ships.) I've recently got Paxlovid from my primary care doctor with just a phone call the last time I had Covid. She didn't even suggest running any tests (at that point I hadn't had blood work in 5 months, hadn't had an EKG in probably four years and had not seen her in person since before the pandemic.) I don't know where you live that requires such thorough testing before administering Paxlovid, but I'm in New Jersey and even pharmacists can prescribe it here (obviously without any prior testing.) The $6K estimate for a Covid exam and meds was completely out of whack and unreasonable.

Only they were not honest facts. Just experienced Covid in October on the Joy. Had all the tests in Medical and received meds and multiple nebulizer breathing treatments for the shortness of breath. Total bill was $989 (My private health insurance paid everything but $50 and my travel insurance paid the remaining $50.) There is no maritime law requiring $6,000 worth of testing for Covid symptoms. It's not only NOT honest, it's the worst kind of dishonest. What kind of medical professional discourages someone from seeking medical treatment? (It's this kind of thing that makes me wonder if some of the doctors and nurses get jobs on cruise ships because they were unsuccessful or unemployable on land.)

This is not exactly true. A better way to state this is that ensuite dining is only available if you are in a cabin category with butler service. That could be the Haven on any ship or a non-Haven suite on a Jewel-class ship or on Prima/Viva.

Slightly off topic, but while we're on the subject of certificates.... the new CAS Next certificate terms specifically state that you can't combine them with Cruise Next certificates. Not true. On my recent cruise I bought CNs and also received a CAS Next certificate. When I got home I was able to place one of each on the same existing booking at ncl.com. (Something tells me if I called to have that done I would have been told I couldn't do it 😉.)

"Pre-loved" luxury handbag and jewelry shops are all the rage and have been for the past several years. Anyone who normally carries luxury handbags would find the fact that these are available on cruises a huge plus (while I am a "luxury handbag person" the reason I don't buy pre-loved is because there are extreme "superfakes" out there and even some of the top pre-loved retailers have been duped into selling replicas.) That said, I just saw a beautiful Hermes Birkin on my recent NCL Prima cruise and I WAS a tiny bit tempted since they are very hard to come by. I would love if LV or Hermes would authorize authentic boutiques on cruise ships - just for the tax savings alone. I know Royal had Cartier and Bulgari boutiques on the Anthem a while back, not sure if they still do.

Hopefully, even though it didn't matter to you, my post was helpful to others. Believe it or not, many people do not know that they do not have to accept the "free" drink package and pay the associated gratuities. I never accept it. First, I don't really drink that much and second, I get a free drink card from the casino (which is the only place I really drink anyway.) I simply decline the package when booking. Perhaps this will help others that were not aware this is an option.

Woah, sorry. I honestly thought you didn't know that you didn't need to pay those gratuities. Fine, pay them. Lol