brandid82

On 2/15/2019 at 8:14 AM, helensobol said:

 

Yes, it is the boat with the slide and jumping platforms.    It belongs to the Copa and they charge $15 a person for all day access.     You do swim out to it to use.  

 

We went to Copa last year in Barbados and our boys (12 and 9) loved this platform. My older son and husband rented a jet ski here as well. 

Last week we booked to stay in the YC on the Seaside sailing March 30th.  Prior to booking, I was told that YC came with the Premium Plus package by TWO different phone agents.  The funny thing is that both phone agents each brought up that they received emails recently stating this due to the confusion of so many people calling to ask about the YC drink package since the drink package changes.  

I filled out the online form to ask, but I was never contacted.  I wanted an answer in writing, so I messaged the MSC Facebook page.  This is the response I received:

Hi Brandi, sorry for any delay.Yacht Club guests are entitled to a combination of benefits. The range of drinks included in this benefit are similar to the composition of PREMIUM package, but within the Yacht Club area there are other benefits like complimentary minibar, complimentary room service and special selection of complimentary wines during meals. Inside the Yacht Club as well as in all other venues on board, guests are entitled to all drinks from the bar list including premium. The Connoisseurs’ selection of spirits is not included as a Yacht Club benifit.

I know that we'll have to wait until either we sail or someone that has booked after the changes and sails before us can confirm for sure on board.  I have also seen that the price to upgrade from the Premium package to the Premium Plus package is $17 per person per day.  I'm wondering if it's the same price for a YC passenger to upgrade to Premium Plus since some of the Premium Plus benefits are already included with YC.

haha sugar from australia! Its all good thats what cruising is about!

Haha. That was fun.

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Hey everyone! I just decided to make a post to put my 2 cents in and to answer any questions or concerns anyone has.

 

I noticed before this cruise embarked there was alot of anger, confusion and just mixed emotions from everything. We heard numerous cruisers on the ship complaining they will never sail Norwegian again. I just have to say, not one incident that happened had anything to do with norwegian. It was out of their control. First, the horrible storm that caused many problems. The ship docked overnight to try and gt everyone on the ship which is not very common for ships to do. Some people still missed and I understand the frustration but NCL did everything they could to wait. Then on the way there somebody needs blood transfusions and immediate evacuation when we were within a day to port. That says enough what shape that person was in. But yet people were pissed over how we missed aruba because of it. Somebodys life was on the line! So they refunded the port fees, missed day from the beginning, AND offered everyone on board a 25% discount on a cruise booked within a year.

 

And I read many people complaining about service. After the horror show from the storm with crew working virtually 24 hours a day, When we boarded the ship it was like nothing ever happened. They were all so understanding and so friendly. I said form the start I would be extra nice to them because they probably went through hell, but they didnt show it.

 

 

Me and my girlfriend LOVE sea days so we didnt mind the change. We completely understand the anger about the ports but it was a hurricane, and then a storm/evacuation. All things that are out of everyones control. I definitely understand the anger of the people that had to get flown into aruba and then to caracao.

 

The Ropes course opened far into the cruise for about 3 days if I remember. We were a little bummed out that the slides were down but they were damaged in the storm so again theres nothing we can do about that. Dinners in the restaurants did take a while. Dinners were probably around an hour and a half. We didnt mind that at all. If you want a fast dinner theres the buffet or Osheehans. We liked the fact it felt like a real restaurant. Sometimes it did take a while for food to come out though. Specialty restaurants were great. Got the lobster at Ocean Blue and it was incredible. Also went to le bistro which we loved and cagneys which was pretty good. Wouldnt get the porterhouse again though. Still very very satisfied. I didnt feel the casino was that smoky. In certain areas and at times of day it smelt more than others. I feel like it just depends on the cruise and how many people smoke. Ours was luckily very manageable.

 

We only got to see rock of ages because we made friends and had late dinners together every night but that show was very very good. I am sure the others were as well. We loved the parties up at Spice H2O. Partying under the warm clear night skies was amazing. We found for sun tanning to go to the top deck all the way to the front of the ship. There was always chairs available there.

 

I cant really think of anything else to write about. Just ask if you have any questions. But, overall it was an amazing vacation and met amazing friends. A lot of wrong things may have happened but it was all out of anyones control and NCL did the best they can in my opinion to make it right. The crew always deserves 10/10. They work so hard and deserve to be recognize.

 

If anybody that was on the cruise wants to put a face to the name I was the guy who got suckered in by romeo to get dressed up as the girl in battle of the sexes before that girl ripped my balloons and wig off! Ask any questions you have if you have them!

Sugar, right? Lol. I was the girl that popped your boobs and pulled your wig off. Sorry. All in fun. Lol.

I agree on the porterhouse at Cagneys. Mine was served well done.

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I bought a ring at DI back in 2005, on our first cruise. It needed to be resized. They said they would deliver it to the ship after sizing. They did. We picked out a diamond and a white gold setting. Upon returning home and wearing the ring, the “white gold” they used to resize the ring wore off, with black underneath, turning my finger green! We contacted them about it and the closest store was in Las Vegas. It took a lot of back and forth and angry calls and their only solution was to bring it to Las Vegas, Nevada. We lived in Southern California at the time and it wasn’t worth it to drive to Las Vegas to repair it. We took it to our own jeweler to repair the ring and pay for it ourselves. They confirmed that DI used an inferior metal to resize the ring. They did say that we did get a good price for the diamond we chose. We haven’t and won’t shop there again due to this experience.

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I was in balcony and paid 799 PP with gratuities and beverage package as my perks. My winning bid was 1300 PP for Aft Haven. I did get caught up in the bidding because I wanted to experience the Haven so bad. So I paid 2099 and the Aft Cabin was going for 2999 PP so not a great deal but still less than buying it outright. I didn't get the extra perks either but if I had upgraded outright I would of lost the pre-paid gratuities because they do not currently offer that and the taxes and fees had gone up about 100.

Still a pretty good savings. Congrats!

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Would you mind stating what you bid and what category you were previously in?

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I looked at an extended balcony, but hubby is concerned that you are so exposed to the decks above staring down at you.

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I haven’t seen your computer screen, but this most likely means it is a guarantee, meaning you would AT LEAST get a forward suite. Most likely better.

 

 

 

Of course, that only means anything if you book directly. Trying to do Upgrade Advantage is a completely different story.

I didn't realize Haven had guarantees. Here are screenshots of what I see when doing a mock booking. First the categories available, then when I click on the forward facing penthouse and choose the promo package, no cabin numbers are shown...

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Yes, I guess I misunderstood :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spa Haven and Haven Penthouse staterooms have a max of 2 or 3 passengers, so you're limited to the number of suites that fit 4 passengers. They're "not available" for you but for someone with 2 people they are available to book. Forward & Aft suites, 2 bedroom suites, and OS+ will hold 4 (or more) passengers.

Thank you! That makes sense. Forward Suites show available for 4 when I do a mock booking, but no cabin numbers show up to choose for some reason. Hmm...

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It may be that some of those suites do not accommodate 4 people.

I hadn't thought of that. Thank you!

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I am thining you are looking at the booking page(s) where it always offers to upgrade you when buying/booking.

 

 

 

This is TOTALLY different than the upgrade bidding process. It will allow you to submit bids even if that category is sold out. Why? When they finally do the upgrading closer to sailing, they could move people up from the "sold out" category to a higher cabin. Also, people could cancel.

 

 

 

And, they may have nothing, but at least they have someone that has offered to upgrade at a fixed price (bid).

Yes, that makes sense. But on the actual booking page on NCL, January 5th on the Breakaway, cabin for 4. Why do some Suite cabin categories say not available? What does this mean? There is sold out, not available and the forward facing suites show available, but no staterooms are available to select when you select that category.

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Those categories could open back up if people cancel or are upgraded out of them into something else. It never hurts to put in a bid. Worst thing that happens is you stay in your original room.

Very true. Thanks! Do you know why some say not available vs sold out?

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What's the difference between when a cabin shows 'Sold Out', 'Not Available' or when it shows a price per person, but when you click on it, it doesn't bring up any cabin numbers to choose? We were given an offer to upgrade, but some of these options are showing that they are sold out, not available or do not show any cabins to choose from when doing a mock booking. Is it a waste to put a bid in on one of these cabins or is there still a chance we could be upgraded to one of these categories?

Thanks in advance!

Let me mess this up a bit more. The terms perks and promo's get tossed around quite a bit.

 

You get all the PERKS that come with suite/haven. Butler, breakfast/lunch depending on ship, etc.

 

You get the PROMO that you get in whatever cabin you originally booked. So if you book a balcony and got 2 promo's - Dining and Drink for example, you will only have those in the bidding upgrade thing. If you actually BOOK the suite/haven, you have the OPTION to get up all five, and pay the gratuity on those that have them.

Yes! This cleared it up for me. Thank you!

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Everything "Haven" is the same.

 

 

 

The promos (direct vs bid) are usually different. Direct (usually) pick/pay for all promos. Bid will keep/pay for whatever the original booking was. You can (for ex.) change the SDP to something else if the bid wins and if you decide that the Haven restaurant makes the SDP unnecessary.

Thank you!

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That is no longer correct. Haven guests who book the Haven directly pay the 18% on the UBP/SDP.

 

 

No.

 

 

No. Haven guests (even when booking directly) do not automatically get the current promos. Haven guests choose up to all 5 but pay for their choice just like everyone else.

 

 

Booking directly = you can choose all promos, some promos, or no promos.

Upsell/bid = you keep the promos you originally booked with.

Thank you! I did try to research this and there was so much conflicting information. This really helps. So the benefits of Haven are the same regardless of bidding to upgrade/booking directly outside of the original promos that I booked with?

I've read quite a few posts on upgrades and on the perks that come with booking in Haven. I'm wondering what the difference is if you directly book a Haven cabin versus if you were to bid and be chosen to receive an upgrade into a Haven cabin. I've read that you keep the perks you already have. We signed up under the free UBP and 3rd and 4th passengers sail free. So if I were to bid and receive the upgrade, Haven passengers already get the UBP without paying the 18% gratuity because NCL pays for it. I already paid this, so would I get this back? Would I receive any specialty dining as a Haven passenger or the ability to switch to the dining promo since Haven passengers already get the UBP?

I'm just confused on if bidding for an upgrade gives all the amenities of booked Haven passengers or what the difference is between directly booking Haven and upgrading to Haven.

I appreciate any and all insight you have to offer. Thank you.

There is more than one full day between Saturday night and Monday morning. EVERYONE knew "changes were going to be made" but that does not mean that anyone knew what those changes were. What difference would it have made if you knew the new itinerary was going to be available Monday? None! If you did not have the new itinerary by the final payment cut off and you were that worried about what it night be, when the new itinerary was going to be announced is not relevant at all.

It's always comical to hear people tell others how they should feel. Lol. Thanks for the laugh bro...

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There is a VERY good chance that NCL did not have the new itinerary locked in until they released it. Surely you don't think that they should they have released a "possible" itinerary and then risked having to send out a final revised itinerary do you?

Final payment was by Saturday night. They announced the itinerary hours later on Monday morning. They knew there were changes being made prior to emailing Monday morning. They should have emailed out that the new itinerary would be sent first thing Monday morning or allowed cancellations Monday morning.

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I don't recall in the notice of itinary change that no compensation will be given for missed port . What you have heard is earsay from one pax that claim his pcc said so . to my knowledge Corporate never said no compensation at all .

I've actually been in contact with corporate regarding the breach of my personal information being sent to someone else and my account details being compromised. The VP of Passenger Services had someone from her team contact me to look into this matter and he said that executives have stated that at this time, there will be no port charges refunded for the missing ports and/or loss of ports. They are very careful in their wording and repeat the same thing, without deviating, as if reading from a script. I think this is because we don't know what the future holds.

NCL could very well refund the port charges in the future. I think it is easier to wait and see if there will be other itinerary changes prior to refunding everyone and then having to charge them again if the itinerary changes again. There is no way of knowing what will happen at this time. I think it is smart on NCL's part to not refund anything yet without knowing if there will be more changes. We just have to wait it out and see what they do. If they follow through and do not refund port charges that are due in the end, I'm sure they will face a huge backlash, but in my opinion, I don't think they would do this.

Is it a Cancel by Any Reason plan? If so, it's a good deal. Oh and did you have to add it at the time of initial payment?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait a minute, do you mean it is an insurance for change of ports, not cancellation?

It depends on the plan you purchase. Search Nationwide Insurance and you will see the coverages offered for their 3 plans offered. They have insurance to cancel, depending on the reason. They also payout different amounts depending on if the port is changed prior to sailing, during sailing, etc.

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Do you get that only if you cancel inside final payment, or is it paid even if you cruise?

They cover it only if you cruise, but the insurance won't cover changes caused from the damages from the previous storms/hurricanes or those that are already on the way. It only covers if you had the insurance before any of them were even a threat.

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I'm on this sailing (January 5th) and booked with a TA and have gotten all other correspondence directly from NCL, such as the email stating that we would know any itinerary changes within 2 weeks. I saw the changed itinerary online, but received nothing.

I emailed NCL because I had not received the updated itinerary. The VP of Passenger Services emailed me back and said they sent it to me and my TA and included the date and email address it was sent to. The issue is that they sent it to a completely wrong email address. It isn't the email address set up with my TA or NCL. I have no idea who they sent this email to, but I was wondering what personal info was sent on this email? Will someone know the dates we will be gone and my name and address? Was any other info on this email? This has me concerned. I emailed back yesterday, but haven't received a response.

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Well that sucks!:mad:

The insurance won't cover changes caused from the damages from the previous storms/hurricanes or those that are already on the way. It only covers if you had the insurance before any of them were even a threat.

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