littlelulu01

I have an 11:45 am flight on a Jade sailing.  With a 6 am arrival my understanding is one hour later guest allowed to debark so 7am?  We plan on walk off luggage/no checked luggage.  Will schedule pick up at the ship from one of the companies that have good reviews.  I am comfortable with my 11:45 am flight but am going to pay extra to make sure we have a reputable driver waiting at the ship and won't be messing around collecting luggage or checking luggage.  You don't clarify where flight is heading to.  Our flight is to London so I think USA passport will have passport control in Rome.   If they don't allow passengers off the ship till 8am as previous poster mentions,  11:15 seems pretty close.  11:45 is about the earliest I would be comfortable with an 8 am debarkation but I would check the debarkation time to see if it starts at 7 or 8.  

 there’s also the airfare to and from Chicago factor for price comparison. 

I think the free air is cancelable up till final payment so I’d keep an eye on fares till then.

I understand wanting to take a cruise line offer but if you’re supplementing a flight segment of your own, anything happens and you’re going to be out potentially a lot of vacation $.  

If you just made initial deposit, now might be the time to shop for cruise insurance.  A plan independent of cruiseline might cover your vacation with the supplement air segment to Chicago.  I understand you want to stick to a budget and get the lowest price but in your case you’re taking on some risks I wouldn’t feel comfortable with.  I don’t know if you have  an accessible room for need or if one was randomly assigned to you and you’re happy with the extra sq ft.  Almost every time we’ve booked a gt stateroom we have been assigned accessible so it’s not too rare an occurrence for Europe and Alaska sailings.   I would take a non accessible stateroom any day over the extra sq feet of accessible just to have a less institutional feeling room. 

24 minutes ago, Wheeling TravelingMom said:

Thank you all. Airfare was not available from Denver (go figure). So I went with the following: 

 

UDP-at $554 in gratuities thats $20 a day per person. We can easily consume enough in coffee (mornings) and water (bring with us) and wine or beer (dinner) to make that well worth it. 

 

Ports--I went through each port and a lot of them offer "See on your own" for about $70-$80 for both of us. That gets us into town and out for $20-$30. No way I can find a taxi RT for less than that. Takes out the hassle. Some of these ports are quite a haul. I figure for us this was about a $400 value 

 

SDP-because you all recommend it so highly and it being our first NCL I know to trust CC members for best advice. It will give us 5 days of variety. Imagine the MDR gets old on a 14 day cruise 🙂

 

WIFI wasn't worth it to us. Our phones will work 11 days in port and if I really want the 250 min package prepaid was around $100 I believe. 

 

Thank you so much. Looking forward to our first NCL 

 

 

 

 

Specialty coffee drinks for example a latte or espresso or just a nespresso shot are not included in the ultimate beverage package.  Canned soda and water bottles of any sort are also not included. Fountain   Soda from the bar, hard alcoholic beverages, beer and wine by the glass under $15 are included.  I think your sailing has 4 sea days?  So you might get your $ worth on the sea days.  

We loved the itinerary and did it on the Jade last year.  We purchased a water package and believe it or not, water bottles and canned soda from the ship at $4 -$6 a piece + was a bargain compared to the price in Iceland. 

We we didn’t get the free beverage package because it didn’t covering most of what we were consuming. Also - not much drinking going on for the sea days just because the seas were pretty rough to and from Iceland. 

I know many folks don’t think much of the shore excursion credit but some of Ncl’s excursions are really not much more $ than diy- especially on your sailing. I found   Many of the private excursions were pay in full at booking and no refund if ship missed port.  Ncl’s excursions are refundable if they cancel a port or if you decide up to a certain cut off- I think 24-48 hours prior. We did the Jacobite tour diy in Inverness and we nearly missed the ship.  I would easily do the ships version next time around. 

60 days out I guess you’ll find out if it’s Norwegian airlines or WOW or legacy carrier. Fingers crossed it all works out fine for you, your connection flights and the cruise. Ncl’s website has the T&c’s for the free airfare.  Probably worth a read and it might answer baggage questions if nothing else. 

Are you comfortable arriving day of departure?  I think these reduced airfares will arrive day of so no wiggle room should they have flight delays.  If you’re relying on a flight arriving to Chicago that is a separate ticket you have another issue.  If anything goes wrong with first leg to Chicago causing a delay your out of luck if you miss your second ncl flight. 

I personally would not arrive day of departure. Flying all the way to Copenhagen and not getting to see anything except a shuttle from airport to ship. Jet lagged.. these ncl reduced fares offer no air deviation, except for Hawaii,  so you are going to arrive day of departure. 

Have you looked into Norwegian airlines?  No affiliation with NCL. I regularly see fares that are available from many us cities for less $ than your reduced airfare with pick your seats and luggage allowance. You can schedule arrival a couple days early to get rid of jet lag and enjoy Copenhagen. Another low cost option is Iceland air. They partner with Alaska Airlines just in case you have some Alaska miles. The Alaska signature visa gets you enough mileage for a rt coach via Iceland air for less than $20. 

Otherwise, Any larger city that you could drive to for the long haul portion of flight is likely to have some really inexpensive options. If you aren’t within driving distance and set with the ncl airfare I’d be inclined to arrive to Chicago a day or two prior just in case something happens. Good luck deciding.  

1 hour ago, picsa said:

 

 

And yet you say the same thing again! A "legit" company does not necessarily pay their taxes. So whether a company is allowed onto the port tells you nothing about whether they pay their taxes or not.

 

As for companies who only accept cash for sizeable transactions of being involved in tax evasion - if it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck...

 

But feel free to carry on in your innocent world handing over envelopes of cash and believing it gets reported.

Here’s an article about cash transactions in Europe.  Perhaps this will enlighten you. This forum is for travelers to learn and broaden their understanding of travel and cultures. Not to accuse tour guides or companies as criminals just because they reside in Italy or Greece and follow their cultural norms. 

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/pay-credit-cards-vs-cash

Pretty sure perk upgrade/downgrade not allowed. We don’t drink and can’t switch to soda pkg perk even though we’re in a suite and can have ubp, “free.”  It’s much less $ for us to just purchase soda pkg oop vs take the free beverage pkg with the gratuity.  

It might have something to do with availability.  I was trying to book an Alaska excursion and system would only allow one of the party. System listed other passenger as already booked.  I called and shore excursions said only one spot left. 

We sailed an ocean view stateroom on the Jade and had room for 8 bags. My daughter had just finished her year study abroad.  We chose a two week cruise specifically to be able to travel with her luggage after her study abroad. I did call ahead to ncl and got an ok prior however upon arriving at port it was never mentioned.  Full size suitcases fit under the beds, in between the beds and closet.  Of course she wasn’t getting into any of them.  Had packed one for use on the ship. Don’t be so sure reputable hotels holding bags.  We stayed in a 5* hotel who said no, but eventually said ok to storage for a couple nights with a big tip.  But this was Europe.  The hardest part was logistics getting bags to ship and airport.  

Ive used Charlie’s taxi service in HNL in the past when we’ve had people arriving and departing different times.  They give a military discount and have large vans fixed rates.  If you’re staying pre or post cruise be sure to spend some time at Bellows AFB. One of my favorite beaches in the world.  Lodging is hard to get there but you can still spend a day, gas up vehicle, rent beach equipment, get sandwiches at subway for next to nothing. Facilities are pristine and no worries leaving belongings on beach to swim because your on base. 

22 hours ago, jwatford said:

I have three cruises coming up. The first one is in a couple of weeks on the Breakaway. Received the free airfare for $0 from Madison, WI to New Orleans. Received my booking information and it was through American Airlines and I own the tickets (in my name and I was able to pick my seat). 

 

2nd Cruise is in March 2019 on the Escape. Received free airfare for $99 from Madison, WI to New York City. 

 

3rd Cruise is in September 2019 on the Escape. Did not receive the free airfare as it was around $320 and I can book my own for less. 

 

Due to the above, I do not think it matters what airport you are using. 

Definitely some great deals to be had depending on sailing and departure city.  But as far as you owning the ticket, not so sure.  Picking your seats doesn’t mean you own the tickets.  When you book through a ta you get to pick your stateroom and it’s in your name but ta owns reservation.  No biggie there except perhaps no upgrade invites but restricted group airfares are completely different.

Ncl books the ticket in group blocks in order to get discount.  I’d feel comfortable with a nonstop flight but not with a connection. The tickets are highly restrictive.   If interested in what could go wrong with restricted group booking tickets just do a google search.

Flights can go off without a hitch and most do.  fights can have delays and issues causing missed connections and even missed embarkation. The key is definitely read the fine print.  

Flight issues happen all the time.  I dropped daughter off this am for an Alaska Airlines flight with over 3 hours connection time.   Some guy started vomiting so plane back to gate.  Still enough connection time? Nope. Then cleaning crew has to board.  Then plane lost place in line for deice.  Then arrival gate is lost.  Then connection flight is missed.  Alaska and Delta are not even partners but I was able to get her on a delta flight before first flight ever left the ground here.  That’s not happening with a restricted fare.  If she was traveling back east to catch a cruise today it would have been a missed cruise. But because she owned her ticket it was a simple process...

people think they have all bases covered booking airfare, insurance... all through a cruise line but it’s not the case.  it’s fine most of the time but given how often flights get delayed, I would never risk arriving day of on international flights or flights with connections.  Since air deviation is not allowed except for Hawaii, these free flights are arriving day of departure. 

3 hours ago, DebQ5 said:

 

Yes, he was correct, but I think he should have specified that they (bar tenders, wait staff) are covered in another way if you have the UBP.  In the Haven you get all the perks, but I suppose someone may choose not to take it as the 20% add-on might be more than the few drinks they get.  These people would be expected to tip per drink I suppose?  Or have I heard in the past that the 20% is automatically added per drink?  Do we think the bartenders and servers see that extra money?  As I said, I have no trouble tipping, but I didn't tip every server every drink because I did choose the package and I did pay the 20% charge for it.  

20% mandatory gratuity is added to every drink purchase if no ubp. I’d say bartender is likely not getting the full 20%.  He’s a rich man if he is.  Same for the specialty restaurant servers.

Another big clue bartender isn’t getting the 20% is that the free ubp can’t be switched to a free soda pkg. if they are really interested in giving suite passengers something free it’s simple to let them switch to a soda pkg and pay grats on that.  Free ubp is a waste on me because I don’t drink.  They won’t budge on switch out to a soda pkg unless you’re under 21. This is likely because the “gratuity” on the package is something other than gratuity. It’s a pretty ingenious extra cash grab.  Give someone a “free” ultimate beverage package and no matter if they drink alcohol or soda or coffee or bottles of water ncl is still making about the same extra revenue per passenger.  I actually pay more than the alcohol drinker.  I get to purchase a soda pkg at zero discount, pay for every coffee, every water...

I think a little bit of the gratuity on drinks goes to a bartender.  Have no idea if any of the 20% gratuity on waters or soda cans and specialty dining  I consume from room goes to butler but I would say it’s likely nothing.  It seems they get a base salary and the opportunity to earn cash tips from passengers.  I’ve asked a few different butlers about adding a tip into the extra tip line on the specialty dinners.  They say don’t bother because it won’t get to them.  They’re working for the cash tips given at end of sailing. 

14 hours ago, DebQ5 said:

I just got back from sailing in the Haven on the Escape and during the debarkation spiel, Patrick, the concierge, added the typical, "and the Butler is not included in the DSC".  Interestingly, he did not mention that the concierge is not included (which I thought was classy of him), but did say that the beverage servers were not included.  This surprised me.  Aren't they compensated with the gratuity added to the UBP?  I did end up tipping extra to the Haven bartenders at the end because they were fabulous, and tipped other bartenders around the ship intermittently, but I assumed this was in addition to the charge added to the UBP.  😞

He’s correct in saying the beverage service isn’t included in the dsc.  That’s why 20% grats added onto beverage purchase.  If you have the ubp you paid 20% grats of the ubp price. Ncl gives you the ubp and if you take perk you paid the 20% grats. The only positions not covered in tips for suites is Butler, concierge and kids club.  Beverage and spa service not covered in dsc tips but they are covered in 20% automatic gratuity tacked on.

The only fuzzy and double/triple tip aspect is the specialty dining for meals delivered to room.  Ncl charges extra dsc for suites.  so you pay the 17.50 for room steward & included dining service, the 20% grats for beverage and specialty dining and then pay whatever gratuity you feel appropriate to butler for actually being your server.

If you have the ubp and are making good use of it it’s not much extra to tip out a little extra.  If you’re just breaking even or didn’t take the ubp then it’s 20% plus whatever else you want to give.  

If you’re on a longer sailing and purchase extra specialty dining like we do, and have the butler serve you in room then the ncl rake on your meals is probably exceeding what most would be comfortable tipping out.  Figure it’s 20% of whatever you order, 17.50 of which none goes to butler but you paid it nonetheless so as not to screw over the other positions it includes, and then a cash tip to butler who supposedly doesn’t get a dime of the 20% mandatory gratuity  charged and clearly doesn’t get any of your dsc. 

Did a price check on our 2019 Jade med out of Civitavecchia from Seattle.  A couple weeks ago it was $499 and zero price difference between sail away rate and pick your perks.  Then $599.  Then $699 and the prices of cruise fare went up compared to sail away.  Now it’s not available from Seattle.  They might have some quotas like only x amount for x $.

The taxes and fees on our, “free” airline mileage fares were higher than Ncl’s free/reduced rates.  

Biggest issue I see is no deviation allowed unless Hawaii cruise on poa.  

For europe its risky arriving day of departure on a airline ticket that you don’t own that’s highly restrictive.  At least with a mileage ticket you can fly business or first, arrive a few days prior, and fly legacy carrier vs potentially on an airline that only has a few flights/week and no partner airlines to switch to if necessary. 

I do do see the t&c say 25% off ncl airfare rates for additional passengers in same stateroom.  Some folks can make out pretty good on free airfare.  Too risky for me though.  Flying is a pain in itself.  Having a 3rd party owner of the ticket just adds an extra layer if something goes wrong,  delays...  

When reading t&c’s of free at sea also caught a new little bonus.  Sdp looks like now 5 max for 11+ night sailing.  It was previously 4.  This must of changed with the recent $12 increase for sdp’s. 

25 minutes ago, erdoran said:

We have. 14 day transatlantic on Jade in a 2 BR family Haven suite for $8k for two, which I think is a really excellent price for Haven.  I agree many of the weeks are very high, we scouted and looked for lower priced Haven cruises.  Hubby will NOT cruise anywhere but Haven.  We had found a $5200 spa suite (for two) deal out of New Orleans in February 2019 by looking for the absolute cheapest option.  This was Breakaway, but ended up switching to Alaska on Bliss early September, $4k/person for a week...so lots of under $10k options if you are flexible about scheduling and itinerary.  OTOH I would love an Iceland/Baltic cruise and that’s much higher for Haven, out of my league.

Your Jade ta was offered at great prices. When they released the Pearl fall ta it was considerably higher. There definitely seems to be a price point where the staterooms just sit/don’t sell.  They eventually drop prices and then the suites get gobbled up. Our Jade 14 night med October sailing had great prices too.  Havens and full suites sold out January 2018 for October, 2019. For those not willing to pay crazy prices, there are deals that pop up here and there. They’re just few and far between. 

20 hours ago, picsa said:

 

You really think the port authorities carry out a tax audit on companies before allowing access onto the dock! Hilarious.

Of course not.  Not sure how you concluded that I think the port authorities are in the tax auditing business. All I know is that the port authorities don’t just let anyone pass through their secure areas. Legit companies are allowed past port security and they can pick up at the ship. I’m not comfortable accusing a company of criminal activity just because they accept cash. 

We purchased the unlimited premium Alaska sailing.  It was slow to unusable on sea days. Basic websites would not load/timeout.  Outside high use times it worked fine.  Our last few Jade sailings the internet speeds were much faster than bliss premium unlimited and that was pre new price structure. Those were Europe sailings though and so likely not as many people using the system - made for faster speed?  

27 minutes ago, littlelulu01 said:

the recategorization was only on my edocs.  Stateroom 10290 on the Bliss was and is an MX on their deck plans. It was just an MC reclassify and not upgradeable for me specifically which is why you might want to check your edocs.  I think it’s more a REALLY good revenue maximizing method vs a nasty trick.  Side note on the Bliss - MX 10290 is identical to the balcony stateroom 10286 BF.  Bliss deck plans show the mini suite as a little larger than the balcony but there is zero difference.  It was a gt sail away last minute room so I can’t complain.  Had I waited a couple extra days to book I could have saved a few hundred and received perks but it’s part of the last minute gamble.  Still paid a fraction of the initial list price for Bliss Alaska inaugural season. We ended up loving the location and the ship. Since we wouldn’t have taken the ubp perk it wasn’t much of a loss not getting free at sea. 

You might want to check your vacation summary.  I booked an mx on the Bliss and was assigned an actual mx stateroom (10290). Same story... price drop right after booking to lower than what I’d paid. The mx with perks also dropped to below what I paid and I was hoping to at least get a perk choice added but I couldn’t.  The mx on my vacation summary was re-categorized as an mc so supposedly in ncl’s eyes I was upgraded from the mx.  I certainly would try and see if you can get Something.  My pcc said if it involves a lower price than what you’ve paid then they will say no but if it entails giving them even $1 extra the answer is yes. I’ve received obc in the past for price drops after final payment but it’s been a few years. 

I’d venture a guess that companies authorized to pick you up at the ship are legitimate, tax paying  businesses. 

There’s not only the cc fee but also potential conversion fees business eat when taking cc.  In Europe there’s not a whole lot of places that take American Express.  Not because of tax evasion but because Amex charges higher fees. 

I wouldn't  feel comfortable accusing someone of tax evasion just because they accepted cash only... well unless the “Gucci” purse they were selling me was from their blanket and they pulled up shop and ran away when police approached.  Btw- you can actually get in trouble with the law if caught purchasing obvious counterfeit wares from these guys. 

If someone approaches you for a ride offer and you are not at a taxi stand, there’s a good probability they’re not legitimate, don’t carry the proper insurance... best to not engage with them.  

I’d certainly feel comfortable with scheduling a tour with a cash only company that has a strong internet presence, thousands of excellent reviews on trip advisor, who has authorized entry to pick up at ship... 

Have you downloaded the app?  Sometimes reservations are available on the app that aren’t on my ncl regular login and vice versa. Are you paid in full?  have you entered all your information to 100% complete for checking in? Not sure but that might help too. 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

these threads on cc can be helpful with regard to insurance.  A broker can also be helpful.  Many folks opt for insurance plans independent of the cruise line.  

It’s hard to envision all the potential issues that can arise.  I try to book a cruise that can turn into another type of vacation should cruise be canceled after airfare purchase and try to arrive a couple days early in case of flight delay. 

Most of the time everything goes off just as planned but there is a certain burden on me to plan for some what if’s.  

On 11/15/2018 at 7:13 AM, jpcdds6 said:

Anyone have any recent photos of food at Cagney's? Old ones? Would like to see how they compare.

Here’s a couple pics of cagneys menu items from 2015.  We still had great steak recently on the Bliss in Le Bistro.  No great seafood options in any venue pay or included on our Bliss sailing.  Shrimp isn’t my idea of something special on a cruise.  It’s something I can make at home in a hurry and on the cheap. Lobsters were delicious and a treat but they were axed from when the free at see got up and running. here’s a picture of my breakfast sandwich from the buffet on our recent Bliss sailing. Sure it’s food.  Just not what I’d expect on a cruise ship.  Our embarkation lunch at taste was a joke. It was fried chicken.  The cold slaw was served hot, the cream corn was served cold, the fried chicken was a pre fab chicken patty. We ran to purchase specialty packages for remaining dinners which is no doubt what they are aiming for. The local on the Bliss had good food and service.  Specialty venues were pretty good.  Le Bistro was excellent.

Agree with Hank on back up cards.  When we sent our daughter for study abroad year we sent her with a couple backup accounts.  Our credit union set up the additional accounts free of charge and we wrote “back up 1’”and “back up 2” in sharpie so she wouldn’t accidentally use card unless the main account was comprised.  Several students did have issues over the year without a backup plan in place. 

We we also only deposited a certain amount into the account each week thus limiting loss if card was comprised.  We also placed a lock on auto deposit if the account became overdrafted. This way if someone did get ahold of account they couldn’t take any more than what was in checking.   

I try and hit up a cash machine every day with a debit card once I arrive.  It’s the least expensive way to get cash but as others mention, most debit cards have a daily withdrawal limit.  Also try and use the right type of machine.  The cash machine sitting in an airport will likely have extra fees, similar to getting cash from a 7-11 here in the USA.  The machines will tell you rate and fee when you insert your debit card and start the process.  

Travelx Currency exchange desks at airports also have higher fees. I checked with my credit union about getting cash before travel. They said, “zero” fees but the rate was terrible.  

Some people feel more comfortable arriving with some cash.  The least expensive I’ve found is the travel x store, located in one of in my hometown banks.  The rate is a little higher than the actual exchange rate, but much less than my bank, AAA or airport travel x. The line to exchange is pretty long just because it’s the least expensive way to get currency prior to leaving for vacation. 

I think part of the issue some have is just the sheer amount of tips we now need to give.  Most of us get that tips are part of the culture and are happy to give.  But not so much when it comes to 20% of the entire cruise fare.    

If flight attendants were a tipped position, I would never dream of tipping them 20% of the cost of the first class flight  just because they bring us snacks, drinks, meals..  We would tip them what an equivalent server for the meal, snacks, drinks. 

On NCL if you add up the DSC, 20% on speciality meals and beverages, extra tips for; Butler, Concierge, room steward, courtyard butler, Haven Servers, room steward.. you are typically right around $600 pp/per week. That's not an exaggerated number.  The total cruise fare is likely under 3k pp pre tips so it truly is around 20% of the cruise fare.  When you get this high in what you are shelling out, folks start to pull back and are like wait a minute something isn't right here.  

Some of the tips are a  double/ triple dip .  For instance I like to order speciality meals for dinner and have them in my stateroom on port intensive sailings.  So I pay the servers in general who are not serving me the meal with my dsc, t then I get to pay 20% of the cost of the speciality meal.  Then I get to give the butler a tip as well because he is my actual server.  Same goes for the 20% bar charges.  It gets more skewed for someone like me who doesn't drink alcohol and wants speciality dinners for every night of the sailing..  Someone who has the bev pkg can at least say, well I drank quite a bit so can justify the tips I paid with the free pkg.  But if you don't drink alcohol you pay for the speciality coffee, the soda in a can, the water... and as ncl clearly states - none of the 20% is going to the butler actually providing the service.  I totally see where folks are coming from when they cry afoul. Here you are - getting all this great service, paying all these gratuities and then having excellent butler taking excellent care of you and he's not even in the mix for any of the $ you shelled out.   

To actually tip out everyone on the ship that you are supposed to, pay the dsc, and reward great service you really are at about 20% of the fare.  So in essence you are tipping staff on the actual cost of your room, the fuel... I can see where folks start to scoff and the tipping threads get brought up again and again.