welove2cruise*

We have used SAS in the past. I believe we could arrange a hotel pick up with them. They were definitely the best way to get back to the FLL airport from the ship after disembarking. This was before Uber came to be. It is $15 pp for shared service and I just checked their website. They do pick up from the Embassy Suites (our favorite FLL hotel). If you are looking for something to do in Ft. Lauderdale you can walk from the hotel to the dock where you can take the water taxi around. I think I found discount tickets on Expedia - it was a fun way to spend the day.

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For years and years I have played second fiddle - the wife of the arm of the man wearing full Highland kilt regalia - no one cares what I wear :eek: (IN fact I have thought over the years about renting him out to the ships photographers would make a killing!).

 

At last - the kilt stays at home - comes out for New Year or for Gala Awards Dinners here at home -

 

Never again on a cruise ship!

 

Even on our recent Celebrity cruise to Alaska - no formals - On their "Evening Chic" night I wore skinny jeans, glitzy top and killer heels - felt a million dollars, danced the night away whilst hubby squeezed into a 3 piece suit and tie (that for him was dressing way down after the no kilt decision).

 

This cruise - we dress up pretty much every night - stylish, chic - lots of glam BUT NO formals - thank God for that!!!

 

And no more underwear that stops the blood circulating - (women know what I mean!) - all that "sleek line stuff"? Yeah - underneath lies a layer of lycra that aint pretty!!! Oh no - formals are history! Ebay sale!!

I agree ...I hated formal nights! I loved your response too. [emoji6]

 

 

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Can you share an entree at a specialty restaurant now that items are a la cart? It is always too much too eat so wondered if they allowed that.

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... here we are in late October 2016 and I still am not seeing anything for the beginning of 2018 (Jan - April) other than Hawaii which seems to keep going right out into 2019!!!! Really? :confused:

I booked my 2/2018 cruise a few months ago. The Escape again out of Miami.

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Ok, good to know. The agent ended up getting back in touch with my friend and apologized as she was misunderstanding initially the request. She did swap her promo out for her.

I guess with the hurricane causing so much commotion the agent was overloaded today.

So, the answer is "Yes" you can switch to an offer that was included at the time of booking (I would guess before final payment at least).

Does NCL allow you to change your promo to a different choice that was offered at the time of your original booking without repricing at the current rate?

I thought I read on here that others mentioned they could do that but had a friend try to change hers and they said it wasn't possible so I am trying to get some more info.

Thanks

Yes, that is how it works now. Nothing to pay when booking Le Bistro.

 

Just be careful if you also have a dining package. If so, book anything with a fixed fee like Teppenyaki or Moderno first to ensure the system thinks you will have credits to cover them.

That is good news! We had trouble in the past once the dining package went into effect trying to get a decent time. We will have the dining package on our 2018 cruise so I will make a note to follow your advice for the reservations. I am considering switching the internet for the dining package on our Baltic cruise next fall but haven't made my mind up yet.

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Does anyone know when the contract with Pepsi expires? NCL used to have coke products (I always bought the coke package until the Pepsi switch).

I am really hoping that maybe a change would come. I carried my caffeine free Diet Coke to Italy for our two week vacation. They have Coke light but it tastes nothing like our Diet Coke in the states. I always just brought my own after the switch to Pepsi. I would love it if they did a contract with Coke and put the nice self serve machines in like RCL has.

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So is it something new where you can book your Le bistro dinners online before boarding? It used to be you had to pay for the dinners when you booked online. Maybe the new a-la-cart menu makes it different?

I have a tradition with my sparkling wine bottle we receive. On the last day of the cruise I get some orange juice from the buffet and make myself mimosas. [emoji4] Takes the sting out of packing up to go home. [emoji6]

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We just returned home from a two week trip to Italy. We had taken cruises there before but decided to try something different so spent a week in Lucca and then took the train on to Sorrento for 6 nights there. We did our first night in Florence so spend two days visiting the city. I highly recommend the Ulmon City offline Map. I had one specifically for Florence and also downloaded maps for Tuscany, the Cinque Terre and Sorrento, Capri, etc. They worked wonderfully. We loved Florence (actually this whole trip was the nicest trip we have ever taken).

I also agree with the comments on Pisa. You will find there a tower and a thousand people holding their hands up in the air to capture their "hold up the tower" photo. For us it was a 20 minute train from Lucca during one of our day trips but if you only have the time the ship allows you will likely prefer just exploring the beautiful city of Florence.

At any rate enjoy! We love Italy and already know we want to go back again.

I never thought about the room steward not wanting to do the whole room in the evening. There are many times on a cruise when I will just have my husband catch the steward in the hallway and have him fill my ice bucket. I never mind making my own bed and it seems silly to have to him come twice a day to clean. I know on the last cruise he came in and cleaned while we were out one day even when I said he didn't have to. I wonder now if that was why.

Here I thought I was giving the guy a break. ;)

Cruise lines all have revenue targets. They vary to some degree in their strategy and business model. NCL largely competes with CCL and RCCL, with an attempt to upscale a bit with Haven (which initially kicked off the entire concept of private areas for suite guests on mainstream lines). The primary difference in business models between those lines started with NCL going with their free style model, where the primary difference was in dining. Since that change they have always depended upon more on board spending then the other mainstream lines.

 

When you want to analyze company behaviors look at the numbers. The following is a comparison between NCLH, and RCL (Norwegians and Royal last 10k stock filings)

 

NCLH / Percentage from on board sales / net margin

2015 / 27.9% / 9.8%

2014 / 30.4% / 10.8%

2013 / 30.5% / 4.4%

 

RCL

2015 / 27% / 9.4%

2014 / 28% / 5.9%

2013 / 27% / .02%

 

So with NCL last year they had a noticeable change in where their revenue came from with a drop from normal in their amount coming from on board revenue. The high net margins for both lines the last two years has been the result of low fuel prices. Not surprised to see them take steps to beef up on board revenue based upon the numbers.

 

With that said cruise lines will monitor impacts of policy on revenue. If they see impacts such as carry on of drinks remaining low enough they will let it slide. If they see a growing trend that has the potential to impact revenue models they will take action to stop the trend before it gets out of control.

 

We have seen NCL take action on the currency exchange loophole where they were allowing very generous currency exchange rates for purchase of onboard credit, when people started taking advantage by turning it into an arbitrage and put far more money in then they intended to spend on board and then cashing out the excess. A practice that some posted on CC to spread the word on how to take advantage of the system.

 

We are now seeing the same thing take place on the practice of taking drinks on board. Bottom line is that it has grown to where the cruise line has decided to stop the trend and kill the practice.

 

I also suspect that what they are saying is correct in that the number of drinks being carried aboard is impacting security check time as they are screened. That does not mean that there are not other reasons, including economic ones, only that the security check time is probably correct as being part of the reason.

 

With one of their primary competitors (RCCL) having adopted a similar model, it is not surprising that they feel that they can also make the same move.

I am really wondering if the numbers are a result of the "free beverage" packages. I am betting they are not including the cost of the UDP in the revenue line for beverage income as it is a prepaid fee.

Too bad they don't have the pricing online for each option instead of tied to booking.

Bella, Fantastica, and Wellness Category staterooms will choose between early and late dining. Aurea and Yacht Club Category staterooms have any-time dining available. There are specialty dining packages available here:https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Already-Booked/Cruise-Upgrade/Speciality-Restaurants.aspx

Unfortunately to see the pricing you need to sign in to a booking. I saw that the Aurea says "Free My Choice Dining". Is there a way to pay for that with the Fantastica option and if so any idea how much extra? Is anyone able to share pricing for the packages?

We are considering MSC as we are fed up with the changes the new management has brought to NCL.

Unfortunately freestyle dining is high on our list of what makes our cruise vacation enjoyable.

What are the options for dining times on MSC? Is there only an early and late and if so what times? Is there a specialty dining package that you can buy for the week?

I always bring diet coke (caffeine free) and water on with me. If this sticks (we have bookings for the Caribbean in February of 2017 and a Baltic cruise in September of 2017) I will be done with my NCL bookings. I have been looking into MSC cruises with the Black status they gave me so may end up there or back to Princess or RCL. Such a shame that they have ruined what used to be such a good cruise line.

There are still 6 ships with no itineraries for January to February of 2018. I am not happy with anything they have posted so far. I am tired of waiting. :( I would have loved something out of San Juan or even San Francisco. An alternate Southern, Eastern ...just so tired of the same old.

We used points to stay at the Hilton. It was within walking distance to the downtown area. It was a very nice hotel. Quebec is a beautiful city very reminiscent of a European village. Enjoy!

I think they are making a mistake waiting so long. Maybe the typical cruiser books 6 to 12 months ahead but there are plenty of people like myself who book up to 24 months in advance.

Be aware that there can be issues on the first cruise out of drydock. We were on the Epic last October out of Southhampton - our cruise was delayed a week about 7 months prior to sail date and then we also lost a day of the cruise when they shortened the new week from a 7 to 6 night itinerary for engine repairs.

Hopefully all will go smoothly for you. We actually sailed the Sun right after the 2011 drydock and everything went smoothly so you just never know.

After several long flights I learned to take a pair of compression socks that I wear on the plane, inflatable neck wrests (I put mine on backwards so my chin leans on the pillow which I find much more comfortable), and an eye cover to block out light. I also pack a pair of ballet slippers for the plane.

I also buy my euro ahead of time to avoid worrying about ATMs.

I am only taking my less expensive jewelry on our trip to Italy this fall. I am a jewelry "person" lol..but don't want to have to worry about it.

Have a great time!

We had taken two cruises with NCL every year for the past 10 years or so. This Feb. we sailed with Royal Caribbean as the itinerary included St. Maarten and we were tempted with a very good price on the Allure.

This fall we have decided to spend two weeks in Italy rather than cruise. Partly because there was nothing to choose that was different than what we already had done cruise wise, but also because after the brief visits during port stops it was a place that we felt would be nice to more fully experience.

We have two booked next year already and still waiting for 2018 info. It will be interesting to see what we think after our trip this fall.

I remember getting a survey like that about 5 years ago. I don't think anything changed since. I wouldn't mind a platinum plus level as we might be there already. As long as they don't take away anything but add to the program it would be nice.

All of the above would be nice. I have a cruise certificate I want to use but I need to book for 2017. Hope they release them soon!

I do too. Mine is good to 2019 but I would like to apply it!

Welcome to the new NCL - "you'll get your Deployments when we are good and ready to give em to ya" - for your convenience

Sad, but true. [emoji6] Now..if they added a ship out of Charleston again I wouldn't mind the wait!

I'm hoping for more varied Caribbean itineraries...Turks and Caicos, longer Southern itineraries, etc. I prefer booking as early as possible.

Gives me more time to plan and look forward to my trips. [emoji41]