Here are some tips & instructions for booking shorex using the $50/port shorex promo

[Turtles06]

OP here. We’ve just gotten off a great cruise on the Gem, and based on our experience, I think NCL’s statement in the T&Cs that the shorex promo credit “has no monetary value and is non refundable” is confusing and doesn’t really mean what it says, since our shorex promo credits were in fact paid out to us in cash at the end of the cruise. 

 

We reserved our shorex pre-cruise, by phone, and did not pay in advance. On the first day of the cruise, our excursions were charged to our onboard account, and were immediately offset by some nonrefundable OBC that we had.  After we took each excursion, the $50 promo credit was applied to our account, described as “shore excursion credit.”  These were not described as non refundable credits on our account  (as our other credits were), and in fact they put our account into a credit balance in our favor. At the end of the cruise, as I noted above, Guest Services paid out that balance to us in cash. 

[jaja]

@Turtles06    I think I have been remiss not to thank you for all the great info !!!  Even though my cruise is not till November  besides  printing out your original post I have been checking back on this thread for any updates !!!  

I am especially glad about your update on $ refunded at end of cruise..and hoping that is the norm.  We usually have no use for any extra OBC as we do have all the perks and just don't spend money on board on much else.!

[Turtles06]

50 minutes ago, jaja said:

@Turtles06    I think I have been remiss not to thank you for all the great info !!!  Even though my cruise is not till November  besides  printing out your original post I have been checking back on this thread for any updates !!!  

I am especially glad about your update on $ refunded at end of cruise..and hoping that is the norm.  We usually have no use for any extra OBC as we do have all the perks and just don't spend money on board on much else.!

 

You are most welcome, glad to be of help!

 

One thing to note -- NCL has recently changed the terms of the shorex promo a bit.   I don't know which set of T&Cs you fall under.  But from what I've read on other threads, the promo credit can now be applied to an advance booking.  Also, I believe it applies to more than one shorex in a single port, and only to Guest 1, whatever they mean by that.

 

So keep reading all the new threads, and check your T&Cs as well.   There doesn't seem to have been much experience yet under these new terms.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Red-Sol]

On 1/25/2020 at 2:24 AM, Turtles06 said:

OP here. We’ve just gotten off a great cruise on the Gem, and based on our experience, I think NCL’s statement in the T&Cs that the shorex promo credit “has no monetary value and is non refundable” is confusing and doesn’t really mean what it says, since our shorex promo credits were in fact paid out to us in cash at the end of the cruise. 

 

We reserved our shorex pre-cruise, by phone, and did not pay in advance. On the first day of the cruise, our excursions were charged to our onboard account, and were immediately offset by some nonrefundable OBC that we had.  After we took each excursion, the $50 promo credit was applied to our account, described as “shore excursion credit.”  These were not described as non refundable credits on our account  (as our other credits were), and in fact they put our account into a credit balance in our favor. At the end of the cruise, as I noted above, Guest Services paid out that balance to us in cash. 

 

Did you happen to notice if the amounts charged for the excursions on the first day actually included any latitudes discounts you may have been entitled to for those excursions?

[jaja]

3 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

You are most welcome, glad to be of help!

 

One thing to note -- NCL has recently changed the terms of the shorex promo a bit.   I don't know which set of T&Cs you fall under.  But from what I've read on other threads, the promo credit can now be applied to an advance booking.  Also, I believe it applies to more than one shorex in a single port, and only to Guest 1, whatever they mean by that.

 

So keep reading all the new threads, and check your T&Cs as well.   There doesn't seem to have been much experience yet under these new terms.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Yes--not sure what set of T&Cs either!!!  My first promo for $50 was in 8/2019--and part of "take all" promos (CHSULM). Then in 9/2019 got the extra $50 added (thanks to info here on CC)  (SHX50 Which shows on Confirmation as HEXTRSX2. And both   listed in Amenity page as under my name..

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, Red-Sol said:

 

Did you happen to notice if the amounts charged for the excursions on the first day actually included any latitudes discounts you may have been entitled to for those excursions?

If you don't mind my answering (I was in the same cruise and I'm still in the Gem) ...no...you still have to go to the shore excursion desk to get your discount applied. To me it's inexcusable that NCL still doesn't apply the discount automatically. 

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, Red-Sol said:

 

Did you happen to notice if the amounts charged for the excursions on the first day actually included any latitudes discounts you may have been entitled to for those excursions?

 

34 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

If you don't mind my answering (I was in the same cruise and I'm still in the Gem) ...no...you still have to go to the shore excursion desk to get your discount applied. To me it's inexcusable that NCL still doesn't apply the discount automatically. 

 

Yes indeed -- those discounts are NOT applied automatically on board.  This was not just our experience last month on the Gem, it's been reported here in a number of threads as a general problem.  And I agree, it's inexcusable that NCL is doing this.

[Red-Sol]

10 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

 

Yes indeed -- those discounts are NOT applied automatically on board.  This was not just our experience last month on the Gem, it's been reported here in a number of threads as a general problem.  And I agree, it's inexcusable that NCL is doing this.

 

Thanks for confirming that is still a problem...For a number of reasons I would prefer to make shore excursion reservations via calling shorex...but would still want the latitudes discount applied as well. Sounds like joining the lines at the desk is the only way to make that happen!

[Red-Sol]

10 hours ago, njhorseman said:

If you don't mind my answering (I was in the same cruise and I'm still in the Gem) ...no...you still have to go to the shore excursion desk to get your discount applied. To me it's inexcusable that NCL still doesn't apply the discount automatically. 

 

Thanks and I agree if it is still happening that way that it is intentional...IT could fix that problem in about 5 seconds but it appears they don't want it fixed and will gladly take the extra money from the unknowing.

[julig22]

52 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

 

Thanks for confirming that is still a problem...For a number of reasons I would prefer to make shore excursion reservations via calling shorex...but would still want the latitudes discount applied as well. Sounds like joining the lines at the desk is the only way to make that happen!

Supposedly you can put a note in the drop box of you don't want to go to the desk.

[jaja]

30 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Supposedly you can put a note in the drop box of you don't want to go to the desk.

I would not trust that option.  When it comes to NCL..I want to see everything in writing!!!!

 

PS--I find the idea of waiting on line to correct an NCL problem while I am supposed to be enjoying my cruise..very annoying and just very wrong!!!

[EleventyBangBang]

Did I hear somewhere that the credit can also be applied to a transfer from the cruise to the airport on debarkation day?  And if so how does that work? 

 

I don't see any such excursion on my cruise planner, about 90 days out.  But I know I've seen them on other cruises. 

[julig22]

6 minutes ago, EleventyBangBang said:

Did I hear somewhere that the credit can also be applied to a transfer from the cruise to the airport on debarkation day?  And if so how does that work? 

 

I don't see any such excursion on my cruise planner, about 90 days out.  But I know I've seen them on other cruises. 

You cannot use it for the NCL airport transfer.  You can use it if there is a post-cruise excursion that ends at the airport or other central location.

 

Not all cruises offer post-cruise excursions, so it depends on where your cruise ends.

Edited February 20, 2020 by julig22

[Socalev]

I have two cruises booked.  One in April booked over a year ago and one for March that I booked last week.  For the March cruise, the $50 credit AND the latitudes discount are both applied to the selected excursion.  An excursion priced at $95 pp is listed as $45 for the first person and $95 for the second person.  In the shopping cart, the price is revised to $40.50 for the first person and $85.50 for the second person.  

 

But on the April cruise, only the latitudes discount is applied.  

[NRWPA]

On 2/19/2020 at 4:31 PM, Turtles06 said:

 

 Also, I believe it applies to more than one shorex in a single port, and only to Guest 1, whatever they mean by that.

 

 

I can explain this...My SO and I just returned Sunday from a cruise and had the promo. We had separate credit cards for our on board accounts. The $50 was automatically applied to my account for both Shore Excursions we took because I was Guest 1 on the reservation. I was able to go to guest services and have one of the credits applied to his account so that we each received $50 credit to our folios. This worked even though each of our excursions was less than the $50 credit. You do still have to go to the Shore Excursion desk to have any applicable % off discounts applied.

[julig22]

28 minutes ago, NRWPA said:

I can explain this...My SO and I just returned Sunday from a cruise and had the promo. We had separate credit cards for our on board accounts. The $50 was automatically applied to my account for both Shore Excursions we took because I was Guest 1 on the reservation. I was able to go to guest services and have one of the credits applied to his account so that we each received $50 credit to our folios. This worked even though each of our excursions was less than the $50 credit. You do still have to go to the Shore Excursion desk to have any applicable % off discounts applied.

Are you saying you had the double $50 shore promo and they let you split it - that's exactly what I've been trying to hear, since I have a number of excursions that won't use the full amount.

[NRWPA]

11 hours ago, julig22 said:

Are you saying you had the double $50 shore promo and they let you split it - that's exactly what I've been trying to hear, since I have a number of excursions that won't use the full amount.

We had $50 per cabin per excursion, took 2 excursions, one was about $40 pp, the other was about $46 pp, I was credited $100 even though the total charge was $86 on my account. Guest Services allowed me to transfer $50 of that to my SO so that in the end we each paid $36 for our 2 excursions. We used separate credit cards for our on board charges so this was a fair way to do it. It's a good way to split the credit if you're traveling with a friend who's using a different credit card than you are. I hope I explained well...

BTW, I went solo to Greece and Italy in September with this promo. After my platinum discount was deducted and with the $50 off on each of 6 excursions, I only paid about $300 total for all of them. It's a great deal for solo travelers.

[julig22]

2 hours ago, NRWPA said:

BTW, I went solo to Greece and Italy in September with this promo. After my platinum discount was deducted and with the $50 off on each of 6 excursions, I only paid about $300 total for all of them. It's a great deal for solo travelers.

Thanks - I usually go solo as well, so at $50, it's generally good.  I have double that on an upcoming cruise, plus a bunch of OBC so my excursions (12 ports!) will pretty much be free.  But after booking I invited someone along with the stipulation that they pay any additional costs, so I'm hoping that I can give them any "excess" since several of my excursions will be under the $100 credit, after my latitudes discount.  Think I'll most likely ask them to split the credits, then calculate later after we get the bills.

[Rick&Jeannie]

On 8/13/2019 at 10:54 AM, Turtles06 said:

4.  Pro Tip: Before you call to book any shore excursion, take a screen shot of the description AND the price and bring it with you on board, so you have proof of the price at the time you booked, since that price is locked in for you.   You need to do this because the email confirmation of your shorex booking that you receive from NCL will not show the price, and because, once you have booked a shore excursion, NCL's site will only show you that shorex as costing $0.  (It also will NOT show you any other shore excursions for that port, which I find ridiculous, as you might want to change your mind.  So be sure to review the available shorex for a port carefully before you book.)

 

I am trying to do this as suggested.  I've already booked and am past final payment.  I am NOT logged in so the website "doesn't know" who I am.  I can see and screenshot most excursions, but for 2 ports the booked excursion is no longer listed.  All of my excursions show up in my eDocs properly.  I am 84 days out.  Any idea how I can get to the missing excursions?

[Turtles06]

1 minute ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I am trying to do this as suggested.  I've already booked and am past final payment.  I am NOT logged in so the website "doesn't know" who I am.  I can see and screenshot most excursions, but for 2 ports the booked excursion is no longer listed.  All of my excursions show up in my eDocs properly.  I am 84 days out.  Any idea how I can get to the missing excursions?

 

I am guessing that those excursions are not showing up because they are fully booked.   Since your paperwork is in order, don't worry about it, and enjoy your cruise!

[Rick&Jeannie]

1 minute ago, Turtles06 said:

 

I am guessing that those excursions are not showing up because they are fully booked.   Since your paperwork is in order, don't worry about it, and enjoy your cruise!

I'm not overly concerned about "having them booked"...just wanted to be able to prove the price I booked them at given the issues that some others have had.  If I look at them now (logged in) they show as $0 because they are booked.  Looking while NOT logged in they don't show at all.  Just seems a strange way to run a railroad!

[Krazy Kat]

I will share my experience from this morning, which is different from experiences above and my previous experiences.

 

I am booked on the Escape in April, as a solo, with the $50 shore excursions perk as part of the Sail Away (BX) rate.  Once I chose my excursions, I called ShoreEx to book them as I usually do.  

 

As recent as 3 weeks ago (Getaway), I would have had the tickets placed in my cabin and a charge placed on my shipboard account and upon completing the tour would receive the $50 credit along with the Lattitudes' 10% off the entire excursion cost.

 

However that has changed with the new Shore Excursions promotion.  To book shore excursions you have two options:  pre-pay or book on board the ship.  The ShoreEx rep booked all my tours and then requested payment.  I paid the cost of the tour, minus $50., and then 10% off remaining balance.  I was then sent a document itemizing, in detail, my excursions.  The document showed original cost, deduction of $50., deduction of Lattitudes 10% and outstanding balance which showed paid in full using my credit card.  He reminded me that I had to cancel 48 hours before docking to get a refund which the ship's ShoreEx staff would process upon my request.

 

I hope this is helpful information.

[Rick&Jeannie]

13 minutes ago, Krazy Kat said:

  The ShoreEx rep booked all my tours and then requested payment.  I paid the cost of the tour, minus $50., and then 10% off remaining balance. 

 

This definitely does not match my experience of 3 days ago!  I called and booked 4 different excursions.  I'm 84 days out.  No payment was requested.  The requested excursions show in my summary.  By any chance are you within just a few days of sailing?

[julig22]

31 minutes ago, Krazy Kat said:

I will share my experience from this morning, which is different from experiences above and my previous experiences.

 

I am booked on the Escape in April, as a solo, with the $50 shore excursions perk as part of the Sail Away (BX) rate.  Once I chose my excursions, I called ShoreEx to book them as I usually do.  

 

As recent as 3 weeks ago (Getaway), I would have had the tickets placed in my cabin and a charge placed on my shipboard account and upon completing the tour would receive the $50 credit along with the Lattitudes' 10% off the entire excursion cost.

 

However that has changed with the new Shore Excursions promotion.  To book shore excursions you have two options:  pre-pay or book on board the ship.  The ShoreEx rep booked all my tours and then requested payment.  I paid the cost of the tour, minus $50., and then 10% off remaining balance.  I was then sent a document itemizing, in detail, my excursions.  The document showed original cost, deduction of $50., deduction of Lattitudes 10% and outstanding balance which showed paid in full using my credit card.  He reminded me that I had to cancel 48 hours before docking to get a refund which the ship's ShoreEx staff would process upon my request.

 

I hope this is helpful information.

I wonder if this just applies to the sail-away shore excursion promo, not the free at sea.  I added excursions a couple of days ago and didn't have to pay upfront.

[Krazy Kat]

I sail in less than 60 days.  When I asked the staff member why the change in procedure he indicated it was new because of the ShoreEx promo.  I agree it could just be all the Sail Aways because it is the first time I remember them being offered with a perk.