Saint Greg's Alaska Jewel - Live - August 28, 2023

[Stallion]

3 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

Jeff Corwin did that on Ocean Treks.

 

I've done it a couple of times and had a blast-best excursion ever

[Saint Greg]

2 hours ago, JeanKC said:

It's great that you have not had issues with NCL air but I think the issue that people are taking with Greg's situation is the crazy short connection time between flights which NCL air seem to think is okay to book. So, yes, while things happen and flights can be delayed and customs queues can be long and none of that would the fault of the NCL Air (or any TA booking flights). But what is very much in the control of NCL Air is allowing for a reasonable connection time between flights.....and even without a customs queue or flight delays, they did not leave enough time in this case. And, if it is true what the NCL agent told Greg, that provided they leave at least 30 minutes between flights, they can book it......then whoever is in charge of those policies must never, ever have been in an airport.....ever!! 

 

To be honest, I would probably never use NCL air mainly because, unlike with a regular TA or self-booking, you get no say at all in your flights, and so even if you think the connection time is too short (and my husband gets very stressed in airports at the best of times so throw in a tight connection......it wouldn't end well 😀) tough, you have to take it. I would prefer be in control of these things myself and yes, I guess, it might cost a little more, but to me, it's probably worth it for reduced stress. 

If it’s any comfort the Air Canada customer service lady told me even though NCL says they can do 30 minutes between flights, Air Canada won’t allow it. I don’t remember if she said 45 mins or an hour. I technically had an hour but once the plane taxis, opens the door, and I wait for 32 rows to get their crap out of the overhead compartment, I had lost 17 mins by the time I get off of the plane. I know people love to carry on. Both ways now they’ve had to force people to check bags because too many people are carrying on. I really wish they’d let people who paid to check bags got off the plane before all of the overhead compartment people. It’s easily a 5-10min delay for me

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Saint Greg

[Saint Greg]

For some reason my video time stamps and my photos are on different time zones. But check my time stamps here we touched down at 6:44. I stepped off the plane at 7:07.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Saint Greg

[Mommapadraig]

1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

If it’s any comfort the Air Canada customer service lady told me even though NCL says they can do 30 minutes between flights, Air Canada won’t allow it. I don’t remember if she said 45 mins or an hour. I technically had an hour but once the plane taxis, opens the door, and I wait for 32 rows to get their crap out of the overhead compartment, I had lost 17 mins by the time I get off of the plane. I know people love to carry on. Both ways now they’ve had to force people to check bags because too many people are carrying on. I really wish they’d let people who paid to check bags got off the plane before all of the overhead compartment people. It’s easily a 5-10min delay for me

 

I wonder what would have happened if you had called air Canada directly once you got your flights.to be honest I don’t even know if you can do that when the flights are booked through NCL. 

[Uff da]

4 hours ago, JeanKC said:

It's great that you have not had issues with NCL air but I think the issue that people are taking with Greg's situation is the crazy short connection time between flights which NCL air seem to think is okay to book. So, yes, while things happen and flights can be delayed and customs queues can be long and none of that would the fault of the NCL Air (or any TA booking flights). But what is very much in the control of NCL Air is allowing for a reasonable connection time between flights.....and even without a customs queue or flight delays, they did not leave enough time in this case. And, if it is true what the NCL agent told Greg, that provided they leave at least 30 minutes between flights, they can book it......then whoever is in charge of those policies must never, ever have been in an airport.....ever!! 

 

To be honest, I would probably never use NCL air mainly because, unlike with a regular TA or self-booking, you get no say at all in your flights, and so even if you think the connection time is too short (and my husband gets very stressed in airports at the best of times so throw in a tight connection......it wouldn't end well 😀) tough, you have to take it. I would prefer be in control of these things myself and yes, I guess, it might cost a little more, but to me, it's probably worth it for reduced stress. 

I have read a few comments from others who are clearly more seasoned fliers than I that those policies are set by the airport or possibly the airline. If you go back and read the post by Celi, you will see Princess uses the same line about connection time. It seems to be standard. I didn't say it was right, but they all seem to be using the same standards. I don't think it's enough time either, but I don't make the rules. 
Picking your own flights means nothing. In August, we were stuck in an airplane in Vegas for 2 hours waiting for weather to clear in Denver. Missed our connection and had to be rebooked. Spent hours in the airport we did not really want to spend in the airport, but you can't control it so you roll with it. 
 

[Saint Greg]

3 minutes ago, Uff da said:

I have read a few comments from others who are clearly more seasoned fliers than I that those policies are set by the airport or possibly the airline. If you go back and read the post by Celi, you will see Princess uses the same line about connection time. It seems to be standard. I didn't say it was right, but they all seem to be using the same standards. I don't think it's enough time either, but I don't make the rules. 
Picking your own flights means nothing. In August, we were stuck in an airplane in Vegas for 2 hours waiting for weather to clear in Denver. Missed our connection and had to be rebooked. Spent hours in the airport we did not really want to spend in the airport, but you can't control it so you roll with it. 
 

 

I would've booked it with a two hour layover. That's an additional hour. All I needed was 20 more minutes. 

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Saint Greg

[blarko]

1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

If it’s any comfort the Air Canada customer service lady told me even though NCL says they can do 30 minutes between flights, Air Canada won’t allow it. I don’t remember if she said 45 mins or an hour. I technically had an hour but once the plane taxis, opens the door, and I wait for 32 rows to get their crap out of the overhead compartment, I had lost 17 mins by the time I get off of the plane. I know people love to carry on. Both ways now they’ve had to force people to check bags because too many people are carrying on. I really wish they’d let people who paid to check bags got off the plane before all of the overhead compartment people. It’s easily a 5-10min delay for me

 

I was just saying the same thing on my flights last week!!! Or let the people who check bags sit in the front of the plane to speed up the de boarding process. 

[Uff da]

21 minutes ago, Mommapadraig said:

I wonder what would have happened if you had called air Canada directly once you got your flights.to be honest I don’t even know if you can do that when the flights are booked through NCL. 

You cannot change the flight times. He did call NCL, but got the standard "it's within the paramaters" line they all seem to be using. 

[Saint Greg]

1 minute ago, blarko said:

I was just saying the same thing on my flights last week!!! Or let the people who check bags sit in the front of the plane to speed up the de boarding process. 

 

I haven't noticed it too much since I try to book direct and with Spirit I've been upgrading to the front row. And last year in Alaska I booked first class. But these last couple trips when I'm on row 33 of these big AC planes on long flights, It's a serious serious delay waiting on people messing with that overhead compartment. All I have to do is walk out. I could be out of their way in seconds. And in Barcelona when they had to bus us out and it took me 45 minutes to get off of the plane. How many pieces of carry on luggage got a place on a bus ahead of me?

[Uff da]

4 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

I haven't noticed it too much since I try to book direct and with Spirit I've been upgrading to the front row. And last year in Alaska I booked first class. But these last couple trips when I'm on row 33 of these big AC planes on long flights, It's a serious serious delay waiting on people messing with that overhead compartment. All I have to do is walk out. I could be out of their way in seconds. And in Barcelona when they had to bus us out and it took me 45 minutes to get off of the plane. How many pieces of carry on luggage got a place on a bus ahead of me?

We love traveling but getting back and forth these days is not fun at all. 

[Saint Greg]

14 minutes ago, Uff da said:

We love traveling but getting back and forth these days is not fun at all. 

 

For the most part I'm good. Flying to Florida, L.A., NYC. I'm pretty central where I'm at. I can do it direct on Spirit and get a cheap upgrade to a great seat. But these long hauls where I need to connect, I'm dreading those. As much as I want to go back to Europe...I really don't want to fly there again. It's a bonus for the roundtrip Seattle cruise. Or the way Carnival does Hawaii roundtrip from Long Beach vs. Honolulu to Vancouver. If only I had the time to do a transatlantic over and back. I'd much rather do that than fly to Europe.

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Saint Greg

[blarko]

19 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

I haven't noticed it too much since I try to book direct and with Spirit I've been upgrading to the front row.

I flew Spirit for the first time last week for my return flight from Miami. Thanks to your tips on flying them, I did upgrade to the front “big seat”. It made a world of difference being the first one off the plane. Totally worth the added expense. Thanks for all your past reviews and tips when flying Spirit. I was a bit nervous as I’ve heard some not so nice things about them. Whilst waiting at the gate and observing the behavior of the “people” that were going to be on my flight, I can totally believe some of those stories. As a matter of fact, when we were landing the flight attendant announced to a woman to be seated several times. Several times 🤦‍♀️

[Saint Greg]

10 minutes ago, blarko said:

I flew Spirit for the first time last week for my return flight from Miami. Thanks to your tips on flying them, I did upgrade to the front “big seat”. It made a world of difference being the first one off the plane. Totally worth the added expense. Thanks for all your past reviews and tips when flying Spirit. I was a bit nervous as I’ve heard some not so nice things about them. Whilst waiting at the gate and observing the behavior of the “people” that were going to be on my flight, I can totally believe some of those stories. As a matter of fact, when we were landing the flight attendant announced to a woman to be seated several times. Several times 🤦‍♀️

 

It's great. It's the same as a first class seat for a fraction of the price. You just don't get the free drink or the hot towel. I think a lot of the people who say things about it either haven't flown it or have only sat in a standard seat. I did the standard seat once. Since then it's exit row aisle or the front seat. And with the front seat I'll get the window since there's so much space up front.

 

But there are so many comedians who poke fun at Spirit. I've definitely seen it in at least two acts on the ships. And more on instagram. I find it funny that employees of a budget cruise line are making fun of a budget airline. But hey if they help keep people off of the plane and out of the front seat, it's good with me.

 

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Saint Greg

[schmoopie17]

If it's true that Carnival, Princess and RCCL all allow you to pick your flights, we should all send this trip report (at least the tail end of it) to the honchos at NCL to let them know how much they suck. 

[cruiseny4life]

2 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

If it's true that Carnival, Princess and RCCL all allow you to pick your flights, we should all send this trip report (at least the tail end of it) to the honchos at NCL to let them know how much they suck. 

Haha, they know. They admit as much on travel agent calls. They do claim they are working to deliver a better program. I've heard that line for the last two to three months. I haven't seen any action yet, so am still not believing it. But, personally, my experience with NCL BOGO Airfare has been fine. I'm not discounting Greg's experience - heck we lived through it with him! But, the program does save cruisers money and generally speaking, works alright. The bad PR at times when issues like this, that NCL could have fixed, doesn't seem to be helpful though.

[Uff da]

1 minute ago, schmoopie17 said:

If it's true that Carnival, Princess and RCCL all allow you to pick your flights, we should all send this trip report (at least the tail end of it) to the honchos at NCL to let them know how much they suck. 

NCL will let you pick your flights too if you use their premium air program. We are talking about free at sea discounted air and that's where the confusion sets in. It's well known that using the program means you give up control, cross your fingers and hope for the best. What happened to Greg is terrible. They should allow for a longer connection times. 
Thousands of people use this program every week. Unfortunatly, one bad press deal like Greg's is all it takes for everybody to jump on the "NCL BAD" bandwagon. I get it, but not everyone is having experiences like that. 

[Saint Greg]

31 minutes ago, Uff da said:

NCL will let you pick your flights too if you use their premium air program. We are talking about free at sea discounted air and that's where the confusion sets in. It's well known that using the program means you give up control, cross your fingers and hope for the best. What happened to Greg is terrible. They should allow for a longer connection times. 
Thousands of people use this program every week. Unfortunatly, one bad press deal like Greg's is all it takes for everybody to jump on the "NCL BAD" bandwagon. I get it, but not everyone is having experiences like that. 

 

Is there a place you can look at their premium air program prices before you book? This is the first I've heard of it. It may have been a better deal for me because I didn't use the BOGO. So I paid double for my flight than someone who did use the BOGO. This one actually cost a little more than Barcelona where I picked my flights.

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Saint Greg

[Uff da]

21 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Is there a place you can look at their premium air program prices before you book? This is the first I've heard of it. It may have been a better deal for me because I didn't use the BOGO. So I paid double for my flight than someone who did use the BOGO. This one actually cost a little more than Barcelona where I picked my flights.

 

I've only heard of it and have never used it and right now, I can't find it either. I may be (gasp!) wrong. Or perhaps they used to and don't anymore. That's possible too, old info. I've only sailed with them post C.
With that said, that means all air goes through the air/sea program where you have no control. 
If it was so expensive, why did you use it? Was it still cheaper than booking your own? 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Uff da

[Saint Greg]

39 minutes ago, Uff da said:

I've only heard of it and have never used it and right now, I can't find it either. I may be (gasp!) wrong. Or perhaps they used to and don't anymore. That's possible too, old info. I've only sailed with them post C.
With that said, that means all air goes through the air/sea program where you have no control. 
If it was so expensive, why did you use it? Was it still cheaper than booking your own? 

In April it was significantly cheaper. In June I could’ve picked my own flights, including a reasonable one in Vancouver that connected in Seattle for about $100 more. To do it at that point I would've lost 50% of my money which changed the math on it.

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Saint Greg

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Is there a place you can look at their premium air program prices before you book? This is the first I've heard of it. It may have been a better deal for me because I didn't use the BOGO. So I paid double for my flight than someone who did use the BOGO. This one actually cost a little more than Barcelona where I picked my flights.

 

Here's information on the Premium Air Program. Personally, I think it's stupid, because they charge you $50 to use the service. You can just as easily book your own flights and not have a middleman...but hey, some people enjoy using the service. 

 

https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/premium-air

[Saint Greg]

8 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Here's information on the Premium Air Program. Personally, I think it's stupid, because they charge you $50 to use the service. You can just as easily book your own flights and not have a middleman...but hey, some people enjoy using the service. 

 

https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/premium-air

So it’s probably not any cheaper? If it’s the same price as booking it myself I wouldn’t be interested.

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Saint Greg

[wesorbeth]

On 9/5/2023 at 10:56 AM, durberville said:

Haha! This hit home for me. I’m a dual citizen born and raised in Canada now living in the US. It has taken me YEARS to stop asking “where is the washroom, please?” Apart from confused looks I was once led to the “laundry room” during a college tour with my daughter. Hehe.  

I've used washroom, restroom and bathroom.  I never really thought about this before, I am going to start listening to others.  I was born, raised and still live in southern Ohio.

[cruiseny4life]

39 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

So it’s probably not any cheaper? If it’s the same price as booking it myself I wouldn’t be interested.

 

I haven't used it, but based on everything I've read, I'm pretty sure it's market price. It sure doesn't make sense to me. 

[depplep]

29 minutes ago, wesorbeth said:

I've used washroom, restroom and bathroom.  I never really thought about this before, I am going to start listening to others.  I was born, raised and still live in southern Ohio.

Also from Ohio. Bathroom/Restroom is interchangeable for me. The first time we went to the UK and I saw signs for the Toilets, I thought, how rude!

[eileeshb]

2 minutes ago, depplep said:

Also from Ohio. Bathroom/Restroom is interchangeable for me. The first time we went to the UK and I saw signs for the Toilets, I thought, how rude!

Here’s a few more terms… loo, jacks, the bog … depending on the bar in Ireland you may find a colloquial name on the door rather than something universally known. But generally most places use Toilets on the signs pointing to them if it’s not just a picture.