littleengine

Thanks! The bottles we have are smaller (only allowed to bring back 1.14L duty free) so we went with variety over larger size. I do already have it separated so it sounds like it would be easy (and faster) through security.

Hi! My husband and I will be heading to Southampton on Saturday to catch a cruise to Norway on the NCL Jade. We are currently in Scotland (for a week) and have, of course, picked up some souvenirs.... including some scotch and gin. I know we can’t take it on board with us but I’m unsure of the best way to “flag” it. Do we try to take it through as carry on and let them take it at security, or should we put it in our checked bags and let them call us down to the naughty room? We’re not trying to sneak it on to drink (have UBP), just want the easiest way for them to get it to store it for us and return it at the end of the cruise like they do with stuff you buy on shore or in duty free.

Thanks everyone. I’ve sailed many times on NCL so know the general workings of their laundry system. Was looking to get an idea of when the $20 special took place on longer sailings so I could maximize it with my free bag of laundry (I’m Platinum, my husband is not). Someone else I know mentioned that on a recent TA they did 2 free bags with their Platinum perk but I haven’t ever seen anything that explicitly said you get 1 free bag on 7 day cruises and 2 on longer ones so I didn’t want to assume.

A couple of laundry questions...

When during a 12 day cruise do they offer the discounted laundry special?

Do Platinum members get more than 1 free bag when the cruise is longer than 7 days?

Going on my first 7+ day cruise in a few weeks and am trying to pack light.

I’ll be travelling for the first time with mine on a cruise in a few weeks. This info has been very helpful to this first timer.

Are there plugs like this beside the bed in the balcony cabins on Jade? I’ll be travelling with my CPAP for the first time in a few weeks and am trying to figure out if I’ll need to bring an extension cord.

Since most of this revived old thread is from 2011, I thought I'd just mention that with the 2017 refurbishment, they added USB charger ports, including in the bed reading lamps.

 

Here's a shot of the new outlets on the little table by the balcony door. There are others in the room too.

 

So... I'm currently gold with 49 pts. I board the Getaway on Sunday for a B2B ending Feb 12. I booked 9+ months out so those 2 weeks will get me an additional 28 pts. Under the existing program that would have been enough to push me into Platinum, but based on the new program I'll now be 3 pts below the Platinum level. But... on my Feb 5 cruise, since it's after the new program's Feb 3 start date, I'll get a free bottle of sparkling wine.

After Feb 3 the new program doesn't give extra points for booking 9+ months out, but the B2B I have booked for 2018 will still give me double points, and if I book any additional weeks before Feb 3 I'll also get double points on those.

That's my understanding of the new changes. Am I way off in my figuring how it'll affect my status?

Thanks!

Heading out on the Getaway Jan 29 to Feb 12... are there any days in the current itinerary that have time changes?

Thanks!

How does paying for food/drink purchases in the cabana work? Does the concierge person take your card away with them to the bar where they put in your order, or do they swipe it on a mobile device so your card always stays with you? I'm assuming it's done after each purchase, or is one bill done for each person before they leave?

Not a wading pool per se, but It has the grotto area with waterfall, etc to walk through. Can certainly dip my toes in there to cool off.

QUOTE=bradleyk;51938633]Spice H2O does not have a wadding pool on the Getaway, unlike the Epic. Just 2 hot tubs

I try to get Vibe when I can but decided against it for my upcoming Getaway cruise. Since there are 4 port days and only 2 sea days, I figured I just wouldn't spend enough time there to make the cost worthwhile. Will be getting creative and checking out other parts of the ship and visiting Spice when I want to cool off.

Hi all... I'll be heading to Mexico at the end of Jan/early February and some friends would like me to pick up some tequila for them if possible - Don Julio brand coffee flavoured, to be specific.

I'm not a tequila drinker so I never really looked for it when I was previously in the port, and I won't have a ton of time to wander aimlessly. Was hoping someone remembers seeing this somewhere so I could make a quick stop to pick some up for them.

Will be stopping in both Cozumel and Costa Maya, so either port would work.

Thanks!

Yes, that's an option, but your bank will charge a high service fee to do that, and sometimes, the bank you're trying to withdraw money from will also charge a fee on top of that. It's not the most economical option.

I've booked a cabana for early Feb with 5 friends... Guessing the entire group has to be there to get wristbands at the same time? Or, if some don't want to come until later, can they go to the check in building then and get one of the remaining wristbands?

Unfortunately you'll find a lot of different Cdn/US exchange rates being used depending on what you're looking to buy.

I just bought some OBC for my upcoming cruise and the set exchange was $1.33 Cdn/$US.

When I prepaid for some excursions a month or so ago, it was a different exchange rate - in fact, the rates worked out to be different between different excursions, which I really didn't understand.

On my last cruise in February, when I was checking in at the port I was given an exchange rate that was worse than any of the others I'd gotten for other products for that sailing... And I expect the same to happen at the end of January.

To get the best deal, check the price of the OBC if you were to buy it in advance and check it against the bank's rate. I think when I bought OBC it was only cheaper by only a few cents, so really it was more a matter of convenience than anything else.

I also have a US dollar Visa card through TD and I use this when I check in... This, at least, saves the conversion fee that Canadian dollar credit cards charge on top of the exchange rate.

Studios will also open up much closer to sailing as prices for better categories drop in comparison. This past February 2 friends and I paid less than $200 CDN pp to move from our studios up to guaranteed balconies, only about a week before sailing.

Tip... If you get enough points for your tier level to change after the first week of a B2B, you can speak to the onboard cruise consultant about having the system updated right away (vs the few weeks it usually takes for them to do it once you get off the ship). This way you can get the perks for your new level at the start of your second week.

Your Platinum status doesn't start until the cruise "after" you reach Platinum. So if you go on another line, your NCL status remains the same, and you can start building up your levels on other lines.

 

We are Platinum on NCL and Princess. Diamond on RCL and Elite on Celebrity.

 

We cruise on different lines for the different experiences, different itineraries, different people, etc. Broaden your horizons.

I think I have a partial answer for this question. When I booked the cabana I was told that when I arrived on board the ticket would be in my cabin (as with other excursions), and when the time came,mI would gather my 5 friends and we'd all be taken to the cabanas where we'd each get a wristband, identifying that we have a cabana. I'm guessing you don't get into the cabana area unless you have one of these, so it would be fairly easy to tell who belonged and who didn't.

I would also like to know how closely they monitor the six people maximum. Looks like the cabanas can hold more than six (and definitely more than six people's stuff!).

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

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My friends and I have a beach cabana on Harvest Caye booked for our cruise on the Getaway in Feb 2017. I'm hoping someone who'll be booking one of them in the next few weeks can answer a few Qs re how the concierge service works. I noticed in a video from earlier this week that the cabanas have a mini fridge. Since no food or drinks come with the cabana, what's the purpose of this? When you order drinks from the concierge do they bring them still sealed, so you can put them in the fridge for later? Is there a menu of things you can order through the concierge? If so, can someone post pics of it including the prices? Trying to get a sense of how much food/drinks could cost for the day.

Thanks!

I'm on a B2B on the Getaway in late Jan/early Feb and was going to book the snorkelling excursion on GHC. My friends and saw it offered last week but noticed yesterday it's no longer listed as an excursion. The rep I talked to when I booked other excursions said the operator for that excursion isn't ready yet... And won't be until mid-February. He said there won't be any other snorkelling options offered until then, and no other excursions of any kind will be added either. :-(

I was about to post a new thread about the exchange rate when I found this one and discovered I'm not the only one who has realized the differences between exchange rates for different products.

I have a B2B coming up in Jan/Feb 2017.

I don't remember what the US price was when I made the last change to my booking (about a year ago), but for OBC the "current" rate is $1.33. Excursions is where it gets interesting. I looked at them last week and made note of the ones I was interested in.

The Costa Maya catamaran excursion was $79 US last week and $98 CDN. Math was never my strong suit, but I think that puts the exchange at $1.24. This week the CDN price has gone up to $104, an exchange of $1.316.

In Cozumel, the 3 reef snorkel is still $79 US but went from $85 CDN last week (exchange of $1.075) to $91.54 CDN this week (exchange of $1.158).

So, it seems like the exchange rate varies even between individual excursions. How are we supposed to keep up? And now that I can only see the prices on the site in CDN $, this makes it harder to figure out what the various exchange rates are (luckily I travel with friends from the US so they can confirm what their prices are).

For the B2B I just booked for Jan/Feb 2018, the base fare was $799US and I paid $1044.85, so an exchange rate of $1.307.

The good news is the various rates seem to be lower than the current bank rate, but I just wish the process was more transparent and consistent, and that NCL reps were able to confirm what the exchange rates are at any given time (when I talked to an excursion rep last week about the process for booking with the port credit perk they weren't able to tell me). It's frustrating that rates for some go up/down quite fluidly while others (like for pre purchased OBC) seem to be static for extended periods of time.

Any thoughts on the best department/person to communicate these frustrations to at NCL (or even if it would make a difference)?

Has anyone found an excursion where they could snorkel with whale sharks off Roatan? I know Utila is more popular for it, but I'll be doing a B2B on NCL Getaway in late Jan/early Feb 2017 so I'll have 2 chances.

If you could get a photo of the Noodle Bar menu as well... I'm curious if it's changed as all since it changed to complementary. Thanks!

Heres my list at the moment

 

Prime Rib - Osheehans + Any other places that may have it?

Ilusionarium on 1st day + Difference between banquet and floor (I have banquet seating so will report back on this)

Ocean Blue Menu

 

No problem!

Cruising777 have you gone on your cruise yet, and if so, how was your experience with the shore credits? I'm also in Canada and am curious how the exchange rate is handled - ie is it also "frozen", like the cost of the excursion, at whatever it was the day you booked, or did you end up paying more when you actually took the excursions because it had gone up since you booked?

Imalismom;

 

I have booked 3 shore excursions for our upcoming cruise in October. I also chose the shore excursion credit. ($50 each port up to 4 ports). I have paid for all 3 excursions upfront on my credit card. The shore excursion credit will be added to my onboard spending account on the first day of the cruise. When I log in to my NCL account, I don't see any credits, but I did confirm with the rep as to when they will appear.

I specifically wanted to pay up front because I'm Canadian and anything I prepay prior to my cruise I pay in Canadian dollars at the booking exchange rate of when I booked my cruise which is a huge difference right now with the exchange rate. :)