mickeysgal

My travel agent refers to Haven room categories as HE, HF, etc. I’ve also seen Haven room categories as H2, H7, etc. Is there a list somewhere of these categories? I have no idea what these are referring to. Thanks 

Are there any specific Haven cabins on any of the ships that one should avoid for any reason? 

18 hours ago, julig22 said:

 

 

The one thing I have learned after having to reschedule more than once, is to do your homework and know what your options will be if you do need to reschedule. Twice when I've had to have the airline rebook my flights, their initial choice wasn't that favorable and I had to steer them in the direction of the best option (and on their own airline no less!)

This is solid advice right here.  All you have to do is have this happen to you once and you learn how to avoid it going forward.  My husband flies every week for work.  He always has his alternate choices in mind should there be a flight issue...delay, cancellation, etc.  It's just smart.

For the most part when we fly to Europe, it's our preference if at all possible, to have our connection in Europe, not the USA.  If something happens and we can't make that connection, there are other choices of airlines and high speed trains to usually get us to where we need to be.  Missing an overseas connection in the US, usually means waiting another day for that overnight overseas flight.  I'd rather figure it out in Europe than waste another day of vacation in the US.  That's our preference though...even if it costs us more.  And we always, always, always fly in a day or two before for a European cruise.  And yes, we do have limited vacation time like so many others.  We look for cruises that start/end on days where it's compatible for our schedules with flying in early. 

21 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Nope. As soon as your paid upgrade was made, you could upgrade again. Click on the original link. Or go to your app and click Room Upgrades. 

Ok - I see the Room Upgrade option on the app.  When I click on it, it's not showing my new cabin category as an option to bid, so I would assume that it knows I've upgraded myself into the Haven.  But now the bottom absolute minimums to bid on other haven rooms are higher than if I paid outright for them.  Is that normal?  That doesn't seem right....

21 minutes ago, julig22 said:

As far as I know, the airlines determine the schedules.  Meaning that the OP would have had the same choices as NCL with respect to choosing "allowable" options, had they booked themselves.

So the airlines are the ones leading people to think it's ok.

Just had this happen on my last trip home.  Had a 45 minute layover in SEA, very tight. But allowed by airline/airport standards. Alternative was a 4 HR layover.  I personally would have chosen the later flight but NCL did nothing wrong. Did I miss my original flight - yep. But I knew my flight to SEA was delayed, so rebooked on the later flight, no problem.

That’s where we, as the consumer, have to be smart about it and don’t chose that flight combination- especially when flying overseas to meet a cruise deadline that same day. Again, it goes back to root cause and making sure you factor in possible delays and getting there a day earlier. We once had a Frankfurt Germany connection of 55 min. We took it, and made it by running, and had to go through passport control even, but we didn’t have a cruise to meet that day. Otherwise we never would have risked that kind of tight connection. As consumers,  we have the personal responsibility to be smarter and err on the side of caution. How awful to miss an entire cruise - when it was avoidable. 

1 minute ago, JandC_Cruising said:

We had this exact thing happen before....I made a call to NCL and they "reset" something so that the correct information was then transferred to Plus Grade (the company that runs the upgrade system).  Either later that day or the next, we had a new upgrade screen with the revised cabin number.

 

Thanks- I’ll give them a call 

24 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Nope. As soon as your paid upgrade was made, you could upgrade again. Click on the original link. Or go to your app and click Room Upgrades. 

Just checked the app- I don’t see anything for Room Upgrades. Ugh. 

16 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Nope. As soon as your paid upgrade was made, you could upgrade again. Click on the original link. Or go to your app and click Room Upgrades. 

I did click on the original link. It still shows my old room category. I’ll try the app. Thanks 

21 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Leading people?? NCL is giving people what they ask for - but obviously there is a risk.  NCL actually pays people to take a deviation.  But not everyone has the extra time or desire to spend an extra day.  And I suspect that there are large numbers of people who book same-day arrival on their own.

While I do understand some are strapped for time and money to come in at least a day early, it still doesn’t change the fact that this is the root cause of why they missed their European cruise. When you travel overseas, with connections on top of it, you have to allow for potential travel delays.  Yes, NCL allowed a flight with a tight connection- so yes, they’re leading people to think this is ok. If a simple 30 min tarmac delay caused them to miss a connection, it’s too tight and should not have  been an allowable option to pick. 

The root cause of this issue isn't so much that it's booked through NCL and not directly via an airline, its that there was zero room for delay built into the schedule.  Never arrive this late for a cruise - especially overseas.  One should arrive one full day, if not two, full days when flying to Europe to catch a cruise.  I'm sorry - I'd be so upset to miss the entire cruise like this.  Shame on NCL for leading people to believe this tight arrival - especially with connections - is do-able.

A few months back, we did receive the email to bid on upgrades.  We did put in a few bids.  Then prices dropped a bit and we decided to go ahead and upgrade ourselves and directly pay for the cabin category we wanted.  We did cancel our bids since we essentially upgraded ourselves - we went from a sunset balcony to a forward facing Haven penthouse.  We'd now like to put in a bid for other Haven categories.  We haven't received a new offer to upgrade based on our new cabin category.  Do you only get one upgrade offer per sailing regardless if you've upgraded yourself?  If I go look at the upgrade email we originally got and click on the link, it still shows us in our old cabin category and therefore upgrade minimums (including to the category we already moved to) based on our old cabin. Hope this makes sense!  Thanks.

33 minutes ago, flarad said:

We area probably similar demographics. I just need my husband to come to terms with this... 🙂 As we begin to plan our next cruises, I'm curious, what line do you prefer? We like Celebrity but we tend to get a little bored with their entertainment in the evening.  

We also aren't NCL's target demographics anymore.  No interest in the bells and whistles.  We've been cruising with Celebrity for about 7 years now and zero regrets.  That said, their entertainment can be lacking sometimes.  Ships are swanky and gorgeous without being pretentious.    NCL fit our needs for our upcoming cruise, but generally we agree with the OP...the lack of public space is noticeably apparent.  We felt that way also on the Gem and Pearl.  Our upcoming cruise we popped for the Haven to specifically get away from the overcrowding and chair savers.   Celebrity has the Solarium and it's my favorite place on the ship to relax - adults only.

23 minutes ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

You are correct - this does not make it right.

Just because the cruise lines pay lots of attorneys to draft an airtight contract, it’s called a contract of adhesion, meaning you have no say in the terms and cannot modify it in any way.

So they draft it entirely in their favor and you, the consumer, are SOL.

It puzzles me why so many on CC take the position that “The contract allows them to do it, so it’s OK.”

It’s not OK, and it’s not fair.

I get that they have to have a contract and terms such that they can modify ports in the event they absolutely HAVE to..  But the slight, subtle move of perhaps NCL using this verbiage a bit to their advantage is what seems to be annoying and raising suspicions.  If it's happening all too often, that too raises suspicions.  These cruises are planned so far in advance, you would think they'd know if there were too many other ships in port and now they can't dock (as in a case mentioned in this thread).

In the Haven, do they make up the room only once per day or is there turn down service as well?

1 hour ago, Stelkp said:

We did! And it was practically empty! We had the mozzarella sticks and crispy chicken sandwiches. It was good-we wanted to try it since it was included. I can’t say enough about the haven staff though. We did 3 specialty restaurants and the Haven was better than all of them. 
I asked about vegetarian options in the haven and the chef made me a special meal every time we ate there. I just loved them all! 

Which three specialty restaurants were they? We have an upcoming cruise in the Haven and I’m really debating cancelling my specialty dining reservations and not doing any specialties at all. I keep reading the Haven restaurant is better. 

We had a forward facing penthouse on Pearl.  The balcony was so very large and awesome and I loved the interior space - we had a small living room area with chairs, couch and coffee table.  Large picture windows.  Yes it can get windy on that balcony while in motion,  The balcony door in our case was more of a water tight /submarine door - not a slider.  We had this room for Alaska - it made Glacier Bay viewing such fun. That said, there was a lot of motion being so far forward.  First time ever that I got seasick and had to wear a patch.  Would I do it again?  Absolutely.

16 hours ago, justhappy said:

Once out the door of my courtyard penthouse on the same floor as the bar, yes, yes I could! That loudmouth boor was at the bar every moment the bar was open yapping on so loudly EVERYONE heard him. I don’t know when he peed or ate cause he was freaking attached to that barstool along with his cronies. Getting a drink was impossible, not to mention irritating.

Well, this could be construed as a definite Haven con.  No one wants to hear that kind of behavior stepping out of their Haven cabin.  

7 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Which deck? 17 or 18?

 

The balconies are deeper on deck 17. 

18.  I'm currently watching the prices on those cabins on 17.

Right now , for the same price we can get a cabin on 18. I’m watching closely for a price drop on those with the larger balcony on 17. 

4 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

Which ship?

 

The Observation Lounge or lack thereof would sway my decision. 

Encore

33 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I don't say never, but a forward-facing suite is among the lowest on my list to book. I'd be worried the balcony would be unusable due to the wind coming in as the ship cruises along at 20'ish knots per hour. I value my balcony time too much to not want to use my balcony, so that's why I would consider one in the courtyard. I do prefer outside the Haven suites to get me away from that area sometimes. I don't want to be ensconced in luxury 24-7, just when I'm eating and when I want a mostly empty hot tub. 

For this type of cabin, the balcony is small but on the side of the ship. Completely useable. 

We currently have a forward facing Haven cabin down on deck 10. For the same price we have the ability to switch to a courtyard cabin with a regular balcony (not the large one). Haven experts- would you stay in the forward facing one or switch to inside the courtyard? 

What is the time for the next ferry?  This is cutting it a bit close.  You'd have to make sure you're first off, assuming the ship arrives on time and gets cleared on time.  Walk your own luggage out. Don't leave it outside the door...that will add more time than you need to spend finding and reclaiming it.  If I remember right, there was a long line getting out of the customs building in Seattle.  All this chips away at the time you have to get to that ferry.  It feels a bit nerve-wracking.  Probably can be done, but realistically, if there is a later ferry, I'd have a relaxing breakfast on board and then take the next ferry.  Victoria is beautiful.  Enjoy.

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Exactly 21 days prior to cruise (based on the countdown clock on your app or MyNCL account), log on and see if you can book the show online. Keep checking if it doesn't pop up on Day 21. 

 

Exactly 21 days prior to cruise at 12 midnight eastern time you also need to complete your online checkin to secure a preferred check-in time at the terminal. 

 

If the system does not allow you to book your shows prior to cruise, as soon as you embark, head to The Social (Deck 6 mid-ship) to make all show reservations. Choir of Man, other theater shows, comedy shows (early shows are family oriented, late shows 18+). You can also make go kart, laser tag, and Canvas by U painting reservations. 

 

Then you head across the hall to Teppanyaki (Deck 6 mid-ship) to fix any dinner reservations. 

48 minutes ago, Beachedgirl said:

We were on the Encore last week.   If you can’t book prior, go to deck 6 and book at the Social.  We usually book on the kiosks but they aren’t always showing or allowing you to reserve.  If you don’t get a booking the stand by option has had some success.   Everyone waiting in that line found a seat in the theater.   It was an amazing show!   Enjoy your cruise.

Thank you both so very much. 

Hi - we have an upcoming cruise on Encore - a very short 4 day pacific coastal.  How exactly do you book entertainment like Choir of Man?  I'm reading on other ships that performances get sold out and that there are standby lines.  Not exactly a stress free vacation environment.  Please tell me where, when, and how we need to go to book shows.  Do they run performances every night?  What nights do they perform?   Besides Choir of Man, what else do we need to book?  We just booked some specialty restaurants, so I'm sure that these shows will conflict with the dining times I chose....