The Traveling Man

Yes, it is. Like several others on this thread, I originally misread the info as applying to a cruise scheduled for this October, not October 2024. Since the OP has almost a year before the final payment is due, he certainly should be able to get a full refund.

You're right. I think the issue here is that many of those posting, myself included, misread the info at first and thought this issue was for a cruise this October. In that case, the OP likely would already be past the final payment date and problems would ensue if he tried to cancel. As it is, you are correct, he should be able to cancel without any penalty. He has more than a year to make other travel plans if a Baltic cruise is not appealing.

Whew! Thanks for noticing. I missed that on first reading, as well. Yes, let's hope we're all good for this year.

And the new itinerary does not include any travel anywhere near any of the ports listed on the original itinerary, which one might logically assume were the reason the OP selected this cruise in the first place.

Technically, NCL might be able to continue to survive as a company, continue to find passengers to fill their ships, and continue to remind paying customers that the fine print in the cruise contract gives NCL permission to radically change a cruise of Ireland to a completely different cruise of the Baltic. Technically, they can get away with that. Practically speaking, however, I wonder how long they will continue to find suckers, er excuse me - paying passengers, who are willing to put up with such nonsense. Yes, the terms of the cruise contract make it clear that they don't owe the OP a plug nickel for completely changing the cruise. I wonder if the folks at NCL feel even the least bit of moral obligation to do the right thing and offer the OP either a full refund or significant financial compensation for this egregious alteration of the itinerary.

Technically NCL could refer to this as an itinerary change, but I agree with you that it represents an entirely different cruise experience. The new ports are interesting. I have been to most of them and enjoyed my journey, but if you had your heart set on Ireland I definitely can see how you would be disappointed. Can you tell us what ship is involved? I also have a cruise around Great Britain scheduled for this October, but have not received any notice regarding tendering in Ireland.

We have booked cruises as late as 24 hours before the sailing date. As long as a stateroom remains available and you can complete the reservation process, including providing your ID and processing your payment, there should be no problem with last minute, or least last day, booking.

There have been a number of posts on several CC forum threads which have reported problems with making connections when booking air travel through NCL. Many passengers have traveled successfully, but some have encountered long delays, missed connections, multiple flight segments on routes which could have been served with a direct flight, or other issues. Be aware that NCL is simply booking a flight for you and they likely will choose the least expensive option, regardless of convenience. Also be aware that once you have your plane ticket, you're on your own. NCL offers no warranties, either expressed or implied, that the flights they arrange for you will get you to the ship on time. You can request a diversion, i.e. a flight which arrives a day or two prior to your cruise or one which returns you home a day or two after the conclusion of your cruise. In any event, though, NCL does not guarantee that your flight will arrive in time for you to board the ship. They usually will not delay the ship's departure, even if several passengers who have booked through NCL air have not yet arrived at the port. NCL likewise is unlikely to offer you any compensation for missing the ship, offer to fly you to the next port on the ship's itinerary so you can board a day late, or otherwise tell you anything other than "sorry, you're on your own." YMMV, but definitely caveat emptor. I certainly would recommend purchasing travel insurance if you choose to let NCL arrange your air fare.

The POA is the only ship owned by a major cruise line that is registered in the US. The Passenger Vessel Services Act is a US law which prevents all foreign flagged ships from operating exclusively in US waters without including a foreign port in their itinerary. That means that the POA is the only cruise ship in the world that can sail around Hawai'i without having to travel hundreds of miles to a foreign port. There are lots of other ships, both those owned by NCL as well as other lines, that include Hawai'i on an itinerary, but no other ship can do a week long trip entirely within the islands. Anytime you have a monopoly you can charge higher prices than if you have direct competition. The PVSA also requires US flagged ships to have a crew that includes a majority of US citizens or residents. It also means that US labor laws must be followed, which require higher wages and more strictly limited work hours than on other ships. With crew members working fewer hours per week, more staff are needed to accomplish the required amount of work. All of these factors mean higher cruise fares. Because gambling is not permitted in the state of Hawai'i, the POA does not have a casino. The lack of a casino, the higher costs, and perhaps even the makeup of the crew all combine to make for a less desirable cruise experience, at least in the eyes of some. Many of the reviews of the POA are negative for these reasons. Despite all these concerns, however, my wife and I really enjoyed our cruise on the POA in December 2016. We're planning on sailing Hawai'i again soon.

Thanks for the info. I had thought that the only NCL ship that had straight line propeller shafts and a rudder was the Epic.

Yes, we have done it several times. There is a limit, however, to the number of CNDs that you can use on any one cruise. NCL sometimes offers a special in which you can use more than one, but you certainly can apply a CND to an existing reservation prior to final payment.

We have had it a couple of times in Le Bistro when the surcharge was considerably less. Ours turned out to be very tasty, although as others have said, NCL uses warm water lobster. The cream, mushrooms, onions, cheese, and other ingredients tend to hide the flavor of the lobster, but we still found it to be worth the price. For a $25 surcharge, though, and particularly since you come from an area where fresh cold water lobster is readily available, it may not be the best choice. You might also consider the lemon Sole or a steak. I used to really love the Le Bistro version of pepper steak, Boeuf au Cinque Poivre. They took it off the menu a couple of years ago, darn it.

@Dorhead1230 Thanks for posting. I'm not quite fluent in internet-speak, though. I'm familiar with DH, DW, MIL, etc., but I'm stumped by LM. Little Munchkin?

Good to know. We have missed it on our last several cruises. I wish they would announce the day in advance so we could plan our specialty restaurant reservations around it.

Yes, but the toilet and shower aren't in separate glass-encased rooms the size of a phone booth and when you run the water in the sink it doesn't splash onto the bed. Not quite the same room layout as the Epic.

It used to be a regular thing at O'Sheehan's on every NCL ship we have sailed. Sometimes also at The Local on those ships that call it by that name. Starting about five years ago, though, we occasionally would be told by the hostess or wait staff that the daily special was no longer being offered, only to find it alive and well on our next two cruises, then "Sorry, no longer offered" on the next cruise. I used to always look forward to prime rib night at O'Sheehan's, but I haven't seen that since about 2019.

We have played tri-bond trivia on at least a dozen cruises. We may have come close, but I don't recall ever winning. There always seems to be at least one smartypants in the crowd who gets a perfect score.

We often order the grilled fisherman's platter at Cagney's. It's a variety of shrimp, scallops, and other seafood and we've never been disappointed with it.

In my younger days (daze?) I used to take several ski vacations each winter. Ahhh, the memories of icicles in my mustache.

But the northern route meant that we sailed almost directly above the Titanic. Remember all the passengers cringing when Captain Roger (Jolly Roger?) made that announcement?

You raise an important point. There really ought to be a simpler way to sign up for Latitudes benefits and to receive a notice or reminder of when and where the various activities take place. Unfortunately, as things exist today, it still is necessary to register on embarkation day. Our experience has been somewhat different from yours. The longest we have needed to wait in line has been just a few minutes. I'm sorry that you had to wait for a half hour. It does seem odd, however, that the couple in line in front of you spent 30 minutes at the Cruise Next desk speaking about a subject that likely would have been more suited to a discussion with the Guest Services desk.

Usually NCL would simply plug along with the announced changes in an itinerary. My point was that on this occasion they actually did respond to feedback from their customers. More to the point, some folks at NCL worked through the Easter weekend to reschedule the ports of call. It was a less than a completely desirable result, to be sure, but I do tip my hat to them for at least trying to make lemonade out of a pile of lemons. I choose to cut them some slack.

NCL does deserve some credit for quickly responding to customer complaints about the itinerary changes. They announced the change from 12 days to 10 on Good Friday around noon Eastern Time. They received many complaints from unhappy passengers. NCL worked throughout the Easter weekend to restore the stops at Zeebrugge and Le Havre, while eliminating the port stops at Ponta Delgada and Portland, England.

When you need to register for Latitudes benefits is clearly spelled out on the NCL website: "For day, time and location, please come to the CruiseNext desk in the Atrium by 9:00 pm on embarkation day or by 9:00 pm on the second day of the cruise for Pride of America."

Sometimes, but not always. Always check the cruise schedule for your ship for the month prior to your cruise and the month after. If there is a gap, forewarned is forearmed.