Middleager

44 minutes ago, ciabelle said:

Ok, I've heard enough answers like yours saying it'll be the absolute most no frills fare possible, and others saying that the fare included a checked bag. So I'm honestly no closer to a definitive answer than before I asked. 

I do think it makes sense for NCL to book a regular coach ticket over the barebones flight. Flight delays happen often enough that people report missing the ship completely or having to catch up with it in another port of call. It would be salt in the wound if one not only didn't get to the ship on time, but then lost the entire value of the ticket NCL purchased for them, and had to pay the full fare to get to the next port or fly home early. 

So, no, they're not going to put you in any premium cabin, let alone first or business class without possible prior arrangements and a much heftier fee, but I will trust the others who've said a checked bag was included. 

We had bought NCL fare.  For long haul (transatlantic, transpacific, or transcontinental) flights, they often do include a checked bag. 

For short haul or US/Canadian domestic flights, no there is no free checked bags.  You can believe as much as you wish that you'll get free checked bag, but there is reality especially proven experience.

3 hours ago, ciabelle said:

Does NCL book the absolute cheapest fare AKA basic economy, or do they book regular coach/main cabin? 

We're sailing out of Barcelona in November, so it's long before NCL will book our flights, but checking with Delta, the one-way fare difference between basic economy and main cabin is $100, while a checked bag is free in main cabin, but $150 in basic. Plus you can make changes or cancel without penalty with main, and choose your own seats to boot..  So going with basic economy seems penny wise and pound foolish. I'd rather pay NCL a couple hundred dollars up front than have to pay even more on the back-end. 

If you were NCL, will you book the lowest cost airfare, or will you try to pay higher fare out of the goodness of their heart so passengers will get more benefits?

In the last two cruises we were on, they both offered double up, if you book on cruise.  They also both offered to upgrade you to the highest cabin, in the same category.

35 minutes ago, stinkyharriet said:

My sister called NCL (or maybe it was Casinos At Sea) and added me to the call.  I was able to use my Cruise First certificate even though my sister was the main person on the booking.  Much easier than trying to transfer it!

It's likely the transfer was made by the NCL rep, then the booking.  That's because when doing bookings, the CF or CN certs or discounts, to be applied, they need to show up for the person applying.

My BIL and my wife were just involved in doing a transfer and booking.  The NCL rep was able to do the transfer (no forms or signatures needed, just transferred), then can do the booking.

1 hour ago, FLAHAM said:

I have always gotten on first tender just by showing my card.  No myth.

That's right.  No myth.

Lattitude members who get priority tender, don't need to get tender tickets.

I usually ask the Cruise Next desk.  On different ship, sailing, things can be done differently.  Sometimes they tell you just to show up (probably because they know from experience there is not line up, especially if tender starts really early), and sometimes they tell you to go to a certain room and wait there.  NCL staff will then escort those, to the front of the line.

If you have a small group going on a non-NCL excursion, as long as one of them has lattitude for priority tendering, NCL had allowed all to go together.

Didn't many people say NCL was going bankrupt, no way to climb out of the huge debt.

There is a lot to see in Oahu.  Driving is easy, other than the traffic jams around Waikiki.

Robert's Tours are good, but they start and end in Waikiki.

If you like to see Pearl Harbor, it's best to book your time for Arizona Memorial.

https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/233338/ticket/16

Other places to see, not too far from airport or Aloha Tower (for ship), include Punchbowl Cemetery, Pali Lookout, Ionali Palace.  Even Aloha Stadium Swap meet.  No time to go to Polynesia Cultural Center to enjoy it fully.  But you can stop at Waikiki for a bit of time.

If you still don't want to drive, it can be expensive to hire a private driver, but that gives you flexibility.

We have bought NCL air from Toronto to Rome,  then Miami to Toronto, for a Transatlantic cruise before.

We did 2day deviation before, and after, and did our own hotel booking, and transfer arrangements.  At that time, 2d is the maximum deviation.  Interesting to hear they offer 3day deviation now.

There are lots of pros and cons to buy air from NCL and there are lots of threads and posts.  For us, the money saved was good.  We knew were were taking a chance and can get bad flight/connection times.  You have to decide if that's for you.

Hmm.  So for 17d cruise, 2 weeks plus 3 days, do we (Saphires) get 2 bags or 3 bags each of laundry?

1 hour ago, BubbaBoat said:

We will arrive in Civitavecchia at 6am. We've never been early risers on our cruises. How early can we hop off the ship? We were in the port 18 months ago and took our time heading to Rome. This time, we're heading to the Vatican. It's been 20 years since our last visit, and we want to get there as quickly as possible.  Thanks for the help.

Very soon after 6am when you hear the announcements, you can carry your own luggages to get off.

If you have your own transportation lined up, you can be on the way to the Vatican.

Do you mean to visit St. Peter's Sq, go into the Basilica, or visit the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel (need to buy tickets)?  Last time we bought the small tour, before opening to the public, and had a fabulous guided tour inside.  We were in the Sistine Chapel for 25minutes.  We had breakfast in the courtyard.  When we were coming out, there were lots and lots of people, and outside there were lots of people lining up (some to buy tickets, some to get in..)

On 3/31/2024 at 1:17 AM, gizfish said:

The cabin isn't under the fitness center, so you won't have noise from that.  Generally the area in the spa towards the back of the ship is where the heated stone lounges are.  It looks to be the case in pics of the Bliss spa.  So unless someone is snoring exceptionally loudly, lol, it seems you should be fine.

If it was my wife snoring, the entire ship would hear.  So your stateroom (and any other statement) would still be affected.

Ok I better be careful, don't let my wife see this.

1 minute ago, jimsig said:

I'd say if you are at 19, 44, 74, 149, 349, and 699 points after finishing a cruise it's the most painful as you are only one point away from the next status.  A so close yet so far away type of thing. It's got nothing to do with being thankful you have cruised that may nights.  You can love the fact that you have cruised that many nights and also be bummed that you are missing the next level by only one point.  

I wouldn't feel painful or bummed at all. 

I'd feel glad, and blessed that I have been able to be on cruises, and got those points.  So what if I'm 1 point away from the next level.  There are other things that are painful, certainly not this.

3 hours ago, Exuberant said:

Not everyone is trying to scheme in life. But some people sure choose to be as rialed up as possible. 

 

Anywho, yeah I was transparent, I'd appreciate if they honored the platinum on this trip but if that's not a thing they do then whatever I should have booked my last cruise sooner when it was double points. 

But why should NCL "honor" you with Platinum, when you haven't earned it? 

We had been on cruises where we would've advanced to the next status level at the end of that cruise.  The rule has always been you earned the night points, and if that gets to the next status, AFTER you completed the cruise, not before, not during.

Your initial question (including "probably the most painful number of points") and your repeated comment, all show that even though you did know the rule, you still want to find or hear of some way to bypass the rules.

Please don't use the word "honor" to mean how you like to find ways to bypass the rules (heard that some people have been lucky in having a higher status).  Your understanding of "honor" is not the same as most people.

We never take the NCL transfer.  It's almost always cheaper to arrange our own private or small-group shared transfer.  With NCL transfer you have to wait till the big bus fill up, and if the airport has multiple terminals, it can be going around to drop off in all those terminals.

But I know, some people feel safer to go with NCL transfers.

8 hours ago, Keata said:

We have the RBC Avion Visa Infinite and they charge 2.5%  The RBC Visa Signature Black Plus from their US Bank arm does not charge the additional fee.

You're talking about the existing RBC Avion visa, not the ones issued from the RBC takeover of HSBC, different RBC Avion visa.

7 hours ago, Exuberant said:

I'm at 74 latitudes points aka probably the most painful number of points. I've got a 14 day cruise coming up and have heard that some people have been lucky in having a higher status honored when they are super close. I'm curious if anyone here has experience with this and can provide a data point or best way to go about trying to get them to honor platinum this time...

Why is 74 the most painful number of points?  Many people would've loved to have cruised that many nights.

No NCL won't give you special treatment for being close.  But you'll get Plat after the next cruise.  Plat is a good status to be in, free laundry, free specialty dining, priority tendering, etc.

We had the Scotia Passport visa, which doesn't charge the 2.5% FX fee.  It also comes with 6 lounge passes, but the time when they switched from Scotia's points to Scene they messed up and did not transfer about 35,000 points over.  After so many phone calls and them admitting they messed up and would get the points to us, they never did.  We didn't keep that card.

We then had the HSBC WE MC which does not charge FX, then upgraded to the HSBC metal WE MC which came with lounge accesses.  Now RBC is taking over, RBC issued Avion visa cards as replacement, which supposedly doesn't charge FX fee -- we'll find out for sure after April 1 when we can start using the new cards.

We were on the Jewel for Panama Canal cruise in March/2022.  It was the first sailing of the Jewel after the pandemic.  Being on the Haven, top deck, the viewing was pretty good.  My wife is short, and she also enjoyed the viewing.

Later on we also went to other decks, including just above where you can see the ground and tracks closer.    All were good.

If it's important for you to get good viewing and you don't mind paying Haven price, then why not.

(My wife and I were not in Haven room, but were invited to go up on the Haven deck for viewing of the Panama Canal crossing.  I think it was because I had organized a Meet & Greet, and the ship was only at 30% capacity.  Or maybe because we just made Platinum from the cruise prior.)

2 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

are you sure?  When was this.  I've never seen them offer a double up for CF.  That would be $1000 in credits, which would be awesome

Was in 2022. 

Haven't seen double up for CF certs any more.

They had before. But not recently.  I'd hope they have such promo now, so I can use my CF certs.

22 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

In this instance, "jump ship" was meant to refer to those passengers who accepted NCL's offer to end their cruise early, leave the ship in Melbourne, and give up their final week of the planned 12 day cruise.  Those who did so received $300 to help cover the cost of changing their flights home.  They may also have received some additional FCC, but I do not recall.  Those of us who remained on board continued to Auckland, although delayed by several days and missing all of the intermediate ports of call in New Zealand.  We also received "a full refund of all monies paid" for the cruise, plus additional FCC.  As I recall, our FCC was equal to 50% of the fare we had paid.  So, "jump ship" was intended as a colorful way of saying "leave the cruise prior to the scheduled debarkation date."

You got a good deal.

I knew what jump ship meant, just wanted to poke fun at it.   Thanks.

10 minutes ago, dolls123 said:

Thanks, I learned something new today. I'm in the US and ours is called CruiseNext

CruiseNext is a different program.  You buy CN certs onboard ships, not just for US but on any NCL ships.
 

During Covid when ships were not sailing, NCL came out with CF program, to sell to people who can order online or on phone in US/Canada (i.e. don't need to be on ship).

15 minutes ago, dolls123 said:

What's CruiseFirst? 

google "NCL CruiseFirst" and you'll get

https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruisefirst-program

Too bad this doesn't apply to CruiseFirst certs.  (I have $250 CF certs for $500 value.)

On 3/12/2024 at 3:39 PM, The Traveling Man said:

 So many people jumped ship in Melbourne and so many accepted the offer to cancel their Auckland to Singapore cruise

How do you jump ship?  From which deck of the Star, onto which deck of the other ship?  Anybody miss?