njkate

It’s a guess as to what flight they will put you on! I will say this last August I did the reverse, got the quote for Bogo air and was able to find flights on Delta a few hundred dollars less then the Bogo, it also gave me control over times and connections, I was flying Savannah/Anchorage, Vancouver/Savannah 

So it’s worth it to check

2 hours ago, Barb Nahoumi said:

Making cuts then raising the DSC does bother me.  I don't feel that the raise was necessary, but the crew does work hard to provide us with a great cruise experience.

It bothers me as well and I’m weary of NCL cheerleaders with how the cruise industry suffered because of covid and didn’t get bailouts! Well they didn’t get bailouts because they are all registered in Bahamas of which they avoided US wage laws and rode  that gravy train for decades, paying serf wages that were only supplemented for the crew by tips from passengers. 
 

I’ve said before the only way NCL or any of the other main stream cruise lines to sit up and take notice is if bookings dropped significantly and doesn’t look like that is going to happen anytime soon. So it’s the consumers choice to either put up and shut up or find another vacation sadly 

@Seas2mountains Thank you so much for the photos! It looks beautiful, I’m so happy I booked it! It’s a long day that I don’t think I could have done in the main area, I’d be dragging the kids back to the ship! This will be perfect

37 minutes ago, Greenpea2 said:

Book it and splurge! I have done it twice--love it. 

I did book it 

7 minutes ago, rbxlady said:

Nope, no bedroom. It's the same lagoon villa I booked last time. (Well, maybe not the exact villa, but the same level, so to speak.) There was a discussion a little while back on this, and someone said theirs was only so much a few weeks either before or after our cruise. I think the pricing depends on the timing. The first time we went was not during a school break, so things were relatively quiet.

Yes it may depend on time of year! I’m glad I booked it though lol

36 minutes ago, rbxlady said:

Wow, this is a (relative) steal! I paid $899 after the shorex credit for our visit to GSC coming up in a few weeks. When we went in late 2022, we paid $749 after the shorex credit. I think the price changes based upon the season, and unfortunately we are going during a high season this time.

 

It was a splurge for us then and is now, but we are introverts and don't like the crowded, party atmosphere that often exists elsewhere. The villa is clean and modern. There are chips and salsa waiting for you, there's the Moet champagne bar included with your drink package (I believe, we had FAS+ so had the upgraded drink package), and getting bar service was a nice little perk.

 

I'm not too big on the beach anymore (I'll still wade), but the water is nearly still and shallow, and the kids could have fun swimming without my having to worry too much about them. We could easily keep an eye on them from our reserved beach chairs under an umbrella. There are also loungers on the lanai of the villa, or you can sit inside in the AC. Having a villa to put stuff, as well as a closet with a safe, is nice, and one of the best perks is having your own bathroom with a shower/tub combo (with toiletries) if you want to clean up and/or get dressed before returning to the ship.

 

The Silver Cove buffet was also delicious, and a lot of the staff working there were Haven staff from the ship. Getting shuttled around on an extended golf cart-type vehicle was fun.

 

Last time we were there, only two other villas were booked, and we were grouped together, three villas in a row. I wish they had spread us out, but I'm guessing they were filling them in order as people booked, and we were in the middle. However, the other two groups were quiet and non-disruptive, and our kids played with the kids from the next villa over.

 

I highly recommend it, and it was one of the first things I booked after booking the cruise, even though the price stung a bit.

The villa I booked does not have a bedroom as I didn’t think we would need it. If you booked the one or two bedroom one maybe that accounts for difference in price

19 hours ago, mistertomatoe said:

I'm finding it's not really free or not even 50% off for 2 or 1 in the case of a solo fare. It's more like 33% off based on the flights I can find. Anyone find the same?

Last year I needed flight from Savannah/Anchorage then Vancouver/Savannah. I actually found flights on Delta with one stop in Atlanta each way a few hundred dollars less then the NCL BOGO, so it is always wise to check. 

10 hours ago, cincicruisers said:

What was the cost?

 

It was $501 after the shore excursion credit and latitude discount! If one was to split cost it wouldn’t be bad! 
GSC is a beach day, I’m not a huge beach fan and with two 7 year olds I decided to get it! It was either that or stay on ship for day but the kids love the beach so Memaw splurged lol. Had it just been adults I would have got off ship to have a look and went back to ship. 

17 minutes ago, DrUrsula said:

It was amazing. It's like having your own condo

right on the beach and a pool just for villa guests.

Bar service

They will drive you to lunch if you like ( it's a short walk)

TV with free movies in case it rains.

Totally worth it!

we had a blast

Oh jeez I may not want to leave! I went into my acct and booked it

Just booked Jade for a June sailing. There are 5 adults and two 7 year olds, thinking about booking this for the day at GSC in Bahamas!

Anyone do this and can you tell me how it was

NCL deposit at this point is refundable unless you booked on the European site>

You sure it is NCL and not RCCL as RCCL deposits are non refundable

Spring break is scattered between mid Feb to mid Apr. You will either have a bunch of college kids or families with kids

On 3/5/2024 at 5:00 PM, zqvol said:

Get a hotel room for the day and explore Vancouver, then enjoy a nice dinner. You will enjoy it. 

Yes, our flight was around 10pm and we booked our own but heading east the cut off for flights is in the area of 11am which we thought would be cutting it close. Then flights heading east are at night! We booked a day rate at hotel and just relaxed. I booked the hotel right in the airport 

If you book a cruise starting from LeHarve and take NCL air with a 3 day deviation I know you have to use NCL hotel but are they booking you in LeHarve or Paris where the airport is? 
Just seeing if anyone knows before I have to call and wait on hold for who knows how long
 

36 minutes ago, cliffy97 said:

Mine is 10 day from Rome ending on 21 Nov 24.

I have not as I have found folks here seem to always know more than the folks on the phone. 🙂

Thank you! I would want extra days in LeHarve as 9 hours just isn’t enough time to see all I want so this or the one starting in LeHarve would work! 

2 hours ago, cliffy97 said:

Thank you everyone for your responses and the discussion. It is always nice to know we can all help each other out.

Can you please tell me which cruise and dates that end in Le Harve as I’d be very interested

2 hours ago, Laszlo said:

Why do you think NYC is part of the problem? Other than the parking is more expensive than going out of NJ. Wife and I have cruise out of NYC 5 times and love it. Its a very convenient drive for us from PA. Easy (but expensive) parking right next to the ship. Great view of the skyline going down the river. I have looked at RC, prices are pretty much the same

Just guesses on my part but NYC May charge an arm and a leg to dock there. Cruises from there were always pretty booked so there must be a reason NCL is cutting back on departures from there

Have any of you wanting to cruise from NYC checked out RCCL from Bayonne NJ right across the river? 
I do think NYC itself is part of the problem, not sure which lines sail from Red Hook in Bklyn, only sailed from there once on NCL, was supposed to be Manhattan but it was cruise ship congested and they switched us to Red Hook

1 hour ago, mugtech said:

         Could someone please bring us up to date on the shortened cruise on the Dawn, compensation offered, and any restrictions on the ship concerning food.  Thank you.

I read on other site no self serve in buffet lost one port I believe Madagascar can’t remember the compensation given in addition to refund for two lost days. They were put up in hotels and given a $75 a day food allowance 

11 hours ago, expectthebest said:

Also please remember in the US it’s Tax Return Season where most of the NCL target market will be getting 4-7k dollars come April- May and will want to spend the money on something!!!!

Lol not this year! My income has not changed last year got $1900 back this year $761! My poor granddaughter head of household owes $5k a lot of shock going around this year

1 hour ago, Kazidee said:

Sorry but it’s very true! We are currently stuck in the labourdonnais waterfront hotel in Mauritius waiting to board and got a text to say port authorities won’t allow it until at least Tuesday due to sanitation issues! It’s norovirus, they are struggling to find hotel rooms for us until then on an island this size and feeding us croissants … and even Tuesday not guaranteed as they need clean bill of health for all AND a deep clean of the whole ship, why oh why didn’t they tell us before we set off 26hr ago from uk! Truly disgusting if NCL!!! 

Because this is out of the control of NCL and situation is fluid. The government officials of that country have ship anchored off shore while it awaits clearance! Do you think NCl wants this? 
I’m by no stretch of the imagination a NCL cheerleader but this is beyond their control and I’m sure a nightmare for them!

if blame is to be placed anywhere blame it on passengers who refuse to practice basic hygiene 

1 hour ago, The Traveling Man said:

The Star has missed more ports and either cancelled or delayed more cruises because of problems with propulsion than all of the other ships currently in NCL’s entire fleet combined.

That’s why no matter how good the itinerary looks I won’t book this ship

On 2/12/2024 at 5:33 PM, ready2cruzagain said:

 

I was referring to bland also. I might have gotten my wording across wrong. There was basically no seasoning used. I even remember their breads having spices such as Rosemary. Thyme, etc, not this time. Our bread that we received in the MDR was plain rolls each night. I use a lot of seasonings, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano and these are not used anymore due to the dislike and complaints of customers according to the maitre 'd. I can understand not using spicy as in hot but why would they not use herbs!

Judging by the cost of spices at super market this is probably yet another cost cut for NCL 

4 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Yes, the cruise contract says they can cancel a port. And we had 2 ports cancelled on our Prima cruise last summer. On one of them had bought an excursion pre-cruise from NCL, and when NCL cancelled the port even before the cruise, I called to have the money refunded to our credit card. I was told I was going to be given NON-REFUNDABLE OBC instead and I should be grateful for it since they did not have to give me anything. After more discussion, the representative finally realized I was not asking for compensation for a missed port, but rather a refund of an excursion they could no longer provide as they were not going to the port. She put me on hold and consulted a different department. I was given the refund as their policy allows you to cancel an excursion for a refund if it is more than 48 hours before the excursion.

Last August on an Alaskan cruise my daughter booked an NCL helicopter tour to glacier, it was cancelled the morning off because it was way too windy for a helicopter. Refund of the tour went right back to cc used within 48 hours. No clue what bird is babbling about as far as excursions that are cancelled being refunded as OBC unless I’m reading the post wrong. Who the hell wants a cancelled excursion that cost over $500 refunded as OBC