Named-Tawny

I mean, they have both. You just hope that you don't need to board the boats during your cruise. 😉

IIRC, you're able to bid on staterooms two categories up, generally. So if you're in a Balcony, you can do the Clubs and the Suites, and if you're in Oceanview, you can do the Balconies and the Clubs. I've never heard of them adding more categories closer to the date.

Upgraded today for the Star from OV to Balcony. Bid was in the mid-fair range, of CAD$300pp

Huh. Just checked my upgrade. It went from Pending (which it had been at for months, since I bid) to now just saying "Not eligible for upgrade" with no info at all (no rooms, no categories, nothing). Still seeing my original room in the summary, so I guess I missed out. Dang.

Do you know if they're doing two shows a night, or just the one?

I'm on the cruise leaving the 25th. Hoping that weather clears up by then and we're able to see Greenland - it's one of those places that I never assumed would be possible without spending VAST amounts of money. Still, if the deal is see Norwegian Fjords instead, and get a nearly free Caribbean cruise next year for the trouble? Yeah, I'll be disappointed, but I'm okay with that eventuality. Definitely would rather than then dealing with gale force winds in a North Atlantic crossing. (Although seeing waves hit my oceanview window would be an experience!)

Oh gosh, amazing! Just to confirm, do you have the Free at Sea beverage package (the Premium) or the Premium PLUS beverage package? (I'm going to assume it's not ANY beverage package, or soda package here I come. 😉 )

What even does a 'discount' mean when you're literally the one choosing how much you want to bid? Bizarre.

Especially if it was the result of an airline schedule change. GEnerally, if they change the flight by more than a couple of hours, you have the ability to decline that change and take a different available flight with the airline (assuming availability)

If that is your plan, communicate with NCL about it before ticketing. Generally, for return tickets on international flights, if you miss the outbound, the airlines will often cancel the inbounds automatically. Assuming that they're the same ticket, and not just two one-ways.

It makes business sense from an airline perspective too. Their goal is to fly with each flight as full as possible. If there's space left on an earlier flight an hour or two before departure, and you're willing to get on that flight instead of the one that still has 8 hours left to fill up? Yeah, that's going to be good for them, ESPECIALLY if the later flight is already full or overbooked.

Teppanyaki is probably perfect for a 13 year old. It's easy to enjoy food (noodles and chicken type stuff) plus it's a show with chef interaction. Moderno isn't the place to go for steak. It's a Brazillian BBQ, rather than a steakhouse. Think - waiters bringing you skewers of meat, and carving it off for you at the table, rather than presenting you with a steak and sides.

Just be aware that you can't really test it. If they accept your bid, you're committed. So I wouldn't bid more than you're actually willing to pay.

Just to reconfirm, you cancelled BEFORE the final payment deadline when the cruise was still 100% refundable? That's very odd that it is taking so long. Honestly, this feels more like your TA is gumming up the works, and not NCL. Smells like shenanigans to me.

What jkjrislc said. As a general rule, on the more 'scenic' iternaries, balconies cost a more significant premium vs on the 'sun' itineraries. $2500 sounds like about the price difference that I remember for the Greenland/Iceland 10 day, between OV and Balconies.

Thank you! So it looks like option iv. That's fantastic - means I can test before I fly.

Hello Friends! So currently (and yes, I know it could change at any time) NCL for European departures, requires a COVID test taken within three days of the start of the cruise. Does anybody know how those days are counted? ie - does the departure day itself count? Do they go by hours or calendar days? eg: If I have a cruise departing at 4pm on the 25th, and I check in at noon, does the three days i) Count 72 hours from departure (so I'd have to take it after 4pm on the 22nd) ii) Count 72 hours from check in (so I'd have to take it after noon on the 22nd) iii) Just count three days including departure day (so I'd have to take it anytime on or after the 23rd) iv) Count three days prior to departure day (so I'd have to take it anytime on or after the 22nd) v) something else entirely? Has anybody heard anything concrete about how they calculate 'three days before'? Thank you!

It still allows you to bid because things can change. Most likely, somebody in the category you're bidding for, bids for a higher category and wins it - that leaves their old cabin available. There's also cancellations, and etc.

This settles it. We're going to have to try to buffet when we're on the Star in July. 😃

This is it exactly. My partner and I are paying about $750 (Canadian) for our flights from NCL. That's less than half the cost of what we'd be paying if we bought them ourselves. For us, it made sense to give up flexibility and choice to save about $1000. For others, it may not.

You know, I'm not sure if I've ever done the buffet, unless it's the early morning breakfast one, because I have a super early excursion. Always figured why serve myself when I can get somebody else to bring me food at the MDR. Is the buffet any good?

Yeah, we're cruising out of Reykjavik on July 25th (two day deviation) and got our flights email yesterday (still not on the trip summary page though). Checked bags included, and I was able to select my seats on the Icelandair site. Direct flights.

The only thing to keep in mind is that, depending on the port, you may need to pay taxes on your drinks while you're in US waters.

I can't speak to the cruise existing or not, but that's definitely not the right map for that cruise, at least. The map shows NYC --> Bermuda and onwards, while the text says that Bermuda is the final stop instead.

My understanding is that yes, once you're onboard you'll be paying for it with OBC.