cwsdks48

We had canceled the Greek Isles/Israel cruise (oct 8 2023 out of Athens) prior to recent events in Israel due to concerns. However we kept our before and after plans (3 nights Lisbon, night in Zurich, 5 nights Athens, 5 nights Frankfurt area.(family))

In Athens we booked a 2 day CHAT tour to Delphi and Meteora monasteries.

The tour leaves from Amalia hotel around the corner from Syntagma square. So that’s where we stayed and the tour also used them near Delphi.

In Athens we were within walking distance of all sites including Plaka and could see Akropolis at night.

From the airport we took the X95 bus (€6) to Syntagma Square and walked with our carryons around the corner to the Amalia hotel. We took the same bus back to the airport. This was the only transportation cost in Athens other than the two day tour ($400 for both of us including hotel in Delphi).

We had the best time!

35 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Oh great. Now we all get to pay for their stupidity!

 

Edit: now seeing they are only being reimbursed for travel from Gambia to Senegal. That is more reasonable since NCL did miss the Gambia port stop. But still, none of this reimbursement would be necessary if the group hadn't missed the ship in the first place.

Maybe this was covered in another post.
But we need to defend Norwegian. We book NCL excursions which are plentiful and fairly priced. We look for advantages where we can find them. DH has a $50 excursion credit and both of us get an additional 10% off the excursion fare for having silver status.

This gives us an agreeable price per excursion. And most importantly peace of mind. Even though we are often with a larger group, the majority of our excursions has been well managed with knowledgeable local guides.

We were on the Dawn February 2023 and are also from South Carolina, about an hour from Myrtle Beach and WPDE is our news station. Glad our fellow Palmetto State cruisers made it back okay. 

11 hours ago, torybruno said:

We finally booked our third Alaska cruise!  This time, going with friends!  
Holland America, Nieuw Amsterdam June 23, 2024.  Yeah, baby!

2 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

Yesterday I took care of some loose ends! I reserved bikes for our first morning in Anchorage from Pablo's Bike Rentals so we can ride the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. They have a really generous cancellation policy, which is nice in case we need it.

 

I also prepaid crew appreciation and a case of water. My original plan was to buy another discounted Princess gift card from AARP and then apply this onboard to pay for crew appreciation; however, with all the little changes Princess keeps making, I was worried they might decide to increase prices, so I just went ahead and paid those.

 

I decided to cancel my Lumberjack Show excursion. I just wasn't that excited about it and I kind of felt like I booked it just to have something to do that day while DH goes fishing. I think instead, I'm going to take a 'me' day and book a massage in Ketchikan, walk around, and enjoy some time on the ship with fewer people. 

 

I thought I'd share a budget update since I haven't done so in awhile. The column on the left is budgeted and the column on the right is what I've actually spent. I update the left hand side once I know for sure what the amount is. I'm sharing my budget because going to Alaska can be very expensive, and I want to show that it is possible to do it on a budget (kind of!). This is still more than we spend on most trips and I was hoping to get it under $7K, but I don't think that's realistic unless we cut out some of the things we really want. We have tried to focus the bulk of our spending on tours/experiences. The biggest remaining item we have some control over is meals, so I'm open to any suggestions on how to reduce expenses there!

 

You mentioned buying case of water. We used to do so until folks commented on ship water being fine. Last cruise we each brought a large travel cup and filled it at the buffet. Ship won’t let you fill cup from machine, so we fill a large cup from the buffet and pour into our own cups.

On 5/12/2023 at 1:15 PM, Stowaway LFC said:

Awesome!  Great minds think alike!  Once my Discover Miles card turns a year-old next March and doubles my miles, I'm going to get the Norwegian credit card. They offer a free 20,000 points if you spend 1000 in 90 days that is equal to 200.00.  There are several ways to redeem such as on-board credit, cash off cruise or cabin upgrades but I'm going for the cash off cruise. I plan to use that card to make payments on the cruise itself and excursions etc because all Norwegian purchases are 3pts per 1.00. Airfare and hotels are 2pts per 1.00. Want to redeem those points for cash off before I finish paying off the cruise.  Found a tip on this site to not use the points for on-board credit but instead use the card as your on-board payment method and earn 3pts per 1.00 of whatever you spend on board. 

 

Also going to purchase a cruise first certificate prior to booking for 250. That will give me 500 towards the cruise. I think you can only use one per cruise.

 

If I like sailing on Norwegian they offer purchases of Cruise Next certificates during the cruise. You can buy at a discounted price and use one towards your next cruise. It has to be used within 4 years so that all depends on how I like the cruise line.  I've only sailed on Carnival in the past

 

Hopefully I can offset a bit of that price tag on the London trip!  I like the Norwegian one for the pre cruise stay and the itinerary. It seemed like the best for us.

 

Guess it's too early to get really excited about Alaska just yet!

 

 

Just booked Norwegian August 2025, your pre planning is so helpful! We use Marriott points for hotels; tier benefits on Norwegian give us 10% off shore excursions, together with $50 shore excursion perk, we try to stay within our budget. Thanks a bunch.

We stayed (pre pandemic) at a Marriott near Catalunya Square, Cotton House Autograph collection,

loved it. We took the A2(?) bus from the airport and walked 10 minutes to the hotel with our carryon luggage.

They called us a taxi to the cruise port .

Walked everywhere, las ramblas nearby, Sagrada Familia 30 minute walk. Make sure to get tickets ahead of time. I printed ours at home in South Carolina.

hotel breakfast and dinner outstanding.

On 1/15/2023 at 4:18 PM, cruisin73 said:

I'm looking for recommendations for a Marriott hotel in Barcelona.  We will be staying in Barcelona for 2 nights pre cruise.  I'd like to visit Park Guell, Magic Fountain, Montjuiic castle. If the hotel has

On 1/15/2023 at 4:18 PM, cruisin73 said:

I'm looking for recommendations for a Marriott hotel in Barcelona.  We will be staying in Barcelona for 2 nights pre cruise.  I'd like to visit Park Guell, Magic Fountain, Montjuiic castle. If the hotel has a shuttle to the cruise port that would be a bonus.  I've looked on the Marriott website and there are quite a few hotels in Barcelona. We have never been to Europe so I'm feeling overwhelmed with all the options and not knowing the area.

a shuttle to the cruise port that would be a bonus.  I've looked on the Marriott website and there are quite a few hotels in Barcelona. We have never been to Europe so I'm feeling overwhelmed with all the options and not knowing the area.

16 hours ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

Unless something has changed, it has never been available before.  Most people get some euros at an ATM.  Even though the exchange rate is not always the best, I get a small amount from my bank before we leave home, just in case I need some before I get to the ATM or, heaven forbid, my card would not work.

4 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

In the past, we have always ordered Euros from AAA in advance. For us, they had the most favorable exchange rates (much better than airport change booths). If you are only getting a small amount for pocket money, it really does not matter. We like to have cash on hand when we arrive. 

If you are a Bank of America customer, order online whatever currencies you need, link under ‘help’ section. For amounts under $1000, currencies will arrive via FedEx at your address within a couple of days. For elite customers there is a discount and no fee.

We always take cash and use for smaller amounts and if a place is somewhat ‘sketchy’.

2 hours ago, classy_cruiser said:

I also wish NCL would follow Royal and Carnival with the more flexible cancellation policies. I can only assume they are doing much worse financially and feel they cannot. We are supposed to sail end of January on a peace of mind cancellation FCC. I’m not afraid of corona at this point, I just want to get everything we paid for in terms of ports and activities. At the moment we have no option to reschedule without losing everything

We were scheduled to sail on a Baltic cruise in June 2020. Rather than canceling, we waited until NCL canceled the cruise, then followed their requirements to the letter to receive a cash refund.

We had a seven day window during which to request the cash refund. Filling out all online forms for the refund, NCL refunded 100%, including paid shore excursions.

Our refund showed up on our credit card 30 days before the promised date.

We were really happy with the way NCL handled the cancellation and therefore have booked two future cruises.

On 8/26/2019 at 10:00 PM, Turtles06 said:

 

It will offset anything charged to your on board account, except the DSC.

 We book shore excursions online when they open up, receive  the $50 credit after we return from our excursion. We then use the credit to treat ourselves to wine at dinner and a drink later in one of the Lounges. Works out perfectly. Usually we  also pay for laundry and a couple of bottles of wine to keep in our room. At the end of each of our cruises we still had a credit left, which NCL refunded per paper check about 3 weeks after we returned from our cruise.

On 1/16/2020 at 6:31 AM, KeithJenner said:

Absolutely no way that I would bid, or book a guarantee for a mini suite on the Jewel class ships. Far too much risk of getting one in a bad location.

 

The main benefit to the mini suites for us is if we are travelling with our son, because the sofa bed doesn't block the balcony door in the mini suites. If it was just the two of us then I don't see much benefit of the mini suite over a balcony.

 

When booking minis on these ships we make sure we choose the cabin.

We were in a mini suite on the Jade. Everything was fine with the location (we chose our cabin). Drawbacks were the closet was hard to reach and open next to the bed, and the bathroom had a bathtub/shower combination. We prefer a shower only, therefore stayed in a balcony cabin on our next cruise.

11 hours ago, GeriatricNurse said:

This is just ONE of the MANY reasons why I have returned to HAL!

16 hours ago, GlamorousGirl said:

We sailed on the Jade in November from Rome to Dubai and the process for organizing for excursions was absolute chaos. We were supposed to meet in the theater, like other ships. But unlike other ships, the aisles remaining clear was not enforced at all, and people were tightly packing the aisle into the theater where bus stickers were being handed out instead of coming down into the theater and taking a seat like they’re supposed to. I’m the kind of person who’s willing to get up a half hour earlier to get to the theater early and be one of the first out (the FAIR way!) But in this case the latecomers had the advantage - crowding the exit aisle, blocking people trying to get out, and getting out first even though they arrived late. All the cruise excursion director had to do was announce “I’m not calling ANY more excursions until EVERYone sits down!’ - they do this on other ships, and mean it (no excursions called) and it works great! No blocking fire lanes, no people getting trampled, no chaos... I’m sailing on Jade again this spring and really hope they get it sorted out by then... By the way, why do people do that instead of being courteous??!

We sailed on the Spirit last January and liked how they organized shore excursion groups. Each excursion had a specific meeting time in the theater. There were never more than 2 or 3 groups in the theater at the same time. There was still some ‘jockeying’ for position, but not as bad as having the entire theater filled when we sailed on the Jade the summer before. 
It may also help to find the best two crew members who are adept at crowd control to organize everything in the theater. Preferably someone with a good sense of humor and a loud voice if there is no microphone. It can be done pleasantly and efficiently.

Looking forward to our next Jade cruise and hoping shore excursion mayhem is a thing of the past!

On August 27, 2019 at 12:36 PM, gnome12 said:

Here in Canada I know (I'm not sure about elsewhere) even if it is legal tender it isn't required to be accepted. Before we changed to polymer currency, our $100 bills were regularly not accepted; even though the new ones are more secure many establishments will still not accept them, and it is perfectly legal.

 

Had that happen on our last trip to Toronto. Was trying to pay for lunch with a Canadian $20 that I had saved from a trip to Montreal in the '90's. Restaurant suggested I go to the bank and exchange for 'new' bank notes. Bank was happy to oblige.

1 hour ago, Joanandjoe said:

Thanks.  We figured out the Bank of America angle a long time ago.  This year we found out something even better.  In order to avoid a $10 service charge at B of A, one has to buy at least $1,000 of foreign currency.  At our local auto club, North Jersey AAA, the minimum to avoid a service charge of $10 is only $200; so we bought our currency at AAA.   What we bought was barely over $200, since we already had nearly 200 euros.

 

Now comes the hard part.  We used all of our UK pounds; but have excess Euros (which we can use easily) and two currencies we're unlikely to use:  Danish krone and Icelandic krona.  We won't hit Canada for another 2 days; so we don't yet know whether we will use our loonies.  In any event, we'll have about $100 or more of foreign currency (but probably less than $200), and will probably lose at least 20 to 25% of the value in converting back to US dollars. if we can do so at all.  We'll be going home from the pier in a taxi, so there won't be an airport where we can change money.

 

All in all, a very minor part of the cost of our trip.  Guides, especially in the UK, did appreciate having tips in local currency.

We usually end up with some foreign currency, but only buy about $50 of each., then treat ourselves to a local lunch before heading back to the ship, give some as tips on board. Those ships sail the same itinerary back to back, so crew has some spending money next time in port.Enjoy  your trip! We ended up in Iceland two years in a row. The first an Icelandair stopover on the way to Hamburg, the second a cruise out of Hamburg. Should have saved the Icelandic Krona from the first trip, if we had known.

On July 25, 2019 at 2:01 PM, Joanandjoe said:

Our northern route cruise from Amsterdam to New York next month will go to multiple countries, involving four different foreign currencies other than the Euro (and we have plenty of Euros):  UK pound (1 stop in Scotland), Danish krone (1 stop in Faeroe Islands and two in Greenland), Icelandic krona (3 stops in Iceland), and Canadian dollar (two stops in Canada).  We’ll want to give tips, and possibly buy stuff, at all of our stops.

 

Do we need to buy small amounts of each of the four currencies, or is it your experience that tour guides and drivers are happy to accept dollars or euros in these places?  Thanks.

If you bank with Bank of America, you can order foreign currency online through their App. There is a link to order foreign currency in the help section I believe. You input the countries and amount of currency for each. The amounts are taken out of your account and a few days later the currencies arrive in the mail at your home. We've done this twice now and it saved having to find an ATM, which we used to do, and enjoy our shore excursions.

3 hours ago, TYTY said:

They're adding Oslo to the itinerary, got the e-mail today announcing it's now a 15 day instead of a 14 day cruise.

We also received the email. Thrilled about Oslo. Please keep everyone posted on updates.

On May 15, 2019 at 9:13 AM, Balian65 said:

 

In Germany you will find quite a few stores and restaurants not accepting credit cards. Three out of four payments are still done in cash and that means Euro only. US dollars are generally not accepted.

 

If you use debit cards maestro is the most used card in Germany. Visa and Mastercard are quite common, but don’t be surprised if American Express or other credit cards are not accepted. Apple Pay is yet not a common option except for online purchases.

 

Any ticket machines will work only with PIN or cash.

We always take local currency for smaller purchases, such as food, souvenirs, transportation.

BofA has a link where you can order foreign currency online. Select the different currencies you need, three or four days later the currencies arrive in a FedEx envelope, complete with a spreadsheet detailing your purchase. Used this service for two European cruises last year.

This also eliminated the need to use an ATM. We have an account at another bank for smaller transactions, and use that debit card if needed.

We generally take the ship’s tours and have enjoyed them for the most part. But we also take the $50 Shore excursion credit (Norwegian). Usually the credit appears as soon as we return from our tour. That is our evening drink money. Just enough for us.

We have been to Iceland twice, once on an Iceland air stopover (2 nights each), and last year on a cruise. We rented a car during the first stopover (did take the wind/ash insurance). Iceland is easy to navigate, it does get windy, so hold on to your car doors when getting in and out.

17 minutes ago, jenneloveslife said:

I am from Canada and have roaming on my phone supposedly in the Bahamas for $12 per day.  My cruise in a few weeks docks at Nassau and Port Canaveral so will I have roaming on ship those days?  I assume not at Great Stirrup Quay since it is a private island.

For iPhone and unlimited data plan, we just turned on airplane mode, turned cellular data off and WiFi on. We only used phone in port when we had WiFi. Would go to an eatery and asked if they had WiFi. That and the 250 minutes from NCL perk worked for us without spending a dime.

Hubby was able to post lots of his pics on fb and I checked e-mail while enjoying local food.

We even talked to family in Europe and US via WhatsApp. (Only use with WiFi). Happy travels!

22 minutes ago, scottie99 said:

 

What is your point? Whilst the Captain would not divulge numbers, the outbreak had a “massive “ effect on our cruise in terms of enjoyment.

 

The whole cruise became a cleaning exercise, one could not relax.

 

Yes, I used the word “massive “ to emphasise the situation and draw attention to it, thus warning passengers cruising the following trip what to expect. 

 

Why do you take exception the use of the word?

Scottie99,

we were on the Spirit returning on Jan 24, supposedly the day you left. And although we would attribute cleaning to the rough seas on Jan 22-23 and the accompanying seasickness (we did not see anyone get sick), nobody would doubt your perception, confirmation of noro and subsequent lack of enjoyment of the cruise.

However, calling something 'massive' in the title of the thread has such a negative connotation, especially since NCL is taking great pains to contain the situation, that I am sad to have the Spirit and our cruise (including 'washy, washy) portrayed in that light.

On February 1, 2019 at 11:37 PM, casofilia said:

We have a Confirmation email for a shorex on debarkation at Tarragona to get to Barcelona Airport.  Today it is no longer to be found on "My Holiday Home" "Explore and Plan" shore excursions.  A shambles again.

Before our Jan 13 Spirit Canary Islands cruise we bought a disembarkation shore ex to Montserrat from Barcelona. I had the printout of the confirmation e-mail, so all was well. We had to go to  the shore ex desk on board and indicate whether we wanted airport, NCL hotel or Catalanya square drop off. Then the associate printed the (yellow) tour tickets. Later I went back to the desk because the tour did not appear on the NCL app, but was assured that all was in order and the app sometimes does not show everything.

One of our perks was the $50 shore excursion credit and I didn't know whether it would be given at the end of the cruise, but it showed the night before disembarkation, probably because all accounts were settled. We were very pleased with the promptness and accuracy in handling of the onboard account. Even received a refund check in the mail yesterday.

We had a wonderful tour of Montserrat Monastery and were dropped off at the airport around 2pm and from there caught the free hotel shuttle to our hotel (TRYP Aeropuerto Barcelona, a Melia group hotel). Next morning the shuttle drove us back to the airport for our nonstop flight to Miami.

Here a concern concerning flights. We have flown to Europe regularly for over 40 years and have some idea of cost. So when we found a nonstop American Airlines Miami-Barcelona flight for around 600-700, we jumped on it and upgraded to Premium Economy (roomy seats + other perks) still for around 800/pp, couldn't believe that there were so many empty seats. I do our own planning, so no agent giving me 'a good deal', maybe more folks would spend an extra 100 or so, if it meant not having to fly all over the US before even getting across the pond. There were 2000 people on our cruise alone. That flight should have been fully booked. Just saying, so they continue that route, which was nice in January, making for better flying conditions.

21 hours ago, xcell said:

Yes and Yes

Used WhatsApp on the Spirit last month. Had the 250 minute internet perk. We were able to use WhatsApp any time we found WiFi in a port as well. If you have an iPhone, in settings set phone to airplane mode. Turn off cellular data, turn on Wifi. When using internet minutes on board, remember to type logout.com into the line you normally type url addresses (www). Otherwise your minutes run out.

We just got off the Spirit. No problems as far as we could tell. Rough seas the last couple of days with Alicante stop being cancelled. Puke bags in the stair wells. Sea sickness would be a likely cause for extensive cleanup as well.

Florence will make for an interesting week for me. This is our 2nd cruise of the year and we have been to the ports before. I will enjoy what ever port we go to next week, but I may have to alter my driving route. Below I sloppily marked my planned driving route. I may have to cancel my Savannah hotel and think about I75 through KY, TN, GA, and the FL turnpike to PC. I will be off work next week.

 

Check on evacuation routes when heading to South Carolina. There could be lane reversals.

I've stayed twice at the Reykjavik Residence Hotel. It's a block off the main road, no bars around, so quiet, but an easy walk to anywhere downtown. They have an amazing breakfast delivered to your room if you wish - fresh bread, fruits, hard boiled egg, meat, cheese, yogurt. Enough for breakfast and a light lunch.

We stayed there also last summer on our second Icelandair stopover from Hamburg to Toronto. The kitchenette was already partially stocked. We fixed breakfast and lunch there and had a place to wait out intermittent rain. Bought flybus tickets to airport online. Pickup was across the street.

On the first stopover from Montreal to Hamburg, we stayed at the Aurora Star Hotel right next to Keflavik airport, rented a car, drove past Blue Lagoon and Grindavik along south coast first afternoon. Second day drove Golden circle. Turned car in and walked to terminal next morning.

Mt Pleasant is quite safe. I would look at the hotels around the foot of the Ravenel bridge. There are properties from all the major chains in this area. Plenty of places to eat and a short drive to Shem Creek for more food options. There are other places, like the West Ashley area (where I live), but Mt P is the easiest to just hop over the bridge to downtown.

Daughter went to CofC, lived downtown, we are from Florence, SC, and when not driving to spend the day, we would spend the night at Marriott Residence Inn at the airport. Super easy drive into downtown, parked at one of the parking garages downtown, did our downtown visiting. From hotel also easy drive to plantations and Folly Beach. Easy drive to Ravenel bridge to Mount Pleasant and above OPs places. Fort Moultrie worth a visit. Tanger outlets near hotel. So we find it a great location.