Svenson

Thanks for all the helpful info!  Glad we can get a little more "cash back" on our card for whatever splurges we decide on!

I apologize if this has already been asked, but my numerous searches have not answered this question for me.

We are taking our "no foreign transaction fee" credit cards for all off-ship expenses in the various ports. But for on-board expenses (excursions, spa, gratuities, gift shop purchases, etc.), I was wondering if the credit card charges are processed in the U.S. or not. Our highest "cash back rewards" card unfortunately charges a 3% FT fee, so of course we won't use that in ports, but I'd like to save it to our onboard account if it is processed in the U.S. so that we can maximize our cash back rewards. Any personal experience from past NCL cruises?

Oops, I had the wrong date -- should have been July 6th. We left home on the 5th, so that's the date that stuck in my mind.

Yes, what a great itinterary! We truly loved EVERY port, each one in a different way. Now we want to go back and visit several of them for a longer stay . . . I guess that's the danger of cruising. ;)

:)Just wanted to share the review I just posted on TripAdvisor for PKTravel. We were on the NCL Spirit Grand Mediterranean Cruise, July 5 - 20. Feel free to PM me with any questions:

After reading many positive reviews online, we booked PK Travel for a walking tour in Athens. We reserved the “Half Day Walking Tour 3” after reading the various options on their website, and we were scheduled to meet our guide at a certain spot near the Acropolis at 9 AM. Unfortunately, our ship disembarked in the port of Piraeus over 40 minutes late, and we also had misjudged how long it would take us to get into central Athens by Express Bus. Realizing that we would be a full hour late, we were fearful that one of three things would happen: she would cut our four hour tour short and skip some of the scheduled stops; or she would give us a three hour tour and offer the fourth hour for an extra fee; or she would simply leave the meeting spot and we would be left stranded in Athens with no guide at all. We are pleased to report that our wonderful guide, Maria, did NONE of the above! She showed no signs of irritation when we arrived an hour late (as she was standing in the unbearable summer heat), and she still gave us a FULL four hour tour! Maria started our tour by saving us much time using her privileged express line at the Acropolis to purchase our tickets for us, as this was the PEAK tourist season in Greece. Maria was very professional and shared an incredible wealth of information throughout our day. She was patient with our endless photo stops and our many questions. At the end of our tour, we asked her to recommend a lunch spot, and she pointed us toward The Greco’s Project, where we thoroughly enjoyed a delicious traditional Greek lunch with reasonable prices and great service. We would highly recommend Maria as a tour guide and would definitely use PK Travel if we ever are lucky enough to visit Greece in the future. Having toured several other ports on our own, and having spoken to several other people who took those horrible large group tours where you are herded like buffalo around major sites, I can truly say that PK Travel private tours are the way to go! Thank you, Maria!

:) Just wanted to share the review I just posted on TripAdvisor for Rome in Limo. We were on the NCL Spirit Grand Mediterranean Cruise, July 5 - 20, and we used this company at the ports of Livorno and Naples. Feel free to PM me with any questions:

After reading many positive reviews online, we booked Rome in Limo for shore excursions in two ports of our Mediterranean cruise. We were extremely pleased with both tours and would not hesitate to use Rome in Limo for future touring in Italy if we are lucky enough to return someday. First, we stopped in Livorno and had booked the Pisa/Florence tour. Upon disembarking, we were immediately greeted by Laura and set about our busy day. Laura was full of energy and enthusiasm; she was professional and courteous, yet fun and entertaining. She shared a wealth of information as we drove to Pisa and then on to Florence and back to our ship. She shared advice to help us see various sites in the most expedient way (this was the PEAK of tourist season in Italy with unbearably high temperatures), and she gave recommendations for where to eat a delicious lunch and tasty reasonably priced gelato in Florence. Her navigation skills driving a van in the tiny overcrowded streets of Florence and Pisa were very impressive. By the end of the day, we felt Laura was truly a friend and even a family member, and we were very sad to say goodbye. We said our next guide was going to have to be pretty special to rise up to the standard set by Laura. We next met Lello at the port of Naples, where we took the Pompeii/Sorrento/Vesuvius tour. Though his style was very different from Laura, he met the high standard set by her and we were equally pleased with his tour. Lello entertained us with so many humorous and informative stories about Italian cuisine and life in the Naples area as well as his own life where he lives in Sorrento. He recommended a wonderful restaurant for lunch in Sorrento and also a delicious gelateria. When leaving Sorrento for Vesuvius, we learned that the tunnel (the only way out of town) had been closed due to an accident, and that we possibly would not be able to make it to the volcano and back to the port in time. What a huge disappointment, as climbing Mt. Vesuvius was a “bucket list” item that I would probably never get another chance at. Nevertheless, Lello gave us some more time in Sorrento until the tunnel opened and then managed to navigate the crazy roads to get us to Vesuvius – where we literally ran up to the top and back in less than 45 minutes, so that we could arrive at the port in time to catch the ship. What an adventure! Once again, we were so sad to say goodbye to our new friend and adopted family member. Spending nine hours riding with each of these guides could have been miserable if they were boring or unfriendly. But we truly loved every minute we shared with both Lello and Laura and would highly recommend each of them to anyone considering a private tour. Having toured several other ports on our own, and having spoken to several other people who took those horrible large group tours where you are herded like buffalo around major sites, I can truly say that Rome in Limo private tours are the way to go! Thank you, Lello and Laura!

NCL is basically giving away Unlimited Beverage Packages right now... I would see if you can modify your reservation and save money.

Sarcher, how would you do that when the cruise is completely booked and paid for?

Having been charged for fridge drinks that I didn't take last cruise, in future I will get the cabin attendant to remove drinks on the first day. More work for him, but if they don't do their job right.........tough.

Hmmm, I guess that's a good idea, just to be safe, and it would give us more room in the fridge.

Thank you both for your quick responses. :) I will definitely call NCL to confirm, but I have learned over the years that customer service agents often don't know or understand every rule or policy of their company, and in fact, many seem almost clueless (though this is our first NCL cruise, so maybe they are the exception). Generally the well-traveled folks on cruise/travel forums have actual experience that they can share which helps us learn how to approach things and who to talk to. Anyone actually done this before?

Sorry if this question has been asked, but I could not find it in my searches. Also not sure if this is a question for the port threads or the roll call or what???

Can you get off the ship in one port, not return to the ship that evening, and get back onto the ship a couple ports later? I'm sure we would have to notify the ship officials (who exactly?), but is it even allowed?

Here's our story . . . We are on the NCL Spirit 14-day Grand Mediterranean. We were just in Rome for three days last summer and once prior to that, so we aren't dying to go back to Rome just yet. Yes, I know there is MUCH more to be seen in Rome; however, we would prefer to see SO many places in the Naples coastal area. So we were thinking of jumping on the train in Florence at the end of our day of touring Pisa/Florence (the Livorno port stop) and riding straight down to Naples, then heading to Positano (by bus or private car?). We would stay two nights in Positano while the ship moves on to Civitavecchia, and then meet the ship at the end of the following day when it is docked in Naples. Did this make sense?

So my first question is, are you even allowed to get off the ship for a couple nights mid-cruise? My second question is, who would we need to inform? Has anyone ever done this before? Any other advice for this little side venture?

Thanks in advance!:)

Thanks so much for the clarification. This is such a learning process.:o

Woohoo! You all have made my day -- even with photographic proof, Single Cruiser!

Now we can start planning what to put in the fridge:D

Thanks, ellis101! Does anyone know the price difference between soda package pre-paid and package bought on the ship?

Also, does anyone know the price of individual sodas bought at dinner? Trying to decide if it's worth it to buy the package, since the kids will only drink at most one or two sodas per day. The NCL website says dinner only has coffee, tea, and water at dinner, though a number of posts on various threads mention milk, lemonade or other "fruity waters" free at dinner. This could be the deciding factor for us as the kids would be fine if lemonade or milk were included free at dinner. (We're on the Spirit, if that makes a difference.)

Thanks again for your help!:)

MADflyer, please help me understand this, as it sounds like a great idea. :) I have embarked in three other ports (Port Canaveral, Tampa, Seattle), and at all three we kept our own luggage at the port until we were at the specific terminal for our specific ship. In Barcelona, am I understanding that there is one main drop-off point for all luggage for all ships? (There are 4 ships embarking on our date.) So even though our ship leaves much later (7 PM), we could still drop off at 11 AM?

Another question, can we drop off a case of water/soda with our luggage as long as there is a luggage tag attached?

We will try to pack our carry-ons as light as possible to avoid having to go on the ship to dump them (sounds like a long process). Great idea to utilize a nicer hotel to "babysit," but for a few hours we'll just carry our own packs.

Thanks so much for your help. This is our first European embarkation, so obviously procedures are different than in the states.

Caribsun, I noticed your Spirit cruises were in 2010 and 2011, so I am encouraged by Froggitt's post regarding an inside cabin in 2013. Fingers crossed that that means all rooms now have fridges. It would certainly make life easier (and much cheaper).

Thanks for your help!:)

Question regarding soda package: I know that if we pre-pay for the package before we board it is a total of $114.80 per person ($6.95 per adult per day plus 18% service charge). I also know that if we pre-pay, everyone in the room must buy the package, and we cannot use OBC to pay. From the NCL site: Applicable beverage packages must be purchased for all guests staying within the same stateroom for the entire length of the cruise (even though numerous folks on the NCL Q&A site say that you don't all have to buy in the same cabin).

So now I'd like to compare that with the exact cost of buying on-board -- where we can use our OBC, and I don't have to buy for myself (I'm fine with ice water and tea). I've read that it costs more, but can't find the exact cost.

Does anyone know the exact total cost of one adult soda package for a 14-day cruise with the 18% service charge, when it is bought on board?

Thanks in advance!:)

I can't believe how many conflicting answers I have found to this question. Do all cabins on the NCL Spirit have a fridge? It seems many folks here on the forum say yes, but on the NCL website, it says no. We are in two inside cabins and are wondering if we should do the soda package or bring our own sodas/waters and restock a couple times in port. Warm soda would not be very appealing. Would someone who has been in an inside cabin recently confirm that we will definitely have a fridge?

By the way, this is our first NCL cruise, and we are on the July 6th Grand Med.

Thanks in advance!:)

I know this is an old thread, but I have a related question for luggage storage in reverse. We arrive in Barcelona at 9 AM on the morning of our embarkation. (Yes, I know that's a bad idea, but it just worked out that way). Our cruise doesn't depart until 7 PM, and we'd like to tour Barcelona for a few hours. Is there a place at the airport that you can drop your luggage and have it delivered to the port? Or better yet, can we take our bags directly to the port and check them onto the ship in the morning without actually embarking on the ship ourselves? How early will a ship (we're on NCL Spirit) allow you to check your bags, and do you have to get on at the same time as your bags?

Thanks in advance!