complawyer

before i would buy any additional meals, i would look at the length of the cruise, and the actual menu prices at the specialty restaurants. if there isnt a great difference in the prices listed and the cost off the specialty restaurants, i might pass on the offer. that being said, we're on a 17 day cruise from rio to lisbon. we get 3 free dinners just from buting the cruise, and an additional 2 dinners as diamond level. ok that accounts for 5 days out of 17. what about the next 12 days, you might ask? since we couldnt envision eating for 12 nights at either the buffet, the mdr's or the chinese restaurant, although it was a little costly, we bought an additional 5 meal person package. Now 10 nights are covered, my wife LOVES le bistro, i'm gung ho for Cagneys, and i can live with the 7 nights at the mdr or buffet.

other than the joke about the miami terminal, in 25+ cruises, wherever we have sailed from, at the most besides the ncl ship, there was only one other vessel docked. when you get near the pie, the name of the ship is clearly on the vessel and cruise ships are not easy to miss. i don't think you'd have a problem finding the terminal. even sailing from miami a few times, we never had trouble locating the ship. if you really are worried, contact ncl and purchase the transportation option. if you're getting ina few days before sailing, i have found that if i hire a cab, most of them know exactly where the specific cruise ship is located. it's really not a problem, so don't let it worry you. we spent 3 days in venice a few years back, and hired a shuttle to take us to trieste then hired a cab to the port, we've stayed overnight in london a few times, and did the same thing, shuttle to southampton, directly to the ship. IT CAN BE DONE!!!

based on your description, married adults and adult child, you should be ok. the pull out couch (although others often disagree) to me is very comfortable. assuming it's your daughter that sleeps on it, there should be no problem, but it does take up space in your cabin when it's opened. the only downside, is using the bathroom (if you can work that out, you're good to go)

you are 100% correct, venice is an amazing and breathtakingly beautiful city

i was thrilled that i didnt need a visa since we were going into brazil on the 8th. since we have 3 ports in brazil, im going to concede the need, and get the d**n visa's. guess it really is better to be safe than sorry. i'd suppose we'd rather have them and not need them, as opposed to needing them and not having them

mystik, yes we are on the star from rio to lisbon april 10th thru april 27th, but we're getting to rio apr 8th, hence no need for a visa, and stayaing on in lisbon until the 29th. C U there and bon voyage!

i interpret the highlighted are the same way you did, but it still leaves a big ? mark

the beds can be put together for a queen size bed if there is a "couple" or separated . the couch pulls out, and ive slept on it many times with no problems. so 3 people in a club balcony should be fine. the only caveat is the bathroom facilities. it may get a little crowded or a lot intense, depending on the need or the urge to go. try and see if the 2 bedroom suite will meet you budget. it will certainly accomodate your needs. for the past 2 years, a very close friend of mine has been traveling with us. she pays a smaller portion of the fare, takes the smaller bedroom/bath, and still gets all the perks of a suite.

hey! mystik.. can you please repost your response? it's completely blank, and i'd like to know what you said thanks

remember, the bidding is only an offer from ncl. if you feel the process or the way it's handled is unfair, improper, or downright crooked, you dont have to participate in the bidding process. pick the cabin you want, decide if the price is what you wish to pay, and go ahead and book. dont worry about a potential bid offer that may or may not come. we're on the star from rio to lisbon this april. although we really dont need all the extra space, we got (IMHO) a phenomenal price on the 2 bedroom suite. ncl offered me the chance to bid on the garden villa. while i would love to experience that cabin at least once in my life, my wife and i certainly dont need all that space, so naturally i passed on the offer. if by chance, the DOS comes up for bid, and the price seems reasonable, i ,might consider bidding, but right now it shows all cabins in that category are sold out. so, i'll happily stay in/with my 2 bedroom

fyi, it's making a few ports in brazil, and afterwards, leaving the country to continue on. so (1) if you now do not need a visa to enter brazil prior to 4/10/2014 (which we are) and (2) the other ports are within the country, a visa is most likely not needed. there is also some discussion as to whether or not a yellow fever shot is required to enter cape verde, if you have been to brazil. to be safe, my wife and i will get this shot (certainly not something to which i am looking forward) Im not sure about all of them, but i found out my local Walgreens has them

YVE (yes, that's the name of the hotel)

2022 we were on an ncl cruise with one of the ports being brugge. we hired a cab to take us around. he dropped us off for a few hrs in brugge. we shopped, bought way to much chocolate, had lunch inthe town square, and then the cab driver came back and picked us up to return to the ship. much less costly than any shore excursion ncl offered, he stopped whenever/wherever we wanted to take pictures, and year and a half later, my wife still is enamored over the experience. "DONT MISS THIS PORT"!

25+ cruises with ncl, and never once experienced anywhere near the problems you listed. i cruise ncl because i am very anal about certain things. to me ncl gives the best bang for the buck, in overall pricing, cabin selection and most importantly itinerary. while i feel bad that you spent all that money and had a lousy time/experience, if you decide never again to sail ncl, while i'm sure they'll be devastated,(sarcasm intentional) im also sure they'll quickly get over it. personally, i dont care if i ever see a show , any of the officers or even the cruise director while i'm on board. i booked to enjoy the sea, relaxing on my balcony and enjoying the ports offered. what more could i ask for ? by the way, even with a $25 upcharge, the lobster thermidor in le bistro is amazing. if you dont like that, and you had just a horrible experience, maybe you should stick to land based vacations

thank you njhorseman and gravitar. i feel much more relieved knowing we wont need a visa when arriving on the 8th. my wallet thanks you also, as now i have saved the costs of 2 visa's.

this may not be the response you're seeking, but 1st, the price is per person so now you're looking at 8,000, and i dont know the exchange rate, but on board the ship most transactions are in u.s. dollars. next, what category cabin are you referring to at this price. we've been on the jade, and imho, its a very nice ship, but all things considered, after sailing on a number of ncl vessels, i'm happy to be on a cruise, regardless of the ship. the only complaints ive ever had were that the hamburger buns fall apart before i finishing eating the burger ( if that's my only complaint after over 30 cruises, i feel ive done quite well) when i started this response, i indicated it might not be the answer you're looking for, but in the end, whether or not the price fits your budget, and if the itinerary goes to places you wish to visit. personally, i think its a very interesting itinerary. my wife on the other hand hates mexico and would refuse to even consider this cruise. we got deathly ill visiting ixtapa one year, and since then she absolutely refuses to even talk about any location in mexico. also, you need to consider not only the costs of this cruise, but round trip airfare from austrailia to peru and back to australia. at the end of the day, the only one that can make the decision as to the total value of this cruise, is you.

njhorseman. you seem to be up on the current status of visa's to brazil. so am i to understand that if we're arriving in rio on april 8th, we do not need a visa? and does also mean we dont need to go all through the process of obtaining one

where long pants are required, jeans are perfectly acceptable. le bistro does required collared shirts, although they can be any type of shirt that has a collar. polo shirts are ok.

get the drink package when you book the cruise, save yourself 25k

worse comes to worse, they'll probably be able to check you in at the pier. it may take a little longer, but you should be able to get on board

while (1) in over 25 cruises with ncl i have never encountered this problem, but more importantly (2) why did you wait so long before advising anyone at ncl (or even your travel agent) that there was a problem? Docs usually show up within 24 hrs of the 21 day check in (assuming you have correctly filled out the required information) after about a week, if you didnt get the docs, why didnt you take some affirmative action on your own.

i figure i would have trouble using up 2000 in credit also. as i stated, even though we've has stock since 2020, i never bothered with requesting the obc. this time however, for a 17 day cruise,it's $250 so i figured what the heck. if i dont use any of it, its no big deal since its free money anyway. by the way, i was just being facetious about the t-shirts, and there is really nothingi would purchase in t he over-priced tradewinds store. i dont use a travel agent, so i dont get extra obc from them, and i rarely if ever utilize a hot tub, and ive indicated i rarely book an excursion thru ncl (prefer to hire a cab) that being said, however, using 100 to 250 worth of obc should not present i problem. dont take this the wrong way, but how to spend (use) $2,000 of free money, seems to be a 1st world problem

no one "needs a butler" it's just an extra service offered to people that book a higher echelon cabin. maybe it works the other way also, one books an upper grade cabin to get the butler. regardless, we have him bring a carafe of coffee, decaf, and hot water for tea , as well as croissants, and sweet rolls every morning. he lets himself in, and when we get up the goodies are there. yes, he also brings m&m's, gummie bears, and afternoon treats every day. sometimes i ask him to bring an assortment of meats , cheeses and crackers. sometimes he/she will bring me cans of soda or bottles of beer to keep in my fridge. sometimes they wait for you at the dock when you get back from an excursion, and get you back on the ship, by passing people waiting in line. on a cruise, in terms of price, cabin, deck location and specific wants, one size does not fit all. on one cruise out of new orleans on the spirit, my then 14 year old grandson thought having a butler was unbelievable he is now 24, but to this day i still remember the butler's name was randy, and my grandson had no qualms about calling him up and ordering pizza. like my good buddy chief mate says, of course anyone can do without this service, but it's nice to have available. to me the same theory applies to the concierge. there isnt very much they do that i cant do or figure out by myself, but (1) at the end of the cruise they can get us off the ship within 15 -20 minutes,, and as we usually spend a few days post cruise in the port city, i have him arrange a cab the day before we dock. the cab is waiting and takes us directly to the hotel. of course some people like to lounge around until the last minute, (are you reading this chief, good buddy) but i want off ASAP, and dont want to wait with 2,000 of my closest friends remember the old saying "dont knock it until youve tried it.

not to much goes on, some hor d'ourves, some fruity drinks, as they say in the old country, you aint missin much, but it beats a stick in the eye. it's a small but nice gesture on the part of ncl who usually wont give away ice cubes in winter. on our last cruise in july, they offered a cocktail party for those in the military. they had to offer a 2nd one since hardly anyone showed up for the 1st. let's hear it for apathy!!!

is this sufficient? doesnt need to be signed or anything, and who do you present it to?