JandC_Cruising

No...the SDP's are Non-Transferable, so YOU cannot buy the "discounted" upgraded 2-meal SDP and then allow HIM to use the extra 2 meals assigned to YOU. You CAN buy him a 2-meal SDP at the standard price. That is what we did last year when travelling with our adult children in the 2-BR on the Joy. We had the Free at Sea, but we purchased 2-meal package for the other 3 people so we could all enjoy the specialty meals together without paying a la carte at those.

For what it's worth, we like getting Vibe passes and the Escape's Vibe is still only the Starboard side of the ship (at least that was the case last time we were on her in early 2022). The Joy has both Port and Starboard and two hot tubs (ok...warm tubs 🤪). We LOVE Pinchos Tapas bar on the Escape....probably our favorite sea day lunch on any ship. For our money, time, and itineraries we typically take, we would love them to add the Thermal Spa on the Joy...Get rid of the Laser Tag or the Galaxy Pavilion.... While we don't "hate" the OL, we really haven't put it to much use on either the Joy or Encore. Quick bite one or two afternoons, but on warm weather cruises, we would likely only use it a lot if it was bad weather and then our thought is that it would be a mad house. Finally, not that it is repeatable, but after multiple times on both, I'm up in the Joy casino more than I am up in the Escape casino....💰

Definitely a fun way to get across the ocean if you have the spare time! Enjoy your cruise...Our next one is a 9-day on the Getaway on July 30th. Can't wait! Great way to hit a bunch of small coastal towns along the west coast of Europe.

Howl at the Moon is a highlight on the other ships. I don't understand why they've never contracted that on the Joy. It shares the Comedy Club on the other ships and could easily do the same on the Joy.

Actually I am an active cruiser. But I am overjoyed to hear you've done 110+...I'm not really trying to get into a numbers contest with you. I expect you would know that NCL doesn't give "sales" on drink packages. They have a program and you pay the same today as you pay on day 1 of the cruise. Their Starbucks is the same price today as it will be on your 111th cruise, so if you want it, buy it on board and you will burn your OBC. Regarding overall cost.. if RCL has a better deal, sail them...nobody forces anyone to sail any particular line. Also, as an aside, directly from the Shareholder FAQ's for Royal, they have the same restrictions. OBC IS NOT FOR PRE PURCHASING..(clipped from their site) Perhaps they flaunt the rules, but just because you have had something happen in the past, doesn't mean you will get it in the future. They could "stop" their generous ways tomorrow - never know. Hope you have a good cruise and can find some way to spend your "free" $250 OBC...If you are struggling, just treat a group on-board to some fancy shots and you'll be the king of the cruise!

You can buy both of those items ("Starbucks package" and Wifi packages) once on board with the OBC...Why the rush? It's not like you are able to get a free Starbucks 3 months before your cruise because you ordered the coffee card already.

If you cancel your excursion once ON BOARD, you will receive a "refundable" OBC, not a credit card refund. We've had pre-paid excursions cancelled for several reasons in the past and that is what happens. We've booked other excursions or simply applied it to other on board purchases. The last thing this OP needs is more OBC since they can't figure out how to use the $250 they already are getting as shareholders on a 15-day or greater cruise. Here are some suggestions however: - Buy some gifts or something for yourself from one of the stores. - Travel with fewer clothes and take advantage of the laundry service - Buy some bingo or scratch tickets and maybe you win something (unlikely, but heck worth a try) - Enjoy a bottle of wine you would not normally drink - Do some wine tastings - Get a spa service of some kind - Do a shot of Louis XIII - Try a paid activity on the ship that you normally may not try (Go-carts, Galaxy Pavilion, or other attraction) - Upgrade your dining package on the ship. Lot's of options here to figure out how to take advantage of a $250 OBC!

yes...I've been a member for some time. Much more activity on that group than our roll call on CC...

Escape is in sight within the cut...Heading to port.

The Miami Port cam shows a barge with crane and police boats in the area..

We are on the same cruise! Yes...Cash at tables and machines all require USD. We plan on brining USD for the casino and on-ship tipping as desired. Euro's and Pounds for the ports and post cruise stay in London. See you in 35 days!

Withe the FAS Plus package, you can get flow water boxes, Aqua Pana, and San Pelligrino at most every bar on the ship. I will typically pickup boxes on my way to the fitness center or anywhere on the pool deck. Any bar, or restaurant nit on the pool deck has the bottles of AP or SP, including the buffet bar. Stay Hydrated!😀

Yes. That's the Skyline Bar...the video screens will also scroll through various world city skylines...Hence the name of the bar.

We do this EVERY night. Our waiters will bring us a new bottle toward the end of dinner and we bring it back to our cabin. On a 7 day cruise we must drink about 25 bottles of Aqua Pana.

The deck plan is incorrect. The vibe now takes both the port and starboard.

Caban styles depend upon the ship. The newer Encore has these raised "cabanas" and yes, the top are slats. Then the Getaway had these funky little "cabana pods"...not sure if they are still there, but will tell you in 39 days!

You are in the Schengen region the whole time, so you will not need to go through customs or collect luggage in Paris. Any checked bags will be checked from Stockholm through to Atlanta. The 1-1/4hrs. is plenty of time to deplane and walk to your connecting gate. You will be fine provided flight isn't delayed or other unpredictable event occurs.

NCL charges deposits on a "Per Person" basis. See the attached current deal that is 1/2 deposits per person.... Your CN certificates act as actual money and are applied to the deposit. So yes, a 3 person reservation in a standard cabin is $375 currently... If you had 4 people in the room, your would need to pay $500 deposit with today's program, etc.

Internet performance varies from ship to ship, location within ship, and even ship's sailing location. That said, we have had pretty good experience upgrading (Via FAS+) to Unlimited Internet. The basic minutes package burns through too quickly for two of us to use even for emails and some light internet surfing over 7 days. The 4 excursions alone will result in a $200 credit back to you (without latitude discount) so at this point the FAS+ upgrade is a great deal if you need internet and also do top shelf liquor...

Yes....I just applied the 3rd to a booking we made on June 5th, which already had 2CN's applied. I made the payment online through my NCL account. No need to call NCL or agent if you can make payments yourself online. Simply selected the cert in my account. I just acted off of @CruisingwiththeSchmidts initial posting here and all worked fine. I didn't get any email or see anything either, So I'm guessing this is not fully announced yet, but the payment went through and now I've paid off $750 of a cruise with CN Certs! Great deal!

Thanks for the heads up! I just applied a 3rd to an 2025 reservation that we made two weeks ago! This is the 2nd time they've offered this deal this year. They had it for a week or so right around New Years and we took advantage of it then too!

@deladypilotWe did NCL Air from Chicago O'hare this past March and they flew us through BWI both ways via Southwest. We weren't happy to have connecting flights both ways, but at least we had not checked baggage fee.

Yes...You are correct. This is what will happen, since you already paid for your 3 excursions: After you purchase the "Free at Sea Plus", NCL will also issue a $50 credit to the original form of payment you used to pay for the Excursions. The "EXACT" example happened to us on our March cruise. We had paid for three excursions back in December, and then upgraded to "Free at Sea Plus" in January. One week later, my wife's CC received the credit because she had originally paid for the excursions. Just note, that you will get the $50 back, less any latitude discount you are due, if you are Silver or above... A 10% discount means you get $45 credit back)

The Encore is a far more 'modern" ship than the Epic. If you are looking for quiet spot's to read then I would certainly pick the Encore for the Waterfront on deck 8 for outdoor couches and chairs and the Observation lounge on deck 15 for indoor relaxation. Both are great and neither exist on the Epic. Both have Thermal Spas if that is of interest to you and you cannot go wrong with either of those. The Epic has a "different" bathroom design in the standard cabins....(lookup video's online to best understand the configuration) Many, including ourselves do not like it. But other's don't care either way. For "free dining" the Epic has Shanghai (Asian) which is not on the Encore, but other than that the other "free" dining locations are similar (main dining rooms, buffet, Osheehans/Local pub)

All NCL ships operate in US Dollars, regardless of cruise itinerary. Your shipboard account as well as prices on merchandise, menus, etc. are all transacted in US Dollars. The Casino tables take US dollars as well. The ship will typically exchange currency for US dollars if needed for that activity. Everything else is charged to the on board account and then settled in US dollars against the CC you put on file. Here is the information from NCL FAQ on Currency: Certainly, while in ports, you will want Euros to pay locals as necessary for anything you would pay cash for.