BunnyHutt

1 minute ago, DCGuy64 said:

Yes and so are your casino winnings!

Boooo!!!

I don’t touch the casino, but if my $79 Bingo package is suddenly $95, I may have to rethink things. 🤣

- signed, an old lady in a middle-aged body who just spent more on Bingo than alcohol and literally walked away with only a lousy tshirt. 

Now here’s an important question… are my Bingo cards going to be subject to VAT when I’m on my Mediterranean cruise next year? 😆

15 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

This thread kinda makes me laugh, in a way. As much as people on Cruise Critic casually talk about the many cruises they have booked, or how they simply have to pay for Premium+, or how they always sail in The Haven, here we are talking about comparatively trifling amounts of money, and you'd think it's the end of the world. Oh, I know there are those who say "it's not about the money." Yes, it is. It's always about the money. And it's not a lot of money, either. But hey, if some people wanna die on the VAT hill, go right ahead. I'm socking away some extra $ for our cruise in November, just in case.

Right?? And it’s a consumption tax, value of which cannot be determined until the goods are actually… consumed. And the bickering over the receipt? It’s so the consumer knows how the VAT is being calculated. Not exactly that difficult of a concept to grasp. 
 

As a general taxpayer, I would much rather be levied on my actual consumption versus some arbitrary value. We see enough of the latter in day to day life and it generally does not work in our favor. 

I guess it really depends on an individual’s definition of high prices, value and premium. 
 

Currently on my first NCL cruise - Encore in AK. We’ve had less than stellar weather, but are not surprised since it’s the end of September. But, other than a borderline argument I got into with someone at the service desk regarding the date on a customs form,  we haven’t received anything less than what I would consider to be excellent service. And amenities definitely worth price paid. 
 

My friend and I are now looking at booking a 10-day Greece/Italy on Prima next fall. About $300/night (per person) for food/drink/accommodation several levels higher than an interior cabin on a one year old ship. And NCL is constantly running a promo for free/almost free 3rd & 4th guests. Good luck finding that finding that when booking and paying for  hotel/meals/transport in Europe. Even during shoulder season. 🤷🏼‍♀️

3 hours ago, durberville said:

Are you sure the Thermal Spa is available? I believe there are only 150 spots or so. (maybe I’m mistaken?) Anyhoo they were long gone before I had the opportunity to book for our Encore cruise mid- October. 🤷‍♀️ (I would have loved to book - Alaska! Brrrr! 🥶)

It’s very possible that there will be passes for sale when you board. Just head up to the spa on Sunday. 😊

To answer the OP, no there are no covered hot tubs. We’ve had some decent weather and some very not decent weather this week. Sure, you may be wet anyway (per the PP’s comment), but when it’s raining, 40* and the winds are blowing at 40+ knots, I know I would much rather be indoors in the bubble pool or laying on a heated lounger than sitting in an outdoor uncovered tub. 

55 minutes ago, UWCorry said:

Thanks for the great thread. I am wondering if Haven guests have their own special check in at the Bell Street terminal? The line seems very long. 

I cannot speak to Haven, but we are currently on the Encore. Our check-in time was the 11:30-noon window. We arrived at the port via Uber at 11:40. There was a porter waiting at the curb and they took our luggage directly from the car trunk. We stepped foot on the ship at 11:55. 

31 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

This is why NCL is really the last cruiseline in Alaska. Everyone already left.

Princess and Holland America were both docked in Juneau yesterday. So while NCL may go later than the others, they aren’t the last man standing at this point still. 

My friend and I woke up bright and early this morning for our excursions and turned on the “boat show” while waiting for our room service breakfast. Noticed that our boat was headed in the wrong direction. At 7am the Captain came on and announced that the forecasted winds were too strong to make it safe to dock, so port has been canceled. Day at sea ahead of Glacier Bay tomorrow. 
 

Definitely a bummer, but at least the excursion refunds will cover the majority of my Bingo fund. 😆 We’ll spend today, my friend’s birthday, enjoying our thermal spa pass and drink package. We *did* have amazing weather yesterday in Juneau so at least we had that. 
 

Note for anyone cruising Alaska the rest of this season - the open water heading out of Seattle was crazy rough. Even the crew commented about it - also noting it’s the start of the winter season. 

19 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

Anita, we have done this multiple times and have been very happy with the service.

 

ProTip: Go early or allow time to get on the buses. The buses leave as soon as they fill. The port is usually boarding 2 buses at the same time,,,, but the line to get on a bus could be 30+ minutes at busy times (8:45 yesterday).  

 

Things to note: There is no pick-up area at Pier 66 in Seattle. If you are considering Uber, you'll be chasing your car up and down the street trying to find it. The street is partially closed because of the line of trucks, waiting to enter the port with provisions for the ship. Yesterday, the cost of an Uber XL would have been $73+tip as we disembarked the Norwegian Encore. 

 

View of the chaos on the street from the comfort of the cruise line transfer

 

Not the OP but this was enough to convince me to book post-cruise transfer via NCL for next week’s cruise! I’ve got a 2pm flight so I figure it’s great/easy option, especially when combined with port valet for my checked bag. And the $27 price tag made it all that more appealing. 
 

So thank you, Mr. Bird. 🙂

7 hours ago, durberville said:

😬 This only applies to large balconies I  hope. They aren’t going to forbid me use of my wee regular balcony are they (pretty sheltered). 

And don’t these balconies also have a sheltered area? Asking as someone who will be in one of those cabins in a couple of weeks. 😖

Go on your trip. 
 

If you cannot handle the reality that you will always be #2 behind your new-ish girlfriend’s son then break up

with her. Honestly, she sounds like someone who has her priorities straight! You’re just in very different places in life. 

On 9/3/2023 at 6:06 PM, justhappy said:

We walked past all the luggage Yay Port Valet! And out past the taxis and locals offering $20 rides. Rides to where I do not know.

We walked down the sidewalk to the Edgewater Hotel and had an Uber ride in 

2 minutes. 
We were at the airport by 9:15am.

 

DH asked me could we get right back on the ship 😁

He said he’d like to do this cruise again next year! 
We’ll see 🤨

It was a great cruise with good weather and just a few minor service hiccups.

Thanks for following along and your kind comments.

We have a short flight to Denver where we will spend the night, hopefully meet our daughter and her family for dinner then head on home early tomorrow morning. 
Miss Daisy will be waiting for us to spoil her again, miffed I’m sure😂

Good idea walking someplace and grabbing an Uber from there! Will definitely remember. 🙂

On 9/3/2023 at 8:21 PM, BirdTravels said:

wrt boarding, there was no priority seating. The back room boards before the front room. If you want to board early, be in the back room and lurk by the boarding door. 

We’re sailing in less than 2 weeks. Having never sailed out of Seattle, I’m guessing this layout will make sense once we arrive?

Thank you for this great information/thread!

Following along - we sail in 19 days. 😀

On 8/22/2023 at 3:58 PM, Sand and Seas said:

I'm not really sure if the Citi card failed, but after re-entering them twice it does look like bids are still there now.  It didn't say they had cancelled bids but that I had chosen to cancel them.  Very confusing!

 

The bids (with Citi card) were there for weeks before I got the messages a couple of days ago that said I had cancelled them.  I had gone in and modified a bid before all of the 'you cancelled your bid' messages started coming.  Went in to check bids again about 10 hrs later and again the message that I had cancelled them.  Re-entered again & hoping they are OK now.

 

The inventory of haven cabins hasn't changed so I don't think they have begun awarding.  

I received the same message about my bids (that I had placed in May, immediately after getting the email and didn’t look at since) a couple of weeks ago. I hadn’t even visited the site in 6 weeks, let alone canceled anything! I used my AmEx. Went in and re-bid with the same card - all low balls on what I believe are sold our cabins, anyway - and haven’t had any phantom cancellations since. 
 

I believe our odds are basically 0 but my friend and I figured it didn’t hurt anyone to try. 😆

It looks like the Bliss changes its itinerary in October for the final sailings of the season. My friend and I are on Encore next month and chose that over the Bliss because we wanted to sail Glacier Bay and that’s only an Encore (versus Bliss) at that point in time.  
 

I suspect the other ports that Bliss visits - Icy Strait Point and Sitka (versus Glacier Bay sailing and Skagway) - are all but shut down in October. But someone more seasoned may be able to confirm that hypothesis. 

Poire Belle Helene is definitely my favorite French ice cream dessert so I’m glad to hear it’s good on the ships. 
 

I tried Ile Flottante for the first time last month when I was in Paris. Was intrigued when we went to cafeteria at the Galleries Layfayette and it was *really* good. Think of it as like a French flan. Ordered it again at an amazeballs fondue joint and was so unimpressed that I stopped after one bite. So I think there’s enough margin of error/variation in that dessert that it can really be hit or miss. 

I would have preferred a guarantee category versus picking our cabin when we booked next month’s Alaska cruise. The cruise line cannot downgrade you, but there’s always a chance of being upgraded without paying a higher fare, bidding, etc. 

This was a ‘trick’ told to us by a TA 20+ years ago when my husband and I were booking our honeymoon cruise. On 2 different cruises we selected a guarantee at the highest regular balcony class (this was on Carnival). Both times CCL called us ahead of our trip to try and get us to lock in at a lower rate. We opted not to. Both times we ended up in full-sized suites. 

9 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

You may be going live bidding this far out. Been there, not nice.

If that’s the case then they can have it. 😆

Is there any way to see what you’ve bid? When I click on the “upgrade” icon on the app it just shows what is available to bid on, not what has been bid. 
 

Sailing Encore 9/17 (6 weeks out) in club balcony. Put in multiple *low* - like minimum or barely above - bids for various Haven categories back in May-ish but cannot remember how many I put in. Received emails today that 4 of my bids had been canceled. But I cannot remember if that was all of them. I don’t even think there are any Haven cabins available for booking, but would all bids be flat-out rejected this far out?

FWIW, I have little belief that we will be upgraded. But was just surprised by the emails. 🤷🏼‍♀️

When my friend and I booked our 2023 cruise last year, I believe our TA said a birth certificate was acceptable in lieu of a passport (friend’s was long expired). That has since been rectified so I cannot confirm. 
 

Are you asking so that you can give her a heads up? Otherwise, why is it your concern? Maybe she’s had a passport sitting in her underwear drawer for years because she’s been waiting for the opportunity to travel. 

Thank you for this! My bestie are sailing in mid/late September and even have the same hotel booked pre-sailing, lol. 

I’m booked on this cruise (but not excursion) for this coming September. Per my itinerary we’re in Ward’s Cove from 7am to 1:15pm - granted, time off ship will be less than that. I do see that the Deadliest Catch excursion is listed to depart at 7:30am and lasts 4.5 hours. So, yes, you could have time for that but really not much/nothing else. 
 

The good thing about booking excursions through the cruise line is that if there’s a delay *while at port*, the boat won’t leave without you. But if there’s a delay getting into port, the excursion may be canceled due to insufficient time. How much longer are the other lines scheduled to be at this port? I’m assuming they offer this particular excursion?

Thank you! My bestie and I are on this cruise the 3rd week of September (first on NCL and to Alaska for the both of us) and we’re very much looking forward to it! This helps even more. 🙂

And having a hubby in the airline industry, I know to *always* book flights in the day before a cruise… juuuuust in case, and especially with the clusterf*ck the aviation world has become as of late. 

Honestly, OP, if you can cancel and recoup all your deposits, I would say this might be a blessing in disguise. The best (and easiest) way to tour Ireland is via car… plus, you haven’t lived if you haven’t waited 20 min for sheep to cross a tiny road out in the middle of nowhere. 

My mom and I did this back in the mid/late 90’s. Only small hiccup was the fact that our car had a manual transmission and the driver sits on the right side of the vehicle (very awkward shifting with left hand if you’ve never done it before). We remedied this by having whoever sat shotgun be the one responsible shifting gears. 😆