time391

12 hours ago, MCMC100 said:

IRS can have the State Dept revoke or deny a passport application/renewal if you have a tax delinquency of $52k or more. Until you pay the tax or enter into an approved repayment plan you can be prevented from traveling outside the US. 

Yes, they owe $96K to the IRS due to interest and principal from 2020. It was a windfall gambling winnings that they gained in January before the pandemic, but they used it all during that period. They were fighting the IRS, claiming that the money belonged to them and they shouldn't have to pay. It's not how income taxes work, but stubborn willful ignorance is a personality flaw. Short of paying off $96K via installment plan (Which I wouldn't contribute to as its their own obstinacy that led to it), nothing can be done to eliminate the passport block.

As for CAS, we would need to cancel the trip entirely, since we are not the Casino cruise certificate holder. However, we can't get the Balcony room back if we do that. As you may have noticed by looking at May 26th, there are no more Balcony rooms for that cruise. It's a cruise nearing full capacity. 

I've traveled with NCL before on my own dime and I honestly could have afforded regular price for a balcony room if I had booked six months ago on my own, but the cheap option from my relative was too good to ignore.

5 minutes ago, Maanio said:

Just fix the passport lmao

The person has issues (IRS related stuff we didn't know about). Feel free to laugh considering they love gambling, but we got hooked into this mess due to the discount and already paid up our portions.

Maybe it's a cautionary tale for folks to avoid taking trips with family members and have control over booking in their own hands, but cruising is expensive and discounts are hard to find.

I hope someone on here can assist

A family member, who we gave money for the Cruise, through the Casino at Sea program with NCL booked a Western Mediterranean cruise several months ago and it's past the deadline for refund.

However, unbeknownst to us, the family member has an issue with their US passport and cannot travel to Europe for the Cruise. We are booked to leave Barcelona on May 26th 2024.

At the moment, the other 3 members of the cruise's names are already logged into NCL website and our passport documentation is fine, can we still board the ship without the Casino at Sea family member, who had originally received the free cruise certificate?

I am wondering if anyone else has ever encountered something like this, since it's an odd situation. We paid for the cruise ourselves, but we took advantage of our family member's Casino benefit to receive the free Balcony room. We know that there will be losses now from Hotel and airline tickets for the one member who cannot travel to Europe, but we do not want to cancel the entire trip on account of one person's documentation issues. We do not mind losing some money from a lack of refund, but we're hoping not to lose the entire $10K with excursions.

Thank you for any help in advanced

6 hours ago, complawyer said:

hopefully this will adequately answer your question(s) 1 neither haven/ nor suite guests get comped dinners in specialty restaurants. Only those dinners included in your initial booking, those included in you specific latitudes award program, it  has been our experience, that if you are a haven guest and the ship has a designated haven complex  you will be taken to the exclusive haven restaurant. if there is no designated haven complex, or you have booked a suite category cabin (not club balcony suite) you will be taken to cagneys for lunch.  haven and or suite guests on ncl ships without the designated haven complex, are offered breakfast every morning in moderno, and lunch in cagney's 

 

dinner for all sailing is "catch as catch can"

Thanks, I was wondering if this was a new benefit of the Haven. I was on the NCL Epic and was directed Haven restaurant my last time. I'll be on the NCL Bliss, so I assumed it would be the same. Then I heard some folks on the Encore were able to have lunch until 4 PM at the specialty restaurant, so I was curious if that was a new benefit for Haven guests. 

I wouldn't mind sampling Los Lobos, Food Republic, or some of the new places for lunch as an additional benefit of the Haven. I know dinner is fee/perk per visit deal.

Hello,

I am getting competing examples that Cagneys or American Diner is free to Haven guests on embarkation day until 4 PM. Is this still true?

I will be on the NCL Bliss in April 2024 heading to Alaska, so I am interested in maximizing my Haven perks and knowing what I can get as a Haven guest.

On 10/30/2023 at 4:25 PM, Go2SeaTheWorld said:

We were in a Bliss penthouse for the Alaska cruise in late June. Our 1st Haven experience was incredible. Though I never saw a sauna on the sundeck, we never ventured into the Posh area to see what was "behind the door". There is a sizable hot tub elevated above the enclosed Haven pool area which would be another way to warm up after a day of chilling in Alaska. The layout of the Haven, from the huge, 2 story forward observation deck transitioning into the pool area & moving directly into the bar/lounge was perfect for us. I believe there are thermal spa Suites in the Haven that would give you the sauna access without having to purchase the extra package.

Thanks, the thermal spa haven suites have already all been sold out 😞 

I do like the idea of the Haven and I know the dining is way above the main dining rooms (I prefer sweet potato fries and onion rings, which do not exist on any NCL menu now, but Haven will make them for me.)

I have had prior experience with Haven suite on the NCL Epic for their Western Mediterranean Cruise in 2022 out of Barcelona, but I have not tried a North American route with Haven. Usually, I do Balcony as I find the ventilation for inside and oceanview to be substandard on many ships, making it a difficult experience. 

My experience with Haven in Europe was that I never truly got to enjoy the amenities as I was constantly going off the ship for tours of European cities. My Butler did give me good snacks and a few show tickets, but I don't feel like I really used him as some of my more demanding neighbors did. I knew the Epic has its own Haven Sauna on the sun deck, but does the NCL Bliss have it? Otherwise, I'd have to include a spa package as I do want to enjoy a warm refresher after being out in Alaskan cold (April is still quite chilly).

Please tell me of your experiences with the NCL Bliss and/or Alaskan route for either a Balcony or Haven, I am hoping to make up my mind on this prior to the end of holiday season.

3 hours ago, ChipFire said:

Question: Did you watch any movies and are they still offering the seaside theater anymore with the different movie themes and popcorn (that could be better but its free so its ok to consume) Lol

I gauge quality by the amount of foot traffic on a cruise ship, the more people go to a certain venue, the more likely the quality is above par, especially for Carnival. No need to be snippy about my question

Has anyone done this program for Alaska to Seattle trip?

I am looking ahead to 2023 and wanted to know how the experience is with Alaskan cruises, I've never been up that neck of the woods, but I'd love to explore it

On 8/4/2022 at 12:09 PM, EllieinNJ said:

I have asked this question on the Bermuda forum but only got one answer from someone who has never been there at that time. 

 

There are several cruises out of NY in February that stop in Bermuda.   How do you dress in February?  Do you need just a light jacket or heavier coat?  We are not doing anything water related but would like to go to caves or take a ferry.  Do I even need a balcony if it's too chilly?

To answer your question, I've been on that itinerary on the NCL Breakaway in March from NYC pre-Covid. Yes, you should be bringing a heavy jacket for 2 main reasons: 1. Your port of departure will be cold up until March. 2. You will have 2 Sea days that you might want to take a trip up to the buffet or do a walk around. As to Bermuda itself, the temperature isn't that bad in March, mild for New Englanders like myself between 60-70 Fahrenheit, I would recommend a light jacket but I actually didn't need one. Long pants like Khaki's, Chino's, or Jeans will be fine with a simple short sleeve shirt. If you find those temperatures too cool due to the climate you are coming from, I'd recommend adding a cardigan sweater to your luggage and day bag, they come in handy.

As to the weather, you're not in hurricane season, but rain is possible. February, like March, should be a calm month for winds, so a light umbrella should be enough to handle small rain squalls.

On 7/31/2022 at 3:24 PM, cruisin from vegas said:

I’m not going to write a day by day review (although I really appreciate those who do)

First this sailing was 4600 according to CD, well over 100% capacity…. And it showed.  Very long lines everywhere…. Close to 2 hour line for pizza after 11 pm.    Could never get in a comedy show

 

Thoughts/Observations 

The fabulous:

the crew, everyone of them

the CD, Donkey- I usually don’t care

My room steward K

jijis (my favorite)

The MDR (I loved everything they had)

The ship (Vista class is my favorite)

Serenity (surprisingly not over crowded)  

my cabin and the temp in my cabin only

   (Inside, deck 11..  free casino deal)

embarkation (10 mins total from shuttle to deck) used VeriFLY 

drink service on lido deck

Ports;  Aruba, Bonaire, La Romana and Amber Cove- loved them all, beautiful on their own way 

 

Good

Debarkation - no problems, just took a little longer due to crowds

shows - the ones I saw were good

casino atmosphere/variety of machines

Most room service items

Behavior of the many kids (no problems that I saw)

Casino drink servers 

shops- pretty weak selection actually 

 

im going to jump to horrible 

 

buffet- the worst on my 20+ cruises, and not just the fact there were no seats available..  ever.  The food was nearly inedible.  Desserts were great, Icecream and gelato great…. But that’s it.  
 

guys burgers-  just not good anymore.  Dry cold buns, cheese not melted, no mushrooms..  smaller.  Fries terrible, just not the same sadly. 
 

The behavior of many adults on this trip. Rude, disrespectful, selfish, treated the crew like dirt, the longest line I’ve ever seen to remove gratuities, ignoring all elevator etiquette (purposely and willfully), pushing and shoving…. Seriously, the worst I’ve ever seen and I’m a past Carnival crew member.  Entitled jack as..s.

 

lastly, the temperature throughout the public areas…. Hot hot hot hot..  stifling, suffocating.  The elevators were unreal, even if no one else was on it.

 

I would definitely do this ship and itinerary again, but not this time of year.  The kids were fine…. The parents not so much.

 

I did not exact in the steak house or blue iguana, or see any comedy shows.  I did not go to the spa.  

 

any questions..  just ask

 

 

 

Question: Was the lines for taco's decent based on your observation? I remember when Carnival 1st restarted the cantina was busy. 

Sad to hear the buffet has gone down in quality though, I think that's a common issue on several cruise lines due to sourcing. 

Thanks everyone for the updates on other cruises. 

I was on the Epic in May for their Western Mediterranean Cruise, something I planned pre-Covid. I had a Haven room and I really enjoyed the Haven Restaurant as well. I asked about Creme Brulee and they said they didn't do it (4th night after my meal at Le Bistro). I didn't know Cagney's was serving it, otherwise, I'd have asked them to get that delivered for me. I also love Creme Brulee, I know it's a common dessert by most fine dining standards, but quite honestly, I just enjoy egg custard and it's my vacation, too, so a little gluttony doesn't hurt. 

I'll be on the NCL Pearl for the last Boston to Bermuda cruise in November. I haven't tried cruising in the late fall/early winter before, so it will be an adventure.

Hello everyone, 

I just recently came back from a Cruise on the NCL Epic and am planning another trip on NCL Pearl soon. One thing I noticed onboard was the change in food choices and menu variety. It appeared that Creme Brulee at Le Bistro or equivalent egg custard dishes at other restaurants have been removed from their menus. I also check NCL Pearl's current menu offering and discovered the same issue.

Does anyone know why egg custard is now forbidden on NCL? Was there a specific reason or is it a matter of NCL's executive chef's choice to end the menu item?

2 minutes ago, Searanger said:

A little shocked to see Norwegian talking openly about bankruptcy.  Basically a way of reorganising debt and still operating.  If you have nothing in writing about accepting a F.C.C. (which I'm sure you don't) I would just file a dispute with your credit card immediately.  For sure, those future cruise credits will be worthless.  

Problem is I paid for the cruise back in November 2019 with my Bank of America NCL Credit Card, so I am kind of stuck right now as it exceeds the transaction dates to challenge.

10 hours ago, Nclcruise1415 said:

I'm not about to believe every single article that comes from the media. NCL has been able to put off some loans for up to a year on some of their ships and they're currently working different avenues (like many other lines) to protect and increase capital.

 

As much as you like to read the fear mongering articles you can also find articles that are telling what the lines are doing to protect themselves.

That's what Lehman Brother's said in February 2008 after Bear Sterns fell, while they were secretly trying to get South Korea to buy them out. The chance of bankruptcy was small, but realistically, not impossible. A strong push of cancellations in a cruise line is just like a run on the bank by investors, when enough money has to be returned as payments, no company (or the economy as a whole) will survive.

The most dangerous thing for NCL right now is a double strike of refunds cash extractions and credit market crunch, since their cruise line is not registered in US.

I am hoping for the best, but I want to plan for the worst. Common sense for common people, who don't care about politics or ideology.

Hello fellow cruisers,

I was originally slated for a trip on May 9th from Barcelona, Spain in the Mediterranean and it was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues, so I received the cruise credit.

Today, I read some financial news coming out of potential bankruptcy:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article242506646.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/05/05/norwegian-cruise-line-stock-plunges-20-after-company-warns-of-possible-bankruptcy/#2f3883f3481e

https://www.ibtimes.com/norwegian-cruises-warns-bankruptcy-filing-will-cruise-line-survive-2970731

What should cruisers do? Will we need to go to court and be claimants in a bankruptcy filing?

I don't know if a cruise line has ever filed for bankruptcy in my memory, so I want to ask other members. They haven't filed yet, but a preliminary SEC warning is very bad from a finance standpoint. My background is in Financial Accounting and based on experience, when I company declares there's doubt of a going concern, it's a red flare.

Today 11/11/19, I got my Upgrade acceptance email, I am heading on the NCL Escape this Friday 🙂 out of New York for Bermuda

I am upgrading from a Casino promotional Inside Cabin to a Spa Balcony, $305/pp. I had increased my bid from fair of $210 to low level of Good, around the start of November after seeing 12 rooms were still available on the NCL site.

Did I do the right thing? Or did I cave in too soon?

Has anyone won their upgrades yet for NCL Escape cruise on Nov 15-20?

Just checking if I am the only one without an answer

20 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The Thermal Suite on the Epic is one of the nicest in the fleet. Windows in the saunas. Unisex saunas and steamrooms in the locker room in addition to the coed facilities in the main area. It does not have a salt bath like the Breakaway or a snow room like the Escape. It has a separate relaxation room to cut out some of the noise in the main spa. Since it it aft,’it has a small out door aft facing balcony (which is highly contended for). 

 

The Escape Thermal Suite wraps around the front of the ship making it a lot bigger than the Breakaway. As pointed out above, the saunas have windows looking it over the sea (like the Epic) which was a shortfall on the Breakaway, Getaway and Bliss. 

 

We never sail without a Thermal Suite pass (if it is available). The Med is a port intensive cruise with long days (ports are far from major cities like Rome). It would be harder to make use of the spa on that cruise unless you make it your priority. 

Thanks for the suggestion, I personally love the NCL thermal suite pass too as a nice serene place away from the loud pool/bar/casino, where you can just sit back and relax after a few long hours on excursions. I heard about the snow room and have been tempted to attempt it, I've been to Baden hot springs in Germany, where they offer something similar. It really gets the blood flowing.

For me, I wish the unlimited beverage package was "truly" all inclusive to include the specialty coffee drinks, which NCL started doing with their beverage Plus packages now, but are charging me $120 to upgrade my unlimited drink package to get. I'd rather have less alcoholic beverages capped at $15 and get a nice cup of coffee in the morning instead. I understand the idea of being "free" and "losing your inhibitions", but I'm not getting younger and I doubt the average cruise traveler is going on a cruise simply to drink cocktails and make fools of themselves. I enjoy a drink now and then, but not every meal, every activity, every day for a week.

I don't know if I am the only one who feels this way about the drink package though.

I just thought of something, if I upgrade my CAS comp inside stateroom right now on the Escape using Credit Card points, would that change my bidding options?

Can I combine meta upgrades from NCL Credit Card with a CAS comp and attempt to bid for Haven? I have enough for 2 meta upgrades according to the credit card redemption, which would put me up to a balcony.

I've never thought about this, but it seems quite logical to combine these things together. Has anyone ever tried this?

In preparation for my NCL cruises on NCL Epic- Western Mediterranean May 2020 and NCL Escape- Bermuda Nov 2019, I've been reading up on amenities.

I've been on Breakaway and Gem, I noticed the spa on the Gem was very nice and comparable to Carnival. NCL Breakaway had a larger facility in my view.

I've never been on either Epic or Escape, so do not know how the spa compares with one another, is there a real difference?

Also, if people are willing to offer their opinion, should I get a thermal suite pass for my Bermuda cruise or my Mediterranean?

Thanks everyone for the information, I have another cruise planned for May 2020 on NCL Epic in Barcelona.

For this one, I actually do have my preferred Balcony stateroom. However, after this cruise, I'll have enough rewards points from my NCL credit card to obtain "Meta category upgrade".  I think I'll try to use those for NCL epic to upgrade my Balcony stateroom to higher meta category for larger room.

Question what is the best bid I should offer:

NCL Escape- NYC-Bermuda November 15-20 2019

I see Spa Balcony is available, I can bid between $0-500 per person on slider?

I have CAS Comp inside room from a promo, not sure if anyone has ever gotten upgraded from those. I usually get Balcony for vacations, but thought it would be a nice budget short vacation before the holidays. Any thoughts?

To the original post's question, I thought the "Wine Lovers' Muscial" lunch and wine tasting was a fun foodie experience with a bit of nuance. They paired amazing wines with a variety of dishes from a simple chowder to duck course and a nice dessert.  It was whimsical and charming to learn how different wines are accented and what the lines/bubbles mean.

I highly recommend trying that out at least once, I did it on the Breakaway in May 2019, where I had my sad experience at Le Bistro with over seasoned escargots, room temp/congealed onion soup, and bad veal. I do agree food quality has declined in some ways on NCL, back in 2017 I was on NCL Gem and Le Bistro was a highlight. Now, I don't know if I ever want to return. I still love Cagneys and La Cucina though, the filet mignon is still just as good as a normal steakhouse and who can say no to Ossobuco at La Cucina