Norwayfan1

If you have a particular attraction you want to see, it might be better to get transport direct to another part of the city, than to get off near Las Ramblas. Last time I was in Barcelona, P&O were running charged-for shuttles. I think a lot of passengers didn't know about the port bus. There were plenty of taxis too. I might be misremembering but I think there were signs in place, publishing typical fares to main attractions.

We were in Barcelona a few weeks ago when Norwegian Star was in the next berth but I can't recall whether passengers were lining up for a cruise line shuttle as we walked past the ship. Cruise lines do normally like to run a shuttle as another overpriced money-making opportunity though! Last visit we spent a day in the Montjuic area up on the hill, which has so much to see. Anyone going there would definitely be better off walking, given its location relative to the cruise berths.

You might want to consider the local port shuttle (the T3 port bus), which is almost certainly cheaper than the cruise company's own shuttles. I think it is 3 euros one way or 4.5 euros return. Drop off is the World Trade Centre, close to Las Ramblas. The bus takes cash or you can pay online with a card, I think. Last time we were in Barcelona we just walked into the city (a bit of a trek but it's OK if reasonably fit!)

Best to be very nice to them. Who knows what nasty cleaning fluids they could slip into the drinks! ☠️

I have half an unused coffee card too - I was going to chuck mine out, as charm never works for me! Pretty sure the cards have been ditched entirely though. We have a lot of mini-bottles of brandy etc at home too - usually used for home baking. We have had very few drinks packages - only when included in the fare (eg Marella), and once on Princess when we had some 'use it or lose it' OBC. I liked the Princess package as it included gratuities and unlimited internet and it had a good drinks selection but then they jacked up the price significantly so the value is different now. NCL's Free at Sea . I think it was you who said elsewhere that you value the shore excursion credit and the limited internet minutes at £0 and I agree. We did enjoy the meal in Moderno and got some value from the drinks but had we not been travelling with a family group who liked the idea of sunny sailaways, cocktails etc we might have just skipped it.

I used to like the coffee cards Princess used to do. You got X number of premium coffees and teas to have when you wanted them (can't remember how many) and also unlimited but better quality regular coffees from the International Cafe. It was also possible to swap the minibar contents for a couple of coffee cards if you were a certain level in the loyalty programme, and you didn't want the minibar stuff.

Maybe NCL like to create a sense of excitement and uncertainty in their passengers prior to sailing! 😁

That applies to anything. It's no excuse for not telling people. If the information were in the T&Cs (even in quite small type!) I personally would have little sympathy with the complainers. Buyer beware, and all that.

I know passengers use social media to share advice and opinions on cruise lines and cruise ships, but it is bonkers that they now seem to have to use social media to find out something as basic as whether they will be able to buy a drink on a forthcoming cruise. NCL know they will not be serving drinks in Greece, except to passengers with drinks packages. Apparently this has been the case for a while. So for God's sake just put it in the T&Cs somewhere - assuming it isn't already - for everyone to see. Some people won't care... and those that do care, can use that information as they see fit. Guest Services would also have something concrete to show passengers who complain on board. It's not hard.

Stale sparkling wine doesn't taste so nice the next day! 😬

Is this another issue exclusive to NCL? Maybe the company should provide information on any such restrictions pre-cruise (rather than on notices displayed on the ships), and then it is up to the individual to decide whether they care or not. 'Buyer beware' and all that.

I'm pretty sure I read on another thread (unfortunately I can't find it now!), that someone challenged this with NCL after their cruise and NCL replied that, as they had pre-bought a drinks package, they had been wrongly charged Spanish tax. If that's the case, it is hard to understand why this practice is continuing.

Yes, it made no sense to me that NCL were charging Spanish tax for a full three days on the notional price of drinks covered by the pre-paid drinks package, on Norwegian Star last autumn. We had done a similar cruise with Celebrity just a few weeks earlier, when the only Celebrity fare available was 'Always Included' (ie drinks package part of the cruise fare). No such taxes were collected then; both cruises sailed from Southampton. I do think that was probably an error on NCL's part (and maybe still is).

I think that app stopped working at the stroke of midnight!!! I know you have probably done this, but check email spam/junk folder..? It amazes me what important documents randomly end up in mine. If not, then I guess NCL have overlooked this.

I just checked the disembarkation instructions from last week (still in my handbag!!!). They state that, if a passenger requested an e-mail copy (either at pre-registration or via the app on board), they will get their final statement that way. For any passengers who did not make that request, a paper copy of the final statement would be delivered to cabins by 4am on the morning of disembarkation.

A copy was emailed to me automatically. It was time-stamped in the early hours of disembarkation morning.

No problem. I kept them all, so I'm happy to look up anything else anyone might need. 🙂

We kept the daily sheets from the Norwegian Star cruise departing 21 May. I can see there were daily meet and greet sessions for solo travellers, held at 5.30pm in the Bliss Lounge.

We quite often get National Express from Victoria to Southampton... usually the 8.30am coach, arriving in Southampton about 10.45am. It has always run on time and been comfortable enough. We are tending to avoid the trains for the time being, given the possibility of strike action.

Good point.

You know, I really don't expect NCL to care about my opinions, or whether I cruise with them again. I mainly look for late bargains and to NCL I'm just a cabin-filler with limited value. I have little loyalty to any one cruise line and I'm happy take my custom elsewhere if I don't like the attitude of a particular company. Plenty of choice ex-UK. NCL aren't the only cruise company that have annoyed me in almost 30 years of cruising but their cack-handed handling of 'Drinksgate' is the worst cruise company PR I've seen in a very, very long time. I feel really sorry for the mostly lovely staff on board who get the brunt of the ****. I guess one question is, does NCL care about the more valuable customers who are regularly shelling out their hard-earned cash for more premium cabins, expensive excursions and the like, and who feel let down? Maybe ultimately it doesn't matter how NCL treats people. 🤔

As a UK cruiser I see this very simply. If I’m sold an unlimited open bar as part of a cruise, then I expect an unlimited open bar. That’s what is advertised over here and that’s what was delivered when I sailed on the Norwegian Star last Autumn out of Southampton. I’m not bothered how the unlimited open bar is packaged and sold in the USA. I am not a US customer and never will be. If there is no unlimited bar when sailing out of the UK – whether that is for a few hours, a few days or the whole cruise – then I expect the cruise company to put that right. NCL can decide to put that right in a way that satisfies their customers (ideally speedily, because ill-feeling festers when problems are not resolved quickly enough). Alternatively they can annoy and upset people further, as they appear to have done. Their choice. I don’t actually care very much what problems NCL have had with the UK authorities, between last Autumn and now. That should be their worry, not mine, although honesty and transparency matter - at least in my book. If NCL want to retain the option of not delivering the unlimited open bar in certain ports, without compensating customers, then perhaps they should amend their T&Cs so everyone knows where they stand, and those who dislike that sort of treatment can take their custom elsewhere.

I got the feeling, from reading the other lengthy 'Drinksgate' thread, that the root cause of many people's unhappiness was the lack of honesty from the cruise company. Hoping passengers would believe the UK had suddenly changed its laws and sprung them on NCL was pretty much the pits. Not many people feel affection for companies that try to pull the wool over their eyes. I noticed on Norwegian Star that most passengers were from USA. Did NCL hope that those passengers would be more likely to believe a story about UK tax changes, I wonder? I doubt many UK passengers sailing regularly out of Southampton would believe it.

I have just sailed on the Norwegian Star too, with the Free at Sea package. There were no restrictions on alcohol service, although - and this is bizarre - on Belfast evening a member of the staff in Ginza brought out the dreaded 'we can't serve alcohol because of UK regs etc but those with drinks packages may be served'. He wiped the notice clean and placed it prominently on the bar counter. That notice was displayed nowhere else on the ship as far as I could tell. Presumably the message didn't reach Ginza - who knows?!! 🤔 I did have an e-mail from P&O (in response to a query I sent off during 'Drinksgate') to say that NCL were the only company sailing out of the UK who were operating a 'no alcohol because of UK Regs' policy. Other competing cruise lines watching that fiasco must have been laughing with glee. Hopefully we've seen the end of the nonsense.

There's nothing to stop NCL compensating their crew for any gratuities they missed out on, as a result of NCL's own incompetence.