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Isn't the Viva inaugural cruise on August 26, 2023?

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/norwegian-cruise-line-delays-norwegian-vivas-debut-to-august-2023

The information is old but I can't seem to find anything concrete and was just wondering.

One time while staying in the Haven, we went on a small group sailing excursion set up by a fellow CC-er.  We met a lovely, fun family of 4 that we hadn't seen before and had a great time.  All "Average Joes" enjoying new regular people.

A day later, we ran into each other at the Haven pool, smiled and simultaneously said "We didn't think you were "Haven people" " to each other!  It was a funny reminder that you can't and shouldn't judge books by their covers.  (Keeping in mind how few people read physical books these days, haha.)

We're regular Joe's who live very ordinary, hard working lives at home.  We just love to stay in the Haven or suite cabins when we can get good discounts and what passes for a "reasonable" price these days because it helps make our vacation memories even more special. 

Have we met snobs in the Haven?  Extremely rarely.  Have we met some uncouth low-lives there?  You betcha... but fortunately, also very rarely!  🙂 

Can you have a really great and memorable vacation at a lower price point than the Haven and suites on NCL?  Definitely!  Can staying in the Haven make a trip extra special?  Absolutely.     

Hope the OP can find things that make his trip wonderful despite the obstacles.

6 hours ago, cassie55 said:

I'll start by saying we are Sapphire latitudes around 1 cruise off Diamond level and are loyal (up to now) NCL cruisers.  

 

We were given FCCs of £600 each that we had to use by a year from our previous cruise.  Due to work and family commitments we were struggling to find something but there is a cruise that leaves 2 days after that deadline. Our travel agent didn't think that a big deal but has contacted several depts in NCL and escalated it but NCL says no.

 

I could understand if I was asking for months or even weeks extension but this is TWO days. What difference does it really make?

 

I work for an airline, we are far more flexible bending the rules for our higher levels frequent flyers as we recognise loyalty but that doesn't seems to apply to NCL sadly.

 

We love the service and experience we get onboard but very disappointed that NCL won't accommodate (what we think is) a very small adjustment. 

I had a similar situation with a 10% FCC that I was able to get extended for a month. 

Do not bother going through your TA.  I've tried that many times for assorted requests and each time my TA was denied.  I then go directly to NCL and usually have gotten my reasonable request granted (to my TA's surprise).  The key is that the request be fair and reasonable which I feel this is.  

I also always e-mail as I feel a request made in writing is better than explaining myself over and over to different people at NCL on the phone... many of whom do not have the authority to make the decision any way.

A brief, extremely polite request to Katty Bird outlining the issues and requesting the reasonable accommodation usually works for me.  I had an answer agreeing to the FCC request I outlined above within a day.

It never hurts to ask... Good luck!

On 5/8/2023 at 2:11 PM, Sthrngary said:

My approach is simply to wait until I can snag a Haven Suite at $2,100 to $2,500 per guest again.  My older sister wants to do her first cruise.  I was honest with her, it might take a while for those prices to get to some level of normality.  If you are only going to cruise once in live, I want her to cruise in the Haven.  She was a good older sister. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Those are very good prices for a Haven suite for a 7 night cruise.   Is that "all in" or just the advertised fare per person?  Also, what type of Haven suite are you talking about for that price range? 

And it would be wonderful for your older sister to get to experience the Haven someday... hopefully soon.

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

THIS may be your best shot.

 

you could make a direct appeal to NCL stating that until "recently" you were prevented by government regulations from traveling freely. and that NCL FCC restrictions don't acknowledge that.

 

chances of success with that line of reasoning are better than simply saying the expiration deadline is unfair. this strategy assumes that you accurately represent the governmental travel restriction and it very much depends on how you define "recently." if it's a year, as you mentioned in the beginning of that sentence, then your plea may not be successful at all, as a year would generally be considered adequate time to plan and take a cruise, under the original terms.

Absolutely agree... we were able to get a second extension on a 10% FCC due a concise, reasonable and politely worded e-mail.  Give it a whirl.

18 hours ago, cmecruise1962 said:

I was in the Vibe last year and a group of 50 something’s would go down and bring plates piled with pizza and eat it in the hot tub…yuck!  I never questioned it, but I could see them saying it was “pre-ordered” to take it all!

OK... that is REALLY gross.  What's next?  Eating the pizzas in the public bathrooms?

3 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

The fact the chef did not have the order ready and had to substitute pre made pizza is also not the customers problem, it's the chefs error.

The chef did not make the substitution... the greedy, impatient people (who allegedly "pre-ordered") cut to the front of the line and just took the pizzas that were there for those on line to make their selection from.

They should have talked to the staff and waited til their allegedly "pre-ordered" pie(s) were done.  Their piggy, entitled actions are indefensible.

I would possibly consider agreeing with your statements had the chef removed the pizzas from their side of the counter and discreetly handed the pies to those people at a different location at the counter.  That is not what happened according to the OP.

2 hours ago, OrangeCatRamblers said:

Last week on the Prima, a group cut the buffet line to say that they had "pre ordered" several pizzas during lunch. It seemed like their order wasn't ready when they wanted it to be, so they just took whole pizzas that were ready. 

 

My question is - is it common knowledge that you can pre order buffet pizzas, and is it socially acceptable to take a whole pizza when others behind you are in line for pizza? I had never before heard of ordering buffet food. 

 

They told me, by way of apology (?) that they needed enough lunch pizza for their group of 21. 

That is incredibly rude and entitled and takes a hell of a nerve! 

I agree... you didn't pay twice.  I booked a cruise last Sept and that code did not show up on my NCL invoice until AFTER I prepaid the DSC in late Dec 2023 and got my revised NCL confirmation.  I have a clear before and after "snapshot".

I'm a little anal about the details and always ask for the NCL confirmation in addition to my TA's confirmation paperwork.  I like to compare them for accuracy and also check the actual NCL codes as they do not show up on my TA's confirmations.

Not all the codes are "promo" codes.

On 4/7/2023 at 11:27 AM, Sthrngary said:

My Travel Agent is extremely successful and has been doing her job for over a decade. 

 

In each situation, she went up the ladder and got nowhere.  I then did what I always do.  I wrote a very well thought out letter, used all the information I had to verify my position.  I never threatened, ever.  That is the trick.  I felt that I was done wrong, but I knew if I threatened, it would not help my position.  Instead, I asked for a fair resolution as a customer courtesy.  I sent those letters out once a week to the top five executives of the cruise brand registered mail.

 

Each and every time in a week or two, the issue was resolved.  My Travel Agent always asks me how I did it because it frustrated her that she could not do the same thing for me.  The reason my friends is I was passionate about the situation and never gave up. Be nice, be fair and be professional with your approach.  Never give up if you really believe you are right.

I adopt the same technique with polite, concise, respectful and reasonable letters to resolve my issues when NCL has done wrong or fell short... and have always prevailed after my TA was denied (she's been doing it for 25 years)...  she too asks how I do it, haha.   I had a good laugh and massive deja vu reading Southern Gary account of his experiences. 

I also feel like things were simpler to get fixed 5 years and more ago when the first person you called at NCL seemed to have more authority to fix problems.  These days, it seems whoever answers the phone to help you is ruled by NCL's myriad (and confusing) promo codes and if it's not "in the computer", their hands are tied and you're forced to elevate it to a higher power where getting an override often proves impossible.  Hence the need for tenacity (my middle name when blatant unfairness and injustice is involved) and those passionate letters requesting satisfaction when you are clearly in the right!

Southern Gary hit the nail on the head with all his posts (as usual).  🙂

Was this one ever confirmed?

Will be following... and as a fellow caregiver (short term for me), I wish you a wonderful and very well-deserved respite!

57 minutes ago, Htomlin41203 said:

Imagine booking a celebration  dinner at a small restaurant.  When you get there, half the restaurant is booked for a party that also includes music.  It changes the experience, right?

 

BINGO!  This is exactly what happened to us a month ago.  What was supposed to be a quiet evening catching up with another couple turned into a deafening hour and half when the shindig started halfway through the meal.  We all had raging headaches by the end of the meal and couldn't hear each other speak.

48 minutes ago, Greenpea2 said:

It’s a little wrinkled and blurry but I think you can read it ok. DH had the pita pocket and the hotdog. I had the chicken Caesar wrap and we shared the tempura veggies. There were also fries and chips that came. Way too much food but really really good. 

Thank you... that's perfect!

11 minutes ago, Greenpea2 said:

We had lunch on the sun deck via the Sundeck snack menu”. Don’t let them fool you. They are not snacks! Big portions. And so good that we scarfed down as much as we could before even thinking of taking photos. Bad me. 

Is there a sundeck snack menu you could share with us?

On 2/24/2023 at 2:52 PM, ChiefMateJRK said:

I've checked three accounts (myself, DW and DD).  Nadda.  What do we have in common?  Similar recent cruise history.  Similar future bookings.  Live in the same place.  We all have a lot of future bookings, including three (DW and I) and one (DD) to AK this year.  All we have is that crappy April 16 Escape coupon that is largely worthless due to the already dirt cheap price of the cruise.

Same here...  BOO, HISS!

28 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

Great deal and good for you!

 

I want a coupon.  I am going to be obsessing about it all day now.

Me too!  😉

2 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

Well, I'm back from my adventure in GC, and I accomplished pretty much everything I wanted to do, albeit with a few minor hiccups... Roti at Sing's, check. Swimming in the ocean, check. Cuban cigars, check... I'm about to get in the shower again, and then I'll try and get caught up... See ya soon...

My husband loves Old Havana... what cigars did you wind up getting?  We're living vicariously through your adventures.  😉

Just saw your later post that the pickings were slim.

39 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

We have actually split a single credit (4 items) between three people at lunch.  That works great when you just had breakfast a few hours ago and have an early dinner reservation.

Do they allow that at dinner?

27 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

Get yourself a "dry-bag" like the one I've linked below that is large enough to take your camera and one lens already mounted.  Use a towel from the ship to act as padding since these bags are not padded.  This is the setup I use if I'm going on any excursion that will require me to be on a smaller moving boat (snorkeling, lot's of photo opportunities to/from the snorkle site ), hiking (waterfalls), or canoeing (don't flip the boat!).

Beach excursions, forget it unless you have a partner to keep an eye on things.
 

And don't forget to test the bag before the trip!

https://smile.amazon.com/Earth-Pak-Waterproof-Dry-Bag/dp/B06XCYF9F9/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=360LM60REZ26Q&keywords=waterproof%2Bbag&qid=1675201330&sprefix=waterproof%2Bba%2Caps%2C87&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFDMzVHSkJDWEoxTEomZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2NTg2MjlaUUNaUkVEVUY5VzQmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDU5NTc3MTMxQllZT0YxQjFaMUkmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1&psc=1

 

Which size bag do you use?

1 hour ago, mertziek said:

We returned from our cruise on the Jewel on Jan 26.  I checked my credit card and see the charges I expected  for that cruise on Jan 26 but I have two charges for NCL Sky dated on Jan 24 and Jan 25 which I did not generate.  We were never on the Sky.  Who do I contact at NCL to get this resolved?

Mind-boggling...  NCL seems to never fail to surprise when it comes to billing...  though this seems to be new tactic to increase sales.  Hope your issues resolve without too much effort on your part.... though that might be too much to hope for!   🙃😉   Best of luck!  Billing for ships you've never sailed on is a definitely a new one!

It's laughable... what can it all mean? 

Mine says "LATITUDES" and my husband's says "UNION+PRIVILEGE"... Huh?

Plus, we never gamble... the mystery continues.

We've done it at other ports... should be possible.

And, sadly, Sthrngary drops the mic...

Thank YOU so very much for all your insights and advice on Haven (and Haven-Lite) cruising always offered with gentlemanly courtesy, intelligence and humbleness. 

Will you be over on the Oceania forums giving the same level of detailed information and tips?  Would love to follow you over there as we consider our future cruising choices.

Cruise well, sir and adieux... or dare we hope au revoir?  😉