NEW 2 CRUISIN

I completed check-in today, and it was an adventure compared to the last time I checked in with NCL!

Here are some tips to prevent some confusion and save time:

*  One piece of advice I can give is to watch the "auto-fill" if you have that activated on your computer!

It was continuously entering MY info for others I was checking in, and resulted in some "error" messages if I did not catch it before submitting.

*  Also, with the first person I checked in (ME), you have to go to the Covid Test site to register before you can move on.  While there, you have the ability to add the rest of the folks in your party.

Yet....when you get to the check-in screen for the other travellers, it still makes you click the button to go there, even though you just added them.  Better safe than sorry, I guess, but added time and confusion to each person I checked in after me.

*  One area NCL (and other lines) could make it easier is checking in more than one cabin at a time, without the need for separate log ins.

*  Lastly, before starting the checkin process, another tip is to make sure you have a PHOTO ready to download for each member of your party.  This will save some time, as it is a security requirement and you cannot move on without one!

GOOD LUCK...and HAPPY SAILS!!  

We'll be on the JOY for the first time in April!

Glad to hear you are enjoying your cruise so far!

On 10/12/2021 at 7:05 AM, kenzie said:

I find it frustrating that when travelling with more than 1 cabin as family, it is not practical to enter a bid in case one gets upgraded to Haven and the other does not. 

This is exactly why the system will not work for us too, which is crazy, because we could pay for 2 upgrades at once, but would prefer to be located near each other…or be able to move the 2 cabins into 1 suite cabin with no hassles.

On 12/20/2021 at 2:21 PM, Sand and Seas said:

I'm happy they are continuing testing at the pier.  We will still get a test prior to boarding the plane, but the 48 hrs rule made it tough if you wanted to stay a day or two prior to embarkation,

This is exactly what I am worried about for our February cruise!

We have a land vacation planned before boarding the ship and there doesnt seem to be any "approved" testing locaitons near where we will be traveling.

If we fly to our port city a day before the cruise and somehow manage to locate one of the approved test locations, (or maybe even a local pharmacy like CVS or Walgreen?)....will we have the results back in time to board the ship the following morning?

Guess we wiull be spending our day before the cruise UBER-ing to a test site with our fingers crossed!  

Also...how do they communicate the test results?  By email? Text? Hard Copy?  

Would it juist be better to pay at the pier.....unclear if that will stiull be an option or not?  

That policy is good if cruise passengers are going directly from their home to the pier, but how are people going to handle the test requirement if they are already on a land vacation before their cruise?

(For example....flying in to go to Disney World for a couple days, and then crusing out of Fort Lauderdale or Miami.)

How easy it is to find and use one of the "preferred vendors" for a test 2 days before you head for the pier, per NCLs letter?  On the map there doesn't look to be any very close to anywhere we will be traveling before our February cruise.....

This has been the hardest cruise I ever had to plan...and I always enjoyed that part of it as munch as the actual cruise!  And this is the 2nd time I've had to "re-plan" it! 

Oh well....I'll defintiely appreciate the cruise more after working through this one!  HAHA!

Always something.... 😕

 What about Cap’n Crunch?

 Nobody calls him Captain Berries! 

1 minute ago, cruisestitch said:

its a credit on their SeaPass account (stateroom bill)

Thank You!

I was confusing Holland America, I think, where we actually could buy a physical gift card to "swipe" for each purchase.

Appreciate the quick reply!  👍

Do they have "physical plastic gift cards" to use....or is it just a credit on the room bill?

Thanks!

On 5/9/2019 at 10:24 AM, vtcruising said:

I do have to say that I'm intrigued by the alcoves. They look cozy and have views of the ocean. I'm sure I would hit my head on those hanging lamps. 🙂   I will be interested to hear how people like them.

 

The only issue is......THEY APPEAR TO BE INHABITED BY GHOSTS!!!  🤣

Hello All!

When purchasing On-Board Credit online through the Celebrity Bon Voyage Department,

is there an option to order for different cabins during the ordering process?

I was hoping to buy some for all 3 of our booked cabins in one transaction, but made it to checkout page and didn't want to proceed until I found out.

Otherwise, I suppose I would need to do 3 separate transactions?

Also, will they give each room a physical "gift card" to use for purchases, or is it just a credit on their bill?

I'm wondering how the other cabins will know we are surprising them with some credit to use (without me having to awkwardly explain it to them) ??

Thanks so much!

🙂

3 hours ago, sawyershane said:

Thank you all for the suggestions. I have been on trip advisor and other sites. I will keep looking  around but these were good to start with. I have almost a year to decide.

Let us know what you find!!  

On 4/10/2019 at 3:19 PM, Windsorontario said:

For the lunch....what if you are a vegetarian?  Do they accommodate that or do you get what you get. 

Ask before you book on the ship!

The courses are listed on the show menu and are prepared and "timed" to be served at different points in the show....which leads to the next "tasting".

The meal started out with a salad, but I don't recall if they offered a vegetarian entree or not!

We loved it!

We did it on the Breakaway earlier this month.

What a fun addition to the programming!

It's about 75 minutes long, and you eat your lunch (salad, rolls, steak, and shrimp) while the musical is being presented. 

Within the musical script, you will be told which of the 5 wines to taste, how to "sniff, swish, and spit", and all about the characteristics of the wine you are tasting.

With the dessert course, a 6th glass of sparkling dessert wine is served to coincide with the finale of the show.

It was cute and well done!

Sharp-eyed cruisers will recognize the performers from the "Rock of Ages" cast!

I fun way to spend an afternoon!

And for those of yo not used to drinking 3 or more glasses of wine with lunch...ENJOY YOUR MID-AFTERNOON NAP IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING!!  

21 hours ago, Grungycat said:

Where do you purchase vibe passes on the breakaway ?😎

Thanks 

Guest Services Desk as soon as you board.

GOOD LUCK!  

On 10/7/2018 at 5:29 PM, Sterling said:

Greetings!

So when the ability to make reservations at the specialty restaurants and MDRs came up, I made a bunch of reservations. Now I’m regretting having so many things “scheduled”.

How hard is it to get into places without reservations on Breakaway? Part of me just wants to cancel them and play it by ear.

I agree!

Having to schedule dinners and shows so far in advance - just to be able to actually get them - takes some of the fun out of a vacation for me, too!

Don't worry about not having all of your dinner reservations finalized before the cruise.

You can always cancel, make, or change them on the ship!  We are just off the Breakaway Transatlantic, and we found there to be openings in most restaurants every night by checking the lighted touch screen boards all over the ship.  It's easy to see what's available and reserve a table at any of them!  (I can't speak for Teppanyaki, as we would never go there anyway, but I see some folks posting that this fills up quick if you really want to go there!)

We managed to get into everything we wanted with no trouble at all.  The only time to book in advance is if it is for a special occasion....or you simply must be someplace on a specific night.

FULL DISCLOSURE:  While we GOT every meal and show we wanted, there are still venues on the Breakaway that ALWAYS required waiting in line for an hour - even if you have reserved seats!  (I'm talking to YOU, Headliners, Breakaway Theater, and Speigel Tent!!!)  😠

HAVE FUN and ENJOY YOUR CRUISE!

It was an amazing crossing and re-entry into NY!

About midnight the light rain stopped and the air cleared up so we could see the lights from the City very clearly.

Shortly after passing under the bridge, we got great shots of the Statue of Liberty and the City skyline on the way to the Pier.

Sailing in or out of NY is always a "goose-bump-inducing" experience, but the (very) early morning entry was spectacular!

We were at the dock and safely secured by about 2AM -- just enough time to catch 4 hours of sleep before breakfast and disembarkation!

19 hours ago, zitsky said:

Do we just use one copy or the other?  When I printed my eDocs today, they look the same.  I was expecting one page to say "Pax 1" and the other to say "Pax 2".

I did try searching for this.  But either search is not working or I'm not using it right.

Just one copy per cabin will work!

All the info for BOTH guests is in the bar code they scan on the Cruise Docs!

HAVE FUN! 

BREAKAWAY = NO STRAWS!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I didn't have time to read through all of the posts, but we just got back from the Trans-Atlantic cruise and wanted to confirm for the Breakaway.

Incidentally, we knew this ahead of time and brought our own straws.  We were the most popular folks at the bar as we freely shared our paper straws with anyone who asked!  (They are so cheap and easy to pack and carry!)

The severs at dinners almost always noticed and commented about the straws to us, saying what a smart idea it was to research and bring our own.  I could tell they were tired of having to explain the "no straws" policy to diners every day!  HAHA!

I can't speak for your experience of 3 years ago, but we are just off the Breakaway Trans-Atlantic and our experience was that Cagney's and LeBistro were both excellent!

LaCucina had just (the very day we dined there) instituted a new "less Olive Garden-ish" menu that we thought was an improvement, but heard others complaining because there was no lasagna or chicken am on the menu. 

Incidentally, our meal at LaCucina was our least favorite of the 4, but also the most expensive if actually paid for "a la cart" with cash...which would not have been worth it! 

Also....Don't worry about not having all of your reservations finalized before the cruise, as we found there to be openings in most restaurants every night by checking the touch screen boards all over the ship.  By scanning your room key, its easy to see what's available and reserve a table at any of them!

HAVE FUN!!!

PayPal is the way to go to avoid this situation in the future.

I was a late-comer to using it, but it’s really the easiest and best way to go!

Once your transportation or tour is arranged, the first (X) number of people to pay via PayPal get to go on the tour. Others miss out.

If they are serious, the money is in your account the same day....then you can post about any available spaces you might still have left for others.

GOOD LUCK!!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

If the airline changed your flight time, they should be able to get you an earlier flight instead of a later one for no extra charge. Just call them instead of waiting around for an answer here.

That’s been our experience every time, which happens frequently when we book far in advance!

First response and still best answer!

On hour to spare = ZERO minutes when traveling for a cruise!

Something as simple as, fog, the arrival gate not being empty when you land, luggage taking longer than usual, walking the wrong direction, local transportation strike, or ANYTHING that goes wrong is likely to take up that whole “hour to spare” you were counting on.

Take the advice of many here and change your plans to arrive earlier.

Hopefully you’ve already done so by now!

GOOD LUCK! :)

If the airline changed your flight time, they should be able to get you an earlier flight instead of a later one for no extra charge. Just call them instead of waiting around for an answer here.

That’s been our experience every time, which happens frequently when we book far in advance!

We have been on three NCL cruises this year so far (although not Europe) and all have sailed over capacity.

Over capacity?

Really?

[emoji849]

.....

 

Not upset necessarily, just trying to understand exactly what the issue is. I was told twice that it was a technical issue, once that I would be able to bid in a week (by phone reps) and then just got an email saying that I was not eligible. I would rather they just tell me I was not eligible up front instead of giving me the "run around". I have never bid before for a room. Was interested in seeing what it all entailed. Maybe they will fix this spa situation in the near future.

I hear ya!

Though was not addressing my comment to any specific post, as it’s just the way NCL (and others) work sometime.

I honestly think the Customer Service reps simply don’t know the answers. They were told HOW it works, but not how to address the exceptions.

In our experience (and others on CC), they still have trouble getting specialty dinners and excursions booked and billed properly, so I expected a longer learning curve when the “bidding war” was introduced.

Hopefully they’ll figure it out in time.

Or at least have a unified reply for those who inquire! [emoji6]

As with any other new program, the glitches still need to get worked out. I’m not sure why so many people are getting upset with the system, when a few months ago the option didn’t even exist! HAHA! Oh well.....

One thing is for sure, they need to fix the “spa” issue because that last thing any of us want is an over-crowded spa areas caused by double bookings!! Now THAT would be a tragedy! HAHA!

“Innovation without pain is just luck.” - ME