sunandsnow

One needs to base their decisions on their personal comfort levels regarding cruising during Covid. March 2020 we we had a Tahiti cruise planned. Three days before we were to fly to Tahiti our cruise was canceled. The port closed. The ship we were to cruise on couldn't port. They continued on to Hawaii which closed their port. They were only able to dock because the ship was having problems. Also during that time our child was stuck in lockdown in Peru for 10 days before getting home. Last month we found a cruise in Europe for April.  We booked our flights and were just going to finalize our cruise booking when Omicron hit. I'm glad we didn't book. We lost money on our canceled cruise March 2020. We are still trying to use airline credits. We are fully vaccinated and boosted but people who are still can get Omicron (news yesterday from Symphony of the Seas cases). When I cruise again I would like to think I could go to the ports I've booked. With Covid there is always a chance that you will not be able to port. We also like to book independent shore excursions. Bottom line for me is how much money am I willing to lose? Will I be content to just stay on the ship if ports close? Am I willing to go through the anxiety of all the testing? Did that recently for a Canada vacation.

I'll rethink our plans after the January Covid numbers are posted and see what happens during the next few months on cruises.

We love to cruise but we can also travel other ways right now too that seem easier.

We received our full refund on June 11 back to our AMEX card. We requested a refund on March 23rd for our March 20 Tahiti cruise. Prior to NCL canceling our cruise we requested our gratuities to be canceled. Our TA did that on March 13. We were told it would take 7 to 10 days for the credit to our cc. We never received the canceled gratuities credit until June 11 when they were included with our cruise fare.

Interestingly we received an email last week from NCL saying our refund was being processed and we would receive the refund in 7 to 10 days. We actually were refunded the $ on June 11 before we even got the email.

We started a dispute a month ago with AMEX. We received a several page explanation from NCL stating that we were not eligible for a refund because we canceled the cruise. NCL canceled because the ship wasn't allowed to dock in Tahiti. So we reopened the dispute. Luckily we received our refund from NCL. We closed our cc dispute. Glad to have our refund. Our refund ended up happening at around 80 days. Check your credit card statement.  You may find a nice surprise.

Good luck everyone. Hope you receive your refund soon.

Our cruise was canceled on March 13. I canceled our pre paid gratuities around March 10. We filled put the refund request. We have not received any $ including the gratuities which we were told would be about a week.

I find it interesting that those who are canceling future cruises before final payment are receiving their refunds within weeks and we continue to wait at least 90 days. I'm guessing it's because as soon as they refund the future cruise they can then rebook the stateroom.

Wish they were as fast with cruises they canceled. 

We had a cruise to Tahiti scheduled for March 20. We prepaid our gratuities. We canceled them on March 10. We were told it would be 7 to 10 business days to be refunded. On March 13 NCL cancelled our cruise. Our online TA refunded our $. Again stated 7 to 10 days. Then NCL changed policy and said we had to fill out the new refund form around March 24th. Now 90 days for refund. It's been 30 days. We haven't even received the promised gratuities

Time to call AMEX.

Enjoying your posts. Made me smile. We should be on our Tahiti cruise instead I fixed dinner for 6 tonight. At least it was in the 40's today. Colder with rain in the forecast.  Maybe I'll sit on our deck this week with an umbrella and dream....

6 days. Oh wait! Cruise to Tahiti canceled.

We were scheduled to sail March 20 out of Tahiti. NCL informed us yesterday it was canceled. Our TA refunded our $ yesterday to our credit card. Happy to have the cash.

We were scheduled to sail on the March 20 cruise from Tahiti.  Two days ago the French Polynesia government shut down their islands to cruise ships. I found out on our roll call. NCL notified our travel agent today our cruise was canceled. We have a call into our TA to cancel for full refund. Haven't heard back from him yet. We were offered full refund or FCC plus 25% FCC. We were scheduled to fly to Tahiti on the 17th. 

If CC knew 2 days ago I'm  sure NCL did. It has been difficult changing everything 4 days out. We have Delta flights and can't call until 72 hrs prior (if you can get through). I feel sorry for everyone who leaves tomorrow and was just notified.

The Feb 28 cruise that we were supposed to board could not stop in Tahiti and had to go to the nearest port which was Fiji. Passengers have been in the dark about what is happening with their cruise shortened by a week. They are receiving updates through CC.

Leaving on March 20 from Papeete Tahiti I found out through CC roll call about the required medical certificate to fly this week. No info from Delta, NCL or our TA about requirements to fly. I'm  guessing there will be a lot of passengers without the info that will not be allowed to board the plane.

We like the entertainment and food better on Royal. 

We can use our OBC for gratuities on Royal. Found out the last night on our NCL cruise we couldn't. I ended up buying jewelry that I didn't need or really want.  I'm not sure why it would even matter to NCL what the OBC is used for.

We are renting a car before our cruise. We chose Avis by the port. Hertz prices seem a lot cheaper. They do not include unlimited mileage. They charge for mileage.

We wanted a car to explore the island.

On Feb. 2 sailing. My husband had 12 cans of Dr. Pepper in his backpack. No problem. Our friends had 2 12 packs of soda. They put a luggage tag on them. No problem.

We just returned from a 9 day cruise and had a great time. A few differences between NCL and RC but very similar. I think the My Time Dining for NCL is easier - you don't need reservations. You can just walk up on RC too but the wait might be awhile. I think there are more activities on RC.

There is a large hot tub in the gym that was a nice temp (not luke warm). I also like the fact that the sauna and steam room in the gym are free.

Be aware that room service is $7.95.

I like to walk outside on Deck 4 (3 laps around is 1 mile). Can go up the stairs on the bow to the helipad.

Café promenade is open 24 hours. In the evening the WJ has themed nights. They are listed in the cruise compass. We like Mongolian night. If you like Indian food - they have some good curries in the WJ. For breakfast in the WJ, there are 3 omelet stations (one in the back and one on each side). The MDR breakfast and lunch menus are available to look at in the MDR on Deck 3. Lunch took us about 1 hour. We didn't eat breakfast there this time.

You will see different clothing items on formal night from tuxes and evening gowns to dress pants and shirts (with and without ties) for men and dresses or pants for women. No shorts in the MDR but you can wear shorts and T-shirts in the WJ. Not sure how much they enforce the rules because people were wearing shorts during lunch in the MDR.

Good views from the Cosmopolitan Club. Use aft elevators to go to Deck 14.

I missed having the large BBQ's at the pool and outside dining areas.

Have fun on your cruise!!

Just sailed on Feb. 2. My Time Dining was on Deck 5

We were on the same sailing and had a great time. RC and NCL are very similar. We did My Time Dining for the first time on RC. We usually do traditional. NCL's dining is easier. No need to make reservations and very little wait to be seated. Food was very comparable. I do think that RC has more activities than NCL. On the Navigator I missed having food poolside and having a place to eat outside.

Labadee: We found a nice shady spot under palm trees on Columbus Cove beach. We tipped the guy a couple of bucks for our lounge chairs. Bring cash if you want to buy anything from the markets.

Curacao: We pre booked a tour with Andy from private curacao tours. We had a customized 6 hour tour for 4. He was great. I explained our tour on the Curacao port board. Highly recommend.

Bonaire: I tried to book a snorkeling tour with Woodwind and they were full. We booked a tour with EPIC. It was okay. After we walked around the town and craft market.

Aruba: My husband did a 2 tank dive with RC. I walked from the ship into town along the beach from the Renaissance Hotel, governor's beach to surfside beach. It was a nice walk. Not very many people. Walked through the town. We have been to Aruba before and toured the island on our own in an SUV rental.

Staff was very good. Wish I was still on the ship. Shoveled a foot of snow yesterday and it's 20 degrees for high today.

Great review. We just returned from the Feb. 2nd 9 day ABC sailing. We had a great time. Staff was good, Food was good. We had My Time Dining. We ate most of our dinners in the MDR. Only a few items weren't great. We did eat one evening in the WJ because we like the Mongolian theme night. We ate all breakfasts in the WJ and most lunches except for port days. We did have one lunch in the MDR which was very good (it took about an hour). We never felt the need to eat at any specialty restaurants. I tend to eat mostly chicken so why pay for a meal at Chops? There is plenty of entertainment throughout the day/evening to keep busy. Embarkation and disembarking were quick. A couple of cons but nothing to ruin our vacation. We have cruised the most with RC but have also cruised other lines. We do cruises and land vacations. RC still puts out a pretty good product.

We recently returned from Navigator of the Seas Feb. 2, 2018 sailing. We pre-arranged a private customized 6 hour island tour for four with Andy of private curacao tours. Money was paid after the tour. Andy was a great guide and we had a fantastic time. We snorkeled with turtles, went to Shete Boka National Park to see the rugged coastline and blowholes. Went to several beaches for photo ops. Ate lunch at a local café, went to a plantation house and saw wild flamingos. Highly recommend pre-booking a customized tour. He responded quickly to our emails. You can read reviews on Trip Advisor.

We recently returned from Navigator of the Seas Feb. 2, 2018 sailing. Curacao was one of our favorite ports because of our tour guide Andy with private curacao tours. We booked our tour prior to the sailing (money was paid after the tour). We had a customized private tour for 4. He was quick to respond to our emails. We emailed him with suggestions of some of the things we wanted to do during our 6 hour tour. We met Andy at the RIF fort about a 10 min. walk from the ship. We went through the historic town by the floating markets and bridge. We drove around the East side where people live and stopped at the man-made Mambo beach for a quick look. We stopped at a small market for some drinks and drove past the airport. We stopped at Shete Boka National Park to see the rugged coastline and blowholes. We chose to snorkel at two different places with turtles (Playa Piscada and Playa Lagun). My husband and I have our own snorkel equipment but he did provide snorkeling gear for our friends. We stopped at Kenepa Grandi and little Kenepa for photos. The beaches were beautiful and the water was turquoise. We saw Playa Forti where they cliff jump. We ate lunch at El Rancho Sabino. We stopped at a Plantation house and saw wild flamingos at the salt plains. He dropped us off at the DUSHI sign in the shopping area. He would've taken us back to the ship if we wanted to. Andy was a great guide. He was very informative and answered all of our questions. Highly recommended him.

Thanks for the heads up. We too had a reservation in two weeks and cancelled. We booked a private tour.

We are going with EPIC in Feb. They have good reviews on Trip Advisor.

I have leather coats from Italy, Turkey and Spain. Scarves from different countries in Europe. Swimsuit cover ups and flip flops from Caribbean islands and always a piece of jewelry. We just returned from a Panama canal cruise where my husband bought me an emerald necklace in Colombia and Jade earrings in Guatemala (both countries are known for their emeralds and jade). It's always fun to wear the items and remember the port we were in when we purchased the item. Memory game for each of us!

We usually end up with a few T-shirts too. My husband usually always seems to buy a leather belt and wallet.

We recently returned 2/28/16 from our 14 day Panama Canal cruise on the Jewel. We used the public side of the Haven area a couple of times. We were the only ones using the area when we were there. There is a closed gate at the bottom of the stairs that looks like it is closed to access but is not. At the top of the stairs there is another gate that is also closed but not locked. The chairs are more comfortable - large wicker lounges and side tables. There is no shade. It is quiet. Pool music, bathrooms and drinks are not convenient.

If you want a quiet available chair - it is the place to go.

We usually sail on RCCL and use our OBC for gratuities. Last year we were on the Jade and received OBC from our TA. We had planned on using it towards our gratuities (like we usually do). On the second to last day of our 10 day cruise we received a letter from the ship stating that it was non-refundable and we would lose it if we did not use it. At that point it was too late to book specialty dining and we had already planned our day at port for the next day. Rather than lose the money I went and bought a ring in the jewelry store.

Double check if your OBC is refundable or non-refundable. If it is non-refundable plan on using it onboard since it can't be used for tips.

After returning home, I did read on cc that there is a way that you can cash it in at the casino and then use it for tips.

Thanks for taking the time to post a review. We board the Jewel in a few days for the Panama Canal.