xfer

I'm curious about this too. We were on a Norwegian sailing that stopped at Norfolk coming back from the Bahamas. They made us exit the ship, walk a short loop on the pier and then get back on the ship. The customs officers were in the theater and there were long lines as we walked this odd loop through the theater, off the ship and then back on. But it didn't take that long, since the line kept moving.

It was very fast getting off the ship once we were back in New York. Since a lot of passengers hand carry their luggage in New York, it probably saved us time overall. 

I booked without free at sea on my prior sailing. About a month out, the price dropped for a slightly upgraded cabin with the drink package. Norwegian will gladly let you upgrade your room, as long as the upgrade costs money. 

For example, if my original booking was $2000 (no drinks), and an upgraded cabin with drinks costs more than $2000, I can pay to upgrade and get the drinks package. 

As long as you don't need to book a certain type of cabin, like an aft balcony, then I recommend getting the cheapest cabin you can get and keep an eye on prices. Chances are they will drop as they try to fill up the ship last minute. (At least for sailings in 2022). You might get those drinks for a lot cheaper. 

Search for  "NCL Cruise Next Certificate buy sell". It's well moderated and gives information on how to go about the process. The discounted ones sell quickly, since most people try to sell them for what they originally paid. 

They told me they won't do anything if they are less than 15 days out to the cruise (but that doesn't mean it's true for all sailings). Also, they said that the upgrade has to be at least $1 more. Alternatively, if there was at least $200 difference, they would give me 25% as FCC. 

Just got back from a wonderful time on the Norwegian Escape. I took pictures of the dailies each day and thought I would share. Thank you to everyone who contributes here at Cruise Critic, I'm not sure I would have booked this cruise without all your information and support.

Link to Dailies on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/gp/194593768@N03/38e8H1

16 hours ago, deliver42 said:

Nice balcony.

I actually snorted when I read this comment after watching the video. Holy Shirtballs, that's a fantastic balcony!

10 hours ago, Yinster said:

Have you ever thought of writing Gary? You have a way with words and storytelling

I think in his Haven thread, he mentions he was a professional speaker until retirement. Definitely a natural at this. 

3 hours ago, mmgibbs7 said:

Anyone get an upgrade yet for the Escape 12/4 sailing?

I haven't seen any, but the current theory is that they weren't going to do any until after Black Friday, where people might take advantage of steep price drops to upgrade directly.

Gary, just want to wish you a wonderful cruise vacation! I know it will be perfect. Thank you for this wonderful thread and for all of the excellent detailed information you have provided about the Haven and cruise preparation. Also, thank you for being so involved on the boards and answering so many questions. I'm excited to go on my first Norwegian cruise soon and it's due to folks like you who bring so much to this forum, that I know I will have a safe and fantastic vacation. I hope you consider starting a social media channel, so I can follow you as you prepare for future vacations. 

Your family has no idea how lucky they are. Many people here would be extremely grateful to have someone plan their trip the way you planned yours. 

Bon Voyage!

57 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Just out of curiosity, what states have said that you are not fully vaccinated until you have 3 doses? I have not seen any report that says this. (I have had my Moderna booster shot.)

 

And I will echo what others have said, this requirement will not be done by NCL or any cruise line unless the CDC mandates that a booster shot is required to be considered fully vaccinated.

 

A bigger question may very well be will a booster shot be required yearly, similar to a yearly flu shot?

NPR said "Fauci was also asked about the governors of Connecticut and New Mexico saying that people are no longer considered fully vaccinated until they've gotten booster shots. He said the federal definition of fully vaccinated remains unchanged: two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot."

in this article: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/11/21/1057791427/covid-in-the-u-s-disney-florida-vaccine-mandate-boosters-fauci-2021-death-toll

8 hours ago, KarlChilders said:

NCL shows departure of 5:30, all our previous departures were 4. Is this due to COVID testing? 
2. is muster  being handled differently these days or still the same?

3. Anyone know what the main theater shows are currently on Escape?  We usually have planned much further in advance so kinda feeling behind the eight ball.

1. Yes. The 11/13 sailing had less staff from CVS to do the testing, so the testing line was about 2 hours. Bring water/snacks. 

2. Video killed the Muster Station

3. Choir of Man, After Midnight, Howl at the Moon dueling Pianos, Sid Normans Pour house. Plus a new escape show "Bamboozled" that showed up recently. 

Some things I have learned this fall, that you may find useful.

1. CruiseFirst - If you buy now and then wait 120 days, you can then use it anytime, no additional date limitations. You cannot use it for a cruise you've already reserved. Cruise must be 6 days or longer. They often offer a $250 cert worth $500. 
2. CruiseNext - These can be used anytime on any sailing of any length except...they only sell them as $125=$250. Normally, you can only use one for a deposit. So if you want to use two, to get to a total of $500, you have to book a balcony or higher, six months out. The cool thing is that there are many people looking to re-sell theirs after the pandemic. You can pick up a $250 cert for as little as $100. (Try searching for a buy sell trade group on social media, selling them here isn't permitted). It's a simple transfer, only takes a phone call and a few minutes. Of course, you can always buy these on your next sailing. 
3. Most TA's can take care of getting you credit for any price drops and should honor the 61 day cancel policy. About 50 days out, you might get an email offering you a chance to upgrade (upgrade fairy). I'm not sure if this is affected by booking through a TA or not. You will want to check the NCL site for the prices, not the TAs site, since sometimes the prices can differ. 

2 minutes ago, spanishguy1970 said:

I just sold two of oue 5 certificates on that page, we did not get what we paid for them and that's ok. We booked a cruise next year on November using one of our expiring deposits.We were advised by our PCC that they can be extended for one year however we could book any cruise for 2022 and until June 2023. Realistically we have no intention of booking 5 cruises, we decided to do other sorts of travel. 

I'm very pleased that you were able to recover some money, and that you were able to extend/use the rest. 

1 hour ago, CruiseMH said:

HI all,

 

i`m gonna ask this question here cause i don`t want to open a new topic for that.

 

Which vaccination combinations are allowed/accepted and which are not?

Currently i got my shot with J&J in July and the german authorities are suggesting to get a booster shot with e.g. Biontec/Pfizer for all people that got J&J during the last 6 months.

Will NCL accept this combination ? I mean, it is actually not a combined vaccination,it is more a booster shot. Cause the J&J shot itself would qualify as fully vaccinated already.

Unfortunately NCL always automatically transfers me to the german homepage version. And there is a lot of explanation but it seems the translation into german is not perfect or at least misleading regarding the allowed/accepted combinations.

 

thanks in advance for any help.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, jotxl said:

that sounds really horrible, like staying in a jail. Does anybody know, if there were another cases in the last weeks on ncl cruises ?

I don't think so. This seems limited to Bermuda cruises where they required an additional PCR test before boarding, but the results came back 2 days later. In most cases, there's only the antigen test now, where we have our results before boarding. 

13 minutes ago, SliderNc said:

From recent experience for my 4 CN's that expire 12/2021:

 

I booked a cruise for April 9, 2022 (Joy) and was able to only use one certificate.  NCL said because it was in 6 months from the cruise date, that their policies (I haven't found it in writing anywhere) state I can only apply one vs. two.

 

I booked a cruise for July 24, 2022 (Encore Alaska) and was able to use two CN's towards them.

 

I will end up losing one of my CN's because I will not have enough PTO next year to take another cruise.  Are these transferable or able to be sold?

We aren't allowed to buy/sell CNCs here, but there is a buy sell trade group for NCL cruise on a large social media site that works well. You aren't the only one in this situation, so I doubt you would get what you originally paid. 

What's the best place to book the shows after boarding the Escape, before we have access to our room? 

4 minutes ago, kylenyc said:

In addition to what @CruizinKittie40 said, I'd have facetime/duo/whatsapp set up and working ahead of time on your phone and computer so you can have face to face interaction with family and friends.

 

If that's not enough social interaction, there are social apps and MMO games. Many of these should work if I presume NCL will be kind enough to at least give you free streaming wifi should you get quarantined.

 

If you need to access any apps/accounts using two-factor authentication that sends a code to your phone but your phone won't roam on the ship or at the destinations, you need an alternative way to authenticate i.e. set-up your accounts to the send code to an email account you have access to.

 

Finally, there are other activities that long distance couples can do to keep themselves entertained over whatsapp/facetime/duo. *wink wink nudge nudge*.

I hadn't considered the two factor authentication issue. That's a good point. I won't be able to get text messages at sea. I'll check my logins. 

2 hours ago, RRSeeker said:

Regardless if it is true or made up If wanting to plan for a possible quarantine with mild Covid symptoms, I would bring: Sudafed, mucinex, Tylenol/ ibuprofen, nasal saline spray, Benadryl and a box of Kleenex with lotion or any other preferred meds you use for a cold. I would also have a sleep aid or anti anxiety med. I use melatonin but Benadryl or Dramamine can work too as far what is available over the counter.

 

 Everyone experiences different symptoms in a mild case but these are the items I needed. 
 

Also books or tablet for reading or whatever you like to do to keep your mind busy. 

Thank you. I hadn't considered what it would be like without a drug store nearby. It's hard to imagine needing a sleep aid on the ship, when I'm usually all worn out from the sun and partying. I updated my list. 

30 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

I have trouble understanding the couple being separated even if they preferred to remain together.  I mean, they'd been fairly close together after whatever "exposure" may have taken place, etc., anyway.

 

Also, were they/the one person at least given the same size accommodation (or better) than what they had paid for?

 

We ALWAYS carry about a 2 week extra supply of any important meds, no matter where we go or when we go.  I'd probably up the amount just in case in Covid days... a 2 week quarantine (seems to occur in places?) plus then needing new arrangements to continue on or to home... better safe than sorry.

 

However, IF someone is forced to remain in an interior cabin with no way to get fresh air or sunlight at all... that's pretty grim.

 

Strange times!

 

GC

 

I always assumed that I'd be quarantined to the room I booked. And that my cabin mate would be quarantined with me. I'd be willing to suck it up in an tiny inside room so my co-traveler didn't have to suffer quarantine too. But I bet if NCL told them they'd be separated all week and given them a choice, they would have chosen to stay together. 

25 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

For those of us who carry a medicine chest in pill minders, for our 3 post-restart cruises, we carry meds assuming worst case of going into quarantine in the departure port city for 10 days post cruise. Along with some OTC meds to treat mild symptoms. 
 

We assume that we can get

basic bread-and-water on the ship and on shore. 

Good suggestion to bring extra meds, and the OTC meds. I'll add that to the cruise packing list. 

1 minute ago, dobiemom said:

Could you post the link to the review? Thanks!

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=683173

I'm thinking of packing a "new hobby" kit, like knitting or cross-stitch. Maybe I'll download some yoga workout videos too. 

I'm worried room service won't deliver booze, so maybe a couple bottles of wine...

I just read @fivecatzk review of an October Breakaway sailing, where they had to be contact quarantined alone on Day 2 of their 30th anniversary cruise. It's a sad story, but not enough to deter me from my obvious cruise addiction. So the pessimist in me would like to plan for being stuck alone in a small room for 5 days on the ship, with possible mild COVID symptoms. How would you plan for this so it's less stressful? What would you pack that you normally don't? 

I'm hoping someone can post them after the November 21 cruise. I'm on the Breakaway in January. This isn't answering your question, but maybe it can help since you won't get a chance to see any for your specific itinerary before you sail. 

I had a similar thought as @nolatravelgirl. Below are a few links to recent dailies from other sailings. After reading other folks trip reports, I've learned: Day 1, go see Rock the Pour House, since it apparently gets very popular once people find out how good it is. And then see the other shows before Day 6, since they could get canceled rather than rescheduled. In looking at the other dailies, there do appear to be trends, which hopefully could help you plan. Since you have a holiday on Day 5, I'd say it's very likely the main show will also be on Day 5. 

And just to compare, he's one from pre-pandemic.