LadyZolt

We were on the Bliss in September and returning to the ship from port (Juneau, I think). So, generally people were getting a green screen with "welcome back" or something like that. But the woman in front of me got a red screen that said something along the lines of, "Denied. Security has more information. Do not allow to board." And the person sitting there by the screen saw that and let her board anyway - -- didn't say anything to anyone in security. I don't know what was going on with this, but it did not instill in me any confidence about the security of this process.

I know this thread is a couple months old now, but I just logged into my NCL account today and found one of these "Great Cruise Comeback" coupons, so I thought I'd bump this up so people can check and see if they have one and use it if they can. 🙂 -Dorothy

Thanks so much!! 🙂

I've searched but cannot find an answer, so I appreciate anyone being able to help. 🙂 My husband and I just booked a cruise on the Escape for next September and we don't want the beverage package with alcohol. I want to get the soda package, but my husband doesn't really want it. He drinks water, coffee, and an occasional iced tea. So, if I buy one soda package for me, must we also buy one for him as well? I know with the alcohol ones, we'd both have to get it. But I cannot tell for sure if that's the case with the soda package. Thanks!

And in case anyone isn't aware -- AmEx will only show 100 offers (and it always shows 100 offers). So, you can also try adding some offers to your card and then exiting the site and re-entering, or refreshing it and you will see new offers. It doesn't hurt to add offers to your card. If you don't use them, they will just expire in their time. So, if you want to just get some more offers and see what is there, you can add ones that are expiring soon to your card and then see what the new offers are.

We just had to fly out of Seattle and there was a Pre-Check line, a CLEAR line, and then a "Pre-Check CLEAR" line. Since we have both Pre-Check and CLEAR, that's what we used. There was one man ahead of us, and one lady behind us, so we didn't wait at all. Couldn't have asked for it to go faster, easier, or more smoothly than it did.

What about using just the FCC and not the Cruise Next? I got an FCC from a price drop (just about $100, so not as much as yours) and was told I had to use it within a year from the end date of the cruise (in this case, October 1). The Cruise Next can be used within four years. So, if they let you, maybe delay using the Cruise Next and use the FCC so you can use it up before it expires.

Naturally, if she would have been worse off to fly home, they wouldn't fly her home. They would assess her and take her to the proper facility and once she was able to travel, they'd bring her home. You can read all their FAQ's at their website. My point was more that having Medjet would have removed the stress you faced of being told you had to pay cash and/or use a credit card, etc., or they weren't going to take her to where she needed to be. I can only imagine how terrible those moments were! You were able to make the $38,000 payment -- many people would not be able to do that for a variety of reasons. Your story is a wake-up call about how quickly things can go wrong. It is a lesson to us all to prepare for situations that we don't ever want to even think about. I thank you for sharing it and I wish you and your wife the best.

To the OP: I am so sorry for you and your wife and all that you went through with this tragic event and I am so glad that she is reaching the point where she is able to venture out a bit. I hope she can rest and that one day she will be able to travel whenever she wants. I read the OP's link about what happened, and I would recommend that people going on overseas trips look into medevac insurance, such as Medjet Assist. Many travel insurance policies are very limited in the kind of medevac that they will cover. Medjet Assist will take you from anywhere in the world back to your own hospital in the town where you live as soon as you are stable enough to make the trip. Had the OP had Medjet Assist, his wife would have been stabilized in the first hospital and they would have flown her directly home without the OP having to pay anything at all or fight with people about cash / credit cards, etc. I know it's too late for OP, but for the rest of us, we can learn from their experience and not have to endure that same stressful situation of wondering how to arrange a medical transport from a facility that cannot handle the patient's needs. My husband and I are booked on the upcoming Royal Caribbean "Ultimate World Cruise" and have a policy with Medjet Assist in addition to a travel insurance policy. We hope we don't need to use either one, but the price we paid for them gives us peace of mind.

It might be too late for OP, but maybe board the ship and then see the ship medical people and get a note or something. Then get off the ship and go to local ER or Urgent Care. That might qualify for “trip interruption” coverage.

Thanks! I did call today to pre-pay gratuities, but the MSC phone rep said that their payment system wasn't working right so I should wait. I asked her about the 5% discount and our Voyager levels, and she made sure we got the discount and also that our Voyagers Club levels are reflected properly, and she said we will get the benefits of them on the cruise even though this is our first time sailing with MSC. I have to say -- so far, I'm very impressed with MSC! The cruise is very affordable and their customer service has been great! 🙂

My husband and I just signed up for an MSC cruise in December (Meraviglia) and joined the Voyagers Club. We submitted the form to match using our best memberships: Me: Platinum Royal Caribbean Given Voyagers: Silver (2,200 points) Husband: Hilton Diamond Given Voyagers: Diamond (10,000 points) Question: Will we get the benefits on this first cruise we take? Does it matter that my name is the first on the booking? Thanks!

Thanks! 🙂

I just booked a cruise for December and I created an account and got a Voyagers number before I booked. Should I get the 5% discount? If so, do I just call them and ask for it? I also submitted my info for my Royal Caribbean membership and MSC now has me as a Silver member, which is very cool. The MSC Meraviglia looks like a beautiful ship! We are looking forward to the cruise. Like a previous poster, we booked a Bella guarantee inside cabin with nothing added -- no excursions or drink packages or anything. And while I'm asking questions (LOL!), I understand that there is more than one complimentary dining room. Are you assigned a time and a specific room, or is this something you can change each day like Norwegian's "freestyle" where you just show up in any dining room when you want to? Thanks in advance! 🙂

Yes. It should let you enter your passport number or scan the passport. If you let it scan it, it does it really quickly and I was pretty impressed. LOL! Here is a link to a step-by-step instruction and screen shot list of what to do -- this is from Regent cruise line: https://www.rssc.com/sites/default/files/2022-04/ArriveCan.pdf Hope this helps! 🙂

If the ship is docked in Canadian waters, you are in Canada. I believe generally, this is within 24 miles of a country. So, even if you don't get off the ship at a port (any port), you are in the country if you're on a ship in a port in that country.

FYI: The FDA extended the expiration dates of the iHealth tests, so you may still be able to use them.

We just got some Apple Air Tags and plan to put one in each piece of luggage and carry ons. It won’t stop them from ever being stolen or ending up at a wrong airport, but we should get an idea of where the item is. Who knows? Might some day recover the item or catch a thief. (I know — “Hope springs eternal…”).

Here's the FDA's site listing the extended dates for the iHealth kits.... https://www.fda.gov/media/158007/download

I love Andrew Lloyd Webber. My favorite of his is "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," and I'm pretty sure I know most of the lyrics to the songs in it. "Phantom of the Opera" is a close second. I love Cats -- "Mr. Mestoffelees" is my favorite song (I know for everyone else, it's "Memory," but I like the magical cat song.) Still, if you want a plot, CATS is not the production to see. 😉

"Cats" is a musical adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" -- music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by T.S. Eliot (and others). It has no plot. It's like a cat -- it just wanders around and does what it thinks is interesting. 🙂

The offer wasn't on my card, but it was on my husband's (same account, just different card numbers), so I added it to his. Thanks for posting this thread!

And Grandma, Grandpa, Jason, Erin, Elizabeth and Reckless (the dog). Goodnight, everyone! 🙂

I didn't read this entire thread, so apologies if this has already been posted. For the Ultimate World Cruise on Serenade of the Seas -- 274 nights times $63.00 per day is $17,262 per person. And then you'd add gratuities. 😁 Luckily, the drink package is included for the world cruise, I believe. Happy sailing! -LadyZolt