Delawarealan

For what it's worth, I just did a trip to Vietnam and used the JFK/Singapore/EWR nonstops as part of that.  If you can get to and from the New York area, it's absolutely worth it.  My flight left on a Thursday evening out of JFK around 10:30 pm and got to Singapore on Saturday morning.  I was able to get 2 good sessions of sleep (especially since it left so late), and I didn't have to fully wake up in the middle of the trip to change planes.  After a short layover and 3 hour flight to Hanoi, I was able to take a quick nap, go for a food tour of Hanoi so I would walk around and have food chosen for me, and I woke up on Sunday without any jet lag!   The cheap seats are premium economy, but weren't horribly more expensive than another flight where I would have had to wake up in the middle of the trip, and probably would have needed a few days to get over the 12-hour time change.  The seats are similar to first-class seats (not fully lie-back like business class, but pretty comfortable).  Some melatonin, ZQuil, and allergy medicine made me drowsy enough to sleep comfortable even though I was very excited about my trip (2 weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia -- wonderful!).

My son and his wife are going on a cruise to Bonaire this July 2024.  He is an experienced diver and she is a snorkeler.  Does anyone know of any combination excursions where they can go on the same boat?  Thanks in advance.

Just do a no-show. That happened to me 2 years ago when the mother-in-law of someone in my party died the week before the cruise. You'll only have to pay taxes and gratuities on the person who showed up.

Delawarealan

I think no-show is the way to go. 2 years ago someone in our party couldn't go because of a death in the family, and we just didn't have her check in. This way there is no way that they can try to charge the single supplement. You will not have to pay the port fees or tips.

Delawarealan

I did this about 2 years ago. Someone couldn't travel due to a death in the family. We didn't have trip insurance (but the trip was pretty cheap), and we just showed up at the port and didn't check her in. We did get a refund of taxes and port fees after the cruise was over.

Delawarealan

I used:

guestrelations@ncl.com

latclerical@ncl.com

There was a online form that I filled out, but for the life of me I can't remember which of the "help" items it was under.

I am not sure if this helps, but your change of category (even to a lower category) might disqualify you. I didn't change category when I added my son.

Good luck.

Delawarealan

I sailed the Gem on 1/2/15. I originally booked the cruise as a solo traveller paying 200% fare in March 2014, which qualified me for double Latitudes points for being 9 months out.

In June, my son and I figured out that he was not taking any winter session classes in 2015 so he "volunteered" to come on the cruise with me. Before I called my TA to add him, I called NCL to make sure that I wouldn't lose my 2x points. They told me it would be OK. When I called the TA, I told them to remind NCL to keep the extra points promotion on the reservation.

Being the skeptic that I am, I checked with NCL in October just before final payment, in November, and in December just before boarding. Each time they said that my reservation showed that I had made it in March so I would be good.

One great cruise later (review coming), I look at my myNCL account and see that I was only given single points for the cruise. I got on the phone with NCL, and after being bounced around several departments (because of the original TA booking, nobody would commit to helping me), someone finally said that I had to submit a complaint request through the website to get this addressed (why didn't they tell me that when I first called!).

OK. I sent a very polite email giving them all details, etc. I got a response this morning saying that my reservation was never eligible for double points, so there was nothing they could do. I sent back another polite response saying that they were wrong because my reservation was made in March. Within 30 minutes I got another email from them apologizing for the confusion and saying that they had added the extra points to my account. I wouldn't have been this concerned but for the fact that I am now platinum instead of 3 points away.

Cheers to them for resolving it so quickly once I pointed out the mistake (but a few jeers for them dismissing it out of hand when I had given them all of the facts originally).

One more pet peeve -- this voyage was originally 9 nights leaving on 1/3/15, but it was changed to a 10-night leaving 1/2/15. I only found out through my roll call on Cruise Critic. NCL claims that they had no responsibility to tell me because I reserved through a TA. Wrong answer. A message through my myNCL account would have been entirely appropriate.

Again, cheers to NCL for getting my situation corrected. Now to plan my next cruise . . .

Delawarealan

thanks for writing the review. I enjoyed reading it. I have a question. How quickly was the ship out of the winter weather. What was the weather like the morning of the first sea day to San Juan? and if it wasn't in the 60's or better when did it get that high?

We left on Friday, so Saturday was still cool, but Sunday (2d sea day) was more tolerable. Same for the reverse trip back -- it's usually about 36 hours of winter-y weather out of New York in January.

Delawarealan

Here is more information from further down the Bahamas.com website. It looks like the person with the green card should be OK without the visa. A few years ago I traveled with someone who had a green card and a passport from Ghana, and we were fine without any visa issues.

US Permanent Residents (Non-citizens)

To enter The Bahamas, US residents who are not citizens need the following documentation:

Alien Registration Card (Green Card)

For visits NOT exceeding 30 days:

An original Alien Registration Card is required, along with a national passport (passport from country of birth).

For visits exceeding 30 days:

A valid national passport and a Bahamas visa are required for US resident non-citizens wishing to stay longer than 30 days.

It looks like the NCL Gem will be in San Juan on the holiday. Has anyone been there on that day and have (pertinent) suggestions on how to best take advantage of it? I have been to San Juan several times before, so something different will be welcome. Thanks.

Delawarealan

I was solo on the Sun in January 2014. I went to the first solo gathering, and there were 5 of us, I believe. The youngest was a mid-20s grad student sailing with her mother, and the rest of us were 40/50/60ish. I met up with some of them later in the cruise, but I found a really good group of people through the Roll Call. Some people had arranged private excursions, and we hit it off well. We even won the Quest near the end of the cruise!

Delawarealan

I used SAS this January. I left a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale on New Year's Day for a cruise out of the Port of Miami and had no problem. I used them for the return trip directly to the airport. It was a very crowded day at POM and they were booked heavily. As I had a late flight, I volunteered to wait for a later shuttle, and they actually comped the trip for me!

Delawarealan

I have way too many timeshares (anybody want to buy one or more?), and one of them (Diamond Resorts) allows me to trade in my points for cash to be used toward the cruise. I have enough points with them (see the first sentence!) so that it covers the cost of a decent cruise (not suite-level, but usually a balcony). It also lets me cover the service charges if I charge them then, but not if I pay them later (when I make the reservation, I trade enough points to cover the entire expected bill). Therefore, it's "free" (except, see the first sentence again!).

Delawarealan

I took a foreign exchange student on a cruise a few years ago, and he wasn't even in my "custody" (he was living with my son's friend, and they all came on the cruise). We had the Norwegian form notarized by his parents, and also had copies of the parents' government ID (they were from Germany). We also made sure that his visa allowed for multiple entry to the US. We had to get a renewal before he left, as his did not.

We did joke that we needed to work on his swimming skills -- we cruised to Bermuda, and he was scheduled to return to Germany the week after the cruise was over. I figured that since were 1/3 of the way across the pond, he could swim to the Azores and his parents could pick him up there.

One more thing -- we were able to take him through immigration with us -- we asked the agent nicely, and he just turned on the fingerprint scanner and off we went.

Delawarealan

I've done this several times. There is no official cabin switch. The people stay assigned to the cabin they bought. Guest services gives you extra key cards so you can get into the appropriate room, but your card for charging purposes stays the same.

The only disadvantage is that some of the "kids" will have a key to the "adult" room.

Delawarealan

This is often done on board, especially when you are making sure that there is an adult in each room. What happens is that you get your main room key/charge card, and you can simply ask for additional room keys that don't have any ID associated with them. Some people just have to carry 2 cards to take care of all of their needs. Nobody does a bed check to see who is where.

Delawarealan

I called NCL and explained what I wanted to do, and they told me that as long as the TA didn't cancel the reservation and re-book I should be OK. I had the TA make the change. I stayed on hold while it was going on, just to make sure.

The TA got an NCL supervisor to help, as the rate code originally used for my booking didn't exist anymore, and he explained to them that my fare should be the same, as I was already paying for both passengers. I got my new confirmation, and will call NCL in a few days to make sure it still works. Thanks for all of your suggestions!

Delawarealan (and Ben)

I have a cruise booked for January 2, 2015, on the Gem. I booked it in March, so I got one extra credit for 9 months out, plus it was a Latitudes offer, so I am getting 3x points for each night.

I booked it as a solo cruise, but now my son will able to come on the cruise with me. Any suggestions on how to get my travel agent to not screw up the credits? It's the same money, as I was already paying for both beds in the room. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Delawarealan (and Ben)

Recently divorced, went on the cruise anyway! I "advertised" on my roll call that I was looking for dinner companions, etc. I wound up joining two different groups for private tours, and hung out with those people for many hours on the cruise. We even won the Quest as a group!

I only ate by myself one night in the MDR. If I hadn't already made other plans, I asked to be seated with others when I showed up, and it worked every night except one.

I have my next cruise booked for January, and am looking forward to another good solo experience. There is a solo cruising board on CC which will give you some good tips.

Delawarealan

one where I don't have to row.

I am usually an inside cabin person. I call myself frugal/cheap. I am able to cruise more that way. Also, one of my guilty pleasures on a cruise is the ability to nap without feeling guilty. I sleep very well in the darkness of an inside cabin. If I want an ocean view, I turn the TV to the channel with the bow cam!

I am constantly amazed at the number of people who praise the "Suite Life", when it appears mostly to be the ability to eat breakfast and lunch in Cagneys, and have a butler and concierge at your disposal. I hardly ever eat a large lunch on a cruise, and breakfast is usually lox from the buffet plus a fruit salad. I am envious, however, of the fancy coffee machine. On the other hand, I can buy a whole lot of caffeinated fun and still spend less than a suite.

Before I get bashed, I understand the "to each his own" and have no malice toward the suite-lovers. I just wanted to support the OP about the joys of an inside cabin.

Delawarealan

The cruises I have been on had a 3:2 blackjack payout on the $10 tables and higher. The $5 (or $6) tables had the 6:5 payout.

I agree with pokerpro5 that you should just stick to your strategy and not think you are smarter than the odds. I don't play hunches on what cards are coming next. I also play the dealer's game -- I pull on any hand under 17 if the dealer has a 7 or higher showing. My take on it is that the odds are with the house so I should be playing by their rules.

Also, I agree with the poster who said that your money is made on splits and doubles. I don't believe in throwing money on the table randomly is good, but if I think I am dealt a good set of cards I will double or split as appropriate to take advantage of that.

Finally (I hear a collective sigh of relief from the crowd!), I also agree with the person who said to aim for an amount you want to win and then stop. I usually go to a $10 table with $100 (and sometimes a bit of reserve in my pocket), but if I win $100 I cash in and hang around. I just enjoy the game. Good luck to all!

Delawarealan

I believe I cruise to have lox (smoked salmon) at every breakfast. However, having grown up in the NYC suburbs, I can't see ruining lox with what they call bagels on a cruise. Try a nice toasted English muffin with it.

I still remember my first creme brulee in Le Bistro on the Norwegian Majesty (now retired). It was on a base of chocolate. Even better, it was on the jazz brunch buffet at Le Bistro later in the cruise (another highly-recommended and -remembered meal).

Delawarealan

I was on the Sun from 1/1 through 1/12. There the $5 tables offered 6:5 on blackjack, but the $10 tables had the 3:2. I believe all tables had the continuous shuffler except the $25 and up tables.

I know the basic strategy like the proverbial back of my hand. I don't blame anyone for the strategy they use, as I know the cards are independent and anything can come next.

For what it's worth, I play the dealer's game -- the odds are with the house, and the house has to draw on any 16, so I do the same without any worry. I also double and split as much as possible, so I can maximize my upside potential when the cards I'm dealt look good.

Good luck!!

Delawarealan

I was on the same cruise with PROCRUISE and similarly had no problem with dining in the MDR. I was traveling solo, and about half of the nights I asked to join a shared table. I never had to wait, and didn't find the service horribly slow. It's not fast food, after all.

I agree with the dessert comment -- they were OK but didn't have the "wow" factor. That's fine. Food should not be the central point of the cruise. If it is, go on luxury line, not NCL.

I have never been on one of the mega-ships from NCL or Royal Caribbean, but I've enjoyed every one of my cruises. Join the roll call on Cruise Critic and you'll meet people to hang out with. It worked well for me!

Delawarealan

Thanks for the quick review. I am boarding on Wednesday for the 11-nighter. I have been on several NCL ships and have never been disappointed. I hear so many stories about how "horrible" the food is, etc. They must not have been on the same ships I've been on. I was on the Dawn last year with my parents who are very experienced travelers (in their early 80s), and they were extremely pleased with the trip.

Of course, I describe my family as frugal/cheap. That cruise we paid $429 pp for an inside and certainly got our money's worth. If you are spending $3K pp for a suite (which is the price for a suite on this week's cruise), you might have a different perspective. My perspective is that I can find lots of ways to spend the extra money I saved by not getting a suite. I know that this might be an unpopular view among many Cruise Critic members, but remember the frugal/cheap comment above!

Wishing everyone a good New Year of cruising!

Delawarealan