SpacemanSpiff

At least I have a quasi-backup plan.  We're going on the Viva on the Sept 13 ten-day Mediterranean trip ex-Athens; they have another ten-day cruise ex-Rome on the Breakaway (same start and end dates) with many of the same ports.  If the Viva gets delayed beyond that point, I'll just punt and be mildly disappointed.

12 hours ago, jkrislc said:

I have the Delta Airlines Platinum card and it's not showing for us, either.

I'm afraid I'm in the same boat (no pun intended), since I have the same card.

I presume these deals are for new bookings, and not paying on an existing reservation.

Had someone on FB report that their cruise in June of 2003 (likely the inaugural one) has been cancelled, as has the one following. I haven't seen it officially elsewhere, but all of the June 2023 Viva cruises are no longer on the NCL website. 

1 hour ago, julig22 said:

With international flights, the policy varies.  NCL doesn't pay for luggage but unless things have changed recently, the major carriers usually include 1 checked bag for international flights to Europe. 

The only one I see a variance on among the major US carriers is United, which says it charges $75 for the first bag in "basic economy,"  Of course, if you can manage an upgrade (especially if you use their branded credit card to pay for it), that would go away.  

American and Delta say the first bag is free to Europe.

It was working today (6/8/2022) at 8:10am.  Maybe they fixed the problem, or maybe I just beat the rush.

On 6/7/2022 at 8:30 AM, Two Wheels Only said:

 

 

😉

Maybe I should wear my Chiefs sweater the next time I go on a cruise buffet. 🤣

Well, after two and a half hours, it got down to #2, then said "no agents available."  C'est la vie.

UPDATE -- I tried again, and it quickly went through a bunch of folks and got me to a representative in about 10 minutes.

I've had this problem.  It says it's offline, but if you type in something afterwards, it seems to force you into a long queue.  I'm awaiting to see where it ends up (I am now up to #20, started at #84).

42 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Did you book Golden Tulip Piram through NCL?  Does the hotel have an airport shuttle?  Is it complimentary?

We've booked the hotel through NCL for next year's cruise, and there is a shuttle from the port to the hotel, and from the hotel to the airport.  (Can't say if it's complementary or not; I'm sure the price is built in somewhere.)

Queston: Is there a limit to the number of bags from a single room, or is it only one per pax?

A silly question -- and I did try to search for it, but couldn't find it.

If one gets an upgrade, does one get a new set of luggage tags?  If so, and they don't assign it until the day before sailing, what does one do without a printer handy to print them (i.e., at a hotel in port)?  

If I went down one of those things, I'm afraid I'd look like Bob Parr in the first The Incredibles movie -- and get stuck in the tube.

On 5/7/2022 at 9:09 AM, CruiserBruce said:

It can definitely speed your way through Immigration AND Customs at ports. Immigration is always going to be the problem area, usually takes the most time . 

 

Recent switches to biometrics have smoothed this even further, but not sure this is being implemented everywhere.

They told us when we returned last week that if can be used for any border crossing -- land, sea, or air.

They also said that, since it's linked to the passports, that the card wasn't needed for air and sea entry if you had your passports, but was needed for land crossings; however, I've read some anecdotal evidence that this isn't always the case, so it might be wise to do the "belt-plus-suspenders" approach and have both handy.

On 2/27/2022 at 11:08 AM, mchell810 said:

 

 

Both options are valid, making an appointment is the recommended method.  When you first try to make an appointment if there aren't any I suggest waiting a week and then checking back.  I did that for 2 weeks and then got a convenient time.  The "interview" literally took 5 minutes during which time you are fingerprinted, you show your ID/passport and your photo is taken.

We were fortunate recently.  I already have Global Entry, and I talked my wife into applying.  We hoped to have it in time for a Jamaica resort trip, but no luck. She got her provisional approval while we were in Jamaica,  but our local airport was booked through August.

When we went through customs/immigration in FLL, the officer noted her status, told her she could have her interview there. Thirty minutes later, it was all done, and she is now has GE as well!

14 minutes ago, cruiserbear55 said:

  All of it. The system won't finalize your paperwork until all sections of the e-docs are completed.

Besides the usual (name/address/Latitude number/passport data/photo), what info is needed? DW works odd hours and likely won't be able to put in info at midnight, but I can.

Silly question - would a scan of your passport photo work, or does that have it's own problem?

9 minutes ago, hallux said:

Make/change reservations as needed (covered by others).  The touchscreens by the stairs are REAL convenient for this!  If there's a tender port (you don't with the Bermuda itinerary but others finding this post might have one), book your tender ticket here as well.

 

 

NCL noob here. Are these touchscreens scattered around the ship, or are there only a few (and liable to be crowded at embarkment)?

56 minutes ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

I suppose if shops do not take credit cards or cash we will just look elsewhere.  No biggy.

 

I am working off of old memories, but maybe the issue isn't that they don't take credit cards, but that it's done differently?  I recall that most card transactions, be it debit or credit, were "chip-and-pin" instead of "chip-and-signature" -- not only did you have to insert the card into the chip reader, but you had to enter the PIN related to that card, which is different from how it's done here in the States.  And unless you have an elephantine memory (or change all of your card PINs to the same number), that's a tad difficult.

This was about 8 years ago when the US was just waking up to the security provided by the chip (and the US-based cards didn't want to update their cards, networks, etc. to save money, even though they were losing money to fraud).

A guide on YouTube (sorry, I don't have the link) does a great summary of the ATM fees and how the exchange rates work.  He stresses to use your own banks' exchange rate, and to watch out for fees... one ATM example collected almost 50% between fees and poor rates, and he explained how to minimize the damage.

I recall that he also strongly recommends using ATM at actual banks, not those in tourist zones.

I'm not sure how available it is anymore, but I got a Schwab Bank debit card a number of years ago expressly for travel.  It covered any of the foreign ATM fees ("foreign" meaning not Schwab's), and because it's a debit card, it's easy to use in Europe.  Like others have said here, it's easy to hit an airport ATM after clearing customs, and off you go!  It also doesn't charge a currency translation fee (my personal bank charges 3% for the privilege).  Down side is  you have to plan ahead to put funds into it.

4 hours ago, brigand13 said:

Condolences to anyone who was hit by the cancellation.   Particularly sucks since prices are considerably higher now than they likely were when folks booked, so it's not possible to get a like for like cruise even with the FCC allowance.  

I'm interested in how long the delays (and I fear it will be more than one) last.

We're booked on the Viva next September (three months after her maiden voyage).  If the Prima ends up months behind schedule, I'd suspect the Viva will suffer the same fate.

"Does anyone enjoy a short nap?"

I did, until my boss woke me up.  😛

On 4/18/2022 at 11:13 PM, fatcat04 said:

 

Second Global Entry, some of the best money we have spent. Love it!! 

I've had it for a few years, though never had the use for it (primarily due to COVID).  Had no trouble getting it then.  Wife applied for it a couple of months ago, and it's backlogged - might be something in her history (even though she has a "top secret" clearance), or it may just be like everything else these days.  The problem is you can't use it for a "family group" upon reentry unless everyone in the group (kids included) have one.  It certainly should be straight by our cruise next year.

OTOH, as others have noted, it did give me TSA-Precheck, which I am not arguing about!

And a lot of folks seem to dread the interview questions.  I  guess it's based upon what they find and what the interviewer feels like that day.  Mine simply was five minutes of discussing SEC football.  But there have been some horror stories as well.