vince_g

17 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Thanks -never heard of this before.  Good day to book my excursions and pay off my next cruise (due in December anyway).  I know from past experience that if the payment drops, they will process a refund so no harm in paying early.  And even better, my cutoff date is the 8th, so charges won't be due for 2 months.

Last year it was on your full spend that day. They must have gotten killed and had to put a limit in place.

2 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Two points

but the CC company can still push that charge through once they've fully investigated the claim.

Any time someone says it's the principle, it's the money.

Yes, most banks give you a provisional credit, pending the outcome of the investigation.  Perhaps he doesn't understand how the credit card chargeback process works.

Just wanted to make you all aware that B of A will be having "More Rewards Day" once again this year.  It will be on Thursday, November 9th.  All purchases (up to a $2,500) limit will receive an extra 2 points per dollar.  If you are a preferred rewards member, the extra reward from B of A is only calculated based only on the normal 3 points per dollar spent.

20 hours ago, olemissreb said:

Thank you! Hate that, but oh well...maybe I can gift (aka buy) my sister the dining upgrade.

Your sis may have to buy it herself, and you can give her the money. If you have any latitudes dinners, you can use one of those for them. 

On 8/8/2023 at 7:52 PM, gdlamberth said:

I've experienced the same lack of consistency with timing.  The only reason it even came up is I just had my Shareholder Benefit request turned down for being too soon for my February 2024 cruises. Seems to depend upon who fields the request.  YMMV!!!  🙄

Try again after final payment. That seems to make a difference. 

10 minutes ago, Russiamomm said:

I also love the laundry being done, but this is not a perk of being in the Haven.  It comes with being Platinum or above.  If you do not have status, you pay the full price for a bag of laundry - even in the Haven.

Bingo. I have only gotten free laundry due to my latitudes status.

Free laundry?  Really? I never received this benefit when I sailed in the Haven

The sofas are not convertible beds that open, like you can find in the Jewel class balcony rooms. Here's a video shot on the Escape showing what you can expect on the Breakaway+ class. 

1 hour ago, 2Cruise4Ever said:

LOL is right... but not familiar with this particular poster....

Lucky you!

On 3/19/2023 at 7:09 PM, JessLCH said:

Yikes, we're on the April 2 seven night sailing with 3 overnights in Bermuda scheduled. I was not aware Bermuda was regularly missed.

Wow, I am on this cruise too and had no idea we would overnight 3 nights in Bermuda. Check your itinerary again. I believe we are only there 2 overnights.

1 hour ago, CaptainBazz said:

I got that info from NCL's website under the FAQ section:

Yes, calls to friends and family back home are supported. To dial a: • U.S. based number: Area code + number. • International number: 011, the country code and number. A confirmation screen will appear displaying the rate for off-ship phone call prior to placing the call. The current rate for off-ship calling is 0.79 cents (U.S. $) per minute. This is a flat rate to supported countries. Important: Calls must be placed from within the Cruise Norwegian App.

The $9.95 cost is for the app for the entire cruise.

 

Sorry I was quoting the price for using the phone in your cabin. Although I am a diamond latitudes member I have never had to make calls back home, except for one cruise where Gem's propulsion system failed down around Barbados. And on that cruise, NCL was giving us free calls, dialed by a staff member.

15 minutes ago, CaptainBazz said:

From what I have read in FAQ you can make ship to shore calls...the app costs US$9.95 for the cruise...then calls are currently 79c per minute. You use the app while in airplane mode so your carrier won't matter...you are using the ships wi-fi. Hopefully someone who has actually tried this will post.

I believe ship to shore calls are $9.95 per minute.

20 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

I just realized I neglected to add my 2-cents to a very controversial topic, the O'Sheehans chicken wings!

I had missed out on them during my short Prima cruise last fall due to all the options in the Indulge Food hall so that last time I had these were in January of 2020 during my Bliss 14-day Western Caribbean.  I liked them a lot back then.
 

So the new ones?  Yikes, not sure what happened.  I got the BBQ versions and they came out covered with sauce.  Being an avowed NON-finger food person, I stuck a fork in one to reposition the wing for the grab and.... it fell apart on me.  Did I order chicken nuggets by mistake?

Not sure how else to explain it, but the wings were soft and flakey enough to be teased apart with just the use of a fork and occasional knife.  While my phobia about not touching greasy food (but nothing wrong with eating a ton of it) was satisfied, the consistency of the chicken left something to be desired.

 

It provided a perfect balance to all the tough as leather meats in the buffet that I broke my molars on for most the of cruise at least.  It was one step above puree wings in my opinion.  Maybe I got a bad batch, who knows.

So that's my one and only experience with the new wings at O'Sheehans.  Sorry to dump on them.  And on St. Patrick's Day no less!

Hi Pete, was on the same cruise, and I found the same thing with the wings. It was like they were cooked in a crockpot.  Totally drenched in sauce.

Never saw our cabin steward until about day 3. He never introduced himself when we finally did see him, and at that point, we didn't even care what his name was. He was like a ghost steward... LOL.

I had made a reservation for Ocean Blue on day 1, planning on using a one of the vouchers to treat friends of ours to dinner, but there were no latitudes coupons waiting in the cabin. First time this ever happened to us.

Four of us attempted to get lunch at the dining rooms on embarkation day and were told at Taste that they already had handed out about 45 pagers, and that they were unable to accommodate us. Said that the situation at Savor was the same. Then of course there was nothing else to do but brave the buffet. Of course, there were zero tables up there. Started getting bad vibes about this cruise on day one.

Had a great dinner at LaCucina on San Juan evening. Used the latitudes dinner with the free bottle of wine that night. Even after four of us drained the bottle of wine, our waitress continued topping off our glasses, since she had a bottle of that opened anyway. Only item I felt was lacking was the fried calamar appetizer. I recall there were maybe about 8 rings of calamari, and felt that seemed kind of cheap. Not really an issue as we all left the table completely stuffed. The meat lasagna was very good... it was all meat and no cheese. First time I ever saw that, but it was absolutely delicious. The Filet (Fileto di Manzo) was delicious and cooked perfectly.

Another night four of us went to Cagney's and I had the Porterhouse. It had a great char on it, and was perfect medium rare. No complaints with Cagney's either. We all left happy, and it's still fresh in my memory how delicious the dinner was.

Loved our cabin (10896) an angled balcony, that offered more space that the standard balconies, and provided a nice wind break. Some angled balconies can actually result in more wind, depending on which way the angle runs.

As for missing Amber Cove, I did post on the roll call that I had noticed that Amber Cover already had 2 ships that day, and that we probably wouldn't be stopping there. So although it really was no surprise to me, I found the 3 sea days very long, without enough to do. Good thing for the beverage package!

Our experience on this cruise was negative enough that we canceled our November 4th 15 day Caribbean on Getaway. Too bad because the itinerary is SO good. My husband had only experienced the Breakaway class of ships in the Haven, so we were sheltered from the reality of how crowded and chaotic things were. We of course ventured outside the Haven, but usually returned there in short order to escape the crowds. I had been on Breakaway in non haven cabins a few times, and tried to prepare hubby for what it would be like. Eventually we gravitated to the Gem, and enjoyed that much more. We probably should have booked the Gem cruise that left the day after ours.

The stench of smoke in the casino was so bad, my eyes and lungs were burning. Could not spend any time there in the evening when it was really crowded. Even when the casino was closed, there was always that lingering stench of stale smoke. It made us appreciate the casino on Prima, where a non-smoker could actually sit and enjoy the casino. 

Never saw so much security at port in St. John's Antigua. I recall the taxi drivers were always VERY aggressive there and the increased number of security people seemed to have slowed that down. 

The day after returning home (Saturday) everything started off most normal at home, but by that evening I had developed a 101.5 fever. Took a Binax Covid test, which ended up being positive. The interpretation instructions said to look carefully for the bottom line, since it could appear very faint. I didn't have to look carefully, the bottom line was there plain as day. My doctor prescribed the oral medication Paxlovid, which I almost stopped taking after the first day. Every one of the 10 doses gave me a taste in my mouth like I was chewing grapefruit peels, and it's non-stop! Thank the lord for hard candies and gum.

Sorry to say, but the Getaway made us feel like staying away. I am totally at peace with our decision to cancel the November cruise. Possibly because catching Covid has made me fearful of cruising. We enjoyed many parts of the cruise, of course, but found enough issues with Getaway, where we just don't want to go back on her.

Was on the October 15th 12 day Caribbean on Prima. Indulge Food Hall had the smoked salmon bagels at the Seaside Rotisserie. Don't believe everything Bird Travels says. Just because she didn't personally see it doesn't mean that it wasn't available. I had it several times on my cruise.

People who think they are THE AUTHORITY on everything just make me crazy.

It's likely this won't help you get on any quicker than your platinum status. Don't give NCL any more $

The Getaway has been sailing very FULL and selling out early as of late. I will be on the February 26th sailing, which has been sold out since around the end of January. 

March 10th is pretty darn close, and multiple categories showing as "sold out" doesn't surprise me. Many times the website will show availability, only to inform you one level down, that there is no availability. If you want to be on this sailing, I suggest you call NCL soon. Although only guarantees are available on the website, you can always call NCL and ask if there is any option for choosing your own cabin.

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

Looks like you purchased the water directly from NCL, rather than receiving it through the gimmick they ran Sept - Dec. Since you purchased it, you should receive it...unless NCL is changing providers (but no one knows that). 

Nope. I have not purchased any water for one of my upcoming cruises, and I also show the 6 cartons of water for both passengers under my included items. Apparently that is how the water shows up if one is entitled to it. 

Be sure to pack your umbrella!!!!

Steve, I am booked on the Getaway for the February 26th sailing. For at least a week now, the only Getaway cruise in February which came up is the February 1st sailing. It's obvious that next three cruises on the Getaway are sold out. 

I recommend you hurry up and book, because your sailing will probably sell out. The ships are sailing full and there is a lot of demand right now.

1 hour ago, PistolPete13 said:

I'm going to have to adjust my buffet invasion strategy appropriately as I've never sailed on fully booked ship before...  

I know. Timing is EVERYTHING

For about a week now, when searching for February cruises on Getaway, only the February 1st cruise was coming up. I think we might have a full ship on the 26th, Pete. Starting to feel the excitement now. 

And even though Coco Key has a pier, windy conditions can still make docking unsafe.

3 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

If you arrive at 10 and embark at 11:30, that's almost your two hour wait.  

I would suggest you rethink and decide which is more important, getting on board early or avoiding standing around.

When I would stay in Manhattan the day before a cruise, I would always arrive early at the terminal. And boy did I hate sitting around waiting for boarding. Breezing right thru check in and walking right on the ship just makes embarkation day feel stress free.

32 minutes ago, CaptainBazz said:

We always pick 10.30 but are Platinum so are one of the first to get onto the ship. Check in times start at 9:00 so if you pick 10:00 you will have a bunch of groups before you. Just depends on whether you want to wait in the terminal before or wait in line after.

Yes, you and 75% of the ship are Platinum. Two cruises ago, I couldn't find an affordable hotel room in Manhattan, so I arrived in Manhattan on Peter Pan at 11:30. Got to the pier about 12:15, and there were zero lines at check in and we walked right on the ship. Last cruise we opted to just take the bus in again the day of the cruise. Once again there were zero lines, and we walked right on Prima. There is still plenty of time to go to the dining room for lunch.

9 hours ago, uneamie said:

About all the black soot on deck 8. This is very disturbing that they have not fixed this yet. I mean don't most ships have soot coming out of their stacks, yet somehow it does not land on the decks?....not that I have ever noticed. There must be a way to control that. Yikes! 

 

Interesting as Prima is powered by LNG, not diesel fuel. Liquefied Natural Gas does not produce soot. I really didn't see soot on my 12 day cruise on Prima. Maybe this was particulate from an incinerator. On the October 15th cruise it was not a problem.