Lulubelle45

I would ask again as there is a current offer of choose 2 perks, perhaps even through a TA. It depends also how much time u spend in your cabin. I personally spend very little time in cabin, but my next cruise, a 5 day repo has me in my first balcony with the UBP. That being said, the balcony turns out to be one of those enclosed balconies which is likely what you are looking at for the upgrade. Also, i end up pay about $20 a day for the gratuities on this "free" perk so for me, the value of 2 drinks a day is worth it. It does cover juices and fountain drinks without alcohol as well. I won't upgrade to a better balcony if it means i lose the perks

Hi all.

Thank you for so many informative options.

 

I am considering a bike tour with a foodie focus (according to promo) :D.

Is this something worth doing in Victoria?

It is for approximately 4 hours.

Its a great tour, provided the weather doesnt bother you!

You can also find some great deals on Groupon. DH and I are looking at a wine tour for our upcoming sailing we found this way.

 

 

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Groupon also has the Hop on Hop off tours quite frequently

You didnt say which weekend, but if you are a car buff, the weekend of july 23 is Duece days with 1100 old cars from around the world in town

Some shops close early, say 6pm but downtown shops tend to stay open late on cruise ship days

What is there to see and do in town? Are there shuttles or buses that will take you to town from the cruise port?

From a simple walk along the Breakwater just to the right of the pier, to a 15-20 minute stroll along the David Foster walkway to the left of the pier and check out Fishermans wharf, where there are a family of harbour seals poking up to say hello, the Inner Harbour which includes the famed Empress Hotel, the Legislature Building aka Parliament bldg which offers tours. The Royal BC museum is spectacular. There are many tours from pedi cabs, harbour ferries, Hippo buses (amphibians) tour buses out to Butchard Gardens or city loops including Craigdarrock castle. . Or just stroll the quaint shops on Government Street north of the Harbour. The only people who should stay on board are locals, and even they get off to be a tourist in their own town!!

No. Notifying you would mean that they specifically informed you that the policy has changed - like they have done to some of the passengers.

In that case, I'm still waiting

I got my email today from NCL today. 70 days till my cruise and its a getting to know your ship. If you hunt out the FAQ is has the water policy. Does that count as notifying me? Yes its past final payment

I drink tap at home, and prefer it cold temp from tap rather than fridge. Some cities i visit, i can taste the chlorine so then ill buy water, i find the ship water fine

Oh my gosh! Never thought of that. I use a fitbit for my watch. Its linked to my phone. On my last cruise i set it on airplane mode and the time was way off.

 

I would be willing to bet that those that choose the UBP are going to drink that much and more.

 

With the pick 2 promo NCL has run for months, don't you think the UBP and SDP are the most popular?

 

Heck , why not start another thread/poll whether pax feel that drinking for a week for 94.00 is worth it. The results probably wouldn't surprise me.

 

Depends on when the cruise was booked. My choices were UBP EX, 3rd sails free OR WIFI- PIC 2. As i only have one port stop, the excursion didnt work for me, as it was cheaper to book Alcatraz on my own than ship even with the $25 EA discount. The wifi was a no as the idea of going on a cruise is to get away from screen time. That leaves us the 2 options. Im happy with the UBP for $94 however, my 19 year old pays the fee though on the ship she is underage. I argued it with the NCL rep but was told it was UBP for 2. That is alot of rootbeer to drink provided they have it on board. Lemonade is free in buffet. We had UBP on Celebrity with the gratuity incl

TRUE - the UBP is not Free unless you got it as a Promo or are in a suite class

cabin.

 

We got the UBP as a free promo that still cost us $94.80 each in gratuities. NOT FREE

I would love to be a fly on the wall this week as passengers embark with their drinks in hand only to hear of the policy upon arrival.

I am concerned with passengers refilling water bottles in the buffet. Some of the bottles are old and dirty, and ,for health reasons , NONE are to be refilled here. Despite the signs, they were being refilled all the time on our last Epic cruise. No one enforces this rule and it leads to health issues. Ncl should put in a bottle filling station like most airports have. With the new restrictions, water safety needs to be addressed.

Perhaps i should plan on dragging Mr Washy washy over to the water spout for a quick clean before i use it. Happy happy lol

Thanks. Found the youtube of a similar one on the Jewel. May come in handy being protected as the last time i sailed this itinerary we had 20-30 ft swells

The new rule bugs me a little bit It's not the ban on beverages that gets to me. I wouldn't cancel a cruise over it but it's the fact that if I sail in a suite and am given the UBP as an included perk, most of my non alcoholic beverage choices are not included. I don't drink alcohol and don't see myself trying to consume a bunch of fattening virgin drinks just to get my "free" perk value. It is offensive to be given a perk that is advertised as "ultimate beverage package" that includes "unlimited drinks"....well except for me it covers no drinks and I'll have to pay for each bottle of water, each speciality coffee and each can of soda I consume. My UBP with unlimited drinks is going to add a lot more to my fare. Yes this time I will pay it because those items are things I want on my vacation. I thought about not giving them another $ but I want spa passes, I want spa treatments and some extras on vacation. In addition I'll now be put through some lengthy boarding process to ensure I don't have a bottle of water left over after my long wait for a cable car ride in Santorini? i guess if this is what making more money looks like for NCL yes, I may look for an alternative vacation next time around. Being charged over $6 for every bottle of water I want with my free UBP is pretty darned offensive. I'm happy to pay for my spa passes but $6 plus for a bottle of water and not able to wait in a hot line with a fresh cold water bottle prior to boarding a ship in hot med ports? That sounds like an extreme measure to earn more $.

What does bug me with the UBP on NCL is having to pay the 18% on a "free" perk. Works out to $19 a day. For the non alcoholic beverage pack on Princess last year it was $8 a day and incl canned soda. If i didnt have the perk i would have considered cancelling as i have since seen similar itineraries on other lines for same or less when i tally up the add ons from ncl

Has anyone sailed in a balcony cabin on deck 8? (Same deck as Blue Lagoon /O Sheehans) I've tried to find pictures as it seems the balconies are different than those on decks 9 -11.

Hi. Are you saying we are allowed to bring a 12 pack of Diet Coke onboard? My dh drinks Diet Coke in the morning as others drink coffee/tea. Right or wrong, healthy or not, that is what he does. If this is correct, that would be great since it is what we have done in the past. If not, it is what it is.

 

Thanks.

You can until July 14th

Im a fairly new to cruising, completing only 4 so far. NCL was my first and up to this point my favorite, but that being said, last time i sailed the room service was free. So now im booked on the same ship, Pearl similar itinerary but this time with UBP for the first time and in a balcony. I was planning on picking up some soda at our first port, if my DD didnt like the options but now won't even disembark. (HOME TOWN) a cruise is still a luxury vacation for me, so my choices are based more on affordability and itinerary. After all is said and done, its who gives me the best bang for my buck

Yup.

Just paid my final payment....now i wait to see if i get a notice.

Ive been told its like a 10 min walk at the most

Im a diet coke drinker, and drink the odd bottled water here and there when a tap isnt convenient. When i cruise in September i will drink (gag) Pepsi on sea days and diet coke when i hit the shore, and pick up a water bottle off the ship for my excursions. Im sure with news out that NCL pax will be thirsty shoppers, the locals will have it ready at the dock. Will i cruise NCL in the future? Depends on if i get a killer deal over other lines. I will not be loyal to NCL as these last minute changes and nickel dime tactics arent worth the headache

As a note to the coffee card, it is sharable as well as any un used punches can be used on a future cruise. Last year, it allowed us brewed coffee in MDR for first cruise, so the 2 punches left wont allow me that option next cruise. They didnt punch the card for the brew in MDR.

The soda and more package was my favorite non alcoholic package of any cruise line. There was a sunrise drink that was amazing as was the Nohito. Only downfall was getting service during their 2 for 1 happy hours. They pretty much ignored us. Took our order but never returned.

I sail The Pearl late sept. No word yet