DinaS

6 hours ago, Panhandle Couple said:

You have to look at the full picture.

 

We sailed on Princess last year, and they did include water in their drink pkg.  Just ask at any bar, you get it. (std big box store plastic water bottle)  And there were numerous 1/2 empty bottles of water sitting around the ship.  It seemed to get worse as the week went on.   And this was not during school vacation times, so very few kids on board.  Collecting, emptying and then Processing the empties for recycling takes time.  Same with energy drinks.  Handing out cans of them means many will be left in many places.  (and energy drinks are not cheap) Then recycling the cans.  Waste disposal is already a big task and cost.  These rules help limit it.

 

Also, now 6 liters of free water for Latitudes members in each cabin vs paying, so maybe someone is paying attention to the little things that bug people.

 

The 6 free liters for latitudes members was a very limited promotion for a couple of months.  It's over.

1 hour ago, Seas2mountains said:

I uploaded a bunch of photos which appeared to be there before clicking on “submit reply” but now I can’t see any. 
 

I may wait until we get back to add them but only if anyone wants to see them. 

Yes, please post photos 🙂

I am so glad they didn't change the Manhattan room.  It's such a classic art deco-ish vibe.  

Do you by chance know the cost for the lazy river at Taino Bay?

5 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I responded to your post.

I was responding (and quoting) someone else to assure he knew he wasn't covered for medical with his credit card.

Hopefully he got the info.

6 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

And, you should get medical coverage.  When you have a card that provides trip interruption/cancellation you can get the medical coverage elsewhere.  For example, the insurance websites ask for your non-reimburseable expenses.  Simply input zero. The resulting quote will be for medical coverage only and considerably cheaper.  Go to a site like the trip insurance store and try it with a mock quote. Or you can use a service like GeoBlue where I just bought a one year policy which covers medical for the trip I just completed and for next years cruise.

If you are a military retiree, Tricare for Life covers you outside the US.

I think you are telling the wrong person this information.  🙂

We've been doing this for a long time, and I wanted the other poster to understand that his credit card wouldn't cover the medical expenses.

7 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Chase Sapphire Reserve is for trip cancellation/interruption.  While you would be covered for the expenses of a cancelled trip you would not be covered for things like medical treatment.  "If your trip is cancelled or cut short by sickness, severe weather and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotels."

 

You would need other coverage for medical expenses, evacuation, etc.

In my opinion, trip cancellation coverage is the least of our concerns for travel insurance.  An emergency medical evacuation, and a few days in a hospital can easily cost upwards of $100,000.   

THAT is the reason we get travel insurance.

On 3/17/2023 at 1:26 PM, golden6911 said:

I paid for my trip with a Chase Sapphire card which has travel insurance included.  It looks pretty comprehensive and covers up to 20K trip cancellation. 

 

I think that should be enough coverage, but I am wondering if I need more than that?

What is the limit for medical expenses?  What is the limit for emergency medical evacuation?  That's what we look for.  

There have been some instances where people who showed up earlier than their selected time have been asked to wait.  They do this for a reason - people need to respect that.  Your status doesn't matter for the selected arrival time.

1 hour ago, Smitheroo said:

 

 Would you have any reason to believe the following is not a legitimate email?  

 

v

Declined Credit Card Notification for CruiseFirst Coupon

 

 

NCL

 

 

 

 

Norwegian Cruise Line <donotreply@ncl.com>	Mar 9, 2023, 12:00 PM (7 days ago)
to me

 

 

 

 

 

 

Client Name:	SMITH CHRISTINE M
Declined Credit Card #:	*3108
Amount:	USD 150.00

Dear Valued Guest,

Thank you for contacting Norwegian Cruise Line to purchase your CruiseFirst Certificate.
However, we regret to inform you that the Credit Card you used for your purchase has been declined.

Please contact us at 877-416-9722 with a new credit card number for payment.

THIS COUPON WILL NOT BE ACTIVATED UNTIL IT IS PAID FOR.


Sincerely,
Norwegian Cruise Line


Please do not reply to this email.
 

 

 

 

 

 

I would absolutely believe this is a phishing attempt.  I would never, ever call a number in an email like this.  I would always go to the website (not through the email) and get a number from there.

The rule is to never give sensitive information to anyone unless YOU initiated the contact.

6 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Glad to see your perspective on our shared cruise!

 

We'll have to agree to disagree about Moderno.  😂

What did you think of Moderno?  We tried it on the Joy in November, but our experience wasn't great.

We thought the best part of Moderno was the salad bar with sushi!

4 hours ago, GALSews said:

Yes, Platinum and above gets a whole bag per Platinum member; gold gets a 1/2 free bag per member. See NCL's latitude-rewards-program page.

 

Gold members get half off the price of a bag of laundry. Platinum members get a free bag of laundry.

9 hours ago, like2cruise said:

Headed out tomorrow for Breakaway and finalizing my packing...anyone with recent experience know if in a balcony, are robes available on request for this room category?  Thanks in advance!

We were in a regular balcony cabin on the Joy in November, and we asked for robes.  They used to be in the closet on all past cruises on the Gem, Breakaway, etc.  We were told robes were now only available in club balcony suites and higher.

Our cabin steward eventually did get us robes, but don't count on them.

On 7/2/2022 at 6:29 PM, debenson0723 said:

There are reports that Walgreens is going to start charging $129 in the near future.

All of the pharmacies I contacted are now charging for COVID tests for travel.  I even called my insurance company, and they no longer pay for Covid tests for travel.  

Right now, the easiest and most cost effective way is to use an at home test, with a proctor.  It's $15 or $20, and you can do it 24/7.  There are a few companies that do this now.

You can absolutely bring an empty water bottle on board.  We've brought water bottles on board in the past - with water in them.  Most times we had to dump the water.  Once we took them through and no one said anything.

Le Bistro is our favorite restaurant of all.  We sometimes do more than one meal per cruise at Le Bistro:)

Has anyone heard anything about the arrival/departure delays for Saturday?  

We're supposed to be boarding on Saturday, but they are back to saying 7" of snow and Gale force winds.

If you booked through a travel agent, they may have opted out of the upgrade program.  I believe places like Costco don't participate.

We booked a week out, and got upgrade emails within a day or so.

We booked two days ago for a cruise leaving this coming Saturday, and we got the upgrade offer!

They are telling you to allow up to 30 days for a response. 

I can only imagine how busy they are with FCCs and other pandemic related issues.

1 minute ago, KeithJenner said:

The OP has specifically stated that they are not filling their cup directly from the dispensers. They are filling a clean cup and then pouring that into theirs. It isn’t clear whether they then keep using the same cup to fill it.

The OP stated that they asked an NCL staff person and they said it was fine to fill directly.  I was simply correcting that incorrect piece of information.

16 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Why??

If you touch the dispenser with the cup you used to drink from, you are spreading your germs to the dispenser.

1 hour ago, Old & Retired said:

Baloney.  I take my own personal large cup on every cruise and fill it myself with lemonade or iced tea from the beverage machine.  I have no idea where you got that crazy idea.

P.S.  Been doing it for many years on NCL.

You are supposed to be using a clean cup to fill your personal cup.  If you are using your own cup you are likely spreading your germs to the dispenser.  It's selfish, and disgusting.

There are signs on the dispensers stating not to do it, and to use a clean cup each time. 

You are not allowed to fill your personal cup directly from the beverage machines at the buffet.  If someone told you that you can, they are wrong.  There are signs on the beverage dispensers stating this.

Even pre-Covid, this was a rule.  This is one of those rules that really should be enforced more stringently.

8 hours ago, c-cruise said:

We've been hesitant to cruise primarily because of the testing requirements. We've flown, gone on road trips, gone to Disneyland, etc. during covid without any concern. However, the idea of possibly testing positive at the port and getting denied boarding, etc. is what has turned us off on cruising. We just cancelled an already re-scheduled Disney cruise for Feb as there was no option to covid test in advance. Too stressful to fly all the way across the country and then not know for sure that you can sail until the covid testing at the port. We are looking at rebooking for the same week in the Haven on NCL as we could do an observed at home test before we leave and then still be able to cancel before we left home if someone happened to test positive. This seems a little less stressful to me to hopefully know before we leave home that we are likely good to go when we get to the port. I'm a little hesitant about potentially getting a FCC (and how long we have to use that) instead of a refund if we have to cancel for covid. Still trying to decipher how the FCC/refund would work if we also have CFAR insurance.

Why not just get a Covid test on your own before you leave, if you are concerned about testing positive at the port?

While it's not 100%, it's certainly very close to it.

10 minutes ago, JIMESOPUS said:

We spent a night on the BA tied up to pier 88, they charged NYC tax on all the drinks

I don't think NCL really ever wants to remain in port when they should be cruising.  As for the NYC taxes, it's a small charge, but it has nothing to do with NCL.

On 11/26/2021 at 12:33 PM, phillygwm said:

Pre-pandemic, it was announced that they'd be "on request" only.  I'm always sure to request.  I know it's dumb:  I'm a middle-aged guy travelling solo.  But it makes me smile.  The more I smile, the more I'll tip my room attendant 🙂

We're in our 60's, and on the Breakaway last month we requested towel animals.  Our cabin steward was happy to make them - he said he hardly makes them anymore. Every night we came back to our cabin trying to guess what they would be.  Every night we had a laugh because we were wrong.  From a mouse to a swan - they just make us smile!