DinaS

2 hours ago, RedwingHockeyFan said:

 

 

It would only make sense that it would.  The final price for the cabin would be the bid plus the original booked room costs.  Wouldn't make sense for them to upgrade someone with a minisuite to H4 over someone with an H8 if the bid was the same or even if the final total price was equal.  I'm sure they use a very sophisticated algorithm to make sure they get as much money as possible.  I'd also assume that they fill the higher class cabins first since it will open up another cabin to take a bid for.  Which is why they probably still take bids for a class of cabin that currently shows as being sold out.

Your logic makes sense, but I can think of one possible reason to upgrade someone with a minisuite as opposed to someone already in the Haven - if the total final price was equal.

It  might be a way to convert someone to Haven, if they have a great experience and it was their first time, and in turn it might mean more revenue for the future.

5 minutes ago, Lem_On_Ade said:

Thanks for the input! I think it really is a crapshoot lol. I've actually never been to a Brazilian type steakhouse so that's why I was leaning towards keeping Moderno even though I'm sure it's nothing like what I would experience on land. My thinking with Cagney's was that I did eat at Carnival's steakhouse but wasn't really wowed, but I know this could be totally different. I appreciate all of your recommendations so far!!

Moderno is pretty similar to what you would experience on land, if you were going to a middle-of-the-road place.  I've been to better places and worse places on land.  

Food at Moderno was decent, and the salad bar (lots of stuff other than salad) was pretty good.

As for Cagney's, we had a horrible meal there on the Gem last time.  In fact it was bad from appetizer to steak to dessert.  We were offered another meal - and we went back to Le Bistro - our favorite.  We generally love steakhouses - but this was akin to a cheap chain restaurant on a bad day.

Definitely go to Le Bistro!!!

22 minutes ago, rccllovergirl said:

Is there an option to buy a pass for just one or two days?  if yes, how much are they?

Going on Escape

They sometimes sell day passes on port days - depending on availability.  From what I recall, they were $69 a day, but that was a few years ago.  I am sure the price has gone up since then.

17 hours ago, galagirl5 said:

You will pay more on board l bid on a spa room. Lost and had to pay extra

We were considering a bid on a spa mini suite for about half the cost of a spa pass, but we are concerned about the location of those cabins - under the pool deck. 

5 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

On our last cruise on the Gem, we learned to order 2 drinks at a time, because we never had the opportunity to order a second. This was in the Grand Pacifica.

That's a good point.  It was rare that we  had an opportunity to order a second drink when in the Grand Pacific on the Gem.  Food service was generally good, but the servers with the drinks were VERY busy, and flagging them down was a challenge.

Now that you are allowed to order two drinks per card, we will do that - we will order our cocktail and our wine at the same time!

I also just emailed my PCC at NCL.  We booked Choir of Man last week (on the phone with our PCC) for our upcoming cruise, we received the confirmation, and it was showing on our cruise summary. 

I just went to print the summary, and that show is now missing.  Our other show and all three dinner reservations are still there.

I am waiting to hear back from my PCC.  This is frustrating.

1 minute ago, zqvol said:

 

Yes, and you can buy it on board after boarding.

And on top of getting on line to buy a spa pass, we also have to make show reservations, change dinner reservations, etc.

Thanks

17 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Or, if you are that indecisive, get one on embarkation day. 
 

about 2 days per-cruise, all reservations are transferred to the ship and you edocs are no longer available. 

Thanks

30 minutes ago, Rsavtechcruise said:

If greater than 2 days then you can buy if 2 days or less have to buy onboard

Thank you!

1 hour ago, Sauer-kraut said:

Have you looked at your options in MyNCL??

If its too late you can always purchase on board at the spa.

I can buy it now - 11 days out - but I want to know if I can buy it a day or two before our cruise.

Is it possible to purchase a spa pass at the last minute - perhaps a day or two before boarding?   I couldn't find that info online. 

Thanks in advance!

We did a Bermuda cruise in late April, and the water was chilly, but considering we are from NY/NJ, it really wasn't bad.  

It's not generally warm enough for the folks of Bermuda, but if you are from cooler climes, you should be OK.

9 minutes ago, salty dingo said:

Hi All,

 

We have the promo beverage package on Escape, and I see the flyer for it lists several beers and then "PLUS 4+ brands on draft."

 

Does anyone know if this draft extends to the Brew House? They have a lot more than 4 beers on draft. If it is just a limited selection, how do I know what is covered and what is not?

 

Thanks!

All alcoholic drinks up to $15 are covered on your beverage plan.  I highly doubt there are any draft beers over that amount.

If in doubt about anything, ask the bartender 🙂

52 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The Daily Service Charge benefits all of the hard working crew that help make your cruise memorable. This includes all of the behind the scenes crew members like cooks, cleaners, and cruise director staff who would lose out if you only tipped those you think are helping you. After your cruise,

you could request a refund of your DSC by providing a reason for the partial or full removal. 

Instead of requesting a refund by "providing a reason" after the cruise, one should bring up the reason DURING their cruise so that the issue can be addressed. 

Only after attempting unsuccessfully (during the cruise - while it is happening) to rectify a bad service issue, should requesting a refund even be considered.  Even then, it will also negatively affect people who are likely doing an excellent job.

As it has already been said, the Daily Service Charge isn't just for the people you see and interact with directly.  

7 minutes ago, ihrtcruise said:

Ok, so like at Cagneys (our fav) which is now a la carte, it's covered as long as we only order 1 entree.

Yes.

3 minutes ago, esm54687 said:

you mean pay for an additional upgrade since the OP was already upgraded from his booking of an "ID" to an "IC"..... 

 

I've come to realize that people are so anxious to reply to a thread that they skim read a post hoping to reply before someone else does and that's where people actually miss the very answer they ask for clarification..... not saying that happened to you but there's a pattern on this board of it. 

Wow.  I simply missed something and I admitted that I missed something.  Care to continue with your beating of a dead horse?

Yes - his only real option is to PAY for an actual upgrade.  His cabin assignment, while it may have been a technical upgrade, was not a paid upgrade.

I hope that is clear enough now.

5 minutes ago, esm54687 said:

The very first sentence tells you his sail date...... that will answer your question about final payment date.

Not sure how I missed that 🙂

His only option may be to pay for an upgrade now.

9 minutes ago, marktwothousand said:

October 27, 12 Day Joy.

 

Just called Costco and pleaded with them to try and get NCL to re-assign me any other inside guarantee than deck 5 and they wouldn't budge. Costco made 2-3 calls to NCL on my behalf but they would not budge.

 

I booked an Inside GTY class "ID" and I understand Guarantee to mean you would get assigned to any room within the ID class or higher. I am FINE with not having a specific room, but I do expect to get at least the quality I paid for. Most cabins in the ID class were deck 9 and above and I ended up getting assigned to an IC CABIN ON DECK 5 under the theatre. I am furious, because I don't feel I'm getting at least what I paid for. I don't know how NCL considers a deck 5 IC better than a deck 9-12 ID cabin.😡

 

Again, I realize GTY doesn't promise anything great but I understood it to mean I get AT LEAST the quality I paid for, and I don't feel I have. I've never truly been dissastisfied with NCL until now, silver level cruiser here.

 

What are my other options?

- pay for an upgrade

- can I rebook my ID cabin to another inside category other than ID and see if I get reassigned? (Apply what I paid to a new booking)

- plead in person for a change of my inside room...but should I do this at the pier or on board, and I am guessing I should be really early to the pier to even try this, right?

 

I'm thinking the best shot I have is "plead in person" to be placed in any other inside cabin, if I complain that the cabin is under the theatre and I am sensitive to the noise because I sleep odd hours.

It really is a matter of understanding that a guarantee cabin really does mean that category or higher.  If you did not want an IC cabin on Deck 5, then booking a guarantee ID cabin is not a good idea.  When they say you could end up in that category or higher, anywhere on the ship - they mean it.

Are you already past final payment?  If not, then simply rebook your cabin to something that would make you happy.  If you are past final payment, you may be able to upgrade (by paying) to a higher category.  

It is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that would ever get an opportunity to switch cabins when you get to the pier.

1 hour ago, SolocruiserMA said:

I've been blessed enough to cruise out of NY in March the past 2 years. Both on the NCL Gem. A "midsize" ship.  Last year's 10 day Southern Caribbean was remarkably smooth. It felt like a lake 9 out of 10 days. The weather started and ended a bit chilly but 8 out of 10 days were warm enough to drink al fresco. I say try it! Winter/Spring cruising out of NY is my favorite. Low prices, limited kids, and an escape from the cold. 

 

If you had any other questions feel free to ask. We are going on a 12 day winter. NYC sailing in January just to have a snowy cruise. Lol

I think we were on that same Gem cruise last year!  We couldn't believe how smooth the sailing was.  On the other hand, a couple of years before that, we also left in March - also on the Gem 9 day from NY.  It had just snowed, and it was really cold, and nowhere as smooth for the first two days.  Coming back it was also a bit rough.

You just never know!

5 minutes ago, Vyhanek said:

She's not talking about bringing drinks to the restaurants onboard!   what about that don't you understand.   She's talking about bringing drinks to her cabin.   When she checks in, having drinks in her room.   What don't you get about that?

 

Just like in a hotel, where drinks to your own hotel room are not confiscated.    

Hotels don't regulate food or drink you bring to your room.    How can cruise ships.   That's her point......which is clear.

 

  

You are missing a huge point here.   A hotel room is not the same as a cabin on a cruise ship.   That's the only thing that's clear.

On the ship, if you want to drink, you have to buy it from the SHIP.   You can't go to your local liquor store and pick up a few things.  

In a hotel, if you want to drink, you can go out and buy it ANYWHERE.  Once you leave your hotel room, you are free to do as you wish.  

On a ship, once you leave your cabin, you are certainly NOT free to do as you wish... unless you'd like to jump.  Even then, you would likely be rescued and forced to rejoin the ship.

1 minute ago, www3traveler said:

Try one of the larger ships that have Studio Cabins--  they are basically an Inside cabin on the upper decks.  I have cruised a number of times in a Studio and rarely felt the movement of the ship.

Studio cabins only hold one person.   The OP is getting this as a surprise birthday gift - and they are going as well.   It sounds like two people are traveling.

Where do you want to go on your cruise?  What do you want to do? 

Do you want to just explore places on your own, or do actual excursions? 

Do you just want a cruise to relax, or do you want a ship full of waterparks, games, adventure, etc?

First you need to decide those two things, and then find a ship.

I do have to say, however, if your fear of water is really terrible - you may not enjoy a cruise.  What if you have a panic attack when the ship leaves the dock?  They aren't going to turn around and drop you off.

No matter what you do - get travel insurance.  Make sure you get travel insurance that includes a "cancel for any reason" option.  It will be expensive, but will save you money if you back out.

If you are going to have three adults in a cabin, then you might want to concern yourself with the size of the cabin, and not the size of the balcony.   We did a mini suite on the Gem a couple of years ago, and those cabins actually have a curtain (heavy) between the bed and the sofa bed, which allows for some privacy at night.  The cabins are just slightly bigger than a regular balcony cabin, but in cases of 3 adults, that size does help.  The newer ships (i.e. - Bliss) don't have those curtain dividers in the mini suites - but they are still a couple of feet bigger than the regular balcony cabins.

13 minutes ago, lucksak said:

 

We are talking about 1 bottle of wine each. No one expects all you want to bring. Corkage is for opening the bottle and the use of glasses.

 

If people were allowed to bring wine on board with no fee, I bet you would see people boarding with a lot more than just one bottle each.

Would you prefer they didn't allow people to bring any wine at all?   It's easy enough to do that.  

If we didn't have the drink package, we would bring a couple of bottles of wine for our room and pay the corkage fee just to have the wine we like.

17 minutes ago, jandst said:

$15.00 when no one helps or serves you?  

It doesn't matter if anyone "serves" you.  You are still bringing wine to a place that makes their money by SELLING wine.

If you want wine to drink in your cabin, paying the corkage fee allows you to bring the wine YOU enjoy and at a substantially lower price (if they even have it at all).