duggage

I couldn't find the policy on NCL and the search results here didn't yield an answer, so I figured I'd ask. I booked a cruise and am a couple months before the final payment date.

If the price drops before FPD and it turns out that I've paid more toward the cruise than the adjusted price, is that guaranteed to come back as a refund to my card, or should I leave a chunk unpaid until closer to FPD to be (hopefully) eaten up by a drop? (I'd prefer this to OBC)

Do they tally up the entire bill (including things like pre-paying gratuities) and then refund whatever you've paid over vs the new price? Or are there things they don't count or only give an OBC for if you've already paid on it?

I understand that after final payment it's usually a one-time OBC or FCC. I just don't know if I'm needlessly concerned about staying underpaid before getting closer to FP.

Thanks!

1 hour ago, Ellis1138 said:

 

I hate convertibles, so I never purposely rent one. I will always try to get compact cars on Hawaii. (The Kona office had a You Click, We Pick special that wound up being a Mustang convertible. We kept the top up.)

 

Parking overnight at the Kahului port is risky because if you do it at that Whole Foods mall, you chance getting your rental car ticketed or towed. The nearby Maui Seaside Hotel offers overnight parking for $25. If you have a handicapped tag, you might be allowed to park at the actual ship's area, but don't quote me on that.

 

I wound up spending a bit extra to rent a Prius from Bio-Beetle rental cars, which is about a 20 minute walk (it would be shorter if we could cut through the port, but you have to walk a really long fenced in path through the Kahului pier terminal) and they let us park overnight in their gated lot, which worked out well for us. They also gave us free use of beach chairs, boogie boards, coolers and pool noodles. When we returned the car, the owner drove us back to the ship. Their location and lot looks sketchy, but it really was a very good rental experience for us.

 

A rental car company called White Glove Car Rental also includes overnight parking and has similar perks as Bio-Beetle, but without the long walk, I think. I never priced them or used them, so not sure what they cost.

 

One thing about parking on most of the islands is: the spots can be very small and having a smaller car helps fit into those. Gas is expensive, so bring a Costco card, which has the cheapest gas on the islands.

 

For Hilo and Kona, we never parked overnight (I used Enterprise for all car rentals except Maui and they were great). On Kauai, we were allowed to park along Nawiliwili Road, on the shoulder, in front of Aspire Furniture and Nawiliwili Park. But we got back to the ship the first day around 4pm, so were able to get a spot. The Enterprise on Aukele Road (the non-airport) did a pickup and drop off at the ABC Store #59, which was in walking distance of the ship and that shopping village ran a free shuttle to the ship during the day/

 

For the other questions, I can't comment on NCL's cheap flights because we saved up United Miles to be able to fly first class both ways on a nonstop flight. We lucked out and both flights flew on schedule with no delays or diversions. I had also saved up Marriott points for 3 free nights in Waikiki. So there was no need to consider NCL's stuff. I also like having total control of the vacation.

 

We flew in on Wednesday, my husband did a self tour of Pearl Harbor all day Thursday with an 8 am Arizona reservation, we did sunrise at Sandy Beach and then did Living Oceans Turtle Canyon Snorkel on Friday and then boarded the ship on Saturday. Cabins were ready around 3 pm.

 

On Maui, rather than be on a boat for 30 minutes each way, we went early to Makena Beach and snorkeled among the black rocks there. Gorgeous beach.

 

Thanks so much for all the parking details! Someone else had posted (in an overnight parking thread) a couple years back of being one of 25 or so rental cars parking at the mall without issue. Maybe they changed the rules. I was looking at Enterprise (next to the mall) and intending to ask about overnight parking there. Probably a similar walk to Bio-Beetle. I'll check them out as well.

We also like having total control, so that's why I'm leary. I know people have had great NCL flight experiences, but this has more moving parts than our usual vacations. For pre-cruise, we were thinking about staying at the Marriot Waikiki beach spa. Mainly because it is right across from the beach, has a luau on property, and is close(ish) to diamond head. Did you stay there or decide on another property?

I'm so glad everyone had a great time. I'm really dragging on the booking process (analysis paralysis) but excited about all the things to do/see!

On 3/3/2024 at 2:13 AM, TeresaJ said:

Our first time to Hawaii and it was fabulous! It was me and my husband. We are in our early 50s. 

 

Ship is in really good condition and even though it's a smaller ship, we didn't really notice because we were so busy at the ports. We did feel a lot of motion but it does not bother us.

 

We flew in 2 days prior and stayed near Waikiki beach. Went to Pearl Harbor and also hiked Diamond Head and spent some time at the beach watching all of the surfers!

 

We plan on cruising PoA this fall. Did you use NCL for flights or book separate? We were looking to fly in 3 days early and both Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head (sunrise) were in our plans (plus a luau at the hotel). I'm worried that if we did two days and took advantage of the NCL "2nd flies free" option that they only allow 2 days max and might not fly us in the first day until 7pm. (basically leaving us with only one day for everything)

What time did you touchdown in Oahu? Did you feel 2 days was comfortable enough to manage both excursions and the beach?

Our ship itinerary is also very close to yours. We will probably snorkle Molokini on Maui instead of Kona and maybe look for a coffee tour there. By the time I get to Kauai I'm a little burned out on planning. Canal tubing the first day and then I'm just not sure.

12 hours ago, Ellis1138 said:

I'm sorry about your steward, Teresa. I met mine on the first day and Jeffrey was very good. He even went and found our luggage for us, because I was anxious. They had so little time to turn the cabins around, so sometimes it tends to be the cleanliness that suffers.

 

Since I'd been to Hawaii twice before, we pretty much rented a car on each island and I knew to rent compact size ones and where to go to find parking and how early to get there.

We were planning to rent a convertible on Maui and drive up to Haleakala (we plan on staying past sunset for some stars). I mentioned that to a friend of mine and he was critical of rental cars on Maui (particularly convertibles). I haven't been to HA before but I've used google maps/etc to scope out what I think are good parking spots. Have you rented the first day and then overnighted the car at the Kahului mall village? Can you weigh in on the quality of car rental or make any recommendations?

Just to follow up on my post from a couple years ago when I was in the same situation...

We ended up parking at the port in the structure right next to the Carnival terminal. The cost was more compared to the lot at ES, but we didn't have to tip anyone, we didn't have to wait for a shuttle or pay a cab, etc, which was nice for being able to arrive early and leave when you want.

March 8th Freedom to Aruba. We arrived around 9:50 or so, dropped off luggage and parked in the structure next to the ship.

10:19 posted that we were sitting down in zone 1.

11:26 posted that plat and diamond were boarding.

We boarded soon after that. So if you want zone 1, I'd say try to arrive around 10.

And yeah- FLL was very efficient.

Has anyone tried asking for some empty taco shells to "make" their own chips? Or I guess at that point you could have some toppings and turn it into taco salad...

My wife and I considered hard whether we should try the Cheers program. I even pulled out my folio charges from our last cruise and added up the number of drinks. One day we didn't buy a single drink on the boat (I think we bought a few off ship). Over the other 7 days (8 day cruise) we managed 70 drinks on the boat. So that brings us down to 8.75 per day for two peeps.

On the surface, maybe we'd break even on the program, however... we were drinking "free" in the casino by the end of day 3. When that happened we ordered more and crazier drinks. Even with that, still... pretty much just breaking even on what it would take to keep up with Cheers. (albeit the casino way to free drinks is not cheaper than cheers by far! ;) )

So we've decided to not do Cheers, but instead just order whatever we want when we feel like it. Other factors...

1. We are bringing kids this time (their first cruise!). While some might point out that this could lead us to drink more (hehe), I don't think I could drink much more than when I was getting free long islands in the casino if I tried. Well, except for-

2. We are doing some excursions that include free drinks. 10 rum punches and it paid for itself- amirite? ;)

3. We don't intend on hitting the casino hard the way we did last time. Money is instead going toward excursions and/or staying in the bank.

I know personally, just the way I am, if I got the Cheers program I'd try to ensure I got my money's worth (and my wife's). I'd drink more on the boat and less ashore to make that happen if need be. Without the program I think I'll be more free to toss back a few in local bars, etc.

We will probably do another cruise at some point with just us two. And at that point I'll again consider the Cheers program and see how it compares to our "order whatever we want" plan we are rolling with this time.

Or Park'n'Go, which splits the difference.

I haven't used UAP in FLL. However, it looks like the offer the OP was looking at is the exact same one as on AirportParkingInc.com. From comparing the two sites, it looks like they are the same company. (in fact UAP accidentally has "Aiport Parking Inc"s name on their article snipets.)

Anyway... I HAVE used API to get parking in Miami for a cruise (Nov '13). The experience was alright enough for me to consider doing it again. But mileage may vary based on location.

I was considering parking at the Embassy lot in FLL for an upcoming cruise that we may need to drive in for (airline prices- woo!). It looks like the area they park cars in is in the blocked off lot area south of Embassy. Going through API it is like 5.5$ per day, plus some tax and fee. Basically under 60$ for an 8-day.

My concern, however, is that the lot next to Embassy is not surrounded by an 8 ft. fence the way the one in Miami was. It has a 4ft fence around most of it, but part of it is simply "roped off" from an adjacent business parking lot. You can see this by pulling up Embassy on Google maps, put yourself on street view and head down SE 10th ave.

So I'm at the point where I'm not satisfied enough with this particular location that I feel I need to do more research to find out how secure it is of late. Or I need to just say "meh" and use the Park'n'Fly lot for ~100$.

As others have said, I think it's too early to look at pricing. This is probably exacerbated by current international tensions. You can start looking at prices now if you want, but I wouldn't commit to anything more than 6 months out unless it is rediculously low. I usually book my flights between 5 to 3 months out. Season, time til departure, and destination are the three biggest factors I can think of (aside from oil prices/tensions).

You might want to also look at Fort Lauderdale to fly into. Sometimes it is cheaper.

Other things to consider would be taking the train. If you can reduce it down to one leg, it should be rather competitive compared to flying. Young children are half-price. You might also get a discount code from the cruise line (I read somewhere that carnival had one, so I'd assume NCL might too).

Stick with and don't give up your cruise! :)