TrumpyNor

I have the app installed on my phone myself, and I actually use it frequently when on a cruise. I find it very convenient to be able to check charges on my ship account, and to have mobile access to "What is going on?" onboard, instead of carrying around the paper version of the Freestyle Daily. It also lists practical information about the various ports on the itinerary, and details of what I have booked day by day (speciality restaurants, shore excursions, etc).

Yes, you can absolutely "survive" perfectly fine on a cruise without the NCL app while. But personally I find there to be more "pro's" than "con's" to have it installed on my phone. 

In Dubrovnik, taxis from the port to the old town gates are at a fixed price, if I remember correctly it is EUR 13 one way, for up to 4 persons. So often cheaper (and quicker) than the NCL shuttle, if more than one person.

4 hours ago, dexddd said:

Stockholm downtown for NCL has been varying since at least 2012.  Can't speak to recent years or ship size.  We had Sun 2012 originally planned for downtown then moved hour bus drive away, bus extra charge.  Then happened on off a few years later and people upset about change and missing the view to downtown.

We did the Baltic cruise on the Sun in the summer of 2012, and we actually docked IN Stockholm, very close to the city centre and the old town. 

1 hour ago, LIMPIT said:

Do you think Bora Bora will be ok for 9am, not sure what time the tender process will start after the overnight ?

I have no idea, but my unqualified guess is that they will start the tendering early...

As you are a first time NCL cruiser, you have no priority on the tenders, so I think you are cutting it very short at the Raiatea port....

13 hours ago, complawyer said:

 

 

that being said, however what specific cruise/ date/ ship are your referring to?

It is stated in the title of the thread, and that particular cruise seems to have a very "normal" Baltic cruise price. Not much more/much less than most Baltic cruises on NCL....

16 hours ago, mking8288 said:

On 3 of our recent TA, they're offered twice being 12 and 15 days (twice) - typically, about Day 4 or 5 for the first series and then about a week later.  If you don't see the flyer/insert, ask your room steward about it  - s/he can usually get you the "coupon" - currently priced at $34 per bag (good use of any non-refundable OBC) if not at Platinum/higher status & getting them done on a comp'd basis.  

 

 

I have a different question that you may know the answer to:

We have the "Latitude comp'd" laundry bags (one each offered on a regular cruise), that we use whenever needed without awaiting the "bag promotion day", without any coupon/voucher, simply by writing Latitude number and status on the bag.

My question is:

If they offer the regular "fill the bag"promotion twice during a longer (10+) cruise, do they then sometimes also offer one extra "comp'd" laundry bag for the higher Latitude status? I know I am not "entitled" to more than one free laundry bag per cruise, just wondering what your experience has been on longer cruises.

Congrats, Susanne!

In Europe they are actually nowadays called "crossbody bags" and they are very popular amongst the "young and hip" Europeans. 😊

Worn a bit different than the "fanny packs" from the 1980ies though....😉

10 hours ago, jrt.mom said:

Happy to say I just got my upgrade offer for an October sailing on the Sun! I'm booked in an ocean view solo room and they offered a chance to bid on a balcony and a "club balcony", whatever that is...do any of you know? The description of the room was sort of nebulous...🤔

The club balcony cabins on NCL was called "mini-suites" until a few years ago, but as the name often gave the impression of being a "suite" it often caused misunderstandings about what was included in the price. On most NCL ships they are slightly larger than a regular balcony cabin, often with a significant larger bath room. That being said - the Sun is known to have the nicest/largest club balcony cabins in the NCL fleet. 

We had a balcony cabin on the Star last year, and the cruise was sailing in "Arctic waters", so had to bring quite a variety of clothing. Had absolutely no problem reaching the clothing that we stored on the shelves inside the closet, even though we had lots of clothing on hangers as well.

7 hours ago, andychris said:

Do you know if you have a better chance the earlier you put a bid in or wait until it’s closer to the cruise?

thank you 

I honestly don't know. I usually put in bids early (2-3 months before sailing date). As long as your bid has not been accepted (that usually happens closer to sailingdate), you can pull your bid at any time simply by removing it.

1 hour ago, dilbertsdaddy said:

When do they typically start accepting bids?  I tried the link and it said none available (but there are).  Possibly it is too early?  (cruise 4 months away)

I posted bids in May for my upcoming cruise in August, so a little less than 3 months before the cruise, by using that link. 

I have no idea how this was (or was not) enforced until now, but it seems like there will be some changes to this matter this fall:

https://skift.com/2024/03/05/cruise-lines-not-ready-for-europes-upcoming-border-controls/

6 hours ago, complawyer said:

if ncl feels you are eligible for an  upgrade, they will send you an email with the appropriate cabins you are eligible to bid on. they have a sliding scale from poor bid to excellent bid.

you indicate how much you are willing to bid within that framework and for which cabin, then just keep your fingers crossed. 

 

also, please remember (be aware) that whatever amount you bid will be multiplied by 2.

if your bid is accepted, ncl will notify you (may not be notified until just prior to sailing)

6 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

You will get an invitation to bid on an upgrade and the minimum bids for rooms (per person - double occupancy regardless on how you are sailing). Also realizing that a minimum bid is unlikely to be successful. 

 

You’re invited to participate in our Upgrade Advantage program, which gives you the opportunity to submit offers to upgrade your existing stateroom.

Our suites offer more space to spread out, perfect for a couple or up to eight guests. Expansive balconies, living rooms and lavish baths make this a sumptuous retreat. You’ll also enjoy butler and concierge service, priority embarkation and disembarkation, complimentary champagne and other exclusive perks.

 

In the example above, the minimum bid from our current cabin to a Owner's Suite is $2400 and the maximum, is $4300. If we bid the maximum and were successful, we would would pay $8600 for the upgrade. 

 

Just FYI; no need to wait for an invitation, you can just use this link: https://upgrade.plusgrade.com/offer/NCL/

I have in the past placed bids both through "regular invitation e-mail" and by just using the URL-link above without receiving any "invitation" first. 

Shore excursions has to be paid at the time of booking. If you at a later time decides to cancel it, the money paid will be returned to form of original payment if cancelled before the cruise starts. If cancelled after the cruise have started, then the money paid will be reimbursed as refundable OBC (on board credit).

We did a beach excursion in St. Maarten many years ago (2013), and back then "all cruise lines" (incl NCL) had their beach excursions to Orient Beach. 

2 hours ago, CruisnDeb said:

FYI I shared a similar room with my son on the Pearl. We had the beds separated and I still managed to bang my head on wall bed a few times. 

Thank you for the warning. 🙂

Thank you both for your replies. 😊 Good idea about having the beds seoarated. Will probably ask for that to be done. Actually didn't think about that possibility in the past... 🤔

It has been a pleasure meeting you both when cruising, thank you for sharing all your NCL cruising knowledge here on CruiseCritic!

Wouldn't the easiest be to just convert it to pdf yourself if that is the format you need....?

About reservations at the MDR done before the cruise:

We have a cruise booked for beginning of August 2024 (120 days from today), and I can absolutely prebook a table at the MDR already  - BUT only for a group of 6 persons or a group of 8 persons, and ONLY two times to choose from: 5.30 PM or 8.30 PM. So definitely outside of the "peak hours". 

My experience is that it is no problem to prebook a table for a certain time in the MDR when being on the ship - and if you prefer to have your dinner at the most popular times in the evening, then I absolutely advice you to prebook a table (usually no problem to do that in the afternoon for the dinner the same evening). If not - be prepared to stand in line, then get the "beeper" and wait 15-30 minutes for your table....

Edit: Forgot to say that on the explore and plan-ist of dining options the MDR is listed with a note of "Not available to book" - when I "click" on it to try to book it anyway, then I get the option of groups of 6 or 8 persons and can choose the times 05.30 PM or 08.30 PM....

We did an 11 days cruise on the Star in August 2023, and did not have any technical incidents at all. 😊

Regarding the originally 1 year requirement to use the free Diamond upgrade: 

My husband and I obtained the Latitude Diamond status when NCL added the new tiers (beginning of 2022?). We had 2 cruises booked for the summer of 2022, and asked for the free upgrade on both these cruises. We were however not happy with one of the upgrades and asked to get our original cabin instead. According to the rules at the time, my understanding was that we then "lost" that second free upgrade.

A few months later I saw here on CC someone posting about the 1 year requirement being "removed". I then asked my PCC at NCL to apply for a free diamond upgrade on the cruise we had booked for August 2023 instead, and within a couple of days we received the email from the Latitude upgrade department with our new cabin number (upgrade from ocean view to balcony). 

12 hours ago, drumming cruisers said:

After last cruise we are now Diamond Latitude. Says we can get a free cabin upgrade. Can we go from a Club Balcony suite to a Haven suite? If not what can we upgrade to from a Club Balcony?

 

TIA

Since you are saying "we" I am guessing that you are probably a couple? If that is the case, you can have the free cabin upgrade for two TWICE. Personally my husband and I did receive the Diamond upgrade on two cruises in 2022 and 2023 - both times from "obstructed ocean view" to "balcony" - and very happy with that! Especially when I saw (by doing "mock" bookings) what many of my fellow cruisers had to pay for their "regular balcony cabin price" compared to what we paid for an originally obstructed ocean view cabin.

16 hours ago, mskaufman said:

Once embarking in Trieste (for an 8 pm departure) is it possible to go have lunch and then go back off the ship and do some sightseeing?

Absolutely!