Vibe passes once onboard- urban legend…

[L1211]

We booked late on the Bliss and Vibe beach passes were sold out online. Have had Vibe passes on all sailings Since there was a Vibe.  Did my research here.  Talked to NCL customer service- all said some passes were held back for sale once onboard.  Bought Priority Access to ensure early boarding and boarded just behind Haven.  Research said passes were at teppanyaki, although some lore said Guest Services - so, we covered all bases and I hit Teppanyaki, DH guest services. Teppanyaki sent me to Guest Services. There they all but laughed.  Told us it was pre-sale only , long ago sold out. Wow, disappointing….
 

So, join me on my live journey without the Vibe. It’s called “will it be Bliss” - or will it be crowds??? 

[JGmf]

Sorry that happened to you.  I know how the Vibe can be a big determinant of how much fun you can have on the ship.  I hope you do find your fun.

 

Say, I'm wondering if maybe passes can/will be become available not necessarily the moment you ran on the ship, but maybe later-on if there are no-shows or something?  Are you on a 'waiting list'?  It couldn't hurt to re-inquire?

[ChiefMateJRK]

20 minutes ago, L1211 said:

Talked to NCL customer service- all said some passes were held back for sale once onboard.

That must be the same department that tells people that 70% of specialty dining reservations are held back.  

[UKstages]

23 minutes ago, L1211 said:

Told us it was pre-sale only , long ago sold out. Wow, disappointing….

 

passes are held back for sale on embarkation day, that's NCL's policy, unless the ship decides not to sell them for some reason. some of those reasons are valid. some are not. i was recently told the vibe was completely sold out, when in fact only 50% of the passes had been sold. spoiler alert! i got into the vibe.

 

see the thread below and begin reading at post #25.

 

 

[bkrickles1]

34 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

passes are held back for sale on embarkation day, that's NCL's policy

 

No they're not and it's not their policy! 

Proven multiple times already.

You continue to provide false information! 

[L1211]

54 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

That must be the same department that tells people that 70% of specialty dining reservations are held back.  

This exactly! 

[L1211]

58 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

passes are held back for sale on embarkation day, that's NCL's policy, unless the ship decides not to sell them for some reason. some of those reasons are valid. some are not. i was recently told the vibe was completely sold out, when in fact only 50% of the passes had been sold. spoiler alert! i got into the vibe.

 

see the thread below and begin reading at post #25.

 

 

Spill the beans! How much money changed hands?  I told my husband to get small bills and he brought a fat stack of 20’s- ha!  Might that buy me in???? 

[bkrickles1]

1 hour ago, L1211 said:

We booked late on the Bliss and Vibe beach passes were sold out online. Have had Vibe passes on all sailings Since there was a Vibe.  Did my research here.  Talked to NCL customer service- all said some passes were held back for sale once onboard.  Bought Priority Access to ensure early boarding and boarded just behind Haven.  Research said passes were at teppanyaki, although some lore said Guest Services - so, we covered all bases and I hit Teppanyaki, DH guest services. Teppanyaki sent me to Guest Services. There they all but laughed.  Told us it was pre-sale only , long ago sold out. Wow, disappointing….
 

So, join me on my live journey without the Vibe. It’s called “will it be Bliss” - or will it be crowds??? 

Thanks for confirming what has already been suspected on here.

Have a great sailing! 

[psuboater]

Sorry to hear that! We did have luck buying in person last June but it looks to be hit or miss. 
 

NCL is known for saying things you want to hear. We were originally booked on X for our Bermuda cruise but we took the Joy in February so booked on board to switch to NCL. When we asked if Vibe was available they told us they didn’t have visibility. Surprise, they were sold out online. When we booked June 2024 on board in June 2023, well wouldn’t you know we could book Vibe the same day as our cruise…

 

I threw down my credit card as soon as it was visible in the app but the Cruisenext person called us and asked we didn’t just book it at the same time 😂

Edited March 10 by psuboater

[julig22]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

That must be the same department that tells people that 70% of specialty dining reservations are held back.  

Pretty sure that's actually true, although I don't know the %. Reason being is that you don't pay in advance for reservations so people would overbook, just in case.

But NCL would have absolutely no reason to hold back anything that requires pre-payment. Money from someone who plans ahead is just as good as someone who waits to book. They aren't in the business of being fair. First come - with money in hand - first served.

[detroitlions]

I believe there will be no Vibe passes after they are sold out I also believe The dining will be sold out. I also believe they will not let you upgrade outside the new bid process.

[L1211]

1 hour ago, detroitlions said:

I believe there will be no Vibe passes after they are sold out I also believe The dining will be sold out. I also believe they will not let you upgrade outside the new bid process.

Yeah, I think that’s a thing of the past…

[L1211]

Sad Pro Tip- the American diner does not

serve breakfast, like the MAS used to do.  Forces you to buffet which is a ***** show this morning.  Sigh.  

[L1211]

And the CHOGS are in full force this morning - 9:30 am - every seat claimed, maybe 20% in use.  I’d be mad if I cared… 

[L1211]

First sighting of the Observation Lounge- woweeee- beautiful!!! What an amazing space. Unclear what is is used for - just lounging and observing?  Bar hopping this morning.  Only hot item for breakfast was oatmeal- if they threw in some eggs and bacon it would be for the win! Need a base for wine tasting at 11:30!  

[L1211]

Sad, Sad breakfast at the buffet.  But, the DH and bestie showed up so the company is good. And that fresh squeezed juice- outstanding! 

[detroitlions]

Bummer on the Diner not having breakfast. The one from the buffet you posted looks ill LOL

[UKstages]

18 hours ago, L1211 said:

Spill the beans! How much money changed hands?

 

all the beans were spilled in the linked thread.

 

no money changed hands, other than the cost of the vibe pass (for which i used OBC), but i had to ask somebody to make a call and the matter was not resolved until day 2. the GM was of no help whatsoever.

 

17 hours ago, julig22 said:

But NCL would have absolutely no reason to hold back anything that requires pre-payment.

 

they do, actually.

 

and they are not revenue reasons. they are actually quite customer-focused reasons.

 

• some people use OBC for cruise expenditures. some folks have a lot of it. NCL's IT infrastructure does not accommodate the pre-booking of services without applying payment, so you can't use OBC to book. 

 

• some people book their cruises late. some book as late as a week or so before the sailing. 

 

• some people haven't yet realized that the vibe can be booked in advance. some people haven't sailed since the old vibe "mad dash" on embarkation day was commonplace. 

 

NCL holds back some passes for sale on embarkation day to accommodate all these folks. there is no guarantee you will get in, just as if you board early on embarkation day, there's no guarantee you're going to be able to snag a 7 PM cagney's reservation.

 

but if so many believe that NCL holds back restaurant reservations for embarkation day, why would these same folks think it inconceivable that they hold back vibe passes?

 

17 hours ago, julig22 said:

They aren't in the business of being fair.

 

except, of course, for those times that they are. 

 

as much many like to criticize NCL (myself included), they do some things right. 

 

on sailings for which the advance demand for the vibe is strong, that demand will not dissipate on embarkation day. so, while it's true there's a benefit to maximizing interest and getting the money upfront, there is also a benefit to making a limited number of passes available for purchase on each sailing.

 

19 hours ago, L1211 said:

Vibe passes once onboard - urban legend…

 

i have now had two recent experiences in which the agent told me that they always hold back passes for sale on embarkation day and that it was NCL policy to do so. as always with NCL, YMMV. but it's wrong to call it an urban myth if there are multiple reporrts of people buying the vibe on embarkation day.

 

42 minutes ago, L1211 said:

the American diner does not serve breakfast...

 

on my recent getaway sailing (1/27, out of new york) the american diner did serve complimentary buffet breakfast, just as the "old" american diner did before it was made into a complimentary lunch and dinner venue.

 

Edited March 11 by UKstages

[bkrickles1]

5 minutes ago, UKstages said:

they do, actually.

 

and they are not revenue reasons. they are actually quite customer-focused reasons.

 

• some people use OBC for cruise expenditures. some folks have a lot of it. NCL's IT infrastructure does not accommodate the pre-booking of services without applying payment, so you can't use OBC to book. 

 

• some people book their cruises late. some book as late as a week or so before the sailing. 

 

• some people haven't yet realized that the vibe can be booked in advance. some people haven't sailed since the old vibe "mad dash" on embarkation day was commonplace. 

 

NCL holds back some passes for sale on embarkation day to accommodate all these folks. there is no guarantee you will get in, just a sif you board early on embarkation day, there's no guarantee you're going to be able to snag a 7 PM cagney's reservation.

 

but if so many believe that NCL holds back restaurant reservations for embarkation day, why would these same folks think it inconceivable that they hold back vibe passes?

 

 

except, of course, for those times that they are. 

 

as much many like to criticize NCL (myself included), they do some things right. 

 

on sailings for which the advance demand for the vibe is strong, that demand will not dissipate on embarkation day. so, while it's true there's a benefit to maximizing interest and getting the money upfront, there is also a benefit to making a limited number of passes available for purchase on each sailing.

 

 

i have now had two recent experiences in which the agent told me that they always hold back passes for sale on embarkation day and that it was NCL policy to do so. as always with NCL, YMMV. but it's wrong to call it an urban myth if there are multiple reporrts of people buying the vibe on embarkation day.

False!!!

But you are persistent!

They do not hold back passes and it's not their policy.

Proven already and confirmed onboard by the OP.

 

[julig22]

16 minutes ago, UKstages said:

• some people use OBC for cruise expenditures. some folks have a lot of it. NCL's IT infrastructure does not accommodate the pre-booking of services without applying payment, so you can't use OBC to book. 

 

• some people book their cruises late. some book as late as a week or so before the sailing. 

 

• some people haven't yet realized that the vibe can be booked in advance. some people haven't sailed since the old vibe "mad dash" on embarkation day was commonplace. 

Not going to argue with you, believe what you want. Evidence and experience says nothing that involves pre-payment is held back.

You really believe NCL is going to refuse advance payment for people who book late. That's crazy and definitely not customer oriented - unless you think that early bookings aren't valuable. And even crazier to believe that they would prefer to let people use their OBC instead of adding more cash. Do you really think a mad dash on embarkation day is a good thing - although smart marketing on their side if they continue to let people believe that they are holding passes/excursions - maybe that sells a few more priority passes.

[L1211]

Omg!  Did I post breakfast to the wrong thread?    Now I’m confused!!!  I’m doing g a live on the Bliss- sorry! 

[JGmf]

1 minute ago, L1211 said:

Omg!  Did I post breakfast to the wrong thread?    Now I’m confused!!!  I’m doing g a live on the Bliss- sorry! 

 

 Yeah, you did, but you're on vacation!  Have a drink and relax!!!

[L1211]

Just now, JGmf said:

 

 Yeah, you did, but you're on vacation!  Have a drink and relax!!!

Ha! Wine tasting event at 11:30!!!  Can’t drink all day if you don’t start on the morning!! 

[PATRLR]

5 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Not going to argue with you, believe what you want. Evidence and experience says nothing that involves pre-payment is held back.

You really believe NCL is going to refuse advance payment for people who book late. That's crazy and definitely not customer oriented - unless you think that early bookings aren't valuable. And even crazier to believe that they would prefer to let people use their OBC instead of adding more cash. Do you really think a mad dash on embarkation day is a good thing - although smart marketing on their side if they continue to let people believe that they are holding passes/excursions - maybe that sells a few more priority passes.

Agreed.  Those three points do not make good business sense.  Further, I would argue that holding a few for sale onboard makes even less sense for customer satisfaction.  The old "mad dash" model was bad enough, but now they are going to continue the mad dash model except with far fewer availability?  That sets up even more people for disappointment than the old method.  

[bkrickles1]

1 minute ago, L1211 said:

Omg!  Did I post breakfast to the wrong thread?    Now I’m confused!!!  I’m doing g a live on the Bliss- sorry! 

Lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No worries!

I'm astonished at the commitment that it takes to do a live review and appreciate it every time.

I get "cruise brain" after boarding and could never do what you all do.

Last July, on Joy, I wanted to screen shot every day from the app the freestyle daily, so that I could post them after returning for those (like me) who really appreciate them. I remembered day 1 and that was it. All a blur after that. Lol 🤣

Thanks and have fun!