If you check out NCL's website you can see more details on their European
cruises. The problem with the last NCL 7-day cruise certificate we had for
a 7 day cruise that included Europe was that NCL offers only one 7-day
European itinerary this year. These things change though, but for 2009, the
only 7-day cruise is from Barcelona on the Norweigan Gem, [round trip to
Malta, Napes, Rome, Florence, and Cannes France]. (We wanted to go to the
Greek Islands).
They have quite a few different sailing dates in 2009, and presumably the
same would be true for 2010.
One of several problems with these certificates is that you cannot
(necessarily) combine them in some form with another certificate or money to
change them, such as changing the 7 day to a 13 day with some additional money.
You pay port costs and fees plus gratuities (NCL calls them service
charges), which can amount to more than $600 for 2 people, depending on
itinerary. Generally you must use within 1 year of the certificate, and sometimes
you must book within a couple of months of getting certificate. Since they
are giving you some cash, that pays for those charges.
We are going for a 7 day cruise pickup from N.O. on Sept. 25 (other pickup
dates are in Oct. and Nov.). On this one they are giving out 7-day
certificates that can be used at several different itineraries including Europe,
Alaska, Caribbean, Mexico. Neither we nor the hosts have all the exact
details on ports or any ships that may be excluded (for example a previous
certificate we had excluded the Norweigan Pearl to Alaska, but other ships to
Alaska were okay).
If you have received a New Years offer for a cruise, you might well be
eligible for this one in Sept/Oct/Nov, so if you did not receive it, it
wouldn't hurt to contact a host to double check, since this one has more options.
In this case, they are also giving out some cash (amount as yet not told to
me) to pay for port charges. Different people have different offers
depending on play, such as some have Ocean View, some Balcony, some
mini-Suites. A host should be able to tell you what you get (though a couple of
people we've talked to were not able to find out that information in advance -
we were told Balcony). Also we were told if you book within 1 month of
getting certificate, you'll get $200 free gaming credit onboard. The
certificates are good for 1 year and include free drinks in the casino (which can
save money) and possibly some extra goodies from the casino such as a free
upgrade to one of the Fee dining rooms or an amenity sent to your rooms, etc.
Unlike previous offers from New Orleans, these are not group tours, and no
Orleans host will be onboard. Also NCL features "freestyle dining" so you
choose the time (and dining room) you want each night and can change it.
If several Harrah's people are onboard, you don't sit and eat together
(unless you know each other and plan to do that).
I'm assuming that similar to previous NCL certificates, you cannot transfer
them to someone else. Also say you have 2 certificates that could
conceivably be used for the same cruise, since you yourself must book and
actually be in the room for the certificate, you can't book 1 room for yourself
and your roommate and give the other room to 2 friends. You can pay for
upgrades. We discovered, from talking to other people, that you can sometimes
phone the NCL number and be told 1 price for an upgrade (to say a balcony)
and then call another time and get another price! Odd. You can also pay
for additional people to be put into your room.
In the past New Orleans offers which both I and my husband received, we
were able to book 2 cabins because we had 2 offers, and take another couple
with us. Now this may no longer be true. It is possible that they've
changed things though so that 2 people can combine their certificates in some
way (such as get an upgrade), but we won't know the details on that until we
go to New Orleans in Sept.
As with all these certificate deals we've seen so far, information is often
sketchy from hosts, and you can't find out exact details on the fine print
until you get the certificate.
In my opinion it is best NOT to assume that every single ship and 7-day
itinerary is included, some may be excluded. Some people reported problems
with getting blackout dates when they called. My advice is to choose
several possible dates for your cruise and book early. Avoid holidays to avoid
running into black out dates. If you do have to pay for items such as
port taxes and fees in advance, consider getting trip insurance to get this
money back in case you have to cancel the cruise.
In the specific case of this New Years offer, I would suspect that it is
for that 7 day Barcelona itinerary. If that is what you want, it is a good
deal. If not, maybe it isn't worthwhile (though if you get the cash with
the cruise documents, you can always take the cash and not cruise).
As I previously wrote in my long report on our NCL Alaska cruise, NCL
cruises have their advantages and disadvantages. Since N.O. is giving cash to
pay for the port taxes, etc., these particular cruise deals are probably
worthwhile. However be cautious about going gung-ho for any of these NCL
certificate deals without a lot of information, since some of them may vary on
type of cabin, fees that are included, and itineraries that are included.
Also, if you call to book and are sure you understand the details of the
offer, and the people at NCL say, 'no you can't use your certificate on that
particular cruise' or say 'all the cabins are booked/blackout', feel free
to ask to speak to a supervisor. We had trouble booking one of the
certificates which clearly stated "good for Alaska" - several operators said it
was not good for Alaska, but we persisted and found a nice supervisor in the
Miami office, who had no trouble booking the cruise we wanted. And if you
want to pay for upgrades or additional passengers, you may want to call
several times to make sure you are quoted the correct price.
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