FAQ | The Groove Cruise

Friday, 1/27/12: Depart Miami 4:00 PM (Be onboard by 2:00 PM!)
Saturday, 1/28/12: Great Stirrup Cay
Sunday, 1/29/12: Nassau, Bahamas
Monday, 1/30/12 arrive Miami 8:00 AM

• Itinerary is subject to change without notice at the discretion of Norwegian Cruise Line.

Reservations can be made online HERE or by calling Whet Travel at 877-GET-WHET (438-9438), extension 4.

Whet Travel Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-8pm EST

We need to confirm the following for all guests:

Cabin Type / Number of People in Each Cabin

Full, legal name (first, last)

Birth date

Email address

Phone number

Discount Code

Special requests (cabin number, location, friends’ they want to be booked next to, etc.).

There isn’t “really” a booking deadline for the Groove Cruise, but rates and availability are not guaranteed until booked. We recommend booking early to guarantee the best rates and best cabin locations.

Required Deposit Amounts Per Cabin:

*Single/Double Inside, Oceanview or Balconies: $400 total

*Single/Double Suites: $1000 total

*Triple Inside, Oceanview or Balcony: $600 total

*Triple Suites: $1500 total

*Quad Inside, Oceanview or Balcony: $800 total

*Quad Suites: $2000 total

Triple and quad cabins will NOT be confirmed without full deposit for everyone in your cabin.

50% is due August 17.

Final payment is due by October 12, 2011.

A $50.00 per person late fee will apply if your reservation is not paid in full by this date. If your reservation is not paid in full within 3 weeks after the due date, your reservation will be cancelled without refund of your payments, based on our cancellation policy noted on your invoice.

Reservations booked after October 22, 2011 requires full payment at time of booking.

Depending on when you book, payment plans may be available.

Please call us at 877-GET-WHET (438-9438) for more information.

Whet Travel Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-8pm EST

Requests to be located next to your friends should be made at time of booking. We will do everything we can to get you as close to your friends as possible, however the earlier you book, the easier it is to accommodate these requests. Special requests are not guaranteed.

Yes! We get several requests for roommates. If you need a roommate, please let us know at the time of booking, or as soon as possible, should your situation change. Please review our roommate policy below:

• Roommates are assigned within two weeks of sailing. You will be provided with the name and email address of your roommate at that time.
• If your roommate situation changes, please notify us immediately.
• We will do our best to pair you with someone of similar age, gender and cabin selection, however requests are not guaranteed.
• Your decision to accept a roommate for the Groove Cruise is at your own risk. Groove Cruise and its Released Parties are not responsible nor liable for any and all claims or cause of action arising out of or in connection with your selection of a roommate for the Cruise, including, without limitation, any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from such request or selection.

Your Groove Cruise rate includes:

• Accommodations
• Al meals, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, 24 hour room service. Specialty restaurants are available with either nominal cover charges or fixed price menus and à la carte pricing in addition to the standard dining program
• Most beverages (water, tea, coffee, juice, milk)
• Government taxes and fees
• Entrance to ALL Groove Cruise events, including events taking place in Nassau and on Great Stirrup Cay.

Your Groove Cruise rate does not include:

• Alcoholic beverages
• soft drinks
• Non-refundable Service Fees of $36.00 per person (charged to your onboard account when you board the ship)
• Spa treatments and certain specialty exercise classes,
• Laundry
• Photographs
• Casino
• Ship-to-shore phone, email, Internet, fax
• Shore excursions
• Airfare
• Ground transportation to/from the Port of Miami
• Travel insurance

Tips and gratuities as NOT included in your Groove Cruise rate. When you board the ship, a non-refundable service charge of $12 per person per day ($36.00 total) will automatically be added to your onboard account. The service charge is for your dining room staff and stateroom stewards.

A 15% gratuity is automatically added to bar drink purchases, including sodas.

Promoter/Affiliate discounts are available and applicable only if affiliate is registered with Whet Travel and the Groove Cruise affiliate program and discount code is given at time of booking. Once booked, discount codes will not be changed for any reason.

Organizers of groups of at least 10 people (5 cabins) can receive discounts. The organizer can also earn money or a free cruise for putting together the group.

For full details, please click here (insert link)

Norwegian Cruise Line’s policy dictates that a passenger under 21 years of age must be accompanied in the same or connecting stateroom by a passenger 21 years or older who expressly agrees to be responsible for the under 21 passenger throughout the cruise. This includes, but is not limited to, preventing under-age purchase or consumption of alcohol• • , preventing under-age gaming activities and preventing violations of any ship’s rules. Passengers must be age 21 to purchase or consume alcohol and age 18 to gamble on the ship.

If the accompanying adult is not the minor’s parent or legal guardian a Parent/Guardian Consent & Release Form (pdf) that authorizes the minor’s travel and further authorizes medical treatment in case of an emergency must be delivered to an NCL representative at the pier. Failure to produce this letter at embarkation may result in boarding being denied, with no refund of cruise fare provided.

The age limit will be waived for married couples less than 21 years of age provided proof of marriage is presented to an NCL representative at the pier.

All reservations are 100% NONREFUNDABLE.

There are NO exceptions to our cancellation policy. Travel insurance is highly recommended!

Whet Travel highly recommends the purchase of travel insurance! Due to the nature and uniqueness of our Groove Cruise events, our cancellation polices are very strict, and there are no exceptions!
Travel insurance protects you against financial loss due to unexpected cancellations, and also protects you against emergencies while traveling, such as trip interruption, trip delay, missed/canceled flights, lost or stolen baggage/personal items, illness/injury and much more.

We offer a Cancel for Any Reason option that must be purchased with your initial payment or deposit. The Cancel for Any Reason travel insurance reimburses you at least 75% of your non-refundable If you booked your trip, but did not purchase travel insurance, there is a “basic” insurance option that allows you to cancel for covered reasons only.

To view the policy details and benefits, please click here: https://www.tmtsf.com/reports/925-WEB-06-08.pdf.

To purchase travel insurance, or for more information, please contact Kathy Murray at 877-GET-WHET (438-9438) or kathy@whettravel.com

Whet Travel Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-8pm EST

Please note that U.S. citizens must bring one of the following WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) compliant documents in order to sail on a cruise that departs and ends from the same U.S. port:

• Valid U.S. Passport
• Passport Card
• Original or legible copy of a Birth Certificate (issued by the Department of Vital Statistics)
• Certificate of Naturalization
• Enhanced Driver’s License
• Trusted Traveler Program Membership Card (i.e. Nexus Card, Sentri Card or Fast Card)
• A Consular Report of Birth Abroad

Copies of the following will NOT be allowed:
• US Passports
• Naturalization Papers

Originals, or copies will NOT be allowed:
• Baptismal Certificates
• Hospital issued “Certificate of Birth”

As always, we recommend that all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel). Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking cruises that begin and end in the same U.S. port, traveling with a passport facilitates your disembarkation experience. It also makes it easier for you to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port should you miss your scheduled embarkation or need to fly back to the U.S. for an emergency.

If you are not a US Citizen, please call US Customs and Border Protection at 877-CBP-5511 or 202-354-1000 to be sure your identification is satisfactory. You should also check with your local embassy.

It is your responsibility to ensure you have the proper documents, based on your citizenship, to enter, connect through or stop in the destinations on your itinerary. Whet Travel is not responsible for denied boarding due to incorrect documentation.

PRE-CRUISE FAQ’S

We highly recommend that you arrive at least one day prior to the cruise (Thursday, January 26th) to avoid unexpected flight delays and cancellations.

Recommended arrival and departure times for flights:

Arrival Friday Jan 27st: Be on ship by 2pm!
• From the Miami International Airport: allow at least 15-20 minutes travel time from the airport to the Port of Miami.

• From the Fort Lauderdale Airport: allow at least 30-45 minutes travel time to the Port of Miami.

Departure Monday Jan 24th:
• From Miami International Airport: flights should depart no earlier than 11:30 AM

• From the Fort Lauderdale Airport: flights should depart no earlier than 12:00 PM.

Whet Travel does not book flights or ground transportation to/from the airports. We have setup a 5% discount for you on flights if flying American Airlines. When booking flights on www.aa.com, enter code:

Whet Travel will be offering group rates at certain hotels in South Beach. More information will be announced shortly.

Please be sure to join us on Thursday, January 20th in South Beach for our Groove Cruise Pre-Party! More information will be released shortly.

AFTER BOOKING FAQ’S

Confirmation numbers (or booking numbers) will be provided to you once you’ve paid for your cabin in full.

Any change to your reservation, including name changes, cabin changes, etc. will incur a change of $50.00 per person, per change. Payment is due at the time of the change.

To confirm a change, please email kathy@whettravel.com.

All changes, including name changes and roommate additions, must be received by January 14, 2012.

No, Whet Travel does not mail any documents to anyone.

Once your booking is paid in full, you will be provided with your NCL booking number and instructions on how to complete online check-in. You must complete online check-in as soon as possible in order to print your boarding pass/cruise ticket. You must print your boarding pass and bring with you to board the ship.

1. To make sure NCL has your booking information correct, and that your name is spelled exactly as it appears on your legal documentation (legal first and last names only; middle names are not needed). If your name is not spelled correctly, you could be denied boarding without refund! Whet Travel is not responsible for denied boarding. Please contact us immediately with any name corrections.

2. To print your boarding pass and eDocs. You need to present this upon check-in at the pier. Your Whet Travel Invoice is NOT your ticket for boarding.

3. To expedite check-in. Completing the required information in advance greatly expedites check-in at the port. The faster you can get through check-in, the sooner your Groove Cruise experience can begin!

ONBOARD FAQ’S

Most of our DJ’s do spend the entire 3-days with us. That is one of the things that make the Groove Cruise so unique! However, sometimes a DJ may only be available for part of the cruise, or have to depart early due to personal commitments.

A complete Groove Cruise itinerary and DJ line-up will be emailed to registered Groove Cruisers approximately one week prior to sailing. Itineraries and DJ line-ups will also be available onboard the ship.

When you check-in at the pier, you will receive a boarding pass card once all identification documents have been validated. This card serves several purposes during your cruise vacation:
• It is your individual ID card
• It is the card you will use for your onboard purchases and services•
• It is your stateroom key card
• It gets you on and off the ship! You must present this card when exiting and boarding the ship in every port of call during your cruise vacation.

For your convenience, all shipboard expenses are charged to NCL’s special onboard credit program. Sign up on the first day of your cruise, by establishing your method of payment with Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express®, Discover®, Diners Club®, travelers checks or cash. If you choose to settle your account with cash, a deposit will be required in advance. You may also use your debit card; however, please be advised that NCL obtains pre-authorization which some banks may hold for up to 30 days.

If you prefer to setup your onboard account with cash, a US$100 per person per day is required, although more can be deposited depending on what you plan to spend. If you don’t have enough money down to cover expenses, your account(s) will be closed and you cannot purchase anything until more money is deposited. You can deposit as much money as often as you’d like throughout the cruise, however, refunds cannot be made until the day of disembarkation for any excess. US Traveler’s Checks can be cashed onboard and are the same as cash. • • Personal checks will not be accepted, nor can they be cashed onboard.

What time would you like it to be? NCL’s exclusive Freestyle Cruising lets you choose. NCL offers open-seating dining in a variety of restaurants and cafés with individual menus, so it’s your choice. Eat where you want, when you want, with who you want! You can have lunch or dinner with friends in one of the elegantly appointed restaurants or reserve a table for two in an intimate bistro (there is an additional fee for dining in the specialty restaurants. Reservations are recommended and can be made onboard).

The Norwegian Sky is equipped with 24 hour Internet Cafés for an additional fee. Click here for more information on rates and services. Wireless internet (also known as WI-Fi) is also available.

The reason there’s a fixed service charge is an important one: The NCL Crew is encouraged to work together as a team. Staff members including restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charge supports.

Also, certain staff positions provide service on an individual basis to only some guests. We encourage those guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. For example, for guests purchasing bar drinks the recommended gratuity is 15 percent. For guests purchasing spa treatments the recommended gratuity is 18 percent. Similarly, for guests using concierge and butler services, we recommend they consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.

All cabins have two twin beds that can be converted to a king. Triple or quad occupancy inside/oceanview cabins have a combination of either two twin beds/king and one or two upper bunk beds. Balcony triple cabins have two twin beds/king, and one twin sofa bed.

If your beds are not set up the way you want them to be, simply ask your cabin steward to change them for you.

Guests are prohibited from bringing any alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic beverages or any food onboard.  Alcoholic beverages will not be sold or served to anyone under the age of 21. We reserve the right to refuse the sale of alcoholic beverages to anyone. Alcoholic beverages purchased in the ship’s gift shops or in ports of call will be retained by Norwegian Cruise Line until the end of the voyage.