RobertDuff

We have a free cruise through a casino for MSC. We have cruised 4 times and only on NCL. From what is available and our schedule, it looks like we will cruise on the Seascape out of Miami. For those who have been on both, what differences will we see, from the embarkation, dining, excursions, to disembarkation? Thank you!

How is the dope smoke? We were on Dec 16-23 and the stench was awful. Openly smoking on the pool deck daily and on their balconies. H2O open?

Just got off the Epic on Dec 23. The H20 was opened but closed for a while then reopened. We were sitting in H2O and noticed our feet, shins, hands were blotchy rusty orange colored. My white long sleeve sun shirt stained on the back, sleeves and front. Didnt know why or what happened. The next day, soon after grabbing our chairs, looking forward to spending the afternoon there, we noticed our feet, and hands again rusty orange. Still not knowing what was happening, it began raining down soot particles from the stacks all over H2O. Ruined my sun hat, stained beach bags, people were scurrying to get out. They did close it almost immediately but reopened it later at night. We never went back. By it being opened, NCL is telling their customers the problem has been fixed. Obviously it has not been fixed. If you look around, you can see the rusty orange stains on the white painted items.

Embarked in NY Dec 16. The H2O was fully opened. On Sunday Dec 18 it was warm enough that we spent most of the day at H2O. This was our second cruise on the Epic and the H20 was our favorite area to send the day. By mid day, my wife noticed my white shirt had rusty colored stains. then she noticed my hands were rusty colored. Later I noticed my feet and shins were the same rusty color. We had no idea what happened. We both thought that I possibly had rubbed onto a freshly varnished handrail as they were varnishing in the main pool area. The next day we walked the port area in Puerto Plata and returned to the ship and the H2O by noon. My wife went right to the hot tub, before she even got out of the hot tub, I noticed my feet and shins were rusty colored again. Then my hands. I had a dark shirt on and the same dark bathing suit and I didnt notice any staining on them. When my wife came up front he hot tub, she saw that my head was rusty colored. My hair, my bald spot, my face. I noticed her neck and face were rusty. She had that exposed while she was in the hot tub. Just as we were being wondering about what in the world is happening, we were hit with raining dark colored stuff. Falling from the sky it raining dark pieces of stuff that were hitting the chairs, the floor, people. the pieces ranged in size from tiny specs up to and including the largest piece that I saw of about 3 inches. I looked at my wide brimmed sun hat and it was a many black speckled hat now. My wife's newly purchased "beach" bag, just for this trip, was badly speckled on one side too. The dark objects that rained down on us dissolved as you touched it. As people walked out, the floor just looked very dirty and people walked on the specks and they dissolved into a dark mess. An epaulet was there and was immediately on his phone and that is when i saw him taking a photo of the largest 3-inch piece. I asked him if this is why the H20 was closed for a long time and he responded that indeed, this is why H2O was shut down. Within a few minutes they closed down the H2O. It was soot being expelled from the smoke stacks. If you look around the H2O, you can see areas that look rusty colored. In fact, they had a painter working the very day I was turning orange painting over rusty stained steel. We went right down and showered and then I took my hat and white shirt from the day before to Guest Services. After listening to me and my question as to what NCL will do about this, he took my hat inside and after a few minutes returned and said that I should bring down all the clothing that was stained and they would launder the items. I told him my wide brimmed starched hat will be ruined for sure but I will at give it a try. I let him know too, that the bag was brand new. After some discussion he went back inside, came out and said they would do there best. Told him we would be back with all of the clothes worn the last two days. Arrived with the clothing, hat and the bag. He was to the left of a column and he said he would be right back, and walked to the next Guest Services lady who happed to be behind the column. We couldn't see each other but I sure could hear her. She was telling my rep, to make sure to do an inventory, have me agree to it and to make sure I am charged and that they would take it off if the customer complains. I immediately stepped around the column and asked, "excuse me, did I just hear right, that you are going to charge me for this laundry that was your fault? " She said no, that certainly they would not charge me. I said that is not what I heard you say and that you would only take the charge off if I complained. I said, "well, I am complaing now and you better not charge me" She apologized and said they would not charge me and that it was NCLs fault and they apprciate my giving them a chance to wash the items. Thursday morning we received the items and we still had stains, although they did get alot of it out. But still left with a white shirt, a new bag and my sun hat with stains, not to mention the brim has lost its starch. We didn't say anything. We would not complain. We never got a good apology, never acknowledging that our items were ruined. Very disappointed in NCLs response to this but we were going to lets things go. As we were disembarking, they flagged us for "financial problems". Told to stand in line for a guy working on a computer right in exit area of the ship. We could not believe we had a "financial" problem as my credit card on file had more than enough of a limit plus, NCL owed ME money from cancelled excursions. I had visited Guest Services the day before and went over my bill since they had a small discrepancy. They corrected that. Not a word was mentioned about the money they owed me (assumed it would be credited back on the credit card as it has always been with our cancelled excursions) nor was any charge for laundry on the bill. So they pulled me from our self embarkation, made us wait in line for another 20 minutes for our "financial" problem. Looked at my app and the bill pn my phone app says they still owe me money but not what I am expecting. They had a new charge on the bill. $17.80 laundry bill. When I finally got to the guy, he said my "financial" problem was that NCL owed me money and proceeded to pull cash out of a manila envelope and give it to me. He said it was always their policy to pay people in cash. I told him it was rude to pull people out of a line and make them wait when they could and always did credit the card on file. That is why the card IS on file. He changed his story from "that's how we always did it" to "we have changed our policy". I didn't argue about the laundry charge as we wanted to get off the ship and start enjoying Old San Juan. I will call on Monday. H2O did open later in the cruise but we never went back. This has been an ongoing problem and they have yet to fix it. If I would have known the problem was never corrected, I would never have use the H20. I gave the benefit of the doubt to NCL. I assumed I could trust them. You know what they say about assuming something!

So could you eat my 4 small plates one day and my wife's 4 small plates another day under the SDP credit?

Thank you!

Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones.....H2O is open AND you get to keep the credit! Good luck!

On the NCL web site, I entered into a chat and asked when the H20 will be reopened. After asking me to wait so she can try to find out, she answered that October 23, 2022 H20 will reopen. That is good news for us as we will be sailing on her again in December and that was our favorite outdoor area.