We went on a 10 night cruise with NCL and paid for a premium internet package (advertised as strong enough to allow "unlimited streaming"). Half the time, the Internet would not allow us to log on. When it did load, the "streaming" was non-existent. I couldn't load low-res YouTube videos, Netflix simply didn't work, and my Zoom meetings were suffering so badly I cancelled them all within minutes. Why would I pay $500 for
The problem started when I sought a refund. NCL denied my request for a refund on the basis that:
1. their records showed no problems with the internet
Every passenger I talked to complained about the slow internet. So they're saying they never read the guest surveys? Or that the guest surveys were wrong?
2. the internet must have been working if I downloaded 17GB of data
They sold me an unlimited data plan, not a 17GB plan. How much I downloaded has no bearing on the times where the internet wasn't available. Maybe I would have downloaded 40 or 100gb if the internet wasn't trash. It's what I paid for, but did not receive.
3. I didn't complain while I was on the ship
So the policy is you can only collect refunds for things while you're on the ship, instead of resolving matters post-cruise? It's somehow the customer's fault that the Internet desk was unmanned 20+ hours a day?
After the cruise ended, a sales rep called me to see if I wanted to book another cruise. There is another 10 night cruise I'd love to book with NCL, but there's something that rubs me the wrong way about giving thousands of dollars to a cruise line which ripped me off on the previous cruise and tried to gaslight me when I emailed customer service.
Before I take further steps, I want to hear from the CruiseCritic community if they've run into similar problems, if my reaction is legitimate, and what should I do?
I am considering going on the next cruise and screenshotting every single time i have trouble logging in or experiencing impossible download speeds to document clearly where they have failed to provide services.