samcevoy

We sailed 10-days round trip from NYC to Quebec City and return. NCL continues to provide a top-quality vacation experience. The dining menus and entertainment were high quality as in the past. The employees were all very helpful. We purchased a future NCL deposit and will cruise with NCL again in the very near future!

The optional Brazilian restaurant is excellent and beyond explanation!!!

We stayed in Manhattan for three nights ahead of the cruise and had a great time.

We took only one ship tour and that was on PEI - Ultimate Anne of Green Gables Experience. We highly recommend this tour.

The bottom line is that NCL continues to provide a 4.5 to 5 star vacation experience!

Steve McEvoy

West Chester, PA

Thanks for everyone's input.

Luftner ignored my valid complaints. I will not use Luftner or an Amadeus ship again.

Over and out.

Steve McEvoy

On January 31, 2016, we sailed from New York City to the Caribbean 14 days round trip. I was quite surprised at some of the conditions we experienced during the cruise.

Our balcony cabin was the smallest cabin that we remember in 55 cruises. In fact, the life jackets had to be kept under the beds to make storage room for our clothes. Total walkway width in front of the closet was about 11 inches. Did you ever see a nightstand that was approximately 7 inches wide? That is what we had for one of the two nightstands.

Much of the storage space was under the couch. We seniors had a hard time accessing this storage because the one or two draws under the couch rubbed against the floor carpet, and we had to get down on our knees to push and pull the draw(s) open and closed because of the carpet rubbing. This was difficult for people like us in the upper sixties.

There was no chair in front of the mirror, just a little stool.

There was a small TV that was not well aligned with the bed.

One of the TV channels provided 25 free movies, but they were generally useless. This was because the 25 movies played in a continuous loop. The NCL employees did not know the movie schedule for any day. So, if you wanted to see some specific movie(s), you had no way of knowing when it/they would start, and the start times changed every day because of the 25-movie continuous loop.

This was very poor on NCL’s part. Why not start on a different movie at 4 AM or so each day (so the movies times would be staggered and different every day of the week) and publish a schedule for each day. This would be easy to do and would allow guests to know what was playing throughout the day, and the starting times.

When I suggested this to the front office, I was told that "providing a list of the movie start times on the free movie channel was not NCL policy." This unfriendly corporate attitude surprised me.

The cheapest bottle of wine was $36.00, and they charged for two production shows.

We missed a port (San Juan) because of a medical evacuation. NCL gave no compensation for the missed port. This ship had more passengers than on any of our previous cruises. It is obvious that (keeping the other variables constant) the more passengers on a ship, the more risk of missing ports because of medical emergencies.

NCL now charges in the free restaurants for some upscale meals that were once free.

Noise levels were very and annoyingly loud in several public areas and restaurants compared to all our previous cruises. In some of the public areas, the captain’s announcements could not be heard or understood because of the background noise level.

Because of how the casino is located relative to the two atriums, cigarette smoke was encountered in some of the main public areas on other decks.

On the plus side, there were still many good offerings in the free restaurants. We were satisfied with the free dining.

Our cabin’s AC cooling was the best we ever experienced on ocean-going ships.

We were generally satisfied with the evening entertainment, and gladly paid for one of the special shows.

And I am sure that most younger folk, children and families would be very happy with the many ship amenities and activities.

We have cruised with NCL many times in the past and hope to do so again in the future.

Steve

The Captain circle host is the one who told me about the larger number on the Nov 30th sailing. The Nov 20 one wasn't to bad with the numbers except for a few of them who ran together a few times when I saw them.

We saw very few children on the November 30 cruise, no more than a handful, and they were fine.

The Royal Princess was GREAT!!!

Steve

Glad you enjoyed your voyage. We were on that itinerary last March and will be on it again next February. The Royal/Regal have become one of our favorite ship layouts. We really like the HC/Bistro/Pastry area, Alfredo's, the Piazza Atrium and the open decks.

Yes, it is a great ship.

Yes, Harrison's Cave is worth doing in spades.

 

I mentioned that we did it on our own sharing a taxi with another couple.

 

The taxi copy quoted a reasonable round-trip fare with the driver waiting for us at the cave. There was no pressure to hurry. Total cost was much cheaper than the ship's tour.

 

Steve

company not copy

Glad you mentioned Harrison's Caves. It's a wonderful tour for those to want to experience something other than the beach in Barbados! :)

Yes, Harrison's Cave is worth doing in spades.

I mentioned that we did it on our own sharing a taxi with another couple.

The taxi copy quoted a reasonable round-trip fare with the driver waiting for us at the cave. There was no pressure to hurry. Total cost was much cheaper than the ship's tour.

Steve

I heard that there was almost 600 kids on board. Did they create any problems?

Not true. Very few children. I would have liked to see more. Average passenger age ranged from about 50 to death.

Steve

Steve, glad it was a great cruise for you!

Which of your ports of call did you enjoy the most?

LuLu

Most enjoyed Barbados and Harrison's Cave (which we did on our own sharing taxi tour with another couple), and St. Thomas.

Steve

Ft. Lauderdale RT, November 30, 2015, 10-Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise, Obstructed Balcony Cabin E615.

We booked a balcony guarantee and received a nice-size balcony cabin with the view partially obstructed by a lifeboat. We were very satisfied.

We were spoiled by the new ship and amenities.

Cabin had entertainment system and wide-screen TV at foot of bed. Dozens of movies on demand to watch whenever we wanted.

Everything was great as expected.

Steve

West Chester, PA

Yes, I read those reviews as well. I'm so sorry your trips weren't more perfect for you. It sounds as though you really put a lot into them. Upcoming cruises should be extra special for you. Clearly deserved!

Thanks greatdanemom for the kind words.

We are very blessed. I write reviews so people can learn from what we have experienced.

Steve

Thank you for taking the time to write this detailed review. It's an eye opener to those of us considering using this company. I hope your future cruises are much more enjoyable. You're certainly owed one!

 

Cheryl

Thanks Cheryl:

I also reviewed the 9-days cruising on the Danube with Luftner on the Amadeus Silver. The main review may be found on the (Cruise Critic) River Cruising.

Yes, we were not happy with Luftner for a great many reasons.

Steve McEvoy

There are quite a lot of useful EU regulations in regard to consumer protection, but I don't think you are going about it the right way with the constant comparison of star ratings as there is no common standard that you can apply between a cruise ship and a hotel.

 

The 'involuntary downgrade' you mention sounds as though you are thinking about EU 261, but that only applies to airlines, not cruise companies.

 

You need to read your contract carefully to determine who you should be taking action against.

 

Gate 1 may have acted solely as a booking agent in this matter and all liability is with Luftner, but there are some very specific aspects of the arrangement and how it was disclosed to you that will determine that so I would seriously get some professional advice before going too much further with your complaint so you don't waste time going after the wrong entity.

 

Many other points in this that will have considerable impact on your ability to pursue this complaint and again, best discussed with a legal professional sooner rather than later...

Thanks Mark T.

Call me ignorant - how do you know it is separate tours from Amadeus Silver?

 

On my river cruise, there were people who booked with a different company who held cabins on our sailing. They had all of the same included tours. The only difference was some of our optional tours were included in their price.

This was true for us. Gate 1 had some tours included that were optional for others.

Steve

In fairness, I should state that we did receive approximately $71 back from Gate 1, but this was due us. We paid $200 for a cabin upgrade to a French balcony, and on the 5 bus days, everyone got the same hotel rooms.

Since we did not receive any upgrade for the 5 days, Gate 1 refunded the prorated upgrade cost, and we were due that.

My memory is that BillHillBilly had a more expensive suite and therefore received a much larger adjustment.

Steve

Cruise Director was Tameryn Hurly from Australia. She joinded the ship with us in San Diego, and her husband and two-year-old child joined in Lima. She was a unique young lady and an ideal cruise director.

 

Steve McEvoy

A little off topic but you never know what you're going to find on CC. Tamryn Hurly was cruise director on the Volendam when we went to Hong Kong from Sydney three years ago. Her then boyfriend was on the ship for part of the time. Nice to read some news of her because she was a fabulous cruise director.

Ozcruizer

Yes, Tamryn Hurly was very gifted, smooth and funny - and cute too.

She boarded with us after spending a year or two Down Under doing something else (I read her bio but don't remember much). That first evening she made it seem that she knew all the ship's senior staff for years.

A very bright lady!!!

Steve

I think Gate 1 acts as a booking agent for other companies in some places. It sounds like in this situation, Gate 1 wasn't even present as they were booked into Luftner’s Amadeus Silver. Gate 1 simply acted as a travel agent for some of the passengers on Luftner's ships.

Coral:

We posted our last messages at the same time.

I agree with you.

Thanks.

Steve

I agree, Gate 1 should have taken over the Bus trip portion.

JVilleGal:

I do not think that was possible. Gate 1 booked the cruise for its clients and passed the money minus commissions to Luftner.

It was the Luftner boat that got stuck.

In my opinion, it was Luftner's job to make us whole, and Gate 1 should have made them do so.

Steve

Sounds terrible! Now my questions is: You booked with Gate 1, wasn't Gate 1 responsible for the bus/hotel part of the trip?

Floridiana:

No, it was a 14-day cruise, and Luftner substituted the land tour for the ship - not Gate 1.

However, Gate 1 decided to keep their full profit even though their passengers were treated very poorly - and there is much more to the story that I did not write up.

Steve McEvoy

Hello Coral:

Luftner refused to give anything back. I am looking into how I can file an EU complaint about the involuntary downgrade - booking a 5-star ship and getting 3- to 4-star hotels.

The EU has favorable common-carrier requlations about compensation being due in the case of involuntary downgrades.

Gate 1 gave back the prorated cabin upgrade we paid because all cabins got the same hotel rooms - no French balconies.

Steve McEvoy

This is also posted on River Cruises.

We booked a 14-night cruise through Gate 1 from Amsterdam to Budapest on Luftner’s Amadeus Silver. Just before we left for Europe, we were told that because of low water, we would receive a 5-day substitute bus tour and then join the ship in Passau for a 9-day cruise on the Danube. Our cruise review was posted a week or two ago.

When told about the substitute bus tour, we were offered the opportunity to cancel and get a refund of the cruise fare, but neither Luftner nor Gate 1 would refund the $2000+ airfare that was purchased as part of the package. This was the first unhappy surprise.

Luftner did not provide Gate 1 or us information about the hotels until the day after the go/no-go decision had to be made. Thus, we were forced to make the important go/no-go decision without knowing the qualities or locations of the hotels that Luftner was substituting for the cruise ship. This, in my opinion, was unfair unless the hotel ratings and locations were truly equivalent – and they were not!!!

Luftner claims at least twice on its website that the Amadeus Silver is a 5-star hotel. That is a major reason why we booked this cruise.

As it turned out, not one of the substituted hotels was or is rated 5 stars. For instance, the Amsterdam hotel was the Courtyard Atlas Arena, for which the star ratings range from 3.0 stars (Trabber Hotels) to 3.5 stars (hotels.com and Venere.com) to 4.0 (Trip Advisor and Expedia).

This hotel’s location is terrible and way out in the suburbs and far from Central Amsterdam. The nearest train station is 10 metro stops away from Central Station. Walking to the station, buying a ticket, waiting for the next train (Sunday headways) and riding to the City Center took approximately 1 hour each way. This was a terrible way to spend our free day in Amsterdam. This hotel was a terrible substitute for the cruise ship and its normal Amsterdam dock/pier.

The Hotel Kongress in Bamberg is widely rated to be 3.0 and 3.5 stars, and well below 5 stars. We disliked this hotel because of extreme heat and discomfort in both the room and in the hotel hallways. The hotel staff admitted that that these conditions were ongoing problems.

In summary, none of the substituted hotels is rated 5 stars as is the ship. Two hotels are rated “a solid” 4 stars, and two of the hotels are rated significantly lower than that.

Luftner substituted lower quality hotels and did not tell us the hotel names or locations until after the go/no-go decision had to be made. This was very unfair.

The substituted meals for the five days were all below cruise-ship standards. All five dinners were served buffet style and not the fine sit-down dining experienced on cruise ships.

There were a number of other downgrades we received while on the bus tour when compared to what we would have received on the ship.

Low water is an Act of God and/or something that cruise lines cannot prevent. But was the downgrading of our vacation necessary, or was the downgrading something that Luftner could have avoided?

During the cruise, we met a few Viking River Cruises (VRC) tour guides and cruise passengers. Those booked all the way from Amsterdam to Budapest (in either direction) were being accommodated by ship all the way. They were being bussed around the low water in a single day while touring interesting places in between. While they had to pack and unpack once, they were receiving all of their nights on the water and on two equivalent ships, and no nights in a hotel.

Since returning home, I contacted VRC and they confirmed what I was told. VRC protected their passengers using what they call “ship swap,” and busing the passengers around the low-water area. VRC said that their cruise schedules are set up to minimize passenger impacts because of low-water conditions, and that is what they did in this case.

It is obvious to me that VRC planned and intended to take as best care of the VRC clients as possible, and that Luftner was not prepared for the low-water conditions, and that Luftner did not take prudent steps to minimize impacts on its clients!!!

In summary, I believe that Luftner treated us very unfairly and poorly. Gate 1 told me that they petitioned Luftner to provide some amends for these and other issues that we experienced and reported, but that Luftner refused to provide any adjustment. Apparently, Gate 1 has no leverage or clout with Luftner!? In any case, Gate 1 blamed Luftner for all the problems we reported.

(Gate 1 did provide a pro rata refund of the cabin upgrade (French balcony) we paid because it was something not received during the 5 land days.)

Steve McEvoy

West Chester, PA

samcevoy@aol.com

We booked a 14-night cruise through Gate 1 from Amsterdam to Budapest on Luftner’s Amadeus Silver. Just before we left for Europe, we were told that because of low water, we would receive a 5-day substitute bus tour and then join the ship in Passau for a 9-day cruise on the Danube. Our cruise review was posted a week or two ago.

When told about the substitute bus tour, we were offered the opportunity to cancel and get a refund of the cruise fare, but neither Luftner nor Gate 1 would refund the $2000+ airfare that was purchased as part of the package. This was the first unhappy surprise.

Luftner did not provide Gate 1 or us information about the hotels until the day after the go/no-go decision had to be made. Thus, we were forced to make the important go/no-go decision without knowing the qualities or locations of the hotels that Luftner was substituting for the cruise ship. This, in my opinion, was unfair unless the hotel ratings and locations were truly equivalent – and they were not!!!

Luftner claims at least twice on its website that the Amadeus Silver is a 5-star hotel. That is a major reason why we booked this cruise.

As it turned out, not one of the substituted hotels was or is rated 5 stars. For instance, the Amsterdam hotel was the Courtyard Atlas Arena, for which the star ratings range from 3.0 stars (Trabber Hotels) to 3.5 stars (hotels.com and Venere.com) to 4.0 (Trip Advisor and Expedia).

This hotel’s location is terrible and way out in the suburbs and far from Central Amsterdam. The nearest train station is 10 metro stops away from Central Station. Walking to the station, buying a ticket, waiting for the next train (Sunday headways) and riding to the City Center took approximately 1 hour each way. This was a terrible way to spend our free day in Amsterdam. This hotel was a terrible substitute for the cruise ship and its normal Amsterdam dock/pier.

The Hotel Kongress in Bamberg is widely rated to be 3.0 and 3.5 stars, and well below 5 stars. We disliked this hotel because of extreme heat and discomfort in both the room and in the hotel hallways. The hotel staff admitted that that these conditions were ongoing problems.

In summary, none of the substituted hotels is rated 5 stars as is the ship. Two hotels are rated “a solid” 4 stars, and two of the hotels are rated significantly lower than that.

Luftner substituted lower quality hotels and did not tell us the hotel names or locations until after the go/no-go decision had to be made. This was very unfair.

The substituted meals for the five days were all below cruise-ship standards. All five dinners were served buffet style and not the fine sit-down dining experienced on cruise ships.

There were a number of other downgrades we received while on the bus tour when compared to what we would have received on the ship.

Low water is an Act of God and/or something that cruise lines cannot prevent. But was the downgrading of our vacation necessary, or was the downgrading something that Luftner could have avoided?

During the cruise, we met a few Viking River Cruises (VRC) tour guides and cruise passengers. Those booked all the way from Amsterdam to Budapest (in either direction) were being accommodated by ship all the way. They were being bussed around the low water in a single day while touring interesting places in between. While they had to pack and unpack once, they were receiving all of their nights on the water and on two equivalent ships, and no nights in a hotel.

Since returning home, I contacted VRC and they confirmed what I was told. VRC protected their passengers using what they call “ship swap,” and busing the passengers around the low-water area. VRC said that their cruise schedules are set up to minimize passenger impacts because of low-water conditions, and that is what they did in this case.

It is obvious to me that VRC planned and intended to take as best care of the VRC clients as possible, and that Luftner was not prepared for the low-water conditions, and that Luftner did not take prudent steps to minimize impacts on its clients!!!

In summary, I believe that Luftner treated us very unfairly and poorly. Gate 1 told me that they petitioned Luftner to provide some amends for these and other issues that we experienced and reported, but that Luftner refused to provide any adjustment. Apparently, Gate 1 has no leverage or clout with Luftner!? In any case, Gate 1 blamed Luftner for all the problems we reported.

(Gate 1 did provide a pro rata refund of the cabin upgrade (French balcony) we paid because it was something not received during the 5 land days.)

Steve McEvoy

West Chester, PA

samcevoy@aol.com

We booked a 14-night cruise through Gate 1 from Amsterdam to Budapest on Luftner’s Amadeus Silver. Just before we left for Europe, we were told that because of low water, we would receive a 5-day substitute bus tour and then join the ship in Passau for a 9-day cruise on the Danube. Our cruise review was posted a week or two ago.

When told about the substitute bus tour, we were offered the opportunity to cancel and get a refund of the cruise fare, but neither Luftner nor Gate 1 would refund the $2000+ airfare that was purchased as part of the package. This was the first unhappy surprise.

Luftner did not provide Gate 1 or us information about the hotels until the day after the go/no-go decision had to be made. Thus, we were forced to make the important go/no-go decision without knowing the qualities or locations of the hotels that Luftner was substituting for the cruise ship. This, in my opinion, was unfair unless the hotel ratings and locations were truly equivalent – and they were not!!!

Luftner claims at least twice on its website that the Amadeus Silver is a 5-star hotel. That is a major reason why we booked this cruise.

As it turned out, not one of the substituted hotels was or is rated 5 stars. For instance, the Amsterdam hotel was the Courtyard Atlas Arena, for which the star ratings range from 3.0 stars (Trabber Hotels) to 3.5 stars (hotels.com and Venere.com) to 4.0 (Trip Advisor and Expedia).

This hotel’s location is terrible and way out in the suburbs and far from Central Amsterdam. The nearest train station is 10 metro stops away from Central Station. Walking to the station, buying a ticket, waiting for the next train (Sunday headways) and riding to the City Center took approximately 1 hour each way. This was a terrible way to spend our free day in Amsterdam. This hotel was a terrible substitute for the cruise ship and its normal Amsterdam dock/pier.

The Hotel Kongress in Bamberg is widely rated to be 3.0 and 3.5 stars, and well below 5 stars. We disliked this hotel because of extreme heat and discomfort in both the room and in the hotel hallways. The hotel staff admitted that that these conditions were ongoing problems.

In summary, none of the substituted hotels is rated 5 stars as is the ship. Two hotels are rated “a solid” 4 stars, and two of the hotels are rated significantly lower than that.

Luftner substituted lower quality hotels and did not tell us the hotel names or locations until after the go/no-go decision had to be made. This was very unfair.

The substituted meals for the five days were all below cruise-ship standards. All five dinners were served buffet style and not the fine sit-down dining experienced on cruise ships.

There were a number of other downgrades we received while on the bus tour when compared to what we would have received on the ship.

Low water is an Act of God and/or something that cruise lines cannot prevent. But was the downgrading of our vacation necessary, or was the downgrading something that Luftner could have avoided?

During the cruise, we met a few Viking River Cruises (VRC) tour guides and cruise passengers. Those booked all the way from Amsterdam to Budapest (in either direction) were being accommodated by ship all the way. They were being bussed around the low water in a single day while touring interesting places in between. While they had to pack and unpack once, they were receiving all of their nights on the water and on two equivalent ships, and no nights in a hotel.

Since returning home, I contacted VRC and they confirmed what I was told. VRC protected their passengers using what they call “ship swap,” and busing the passengers around the low-water area. VRC said that their cruise schedules are set up to minimize passenger impacts because of low-water conditions, and that is what they did in this case.

It is obvious to me that VRC planned and intended to take as best care of the VRC clients as possible, and that Luftner was not prepared for the low-water conditions, and that Luftner did not take prudent steps to minimize impacts on its clients!!!

In summary, I believe that Luftner treated us very unfairly and poorly. Gate 1 told me that they petitioned Luftner to provide some amends for these and other issues that we experienced and reported, but that Luftner refused to provide any adjustment. Apparently, Gate 1 has no leverage or clout with Luftner!? In any case, Gate 1 blamed Luftner for all the problems we reported.

(Gate 1 did provide a pro rata refund of the cabin upgrade (French balcony) we paid because it was something not received during the 5 land days.)

Steve McEvoy

West Chester, PA

samcevoy@aol.com

HDS:

My review is now up on the river-cruising board as you suggested.

You mentioned cycling and that was something I forgot about when writing my review. The ship had a few bikes on board. Two of the passengers and one crew member (all three together) rode along the Danube from one port to the next. I forget which ports.

Since the bike route follows the river, the biking is virtually all on level ground.

Steve

I need another l o n g cruise.