pghflyer

https://nypost.com/2024/04/03/us-news/norwegian-cruise-has-been-silent-since-abandoning-elderly-woman-who-suffered-stroke-family-says/

I am not NCL apologist and think they often shirk normal customer service under the cover of their comprehensive contractual protections....but I always find it amusing when people indicate part of their problem was they couldn't fly first class ha ha ha, talk about first world problems. I do hope the lady recovers, seems it was a lifelong dream.

We mostly do NCL and did a HAL last year and have another booked. HAL is definitely more refined and quieter, but unfortunately that also extends to the entertainment options.  Especially now that they pretty much got rid of Lincoln Center classical performances. Lots more space for quiet reading and gathering on HAL. Drink variety is MUCH better on NCL and servers much more proactive and prolific. All the drink menus are pretty basic on HAL (but they can probably make more if you tell them the ingredients) and you sometimes have to go and hunt down a server yourself to get a drink or refill.  Food the same although we found it interesting you could normally get the dining room food on the buffet (I guess that is a positive?) with HAL. The maps and sailing info on room TVs are better on HAL. Definitely 20+ year older average age on HAL.

We are mainly itinerary driven and HAL has that in spades with longer trips visiting unique ports that others don't visit often.

Just friendly reminder that if you pay for the whole cruise via GC, then those who normally rely on credit card travel insurance may need to purchase a policy independently (depending on your cruise fare, could still be a net win).

I think it is a misconception that everyone taking independent tours is doing so solely to "save a few nickels", in fact when you combine the FAS credit and Latitudes discounts, NCL is pretty competitive price-wise. We take a lot of independent tours, intentionally, because we don't love the standard highlights bus tours with 100 of our best friends.  In fact, we often pay MORE to have a private guide, more flexibility, more diverse itinerary, and a small group in a small car.  But yeah, you then have to take the responsibility of screening your tour provider and their reviews and reiterating what time you want to be back (and that should be prior to or at "all-aboard" time, not the "departure" time).

Glad they are back and that NCL decided to get involved in protecting their brand with a little marketing and PR........I always believe for profit companies are doing what they can to protect and pad their bottom line (as I would expect as a stockholder) while balancing their reputation and having return customers.....and as a consumer, the only one truly looking out for us is ourselves and each other. 

Not that it makes it OK to be late.....but I do think the whole departure time (advertised when you purchase) vs the be onboard time (told usually the night before arrival or day of) makes for confusing planning.  Especially for new cruisers who think they can just stroll up right at departure time (uh, no) but also that different lines have different "all aboard" lead times so you never really know until you are there and have booked an excursion.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13259793/south-carolina-couple-stranded-africa-norweigan-cruise-ship-jim-jay-campbell.html

8 minutes ago, gatour said:

What do you propose RCCL to do?  Magically open the port of Baltimore.  They have an alternate plan.  It seems like they are offering full refunds if you don't like the alternate.

I don't envy their situation at all, this is bad for everyone. I think a change in port to 5-hours away warrants a full refund offer or an incentive to change ports and stick with it. So, this seems fair and a good customer service gesture.

Yeah sounds bad but also feels like just one side of the story. The roll call for this sailing is sure quiet too. 

12 minutes ago, BND said:

Sigh.  This only happened due to a major tragedy where people lost their lives, and many thousands of people's livelihoods were impacted,  but hey, complain about missing a day.

I actually have no idea about what day you are referring to or which itineraries are affected in which way. I live here, these are my people, and my town, and I feel terrible about the loss of life and long-term impact. But it doesn't mean people  have to just eat very significant changes that is no longer remotely what they purchased (i.e. new embarkation port 5 HOURS away.... I am not impacted but am still employed and could not magically come up with extra vacation days for those drives) That is why the for-profit business should carry insurance.

Sorry but their inability to provide the vacation we purchased (nights, embarkation port, disembarkation port, general intended region of itinerary) shouldn't really be all our risk and consequence to accept. I am the customer and they are the for-profit business. I know some of this is in the contract, and I know you can buy a million dollar travel insurance policy to insure against the end-of-times, but sometimes the defense of these companies doing whatever they want, as if they are the Red Cross or something, is amusing.

Ha no worries @Engineroom Snipe I totally wasn't referring to your timelines on repairs and such (although I predict with zero authority that channel will be open by May 31)...I was more referring to the more dubious extreme conspiracists (ex. Biden planned it, no Jared planned it!!!)

I take these cruises to get AWAY from these people with these conspiracy theories 🙂

48 minutes ago, St Pete Cruiser said:

Yes it is. HIA taxes and gratuities is a big portion of it.

I don't believe HIA includes gratuities any longer....which add $34 per day for a 2-person non-suite.....or maybe I misread and that isn't what you were saying and was just indicating that $3K out the door isn't bad.

Agreed, I think they will have debris cleared and channel open for traffic after Vision's drydock.

8 minutes ago, Chloe8259m said:

I would also like to know what RCLs protocol is if you don’t want to dry 3 or 4 hours to another port.

Yup, it isn't RCL's fault and this is a tragedy, but that doesn't mean it becomes my problem to drive 3+ hours to a place I never agreed to leave/ return from.  I have a reservation to/from Baltimore and if this incident means RCL/ Carnival can't deliver that, then I should be offered an option to get a refund.  I guarantee you if my family had a tragedy and I had to move to another city, they wouldn't swing by and pick me up for free.

Next few weeks are sketchy at best (have to imagine a few weeks to clear debris and get any clear lanes open). This is a very significant cargo port and authorities will likely be prioritizing cargo ships. 

Definitely not comparable lines overall agree completely.........but HAL does have double the passengers to help subsidize costs, did afford it for a long time, spend precious little on entertainment already, and do charge prices above the entry level cruise lines.

So sad this is gone, it was a real differentiator for HAL. I mean the entertainment is already so minimal, I wonder how much they can keep cutting here. Step One is good but they only have so many shows available.   

Anyhow, looking forward to hearing from everyone what they replaced this very valuable and unique offering with...........

On 3/7/2024 at 7:17 AM, Cruise Guy50 said:

Another customer wrote: Norwegian Cruise Line advertised the 4/10/24 NCL Sky itinerary with 9 ports of call and then changed the schedule the ONE day after the penalty phase began, deleting 2 ports we were very interested to see, Grenada and Bonaire, not just shortening the time in ports. They substituted a day at sea and minimally developed Catalina Island DR. We were notified that the stated reason for the change in schedule was to improve fuel efficiency. 

Ugh this is terrible, so sorry for you. I never complain about decisions made due to weather or political stability of the port....but changing 20% of your stops purposely after the cancellation period starts only for purposes of saving some cash on fuel.....and being so unashamed to not even bothering making up some other story, boy that is something else. 

They are definitely turning into an unreliable customer unfriendly company, even if the onboard product is still great.   Honestly, the prices of future sailings along is so much more than other lines (who don't modify their itineraries as frequently), my NCL days may be numbered in the short-term.  Buyer beware for sure.

15 hours ago, dockman said:

But what if that single user recruits his family and friends to post glowing reports to make it sound like they are the best thing going or if they recruit same to vote for them in a poll?  A slippery  slope that CC is wise to nip in the bud.

right because people are only dishonest and misrepresent things on the internet...........

I am sincerely curious, what makes sense about that limitation?  I thought the goal was to fill the ship. My measly 4% discount for the combo version isn't even worth the labor costs they will incur turning over my room and processing me as a new customer.

I respectfully disagree. I would love to see a poll of favorite agencies, and while I am not a rocket scientist, I think I can discern a single user self promoting from multiple recommendations from diverse members. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter as not permitted.

Yeah it is very frustrating and a curious approach on their part. If anything you would think the best cabins would be on the longer / more expensive sailings.....plus cabin selection becomes more important the longer you will be in it.

It is unfortunate that such a big piece of the cruising puzzle is a forbidden topic on this site, does make it difficult.