bostonphil

3 hours ago, NoobCroozer said:

 

Was fine in port, rented Jet Ski's etc.....

That makes me feel better. It sounds like your problem on the ship was a NCL problem and customer service SHOULD have been able to fully resolve it right from the get go.  Have you reported this to customer service after the cruise because they might give you something towards your next cruise?

On 5/23/2023 at 10:55 AM, NoobCroozer said:

Forgive me for my rant, I looked to see if this has been previously discussed and found nothing.

 

Joy>Bermuda 5/14

 

First night on board, everything was copacetic. Beautiful ship, good vibes. Happy as a clam. Room card worked as its supposed to, used it throughout the ship.

 

Next morning, go to Starbucks, card declined. Go to bar at observation lounge. Card declined.

 

Goto Guest Services, wait in line for 45 minutes, sorry sir, your card is now active. No explanation given for the issue.

 

Next day, Specialty restaurant, food brought to the table, "sorry sir, card declined, but my manager out of the kindness of her heart is covering it". Crowded restaurant, mortified. Goto guest services. "Oh, here's the problem sir. (Not using my real name obviously here)----On the credit card assigned to your room key, it says Ed Smith, but on your room key it says Edward Smith". I explained to them that I paid for the entire cruise using the "Ed Smith" credit card. Produce another credit card with "Edward" on the card, to match the room key. Card works for another day.

 

Next evening, Observation Lounge Bar, sorry sir, card declined. THIRD TIME MORTIFIED in front of everyone. Back to the sixth deck. I was FUMING.

 

Guest services says, sorry sir, the problem is that you have "Edward Smith Jr" on the credit card assigned to your room key, and your room key does not have the JR displayed. The staff could not understand or wrap their heads around the fact that;

 

Ed and Edward are one in the same, as is

Jim/James

Joe/Joseph

Rob/Bob/Robert

Al/Albert

Steve/Stephen, etc, etc, etc.

 

He says sorry sir, unless you can produce a credit card WITHOUT the JR designation, there is nothing we can do. He went back and forth with finance which went on for 30 minutes. Nothing we can do. I said, "you mean to tell me I have to go the next 2.5 days aboard this ship and not be able to make ANY purchases?"--- "Thats correct sir, we do not accept any other forms of payment" (meanwhile there were no issues with either one of the before mentioned credit card accounts).......I said you better get a white shirt down here right now. I go through the same thing with the officer as described above for the next 15 minutes. Luckily, I went through all of my credit cards which were fanned out all over the counter and found a Best Buy and Macy's card with "Edward Smith Jr" on it. The officer comes back 10 minutes later and says, "good thing you found those two cards.....we will go back to square one with the original card you paid for the cruise on" (Ed Smith).

 

I have been on multiple cruises and paid the exact same way for each cruise (1 other with Norwegian) and NEVER had this problem.

 

I STRONGLY encourage you to use a credit card with the EXACT name on the credit card assigned to your room key as what is displayed on your passport.

 

Made what was a perfect cruise into an unenjoyable experience. Well, the disembarking in NYC was a whole other story, for another day.

 

/End Rant

did you have any problems like you are describing in ports including pre cruise and post cruise port? Was it just on ship?

This scares me. 

I had NCL add my middle name to match my passport and driver's license so I would have no problems but I think none of  my credit cards use my middle name.

I have been paying off my cruise with my credit cards and booking my excursions with my credit cards. There has been no problem.

I  am going to call my PCC just to be safe.

I have booked Haifa to Istanbul for 2024. 

I am booking my own air fare and am planning to fly to Tel Aviv for a few days before going to Haifa.

I suggest that you call your T A or PCC to find which airport you are flying into

Some planes do not fly during the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. Some hotels do not allow check in or check out during the Sabbath and Jewish holidays.  Be certain to check with your hotel

I love coffee and consider myself to be a coffee connoisseur. When cruising, I drink the complimentary coffee offered in the Garden Cafe.  I find it mediocre but I realize it is probably light or medium while I drink dark and bold at home. 

I love The Freestyle Daily and I love that it looks the same all over the world.

I have just discovered your wonderful post and discussion. I hope that you continue to have a wonderful time.

I am sailing on the Jade next October. You may have already answered this but how are you finding The Jade?

Thanks to all who responded.

I have since booked a hotel in London near Paddington Station. I will be able to take the Heathrow Express to Paddington and then walk to my hotel. Would you believe that it appears I even got a good deal?

I have just booked London (Southampton) to Lisbon on The Dawn for October 2023.

If you have done this voyage, what were your experiences with ports and shore excursions? What might you recommend?

I plan to spend several days in London before heading to Southampton. What is the best way to get from Heathrow to a hotel in London and then from a hotel in London to Southampton?  I have not yet booked my hotel but it will be centrally located.  

On 1/27/2022 at 8:15 AM, kuku77254 said:

Has anyone gotten anything recently when there's been a price drop after final payment? It's a significant difference and I can't cancel and rebook now but I would be happy with some non refundable OBC. My TA says they won't do anything after final payment but I don't know if she's just being lazy or if that's the actual policy.It seems like other's have said they had theirs adjusted. TIA

Twice there was a price drop on studio cabins after I had made full payment. I called my PPC and he was able to upgrade me to a better cabin both times.

However it was not recent. The second time was 2019 and the first time was before that.

I believe that I took a shuttle from Fort Lauderdale to Miami some years back. . Look at the airport ground transportation.  For returning, I took the bus that NCL offered from MIA to F L

Everyone will have a different opinion about best ship or worst ship. 

A lot is going to depend on what cabin you can afford. If you can afford The Haven or Balcony Spa, you are possibly going to have a different experience than someone who has an inside, ocean view or studio.

And similarly, your opinion will depend on your personal experience. Some guests have good experiences on one ship but poor ones on another. And it has nothing to do with the ship. Sometimes the problem is with crew and staff while other times, other guests can be a problem.

I am booked for my 7th cruise and I have had both good and bad experiences with every cruise I have taken. But I don't blame the ship.

There are large ships and small ships. There are some itineraries that offer several days at sea and others that offer a port every day, sometimes a different port.

16 hours ago, vswan said:

I just had a good experience with my PCC. I had received the most recent latitude offer with up to 4 times the points. Already had a cruise booked which was on the list. I just sent an email to my PCC and asked if there was anyway to add this to my current reservation. Got an email back that I was already receiving double points, but that he switched it to the triple point offer. While he was at it he said that the price had reduced so he repriced downward $65. Not a lot, but every bit helps and he did this without being prompted. This was before final payment was due on the cruise.

I am going to check out the cruise that I have booked for next August. I am in a studio and I believe they have now all been sold out but often as you get closer to a cruise, the price is reduced.  Still it never hurts to keep checking and it is sort of uplifting as well.

I think it is worth having a PCC although other members do not. However it is important to have one that connects well with you. A guest can always request another if one does not.

17 hours ago, UKstages said:

 

not necessarily. depends on what you mean by "small timer." do you put a twenty in a machine once during the cruise? (in which case, no, they're probably not very interested in you.) or do you come prepared to lose three or four hundred dollars in the casino during the cruise? (in which case, yes, they may be interested in you.... but not very interested.) 

 

factors that determine casino comps:

 

• number of hours/days played

• average bet size

• average daily theoretical loss

 

there are reports on various threads of people getting $50 or $100 price reductions for very modest play in the casino on previous cruises. the best thing to do is call CAS to price or re-price your itinerary. if they can't do anything, they will tell you. you have nothing to lose (pun intended) and you might get a slight break on the cruise fare.

I am smaller than the $20.00.  I usually spend $10 in the casino one time and all on the slot machine.  

On 8/22/2021 at 6:33 PM, InMyFreeTime said:

What would you do if you had booked and deposited on back to back cruises for 2021 Christmas& New Years in Sept of 2020, in the same premium location cabin for both weeks, only to find out that in August of 2021 someone at NCL reservations went in and moved you out of your cabin for the first cruise and into an extremely undesirable leftover cabin a month previous.  Cruises were linked as back to backs. Guest relations supervisor looked into it and told me that the room had been given to someone else and if I wanted the same room for both weeks now I would now have to settle for leftovers in both weeks.  She went on to tell me that it was my fault that I didnt notice sooner that my room assignment had been changed in error by NCL. 

 

NCL spends a fortune on programs and advertising to entice new clients but doesnt care or have a clue how to keeps their loyal ones.  Ive really had it with them.  Vacations are suppose to be about getting away from stress. 

 

 

I just responded to your discussion.

After posting, I went back and read most of the responses you received and I realize that some of the NCL devotees who gave me a bad time for criticizing NCL have also started to accuse you of lying, etc.

Let me suggest to you that you do not get sucked in like I did. Do not try t defend yourself or your post.

One of my Facebook friends suggested that I ask the devotees how much NCL paid them to give me a bad time? I am laughing still.

I like traveling alone and I sail NCL because of the studio cabins. I have a 7th cruise booked next August in a studio. I have never even thought about location.

I have very little knowledge of B2B cruises. I know that it means Back to Back and that is about it. Do you stay on the same ship? Do you get any discounts if you book B2B?

On 8/22/2021 at 6:33 PM, InMyFreeTime said:

What would you do if you had booked and deposited on back to back cruises for 2021 Christmas& New Years in Sept of 2020, in the same premium location cabin for both weeks, only to find out that in August of 2021 someone at NCL reservations went in and moved you out of your cabin for the first cruise and into an extremely undesirable leftover cabin a month previous.  Cruises were linked as back to backs. Guest relations supervisor looked into it and told me that the room had been given to someone else and if I wanted the same room for both weeks now I would now have to settle for leftovers in both weeks.  She went on to tell me that it was my fault that I didnt notice sooner that my room assignment had been changed in error by NCL. 

 

NCL spends a fortune on programs and advertising to entice new clients but doesnt care or have a clue how to keeps their loyal ones.  Ive really had it with them.  Vacations are suppose to be about getting away from stress. 

 

 

I have had some very good interactions with Guest Relations and some very bad ones. It is like 50 50. That does not stop me from turning to Guest Relations.

Who is the someone who did this to you? and why?  I do not understand how this could be done without calling you or emailing you.  Do you have a PCC? Did you call that person?

Want to let you know that last month, I began a discussion titled "Disappointed with NCL" about a disappointing experience that I had with Guest Relations.  I am not going to go into details because of what happened.

I was slaughtered by NCL Devotees. I was even accused about being the kind of person who deliberately falls down in supermarkets to get money out of large corporations. It got so bad that CruiseCritic had to pull my discussion.

Maybe it was my particular situation but I am glad that it seems you have had more positive responses to your posting.

20 hours ago, hallux said:

I believe it was noted in your previous thread (or one you had participated in) that confirmations numbers are generally available around 45 days prior to the cruise.

 

As a point of note - I was on the Oct. 27, 2019 Mexican Riviera cruise and got my flight info (for perk-booked flights) around Sept. 15, which matches pretty well with the 45 day estimate.

Were you happy with flights? Were they non-stop?  How about your seats?

On 8/13/2021 at 11:20 PM, UKstages said:

casinos at sea handles all land-based casino NCL cruise certificates... that is to say, certificates for "free" NCL cruises awarded by land-based casinos at distribution events. (you pay port fees and taxes and applicable gratuities).  they also can book offers for qualified players generated in house by NCL.

 

you go to the casino and pick up your certificate, then call casinos at sea to redeem. they have different toll free numbers for each brand of land-based casino that distributes these certificates. the CAS reps are located in either miami or phoenix. in my experience, the miami reps are old guard, somewhat jaded and cynical and less helpful. the phoenix reps seem more customer-focused.

 

YMMMV.

Casinos at Sea are probably for heavy players, right? They probably are not interested in small timers like me

On 8/11/2021 at 4:54 PM, complawyer said:

if by chance you are able to book through casinos at sea, they do a much better job (i just discovered this) on a reservation. i have been using a cruise consultant (who shall remain nameless) for about the past 4 years.

 

i wanted to check if i was getting all the benefits to which we were entitled, so i called casinos at sea (i previously booked all my ncl cruises through them)

 

i have 3 cruises currently booked and the person i spoke with has somehow managed to save me a cumulative $7,000 using all prior cruise credits, promos etc. 

 

while i totally respect the work done on my behalf by the consultant, from now on, im strictly going back to casinos at sea

I tried to find a website for casinos at sea but could not. What is their website?

On 8/11/2021 at 4:54 PM, complawyer said:

if by chance you are able to book through casinos at sea, they do a much better job (i just discovered this) on a reservation. i have been using a cruise consultant (who shall remain nameless) for about the past 4 years.

 

i wanted to check if i was getting all the benefits to which we were entitled, so i called casinos at sea (i previously booked all my ncl cruises through them)

 

i have 3 cruises currently booked and the person i spoke with has somehow managed to save me a cumulative $7,000 using all prior cruise credits, promos etc. 

 

while i totally respect the work done on my behalf by the consultant, from now on, im strictly going back to casinos at sea

So is Casinos at Sea a travel service? I will take a look at their website.  

Well, I spoke to my PCC today and it was very pleasant and productive.  

On 8/7/2021 at 2:50 PM, bostonphil said:

NCL is going to try to assign you a PCC.  NCL will then want you to call the PCC directly. They do not want you to call the general number. NCL will contact the PCC if guests call the general number rather than the PCC and have the PCC call the guest and let them know that they should call him or her.

 

My first PCC was terrible and i had no interest in sailing NCL again somewhat because of the PCC.  I did not want to deal with him again.  But that PCC left and I was assigned to a new PCC. He was better. He was friendly and helpful. I have booked 5 more cruises over a period of 5 or 6 years through him.

 

But he now has dedicated guests and he does not seem to need me as much. There have been times when he did not call me back or respond to an email. There have been times when he was short with me.

 

However, I remain satisfied and I booked a cruise for August 2022 through him.  I booked the cruise about two or three months ago and have not spoken with him since. I have had no need to.

 

On Friday he called m to check and see if I needed anything. He does that now and then.

 

That is how the call began but he seemed to be angry and he almost seemed to be yelling at me. He kept reminding me that if I needed anything, I needed to call him.

 

Well that is not always accurate. There are dedicated numbers for all  kinds of reasons. I take the $50 shore excursion amenity and there is a number for me to call to book my shore excursion. There are Guest Relations numbers for before and after the cruise and it goes on and on and on.

 

I was not prepared for this phone call. I am a non confrontive person and I just said ok and ok. This was 4:30 pm yesterday.

 

I was left very uncomfortable and remain so.

 

Next week I am going to call him back to add my gratuities and insurance but I am going to want further information about this phone call.

 

It could be that NCL came down on him because his guests were calling the general number too often instead of him. Maybe he was calling his guests to remind them that they had to call him and not the general number but he was angry and did not realize how he was coming across.

----------------------------------------------------------

 

However, My last cruise was September 2019 to the Baltic. I took a terrible fall coming back onto the ship from a shore excursion which was the fault of NCL. There were many witnesses and I assume there were cameras. However not much damage was done and I was able to go on my next day's shore excursion. . When I returned from the cruise, I contacted Guest Services After Cruise and wrote about what had happened. I expected them to offer me something when and if I booked another cruise. Instead I got an email that they sent my claim onto their claim department and I should hear from the claim departments soon.

 

I never heard from the claim department and then we went into all the problems with COVID.

 

Last month, I contacted the Claims Department and gave them my claim reference number. I told them I had booked another cruise and gave them my reservation number. I asked if they could give me something toward this next cruise because of the laxity of NCL resulting in my fall.

 

I got an email back offering their support, glad that I was doing well , good wishes towards my next cruise and nothing more. I was very surprised when I got nothing towards my next cruise.

 

So maybe my PCC was contacted by the claims department and told that I need to call him about my claim and not them. I do not know what happened. But the phone call at 4:30 pm yesterday has put a bad taste in my mouth.

 

 

I could not edit my above post so I am updating. 

Had a very pleasant conversation today with my PCC. I feel so much better

I asked him about the call on Friday and he did not recall how I heard it. I may have just been tired.

But he did state that NCL would prefer that guests call their PCC directly with any questions or other needs. He said that if I call the general number, they will transfer me to him or let him know that I need assistance.

Going back to my very first PCC about 10 years ago. This was my first cruise and I was sailing alone. He booked me into a good cruise but then never again had anything to do with me. I would never ever hear from him again. Being my first cruise, I had a lot of questions. He never returned a phone call or email.  I was never going to sail NCL again but then as I have said, he left and I was assigned to my present PCC who has been very helpful.

I gave the first PCC a terrible evaluation after the cruise but never heard back from NCL. I did not know that you could ask for another PCC.

Anyway, I am most happy with this second PCC and I have booked my sixth cruise through him.

I like to travel alone and I have sailed NCL alone 6 times.  I was in. a studio 4 times but got upgraded the other two times.

I was very comfortable traveling solo all 6 times. However I enjoy solitude. and am very comfortable with being alone.

However, I am thinking about maybe trying another cruise line just to compare.

One problem, i have traveled NCL so many times that i get some nice perks for being Gold. 

But another problem is that i am very familiar and comfortable with NCL's website. I know how to search for a cruise for one person. I am having trouble researching a cruise for one person on other lines.

Could I get some tips on which ships and lines offer cabins for one person. What do I look for?

I have sailed NCL 6 times. I have always traveled alone booking a studio but did get upgraded twice. Myself, I have never gotten very much out of the studio lounge and almost never used it. However other guests have. Guests sometimes meet and mingle in the lounge. There are get togethers for meals, clubs and excursions that are posted. 

I am a senior citizen and it seems that the lounge works better for younger persons, not necessarily young but younger than me.

I always eat in the Garden Cafe.  Every lunch and dinner there was one or two No Sugar Added dessert and they were good.

I have only sailed NCL and that is because I like traveling alone. I sail NCL because of the studio cabins. I would like to try another line but I have sailed NCL 6 times and now I get rewards. Also, I am very familiar with the NCL website and how to find studio cabins.

However, I am curious about other lines. I know that some of them offer cabins for one person. I am considering looking at other lines.

I sailed The Bliss to Alaska and found it too large and too crowded. It seems like they added more cabins but cut back on the public spaces. There were real problems with crowding in the elevators and I mean real problems.   I eat in The Garden Cafe usually off hours and there were times when it was so crowded that I had trouble finding a seat. Staff had to find a seat for me and sometimes it was on a stool. I had trouble getting on and off.. The Atrium was over crowded during shows and activities. Sometimes there was no seating available at all.

It could be that because we were sailing Alaska, guests who might be on the outer deck were inside instead.

The pool was always available. You could always find space to really swim laps and yes, there were swimmers. The pool is heated and there were attendants with very large and warm towels.  This would probably not be true sailing Mexico.

I really liked The Observation Deck and always could find seats and tables. Some reviewers claim that they could not find seats in The Observation Deck. I never had a problem.

Because of COVID, the ship will probably  be less than full, much less crowded and it will almost certainly be more comfortable.