NCL Jaded: First(/LAST?) time as a Norwegian

25 WORDS OR LESS

NCL clean lost 2nd half of B2B res. Ultimately found, but not ADA room. Full ship. Much talk, no help. Finally $500 in OBC.

250,000 WORDS OR MORE

IN THE BEGINNING, ALL WAS WELL

We booked Feb 14 W/Med. I needed an accessible bathroom, and TA and I were told we could book it BX-GTY and get accessible bathroom. Super!

I got more time off work so I added Feb 04 E/Med. Again we were repeatedly assured we could book BX-GTY and get the accessible bathroom. NCL very apologetic they couldn't put us in same cabin both legs but we were OK with that, and bizarrely saved $60 by booking the legs separately. Moving mid cruise was not a huge deal.

Our cabin on Feb 4 E/Med met my needs with accessible bathroom. Hurrah! Good start.

A RESERVATION LOST

Morning of Feb 12 we happened to be sea day chatting with other CCers in the Atrium...were we joining them for the B2B talk in Spinnaker at 2:30? We didn't know there was one. Oh, everyone else got B2B docs in their cabins overnight and notification of meeting. We shuffled over to Guest Services to pick up a copy, and that's when things went sideways.

NCL had absolutely no record of our second cruise's reservation (which was actually the first we booked). We simply did not exist on any of their systems for the cruise in two days' time. Did we happen to have any documentation that showed we had booked and paid...?

Of course we did! My wife, growing surlier by the minute, brought it from the room: E-docs we printed straight off the NCL website. (Our TA had sent an identical copy.) "This looks to be in order, but there's someone else in that room. And I think we're sailing full. We need to talk to Miami. So, so sorry. Please see us tomorrow. This isn't the first time this has happened. Don't worry, we're sorry."

24 HOURS LATER

Friday morning before our excursion, the day before the first cruise ends, we went to Guest Services as requested. They had not heard from Miami, and cited the timezone difference. I pointed out that as Miami was six hours behind, this excuse was nonsense. Yes, well, we were to come back in the evening. Only Miami can fix this. They reiterated how sorry they were. I reiterated how I knew it wasn't those particular staffers' fault.

12 HOURS LATER

Miami found our reservation, and we were getting the room originally assigned... but that wasn't an ADA room, even though one had been requested. I was asked to take a look at it once we moved in and see if I could make it work. If I couldn't, well, the ship was full, so they weren't sure what they could do. Everyone was exceptionally empathetic, but incredibly impotent.

What they wouldn't give me, is a card to get back on the ship on turnaround day. Well, they wouldn't give me that until I argued for an hour. Missus and I were going on excursions, and I was in unable to accept "Oh, just come back to the ship after your excursion, everything will be sorted out--just come to Guest Services here on Deck 7". How could I come to Guest Services if I could not be guaranteed reboarding? What of my luggage, where would it stay?

This was the only time I put my foot down. And the only time the empathy level dropped below 100% from NCL staff, as we were now making them actually accommodate us. After an hour's discussion, where they said "we know this must be upsetting" 100 times and I said "I know it's not you personally who messed this up" 100 times, we got new cards so we could get back on the ship the following day. At least I was pretty sure the new cards would work. Thankfully, they did.

SECOND CRUISE BEGINS

Our new cabin was unsatisfactory. I've had my physical condition for 30 years (if you want the freakshow details ask--I'm trying to stay on point) so I can work around most tough spots. I could delicately do most bathroom things (sink, toilet)--what I could not do was get out of the shower standing up. (Getting in was OK. Getting out, with my peculiar state, had to be done on my arse.)

A PROPOSAL FROM NCL

After the general reservation was miraculously found, the accessibility issue was passed on to the Accessibility Officer, Cholette. Like the regular reservations team, her cheerful empathy was exceeded only by her abject inability to do anything useful.

She had one slightly strange idea: there were young lovers in an inside ADA cabin, who "didn't look like they needed it"... whatever that meant. She figured they'd happily upgrade to a balcony if I was willing to move to the Inside. I told her this wasn't on as I'd likely be trading one issue (shower) for another (motion sickness/disorientation... again, if anyone wants to talk medical file, ask).

Well then she said not to worry, they'd find some other solution. (If you want to skip the next two sections, they never did, despite professing concern and empathy multiple times daily.)

BENCHES

I had a suggestion of my own: a long bench, half in the shower, half out, on which I could slide. Over the next two days they sent up several short, inadequate benches. I patiently explained how none worked. On Day Four they finally said they understood and that the Carpenters could build what I needed straight away. Hurrah!

I never saw the custom bench.

MORE TALK

And yet, every day Cholette called and/or tracked me down at dinner to say how sorry she was and that she was "working on it". When I asked her what this work entailed she said she couldn't say.

$500 OBC

On Day 9 Cholette informed me she was putting $500 OBC in my account as compensation. I thanked her. And I kept slithering out of the shower.

"SO OTHER THAN THAT, MRS. LINCOLN,..."

To this point I've tried to be as factual as possible. I have detailed the empathy overdrive in which NCL trains their staff, which was starting to grind my gears, but I couldn't bring myself to get angry, as it would feel like swearing at The Smurfs.

Moving on, here are my more subjective notes on The Rest of The Cruise. Had it been excellent, I'd put this reservation snafu and poor resolution behind us, but where the rest was a mixed bag, I'm not so sure.

In the past, my wife and I have usually done Expedition type soft adventure cruising, so we had never been on NCL before. We are not luxury cruisers. Notes:

ITINERARY

We chose these itineraries because we thought they were excellent. NCL did an A-minus job delivering the itinerary (one missed port, no make up; a couple port days were un-necessarily short) and we thought that was great.

CABINS, EX-MOBILITY ISSUES

The first one was fantastic. The second one smelled faintly stale, but was perfectly acceptable. The other people in our party had a cabin with what turned out to be a backed up drain one night and we had to call three times about it, somewhat urgently as water was slowly rising. But they came and fixed it once we explained the rush. Our safe did not work on embarkation. It was fixed within two hours, after a second call. (I missed informal M&G with fellow CCers... sorry.)

ROOM STEWARDS

Our stewards, Richie and Wilson, were excellent.

DINING: FOOD

We had the UDP and used it every night.

Cagneys and La Cucina were as good as what you'd find on land.

Le Bistro was perfectly fine.

Moderno was poor the first time. The second time, our party got food poisoning, as did others aboard. There was no third time.

Teppanyaki was average minus both in food quality and in the cooking show. If you've never seen it, it might be worth a look. Better to go on land.

We heard bad reviews about the sit down Oriental stuff (Jasmine Garden, Shabu Shabu, Sushi) so we didn't go.

Breakfast, principally the omelet station, was perfectly fine.

We ate lunch in the MDR on some sea days: airline quality food. This pushed us to freshly prepared stuff at the buffet (fine) or the stuff at the Blue Lagoon (mediocre).

DINING: SERVICE

The wait staff is poorly trained and most wouldn't last a shift at an upscale restaurant on land. But you know what? I don't care. They did their very best to do a good job and cheerfully corrected their errors. They tried so hard--and if that isn't enough for you, you've lost your humanity. It was more than enough for me.

One thing that was unacceptable was the brutally slow service at Le Bistro. This wasn't the staff's fault per se: there simply wasn't enough staff. Everyone working there was going all-out, but there wasn't enough ogf them. I know French restaurants offer more languid dining, but three courses simply shouldn't take 2:15-plus unless you want it to. (We didn't.)

DISEASE

Aside from the pile of us who were sick after Moderno on Monaco night (our whole party, anotherother CCer, others I met), there was also a bronchial infection passing through the ship. I know eight people from 4-5 parties who came down with the bronchial stuff, none in our party.

ENTERTAINMENT

We didn't go to many shows but the ones we went to were good--certainly as good or better than what our regional professional theatre mounts.

The lounge acts were average-plus to good.

ACTIVITIES

Sadly these were largely very plebeian, lowest-common-denominator stuff. Bah. Even the things I had some hope for failed to deliver. (The one time I tried Trivia it descended into half the entries beefing over answers and how questions were phrased.) The "port talks" were just a sales pitch for NCL's overpriced excursions. The "art talks" just perpetuated Park West's ongoing art scam.

How hard would it have been to bring on a real historian to give real talks about tomorrow's destination? That's what I missed most about the expedition cruising experience.

OTHER ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES

I used the wheelchair service to travel from my stateroom off and back on the ship. Sometimes the service was fast. Half the time leaving the ship it took more than half an hour. (Not enough bellboys.) Coming back aboard was easy and quick.

Toward the end of our first leg we hit a freak snow day in Istanbul. I wanted to rent a wheelchair for the day, and NCL refused to accommodate me. They had chairs, but only rented by-the-cruise and they wanted $260 for the ten days, with three days to go. I only needed it the one day and balked. My offer of $50 for the one day, which I thought was over the odds but I did want the chair, was declined. So was a more carefully whispered offer of $75 cash. This stuck in my craw.

Cholette called the night before disembarkation to try to sell me an accessible transfer to the airport. $75pp. We already had one booked and paid for, EUR 20pp. (Not accessible, but no drama... I do walk some.) So, um, thanks I guess, but no thanks. She was surprised we weren't keen to be gouged and told me I really ought to book the transfer. We declined as politely as possible.

Ultimately, I just don't know...

We have three more cruises already booked with NCL, totalling 56 days over the next two years. Part of me wants to cancel. Part of me says the reservation snafu shouldn't happen again, I'll be better prepared for other nonsense, and I'm running the risk of spiting myself.

My wife and I will think about it for a week and decide, but right now I'm inclined to find a line that's more accommodating to guests' needs. There were elements of this cruise that were very good, but the overall taste in my mouth isn't as pleasant as it ought to be after three weeks bouncing around the Med.

Opinions?

I certainly can understand your frustrations, and you do have a reason to be upset. The missing reservation situation really put you in a bind, but it did seem like they were trying to do what they could to make things better for you, even if it didn't work out.

As for your future scheduled cruises, I would imagine that the likelihood of this sort of debacle happening again, is virtually nil. If you are inclined to do so, I think your next experience might be very different. It's worth a shot since you already have it booked.

At least you kept your sense of humor :D not easy to do when things go sideways the way they did. It sounds like it was a trying time to say the least.

I think you should try NCL one more time just so you can know in your heart

that NCL really tries to look out for its HC passengers.

But ,,, in the situation that you find yourself I would Not trust a GTY booking.

Pick the cabin you know will work and stick with it.. Its not worth this kind of headache..

Good luck with what ever you choose and happy sails on future cruises ;)

Maybe choose rooms yourself next time so you know exactly what you're getting. I've never heard of a room being double booked though. What did they do with the people in your second room?

Well, that totally sucks.

Sounds like you gave them many chances to fix things.

(only issue that I would never, ever do if that was me was to do a GTY vs a HC room in the first place).

But, hey...

Maybe choose rooms yourself next time so you know exactly what you're getting. I've never heard of a room being double booked though. What did they do with the people in your second room?

I asked. They said they couldn't tell me--confidentiality reasons.

So sorry it was frustrating for you. I'd write to ncl formally with this experience and let them know you are considering a more accommodating cruise line. If you stay with ncl, keep calling and checking the reservation and your special needs. Good luck.

I'd be very surprised if there were not several accessible balcony cabins that were occupied by able bodied passengers on your sailing. They always sell them close to sail date if not already booked by passengers who need them. It would seem a simple task for Charlotte to check this out and offer a "deal" to the HC occupants for trading for your cabin. I'm sure most would be willing if they understood the situation, even without any extra persuasion.

Personally, I would never book guarantee if I need accessible.

I just have one question/comment: When did you receive your GTY cabin assignments? If you had checked the deck plans at that time, wouldn't you have seen that the cabin they assigned to you for the second cruise was not an accessible cabin? A call to NCL at that point would have saved you a lot of aggravation…

Wow..just Wow.

Given all that happened to you, your review was quite balanced given the circumstances. I don't think I would have been as patient as you were.

How in the world do they just lose a reservation? Wow.

Wow, I'm so sorry for what you had to go thru. 500 dollars would not sooth my soul, I would be sending a scathing letter to the President of NCL. What a screw up on NCL part.

I think your TA did you a very great disservice having you book guarantees and expecting an HC cabin. Those limited cabin could be booked by others needing them and where does that leave you?

I would suggest giving NCL one more try before making your final decision.

I think your TA did you a very great disservice having you book guarantees and expecting an HC cabin. Those limited cabin could be booked by others needing them and where does that leave you?

 

I would suggest giving NCL one more try before making your final decision.

We were concerned about booking GTY, but were repeatedly assured it'd all be fine. Took not just NCL's word for it, but NCL's repeated encouragement. My mistake.

Although I had a couple awkward minutes clambering about every morning and evening in the shower, in retrospect the more stressful component was when the second reservation was simply abjectly lost. I guess I always thought we'd get the room back somehow, or equivalent, but for a day and a half there was still this nagging doubt in my mind "well, what if they're overbooked and we get the short straw?"

As to not having the HC cabin, worse than not having it was the staffers' repeated holding out of hope that it would be addressed/solved. If they'd given it to me straight on sailaway day, "we're full, and you're going to have to make the best of it", well, I could have taken my psychological lumps. The assured, continuous "we're going to fix it" with nothing getting done was a string of broken promises I grew weary of. Why they would offer to build a bench and then not do it, I'll never quite understand.

...and in a way that's the worst: with a bench I could use, I didn't need a HC cabin. Easy workarounds for toilet/sink meant that with that bench, the HC cabin could be left for a wheelchair user or another person who actually needed it more than I ever would.

I was on the Jade with Shawnino and we were so worried about whether he would even get a room or not. Imagine traveling all the way to Europe and.....surprise.......no reservation!! It could happen to anyone and I never even thought about that. What would they have done if he had not already been onboard from the previous cruise, left him at port??

NCL was horrible handling this and was horrible in the way they treated his need for a Handicap accessible room. How could you even enjoy the few days when you find out that you may or may not have a room and when you find out that you do? It ruined not only the last leg of the 21 day cruise, but also the previous 2-3 days of the prior 11 day cruise.

He handled it well, better than I would have, but he still got the short end of the stick in my opinion. $500 is nothing compared to what he paid and what he got, it is nothing compared to the stress it caused, it is nothing compared to having first had connected rooms with his other party to being on different parts of the ship. It is nothing!! Put yourself in his shoes, it really is nothing.

The customer service on the Jade(for this cruise anyway, as many of our fellow passengers would agree, some would disagree too, but I heard many, many compliants) was HORRIBLE! From the top to the bottom. But my horrible customer service was nothing compared to what Shawnino had to endure. He was very patient and calm. I would have been freaking out!

It made me not want to cruise on NCL too! I could not believe the way they handled this situation. It was my first NCL cruise, but may also be my last after hearing all that Shawnino went through. Really, it was very bad.

Even before he found out he had no cabin, when we heard about NCL wanting to charge him $260 for use of a wheel chair for one day.......really? REALLY?

I did not personally know Shawnino before this cruise and only met him at the CC meet and mingle, but as the days went on we got to know each other and could not believe everyday the way he was treated.

Glad you made it home okay Shawnino, good to meet you. I hope your future travel is better than what NCL delivered!!

How could you even enjoy the few days when you find out that you may or may not have a room and when you find out that you do? It ruined not only the last leg of the 21 day cruise, but also the previous 2-3 days of the prior 11 day cruise.

I couldn't agree more. People often ask about booking morning flights and if they'll be able to make the flight. My thought is always that I wouldn't do it because it would ruin my cruise as I stressed out the entire cruise about missing my flight.

So sad this was handled so badly.

Just read this......you are not alone Shawnino, except, this passenger and family were left at port!!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=45783315&posted=1#post45783315

Thanks L6.

The no-accessible-room and the way that dragged on was a nuisance, but the not truly knowing for 36 hours if we had a room at all was an urgent concern.

You got jerked around yourself, from the travel insurance to the poor service on board. I'm really impressed at how you kept your sense of humour.

I've got eight weeks of cruises pending with NCL. I'm going to write them a letter and ask them what steps they can take to try to insure next time is better than last time.

Sent letter to Guest Relations.

E-mail confirmation says to wait ten days for reply.

Will update.

I'm not sure I'm the type of customer NCL really wants to keep anyway.

--Not a big drinker (we did buy the Viva Vino 8-bottle)

--Don't play in the casino

--Booked our own shore excursions

--Didn't go in for the other extras (photographs, art, behind-scenes tour etc.)

Very impressed with the way you handled this situation. People take vacations to relax and leave stress behind. In my opinion this cruise line dropped the ball here. Not sure if I would want to try again.

Sent letter to Guest Relations.

E-mail confirmation says to wait ten days for reply.

Will update.

 

I'm not sure I'm the type of customer NCL really wants to keep anyway.

--Not a big drinker (we did buy the Viva Vino 8-bottle)

--Don't play in the casino

--Booked our own shore excursions

--Didn't go in for the other extras (photographs, art, behind-scenes tour etc.)

I am waiting to hear this!!

I feel the same way, we don't drink, didn't do shore excursions thru NCL, or anything else. A lot of it was a decision I made at the beginning too. If I get such bad customer service, why should I give them a penny more. We did play at the casino and ended up winning (no really, we got back way more than we spent ) so we took them for money!! haha

NCL is the worst in customer service that I have ever experienced. I just finished filling out the survey. FYI, apparently I wasn't even on the first leg of the cruise because they only had a record of me being on the second leg.........stowaway!! And so it goes with their record keeping.

Good luck Shawnino, keep us posted.

Very impressed with the way you handled this situation. People take vacations to relax and leave stress behind. In my opinion this cruise line dropped the ball here. Not sure if I would want to try again.

:):):):like):):):)

I am waiting to hear this!!

FYI, apparently I wasn't even on the first leg of the cruise because they only had a record of me being on the second leg.........stowaway!! And so it goes with their record keeping.

I know you had the same cabin (and the worst room steward I've ever heard anyone talk about on any line anywhere...wow) but did you book as two halves or as the 21-day whole?

I know you had the same cabin (and the worst room steward I've ever heard anyone talk about on any line anywhere...wow) but did you book as two halves or as the 21-day whole?

21 day absolutely 21 day!

I only say this because several times before the cruise I got emails saying welcome aboard for the Feb 14th cruise, never any mention of the Feb 4th leg. I got so nervous, I checked and rechecked our reservations. I called NCL to confirm it was 21 day and I was boarding on the 4th. "Yes, that is what we have". But somewhere along the way, on some system somewhere, I only sailed on the Feb 14th leg. Haha, maybe that is why we had such bad service, our room steward didn't even know we were there!!

Now I got the survey saying "regarding you Feb 14th cruise" They have such a messed up system, it is no wonder you had problems and people are getting left at the port.