Unimpressed with entertainment reservation

[xangav]

sytem.

 

This morning got a call from Marlon at NCL to call back about our Cirque Dreams reservations.

 

Called him back. The premium seats were all booked and he would have to move us back a few rows. I asked if there was another night available.

Nope, all booked up. I said okay. He replied, "Thanks for your understanding."

 

I hung up and started thinking. I booked these reservations on the first day the system was actually up and running correctly. I received a confirmation and printed it out on 5/12. It is now 6/7 and they are just calling me to tell me it is all booked up. Really?

 

I called Marlon back and told him it is actually not okay. "I'm sorry but we are all booked up and there is nothing I can do." I said "How about making sure a system works before you put it online."

 

I wondered if someone from concierge decided they wanted reservations and we were suddenly booted. Not very freestyle. I mean, what's the point of making reservations if this is what happens?

 

 

In the grand scheme of things it isn't that big of a deal but it sure makes NCL look second rate and hokey after their advertising hype.

[bluesea777]

I'm sure NCL wouldn't allow ALL ressies to be made via online - which means a certain % can be booked online and the rest aboard the ship.

 

One thread ages ago states that only 33% of the excursions can be booked online and the rest aboard.

 

So unless you book early as first come first served online it looks like it's Q-time for you when you board.

[rednsassy]

I don't think it had anything to do with Suite guests because I am in a Courtyard Villa and got the same phone call this morning. However, once I told the guy that people should be bumped who booked last, he tried to say we were one of the last to book. LOL, we booked on May 11th! I told him that I had a confirmation from 5-11, was not planning to move from Premium Seating to Standard Seating, and asked for a Supervisor. Next thing, he came back on the phone apologized and said they would have to call someone else. We booked on the first day and I was not going to get bumped.

[xangav]

I'm sure NCL wouldn't allow ALL ressies to be made via online - which means a certain % can be booked online and the rest aboard the ship.

 

One thread ages ago states that only 33% of the excursions can be booked online and the rest aboard.

 

So unless you book early as first come first served online it looks like it's Q-time for you when you board.

 

Regardless of whether or not they can be made online NCL should be keeping a running inventory of what seats they have. If you are booking online then it shouldn't come up and say "booked" with a $20 charge. I did book on the first day at 7:36 a.m.

 

 

However, once I told the guy that people should be bumped who booked last, he tried to say we were one of the last to book. LOL, we booked on May 11th!

 

He said the same thing to me. This is the purpose of an online system so this kind of thing doesn't happen. I would understand if we had all done it over the phone and many booking agents were involved but you either have the inventory or you don't. Not to mention, it took them 3 1/2 weeks to figure this out?!

[david_sobe]

I feel for you Sandi. You were excited and booked the show ASAP. Unfortunately it took NCL almost 4 weeks to get back to you. But at least they were honest and upfront. I am sure a few rows back wont ruin the show or cruise.

But I understand your frustration in trying to get the best seats possible. It appears there was something they did not take into account.

I sometimes wonder how they can book everyone into these shows. I just watched the webcast today that stated up to 5200 passengers can cruise the Epic. For some places like bowling, ice bar, wall climbing, etc. There is not enough room and time for over half the passengers on the ship. So while that sounds horrible, you should consider yourself lucky that you have guaranteed seats for this show and dinner. There are going to be many on the ship that never get to see this dinner and show.

When you think realisticly, you will be happy:)

[xangav]

I appreciate the sympathy, David. However, what irritates me the most is that I don't think they were upfront or honest. After reading the Epic roll call thread I believe I am correct. Marlon sounded like he couldn't wait to get off the phone. I think they screwed up and this is how they remedy what should not have been advertised or put online. I just thought future cruisers on the Epic might want the information.

 

This isn't a make or break of my vacation by any means. I just love to go and I could be on a ship with absolutely nothing to do but watch the ocean. I have seen just about every Cirque Du Soleil show (and I know this is not that) so I didn't expect much from something on a ship anyway and a few rows back isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things

[time2cruise1]

I feel for you Sandi. You were excited and booked the show ASAP. Unfortunately it took NCL almost 4 weeks to get back to you. But at least they were honest and upfront. I am sure a few rows back wont ruin the show or cruise.

But I understand your frustration in trying to get the best seats possible. It appears there was something they did not take into account.

I sometimes wonder how they can book everyone into these shows. I just watched the webcast today that stated up to 5200 passengers can cruise the Epic. For some places like bowling, ice bar, wall climbing, etc. There is not enough room and time for over half the passengers on the ship. So while that sounds horrible, you should consider yourself lucky that you have guaranteed seats for this show and dinner. There are going to be many on the ship that never get to see this dinner and show.

When you think realisticly, you will be happy:)

 

Sorry Dave can not buy your spin and nobody is more loyal to NCL then me. All they needed was to be honest when they called. The problem as explained was in the software (not a big surprise with NCL's IT team). It did not cap the reservations for premium seating and caused them to over book the space the first few days. Hopefully this problem has been fixed and those sailing later will not have the same problem. We all booked the first day for premium seating to make sure we could enjoy the show together. One by one the calls came in telling those that did not put up a strong objection they mere moved. They did not move me. The thing that makes me really wonder is the woman making the calls was from the group department. If in fact the real issue was an important TA with a big group putting on the pressure then I will have a huge issue with NCL. Most of the people I am traveling with are in in Courtyard Villas and one of the first called is in the Owners Suite. So much for thinking they have any space set aside for the suite people. Even if it was a software problem the fact they bumped those who booked first and paid the most for the cruise makes no logical sense.

[lusitanica]

sytem.

 

This morning got a call from Marlon at NCL to call back about our Cirque Dreams reservations.

 

Called him back. The premium seats were all booked and he would have to move us back a few rows. I asked if there was another night available.

Nope, all booked up. I said okay. He replied, "Thanks for your understanding."

 

I hung up and started thinking. I booked these reservations on the first day the system was actually up and running correctly. I received a confirmation and printed it out on 5/12. It is now 6/7 and they are just calling me to tell me it is all booked up. Really?

 

I called Marlon back and told him it is actually not okay. "I'm sorry but we are all booked up and there is nothing I can do." I said "How about making sure a system works before you put it online."

 

I wondered if someone from concierge decided they wanted reservations and we were suddenly booted. Not very freestyle. I mean, what's the point of making reservations if this is what happens?

 

 

In the grand scheme of things it isn't that big of a deal but it sure makes NCL look second rate and hokey after their advertising hype.

 

This is just the beginning. There will be hundreds of reports like this and also from those who could not book anything at all.

I personally have no illusions about "free style" shows.

>4000 passengers...

The Titanic had more seats in lifeboats that the Epic can offer for highly advertised shows. Will be happy to be mistaken.

I will face the same problems when my time to book comes.

So... I wiil enjoy what I cruise for: the sea and the ship.:)

[time2cruise1]

sytem.

 

I wondered if someone from concierge decided they wanted reservations and we were suddenly booted. Not very freestyle. I mean, what's the point of making reservations if this is what happens?

 

 

 

Clearly that is not the case since friends in the owner's suite got the same call.

[xangav]

Clearly that is not the case since friends in the owner's suite got the same call.

 

I realize this now which means they must have really overbooked and

are scrambling to recover.

[DECRAIN]

I hope you are right and they get this glitch fixed. Entertainment was a big big big factor for me when deciding which cruise to take. I don't mind that I need to reserve 45 days in advance, but it will dampen my enthusiasm for the cruise if I can't get into the shows I want....

[14ersco]

It would not be surprising it was a major TA getting those seats, because also mentioned in the last web call was that for the future cruise weeks TA's would be contacted by NCL when it was their turn to book show/dinner reservations. Wonder if the PCC's will also be contacting people who booked their cruises through NCL? All it would take is a couple hour advance notice from NCL to their major TA's and the rest of us will be picking over the scraps.

[Arubamoose]

Hopefully they work out the glitches before long.

 

I know for a fact that I will be online the INSTANT the reservations are able to be made (and probably just before hand just to practice). I will be not happy if I don't get in or if they decide to bait and switch on me.

 

It won't make or break my enjoyment but the entertainment is a BIG BIG factor in my booking this cruise.

[david_sobe]

Sorry Dave can not buy your spin and nobody is more loyal to NCL then me. All they needed was to be honest when they called. The problem as explained was in the software (not a big surprise with NCL's IT team). It did not cap the reservations for premium seating and caused them to over book the space the first few days. Hopefully this problem has been fixed and those sailing later will not have the same problem. We all booked the first day for premium seating to make sure we could enjoy the show together. One by one the calls came in telling those that did not put up a strong objection they mere moved. They did not move me. The thing that makes me really wonder is the woman making the calls was from the group department. If in fact the real issue was an important TA with a big group putting on the pressure then I will have a huge issue with NCL. Most of the people I am traveling with are in in Courtyard Villas and one of the first called is in the Owners Suite. So much for thinking they have any space set aside for the suite people. Even if it was a software problem the fact they bumped those who booked first and paid the most for the cruise makes no logical sense.

I agree with you and sorry if I sound so spinny. It was not my intent. Thanks for explaining exactly what happened. But this whole process is new to NCL so while unfortunate, I expect there to be many kinks to get ironed out. The first few sailings are going to discover many more kinks to get ironed out. There will be anger and more frustration. When a mistake like this happens, there is no easy correction. But I am glad you stood your ground and won.

[CanadianTwosome]

I am very sorry to hear of all the people who have received these phone calls - and the associated disappointment. I completely agree that it is a crappy situation, and I know that in the same situation I would be very unhappy - I'd make do, of course, but my daughter and I are really looking forward to Cirque Dreams, including being up front in the action in premium seating.

 

What I think is going on is simply growing pains. I think they're trying to implement an entirely new system for a new situation and they're finding that they haven't been thorough in their planning and programming. I am confident that by the time I'm able to book my entertainment, while it may not be perfect, 'most' of the bugs will have been worked out. In the meantime, however, I foresee more disappointment as they identify issues and work on them. I'm not even expecting perfection by December; just progress.

 

I agree that putting the system online without knowing that it worked properly was unfortunate, but at the same time, they had to do something, and I'll bet they believed it was ready - or at the very least, more ready than it turned out to be. I wouldn't be surprised if the reason it took so long to catch it is that nobody realized there was a problem until someone working on something related noticed that 'all' the reservations were for premium seating and checked into it. Regardless of why it took so long, however, I think the one good thing is that the problem was identified BEFORE the cruise. As I said, I'd be extremely disappointed if I got the same news, but at least I'd be able to deal with the information and alter my expectations ahead of time. If we arrived full of excitement and anticipation for our premium seating show and were told that we didn't have a table, I would surely be shocked, disappointed, angry, indignant - all the things that go with such a surprise - and I imagine it would make the show very difficult to enjoy. Of course, that's just assuming the show would actually go on after the riot at the door when so many others were disappointed along with us... :eek:

 

So, look at the bright side; at least you know ahead of time and can look forward to the show from a different perspective. It's still a lousy situation, but it could have been much worse.

[Croooser]

We definitely booked the TA for this ship based on the entertainment and dining options. We expect some difficulties and start up problems but are hoping that we are not looking at reservations not being honored or not being able to enjoy all of the unique options on the ship. The IT systems are simply not adequate - some passengers with reservations are now seeing that they are booked for a show in Spanish when that is not what they reserved, some are being "bumped" from their reservations and some reservations are no longer showing up on my NCL. Very poor systems engineering and implementation.

 

Keeping our fingers crossed that the experience on the ship will be much better than the online experience.

[needalatte74]

We are a family of 5 sailing in 2 cabins (3 adults and 2 kids). How does this work when booking the entertainment??

 

Each person in my party has their own login for ticketing, edocs, and all that.

 

Does this mean that I need to log in separately for each user and book entertainment? :eek:

 

Or will it let me book 5 tickets under 1 name??

 

Thanks! I'm still a long way out and I'm hoping all the gliches are ironed out by the time we sail, but I want to be prepared. ;)

[Debathome]

I too booked this cruise solely for the entertainment.

We must all expect a few glitches here and there but hopefully not for long. I do however think that if these kinds of things happen until they get it all sorted, those shifted or moved should be compensated. Even if it is only a drink coupon or a 1/2 price show ticket. It isn't fair to be bumped when you were ahead of the line and one of the first to book. A small simple gesture is in order.

[kmurph22]

Is there a time of day that we can first login to my NCL to book entertainment?

 

I have the 45th day out marked in my calendar, but should I be going online at midnight? 7:00 am?

[deramy]

I was also wondering what time on the 45 day prior to our cruise are we able to log in and book entertainment etc. We are from UK so how will time difference work for us? Thanks in advance for any help with this.

[sdmike]

Well, I checked at midnight Eastern US time (I'm on the west coast in Pacific Time) and I was unable to get access at 45 days and 23+ hours. Here it is at 11am and still no access. That tells me, at least, that you have to get down to the 45 day countdown, not just "under 46". :)

 

I will check again tonight when my clock gets down to 45 days exactly in each timezone and report my results.

[xangav]

We are a family of 5 sailing in 2 cabins (3 adults and 2 kids). How does this work when booking the entertainment??

 

Each person in my party has their own login for ticketing, edocs, and all that.

 

Does this mean that I need to log in separately for each user and book entertainment? :eek:

 

Or will it let me book 5 tickets under 1 name??

 

Thanks! I'm still a long way out and I'm hoping all the gliches are ironed out by the time we sail, but I want to be prepared. ;)

 

 

We also have two connecting cabins that we had to book separately because of the military discount. We are linked for dining and paid forthe cabins with the same credit card. I tried to book them at the same time by opening up two windows but it wouldn't let me do that. So I quickly booked my cabin and then my husband's cabin hoping nothing would disappear while I was doing it. At least this was pretty easy.

[sdmike]

We also have two connecting cabins that we had to book separately because of the military discount. We are linked for dining and paid forthe cabins with the same credit card. I tried to book them at the same time by opening up two windows but it wouldn't let me do that. So I quickly booked my cabin and then my husband's cabin hoping nothing would disappear while I was doing it. At least this was pretty easy.

 

What does "linked for dining" mean when it comes to freestyle?

[johnnyhopkins]

This is insane, we're also traveling with a few other couples and I can see already tha seeing any of these shows together is going to be impossible. We'll try and sync our clocks to all reserve at the same second or maybe we can just get tickets from the scalper section.

 

THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE WAY YOU DID IT BEFORE NCL, remember now Freestyle that was great. You could sit by the pool and decide what you felt like doing for the evening, those were the good ole' days.

[Bars7816]

We have two cabins to book events for, and we want to see THE BLUE MAN GROUP together. So I'm thinking I can use two computers at the same time. Open two accounts, check the schedule for openings of the event we want, then book really really fast. :):)