NCL Hell - Beware

[Globaliser]

I wonder if you have to have a "good" reason??? Can you tell us what sort of reasoning your husband had to give?

Typically, you'd have more than one passport if you travel regularly to country A and country B, each of which does not allow entry on a passport containing stamps from the other country; or if you frequently have one passport stuck in an embassy waiting for a visa, and you need to travel in the interim.

[Mooder]

Typically, you'd have more than one passport if you travel regularly to country A and country B, each of which does not allow entry on a passport containing stamps from the other country; or if you frequently have one passport stuck in an embassy waiting for a visa, and you need to travel in the interim.

 

That's what I guessed from those instructions so I'm thinking most of us would not qualify.

[dalgirl]

Not to be mean, but if someone had done their homework before they left, this could all have been avoided (European Boards). Also, advice for anyone who is leaving for their first trip abroad, has never posted, but read a few posts before they take off for another country on another continent: "money-belt." Again, this has been discussed with thousands of posts at the Spain, European boards.

Sorry, but sometimes the learning curve is hard. And having extra funds for emergencies is essential.

[yukongold]

1. Not sure where you get that idea. If it exists, please sign me up. :rolleyes:

 

Group Leader Perks

All Cruise Critic groups must have a minimum of 8 cabins booked to be considered a group and receive all of the group perks. As group leader you will receive one free net cruise fare if at least 8 cabins are sold, and two free net cruise fares if at least 16 cabins are sold. Group leaders will need to pay for their cruise upfront, but will be rebated the equivalent rate per berth for the category which has the largest number of cabins booked. Group leader is responsible for all port charges, taxes and fees. In addition, all group leaders will receive the group amenities and an additional perk program created specifically for our group leaders. Please note that the contract for these group cruises is between Cruise Critic and the Preferred Cruise Agency. Final decisions regarding group cruise amenities, perks etc. are the responsibility of Cruise Critic.

 

Group leaders will also be given details on bulk quantities of discounted Cruise Critic gear for their group members. If 10 or more of any Cruise Critic logowear item is purchased, the group leader will receive that item free.

[Mooder]

Group Leader Perks

All Cruise Critic groups must have a minimum of 8 cabins booked to be considered a group and receive all of the group perks. As group leader you will receive one free net cruise fare if at least 8 cabins are sold, and two free net cruise fares if at least 16 cabins are sold. Group leaders will need to pay for their cruise upfront, but will be rebated the equivalent rate per berth for the category which has the largest number of cabins booked. Group leader is responsible for all port charges, taxes and fees. In addition, all group leaders will receive the group amenities and an additional perk program created specifically for our group leaders. Please note that the contract for these group cruises is between Cruise Critic and the Preferred Cruise Agency. Final decisions regarding group cruise amenities, perks etc. are the responsibility of Cruise Critic.

 

Group leaders will also be given details on bulk quantities of discounted Cruise Critic gear for their group members. If 10 or more of any Cruise Critic logowear item is purchased, the group leader will receive that item free.

 

You are really stretching here - that has nothing to do with those posting on this thread. Those are perks for organizing a financially beneficial group cruise.

[yukongold]

You are really stretching here - that has nothing to do with those posting on this thread. Those are perks for organizing a financially beneficial group cruise.

 

Luv2Cruz made a comment regarding the OP's first post. She often takes on the role of group leader (look at her signature). The comment was simply that you would think that someone who markets group cuises would be a little more tolerant.:)

 

Besides, you mentioned that if there were freebies for enticing others to cruise you would want to sign up;)

[*Luv2Cruz*]

Luv2Cruz made a comment regarding the OP's first post. She often takes on the role of group leader (look at her signature). The comment was simply that you would think that someone who markets group cuises would be a little more tolerant.:)

 

Besides, you mentioned that if there were freebies for enticing others to cruise you would want to sign up;)

Didn’t mean to cause an issue! My bad.:o

[Vyhanek]

The OP isn't saying the passport being stolen is NCL's fault! Geesh!

 

What she's clearly saying is that NCL should have a procedure in place for when this happens. Kicking him off the ship seems unacceptable to me. I think NCL should have the resources available to them to be able to HELP this passanger.

 

I worked for a big comepnay that sent employees in international travel. They had a procedure to help the employee. NCL should have a procedure too.

 

OP, I think you should contact the local news and tell your story. Only with public humiliation will NCL probably choose to focus on their customer and help them in these emergency situations.

[Mooder]

Luv2Cruz made a comment regarding the OP's first post. She often takes on the role of group leader (look at her signature). The comment was simply that you would think that someone who markets group cuises would be a little more tolerant.:)

 

Besides, you mentioned that if there were freebies for enticing others to cruise you would want to sign up;)

 

I gotcha. I didn't realize you were responding specifically to Luv2Cruz's comments. Thanks for explaining. :)

[lovesublime]

Typically, you'd have more than one passport if you travel regularly to country A and country B, each of which does not allow entry on a passport containing stamps from the other country; or if you frequently have one passport stuck in an embassy waiting for a visa, and you need to travel in the interim.

 

 

 

This is exactly why. DH travels frequently between Israel and other middle east countries. He has a third 'neutral' passport that he uses for personal travel. This became a necessity after getting jacked up too many times about his 'connections' in the middle east. We were both detained at Orly for so long that we missed our flight-all because of stamps in his passport.

[Dr. Jack Daniels]

I'm really sorry this happened to the OP. Unfortunately it sounds like NCL's hands were tied. Sometimes crap just happens and this is one of those times.

[nycruiser80]

Very sorry this happened to you. I tried to put myself in that situation and ask myself how would I have felt? What would I do?

 

First things first I like to have travel isurance. Some insurances will cover for theft. Secondly if you don't have to carry your passport on shore I don't I use my drivers licesnse. On my last European sailing last year I used my U.S. drivers licesnse to reboard the ship and was fine in all ports.

 

Lastly, we all need to realize traveling like life is NOT perfect. While we don't want to get pick pocketed while away things do happen.

 

I was a travel agent for 10 years and I remember many years back this middle aged women who stopped into the office I worked at. She wanted to go to Rome and wanted to stay in the "crime free part" (her words). I told her that while Rome like any big city has more disirable areas there is no crime free part. She kept on challenging me and eventually walked out. I wasn't about to say stay in the Via Veneto area and thats crime free just to make a sale.

 

Point is we also need to take a step back and think. Are you in traveling in a city? Are you at a tourist attraction? If so all the more you should be very careful and realize that crime can occur anywhere. This I beleive is NOT the responsibility of a travel company to tell you. You need to evaluate the situation and use your personal caution.

 

I live in the NYC area and I know that even though I don't live in NYC itself that where I live is any better in regards to crime. Crime could happen anywhere and you when traveling you need to take measures like money belts and the like.

 

No one would want this to happen to them. Again, I am sorry to the poster but through it all you learned a life lesson. Everything happens for a reason and your story will help many others!

[prg2101]

Surely not the way anyone wants to spend vacation but when I was

taking the Med cruise two years ago, our Travel agent specifically told us

that pickpocket is very high in Barcelona....especially in La Rambles...Very unfortunate that this happened but it does...one should never leave the ship with your passport....you dont need it;)

[terrymtex01]

OK.. I know recently the economy has taken a major turn down in Europe, but the pickpocketing thing seems to have been going on a while in Barcelona. Has the economy been that bad there that pickpockets are this big of an issue?

 

Also, doesn't NCL have port agents in every port of call to assist pax with issues like this? Or is that only in the Caribbean? Why would NCL not have referred the pax to the port agent for assistance.

 

One thing I do believe is that if NCL put the pax off of the ship NCL had no choice but to do so. This was not something that was their decision I am sure.

 

3 lefts do though ;)

Seriously, This thread has me thinking---Is it possible to get 2 passports (that way one is available as a 'backup')?

 

But-I leave my original in the cabin safe & carry a photo copy. I know the photo copy isn't really 'valid' but if I'm stranded it can make it 'easier' to get a replacement and onto a plane. And it seems there can be more serious problems if the one & only original is lost

 

Monte.. I believe someone already may have said this, but when I got my replacement passport after I thought we had lost my first one, I had to sign a form saying if I found my original I would turn it into the passport office. Each passport has it's own id number so if the first one is reported lost or stolen I know it would send up a flag when used. I have never thought about someone actually getting two just to have them though.

 

I, too, am sorry this happened to you. On one of our trips to Barcelona we decided to stop at a bakery to buy some bread. My husband was standing at the counter trying to decide what he wanted. A young woman next to him put her hand in his pocket. Luckily, he noticed it right away and slapped it away. She pretended that she was merely pointing to the bakery item she wanted.

 

You really do have to be very careful with your valuables. I use a small leather purse that I wear across my chest. I also have money in more than one place in case some of it is stolen. I usually put some euros in a pocket and then pin it with a safety pin to secure it. You must be especiallly careful on crowded trams and buses. We always ride local buses, trains, metros, etc.

 

Please don't let this keep you from traveling!

 

I would have given anything to have heard your husband ask her which bakery good was in his pocket that she was interested in. LOL

 

How many times have there been discussions of whether to carry your passport ashore or not?

My opinion is well known. I have specifically cited Barcelona as an example.

I am sorry this happened to the Poster. I also think that NCL could have been more helpful.

I never carry my passport ashore unless I am required to...its too valuable to pick pockets among other reasons.

I have had copies accepted as ID(but not for flying).

I copy makes it easier to get a new one and I have emailed myself a photo copy as well.

 

I am sure this is not the first time someone passport has been taken ashore on an NCL cruise and NCL should have done more to help the person. But I am also aware that the authorities rely on NCL to make sure everyone has a passport and a violation could effect adversely all the other passengers....so its not an easy decision...so they blindly follow the rules.

 

If you say it, I believe it. I have never known you to give any bad advise on CC, that's for sure.

[iheartbda]

OK.. I know recently the economy has taken a major turn down in Europe, but the pickpocketing thing seems to have been going on a while in Barcelona. Has the economy been that bad there that pickpockets are this big of an issue?

I don't think it has anything to do with the economy. Barcelona has been notorious for pickpockets for years. Because of the relative proximity of Spain to England and Europeans travelling from one country to the other like we in the US do from state to state, I would have thought that the pickpocket problem in Barcelona would be common knowledge among Europeans and they wouldn't need specific warnings about it from the ship.

...........................................

 

I would have given anything to have heard your husband ask her which bakery good was in his pocket that she was interested in. LOL

Oh my....lol. I have some suggestions but not going there.:D

[fin]

Interesting post for the OP's first time!:rolleyes:

 

What was the number of YOUR first post here? Do you build your 5000 by comments about other's post counts?

[wg6530]

It is a sad story, and I am sorry it happened. Nevertheless, the OP clearly has enough travel experience to know about pickpockets. Pickpockets are everywhere, though Las Ramblas is notorious. The loss of cash, cards and passport is not NCL's fault. NCL provided a phone line (wow, I'd have been impressed). If NCL put a passenger off the ship, surely seems probable they had no other legal option. Good that the passenger debarked; the passenger really needed to go to his embassy ASAP.

 

I believe a better thread title would be "Barcelona pickpocket nightmare-beware."

[Clay Clayton]

On some Mediterranean itineraries the ship actually holds all passsenger passports as they have to be made available to local officials upon docking. If the ship did not hold them, you would be required to get up at 5am or so to present your passport to the officials who must clear you to go ashore.

 

Same on our NCL Round the Horn cruise.

[lazydaz]

We were pickpocketed in Barcelona while travelling with a cruise company which is no longer in operation. We grabbed a taxi back to the ship (I had some money) and immediately phoned the credit card company. Within a half hour of the incident an airline ticket had been charged to our credit card. We quickly cancelled the card. When we told the ship's office what had happened (our passport was safely onboard) they asked how we were going to pay our onboard bill. We had to pay it by going to ATM machines during our next ports and withdrawing the maximum allowable.

 

In the dining room that night people at our table told us how they protected their cash on shore, a safety pin blocking the pocket holding your wallet or a shoelace or cord tied to your wallet for starters. While in a lineup with members of our tour group in Rome two women were distracting an older gentleman by showing him framed pictures they were selling while a third person pulled down the man's fly looking for a money belt. His wife was a short distance away and shouted when she spotted what was happening thus preventing a theft.

 

These things happen unfortunately.

[halos]

The OP isn't saying the passport being stolen is NCL's fault! Geesh!

 

What she's clearly saying is that NCL should have a procedure in place for when this happens. Kicking him off the ship seems unacceptable to me. I think NCL should have the resources available to them to be able to HELP this passanger.

 

 

I agree with these two statements whole heartedly.

If indeed this did happen the way it was posted, it is extremely disappointing to hear how NCL handled the situation. If the OP's husband needed to get off the ship (which I can understand) I would think they should have made sure he was OK and knew what to do to get the proper paperwork in order to meet back with the ship at the next port.

[cheggy]

Would not putting a person off on foriegn soil without papers be just as illegal? He would be walking around with no documentation. NCL should have taken him to where he needed to go. My opinion only, never been to Europe but when I go I will probably be paranoid now!:(

[Pennhoo]

My mom's passport was stolen while we were in Venice. The Jades crew were very helpful... as much as they could be... giving us the appropriate Embassy phone numbers and other contact numbers.

 

Sadly, we found out that she would not be able to get an emergency passport until we debarked 6 days later in Barcelona. As such, she still did our pre-planned excursions in Naples and Rome with no issues.

 

As a side note, the most experienced traveler, who has done the most homework on how to prevent their possessions from being pick-pocketed... still has a good chance of being pick-pocketed. Those thieves are smart and very slick!!!

[mjane1999]

Probably someone who has read but not posted before. Story has the ring of truth to me.

 

"Story has the ring of truth"? Do think she made it up? And why does it matter that she may have never posted before?

Does that mean she is a lepor?

"Oh no gang she is a first time poster BEWARE! BEWARE!"

[erdoran]

"Story has the ring of truth"? Do think she made it up? And why does it matter that she may have never posted before?

Does that mean she is a lepor?

"Oh no gang she is a first time poster BEWARE! BEWARE!"

excuse me, I was saying that I believe her story...don't jump my case please! I was saying pretty much what you are, that just because she hasn't posted before doesn't mean her post is BS.

[mjane1999]

Dear fellow cruisers, i am writing this post to highlight a very distressing and alarming incident that happened to us while cruising the Med on the NCL Jade.

On the 30th May while sightseeing on our first full day in Barcelona my husband had his wallet stolen by pickpockets, we were waiting in the 'City tour bus' queue line at the 'blue line' connection point near Las Ramblas.

We noticed two dark skinned men with white t shirts and baseball caps racing down the side of the waiting bus, my husband instantly felt his knee length pocket on his shorts and realised what had happened. By the time he and our elder son ran to the front of the bus they had removed their caps and were lost in the crowds (it was a very busy Sunday).

After reporting the incident to the local police we returned to the ship and went straight to reception to inform them. They showed us the outside phone line and we were able to contact our bank to block his bank and credit cards.

But worse was still to come, we informed the receptionist his passport was also stolen and she went to fetch a security officer who told us my husband could not stay onboard without a passport.

Astounded we asked why he could not get it sorted next day in Monte Carlo, only to be told by the security officer Bianca "we would all be in a lot of trouble if he sailed without one". This was with only 20 minutes before we were due to set sail.

We explained all the resources to get any other money were taken along with his stolen wallet and asked how he was to get another passport etc but she shrugged her shoulders and stated it was not her problem. It beggared belief this was the reaction and it only compounded our anxiety and distress even more. My husband was being thrown off the ship without a bean for all anyone knew. No one cared he was being abandoned in Barcelona. My husband had transferred money from his bank account into mine earlier whilst on the phone but as far as they knew he had nothing and at no point enquired to his health, his ability to cope, absolutely nothing at all.

I gave him my bank card and raced to get an overnight bag together, meeting him on the exit gangway with our family, elder son, teenage daughter and her young friend, plus our young foster son. Becuase of them we made no fuss and went along with what was asked of us.

It cost my husband 800 euros in taxis, overnight hotel stay, replacement 7 day passport and flight from Barcelona to Nice where he met us the next day back on board in Monte Carlo. Had it not been for the fact my husband had the access to that money i dont kn ow what would have happened.

It still shocks me immensly that a multi-billion dollar company like NCL has not got a procedure already in place to help their guests when this type of thing happens. I cannot believe all cruise lines act the same way either. I believe, like the Cost Victoria who we sailed with two years ago, NCL could inform their guests in the daily onboard newsletter we all receive, the dangers of pickpockets in certain ports of call.

I still have no understanding as to why my husband could not have stayed onboard and sorted out his passport the next day. Everyones passports were scanned into the ships system at registration on embarkation day. Reception had a copy, i asked for his passport number to expedite the process in the British Embassy, so what was the problem, perhaps someone could enlighten me.

I used a search engine and input 'Barcelona pickpockets' whereby i learnt Barcelona is the number one pickpocket capital in the world. Reported thefts numbered 6000 from May to September 2009, horrendous statistics which largely go unknown to tourists.

This was such an unnecessary act from NCL but I hope my post highlights to everyone the need to assess from time to time how safe and secure our personal belonging are carried. Also i have since learnt that we should make copies of all our passports which can be taken ashore (except in Dubrovnik - advice from other cruisers), leaving the originals in the cabins safe.

Shame on you NCL

 

I am sorry to hear that! I was just in Barcelona in April on the also. My aunt and us girls were shopping off the Las Ramblas down one of the busy alleyways and my mom noticed my aunts purse was open and all of her things were falling out. We had just arrived and were checking into our hotels so things were not put away yet.

Anyhow her wallet with credit cards and passport were taken. She reported it to the hotel manager at the Petite Opera Museum and he was very helpfull. By the time she got back from filing a police report someone had found her passport in front of one of the shops. Which was a miracle!

Her wallet, money and credit cards were gone but at least she was able to board the plane the next day. Had it not been found she would have had to stay behind and wait for a temp passport to be issued.

But needless to say there were some shady individuals hanging around on the corner that we noticed. They are professional thieves. They know what they are doing and are good at it.

My suggestion is to put everything underneath clothing such as a jacket or shirt and keep it in the front. Which is what we all did except for her. But of course I am sure they are trying to figure out a way to get at that too!