NCL Dawn limping from port to port

[Mooder]

What's this about the Pretzel rolls I keep reading about?

Where are they, what makes them so special?

 

You find them alongside other bread and rolls in the buffet. They are, as the name suggests, a cross between a roll and a soft pretzel. Very yummy! Sometimes they become difficult to come by! :( They are usuall round, like dark brown dinner rolls, but sometimes come in a stick shape, all equally delicious. I've made them at home and they come out great, but are a bit of work and don't last long! Easier to go on a cruise! :)

[Planer's Edge]

yikes! :( now, that's a lawsuit i'd take to the supreme court! ;)

pmsl!!

 

Pe

[fin]

Everything old is new again. It was over six years ago when my pending trip on the Dawn hit the CC pages with rumors that it was going to skip the one port I most wanted to visit. Azipod problems.

 

The difference was the way the problem was dealt with. I was offered a complete refund of all money paid so that I could book another cruise which more nearly met my needs. But, I was told, it was felt that if I went, I would certainly enjoy the cruise, and in furtherance of said enjoyment, a bottle of champagne would be sent to my stateroom.

[salty dingo]

Ship happens!

 

Engine problems do occur from time to time, and also weather is a common cause of changing plans.

 

Anyone who is not prepared to handle something like this should not book a cruise. I think everyone who does book a cruise does (or should) understand this sort of thing can happen.

[swedish weave]

pmsl!!

 

Pe

 

PE -- Are you going to survive the week with your pal gig on the oosterdam. And you without pretzel rolls ??? Gonna be tough !!!;)

[slotaddict]

Ship happens!

 

Engine problems do occur from time to time, and also weather is a common cause of changing plans.

 

Anyone who is not prepared to handle something like this should not book a cruise. I think everyone who does book a cruise does (or should) understand this sort of thing can happen.

 

 

Well said....

[Globaliser]

Repair crew or no, was there a reasonable expectation that they were going to be able to deliver the 9-day Southern Caribbean cruise they were selling?

NCL was going to be able to deliver a 9-day cruise, which is what they were selling.

 

The scheduled ports are a statement of hope, not expectation. And that's how cruising has always been, for good reason. Too many of today's cruisers just don't understand that.

[ike97756]

 

The scheduled ports are a statement of hope, not expectation.

 

LOL, Are you kidding me?

How many cruises do you think they would sell with the Mantra " NCL Hopes to make X,X,X ports but dont Expect it" Yeah right. The cruise you purchase IS expected to make those ports. Now of course unforeseen thing occur and thus to prevent unreasonable lawsuits the fine print reads that the itinerary may change.

 

I find it interesting that the individuals who have several cruises under their belts and seem to have sufficient income to cruise at will are the ones most galvanized in the opinion "getting your ports is a roulette wheel, just roll with it". Maybe if I got to cruise every year I would be more accepting of it as well, but when it is a vacation that doesn't come around that often it holds a little more meaning.

 

And I get tired of reading " its in the contract, ports are not guaranteed"

Yes, no one has disputed that ( unless you book overseas but that is another topic). Lots of contracts and laws have fine print along the same lines, as a business owner myself though I know that while that serves a legal protection it doesn't mean that your customers will return if they aren't satisfied and many successful service oriented business go above and beyond to ensure continued sales .

 

The way I see it, it boils down to the bottom line. If the business model says x amount of customers will not return if we dont offer x amount of compensation BUT we have enough customers that will return to make up for that profit loss then compensation is or isnt warranted.

Now don't flame me, I don't have an issue with any of this necessarily. After all the cruise lines are in business to make money. If they dont make money then they wouldn't be there for us.

 

Knowledge is power and as a relatively new cruiser I now have more insight to make informed future vacation decisions

[Lard Greystoke]

LOL, Are you kidding me?

How many cruises do you think they would sell with the Mantra " NCL Hopes to make X,X,X ports but dont Expect it" Yeah right. The cruise you purchase IS expected to make those ports. Now of course unforeseen thing occur and thus to prevent unreasonable lawsuits the fine print reads that the itinerary may change.

 

I get tired of reading " its in the contract, ports are not guaranteed"

Yes, no one has disputed that ( unless you book overseas but that is another topic). Lots of contracts and laws have fine print along the same lines, as a business owner myself though I know that while that serves a legal protection it doesn't mean that your customers will return if they aren't satisfied and many successful service oriented business go above and beyond to ensure continued sales .

 

 

You make too much sense for this thread.

 

Regardless of the fine print, any contract has to be executed in good faith. If the contract says you are buying a Pontiac, regardless of the fine print you'd better not get a Chevy instead. That is fraud.

 

I'm not expressing a legal judgment in this case, there are too many variables. However it is not true that cruiselines offer product on the basis of "we're selling you X days, period, and don't owe you anything else". They always advertise a particular itinerary and they are obligated to make a good-faith effort to provide that itinerary. The legal fine print may protect them from frivolous lawsuits, and properly so, but not from bad faith.

 

In other words if a cruiseline offers a cruise to the Southern Caribbean, having no intent of providing the cruise advertised but a different one instead, this could be taken as bad faith. I'm not expressing an opinion in this particular case because I haven't studied it and different people have made different claims. However I don't think that simply advising people to lie down and get kicked fully exhausts legal wisdom.

 

There is also a third option between taking your medicine and filing a lawsuit, and that is to refuse compensation in order to apply leverage with customer service for a better deal. This may or may not be justified and may or not be to everyone's taste, but exercising that option does not automatically make you a complete idiot.

[peg013]

I find it interesting that the individuals who have several cruises under their belts and seem to have sufficient income to cruise at will are the ones most galvanized in the opinion "getting your ports is a roulette wheel, just roll with it". Maybe if I got to cruise every year I would be more accepting of it as well, but when it is a vacation that doesn't come around that often it holds a little more meaning.

 

 

Just because some have several cruises under their belts doesn't necessarily mean they can cruise at will. Even one a year adds up. More experience can however, show you how often ports are changed or missed and you either deal with it or take land vacations. Sorry if you don't like the way cruising works.:rolleyes:

[ike97756]

Just because some have several cruises under their belts doesn't necessarily mean they can cruise at will. More experience can however, show you how often ports are changed or missed and you either deal with it or take land vacations..:rolleyes:

 

OR give you the attitude. Oh Well, I can catch that port next time, or next time or next time.

 

It is very possible that I am mistaken but I don't know of many cruises that have missed 3 of 5 ports.

 

In your "experience" does this happen quite often? Seriously I want to know because if hitting 40% of scheduled ports and changing to a completely different itinerary (eastern vs. southern) just roll with it, is acceptable to cruse lines on a regular basis as seems to be inferred by many of the "frequent cruisers" then my cruising future will be very limited.

[oldguysandgalls]

While many of us repeat cruisers may shrug a missed port or two off as " oh well, not a big deal.. so we miss a port or two", we must not forget the first time cruiser who probably saved, and saved, and saved for their very first cruise. We remember how excited we were when we booked our first cruise, and how much we looked forward to our very first cruise. (noooooo..... it was not Noah's Arc.....we are not THAT old)

 

Serious though, if anyone deserves a generous compensation it should be those first time cruisers who feel (justifiably so) they were robbed or short-changed of a cruise/vacation of a lifetime.

 

A cruise lines generous compensation package may very well determine whether or not these first time cruiser become repeat cruisers.

 

Are you listening... NCL et al ????

[Mooder]

Lots of contracts and laws have fine print along the same lines, as a business owner myself though I know that while that serves a legal protection it doesn't mean that your customers will return if they aren't satisfied and many successful service oriented business go above and beyond to ensure continued sales .

 

 

Which is exactly why the cruise lines usually offer compensation, despite not being legally required to do so. Some on this thread are acting as though nothing was offered. I have no problem with people being disappointed and even upset at the level of communication. If its enough to make you choose another cruiseline, go for it. That's how the market works. But to think the passengers have more coming to them - that just seems greedy and litigious to me.

[peg013]

Missing multiple ports is not common. Getting $200 OBC and 10% off a future cruise is also not common but is sufficient compensation IMHO.

 

Missing tender ports is very common. :(

[swedish weave]

OR give you the attitude. Oh Well, I can catch that port next time, or next time or next time.

 

It is very possible that I am mistaken but I don't know of many cruises that have missed 3 of 5 ports.

 

In your "experience" does this happen quite often? Seriously I want to know because if hitting 40% of scheduled ports and changing to a completely different itinerary (eastern vs. southern) just roll with it, is acceptable to cruse lines on a regular basis as seems to be inferred by many of the "frequent cruisers" then my cruising future will be very limited.

 

I consider myself a frequent cruiser, and let me start by saying the situation with the Dawn is very rare. However, missing a port or two is not as rare due to several things like weather, mechanical problems emergencies, etc.

 

But, I must add -- To go into a total mental meltdown over missed ports as some people do defeats the entire purpose of a vacation. Those who allow that to happen shouldn't be cruising. It is much better for you to accept things that are out of your control, and when bad things happen, make the best of it and enjoy what you have.

[peg013]

I consider myself a frequent cruiser, and let me start by saying the situation with the Dawn is very rare. However, missing a port or two is not as rare due to several things like weather, mechanical problems emergencies, etc.

 

But, I must add -- To go into a total mental meltdown over missed ports as some people do defeats the entire purpose of a vacation. Those who allow that to happen shouldn't be cruising. It is much better for you to accept things that are out of your control, and when bad things happen, make the best of it and enjoy what you have.

 

I agree. If you can't change it, deal with it and enjoy what you can. Some people ruin their own cruises with their reaction to changes being made. And some ruin it for everyone around them when they complain about things that cannot or will not be changed anyway.

[Carnvale]

we are the people on board and the fact is if we were going to Paris and instead they sent us to Quebec instead would be fun but not what we paid for, changing ports if in the southern Caribbean would have been something else, we have saided and into these ports before, we booked new ports for a reason.

 

Now add to that a fire last night in the garbage room, cabins on 4 and 5 were evacuated, and many of us were unable to sleep after the all clear with the sounds of crew frantically moving about the ship. Also to those who earlier complained of stabilizers out, well we agree. Breakfast was with a retired navy man who said this rocking was totally unacceptable for the calm sea conditions. No one is very happy on board today, tired and much sea sickness.

 

The nick name is the cruise from hell, all it needs now for myself is teh sight of a rodent to push me over the edge. Thank goodness next week we cruise Carnival or this would be my last memory of a cruise and I would NEVER cruise again!!!!!

 

I prefer Qubec as I live here and I have been to Paris and to be honest both ports are great! I am on the next sailing and wouldnt mind going back to st thomas or st marteen! great beaches!! great shopping!! I hate Semana and wont get off there anyways!!

I have been on Carnival with similar experience and and guess what your lucky cuz we floated around!!!! didnt get the compensation you got!!! And NO STABALIZERS on a hurricane passing! I have scarrier stories than what you have experienced but its not the cruise lines doing this its life! They went to the other ports to get parts to fix your ship so you could get home safely!

 

By the way the food on Carnival is worse than on any NCL cruise line!

Dont let one un controlable event ruin your vacation. There were many things that were not pleasing but in the end you had great ports and nothing severe happened. Life is too short and enjoy your cruises!

[shoreless]

The scheduled ports are a statement of hope, not expectation.

 

I don't know that I'd go that far, but it's stated so beautifully, I feel I should copy it out and have it framed to hang on my wall. :)

 

On a Caribbean cruise, I don't really care if the ship stops anywhere at all, but I was very disappointed a few years ago when, on my first and so far only trip to europe, we missed two ports on a British Isles and Norwegian fjiords cruise -- Le Havre and Falmouth. It was an RCL cruise, and I think one cancellation was weather related, and the other due to a strike somewhere. There was a lot of grumbling, but I don't remember there being any compensation, and we didn't expect any.

 

There have been a lot of opinions expressed about the missed ports, but nobody seems too concerned about the fire that apparently just happened? We'll be on the Dawn Sunday (Western and Southern), and I must admit the thought of fire scares me a lot. And, while I don't mind a bit of wear and tear, I'll be pretty grumpy if our toilet and/or AC don't work.

[Neiner]

I think if I had been on this cruise I would have been a bit upset too. Most of us book our cruises based on the ports. If that isn't what we wanted then the cruiselines would schedule 9 day cruises with only one stop. I understand that "ship" happens but come on! When it's the cruiselines fault I honestly think that compensation is in order.

 

Definition... Compensate....something given or received as an equivalent for services, debt, loss, injury, suffering, lack, etc.

 

What if you booked a flight to Hawaii and had the airline take you to NewYork instead? Would it be ok as long as they got you back home in the same amount of time? I could still have enjoyed a New York vacation but it isn't what I paid for and I would be disappointed.

 

Even if the compensation they received was adequate they still have the right to be upset. They did not get what they paid for and it wasn't due to an act of God or war.

 

 

So all you people on here telling the OP to basically get over it, give me a break. If it happened to you, you'd be the first people on cruise critic moaning and groaning. I bet there won't be one person from that cruise that comes back and says, "we are so happy we missed three of our five ports that we researched and made plans for and looked forward to. That was the best vacation we've ever had! I love having all my plans turned upside down and not knowing where we're going to be the next day and I was really happy about having to make an international call to cancel my shore excursion too! Even though this turned out to be the exact same cruise I went on last year for half the price I couldn't be happier! Woohoo!"

 

I believe in the glass half full but I get really tired of people actually criticizing posters for being upset. It's an emotion. Most people have them! Sympathy would be in order. None of us would like our dream vacation plans (I'm not going to say ruined) changed like this.

[sockmonkeygirl]

My take on this issue:

 

I understand that unforeseen things can happen, and a ship may need to be re-routed. Unforeseen, like bad weather, political upheavals, fire, etc.

 

However, i defianately would have a problem if the cause of re-routing is the ships own poor condition, which is entirely the responsibility of NCL.

[KirkNC]

Yikes, at least it can limp. I suspect they will have some compensation coming but I would just try to make the best of it if I was onboard.

 

Kirk

[bobthebrit]

We're booked on the Dawn's last cruise before her dry dock.

 

This is our first 'real' Caribbean Cruise - although we cruised through the Caribbean en-route from the Panama Canal to Miami in 2007.

 

As such we haven't 'done' any of the islands and so a reroute, say, from St Kitts to St Thomas doesn't stress us out unduly.

 

The thought of the cruise being cancelled, however unlikely, is another matter, we've booked transatlantic flights which would almost certainly not be refunded (we had to book separately as NCL couldn't give us the flights we wanted).

 

Okay, so a vacation in Southern Florida will hardly be a hardship, but it's not what we're looking forward to.

[NCLbigfan]

I would gladly change places with anyone on the Dawn right now. They can do my job and I can do their vacation.

[Globaliser]

LOL, Are you kidding me?

How many cruises do you think they would sell with the Mantra " NCL Hopes to make X,X,X ports but dont Expect it"

NCL would sell 100% of the cruises they sell today, because that is exactly what NCL already tells you when you book.

 

So that's exactly the view I take about the scheduled ports on a cruise. As a result, I have yet to be disappointed by my ship having to skip ports - something which has happened many times, for many different reasons.

 

If one of the ports was a place that I really, really, really wanted to go to, I sure as hell would not try to get there by cruise ship. That's close to madness.

Knowledge is power and as a relatively new cruiser I now have more insight to make informed future vacation decisions

And your research will, I'm sure, now demonstrate the absolute truth of two propositions:-

1. Don't expect to get to any particular port, even though most of the time you will get there.
2. Don't expect any cruise line to be immune from events like this, as they all suffer from them.

[halos]

I find it interesting that the individuals who have several cruises under their belts and seem to have sufficient income to cruise at will are the ones most galvanized in the opinion "getting your ports is a roulette wheel, just roll with it".

 

The problem lies in the fact that the statement highlighted is indeed fact.

That IS the bottom line.

It is NOT an opinion.

 

Ports never have been and never will be a sure thing. That is the bottom line.

Someone who loves to cruise accepts this. Others who don't accept it should fly to their destination to avoid disappointment.

It's simple, unless you try to make it complicated.

 

Also, having several cruises under your belt or how many per year you are able to take means nothing....My view is that if I paid X amount of dollars for this vacation, I WILL roll with the punches and enjoy it no matter what. Or else I am tossing my money down the toilet.

Life tosses lots of stuff at you, it's how you deal with it that makes the difference.

 

If and when a port is that important to my having a great vacation, I will fly there.