Norwegian - My Big Fat Customer Service Fail!

[DetecDIVA]

I love travel of all kinds. I expect the unexpected and like go with the twists and turns. My life as a luxury travel agent has taken me to many unique places and its fascinating to see how friendly and service oriented some countries are, when many Americans feel as though customer service is a thing of the past or something you have to pay extra for here at home. I never forget that I work in a service industry, the hospitality industry. It is expected that my clients work hard and look forward to their vacations, which I see as investments on relationships, education and personal enrichment. If something goes wrong, I am here to help and I am shocked by a personal experience I have had recently with Norwegian.

 

My husband and I were scheduled to sail aboard the Gem from NYC on 9/11. Personal travel, just us. I have completed all levels of the NCL specialist and graduate programs and have often promoted NCL in my newsletter and on my Facebook and Twitter pages. Though I have taken many cruises, I had never personally experienced Norwegian's hospitality. I had heard friends and clients comment on nickle and diming and poor food quality in the past, but knew Norwegian had been working hard on their image, offering new luxuries such as larger staterooms, spa sanctuaries and more options for all tastes. I needed to be in Bermuda anyway and thought it a good opportunity to get to know NCL first hand and not just through hard studies.

 

When we arrived at the terminal, our bags were taken curbside and once we entered the terminal we were told the ship was rerouting to Florida and Nassau due to bad weather. I understand why ships need to reroute for safety and comfort and know a lot of passengers may be fine with this, but the course of events that followed has left the most bitter of tastes in my mouth.

 

On this trip, I had business to attend to in Bermuda. I had meetings with two hotel managers and had planned to write an article on the summer glow worms. I said right away that I did not want to go to Florida and the Bahamas. Of course the business aspect was my top priority, but I also have a very personal reason. I lost my mother to cancer not long ago, and our girls vacation spot was always Atlantis. We went together a few times a year. Since she passed, I have been purposefully avoiding the Bahamas and didn't wish to spend my vacation revisiting these ghosts. At the terminal, there was NO NCL rep that was able to take questions or discuss options. The women who were at the front desk worked for the port authority and were handing out pieces of paper with a number to call with issues, but that was all. They were not allowed to answer questions, only to give out contact info. I immediately called the number, sat on hold for a half hour and finally got a reservation agent on the phone. I was trying to find out if I could change for the same sailing a few weeks from now. I had no airfare attached, no transfers or shore excursions, just a matter of swapping the stateroom. I was told that since I was booked through the travel agents desk, nobody could even discuss my reservation or advise if I could change. The only thing I could do was wait to talk to the desk during business hours and they will help me. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was denied. I repeatedly told them I really needed an answer as I really did not want to go on this cruise, but would board the ship if I would definitely loose the money. Again, I was told to wait to talk to the agents desk, they should be able to "help" me in the morning. On good faith, I took it that someone was actually going to help me.

 

We waited for 3 hours with a lot of other angry passengers who made the same choice, to get our bags back. As soon as I got home, I sent an e-mail to the agents desk as well as a district sales manager reiterating my phone conversation and request for a change. The following morning, I called the agents desk first thing and was horrified by what I was told. They told me that I would be treated as a no show cancellation, they would not let me rebook and I would only get the taxes back, leaving me $1000 in the hole. They claimed that once the ship sails, nothing can be done. I explained how hard I tried to resolve this before the ship sailed and it made no difference. I told them I did not want money back, just to be placed on the October 2nd sailing. Even though the Oct 2nd sailing was a cheaper sailing than Sep 11th, I didn't want any money back, just a change. I was told changes are treated as cancellations. These words do not mean the same thing by any definition. Even airlines recognize changes. Many cruise lines that I work with recognize changes and some of them (Carnival included) give people options when a total reroute occurs. I explained I was following what I was advised to do and that I tried to find out before I made a decision if I would loose money and it made no difference. Again, I was denied speaking to a supervisor or given the name/e-mail of someone else I could take this up with.

 

After this, I e-mailed more managers. Both gave me 1 line responses saying they were forwarding my message elsewhere, but did not indicate who or how to follow up with these people my e-mails were being sent to. Finally, over a week later one of the many people I e-mailed (with follow up "why are you not responding" e-mails too) responded. This very short response said that I was in penalty range and wouldn't get a refund. Again, I never asked for a refund, just a change, and my problem here is poor communication and lack of customer service which made me think she didn't even really read my e-mail. I also sent e-mails to the customer service department and CEO after waiting for a week and a half and never heard back from either.

 

I know NCL has many policies, but a Bermuda cruise is not comparable to Orlando and Nassau. Its not just changing a port, its an entirely different cruise experience. Florida and Bahamas are very down market in comparison and significantly less costly. Bermuda you spend several days in port opposed to a few hours. Bermuda is more of a luxury choice in keeping with my business practices, while Orlando/Bahamas is more the family market. I don't hate either by any means, but it is not the same product. To me, this is very different than having a single port along a Med or Caribbean cruise switched due to circumstances. This change is a totally different product and cruise experience. If customers absolutely do not want to go to a different destination an option should exist to make a change within a short time frame. I understand why cruise lines are reluctant to issue refunds or switches to a more costly cruise options, but a few weeks to take what they originally bargained for at least gives a choice. Treating people like they are cut of at the knees and have no choice is a terrible position to be in. But my dislike of non user friendly policies has nothing to do with the lack of response and communication that are outright offensive and what I am most disappointed with. Nobody to talk to at the terminal and no rights to speak to anyone on the phone. Most of the ships set sail on Saturday's and Sunday's. If a specific desk is closed during the weekend then a whole group of people is left with nobody to talk to! Being told that nobody could discuss the reservation and I had to wait to be helped was very unprofessional and ended up costing me $1000. If there was nothing they could do to help me, somebody at NCL should have told me that when I inquired both at the terminal and on the phone. If policies are so set in stone and I had no options whatsoever, why did I have to wait to hear that?

 

Finally, being a trusted travel partner, I have been selling NCL for many years, and did every single level of their ridiculous training. Its A LOT of classes and tests. I regularly blast NCL specials over my social networking feeds. I am one of their gold star graduate experts and still was not allowed to talk to anyone. I really thought NCL would want to help one of their partners out of a tough situation and was left high and dry. If this is how they treat business partners, how I am supposed to trust NCL with my top clients? I have had weather related or other incidents with clients cruises in the past and both Princess and RCCL were glad to help my clients out of tough spots or at least provide an immediate response. I am not sure their help was always 100% in line with their policies, but the reps were always warm, receptive and helped in the end, garnishing repeat business from my clients. I did not get warmth, reception and certainly no help from NCL and my request was ever so simple. Leaving anyone in limbo with money on the line is not an acceptable practice in this industry.

 

In closing, I am truly disgusted by the way NCL has misled, ignored, and passed me off these past three weeks. Had they told me at the pier or on the phone I had no chance of rebooking, I would have sucked it up and sailed. Disappointed yes, but I would have tried to make the best of it if it meant losing all that money. I thought as a business partner that was told to wait for assistance there would be a quick and easy solution and I am now so furious with the handling of this that I will never ever work with or promote NCL again. All travelers deserve a response and a choice - if this gets lost it is no longer the hospitality industry. Vacations are investments, not gambles and I hate seeing companies treat people as such. A lot of cruise lines and hotels still respect your rights as a traveler and understand life happens, these are the people consumers should give their money to. Don't make the same mistake I did.

[rvsullivan]

I'm not a travel professional nor am I a gold star professional, I would guess that means you book a lot of NCL business? As a regular vacation traveler I know this from my very first NCL cruise (and I think most cruise lines are the same), the people checking you in are not NCL employees. There is usually an NCL manager of some sort at the pier. I also know as a regular passenger (from reading the terms and conditions) that if you do not board the ship by your own choice, you forfeit. If you were your own TA for this booking, why did you not call the inside phone numbers that TA's have available to them? There were other posts from folks on this cruise and I thought they were given a couple of options. I'm sure as a travel professional you took out travel insurance to cover missing your cruise for any reason???

[chrisaf]

Honestly - if you had business in Bermuda and that was the reason for traveling there - I certainly would not have booked a cruise as my mode of travel there, must specifically during hurricane season. As a "Luxury Travel Agent", I would assume that you would know the risks of travel during hurricane season. The decision that you made not to cruise was yours, not NCL's. Being rerouted is a risk you take and agree to in your cruise contract. I booked a cruise to Bermuda last year and was rerouted due to Hurricane Igor. It was a risk I took and my choice - no fault of NCL.

[WaldosPepper]

As a Travel Agent, you should know the possibility of rerouting is very likely during Hurricane Season in the Atlantic. Having this knowledge, you decided to book a cruise to a destination where you had business, and were expected to be there? I'm sorry, but your entire rant is not going to garner much sympathy here, because you honestly should know better. Your real anger should be turned toward the mirror, to the Travel Agent who made that booking knowing full well the possibility it could be diverted. ;)

[smeyer418]

well written. You write a good letter. Before you posted this did you contact your regional sales rep or the sales rep at NCL? personally I would have written either the president or NCL sales vp Andy Stuart?

....

 

 

 

BTW I was on a rerouted to Canada instead of Bermuda a few years ago...and had a blast. A number of people got so angry that got into a fight with the captain on the pier and he refused to take them on board. originally they were not to get refunds but the grapevine says that ultimately were refunded. I never understand why they don't at least offer a reschedule to a date with openings. Most people would travel anyway but a small and very upset minority won't..and its not fun to be on board with them anyway. and no matter what people say insurance(except cancel for any reason insurance) won't cover this..

 

and last but not least...ship travel is never an assurance you will get anywhere at a specific time....

[LadyShiva]

With all the classes you took for NCL, it really seems like you ignored the basics of the cancellation policy: http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=CancellationFeeSchedule

 

You chose not to get on the ship, so you cancelled within less than 14 days. The only insurance you can appeal to for a refund is a policy with a "cancel for any reason" clause. As a travel agent, I would expect you to know this.

 

(in addition, 1st post... you didn't even join a roll call... so I'm using a boulder of salt while reading your complaint letter.)

[fsuhockette]

As a Travel Agent, you should know the possibility of rerouting is very likely during Hurricane Season in the Atlantic. Having this knowledge, you decided to book a cruise to a destination where you had business, and were expected to be there? I'm sorry, but your entire rant is not going to garner much sympathy here, because you honestly should know better. Your real anger should be turned toward the mirror, to the Travel Agent who made that booking knowing full well the possibility it could be diverted. ;)

 

Well said...

[richs52]

Well said...

 

Agreed, no need to write any more.

[RYMOMA]

With all the classes you took for NCL, it really seems like you ignored the basics of the cancellation policy: http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=CancellationFeeSchedule

 

You chose not to get on the ship, so you cancelled within less than 14 days. The only insurance you can appeal to for a refund is a policy with a "cancel for any reason" clause. As a travel agent, I would expect you to know this.

 

(in addition, 1st post... you didn't even join a roll call... so I'm using a boulder of salt while reading your complaint letter.)

 

first post on here as well.....

[DetecDIVA]

I was calling the travel agent numbers and the general numbers and the regional sales numbers. All offices were closed except for general rez who advised me wait and I would be "helped" in the morning when the TA desk opened. That is why I went home. If they said absolutely no changes then, I wouldn't be writing this message.

 

I am very aware of the terms as a TA, but a lot of travel partners differentiate between a partial and full rerouting. In cases of full rerouting, there are often options, even with some type of fee. Would have been glad to pay a reasonable change fee, but was not given that option. Again, not having any airfare or other attachments often makes a difference in these situations.

 

And my business could easily be rescheduled, which is why I wanted to rebook. Nothing lost by not going that exact date so a cruise was an ok option for this. Would have flown otherwise. I am now flying this Sunday and have my meetings set up. Would have rather worked something out with NCL.

 

I have general insurance because I travel a lot. I did not purchase a special cruise plan through NCL. Though I have no choice but to sell these sometimes, I usually find the cruise plans predatory and don't see why more people don't have a problem with them. They protect against very specific things and not some very important ones and you are mainly paying extra for the right to gain basic customer service and make a few easy changes which a few years ago would have been a commonplace thing that now people are forced to pay extra for. See my comments of vacations being investments, not gambles. I do suggest insurance for certain things, always offer it and do appreciate its value (when it is a true value), but don't think people should have to pay a lot for insurance in order to be talked to like a human being and retain basic travel rights.

[ammagic]

I also have been rerouted. My honeymoon was supposed to be a cruise to Bermuda. We would have gotten there with IGOR so we were rerouted. I think the point of the "rant" was stonewalling the customer. I booked on the Jewel this year. I was to recieve a cabin credit from NCL of $100 and a credit from "Costco", whom I booked with, for $140. I booked 3 Mini-suites. One cabin got the $140 from Costco and the other two did not. I spent the entire cruise trying to get NCL to credit me the other credits. I even showed them my confirmation from Costo showing the credit. After three days they offered a "free call" to Costco. I explained that since Costco was their travel partner perhaps they should call. I worked for IBM for 31 years and understand "customer service". Customer service is about making the problem go away, not telling the customer how to take care of it. NCL does a nice cruise for a nice price but they could save money just not staffing their "Customer Service Desk". I guess it's true, you get what you pay for.

[Sea Monster 2]

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience-- I would also be disappointed if I had booked Bermuda and got the Bahamas. However, I agree with so many others-- it seems like you made a lot of rookie assumptions about cruising, not what I would expect from a seasoned travel agent who has taken many NCL courses. The ideas that the itinerary won't change, that you can show up at the pier and then change your mind with no penalty, and especially that a cruise ship is a great way to get to a business meeting seem like things I might have thought when I first started cruising and before I found CC. I can't imagine someone knowledgable about the cruise industry maintaining these ideas.

 

I often engage in luxury travel, and I have to say that our first-ever NCL cruise last year on the Epic was fantastic from a customer-service perspective. Yes, we were in the Courtyard, but we went all over the ship and had an across-the-board very positive experience. I found the pre-cruise experience to be less-than-satisfying-- no way to get specific info and make requests as you can at the concierge or luxury level on other cruise lines-- but it seems like NCL has just upped its game in that department. I would rate our PCC, in spite of those institutional limitations, as excellent-- very responsive, very prompt and twice found that she really went the extra mile to make something happen for us. We booked through her again on the Epic for next year because it was such a great experience. I am not negating what you have said, but since you are in the business of making recommendations to others, it's important that you know of the experiences of others.

[biker@sea]

For real ?? A fully trained agent did not have the NCL Executive resolution desk 1-800-327-9020 # and found C.C. after 3 weeks!!

[DetecDIVA]

well written. You write a good letter. Before you posted this did you contact your regional sales rep or the sales rep at NCL? personally I would have written either the president or NCL sales vp Andy Stuart?

....

 

smeyer, I did. I e-mailed several DSM's and a BDS, waited a week. No response other than one saying my messages are being forwarded to someone else with no names or contact info. Followed up again, finally got a response from one that sounded like they didn't read what I wrote. Then I e-mailed Kevin Sheehan and publicrelations@ncl.com last week and still have heard nothing. I tried every proper channel of contact and nothing which I don't see as being proper for any person or travel partner. Its just poor form that could have easily been avoided and handled for minute 1.

[cruiser1955a]

First let me say...shame on you !!

You push NCL to your customers, graduated from all of their classes with high honors, yet never once sailed the line. That's just shameful. And I should point out that my very first NCL Bermuda cruise was rerouted to PC/Nassau last September. We had a blast !

 

If you'd ever spent a few minutes on this board, reading what customers have to say, there would have been no surprises on your arrival. Where do I begin...

 

You picked a cruise during hurricane season.

 

It's not an airline, with standby passengers waiting to snap up your cabin. They shouldn't lose money because you don't feel like going to Nassau. (by the way, there's other sights in Nassau besides Atlantis)

 

You booked thru (or as) a TA. The TA owns your booking. NCL can't discuss it with you, or "change" it on departure day. (Welcome to the real world)

 

They sell travel insurance for things like this (do they offer a class for that ?)

 

I don't mean to sound nasty, but there's nothing in your rant which seems valid. These are all issues which are discussed regularly on this board, and you seem to be surprised that NCL did everything "by the book".

 

If every passenger felt the same way you did on departure day, do you think they should just re-book everyone, and sail their empty ship to PC & Nassau ?

 

You really should spend less time in class, and more time on these boards learning what your customers experience. It will make you a much better "Luxury Travel Agent".

 

May I ask, how would a Luxury Cruise Line have handled this ? (in all honesty)

 

You booked a cruise (during peak hurricane season) to get to important business meetings.

[ammagic]

I did the same thing, wrote to Mr. Sheehan and public relations and heard nothing. I guess he was too busy being an "undercover boss". God, if I see that again I'll throw up!

[bplazo]

Should have become a cruise critic member before now because almost everyone on this board knows that cruises can change their ports.

[crusinmama06]

Ohhhhh where do I begin. As a NCL Certified Freestyle Specialist, can I just say, you should KNOW BETTER. :eek:

 

You were traveling during prime hurricane season...on a CRUISE SHIP...and you refused to board! :eek: Do you see that contract that we ask our clients to sign on behalf of us/NCL (and every other cruise line) Ever read one?

 

We all had an inkling you would be going somewhere else. The other cruise before you went somewhere else. So for my sailing, I "planned for the worst, hoped for the best". We kept joking on our CC roll call that although we were going to "Bermuda" we knew that we could end up anywhere from Disney to CANADA.

 

So...my question...if I knew this, why didn't you?

[joyy7403]

Did you ever try this with an airline? "No, I'm not flying today, give me a refund!". I'm certain they'd give it to you. Not! 3 posts and we're suppose to sympathize and feel sorry for you? Not!

[crusinmama06]

They sell travel insurance for things like this (do they offer a class for that ?).

 

Great point! TA 101 - BUY travel insurance with a "Cancel For ANY Reason" option - especially when its your OWN travel. Or be prepared to take the financial hit.

[janetz]

Wow....

[doitallWMB]

I love travel of all kinds. I expect the unexpected and like go with the twists and turns. My life as a luxury travel agent has taken me to many unique places and its fascinating to see how friendly and service oriented some countries are, when many Americans feel as though customer service is a thing of the past or something you have to pay extra for here at home. I never forget that I work in a service industry, the hospitality industry. It is expected that my clients work hard and look forward to their vacations, which I see as investments on relationships, education and personal enrichment. If something goes wrong, I am here to help and I am shocked by a personal experience I have had recently with Norwegian.

 

My husband and I were scheduled to sail aboard the Gem from NYC on 9/11. Personal travel, just us. I have completed all levels of the NCL specialist and graduate programs and have often promoted NCL in my newsletter and on my Facebook and Twitter pages. Though I have taken many cruises, I had never personally experienced Norwegian's hospitality. I had heard friends and clients comment on nickle and diming and poor food quality in the past, but knew Norwegian had been working hard on their image, offering new luxuries such as larger staterooms, spa sanctuaries and more options for all tastes. I needed to be in Bermuda anyway and thought it a good opportunity to get to know NCL first hand and not just through hard studies.

 

When we arrived at the terminal, our bags were taken curbside and once we entered the terminal we were told the ship was rerouting to Florida and Nassau due to bad weather. I understand why ships need to reroute for safety and comfort and know a lot of passengers may be fine with this, but the course of events that followed has left the most bitter of tastes in my mouth.

 

On this trip, I had business to attend to in Bermuda. I had meetings with two hotel managers and had planned to write an article on the summer glow worms. I said right away that I did not want to go to Florida and the Bahamas. Of course the business aspect was my top priority, but I also have a very personal reason. I lost my mother to cancer not long ago, and our girls vacation spot was always Atlantis. We went together a few times a year. Since she passed, I have been purposefully avoiding the Bahamas and didn't wish to spend my vacation revisiting these ghosts. At the terminal, there was NO NCL rep that was able to take questions or discuss options. The women who were at the front desk worked for the port authority and were handing out pieces of paper with a number to call with issues, but that was all. They were not allowed to answer questions, only to give out contact info. I immediately called the number, sat on hold for a half hour and finally got a reservation agent on the phone. I was trying to find out if I could change for the same sailing a few weeks from now. I had no airfare attached, no transfers or shore excursions, just a matter of swapping the stateroom. I was told that since I was booked through the travel agents desk, nobody could even discuss my reservation or advise if I could change. The only thing I could do was wait to talk to the desk during business hours and they will help me. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was denied. I repeatedly told them I really needed an answer as I really did not want to go on this cruise, but would board the ship if I would definitely loose the money. Again, I was told to wait to talk to the agents desk, they should be able to "help" me in the morning. On good faith, I took it that someone was actually going to help me.

 

We waited for 3 hours with a lot of other angry passengers who made the same choice, to get our bags back. As soon as I got home, I sent an e-mail to the agents desk as well as a district sales manager reiterating my phone conversation and request for a change. The following morning, I called the agents desk first thing and was horrified by what I was told. They told me that I would be treated as a no show cancellation, they would not let me rebook and I would only get the taxes back, leaving me $1000 in the hole. They claimed that once the ship sails, nothing can be done. I explained how hard I tried to resolve this before the ship sailed and it made no difference. I told them I did not want money back, just to be placed on the October 2nd sailing. Even though the Oct 2nd sailing was a cheaper sailing than Sep 11th, I didn't want any money back, just a change. I was told changes are treated as cancellations. These words do not mean the same thing by any definition. Even airlines recognize changes. Many cruise lines that I work with recognize changes and some of them (Carnival included) give people options when a total reroute occurs. I explained I was following what I was advised to do and that I tried to find out before I made a decision if I would loose money and it made no difference. Again, I was denied speaking to a supervisor or given the name/e-mail of someone else I could take this up with.

 

After this, I e-mailed more managers. Both gave me 1 line responses saying they were forwarding my message elsewhere, but did not indicate who or how to follow up with these people my e-mails were being sent to. Finally, over a week later one of the many people I e-mailed (with follow up "why are you not responding" e-mails too) responded. This very short response said that I was in penalty range and wouldn't get a refund. Again, I never asked for a refund, just a change, and my problem here is poor communication and lack of customer service which made me think she didn't even really read my e-mail. I also sent e-mails to the customer service department and CEO after waiting for a week and a half and never heard back from either.

 

I know NCL has many policies, but a Bermuda cruise is not comparable to Orlando and Nassau. Its not just changing a port, its an entirely different cruise experience. Florida and Bahamas are very down market in comparison and significantly less costly. Bermuda you spend several days in port opposed to a few hours. Bermuda is more of a luxury choice in keeping with my business practices, while Orlando/Bahamas is more the family market. I don't hate either by any means, but it is not the same product. To me, this is very different than having a single port along a Med or Caribbean cruise switched due to circumstances. This change is a totally different product and cruise experience. If customers absolutely do not want to go to a different destination an option should exist to make a change within a short time frame. I understand why cruise lines are reluctant to issue refunds or switches to a more costly cruise options, but a few weeks to take what they originally bargained for at least gives a choice. Treating people like they are cut of at the knees and have no choice is a terrible position to be in. But my dislike of non user friendly policies has nothing to do with the lack of response and communication that are outright offensive and what I am most disappointed with. Nobody to talk to at the terminal and no rights to speak to anyone on the phone. Most of the ships set sail on Saturday's and Sunday's. If a specific desk is closed during the weekend then a whole group of people is left with nobody to talk to! Being told that nobody could discuss the reservation and I had to wait to be helped was very unprofessional and ended up costing me $1000. If there was nothing they could do to help me, somebody at NCL should have told me that when I inquired both at the terminal and on the phone. If policies are so set in stone and I had no options whatsoever, why did I have to wait to hear that?

 

Finally, being a trusted travel partner, I have been selling NCL for many years, and did every single level of their ridiculous training. Its A LOT of classes and tests. I regularly blast NCL specials over my social networking feeds. I am one of their gold star graduate experts and still was not allowed to talk to anyone. I really thought NCL would want to help one of their partners out of a tough situation and was left high and dry. If this is how they treat business partners, how I am supposed to trust NCL with my top clients? I have had weather related or other incidents with clients cruises in the past and both Princess and RCCL were glad to help my clients out of tough spots or at least provide an immediate response. I am not sure their help was always 100% in line with their policies, but the reps were always warm, receptive and helped in the end, garnishing repeat business from my clients. I did not get warmth, reception and certainly no help from NCL and my request was ever so simple. Leaving anyone in limbo with money on the line is not an acceptable practice in this industry.

 

In closing, I am truly disgusted by the way NCL has misled, ignored, and passed me off these past three weeks. Had they told me at the pier or on the phone I had no chance of rebooking, I would have sucked it up and sailed. Disappointed yes, but I would have tried to make the best of it if it meant losing all that money. I thought as a business partner that was told to wait for assistance there would be a quick and easy solution and I am now so furious with the handling of this that I will never ever work with or promote NCL again. All travelers deserve a response and a choice - if this gets lost it is no longer the hospitality industry. Vacations are investments, not gambles and I hate seeing companies treat people as such. A lot of cruise lines and hotels still respect your rights as a traveler and understand life happens, these are the people consumers should give their money to. Don't make the same mistake I did.

 

 

I am sorry for your feeling of loss and disappointment but, by the way, have you flown lately? You of all people understand the cruise industry. Why did you expect any different treatment? Any main stream line would have responded in a similar fashion. I will continue to cruise Norwegian and others probably agree.

[rajones007]

Sounds more like entitlement issues than anything else.

 

You do sound like a travel agent though, because when they cruise they have entitlement issues. On my last cruise there was a small group of TA's onboard. I think there might have been 40 or 50 of them, coming from some US-based online-only travel agency I never heard of.

 

Anyways, you'd think they were all royalty or something. Barking orders left and right to every ship employee within sight, and expecting VIP treatment for every...little...thing.

 

Your story sounds like something they would have expected if we had been re-routed.

[nikimouse]

:eek::eek::eek:I am totally on your side! so sorry this happened its really bad. They could have told you at the terminal that if you dont cruise you have no options, it doesnt matter if you are a travel professional, you expect better service than you received. I just booked my first ncl cruise yesterday! last year was considering the ncl dawn but my TA said she couldnt recommend ncl due to customer service issues, so i booked carnival victory.

 

people on this thread should be more sympathetic, it wasnt your fault they could have easily put you on another sailing!!! and the other passengers that they left high and dry too. why should you have to go to florida if you planned on bermuda? why didnt they try to help. they should have made it clear what your options were and told you that if you dont board the ship you get no refund!!! im upset reading peoples responces , how would they feel in that situation. its your buisiness why you chose to sail to bermuda, why shouldnt you, yes you could have flown there but chose to cruise, whats wrong with these people?!

 

 

I did a disney cruise and was DENIED BOARDING ! stupidly confessed that we had all been vomiting the day befor but added we are all fine now, next thing i know we cant cruise!!! they were great, booked us on a 4 night cruise and gave us an upgrade from inside to 2 x balcony cabins, free toys for my kids, and free entry to mickeys christmas party. we booked a 3 day cruise to start with so had to pay $800 to switch dates as the other cruise was more expensive. they offered a full refund or the option to pay extra to sail a few days befor xmas. THIS IS WHAT A GOOD CRUISELINE SHOULD DO!!! shame on NCL . guess you wont be promoting them now either.

im sure ill have a great time, as my TA said they are ok as long as no problems arise, and when problems do come up they leave passengers high and dry so she wont recommend them.

I will at least get travel insurance now, I was gonna cruise without it! fingers crossed nothing goes wrong for anyone else on a ncl cruise, they wont get any help from NCL or any sympathy from cruise critic it seems :(

[AuntieBon]

Wow you people are harsh.

 

OP I get your frustration. When things like this happen I feel that NCL or any cruise line should have their people not the port people available to answer questions. Had just ONE person said that you would be forfeiting your money I'm sure your decision making would have been different. Instead you were greeted with essentially a "flapping of the hand" "don't bother me" attitude and for that there is no excuse.

 

As for customer service sadly these days it appears to be a dying thing. I've left three messages for a company asking for a receipt of a credit card charge and heard nothing back. Next message will be that I am calling the CC company and disputing the charge. I know that will get the fire lit under them but I shouldn't have to resort to that. Just as you shouldn't have had to email over and over again or wait on hold for 30 minutes to get nowhere.