NCL guest relations- what is your experience?

[brn2crz]

Gardencat..

 

As it seems like the other thread was pulled.

I really hope you get to enjoy a peaceful vacation.What a disaster...I would really push for a bigger comp of a future cruise.I don't remember all your details.But bottom line.They cancelled your vacation.You should not have to be out money plus all the stress.

 

Cathy

NCL-Starward 1982

NCL-Seaward 1986

NCL-Norway 1992

Carnival-Celebration 1996

Carnival-Jubilee 2001

RCI-Rhapsody 1999

RCI-Rhapsody- 2003

Grand Princess or Rhapsody ?

2004

 

 

[gardencat]

Brn2crz

Thanks for your good wishes.

I love your animated scuba man! Reminds me of how I've been feeling lately watching everything go in circles but getting nowhere!

Thank heavens for a sense of humour

[Fighterone]

Gardencat

In what thread /post do you describe your problem with NCL? I would like to read it.

 

Avatar is our Kitty "Saddham"

 

 

 

Norwegian Sea May, 2004

Celebration January, 2004 see review amd pictures at www.nimodo.net

Yankee Clipper Windjammer 1978

Proud charter member of the PPS-Passport Pusher Society

 

[gardencat]

Well that's a little hard to answer. Originally most of my story was on "the cruise from hell" (that wasn't my name somebody else started the thread).

Then it spilled over to "the cancelled bus' thread. And today I started a thread 'If you can't vacation with NCL you can't vacation with anybody' to explain the final outcome. All of thses threads seem to be gone. If you really want the whole complicated, convoluted, long story I can send it to you, if you send me your e-mail address, But if your just asking to be polite don't feel you have to read it.

I'm thinking of turning it into a novel to try and re-coop some of my costs.

[pattict1]

gardencat, we did not book through NCL. It was through a Travel Agent. We are still waiting for a resolution on our credit towards our next cruise which will sail on 5/15. I can see from some other topics that some people have already received their docs for the new cruise.

[gardencat]

pattyct1

Did you incur charges to cancel/change your air tickets?

[pattict1]

No. We were told the amount we had paid on the 5/2 Star would be applied towards the new cruise less the credit from NCL. Now we did book our air through NCL.

[gardencat]

Hope you have a great time. I forgot to ask where the new cruise is. Is it still in Hawaii?

[pattict1]

No. We are doing the opposite. ALASKA. I am trying to get excited but I was really looking forward to the heat. So what did you decide to do?

[legalcruiser]

Okay - I had my first "issue' today although it is quite minor compared to what others are experiencing. I called yesterday to book the romance package. I had to give my credit card number because I was told that it had to be prepaid. I had no problem with that but wanted some kind of receipt/confirmation if that was the case. So the pleasant CSR took my email address and said he was sending it. I never received it - no problem I figured perhaps there was a miscommunication re the correct address. So today I call back - the girl asks for my phone number. I thought that was strange because none of my other many calls required that. Then she told me she could not email it to me because I booked through a TA. However, I explained that I did not pay for the package through TA but directly through NCL so I didn't understand why I couldn't get a confirmation. I also told her I didn't understand (very calmly) why CSRs arbitrarily decided whether they would send emails (as I have read on these boards) because I have received all my shorex confirmations via email and the guy the previous day made no mention of this policy. Anyway, she was not happy, put me on a lengthy hold, and then read my email address back to me and said she was sending it right then. Needless to say I never received it.

 

So again, this is not the end of the world but I feel that if I pay NCL directly for something they should be able to correspond with me about it especially when my TA had nothing to do with it. And again, why could they send my shorex to me when I didn't have to prepay for that?

 

Okay - I vented. Don't get me wrong - it is relatively minor and I have no doubt that the impending cruise will be fabulous! Hope for the same for all of you!

[gardencat]

pattict1

We are staying in Hawaii but no cruise . We weren't able to shift our dates (we're short staffed where I work so had to juggle things just to get the original dates off) so that made it difficult to find another cruise to substitute.

I would have been interested in Alaska but the thing my daughter asked for from this trip was warm and beachy so Alaska didn't seem to fit. I'll miss the cruise part of the experience but hey, I'm going to Hawaii how bad can that be!

[gdries]

Legal, Call your travel agent. They in all probability have the receipts. Unfortunately the the contracts with travel agents place "ownership" of the customers in the TA hands even though you book excursions and such directly with the cruise line. NCL will at least talk to you. I had a bad experience with Celebrity, and it was because of their T/A contracts.

 

Aloha Hawaii from LA via San Francisco

 

[mnstar]

At the end of the day, money talks! Next time, book your cruise with their competition. If their revenues go down, they may feel enough "pain" to eventually ask themselves why? Either way, you won't be wasting your energy complaining about them.

[JDMOR]

ADDING INSULT TO INJURY!

First the PRIDE OF AMERICA sank and my repo cruise to Honolulu was cancelled. I switched to a repo cruise on the STAR from Honolulu and it has been cancelled.

 

I am still waiting for the refund of the payments I made in full for the STAR cruise. I can't even get them to respond to messages I have sent on the <prideofamerica@ncl.com> web site. I had requested some sort of compensation for the inconvienence and cost of having to switch hotel reservations in Honolulu, and now immediate refund so I can make other vacation plans.

 

As was evidenced by the recent huge thread on the customer dissatisfaction with handling of the PRIDE OF AMERICA rebooking, NCL has created a terrible reputation among travel agents and the public in general. Having cruised NCL several times before, I think they have great ships and wonderful crews and hate to see stupid handling of customer relations contribute to the terrible year they have had.

 

It will have to be a terrific deal before I would even consider another NCL cruise, and then I would be very "gun-shy".

 

JDMOR - Beautiful Central Oregon

 

‘89 STARDANCER (Viking Seranade-Alaska); ‘90 CUNARD PRINCESS (Canary Iles); ‘92 CROWN ODYSSEY (Royal-Scandinavia/Russia); ‘93 SKY PRINCESS (Panama Canal); ‘94 MAASDAM (S. Carib); ‘95 CROWN ODYSSEY (Royal-Brit Isles); ‘95 ZENITH (W.Carib); ‘95 OCEANIC (Big Red Boat-Bahamas); ‘96 REGAL PRINCESS (Alaska); ‘96 WESTERDAM (E. Carib); ‘98 STATENDAM (S. Carib); ‘99 NORWEGIAN WIND (Hawaii); ‘00 NORWEGIAN CROWN (Crown Odyssey-South America); ‘00 NORWEGIAN SKY (Alaska); ‘00 VOYAGER OF THE SEAS (E. Carib); ‘01 PRINCESS JEANNTE (China); ‘01 RADIANCE OF THE SEAS (Hawaii); ‘02 RIVER ODYSSEY (Europe); '02 INFINITY (Hawaii); '03 NORWEGIAN SKY (Panama Canal); '03 MARINER OF THE SEAS (E. Carib); Planned: '04 NCL STAR (Hawaii to Vancouver);'04 HAL AMSTERDAM (Transatlantic); '04 QUEEN MARY 2 (Canada)

 

[gardencat]

My sentiments are the same as yours, JDMor. I'll miss the Dawn and the Star but won't cruise again with a company that treats it's customers like that.

[newmexicoNita]

Legal, gdries is correct. When you book through an agency they own your booking and most cruise lines won't even give you a response. Why this is I don't know even though I was a TA until retirement. I do understand the owning the booking, but when a line can't even give out your cabin number always amazed me. I am sure your TA will work everything out. NMNita

 

Commodore 1984, Costa 1985, RCL 1987, Chandris 1989, NCL 1989, Commodore, 1991, NCL 1997, Carnival 1997, Carnival 1998,NCL 1998, NCL 1999, RCL 2000, RCL 2000, NCL 2002,NCL 2003, Celebrity 2003, NCL 2004

[legalcruiser]

Thanks Gdries and Nita - Now if only I can get in touch with my TA (harder than getting in touch with NCL!) I guess that is the price you pay for saving money! I understand the contract thing but they emailed me my shorex with no problem. I guess I feel like they should abide by the contract across the board and it would alleviate some frustration.

 

Thanks again.

 

Dawn 5/23/04

RCCL Enchantment 7/02

Carnival Glory 8/03

 

[Host CMLA]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by legalcruiser:

I understand the contract thing but they emailed me my shorex with no problem.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>This may not be the case...but just to rule everything out...do you have any spam blockers on your e mail? A few times when I've booked airfare online I've sat for a few days wondering where the confirmation was only to look in my spam mail file and see it there. That may not be what's happened to you...but something to rule out. Good luck. I hope it works out.

[legalcruiser]

Thanks Cecilia - I checked, no spam blocker. Of course, my TA is not calling back - she never does! I guess I will just check my credit card bill periodically and bring the statement for proof of payment if I don't get word from my TA.

 

Dawn 5/23/04

RCCL Enchantment 7/02

Carnival Glory 8/03

 

[tlmlb]

Regarding NCL customer relations. I did think that NCL = no customer love. But really, it is more of a matter of getting to the person who is empowered to help. Very often it is not the customer service person you get on the phone or at the guest relations desk. In my experience there is a person in the home office assigned to each ship that kind of troubleshoots problems and actually has the power to fix them. These people do a pretty good job, its a matter of finding out who they are and making contact.

[PJK]

legalcruiser, good luck.. I just got off the Sea and NCL totally messed up my anniversary package. I pre-ordered one for my mother and for myself. When we got onboard they said they had no record of me ordering one for my mother as well as the birthday package I had also ordered. Anna in CS followed up with the office and said that NCL issued me a refund for 109.00 that same day. I had to pay for the packages again and still have not received my refund.

 

I did have copies from my TA that all the packages were confirmed and a copy of my cleared check. It did no good.

 

I hope yours turns out better then mine.

 

Pam

 

NCL Sea 4/04

NCL Norway 4/02

[pattict1]

Gardencat hope your Hawaii trip is awesome. You are right that going to Hawaii cruise or not cruise is a wonderful thing.

 

JDMOR I felt sorry for myself when the Star May 2nd repo was cancelled but now I realize someone always has it worse. Sorry about your double wammy from NCL. Hope you find another alternative.

[Flydude1063]

Not good customer service experience here either. We had been booked on what was supposed to be the Norwegian Sky from Vancouver on May 15th, and proceeded to buy our own non-refundable airfare immediately after paying NCL for this cruise. About a week later, while looking at NCL's website, I noticed that this cruise was changed, and was now roundtrip from Seattle. I called NCL's guest relations to find out if they were going to do anything for us since we had already paid for our plane tickets, and was told "you're out of luck". So we had to pay the penalties to change our airfare ($200) because NCL decided to change ports. This just doesn't seem right. It's like if an airline randomly decided your flight was going to leave Chicago instead of Detroit, and told you if you didn't like it, oh well! If they had even offered something small to compensate us (heck, a free drink), it would have made us at least feel a little better. But NCL told us since we booked our own airfare, they weren't willing to do a thing. Just doesn't seem fair. Whew! Glad I got that off my chest.

[JerseyJoe]

Two years ago, I missed my Saturday flight from NJ to Miami. Because of the Easter Holiday there were no flights to Fla. I called my TA and made arrangements to fly to Cozumel on Sunday and to meet the ship on Monday. I called NCL and told them of my plight and they told me to see the security officer. After reviewing my docs, the officer called the hotel director. I went to take my luggage onto the ship and the hotel director said "NO"!! Your vacation starts now - we'll take your luggage. Upon entering our cabin we found a cold bottle of champane waiting with snacks. I have been on 4 NCL cruises and cannot find anything bad to say.

[gardencat]

Well Jersey Joe, I really can't explain the different levels of service that the people on this board seem to have received.

Although some people (on other threads) have suggested that maybe my bad experience was due to the fact that I took a harsh, rude approach to NCL making unreasonable demands on them , I can assure you that wasn't so. I started my dealings with them in quite a reasonable tone (whenever I could get through to them). It is true that, after it became clear that they were going to do nothing to correct the situation, I became more irrate. I still did not yell or swear but I did tell them that I was absolutely disgusted with their terrible customer service.

Why did you have a good experience and others of us not? I don't kinow maybe their attitude has changed in the past 2 years.