KUDOS to NCL "Lost and Found" (11/26/11 Epic) !!!

[halos]

True. Funny how if you have a problem with another line and post it on CCL's boards, it remains.

 

 

 

...or, if you are not Tom and start a thread about another cruise line on the CCL boards, it remains: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1530098

:rolleyes::confused::rolleyes::confused:

[GROOVERS]

I was on the DAWN back in October 2010, and we had boarded and were waiting in a lounge for our room to be ready, all of a sudden they announcment came the rooms were ready, I stood up and walked off, leaving my $600 camera on the seat:eek:. We were sailing out of New York, I missed a lot of good picts, but the good news is, the third day of the cruise, after checking each day at the desk, NCL had my camera! Whew, what an experience!

Congrats are in order on getting your "stuff" back, you must have plenty of money to carry cash in a suitcase, though!:p

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

Congrats are in order on getting your "stuff" back, you must have plenty of money to carry cash in a suitcase, though!:p

 

I like to play a fair bit in the casino, and would rather bring cash than get it on my ship card. This time, given all the people we sailed with, I spent a lot less time (and fortunately $) in the casino. Thus I managed to take some cash OFF the ship with me!! :)

 

Tom

[Julienatul]

so glad your items were recovered!!! A few times on our carnival cruises I have left my Nikon DSLR at various lounges and every time a gracious person or crew member had turned it in to lost and found. Its such a great feeling to know there are still somehonest people in this world.

[halos]

Its such a great feeling to know there are still somehonest people in this world.

 

More people are good than not and it is a good feeling. We're so bombarded with negativity all the time that we lose sight of that.

[iluvdoxies]

Tom, soo glad your bags were recovered ! What a blessing.

 

We travel with 1 carry on with wheels, and I put my jewelery and meds in it as well as other things 0 I dont let it out of my sight !

 

BTW, welcome back :)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Tom, soo glad your bags were recovered ! What a blessing.

 

We travel with 1 carry on with wheels, and I put my jewelery and meds in it as well as other things 0 I dont let it out of my sight !

 

BTW, welcome back :)

 

Thanks. Yes, we will be much more diligent regarding our carry on stuff... no doubt! And to think all along I was more concerned about the checked luggage - to the point of even taking pictures of them each cruise on the last night after placing them out in the hall! :rolleyes:

 

 

Tom

[happy cruzin]

Yay, this is GREAT news!!

I had heard from Cheryl about the "loss" of the bags - just as we were boarding the Magic. But being out of touch last week I had not heard about the "recovery" of them.

VERY happy for you guys!! ;) :D

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Yay, this is GREAT news!!

I had heard from Cheryl about the "loss" of the bags - just as we were boarding the Magic. But being out of touch last week I had not heard about the "recovery" of them.

VERY happy for you guys!! ;) :D

 

It was an eye opener, I'll give it that!

 

You guys are going to see how fast a week can pass - when you get on the Epic and see that you are pressed to do all that you want to do in those short 7 days.

 

HAVE A BLAST!!!

 

Tom

[DGP1111]

Tom:

We'd already discussed the luggage saga (and I'm still SOOOOO very elated at the way it turned out) after your return, but I'd not seen this post until today . . . via link from another post. I barely checked CC during those following ten days.

 

The reply from Mr. Sheehan is a pretty darn priceless thing when it comes to superior guest service. Makes quite an impression on "some people" to continue their vacation focus toward NCL. ;)

 

Thanks, my friend, for posting the wonderful results to a definite learning experience for many. :)

 

.

.

.

I considered joking about your being 'Long Winded', but lightening would certainly strike before I could press Submit Reply. :D

.

.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

I considered joking about your being 'Long Winded', but lightening would certainly strike before I could press Submit Reply. :D

.

.

 

Flirting with disaster there Don! :D

 

Tom

[kerrytens]

Tom,

 

I totally missed this post. I am so very happy that it all worked out for you and Cheryl. And what a great response from Mr. Sheehan too.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Tom,

 

I totally missed this post. I am so very happy that it all worked out for you and Cheryl. And what a great response from Mr. Sheehan too.

 

Thanks. Yes, it was nice to see that there are multiple levels within the company that really do care. Refreshing!

 

Tom

[halos]

Thanks. Yes, it was nice to see that there are multiple levels within the company that really do care. Refreshing!

 

Tom

 

It's extremely impressive to say the least :)

I marvel at the differences.............................

 

It's not like NCL is a luxury line, it is in the same class as 'the other'.

Remarkable what great leadership can do for a business!!!!

 

My Momma used to always say, "A fish stinks from the head."

Nowhere is that more evident than the 'other line'...and on the opposite spectrum there is NCL. I give credit to the upper management.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

It's extremely impressive to say the least :)

I marvel at the differences.............................

 

It's not like NCL is a luxury line, it is in the same class as 'the other'.

Remarkable what great leadership can do for a business!!!!

 

My Momma used to always say, "A fish stinks from the head."

Nowhere is that more evident than the 'other line'...and on the opposite spectrum there is NCL. I give credit to the upper management.

 

One day we need to cross paths!

 

Tom

[halos]

One day we need to cross paths!

 

Tom

I hope we will :)

[Mrs. Squirrel]

Loved this thread. . .story and resolution.

 

The irony is that our family is trying NCL for the first time after many, many loyal years with CCL. The cutbacks in entertainment on our last two CCL cruises were the straw that finally broke us out of our comfort zone. I don't post a lot on CC, but read a ton. It was partly due to Tom-n-Cheryl's Epic review and posts and Halo's posts, both over on the CCL board, that I started seriously thinking about making a change to NCL for our next cruise. We booked Epic just a few days before Christmas which is very last minute for our normal way of doing things. Got a great rate and airfare, so it must have been meant to be, right?! So far, pre-cruise customer service with NCL has been superb.

 

Thanks for the time you both have put into this board.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Loved this thread. . .story and resolution.

 

The irony is that our family is trying NCL for the first time after many, many loyal years with CCL. The cutbacks in entertainment on our last two CCL cruises were the straw that finally broke us out of our comfort zone. I don't post a lot on CC, but read a ton. It was partly due to Tom-n-Cheryl's Epic review and posts and Halo's posts, both over on the CCL board, that I started seriously thinking about making a change to NCL for our next cruise. We booked Epic just a few days before Christmas which is very last minute for our normal way of doing things. Got a great rate and airfare, so it must have been meant to be, right?! So far, pre-cruise customer service with NCL has been superb.

 

Thanks for the time you both have put into this board.

 

I hope you guys have a great time - I would be interested in seeing you make a post back on this thread after your return, just to tell us how your cruise went!

 

I am guessing you have read Don's (DGP1111) review? If not, it's a must read!!

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

[snorklinbarb]

Loved this thread. . .story and resolution.

 

The irony is that our family is trying NCL for the first time after many, many loyal years with CCL. The cutbacks in entertainment on our last two CCL cruises were the straw that finally broke us out of our comfort zone. I don't post a lot on CC, but read a ton. It was partly due to Tom-n-Cheryl's Epic review and posts and Halo's posts, both over on the CCL board, that I started seriously thinking about making a change to NCL for our next cruise. We booked Epic just a few days before Christmas which is very last minute for our normal way of doing things. Got a great rate and airfare, so it must have been meant to be, right?! So far, pre-cruise customer service with NCL has been superb.

 

Thanks for the time you both have put into this board.

 

Since you're trying NCL for the first time (and a previous poster also indicated the same), I can share that we've never booked a suite and always had wonderful service & a great time on NCL. We've never been on CCL so can't offer a comparison except to say that cabins on NCL are probably smaller, from what I've read and heard.

 

There are many more specialty restaurants and other public spaces that take up more room on NCL so the cabins are not large but we've always found them adequate. Sure, it's wonderful to have a suite and NCL does a super super job with some lovely perks.

 

Another poster asked about the bathrooms. Very very nice to have glass door showers whether it's the Dawn, Gem, etc. Epic is a little different with the bathroom setup but has the glass door, too. I think the Sky and Sun are the only ones left with the curtains?

 

Tom & Cheryl had some special experiences being in a suite and it was wonderful to read about their cruise & this great "recovery" story by Lost & Found. But with dozens of NCL cruises under my belt, we've had the best times no matter what cabins!

 

As for the Meet & Greets and interaction with the ship's officers, NCL does such a special job. Looking forward to another great cruise Jan. 18th on the Gem. Balcony cabin and I'm sure it will all work out fine.:)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Since you're trying NCL for the first time (and a previous poster also indicated the same)' date=' I can share that we've never booked a suite and always had wonderful service & a great time on NCL. We've never been on CCL so can't offer a comparison except to say that cabins on NCL are probably smaller, from what I've read and heard.

 

There are many more specialty restaurants and other public spaces that take up more room on NCL so the cabins are not large but we've always found them adequate. Sure, it's wonderful to have a suite and NCL does a super super job with some lovely perks.

 

Another poster asked about the bathrooms. Very very nice to have glass door showers whether it's the Dawn, Gem, etc. Epic is a little different with the bathroom setup but has the glass door, too. I think the Sky and Sun are the only ones left with the curtains?

 

Tom & Cheryl had some special experiences being in a suite and it was wonderful to read about their cruise & this great "recovery" story by Lost & Found. But with dozens of NCL cruises under my belt, we've had the best times no matter what cabins!

 

As for the Meet & Greets and interaction with the ship's officers, NCL does such a special job. Looking forward to another great cruise Jan. 18th on the Gem. Balcony cabin and I'm sure it will all work out fine.:)[/quote']

 

Good point - there are definitely two subsets of cruise experiences on NCL owing to their suite perks. Having said that, the vast majority of cruisers who sail on NCL are not in suites, and somehow manage to have a great time!!

 

Tom

[halos]

Good point - there are definitely two subsets of cruise experiences on NCL owing to their suite perks. Having said that, the vast majority of cruisers who sail on NCL are not in suites, and somehow manage to have a great time!!

 

Tom

 

That would be me :)

I am going to experience my first suite in Sept. I have to say that I can't even IMAGINE how nice the extra perks will be because my experiences in a regular balcony have been nothing short of wonderful.

 

As you can see by the responses of NCL management (including the CEO!!) on these boards, THIS is where the difference lies. NCL management cares what their passengers think and they must create a wonderful work environment for their employees because the crew are so fabulous, and they seem so happy and to enjoy their jobs so much that the passengers (well, at least ones like me) feed off of that. You cannot have a bad cruise when the crew are like this.

 

On my very first Dawn cruise, we got to know a couple crew members and when talking to them we asked where they were going to go after their contracts were up. One was going to move on to the Epic (it was brand new then) for his 10th contract with NCL and the other said "I will go wherever Hugo goes."

(Hugo was the hotel director of the Dawn at that time)

This girl was on her 9th contract with NCL..she LOVED her job, she LOVED her boss...she said that he made them all feel like family.

If you read the boards here many of the hotel directors are mentioned all the time. I truly think they all must be fabulous because they do make their crew feel like family...for me, this translates to a phenomenal cruise. If the crew really like their jobs, their happiness is contagious.

 

So aside from the great entertainment, the variety in restaurants, the freedom to dine with who you want, when you want, the CREW is what makes NCL stand out for us.

Other crew on other ships may work just as hard and be just as accomodating, but I don't know of any other line that I have sailed on, where the crew really seemed happy.

(heck, on Celebrity they acted like abused puppies)

 

On no other line have I met or even known who the hotel director was. On NCL, it's like they are cloned. I saw Hugo EVERYWHERE on the ship. We were in the dining room (any of them) and he was there, asking people how their cruise was going. On the pool deck, he was there, in the lounges, he was there. We had a small issue upon debark and 'poof' he appeared and the issue was no longer an issue. :eek: The man just popped up out of nowhere!!

That's when I noticed on each of my sailings that the HD was always out and about the ship, checking to make sure everyone was having a good time and if you weren't, they would whip out their phone, make a phone call and immediately fix whatever it was that you needed fixing.

I was astounded!

 

I could go on.....but I'll stop here...except to say that I have a 15 day Carnival cruise to Hawaii coming up in April, yet all I can think about is my 7 day Sept cruise on the NCL Dawn.

 

I don't want to build NCL up so much that anyone winds up being disappointed, but the NCL experience for me is just so vastly different, and this Hawaii cruise with CCL is definitely going to be my last...for more reasons than I care to think about.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

Other crew on other ships may work just as hard and be just as accomodating, but I don't know of any other line that I have sailed on, where the crew really seemed happy.

(heck, on Celebrity they acted like abused puppies)

...

 

I'll be on the lookout for that in about 4 weeks!

 

Tom

[halos]

I'll be on the lookout for that in about 4 weeks!

 

Tom

 

Back in 2006 when we sailed Celebrity, my youngest was in college taking courses in Hospitality management. She was considering a minor is cruise hospitality...

So, when we were sailing on the Infinity, I started 'interviewing' the crew members.

HOLY CRAP! :eek:

It was so obvious not one of them liked their jobs.

 

On NCL, you ask about their job and they tell you that they are one big family.....on their 10th 12th or even more contract.

quite the difference.

 

My DD never went the 'cruise' route (the brat) so, no discounts for me. :p

Instead, she does hotel revenue management, so she is the one you hate when you go to book a room, decide to wait and then the rate is up 50% the next day.... :rolleyes:

And let me tell you, she LOVES getting the rates up! :p

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

And let me tell you, she LOVES getting the rates up! :p

 

I figured someone must! ;)

 

Tom

[Batgirl2]

Always enjoy reading Tom-n-Cheryl's posts (and all the others!). Glad to see this adventure had such a nice outcome to it! And what a great tribute to NCL and its people! Happy New Year!