Worst cruise of my life.

[MsTabbyKats]

In defense of the OP....

 

Not everyone does a research project when booking a vacation.

 

They book....they go.

 

I don't understand why people are flaming him for the sushi bar....there was physical space available. What was the big deal if the kid sat?

 

As far as the teen club...when my son was 13, and he was upset....I was upset. I don't think I would have read the rule book so thoroughly to know that if he was a few days short of his birthday it would cause an issue.

[newmexicoNita]

It is so important to do your homework prior to booking a cruise. Read EVERYTHING, and take nothing for granted. The rules are most likely in place because of insurance companies.

 

That being said, as the mom of an almost 13 yo, I understand the frustration. I wish NCL would look at this policy and see if they could adjust it. If any child needs to change clubs during the cruise due to a birthday, they should have the choice to pick between the two clubs (imho).

 

I feel the response by NCL was outstanding. They did take the time to listen, and you were shown that you mattered to them. HQ also responded by letting your son attend the 13-15 club.

 

I do hope that you choose to cruise again! Next time take a villa, you will pay a bit less and be in the Haven. You will be so spoiled, and you will feel leaving the extra money spent was well worth it!:D

I understand why you wish NCL would look at their age breakdown rules, but it would be a contant change, change if kids could re-group after a birthday. The ideal answer would be to change the ages by adding one more group; maybe 12 to 14?

[newmexicoNita]

In defense of the OP....

 

Not everyone does a research project when booking a vacation.

 

They book....they go.

 

I don't understand why people are flaming him for the sushi bar....there was physical space available. What was the big deal if the kid sat?

 

As far as the teen club...when my son was 13, and he was upset....I was upset. I don't think I would have read the rule book so thoroughly to know that if he was a few days short of his birthday it would cause an issue.

 

This isn't about doing reseaerch but about rules and policies. If someone can let these minor things ruin their vacation they are acting like a bunch of children and way over the top with demands, add to that she/he made snide remarks about only getting cheap wine and only getting comped for a meal, plus the $300 credit. I think NCL went above and beyond. Most crruise lines have similar policies, this isn't just an NCL issue. Add to that, I remember our granddaughters cruising at a similar age, they actually enjoyed spending time with us and pretty much chose not to do the teen thing.

 

Nita

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Based on my experience with 3 other cruise lines you would have had the same experience as on NCL. They all have similar rules with food and the kids clubs.

[cruizecrazygramma]

WOW! I signed up for the Cruise CRITIC forums not the Cruise CHEERLEADER forums.

 

I think people need to stop and look at what they are doing on this thread and many others. Anytime someone has a complaint about a cruise they have so many posters come out and tell them that they are wrong, or an idiot, or shouldn't cruise - REALLY!

 

I run a conference center that provides lodging, food, and activities to the guests. I understand customer service.

 

NCL was wrong when they denied access to their son to the Teen Lounge. We do kids camps and their are age requirements. We realize that 13 is a transitional age and some kids feel more comfortable with younger kids at that age, some older. NCL should allow flexibility in this. By not doing so they created the negative situation.

 

Also the waitress in the Japanese restaurant handled that situation wrong. If this had been at my facility and I would have seen this take place, I would have corrected the waitress in front of the customers, and comped their meal.

 

I can see where the treatment of their child would really put a damper on their vacation. All of this could have been avoided by using a little common sense.

 

Now to give NCL a little credit here, they did try to make the situation right with the freebees. One of the things that is going on here is that NCL is such a large organization that it makes it really hard to NOT have inflexible rules. MUCH easier for management. However, I am sure that NCL realizes the cost of one bad experience like this in negative advertisement. They need a little retraining of managers.

 

 

Maybe a 13 year old might feel more comfortable with older kids but what about those older kids? Do they have any say? Perhaps the older kids don't want and younger kid in their group and since they are in the "right" program shouldn't their needs come first.

 

If the OP's son had in fact been 13 at the start of their cruise and he went to the teen club only to find that it consisted of 16 and 17 year olds who wanted no part of hanging out with a 13 year old, whose fault would that have been? Would the OP then be asking for the rules to be bent for his 13 year old to hand out with the 12 and under crowd?

 

Rules are in place for a reason whether the OP agrees with them or not which is why it is important to gather information before you travel. There is no shortage of information on the NCL website or here at CC. The OP found CC to complain, he should have researched more pre-cruise.

[che5904]

In defense of the OP....

 

Not everyone does a research project when booking a vacation.

 

They book....they go..

 

Oh you are very right, however, then you have no one to blame but yourself if you do not know anything. IMO you have 3 choices; do your own research, get a reliable TA, or if you choose neither of those and you go in blind, deal with it.

 

As far as the teen club...when my son was 13, and he was upset....I was upset. I don't think I would have read the rule book so thoroughly to know that if he was a few days short of his birthday it would cause an issue.

 

At what spot would you cut it off. Their birthday on the cruise? their birthday the day before the cruise? week before the cruise? month before the cruise. Leave it totally up to the parent which group they wish they dear little Johnny in. In my experience at least 40% of parents have blinders on where their child is concerned. Ask most teachers. Seriously the HD has more pressing issues I'm sure than to deal with every spoiled child out there used to getting their own way. And if it was left to the councillors decision what happens if they make a mistake in judging a child they have met for 5 minutes. The only logical way that I can see for that to be handled is to make a cut off and stick to it. If you read some of the kid's crew boards on here you will find that this is not only the OP wanting to change their son to another group, but many that feel "my child is 9 years 10 months and won't be happy with 6 year olds in the room", "my child is almost a teen and won't be happy with little kids", my 2 year old won't be happy in the same room as 6 months old" and the list goes on.

[jertom]

Based on my experience with 3 other cruise lines you would have had the same experience as on NCL. They all have similar rules with food and the kids clubs.

I agree, I don't think there is enough ammo here to pick on NCL

[che5904]

You guys probably won't believe this ...

 

The hotel director told me that he had a 12 year old son of his own and that he thought the NCL policy about the teen club was plain wrong. That is why he was willing to take it up with the HQ people in Miami.

 

1. That is why I didn't dump on the HD. He is a nice guy who WANTED to do the right thing. He made it clear that he was explicitly not allowed to bend that policy on his own. I believe him.

 

2. The HD is a very senior guy who has the capacity for applying his experience in making sound judgments. The whole point of my post is that NCL is underutilizing this wonderful asset - experienced Hotel Directors who know that they are in the hospitality business and genuinely want to give every one of their customers a positive experience. They've tied the hands of the very people they should be empowering.

 

3. The HQ people DID allow my son to enter the teen club 2 days before his birthday. So it really wasn't impossible. Again, why did it have to rise to that level? Why couldn't the discussion and action take place on the ship?

 

So keep calling me names if you like... those of you who do are not understanding what my feedback is about. One last time: It is about their botched company culture for providing hospitality, not the specific rule that wasn't bent.

 

And for those of you who discredit me because this is my first cruise and the first time I've spoken up on the forum... that in itself is a reflection of your own intolerance. I have no problem if you'd simply ignore what I have to say, but don't put me on a cross.

 

Well since I haven't wrote anything that would fit into those categories above I will respond to this.

 

Regarding point #3 You are right they did let him in and you still were not satisfied and came on to bash the cruiseline so what good did it do to try and please you. But I do agree it did not have to rise to that level since I truly feel you should have just abided by the rules and taught your son the same. That way it wouldn't have needed to go to that level, a good lesson in research ahead of time for your son as well. And of course the old good teaching lesson, rules are not made to be broken.

 

But do keep in mind that the lesson you tried to instill in him, may come back to bite you in the butt when you make a rule that will impact his life and he decides that "rules are made to be broken, if you think you know best"

[MsTabbyKats]

I didn't say the teen club should have made an exception. I said I can understand the child being upset...and therefore the parent upset.

 

Not every 13 year old wants to hang out with their parents.

 

Basically...I'm saying......"Have some compassion"

Has an underage person never been in the casino or had a drink?

[sparks1093]

Well, the admin was kind enough to repost my thread, so let me repost the reply that I typed earlier(with some small edits).... I really LOVE this discussion. Here goes....

 

*******

 

Well I posted this negative review last night and when I woke I see that I have 6 pages of replies. This is exactly the reaction I wanted!!!

 

The point of my post was that NCL could have done things for me AT NO ADDITIONAL COST which would have saved them from comping me with free stuff AND made my family joyful for being on their boat AND inspired me to tell all my friends what a fantastic time we had on their ship. I pointed out that the problem was that line people and managers on the ship were not given the flexibility to solve problems on the spot. Read that last sentence, it may be a little more insightful than the usual complaints I've read here about the size of the TV or the plushness of the towels.

 

That is called "constructive criticism". I used some inflammatory words like "arrogant" and "ruined" to get your attention and it worked!

 

See, NCL could allow their people to use sound judgment and they would have lower expenses AND more positive reviews. Business 101.

 

Instead they spend $ on me and I'm still telling everyone I know and all of you and every cruise board I can find. That's not good. Business 101.

 

For the few of you that agree with me that attentive customer service is the difference between "it was a hotel" and "I'm telling all my friends it was the best week of my life, you should definitely book w/ NCL", KUDOS to you for being good consumers who vote with your hard earned money. KUDOS to you for realizing that we're not just paying for a place to sleep and 3 meals, we're paying for service that flexibly meets our needs.

 

For the most of you old people who apparently go on cruises because there are lots of rules and therefore no surprises, please continue with your happy lives. I bet you're the same people who put towels on the beach chairs at 7am so that I have to walk around for 30 mins looking for an open one just so that I can move it next to the other open one I found 5 mins earlier despite what you do being "against the rules". You wouldn't know the difference between the Holiday Inn and the Ritz Carlton.

 

And for those of you who knock my now 13 year old son as being unable to take care of his own needs or whatever, you obviously forget what its like to be a teenager trying to make friends but not allowed "in the club". BTW, we checked out the 9 - 12 year old group that they wanted him to join. When we looked in it was 9 girls who looked to be about 10 years old learning origami. They didn't want my son any more than he didn't want to be with them.

 

I'll admit, the mistake on my part was having the wrong expectations. From reading all the NCL collateral that arrived in my mailbox both physical and electronic, and their extensive website, I thought I was headed for a 4 star experience. Sort of Hyatt or Westin level. I was under no illusion that it would be the Ritz or Four Seasons. If I had my expectations in check for a Holiday Inn experience I would have been satisfied that I had a clean place to sleep and edible food. BTW, I have no grudge against Holiday Inn which I reference them - I frequently stay there on single night business trips because all I want is a clean room and a lock on the door. My point is that they deliver a much more narrow product AND set expectations perfectly. Happiness is a function of expectation setting and NCL over promises and under delivers.

 

If my post served as a warning the dissuades one single group from booking with NCL, than I have succeeded.

 

Some of you love exactly what you've been getting from NCL for years, and I applaud you that you've found a place that meets your expectations. We are clearly different people each with our own wants and expectations.

 

PS There seemed to be disbelief that my vacation was nearly $10K. The two balcony mid ship rooms during xmas week were $6700 + the mandatory gratuity and we used the specialty restaurants, bars and spas extensively.

 

 

 

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

 

Unfortunately posting as you have with the evident agenda has reduced your credibility to many posters here.

[Nalagh]

I understand why you wish NCL would look at their age breakdown rules, but it would be a contant change, change if kids could re-group after a birthday. The ideal answer would be to change the ages by adding one more group; maybe 12 to 14?

 

We considered a cruise for my son's 13th bday, and decided not to do it because of the club bumping. Our ds is shy, and making friends in one will be hard enough. I think if you have a birthday on a cruise that would bump you to another club, you should have the right to start in it for the sake of consistency for the child. (And yes, 12-14 sounds like a great group;))

[Lazz]

Years ago, my 12 year old daughter experienced about the same problem on another cruise line. Together, my daughter and I had the best vacation ever. To this day, I thank that cruise line for enforcing its rules. When your given lemons, make lemonade.

[mbisson]

You guys probably won't believe this ...

 

Now this I do believe :)

[Zeno]

I for one agree with Monte

[CrusinElf]

Since I've never sailed on NCL - but will in January 2013 - perhaps I shouldn't be posting here now. But, I will! :D OP (Redcab), I somewhat agree with you that your son who turned 13 on the cruise should have been able to access the teen club even from the beginning of the cruise. That's only my opinion though. That being said, I don't own NCL so I can't make the rules. Fair enough. I will tell you this though - had you been on Princess or Royal Caribbean, the outcome would have been the same - your son would be denied the teen club because he wasn't 13 on the day of your sailing. I'm positive you wouldn't have been as generously compensated by either of those lines as you were by NCL. Kudos to NCL in my book for the compensation!

 

I don't understand why the hostess in the Japanese restaurant wouldn't seat your son though. Especially with the restaurant not full. Am I missing something? Did they have another function starting soon? Seems to me, there's information missing because this just doesn't make sense. I guess I can understand their denying your request for a "to go box." Sushi needs to be eaten in a "timely" manner, and it may have been a health issue on NCL's part. Hardly a problem worth mentioning when you're on a cruise ship with food available virtually 24/7.

 

Look, you weren't happy, and that's a shame. You did get some great compensation for your "pain and suffering" though. 2 bottles of wine (cheap though they may have been), strawberries, $100 comped dinner in an up-charge restaurant (OK, so you didn't like the charge for the after dinner drink. In most land-based restaurants, liquor isn't included in a "gift card" either). AND $300 credit!!! WOW is my opinion! Try other lines, if you like. You won't get anything like this compensation.

 

I won't comment on some of your comments on Business 101 that you posted in another thread. Don't have it in front of me, but I might agree with you on some of your points.

 

Sorry you had such a bad experience, but you haven't succeeded in deterring me from trying NCL in the future. Happy sailing or vacationing whichever.

 

Elf

[portcbob]

Hi Redcab.

 

If breaking the ships laws is fine with you try this quick quiz.

If I get drunk and cause a fight, thus breaking this ships laws/codes whatever you want to call it, do I get compensated with 2 bottles of wine, and all the other gratituties you received???????. I don't think so.

It doesn't really matter what cruiseline you go on IMO as you won't like any, as you would of no doubt been treated the same on other lines, and perhaps not had the compensation you call it.

Good luck in future land based holidays.

[GoUODucks]

.....do you really think a company that employs 20,000 plus worker really say to them.....use your ....."good judgement"......don't follow the rules.....especially the ones you think are..."mindless"......:confused:

 

Actually, I work for a Company that does employ us to "use our best judgement". The ownership that they allow is such a powerful tool and in an industry that is totally customer service oriented their empowerment is truly respected and one of the reasons I have worked for them for 15 years. We employ around 75,000 associates.

 

Now, with that said, I don't necessarily agree with the OP at all!!

[halos]

Unfortunately posting as you have with the evident agenda has reduced your credibility to many posters here.

 

If the agenda was to start everyone bickering it worked..if it was to get people to stop cruising NCL it failed miserably.

 

The OP hated his cruise. Most of us don't get it but that's OK....It's just his opinion.

Again though, I still don't understand how this cruise can be the worst one of his lfe if he's only taken this one? :confused:

 

whatever....

sad thing is that the occasional troll makes it hard to discern between people with negative posts that are hard to understand and just plain old instigators.

[itzmered]

I am afraid that some of your complaints ie: the age of the teens club will be the same on any cruise line no matter which one you choose. I do think customer service is a companies biggest asset if they want return customers. I also think that consumers need to go on cruises with an open mind and not so high of expectations that they let the "small stuff" ruin their vacation. The only expectation I take with me on vacation is that I am going to have a fabulous time and I always do :)

[Sheils65]

Wow! We made the mistake of trying a Carnival cruise. We will never cruise with them again but our vacation wasn't ruined by it. We didn't ask for any kind of compensation, it was just a lesson learned. We will just stick w

ith NCL from now oYesn. Maybe a different cruise line would be better for you.

 

Yes indeed, he should charter a yacht and hire his own personal staff.

[rpb718]

Look, you weren't happy, and that's a shame. You did get some great compensation for your "pain and suffering" though. 2 bottles of wine (cheap though they may have been), strawberries, $100 comped dinner in an up-charge restaurant (OK, so you didn't like the charge for the after dinner drink. In most land-based restaurants, liquor isn't included in a "gift card" either). AND $300 credit!!! WOW is my opinion! Try other lines, if you like. You won't get anything like this compensation.

Elf

 

Since the OP has admitted to "crafting" his post to elicit such a response, I'm beginning to doubt the claims for all the comps. Complaining about a $7 drink charge after a comped dinner AND receiving a $300 OBC? Please! :rolleyes:

[DMH15]

One of the most valuable lessons we can teach our children is that they can't get everything they want exactly the way they want it. Of course parents have to understand that themselves in order to educate their children, and unfortunately many have such an overwhelming and unwarranted sense of entitlement that they don't stand a chance of teaching their children a healthier, more appropriate attitude.

 

My wife has made a very good living for almost 40 years thanks to those whose unwarranted sense of entitlement causes them to make a mountain out of every mole hill. People who think everything in the world has to be just perfect based on their personal and unrealistic standards of perfection are usually very unhappy because nothing is ever good enough for them. It's no way to go through life.

I so agree with you.

 

I find it funny the OP finds consistency to be a bad thing. When i was in college/culinary it was stressed how important consistency is in hotel and restaurant management. This is how the consumer trusts an operation.

 

What is so funny to me is that a lot of folks like myself, mom, brother respect "rules" and consider it as personal integrity. I have a sister who is a non-conformist who pushes the envelope.

 

I have to laugh. Where the OP complained and got the "perks" it reminds me how my sister and I have a similar tale. I have been a subscriber tomthe newspaper for many years. My sister will sign up when they have a special and then cancel later. So over the years she has received many gifts, gift cards and such. I have received nada for being loyal. Likewise OP complains, gets gifts and still disses NCL.

 

My sister and I were raised by the same parents but we have very different values and ethics. The examples my sister was raised with didn't carry over, whereas my brother and I follow their lead.

[sjbdtz]

Yup, I'm here now in part because I do "marketing and sales" for a living and I appreciate it when customers tell me the open unabridged truth .

 

 

You want the open, unabridged truth? Don't say you didn't ask for it.

 

- You checked the 9 - 12 y.o. club, and decided "ewww, girls". Not NCL's fault

 

- You ask if he can go into the senior's club, and are told...sorry, no. The clubs engage in different types of activites, and as you know, children may lack the maturity at 12, to undertake the activities of the 16 year old group. At some point, a risk assessor decides that 13 is the cut-off. No exceptions. This is not a secret, and it's not a surprise.

 

It's not as though they were just doing the same things, but with a different age group.

 

 

- You would actively encourage your staff to break the rules you've set for them, in order to please someone? I don't believe you. At all. I understand empowerment, having been in Sales & Marketing for 30 years, and with a Master's in International Management. I don't believe that empowerment means "free for all".

 

- Most people understand that not everything is perfect, and that the real sign of a customer-oriented company is how the deal with bumps in the road. NCL bent over backwards to accommodate you. Free food, wine, etc. AND you even got what you wanted, in terms of getting your son in early to the club....notwithstanding the potential liability NCL took on, with someone at HQ even authorizing a bending of the "NO EXCEPTIONS" rule.

 

Your agenda is clear. What isn't, is how you could possibly think that this rant would deter anybody? It's you against 8 pages of people who don't agree with you. And I'm 45. Not exactly old.

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

NCL personnel did use judgement. They used their good judgement, and made the decision to operate according to rules.

 

Very admirable.

 

^ + 1

 

You guys probably won't believe this ...

 

The hotel director told me that he had a 12 year old son of his own and that he thought the NCL policy about the teen club was plain wrong. That is why he was willing to take it up with the HQ people in Miami.

 

1. That is why I didn't dump on the HD. He is a nice guy who WANTED to do the right thing. He made it clear that he was explicitly not allowed to bend that policy on his own. I believe him.

 

2. The HD is a very senior guy who has the capacity for applying his experience in making sound judgments. The whole point of my post is that NCL is underutilizing this wonderful asset - experienced Hotel Directors who know that they are in the hospitality business and genuinely want to give every one of their customers a positive experience. They've tied the hands of the very people they should be empowering.

 

3. The HQ people DID allow my son to enter the teen club 2 days before his birthday. So it really wasn't impossible. Again, why did it have to rise to that level? Why couldn't the discussion and action take place on the ship?

 

So keep calling me names if you like... those of you who do are not understanding what my feedback is about. One last time: It is about their botched company culture for providing hospitality, not the specific rule that wasn't bent.

 

.

 

And yet, the company culture for providing hospitality is absolutely alive & well....you're just failing to see it.

 

I cruise NCL repeatedly due to feeling like family. I can assure you, I don't feel like family with you....so NCL's culture of hospitality must be having some effect.

 

 

.

[mickeysgal]

If my post served as a warning the dissuades one single group from booking with NCL, than I have succeeded.

 

 

Most people that have a bad experience, post it as such. You've taken this a giant step forward. I sure hope your entire story is true down to the last word. You are liabling yourself to state that you are specifically intending to do harm to this company by getting people not to book with them.

 

The main point is that I was very disappointed that cruising with NCL was like flying on an airplane these days.... rules, rules, rules with absolutely zero tolerance for judgement. All of my friends tell me other cruise lines don't behave this way.

 

Another famous "I heard..." story. How do your friends know? What rule bending did they brow beat out of their cruise staff? Can you tell us what the rules are and from what specific cruise lines?

 

Methinks you'd be the first one to whine when and if a rule was bent in the favor of someone else and you didn't like that the rules weren't enforced. Guess it depends on what side of the fence you'd be sitting on that day.

 

Geez...dinner, wine, a credit and a future voucher...and in the end, it didn't matter. Nice.

[CI66774]

RedCab - sorry you didn't like your cruise. Based - solely - upon your own words, it appears your expectations were unreasonable. There are rules on ships for reasons - thousands and thousands of reasons. If NCL were to make an exception for every 12 year old wanting to access the club - the exceptions would swallow the rule, now wouldn't they.

 

You may want to confine your vacations to those resorts, etc that cater to the individual and not groups. Trust me - you will pay thru the nose for that type of individual service.

 

The only "arrogance" I see from your report is your own - maybe this is a good time to be introspective and re-examine your own issues.