Norwegian Dawn 6/26 - 7/3/05

[TheMomma]

After planning for almost a year and saving almost as long, our two families embarked on our first cruise on the Norwegian Dawn out of NYC on 6/26/05. I wish we had known then that we were not making it to the Bahamas and that our trip was going to turn out to be an expensive trip to Florida!!

 

You can understand our angst when you realize that they told us as we were coming off the private beach at Great Stirrup Cay (60 NAUTICAL MILES FROM NASSAU, BAHAMAS) that we were sailing back to NYC so that they could perform repairs. The first explanation was that we had engine trouble ... wouldn't you think that you would go the 60 nautical miles to the Bahamas and fly in parts and labor there BUT NO, they decided to sail all the way back to NYC ... past Miami and past Port Canaveral to NYC for "repairs". Think about it, the problem is serious enough to cancel the main port of call and sail for two straight days back to NYC ... the majority of rational people would think that you would not risk the ship or passengers if you have had a major mechanical malfunction. You should understand that there were several points at which NCL could have recouped a very poor situation ... everyone LOVED Great Stirrup Cay ... had they given people extra time there that would have helped ... if they had tried to perform the repairs in the Bahamas (they were flying personnel and parts to NY ... why not the Bahamas so that we would have felt more secure that the problem was resolved??) ... they have huge terminals in Miami and Port Canaveral but we sailed right past both of them.

 

Crew and Staff did their best to make it up to the cruisers but there were some 500 people who mobbed the reception desk once we were informed that we were headed back to NY. Five people were allowed into a closed room to speak with the Captain. After a very dissatifying conversation, the Captain told the passenger representatives that he would contact Corporate and meet with them again the next day (this second meeting never took place). One of our friends was in the room and the Captain basically changed his story during the conversation and then ultimately played the entire problem off on Corporate NCL. THANK GOD FOR COLIN KERR, he basically was stuck with the unfortunate task of trying to explain the developing situation to the passengers and calm the "ruffled feathers". The NCL staff gave 150% trying to make up for the major change in venue.

 

 

If this doesn't sound ridiculous to you, it gets better. We sailed into NYC at 4:00am because a supposed repair crew was coming on board to "repair" this severe problem, they would board at 8:00am and assess the damage. Well, by 8:00am, the Dawn was already posting the information that it was sailing again at 4:00pm that afternoon ... theoritically, wouldn't you want to wait until "you had assessed the problem" ... so my theory is that there was no problem.

 

Many of us, angered at that fact that NCL Corporate evidently thought we weren't that bright, had to demand that NCL provide Customer Service representatives ... you see, we weren't very happy with the $100/person (maximum of $200/stateroom) that they REFUNDED us. After the cruise, I managed to find the obscure location of the NCL customer service representatives (announced only once during the cruise and not even mentioned during disembarkation) and I asked them what NCL was going to do to resolve the situation ... ready for this --- "They are waiting to see how many people feel like you do, then they will assess the situation". Maybe other people cruise a lot but this was a huge expense for us and a once-in-a-life celebration (celebrating my 50th birthday), we had four cabins and an expectation that there would be a legitimate attempt to provide value for the thousands that we spent.

 

I understand that problems do occur but not one of the excuses made any sense ... until other passengers (one a news lady from local channel) found out that Rosie O'Donnell had booked the Dawn and they were getting back to get ready to accommodate her. This is not the first time that the Dawn has been accused of doing things that benefit their corporate position (aka the storm and THE APPRENTICE episode) and not acting in favor of the "regular" people that provide their revenues ... think twice, I sure will the next time!!

[Chat Noir]

oh oh oh... I could just spit for you! That is the EXACT same song and dance we got for having 'propulsion failure' on our very expensive Alaskan cruise on the Carnival Spirit last month. We skipped Sitka, skipped the glacier cruising of College Fjord (the highlight and ONLY glacier cruising of the entire 7 days) plus were late to Ketchikan. And $50pp was our refund...what a joke...that's port charge refund for the most part. In essence... 3 of our 6-days/7-nights itinerary went up in icebergs. It seems Carnival KNEW we had propulsion problems before we even set sail (from an iceberg on the previous cruise), but decided NOT to inform us until we were already captured and out to sea. How underhanded is THAT?

 

The SAME response from CCL Guest Relations... "Corporate is keeping tally of how many passengers complain, then perhaps they will assess the initial decision. Until then, they stand by the $50 refund given to the S&S on board." Don't call us... we'll call you...

 

Hmmm...do I detect a trend here? Am I wrong, or is NCL a part of the Carnival Corporation now?

[sunshine 229]

 

Hmmm...do I detect a trend here? Am I wrong, or is NCL a part of the Carnival Corporation now?

 

 

No I don't think so. I think NCL is owned by Star lines an Asian based corporation. Someone else on the board can probably give you more precise info but I think that the top management at NCL practically turned themselves inside out in order to avoid being sold to one of the other big "North American" cruiselines.

[shoreguy]

Welcome to the world of cruising. Stuff happens. Missing Nassau is not a big deal. They went to NY since the experts had to fly in from Finland to fix the problem. Had they gone to Nassau nobody would have been there yet. You could have sat there for an extra day and returned to NY on Monday ruining everyones cruise for this week.

 

The credit you got was more then fair. If you don't think so you need to find a different form of vacation. Ships break, storms happen, ports are missed it is part of the adventure. Cruising is not a ride at Disney but real travel.

 

I wish you had taken the time to register and post before your cruise perhaps the change in itinerary would not have been such a shock or was it really :confused:

[sjmoss]

carnival and princess are the same company, not affiliated with NCL

[shoreguy]

carnival and princess are the same company, not affiliated with NCL

 

As is HAL and Costa and Windstar and Cunard and .....

[NormanW]

Ship Happens!

 

Personally I would prefer the extra sea day over Nassau. That place leaves a lot to be desired and that's about all I will say.

 

And FYI:

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

-Norman

[newmexicoNita]

It doesn't really make any difference why you missed Nassau, you did and as others have said, you really didn't miss anything. Oh sure, a trip to Altantis would be nice, but costly: other than that why would anyone want to see it. The prices would blow you mind, the people are not madly in love with us except to take our money, it is not a particular pretty island and the snorkeling is nothing at all: don't fret, if you enjoyed your cruise be thankful and look at the bright side of it. NMNita

[lookingforward]

Sorry for your dissapointment. We sailed on RCCL in Alaska and missed cruising the icebergs (which was what we really were looking forward to) so that the ship could make it back early for unknown reasons. It was maddening because the captain lied and said it was because the baby seals were in season. We later learned from a Holland America executive that the ships never get close enough to harm the seals AND other lines cruised the same day, same place we were supposed to. The passanger does not always get the true story, in my opinion.

 

I agree that "ship happens" but it is still a huge dissapointment for many when itineraries change suddenly. I would choose a sea day over Nassau every time, though. We have been on many cruises and now we stay on the ship while in Nassau. I could be happy just sailing the ocean for seven days. We are considering a transatlantic cruise for exactly that!

[Cosmopolitan]

Welcome to the world of cruising. Stuff happens. Missing Nassau is not a big deal. They went to NY since the experts had to fly in from Finland to fix the problem. Had they gone to Nassau nobody would have been there yet. You could have sat there for an extra day and returned to NY on Monday ruining everyones cruise for this week.

 

The credit you got was more then fair. If you don't think so you need to find a different form of vacation. Ships break, storms happen, ports are missed it is part of the adventure. Cruising is not a ride at Disney but real travel.

 

I wish you had taken the time to register and post before your cruise perhaps the change in itinerary would not have been such a shock or was it really :confused:

 

I am so sick of hearing these "petty" complaints!

What is happening here?

Is everyone looking for a "hand-out"?

 

We missed Great Stirrup Cay our first cruise ('04). So what!! No one complained! ~ no one looked for a credit! No one looked for free drinks! The Dawn was wonderful...everyone was happy!

 

We hit rough currents/winds our second cruise('05). Right, Greeenie? Many were sick. No one looked for a hand-out or a free drink...we were happy to be on the Dawn. We arrived NY late and the Mother's Day cruise was cancelled - no one complained about the 1/2 day extra on the Dawn! (Oh, and did anyone offer to "pay" for their addl.,1/2 day on the ship)?....I think NOT!

 

These boards may do more harm than good!

 

It seems to me that everyone is now looking for a hand-out. People post that they got an upgrade or upsell and everyone else is upset. I believe that everyone wants something for nothing and if they don't get it...they start their cruise on a "bad" note.

 

The wrong salad dressing should get you what????? A free cruise?? All waiters make mistakes, even on land!

 

For heaven's sake...book what you can afford! Stop looking for hand-outs! And, stop looking at what the other person is getting!

 

Stop looking at others...enjoy your vacation!

 

I started reading this board before my first cruise. Shoreguy, CursinfrMn., and several others gave MANY tips on cruising, on the Dawn, her restaurants, ports of call, etc. These tips were invaluable to a first time cruiser. Everyone on the board was so pleasant.

 

Yes, there were some complaints but not this "something for nothing" constant posting.

 

"Themomma" did you enjoy your cruise and the Dawn? You forgot to mention that!

 

Some people may have to live some real "tragedies" in their lives to realize how insignificant missing Nassau or the wrong salad dressing really is in the overall scheme of things.

[life is good]

How was the rest of your cruise? You didn't mention that. Seems like you are focusing on the negative. Nothing in life is perfect.

[ncc1701]

I believe the private charter cruise is the week beginning 7/10/05 - Cyndi Lauper is entertaining. The tech guy leading the backstage tour mentioned this. Today's cruise was just "business as usual".

[justaknucklehead]

Missing a port of call wouldn't bother me a bit. I think most "real" cruise lovers will agree. That is why I don't book excursions, I just look for the people outside the cruise docks to take me where I want to go. That way, no money spent if we don't make it to the port, so no big deal.

 

I love cruising and don't really care if we don't stop anywhere at all. The ship is the vacation.

[DaisyL]

... you see, we weren't very happy with the $100/person (maximum of $200/stateroom) that they REFUNDED us. After the cruise, I managed to find the obscure location of the NCL customer service representatives (announced only once during the cruise and not even mentioned during disembarkation) and I asked them what NCL was going to do to resolve the situation ... ready for this --- "They are waiting to see how many people feel like you do, then they will assess the situation". Maybe other people cruise a lot but this was a huge expense for us and a once-in-a-life celebration (celebrating my 50th birthday), we had four cabins and an expectation that there would be a legitimate attempt to provide value for the thousands that we spent.

 

Last time I read, they were to receive $25 p/p and now it's up to $100 p/p ... :rolleyes: WOW ....

 

On our 10 day S. Car. cruise in Feb., they started boarding at 4 PM(instead of 1PM) and sailed at 8 PM instead of 4 PM and SanJuan PR (late afternoon into evening)was substituted for a full day in Barbados (no comparison) due to a medical emergency and weather. The NYC terminal was very crowded but well organized. We were all disappointed since SanJuan is not worth stopping at (in OUR opinion, been there before - 3 couples) and were really looking forward to Barbados and probably will never get there again.... The itinerary/days were changed for other islands as well, so tours were cancelled. This cruise had many senior citizens and handicapped so I'm sure it was a hardship for many of them. But 'ship' happens and (surprise) no one on the ship complained though (as far as we could tell, there were no refunds anyway )...

 

On our Feb. '04 FL/Bahamas cruise the stay in Nassau shortened to a morning only, due to weather ... Nassau is no great loss, and would prefer a day at sea anyway.. Have been there before too, and was just going to stay on the ship anyway, and enjoy an empty ship but our friends wanted to visit the Atlantis,,, all I can say is at least it only cost us cab fare and not the cost of an excursion. We wanted to have a drink and lunch at one of the restaurants by the beach or somewhere with a view, but they wouldn't let you near it unless you paid $25 p/p !! We were wearing street clothes (not bathing suits and did not have towels or tote bags) and directed to the casino bar and interior restaurants ... LOL

 

We've been on the Dawn twice and love her and will travel with NCL again. Right now planning a Sept. '06 POAm -Hawaii ... can't wait ...

[ILov2cruise]

You didn't miss anything by not stoping in Nassau and you did book an expensive trip to Florida! I'd take A $100pp and gladly skip Nassau.

 

How do you know the problem couldn't be fixed by 4pm.

 

NCL did resolve the situation, they gave you back $200 per cabin.

 

Read your docs, they didn t have to give you anything.

 

Do you really think NCL would shell out $200000 ($100pp x 2000 people on board) just to get Rosie O'Donnell s cabin ready, get real.

 

A one post wonder.

[logcabin]

Here we go again....... Another "class action law suit". I wonder what lawyer will jump on this one.

 

It amazes me how many people DON'T read their cruise documents. Trust me, I've been on the Dawn twice. You didn't miss anything by skipping Nassua. Another "sea day" would have been welcome to us.

[Zeno]

Ok first I will take a slightly different view from others. You missed a port you were looking forward to and are therefore annoyed - fair enough i sympathsize and understand your disappointment. BUT believe me at $100 pp you were more than adequately compensated. Cruiselines (all of which miss ports on occasion) are not actually required to compensate you at all. Some will refund port fees - $25-$50 or give you a free drink. Some do nothing.

[Cruisinbunnies]

After planning for almost a year and saving almost as long, our two families embarked on our first cruise on the Norwegian Dawn out of NYC on 6/26/05. I wish we had known then that we were not making it to the Bahamas and that our trip was going to turn out to be an expensive trip to Florida!!

 

Just from reading these boards and based on my opinion, that is all this itinerary really is. One glorified trip to Florida. When I go to visit Florida, it will be land based. I really don't understand all the hype about this itinerary. Quite frankly, I am surprised that they can fill the ship every week!

Unfortunatly, cruising vacations are not set in stone and the pax must be aware and able to be flexible with the itinerary!

The thing about Rosie......give me a break.

[newmexicoNita]

Just from reading these boards and based on my opinion, that is all this itinerary really is. One glorified trip to Florida. When I go to visit Florida, it will be land based. I really don't understand all the hype about this itinerary. Quite frankly, I am surprised that they can fill the ship every week!

Unfortunatly, cruising vacations are not set in stone and the pax must be aware and able to be flexible with the itinerary!

The thing about Rosie......give me a break.

Agreed. For me, I would choose something different, but I know this is very popular with those on the Eastcoast and would gather they do not choose the Dawn for her itinerary but because she is a nice ship and very convenient. It's like those in Calif do not choose the Mexican Riv for it's itinerary, but the conveniece of sailing without long flights and the cruising experience. Again Nassua is nothing special, the $100 is a gift which not all ships would offer and you the passengers still had a chance to experience cruising and a beautiful ship or so I have heard. NMNita

[cviolante]

 

OK, I'm confused. It sounds like they sailed back into NYC on their regularly scheduled day. So they arrived back on their regularly schedule day so they could pick up Rosie? Maybe it was so they could pick up her and the OTHER 2000 passengers.

 

My family a few year ago missed Amsterdam on the last day of a European cruise. Yes, we were very disappointed, but no one threw a tantrum. Nassau? You couldn't pay me to go there!!

[Goldryder]

Holidays in general don't always go according to plan, cruises are more vulnerable to change than most for a wide variety of reasons. I am going on Crown in December around Cape Horn, one stop en-route is the Falklands and I know that in all likelyhood that if the weather is bad then we won't stop there, thing is though that on the majority of cruise itineraries they do put a disclaimer regarding missed stops or mechanicals etc.

 

You have to take these things in your stride and make the best of things. Afterall a holiday is only as good as you are prepared to make it. If everything ran smoothly 100% of the time it would be boring in a way, the occasional change of plan or hiccup just adds to the adventure imo.

 

I actually think there is way too much 'lets sue so'n'so' attitude these days. Whatever happened to 'oh well, never mind, could have been worse'?

 

Had the ship sunk, caught fire or been hijacked then fine, complain especially if the crew abandon ship before you do..as happened not so long ago with a liner....

 

We Brits were always given the reputation of whingers, its too easy to whinge and try to make a fast buck now. The meal was cold..lets sue. The weather was bad...lets sue. The ship didn't go there..lets sue.

 

Come on people, lighten up. Take each day as it comes, life is too damn short cos one day it might well be your last day on this fragile planet.

[DawnCruise05]

It is very frustrating when you miss a port on a cruise that you have been looking forward to for a long time. When I went on my first cruise in February we missed the private island and had to go to Freeport (yuck), but I had so much fun the rest of the time - it was worth it. I know you are disappointed, but try and remember the good times & don't let that missed port spoil what hopefully was a wonderful birthday and vacation (it helps to think of Colin - he always makes me smile!).

 

My remedy....book another cruise right away (I'm going on 2 more this year!!!).

[johnql]

As far as I'm concerned, the $100 OBC was fair compensation. End of story.

[Polish Falcon]

So, where is the OP?

 

Let's see, $200 per cabin...

4 cabins....

$800 ship credit for missing Nassau...

I should live to be so lucky!!!

[newmexicoNita]

Well it is a holiday, maybe she is having her family over for a bar-b-que with her refund or credit or whatever it was. I will anxious to hear from the next grooup as they return. As for 500 gathered around the reception desk, that must have put the staff in a wonderful mood!! What did the 500 think they could do about it? I don't want to minimize Momma's disappointment but anyone who would book a cruise just to experience Nassau would have been disappointed when they saw the island. What more than $100 could she or any other passenger really expect? None of us really know if there was engine trouble but if there was I would think they would want to get back to NYC asap and not depend on getting parts in Nassau. Let's see how many others jump on her bandwagon? NMNita