Aggravation and only 3 days into booking.

[Tutankhamen]

I have had it with NCL and I haven’t even stepped onboard the ship. Blood pressure is going to explode.

 

Up to this point we have sailed many lines. In the last 3 years we have sailed Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Princess. Never spent more then ONE call when booking the cruise. Spent maybe 15 minutes total on the phone with the cruise lines.

 

I start out like I always do when booking this cruise. The family looks at all lines, ships, ports cabins and decide. We pick out cabins we want and all details. So that is what we did when we booked the Breakaway. Knowing the cabin, ship and dates I called NCL. Spoke to a gentleman that was happy to assist. I told him what we wanted. I could tell he was reading off of a script that was designed to sell me on the cabin. I cut him off because he was obviously new or just poor at reading the script that sells people on the cabins. He decided to continue to stumble threw the sales pitch. Whatever, not a big deal.

 

So we got three cabins. I wanted to put a hold on the reservation for 24hours so I could be sure a few things would be covered at home. For some reason he only wanted to make the reservation with one person in each cabin. He said I could add the other people when I called back to confirm. Not a problem. He took the information for the three people in three cabins. Gave me three reservations. Shortly after…… my iphone email was blowing up with no less then 9 emails from NCL. 3 duplicates for each reservation. Then the next day another 9 emails reminding me about payment.

 

So as promised, I called the next day and got another man on the phone. He asked for my reservation number. I gave him one of the three. He said this reservation is only for one. No, its for two I said, I need to add the 2nd passenger. I gave him the information, but I am not sure he was writing it down or inputing it into the computer. He asked for the creditcard information. He proceeded to charge the card only to realize he was charging me for one person not two. So he had to charge my creditcard twice. I was even a little surprised that I couldn’t pay for all 3 cabins at once. No biggie, but strange. He asked me for the reservation number for the second cabin. He did not have it and they were not linked. Had to give him the number, which while trying to attend to my business was a little bothersome. Had to get the credit card out for the third time. Got to the last point in the process and we got disconnected. I figured, since I gave hime my number and the guy from the day before my phone number for a total of 6 times already,(gave it each time to reserve each cabin and one time for each cabin when paying) i would get a call back. Nope. Nothing. Just got an email with “payment reminder 6 times for the remaining two cabins.

 

Called back, got a third person, who got me threw paying for the last two cabins. By this time I get a call from my credit card company informing me of potential credit card fraud for 4 payments coming threw so quickly. Oh well. Its booked. Now to go online to do the online check in.

 

Now I learn that I have to log into three reservations at different times. One for each cabin. But wait, I can’t just put reservation number. I have to log in and open an account. So I had to make up three user names. 3 passwords. Remember which goes with which cabin. Everytime I order an excursion, I have to log in one, then log out, then log in the second , then log out, then log in to the third. If it is a purchase, it means putting my credit card in three times. Example UDP which is limited. This is just insane. Get to the Mrs. cabin and there is an error. Gives me a 1866 line to call. I called yesterday and never got to a live person. Just hearing the NCL commercial playing over and over for 30 minutes. Gave up. Called today, been on hold for over an hour. While on hold I called the booking number. They could not help at all. I said “what if I didn’t have internet”. She said to hold on and came back and said “we would suggest you go to the library.” To date I have 10 charges, 29 emails, 6 calls for a total of 4 + hours of either talking to someone or on hold.

 

Seems small I know, but my time is valuable and find it intensely irritating how much time an aggravation I have been threw for something as simple as booking a cruise.

 

This is year 2014, get with the times NCL.

 

BTW, still on hold to fix online check in error. Wrote this post after an hour of waiting. The error message says to hit back page and count to ten and try again. Been doing that for two days now.

Edited February 8, 2014 by Tutankhamen

[triptolemus]

Seems like you could just book the three cabins online yourself.

 

That doesn't solve the issues with the NCL rep on the phone, but if your phone call was anywhere as convoluted as your post here, I can see how he likely got confused.

 

You're right -- it just isn't that complicated.

[deladypilot]

So sorry you are having to go through all of this. Something just does not seem right. Im guessing you are correct in that the first person you spoke with was new.

 

You might try calling the main number back and ask for a Personal Cruise Consultant. This way if you need to make changes or additions to anything, you will have just one person to deal with. I think the people that answer the 800 number are just customer service reps and just do not seem to have as much invested in the reservation or a return customer.

 

Hope it all works out for you

[Tutankhamen]

Seems like you could just book the three cabins online yourself.

 

That doesn't solve the issues with the NCL rep on the phone, but if your phone call was anywhere as convoluted as your post here, I can see how he likely got confused.

 

You're right -- it just isn't that complicated.

 

I will make it simple for you.

 

3 cabins reserved for 6 people, first operator would not add the 2nd person to each cabin. Only reserved each cabin as singles. Why? I have no idea.

 

Got 3 duplicate emails about the courtesy hold for each cabin. Total of 9 emails regarding the courtesy hold.

 

Called to pay for the 3 cabins. Instead of one charge for three cabins, they broke the charges into 4 payments, causing my CC company to call me to inquire.

 

Got disconnected in middle of the process. No call back from NCL even tho they had my phone number which was given each time they asked for the passenger information. Once I called back and finished paying I got 9 more emails confirming payment. 3 duplicate emails for each cabin.

 

When I went online to do online registration I had to make an account at NCL for each cabin. That means 3 online usernames and 3 passwords.

 

When booking UDP I had to log into each reservation. Provide CC information each time. So to get UDP I had to log into account 1 and pay, log into account 2 and pay, log into account 3 and pay.

 

When booking Universal excursion I had to log into reservation 1 and pay, log inot reservation 2 and pay, log into reservation 3 and pay.

 

When paying for tips i had to log into reservation1 and pay, log into reservation 2 and pay, log into reservation 3 and pay.

 

When doing the online check in for one of the cabins there was an error message not allowing me to finish registration. Took more then 2 hours to get a real live person.

 

Convoluted, yes......thanks to NCL...

Edited February 9, 2014 by Tutankhamen

[SissasMomE]

Well, you have 3 reservations. There isn't going to be one charge ... it's 3 seperate bookings, with 3 seperate payments. Same idea with needing 3 accounts. 3 seperate bookings.

 

I am unsure why you weren't assigned a PCC with the first phone call. It is unusual, especially since you put cabins on hold, for another rep to speak with you once you are assigned a PCC.

 

I would've booked online instead of calling, but you can't go backwards now. :( NCL's phone reps are not known to be .... the best. That's for sure.

[Tutankhamen]

Well, you have 3 reservations. There isn't going to be one charge ... it's 3 seperate bookings, with 3 seperate payments. Same idea with needing 3 accounts. 3 seperate bookings.

 

I am unsure why you weren't assigned a PCC with the first phone call. It is unusual, especially since you put cabins on hold, for another rep to speak with you once you are assigned a PCC.

 

I would've booked online instead of calling, but you can't go backwards now. :( NCL's phone reps are not known to be .... the best. That's for sure.

 

I have booked cruises with multiple cabins on several lines. Only had to make one payment, not four. I was able to go online under one account and register under one account to do online docs. To purchase shore excursions I could do all three under one account for all cabins. Never got 29 emails for what is essentially one booking. Never spent 2 hours waiting for someone to answer the tech line number.

 

Oh well, just hope the cruise is a little easier to navigate.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Tutankhamen

[MCAT48]

I have booked cruises with multiple cabins on several lines. Only had to make one payment, not four. I was able to go online under one account and register under one account to do online docs. To purchase shore excursions I could do all three under one account for all cabins. Never got 29 emails for what is essentially one booking. Never spent 2 hours waiting for someone to answer the tech line number.

 

Oh well, just hope the cruise is a little easier to navigate.

 

Okay now that this is taken care of, everything is paid off don't think about it any longer! You cannot change the past! You have a vacation book for you and your family! Sounds pretty good to me! :)

[rvsullivan]

Certainly understand you frustration with the whole process. Personally never had that kind of issue, but it can be tough. If you're this unhappy before you've even finished your booking, you may want to rethink this whole thing. It sounds like you've got a bad taste for the whole process now and going forward it going to continue to frustrate you. You now have three different reservations in your name that you are going to have to manage all the way through your cruise. Otherwise, I suggest you try to get a reservation supervisor on the phone and get this all straightened out now. Weekends are a busy time at the call centers and I would try either later in the evenings or a week day if you can.

[shelly11]

I've never had a problem booking multiple rooms and making one payment. You should have been assigned a PCC and they should fix it all.

[Tutankhamen]

Certainly understand you frustration with the whole process. Personally never had that kind of issue, but it can be tough. If you're this unhappy before you've even finished your booking, you may want to rethink this whole thing. It sounds like you've got a bad taste for the whole process now and going forward it going to continue to frustrate you. You now have three different reservations in your name that you are going to have to manage all the way through your cruise. Otherwise, I suggest you try to get a reservation supervisor on the phone and get this all straightened out now. Weekends are a busy time at the call centers and I would try either later in the evenings or a week day if you can.

 

 

Thanks for the understanding. I feel as though this is a compilation of several factors. Each on their own would not be a big deal. Its just that I got hit with all of them at once after having minimal to no issues in the past. Kind of like when someone buys the car you drive and they have nothing but problems, while you have had zero issues.

 

I am planning a great cruise and realize it is just a bump in the road. I think booking last minute and having the pressure of getting this together in a short time compounded the wasted weekend spent on the issues.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Tutankhamen

[Tutankhamen]

I've never had a problem booking multiple rooms and making one payment. You should have been assigned a PCC and they should fix it all.

 

 

Really? That is how I have always done it. I am beginning to think the first guy was new, as I said in my first post. It was very evident in the way he stumbled with the sales pitch. Once he made the courtesy hold and had reservations, it was a done deal. The error on their website was a separate issue that compounded my frustration.

 

This may also explain the duplicate emails for each reservation.

 

I am going to call NCL and see if I can get a PCC as some have suggested. Thanks to those who have helped with suggestions and not derail the thread by calling names or the like.

 

I will keep those who are interested updated on how this progresses. For those who do not wish to contribute anything of value, please move along.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Tutankhamen

[Tutankhamen]

Maybe a PCC can help. If not, at least it sounds like the hard part is over and done with. At least until you check in on embarkation day. ;) Don't let that bad experience or the rudeness here interfere with your trip. Glad you are still excited. These posters represent only a tiny fraction of the people who sail, and you'll be able to easily avoid them on the cruise because they will be the ones walking around with the scent of holier-than-thou drifting out of their upturned noses.

 

Wife said not even bother trying to get a PCC to fix the reservations. Like you said, hard part is over. Cruise is booked. Excursions booked. UDP booked. Tips paid. Dining reservations made. Docs printed. Passports with Docs. Really not much else to do but cruise.

 

Excited to see this new ship!

 

 

Glad I told the story here. I now know that it is an isolated issue and there is no need to have 3 reservations with 3 internet ID's with 3 separate payments for cruise payment and purchases.

[Love my butler]

I avoid dealing with NCL reps on the phone. Most don't know their elbow from their hind end. They are inept. Find a good TA and have them do all the dirty work.

[Tutankhamen]

I avoid dealing with NCL reps on the phone. Most don't know their elbow from their hind end. They are inept. Find a good TA and have them do all the dirty work.

 

I have always booked directly with the line. I know what I want. I have never had to, but I like to have the ability to call the line direct if an issue arises and changes need to be made. I have always heard if you use a TA and need to make changes you have to call your TA, who calls the line, who calls you back. Just seems easier to call the line myself.

 

I don't know, I think I am just going to leave everything as it is. Nothing more to do but to pack and set sail.

[deladypilot]

I am planning a great cruise and realize it is just a bump in the road. I think booking last minute and having the pressure of getting this together in a short time compounded the wasted weekend spent on the issues.

 

No matter what happened, you seem to have a great attitude about it all. No matter what they did, you will have a great time.

 

Bumps in the road happen but in the end vacations are what you make of it. I hope you will come back and write a review of your cruise.

[Tutankhamen]

I hope you will come back and write a review of your cruise.

 

Absolutely!

 

Here is a review after I took my first Carnival cruise.

 

Sorry but it may be full of tails of frustrations!!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1654178

Edited February 9, 2014 by Tutankhamen

[Medtech2]

Thanks for the understanding. I feel as though this is a compilation of several factors. Each on their own would not be a big deal. Its just that I got hit with all of them at once after having minimal to no issues in the past. Kind of like when someone buys the car you drive and they have nothing but problems, while you have had zero issues.

 

I am planning a great cruise and realize it is just a bump in the road. I think booking last minute and having the pressure of getting this together in a short time compounded the wasted weekend spent on the issues.

I feel your pain. I have had some hiccups with my own booking using the main number and not my PCC. Frustrating yes, but not enough to dampen my anticipation of my cruise, and it sounds like you will bounce back and be able to enjoy yours also!

 

It is indeed stressful to be the planner of the group. DH just shows up with a smile and his suitcase, lol.

 

You are going to love the Breakaway!

[DevCruise]

Glad I told the story here. I now know that it is an isolated issue and there is no need to have 3 reservations with 3 internet ID's with 3 separate payments for cruise payment and purchases.

 

Like others have suggested, I think a PCC would greatly have helped your situation. You still would have one reservation per cabin because that's how NCL does things, however, the PCC could have made all your excursion and dinner reservations for you simplifying the process.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise... :)

[Donna_In_India]

Now I learn that I have to log into three reservations at different times. One for each cabin. But wait, I can’t just put reservation number. I have to log in and open an account. So I had to make up three user names. 3 passwords. Remember which goes with which cabin. Everytime I order an excursion, I have to log in one, then log out, then log in the second , then log out, then log in to the third. If it is a purchase, it means putting my credit card in three times.

 

 

Sorry you had such a hassle. I normally book online (for all my cruises) but since I was booking 4 separate families (bunch of different last names within each as well) in 5 staterooms I called the rep. Had no issues then or the second time when I had to call and adjust 2 of them (changing OBCs too) or the last time when I had to cancel those two.

 

I had to put in all the info separately as you mention above. I really didn't find that to be such a hassle (yes, it could be better if you are able to connect the rooms) but I'm guessing that by the time you got to that point it was even worse for you.

 

We loved the Breakaway! But if you have not had any experience with Freestyle Dining....you will either love it or hate it. There are times when you have to wait for a table...depending on what time you go to dinner and how many in your party....and since you have multiple staterooms with a "group" I suggest that you make reservations (when possible) for dinner - I mean regular dining rooms, not just specialty dining. Otherwise, you're going to be very stressed.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Edited February 9, 2014 by Donna_In_India

[Donna_In_India]

I now know that it is an isolated issue and there is no need to have 3 reservations with 3 internet ID's with 3 separate payments for cruise payment and purchases.

 

Well....I went back and read the rest of the posts after I responded....and what you mention above is exactly what I did so I'm not sure that it is an isolated incident. And I booked sometime in 2012! And I also did not get a PCC. :rolleyes:

[Tutankhamen]

It just seems strange that their system requires you to treat 3 cabins as 3 isolated bookings. It is adding needless additional steps that could result in issues.

 

Example: Some excursions/purchases have limited availability. If I want to purchase something for the entire family that is limited, I could foreseeably log into one account, make purchase, log into second account make purchase, then log into the third account to find that it is now unavailable. Now I would have to cancel the first two purchases.

 

I have booked multiple cabins on other lines and they were all linked under one reservation. It was easier. Is this a deal breaker? No. Would of it been an issue by its self? No. It became an issue when you added it to the other small quirks with my booking.

 

4 charges for 3 cabins resulting in a call from my CC fraud department.

 

9 emails regarding courtesy hold.

9 emails regarding payment reminder.

9 emails regarding confirmation.

 

Getting disconnected in the middle of the 4 payments, and not getting a call back.

 

Getting an error when doing the online registration for the 2nd cabin. Then spending hours to get a hold of someone in tech support.

 

4 charges for booking

3 charges for excursions

3 charges for UDP

3 charges for tips

13 separate charges. Each time requiring me to give my CC number and resulting in yet more emails.

 

I was frustrated do to the the ease I have had in the past. I simply expressed my frustration and pointed out how the system NCL uses just adds more time, work and electronic receipts.

 

Deal breaker, no. How some are so quick to slam me and defend NCL is entertaining.

 

 

One other small small small issue that I have not discussed. When I called to make reservation and gave zip code the operator said my city does not match the zip code. It shows up in their computer as the next town over. He said he could not change it, but when I do the online registration I should be able to change it. When I did the online registration it put the town next to mine. I changed it to match mine. Every time I call NCL they have to confirm who they are talking to by asking for my address. Each time I have to tell them i live in a town I do not live in do to their computer system can't figure out my zip code is not for the town next door. I do everything online, shopping, banking, bill paying, ordering things for my business, message forums and so forth. Never has the town next door showed up when I put in my zip.

 

It is now just a comical list of errors since booking this cruise.

Edited February 9, 2014 by Tutankhamen

[Demonyte]

It sounds like the original person with whom you booked totally screwed this up. There is no reason at all that you should have to have 3 separate online log-ins. That makes no sense to me.

 

 

Glad I told the story here. I now know that it is an isolated issue and there is no need to have 3 reservations with 3 internet ID's with 3 separate payments for cruise payment and purchases.

 

Having separate (personal) logins for each reservation is how it is done with NCL, no mess ups there unlike what LrgPizza said.

 

Yes, clearly the first customer rep could have done the bookings originally with right passenger info but other than that, the rant contained nothing unusual about the booking process - yes, it might not be what you're used to with other lines but that's the way it's done with NCL.

[vols_159]

Wife said not even bother trying to get a PCC to fix the reservations. Like you said, hard part is over. Cruise is booked. Excursions booked. UDP booked. Tips paid. Dining reservations made. Docs printed. Passports with Docs. Really not much else to do but cruise.

 

Excited to see this new ship!

 

 

Glad I told the story here. I now know that it is an isolated issue and there is no need to have 3 reservations with 3 internet ID's with 3 separate payments for cruise payment and purchases.

 

 

Happy sailing!

[skiwee]

I share your frustration. I have recently booked 4 cabins on the Getaway for November. I could not do it online. I would get a message that I had to call to book more then one cabin. I called and was able to do this but still needed to make 4 separate accounts to book dining, excursions, and add passport info on each one.

 

I also wanted to add the UDP to each cabin. I had to call to do this and they charged my card 8 times for the people in the cabins. I too got a fraud alert and my cc got a hold on it til I could verify it was me using the card.

 

I can hardly wait for excursion booking time when I have to log onto 4 different accounts and hope the excursions don't fill up by the time I get to cabin 4. Lol. I love NCL but I do wish I could keep this as one single booking since we are paying for everything. Good luck OP!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Tutankhamen]

I can assure you that when I have booked with other lines, I did not have to create 3 different accounts at their website. I had separate booking numbers but could pay all cabins with one payment.

 

As for the "this is the way it is done at NCL" does not mean one should not share what they think of the practice.