Clueless NCL Rep - Should I call back, or are they all this bad?

[CarolinaMamma]

Thank God for Cruise Critic. I get better information here than I do from the cruise line. I just got off the phone with a clueless rep at NCL, and I am wondering if I should call back in hopes of getting a better-trained person, or just ask my questions here.

 

I tried to book the dining package and get some questions answered. The lady seems to just be pulling answers out of her butt. For example, I asked what the check in time was, and how late we can check in, because we want to spend some time in Barcelona before boarding. She did not ask for my sailing date or cabin numbers. I even tried offering this information, but she was not interested.

 

She said, "I think check-in is at 12:45 and boarding is at 1." Yeah, right. We all board at 1.

 

I reiterated my questions, explaining that I wanted to know what time we needed to be on board.

 

she said, "what time does the ship leave?"

 

I said "7:00."

 

She said, "I think as long as you are on by 5:00, you are good."

 

I said, "I read on Cruise Critic in a review of this sailing that muster drill was at 4:30, so are you sure about that 5:00?"

 

Her: "I think so."

 

I asked about children's prices on the ultimate dining package, and dhe kept trying to tell me the children's prices if we went a la carte to specialty restaurants. I had to say several times that I have already decided we want the ultimate dining package, but I need to book children and there doesn't seem to be a way to do that on the website. She told me my kids would be half price. I said I had read on cruise critic that if they ate off the kids's menu (which one of my 3 will do) then it is free. She then went back to quoting me the a la carte prices. I said, "I know, but I am talking about the ultimate dining package. If we buy that for the rest of the family, does my 7 year old, who will only eat from the kids' menu, get to eat free?" She said, "I think so," but I am not at all confident in this answer.

 

Next I tried to ask about tipping, and if I wanted to tip extra in the restaurants, do I do that in cash, or is there a check to sign where I can add the tip to my account. (This is our first time on NCL, so we are used to having one waiter the entire cruise and tipping cash the last night.) on other cruise lines, with "free" drinks from the beverage package, we have still received a check to sign where we could add a to if we wanted to. I just want to know if I need to bring a bunch of small bills on board. She then told me about the pre-paid gratuities. I said, I know about those, I am asking how to tip them if I want to tip extra at the specialty restaurants. This seemed an entirely foreign concept to her, and she replied, "I guess people tip cash."

 

At that point, I just stopped asking questions and decided to search here.

 

Have others had similar experiences with NCL reps, or did I just get a newbie on this call?

[deladypilot]

Oh yeah, sounds clueless.

 

If the ship sails at 7, then you have to on board by 5pm. You will miss the drill and will have to make it up the next day. I cant answer as to how early you can board on that particular cruise but on the ones I have been on, you could start checking in at 10:30 and usually around 11 or so, they start boarding.

 

The Dining package is new so I have not read any reviews on it to know about childrens prices.

 

Do you have a PCC at Norwegian? If not, call back and ask for who has been assigned to you and talk to them directly

 

Best of luck

[KeithJenner]

I haven't had any experience with asking them questions, but I actually think the replies you got were fairly accurate.

 

If the ship sails at 7pm then you will be fine as long as you are there for 5, which is what your cruise documentation says (2 hours before departure). 4.30pm sounds a bit early for the muster drill on a 7pm departure. If it is that early then you wouldn't be the only ones to miss it. They will do a make up one the next day.

 

Regarding tipping, they will say that this is covered by the DSC, as that is company policy. For your info, you can tip extra with cash. You do apparently still get a slip with drinks if you are on the UDP, I assume you can tip extra on there, but can't say for sure (never had the package myself).

[isdoo]

Oh yeah, sounds clueless.

 

If the ship sails at 7, then you have to on board by 5pm. You will miss the drill and will have to make it up the next day. I cant answer as to how early you can board on that particular cruise but on the ones I have been on, you could start checking in at 10:30 and usually around 11 or so, they start boarding.

 

The Dining package is new so I have not read any reviews on it to know about childrens prices.

 

Do you have a PCC at Norwegian? If not, call back and ask for who has been assigned to you and talk to them directly

 

Best of luck

 

I do not think the drill will be at 4.30 if you sail at 7pm as now the drill must be prior to departure and can't be afterwards.

 

However the NCL site says 2 hours before departure, so that would be 5pm with a 7pm departure.

[KeithJenner]

as now the drill must be prior to departure and can't be afterwards.

 

Is that the case? There has previously been one on the first day for those who missed the pre departure one. Do they not do that any more?

 

If not then it certainly wouldn't be at 4.30 for a 7pm departure. Every time I've cruised from Barcelona there have been a lot of people on NCL booked flights who have been arriving right up to about 30 minutes before departure. The one drill I did the next day (as I was on an NCL flight) was very busy.

[Cubechick]

I do not think the drill will be at 4.30 if you sail at 7pm as now the drill must be prior to departure and can't be afterwards.

 

However the NCL site says 2 hours before departure, so that would be 5pm with a 7pm departure.

 

They need to hold the drill in the first 24 hours. Typically it's 30 minutes before departure with a make - up the next day for those who didn't attend.

[LrgPizza]

We were told by NCL that there is no children's UDP. This confirms what we have found on the website, and read on cruise critic. For kids you would pay half price at the specialty dining restaurants for that particular restaurant if they order from the restaurant menu, or they eat free if ordering from the kids menu.

[isdoo]

They need to hold the drill in the first 24 hours. Typically it's 30 minutes before departure with a make - up the next day for those who didn't attend.

 

I thought the rules had changed since the Concordia sank?

 

It used to be the first 24 hours.

 

Maybe it is a requirement in Europe, but I am sure I read that all cruise-lines will adopt the rule worldwide.

[Va. Plumber]

On our recent Epic cruise we had a fantastic waiter in Le Bistro.

 

When you get your bill, it has the waiters name on it and place for gratuity. The waiter said NCL disperse such tips about every two weeks.

If kids are dining with you may get a bill to sign. If not, you can request one in order to do the tip. As always, cash works as well.

[Sizzlechest]

The people you call at NCL are very nice, but are almost completely clueless when it comes to the "product" they sell. You get better information from past travelers than from NCL.

[CarolinaMamma]

Every ship I have been in has done the muster drill right before sail away, which always means we are running to get a good viewing spot on deck. Maybe with sail away at 7, they don't want to interrupt dinner for the muster drill at 6:30. If everyone on the ship eats after 7, they will be really slammed.

 

I don't intend to stay out until the last minute, but even if we can check in at 3:00 or so, that will give us plenty of time in Barcelona, which will be great. We've been there before, but did not get nearly enough time in the Ramblas, so I want to wander around there.

[miztressuz]

i'll chime in on the muster drill. we did the epic this past oct out of Rome and we also had a sail time of 7 i believe but Muster was at 4:30. I remember this because we weren't given a Daily upon boarding and were on the way to guest services to get one to find out when muster was when the announcement came on. I remarked to hubby that they're doing it before everyone had to be on board, seems silly. so they have a make up drill the next morning if you missed the 4:30 one.

 

so it seems plausible they're doing the 4:30 drill in Barcelona too.

[buckeye82]

Just off the Spirit out of Barcelona with a 7 PM departure time. The muster drill was at 4:30 with a make up the next day.

 

We had the UDP, but sorry no children, so can't speak to the prices for them, but we did discover that for Cagney's, the Bistro and Teppanyaki my husband and I were each presented with a check to add gratuity if we wished. When we asked about our check in Shogun and La Trattoria we were told we were good to go. No check.

[Demonyte]

I thought the rules had changed since the Concordia sank?

 

It used to be the first 24 hours.

 

Maybe it is a requirement in Europe, but I am sure I read that all cruise-lines will adopt the rule worldwide.

 

No, rules didn't change at all, the rule is still that the muster drill must be held within the first 24 hours of the cruise. After the Concordia incident pretty much all other cruise lines just adopted the way f.ex. NCL has done muster drill for years.

 

ETA: More info about the voluntary change to policy can be read from Cruise Line International Association's press release: http://www.cruising.org/regulatory/news/press_releases/2012/02/cruise-industry-associations-adopt-new-muster-drill-policy

Edited March 13, 2014 by Demonyte

[OCruisers]

We use a TA who deals with all of this for us.

LuLu

~~~~

[isdoo]

No, rules didn't change at all, the rule is still that the muster drill must be held within the first 24 hours of the cruise. After the Concordia incident pretty much all other cruise lines just adopted the way f.ex. NCL has done muster drill for years.

 

ETA: More info about the voluntary change to policy can be read from Cruise Line International Association's press release: http://www.cruising.org/regulatory/news/press_releases/2012/02/cruise-industry-associations-adopt-new-muster-drill-policy

 

Thanks - so

 

The global cruise industry today announced a new emergency drill policy requiring mandatory muster for embarking passengers prior to departure from port. The new policy follows the industry’s announcement on January 27 of a Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review in response to the Concordia incident and as part of the industry’s continuous efforts to review and improve safety measures. The Cruise Lines International Association, European Cruise Council, and the Passenger Shipping Association put forward the new policy with the support of their member cruise lines.

 

But NCL do not follow the mandatory muster prior to departure - is that what you are saying?

[Demonyte]

But NCL do not follow the mandatory muster prior to departure - is that what you are saying?

 

The muster drill itself is mandatory, not the muster drill before departure - that is just the policy others adopted too.

 

Also, NCL holds the muster drill before departure but those passengers that don't make it for one reason or another, will have to make it up within 24 hours of embarkation.

 

From what I saw last February, NCL crew also gave out insturction flyers to latecomers that boarded the ship during our muster drill, so that they also have the mandatory information that is required by the policy if they are not able to attend before departure. NCL has done everything the policy requires already before the accident, as I said earlier, it was other cruise lines that had to change their protocols.

Edited March 13, 2014 by Demonyte

[isdoo]

Ah okay.

 

I read

 

The global cruise industry today announced a new emergency drill policy requiring mandatory muster for embarking passengers prior to departure from port

 

As meaning it was mandatory muster for embarking passengers before departure.

 

Obviously not.

 

Not sure what I read wrongly about 'mandatory' and 'before departure'. Oh well.

[Daisyduke70]

We cruised from Barcelona last year, we boarded (with no queue) at about mid day, dumped our bags (stateroom was ready immediately) and then went back into Barcelona for a few hours (port bus 3eur return to the bottom of las Ramblas) went to the Carrefour, stocked up on wine and soda, back to the ship for 4pm, in time to catch the muster drill. Was fine.

 

Enjoy!

[keystoneboarder]

The people you call at NCL are very nice, but are almost completely clueless when it comes to the "product" they sell. You get better information from past travelers than from NCL.

 

Um, maybe the OP got someone who was new and wasn't quite sure. If all of NCL was "completely clueless", how is NCL still in business?

 

There's speculative and contradictory info in this thread just like most treads on CC. I'd argue that many CC posters are mostly guessing. The prize goes to which person can figure out who's right and who's blowing smoke.

[Sizzlechest]

Um, maybe the OP got someone who was new and wasn't quite sure. If all of NCL was "completely clueless", how is NCL still in business?

 

There's speculative and contradictory info in this thread just like most treads on CC. I'd argue that many CC posters are mostly guessing. The prize goes to which person can figure out who's right and who's blowing smoke.

 

Because cruising is popular, they're one of the cheaper lines, and they're not Carnival.

[graphicguy]

While I understand the OP's issue, I think it's kind of a luck of the draw thing considering NCL PCCs or a TA.

 

Frankly, I've had some of the same issues using RCCL's and CCL's PCCs, too.

 

Then again, I've had some that have been fantastic. Luck of the draw!

 

These days, I usually use an on-line TA as they seem to give more "goodies" than the cruise lines' PCCs can. And, generally speaking, they seem to be better versed on the ships and cruises, too.

 

OP...if I were you, I'd call back to talk to another PCC, who might be more informative about your particular cruise.

Edited March 14, 2014 by graphicguy