HONEST REVIEW of NCL Dawn from Boston to Quebec City, 9/11-9/18/15

[NLH Arizona]

The crime? Are you kidding me?

 

We are customers, not criminals.

 

The front desk rep I spoke to admitted that they were short-staffed with handling the confiscated luggage. Why do you keep making excuses that an unusual number of people had alcohol confiscated? That's not what happened!

 

Just to make sure my expectations weren't out of line, I called my dad, a frequent cruiser who has cruised far more times than I have (though he's never been on NCL).

 

He told me that he had also made the wine-in-luggage mistake in the past, but that he got his luggage back between 2-3 hours. He was very surprised to hear that it took 6 hours. He also said that a friend of his, who also made this mistake in the past, did not wait anywhere near 6 hours for their luggage.

 

It is very perplexing to me why you think NCL should be "punishing" people who accidentally break this "rule", rather than seeking to minimize their inconvenience. Again, this rule is not made clear when you are checking in luggage, which is why I forgot to take my wine out, even though I already KNEW the rule.

 

Reviews like mine should serve to help NCL to improve their customer service process in situations like these, not for people to come out and vilify the reviewer as deserving of his troubles.

I said do the "crime", meaning breaking the rule and do the "time" meaning having to wait for their luggage.

 

I'm sure some make the mistake, but many, many put liquor in their luggage to not pay the fees or to have to purchase alcohol on the ship, how is NCL to determine who made a mistake and who did it on purpose, because I would bet everyone says it was a mistake.

 

Don't think NCL should punish those who break the rules, I just think that those that break the rules should not expect NCL to jump through hoops to get them their luggage. NCL should concentrate their manpower to get the luggage to their customers who didn't put alcohol in their luggage.

 

Not vilifying you by any means, just don't think it is NCL's fault that you had wine in your checked luggage and had to wait for your luggage to be delivered. Bottom line is...you KNEW the rule and still had wine in your luggage!

 

We will have to agree to disagree on who we thought was at fault, but as I said, I hope others read about your experience and they don't put their wine in their checked luggage.

Edited September 26, 2015 by NLH Arizona

[NLH Arizona]

NCL should not allow cases of water to be checked if they are incapable of handling them.

 

Totally agree with you on this. If they can't deliver something intact, then they should tell the passenger to carry it on, instead of taking the chances of it being broken, etc.

[MommaBear55]

pokerpro5, if you are ever going to come to Portland again, PM me and I will help you discover amazing things. Portland and the surrounding area has history, architecture, views, art scene, shopping and an incredible food and craft beer scene. Sorry you missed them!

[pokerpro5]

pokerpro5, if you are ever going to come to Portland again, PM me and I will help you discover amazing things. Portland and the surrounding area has history, architecture, views, art scene, shopping and an incredible food and craft beer scene. Sorry you missed them!

 

I don't think this site allows PMs, right?

 

Anyway, we didn't have much time. Very short port stop there, as mentioned in my review.

 

Thanks for the offer, though.

[coka]

Thank you for taking time to post your thoughts.

 

I have a question regarding the wine confiscation. Norwegian used to keep all luggage having shown to have contraband by their x ray machines while they delivered everyone else's cleared luggage. During this time, notices were printed up for each cabin suspect of contraband for the passenger to meet at a certain location between 5-7 in order to open the suitcase in front of security. More often than not, one could see a giant line of passengers waiting their turn to open their suitcase. Once passengers opened suitcase for security to view, they would take the contraband, label it, and tell passenger they can pick it up at the end of cruise. Each passenger was then given their suitcase to take back to the cabin themselves. On cruise critic we call it the walk of of shame.

 

Was this not the case on your sailing? You wrote they took your wine and then delivered your luggage to the cabin. Thanks in advance for clarifying!

 

coka

[Ctrinh225]

I'm surprised you didn't write about your experience of DSC removal. You were the one that started a thread on it? correct? This is what I don't get. You are a 7* at Caesars Entertainment.....that's a lot of moolah wasted to become that status. I know cause Ive been one for 5 years now. NCL gave you a cruise about a $2000 in savings bc you paid less than $1000 for it.....I just don't understand that $24 is soooooooo important to you that pretty much ruin your cruise. That's like 4 Starbucks coffee!

I'm sorry but if a company gave me a practically free cruise.......the only words coming out of my mouth is Thank You!

 

 

 

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[LMaxwell]

I'm surprised you didn't write about your experience of DSC removal. You were the one that started a thread on it? correct? This is what I don't get. You are a 7* at Caesars Entertainment.....that's a lot of moolah wasted to become that status. I know cause Ive been one for 5 years now. NCL gave you a cruise about a $2000 in savings bc you paid less than $1000 for it.....I just don't understand that $24 is soooooooo important to you that pretty much ruin your cruise. That's like 4 Starbucks coffee!

I'm sorry but if a company gave me a practically free cruise.......the only words coming out of my mouth is Thank You!

 

 

 

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I will have to disagree with you and agree with the OP; what they spent, or didn't spend, is completely irrelevant. NCL should deliver on what is advertised without putting a guest through a cat and mouse chase. It seems the same would have happened to any guest booked through any method paying full rate and it is not right. OP is 100% right, front line employees should be empowered to correct small issues before they become big ones, and should better understand the policies of the company.

 

I don't think any manager did OP any favors, they just looked at the situation(s) and applied common sense remedies that anyone representing the company should have been able to do.

 

I'm not sure I expect someone who thinks $24 for 4 coffees to understand that as there doesn't seem to be a placement on value, just on the ability to afford something regardless of value. Anyone spending $119 for upscale food on a cruise can also afford $129; but when the company states it is $119, that is what should be charged. Not really up for debate. I'd want the price honored by any company in any industry.

 

It can be quite infuriating when the people you have to deal with at the first level are both clueless and powerless. NCL should work on that as it can leave the most lasting impressions.

[Ctrinh225]

Yes, I understand it's the principle. And yes NCL was wrong on that part. But the OP did also make mistakes also. I'm just stating a "mind" from a 7* player to a 7* player and just don't get it. I wouldn't stress out in menial things and just enjoy my cruise.

 

But thank you to the OP for an entertaining review!

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Edited September 27, 2015 by Ctrinh225

[LMaxwell]

Yes, I understand it's the principle. And yes NCL was wrong on that part. But the OP did also make mistakes also. I'm just stating a "mind" from a 7* player to a 7* player and just don't get it. I wouldn't stress out in menial things and just enjoy my cruise.

 

But thank you to the OP for an entertaining review!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Fair enough

[mickev99]

Thanks for your review. I totally agree with you, it is the principal of the dining package overcharge and the water bottles and you had every right to "complain" about it no matter how much you paid for the cruise.

 

Nothing irks me more than incompetent and rude customer service people. Glad you got it all worked out but sorry you had to take so much time and effort.

 

We will be on dawn for western Caribbean in December and my brother and sis in law love to sign karaoke and we love to watch, so I hope there is a bigger crowd on our cruise for that and I hope they get some of the musical selections worked out.

[Doughboy139]

I didn't know about the dress code on embarkation night. Thanks for that information.

 

However, my wife still needed her makeup. There was no reason for my luggage to be held for that long. For whatever reason, they didn't assign enough employees to open the confiscated suitcases and remove the alcohol, something the front desk essentially admitted to me without directly saying it.

 

I don't know about the 7pm deadline. I will say that hotel director Alain agreed that, at 6:30 or so, the situation was looking pretty bad for me given that the luggage wasn't stored anywhere he could find, nor did they have any record of my suitcase. Somehow they shipped it up right around that time without ever noting they had it. Weird. I'm just glad it wasn't lost.

 

NCL doesn't open confiscated luggage for alcohol, Instead they have the owner of the luggage come down to the naughty room and open it up themselves...The only people who are allowed to open luggage without the owner present is the TSA agents.

[pokerpro5]

I'm surprised you didn't write about your experience of DSC removal. You were the one that started a thread on it? correct? This is what I don't get. You are a 7* at Caesars Entertainment.....that's a lot of moolah wasted to become that status. I know cause Ive been one for 5 years now. NCL gave you a cruise about a $2000 in savings bc you paid less than $1000 for it.....I just don't understand that $24 is soooooooo important to you that pretty much ruin your cruise. That's like 4 Starbucks coffee!

I'm sorry but if a company gave me a practically free cruise.......the only words coming out of my mouth is Thank You!

 

I didn't mention the DSC removal change by NCL (even though I was the first to post about it here) because I decided not to remove it, and because I didn't want this thread to become yet another DSC removal debate.

 

I am surprised that, as another Caesars Seven Star, you have the attitude that NCL "gave" me this cruise. No, they didn't! I earned it, just as you did through your Seven Stars play. As you mentioned, it takes a lot to get to Seven Stars, so I am perplexed why you would think that one of its benefits is some kind of gift!

 

If NCL had just given me this cruise for no reason, then sure, I wouldn't sweat the small stuff and would overlook these overcharges and minor lost items. But since I earned the large discount I got, I don't feel I need to overlook anything where I am not being treated in a professional manner.

 

And yes, as the next poster said, it's aboit the principle. If you lose my water, replace it. Don't argue with me. If you print $119 for a dining package, honor it. Don't deny me and then make me jump through hoops to find the right person who can fix it. These are simple things. NCL needs to empower low level employees more, and train them to say "yes" a lot more to the small things (within reason), and not to end up in silly debates with passengers.

 

The fact that I actually had to argue with people to honor a PRINTED price discrepancy of $11.80 is embarrassing for NCL.

Edited September 27, 2015 by pokerpro5

[pokerpro5]

NCL doesn't open confiscated luggage for alcohol, Instead they have the owner of the luggage come down to the naughty room and open it up themselves...The only people who are allowed to open luggage without the owner present is the TSA agents.

 

Incorrect.

 

Perhaps that's how it used to be.

 

On my cruise, they deliver your luggage with the alcohol missing, and you get a note to come down to the 4th floor and sign paperwork about it.

 

Once on the 4th floor, if it's an allowable beverage, you choose whether to pay corkage, at which point they give it to you. If you choose not to pay corkage (or if it's not allowed at all), you are given a receipt to pick it up at the end of the cruise.

[Doughboy139]

I don't blame them for the confiscation. That part was my fault.

 

I was willing to accept a reasonable delay, but this took way too much time. It should not take 6 hours to remove the alcohol from luggage where they found it, even when dealing with a lot of offenders.

 

Even the front desk admitted this, telling me that the process would be complete by 4pm, not after 6:30 like it actually was. I was also told something about how they didn't have the usual staffing for it, so that was the reason for the delay.

 

They also didn't provide you any warning about the alcohol matter before you gave your luggage to be checked, which I also felt was a mistake, given the long time they would be holding it. I knew this in advance because I had read it online (with me it was just an oversight), but not everyone reads in such detail. This matter could easily be prevented with a sign telling people to remove their wine from their bag before checking it. If you're going to lose your luggage for such a long time (a pretty big deal for many people), the warning needs to be pretty clear and dire to everyone coming aboard.

 

when you give your luggage to be checked in you are giving it to the porter who works for and is an employee of the cruise port and not NCL, therefore they don't need to ask you if you have any alcohol in your bags. you are a grown-up so you should have remembered to take it out beforehand.

[pokerpro5]

when you give your luggage to be checked in you are giving it to the porter who works for and is an employee of the cruise port and not NCL, therefore they don't need to ask you if you have any alcohol in your bags. you are a grown-up so you should have remembered to take it out beforehand.

 

So NCL gets that service for free?

 

How generous of the cruise port to provide it for them!

 

Yes, these are port employees, but they are working on behalf of NCL and could easily be told to ask, "No alcohol in any of these, right?"

 

Anyway, I accept responsibility for my mistake. I didn't expect my bags to come instantly. I just felt 6 hours was excessive, and I felt there should have been ample and clear warning (in case you were unaware or forgot) before your bags were taken, if it was going to be that long.

[Doughboy139]

Incorrect.

 

Perhaps that's how it used to be.

 

On my cruise, they deliver your luggage with the alcohol missing, and you get a note to come down to the 4th floor and sign paperwork about it.

 

Once on the 4th floor, if it's an allowable beverage, you choose whether to pay corkage, at which point they give it to you. If you choose not to pay corkage (or if it's not allowed at all), you are given a receipt to pick it up at the end of the cruise.

 

Not true on your part, I got off an NCL cruise a few months ago and there were people who had to go to the naughty room to open there luggage....NCL employees are not allowed to open peoples luggage without the owner present...This protects them from being accused of stealing valuables out of a persons luggage.

 

Myself, If I knew that an employee of NCL opened my luggage without me present, there would be hell to pay....

[Doughboy139]

So NCL gets that service for free?

 

How generous of the cruise port to provide it for them!

 

Yes, these are port employees, but they are working on behalf of NCL and could easily be told to ask, "No alcohol in any of these, right?"

 

Anyway, I accept responsibility for my mistake. I didn't expect my bags to come instantly. I just felt 6 hours was excessive, and I felt there should have been ample and clear warning (in case you were unaware or forgot) before your bags were taken, if it was going to be that long.

 

No, NCL pays to be in port...What do you think port fees are for....

[pokerpro5]

Not true on your part, I got off an NCL cruise a few months ago and there were people who had to go to the naughty room to open there luggage....NCL employees are not allowed to open peoples luggage without the owner present...This protects them from being accused of stealing valuables out of a persons luggage.

 

Myself, If I knew that an employee of NCL opened my luggage without me present, there would be hell to pay....

 

So what are you trying to say?

 

That I'm lying?

 

I'm telling you honestly the way it was on the Dawn -- for me and everybody with confiscated luggage.

[pokerpro5]

No, NCL pays to be in port...What do you think port fees are for....

 

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe NCL pays separately for the service provided by the port employees who handle luggage (which only occurs at the first and last port). Port fees are for the costs of being in the port itself.

[Doughboy139]

So what are you trying to say?

 

That I'm lying?

 

I'm telling you honestly the way it was on the Dawn -- for me and everybody with confiscated luggage.

 

I've been on the Dawn around 7 times and have never seen this happen.....I'm surprised that if they opened your luggage without you there that you didn't put up a big stink about it...so easy to steal things out of suitcases.

[Doughboy139]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe NCL pays separately for the service provided by the port employees who handle luggage (which only occurs at the first and last port). Port fees are for the costs of being in the port itself.

 

port employees/porters are employed by the port authority of boston and are thus paid by the port authority and not NCL....

[SuiteCruiser]

I just wanted to say that NCL has a deal with Harrah's to provide cruises to their high rollers, the intent is that you should gamble, but NCL lost out totally by giving you the cruise on your play elsewhere, then you not even going into the casino.

 

It's your right to do it, but they do probably notice when that happens, and if it happened enough, the certificates would stop.

 

Enjoyed your review, I see both sides as in principle getting the money is important, but my time is worth more than that to me, so I would have let it go.

[pokerpro5]

port employees/porters are employed by the port authority of boston and are thus paid by the port authority and not NCL....

 

 

I'm not asking who signs their paycheck.

 

I'm saying that I believe NCL pays the port extra to basically rent their employees to load the luggage. This isn't an automatic service they get just for being in port.

 

Therefore, it is fair to describe the handling of luggage as being done by NCL (and to hold them responsible), even if some of the employees involved work for the port.

[pokerpro5]

I just wanted to say that NCL has a deal with Harrah's to provide cruises to their high rollers, the intent is that you should gamble, but NCL lost out totally by giving you the cruise on your play elsewhere, then you not even going into the casino.

 

It's your right to do it, but they do probably notice when that happens, and if it happened enough, the certificates would stop.

 

Enjoyed your review, I see both sides as in principle getting the money is important, but my time is worth more than that to me, so I would have let it go.

 

 

There is no contract, implied or otherwise, that I am supposed to gamble in their casino.

 

This is something negotiated between NCL and Caesars for the 7 Stars players. It is up to each individual whether they want to play in the casino, just as it's up to each non-casino cruiser if they wish to spend money on board. In both cases, the cruise line loses money if the passenger decides not to, but that's not the passenger's problem, and the passenger shouldn't tolerate worse service just because they aren't spending what the cruise line hoped they would.

 

I actually WOULD have gambled plenty, if the odds and rake on their games weren't so awful. I realize this is cruise industry-wide, but that's the reason I don't play.

 

I realize that you know the above, but at the same time, you seem to be implying that I should be more forgiving just because I didn't gamble in the casino like they expected. As far as I'm concerned, I earned this cruise. The internal workings between Caesars and NCL are not my concern, and in fact it's presented to the Caesars customer as a reward they already earned, rather than it being a marketing partnership.

 

Regarding the time vs principle argument, I can respect your personal point of view that it wouldn't be worth complaining to you. Each person has their own personal threshold regarding when they feel it's proper to speak up versus letting things go. I just don't like rewarding companies for bad service by letting them keep extra money.

Edited September 27, 2015 by pokerpro5

[pokerpro5]

I've been on the Dawn around 7 times and have never seen this happen.....I'm surprised that if they opened your luggage without you there that you didn't put up a big stink about it...so easy to steal things out of suitcases.

 

They opened everyone's luggage that was confiscated.

 

I wasn't thrilled with it, either. But I actually thought that was standard procedure!

 

Anyway, I'm telling you that's what happened to EVERYONE on the Dawn whose luggage was confiscated. Maybe that's a very recent policy change for NCL. Maybe I'll start a separate thread about it.

 

I'm telling you the truth about what happened.