Star Azipod News and progress

[bostonfred]

Just shoveled out a foot of snow in Boston. Six a.m.flight to Hawaii for a few nights then on to Auckland and then what ??...no cruise? Cruise on unsafe ship? How do we get to Singapore. Where will we stay in Auckland. Zero communication this past month from NCL...trip of a lifetime has been nothing but worry, anxiety and aggravation...that said I will make the most of each day, but NCL has lost us for good

[lovenewexperiences1]

Just shoveled out a foot of snow in Boston. Six a.m.flight to Hawaii for a few nights then on to Auckland and then what ??...no cruise? Cruise on unsafe ship? How do we get to Singapore. Where will we stay in Auckland. Zero communication this past month from NCL...trip of a lifetime has been nothing but worry, anxiety and aggravation...that said I will make the most of each day, but NCL has lost us for good

 

 

I'm on Oahu. If you need help with anything let me know. I'm frustrated too. When are you flying to Auckland? We fly next Thursday, the 16th.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[triptolemus]

Don't get your undies all balled up, friend. It ain't the Poseidon Adventure.

 

Well... except for the large winged creatures currently invading the ship.

 

[Son of a son of a ...]

Well... except for the large winged creatures currently invading the ship.

 

 

It is Mothra certified by Meyer Werft

[luvtrvlng]

Just shoveled out a foot of snow in Boston. Six a.m.flight to Hawaii for a few nights then on to Auckland and then what ??...no cruise? Cruise on unsafe ship? How do we get to Singapore. Where will we stay in Auckland. Zero communication this past month from NCL...trip of a lifetime has been nothing but worry, anxiety and aggravation...that said I will make the most of each day, but NCL has lost us for good

 

Agreed! Horribly mishandled situation!

 

With that said though, I have been told that some of the current (justifiably) angry guests have been taking it out on the staff who are doing their best to make the days as pleasant and 'normal' as possible. If this is true, it saddens me that these employees have become the targets - they work too hard for the money they get and have nothing to do with the decisions of the executives. :(

[luvtrvlng]

Well... except for the large winged creatures currently invading the ship.

 

OMG!!!! :eek:

[don't-use-real-name]

I have grown up on the water... trust me even though ship is big... its a speck when it comes to the seas. You get into large 20-30 foot swells which can happen, and you cant maneuver and you go into it broadside bad things happen.

 

OK both azipods are Out of Service - BUT aren't the Bow Thrusters usable to at least point the bow into the rippling swells

to prevent the broadside event ?

 

Comment - I could have told you so months ago this ole ship needs a great deal of help !

NCL this is a disaster now no longer waiting to happen - it has happened before your bloominating eyes !

[B35]

"I am aboard the Norwegian Star. Both Azipods have failed and we are adrift in the Tasman sea. We left Melbourne last night and apparently the second engine went down in the middle of the night. The captain came over the speakers this morning saying the azipods have both failed. He said we are 20 hours from nearest land (drifting) so we are safe. It's 9:46 am here and the captain said the first tug will get to us at around 5pm this evening, with a second tug arriving later this evening. He said we would be towed to land and would undergo repairs for 4-5 days, likely Port of Melbourne if there is room. The captain said we will get a 100% refund (unsure if this is a future cruise credit or an actual refund) and a 50% credit for a future cruise .... Captain came on a few minutes ago. The tug is coming around 8pm now. They are offering people the option to fly home at their expense. Doesn't help us though. "

 

So, have exhausted all options and am ready to call CBS news to help! NCL says the 3/9 sailing is still planning to go ahead as scheduled with no itinerary changes. No option to cancel without penalty.

 

Travel insurance won't reimburse cancellation since NCL hasn't canceled the cruise.

 

Credit card will dispute but there's no guarantee they'll win the dispute, so $8000 off the bill, would be returned at a later date if they lose due the NCL contract language.

 

Credit card travel protection won't reimburse for mechanical issues.

 

We're at the mercy of NCL for a ship that has been malfunctioning since December!!! :mad: One month unpaid vacation taken for this trip for the itinerary which may continue to be the "cruise to nowhere". :( Several thousand spent on airfare, etc. which will be wasted on this "dream" itinerary. :(

Call me cynical but I severely doubt the 3/9 Cruise won't be affected. We've taken 3 weeks vacation from work and have no other holiday time this year and don't want to go on this cruise to nowhere. We're at the mercy of NCL as until they say our cruise is affected, there's nothing we can do. We'd happily cancel with a refund and book another holiday but the timeframe for booking an alternative is now very tight. It's a disgrace and NCL are entirely to blame!

[nabolow]

We did the Baltic cruise last summer on the Star, and the ship broke down at the last stop before returning to Copenhagen, and it returned to Copenhagen so late that the majority of passengers missed their return flights home. The Cruise line offered very little help in rebooking, and over 1000 people were waiting to log into around a dozen computers during the last day at sea, all extremely slow due to limited band width. There were also 4 phones available for 1000 people who were trying to rebook, and they were also unreliable and lost connections. The last day at sea was extremely stressful, and although Norwegian stepped up to a degree by offering one night lodging and a small amount of reimbursement for rebooking fees, it was nowhere near the amount most of us incurred to rebook return flights. As much as I loved the cruise, the way passengers were treated made us feel unimportant to the company. A really great goodwill gesture would have been some kind of discount to be applied on a future cruise to compensate for the extreme stress inflicted on the passengers. I really feel sorry for the passengers on the Star currently drifting at sea. I wonder if it was the same problem causing our breakdown, or if that ship simply needs to be docked and rebuilt. Anyway, I really hope those passengers are having better luck and treatment than the Baltic passengers did.

[richstowe]

Never thought I'd say this, but have you folks contacted him. He at least will publicize it.

 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/

Interesting thought .To quote Shakespeare, "A pox on both your houses." NCL has acted horribly but this ambulance chaser is the pits. To sic the latter on the former is interesting and yet still repugnant .

[internetwhiz]

Interesting thought .To quote Shakespeare, "A pox on both your houses." NCL has acted horribly but this ambulance chaser is the pits. To sic the latter on the former is interesting and yet still repugnant .

 

 

I agree, but these folks sure need a voice. I'm guessing NCL has a loyalty program. Does it really not do any good to put pressure on HQ?

[MicCanberra]

Call me cynical but I severely doubt the 3/9 Cruise won't be affected. We've taken 3 weeks vacation from work and have no other holiday time this year and don't want to go on this cruise to nowhere. We're at the mercy of NCL as until they say our cruise is affected, there's nothing we can do. We'd happily cancel with a refund and book another holiday but the timeframe for booking an alternative is now very tight. It's a disgrace and NCL are entirely to blame!

 

I agree, they seem to be just digging a deeper hole for themselves, and worst of all, is they are dragging people in with them.

[luvtrvlng]

Call me cynical but I severely doubt the 3/9 Cruise won't be affected. We've taken 3 weeks vacation from work and have no other holiday time this year and don't want to go on this cruise to nowhere. We're at the mercy of NCL as until they say our cruise is affected, there's nothing we can do. We'd happily cancel with a refund and book another holiday but the time frame for booking an alternative is now very tight. It's a disgrace and NCL are entirely to blame!

 

VERY TIGHT! I just watched one of the alternate choices we had sell out as I was at the website. :(

[Level six]

I've said it several times, but NCL should have emptied the ship in Singapore on December 11th. Given everyone money to fly home or try to patch together a vacation that included the ports that we missed (Bangkok, HCMC, Ko Samui) and fixed the ***** ship! Why have they lied over and over to all these passengers? I was one of the "lucky" ones who got 100% refund and 50% FCC, but it still was not what I paid for and I definitely will not use my 50% FCC, I have no confidence in this company anymore. NCL has no concern for the well being or the safety of their passengers or crew. No excuse...............No excuse or amount of money can makeup for this.

[richstowe]

QUOTE INTERNETWHIZ "I agree, but these folks sure need a voice. I'm guessing NCL has a loyalty program. Does it really not do any good to put pressure on HQ?"

 

 

took my first cruise with NCL this summer with just two weeks after they instituted the "no carry on" water/soda policy . On boarding they instituted a second security line to exhaustively check every single purse and bag which caused an extra 1 hour embarkation delay . Horrible first impression .:mad:

So I don't think they give a damn . They already proved it to me .

[MicCanberra]

Here's the news posted by CC about it with info from NCL, the captain and passengers onboard.'

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com.au/news/news.cfm?ID=7527

[B35]

VERY TIGHT! I just watched one of the alternate choices we had sell out as I was at the website. :(

Even if they patch it up for our cruise I don't want to go on it. What happens if it fails completely again in the middle of the Indian Ocean nowhere near land? I even doubt it'll make it to Singapore! Just give us a full refund now NCL!

[kiwicruisers51]

I've said it several times, but NCL should have emptied the ship in Singapore on December 11th. Given everyone money to fly home or try to patch together a vacation that included the ports that we missed (Bangkok, HCMC, Ko Samui) and fixed the ***** ship! Why have they lied over and over to all these passengers? I was one of the "lucky" ones who got 100% refund and 50% FCC, but it still was not what I paid for and I definitely will not use my 50% FCC, I have no confidence in this company anymore. NCL has no concern for the well being or the safety of their passengers or crew. No excuse...............No excuse or amount of money can makeup for this.

 

How may ports did u lose to get that level of refund. We miss 3 ports, an unexpected night in Auckland, an extra sea day and calling at errrrr Port Kembla! Thx

[richstowe]

Here's the news posted by CC about it with info from NCL, the captain and passengers onboard.'

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com.au/news/news.cfm?ID=7527

In this post CC writes that the Star" suffered a separate mechanical issue in December 2016 that affected its starboard-side azipod". I'm sure many doubt that this was a separate issue . Isn't this the same thread ?

[Level six]

How may ports did u lose to get that level of refund. We miss 3 ports, an unexpected night in Auckland, an extra sea day and calling at errrrr Port Kembla! Thx

 

We were on the first sailing that had the problem. We had to stay in Singapore for a few days. (were you not on this sailing? I remember your name from the roll call) . Anyway, we all got a cruise refund ( not much for us since we had a cheap inside cabin), and 50% off a future cruise(basically 1/2 of what we paid, which again was not much). We missed 4 ports. We only made it to Chang mai and Sanya in 11 days.

[yatchet]

The Tugboat 'Hastings" has passed through the heads is obviously heading toward the Star, should arrive about 10 pm AEDST.

[kiwicruisers51]

We were on the first sailing that had the problem. We had to stay in Singapore for a few days. (were you not on this sailing? I remember your name from the roll call) . Anyway, we all got a cruise refund ( not much for us since we had a cheap inside cabin), and 50% off a future cruise(basically 1/2 of what we paid, which again was not much). We missed 4 ports. We only made it to Chang mai and Sanya in 11 days.

 

Thanks for that. No I was not on that roll call. Doing Auckland to Venice.

[johno1234]

NCL.com still accepting bookings for 19 day Feb 18 cruise from Auckland to Singapore!

[kiwicruisers51]

The breakdown has made the national news on the radio in New Zealand

[casofilia]

NCL.com still accepting bookings for 19 day Feb 18 cruise from Auckland to Singapore!

 

They are also showing that they will go to Port Klang. Can you honestly see them doing that? 400Km north and then 400Km south. If there is any problem at all I bet that will disappear!! Especially as they are going to Port Klang after they leave Singapore.