complaining ??? does it work on NCL

[melika091900]

I was just wondering if anyone has complained to their TA or to NCL directly about the star iten change? and is it worth it to complain? or what you got for complaining ,,,, I dont like to complain since I work in the customer service field, but the only thing that im worried about is the ship breaking before we get on it in jan.

the port changes, i dont care since i like the whole ship experience...

any feedback or stories, let me know, and also did anyone get an email or anything from NCL about the changes???

it sucks when you find out 45 days before sailing,,

thanks , and happy cruising,,

melissa

[shoreguy]

thanks i know what you mean,,,

i didnt want to complain.. i was just wondering if it was worth it,, but hey life happens, and this happens all the time,, in this industry.... , as long as the ship doesnt break im ok,,,, im ready for a good time....

 

 

thanks for responding,

melissa

 

Complaining will do nothing. On the other hand if you in fact a have an issue a reasonable request can and has been acted on by NCL by many members.

 

Expecting different treatment then the 25,000 effected by the azipod problem perhaps unreasonable. If on the other hand you had planned a wedding in one of the dropped ports you might expect different treatment.

 

Asking NCL to restore the ports defies the laws of physics thus unreasonable. Asking for a future cruise credit to cancel and still attend your wedding reasonable.

 

If anyone wants to "complain" and expects a positive outcome make it reasonable and clear what action you are requesting. Five pages of I hated my cruise will find it's way to the "deleted" folder.

 

 

See no flames:D

[melika091900]

I know , i was just wondering if anyone got anything from NCL besides the ship credit,,

its ok,, im ready for a good time no matter what, this happens ,,,,

did you see that video on the Carnival thread ???? about his complaint,, geez that was funny

some people are too picky about everything and would never had a good time no matter what : ) im definetley not like that,,,,, at least ill have enough ship credit for about 2 hours of liquor for my husband ,, hahahahaha

 

thanks for the response shoreguy......

 

melissa

:)

[samtig]

Whether you get blasted on here is irrevelent. We have the right as consumers to have reasonable expectations. A truly reputable company is concerned about making sure the majority of their customers are satisfied and will welcome consumer comments/suggestions. If they don't care what their customers' concerns are, they will eventually go out of business. That doesn't mean all complaints are legitimate nor able to be solved, but it does give the company ideas for improvement in their services if needed. You are paying hard-earned money for your trip so if you feel you have a legitimate complaint, voice it! Communication improves services for all of us.

[melika091900]

it sure does your right,,

i know people on here dont like it when people complain,

but im worried about not going at all,,

like if the whole purpolsion sx fails or whatever...

but hey , im calling my travel company today to see whats going on,,

thanks again for responding

 

melissa

[Don Haynes]

It seems many prefer the new ports over Acapulco anyway. Others have had less time to make changes, I believe NCL announced the changes ten days before the first cruise with the changes. Mechanical problems can prop up at any time, just as the weather is unpredictable.

 

This time its the main thrust bearing on the apizod thats vibrating too much. NCL has slowed the ship so there won't be any more damage. Your cruise should continue but with the changes in the ports. Have a good cruise.

 

Frankly, I don't mind the little problems people bring up to complain about. But when they go overboard I do mind it when they say their entire cruise was ruined, or that they won't ever sail NCL again for a reason that really isn't NCL's fault....

[melika091900]

yes thats true, i will not let it ruin my trip,. last year it happened to us on carnival due to IVAN, and i would sail carnival again in a heartbeat!!! port changes or not,,,

it depends on the person i guess,,

enjoy your cruise also,, coming soon

 

 

 

melissa

[adbnva]

most of the time whatever line u chose the 1st cruise u r n luv with. we have been on 16 cruises (last ncl & not happy campers & they do attack u). we went on a bad princess cruise. i thought food on ncl was not up 2 par, drinks 2 high, bingo 2 high. service was very good sometimes. shows good. cabin small & bed terrible. we liked carnival & celebrity better. we r not snobs. 1 of the best & worst was princess.

[melika091900]

thats so true, we went on celebrity,, great service... !!! but older crowd,, not as fun as carnival.. and the shows were zzzzz boring....

carnival everything was great,,, food ,, entertainment etc,,

depends on where and when and with who i guess, every time could be a different experience, thats why were are trying a different line that weve never been on, just to notice the differences,, i cant wait,,

thanks for responding,

 

melissa

[newmexicoNita]

Melissa, there is a difference between complaining and expecting the impossible. Most of us, even the true NCL loyalists know not everything is perfect and if complaining serves nothing more than a chance to vent it is ok. It's the pure negatives that drive so many crazy and cause some, including myself to get defensive. I feel the same way about all cruises. Life isn't long enough to spend time with constant negativism. As for your question about the Star? If I understand you correctly you are concerned about a couple of things: 1- the itinerary, believe me you aren't missing much by skipping Acapulco but it seem you have the right attitude. It is the entire cruise experience that makes for long time memories, not just a port.

 

2-the ship breaking down before you can even sail: absolutely not, as I understand it and I don't know anything about how ships move through the water, the only problem is how far a ship can travel in this situration. The ship will be fine and so will you.

 

3-did anyone get notified? Well I don't know if you booked via a TA or directly through NCL, but our company was notified as soon as NCL made the decision. That has bee about a week or so ago. my understanding was those who had email addresses and booked through NCL were also notified. When a cruise line develops problems they normally inform every agency and it is up to them to get the word out to client asap. Of course this can not always be done in an hour or day.

 

Hope this helps in some way. NMnita

[immargaret]

I booked the STAR for 2/21 directly with NCL and haven't received notification of the port changes, or on board credit. NCL definitely has our email since they have sent statements and confirmations to the email several times.

 

I'm looking forward to the new ports, since we did the same cruise just a few months ago.

 

I think NCL did the right thing by slowing down the speed of the ship as soon as it could to avoid more damage and definite problems.

 

:)

[melika091900]

youre right all the negativity makes it a negative experience, and i dont think negative at all.....

yeah im worried about it breaking. i know it wont happen ...

and no i was not contacted by NCL yet,,,, which is a bummer,

I got a letter in the mail today from the online company i used for my booking and it said nothing about the ship credit, so im calling on monday to make sure we at least get that...

did you also notice, their prices actually went up after that announcement , no wonder people are booking,,, oh well happy sailing to us,,,, im still ready to go and excited,

 

take care everyone, happy holidays

melissa

[Don Haynes]

.....and no i was not contacted by NCL yet,,,, which is a bummer, I got a letter in the mail today from the online company i used for my booking and it said nothing about the ship credit, so im calling on monday to make sure we at least get that... im still ready to go and excited, melissa

 

If you booked your cruise through an online travel agency, NCL is not going to notify you about the changes. NCL notifies travel agencies, your online agency for an example, and the travel agencies notifies you. From what you wrote, that's exactly what happened in your case.

NCL will only notify passengers that booked through them directly.

Have a great cruise!

[melika091900]

I just got a letter yesterday from my online travel person..

stating the changes, no mention of the ship credit , im calling tomorrow to make sure we get it,,

 

happy sailing ,

melissa

[hotspur]

Frankly, I don't mind the little problems people bring up to complain about. But when they go overboard I do mind it when they say their entire cruise was ruined, or that they won't ever sail NCL again for a reason that really isn't NCL's fault....

Or, worst of all, when they come here and tell everyone else never to sail NCL because of a glitch in their cruise.

[melika091900]

I know , alot of people do that, but not everyone can be satisfied,, example, my husband and I went on celebrity from san fran in 2003,, we loved the service, older crowd, but we loved the service,,,

so for our trip last year we wanted to go from New orleans,, since we had never been, EVERYONE I KNEW THAT HAD CRUISED BEFORE , not on CC but other places,told me ,, carnival is low budget, you wont like it RCCL is better..... WHATEVER I SAY,, CARNIVAL was awesome,, the service, the food the entertainment a+++++...

my point is,,, no one likes the same things , so someone might love something and hate the other,, and then they give the whole cruiseline a bad rep for it,,,,

and as for people saying oh dont go on that cruise line because of,,,,

whatever ,, it might have happened to them ,, but wont happen to someone else,,, you know what i mean,,,

sorry for the long post,, everyone have a great evening

 

melissa

happy sailing

[sandradeen]

They reversed our itinerary on NCL Jewel. I don't suppose they would give us a ship credit for that?

[sjbdtz]

Complaining almost always works, everywhere, if you do it properly.

 

That is, clearly indicate what went wrong, why it was important, what you would like them to do about it, and indicate somehow that you INTEND to use their product / service again (in the case of a cruise...having another one already booked by the time you put in your complaint).

 

This way they know that whatever concessions they make to you (everything they give back to you comes directly out of profit), they'll make up again on your NEXT cruise.

 

I used to run a business, and was called by an irate customer who started off the conversation by saying "I'm NEVER coming back here again", followed immediately by "what? no refund?" I almost laughed in her face.

 

We know (anecdotally) that NCL reads these boards, so voicing your fury and committment never to sail with them again probably isn't the smartest approach.

 

People are human, and the future is unpredictable. This means that things can (and likely will) go wrong.

 

The true mark of an upstanding organization is how they deal with it.

 

I've had two occasions to deal with NCL's customer service, once due to illness acquired onboard (Norwalk), and once due to a few consecutive items where serendipity could have been more evident.

 

They quickly resolved the Norwalk issue very equitably.

 

The second time, I wrote a letter to NCL customer service. About a month later, I called and was told on the phone how they intended to resolve the issue.

 

Since their initial proposal was a little off the mark, I simply told them it was not yet acceptable, and sent them back to the drawing board. Two weeks later, they made an offer which not only met but exceeded my expectations.

 

So 2 out of 2, they've exceeded expectations on resolving the issues. And I didn't have to come onto the board and scream that I'd never use them again.

 

Be reasonable, be clear, be polite, be patient.

 

SJB

[samtig]

We all look at these boards to find out information, the good and not so good about people's experiences. No cruise is absolutely perfect but I have found them all to be wonderful anyway! Each cruise line is different & has it's stronger points, as does each individual ship. This board is a learning tool for cruisers & future cruisers. We try to prepare the best we can for a cruise and once we're on board we don't sweat the small stuff & it's absolutely wonderful! To me, cruising is the best travel dollar spent & the best vacations I've ever had.