Norwegian Cruise Line Offers Full Refund for "Construction Zone" Cruise

[Stateroom_Sailor]

1)

3) Will you take another cruise on NCL ?

If they offer a refund along with the future credit, I might consider giving them another try at some point.

 

We cancelled our 4 day Thanksgiving Baja cruise on Carnival, after passengers were advised to fly into evacuation zones, during hurricane Irma. They got to keep our $500 deposit, which covered more than half the cruise, but it was the needle that broke the camels back, after an abysmal prior cruise. Heading into the winter, Carnival started failing multiple safety inspections, and allowed bullies to terrorize a cruise ship in Australia, only intervening to slap passengers around, who filmed the final showdown.

 

I will not do business with a company that does not put passengers healthy and safety as a priority. How can we trust what we eat, drink, and breath on these ships, if a scheme or procrastination saves them a buck? Sure, maybe NCL never tries this exact tactic again, but the principle and nature, will raise it's ugly head again.

 

We've canceled our Japan repo intentions for next year on the Jewel, and will not be seeing Hawaii on the Pride of America. I hope Norwegian saved a lot of money on this Panama Canal cruise, they're going to need it.

[mking8288]

Surely, more can be done by NCL to put this behind their subpar management choice - that, we can pretty agree to disagree.

 

After seeing and checking the (fake ???) news, reports, photos, videos, interviews given by those onboard the Sun's PC sailing - I just don't understand the apologist - cheerleading pom poms. How can anyone dare to question those that were on the ship for 15 days & feel it was okay ... was getting off the ship at the next port stop even an offered option ??

 

Maybe those staying on the lower decks and never venture up to the open decks and/or garden cafe, walk on the promenade and "hid" in their staterooms most of time, had a box full of N95 masks & latex gloves as partial PPE, might be "minimally" affected - still, that is NOT what I think most folks booked a 15 days PC sailing for, even if they got a great/bargain deal and had ultra low expectations. Those spinning tales just don't fly on this type of cruises.

 

You just don't pack your belongings and luggage, walk off the gangway in the morning & find transportation to the airport without making advance arrangements for flights - in a foreign country where there's the possibility of language issues.

 

We're been on NCL sailing in years past, where they left written notices in all the staterooms, advising ALL the passengers of maintenance work being done/scheduled during the cruise, including areas affected, etc. - even for simple tasks like power washing & touch-up painting of lifeboats while on a port stop. These notifications, were, apparently, not given nor done properly even after the passengers boarded the ship & underway.

 

Like the pilot of an commercial airliner, the captain of the ships is fully responsible for the safety, well-being, operations and management of the ship at sea under his command ... sorry, finger pointing Miami HQ isn't fully acceptable in my scorecard. Yes, FDR and Andy S. are ultimately "at fault" but there is plenty of blame to go around and around. I do feel sad for the crew and non-officers on the ship a/k/a "rank and file" as they were equally a captive audience" (hey, that phrase sound familiar, don't it)

 

Feel free to flame. First, agree to disagree.

[newmexicoNita]

Surely, more can be done by NCL to put this behind their subpar management choice - that, we can pretty agree to disagree.

 

After seeing and checking the (fake ???) news, reports, photos, videos, interviews given by those onboard the Sun's PC sailing - I just don't understand the apologist - cheerleading pom poms. How can anyone dare to question those that were on the ship for 15 days & feel it was okay ... was getting off the ship at the next port stop even an offered option ??

 

Maybe those staying on the lower decks and never venture up to the open decks and/or garden cafe, walk on the promenade and "hid" in their staterooms most of time, had a box full of N95 masks & latex gloves as partial PPE, might be "minimally" affected - still, that is NOT what I think most folks booked a 15 days PC sailing for, even if they got a great/bargain deal and had ultra low expectations. Those spinning tales just don't fly on this type of cruises.

 

You just don't pack your belongings and luggage, walk off the gangway in the morning & find transportation to the airport without making advance arrangements for flights - in a foreign country where there's the possibility of language issues.

 

We're been on NCL sailing in years past, where they left written notices in all the staterooms, advising ALL the passengers of maintenance work being done/scheduled during the cruise, including areas affected, etc. - even for simple tasks like power washing & touch-up painting of lifeboats while on a port stop. These notifications, were, apparently, not given nor done properly even after the passengers boarded the ship & underway.

 

Like the pilot of an commercial airliner, the captain of the ships is fully responsible for the safety, well-being, operations and management of the ship at sea under his command ... sorry, finger pointing Miami HQ isn't fully acceptable in my scorecard. Yes, FDR and Andy S. are ultimately "at fault" but there is plenty of blame to go around and around. I do feel sad for the crew and non-officers on the ship a/k/a "rank and file" as they were equally a captive audience" (hey, that phrase sound familiar, don't it)

 

Feel free to flame. First, agree to disagree.

I would never flame anyone who has a different opinion and no one else should either. I do get defensive when people put down those who do give another side of story. there is rarely a totally right or totally wrong answer to any debate. And I too, feel sorry for the crew that had to work under such conditions and listen to those who were so unhappy. Of course the CCO has to accept the majority of the blame. Just like a losing football or baseball team, the bad season does have to fall on their shoulders regardless of who might really be to blame.

 

The one thing I will say is, no matter which side of the news you check or want to believe there is always more to the story than meets the eye and their is the word "sensationalism" which always plays a part in these types of stories. I can say this from experience; my husband spent 50 years in PR and working for the media as well as being a governors and presidential appointee. I know pretty much how the press works.

[LMaxwell]

I would never flame anyone who has a different opinion and no one else should either. I do get defensive when people put down those who do give another side of story. there is rarely a totally right or totally wrong answer to any debate. And I too, feel sorry for the crew that had to work under such conditions and listen to those who were so unhappy. Of course the CCO has to accept the majority of the blame. Just like a losing football or baseball team, the bad season does have to fall on their shoulders regardless of who might really be to blame.

 

The one thing I will say is, no matter which side of the news you check or want to believe there is always more to the story than meets the eye and their is the word "sensationalism" which always plays a part in these types of stories. I can say this from experience; my husband spent 50 years in PR and working for the media as well as being a governors and presidential appointee. I know pretty much how the press works.

 

Also a picture says a thousand words. I’ve seen albums with 150 plus photos from that cruise and no commentary is really necessary. It’s not my position to say something isn’t that bad. I can tell by the photos I would not have paid for that experience.

 

NCL really did not respect their clients time and money by creating such an invasive work zone on a pleasure cruise. I think that’s what is most frustrating here. Did they learn from this? Don’t know. They certainly got hit by it. Will they have this amount of undisclosed work going on in the future? I would hope note but that’s for NCL to say and they have not.

 

Even the most loyal brand enthusiast should be able to say “that looks subpar and is not what people should have received”.

[patannel]

I would never flame anyone who has a different opinion and no one else should either.

 

I know pretty much how the press works.

 

Yes, I do know "how the press works". That's why we had all our social media and documentation started BEFORE we left the ship ! Not an opinion, but truth. Look at the pictures! You can't make this up. I very much am offended by your use of the word FAKE in your first sentence.

[LMaxwell]

Yes, I do know "how the press works". That's why we had all our social media and documentation started BEFORE we left the ship ! Not an opinion, but truth. Look at the pictures! You can't make this up. I very much am offended by your use of the word FAKE in your first sentence.

 

Not only do I applaud your persistence I think people here should stop to thank you because you are really being an advocate for all of us to help ensure that management doesn’t make such a poor decision again.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I can say this from experience; my husband spent 50 years in PR and working for the media as well as being a governors and presidential appointee. I know pretty much how the press works.

 

OOPS!

 

I forgot to have this story filtered through the wife of a PR media / political appointee. Would you be so kind as to break down how we should feel about this situaton?

[zitsky]

What gets me is the chemical exposure. Sure you could tell people to avoid areas under construction, but the chemical fumes, are harder to get away from. The question is, how many parts of the ship were being worked on? Just a few or most of the open areas? :confused:

[newmexicoNita]

Yes, I do know "how the press works". That's why we had all our social media and documentation started BEFORE we left the ship ! Not an opinion, but truth. Look at the pictures! You can't make this up. I very much am offended by your use of the word FAKE in your first sentence.

I you would read all the latest comments just prior to mine you would realize I used the word in relation to another poster using the word. You can think what you want, I could be offended by some of your comments as well, but I am simply saying, I don't think this is the place to judge others, or put someone down because their views might be different from someone elses. Isn't that what I said or maybe you missed that part? Now I think I will leave it there. You continue to put people down that are taking your side, fine. I still will continue to believe there are 2 sides to every story. And yes, I have said over and over I would not have wanted to experience what people on the ship did. I have also said, which is simply the way I handle things, I would have made the best out of a bad situation.

[gambit57]

What media? Doing a google, other than this forum and Canadian media.... I saw little media attention.

 

I'm kinda puzzled why the original threads were closed.

 

I saw it while in Japan. It got around.

[BCSmallTownGirl]

What gets me is the chemical exposure. Sure you could tell people to avoid areas under construction, but the chemical fumes, are harder to get away from. The question is, how many parts of the ship were being worked on? Just a few or most of the open areas? :confused:

The chemical exposure is a major concern, for sure.

But why should there be any major construction on a ship with paying passengers anyways? Minor maintenance and repairs, sure. But not full blown renovation/construction.

The areas being worked on were the 6th, 11th, and 12th decks - all the public outside areas in varying degrees throughout the cruise. The bar and restaurant on the 12th deck were closed for the duration.

[plantlady104]

Always looking to be different than other cruise lines, NCL should begin offering "construction cruises" with discounted fares. Could even advertise that everyone is invited to participate in laying new carpet or sanding wood decks. All supplies will be furnished. Plenty of cruisers who would sign up for the cheap fares. ;p

[emm126]

Yes, I do know "how the press works". That's why we had all our social media and documentation started BEFORE we left the ship ! Not an opinion, but truth. Look at the pictures! You can't make this up. I very much am offended by your use of the word FAKE in your first sentence.

 

Have to say I am very impressed with how you and the other passengers handled this situation. It was horrible and never should have happened. Reading all the posts on here and the posts on your FB account, the one thought that keeps popping into my head is when is it ever the cruise lines fault?? (don't need to hear about the cruisecontract) When I read that you all should have known better to take a cruise before dry dock, so deserved what happened, blows my mind. The Cruise Line, in this case NCL was selling this cruise for months and months, full price from what I understand, they knew what was planned and choose not to tell the guests? NCL should have been upfront, told guest what to expect, given a SBC for the "inconvenience" , explained in detail what was being done, have someone from corporate on board to explain and answer questions, maybe even given out masks to guest. IDK. To be proactive, instead of reactive., did they think no one would notice the construction zone? Someone did a cost analysis of this situation and unfortunately the way it was handled. the guests came out the losers. (what they did to their own employees was worse, IMO)

 

I hope you all get what you want from NCL. If it were me, I would want full refund, yes everything I paid, total cruise amount, air, pre/post hotels. That would make it whole for what happened, If they want me back as a customer 50-100% off a future cruise might do it. Good Luck!

[patannel]

Thank you.

[coffee59]

Not to mention full refund for all medical costs incurred while on the ship. Some cruisers had to visit the doctor and they were charged a high price.

 

Please keep up the heat. You are helping all of us by voicing that passengers will not tolerate being treated so badly.

[DMH15]

I have read many posts about this sad and unfortunate situation.

 

What gets me is that the Sun is my favorite ship and I had two wonderful cruises on that ship with my mother who I lost in October.

 

Had that happened to me on one of those two cruises I would've been so worried about her. She was one of the most upbeat and optimistic people and she really did go with the flow but she was in her 80's and had asthma and other breathing problems. In fact on one of our cruises she got bronchitis and had to disembark in a wheel chair and see the doctor on board as well as in our Athens hotel.

 

To be inconvenienced by construction is one thing. To breathe toxic fumes or have debris that can go into your mouth and eyes is a whole other matter.

 

You can ask to what extent did those people enjoy their cruise and to what extent was their cruise compromised? We all know that stress and anxiety can be a real detriment.

 

It saddens me that this was something that was completely avoidable. It should have never been allowed to happen. Whoever made those decisions at NCL

Corporate is responsible. I feel so badly for those affected.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Always looking to be different than other cruise lines, NCL should begin offering "construction cruises" with discounted fares. Could even advertise that everyone is invited to participate in laying new carpet or sanding wood decks. All supplies will be furnished. Plenty of cruisers who would sign up for the cheap fares. ;p

 

Yeah, it's a themed cruise! You could even add enrichment courses and charge money for them as onboard excursions. When people get fed up with offering free labor, the captain can announce, "I need everyone up on deck. The sooner we get these jobs done, the sooner you'll get full access to a normal cruise again." :cool:

[Shawnino]

Not to mention full refund for all medical costs incurred while on the ship. Some cruisers had to visit the doctor and they were charged a high price.

 

Please keep up the heat. You are helping all of us by voicing that passengers will not tolerate being treated so badly.

 

I'd be worried bout medical expenses after the cruise was over too, sometimes these things take a while to manifest -- but the scary part is how could you ever prove that symptoms presenting later were because of the cruise?

 

Just a horrible situation all the way around.

[plantlady104]

NCL is just another corporate entity that wants to maximize profits, and nothing more. Anyone who thinks they really care about the well-being of the cruiser, is sadly mistaken. Read the passenger cruise contracts! The only thing they are worried about is profit margin and bad publicity. Therefore they will try to do the least they can to mitigate the problem and make it go away. Thats why they started slowly hoping for the best, then increased the benefit to the cruisers because of the increased bad publicity. Even their crafted explanation of "minor inconvenience" is not assuming responsibility nor admitting they made a mistake. The corporate executive who allowed it to happen will get a verbal reprimand from the CEO, and then at the end of year collect his/her big money bonus. As long as people continue to book ships, NCL will just let this get lost in time and memory.

[E@syPe@zy]

1) The 100% future cruise credit you have been offered is it for the base cruise fare or cruise plus port, services fees?

It is the cruise fare only.

 

This is the entire text:

At Norwegian Cruise Line, the travel experience, safety and satisfaction of our guests is of the utmost importance to us. Recently Norwegian Sun underwent enhancements as part of our continuous efforts to ensure that every ship across the fleet delivers a consistently high-quality passenger experience.

 

While we do our utmost to minimize any impact to our guests when these enhancements are being implemented, we do recognize that during a recent sailing, we did not meet the expectations of our guests, nor our own standards,for which we truly apologize.

 

Norwegian Cruise Line is inviting the guests on the March 16th Norwegian Sunvoyage to cruise again and fully experience all that Norwegian has to offerwith a 100% future cruise credit of their cruise fare paid, which can beapplied towards another cruise of their choice from now through March 31, 2023.

 

We realize that this gesture cannot replace their recent experience but do hopeto have the opportunity to welcome them on board again soon.

 

2) Is the credit just for members of your group or can you transfer, trade sell to other people?

I imagine it is non-transferable etc., but it wasn't expressly mentioned in anything I have seen. Not sure if it is just for the individual, or can be used for people in your group or not. It is supposed to appear on our Latitudes ID number as listed on the reservation confirmation. Hopefully someone else will have a definitive answer.

 

The fine print on the first letter (the 25% one) indicted it had no cash value and could not go towards the gov't taxes and fees, airfare, insurance, hotel packages, or any add-ons. It is not combinable (is that even a word?) with cruise credits or fare reduction coupons.

 

3) Will you take another cruise on NCL ?

If they offer a refund along with the future credit, I might consider giving them another try at some point.

So at this point and time you still do not have anything from NCL other than the stock letter that they announced several days ago. I can not believe that at this time you have not received a personal letter stating the amount of your future cruise credit and of course to sign a statement that you give up your rights to any further legal action!?!

Since I was not on the cruise, I can't be absolutely certain, but I'm guessing I would tell them I wanted a REFUND, not a credit. And I would want my port fees and taxes refunded also. Anyone who's taken a Panama Canal cruise knows that your port fees are very expensive.

Another thing that has not been talked about is the open deck areas that were available for the canal crossing. During the canal crossing, the open decks are prime real estate for viewing and with the diminished open areas, I would guess this limited the number of guests drastically that could actually experience this. A Panama Canal cruise is not like your typical Caribbean cruise. You pay high cruise fares to have the experience.

I applaud all of you who are fighting NCL and continue to do so. And I wish you the best of luck in getting a refund and more....you at least deserve that!!

[IluvZ]

We (my DH and I) have been following this story closely since the first FB story broke. As a long time NCL fan, we have been disappointed with the overall direction the line has been taking the last few years under FDR. In fact, we canceled a Haven Suite out of NYC this thanksgiving after the third gratuity change and adding fees to the FREE options (drinks, dinner, etc). But we hadn’t totally dismissed NCL. Until now.

 

I cannot believe NCL would do this on a cruise. They know the hazards associated with the products in renovations. They knew how disruptive these renovations would be to passengers. The captain and all the other staff chose to ignore complaints and not inform passangers about on going work. This is wrong on so many levels. An example of money before people. And as an frequnucruiser, I understand how many of the people on the Sun might not feel comfortable just leaving in a unknown land. Many people cruise because they want to have assistance in foreign countries.

 

Please know that we support all the Sun passages. A 100 credit of the cruise only fare for a future cruise does not adequately compensate people for their “experience”. It also doesn’t take into account all the other actual costs of cruising - port charges, airfare, transportation, etc. In my opinion, this isn’t a fair or honest offer by NCL. While we are fortunate to travel frequently, many people don’t have either the time or funds to make multiple trips per year. NCL knows this but choose to ignore that reality. For us, until NCL demonstrates they care about their passengers, we won’t be back on board.