Getaway 4/27/19 Transatlantic Shortened by Two Days

[Granny DI]

1 hour ago, dexddd said:

And wasn't that also on a friday later in the day?

I can’t remember the day of the week, but I think our TA called about 3pm as we were literally boarding the plane. No time to panic. TA had it all taken care of by the time we landed three hours later. We thought NCL handled the situation very well.

i must add I knew booking a cruise after a dry dock was RISKY, so I had a plan b&c. We went to plan B and had a wonderful time in SF on NCL’s dime. We don’t like sea days so we were very pleased the number of sea days was shortened.

We were able to take a 14 day British Isle Cruise in a suite with our 50% off savings. 

 

[JerseyCruisers2019]

I'm done with NCL... Never again.   They have completely ruined a vacation we've been planning for 8 months.  The whole point of this itinerary was to visit the D-Day beaches in Normandy and the city of Bruges.  If we knew these were not options, we would have never booked this cruise.  The fact that they won't offer a full refund to those of us who want to cancel the trip, just shows NCL doesn't give a crap about its customers.  I made the mistake of leaving Royal to try NCL, and I've learned my lesson.   

Edited April 20, 2019 by JerseyCruisers2019

[Granny DI]

1 hour ago, dexddd said:

Sorry for you or family impacted by this and having to adjust so late.  We were on trip with grannidi and were already enroute when we saw notice 18 hours before boarding from CC that we were delayed one day.  So for excitement of going on trip becomes logistics mode.

 

From past experience, NCL will refund the two days and up credit to 50% of base fare to be used on future cruise in 12 months with some leeway.

 

That will make about 85% of the folks happy and quiet down.  The cheerleaders will say they didn't have to do anything.  And the insurance people will say you should have insurance.  

 

Bottom line, not right.  Something must indicate they need the extra time and they had to cut this trip or one after.

 

ETA - our trip I could see some of it being due to weather and cut some slack but they were actively working on outside areas for most of the 10 days we were on. Even the spa wasn't open for weeks after our sailing.

I’m assuming we were on the same cruise. I thought it was handled well due to the weather delay causing a schedule problem with the dry dock. Or maybe It didn’t bother us because I had a Plan B. I travel with a notebook with plans A,B and C. 

[erdoran]

The sad thing is, there are a couple of things NCL could and should do out of fairness - they could offer the additional two days accommodations and meals on land, with transfers to location (I’d assume pax choice of London or Southampton) and to airport; they could offer full refund - either of those is SOMETHING, although agreed not the ports you were expecting.

 

Refunding the DSC and UBP/SDP grats, and port charges, are absolute no-brainers.  That is an entitlement that can’t be argued with , and I’m certain they will do that.  

 

The short notice is outrageous.  The no cancellation is outrageous.

[Turtles06]

5 minutes ago, erdoran said:

The sad thing is, there are a couple of things NCL could and should do out of fairness - they could offer the additional two days accommodations and meals on land, with transfers to location (I’d assume pax choice of London or Southampton) and to airport; they could offer full refund - either of those is SOMETHING, although agreed not the ports you were expecting.

 

I'm not on this sailing but I emailed NCL today to tell them very similar things.  The changes are not only last minute, but are so substantial that passengers should be able to cancel without penalty.  Those sailing should get two nights in hotels if they are not flying home immediately, etc.  NCL should cover the full cost of any air changes. 

 

It's outrageous what NCL has done.   As I said in a post above, NCL also needs to hear from those of us not on this cruise, not just the affected passengers. Here are a couple of folks people should email asap:

 

Vivian Ewart
Vice President, Passenger Services
7665 Corporate Center Dr.
Miami, FL 33126
(305) 436-4011
vewart@ncl.com

 

Chief Executive
Andy Stuart
President and Chief Operating Officer
7665 Corporate Center Dr.
Miami, FL 33126
(305) 436-4000
astuart@ncl.com

 

copy Stuart's ass't: asuarez@ncl.com

 

[Montanagirlalways]

i have emailed Ewart, Stuart, and Suarez. Besides missing ports we have to pay for 2 extra nights in hotels-room and board. We have plans for meeting family in England starting the 9th  so we don't have the option to return home earlier then planned. I hope as a group we can get a better response from NCL that shows they really want us as customers, that we are really special people as they say when you stay in the Havens. If not, well then we will know how unspecial we really are.  

[JayS]

I have just received this email from my TA

 

 

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners,

We sincerely apologize for any disappointment experienced as a result of the change of itinerary to Norwegian Getaway's April 27th voyage. 

In addition to the 25% refund previously communicated, as a genuine gesture of concern, we are extending an additional 25% future cruise credit which may be used towards any upcoming sailing with us. The future cruise credit will be valid for 24 months from the date of this letter. Please reference your Getaway reservation number at the time of booking to utilize your future cruise credit.

Additionally, the $300 maximum per person in change fees can be applied to travel costs such as airline, train or hotel fees that have been incurred as a result of the change in the cruise length. Please submit receipts to: https://www.ncl.com/case-submission.

If you have any questions, please contact us at 1-800-327-7030 (Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to midnight ET and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET). For any guests booked outside of the US/Canada please visit www.ncl.com for our local contact information.

We thank you for your continued understanding and look forward to welcoming you on board for an exceptional vacation experience. 

Sincerely,

[luv2kroooz]

So, now they are coming around. You'd think they'd be able to get it right from the start though. Why do they always start with some silly, ridiculous offer?  So according to this, you could get a 25% refund, 25% off a future cruise, plus assuming 2 in a cabin you could have $600 to spend in or around London for 2 nights and then fly home as scheduled. That's a lot better than the initial offer, unless you've spent the last day scrambling to change flights, etc. This is why it is so important for NCL to come out with a solid, fair offer at the front instead of waiting for people to blast them and then back peddling under the pressure. It just gives the impression that they are upping the ante, but only because of the huge pushback from the public.

 

Edited April 20, 2019 by blcruising

[Turtles06]

16 minutes ago, blcruising said:

plus assuming 2 in a cabin you could have $600 to spend in or around London for 2 nights and then fly home as scheduled

 

While this is better than what they initially offered, good luck getting a decent hotel room for two nights in London on such short notice that will leave you much if anything at all for food after that $600.  

 

I agree with you -- why did they need an outcry to agree to give folks something to (help) cover two nights in a hotel when they are cutting the cruise short by two nights?  This isn't rocket science, and this isn't the first time a cruise line has had to deal with something like this.   It's pretty hard to re-generate business goodwill after you've first pissed all over your customers. 

Edited April 20, 2019 by Turtles06

[lanceholt]

19 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

While this is better than what they initially offered, good luck getting a decent hotel room for two nights in London on such short notice that will leave you much if anything at all for food after that $600.  

 

I agree with you -- why did they need an outcry to agree to give folks something to (help) cover two nights in a hotel when they are cutting the cruise short by two nights?  This isn't rocket science, and this isn't the first time a cruise line has had to deal with something like this.   It's pretty hard to re-generate business goodwill after you've first pissed all over your customers. 

You can get a decent hotel in London  for $600 for 2 nights and assuming the OP planned on spending money on both port stops, then that would pay for entertainment and meals.  For example we have a reservation at the Kensington Marriott Hotel London for less than that. 

Time to let the anger go unless you really get something big out of being so outraged all the time.

[philabos]

2 hours ago, mainelycruising said:

Ferries to Cherbourg are from Poole, which can be reached in an hour via National Coach.

There is a Portsmouth - LeHavre Ferry.

Portsmouth only a short train ride from Southampton.

 

https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ferry-routes/ferries-france/portsmouth-le-havre

[smplybcause]

16 minutes ago, lanceholt said:

You can get a decent hotel in London  for $600 for 2 nights and assuming the OP planned on spending money on both port stops, then that would pay for entertainment and meals.  For example we have a reservation at the Kensington Marriott Hotel London for less than that. 

Time to let the anger go unless you really get something big out of being so outraged all the time.

 

The 25% refund for missing 16% of your cruise would also help cover the food costs. I was seriously debating this cruise and with the new offerings a part of me is bummed at missing what would have turned out to be a good deal on the cruise and extra days in London. 

[NLH Arizona]

1 hour ago, blcruising said:

 So according to this, you could get a 25% refund, 25% off a future cruise, plus assuming 2 in a cabin you could have $600 to spend in or around London for 2 nights and then fly home as scheduled. 

 

So they are offering a 25% off a future cruise to many on here who said they would never cruise with them again.  Smart move by NCL, possibly since if the folks won't use them, they are not out one red cent on it.

 

I wish they would have offered the 25% refund, plus all resonable charges for hotel and food for the two days or cost of flight changes for those that don't want to stay the two days, plus reduction of the DSC, UBP and SDP gratuities for the two days and, of course, reimbursement for the port fees on those missed ports.

[erdoran]

3 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

So they are offering a 25% off a future cruise to many on here who said they would never cruise with them again.  Smart move by NCL, possibly since if the folks won't use them, they are not out one red cent on it.

 

I wish they would have offered the 25% refund, plus all resonable charges for hotel and food for the two days or cost of flight changes for those that don't want to stay the two days, plus reduction of the DSC, UBP and SDP gratuities for the two days and, of course, reimbursement for the port fees on those missed ports.

How can they justify NOT refunding port fees for missed ports and DSC/UBP grats for the two missed days?  That is $ they haven’t earned, and since it is per diem, there is no justification for not refunding, wouldn’t you agree?

[vwlmember]

32 minutes ago, lanceholt said:

You can get a decent hotel in London  for $600 for 2 nights and assuming the OP planned on spending money on both port stops, then that would pay for entertainment and meals.  For example we have a reservation at the Kensington Marriott Hotel London for less than that. 

Time to let the anger go unless you really get something big out of being so outraged all the time.

Let's see......our efforts so far have resulted in a second offer. Another crap offer, but movement.  So why should we stop now?  I am not satisfied as I have the reduced airfare perk and they already rescheduled my flight to the 7th even though I asked to stay the two days on my dime. The response was that since they paid for the flights I do not get a say in the rescheduling. As I will not cruise with them ever again the 25% FCC is useless to me. 

[sawsgal]

STILL showing as a 12 day cruise in my profile...oh, and no message there, either.   Thank goodness they felt it critical to ensure that I got the one about the app and the beverage package!

 

Utterly disgusting how they can bombard you with promotional emails in an attempt to lure you to spend extra money but can't be bothered to advise you of something like the shortening of the cruise. 

 

The $300 doesn't help me one iota.  I have a non refundable train ticket to Paris for the day AFTER we were to arrive. Can't leave earlier because of that. 

 

Weather, mechanical issue, I can understand. 

 

Arbitrary decision?  Unacceptable. 

 

Oh, and I asked the representative about the credit for the unused thermal spa days I've paid for....crickets. 

 

Way to value your customers, NCL. 

 

[NLH Arizona]

7 minutes ago, erdoran said:

How can they justify NOT refunding port fees for missed ports and DSC/UBP grats for the two missed days?  That is $ they haven’t earned, and since it is per diem, there is no justification for not refunding, wouldn’t you agree?

I don't know that they aren't refunding port fees or gratuities for two missed days, I was just saying what I thought they should have done overall for the missed days.

 

Why are you trying to allude that I didn't think they should refund them, reducing them since they are UBP/SDP gratuities are already paid means they would give them back?   Do we know if they have or haven't already done this?

 

[smplybcause]

20 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

So they are offering a 25% off a future cruise to many on here who said they would never cruise with them again.  Smart move by NCL, possibly since if the folks won't use them, they are not out one red cent on it.

 

I wish they would have offered the 25% refund, plus all resonable charges for hotel and food for the two days or cost of flight changes for those that don't want to stay the two days, plus reduction of the DSC, UBP and SDP gratuities for the two days and, of course, reimbursement for the port fees on those missed ports.

 

It's the 25% refund they first offered (for missing 16% of the cruise) plus a 25% future cruise credit as well as up to $300pp for either transportation changes or hotels. 

 

As for the port fees and service charge refund... it could be why they offered a higher percent in the refund? But I'd certainly be asking about it. 

[mugtech]

How can the 25% credit be used?  I would use it to book the cheapest cruise available and then not pay anything or show up.  You folks made a basic error when you booked the Getaway on the last cruise before a Dry Dock.  Didn`t you read about what happened previously on the Sun?  I will never book NCL for any Cruise which goes across an ocean now that I know what they will do and how they will compensate when they screw you out of 2 days of your cruise.  Obviously cruising with NCL is like cruising the Caribbean in September, you take a risk at having a changed cruise with inadequate compensation.  No matter where or what time of year, booking with NCL is a roll of the dice.  Has not their past performance warned you?  

[luv2kroooz]

32 minutes ago, mugtech said:

How can the 25% credit be used?  I would use it to book the cheapest cruise available and then not pay anything or show up.  You folks made a basic error when you booked the Getaway on the last cruise before a Dry Dock.  Didn`t you read about what happened previously on the Sun?  I will never book NCL for any Cruise which goes across an ocean now that I know what they will do and how they will compensate when they screw you out of 2 days of your cruise.  Obviously cruising with NCL is like cruising the Caribbean in September, you take a risk at having a changed cruise with inadequate compensation.  No matter where or what time of year, booking with NCL is a roll of the dice.  Has not their past performance warned you?  

These are good points for the most part. Experienced cruisers, like you and me, know the games NCL plays. But, not everyone may be aware if this. I am sure this will be a lesson learned for many of the Getaway cruisers. As for NCL, well, they are evidently very, very slow learners.

 

 

Edited April 20, 2019 by blcruising

[sawsgal]

Shame on me for not knowing this was the last cruise before dry dock!

 

NCL certainly doesn't advertise when ships will be refurbished...perhaps I should spend more time on Cruise Critic!  

[erdoran]

1 hour ago, NLH Arizona said:

I don't know that they aren't refunding port fees or gratuities for two missed days, I was just saying what I thought they should have done overall for the missed days.

 

Why are you trying to allude that I didn't think they should refund them, reducing them since they are UBP/SDP gratuities are already paid means they would give them back?   Do we know if they have or haven't already done this?

 

Nlh, someone upthread asked ncl about these items and was told something like “I don’t know”.  I was surprised because that be automatic. Same thing for unused spa days and even WiFi pkg. 

Edited April 20, 2019 by erdoran

[NLH Arizona]

Just now, erdoran said:

Nlh, someone upthread asked ncl about these items and was told something like “I don’t know”.  I was surprised because that be automatic. 

How do you know they aren't being reimbursed and the person who said "I don't know" just didn't know, since the email about the issue just went out yesterday?   Also, what someone else said has nothing to do with what I posted, but still you alluded to the fact that I didn't think they should be reimbursed.  Have a good day.

[DZcreature]

I am so glad NCL came around with the more reasonable compensation for the shortened cruise. It would have saved the cruisers a lot of stress if they made this offer in the first place. 

 

While the current compensation is better, I still think the short notice given was a terrible thing. Was there ever any real explanation for this last minute change? Did some system breakdown or mechanical problem suddenly occur?

[rabidstoat]

I never realized that the last cruise before the dry dock might be affected. I'm not on this cruise, I'm on the TA out of Orlando on the Epic. But for Thanksgiving I'm on a RCI cruise right after its dry dock. I realized that when I booked and assume there's a fair chance the cruise will be affected. Still seems weird that going into dry dock would be affected, and at the last minute.

 

I wonder if there are any refugees from the canceled Royal Caribbean TA where the crane hit the ship. That would suck, you would start to feel like you're cruise cursed!