NCL Pearl Cancelled 07/05/19

[Cindy]

I feel for those of you on board and those of you who are supposed to board Friday. I’ve been through a late cancellation of the Celebrity Millennium, and it stinks!

 

if it were me I would try to get on one of the ships posted — if I had enough time, I would jump on the Koningsdam...those prices are sweet and HAL’s itineraries are awesome! If that doesn’t work see about what’s available in Italy. Probably the last thing I would want to do is fly home right away. So much planning goes into trips overseas. Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have fun making Limoncello out of lemons.

 

If you decide to stay in Rome, I can post some tours/guides that I know are great. Just let me know!

[ColeThornton]

45 minutes ago, Birdie And Sue said:

 

What part of UNFORESEEN do you fail to comprehend?

 

 

Why do you always have to be a tool when you post?

[cruisequeen4ever]

I feel so bad for all affected! It was kind of the person who posted some alternate cruises. I hope most people can change their plans in a way that will still be loads of fun and not cost anymore! 

[Motegi]

So sorry to hear about this.  We just got back from our western med cruise on the NCL Epic a couple weeks ago.  Our ship also had some undisclosed mechanical issue that required a short delay in port mid cruise but we were still able to make all of the ports on the itinerary.

 

For those who are already in Italy, perhaps you could look into either the NCL Epic or any of the European cruise lines like MSC, Aida, Costa, or Tui leaving from any of the European ports.  I’m sure there are plenty of options that would fall within your dates.  

 

Good luck!

 

[Motegi]

18 minutes ago, ronbe65 said:

Last minute alternative:

MSC Cruises • MSC Seaview

Rome/Civitavecchia, Cannes, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, Ajaccio, Genoa, La Spezia, Rome/Civitavecchia

Departure date: Jul 10

 

Cabins are available at the moment.

 

There are a few other options (availability not confirmed).

 

 

 

Exactly,  there are many European cruise lines departing from a variety of ports in the Mediterranean so I’m sure that there will be options available to fit the dates needed.

 

If it were me I would definitely be looking at the options on MSC right now.  

Edited July 2, 2019 by Motegi

[cincicruisers]

So sorry for those dealing with this situation.  It’s more difficult when the cruise is out of the USA.  

[bcorre2]

Our daughter with family were in stop-over in PHL today from SEA when they got the news. Now flying to Rome for a couple pre days as scheduled. Their TA is rescheduling their time with trip to Amalfi Coast but such a disappointment for them with the cancellation of this 13 day NCL Pearl cruise. We've not experienced such problems with 6 Viking Cruises and 2 Tauck Journeys. Would like to hear more about this NCL Pearl problem if anyone can provide details.

Our first cruise was on the NCL Pearl in 2009 Alaska.

[Cruz3r4life]

2 hours ago, Motegi said:

 

Exactly,  there are many European cruise lines departing from a variety of ports in the Mediterranean so I’m sure that there will be options available to fit the dates needed.

 

If it were me I would definitely be looking at the options on MSC right now.  

 I would look at MSC, from what I've heard they honor your Latitude's status with NCL.

[HuliHuli]

6 hours ago, shadow1972 said:

Agreed.  what I don't get is how big is this problem that you can't get it fixed in 3 days.

Let's see - The Pearl is

• 93,530 Gross Register Tonnage
• 965_ft Overall Length
• 125_ft Max Beam
• Built in 2006 and Refurbished in 2017
• Loaded with sophisticated engineering propulsion and technology including two ABB Azipod azimuth thrusters, 3 × Brunvoll bow thrusters, and a complex electric propulsion system.  (https://vesselregister.dnvgl.com/VesselRegister/vesseldetails.html?vesselid=26307)

Clearly it is just not as simple as changing the tires on your Toyota Corolla.

[shadow1972]

8 minutes ago, HuliHuli said:

Let's see - The Pearl is

• 93,530 Gross Register Tonnage
• 965_ft Overall Length
• 125_ft Max Beam
• Built in 2006 and Refurbished in 2017
• Loaded with sophisticated engineering propulsion and technology including two ABB Azipod azimuth thrusters, 3 × Brunvoll bow thrusters, and a complex electric propulsion system.  (https://vesselregister.dnvgl.com/VesselRegister/vesseldetails.html?vesselid=26307)

Clearly it is just not as simple as changing the tires on your Toyota Corolla.

Thank you SO MUCH for explaining that to me.  I would never have guessed that a floating hotel would be more complicated than my Toyota Corrola.  And just to be clear, that was sarcasm in return.

 

My point was that cruise ships have redundancies...at least that's what they keep highlighting during episodes of "Mighty Ships".  I was just commenting that it had to be a very serious problem that they can't get it fixed in 2 or 3 days. 

 

Oh...and clearly you've NEVER been upset or frustrated over a ruined vacation...so thanks so much for the empathy.

[roger001]

1 hour ago, bcorre2 said:

Our daughter with family were in stop-over in PHL today from SEA when they got the news. Now flying to Rome for a couple pre days as scheduled. Their TA is rescheduling their time with trip to Amalfi Coast but such a disappointment for them with the cancellation of this 13 day NCL Pearl cruise. We've not experienced such problems with 6 Viking Cruises and 2 Tauck Journeys. Would like to hear more about this NCL Pearl problem if anyone can provide details.

Our first cruise was on the NCL Pearl in 2009 Alaska.

Spooky.  Ours too.  In fact, got a picture of my wife standing right where you are.   

[HuliHuli]

6 minutes ago, shadow1972 said:

Thank you SO MUCH for explaining that to me.  I would never have guessed that a floating hotel would be more complicated than my Toyota Corrola.  And just to be clear, that was sarcasm in return.

 

My point was that cruise ships have redundancies...at least that's what they keep highlighting during episodes of "Mighty Ships".  I was just commenting that it had to be a very serious problem that they can't get it fixed in 2 or 3 days.  

 

Oh...and clearly you've NEVER been upset or frustrated over a ruined vacation...so thanks so much for the empathy.

"Commenting" that it is a problem that cannot be fixed in a couple of days is quite different from posing it as a question.

 

As a professional aviator I have had to land with as many as two of four engines malfunctioning/failed.  I was thankful for the "redundancies" of my aircraft, but would never take-off with a non-functioning engine.  Just look at what resulted with the Viking Sky cruise ship that had to be evacuated off the coast of Norway when something as simple as low oil levels led to their complete engine failure.

 

And I have cruised where we did not go to any single port of our original 12-day  itinerary so I do understand the frustration.  All affected passengers have been dealt a lousy hand and I hope it does not sour them on taking future cruises!

[luv2c00k]

Sorry for all those affected - those stuck in Barcelona and those on their way or ready to leave for Rome.   I hope you are all able to figure something out that works.      DH and I are scheduled to be on the Spirit in October for a 15 night cruise from Southampton to Venice.    We were just sitting here trying to figure out what we would do if we were in this situation.   

[shadow1972]

12 minutes ago, HuliHuli said:

"Commenting" that it is a problem that cannot be fixed in a couple of days is quite different from posing it as a question.

 

As a professional aviator I have had to land with as many as two of four engines malfunctioning/failed.  I was thankful for the "redundancies" of my aircraft, but would never take-off with a non-functioning engine.  Just look at what resulted with the Viking Sky cruise ship that had to be evacuated off the coast of Norway when something as simple as low oil levels led to their complete engine failure.

 

And I have cruised where we did not go to any single port of our original 12-day  itinerary so I do understand the frustration.  All affected passengers have been dealt a lousy hand and I hope it does not sour them on taking future cruises!

 

Forgive me for using a period instead of a question mark.  I thought that by saying "how big is...." implied the question.  My apologies if that was unclear.

[Sauer-kraut]

You can fly to almost anywhere in Europe from Southampton on cheap airlines.  So fly to Venice, stay a couple of days, train to Croatia or Verona.  Fly to Malta..... lots of possiblities!!

[richstowe]

9 minutes ago, Sauer-kraut said:

You can fly to almost anywhere in Europe from Southampton on cheap airlines.  So fly to Venice, stay a couple of days, train to Croatia or Verona.  Fly to Malta..... lots of possiblities!!

True but don't forget most cruisers are conservative and risk adverse . 

Plus many make pre and post cruise plans which may not be alterable. With suddenly no cruise as the filling in this sandwich , it makes last minute cancellation very hard to plan around . 

Edited July 3, 2019 by richstowe

[shadow1972]

Just now, richstowe said:

True but don't forget most cruisers are conservative and risk adverse . 

Plus many make pre and post cruise plans which may not be alterable. With suddenly no cruise as the

filling in this sandwich , it makes last minute cancellation very hard to plan around . 

 

And let's not forget about budget.  Some travelers may have very little room left on their credit cards after booking this trip.  It could take up to 7 days for the refund to occur.

[lgdesign]

21 minutes ago, luv2c00k said:

We were just sitting here trying to figure out what we would do if we were in this situation.   

 

Something we all need to keep in mind on any vacation.  Things can go very wrong very fast at any time and how effectively you respond can make or break a trip.  As someone mentioned earlier, I would have felt gutted... simply crushed.

 

This is a sad situation for the affected and I feel especially badly for those having already traveled great distances just to find out about the cancellation.

 

Wishing all the best for everyone trying to figure out what to do next... hoping you can all stay as positive as possible and somehow make the best out of a truly awful situation once the shock wears off.

 

 

 

 

[pcakes122]

4 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

Why do you always have to be a tool when you post?

He's baaaaaaack! 🤣😂  You just have to add his new name to the list of his many old user names on your Ignore list. 

Edited July 3, 2019 by pcakes122

[phissy]

1 hour ago, Cruz3r4life said:

 I would look at MSC, from what I've heard they honor your Latitude's status with NCL.

It takes 3-5 weeks for MSC to review NCL status before they will status match. 

[Motegi]

8 minutes ago, phissy said:

It takes 3-5 weeks for MSC to review NCL status before they will status match. 

 

Wow!  Weeks!?!?

 

It took us just a day or two when we did it.  

 

We called them first and then emailed them the NCL Latitudes screenshot.  

 

Even if if you don’t get a status match I would strongly consider MSC options to fill the gap left by the Pearl cancellation.

 

I also think the NCL Epic 7 day western med would be an easy alternative.  Especially since you can embark from Civitavechia or Barcelona. It’s a shorter cruise but it’s still a cruise!

 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2019 by Motegi

[pcakes122]

1 minute ago, Motegi said:

It took us just a day or two when we did it. 

Me, too.

[phissy]

2 minutes ago, Motegi said:

 

Wow!  Weeks!?!?

 

It took us just a day or two when we did it.  

 

We called them first and then emailed them the NCL Latitudes screenshot.  

 

Even if if you don’t get a status match I would strongly consider MSC options to fill the gap left by the pearl.

 

 

 

I Agree.   We just did a MSC cruise end of March , Barcelona 7 day. It was fabulous.  Beat NCL experience by miles.

 Perhaps with the current situation , MSC would have means to grant immediate match when booking. I would highly recommend MSC and ask if they would work with you.

[Cruising89143]

37 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

He's baaaaaaack! 🤣😂  You just have to add his new name to the list of his many old user names on your Ignore list. 

 

Yep. Not usually one to use the ignore list but I’ll make an exception in this case.😉

 

To all of those affected by this mechanical issue I hope that it somehow works out. I feel for those affected. 

[blueslily]

45 minutes ago, shadow1972 said:

 

And let's not forget about budget.  Some travelers may have very little room left on their credit cards after booking this trip.  It could take up to 7 days for the refund to occur.

 

Very sad. I totally understand all the planning involved.  We will be on the Epic in October for a Western Med cruise. This situation and the above comment makes me make sure that included in my planning is a back-up plan, making sure that my pre and post cruise hotels are not non-refundable, and making sure that I pack a couple credit cards that have some wiggle room on them just in case there is a change of plans. This is a very unfortunate situation for all involved, but also can help with future planning. I hope that things get worked out the best they can for everybody involved. Hopefully most folks have a good planner in their party. They can help push past the disappointment and create a Plan B that can be enjoyed. Like grab a last minute deal on the cruises that are trying to fill those last few cabins. Good luck everyone and safe travels!