Am I being unreasonable?

[david_sobe]

Its perfectly fine to vent.

How do you know the ferry is owned by NCL?  Maybe they just contract it.

It appears nothing was wrong with the ferry and everyone got back to the ship on time.

Believing your statement that NCL owns the ferry or operates it, it made more sense to use the ferry back.  Imagine if the cab broke down and you missed the ship. Just imagine your expenses then. NCL had no obligation to wait for you.  At least if the ferry was delayed, they could notify the ship.

Just trying to get you too see risks you are not realizing.  You put your cruise and expenses at more risk rather than taking back the free ferry that you say is run by the cruise line.

[JamieLogical]

4 minutes ago, mkerewski said:

NCL contracts a free ferry for passengers from the dockyard to St. George

 

They don't contract it anymore. They actually own it now.

[JamieLogical]

3 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Its perfectly fine to vent.

How do you know the ferry is owned by NCL?  Maybe they just contract it.

It appears nothing was wrong with the ferry and everyone got back to the ship on time.

Believing your statement that NCL owns the ferry or operates it, it made more sense to use the ferry back.  Imagine if the cab broke down and you missed the ship. Just imagine your expenses then. NCL had no obligation to wait for you.  At least if the ferry was delayed, they could notify the ship.

Just trying to get you too see risks you are not realizing.  You put your cruise and expenses at more risk rather than taking back the free ferry that you say is run by the cruise line.

 

It genuinely is owned by the cruise line. The OP is right about that. Also, I kind of assumed from the lack of urgency to get back, that this was one of the days docked in Bermuda that was NOT the day the ship was leaving, so there was no real risk of missing the ship? Most of the time, ships are docked in Bermuda for three full days. So you are only under the gun to get back to the ship on time that last day. My impression from the OP was that this was one of the earlier days in port.

 

Edit: Yep, just reread the OP and they say "second day in port". So there would definitely have been no urgency to get back to the ship as it would still be docked overnight.

Edited September 4, 2019 by JamieLogical

[foreverinmyheart]

19 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

It genuinely is owned by the cruise line. The OP is right about that. Also, I kind of assumed from the lack of urgency to get back, that this was one of the days docked in Bermuda that was NOT the day the ship was leaving, so there was no real risk of missing the ship? Most of the time, ships are docked in Bermuda for three full days. So you are only under the gun to get back to the ship on time that last day. My impression from the OP was that this was one of the earlier days in port.

 

Edit: Yep, just reread the OP and they say "second day in port". So there would definitely have been no urgency to get back to the ship as it would still be docked overnight.

Yes, this is correct.  We were not leaving port until the following day so no risk of missing the ship.  But I appreciate your input.

[Peachypooh]

We took an excursion to Atlantis in the Bahamas. It was one of the worst excursions of my life in terms

of heat, crowds, confusion, etc. We left early  at 1:30 pm. The taxis were all lined up and wanted to fill them

($4 pp 10 person capacity) but I convinced one driver to let me pay $40 to just take the two of us back to the ship.

I tipped him extra to make up for the tips he would have gotten with a full cab.

This was not through the ship but if it was I would have done the same thing and

not have asked for a refund. Sometimes stuff happens and

we make a decision based on what is best for ourselves and family.

[MarLieb]

OP, I would have done exactly what you did.  I was once on a ferry in Egypt that had to be evacuated (we had to jump from one ferry to another that pulled up alongside of it) plus DH and DS would have both said - no way, not getting back on the ferry!  That being said, I would have not asked NCL to reimburse us.  It would have been our decision to take a private cab without first hearing what NCL's plans were to get us back to the ship.  Of more concern, to me, would have been the lack of communication between the ship and ferry crew.  But, I'm not surprised.  We were on a NCL Alaska cruise once when NCL put us on a bus for an excursion knowing full well (we found out later) the road to get to the activity was closed due to an accident.  When we finally got to the excursion, it had already been cancelled.  We wasted almost a full day in Juneau.  It all came down to complete lack of communication on NCL's part. 

[PortFees45]

You should have taken the bus. 

[PelicanBill]

Without research the bus is pretty complicated.  Exact change, two routes, almost 2 hours travel time.

 

NCL is pretty stingy about reimbursement on things.

 

I booked an excursion that did not deliver what was described.  It was supposed to be a bus to the popular beach in St. Lucia with chairs and umbrellas included.  They took us to a national park beach, we questioned it, and after a half hour of discussion and phone calls they said oops you are right then took us to another beach that wasn't the beach specified. They tried not to give us chairs and umbrellas and after another half hour wait they provided chairs. We paid for umbrellas.  There was no shopping and very limited food.. nothing like the main beach's many choices. Several of us gave detailed reports on this to the shore desk and they agreed it had changed but not updated in the excursion descriptions and said they'd get back to us on it.  Tried again but nothing. Nothing came of it. In my view they should have refunded 50% of the cost.  But it wasn't enough money to raise an issue with Miami afterward. It was $40 per person so $80.

[Georgia_Peaches]

Yes, I would have arranged my own way back to the ship as well.  I would have no patience for waiting around for them to assess the damage while my vacation time ticked away.  But, like others have suggested, I wouldn't have asked for reimbursement.  I would look at it as one of those hidden costs that sometimes pop up when traveling/vacationing.  And if everything else about the vacation was memorable, done well, fun, then I think I would think twice about letting that one snag leave a "bad taste" in your mouth.  You now have a unique memory of something that happened on a vacation that will likely come up for many years to come.  Remember that time we thought the ferry was going to sink when we were in Bermuda?"  With a happy ending, to boot.

Edited September 4, 2019 by Georgia_Peaches

[phillyguy31]

Just in case you didn't see this....

http://www.royalgazette.com/news/article/20190826/ncl-ferry-returns-after-hitting-reef

[AL3XCruise]

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

It genuinely is owned by the cruise line. The OP is right about that.

 

I believe you are correct the own the vessel (or lease it directly), but I think it is still operated by a subcontractor (Cruiseport Ferry Management Ltd).  I doubt many people know precisely what kind of notification they are required to give to NCL in the event of an incident, nor who NCL passes that information on to.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2019 by AL3XCruise

[foreverinmyheart]

33 minutes ago, phillyguy31 said:

Just in case you didn't see this....

http://www.royalgazette.com/news/article/20190826/ncl-ferry-returns-after-hitting-reef

Thank you!  I had not seen this!

[phillyguy31]

Let's not be too surprised that guest services didn't know about the incident, from what the OP said I'll bet it was less than an hour from the time they got off the ferry to when they got back to the ship. The ferry people were still probably trying to access the damage, so they probably didn't even notify the ship yet and if they did notify the ship it probably didn't guest to the guest services desk yet.  The article also noted that everyone was taken back to the ship aboard another ferry so other than an hour or 2 delay there wasn't a problem with getting back. I totally agree that the OP did the right thing for their child, but should understand that they made that decision before they knew what the final decision was as far as the ferry goes.

[KarlChilders]

1 hour ago, phillyguy31 said:

Just in case you didn't see this....

http://www.royalgazette.com/news/article/20190826/ncl-ferry-returns-after-hitting-reef

and the hardworking press digs up a photo of a ship that left the fleet a decade ago.  LOL

[Oakman58]

While I feel NCL doesn't owe you a reimbursement, under the circumstances (traumatized 9 year old) I think it would have been an excellent good will gesture for NCL to reimburse you.  $60 isn't going to break NCL's back.

[jgreenwo17]

I don't think you are being unreasonable at all.  I would offer you $100 OBC on your next NCL cruise.  You will feel better about them and they will be able to shake you down for your cruise dollars in the future.  Instead, your cruise dollars may be spent with another line willing to take your hard earned cruise dollars.

 

I won't go into it here but I got a similar type of slight with my last cruise with Princess.  It left just enough of a bad taste in my mouth that guess with whom I am cruising next?  (NCL and my first with them).  I don't expect perfection but the little things matter to us.

[ramdoggiesmom]

I absolutely would’ve done what you did! They hit a reef and expected you to wait and then get back on it? NO WAY! That’s like saying “I know your ferry captain is incompetent but it’s free so that’s ok”! Well sorry but it’s not OK. And by the way, NOTHING is free. And yes, I would’ve expected NCL to reimburse me for my trouble. NCL is lucky there were only a few people that needed medical attention. What would you all think if THEY asked NCL to pay for their medical bills? I guess the injured people should’ve just sucked it up and said “that’s ok NCL, I’d be happy to pay for the medical attention I needed because the ferry that YOU own and operate hit a reef”. Before you all get your panties in a bunch let me say I’ve cruised on NCL 15+ times, they are by far my favorite cruise line so I’m not here to just bash NCL. But I personally think in this case, they should’ve bent over backwards to take care of the passengers of the ferry in any way they could. Just sayin.

[AlexandNessa]

OP, I'm sorry this happened to you. One thing I've learned is that Norwegian is very stingy when it comes to gestures of goodwill. Heck, they handed me a bill for 2.40$ because my lamb was over the 35$ entree limit with my platinum plus voucher. We took our butler to Moderno, and they charged me full price for her, nearly 50$, no crew member discount there. But hey, I don't blame you for asking. The worst they could say was no. Too bad they did. 😞

[kitkat343]

I think you absolutely did the right thing by taking the taxi since your child was upset and you needed to get back as easily and as quickly as possible.

 

However, Bermuda is extremely safe, and their public buses are actually really nice.  I think if this had happened somewhere less safe or on the third day where there was a time crunch to get back to the ship, NCL might have been a bit more likely to reimburse you for the taxi.   

[xcell]

You at least tried.

 

No lost, and I'm sure NCL didn't get offended by the request.

 

 

[newmexicoNita]

22 hours ago, foreverinmyheart said:

Let me preface this by saying with all the devastation in the Bahamas - this is really not a big deal at all - I just wanted to get some opinions. 

 

My family of 4 sailed on the July 14-21 sailing of the Escape.   Overall, the cruise was fantastic.  Great food, loved the ship, my kids loved the sports complex and Bermuda was as Gorgeous as ever.  This was my 12th cruise but my first ever on Norwegian.  On our second day in Bermuda we decided to take the complimentary ferry over to St. George. No problems on the ferry ride over and we enjoyed our day at Clearwater Beach.  The ferry ride back, however, was a different story.  My husband stayed downstairs in the air conditioning.  Myself and my two sons ( ages 13 and 9) stayed upstairs in the fresh air.  As we were pulling away from the dock,  apparently we forgot a crew member (people were yelling from the dock) so they went back and picked him up (no big deal).  About 10 minutes later, as we were sailing through a narrow channel, the crew on board started yelling and running through the boat franticially. This all happened so fast but within a few seconds of the yelling, the ferry slammed into a bunch of large rocks on the side of the channel.  It was a very large jolt causing a few passengers to fall out of their seats on to the floor.  I heard later that a few needed medical treatment (but can't confirm that).  The next few minutes were total chaos - crew members running around, kids crying, passengers upset - there was no communication from the crew as to what happened.  After a few minutes the captain came over the speaker to announce that he had to turn the ferry around and head back to St George to access the damage.  By this time, my 9 year old was petrified.  We arrived in St George and they told us that it would take about 20-30 minutes to check the ferry for damage and if it was fit to sail, they would return to dockyard.  There was no way my son was getting back on the ferry, he was anxiety ridden.  So, we exited the ferry and found a local taxi to drive us (shout out to Janis, a special ed school teacher during the year that drives part time in the summer - she was incredible.  She charged us $60 to go from St George to Dockyard which I thought was very reasonable.)  When we got back to our ship, I immediately went to Guest Relations and let them know what happened.  They had no clue that this accident even  happened, which surprised me because it was a Norwegian owned ferry, I assumed they had called ahead and notified the ship).  I explained my situation and asked to be refunded the $60.00 that I paid for a taxi.  I was told they would contact me in my stateroom.  While I was there, a few other passengers from the ferry were also complaining.  I went on with the rest of my cruise and on the last day I received a letter in my stateroom saying I needed to contact their corporate guest relations office in Miami when I got off the cruise.  There was no phone number, just a website that asked me to submit a claim which I did on the day I got back from the ship (July 21).  I just now heard from them via email (over 6 weeks later) basically stating that they will not refund the $60.00.   Again, in the grand scheme of things, it did not ruin our cruise but did cause some anxiety, especially for my son.  It does, however leave a bad taste in my mouth towards Norwegian.  I feel like they could have done something, even a $25 OBC or a bottle of wine to the stateroom the day that it happened.  If you were me, would you call the corporate number and complain again or just drop it?  It annoys me enough to never sail Norwegian again just because of the lack of customer service.   Thanks for allowing me to rant. 

 

***edited to ad - Janis was kind enough to give us a hand written receipt so that there was some proof of payment, which we gave to the guest relations desk**

understand your rant, but also have to say, I would just drop it. Things do happen, I don't know for sure, but I don't think the ferry is owned by NCL (I could be wrong) so even though the passengers were NCL cruisers this wan not an NCL problem. You said you had a wonderful cruise anyway so just keep the good memories in your memory bank and let the one incident drop. Again, it is fine that you rant. We all have to from time to rime.

[newmexicoNita]

21 hours ago, foreverinmyheart said:

Thanks for your input and perspective. 

Let me quickly tell you about an experience we had on our last NCL cruise: we took an NCL sponsored excursion. It was a huge disappointment but we rolled with the punches until the last part. We were to be picked up outside a resort at a certain time and were told to be sure to be there as the van driver would not be able to wait for us: we were all there, no van; no place to sit; no shade and lots of heat. About 1/2 later van shows up. The explanation, as they drop off another group was they were waiting for one person that ended up being a NO SHOW> End of story, one of the couples in our group went to the shore excursion desk and complained about the wait in the heat. We were given a full refund on the cost of the excursion. My point is: if there is a good reason for a refund or whatever NCL will come through. Remember we did not even ask for the refund, I guess the couple who spoke to the tour desk managed to get the refund for all of us. There was another time, when NCL did not come through. I won't go into that one, but it had to do with the spa. It left such a bad taste in my mouth, we have never even thought of using a ship spa since then. I am not about to give them my money. 

[beerman2]

OP you did what was right by your son/family. Yes hidden expenses do come up on land/cruise vacations. Chalk it up to this was one of those.

 

Tp posters suggesting taking the bus, think about it the OP's child was already having issues getting on another ferry. Do you really think a 2 hour bus ride would have helped the child's anxiety? I'm thinking that would have only escalated his anxiety.

 

The best /quickest solution was the OP taking a taxi and getting her son in a more relaxed atmosphere.

[deliver42]

I think at this point, I would let it go. Very sorry for anxiety your son suffered, and understandable. You did all the right things to help, and get a lot of praise for that. As far as NCL's response, it stinks, but it is what it is.

[Markanddonna]

23 hours ago, Outerdog said:

Can't read.

 

Paragraphs next time, please.

 

Paragraphs are our friends.