Long time lurker, first post. Bad experience with NCL

[Birdie And Sue]

12 hours ago, John In MD said:

I would assume such "scheduled maintenance" is something they would schedule better than a year in advance.

You know what they say about assumptions right?  Just because they had to schedule maintenance during the time frame of your cruise does not mean they knew ahead of time they were going to need to do so.

[smplybcause]

2 hours ago, Son of a son of a ... said:

Resorts do not close unexpectedly for a month for maintenance. 

 

They usually don't close the whole resort, but they definitely close parts and often don't let anyone know until it closes. I used to work at Disney and they give no prior notice when a ride is closing for maintenance. Many people don't know the ride they really wanted to go on is closed until they show up. For their water parks they close the whole water park once a year for a few months - I've seen announcements somewhat in advance of the closures by a few months but like cruises most people plan it years in advance. 

 

Unfortunately cruise ships can't just close parts of the ship for maintenance due to marine law requiring a dry dock (though I think even if it didn't require it they'd need to take it out of the water periodically anyways). 

[Joshthedog]

After an hour on hold we switched from the 5/9 sailing to the 6/6 sailing. The NCL rep said the POA is being completely refit on the inside from top to bottom.

[Cindy]

The POA was my second booking with NCL and my second cancellation! You might want to run if you see me on one of your roll calls!😂 I swore at the time of the first cancellation I would never give NCL another chance, but here I am! It’s those darn PVSA and Hawaii rules! FWIW, the “compensation” for this cancellation is much better than the last cancellation (for the Jade in 2016).

 

I’m not as angry as some, but I still had a very long, frustrating afternoon yesterday. I was able to get rebooked, reschedule all my  shore excursions, and had a great experience moving the date for my non-refundable hotel. Thank you Outrigger Reef for being understanding and not lecturing me about the rules. I really wasn’t in the mood! I had to pay a little more because we’re now staying on a holiday weekend, but that was minimal in the whole scheme of things.

 

Where I’m still struggling is with my husband’s airfare. We used miles to purchase his ticket, and the number of miles required has gone up 50%! We don’t have enough, unless we put him in Evonomy for the flight over while I sit up front! That would be just plain mean, so it looks like we’re going to have to buy half his ticket so we can sit together. I have good independent insurance, but I’m not sure what, if any, of our additional costs would be covered. Pretty sure it wouldn’t cover a first-class airline ticket!🙄 I still need to call the insurance company, but I’m waiting until we have some resolution on DH’s air.

 

My other big frustration was lack of availability for the cabin type I originally booked (an aft-facing balcony). We looked at every date for two months, and they’re all sold out.😢 It doesn’t seem quite right that I can only be price protected on one of those cabins until October 3 — after that I have to pay the going rate. That’s where I think Norwegian could do a better job...it would be nice to have a longer window to be price protected. I’m not asking for, nor do I expect a huge amount of compensation, but to me the price protection window seems short for a cruise that many people plan and book much farther in advance than they ordinarily would. It can take time to make all the puzzle parts fit! Knowing my luck, a B1 balcony will open up on October 4th. It would be nice not to have to pay more since I wasn’t the one who needed to move to a different cruise.

 

I’d like to see compensation that (within reason) made people whole over and above air change fees. I’m not sure what would be fair, but I do know this is an expensive cruise with equally expensive arrangements and great travel distances involved for most. My plane ticket only went up $110, but it would be nice to not have to pay that since I wasn’t the one who wanted to change the date. Many people’s airfare has gone up $1,000! They’re kind of stuck. What if they were already traveling on the only dates they could in 2020?  In my conversations with a rep at the redeployment number (great guy — super patient and helpful) I found the rules to be very inflexible and not really reflective of the fact that many people on the POA cruises buy air and make shore plans far in advance.  

 

I will say I appreciate NCL protecting the perks we booked with (although the Take All Perks promo seems to not have an end date, ever). We didn’t even get that when my cruise for 2016 got cancelled. We could either sail a whole year early or...nothing. They waved good-bye and I responded with a less friendly gesture! My only other cancellation was a Celebrity sailing in 2013. We got air change reimbursement and a 25% FCC, but no price protection and when I asked about perks I practically got laughed out of town.

 

So anyway, I’m interested in hearing what people’s experiences are with rebooking or making alternate plans. If you’re sailing April 11 and you cancel an aft balcony, would you please let me know?😀☺️

[tomk3212]

We got a similar notice from Ms. Ewart  last May one week before sailing that our TA cruise was being cut from 12 days to 10 for the same reason: Getaway was going into dry dock early for scheduled maintenance.  I thought our experience sucked big-time but yours is a LOT worse! VERY VERY sorry for you!!

 

During our TA cruise aboard Getaway I asked one of the senior officers privately after a Q&A session how NCL could do this to its pax?  He explained that if a ship is scheduled for maintenance but the dry dock becomes available earlier the ship MUST be brought in earlier.  Also, as he explained to me, there are VERY large financial considerations involved.  He wouldn't go into detail but I'm not surprised.

 

As several other posters have stated PoA is unique as a USA-flagged vessel & crew so NCL just can't move another ship in to take its place.  Also I wouldn't be surprised if there are USA-specific regulations re: dry docking/scheduled maintenance that NCL has to follow with PoA.  So if the schedule of the dry dock facility changed then NCL would have to change PoA's schedule also.

 

As I stated above I REALLY feel bad for you, having "been there, done that" myself but on a MUCH lower level of suckiness.  I hope things work out to your satisfaction!

Edited September 12, 2019 by tomk3212

[SouthLyonCruiser]

Three words for the future; independent travel insurance.

[nwcruiselover]

Has anyone heard whether this will affect the 5/30/2020 sailing of POA?  It isn’t listed on the letter OP posted, but it’s also not available to be booked.  Just wondering because I have friends booked on that sailing.

[MizDemeanor]

3 hours ago, Joshthedog said:

After an hour on hold we switched from the 5/9 sailing to the 6/6 sailing. The NCL rep said the POA is being completely refit on the inside from top to bottom.

 

This sounds like a win to me!

[Georgia_Peaches]

Maybe I missed it, but I am just curious as to why you have already purchased airfare for a 2020 cruise.  Sorry about the cancellation, BTW.

[Joshthedog]

13 hours ago, nwcruiselover said:

Has anyone heard whether this will affect the 5/30/2020 sailing of POA?  It isn’t listed on the letter OP posted, but it’s also not available to be booked.  Just wondering because I have friends booked on that sailing.

Yes, that sailing is cancelled also. First sailing after dry dock is 6/6/20.

[erdoran]

12 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Maybe I missed it, but I am just curious as to why you have already purchased airfare for a 2020 cruise.  Sorry about the cancellation, BTW.

Why not purchase airfare?  I bought mine over a month ago for my June, 2020 cruise.  Sometimes (especially using miles) it’s smartest to buy it as soon as you can.

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, erdoran said:

Why not purchase airfare?  I bought mine over a month ago for my June, 2020 cruise.  Sometimes (especially using miles) it’s smartest to buy it as soon as you can.

In my experience, fares that far in advance are more expensive than they are around 8 weeks from departure. And when cruising...anything can happen.  In the OP's situation, his cruise was unexpectedly cancelled and he now has pricey tickets that he has to deal with.   

[Starry Eyes]

Well, as others have pointed out, other cruiselines also cancel cruises.  I’m on the Royal Caribbean boards and see it regularly...maintenance and charter cancellations are regular occurrences.   That it never happened to the OP on that line was a blessing, because Royal Caribbean typically does not seem to price protect many replacement cruises at all, so those either do not work and/or quickly fill.  I hope the new new date works out; I think they should buy insurance, especially for the first cruise after drydock and after this issue.  

 

My NCL-A experience was over a decade ago. While I enjoyed it, it was very different than other cruises.  The American crew had a different work style and work ethic than any other crew we had encountered.  Maybe that has changed now that they are down to one ship.  Or maybe not.  So best to just enjoy the experience, not compare it to other cruises.

 

 

 

[Peachypooh]

14 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Maybe I missed it, but I am just curious as to why you have already purchased airfare for a 2020 cruise.  Sorry about the cancellation, BTW.

I sometimes book way in advance. We like to fly first class and in our case for an April 2020  trip first class was only

$150 more per ticket than coach. So we grabbed it. I wouldn't have done that if it was the usual $500

difference in fare that it usually is leaving from our airport.

[cruisetheworld67]

On 9/12/2019 at 9:19 AM, RedwingHockeyFan said:

You have had "mostly" good experiences with Royal so I assume there were some bad experiences.  This was supposed to be your first cruise with NCL which you weren't able to go on and experience at all but because of this one bad experience you won't try NCL again?

LOL!!   Seriously?  This isn't  some  "small"  mistake like screwing up OBC. 

 

He  shouldn't "try  NCL"  again. There are plenty of other cruise lines and  other vacations he can take. He doesn't need NCl.

But NCL  does need him.  I would never cruise ncl  again.  Screw  'em!

[mjkacmom]

55 minutes ago, cruisetheworld67 said:

LOL!!   Seriously?  This isn't  some  "small"  mistake like screwing up OBC. 

 

He  shouldn't "try  NCL"  again. There are plenty of other cruise lines and  other vacations he can take. He doesn't need NCl.

But NCL  does need him.  I would never cruise ncl  again.  Screw  'em!

But other lines do the same thing, cancel cruise for maintenance and charters. This is why it is never a good idea to purchase non refundable hotels and flights outside of 6 months (and even then cancellations happen due to emergency maintenance or weather. It’s the industry. 

[Son of a son of a ...]

15 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

But other lines do the same thing, cancel cruise for maintenance and charters. This is why it is never a good idea to purchase non refundable hotels and flights outside of 6 months (and even then cancellations happen due to emergency maintenance or weather. It’s the industry. 

 

Hence ... risk adverse travelers will avoid cruising

[beerman2]

1 hour ago, cruisetheworld67 said:

LOL!!   Seriously?  This isn't  some  "small"  mistake like screwing up OBC. 

 

He  shouldn't "try  NCL"  again. There are plenty of other cruise lines and  other vacations he can take. He doesn't need NCl.

But NCL  does need him.  I would never cruise ncl  again.  Screw  'em!

"But NCL does need him". Not really , but if one thinks they are more important than the next person, that paints another picture.

 

I believe most cruise lines are doing quite well. A few pax changing isn't going to change anything.

[jskinsd]

On 9/12/2019 at 3:26 AM, newmexicoNita said:

I fully understand your disappointment. But remember, unless you are locked into those dates, 20 years from now you will have wonderful memories of your anniversary cruise regardless of the dates you sail and the Jewel is a super nice ship. There must be a reason they are doing this, normally if it was simple maintenance they would not have abruptly change the plans. None of us have any idea why these things happen but they do. If it were me, I would choose any other date. They are offering several choices at least. 

You have no idea what this person is going though.  And to try to sugar coat this with niceness and you should try to understand is ridiculous.  NCL make bad decisions.  

[newmexicoNita]

2 hours ago, Starry Eyes said:

Well, as others have pointed out, other cruiselines also cancel cruises.  I’m on the Royal Caribbean boards and see it regularly...maintenance and charter cancellations are regular occurrences.   That it never happened to the OP on that line was a blessing, because Royal Caribbean typically does not seem to price protect many replacement cruises at all, so those either do not work and/or quickly fill.  I hope the new new date works out; I think they should buy insurance, especially for the first cruise after drydock and after this issue.  

 

My NCL-A experience was over a decade ago. While I enjoyed it, it was very different than other cruises.  The American crew had a different work style and work ethic than any other crew we had encountered.  Maybe that has changed now that they are down to one ship.  Or maybe not.  So best to just enjoy the experience, not compare it to other cruises.

 

 

 

You are right about the work ethics but remember there is only one American flagged ship in the NCL fleet and they are the only company that has a Hawaiian only ship: one that starts and ends in Hawaii You would get a totally different feeling about NCL from just a sailing on an American flagged ship with primarily American crew and staff. 

Now that I read your post over, it seems you cruised when they did still have 2 ships in Hawaii. I have never desired to do an NCL Hawaiian cruise; for m any reasons. 

[Son of a son of a ...]

34 minutes ago, beerman2 said:

I believe most cruise lines are doing quite well. A few pax changing isn't going to change anything.

 

To fulfill industry projections, they need 1.5 million more passengers to sail in 2019.  There are 18 new cruise ships entering service this year ... basically as if NCL doubled.  Source: https://cruising.org/news-and-research/research/2018/december/2019-state-of-the-industry

 

Assume the average capacity is 3,000.  18 ships sailing 7-day cruises is 468 cruises a year, which is approximately 1.4 million individual bookings.  

 

The industry needs every one of those passengers because the music is going to stop soon and there is going to be a shakeout.

[AshleyDillo]

21 hours ago, Cindy said:

I have good independent insurance, but I’m not sure what, if any, of our additional costs would be covered. Pretty sure it wouldn’t cover a first-class airline ticket!🙄 I still need to call the insurance company, but I’m waiting until we have some resolution on DH’s air.

 

They really will only indemnify you for what your loss is -- if the airline issues you credit, they consider that the same as if you got a full cash refund.  You have to look under your policy's trip cancellation coverage for the coverage limits.  There is sometimes cash compensation for loss of loyalty/airline points.  Not every policy is written the same.

 

One thing to ask your insurance company is if you will have to buy a new policy if you claim against the trip cancellation coverage.  It may be more beneficial for you to not claim your out of pocket additional flight expenses and then transfer your policy to the new trip.  

[phillyguy31]

2 hours ago, Peachypooh said:

I sometimes book way in advance. We like to fly first class and in our case for an April 2020  trip first class was only

$150 more per ticket than coach. So we grabbed it. I wouldn't have done that if it was the usual $500

difference in fare that it usually is leaving from our airport.

We just book air for our June 2020 cruise. Why the price is right and if I gamble I could lose a lot of money. I was watching airfare for a while and the most I have seen it was $100.00 cheaper but then I also saw it go up well over 300.00 more. So if it goes down it won't be as much as if it goes up. Regardless what if something happens...That's why I buy travel insurance!

[newmexicoNita]

20 minutes ago, Son of a son of a ... said:

 

To fulfill industry projections, they need 1.5 million more passengers to sail in 2019.  There are 18 new cruise ships entering service this year ... basically as if NCL doubled.  Source: https://cruising.org/news-and-research/research/2018/december/2019-state-of-the-industry

 

Assume the average capacity is 3,000.  18 ships sailing 7-day cruises is 468 cruises a year, which is approximately 1.4 million individual bookings.  

 

The industry needs every one of those passengers because the music is going to stop soon and there is going to be a shakeout.

this is more in response to your comment about NCL being in financial trouble: If it is so bad for them how come their stock is doing better this year than their competitors? Can you explain that one?

[newmexicoNita]

49 minutes ago, jskinsd said:

You have no idea what this person is going though.  And to try to sugar coat this with niceness and you should try to understand is ridiculous.  NCL make bad decisions.  

There are two types of people on this earth, well maybe more than 2, but the 2 main ones are those who roll with the punches most of the time and the ones that cry, cry, cry. I am not saying the OP is cry baby by any means. He has every right to be upset and he is not the only one who is upset, but there the fact still remains, there are options. and the best way to adjust is to remember, in life with will be a disappointment that will not really make a difference in life. He does have options and I am sure he will find one. 

 

I do understand, much better than you do, that is for sure. The guy vented, no one blames him but that is the end or should be the end. You say NCL makes bad choices, no one is going to argue about that. Show me a company or an individual that does not make bad choices.