Subsitute Port Stop - stores & museums closed

[MIT72]

We are booked to sail on NCL's Star on Dec 6. As a result of a "mechanical issue" that NCL refuses to divulge, NCL cancelled port stops in Colombia and substituted George Town, Grand Cayman and Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. We tried unsuccessfully to get a full refund, because we wonder how safe the ship will be and because we are not interested in either of those two ports. Assuming the US Coast Guard finds the Star to be seaworthy, we plan to board the ship rather than forfeit all of our money.

 

Today I decided to check to see if NCL was offering any excursions in George Town or Puerto Limon. Answer - abolutely nothing. To make matters worse, when I checked to see what there was to do in George Town, I learned that the shops and museums will all be closed on the day we are in port - Sunday.

[NLH Arizona]

7 minutes ago, MIT72 said:

We are booked to sail on NCL's Star on Dec 6. As a result of a "mechanical issue" that NCL refuses to divulge, NCL cancelled port stops in Colombia and substituted George Town, Grand Cayman and Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. We tried unsuccessfully to get a full refund, because we wonder how safe the ship will be and because we are not interested in either of those two ports. Assuming the US Coast Guard finds the Star to be seaworthy, we plan to board the ship rather than forfeit all of our money.

 

Today I decided to check to see if NCL was offering any excursions in George Town or Puerto Limon. Answer - abolutely nothing. To make matters worse, when I checked to see what there was to do in George Town, I learned that the shops and museums will all be closed on the day we are in port - Sunday.

Stay on the ship and relax or search the internet for local tour companies.

 

I'm sure you are thankful not to be going to Columbia with all the violent protests going on there.

[hallux]

10 minutes ago, MIT72 said:

because we wonder how safe the ship will be

If the ship wasn't safe, they would have cancelled the cruise completely.  There are a few threads related to this issue, I believe the consensus is that the issue is a malfunction with an engine on a recent cruise.  This is not a direct propulsion issue (the engines generate electricity that then power the propulsion motors), but because the ship is down one generator she can't make the speed needed to reach those ports and keep the itinerary.

[ColeThornton]

https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/port/Grand-Cayman-Excursions

 

 

https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/port/Puerto-Limon-Shore-Excursions

[www3traveler]

I just check a website that gives the speed of ships.  At the moment The Star is running at 20.6 knots.  I  think full speed is 22 knots.

 

She is fine.  She had a problem with one of the diesel generators (she has 4 diesel generators) providing power to the ship.  I would not have a qualm at all about sailing on Her.

[MIT72]

Thank you. Then why did NCL have to cancel the original port stops if she has sufficient speed? Does she lack maneuverability? That could be an issue with all of the port stops and for safety.

[Homosassa]

1 hour ago, MIT72 said:

 

 

Today I decided to check to see if NCL was offering any excursions in George Town or Puerto Limon. Answer - abolutely nothing. To make matters worse, when I checked to see what there was to do in George Town, I learned that the shops and museums will all be closed on the day we are in port - Sunday.

 

Wait until you are on board ship.  Excursions will probably be available if NCL can scramble and arrange them.

 

In any case, the ocean will still be open on Sunday in Grand Cayman and that is what most of the excursions are usually for (Stings Ray City, snorkeling, turtle farm, etc).

 

Puerto Limon  is a great port stop that will give you the opportunity to visit some of the natural beauty of the country. 

[www3traveler]

5 minutes ago, MIT72 said:

Thank you. Then why did NCL have to cancel the original port stops if she has sufficient speed? Does she lack maneuverability? That could be an issue with all of the port stops and for safety.

At the time those decisions were made, She was not running as She is now.  According to Senior staff on board She is fine.

[MNcruisingcouple]

Grand Cayman is one of our favorites.  Get a local tour operator to do a combination of Stingray City, Starfish Cove, and snorkeling.  In our group of nine, even inexperience or non-snorkelers agreed that this was their favorite excursion.

[MIT72]

Thank you for your suggestions. We are elderly and have been snorkling many times all around the world and did not plan to get in the water. My husband in his youth was a scuba instructor. We picked the specific cruise because of the more unusual ports offered. We had not been through the Panama Canal and were looking for ports that weren't the usual Caribbean Islands.

[MIT72]

18 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

At the time those decisions were made, She was not running as She is now.  According to Senior staff on board She is fine.

If the ship is running fine now, why can't NCL revert to the originally scheduled port stops? Does the ship still have a maneuverability problem?

  We picked the specific itinerary for the port stops. We were looking for a cruise through the Panama Canal and had been to most of the Mexican ports and numerous Caribbean Islands. The itinerary was not one that repeated week after week after week, with the same ports. 

  Failure to disclose information just breeds speculation and problems. While I was working and given training on communicating with the public during a crisis, I was taught to provide all the facts available and to be responsive. NCL seems is very unresponsive and that makes me feel completely unvalued as a customer.

  NCL has many competitors and I know that Holland America is much more responsive to passenger issues. We sailed with Costa once (before the Concordia disaster) and based on that experience decided never to use that cruise line again - is has well over a decade and we haven't. We generally prefer smaller ships - Hurtigruten, Star Clippers, etc, but wanted a larger ship experience going through the Panama Canal. When Windstar changed a Costa Rica itinerary we booked to go through the Panama Canal, they gave us a full refund. 

[mugtech]

3 hours ago, NLH Arizona said:

I'm sure you are thankful not to be going to Columbia with all the violent protests going on there.

I'm thankful I'm not going to Colombia, even more thankful I'm not on the Star.

[smplybcause]

1 hour ago, MIT72 said:

While I was working and given training on communicating with the public during a crisis, I was taught to provide all the facts available and to be responsive.

 

Where were you taught that? Every company I've worked for always figures out what they need to say and what they wasnt to say. No large corporation gives out more information than they deem necessary. 

[tallnthensome]

3 hours ago, NLH Arizona said:

Stay on the ship and relax or search the internet for local tour companies.

 

I'm sure you are thankful not to be going to Columbia with all the violent protests going on there.

That’s mostly in Bogota now with little going on in Cartagena now .... I’d be upset not going there. We loved it ....

[Paul Bogle]

4 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

That’s mostly in Bogota now with little going on in Cartagena now .... I’d be upset not going there. We loved it ....

 

I get that and I get the op's disappointment but....they booked a Panama Canal crossing and they are getting it. We all know ports are not guaranteed. I'm sure the reason GC and CR were substituted for Cartagena was not to irritate passengers or milk a few bucks from them. 

[Paul Bogle]

Museums closed? Really? on a mass market cruise?

 

I understand disappointment. I love museums and I'm old. I just have little sympathy for what is clearly whining. 

 

Stick with the lines you listed or spend the money for cancel for any reason insurance. You have options.

[MIT72]

2 minutes ago, Paul Bogle said:

Museums closed? Really? on a mass market cruise?

 

I understand disappointment. I love museums and I'm old. I just have little sympathy for what is clearly whining. 

 

Stick with the lines you listed or spend the money for cancel for any reason insurance. You have options.

I do not considerate whining to complain about not getting what I paid for. The issue here is not weather or a natural disaster or illness - it is a "mechanical issue".  I had options on how to sail through the Panama Canal and I picked a specific itinerary and the problem here is NCL refusing to communicate or be flexible with its customers, when it is not in a position to deliver what teh customers purchased. They  may have all kinds of boiler plate terms, but they also do a terrible job of customer relations.

[Paul Bogle]

Just now, MIT72 said:

I do not considerate whining to complain about not getting what I paid for. The issue here is not weather or a natural disaster or illness - it is a "mechanical issue".  I had options on how to sail through the Panama Canal and I picked a specific itinerary and the problem here is NCL refusing to communicate or be flexible with its customers, when it is not in a position to deliver what teh customers purchased. They  may have all kinds of boiler plate terms, but they also do a terrible job of customer relations.

 

In 6C of the contract of carriage you agreed to exactly what has happened to you. You Agreed

 

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/NCL_Guest_Ticket_Contract_041818.pdf

[MIT72]

Just now, MNcruisingcouple said:

 

Click the link to the cruise contract that you agreed to.  Applicable section quoted below. 

 

6 (c) Itinerary Deviation: The Guest agrees that the Carrier has the sole discretion and liberty to direct the movements of the vessel, including the rights to: proceed without pilots and tow, and assist other vessels in all situations; deviate from the purchased voyage or the normal course for any purpose, including, without limitation, in the interest of Guests or of the vessel, or to save life or property; put in at any unscheduled or unadvertised port; cancel any scheduled call at any port for any reason and at any time before, during or after sailing of the vessel; omit, advance or delay landing at any scheduled or advertised port; return to port of embarkation or to any port previously visited if the Carrier deems it prudent to do so; substitute another vessel or port(s) of call without prior notice and without incurring any liability to the Guest on account thereof for any loss, damage or delay whatsoever, whether consequential or otherwise.

But when a cruise line invokes this clause too many times and without explanation of why (in this case just vague "mechanical issues") the company will lose customers. The old saying that it is much easier to keep a customer than to get a new one is true, but NCL clearly doesn't believe that.

[tallnthensome]

28 minutes ago, Paul Bogle said:

 

I get that and I get the op's disappointment but....they booked a Panama Canal crossing and they are getting it. We all know ports are not guaranteed. I'm sure the reason GC and CR were substituted for Cartagena was not to irritate passengers or milk a few bucks from them. 

I agree. We sailed the Bliss for 15 days in April on a full Panama Canal transit and had three itinerary changes before we left. Luckily Cartagena was kept on the itinerary. 

[FLcruisergrl]

I don’t think the info about shops being closed in Grand Cayman on a random Sunday is accurate. Shop owner’s wouldn’t give up that revenue. From my experience, the only day that would be accurate is Christmas Day, potentially New Year’s Day.

[gatour]

3 hours ago, MIT72 said:

But when a cruise line invokes this clause too many times and without explanation of why (in this case just vague "mechanical issues") the company will lose customers. The old saying that it is much easier to keep a customer than to get a new one is true, but NCL clearly doesn't believe that.

To avoid future disappointment then you will want to avoid all of the Carnival Cruise lines (Carnival, Princess, HAL and probably Cunard) then include RCCL lines  (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Azamara).  Changing itineraries due to non-acknowledged or even acknowledged propulsion issues is not a situation confined to NCL.  And good luck in getting a refund except for port fees differences.

 

For full disclosure, I haven't sailed on NCL since 1981, so shouldn't be lumped into the NCL cheerleader category.  Every so often I like to check out the the other cruise line boards on Cruisecritic to get a "feel" about what is going on with that line.

[mugtech]

4 hours ago, FLcruisergrl said:

I don’t think the info about shops being closed in Grand Cayman on a random Sunday is accurate. Shop owner’s wouldn’t give up that revenue. From my experience, the only day that would be accurate is Christmas Day, potentially New Year’s Day.

Easter?

[FLcruisergrl]

7 hours ago, mugtech said:

Easter?

Not from what one of the business owners has told me. I’m sure some are closed, but not the majority or “all”.

[BirdTravels]

18 hours ago, MIT72 said:

We are booked to sail on NCL's Star on Dec 6. As a result of a "mechanical issue" that NCL refuses to divulge, NCL cancelled port stops in Colombia and substituted George Town, Grand Cayman and Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. We tried unsuccessfully to get a full refund, because we wonder how safe the ship will be and because we are not interested in either of those two ports. Assuming the US Coast Guard finds the Star to be seaworthy, we plan to board the ship rather than forfeit all of our money.

 

Today I decided to check to see if NCL was offering any excursions in George Town or Puerto Limon. Answer - abolutely nothing. To make matters worse, when I checked to see what there was to do in George Town, I learned that the shops and museums will all be closed on the day we are in port - Sunday.

So, while the minimum wage call center agents have no information, you have been on all of the threads that discuss, in detail, the engine fire and the fact that the ship is running at slightly reduced speed while they are waiting on parts to be manufactured, and repairs made in dry dock. And that your itinerary change is working the contract that you signed. 

 

That being said, Shops servicing the cruise lines will be open. Not sure what kind of museum you were looking for in George Town.