Rude CruiseNext employees

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, julig22 said:

Done it dozens of times, not a gamble.  If it was, there would be an insane number of posts on CC about it.  However, if you are actually asking about CruiseFirst certificates ( which I suspect may be the case), then the rules are different.

Actually, I would consider either the cruise next or the cruise first.  I've already booked a 2025 alaska cruise I would apply these towards.

[The Traveling Man]

It is quite disheartening to read all of the negative reports on this thread.  Our experience with Cruise Next staff, and particularly with Cruise Next Managers, has been completely different.  They have been some of the most helpful, friendly, and informative individuals we have encountered on board.  We have learned more tricks of the trade from Paloma about how and when to take advantage of price cuts, special incentives, and other advantages when booking a cruise than we will be able to use in a lifetime.  Will and Holly taught us the advantages of booking our next cruise while on board, and spent lots of time helping us compare prices on several cruise itineraries that caught our eye.  The first time we bought Cruise Next Certificates we did not understand that they were to be used per cabin instead of per passenger, so we planned to buy the maximum.  Jen actually talked us down to buying just two, which she took the time to explain graciously would be plenty for our needs.  On a subsequent cruise with her when we were two points short of the Latitudes level that would entitle us to the Latitudes party, she bent the rules and invited us anyway.  On our cruise on the Prima this past September, Carolina went out of her way to make sure that there was space for us at the Latitudes wine tasting, spirits tasting, and other benefits promised to Diamond members.  When we sailed on the Joy a couple of years ago, CN Manager Tauran recognized us as we approached the CN desk and greeted us by name, even though we hadn't sailed with him for more than three years.  He made sure that we had a private dinner in Le Bistro with him and General Manager Djamel, with whom he had sailed several times before.  We have sailed several times with CN Manager Sammie Jo.  She is just a sweetheart, and has always been cheerful, attentive, and very helpful.  I truly am sorry that the experiences reported here by so many have failed to measure up to the real pleasure we have had in dealing with Cruise Next personnel.

[julig22]

2 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Actually, I would consider either the cruise next or the cruise first.  I've already booked a 2025 alaska cruise I would apply these towards.

The point is they are not the same, rules are different. I know that I've always been able to add CNs at any time - but you have to be on a cruise to buy them or buy them from somebody who is reselling.

CruiseFirst are much more limited but can be bought through NCL, applied to a future cruise. I don't know if they can be applied to an existing reservation.

[cruiseny4life]

14 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

I truly am sorry that the experiences reported here by so many have failed to measure up to the real pleasure we have had in dealing with Cruise Next personnel.

Sounds like you have had some excellent experiences. I'm glad you did! Maybe there's hope, though I don't really give Cruise Next people a chance anymore. I've said plenty about them previously, so won't go into my various Cruise Next tantrums. 

 

If I recognize any of the names you've mentioned on future sailings, I'll be sure to talk with them. 

[Tpzatx]

17 hours ago, SeaShark said:

 

Sorry, I missed that one.

 

You don't have to "see" anyone. You just have to book while on board (as opposed to booking with an agent who is onboard...do you see the difference?).

 

For example...You go on a cruise from Feb 1st thru Feb 7th. One day, you reach out to your usual TA who, for the sake of argument, is a big-box TA. They book you on a new cruise, again for the sake of argument, on Feb 5th.

 

Since you were onboard from Feb 1st thru Feb 7th, it can't be argued that your Feb 5th booking wasn't made while you were onboard, thus qualifying for an onboard booking discount.

You should win some sort of internet message board prize. I’ve never encountered someone so committed to prove they are right when they are clearly wrong.  We don’t know you, it’s ok you were not correct here, no one cares. NCL offers discounts to book on board because they want you to book onboard.  And no, that doesn’t mean calling your TA from the middle of the ocean!

[SeaShark]

7 minutes ago, Tpzatx said:

You should win some sort of internet message board prize. I’ve never encountered someone so committed to prove they are right when they are clearly wrong.  We don’t know you, it’s ok you were not correct here, no one cares. NCL offers discounts to book on board because they want you to book onboard.  And no, that doesn’t mean calling your TA from the middle of the ocean!

 

Yet that clearly isn't the point. The point is that CruiseNext personnel are there to sell CN certs, be the onboard Latitudes reps, and to conduct port shopping talks. They are not travel agents. Those are the facts, and I'm not going to ignore them simply because of internet "but, ...." on a message board. Call that committed if you want, but maybe you should consider why you are so committed to changing my mind. If I actually was wrong, why does that bother you so much? Have you nothing better to do? You say "no one cares", but you don't act like it.

 

I'm still waiting for the genius who can explain why I would want a CN person to be my travel agent given that I'd have no way to contact them outside of the one cruise for any issues/questions/problems that might arise with my booking.

[rnr4thatsme]

2 hours ago, SeaShark said:

 

Yet that clearly isn't the point. The point is that CruiseNext personnel are there to sell CN certs, be the onboard Latitudes reps, and to conduct port shopping talks. They are not travel agents. Those are the facts, and I'm not going to ignore them simply because of internet "but, ...." on a message board. Call that committed if you want, but maybe you should consider why you are so committed to changing my mind. If I actually was wrong, why does that bother you so much? Have you nothing better to do? You say "no one cares", but you don't act like it.

 

I'm still waiting for the genius who can explain why I would want a CN person to be my travel agent given that I'd have no way to contact them outside of the one cruise for any issues/questions/problems that might arise with my booking.

@Tpzatxjust pay the $4.99 a minute to call your TA from the middle of the Atlantic or whatever ocean you're on, it's worth avoiding the stupidity on here...  Or believe previous posters who were able to book onboard for free with a real live person.  I'm sure if I wanted to book onboard in person with CruiseNext, I could've, no doubt.  The manager said as much. The fact is booking onboard for free without paying for phone or internet use is possible.

 

Whether you are the type of person who prefers to deal with a TA, PCC, their personal travel guru or just DIY, that's another question that nobody asked.  

[Lionkingrichard]

On 2 of my cruises when I went up to the desk and they handed me the sheet to fill out and couldn't be bothered with helping me. I like to buy it on the spot and make sure it's all good. I guess if you only buy 2 certificates then you are not worth their time!

[SeaShark]

On 1/25/2023 at 12:24 PM, rnr4thatsme said:

The fact is booking onboard for free without paying for phone or internet use is possible.

 

I'm confused...did someone say that it wasn't possible?

 

It certainly wasn't me, I only asked why I'd want someone to handle my booking knowing that I'd have no way to contact them between booking and sailing to resolve any unforeseen issues.

[rjw103]

FWIW, this is what I was told on my last cruise in November. By the way,  the Cruise Next staff were very helpful, even though I did not book a cruise or buy any Cruise Next certs. 

I had the manager look up a few cruises for me.  I asked him ,  if I booked a cruise,  who would I call to ask questions or make changes. He said the booking credit goes back to how you booked the current cruise. If you used a local travel agent or NCL PCC,  they get the booking. 

 

[Two Wheels Only]

On 1/24/2023 at 5:34 PM, cruisinmeme said:

She almost got the furry of my daughter when she yanked her card out of her hand. 

 

 

🤣

[RocketMan275]

32 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

 

I'm confused...did someone say that it wasn't possible?

 

It certainly wasn't me, I only asked why I'd want someone to handle my booking knowing that I'd have no way to contact them between booking and sailing to resolve any unforeseen issues.

If you're booking on board, your booking is handled by the NCL presonnel ashore.  You won't notice the difference.

I booked on board last March and promptly transfered the booking to my TA when I got home.

[DCGuy64]

40 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

If you're booking on board, your booking is handled by the NCL presonnel ashore.  You won't notice the difference.

I booked on board last March and promptly transfered the booking to my TA when I got home.

I 2nd this. I've bought CN's on board, made bookings online with NCL and then had them transferred to my TA. He's the best, and I don't have to fiddle with calling NCL to get discounts and CN's applied. I highly recommend using a travel agent. For one thing, mine isn't tied to any one cruise line, he'll handle bookings on any line we choose.

[SeaShark]

48 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

If you're booking on board, your booking is handled by the NCL presonnel ashore.  You won't notice the difference.

 

Oooooh, but I would. Given the reputation that NCLs gen pop reservation team has on these boards, why on Earth would anyone want them handling their reservation? First, I'm going to book with someone whose job description doesn't a) grant them those duties, and b) doesn't require education/experience in that aspect, only to learn that my booking agent won't be able to provide an ounce of assistance going forward with the reservation and I'll have to rely on people whose reputation for knowledge (at least on CC) is...shall we say "lacking"?

 

Um, no thank you. Pass.

[RocketMan275]

31 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

 

Oooooh, but I would. Given the reputation that NCLs gen pop reservation team has on these boards, why on Earth would anyone want them handling their reservation? First, I'm going to book with someone whose job description doesn't a) grant them those duties, and b) doesn't require education/experience in that aspect, only to learn that my booking agent won't be able to provide an ounce of assistance going forward with the reservation and I'll have to rely on people whose reputation for knowledge (at least on CC) is...shall we say "lacking"?

 

Um, no thank you. Pass.

You will not be relying upon the cruise next team to provide assistance going forward.

Your booking will be handled by exactly the same people who would handle it if you booked through the website or called or used a travel agent.

[RocketMan275]

44 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I 2nd this. I've bought CN's on board, made bookings online with NCL and then had them transferred to my TA. He's the best, and I don't have to fiddle with calling NCL to get discounts and CN's applied. I highly recommend using a travel agent. For one thing, mine isn't tied to any one cruise line, he'll handle bookings on any line we choose.

I agree completely.  I can use my TA to book any cruise on practically any cruise line. 

Once, I found that i needed to cancel two cruises and book two replacement cruises.  All on three different cruise lines. Instead of placing three phone calls and dealing with three different persons, I made one phone call and the whole thing was done in less that 10 minutes.

Besides the lady I use discounts cruise by 8%.

[cruisinmeme]

On 1/26/2023 at 12:49 PM, Two Wheels Only said:

 

 

🤣

Don’t w love auto correct.  It makes  idiots of us.

[ricksurf]

On 1/23/2023 at 10:22 AM, Sand and Seas said:

I had a very unpleasant conversation with the CN lady on our Prima Oct 31st cruise.  

 

She had acknowledge my Diamond status and clearly knew I wasn't a rookie NCL cruiser, yet when I said I wanted to buy only two certificates she got very insistent about me buying eight  (You have probably heard the sales pitch.)    I again said, "I understand the value and I always use CN to book but  I just need to buy two on this cruise".  She was very snarky with me and continued to push.  I finally said I have to meet my husband and will come back later.  

 

Why couldn't she just sell me two?  After all of the covid cancellations I'm sure many of us have had a supply of CN certs to re-use.  I already had three other cruises booked and just wanted two more CNs for a future cruise.  I should have taken note of her name.  I think she was a senior CN agent but not sure if she was the manager.

I had the same problem with this person on Prima and I am Diamond, also.  I never felt that she was concerned at all about the cruise experience, but pushing the up sell.

[Sand and Seas]

46 minutes ago, ricksurf said:

I had the same problem with this person on Prima and I am Diamond, also.  I never felt that she was concerned at all about the cruise experience, but pushing the up sell.

Yes, sounds like the same person.  She grabbed my form from me and flipped it over so she could diagram what a great deal it would be for me to buy more than I wanted.  

It was the only unpleasant part of our cruise.

[Captain-John]

On 1/24/2023 at 12:19 PM, dexddd said:

Annoying robo calls to room

 

Yeah, that needs to stop. Wonder if there is an opt-out?

 

I was waiting on a genuinely meaningful message from the General Manager/staff in relation to several issues on my last cruise. Every time that VM light was blinking on the phone, I expected it to be an important update and instead it was the Cruise Next crap.

[The Traveling Man]

23 hours ago, ricksurf said:

I had the same problem with this person on Prima and I am Diamond, also.  I never felt that she was concerned at all about the cruise experience, but pushing the up sell.

If you’re describing Cruise Next Manager Carolina, our experience with her is the exact opposite of what you and @Sand and Seashave mentioned.  We found her to be very professional.  We were on the Copenhagen to Southampton cruise in September and purchased two CN certificates.  No hassle, no up sell, no argument.  Just a simple thank you.  We also are Diamond and have sailed with her a couple of times before.  She went out of her way to make us feel welcome. YMMV.

[Sand and Seas]

3 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

If you’re describing Cruise Next Manager Carolina, our experience with her is the exact opposite of what you and @Sand and Seashave mentioned.  We found her to be very professional.  We were on the Copenhagen to Southampton cruise in September and purchased two CN certificates.  No hassle, no up sell, no argument.  Just a simple thank you.  We also are Diamond and have sailed with her a couple of times before.  She went out of her way to make us feel welcome. YMMV.

I don't know if that was her name.    Our cruise was Oct 31st and I do know some of the top people had changed since the TA.    I do know that I said more than once "I just want to buy two" and she continued to be unpleasantly argumentative.  I'm on a cruise to relax and enjoy.  I finally just said "I'll come back another day"....as she was definitely ruining my day😒

 

I can say I've never had experienced that on any of our other cruises.   Generally, we have had very good experiences at the CN desk.  The CN crew on Breakaway early this month were very friendly and took great care of us.   We usually cruise three or four times per year and have been utilizing two CN certificates per cruise since they became available.  (Just completed our 41st cruise on NCL.)

[foodsvcmgr]

On Holland America and Cunard the future cruise reps actively and cheerfully sell both certificates and make future bookings.

Perhaps they have a different job description but clearly someone who sails multiple lines could assume that NCL might do the same.

[weltek]

Our Dec. 2022 sailing definitely had the most aggressive Cruise Next staff I've ever experienced with NCL. Felt like buying a used car. Totally took me off guard. Made me wonder if they were running some kind of sales competition being the year end or something.

[curlstravel]

4 hours ago, weltek said:

Our Dec. 2022 sailing definitely had the most aggressive Cruise Next staff I've ever experienced with NCL. Felt like buying a used car. Totally took me off guard. Made me wonder if they were running some kind of sales competition being the year end or something.

We are on the Joy right now and i was also treated rudely.  She practically threw the form at me like A temper tantrum and told me to fill out what I want it when she couldn’t talk me into buying 10 cruise necks certificates.  My husband said they must make commission.