Missold balcony cabin to find out its enclosed

[Coops2222]

Epic doesn't have good reviews at all, however I liked the itinerary and have used NCL before. At least my expectations are low so I could be pleasantly surprised and it's a port intensive itinerary so looking forward to some new experiences there 😊 

[Oakman58]

2 hours ago, dexddd said:

You beat me to it.  Was on Dawn.  She cried on bed the whole time.

 

As I remember it, she was on the Epic, not the Dawn.  The Dawn's enclosed balconies aren't nearly as bad as what the Epic has.

 

On the Dawn, when you sit in the balcony chair you can see down to the ocean.  Notice the clear area below the railing.

 

On the Epic, sitting in the balcony chair you will see the sky but not the ocean.

 

[DCGuy64]

I'm guessing here, but the availability of the cabins likely has to do with the timeframe. You booked in early July but the cruise is less than a month after that, so I suspect most of the choice balcony cabins were already sold. That being said, I share your disappointment and believe the TA could have been more helpful. I will say, however, that our cruise on the Epic was fantastic! We sailed her on a transatlantic trip in December 2022 and loved it. There's so much to do onboard and the crew was amazing. I hope you have a fun and enjoyable, memory-filled cruise in the Med.

[Coops2222]

Yes I think you are right. Thank you so much for the good review of the ship x

[Travelicious]

54 minutes ago, Oakman58 said:

 

As I remember it, she was on the Epic, not the Dawn.  The Dawn's enclosed balconies aren't nearly as bad as what the Epic has.

 

Okay.  I think mine was on the Dawn also.

[vswan]

I booked my Privasea as a solo balcony. Knew it was a hull balcony, did some research and decided that for the solo balcony price compared to paying double for a regular balcony I could live with it. I would still have private space to be outside and I choose the one that was closest to mid-ship. To me the far forward (motion) are more of an issue than the hull - and to have both of those things would not have made me happy.

[mjkacmom]

Keep in mind, since this was a solo cabin, that these balconies might’ve been the only ones left at such a late booking date. Would you have paid double for a regular balcony without the solo status?

[Coops2222]

TBH I dont know as the TA just directed me to these cabins on the deck plan - I normally pay single occ in a double cabin and had no idea these were for solo travellers and of course, that they had the metal enclosed balcony as the photos did not show that and she did not make me aware when we were choosing it over the phone. Again, learnt a lot on here so I hope it might help some other 'solo' cruisers or indeed couples who have these cabins suggested to them by the TA. { I think an upgrade to a cabin with proper balcony was an extra £348 however they sold out in the 2 days i was faffing with customer service over the phone.} 

[schmoopie17]

19 hours ago, Coops2222 said:

I paid up front for this balcony cabin and even viewed the photographs to see that it had a perspex screen which looked out to the ocean. 

I have been cruising since 1998 and have been on CC for many moons. This is the first time I have heard the term "perspex"...had to look it up.

 

Just goes to show, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

[DCGuy64]

15 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

I have been cruising since 1998 and have been on CC for many moons. This is the first time I have heard the term "perspex"...had to look it up.

 

Just goes to show, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

I think it's the British equivalent of Plexiglass. (At least that's what Google just told me, LOL.)

[PartyPlannerLady]

19 hours ago, Coops2222 said:

I have very recently booked a balcony cabin on NCL Epic. I booked this through a very well-known travel agent who specialises in cruises. I paid up front for this balcony cabin and even viewed the photographs to see that it had a perspex screen which looked out to the ocean. I received an invoice and it said 'please be advised this is an enclosed balcony' Had I known that I would never have booked that cabin. The TA is not admitting responsibility for the cruise specialist having not informed me it was enclosed. They have taken so long to come back to me that all the balcony cabins(proper) have now sold out. I had to look up what an enclosed balcony is on a ship and it is a 'window' in a metal box. Not what I expected or paid for. Do I have a case for serious complaint and if so who do I write to as the TA is saying I chose a balcony cabin and that is what I have. Quite frankly I'm disgusted with their attitude towards my complaint and need some advice please 🙏 thanks for your time in advance.

 

 

You can complain if you want, but you got what you booked, a balcony cabin.  All the pictures are standard stock photos and not necessarily any specific cabin.  On the NCL site the 'Priv-a-sea' balconies (or whatever they are currently being called) are clearly marked.  Bottom line is that as you said, you picked the cabin in question.  It was up to you to do due diligence to ensure it was exactly what you wanted.  Have a great cruise, hope you have beautiful weather and smooth sailing!

[Monica887]

17 hours ago, carohs said:

I disagree this is all OPs fault. How many times have I read on cruisecritic someone complain about their booking only to be advised over and over they should have used a TA. While I'm slightly OCD about knowing things like why one cabin is $20 more expensive than another (or whatever the price difference may be), it's not unreasonable for someone to rely on the expertise of a TA in guiding toward cabin selection. The thing is, life lesson to be learned, even field experts are human too and can lack knowledge or make mistakes. I heart cruisecritic for this, since a discussion like this allows for dissemination of information about things one may not have known to ask about. 

 
100%

I might obsessively google my cabins and ships, but I don’t think that’s the norm and it’s why people like travel agents. Of all the things people say would ruin their trip (RIP hashbrowns) this one actually would impact my enjoyment, as I could happily spend half my time on the balcony. I wouldn’t cry for a week, but I would be more than slightly disappointed.

[Coops2222]

Yup. That's why I used a travel agent and would have expected her to be able to decipher the symbols/terminology on the deck plan as she was guiding me to make a choice. I cruised on Princess at front of ship in March and it wasn't an enclosed balcony. Could see the bridge which didn't bother me so in more or less exactly the same place. I've never even heard of the term Priva Sea so wouldn't know what it meant had I noticed it. 😳 

[PartyPlannerLady]

18 hours ago, carohs said:

I disagree this is all OPs fault. How many times have I read on cruisecritic someone complain about their booking only to be advised over and over they should have used a TA. While I'm slightly OCD about knowing things like why one cabin is $20 more expensive than another (or whatever the price difference may be), it's not unreasonable for someone to rely on the expertise of a TA in guiding toward cabin selection. The thing is, life lesson to be learned, even field experts are human too and can lack knowledge or make mistakes. I heart cruisecritic for this, since a discussion like this allows for dissemination of information about things one may not have known to ask about. 

 

Choosing to use a TA is of no relevance.  Whether you hit the keys yourself or rely on a TA to do so, it is still your responsibility to do the leg work and ensure you are booking exactly what you want.  /you can delegate authority but you can't delegate responsability.

[Coops2222]

Well...I've certainly learnt my lesson, not to mention a lot of new terminology and new found knowledge of deck plans, having had this experience, so that it won't happen again in future, TA or no TA.

[DCGuy64]

There are some websites like cruisedeckplans that can help decipher what the various circles, triangles and squares mean in terms of configuration. Oftentimes there are helpful photos of the actual cabins, so that's an optional resource. Wishing @Coops2222 a lovely cruise in the Med coming up soon. Hope it's an 'Epic' time. 😉 

[Coops2222]

Thank you so much for your helpful comment and best wishes DCGuy64 😊

[zqvol]

5 hours ago, Coops2222 said:

Epic doesn't have good reviews at all, however I liked the itinerary and have used NCL before. At least my expectations are low so I could be pleasantly surprised and it's a port intensive itinerary so looking forward to some new experiences there 😊 

The Epic is fine, albeit the decor is a bit dark for my taste. The problems that happen are almost always caused by passengers ignoring the instructions about not flushing things down the toilets. The only other things that I find unusual are the escalators and the bathroom layout. Since OP is traveling solo the bathroom layout should not be an issue. 

[PartyPlannerLady]

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

There are some websites like cruisedeckplans that can help decipher what the various circles, triangles and squares mean in terms of configuration. Oftentimes there are helpful photos of the actual cabins, so that's an optional resource. Wishing @Coops2222 a lovely cruise in the Med coming up soon. Hope it's an 'Epic' time. 😉 

 

The NCL site has a legend for all the cabin indicators.  All one has to do is look at the deck plans for the ship in question.

[WorkerBee74]

6 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

I think it's the British equivalent of Plexiglass. (At least that's what Google just told me, LOL.)

It's true haha - they're just brand names for essentially the same product, Perspex is more common there and Plexiglass in North America.

[itsnotjustme]

9 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

first time I have heard the term "perspex"...had to look it up.

 

Same here.

[dexddd]

21 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

 

As I remember it, she was on the Epic, not the Dawn.  The Dawn's enclosed balconies aren't nearly as bad as what the Epic has.

 

On the Dawn, when you sit in the balcony chair you can see down to the ocean.  Notice the clear area below the railing.

 

On the Epic, sitting in the balcony chair you will see the sky but not the ocean.

 

Unless there were two ladies, it was way before Epic out.  Definitely Dawn.

[BirdTravels]

22 hours ago, Coops2222 said:

Epic doesn't have good reviews at all, however I liked the itinerary and have used NCL before. At least my expectations are low so I could be pleasantly surprised and it's a port intensive itinerary so looking forward to some new experiences there 😊 

We have sailed on the Epic 8 or 9 times. Whilst I can't say that "the Epic is our favorite ship", we would not hesitate to cruise on her again. Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Most of it is fake news. The Epic is a lovely ship. 

 

As a frequent cruiser on multiple cruise lines, I fine no value trying to compare lines point-by-point. They are not exactly the same. The "goodness" of points is totally subjective. Royal does this. Princess does that. You are booking NCL this week,,, focus on the product you are buying. Understand the symbology on the deck plan.

 

All that being said, we book hull balconies, on purpose, and we have no problem with them.  We just had a hull balcony on one of NCL newest ships, on purpose. 

[Oakman58]

1 hour ago, dexddd said:

Unless there were two ladies, it was way before Epic out.  Definitely Dawn.

 

If it was a post before the Epic was launched, then there possibly were two brides. I remember reading the post and I didn't join this forum until 2011 the year the Epic was launched.  

[RVACruiser43]

2 hours ago, dexddd said:

Unless there were two ladies, it was way before Epic out.  Definitely Dawn.

That would make her crying even more rediculous.  Dawn/Star and the 4 Jewels with that Plexi bottom really is not obstructed at all.  I would think if you put the deck chair right at the rail you could sit and see down.  Maybe ask the Steward for a booster cushion if its a bit low 🙂  I try to solve rather than complain.  But now what to do about a non flushing toilet or an overflowing one Hmmm.

 

Tom