Prima 6 Oct 2024 Itinerary Change - Unreasonable

[NJGeorge]

This canceling of advertised ports of call has become an epidemic. 

I am canceling my getaway  Barcelona cruise. 

The anti tourist demonstrations in some ports and the canceling of others just makes this too risky a choice with no recourse or refunds. 

Maybe if the sudden cruise frenzy subsides we will consider cruising again.

 

[sharonann24]

Santiago de Compostela is definitely an option!  The cathedral is amazing.  I was there when I was in college (45 plus years....) and did Northern Spain "a demo" (hitchhiking!  LOL) so I will look into that. They say NCL will post Vigo tours in 3 weeks.  I hope sooner than that.  

 

[Tradewinds4u]

21 hours ago, vetteman06 said:

This morning, NCL notified Prima 6 Oct 2024 cruisers of an itinerary change citing fuel efficiency as the driver ("As we continue to optimize itineraries for fuel efficiency, as a part of our commitment to the environment and sustainability efforts, we have adjusted the itinerary below").

 

Two port visits in cities key to the itinerary were dropped.  One stop was substituted with a port call in a town of little historical significance and or little to see or do (especially in October).  The other stop became a sea day.

 

Yes, NCL can make changes per the carriage contract. To me this seems to be an unreasonable change.  The cruise was sold (and paid for by the cruisers) with the fuel cost already built in. It clearly wasn't a decision made last night.  NCL clearly waited until it was within one month (100% cancellation penalty) to notify their customers leaving most with no options. NCL is offering no compensation.

 

As a Haven, Retreat, and Star class cruiser, I will think twice before booking with NCL again and am seriously thinking about cancelling my upcoming Oceania Vista cruise.   

They have been using the same Blanket statement to cancel ports for almost a year now. It's like buying a car and when you pick it up it's missing a wheel! 

[Turtles06]

4 hours ago, sharonann24 said:

Santiago de Compostela is definitely an option!  The cathedral is amazing.  I was there when I was in college (45 plus years....) and did Northern Spain "a demo" (hitchhiking!  LOL) so I will look into that. They say NCL will post Vigo tours in 3 weeks.  I hope sooner than that.  

 

 

I strongly recommend visiting Santiago de Compostela.  The Cathedral is fascinating, architecturally and historically (regardless of one's religious beliefs).  We found Vigo to be fairly uninteresting.  

 

Here are some very happy pilgrims who traveled to the Cathedral by bike: 

 

[kitkat343]

5 hours ago, sharonann24 said:

Santiago de Compostela is definitely an option!  The cathedral is amazing.  I was there when I was in college (45 plus years....) and did Northern Spain "a demo" (hitchhiking!  LOL) so I will look into that. They say NCL will post Vigo tours in 3 weeks.  I hope sooner than that.  

 

Could you let me know if you find anything interesting?  I'm sailing another line to Virgo and would love help.  

57 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

I strongly recommend visiting Santiago de Compostela.  The Cathedral is fascinating, architecturally and historically (regardless of one's religious beliefs).  We found Vigo to be fairly uninteresting.  

 

Here are some very happy pilgrims who traveled to the Cathedral by bike: 

 

Thank you to both of you for posting this - I'll definitely look into it.  I'm sailing alone with a child - is it really easy to DIY?

[Turtles06]

1 minute ago, kitkat343 said:

Could you let me know if you find anything interesting?  I'm sailing another line to Virgo and would love help.  

Thank you to both of you for posting this - I'll definitely look into it.  I'm sailing alone with a child - is it really easy to DIY?

Don’t know about DIY. We were on a shorex. You could look into the train schedule. I would ask over in the Spain Port of Call forum. 

[The Traveling Man]

23 hours ago, complawyer said:

usually, i can roll with the punches if an itinerary is changed. 2016-2017 our cruise cancelled taipei and hanoi. to me it was a massive disappointment, but ncl deducted 50% of the price i had paid (we were in a penthouse suite) and deducted 50% on whatever following cruise i wanted to take. not a bad exchange, although i understand they have never again been that generous.

Well, never say never.  The Star missed ports of call in Taipei and Hanoi because propulsion problems cut it to about half speed, so you got half back on your fare.  A couple of months later, 10 February 2017, we were on the Star when it lost all propulsion and was adrift in the Tasman Sea.  We received 100% of our cruise fare, taxes, port fees, gratuities, and "all monies paid" for that cruise, plus FCC equal to 50% of our cruise fare.  Now that may have been the last of NCL's magnanimity.

[CruiseMH]

22 hours ago, erisajd said:

 

But - as I have said - the cruise contract has ZERO guarantee of ANY port or day - and they can literally put you in a dinghy, cruise you around the port, come back to a dock with a restaurant, pick up the tab and do that every day of the cruise . . . 

In this case i love to live in the EU. Because we do have the right to reduce the cruise price if significant changes are made that do affect the character of the cruise.

 

 

In general i do have the impression that NCL is currently simply correcting their faults they made in the itinerary planning of the last years.

I always have an eye on their european itineraries and compare them with other cruise lines. The ones from NCL have always impressed me because they were really tight with extreme short gaps between the ports. So to me it was clear that they had to go much faster than the other cruise lines(speeds of 18-20 knots between some ports are not unusual for NCL)

Seems they meanwhile have found out that the fuel costs are a point where they can save a lot of money.

At least they meanwhile are so honest and mention this reason (saving fuel costs) in their explanations.

 

 

 

Edited September 10 by CruiseMH

[sharonann24]

6 hours ago, sharonann24 said:

Santiago de Compostela is definitely an option!  The cathedral is amazing.  I was there when I was in college (45 plus years....) and did Northern Spain "a demo" (hitchhiking!  LOL) so I will look into that. They say NCL will post Vigo tours in 3 weeks.  I hope sooner than that.  

 

 

[sharonann24]

I just check Spain Day Tours and although they do have a tour to Santiago from Vigo it looks like our disembarkation and embarkation times would be cutting this very short.  Spain Day Tours says the tour is typically 7-8 hours and that is exactly how long we are in port.

[gilboman]

19 minutes ago, CruiseMH said:

In this case i love to live in the EU. Because we do have the right to reduce the cruise price if significant changes are made that do affect the character of the cruise.

 

 

In general i do have the impression that NCL is currently simply correcting their faults they made in the itinerary planning of the last years.

I always have an eye on their european itineraries and compare them with other cruise lines. The ones from NCL have always impressed me because they were really tight with extreme short gaps between the ports. So to me it was clear that they had to go much faster than the other cruise lines(speeds of 18-20 knots between some ports are not unusual for NCL)

Seems they meanwhile have found out that the fuel costs are a point where they can save a lot of money.

At least they meanwhile are so honest and mention this reason (saving fuel costs) in their explanations.

 

 

 

If they were honest, they would've announced the changes long ago as they've been doing this for a while now and seemingly always after final payment.

 

or they could have asterisk in their itineraries that ports are subject to be cancelled or changed after final payment for profit maximizing considerations and they announce post final payment to ensure people can't cancel

[Goldconnection]

14 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

But,,, you also get much better port calls in Cadiz, Barcelona, and Cannes. Something you omitted in your description. 

That’s your opinion. 

[Goldconnection]

14 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

Edited September 10 by Goldconnection

[Pablo Diablo]

1 hour ago, CruiseMH said:

In this case i love to live in the EU. Because we do have the right to reduce the cruise price if significant changes are made that do affect the character of the cruise.

 

 

In general i do have the impression that NCL is currently simply correcting their faults they made in the itinerary planning of the last years.

I always have an eye on their european itineraries and compare them with other cruise lines. The ones from NCL have always impressed me because they were really tight with extreme short gaps between the ports. So to me it was clear that they had to go much faster than the other cruise lines(speeds of 18-20 knots between some ports are not unusual for NCL)

Seems they meanwhile have found out that the fuel costs are a point where they can save a lot of money.

At least they meanwhile are so honest and mention this reason (saving fuel costs) in their explanations.

 

 

 

I would like to give NCL the benefit of the doubt on this, but hard to believe it when they consistently make the itinerary changes after final payment date when passengers can no longer cancel without incurring lost fare penalties. NCL puts sailings on sale approx two years in advance of sailing and should (do) know well in advance of final payment date that they’re not going to sail the original published itinerary. Yet, they continue to take new bookings based on the original advertised itinerary. To me, that’s taking advantage of your customers. 

[Jem 12]

4 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

In this case i love to live in the EU. Because we do have the right to reduce the cruise price if significant changes are made that do affect the character of the cruise.

 

 

In general i do have the impression that NCL is currently simply correcting their faults they made in the itinerary planning of the last years.

I always have an eye on their european itineraries and compare them with other cruise lines. The ones from NCL have always impressed me because they were really tight with extreme short gaps between the ports. So to me it was clear that they had to go much faster than the other cruise lines(speeds of 18-20 knots between some ports are not unusual for NCL)

Seems they meanwhile have found out that the fuel costs are a point where they can save a lot of money.

At least they meanwhile are so honest and mention this reason (saving fuel costs) in their explanations.

 

 

 

We also live in Europe(UK) so at least we don’t have a long flight to these disappointing changes, but we aren’t being offered any compensation, my husband and I would cancel if we could, we have decided NCL are not a cruise line that we want to travel with again.

in 30 years of cruising with other cruise lines we have had one missed port with Celebrity, one missed port with Azamara, and one missed port with Royal Caribbean, in maybe 400 days of total cruising 3 ports missed, with NCL we have had 5 ports cancelled / changed in 22 days total of cruising !!!! 
I can’t believe that they expect us to pay for them to save money on fuel !!!!! 

[Alatraveler1]

On 9/9/2024 at 2:25 PM, BunnyHutt said:

I have a feeling that the cruise line (maybe all cruise lines?) is getting pressure from the EU. This post made me check my email and yep, there’s an itinerary change for 10/28. 
 

I’m bummed. We had an excursion planned for Corfu that I was really looking forward to. I didn’t know what to do in Malta during the long day we previously had… and now we’ve got an extra 2 hours. 

Corfu was cancelled on our cruise as well this past summer and replaced with Olympia.  To me it is fraudulent to continue to advertise one thing then consistently deliver another.  Once might be understandable, but cruise after cruise is not, and especially after final payment each time.

[BunnyHutt]

1 hour ago, Alatraveler1 said:

Corfu was cancelled on our cruise as well this past summer and replaced with Olympia.  To me it is fraudulent to continue to advertise one thing then consistently deliver another.  Once might be understandable, but cruise after cruise is not, and especially after final payment each time.

If I had known this then I would have anticipated the change. 
 

Now waiting for NCL to cancel our excursion for Corfu so we can see what options there are for Olympia. The port has been changed in our plans, but the original excursion is still listed. 😖

[PatJim]

We are also on a Prima sailing leaving November 30th from NY, and just received the itinerary change deleting Bermuda from the itinerary.  My sister sails with us and was excited to see Bermuda.  We are very disappointed.

 

We also have unused Cruise Next coupons, including 2 more that were returned to our account when we cancelled our February Breakaway cruise in favor of a February MSC cruise.  Both go to the Caribbean, but the MSC itinerary includes their private island, where, if you have a Yacht Club cabin, MSC has a private beach area and restaurant for YC passengers, and the drinks are complimentary.  Haven passengers get nothing special on GSC.  
 

What is going on with NCL?!!!  We’ve been loyal to NCL for 2 decades, but now it pains me to see how customer satisfaction is eroding.  Just be honest, NCL.  We’re not stupid, and there are alternative cruise lines that deliver more, for lower prices.

 

[dexddd]

7 hours ago, PatJim said:

We are also on a Prima sailing leaving November 30th from NY, and just received the itinerary change deleting Bermuda from the itinerary.  My sister sails with us and was excited to see Bermuda.  We are very disappointed.

 

We also have unused Cruise Next coupons, including 2 more that were returned to our account when we cancelled our February Breakaway cruise in favor of a February MSC cruise.  Both go to the Caribbean, but the MSC itinerary includes their private island, where, if you have a Yacht Club cabin, MSC has a private beach area and restaurant for YC passengers, and the drinks are complimentary.  Haven passengers get nothing special on GSC.  
 

What is going on with NCL?!!!  We’ve been loyal to NCL for 2 decades, but now it pains me to see how customer satisfaction is eroding.  Just be honest, NCL.  We’re not stupid, and there are alternative cruise lines that deliver more, for lower prices.

 

Yes, the YC area on the island is great.  We got delayed a couple years due to delays, then shutdown but made it 2021.  Think we've been there 8 times now.

[Alatraveler1]

23 hours ago, BunnyHutt said:

If I had known this then I would have anticipated the change. 
 

Now waiting for NCL to cancel our excursion for Corfu so we can see what options there are for Olympia. The port has been changed in our plans, but the original excursion is still listed. 😖

We thought it was a one time thing, apparently not.  We were upset as we had major plans for Corfu.  We did the best we could and actually were able to enjoy Olympia with a trip to the ruins and a great meal on a private excursion with Niki Olympic Tours.   For Malta, we took the city bus to Mnajdra/Hagar Qim.  Much like Gobekli Tepi ruins in Turkey, the site may help to rewrite history as it is at least 5,000 and may be as much as 13,000 years old.

Edited September 12 by Alatraveler1
add information

[BunnyHutt]

16 hours ago, Alatraveler1 said:

We thought it was a one time thing, apparently not.  We were upset as we had major plans for Corfu.  We did the best we could and actually were able to enjoy Olympia with a trip to the ruins and a great meal on a private excursion with Niki Olympic Tours.   For Malta, we took the city bus to Mnajdra/Hagar Qim.  Much like Gobekli Tepi ruins in Turkey, the site may help to rewrite history as it is at least 5,000 and may be as much as 13,000 years old.

Thank you for this - I’ve reached out to this particular provider. 😄

[Ohiostingray]

Recently, many Greek islands have implemented an additional tax due to over tourism as well as cutting down the number of ships allowed in a port. Sounds like it’s Greece, not NCL:

https://www.cruisehive.com/cruise-passengers-to-shell-out-20-euros-to-visit-greek-islands/144140

Edited September 14 by Ohiostingray

[PartyPlannerLady]

On 9/9/2024 at 1:01 PM, vetteman06 said:

This morning, NCL notified Prima 6 Oct 2024 cruisers of an itinerary change citing fuel efficiency as the driver ("As we continue to optimize itineraries for fuel efficiency, as a part of our commitment to the environment and sustainability efforts, we have adjusted the itinerary below").

 

Two port visits in cities key to the itinerary were dropped.  One stop was substituted with a port call in a town of little historical significance and or little to see or do (especially in October).  The other stop became a sea day.

 

Yes, NCL can make changes per the carriage contract. To me this seems to be an unreasonable change.  The cruise was sold (and paid for by the cruisers) with the fuel cost already built in. It clearly wasn't a decision made last night.  NCL clearly waited until it was within one month (100% cancellation penalty) to notify their customers leaving most with no options. NCL is offering no compensation.

 

As a Haven, Retreat, and Star class cruiser, I will think twice before booking with NCL again and am seriously thinking about cancelling my upcoming Oceania Vista cruise.   

 

 

So something happened that you agreed to when you booked your cruise and you are rethinking.  You should have thought when you booked the cruise.  What part the cruise contract about itinerary changes did you not comprehend?

[luv2kroooz]

13 minutes ago, PartyPlannerLady said:

What part the cruise contract about itinerary changes did you not comprehend?

You must not understand contract law very well and that is too bad because you are spreading misinformation. The intent of the cruise contract is to protect the cruiseline from unforeseen, unanticipated emergencies, such as civil unrest, hurricanes, medical emergencies. The cruise contract was never intended to be used and abused to allow NCL to market X with intent of delivering Y... Never intended to allow changes for matters of convenience such as guest satisfaction or fuel efficiencies, environmental initiatives and the like. In the event of litigation, a judge or jury would interpret the intent of the contract...praise god, you would not be part of the decision making process. Feel free to continue living in the black and white world in which you are evidently living in.

Edited September 14 by luv2kroooz

[luv2kroooz]

....and while a few, certain forum members typically touch the smiley face icon and rarely contribute anything positive or negative to the discussion, courts have held over and again that gross negligence and intentional misconduct can never be disclaimed in a contract. This is a fact and facts matter.

Edited September 14 by luv2kroooz