Pride Of America Buoy Disaster

[Ekaj]

Empathy cannot be demanded from others. A reasonable, calm approach tends to ellicit empathy and help. (Gee I wonder if that's why I got good Customer Service from NCL.) Hysterical rants and unreasonable demands do not.

 

Please do not assume that everyone who has customer service problems with NCL is ranting and raving. I worked for 10 years in the hotel and restaurant industry, so I never resort to yelling or becoming unreasonable - in part because I understand what it's like to be on the receiving end of it. I was always polite when dealing with NCL before and during our trip, yet was too often provided with mediocre or subpar service. This is not my doing, but NCL's. (One example: By the second day of the cruise, my husband and I knew better than the front desk receptionists did about where to find those blue comment cards. We kept having to tell them which drawer they were in. Shouldn't they know this? A little thing, but something that surprised us - 4 out of 5 people had no clue where to look.) All of their service reps could use better training, too, and better info from "the top".

 

My point is that this is an area where NCL needs work - and most everyone seems to know that. Even when "newbies" come on here with pre-cruise questions, the consensus is usually "Oh, NCL reps know nothing. Just come onto this board if you have questions!" (Ex 2: I talked to no less than four NCL reps about our AB cabin, and got 4 different answers. Not ONE of them knew that the cabin does, indeed, have 2 completely separate bedrooms and bathrooms.) How sad is that for NCL's service reputation? Don't the regular NCL cruisers want things like that changed for the better? I would.

 

And yes, there were other example, but I haven't the time now to list all of them. Some were little, some were bigger, but all are things that could be so easily remedied, and would make everyone's cruise just a little bit nicer. Yes, issues can happen on vacation, but it's how a company handles the mishaps that matter most. I learned this long ago - when things go wrong, a company can actually make a MORE loyal client if they handle the issue extremely well. It's not that hard to do this - it just takes a little more effort, starting from the top down.

[Zeno]

Please do not assume that everyone who has customer service problems with NCL is ranting and raving. I worked for 10 years in the hotel and restaurant industry, so I never resort to yelling or becoming unreasonable - in part because I understand what it's like to be on the receiving end of it. I was always polite when dealing with NCL before and during our trip, yet was too often provided with mediocre or subpar service. This is not my doing, but NCL's. (One example: By the second day of the cruise, my husband and I knew better than the front desk receptionists did about where to find those blue comment cards. We kept having to tell them which drawer they were in. Shouldn't they know this? A little thing, but something that surprised us - 4 out of 5 people had no clue where to look.) All of their service reps could use better training, too, and better info from "the top".

 

My point is that this is an area where NCL needs work - and most everyone seems to know that. Even when "newbies" come on here with pre-cruise questions, the consensus is usually "Oh, NCL reps know nothing. Just come onto this board if you have questions!" (Ex 2: I talked to no less than four NCL reps about our AB cabin, and got 4 different answers. Not ONE of them knew that the cabin does, indeed, have 2 completely separate bedrooms and bathrooms.) How sad is that for NCL's service reputation? Don't the regular NCL cruisers want things like that changed for the better? I would.

 

And yes, there were other example, but I haven't the time now to list all of them. Some were little, some were bigger, but all are things that could be so easily remedied, and would make everyone's cruise just a little bit nicer. Yes, issues can happen on vacation, but it's how a company handles the mishaps that matter most. I learned this long ago - when things go wrong, a company can actually make a MORE loyal client if they handle the issue extremely well. It's not that hard to do this - it just takes a little more effort, starting from the top down.

 

Ekaj:

I have no doubt that NCL customer service is NOT perfect and I have no doubt more could be done to make it better. My point is that a reasonable attitude tends to work better with EVERYONE - customer service reps, members of this board etc. It won't guarantee perfect service but it will make people more inclined to try for you and it won't guarantee that people on this board will agree with you but it will make them more inclined to listen to your point of view.

When I had to call NCL after the New Orleans hurricane, the rep I spoke to told me that I was the first person in 10 similar calls who seemed to understand why she did not have new port information immediately available. She had been yelled at, sworn at and told she was stupid. She went out of her way to try to get me any info she could because I was civil and reasonable.

[newmexicoNita]

Please do not assume that everyone who has customer service problems with NCL is ranting and raving. I worked for 10 years in the hotel and restaurant industry, so I never resort to yelling or becoming unreasonable - in part because I understand what it's like to be on the receiving end of it. I was always polite when dealing with NCL before and during our trip, yet was too often provided with mediocre or subpar service. This is not my doing, but NCL's. (One example: By the second day of the cruise, my husband and I knew better than the front desk receptionists did about where to find those blue comment cards. We kept having to tell them which drawer they were in. Shouldn't they know this? A little thing, but something that surprised us - 4 out of 5 people had no clue where to look.) All of their service reps could use better training, too, and better info from "the top".

 

My point is that this is an area where NCL needs work - and most everyone seems to know that. Even when "newbies" come on here with pre-cruise questions, the consensus is usually "Oh, NCL reps know nothing. Just come onto this board if you have questions!" (Ex 2: I talked to no less than four NCL reps about our AB cabin, and got 4 different answers. Not ONE of them knew that the cabin does, indeed, have 2 completely separate bedrooms and bathrooms.) How sad is that for NCL's service reputation? Don't the regular NCL cruisers want things like that changed for the better? I would.

 

And yes, there were other example, but I haven't the time now to list all of them. Some were little, some were bigger, but all are things that could be so easily remedied, and would make everyone's cruise just a little bit nicer. Yes, issues can happen on vacation, but it's how a company handles the mishaps that matter most. I learned this long ago - when things go wrong, a company can actually make a MORE loyal client if they handle the issue extremely well. It's not that hard to do this - it just takes a little more effort, starting from the top down.

Believe you me, NCl isn't the only cruise line that needs customer service help: all you have to do is read any of the other posts. This is a problem throughout the industry. Many of the ranters on here have no intention of cruising NCL again, why would NCL give too much attention to the problems they may or may not have had. I too, not only have spent many years in the customer service field but am a TA and I know how important customer service is, but when (and I am not singling anyone out) a poster comes on, advises everyone to stay away from NCL or any other line, hotel, restauraant etc and says they want monetory compensation or are never going to use the product again, the company might as well give that client up as a lost cause. NMnita

[Ekaj]

Believe you me, NCl isn't the only cruise line that needs customer service help: all you have to do is read any of the other posts. NMnita

 

LOL! Ah yes, the old "But everyone else is just as bad!" comment. I'm not talking about anyone else, I'm talking about NCL. NMNita, will you EVER admit that NCL isn't perfect? ;) Do you want it to get better or not, NMNita? I also remember that you were one who had a really hard time believing my comment about some of the other passengers being rude when we dressed up - how COULD that be true?! Say it isn't so! :eek:

 

Hey, if the veteran cruisers don't want anything to change, so be it. But if I were going to cruise NCL a lot in the future, I'd want things to continue to improve. Why except the current service level as "good enough"? I honestly want to try NCL again for 2 reasons only:

 

1) The suite we were in was incredible! Never found another cabin like that on a cruise ship.

 

2) I'm curious to see if the service on a longer cruise really is better.

 

If #2 doesn't hold true, then I don't know if we'd go out of our way to book NCL again. That's not to say we'd swear off NCL, but great service is very important to us, and Freestyle isn't a huge draw for DH and I personally. If I DID love NCL b/c of Freestyle, then you can be darn sure I'd write letters, talk to managers, and do anything I could to help ensure that service would improve on future cruises. I'm sure that plenty of other lines have service issues, which is part of the reason we are looking for cruise lines that have a reputation for better service. We'd like to try most of them someday (wouldn't everyone - more cruises!!), but we specifically would like to find lines that pride themselves on consistently great service. I'd love it if NCL could find themselves placed in that category on a permanent basis. As it is, they sure aren't getting there in a hurry, as partly evidenced by the current post from the person who is just trying to get a bar setup - shouldn't it be easier? :sigh: What a simple fix THAT could be....oh well!

 

::Just a humble, new-to-NCL cruiser's opinion::

[mbisson]

LOL! Ah yes, the old "But everyone else is just as bad!" comment. I'm not talking about anyone else, I'm talking about NCL. NMNita, will you EVER admit that NCL isn't perfect? ::

 

Actually, I think she DID say their CS isn't perfect. And if you read enough of her posts, I don't think you would make that statment about her at all. Yes, she's a big time NCL fan but I never got the impression she though NCL is perfect

 

-Monte

[Host CMLA]

ekaj and others...you wanna complain about NCL, go ahead. But this isn't the place to complain about other board members. Those posts are removed EVERY TIME. And if there's ever a question about why a post or thread is removed, you should write to me and NOT POST A THREAD TO THE BOARD. Those threads will be removed.

[cathi007]

Inreped I agree with you, a life is much more important than an island stop. Ppl who get angry because their plans get ruined because of a medical emergency are just plain old ignorant. Nothing in this world is more important that a humans life, nothing. Cathi

[newlywedcruisers]

LOL! Ah yes, the old "But everyone else is just as bad!" comment. I'm not talking about anyone else, I'm talking about NCL. NMNita, will you EVER admit that NCL isn't perfect? ;) Do you want it to get better or not, NMNita?

 

Ekaj- if you look through Nita's previous posts, you will find her posting constructive criticism of NCL. She does mention things that CAN improve, but yes, she does defend NCL from things that just don't seem true. I find it hard to beleive that you could spend ANY time on this board, and not think that Nita wants NCL to improve.

[newmexicoNita]

ekaj, I certainly understand your being upset (by the way I never doubted people be rude because you dressed up, I did think you may have put a little too much into it) this being said, my point is still, many companies are having customer service problems, most of us don't like it, but it is a fact. For me, I have been lucky, I, normally, haven't had problems with NCL or any other line, not major problems anyway. As a few have mentioned, I do not defend NCL at every turn, there are a few things I down right don't like, a few, that certainly don't bother me and many things I love about the line. Room for improvement, there is always room for improvement. NMnita

[moondoggie21536]

I don't believe that the captain addressed the passengers and admitted that he caused the buoy incident. This is your opinion. Where's the incident report? I'm not saying what caused the accident and who's at fault but it doesn't make sense that you can state with certainty that this incident could have or should have been avoided. The captain wouldn't have purposefully been negligent so how can you say this was avoidable when it could have been an accident that no one could have avoided? Of course, the waiters are always the place to go for facts and to confirm rumors. :rolleyes: Kidding...it always seems that communication could have been better in every situation. Airlines could communicate better when your flight is delayed. Dentist could communicate better when they're running late. Is it possible that because the buoy and the prop are under water that the captain didn't know the facts right away? Could it be that he was still trying to gather the facts and he passed on information as he could? Understandable...they didn't expect a buoy to get caught in the prop. The weren't prepared for that. Again, if the captain didn't hit it on purpose then it had to have been an accident. With your seamanship skills, what should he have done to avoid it? Or what did the official inquiry say he should have done to avoid it?

 

I know I've questioned most of what you said. It's not to discredit you. It's to point out that there could be other factors involved in this but because you're emotional about this, you aren't seeing the other possible things that could have happened. I'm so very sorry that your trip wasn't what you wanted it to be but you have to know that this buoy thing wasn't done on purpose and sometimes bad things just happen. I saved up for two years to take my dream honeymoon to Paris. We spent a fortune on a hotel with a balcony that looked out to the Eiffel Tower so that on New Year's Eve we could enjoy the fireworks show on our balcony in comfort and probably a bit safer. On December 26, 2004 a tsunami hit Asia. As a gesture of mourning, the city of Paris canceled their fireworks show on New Years Eve. I paid $575 a night specifically to get the fireworks show from my balcony on New Years Eve. This was a once in a lifetime HONEYMOON trip. Granted my situation was caused by an act of nature but the tsunami didn't hit Paris. My hotel didn't offer me $100 for my inconvenience. So bad things can happen to anyone at anytime and sometimes it's just one of those things. I hope you can one day find the things you did like about your trip and maybe go back one day.

I appreciate you constructive critisim and you are right me any several hundred other passengers are / were emotional about this.

 

And as I stated before we were in Maui for god sake how bad could it have been. (I could think of worse places to be stranded) BUT...... they should have been upfront and said..... hey we have a problem with the boat,( no need to give every ugly detail) were not going to Kona, enjoy these 2 extra days in Maui. That would have been dissapointing but acceptable becasue there was communication! We could have made alternative plans from the beginning. But as someone else mentioned on this board. Every crew member you talked to gave you different information. (be back on boat at 6:00, no need to rush back we're spending another night, etc...) Every other cruise I went on the captain would come on each morning and announce "good morning..... were are coming into what ever port, the gangway will be open in what ever time, etc..... You were given all the info you needed for the day. On this boat you never heard the captain make any announcements, so you have to ask crew members. So from what I observed people did try to make the best of it.

 

I have been on 4 cruises so far with 2 other cruise lines. Both had equally good service. I admit I am not a seasoned veteran, but I am not a newby either. And in my opinion the quality of sercive offered by NCL does not even begin to compare to the other two that I cruised with.

[moondoggie21536]

With your seamanship skills, what should he have done to avoid it? Or what did the official inquiry say he should have done to avoid it?

 

quote]

 

 

I have no seamanship skills. That is why I paid big bucks to have some who does to get me to the places I paid to go.

[moondoggie21536]

I find it hard to believe that anyone would even consider blaming the cruise line for missed ports due to an earthquake, I feel so bad for you that you were forced to enjoy the ammenities of a cruise ship for an extra couple of days, your lucky the outcome wasn't worse.

As far as hitting and dragging the bouy, how did this disturb your cruise?:confused:

Some people just aren't happy unless they are unhappy.:cool:

Earthquake had nothing to do with missing port.

 

Buoy / chain / cement block damaged the prop/propellor (not sure what you call it) Had to call divers in to fix it. That is what caused delay/ missed port.

[moondoggie21536]

Hagerstown, MD is in the Mountains ??????

[palmtre2]

Bottom line is those that can't go with the flow shouldn't take cruises - all sorts of things can happen and you may not always make your ports. The minute I get onto a ship, my shoulders come down from around my ears and nothing can bother me. I have had problems with port tours and such but IT IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT.

[sjbdtz]

Earthquake had nothing to do with missing port.

 

Buoy / chain / cement block damaged the prop/propellor (not sure what you call it) Had to call divers in to fix it. That is what caused delay/ missed port.

 

 

What? There are no divers in HAWAII? :eek: :eek: :eek:

[moondoggie21536]

And people wonder why the cruises are getting expensive. We had the same thing happen in the Dawn rogue wave incident. I'm glad to say that the class action suit was denied. It is unfortunate that you missed a port and there were some problems. You were offered compensation and refused it. Again, I'm sorry your cruise wasn't everything you and some of the other cruisers were expecting, but I hope you are offered nothing else. If they do, it just raises the cost of my next cruise.

WOW..... are saying that there was a lawsuit against NCL(A) that was dropped? That sure doesn't look good on them (NCL) that a group of people were disgruntled enough that they thought they should pull together and even try to sue them.

 

Interesting!!!

[mikedw]

Hagerstown, MD is in the Mountains ??????

 

Were actually in the valley between two mountains or I should say what passes for mountains in the east about 1,200 feet high and the highest is a little over 3,000 feet farther west from Hagerstown.

 

Michael

[mikedw]

WOW..... are saying that there was a lawsuit against NCL(A) that was dropped? That sure doesn't look good on them (NCL) that a group of people were disgruntled enough that they thought they should pull together and even try to sue them.

 

Interesting!!!

 

People were saying that the captain endangered them, which didn't hold up long in court when the NTSB and the Bahamian Maritime Authority Report praised the captain for his skill. It's just not NCL people try to sue all the lines for every little reason. Since Carnival is the biggest they probably fight 100's of suits every year from people who are upset because it was to rough.

 

Michael

[moondoggie21536]

People were saying that the captain endangered them, which didn't hold up long in court when the NTSB and the Bahamian Maritime Authority Report praised the captain for his skill. It's just not NCL people try to sue all the lines for every little reason. Since Carnival is the biggest they probably fight 100's of suits every year from people who are upset because it was to rough.

 

Michael

Thanks for the info. I agree with you. I sure every cruise line has experienced law suits.

 

It would interesting to see the stats of past and pending law suits / cases for every cruise line. And to see which ones produce the most.

[smeyer418]

Thanks for the info. I agree with you. I sure every cruise line has experienced law suits.

 

It would interesting to see the stats of past and pending law suits / cases for every cruise line. And to see which ones produce the most.

 

Impossible to get. The cruiselines don't publish this and wouldn't give it if asked. Its one of those trade secrets that even their insurance companies have a hard time getting....They handle most claims in house.

[MA 2 VA]

WOW..... are saying that there was a lawsuit against NCL(A) that was dropped? That sure doesn't look good on them (NCL) that a group of people were disgruntled enough that they thought they should pull together and even try to sue them.

 

Interesting!!!

 

If I remember correctly, the number of disgruntled people trying to get the suit going was around 24. Not bad for over 2000 pax. These same people complained that most of the passengers onboard were upset by the event and how the Captain and crew handled it. I'm sure some of the people on the POA were upset too, but I'm willing to bet that more people rolled with it and had a good time. The one constant about cruising is there is no constant.:) You have to roll with the waves and enjoy what you have. Not everyone can do that.

 

Here's a link to the story: http://www.02cruise.com/blog/2005/06/100-million-lawsuit-filed-by-rogue.htm

[newmexicoNita]

It is amazing how often we hear about passengers planning on sueing. It happens at least once a month for various reasons; Norwalk virus, engine problems, missed ports, back tours, and on and on. I, for one, put very little thought into who is sueing for what. NMNita

[ctdahlquist]

The OP mentioned the earthquake and then a day of torrential rain, so it seems that "acts of god" also may have contributed to negative feelings about this cruise. Disappointment, even if due to natural causes, is sometimes channeled toward people or organizations that really don't have responsibility. I find myself falling into this from time to time. On an 8-day Carnival Spirit cruise to Panama, we missed stopping at Puerto Limon due to heavy swells in the port that made exiting and boarding the ship unsafe. The result was two port stops in an 8 day cruise. Since I am a destination-oriented cruiser, port stops are very important to me, so I was extremely upset. I wanted to blame someone or something, but once I realized I had no control over the situation, my practical nature took over and I adapted. In the end, it was a memorable cruise.

 

Now that I am a bit more experienced with cruising, I have learned that this mode of travel, while enjoyable, isn't perfect. Maybe cruise companies do too good of a job at marketing; they paint a picture of heavenly perfection available for $500 - $1,000 (I know some pay more), but reality really can't meet these inflated expectations. As in all aspects of life, things go wrong. I find the happiest people understand this about life and learn to adapt to all sorts of situations. As the cliche goes...when given lemons, make lemonade!

 

Yes, there was a complicated mechanical issue, but NCLA seems to have gone to great lengths to fix the problem while also dealing with the reality of an earthquake. From what has been reported by various parties here, I probably would have been satisfied with the $100 in the end.

[Zeno]

. If I DID love NCL b/c of Freestyle, then you can be darn sure I'd write letters, talk to managers, and do anything I could to help ensure that service would improve on future cruises.

 

I am curious as to why you assume that people who love Freestyle have experienced serious service issues. I NEVER have. Any service issues I experienced were QUITE minor and virtually all were resolved to my satisfaction - so why on earth would I even consider launching a major stream of complaints. I mentioned some of them on comment cards and I think given the minor nature of the problems - that was more than sufficient. I think deluging NCL with MINOR complaints would be counter-productive. Now of course MAJOR complaints are a different story. If I had a major service complaint, I would not hesitate to contact NCL. I think it is up to the person with the grievance to complain rather than expect others to do it for them.

[Zeno]

It is amazing how often we hear about passengers planning on sueing. It happens at least once a month for various reasons; Norwalk virus, engine problems, missed ports, back tours, and on and on. I, for one, put very little thought into who is sueing for what. NMNita

 

Nita: I know - let's sue over that hideous lamb kebab! I mean they served it to me the first NIGHT of my FIRST NCL cruise and it has embittered me so much that I went on two subsequent cruises. Surely I am owed SOMETHING!