POH Cruise 11/6- Never Again!

[mrdood]

Here is a link for you:

 

http://www.cdc.gov/travel/cruiships.htm

[electricron]

...I think you are confusing the FDA with the CDC, the CDC is the one who evaluates ships for cleanliness etc. and works with them to give the ships their ratings that are published. FDA has a whole different mission. I am sure they will be amused when they get your letter though...

 

What you say is usually correct, but in this instance, you're wrong.

The CDC inspects and gets reports from all Internationally flagged cruise ships, but the FDA owns American flagged cruise ships. Just part of the hazzles of being American flagged cruise ship, because the FDA has more powers than the CDC when it comes to food service.

The three Prides sailing for NCLA are American flagged, and if you check out the CDC web site, you'll find they aren't listed anywhere.

[TWELVEOHONE]

I think that everyone needs to realize that NCL and NCLA are two different cruiselines, just like Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are two different cruiselines. They may be owned by the same parent company but are totally different.

 

They are two different names with different ships/itinerraries, but the same cruise line.

NCL and NCLA use the same food caterias, the same administrative offices and departments as well as personel.

 

Celebrity and Ropyal caribbean share the same office building but everything else including the sales/marketing forces are seperate.

 

Carnival, HAL, Princess, Seabourn and Windstart are all under Carnival Corporation but they are all seperate companies. NCL and NCLA are NOT seperate companies

[electricron]

They are two different names with different ships/itinerraries, but the same cruise line.

NCL and NCLA use the same food caterias, the same administrative offices and departments as well as personel.

 

Celebrity and Ropyal caribbean share the same office building but everything else including the sales/marketing forces are seperate.

 

Carnival, HAL, Princess, Seabourn and Windstart are all under Carnival Corporation but they are all seperate companies. NCL and NCLA are NOT seperate companies

 

That's a bold statement to make. NCLA has corporate offices in Honolulu, not Miami. Why, if they are the same company? When personnel are transferred from NCL to NCLA, why must they first resign their position at NCL before assuming their position for NCLA as has been reported by workers doing so?

 

While I agree that Orient, NCLA and NCL are sister companies, under the NCL flagship, they all are under Star Cruises too. I doubt you'll call Orient and Star Cruises the same company as NCL and NCLA. Why do so with NCLA and NCL?

 

NCLA is a seperate entity, at least in part. While marketing and other support organizations may be under the NCL corporate offices in Miami, at least operation is completely seperate.

 

And when you experience any problem aboard the ship, you're having problems with the operations side of the company.

[TWELVEOHONE]

While I agree that Orient, NCLA and NCL are sister companies, under the NCL flagship, they all are under Star Cruises too. I doubt you'll call Orient and Star Cruises the same company as NCL and NCLA. Why do so with NCLA and NCL?

 

NCLA is a seperate entity, at least in part. While marketing and other support organizations may be under the NCL corporate offices in Miami, at least operation is completely seperate.

 

And when you experience any problem aboard the ship, you're having problems with the operations side of the company.

 

When you call NCL to book a cruise the reservation agent handles both NCL and NCLA. When you make payments to NCL their is NO distinction between NCL or NCLA it all goes to the company, Norwegian Cruise Line.

 

Many cruise lines have more than one office scattered around the country.

For example Royal Caribbean has an office in Miami (main offices), Kansas, and Oregan but they are all still one company.

 

When you call Royal Caribbean to book a Celebrity cruise you are transfered to Celebrity Cruise Lines. Everthing is sepearte including payments, accounting and sales, etc..

 

Of course it behooves NCL to have a seperate operations department in Hawaii as that is where the ships are but that operations department is still part of NCL not a seperate entity under Star cruises (Parent Company)

 

You can call it anything you want but NCL and NCLA is one company with two divisons.

 

Organizational its very simple.

 

Star Cruise Line is parent holding company Under Star you have several seperate distinct cruise lines or companies, Norwegian Cruise line being one of them. Under Norwegian cruise lines (which is a company) you have various departments operations being one of them. under operations you have two divisions, NCL operations and NCLA operations.

 

 

And then the NCLA operations has to take it to the company in Miami for resolution. If they were a seperate company they would be required to handle the problems themselves. When HAL has a problem they do not go to Carnival Corp for help

[nsxbill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nsxbill

The FDA WAS involved in making NCL protect the passengers on our cruise, and dispite religiously using the provided alcohol disinfectant, many passengers (Evidenced by full sick-bay), I guess it was not the panacea.

 

 

...I think you are confusing the FDA with the CDC, the CDC is the one who evaluates ships for cleanliness etc. and works with them to give the ships their ratings that are published. FDA has a whole different mission. I am sure they will be amused when they get your letter though...

No confusion. I called the office in Honolulu before I boarded plane to head home, and the person I talked with was the correct person who is monitoring NCL cruise ships, and the letter went to her. She was then forwarding to appropriate authority. Keep smiling, being amused is sometimes better than your response had I taken a different approach in responding to your post.

 

So many people defending NCL... I would wonder how they would have reacted if they were barfing their guts out for two days. I can only guess that people resonding were not on the ship, and or invested in selling tickets to cruises on this flag ship of NCL.

 

My post was to warn folks contemplating a cruise on NCL out of Hawaii. I don't sell tickets. I just bought two tickets to what I thought would be a wonderful vacation. I have cruised before...at least twice a year since I retired. This experience was terrible. I loved Hawaii, and I thought the excursions were great. The comments about the ship are an accurate depiction of life onboard the Pride Of Hawaii, sailing out of Honolulu on November 6-13. If you were not on that cruise, you are just blowing smoke when you comment on what it was like.

 

Bill in California

[tomluvsaida]

If you really feel that way why are you going again?:rolleyes: I was on the Oct. 30 - Nov. 6 cruise and the service and the food were excellent! I wrote comments already all over this board as well as the review section. I really find it hard to believe the service and food went down hill in just a week.

Maddmaxx, I just read you latest review of your Nov. 27 cruise:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=451911

You sound like a totally different person! :) I'm glad that cruise went so well for you and hope others click the link above and read it also. Just shows people and cruise ships can change for the better.:D

[Maholla]

...gosh, I think it was the food handling or the crew.

 

Ok, so that burns me up.

 

PEOPLE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, IT'S NOT US GETTING YOU SICK.

 

Pax numbers of the norovirus were way, way higher than crew. If we were so dirty and careless, don't you think as much of us would be sick as the passengers?

 

Wait. Maybe it's less because we wash and sanitize our hands on average in restaurant, every 5 minutes or so. Every time you bus a table-- wash your hands. Every time you pick up a cleaning rag-- wash your hands. We wash our hands every single time our hands come into contact with any sort of surface that could be contaminated. My hands were cracking from overwashing and the bleach-sanitizer I used dozens upon dozens of times a day.

 

The Norovirus is spread when affected people aren't washing THEIR hands and then touching things like rails, elevators, and other objects that despite being sanitized throughout the day will still be high-contact. Blame your fellow passengers. Mahalo.

[Lightsluvr]

The Passenger Services Act has existed since 1886. Grover Cleveland was the President who placed his signature on the legislation. I don't even think a maritime union existed at that time.

 

Actually the Seafarer's Unions were around shortly after the Revolutionary War... See this link:

 

http://www.seafarers.org/about/history.xml

 

Another interesting article about the unions' political influences:

 

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,918453,00.html?promoid=googlep

 

The beat goes on...

 

LL

[tomluvsaida]

If you have spent the last 10 years working at minimum wage without any sort of raise then it is your own fault for doing so. You can't tell me that being in a job for 10 years there was no where to move up or no way to better yourself so that you are making more than minimum wage? Also, minimum wage is not meant to support a whole family. It is meant to be enough for you to live on by yourself without starving or being forced to live on the street. If you choose to have a family then it is also your choice to not be able to support them. If I was your employer I should feel free to pay you what I feel is appropriate for the job. If you don't like that ammount then you are equally as free to not do that job.

 

I thought this was a cruse critic forum anyways?

 

Keith

What's all this talk about 10 years about? I know the NCLA line is less than 5 years old. I agree with the statement above however. Even if NCLA were to hire a high school drop out bus person that person would either be promoted or dismissed way sooner than 10 years.

[tomluvsaida]

...I think you are confusing the FDA with the CDC, the CDC is the one who evaluates ships for cleanliness etc. and works with them to give the ships their ratings that are published. FDA has a whole different mission. I am sure they will be amused when they get your letter though...

Click on reviews and go to Pride of Hawaii. You will see it got a CDC/FDA score of 100, the highest score they give!:D

[tomluvsaida]

The incubation period for Norwalk virus is one to two days. I didn't eat anything off the ship. I was not able to enjoy the last two days at Kuaii because I was barfing my guts out. (Sue, that is five days into the cruise) I additionally had exposive diarrhea. I was diagnosed with Norwalk virus when my physician did labs on my return to mainland. So where did I get it? ...gosh, I think it was the food handling or the crew.

 

I wouldn't think NCL would cancel the cruise they have too much investment in the people who paid not only for the cruise but probably for extensive excursions. I do think the FDA should have cancelled it until the ship was cleaned up.

 

How would I have felt if the cruise would have been cancelled. No doubt... angry. Had I known what was to come, I would not gotten on board the ship.

 

The FDA WAS involved in making NCL protect the passengers on our cruise, and dispite religiously using the provided alcohol disinfectant, many passengers (Evidenced by full sick-bay), I guess it was not the panacea.

 

I am glad you didn't have a problem Snorkel, I wish my wife and I could say the same.

 

I restate what I said before. IT WAS THE WORST CRUISE I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED.

 

Bill in California

I'm sorry you got so sick and had such a miserable time but using the American crew as your scape goat is unwarranted and downright bigoted! :mad: Since you mentioned the FDA you might be interested in what THEY and the CDC have to say about this ship. Click on the review section and then Pride of Hawaii. At the bottom you will see a CDC/FDA rating which is this case is 100 - the highest rating they give ANY ship!:D