NCL's web site. Good or Bad?

[GalOverCs]

I loathe this site. It won't reconize my reservation number and it wont let me create an account as a new sailor. Both times it gives me an error.

That is if I can even FIND the submit button which only appears when you hoover above the region you guess it's in~

I second the young relative webmaster theory!

[george2000]

I cannot find anything on the NCL Website. My husband is a wc and I can't find anything that has anything at all to do with handicapped accessiblity. Unlike Carnival who has a wc accessible route map on their website, ncl has absolutley nothing. This will probably keep us from booking a NCL cruise.

[ratherbecruisin']

Web site is awlfull! Easier to find cruise on Expedia (nice deck plans,rooms that are avalible, easy to navigate) then call NCL with the cabin you want that is avalible. Although web cam from ships are cool:)

[SueSea]

You don't think they deserve one day to work out the kinks??? Geez, tough critics...

 

Kinks are when a few links don't work, and those are usually caught in Beta testing or user acceptance testing. What people are complaining about here are design flaws. Those should have never made it into the final design. But they did, and that indicates that the ultimate system users, us, had no input into what we wanted in a system. Sounds like the real UAT is going on right now, and these users have not accepted the system. However, unlike with actual UAT, there is no method to capture what users deem unacceptable.

[snowman]

It is the worst web site I have ever seen.

[coaster]

I gave up on the site awhile back. It wanted me to register just to get pricing info. I put in my last sail date with NCL and it didn't find me. Looks like you can now get pricing info now without logging in though. No pricing by category; just one flat rate for insides, outsides, etc. Third and fourth passenger pricing is noticeably absent though. NCL not wanting families on their ships anymore?

 

Just booked 2 cruises with Royal Caribbean in the past 6 months on their site and didn't have to call about anything. NCL needs to stop adding new ships if they can't manage what they have now. Their priorities are not concentrated where they need to be if you ask me...

[newhope]

If this is not the worst web site ever designed, I do not want to see the worst. I cannot believe that they do not understand why they have a web site.

 

IMO you create a web to sell something or to inform people. This site does neither.

[4 cruisers]

Amen!!!!!!!!

[shoreless]

I think it's incredible that such a large company could have such a dreadful website, especially since they rolled it out at the same time as the new tv ads.

 

If someone really wants to cruise NCL, they'll find a way to do it, but I think that most new would-be customers, after seeing the tv ads, will come to the website and decide that NCL must be operating on a shoestring, and that it's probably more prudent to cruise on another line.:(

[Cosmopolitan]

I think it's incredible that such a large company could have such a dreadful website, especially since they rolled it out at the same time as the new tv ads.

 

If someone really wants to cruise NCL, they'll find a way to do it, but I think that most new would-be customers, after seeing the tv ads, will come to the website and decide that NCL must be operating on a shoestring, and that it's probably more prudent to cruise on another line.:(

 

I agree!

 

Several people have asked me about the website...very hard to muddle through.

 

I advise them to check pricing on the old site and to order the new books

to see the layouts of the cabins, etc.

 

Not sure what the problem is:confused:

[The Commodore]

I actually tried to send this thread link to Corporate offices, but their website didn't have any email address' for the honchos, so I sent the link to their Media Relations department with a request that they review carefully all postings and then forward to the proper corporate authority, in hope they may re-think this very non-professional website.

 

Merry Christmas all!

[CPT Trips]

I actually tried to send this thread link to Corporate offices, but their website didn't have any email address' for the honchos, so I sent the link to their Media Relations department with a request that they review carefully all postings and then forward to the proper corporate authority, in hope they may re-think this very non-professional website.

 

Merry Christmas all!

 

I guess that says all we need to know about

1) Senior management concern about the website

2) Company concern about their customers' input

[cruisingknut]

I think that the overuse of high memory usage flash type programs hinders the experience. I also hate the fact that the Web cams from the ships do not refresh often enough....

[lynnemac]

Hi gang,

 

Thanks to all who have expressed their feelings on this subject.

I have never seen a thread where so many people are all in agreement.

NCL pay attention!!!

 

Happy cruisin,

 

Mac

[wareagle1958]

NCL should copy Princess webpage. I love NCL,:mad: but I now book on Princess because it is so easy and you can do everything online.

[shoreguy]

I think it's incredible that such a large company could have such a dreadful website, especially since they rolled it out at the same time as the new tv ads.

 

:(

 

And there in lies the heart of the problem. My understanding the IT team was working on a project plan that launched a more complete site after the 1st of the year.

 

5 weeks before the rollout of the new marketing program they were told to be online the first week in Oct to support the new look. A 7x24 rush to get something up is why we have what we have.

 

In my opinion only, that compressed time-line resulted in more errors on what was put up. That in turn resulted in a lot of rework and overall even longer delays in the additional functionality we all know this site must have to be of any value.

[Stillfloatin']

In other words, marketing hotshots overode the IT nerds and the end result is a piece of crap that the marketing hotshots will blame on the IT nerds.:eek:

[shoreguy]

In other words' date=' marketing hotshots overode the IT nerds and the end result is a piece of crap that the marketing hotshots will blame on the IT nerds.:eek:[/quote']

 

That sums it up pretty well ;)

[theonlyjoie]

Originally Posted by Stillfloatin'

In other words, marketing hotshots overode the IT nerds and the end result is a piece of crap that the marketing hotshots will blame on the IT nerds.

That sums it up pretty well ;)

Yeah, that'd be about right:(

[KeystoneCruiser]

And there in lies the heart of the problem. My understanding the IT team was working on a project plan that launched a more complete site after the 1st of the year.

 

5 weeks before the rollout of the new marketing program they were told to be online the first week in Oct to support the new look. A 7x24 rush to get something up is why we have what we have.

 

In my opinion only, that compressed time-line resulted in more errors on what was put up. That in turn resulted in a lot of rework and overall even longer delays in the additional functionality we all know this site must have to be of any value.

 

NCL's promotions people are so smart. Let's put out a website before its ready just to look nice. So instead of helping their company make money, which is their job, they are costing their company money because people cannot book online. (and if they aren't members of CC, they most likely do not know the old site still exists!)

 

Let's face it, we have all used the old NCL cruise search site to price out potential cruises and, even I have used it to compare against other cruise lines prices. I'm not going to call the cruise line to get a quote to compare against another company because I most likely would be harassed once they have my information.

 

When our itnerary got changed on the Dawn last fall, I admit that I checked out Princess, Carnival and RCCL for cruises. I can't remember if it was Carnival or RCCL (Carnival I think), but in order to price cruises I had to give them my email and phone number. Sure enough, within a day I got 3 emails and a phone call from them wanting to help me book my cruise. I blocked the emails and after the third phone call, I told them that if they called me back again I would NEVER sail on their line. Guess what, the calls stopped!

 

I certainly hope the PR/Marketing department gets the blame for the lost revenue and not the poor IT guys. But please, NCL, get that site corrected soon!!!

[beachseasand]

:mad: I agree with everyone regarding this website awful sums it up.

 

You can not see which cabins are booked on a particular cruise date. A helpful feature when a late comer decides to go along and you want to see the closest cabin available to your room.

 

Deck plans are not up to date. All features of ship not on deck plans. Pearl especially.

 

Hate those spinning tickets to look at information and information is limited.

 

This website needs a total redesign again.

 

I ended up booking through Orbitz.

[Stillfloatin']

I certainly hope the PR/Marketing department gets the blame for the lost revenue and not the poor IT guys.

 

Of COURSE the IT guys will get blamed. :eek: Sales and marketing are the superstars in big corporations and IT guys are the peons. And you know those poor IT guys KNEW what a mess it was going to be when they were ordered to hurry it up.:(