Way to go NCL! $3000 certificate toward future Cruise!

[jackchris]

:) Have a moment, thought I would share our story about NCL. My husband was injured aboard the NCL Dawn this past spring. I sent this letter to the NCL headquarters and was very thrilled with their offer of a cruise certificate.

We also received a complimentary dinner for 7 at Teppanyaki while still on board. I included parts of my letter for all to read. It will give you some detail as to what happened.

Dear Ms. XXXX,

As per our telephone conversation on XXXX, I am writing to you regarding an unfortunate incident that took place on the XXX sailing of the Norwegian Dawn. My husband, XXXXX, was injured as a result of this occurrence. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, at the T-Rex pool. My husband and my two young boys, ages 3 ½ and 21 months were playing alongside the children’s hot tub. I was sitting on an upright chair along the aft railing of the T-Rex area watching the boys play. All of a sudden, I along with several others noticed a chaise lounge on the level directly above us start to rattle and waver in the wind. Within moments the chaise lounge became airborne, barreled over the railing and flew directly into the T-Rex area. It was at this time that my husband and at least one other individual were hit by the chaise lounge. I immediately rose from my chair to see if my husband and sons were okay as I was still unsure if the chaise actually hit them. It was then I noticed blood streaming down my husband’s head and onto his face and arm as he held the wound. I was frantic at the sight of seeing the blood cover my husband and luckily a nice woman from Cabin XXXX named XXXX quickly sprung into action, grabbed a towel and applied pressure to his scalp to help reduce the blood flow. I then started yelling for someone to call help while comforting my two boys as they watched in horror. Moments later a code alpha was called and my husband was whisked away to the infirmary. We were told by the doctor that he had a laceration on his scalp and it needed to be derma bonded closed. My husband also had several contusions on his head and body as the chaise lounge hit his right arm and right leg as well (the force of the impact actually bent the chaise lounge).

LOL My husband is a big guy!! 6ft 3 in and about 230lbs.

As a result of this incident, our trip was impacted in several ways. Firstly, my husband was instructed not to swim (get his head wet) or shower (wash his hair) for at least 24 hours. This impacted our days in both San Juan and Tortola. It is difficult to enjoy a trip to the Caribbean when your beach plans are restricted. He was also very sore from the bruises he sustained and therefore did not want to do a lot of walking and exploring of the islands. We had wanted to go to Virgin Gorda but decided not to go because he was not feeling up to it. With him feeling sore, he just wanted to sit and relax. This was not much fun for our very active small children. This also required me to do most of the heavy lifting and entertaining for our children leaving me very little time for my own relaxation. XXXX also visited the infirmary one additional time to request Advil. He was given 600 mg of ibuprofen as the wound on his head was feeling sore and his body hurt. We never visited the T-Rex area again after the incident as my two little boys were afraid to go back. Previously, we had spent Friday XXX and Saturday XXX enjoying the T-Rex area. My 3 year old loved the water slides so much he must have used them a hundred times. So it was really a disappointment that we couldn’t get him to go to T-Rex again.

This trip was our third cruise with NCL and our second on the beautiful Dawn. We would just like to mention that the HD along with the infirmary staff were very helpful and attentive regarding the situation. However, we are writing to you to request that NCL offer our family a complimentary Caribbean Cruise out of New York next winter. We would like to cruise again without incident and enjoy those things that we missed on this cruise.

Sincerely, XXXX

:) So with that and I am sure the reports from the Dawn, we were offered the cruise certificate. Although, the injury was not serious it did impact our trip. Even after we returned home, the derma bond would pop open and his head would start to bleed. Not to mention getting the derma bond off of the actual hair strands. Needless to say I had to cut out a nice clump of hair from his scalp. Luckily, he has been blessed with a full head of hair and it has since filled in nicely. So I really feel that NCL took care of us. I don't think that they would have offered had I not pursued the issue. But again they did not refuse!:p

[CanadianTwosome]

Yikes!! I'm glad to hear everything worked out and the injury was not more serious - it could have been!!

 

Thanks for taking the time to post. You have expressed many things that are good to be aware of. One of the things I've seen people suggest in past threads (where people have complained of bad customer service) is that the tone and language with which one lodges a complaint can have a direct impact on the results. Your letter was well written, polite, and expressive. You detailed all of the facts and made a point of saying that you had been well taken care of on the ship. Your request for compensation was also just that - a request. While you were clear and direct, you did not 'demand' anything, simply expressed a reasonable compensation for what you had paid for and missed as a result of the shipboard incident.

 

It is also always nice to see someone describing a positive experience. As has been said on these boards time and again, we always seem much more eager to share negative experiences than positive ones.

 

Enjoy your next cruise!!

[garycarla]

Thanks for posting, and especially how to write a letter that was not full of threats and whining. Just what happened, and a somewhat reasonable request for them to meet.

 

I think NCL treated you well.

 

Now, on the other hand, if someone with this sort of injury was trying to SUE the cruiseline and was carrying on about how terrible everything was, I might look at it differently. After all, based on what was written, it appears it was a fluke accident cause by winds. At this point, I assume it is not normal, or that the chair was not someplace it should not have been.

 

Looks like you and NCL came to a nice meeting of the minds. Good for both sides.

[Guest Anorak33]

We were recently in a penthouse suite at the very front of Gem, a huge patio with various items of funiture on it - and one of the first things we were were told by the stewardess was the use of the pieces of rope tied onthe railings - they were for tying the furniture down if it gets windy.

So NCL do try!

[Zeno]

jackchris:

I think you handled this exceptionally well. You outlined the incident in detail and in a restrained, polite manner.. You described how it impacted your cruise. You requested very reasonable and appropriate compensation.

 

I am very happy for you that NCL responded appropriately.

[jackchris]

Thanks for posting, and especially how to write a letter that was not full of threats and whining. Just what happened, and a somewhat reasonable request for them to meet.

 

I think NCL treated you well.

 

Now, on the other hand, if someone with this sort of injury was trying to SUE the cruiseline and was carrying on about how terrible everything was, I might look at it differently. After all, based on what was written, it appears it was a fluke accident cause by winds. At this point, I assume it is not normal, or that the chair was not someplace it should not have been.

 

Looks like you and NCL came to a nice meeting of the minds. Good for both sides.

It was definitely a fluke and an accident. The winds were very strong heading into San Juan. Needless to say the chaise lounges from that level were either removed our tied down for the rest of the cruise. It was also very fortunate that the lounge hit a full grown man rather than a small child. The outcome could have been far worse.

[JoeCanadian]

The accident was quite unfortunate, but you dealt with it very professionally and rationally; and so did NCL.

 

Goes to show that you catch more bees with honey than vinegar... all too many people would have lost it and threatened to sue, etc and etc....

 

It's very nice to hear that they were accommodating on board and responded positively to your request for compensation.

 

Enjoy your next cruise!

[Latino81]

It's an unfortunate situation and I'm glad it all worked out.

I also think that NCL got off cheap!

[fin]

A very very good illustration of the adage that you get more flies with honey than with vinegar. My own experiences with NCL have been very similar [although no free cruise!]

:-)

[jackchris]

It's an unfortunate situation and I'm glad it all worked out.

I also think that NCL got off cheap!

LOL My travel agent said the same thing!

I think that NCL considered what we paid for our trip for 4 on the 10 day eastern Carib. 2 adults and 2 small children Deck 10 inside ($2900) and decided to give us roughly that. Unfortunately, with the prices for the 10 day out of NY for 2008 and 2009, we will never be able to do the same trip again for $3000. But the 3 grand will certainly make a big dent in our next cruise! The $3000 was NCL's first offer and it came about 1 week after I sent my letter. I probably could have pushed for a little more maybe $5000?? but I was content with their offer. I can probably take a 7 day Bahamas/Florida or 7 day Bermuda from NY with not much out of pocket. I probably would have pushed for more compensation and have been more irate if my children were injured. If it were one of my sons bleeding, I would have been much more emotionally charged. Also, if my husband had been seriously injured it would have been a different situation. Again, I felt NCL made a fair gesture and I accepted it!

[pathubia]

Kudos to both sides!!!

 

I was very impressed with your letter and NCL's offer. Yes, you probably could have pushed for more....Would you have got it, maybe, maybe not.

 

I am so glad it wasnt one of the children that was hurt. It must have been horrible.

 

Glad things worked out for you.

[CC Help Michell]

LOL My travel agent said the same thing!

I think that NCL considered what we paid for our trip for 4 on the 10 day eastern Carib. 2 adults and 2 small children Deck 10 inside ($2900) and decided to give us roughly that. Unfortunately, with the prices for the 10 day out of NY for 2008 and 2009, we will never be able to do the same trip again for $3000. But the 3 grand will certainly make a big dent in our next cruise! The $3000 was NCL's first offer and it came about 1 week after I sent my letter. I probably could have pushed for a little more maybe $5000?? but I was content with their offer. I can probably take a 7 day Bahamas/Florida or 7 day Bermuda from NY with not much out of pocket. I probably would have pushed for more compensation and have been more irate if my children were injured. If it were one of my sons bleeding, I would have been much more emotionally charged. Also, if my husband had been seriously injured it would have been a different situation. Again, I felt NCL made a fair gesture and I accepted it!

 

I think the tone of your letter, which was extremely reasonable and fair-minded (giving credit where it was due for how the onboard NCL employees handled the situation, etc.) made ALL the difference for you. If those emotions had been guiding your writing hand, and you'd used phrases like "never sail NCL again," or "lawsuit" the red flags would have gone up and you could well have been stonewalled.

 

I congratulate you on your restraint and fair-mindedness, which resulted in you achieving a very reasonable (maybe even a pretty high-end) compensation for this unfortunate situation. After all, NCL could have retreated behind the "it was the wind, accidents happen" argument and done nothing. Kudos to both you and NCL corporate.

 

I also thank you for taking the time to share the situation and outcome here at CC.

[newmexicoNita]

:) Have a moment, thought I would share our story about NCL. My husband was injured aboard the NCL Dawn this past spring. I sent this letter to the NCL headquarters and was very thrilled with their offer of a cruise certificate.

We also received a complimentary dinner for 7 at Teppanyaki while still on board. I included parts of my letter for all to read. It will give you some detail as to what happened.

Dear Ms. XXXX,

As per our telephone conversation on XXXX, I am writing to you regarding an unfortunate incident that took place on the XXX sailing of the Norwegian Dawn. My husband, XXXXX, was injured as a result of this occurrence. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, at the T-Rex pool. My husband and my two young boys, ages 3 ½ and 21 months were playing alongside the children’s hot tub. I was sitting on an upright chair along the aft railing of the T-Rex area watching the boys play. All of a sudden, I along with several others noticed a chaise lounge on the level directly above us start to rattle and waver in the wind. Within moments the chaise lounge became airborne, barreled over the railing and flew directly into the T-Rex area. It was at this time that my husband and at least one other individual were hit by the chaise lounge. I immediately rose from my chair to see if my husband and sons were okay as I was still unsure if the chaise actually hit them. It was then I noticed blood streaming down my husband’s head and onto his face and arm as he held the wound. I was frantic at the sight of seeing the blood cover my husband and luckily a nice woman from Cabin XXXX named XXXX quickly sprung into action, grabbed a towel and applied pressure to his scalp to help reduce the blood flow. I then started yelling for someone to call help while comforting my two boys as they watched in horror. Moments later a code alpha was called and my husband was whisked away to the infirmary. We were told by the doctor that he had a laceration on his scalp and it needed to be derma bonded closed. My husband also had several contusions on his head and body as the chaise lounge hit his right arm and right leg as well (the force of the impact actually bent the chaise lounge).

LOL My husband is a big guy!! 6ft 3 in and about 230lbs.

As a result of this incident, our trip was impacted in several ways. Firstly, my husband was instructed not to swim (get his head wet) or shower (wash his hair) for at least 24 hours. This impacted our days in both San Juan and Tortola. It is difficult to enjoy a trip to the Caribbean when your beach plans are restricted. He was also very sore from the bruises he sustained and therefore did not want to do a lot of walking and exploring of the islands. We had wanted to go to Virgin Gorda but decided not to go because he was not feeling up to it. With him feeling sore, he just wanted to sit and relax. This was not much fun for our very active small children. This also required me to do most of the heavy lifting and entertaining for our children leaving me very little time for my own relaxation. XXXX also visited the infirmary one additional time to request Advil. He was given 600 mg of ibuprofen as the wound on his head was feeling sore and his body hurt. We never visited the T-Rex area again after the incident as my two little boys were afraid to go back. Previously, we had spent Friday XXX and Saturday XXX enjoying the T-Rex area. My 3 year old loved the water slides so much he must have used them a hundred times. So it was really a disappointment that we couldn’t get him to go to T-Rex again.

This trip was our third cruise with NCL and our second on the beautiful Dawn. We would just like to mention that the HD along with the infirmary staff were very helpful and attentive regarding the situation. However, we are writing to you to request that NCL offer our family a complimentary Caribbean Cruise out of New York next winter. We would like to cruise again without incident and enjoy those things that we missed on this cruise.

Sincerely, XXXX

:) So with that and I am sure the reports from the Dawn, we were offered the cruise certificate. Although, the injury was not serious it did impact our trip. Even after we returned home, the derma bond would pop open and his head would start to bleed. Not to mention getting the derma bond off of the actual hair strands. Needless to say I had to cut out a nice clump of hair from his scalp. Luckily, he has been blessed with a full head of hair and it has since filled in nicely. So I really feel that NCL took care of us. I don't think that they would have offered had I not pursued the issue. But again they did not refuse!:p

It sounds like when things go wrong that NCL considers thier fault they can be very understanding. How long, after you wrote your letter did it take to get an answer?

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

LOL My travel agent said the same thing!

I think that NCL considered what we paid for our trip for 4 on the 10 day eastern Carib. 2 adults and 2 small children Deck 10 inside ($2900) and decided to give us roughly that. Unfortunately, with the prices for the 10 day out of NY for 2008 and 2009, we will never be able to do the same trip again for $3000. But the 3 grand will certainly make a big dent in our next cruise! The $3000 was NCL's first offer and it came about 1 week after I sent my letter. I probably could have pushed for a little more maybe $5000?? but I was content with their offer. I can probably take a 7 day Bahamas/Florida or 7 day Bermuda from NY with not much out of pocket. I probably would have pushed for more compensation and have been more irate if my children were injured. If it were one of my sons bleeding, I would have been much more emotionally charged. Also, if my husband had been seriously injured it would have been a different situation. Again, I felt NCL made a fair gesture and I accepted it!

forget my last positng, You answered my question: it took about a week for you to hear. I think NCl did take care of you and yes, it will go a long way toward your next cruise. Hope it turns out a little better.

 

Nita

[jackchris]

forget my last positng, You answered my question: it took about a week for you to hear. I think NCl did take care of you and yes, it will go a long way toward your next cruise. Hope it turns out a little better.

 

Nita

Yes, one week to hear and NCL made their offer very quickly without any problems. I received their registered letter so quicky, I couldn't believe it. To say the least we were thrilled. I really thought they were going to make a very small gesture, like $500 or so. Just enough to get us to book again! So we were really happy and again I didn't have to jump through any hoops to get it. I did naturally have to sign notarized papers saying that I would not pursue any further action and that by their offer they were not admitting wrong doing. So my husband and I agreed and signed.:rolleyes:

Nita, wondering if you have heard of others getting this type of compensation for minor injuries. Is it typical for NCL to repond so quicky and be so agreeable to requests for compensation???

[iheartbda]

This thread should be mandatory reading for all people who come on the boards ranting, raving, threatening to sue or never to sail xxx again and demanding blah, blah blah.

[okbrit]

It is so nice (and refreshing) that you were reasonable and they were reasonable in return. Wish everyone operated that way. Scary experience though. I hope your sons will be able to enjoy the pool without any fear on your replacement cruise.

 

I wonder if NCL might in fact have made some sort of offer without you asking. Several years ago by husband passed out in a large craft shop (a national chain) and fell and had to have 17 stitches in his eyebrow. It was due to his diabetes (a new med causing a sudden drop in blood sugar) and in no way any fault of the store but they called and offered him compensation and insisted on paying him $1000 even though we kept telling them it was totally because of his diabetes and not their fault at all. It was Company policy - presumably to avoid being sued.

[jackchris]

It is so nice (and refreshing) that you were reasonable and they were reasonable in return. Wish everyone operated that way. Scary experience though. I hope your sons will be able to enjoy the pool without any fear on your replacement cruise.

 

I wonder if NCL might in fact have made some sort of offer without you asking. Several years ago by husband passed out in a large craft shop (a national chain) and fell and had to have 17 stitches in his eyebrow. It was due to his diabetes (a new med causing a sudden drop in blood sugar) and in no way any fault of the store but they called and offered him compensation and insisted on paying him $1000 even though we kept telling them it was totally because of his diabetes and not their fault at all. It was Company policy - presumably to avoid being sued.

I don't think that NCL would have offered the certificate had I not requested some sort of compensation. Having said that, when I spoke with their claims department and sent in my letter they didn't give me an ounce of hassle. The claims dept. probably takes a wait and see approach. They probably wait to see what type of action the passenger will take regarding the situation and then respond accordingly.