My LAST NCL Cruise!

[nealstuber]

Here we go again with they are on the same web site so they are one and the same, if you’ve done one, you’ve done them all. It doesn’t matter that one is American flagged with American crew, and the other is foreign flagged with an International crew.

 

So if I go to GM, with all their different divisions, same principle, and buy a Chevy, I can say I’ve done GM so I know what driving a Caddy is like.

Just like a Chevy is not like a Caddy, NCLA is not like NCL. They are a different product. Only the concept is the same. Chevy and Caddy are both cars. NCLA and NCL both have ships run with freestyle.

 

Even if they were the same company, it would be like saying I could buy either decaf or regular Folger’s coffee and it doesn’t matter. They’re made by the same company so they are both just alike.

 

I would argue that if you have two divisions of any company and they both show signs of the same problem (in this case poor communication on menu changes) there is a likely hood that a resolution is possible at the level of the parent company.

 

To use your analogy, if the included options are incorrectly printed on the stickers of Caddys and Buicks, I would think GM would be looking for a common solution.

[coffeebean]

Ok, I need to jump in here and talk about the POH. The menus for the dining room were listed on the TV. Every night there were a few items that were wrong on the menu. On the fourth night I asked the front desk about it. At which time they showed me the menu they had for that night --- their menu was NOT the same one as the restaurant. They also had no idea that I could see the menu on the TV. That same night they ran out of the "always available" fish (I can't remember what it was). On the 5th day we were not able to access the menu on our TV so we went downstairs to look at the glass case. We then went to dinner only to find that the menu did NOT match the one displayed in the front case. The last night we had our butler bring us a menu so we could have dinner in our room. I ordered a melon cup, and the pork tenderloin. When the butler came back he told us that the restaurant was not offering either one.

 

So, yes, they DO run out of items, and no it also does not help to go look at the menu before you dine if it is always WRONG.

 

Colin Veitch is still the CEO of NCLA, and it is still part of the NCL website; therefore, it shouldn't matter that its really "another line" like I have read from others. If they truly only have the same parent company than there should be different websites -- Princess and Carnival are owned by the same company - two different websites. Same scenario with RCI and Celebrity.

 

I made a comment in an earlier post that NCLA is a different "animal" than NCL. What I meant was the difference is in the American crews on NCLA v.s. the international crews on NCL ships. The American crews do not win any service awards and do not compare to the international crews.

[hazeleyez3]

there are always things that need to be worked on. I was just checking my edocs and found two mistakes.(one was that there was an offset on some information so the ctz, ins and lat status lined up wrong and that the code section that they cited as ? can't be right....I wish they made it easier to let them know about these issues...like the menus as they can be easily(?) fixed.

 

It is easy to let them know about the problems. I spoke with several people about all of the issues we experienced on our honeymoon. I attached 5 pages worth of detail for all of the issues (and made sure I listed each crew members name - both good and bad) to my comment card before handing them in, and then sent an email to Colin Veitch and Scott Hamby (the Hotel Director) listing all of the problems. The only reason we are going on the Star is because we were given a free cruise due to the problems we had on the POH.

 

Here we go again with they are on the same web site so they are one and the same, if you’ve done one, you’ve done them all. It doesn’t matter that one is American flagged with American crew, and the other is foreign flagged with an International crew.

 

So if I go to GM, with all their different divisions, same principle, and buy a Chevy, I can say I’ve done GM so I know what driving a Caddy is like.

Just like a Chevy is not like a Caddy, NCLA is not like NCL. They are a different product. Only the concept is the same. Chevy and Caddy are both cars. NCLA and NCL both have ships run with freestyle.

 

Even if they were the same company, it would be like saying I could buy either decaf or regular Folger’s coffee and it doesn’t matter. They’re made by the same company so they are both just alike.

 

And if you go onto the GM website you will see that there are 2 seperate areas for the Caddys and the Chevys - each with information specific to that car. The Folgers website also has a seperate section for decaf. Going with your theory then, NCLA should have a seperate section on ncl.com. This, however, is not the case. If you look under "ships" on the website it lists all the ships - it does not specify which are NCL and which are NCLA. If you look, for example at the POAl highlights it talks about NCL's suites and villas; however, the ship is part of the "NCLA product" not the "NCL product." Does that mean that NCLA does not have suites and villas? If you look at the "Environmental Commitment" tab on ncl.com you will see that it talks about the NCL fleet and crew members. So does that mean that they do not train the staff on NCLA ships on enrironmental issues, or that the NCLA ships are not enviromental-friendly? The message from Colin Veitch on ncl.com states "the NCL S-T-Y-L-E customer service philosophy: Service, Teamwork, and Yes to Leadership." Should I take that to mean that that philosophy is not found on the NCLA ships?? If they want to still show that they are different products, then they need to state "NCL and NCLA." and/or there should be a seperate section for NCLA - specific to that "product." Since they do not do this they market themselves as a whole - not seperately. In fact, the main people who specify that they are different are the NCL (not NCLA) loyalists.

[Retired not Expired]

In fact, the main people who specify that they are different are the NCL (not NCLA) loyalists.

Yes, they are. Just like those who want to paint anything and everything negative are the main ones who say they are the same.

 

BTW, people who want to paint it all positive and those who want to paint it all negative are both cheerleaders, They are just cheering for different sides

[Retired not Expired]

Yes, they are. Just like those who want to paint anything and everything negative are the main ones who say they are the same.

 

BTW, people who want to paint it all positive and those who want to paint it all negative are both cheerleaders, They are just cheering for different sides

BTW Hazeleyez3, don't think by the above post that I am calling you a negative cheerleader. I sure don't think that, but then again, no one could ever accuse you of wearing rose colored glasses.:D

[CanadianTwosome]

The reason people keep saying that NCL and NCLA are different is because of the crew. Ships are metal and other constructive materials... the Star used to be NCLA and is now NCL; it's not the ship that has changed, it's her crew. The main complaints I see about NCLA are about the crew; in this particular case, they can't put the right menu on display - and it appears to be just too much work to confirm which one is being used on which day...

 

I have no experience with NCLA, so I'm just speculating, but I think that a reason there MAY be a difference is the upbringing of the crew. Here in North America, we take a LOT for granted. There are entire generations of people growing up believing that the world somehow 'owes' them something... and that they shouldn't be required to put more than the bare minimum of effort into their obligations. This is a very general observation I've made just watching people around me over the years, and in no way is it my opinion of ALL North Americans... but as with any population, there will be a certain percentage that are overachievers, underachievers, and outright a**holes. Ships are just mobile populations. Depending on the culture(s) a crew comes from, those porportions are going to be different. In my opinion, if a crewmember comes from a culture in which lack of achievement means starvation, they are more likely to put a lot more effort into their work.

 

This is all just opinion and conjecture; just my personal opinion of something that could be contributing to this issue that keeps coming up. :)

[Retired not Expired]

I would argue that if you have two divisions of any company and they both show signs of the same problem (in this case poor communication on menu changes) there is a likely hood that a resolution is possible at the level of the parent company.

 

To use your analogy, if the included options are incorrectly printed on the stickers of Caddys and Buicks, I would think GM would be looking for a common solution.

 

I haven't said they did not have some common problems, just that they are two different products. And yes, I've been on both, numerous times.

 

Question? Both you and Hazaleyez3 have cruise lines you like better than NCL. On both people have sworn off those lines due to an experience on one ship. Others have said don't judge the line by one ship. Have either of you ever challenged them saying they are one and the same since they are all ships from the same web site?

 

If you can have different experiences on different ships from the same line, is it too far to believe that with such a big difference in crews as NCL and NCLA, that the experience will be different?

[cliffd64]

the Star used to be NCLA and is now NCL; it's not the ship that has changed, it's her crew.

 

 

Just a note... the Star was NEVER NCLA... it has been a NCL ship since being christened.

[hazeleyez3]

I haven't said they did not have some common problems, just that they are two different products. And yes, I've been on both, numerous times.

 

Question? Both you and Hazaleyez3 have cruise lines you like better than NCL. On both people have sworn off those lines due to an experience on one ship. Others have said don't judge the line by one ship. Have either of you ever challenged them saying they are one and the same since they are all ships from the same web site?

 

If you can have different experiences on different ships from the same line, is it too far to believe that with such a big difference in crews as NCL and NCLA, that the experience will be different?

 

I don't recall challenging anyone on Carnival (which is probably my favorite). People like what they like, so I try to be objective. The reason I haven't been so on the NCL boards is because of my experience on the POH.

 

If I see someone asking for opinions such as Princess vs NCL I would think that, for the most part (even after the POH), I try to be objective - Point out things that people may like with the NCL experience (especially with the freestyle and less formal attire). I may also note the things that I prefer over others.

 

I usually speak up on a thread such as this because of the response the original poster gets - especially if it is implied that it was the posters fault he/she didn't have a good time, etc. (I am not implying that Retired not Expired did such a thing).

 

You are right, I don't wear rose colored glasses - never have, never will, but I have been on enough cruises (and lines) to have an idea of what cruising is about. I am fine if only a few things go wrong, but having 5 pages worth of problems is a tad ridiculous. It also wasn't just the NCLA American crew we had problems with - it was also the International crew members on board.

 

People can say that I went in with a negative attitude, could have treated the staff better, etc etc. What I know is that I was going on a cruise, I was in Hawaii, and I was on my honeymoon - trust me, none of those equal an "automatic" negative attitude.

[CanadianTwosome]

Just a note... the Star was NEVER NCLA... it has been a NCL ship since being christened.

 

Oh... my mistake, sorry. I thought she used to do a Hawaiian cruise... and I thought that to cruise there ships had to meet certain laws regarding staffing and registry. I still maintain that the differences in any cruise are in the crew more than the ship itself. :)