on phone with NCL right now

[storm15]

Seems since we paid in full for our trip on the SKY due to time constraints we are not able to cancel. Dumb us didn't book through NCL so we haven't purchased insurance (husbands choice...ack)

 

Called to ask about the ship and the problems...Stefano at NCL "who told you all this?"

 

I said its all over the internet "she stated again that there have been no reported problems on the Sky"

 

And then she said I cannot change your reservation, its up to your travel agent to do so, funny my TA said it was NCL's problem. UGH!!

 

I was wanting to switch to Majesty of the Seas, more bucks, but a better chance of no problems.

 

So anyway..NCL is still denying problems.

[Boat_Drinks]

What's this all about? You left out some important information, like what ship/itinerary you already booked....

[cafe rose]

What's this all about? You left out some important information, like what ship/itinerary you already booked....

 

I thought it was just me...couldn't follow that one.

[Toyz711]

sounds like your used a TA to book on the SKY, with all the bad reviews you want to change to another ship...but are getting confused reports between your TA and NCL.

1st of all...if you booked using a TA, everything must go through the TA. they have do any changes. NCL won't talk to your...the TA owns your booking, even after final payment. the ship may be NCL's problems, but the reservations/booking is your TA's responsiblity.

[storm15]

Sorry.....we are booked on the Sky on 8/15 and with all the problems and people recommended changing ships I have been getting frustrated.

 

Sorry for the confusion.

 

I just called my TA again she said after talking to NCL they would be able to offer us a 50% refund due to the late cancellation.

 

I think we will probably just take the chance on the SKY, what would you do??

[NoRoxie!]

My take on the OP is that she has read about the problems others have found on the Sky (AC, problems with some of the staff, etc.), and wants to change to cruise on the Majesty. I could be wrong.

 

My opinion - Go on your cruise and have fun!

[cafe rose]

Storm, it is a vacation, right? Enjoy yourself and keep and open mind. Just think, if you had never heard of cc and not come onto these boards and read the latest reviews (I think earlier ones were better), you would now be waiting anxiously for a wonderful cruise/vacation. Just go and enjoy!

 

Roxie, what part of Queens are you from? I grew up there:)

[coka]

Storm15, Take a deep breath! That is very very nice of them to offer a percentage refund. Go on the cruise and enjoy your balcony cabin with your hubby and son! A few years ago I read all sorts of bad things on cruisecritic about the Star Princess and was wanting to cancel too. I went anyways and realized that I was worried for nothing. I read your previous postings and it looks like you have a lot of fun planned for your 3 day cruise. Be sure to write a review when you get back to let us know how it turned out.

 

coka

[NoRoxie!]

St. Albans, but born and bred in Brooklyn.

[storm15]

:rolleyes: thanks everyone...I will tell the hubby that we can make the best of it and as you said "quit stressing". I usually don't do this much stressing (food issues don't bother me as we are not picky eaters, and dont sweat the small stuff) but we haven't cruised before and I am on high stress now as our youngest daughter is getting married in 2 and half weeks ($$$).....so you see I need this trip...lol! Thanks everyone for letting me stress here...:)

 

 

although I have to say....no toilets:eek: is just a bit scary.

[brc1978]

I'm not sailing on the sky, but the Majesty.

 

Like you, I booked a cruise then read all of the reviews after the fact. Do a search for Majesty and you will see a lot of OLD negative reviews.

 

Like you, I became anxious. I thought, "what have I done". Then I read positive reviews.

 

Go on your cruise and have a good time. No one spends a lot of time in their room anyway.

[coka]

Ah, I just read the other thread about the AC and toilets. If those two issues are not fixed by the time you cruise, then you enoy the best you can...then write a letter when you return. I vouch that valid complaints are appropriately responded to.

coka

[TravelingFamily5]

This was me after we booked our very first cruise with Norwegian Gem. After making our last payment I stumbled upon CC. I’ve read about the bad reviews of NCL in general: bad food, bad service. I got worried and thought of cancelling it but my husband was not worried about it. We sailed in March 2008 and we had a great time. We like the food, we liked our stewards, we like freestyle cruising. Now we’re hooked on cruising. We will be sailing on our second cruise next month.

All I can say is keep an open mind. Relax and enjoy your vacation.

[Wylie Coyote]

Hello there.....

 

If there is one thing I know, anyone reading reviews should take them all with a grain of salt. I mean, how can there be multiple reviews for the same cruise and one review will rant and rave about ship conditions, services and food, the the other review will practically make it sound as if the people sailed on a crewless barge!

 

Things you can consider. If indeed you experience a problem, let someone know. Don't just live with it. If it is bad to the point that it is affecting your vacation, request onboard credit to compensate for the problems. Try to always be nice...I can assure you that will go along way in getting what you want! :)

 

Now, since this is your first cruise. Don't stress yourself. You will have a fantastic time and I can guarantee that you will not be able to wait until your next sailing! Remember: buy the insurance....it is worth every penny in the event you have to cancel, or if someone gets sick or hurt and needs medivac.

 

Happy Cruising!!! :D

[catlady461]

We booked a cruise on Pride of Aloha(now Norwegian Sky) for September 2007. It was our first cruise with NCL(we had cuised with RCCL & Celebrity previously).

After we made final payment I found Cruise Critic and found all the negative reviews. I began to wonder if we had made a mistake but we went with an open mind and we had a great time. Yes, we had a minor problem with the cabin steward & the toilet not working but the toilet got fixed. The cabin steward was a lost cause and we just got on with enjoying ourselves.

My suggestion would be go with an open mind that you will have a good time after all you are on vacation.

Even after the minor problems we had we went on the Dawn in May and have 2 other cruises booked with NCL.

To sum up everything we read in the reviews did not seem to be the case. Buffet was normal as cruise buffets go, Dining room food & service was good & specialty restaurants were gret.

Have a great time.

[Ms belp]

Seems since we paid in full for our trip on the SKY due to time constraints we are not able to cancel. Dumb us didn't book through NCL so we haven't purchased insurance (husbands choice...ack)

 

Called to ask about the ship and the problems...Stefano at NCL "who told you all this?"

 

I said its all over the internet "she stated again that there have been no reported problems on the Sky"

 

And then she said I cannot change your reservation, its up to your travel agent to do so, funny my TA said it was NCL's problem. UGH!!

 

I was wanting to switch to Majesty of the Seas, more bucks, but a better chance of no problems.

 

So anyway..NCL is still denying problems.

 

Why don't you come down to South Padre Island and enjoy? We'd be more than glad to have you right now. Of course, the food, water, and availabilty of electricity, and sanitation might not be up to your standards. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience at this time.

 

Note to OP, problems can arise when you least expect them.

[silkhair1]

Have a good time, and remember. I would switch with you in a heartbeat as I am only going to work while you are cruising. Have fun and don't worry!

[silkhair1]

Have a good time, and remember. I would switch with you in a heartbeat as I am only going to work while you are cruising. Have fun and don't worry!

[silkhair1]

Have a good time, and remember. I would switch with you in a heartbeat as I am only going to work while you are cruising. Have fun and don't worry!

[CanadianTwosome]

Have a good time, and remember. I would switch with you in a heartbeat as I am only going to work while you are cruising. Have fun and don't worry!

 

I feel the same way!! I just posted in another Sky thread saying I would be happy to board her tomorrow if I could!! All the issues I've been reading about are things that should have been taken care of before they started taking on new passengers, but they weren't... they were addressing them while people were trying to enjoy themselves, which is unfortunate, but the fact is, they were addressing them. I believe we'll soon be seeing people posting about how wonderful their cruises have been. :)

[blackerbys17]

Just posted this on another thread but in case some of you don't see it, I am posting here as well. I just called NCL too and this is how it went:

 

I just called NCL's customer relations number. It took at least 20 minutes on hold before I got to speak to anyone but when I did, I spoke to Marcel. I told him I was calling to discuss some serious concerens regarding my recent cruise aboard the Sky and he IMMMEDIATELY responded that all complaints about the Sky had to be done in writing. To which I replied "I did, I wrote you a 4 page letter and sent it certified mail." He said that was fine and that someone would get back to me.

 

I told him I was not just calling about my issues, I was also calling because I had some very serious concerns about the information that the NCL reservation department is giving out regarding the Sky's current condition. I told him I knew of several people on Cruise Critic who had called with questions about the Sky's problems only to be told that there were no problems, that the Sky was just out of a rehab and that it was getting nothing but glorious reviews. I explained to him that that was a blatant lie and that something needed to be done.

 

At this point it was very clear that I was getting nowhere with Marcel so I asked for his supervisor. His supervisor, he said, was busy. What a great big surprise. Well, at this point I was quite fed up and I knew one thing, I was NOT getting the cold shoulder because I had to fight for everybody about to sail on the Sky. That is when I told him the following:

 

Me: "You are located in Miami isn't that right?"

Marcel: "Yes that is right."

Me: "Great, who do I have to speak to regarding making an appointment?"

Marcel: "Excuse me? An Appointment???"

Me: "Yes that is right, an appointment so I can speak to someone in person. You see, I don't live in Canada or in New York. I am a local just like you and I know were your offices are, right off the airport by the highway. In fact, it is a short drive from my house. So, should I make an appointment to see someone or should I just show up at your front desk?"

Marcel: dead silence followed by "Let me see if I can get a supervisor for you."

 

Sure enough, wouldn't you know that they found a supervisor for me to speak with, Mrs. Ponder. I spoke to Mrs. Ponder who seemed to be much better prepared to handle this sort of call and explained to her how concerened I was about my fellow Cruise Critic members's cruises and how they were being blatantly lied to by the NCL reservations department. She agreed that there were still problems regarding the a/c aboard the Sky and that they anticipated some problems in the coming weeks.

 

I suggested that when people call and ask about the Sky's current state that they should tell them that there have been some problems and tell them what the problems are. She stated that there were certain cabins with known a/c problems and I suggested that perhaphs when a guest calls NCL with questions about their booked cruise they could check to see what cabin they are booked in and if it is a known problem cabin to just switch them then. She agreed that something had to be done and that she would call the reservations department manager and make sure this agents were not giving out erroneus information. That was all that could be addressed over the phone. She said she looked forward to reading my letter and that requests for more credit based on our cruise would be handled on a case by case manner. Fine.

 

I know it isn't much but if she really calls the reservations department and they actually start telling you the truth when you call then my 50 minutes on the phone with NCL will have been worth it. I've sent in my letter as well and we will see what comes of that. If you sail on the Sky and have problems, COMPLAIN! Complain while you are onboard and write NCL customer relations dept. a letter. For now that is all we can do. However, if NCL continues to ignore the problems then I am sure that there will be legal ramifications. Let us hope it doesn't come to that.

[Goldryder]

Some useful information...

 

Vice President, Passenger Services - Crane Gladding - cgladding@ncl.com

 

Don't bother contacting the lower levels, go to the top...might get you further ;)

[mbisson]

Toyz is correct-if you book thru a TA changes have to be made through the TA.

 

Coka is correct (at least in my experience)-valid complaints are appropriately responded to. Also coka-invalid complaints are also appropriately dealt with ;) (but the complainer often doesn't like the result) LOL---but somehow I just can't see coka making an invalid complaint (although some of us complained in her behalf when she wasn't named Godmother of the Gem ;). Was that inappropriate?)

 

Everyone who said take the cruise and have a good time is correct (again IMO). And I wouldn't fret about things that are out of my control--that could lead to ulcers! :eek:

[aloha16]

blackerbys17-thank you for all you are doing and have done.

 

There are issues here and there on any ship any line-we all know that -and some of us do the best we can and move on.

 

I have a husband who is handicapped and uses a scooter -we always get pushed aside at elevators -people always walk right in front of us and go inside. We waited 30 minutes one time just to get an elevator. After 22 plus cruises I started to say something and take their dirty looks for doing so. I had one guy tell us we were too fat to take the elevator- I chaced him down the stairs to the floor he was going and reamed him a new As#%*le.

 

I do hope the a/c issue is fixed as that is our biggest concern-oh toilet too. Gotta have that.

 

We sail Sept.1st balcony cabin 9029- if the a/c sucks at least we have a balcony. BUT IT BETTER WORK:D

 

On Royal Caribbean we had a toilet issue and thank goodness our room was located next to purser so I had a toilet close till fixed:D.

 

Food -not really a major concern. We aren't big meat eaters and loves salads and veggies-we won't go hungry I am sure.

 

We plan to just have the best time we can-hope for the best as life is too short. Aloha

[Zeno]

To Op:

Don't panic! The likelyhood of you experiencing all the reported problems is pretty much zero and as someone else has said - if you experience ANY problem report it - to the CORRECT area immediately.

 

Our very first NCL cruise was on the Sky and yes we had some minor problems (twice with the toilet and once with the sink). We got out our list of phone numbers (in your cabin) - called the CORRECT number and the problems were attended to literally within minutes. Impact on our cruise - NONE. We were so pleased with the plumber (who arrived so quickly we thought that he must be camping out nearby and was very polite and cleaned up completely after his work) that we gave him an excellent rating on our comment card.

 

People do some pretty strange things when they experience problems:

1. Don't report it to anyone and then come on here and complain or better yet wait till the cruise is over before complaining and then demand compensation from the cruiseline (which of course will have NO onboard record that you had any problems)

2. Don't bother to check the list of numbers in the cabin

3. Complain to cabin stewards about plumbing and air conditioning problems - sometimes your steward can help but if you want FAST action call the correct number.

4. Complain at the purser's desk about Housekeeping problems.

5. And probably complain to their cabin steward about billing problems