Cancelled 2016 cruise and NCL response

Having read all of the changes; poor communication from NCL etc, I cancelled a cruise on Escape for a Haven suite.

I told the person that I do not like to do business with companies that change policies; upcharges and do not have clear communication to those already booked.

I did receive a call from a "PCC" asking why as this was an expensive cruise. That was why the call.

I asked if the NCL leaders consider feedback from cruise critic and was told no, they do not worry about such comments.

Interesting that he tried to broker another cruise we have booked. If I would agree to pay the service charges now we would pay the same and the rate would not increase.

Hello?

My response was that although we have had many great NCL cruises, the constant changes will drive our cruise choices.

I would have appreciated a response that at least the many, many responses on CC made a difference.

Are we all talking to ourselves?

Having read all of the changes; poor communication from NCL etc, I cancelled a cruise on Escape for a Haven suite.

I told the person that I do not like to do business with companies that change policies; upcharges and do not have clear communication to those already booked.

I did receive a call from a "PCC" asking why as this was an expensive cruise. That was why the call.

I asked if the NCL leaders consider feedback from cruise critic and was told no, they do not worry about such comments.

Interesting that he tried to broker another cruise we have booked. If I would agree to pay the service charges now we would pay the same and the rate would not increase.

Hello?

My response was that although we have had many great NCL cruises, the constant changes will drive our cruise choices.

I would have appreciated a response that at least the many, many responses on CC made a difference.

Are we all talking to ourselves?

I think at this point they may like us to believe we are speaking only to ourselves, but in the era of social media, they should (and do) know better!

Are we all talking to ourselves?

Some companies are much slower on realizing that the power paradigm has shifted. In the past a dissatisfied customer only effected the people they had immediate contact with. This significantly reduced any fall out from poor business practices. Now with the internet increasing the reach of every consumer to a worldwide market they should take notice. I have no doubt they see what goes on here and that is has some effect on decisions. The fact that they post on threads is proof that they are watching. Why watch if our comments are of no consequence? They want us to think we have no effect because a widely negative reaction here reaches countless people and could hurt their bottom line.

6&8

For those that sailed NCL recently and received the post-cruise e-survey, there is a specific questions (actually, a 2nd. questions with sub-questions) about knowing, active, reading & posting on social media, including CC.

I don't recall if we got the survey last year sailing the BA, but both DW & I got one this year for the BA. For old-timers, it used to be done on the ship & dropped off in a box at Guest Services, and even drawings held - then, it changed to a random/select sampling only, post-cruise with the followup email.

The PCC was possibly just reading off the script & clueless about CC himself/herself so I will believe 50% of what's said and then discount 50% of the info as useless ...

Case-in-point, I happened to think that on the ship's M&G, they have a sign-in sheet for all CC'ers attending, there must be some reason for them to collect our names, stateroom #, CC username/handles AND email addresses - of course, they just put it into the round file bin right afterward. The Captain himself commented that they do read & follow CC - maybe not the details of every other thread on NCL, but somebody sitting in front of a monitor screen is doing what I call "intel" work on trending & the pulses on social media. If they don't - they are fools in this day & age to pretend that they ignore it all, which they can as it is well within their prerogative to do so.

First off I applaud you for the decision you made. It could not have been an easy one especially if you have enjoyed the product and the company in the past.

Personally I would not put much credence in what the PCC told you. He is likely more interested in his commission than in the company itself, its reputation or its customer satisfaction. I think you should follow up your cancellation with an email or letter to someone much higher up the food chain than the PCC and hopefully into the ear of someone who will listen and if need be follow up with the powers that be.

As you mentioned you are a suite customer, and so a level of customer that any cruise line would want to appeal to. When they lose a customer like you they should sit up and listen.

Rochelle

This may be cold comfort, but as one trying to choose between RCL and NCL for our next cruise, your comments in these threads are appreciated.

I would guess that a very small percentage of NCL guests are CC members - a very, very small percentage. So my answer to the question of whether the NCL executives read and care about what is posted on these forums is a big resounding NO. The recent thread which was highly critical of the introduction of room service charges was enormously popular and I think reached or exceeded 2,000 posts. I believe the introduction of room service charges is now fleet wide. Despite the threats and screams of protest, NCL did what they wanted to do. At some point in time the loss of revenue from the free beverage and dining packages had to be offset and the room service charge and increase in gratuities were put in place to do just that. If anything I've learned in life is that you don't get sometching for nothing, especially in commerce.

Express your concerns and criticize the cruise line about matters of fares, service and charges but realize one thing - the only people reading it are your fellow CC members.

I would guess that a very small percentage of NCL guests are CC members - a very, very small percentage. So my answer to the question of whether the NCL executives read and care about what is posted on these forums is a big resounding NO. The recent thread which was highly critical of the introduction of room service charges was enormously popular and I think reached or exceeded 2,000 posts. I believe the introduction of room service charges is now fleet wide. Despite the threats and screams of protest, NCL did what they wanted to do. At some point in time the loss of revenue from the free beverage and dining packages had to be offset and the room service charge and increase in gratuities were put in place to do just that. If anything I've learned in life is that you don't get sometching for nothing, especially in commerce.

 

Express your concerns and criticize the cruise line about matters of fares, service and charges but realize one thing - the only people reading it are your fellow CC members.

The problem with that theory is one can Google just about any "NCL" question and be pointed right here to CC. Heck, I just did it 3 different times using only "NCL" the first time, "Norwegian Cruise Line" the second, and "Norwegian cruise line reviews" the third - all phrases someone doing vacation research would probably use. It's more powerful than you are giving it credit for.

I did receive a call from a "PCC" asking why as this was an expensive cruise. That was why the call.

I asked if the NCL leaders consider feedback from cruise critic and was told no, they do not worry about such comments.

....

I would have appreciated a response that at least the many, many responses on CC made a difference.

I'm sorry to say but as seen on numerous threads here (latest with the room service conviniety charges), I wouldn't take anything a PCC says as a official NCL communication. They are just customer service drones that have their scripts (as already mentioned by other poster) and often know about things much later than we do here.

Just wanted to mention that Norwegian Cruise Line Public Relations has been a member of CruiseCritic since 2004! They certainly do read posts on the NCL forum, but rarely comment on anything - the CC statistics say that they have made 212 posts during their "membership". So they are indeed here "monitoring" what is being said here on the forum, and they probably report back to someone on various topics that are being discussed here, without feeling the need to get involved in the discussions....

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/member.php?u=71411

Having read all of the changes; poor communication from NCL etc, I cancelled a cruise on Escape for a Haven suite.

I told the person that I do not like to do business with companies that change policies; upcharges and do not have clear communication to those already booked.

I did receive a call from a "PCC" asking why as this was an expensive cruise. That was why the call.

I asked if the NCL leaders consider feedback from cruise critic and was told no, they do not worry about such comments.

Interesting that he tried to broker another cruise we have booked. If I would agree to pay the service charges now we would pay the same and the rate would not increase.

Hello?

My response was that although we have had many great NCL cruises, the constant changes will drive our cruise choices.

I would have appreciated a response that at least the many, many responses on CC made a difference.

Are we all talking to ourselves?

Having read all of the changes; poor communication from NCL etc, I cancelled a cruise on Escape for a Haven suite.

I told the person that I do not like to do business with companies that change policies; upcharges and do not have clear communication to those already booked.

I did receive a call from a "PCC" asking why as this was an expensive cruise. That was why the call.

I asked if the NCL leaders consider feedback from cruise critic and was told no, they do not worry about such comments.

Interesting that he tried to broker another cruise we have booked. If I would agree to pay the service charges now we would pay the same and the rate would not increase.

Hello?

My response was that although we have had many great NCL cruises, the constant changes will drive our cruise choices.

I would have appreciated a response that at least the many, many responses on CC made a difference.

Are we all talking to ourselves?

I forgot to add that I have a personal friend who happens to be captain on one of NCL's cruise ships, and he have told me in the past that the company (NCL) really understands the importance of taking care of CC members on board. But of course it all depends a little bit on the various captains as well, if you have taken part in CruiseCritic Meet&Greet's on board a NCL ship, it might vary a bit how many senior officers attend the M&G, but usually they all attend (some times with the exception of the captain himself). My friend is one of the captains who always take part in the M&G himself, he invites all CC members who take part at the M&G to the bridge, he also invites them on a galley tour.

Not all captains do this - but there might be a change fleet wide (for the better) regarding the M&G and the "looking after" CC members onboard NCL ships. On our last cruise in October 2014, on the Pearl, the captain did not attend the M&G. But the hotel director invited everybody who attended the M&G to the bridge, a couple of days later everyone received an invitation for a galley tour, and on the last day of the cruise, he arranged a follow-up meeting for all CC members who attended the M&G - in order to get feedback on any issues any of us might have experienced during the cruise (both good and not so good feedback was appreciated). All senior officers (with the exception of the captain) attended. This I think was an excellent idea - I believe all of us felt that our opinions on various subjects mattered.... I will be going on a new NCL cruise in June - on the Star, and it will be interesting to see if the CC experience on the Pearl has "transferred" to other ships, or if it was just the magnificent job of one HD (and his captain). Unfortunately I don't remember his name, but I sure hope I will have the pleasure of cruising with him in the future....!

I don't know if you would have received a response if you had approached the situation correctly, but when you tell a company we are no longer going to do business with you, why would they waste their time and what do you espect them to say?

With respect to the OP, I'm going to have to agree. I'll say "differently", not "correctly."

As has been said many, many times: if you have a formal complaint, you can post it here (and get people who flame you or people who pile on); but you should make your views known to the decision makers at NCL directly.

Further, I don't know why having it validated that staff at NCL read CC is at all important in this scenario, or why anyone would think the NCL front line customer service rep would have any information about that.

You can complain on here all you want, about new fees, changing policy, hidden fees bla bla bla. If you do not like the product move on, just like the op said. If I buy a crappy car I might switch to another manufacturer. But it looks like lately this is happening to the other lines too. I look at it this way, On my honeymoon we spent $1600 per person for a porthole room on the Song of Norway 24 years ago and I have yet to spend that amount on a room since. Do your research and keep up on the new fees and figure out if it is worth it for you

Are we all talking to ourselves?

Yes. This is a bulletin board for NCL customers. If you want a dialogue with NCL, this is the wrong place. They *may* see our comments - but this is not how to make a formal complaint or get any feedback from them.

It's not uncommon for the ship's Hotel Director at a Meet & Great to tell the guests that if they have any problem or complaint during the cruise, please bring it to his or her attention so they can address it on board, and not wait till they get home to post it on Cruise Critic. As others have said above, NCL is well aware of CC and social media generally. Yes, we here on CC are probably a small part of the cruising public, but it would still be foolish for any corporation in this day and age to ignore social media.

It's not uncommon for the ship's Hotel Director at a Meet & Great to tell the guests that if they have any problem or complaint during the cruise, please bring it to his or her attention so they can address it on board, and not wait till they get home to post it on Cruise Critic. As others have said above, NCL is well aware of CC and social media generally. Yes, we here on CC are probably a small part of the cruising public, but it would still be foolish for any corporation in this day and age to ignore social media.

I agree - and the Hotel Director of course said the same thing at the M&G. But that he in addition arranged the official follow-up meeting on the last day of the cruise, was a "first" for me - I found that brilliant....! :)

Pretty sure they do read this board.

However, they do mostly silently.

They don't want to get into back and forths with demanding cruisers.

This is an easy and free resource for them to get customer feedback.

I agree - and the Hotel Director of course said the same thing at the M&G. But that he in addition arranged the official follow-up meeting on the last day of the cruise, was a "first" for me - I found that brilliant....! :)

We were on the Star and the HD, Tony Winkler, also arraigned a last day M&G, which was great! First time I've ever seen that done as well.

Harriet

Having read all of the changes; poor communication from NCL etc, I cancelled a cruise on Escape for a Haven suite.

I told the person that I do not like to do business with companies that change policies; upcharges and do not have clear communication to those already booked.

I did receive a call from a "PCC" asking why as this was an expensive cruise. That was why the call.

I asked if the NCL leaders consider feedback from cruise critic and was told no, they do not worry about such comments.

Interesting that he tried to broker another cruise we have booked. If I would agree to pay the service charges now we would pay the same and the rate would not increase.

Hello?

My response was that although we have had many great NCL cruises, the constant changes will drive our cruise choices.

I would have appreciated a response that at least the many, many responses on CC made a difference.

Are we all talking to ourselves?

So you canceled a cruise that is at least 8 months away because of some garbage you read on a message board. You probably made NCL very happy because now they will sell that cabin at a higher price to someone who understands the value.

The problem with the many many responses on CC thought is that the vast majority of those negative responses are by the same 15 - 20 people. NCL, and all cruise lines closely monitor CC. They are aware of the comments and who posts them and they disregard the vocal but very small minority of posters who constantly complain about any and everything.

You can rest assured that the CC responses on CC are considered, but at the same time you can be sure that source of the comments are also considered and most of the negative comments that are voiced dozens of times in a thread by the same poster are totally disregarded.

SoThe problem with the many many responses on CC thought is that the vast majority of those negative responses are by the same 15 - 20 people.

You can rest assured that the CC responses on CC are considered, but at the same time you can be sure that source of the comments are also considered and most of the negative comments that are voiced dozens of times in a thread by the same poster are totally disregarded.

There is one thread on the room service charge that has 3 posters with over 100 posts just on that particular thread.

So you canceled a cruise that is at least 8 months away because of some garbage you read on a message board. You probably made NCL very happy because now they will sell that cabin at a higher price to someone who understands the value.

 

The problem with the many many responses on CC thought is that the vast majority of those negative responses are by the same 15 - 20 people. NCL, and all cruise lines closely monitor CC. They are aware of the comments and who posts them and they disregard the vocal but very small minority of posters who constantly complain about any and everything.

 

You can rest assured that the CC responses on CC are considered, but at the same time you can be sure that source of the comments are also considered and most of the negative comments that are voiced dozens of times in a thread by the same poster are totally disregarded.

I mostly agree, the outliers both negative and positive are considered but probably not 100% disregarded, 90% maybe. ;) NCl or any other Cruise line won't change these types of policies until there is a measurable affect on their bottom line. So OP you don't like the way NCL is headed and you voted with your wallet, good for you. And if the rest of CC feels the same there should be less talk (Ok, typing) and more voting with your wallets!

It's not uncommon for the ship's Hotel Director at a Meet & Great to tell the guests that if they have any problem or complaint during the cruise, please bring it to his or her attention so they can address it on board, and not wait till they get home to post it on Cruise Critic. As others have said above, NCL is well aware of CC and social media generally. Yes, we here on CC are probably a small part of the cruising public, but it would still be foolish for any corporation in this day and age to ignore social media.

Turtles06, I completely agree with you, I almost always attend the M&G and they have always pointed out that if you have a problem they want to know right away, not after the trip is over. On several of my NCL cruises we were given cards with all the officers contact information. NCL probably does their M&G the best of any line that I have sailed on, so I do think they value the CC customers and their input. Some lines you are lucky to get one or two officers attending the M&G.

I would guess that a very small percentage of NCL guests are CC members - a very, very small percentage. So my answer to the question of whether the NCL executives read and care about what is posted on these forums is a big resounding NO. The recent thread which was highly critical of the introduction of room service charges was enormously popular and I think reached or exceeded 2,000 posts. I believe the introduction of room service charges is now fleet wide. Despite the threats and screams of protest, NCL did what they wanted to do. At some point in time the loss of revenue from the free beverage and dining packages had to be offset and the room service charge and increase in gratuities were put in place to do just that. If anything I've learned in life is that you don't get sometching for nothing, especially in commerce.

 

Express your concerns and criticize the cruise line about matters of fares, service and charges but realize one thing - the only people reading it are your fellow CC members.

While they absolutely intended to push through this price increase they made a few changes that had to come from outside sources:

1. Kept fees from hitting Suite level guests

2. Added the no charge 5-10am continental items