schmoopie17

We were on the Prima sailing January 29. We made our reservation November 21st (right in the middle of the required window for the promotion.) Below is an excerpt from my review of that sailing: The Customer Relations desk people are completely useless with their attitude that the customer is always wrong. Case in point...weeks before boarding, we were told by NCL Customer Service that our reservation qualified for the six cartons of water promotion they were running at the time. In fact, they GUARANTEED that the water would be waiting in our cabin when we boarded. Guess what? No water...not when we boarded, not ever. Going to Customer Relations on board was an exercise in futility. Not only was there a line of about 25 other "satisfied" customers, but upon finally reaching the desk we were flatly told that we did not meet the requirements for the water. When we said our reservation meets every requirement, and were GUARANTEED the water by NCL, we again were flatly told "NO". Our complaint got elevated to a supervisor, who again denied it. Now don't get me wrong. I know it's "just water", but when you're promised something you have a right to expect it. I don't appreciate being lied to by NCL and then made to feel like we were the bad guys. Following the cruise, I received a survey asking for our thoughts on our cruise. I again told them about the water fiasco. A week later I received a response that said they reviewed our drink package and that we did not qualify for the bottled water. No kidding! I was asking about the CARTONS...not bottles. Amazing how absolutely nobody at NCL knows (or cares) about their own promotion.

I said it was a nice gesture, but nothing beyond that...at least for me. I agree about not receiving a positive welcome home. Upon returning from SE Asia, I was stationed in the DC area. Being in the military in the early 70's we stood out like sore thumbs with our haircuts, when everyone else had hair down to their shoulders. I can't tell you how many derogatory comments we endured (Baby Killers, scum, trash come to mind). So to say we didn't receive a positive welcome home doesn't even come close to what we endured. Now, when someone says, "Thank you for your service" it rings hollow with me. I think to myself, "Where were you in 1974?" Which probably accounts for my feelings regarding the medallions.

As a Veteran, I and the other Veterans onboard our recent Prima cruise were given a couple of medallions in recognition of our service. That was a nice gesture, but honestly they will find a home in a drawer. I wonder how the money spent to produce these things could have been put to better use...or to reduce the cruise fare.

Slightly off topic...okay waaayy off topic...what are the first four words of "You're So Vain"?

Just don't use a Ziploc bag. Too soon?

Could be gone by July.

They better be open on NCL for our upcoming cruise. Since Grand Cayman is a tender port, we plan to stay on the ship and have the Prima to ourselves...especially the bars.

Why wouldn't I? A few minutes later my account was back to normal.

So, you're saying we should toss our cookies? Back on topic...we had the same issue yesterday and did an online chat. They said that it was a system glitch (on NCL's website? That's a first...) 🙃

I just went into our reservation for our upcoming Prima cruise and saw a link that said "Complete Payment". Since we paid our cruise in full in November I couldn't imagine what other payment would be due. After going further, it said we have an outstanding balance of $686 and there was a button to "Make Payment" YIKES!! I quickly did an online chat and was told they are having system issues and that our cruise is, in fact, paid in full. Just posting this for others who may have the same issue.

Interesting. The seats were always available every day on our 16 day TA. Even when we showed up late. I guess this is the definition of YMMV.

On Escape, O'Sheahan's has a ring of seating overlooking the Atrium. Those seats were always available on our cruise.

On several of the Prima pages on "the site that can't be mentioned". there are numerous comments about the hot tubs not being hot. People were not happy. I'd say they were steamed or boiling mad, but not due to the heat in the tubs.

The beer choices at most of the bars are pretty limited. However, we saw that the Luna Bar in Indulge has something like 16 beers on tap...most of which aren't available elsewhere on the ship. That's where we'll be doing most of our beer drinking.

Clam shells were never listed on the Excursions section for our upcoming Prima cruise. Of course, with the odds of actually getting to GSC probably 50-50, it might not matter.

We checked in last Sunday and link for our docs our docs appeared the next day. Never received an email. (Maybe because we accessed the docs via the link?)

On our November TA, we missed a stop in the Azores due to weather. A day or two later, two credits of $41 each appeared on our account. Was this due to the port fees? Probably, but when someone hands me $82 I don't question it.

Complicating things even further, even though it says water is included on our summary page for our cruise in two weeks... Unlimited Open Bar Package Includes a selection of beverages by the glass (premium cocktails, beer and wine up to $15) as well as unlimited soda, juices, and one 6-liter case of Flow water when checking our e-docs, it says this... Does not include Wine and Spirit Experiences, tastings or flights, Starbucks, Ice Bars, room service, package sales, bottled water... HOWEVER...I just finished an online chat with NCL and I was told that while BOTTLED water is not included, the cartons (not bottled) are, in fact, included. From the chat: The case of water is included. That'll be delivered to your stateroom on embarkation day. If you were wanting additional cartons or bottled water, your onboard account would be charged for it.

The 250 WIFI minutes is practically useless if you're doing a Transatlantic cruise. We did spend more than half of the cruise in the Mediterranean, as well. For most days we could barely access anything...including Cruise Critic which supposedly doesn't count against your 250 minute allotment. The guy at the Internet Help Desk on the Escape couldn't even get us into Cruise Critic. When we did try to get into the internet, we ate up the majority of our minutes attempting to connect. So...I'd say the Dining Package has much more value by a long shot.

We had previously booked a January cruise on the Prima but canceled it. Later, we decided we wanted to go on that cruise so we rescheduled it on November 20th. Our Free at Sea summary, below, shows the water promotion. Apparently canceling and rescheduling doesn't count as "repricing"...I guess we'll see when we board in a couple weeks. FREE AT SEA Your Current Offers Unlimited Open Bar Package Includes a selection of beverages by the glass (premium cocktails, beer and wine up to $15) as well as unlimited soda, juices, and one 6-liter case of Flow water (exclusions apply) Click Here for details.

We usually bring full size suitcases and check them at the port. Our next cruise we're taking two carry-on size bags (the kind that fit in the overhead bins on planes). Are those bags typically small enough to go through the x-ray? We'd like to keep our bags with us, if possible.

Maybe not "techincally", but they're still screwing the customer who paid extra to choose a particular cabin. That customer could have paid less by choosing a guarantee cabin and have NCL choose the cabin...which is essentially what NCL did in this case.

Thanks for the review. You mentioned $29 for an umbrella on GSC. Where do you rent that...on the ship or on the island? If on the ship, where do you go to do it...and by renting an umbrella do you get priority tendering?

I'm not a Bailey's expert, but on our recent cruise NCL had Maloney's Irish Cream as part of the regular beverage package. We ordered it several times and it was just fine. I'm sure fans of Bailey's could probably tell the difference, but it certainly sufficed.

Our upcoming Prima cruise has this listed: Unlimited Open Bar Package Includes a selection of beverages by the glass (premium cocktails, beer and wine up to $15) as well as unlimited soda, juices, and one 6-liter case of Flow water (exclusions apply)