Panhandle Couple

5 minutes ago, omahabob said:

Norwegian never asked us for emergency contacts.

You provide the info on pre-cruise check in.

47 minutes ago, Mikel1733 said:

I understand cruise lines having strict guidelines regarding sailing times.  We've alway taken ship tours to alleviate worrying about getting back on time.  I'm really concerned NCL had left an elderly woman 2 days earlier who was disembarked at the same port who was thought to have had a stroke, then according to family didn't even contact them.  I'm sure the news will sort more information out, but I'm disappointed in NCL.  Not sure we will sail with them again.

According to which family?

The ones producing hourly FB posts, or the actual relatives back in the states?  Has anyone actually interviewed the unfortunate ladies relatives?  And, is her emergency POC the ones they interviewed?  You don't get a list of 4 or 5 on your contact list. 

And the unfortunate lady was in the hospital at the time the ship left.  What exactly was NCL supposed to do?

Well, I don't know about anyone else....

But I have deleted over 300 e-mails telling me about new posts made on this thread.  

I will probably get another 300 more before it is all over.

1 minute ago, Travelling2Some said:

Of course, but it is not possible to discuss future procedures.  We can only report experiences in the recent past.

NCL and many other companies have to make a projection what will be happening and what restrictions may be in place (using their resources) for future business.  Obviously NCL (and other cruise lines) have made a decision for 2025. 

53 minutes ago, jamin jul said:

I am booked on NCL Jade January 19,2025 Panama Canal cruise.  Booked specifically for the canal transit.  A little worried now about the cancellations.  Was suppose to do a RC Panama Canal transit this past February but it was cancelled last August. Recent reviews of the Jade are not very good  so getting a little worried about this sailing.  My price seems a little high too. Panama Canal is on my bucket list but would hate to be booked then cancelled or changed at last minute.  This is my first NCL cruise.  Usually do RC or Celebrity.   any suggestions?

Suggest not worrying.

Since restart, NCL hasn't canceled a PC cruise.  They pay for those transit slots in advance, and also use some of them for repositioning between US coasts or Atlantic - Pacific ocean departures locations. 

Are you looking at the NCL board for live or semi-live reviews, or just the no comments review pages?  I would use the live or semi-live as better information.

5 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

This.  We were given a separate piece of paper to keep in our passports during our time in Israel.  We were told not to loose it as we would need to present it on departure.  This was to avoid having our passports stamped.

Travel, and many other things returning to "the way they were before" is unlikely.

I did a lot of travel before and after 911.  In fact I was in the air trying to land in DC on the morning of 911.  We do many things differently now.

This is far worse than 911 for Israel and the surrounding countries.

38 minutes ago, Sacruiser62 said:

One of the news reports say the local coast guard was bringing them to shop and NCL said they had to get to Next port.....

ALL of the news reports are simply the internet echo chamber.

The local coast guard portion was CLAIMED during the couples original face time with a TV station.  There has been no second report of this being true.  In fact, one poster here who was on the ship watching the tenders saw nothing like a coast guard type boat approach the ship.

It's called embellishing the story. 

5 hours ago, pghflyer said:

Not that it makes it OK to be late.....but I do think the whole departure time (advertised when you purchase) vs the be onboard time (told usually the night before arrival or day of) makes for confusing planning.  Especially for new cruisers who think they can just stroll up right at departure time (uh, no) but also that different lines have different "all aboard" lead times so you never really know until you are there and have booked an excursion.

The on-board time or last tender time is posted in the daily, and also on signs as you exit the ship by the security scanners.  For a tender, they will also announce the time for last tender before you exit on shore.   And then there is always the option to simply ASK anyone involved in the tender process or security officers.   

6 hours ago, gowilk said:

an interesting question would be

How did they did find this trip? Viator, get your guide, trip advisor?
if so, would any of those companies have liability or would provide at least partial compensation?
just wondering

In any case it’s never wise to book private excursions in little traveled ports when you’re tendered ( a truly cautionary tale)

I checked trip advisor for this port, and it is the smallest page for them. 4 tours listed, 2 that had no POC or ratings.  The other two had POC but minimal info.

I suspect this was done by a dock hawker.

Also, per internet stats, main language is Portuguese, only 5% speak English.

10 hours ago, edinburgher said:

And I should have also listed this one for post #2.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2831952-cagliari-sardinia/#comment-62669621

 

Thanks!

Still searching.  We found a beach cruise option that leaves from thr harbor area, but boat might be smaller than my wife prefers.   Still searching. 

I did see where the shuttle bus drop off is, so that helps.  The pictures you linked helped in that. 

7 hours ago, scanr said:

I booked almost two years in advance, giving an extra year for hostilities to calm down.  NCL is not avoiding stopping in Israel on other cruises, only embarking.  Everyone's time is precious, as it is all we have left.  My value is thousands per hour.  It is a shame you value yours so cheaply.  At $60k, discount is only $6k, IF YOU GET TO USE IT!  There are several reports of rebooking a cancellation Costs MORE for very similar cruise.  As all the cruise lines use dynamic pricing and promotions, you don't know costs (or what promos will be in effect) until the cruise is booked.  Our group has very strict criteria and due to specific employment obligations, vacation time is very defined. Our cruise was September 29, giving only additional 90 days to pick a cruise, as discounts expire after December 31st sailing.  It would be fair if we were provided a 1 year window from original cruise date AND you are guaranteed at least the same promotions that applied to your original booking.

Many countries in the middle east will not let you in with an Israeli stamp on your passport. Given world politics, that number is probably growing.  This may preclude any cruise line from originating or stopping in Israel for many years.

14 minutes ago, G-DawgMN said:

 They wanted back on the ship even though they were late. Obviously NCL should have let them on somehow. That’s an extenuating circumstance. 
 

  While I agree it sucks they got left. It’s not NCLs fault they were late. There’s a lot of reasons they can’t hold the ship. 

Late by 5 minutes or 55 minutes?  Context matters.  We will probably never know.

Their passports were delivered to the shore.  Which means at least 1 more tender run before being brought back and pulled up.  That probably entails 10-15 minutes to determine who is missing, collecting passports, returning them to shore.  If they had been waiting at the dock when passports were delivered, odds are they would have been brought back.  So we presume they were at least 20 minutes late.

1 hour ago, www3traveler said:

The Dawn is scheduled to arrive in Gambia on Monday April 1st.

And this happened on Wednesday, per cruisemappers port schedule.

1 hour ago, CynCyn said:

In all of this the thing that bothers me is the 80 year old lady who was dumped at the clinic and left on her own!!!

Per the people who won't claim responsibility of their poor decision. 

How many 80 year old women cruise alone?  OK, some might but....

Someone who hit their head hard enough for vision impairment has had a concussion.  The hospital (rightly so) probably mandated an overnight stay for observation in case of blood clots, that can lead to stroke.   The article never said that she wasn't being helped by NCL.  It said NCL hadn't notified her emergency POC.  If she wasn't traveling alone, there is someone on the ship making the contacts and keeping track of NCL getting her somewhere. 

Also, if someone hit their head that hard, they might have a hard time remembering all the facts.

Thanks.

I was looking at the cruise port map, and it looks like a container port on most days?

Am I looking at the right one?

If there a shuttle, where does it end up?

I have found a morning boating tour with 4 beaches, only 4 hours, and they have an afternoon sailing, so I'm sure I'll be back before 4.   It is in the the harbor area, maybe a long walk or short taxi, depending on where you get shuttled to.  

21 minutes ago, sargemrs said:

Slightly off topic but thought someone might have a few good tips for us.  We're booked on Pride of America in August.  I've been looking for decent plane fares for a month.  We can't do the Frontier/Spirit/Jet Blue route, they're too uncomfortable for us oldsters!  I've checked all the usual websites, Expedia, Booking.com, Kayak, Orbitz, etc. to no avail.  We could go Southwest but they don't have a flight late enough to ensure we get to airport in time.  May have to do 2 one ways, but though you experienced travelers might have a hint for us.  TIA

 

Unfortunately, Hawaii is Hawaii, and travel demand is consistently high, and airport slots are limited, and the type of jet required to get there is limited.  Hence, bookings are full, and prices will be high.

We cashed in FF miles for our trip.  Even then it was a lot of miles, but saved us the cash.

My only advice is to book airline soon, or cancel the cruise.  Inside the 6 week window of your trip, the prices will only get worse.

And always book for arrival the day before.  That way you have better airline options. 

For the way home, there are redeyes available from most airlines.  Yes it means hanging out somewhere for 5 or more hours, or getting an Oahu tour. 

35 minutes ago, CruiseMH said:

 

 

It`s the same every time. Guest are not following the rules and if due to this something bad happens the fault is always at the others.

There are reasons why the captain has refused reentry. He for sure didn`t make that for fun or because he was in a bad mood.

 

I usually prefer private tours over cruise line tours but there are regions in the world where i would always choose a cruise line excursion. And one of these regions is Africa. Apart from South africa and Egypt no other african country has significant experiences with cruise ships.

 

In Africa it is absolutely normal to be late.most people there do have the attitude "we are there when we are there" or "everything will become good". They don`t understand that a cruise ship will NOT wait when they return too late.

 

Exactly.

Looking a few things up.  Dawn is the first ship to visit Principe this year.   4 ships in May, 4 in November, 1 in December.  10 total.

In other areas, it is called Island Time.  

Per Cruisemapper, Dawn was there from 7 AM to 5 PM, 10 hours.  You really can't get a 9 hour tour in there because:

• Principe Island has total area approx 136 km2 (53 ml2) and population around 5,000. The island is a heavily eroded volcano and is surrounded by several smaller isles, including Ilheu Caroco, Tinhosa Grande, Tinhosa Pequena, Ilheu Bom Bom. Principe's highest elevation point (Pico de Principe)is in the south (948 m / 3110 ft), in a thickly forested area part of Obo National Park.

Dawn added another 50% to the population (assuming most got off).   Seems unlikely a sudden traffic jam would hold up a tour when there are only 5,000 people on the island.

17 minutes ago, Oakman58 said:

I’m sure we don’t have the full story, but even so, I think that situation could have been handled better.  I’d hate to be left behind.

 

From the story.

“The harbor master tried to call the ship, the captain refused the call.”

 

“Eventually, the São Tomé and Príncipe Coast Guard loaded all eight passengers on a boat and took them to the anchored ship. They said the captain told the Coast Guard to take the passengers back to the island.”

 

If those two quotes are true, I guarantee you I’d be more than upset with NCL and I’d bet every NCL cheerleader on this forum would be just as ticked off at NCL if it happened to them.

 

Perhaps the Captain, who is just as human as the rest of us, was having a bad day and decided to be a jerk.

 

Regardless, I always book excursions through the cruise line.

So the ship probably answered the call (a Jr officer) who then asked the Captain if he would talk to the harbor master.  Captain said no, not about this. That is refusing the call, technically, but it is worded to imply that ship never answered the call at all.  Also this is trusting the word of the harbor master.

Did the coast guard come out with weapons visible, either on person or mounted on the boat?

No Captain is going to open up a door in that instance.  Not in today's world.

The true questions not answered are:

How "late" was late?  Tender just leaving the dock, or last tender left an hour ago?  (At Cabo, we actually watched the last tender turn around and go back to the dock to get someone.) 

Did they book this tour on line beforehand, or was it purchased dock side?

Does the local tour operator also just happen to have a cousin who runs a hotel?  Who can get you in on short notice with cheap rates?

The more "exotic" the destination, the more likely for things like this to happen.

Honestly, how many of you have even heard of this destination before the article?

Out of 7 people, only 1 had a Visa CC?  No one thought to see what was accepted before the cruise?  No one thought to check on board what each remote country accepts?  (although potential theft on shore might be an issue here)  They spent $700 per person for...something?   Shirts and underwear?

People with daily meds took a non-sponsored tour in a remote country that might not have many English speakers?   What could go wrong?

How does this couple know the lady in the hospital hasn't had her emergency POC contacted?

Have they factored in time zone changes?  How did they meet someone in a hospital?

21 minutes ago, julig22 said:

I don't know who the captain is but yea, there's more to the story. If allowing the passengers to board the ship would have been a possibility, it would have happened.

 

Not too long ago I ended up spending the night in the SeaTac airport because they closed the door on me, plus 6-8 passengers coming from a delayed flight. I was there before the gate closed but there was an issue with my ticket (thanks AirCanada) and nope, not waiting. The other passengers were in sight. Nope, not waiting. And this was the last flight of the night, no connecting flight schedule to keep. But for some reason they couldn't/wouldn't wait. So it happens. Planes, trains, busses, ships don't wait.

35+ years of business traveling, and I have seen numerous instances of airlines simply "closing the door" as passengers are running to the gate, even at 10 PM, when you know the jet will overnight at the destination.

We will be there on 1 June (Saturday), and none of the NCL shore ex offered appeal to us.  In port 9 - 4.

Looking at Viator, there are several options.

Any thoughts on a city based tour vs a coastal - swimming- snorkeling-beach tour?  

We might be "Roman ruins and cathedral" tired by then.

Is a rental car a good option?

And at this point...

Time to unfollow this thread.

18 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

I think the only saving grace on any of this is that most have not yet booked airfare or hotels. 

only a few would be eligible for booking flights, as airlines only book 52 weeks in advance.

Hotels are easily cancelled.

At best you can go to the Cruisenext desk and ask for your Platinum pin towards the end of the cruise. 

I'm in the same situation.  I'm 6 pts away from Sapphire for our next 9 day cruise.  My wife is 1 pt over, due to a girls cruise years ago.  We won't get the Sapphire status since the booking is in our my name.  She has gotten the extra discount on shore excursions, however. 

4 minutes ago, JoieNsk said:

I did go through the deck plans, and didn't see Vibe Club anywhere. 

 

Also I googled it, and according to Google - it seems like Jewel class ships don't have Vibe Club.

 

But of course, both Google and deck plans might not be accurate.

Sorry, I was thinking Joy vs Jade.

You are correct that there is no Vibe on Jewel class.