Agent999

What is happening in Hawai'i is an absolute shame. Many of those folks depend on tourism to make their living. Closing things to the tourists can also be devastating to the residents. For those who haven't sailed the PoA, NCL makes their Maui port call in Kahului, not in Lahaina, which is visited by lines like Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean. A lot of the tourism on the island is on the Eastern half (Road to Hana, Haleakala, etc.). I hope they find some was to keep the ship visiting. Those folks will need the $$$ and support that the tourists bring.

Your age, past history, and such has nothing to do with it and just further confirms that even if this had gone your way 100%, the underlying issues would still be there. Even if everyone would arrive together at 6am Lisbon time, when you factor in the flight time and the time difference, that means that you would have to get on a plane in the early evening the day prior. Your internal clocks would still be on 1am Canada time. Doesn't seem like a very good idea for a bunch of seasoned citizens in that situation to plan on an all day tour. You came here using emotionally charged words (heartless, agonizing) to create the NCL is a monster and we're innocent victim picture. In all honesty, had you had 100% control of your airfare, what time would you have all arrived? What time would you have had to leave Canada in order to do that? What would you have done better?

Sorry, but this information just makes the whole situation worse for you, IMHO. First, you have to remember that a deviation (1 or 2 days) doesn't mean that they will get you there first thing. You could arrive at 6am, 11pm, or anytime in between. Just because you choose to arrive a day early, it does not mean you will have a full day available to you. Scheduling a "full day tour" on your day of arrival is, again IMHO, foolish at best. Best case scenario would have your whole group arriving together at 6am on the 30th...giving you the whole day for your tour. However, 6am is the time in Lisbon. Your party will still be on 1am time in Canada. Not only that, but you'd be getting off of a 6+ hour flight. Given the length of the flight, plus the time zone difference, do you really think everyone will be up to the immediate launching of a full day tour? You could have paid for your own airfare, been in complete control of the reservations, and you would still not have solved these issues.

Unless I missed a change in the schedule, the maiden voyage is tomorrow (August 10th).

Providing accurate information and education is a worthy intention, no doubt. However, I don't see how you can do so when you, by your own admission, "have no idea". FWIW...I really don't need to ask the OP as I was in the conversation with the OP earlier in the thread when the OP realized their error what they thought was a price drop. You, on the other hand, seem to be more interested in argument than in simply admitting (even to yourself) that you got it wrong.

Not really. Their "thoughts" were based on "price = cruise + airfare" vs "price = cruise" without them realizing that the lower price left them stranded without airfare. You can't compare different things and justify expecting the same pricing. That IS the story. Given what you said, isn't it better to ask them the question rather than to make posts when you admittedly "have no idea"?

But they were not penalized, and had you read the thread you would understand that. The OP saw what they thought was a price drop, however they were mistaken. While the price was lower, it had been lowered because they passed the airfare inclusion date. One price included BOGO airfare, the other did not. This was not a price drop, but a change in the offer. Apples to oranges.

For the sake of argument, let's assume that your guess is correct. Who is really at fault here, the "organized planner" who put all this together, or NCL (who did exactly what they advertised they would do)? While we're here, let's take it a step further. If they (all 18 people) aren't put into the same cab for transport from the airport to the hotel and/or cruise ship, will that separation also be viewed as a heartless act?

This post seemed to just fall completely off of the rails. Let me explain where you lost me. The title of the thread indicates that the content will explain why the air promo has no value for a group. It wasn't until the second half of the paragraph that airfare was even mentioned. By that time, I'd lost interest. It helps to get to the point. Second point is the contradictions in the post. Title says "group". Content says "we're not traveling as a group", but also says "group leader" and "my group". Pick a lane. "NCL is heartless". Ok, but why? 4 couples (8 people) arrive 5 hours before other 5 couples (10 people). Certainly the 8 people can spend time with each other, go to breakfast together, take a local tour, etc. Why would the temporary absence of the other 10 people be "agonizing"? And, fwiw, "agonizing"? Seriously? Do yourself a favor and dial down the drama. In my experience, when someone is being dramatic it is either because they are trying to compensate for not having the facts on their side, or because they are simply seeking attention.

I'm surprised that the issue that got the mod's attention was copyright based. I figured the thread got removed for being off-topic as this is the NCL board, not the NCLH board which I guess you find over at Corporate Critic.

It is, of course, one thing for people here to know "what" NCL is doing. What I don't get is the reason behind the belief that people on an Internet forum could explain "why" NCL does something. Is the expectation here based on the belief that NCL reaches out to CC members to inform them of the reasoning behind their corporate decisions?

It just goes to show that a braggart does not need a name tag, they only need an audience. No different than the people here who go out of their way to point out that they will, are, or did cruise in the haven. Especially when the topic has nothing to do with the haven.

Not sure why you are yelling Haven with the all caps, but if you truly are looking to avoid children, the best thing you can do is a studio cabin and a Vibe pass.

Not the clever retort you intended. I was only pointing out the benefit that comes from reading the topic before posting. Another benefit, even though I didn't mention it, is staying on topic. Unlike what you've done by bringing Viking cruises into the topic. Hopefully it made you feel better.

While that is well intentioned advice, it will not help in this case. The OP jumped the gun and assumed there was a price drop. In reality, the pre-cruise point came where the BOGO airfare was no longer offered. As a result, the price changed, but so did the offer. The OP can't take this as a price adjustment because the offer itself changed. The only way the OP could take the price would be to also give up the airfare (which they can't do as final payment has passed). That is the benefit of reading the responses prior to responding I guess.

I feel like I've missed something as I don't recall seeing where the OP stated that this was the case. If you don't mind, which post # in the thread contained this information?

The problem here is that there is no price drop. When the OP booked, the offer included the BOGO Airfare. Once the cruise passes 110 days before embarkation, the airfare option for Free at Sea goes away. Since the airfare is no longer part of the offer, the price changes. This is not what most people think of as a price drop since the before includes airfare and the after does not. This is very much an apples to oranges comparison.

These A vs B compare/contrast requests are difficult to fairly address simply because what I like/dislike could very well differ from what you like/dislike. IOW, there is little value in me telling you to have the meatballs, they are the best meatballs anywhere, if you personally do not like meatballs. You should do what makes you happy, not do what made someone else happy. I see from your post that you've tried Celebrity, but it appears that you aren't overly impressed by them. You also said you've tried Royal a few time, and again, not overly impressive results. Now you are looking to try MSC. Which leads to my question: Given that you stated "...the fabulous experience we always have on NCL", what are you looking for in another cruise line? If you always have a fabulous experience on NCL, what are you hoping that another cruise line can do to create a better than fabulous experience. Perhaps if we knew what it was you were looking for that NCL doesn't provide, we could tell you whether or not another line might provide what you are looking for.

Well, that is not true. For example, you can't handle a price adjustment yourself, you either need the TA or the PCC's assistance. Another thing a TA can do for you is to explain that what you are seeing isn't a price drop since the offer has changed due to airfare no longer being offered for your cruise. Given that the services of a TA/PCC come at no cost to you whatsoever, it seems strange that you would want to DIY instead of taking advantage of their knowledge and services.

That is odd given that in another thread you started (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2934830-new-to-ncl-what-should-i-know) you clearly stated that you "always used Royal in the past". Nice of you to think of other cruisers, but cruisers who get memberships, post to, and read forums like this one already now these things and really don't need to be educated on them. Offended? Not sure where that came from, but "offended" is not a word that people use talking about Sthrngary. He just may be the least offended person on this entire forum. That aside, have you really taken a look at your cruise? When you booked in AIRFARE was included in your purchase. At this point, the airfare is no longer offered. As a result, the amount charged goes down. You don't have a price drop, you have a change in cost driven by the fact that the offer has changed due to the airfare removal. So you're basically doing an apples to oranges comparison.

You could probably come up with any scenario needed to justify a position, but that is just argumentative. Is reporting on bathroom behavior your responsibility? If you saw a guest do the same, would you report that guest? If not, why not? The whole "not reporting because of the potential consequences" angle is interesting. Taking it further, since you failed to report it, should you then be punished for your failure? (For example, you could be disembarked from the cruise) Is it a problem for the employee to have a failure, but OK if you or I do the same? We certainly don't want to treat people differently, right?

I guess it depends on what you mean by "the run around". All you can do is to report the lost item. Have you done that? Have they taken your report? Once they have the report, then they can proceed to return the item to you, but only IF someone found it and turned it in. Have they reported that your item was indeed found?

At one point or another, everyone wears street clothes. The point was that they wouldn't be wearing them while working, but might when they are off and nobody should be harassing them when they are off work. First, if it were obvious, it wouldn't need to be answered. Second, I disagree. Only the employer can decide what is or is not appropriate for their employees. A guest may not agree, but the guest can only have their opinion, not quantify appropriateness. Read post 29. That poster was clear about their reasoning. Besides, just because YOU didn't see a report of something does not mean that that activity did not occur. There is no way that you, or anyone else, can be aware of everything that happens.

Since the can is open, lets examine the worms. Who gets to decide what is "behaving in an appropriate manner", NCL or other guests? Why would people think it is their job to monitor employee behavior and report them for "acting badly"? Can assuming someone is an NCL employee cause an issue? Could that issue be avoided by making sure instead of assuming? Why would anyone harass someone in civilian clothes while they are clearly not at work simply because they are wearing a name tag? Could it be that guests who have been recognized by NCL and gifted with a name tag might not want to wear it because other guests simply don't know how to properly behave in public?

I think the real question is why would someone hassle someone else simply because they are wearing a name tag? Especially when they are obviously not a crew member.