luv2kroooz

I think there is a lot of truth to this. Loyalty programs in general are unsustainable, especially as you see these double and triple latitudes points being awarded. Pretty soon everyone will be Platinum and they'll have to scale it back. The cruise lines are definitely targeting the newbies. Its no different over at Carnival or Royal. We are Diamond over on Carnival, but they really don't care about loyalty either. They want the new cruiser who wants to spend money on overpriced pictures, roller coasters and all the other stuff that doesn't interest us. We find a lot of faults with NCL. Its loyalty program, however, is not one of them. It has its drawbacks, but overall we are happy with it. Finally, yes, the go carts take up way too much space on the already cramped Prima. I predict they'll be phased out as new ships are developed.

Oh man, so FDR only got to keep your money for a couple of months, then he had to turn the sales tax he collected on your behalf to the great state of Cali. He would definitely not be happy with you.

For cruisers with an upcoming sailing on NCL, it looks like you can "favorite" anything you might be considering purchasing on their website. There is a little heart icon that you can click and it will add your selection to "FAVORITES" instead of the actual "SHOPPING CART". You can do this with shore ex, gifts, dining, etc. So, if you are just browsing along and see something that sounds good, but you aren't ready to buy, don't add it to your shopping cart. Instead, click the little heart and it will add it to your favorites. Once you make a final decision, you can either make the purchase, remove it from your favorites or just let it sit in there. By the way, I am testing this on a laptop with Microsoft Edge. I imagine the app works in a similar manner.

What is more sad is that NCL refuses to accommodate the guest. They want to keep the fare paid and not allow the fully paid passenger to cruise AND they also refuse to refund the money even though they won't let her sail. Bad business decision, but not surprised. NCL digs in when it comes to things like this.

Premature? It's been well documented since January. Multiple NCL itineraries, multiple NCL ships. I am not going to list them all. But don't believe me... Cruise over to the Norwegian roll calls for just about any ship in the last four months and see for yourself....you will locate frequent last minute itinerary changes being made in the name of port congestion, sail and sustain initiatives, and unforeseen circumstances.

Same. Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. We were seriously interested in giving them a try due to their attractive price points. But when we couldn't get solid customer service from phone or email, we decided to pay a higher price for a product we had experience with. Maybe one day they'll get their act together. Our email never did get addressed. Phone support kept saying use email. It was a terrible circular effort in fitility. Ships look beautiful, though.

Wow, thanks for sharing. What a stupid way to program their system. Why would they cancel the entire reservation? If I try to pay for a shorex and the card declines, then the shorex doesn't get purchased. I don't see the connection between the " invoice item" and the fully paid cruise reservation. I mean presumably NCL still has their money for the fully paid cruise portion of the reservation and needs to deliver.

With the British isles, you really aren't at sea all that much. It is a wonderful run with lots of ports. We did this run on the Jade pre Covid. Yes, nothing is truly "free". Typically, I would book this itinerary for the ports of call. Just be aware that NcL seems to have recently adopted a plan to make last minute itinerary changes for what they call " unforeseen circumstances" which reduce port times, so the ships can spend more time at sea sailing at slower speeds to save NCL money. We have friends on an upcoming transatlantic cruise in April. They reportedly just got notice yesterday that NCL was adjusting port times for three or four of their port calls down to only 6 or 7 hours. Again, it can be a great itinerary with so much to see, but just be prepared for last minute itinerary changes. If you are going to forego the $50 NCL shorex credit and book independent tours, make sure you can cancel and get a full refund from the vendor if NCL changes the itinerary at last minute. NCL won't do anything for you and it would be a shame to lose your money. Good luck.

We have an upcoming sailing. We booked through a big box online agency. In reviewing our confirmation from the agency, the following is written in red.... "Make the most of your cruise by downloading the Cruise Norwegian app prior to sailing. Streamline the check-in and boarding process, browse and reserve your favorite onboard activities and more. Note: NCL will cancel your cruise if you select add-ons in the NCL Cruise Personalizer but do not immediately pay for them." I have no idea if this is the same situation as what is being discussed. But I do find it odd that my TA would go out of their way to write that into the confirmation....almost as if this has happened to people in the past.

I would absolutely believe it. We experienced that first hand during Corona. After much efforts and outside help, we finally got our money back. They will try to hide behind their contract at every turn, over and again, even when they their contract isn't even on their side. If there is a way for them to keep your money, they will do it. I also thought Tony's video was a little scattered today. He didn't really explain. I mean, how can you purchase a bus transfer online after final payment, without entering a valid credit card? I guess I am just confused about what really happened, but absolutely not surprised with NCL behavior. To keep thousands of someone else's funds after they have paid for a cruise is wrong. Cancel the unpaid bus transfer, but don't cancel the "paid for" cruise. I mean that doesn't even make any sense to me.

If it a cruise that is immediately before or after a drydock, proceed cautiously. Expect to have some disruption on your ship as they prepare for/clean up from drydock.

Yes, Norwegian makes it exceptionally difficult to use your onboard credit on things of value to you. They will allow it to be used on things that have very little value to them. It would be nice if you could use it to pre cruise to buy an upgraded dining package in advance of your cruise. It would be nice if you could use it to pre-book shore excursions on the NCL website. Other cruise lines allow this, but not NCL. With NCL, they show you how much onboard credit you have right beside the screen that shows you everything you can prepay for. Of course, other cruise lines allow onboard credit to be used in the casino, used against the daily service charge, etc. NCL, not surprisingly, is very very restrictive. Good luck and have a great cruise.

This week will be 2nd guest sails free; next week will be a flash sale 50% off each guest. 🥱

I don't even think NCL will be around in a few years. They are a prime candidate to be bought out by competition. I could see the cash cow MSC scooping them up quickly.

I think people are just tapped out with tips, gratuities, surcharges, and fees. You can add us to the list, by the way. We used to offer a cash tip of $1 or $2 when we received good bar service. But, a couple is now paying $40 per day service charges, plus $43.60 per day for beverage charges, plus more when we dine in specialty dining. At some point, the spigot runs out of water and, for us, we have reached our max. Candidly, we will be considering a reduction to the $40 per day service charge and intend to pay at the $32 per couple per day which is more accurately aligned with industry standards. We don't believe NCL is passing the recent service charge increase along to their crew, anyway.

I, too, would not believe NCL, and I don't mean that in a snarky way. But, you are free to ignore my opinion if you think I am wrong. There have been numerous, well documented instances of more than a few itineraries where NCL has communicated changes to booked guests but continued to market the original itinerary to prospects. NCL is currently in an extreme cash conservation mode. They are saving cash by reducing time in the ports of call and increasing the amount of time spent sailing so that they can save money by sailing at slower speeds. These itinerary changes are made in the name of port congestion, unforeseen circumstances and green initiatives. I would use the website of the port that is managed by the port authority as my guide.

Jewel class of NCL have the best free outdoor pools.

Probably could get something similar at java blue, if you can't bring it onboard.

Me too. Early Alaska season are giveaways as are some of the longer runs through the canal and transatlantic. We have cruise next to burn and are seriously considering. Problem is....airfare. Talk about high prices. Ugh.

....and "leading the industry" with recurring, last minute itinerary changes in the name of green initiatives, unforeseen circumstances and port congestion. Here's one for next week's sailing on Norwegian Joy. They eliminate Roartan and make a 6 am arrival in Cozumel. https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-cruise-line-makes-another-itinerary-change/95803

Good question. I don't know. We would never book air through a cruise line, just like we wouldn't book our travel insurance through the cruiseline. But its the same with shore tours...all the lines push using them for the shore tours....convenience, safe tour operators, blah blah blah, etc. Then you read the fine print and realize the tour operators are third party independent contractors with no relationship to the cruise lines. It is a dirty, deceptive business. You really need to be an educated, informed traveler and take steps to look out for yourself....a great benefit of being part of cc community.

Princess and Royal policy. NCL buys the ticket then you are on your own. Industry stated standard appears to assist valued guests. Guests who book air travel through Princess Cruises will be automatically enrolled in the Princess Late Arrival Protection program. If, on the day of travel, guests miss or will miss their original port of embarkation due to airline delay or an airline service disruption, such as flight cancelation or flight re-routes, Princess will work with the airlines to find a reasonable alternative to provide flights to the next appropriate port at no additional air cost to the guest. Guest purchasing airline tickets through Air2Sea who experience travel disruptions do indeed receive assistance. With our Assured Arrival program, we have a dedicated group of professionals in the Emergency Travel Team standing by to provide air re-accommodation, and to provide hotel and ground transportation if needed. Even though we monitor your flights, we ask that you check with the airline while at the airport prior to contacting the Emergency Travel Team. The Emergency Travel team will work with you to find accommodations on the next available flight. In some instances, same day viable flight options may not be available, and in those instances we accommodate you to the next available port where you may legally join the ship.

Totally agree with the fact pattern you present. Weather happens, port strikes happen, mechanical issues happen. Safety is of highest importance. What is being reported here is knowingly marketing ports of call that NCL has no intention of going to. That's a 180 difference from an unforeseen itinerary changes due to weather.

Tenders can be a pain, but it means you are getting into a small port...very scenic. A New England/Canada cruise is a nice change from the Caribbean. And we really enjoyed Quebec City. The 11 day run is a really nice cruise. I recommending spending at least 1 extra night post cruise. enjoy.

So sorry to read about your situation. Over and again, we read stories like this. And, over and again, we read about how NCL misrepresents things to customers and then couldn't care less. It is a lesson learned, albeit a tough one. If we choose to sail with NCL, we get very good travel insurance knowing that NCL has earned a reputation of having the worst customer service in the industry. It doesn't help that they are in severe debt with cash flow issues. I hope you can get some resolution from your insurance claim.