Midnight Blue

For what it's worth... I wrote the NCL email address just over a week ago. Still no response.

I have sent an email to the above listed email address and have received no response to my concerns.

I sincereley hope our emails do not go ignored. Awaiting a reply for NCL.

I also wrote that email address and have received no response. NCL, please don't make a bad situation worse.

Overdue4cruise -- No problem. The different names and ship configurations can get confusing!

There were four DOS suites..the outside 2 suites have one bedroom and inside or in between them the suites have 2 bedrooms. Sorry to hear about your experience...I found this out because I was looking to book a DOS suite and the description on the site is a little confusing, so I did a little extra research.

No, there's only one of the kind of suite I booked on the ship, which is 12006 -- the correct, full name is Deluxe Owner's Suite with Large Balcony (my bad). For months, the web site said it was a one bedroom before September 7, 2013 but that after September 7, 2013 it would have two full bedrooms, which is not the case. The other similar sounding suites are either Deluxe Family Suites or Owner's Suites with Large Balcony. Both are smaller than the suite I have reserved. I think this is really part of the problem -- the names of the suites are very similar and it can get confusing.

We leave next week, and NCL just called my TA with an "update" on our room config. We were originally booked in an SD, and upgraded to the SA, room 9000. I didnt realize 9500 and 9000 received any modifications other than carpet and such. Below was the info NCL passed on to my TA. Seems the same as its been...wonder why the call to inform me of "new configurations"?

 

Norwegian called to make sure you were aware of the room set up for your suite as these are new configurations. Your room has a king in the master bed room and convertible beds in the other room. There is also a Pullman bed. There is a door to separate the master bed room but only a curtain for the other bedroom. There are 2 baths. 1 bathroom has a tub/shower and the other just has a shower. The room is 509 Square Feet and has a 98 Square Foot Balcony.

My guess is that you received a call to tell you about the "new configuration" to be sure you understand that these suites do NOT have two truly separate bedrooms. As indicated in the message from your TA, there is one bedroom that has an actual door. The second "bedroom" is a bed in the main suite area with a curtain that pulls across the room. There's been a lot of unhappiness about NCL describing a suite like this as "2 bedroom." It's not a new configuration -- but I suspect it is NCL trying to clean up it's really poor descriptions of the suites on the website that have confused and misled so many folks. Unfortunately, it sounds like even more confusion is being thrown into the mix by the NCL rep describing this as a "new configuration."

When you return from your cruise, please let us all know what's been done to your suite so that we have eyewitness, accurate information. And have a wonderful vacation!

Looking how they classified the rooms on their link it looks like they are trying to put a square peg in a round hole in terms of the category designation. They are inconsistent with most other ships in the upper categories for NCL.

I agree. Suite 9500, now a category SA, is 1/2 the size of the Deluxe Owners Suite (category SB) that I booked and doesn't seem at all consistent with other top end suites in the NCL fleet. But it did allow them to offer to "upgrade" me at "no charge" to a suite 1/2 the size of the one I paid for. :cool:

Just a quick update. I did write the email address in the post from NCL above and I'm waiting on a response. (It's not an issue for me that NCL hasn't responded yet -- I certainly am willing to give NCL PR some time to consider my email and develop a response.)

Good Afternoon,

We apologize for any confusion related to the new suites and stateroom descriptions on board Pride of America. In an effort to clarify the descriptions, we updated all of them on our site at: http://www.ncl.com/content/pride-america-suite-details.

 

For those currently booked, if you have any questions about your reservation or suite, please email: rdteam@ncl.com.

 

Thank you and have a great day,

Norwegian Cruise Line Public Relations Department

Norwegian Cruise Line Public Relations Department--

Thank you for updating all of the suite descriptions. That's some small progress.

However, you must understand updating the website doesn't address the fact that many of us booked our suites -- among the most expensive accommodations on the Pride of America -- based on the incorrect descriptions. We were consistently given contradictory and confusing information by NCL representatives over a period of months. And when we finally found out how our suites actually are configured, for many (most?) of us, it was too late to cancel or rebook. Using myself as an example, I found out after the final payment/cancellation date for the suite, after I had already booked 3 non-refundable round trip airline tickets and after I and my family had arranged our vacation schedules.

I very much appreciate that you took the time to respond to this post. That's step one in repairing the relationship between NCL and its suite guests. Step two is to offer real compensation to your guests. Again, using myself as an example, offering to move me into a suite that is 1/2 the size of the one I booked (and is on a lower deck, with one "bedroom" formed by pulling a curtain across the main room) or $300 in OBC doesn't feel like real compensation.

You can look at this situation as something to be resolved as quickly, quietly and cheaply as possible -- or you can turn it from a mistake into an opportunity to seal your customers' loyalty to you. It's what a company does when it makes a mistake that will cause customers to come back, year after year, and to recommend the company to others. I promise you -- if NCL does the right thing and makes a real effort to compensate its suite guests in this situation, the company will reap years of benefits.

I will write the email address you've provided, and I hope the other guests affected will as well.

We were given the same option last month and opted for the SA suite on Deck 9. However, we were told the carpet was changed as were the furnishings, televisions, etc as part of the overall dry dock last spring. This was a significant upgrade in terms of going from a SD to a SA, and the usual cost was over 15K for this suite. For our family of 5, this was a better option for us than sticking with the one large room and a pull down murphy bed.

 

Ill let you know if a couple of weeks if we made the right choice

Interesting. I was offered 9500 and was SPECIFICALLY told by the NCL representative that absolutely nothing had been done to the suite during the dry dock.

I too just for off the phone with NCL and we were booked in SD Suite 13002. We were informed that there is not actually a bedroom in this cabin . The bed is seperated from the rest of the cabin with a curtain!

After much complaining we were moved to cabin 13000 which actually does have a door on the bedroom.

Descriptions are very confusing and the pictures do not show the actual cabins. The rep I spoke to actually sent me the archetect layouts for both 13002 and 13000.

The website should be updated with accurate imformation.

 

I was sent an email to contact them. I guess the sh-t is hitting the fan and they are trying to put out the fires before the passengers find out the hard way on the day they board the ship.

Please consider posting this on the thread entitled "Problems With POA Deck Plans and NCL Representatives" -- I *think* NCL may actually be reading that thread. All of us are trying to post our experiences there so that NCL can see the magnitude of the problem and we can share what we're being offered so that none of us gets slighted.

Would 2 connecting PH suites work for you?

That would still be LESS space, but it would be better than the 2-bedroom family suite (if I've got that right).

And the general level of the cabins would be more similar.

And you'd have the "two separate bedrooms" promised to you when you made the reservation, and continually promised you by their advertising all this time...

 

I'm told -- who knows if it's correct -- that two connecting PH suites aren't available for that cruise.

I so agree with you that $300 really isn't enough. The lawyer in me wanted to continue the fight. My family asked me to let it go.

I know it will never happen, but NCL... you could really turn this mess around by proactively offering more. I should never have had to call your corporate office and fight for compensation -- and no one else should have to do it, either.

So here's where I am in all of this.

NCL called me yesterday and offered two options: (1) an upgrade at no additional charge to one of the two 2 bedroom deluxe family suites on Deck 9 -- these suites on Deck 9 have suddenly, magically gone from being category SC or SD (can't remember which) to category SA and are the only category SA suites I can find on the deck plans or; (2) stay in my current suite and receive $300 OBC.

The good news is, NCL seems to finally realize there's a real problem here. The bad news is, neither of these options is really fully satisfactory, at least to me.

I looked long and hard at that suite on Deck 9. It's about half the size of the suite I'm currently in. According to the NCL rep, one of the "bedrooms" (the one with the king bed) is really a part of the main living area of the suite and is created by drawing a curtain across the room. The balcony is 1/4 the size of the balcony on my current suite. The NCL rep also told me nothing had been done to the Deck 9 suite she was offering -- not even the carpet had been replaced. (Carpet has been replaced in the suite I'm currently in.) On the plus side, there are two real beds in the Deck 9 suite (three, actually -- two twins can be put together into one bed). There are two full bathrooms. And at the end of the day, NCL doesn't have a better suite to offer me on the ship, on any sailing, even if I could change dates.

After a lot of discussion and pouring over cabin plans and comparing pros and cons, my family decided we'll make 12006 work and take the $300 OBC. Is that really enough to compensate us for not getting what NCL represented we would get? Probably not -- but it is something more than a plate of chocolate dipped strawberries, and my family is ready to move on with enjoying the preparations for vacation.

I'm putting this here so that if others are trying to get compensation from NCL, they at least know what's possible. But hey -- if anyone wants to pick up the battle and fight for more OBC for all of us, go for it!

let us know how this turns out ... if you still have the same suite #, does this just mean they had it labeled incorrectly all along?:confused:

So Guest Services (had to be transferred to two different people before someone could "help" me) says they have no idea why the Owner's Suite description and photo is what now shows up on my reservation. They *promise* that I do have 12006, and that is the Deluxe Owner's Suite that is 1,382 square feet. I told them that surely they could understand why I don't have a great deal of faith in NCL right now given that I now have TWO issues with my suite. I also noted that they are getting some bad publicity on Cruise Critic, that at least some of their customers feel they've been deceived (not a good thing) and that they really need to do something sooner rather than later to fix this.

They promise a supervisor will call me.

Holy crap. I just looked at my reservation and they now have me in an Owner's Suite with Large Balcony-- NOT the Deluxe Owner's Suite. (Although they do still have the correct cabin number 12006.) The Owner's Suite is 1/2 the size of the room I booked... back on the phone...

Just got off the phone with NCL corporate guest relations (305-436-4000) The person I spoke with and explained the situation to put me on hold to speak with the precruise guest relations supervisor. After a bit of a wait, the rep came back and told me the following:

• The executive office is aware of our situation and has acknowledged it is a problem.
  
• The executive office is in the process of deciding what "resolution" would be offered to those of us who were told we were getting 2 bedroom suites but are not.
  
• NCL will call us to let us know.
  
• The rep did not know when the calls would start, but that these are different from the "informational" calls that already have been made to some people.
  

I told her that at this point, I didn't have a lot of faith and trust in NCL and I would be calling back every week at least until I heard from NCL. I referenced the thread here on CruiseCritic and told them they have a very serious problem they need to take care of quickly.

I really encourage anyone else in this situation to also call NCL corporate, to help keep them moving forward with a solution.

I'm traveling on business today, but tomorrow I'm going to try calling NCL's corporate office. I really suggest that everyone else impacted does the same and points out this thread to them.

If you do, please come back and let us know what happens. Knowledge is power....

And again, NCL -- you've got a chance to make this right. In the long run, you'll lose far more revenue from the bad publicity and lost suite customers than you'd spend in doing something to make this right.

Maybe different sailings? We're going on May 10 2014....

 

she did not not specify which deck these were on, since when she said it was $5000 more for our group of 4, I told her to forget it.

LOL

You're right, of course.

As much as I hate to say this, I am a lawyer-- and while I'm not offering anyone legal advice, I will say NCL ought to take this seriously. It's a real problem when you sell someone one thing and then give them something else. Surely NCL doesn't want it's highest paying customers feeling deceived.

Come on, NCL. You made a mistake. You can still fix this by simply acknowledging that it happened and doing something -- anything-- for those impacted. You'll make money in the long run if you do because we'll be more inclined to sail with you again. If not... At best, you're losing some of your best paying customers, people who have proven they will pay top dollar for cruises.

Midnight Blue seems a lot more calm than we would have been in their place, especially if two *separate* bedrooms were essential.

 

GeezerCouple

I think my family would disagree with you... :o And by the way -- thank you for the support.

And here's another thing -- apparently, Cactus Flower527 has been told there are 2 bedroom suites she could upgrade to as of this morning. When we asked two days ago about the possibility of moving to a different room, we were told the ship is entirely full and there was nothing available. Now I suppose there could have been cancellations, but we're beyond final payment for many (most?) people, so somehow I suspect that again, we were given incorrect information -- just to get us off the phone.

'

 

Agreed, the gal (Kathryn) that I spoke with this morning didn't specify the SA they had was on Deck 13, just that they had one they could 'upgrade' us up to one(did not ask where since the $ part of it made it moot). It was going to cost $15k vs the $10k we booked back last year.

The sad part about this, why would they SELL rooms for Deck 13 that they didn't have...................:confused: We definitely booked a 2 bedroom Family suite on Deck 13 -------------- there were 2 of us looking at it and one of those people has sailed NCL and POA before................... when you click on the drop down for our stateroom.....................it does indeed show a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom suite. Even when I go on there right now, today, it's what it shows. This is what I could not seem to get Kathryn to understand.

Cactus Flower, could you repost your issue on the thread I created about these problems? I'm hoping if enough of us publicize the problem we're having, NCL will at least acknowledge the issue and try to make it right in some way.

And so, here's my issue:

I'm booked in 12006 (the Deluxe Owner's Suite) for the POA November 16 cruise. When I booked the room, the website description said that after the refurbishment, the suite would have two full bedrooms, one with a king bed and one with 2 twins. The floorplan, however, showed only 1 bedroom. The NCL rep I spoke with seemed very uncertain about whether it was one bedroom or two, but kept pointing to the website description which said 2 bedrooms. I called NCL a couple of times after that to try to get clearer information. Each time, the reps became very confused, but in the end, retreated to the fact that the website clearly says 2 bedrooms.

Final payment on the cruise has come and gone. Just a couple of days ago, I noticed on the NCL website that if I look up that room through my reservation, it says the suite is two full bedrooms, but if I act like I'm booking a new sailing, it says the suite is only 1 bedroom. My partner called NCL to try to find out which was correct. After a long wait, the rep finally came back on the line and said the suite is only 1 bedroom. After discussing the issue, my partner called NCL again to express our unhappiness because we were told multiple times before final payment that it would be two bedrooms (there are 3 of us traveling together). This time, the phone rep said we were "informed of what we were getting when we booked" and that NCL would do nothing for us. In fact, we were not informed about what we were getting because the NCL reps were so confused and always, in the end, relied on the website description. There are no adjoining rooms available on that cruise and nothing else remotely comparable we could move to. And we cannot change our plane tickets and work schedules to move to another week at this point.

This is my first NCL cruise, and I'm not impressed with the way the company is handling this -- especially given how much I've paid for this particular suite on this cruise. I'm not looking for a refund -- hell, I'd take a plate of the infamous chocolate dipped strawberries -- I'd just like to see some evidence that NCL realizes they've made a mistake that has, in fact, inconvenienced the people they are supposed to care about -- their passengers.

I just created a thread to collect all of the discrepancies in cabin/suite descriptions people are discovering. Please feel free to repost your experience and information in that thread.

There are several posts buried in other threads in which people booked on upcoming sailings of the POA (mostly in suites, post refurbishment) are now discovering that the cabins they booked (and in many cases, have fully paid for) are not as they are represented on the POA online deck plans or consistent with what NCL representatives told them when they booked.

This thread is to share these discrepancies so that hopefully (1) NCL will realize the scope of the problem and fix the website descriptions and (2) so that anyone else booking a cruise on POA has this information to help them make a better decision about which cabin to choose.

watersco -- Maybe we should start a new thread about the problems with misrepresentation/lack of information about the POA cabins. I saw on another thread where the NCL social media group actually responded to the poster who started a thread about her problem. Maybe that's the only way to get the company's attention.

As I think I noted in an earlier post, I'm in 12006 (the Deluxe Owner's Suite) for the November 16 cruise. I noticed on the NCL website a couple of days ago that if I look up that room through my reservation, it says it is two full bedrooms, but if I act like I'm booking a new sailing, it says the suite is, in fact, only 1 bedroom. Since booking this room in April of this year, I've called NCL multiple times and gotten different initial answers every time, although the reps would ultimately default to "well, the website says 2 bedrooms." Like the poster above, the NCL reps confused themselves every time.

So yesterday, my partner called to express our unhappiness because we were told multiple times before final payment that it would be two bedrooms (there are 3 of us traveling together). The rep said we were "informed of what we were getting when we booked" and that NCL would do nothing for us -- not even give us a small amount of additional OBC. In fact, we were not informed about what we were getting because none of the NCL reps could tell us the configuration of the suite, despite calling multiple times.

This is my first NCL cruise, and I'm not impressed with the way the company is handling this -- especially given how much I've paid for this cruise.