Cruise cut short Gem Oct 31, 2017

I read that a lot of the problem was the lack of assistance at Newark Airport, once the flight's arrived...

NCL does not have ANY Company employees in the New York Area, outside of perhaps some agency sales reps, but in this situation they could have flown a "care" type team up from Miami HQ to perform that service...wonder if they did send any?

No. They need to provide transportation back to the original point of embarkation. Air transportation is a reasonable form of transportation to do that.

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I really can’t believe the only compensation you received was 25% off future cruise. You lost so much suffered a great deal and didn’t even complete the journey. SHAME ON YOU NCL, YOU SUC

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It's easy to talk about the situation when you are not involved.

All these negative comments about people without insurance, people who can't fly, and people with the panic attack are just unnecessary.

Honestly, there is no way to satisfy everybody in this situation, especially those with special needs. There is nothing wrong with people expecting proper compensation.

NCL is responsible for maintaining the ship. As much as you think people are being greedy for expecting compensation, NCL is also being greedy for running the ship 24/7/365.

Would you have said the same if an airline company pushes the plane to limit and have you stranded or take transportation that you are not comfortable with taking? Cruiselines are unregulated. It's not like FAA that can ground the planes if they want to.

They could have cancelled or postponed one of their other cruises on another ship in the caribbean and used it as a rescue vessel. That would have cost them a lot of money but certainly would have been the more responsible corporate move.

Having 2 ships load of passengers unhappy instead one one? I don't think it sounds like a better option.

Having 2 ships load of passengers unhappy instead one one? I don't think it sounds like a better option.

They could have chartered the Bahamas Paradise Celebration. It’s been done before chartered that is when 2 day cruise planned. Could have chartered for 4 days, 2 runs.

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They could have chartered the Bahamas Paradise Celebration. It’s been done before chartered that is when 2 day cruise planned. Could have chartered for 4 days, 2 runs.

 

 

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NCL is responsible for maintaining the ship. As much as you think people are being greedy for expecting compensation, NCL is also being greedy for running the ship 24/7/365.

 

Would you have said the same if an airline company pushes the plane to limit and have you stranded or take transportation that you are not comfortable with taking? Cruiselines are unregulated. It's not like FAA that can ground the planes if they want to.

You’re missing one fundamental difference - a cancelled flight inconveniences hundreds, and airlines have (generally) additional flights to move people onto (and other airlines, as well.) Airlines also have extra planes. You can get a plane across the country in a matter of hours. Getting a ship from Miami to almost anywhere is a day or more - and cruise lines usually don’t have spare ships.

Both airplanes and cruise ships are on regular maintenance - planes have regular turns in the maintenance hanger, ships go to dry dock.

I would think planes need more maintenance due to their work cycle.

Ships are regulated by their flag country, they’re not unregulated.

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Especially loved this comment on your attachment: ...whereas we at the Doubletree had an okay but not great buffet and breakfast was very uninspiring and limited. Their friends were staying at a different hotel got an $80 food voucher and they didn't!

It would have been great to have food vouchers for people with food restrictions. The Doubletree did not have any accommodations.

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I do have empathy for those who have a sincere fear of flying or medical difficulty with long flights. For that reason alone cruising is a wonderful way to travel and see more of the world.

For me personally, I've been encouraged by reading what NCL has done for those who were on this cruise. I remember a few years ago reading horror stories of folks stuck on Carnival ships under very uncomfortable conditions. Friends who didn't cruise loved to point out those stories about it to me. It's encouraging to me to hear what NCL is doing to get them safely back to their port of departure even with a super long day of traveling.

I also think it is unfair to suggest that people have to try harder and not to take no for an answer in order to get alternative arrangements besides flying. I can imagine many seniors who would not have the endurance or patience to deal with staff who kept telling them that they must fly. ]

Thank you for sharing your dramatic experience. I agree that taking no for an answer doesn’t work. The reps you are saying no to are not empowered to help you.

I’ve learned from a few travel situations that have turned upside down with no notice that you must make your own arrangements and pay the money up front and worry about reimbursement later.

We met some seniors on our adrift at sea adventure on the Star earlier this year who called their son right away. The son made the hotel and air reservations for them while I sat on the ship’s slow internet on my dime to do the same. End result was the same.

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I read that a lot of the problem was the lack of assistance at Newark Airport, once the flight's arrived...

NCL does not have ANY Company employees in the New York Area, outside of perhaps some agency sales reps, but in this situation they could have flown a "care" type team up from Miami HQ to perform that service...wonder if they did send any?

I was flown on Air Canada flight #3 on Friday morning. Did meet a Norwegian employee at Barbados airport who was a passenger on the same flight. I was led to believe there would be a Norwegian "care team" at the Newark airport. Did not see any such thing (collection of official Norwegian Cruise Line employees) upon arrival. Did encounter a handful of subcontracted/vendor employees acting on behalf of Norwegian (holding clipboard with Norwegian logo). They were very spread out and not working as a well-oiled machine. I agree with the characterization of chaotic.

Reading all of these it sounds like....

 

Sounds like the positives were:

- They contracted a reputable airline (Air Canada) to run the rescue flights on short notice.

- They prioritized everyone so as to ensure passengers made their connecting flights in JFK or Newark.

- They provided everyone with a 10 day cruise (perhaps 9 day if you count the last night being cut short).

- They ensured everyone was safe and well fed while on the ship.

 

The poor stuff:

- To get everyone back to New York on time, there were a lot early morning departures.

- People were scared and in panic mode.

- The did a poor job or organizing ground transpiration back in New York.

- They messed on the paper work they handed off to the airline.

 

I have been on the Air Canada 777 many times. There are three versions. The 200 is 40J, 24W, 236 Y. The 300 comes in two flavors a premium heaving 40J, 24W, 336Y and an economy heavy 28J, 24W, 398Y. The J open up into a bed, the premium economy (W) is on par with what US carriers call Domestic First Class and the Y are economy. Wonder wich aircraft was used and how they decided who to put in the premium cabin.

Look up flights AC7007, AC7008, and AC7009. It looks like they used a 773 and 767.

I was flown on Air Canada flight #3 on Friday morning. Did meet a Norwegian employee at Barbados airport who was a passenger on the same flight. I was led to believe there would be a Norwegian "care team" at the Newark airport. Did not see any such thing (collection of official Norwegian Cruise Line employees) upon arrival. Did encounter a handful of subcontracted/vendor employees acting on behalf of Norwegian (holding clipboard with Norwegian logo). They were very spread out and not working as a well-oiled machine. I agree with the characterization of chaotic.

I am not sure what you expected. Of course the people at the airport were subcontracted vendor employees that were dealing with an unexpected situation. I am sure the vendors felt like they were trying to herd cats.

No. They need to provide transportation back to the original point of embarkation. Air transportation is a reasonable form of transportation to do that.

 

 

What would people who don't like flying do if they unfortunately missed the ship sailing at a port? I think we all feel for the folks who had their vacation interrupted by this incident but considering the logistics of trying to help so many people in a short amount of time I believe NCL did a good job. Of course, I'm just basing that on reports by posters here on CC.

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What would have those with fear of flying or had other health issues who say they can't fly, would have done if it was a health emergency, like a Coast Guard Rescue or have an emergency in a port and you have to stay?

I agree, the Air Transportation was the best option.

I am not sure what you expected. Of course the people at the airport were subcontracted vendor employees that were dealing with an unexpected situation. I am sure the vendors felt like they were trying to herd cats.

NCL knew about this for a few days. Wasn't like it was a last minute situation. They should have flown a couple of crews up from corporate to deal with the hoards of people flying in. Really simple business sense.

NCL knew about this for a few days. Wasn't like it was a last minute situation. They should have flown a couple of crews up from corporate to deal with the hoards of people flying in. Really simple business sense.

I agree with you. The whole thing was was handled very poorly and with neglect.

They had several days to prepare. They neglected special needs dietary cruisers. They could have also sent food with the people who had special dietary requirements on the chartered planes with them. They had many ice chests aboard the GEM.

There is no excuse for giving diabetics/gluten free folks sandwiches, KitKats and pretzels.

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There is no excuse for giving diabetics/gluten free folks sandwiches, KitKats and pretzels.

Also, did those with specialy dietary restrictions ask the night before for special food or take something from the buffet, knowing that there is not always the food that they might need.

Gluten free people cannot simply remove the bread and eat the inside contents. The cross contamination is enough for them to become very ill.

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Gluten free people cannot simply remove the bread and eat the inside contents. The cross contamination is enough for them to become very ill.

 

 

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Gluten free people cannot simply remove the bread and eat the inside contents. The cross contamination is enough for them to become very ill.

 

 

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As someone who travels frequently with someone that has some special food needs, we ALWAYS have something with us as a back up to available food, or not food being available. This mean we think ahead and pack items in our luggage before leaving home. We have never had any customs agent or ship board staff question or try to remove these items. Think of things like protein bars. We pick items without nuts and no chocolate so heat does not affect it. May not be the first choice if those around are eating something "real" but better than going hungry or having a blood sugar issue.

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I am both GF and diabetic and there was very little in that sandwich. As breakfast was before 5am and we did not get food again till 6pm that night, the three tbls of stuffing did nothing. Thank goodness I do not have a severe reaction to gluten or I would not have been able to eat the barely there filling as it would have been contaminated.

There is also gluten in KitKat bars and pretzels.

I did have a personal snack that I was permitted but it did not carry over till 6.

NCL has 70 people with food allergies and they should have made plans for them.

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NCL has 70 people with food allergies and they should have made plans for them.

Totally true for someone who has celiac disease and that is why they should always be prepared, because there isn't always something for them to eat. Better to be prepared then be a victim.

Dd14 has celiac, we are always prepared. We were on a 6 hour overseas flight, asked if they had anything gluten free. The flight attendant said “ well the cous cous is vegetarian!” She survived, cheese, fruit, plus the stash of gf packaged food she always has when traveling.

Miscommunication was an issue before the cruise even left. My wife and I were on this cruise and the trip home was 17 hours of misery.

It all started from the initial email emailed directly tome saying we expect to have your itinerary within 2 weeks that then went to over 3 weeks with them then sending to my travel agent instead of me which then said to wait another week.

Then to hear on Nov 7th the dreaded news about the Azipod Propulsion issue was disheartening and immediately increased the stress level of just about everyone on board. Also found out from others that the people on the cruise leaving the 11th were notified the day before about their trip being cancelled and they failed to inform the current passengers there was an issue.

NCL was accommodating in allowing passengers to make free calls to back home to inform families about the situation, but we would still have to wait 2 more days to get more information, that would be Nov 9th.

Nov 8th we had to fill out forms with our destination information, flights involved, airport etc… This was used to calculate who would be on what flights home. Of course there were those that were not flying under any condition,either due to fear, medical issues or whatever else. They somehow conveyed to Guest Services this and were dealt with separately.

Nov 9th the Captain comes on the PA system around 1pm saying that everything has been finalized and there would be no deviation from what your assigned travel plans were going to be. It wasn’t till about 7pm that we finally got the letters stating our plans, of course people were upset that it took that long after it sounded like it should be in our cabins within an hour.

People were informed that those assigned to flights Friday would need to have their luggage packed and outside their door by 10pm that night. Some were scheduled to leave the ship and be bussed to the airport at 5am. Apparently they were woken between 2 and 3am to go through Customs on the ship to mark them as “Arrived in Barbados” so they could then clear customs at the airport to “Leave Barbados”.

All through the night I kept hearing announcements for those leaving the boat to proceed to different areas and around 4am heard my group announced to start proceeding to customs. At this point of not getting any sleep I closed my balcony door and went to sleep. Woke up to more announcements around 6:30 saying the same thing and that it was “final call”. So we went to the designated area to a line that went from the Magenta dining room, through La Bistro, through the Casino and into the Stardust Theatre.

I was scheduled to go through Customs on ship at 8, I got on line at 7 and it took an hour to get to the Custom Agents. Leaving to get back to my room there was no line and they were still calling “last call” for another hour…

Friday evening seemed weird with so many people already gone, 7pm an announcement came across the PA saying that everyone would need to now leave the ship at new times. There were 3 flights remaining, I was the 2nd flight. Was originally supposed to leave at 5am, now informed groups to leave at 3, 3:30 and 4.

Walked off the ship at 3:30 to sit on a bus for 30 minutes then park outside the airport for another 30 minutes. They were offloading 2 busses at a time. Every 5-10 minutes our bus would move up, but only after us waking up our bus driver who kept falling asleep. Finally get off the bus and try to find our luggage then join the appropriate line for our flight only to find out that our ticket agents won’t start our line till 6am. Nice since we’re outside the airport and the sun is coming up as well as the temperature. There was 1 NCL rep for each flight and saw her 2 or 3 times. No water being distributed, just lovely…

Finally get to the ticket agent at 7:45 to hear that my wife and I aren’t sitting together, it turned out that there was an aisle between us so it wasn’t as bad as others that were in completely different rows. Got into the terminal after going through customs and hardly any seats since it is now a packed house. First and third flights are delayed and peoples patience growing thinner and thinner.

Plane ride was great, Air Canada 777-300 with majority of rows holding 10 people and 64 rows in total, got into Newark and then had to do customs again, get luggage then customs again. Found a Rep with an NCL clipboard and was directed to the end of the terminal to busses. Got on bus and waited yet another hour. Had people on our bus going to the pier and the rest of us to the train station. We decided to take the train since we had no idea what times we would be getting to Manhatten and didn’t know what to tell our ride to pick us up since everything kept changing. Once on the train it was uneventful, but by the time I walked into my house it was a full 17 hours from start to finish. Only a crossiant egg sandwich and pretzels and Kit-Kat was provided. Extremely tired and hungry and in need of a vacation now.

To offer any kind of kick back to us only in the form of us booking another cruise is insulting. That makes it a wash for them. NCL posted that they had a record 3Q profit of $400M despite $14 million hit from hurricanes. (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-bz-norwegian-cruise-3q2017-results-20171109-story.html) They can do something better than offer us 25% off on a future cruise based on what was spent on this cruise. They had a similar situation in January with the NCL Star and all guests onboard were provided a full refund,as well as a 50% future cruise credit. (https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7527) I feel that this cruise “ended” on Nov 7th when informed of the propulsion issue and that stressed everyone I spoke to on the ship. It’s an insult that they offered 25% on future cruising. Most people on this cruise were elderly and doubt that they would be doing this vacation again. I just hope that NCL does the right thing based on the feedback that all their passengers had from this adventure.