NCL Star Greek Isles Itinerary Change

We have just returned from a cruise on the Star around the Greek Islands, it was our second cruise, the first being around the Western Med on the Epic last year.

Although we had a pleasant cruise we were disappointed to be advised during the check in process that there had been a significant itinerary change due to the Historical Regata boat race taking place in Venice that day. The Venice departure was delayed from 5pm to 10pm meaning that the grand depart would be in darkness. In addition we would miss out on the visit to Kotor as there was not enough time for the visit due to the delayed departure, instead we visited Bar (also in Montenegro).

I appreciate that itinerary changes happen for a variety of reasons, however in this case NCL advised that the requirement to change itinerary was due to an annual event. Given it takes some time to plan an annual event of this size I don't believe NCL were only made aware of the need to change itinerary on the day of departure. The sail away from Venice and sail into Kotor were the two primary reasons we booked this specific cruise, if we had been made aware in advance then we would have chosen different dates. What are peoples experience of similar situations? Is it worth sending an email to NCL to express our disappointment or is it likely to be a waste of time?

For those of us who cruise for the itinerary rather than the ship, missing planned ports is always disappointing. However, cruise contracts clearly state that the cruise line can change or cancel ports at any time and for any reason. That is the risk we all take when cruising and one that we have to accept can happen any time we step on board a ship. I don't think calling the cruise line will result in anything other than wasted time. They will just refer you back to the contract you agreed to when you booked. On the bright side, you now have a reason to book another cruise that hits the ports you missed.

Op you are correct they knew well in advance and while I know all the stuff about itin changes etc...they still should have told you in advance for a variety of reasons ...potential pax cancelling you cruise because of this change is not one of them btw

So either ncl dropped the ball in neglecting to notify pax much much earlier

Or

They analyzed this extensively and consciously decided not to notify pax. It could be they know pax like a dark sail away as Venice is gorgeous that way...among many other reasons...such as trying out the new port to negotiating for shore excursions

And for those of you that will now say ncl was hoping this wouldn't impact departure time....um no...this cruiseline actually knows exactly what they are doing and why

Us on cc may not like some of the stuff they do but please don't confuse this to mean that ncl is not a savvy profitable company

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Op you are correct they knew well in advance and while I know all the stuff about itin changes etc...they still should have told you in advance...

 

Us on cc may not like some of the stuff they do but please don't confuse this to mean that ncl is not a savvy profitable company.

 

 

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I agree. They knew well in advance and it would have been nice or fair for them to notify all passengers ahead of time so they could make any changes they needed. However, with the way cruise contracts are worded, passengers have little to no recourse in such situations. We may not like it, but that's the way it is.

We brought this up at the Q & A session but the Captain said he only got the e mail notifying him of the change to departure time from Venice three days before sailing

Surely someone in the route planning dept has knowledge about such huge historical events and the implications. There were many disappointed people who had looked forward to the sail into Kotor. Bar was not a great alternative and the 'organisation' to get us away from the ship left a lot to be desired. Corfu, Mykonos and Dubrovnik were great.

That's not great. You're right to be angry/disappointed. I'd email them, unlikely anything will come of it, but worth noting your frustration.

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We have just returned from a cruise on the Star around the Greek Islands, it was our second cruise, the first being around the Western Med on the Epic last year.

 

Although we had a pleasant cruise we were disappointed to be advised during the check in process that there had been a significant itinerary change due to the Historical Regata boat race taking place in Venice that day. The Venice departure was delayed from 5pm to 10pm meaning that the grand depart would be in darkness. In addition we would miss out on the visit to Kotor as there was not enough time for the visit due to the delayed departure, instead we visited Bar (also in Montenegro).

 

I appreciate that itinerary changes happen for a variety of reasons, however in this case NCL advised that the requirement to change itinerary was due to an annual event. Given it takes some time to plan an annual event of this size I don't believe NCL were only made aware of the need to change itinerary on the day of departure. The sail away from Venice and sail into Kotor were the two primary reasons we booked this specific cruise, if we had been made aware in advance then we would have chosen different dates. What are peoples experience of similar situations? Is it worth sending an email to NCL to express our disappointment or is it likely to be a waste of time?

These regattas are fixed annual events in Venice - planned years in advance.

You are in the UK - check with ABTA - very slim possibility they are in breach of package tour regulations re port changes etc

You could advise NCL that you are doing this - It may strengthen your hand.

Annie

We brought this up at the Q & A session but the Captain said he only got the e mail notifying him of the change to departure time from Venice three days before sailing

Surely someone in the route planning dept has knowledge about such huge historical events and the implications. There were many disappointed people who had looked forward to the sail into Kotor. Bar was not a great alternative and the 'organisation' to get us away from the ship left a lot to be desired. Corfu, Mykonos and Dubrovnik were great.

I would definitely write a letter to NCL telling them how disappointed you were in departing late from Venice, and missing Kotor for an annual event. 3 day notice to the captain makes no sense. Being handed a piece of paper telling you of the change on embark stinks! On the other hand, I have learned (the hard way) to research events/festivals in other countries before I make plans to go there! We "hit" a huge annual bike race when we traveled (for our first jaunt over the pond) to London 2 summers ago. It really messed up our touring plans. I am sure you will get back a "sorry, but stuff happens" response from NCL, as they can change itineraries at the drop of a hat with no recourse for the passengers.

For those of us who cruise for the itinerary rather than the ship, missing planned ports is always disappointing. However, cruise contracts clearly state that the cruise line can change or cancel ports at any time and for any reason. That is the risk we all take when cruising and one that we have to accept can happen any time we step on board a ship. I don't think calling the cruise line will result in anything other than wasted time. They will just refer you back to the contract you agreed to when you booked. On the bright side, you now have a reason to book another cruise that hits the ports you missed.

This kind of response always makes my blood boil. It`s like-It`s OK, all will be fine.

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No I`d be furious with NCL-We sailed that route a couple of years ago and Kotor was our favorite stop as well as the sail in and out-Very sorry that you missed it!

Did NCL know in advance-OF COURSE!!!

I'd be upset too - it would have been disappointing if you'd needed to miss Kotor due to weather, but that certainly would have been understandable and a known risk of taking a cruise. In this case, it was simply poor planning on NCL's part. I agree with the others that it is highly unlikely they will respond to a complaint, but you certainly have a legitimate reason to be unhappy and to send it.

Yes, it is an annual event. The question is, when did the port notify NCL they would not be allowed to depart until later in the day?

There are events in harbors all the time. Some impact cruise ships. Some do not.

A bigger question is what were they told by the Harbor Master and what was in their contract with the Harbor?

yep, total disappointment!! so sorry to hear this..

Yes, it is an annual event. The question is, when did the port notify NCL they would not be allowed to depart until later in the day?

 

There are events in harbors all the time. Some impact cruise ships. Some do not.

 

A bigger question is what were they told by the Harbor Master and what was in their contract with the Harbor?

And you have hit the nail on the head.

We have just returned from a cruise on the Star around the Greek Islands, it was our second cruise, the first being around the Western Med on the Epic last year.

 

Although we had a pleasant cruise we were disappointed to be advised during the check in process that there had been a significant itinerary change due to the Historical Regata boat race taking place in Venice that day. The Venice departure was delayed from 5pm to 10pm meaning that the grand depart would be in darkness. In addition we would miss out on the visit to Kotor as there was not enough time for the visit due to the delayed departure, instead we visited Bar (also in Montenegro).

 

I appreciate that itinerary changes happen for a variety of reasons, however in this case NCL advised that the requirement to change itinerary was due to an annual event. Given it takes some time to plan an annual event of this size I don't believe NCL were only made aware of the need to change itinerary on the day of departure. The sail away from Venice and sail into Kotor were the two primary reasons we booked this specific cruise, if we had been made aware in advance then we would have chosen different dates. What are peoples experience of similar situations? Is it worth sending an email to NCL to express our disappointment or is it likely to be a waste of time?

We're planning the e med for our second cruise after also cruising the w med on the Epic this summer on our first

How does the star compare to the Epic?

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This just comes down to poorly planning from NCL - as they have similar problems every year regarding this particular Venice festival and regatta. 7 years ago (in 2010), we had booked two B2B cruises out of Venice (the first week Adriatic coast and the second week to the Greek Isles, with a turn-around-day in Venice mid-cruise). And a few weeks before departure, we received a notice from NCL regarding the itinerary change due to the festival/regatta. Because the canal is literally closed during the festival (I believe with a bridge that goes from one church to another), there is no way for ships to enter (or leave) while the festival is going on.

Our itinerary change ended up being staying in Venice for a total of 3 days and 2 nights mid-cruise, with the ship as our floating hotel. And the port stop at the island of Santorini was cancelled because it was simply not enough time to get there. Yes, at first we were disappointed, especially since a visit to Santorini was the main reason why we chose to do both cruises instead of just one of them. But in our case we ended up being very happy with staying in Venice during the festival, and we have had several cruise visits to Santorini since then. And yes, we also had the sail-away from Venice in the evening (after dark) - but in all honesty, sailing IN to Venice early in the morning (without the city swarming with tourists) is much nicer than the sail-away when leaving Venice.

I know that our situation was very different from OP's experience - but my point is that NCL knew very well in advance what was going on, as they have had ships in Venice during the festival week-end for several years in a row now. And yes, absolutely they should have informed the passengers in advance (even though the contract states that itinerary changes may happen for a variety of reasons). That they (NCL) didn't know in advance, is just simply not true....

This kind of response always makes my blood boil. It`s like-It`s OK, all will be fine.

-

No I`d be furious with NCL-We sailed that route a couple of years ago and Kotor was our favorite stop as well as the sail in and out-Very sorry that you missed it!

Did NCL know in advance-OF COURSE!!!

I never said all will be fine. Apparently you missed my second post on this thread. As I said in that post, I cruise for the ports so I would be upset too. I've missed a port so I know the disappointment. I also agreed that NCL knew about this ahead of time and should have notified passengers. However, they will just refer back to the cruise contract and the missed port/itinerary change clause. I don't like it, the op doesn't like it, clearly you don't like it, but that's the way it is. What or how do you suggest to change this?

Thanks so much for your replies and advice, I'll draft an email over the weekend expressing our frustration not only at the itinerary amendment but more so for the way NCL handled it and communicated it to us. I do appreciate itineraries change and that's part and parcel of cruising, but I feel this was handled extremely poorly. Even if we were notified when the captain was supposedly notified we would have had a little time to research the port of Bar and could have had practically a full day in Venice on embarkation day due to the revised all aboard time.

Thanks again.

We're planning the e med for our second cruise after also cruising the w med on the Epic this summer on our first

How does the star compare to the Epic?

 

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We booked the Epic as I wanted our first cruise to be on a mega ship, we were aware before booking that the Epic was a bit of a marmite ship but we loved it.

For the Star we booked an obstructed oceanview rather than the balcony we had on the Epic. I thought we might miss the balcony but our oceanview cabin was great and I'd be more than happy to save the £££'s on an oceanview again dependant on the itinerary.

For me the Epic edged it, although the Star was still a great ship. The shows on the Star were very good, but you were kinda limited to whatever the show was in the Stardust Theater or the entertainment in Spinnaker Lounge which is tucked away a little (but very nice). On the Epic we really enjoyed the drop in places like Howl at the Moon and Cavern Club, there isn't really anything like this on the Star which is understandable as the theater can seat almost half the ship and most nights there are two performances of the same show. We felt the staff on the Epic were for the most part happier and more friendly, there were great staff on both ships but for us there appeared to be more on the Epic.

You will have a great time on the Star, the ports are great and certainly far more accessible than those visited in the Western Med.

We have a similar situation, although with more notice, on our Vancouver to Honolulu cruise on the Jewel. We were informed 3 weeks before sailing that the ship would not visit Kona due to the Ironman Triathlon - obviously an event that takes much more than 3 weeks to plan. They are substituting it with a stop in Kauai - not a bad replacement, but I am certainly glad the excursion I had booked for Kona was refundable.