Review - Norwegian Dawn Boston to Nova Scotia (Itinerary Changed due to Florence)

September 7 - NCL Dawn - Boston to Bermuda

First, let me say that our itinerary was changed because of Hurricane Florence. We actually called NCL to ask for a voucher on a future cruise, but were told that no vouchers would be issued because of the change. I have actually lodged a complaint with NCL for that reason, and I’ll keep everyone updated as to what happens with that and the responses that I receive.

Day 1:

We arrived at the Boston port fairly early. We arrived around 11:30 after our early flight from Lexington. The cab fare from the airport to the port was around $20. The cab driver added $5 to that for what he said was a “port charge”. We have since learned that he probably took us for that $5! But anyway, we arrived safely and the porters were right on with getting our luggage. We had been told the night before about our itinerary change but NCL was also handing out notices at the port. It took us about 15-20 minutes to actually get upstairs to the terminal. There was a Boston officer downstairs that was asking everyone in one to see their passports before getting on the escalator to go upstaris. Just a tip, it’s quite noisy downstairs so bring earplugs or earphones if loud noises bother you. Once upstairs at the terminal, the process went fairly quickly. Security checkpoint moved quickly with no problems. After that, we were handed the health questionnaire and also the Canadians Immigration forms to fill out. After we filled those out, we were told to get in line to actually get our boarding documents and keycards. All of this took around 30 minutes. The lines moved quickly. Everyone was making light of the itinerary change during check in and most people were saying that it wasn’t a fair trade and that going to Canada was something they wouldn’t have chosen. Most of the passengers we talked to were hoping for some kind of compensation from NCL for the changes.

We received our keycards and waited in line with everyone else for boarding. While in ilne, we noticed that a reservations agent for the specialty restaurants was taking reservations right in the terminal. We received the Ultimate Beverage Package and the Ultimate Dining Package when we booked as incentives. I tried to book reservations online early but times were limited. However, more times were available when talking to reservations clerk and we were able to book all three of our reservations in the terminal. I noticed that the lines were much longer on the ship and heard several people complain that they didn’t get the times they wanted later. Boarding started on everything went fairly quickly. We headed to the Venetian for lunch as soon as we were on board. I had the Philly cheesesteak sandwich which was tasty and hit the spot after traveling all morning. Stateroom were ready around 1:30. We had booked a balcony cabin originally on deck 9. However, I played the bidding game and placed a “poor” bid on the NCL site of $50 and to my surprise, we were upgraded to a mini-suite with balcony! Just a tad bit more room. We had cabin 11086. The only problem was a little bit of noise from the pool area and Garden Cafe above us. However, since we were now on a Canadian sailing and it was cooler, the pool deck wasn’t as crowded so noise wasn’t too bad. The only place you could hear the noise was outside on the balcony. The cabin itself wasn’t bad at all for noise. Our cabin steward was Gilbert and he made his presence known the first day but didn’t see much of him the rest of the week.

While sitting in the Atrium that first day, we met Joe, Phillip, Mary, and Sandy from the Boston area. (This cruise had a lot of Boston folks as it’s an easy and convenient port for them to cruise from). This group of 4 friends has taken every 40 cruises! They had been to Bermuda 5-6 times. They too, were disappointed, not to be going but like the rest of us were trying to make the best of a bad situation. They said (having been to Bermuda) that the reason for not going to Bermuda was because of the reefs around Bermuda and the danger of high seas. They also said that back in July, the Dawn had gotten “stuck” on one of the reefs. We walked up on the pool deck, (Deck 12), went to the Bimini bar for a sail away drink. It was cloudy and cool in Boston. We watched the ship leave the port and walked around deck while waiting for the staterooms to be ready.

We had dinner at Los Lobos. We were about the first people in the restaurant. My one and only complaint was the it was COLD! Be sure to take a sweater or light jacket if you go and are prone to being chilly. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. Excellent customer service here. I had the homemade guacamole which was excellent. They make it fresh in front of you and was something I would definitely have again. I also had the tortilla soup, again it was excellent, and the enchiladas with mole sauce. Overall, a very good meal. It would go back again.

It had been a very long day and after supper, we crashed!

Day 2: Sea Day

Hubby was up early and went in search of coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker but this was a priority for him. he came back to the cabin and told me about O’Sheehan’s. It’s on deck * and quickly became one of our favorite places for breakfast and lunch and afternoon drinks. But this morning we had breakfast at the Venetian. As usual, service was excellent and our waiter was very talkative. We learned that both he and his wife worked on the ship. They have a 3 year old back home in the Phillipines. They have about 3 weeks left and they both will go home together to spend about 3 months before returning to the ship I had the veggie omelette with hash browns which was excellent as well. There was an acupuncture and Chinese medicine talk at 10:15 that I wanted to attend, Hubby had absolutely no interest so he went to the Shore Excursions talk at 10:30. I had spent months researching Bermuda and what to do there, but since that all was changed, we had no idea of what to do in our new ports. Laura from the Mandara Spa did the acupuncture talk. It was informative and I scheduled a consultation with her at 4:30 that afternoon just to see talk to her more.

At 11:00, I went to the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. It was held at Le Bistro. Some of the ship’s officers were there. Running the Meet and Greet was Alain Mangier, the Hotel Director. He did a great job! He told us that the reason for not going to Bermuda was that Bermuda actually closed the port. He also said that they (NCL) didn’t have the schedule change until about 5PM on Thursday before sailed on Friday and they were left scrambling for ports. Some of the other officers were Tony Winkler, Food and Beverage Director, Pedro Serra, the Cruise Director, Anan Maria Haza, Guest Services Director, Prakash Correia, Executive Chef, Nigel Leventic, Restaurant Manager, Joe Borges, Beverage Manager, and Juan Franco, CruiseNext Director. They had appetizers, mostly pastries, and orange juice, water, and coffee to drink. Our organizer of the Meet and Greet had arrange a gift exchange for those who wanted to participate. It was an informative meeting and great way to meet some of the crew and some fellow passengers.

At 1PM I went to a complimentary Ladies Pampering Party at Mandara Spa. It was very interesting and educational. Of course, ultimately they wanted to sell you spa products but they weren’t pushy. Just wanted you to schedule facials, etc.

After this, hubby and I went to O’Sheehan’s for an afternoon drink. He watched football games and I watched people, LOL.

At 4:30, I went for my consultation with Laura, the acupuncturist and Chinese herbal medicine specialist. She was doing a treatment and they put my in the Relaxation Room at the Spa to wait for her. It had a lovely view of the back of the ship and the ship’s wake. It was relaxing but I could a lot of noise from the Garden Cafe and some sort of alarm that kept going off from the area outside of the Spa. That wasn’t relaxing and I actually felt sorry for the couple of people in the room that had probably paid for the experience! Anyway. Laura came and got me when she was ready and took me to the treatment room. I was mostly interested in acupuncture for weight loss. She talked to me and took some medical history. She ultimately wanted to do acupuncture treatments (several) and recommended some herbs to help with weight loss. The herbs would have cost $320 for a month long “detox program” and $95 dollars for the herbs that would help curb my appetite for sweets and mostly carbs. The acupuncture treatment was $169 (for one treatment). Now, I have always wanted to try acupuncture for some sciatica pain that I have so I did consent to that. I said “no” the herbs. Wasn’t expecting that price! The treatment took about 45 minutes and I have to say I think it has helped my pain some. Laura was so friendly and put me at ease. We talked a bit about her experience with working at NCL and she really likes her job.

We had dinner at Bamboo that night. Bamboo is on deck 7 right behind the Atrium. While it is a complimentary restaurant, they strongly recommend reservations. We did not have reservations but only had to wait about 5 minutes or so. It was very crowded. I had the spring rolls which were some of the best I have ever eaten and the vegetarian fried rice.

After dinner we went to Soul Rockin Nights at the Stardust Theater. The performers were good, it just wasn’t my kind of music. We stayed for the Not So Newly Wed Game which is hilarious. We have seen it before but it’s always good for some laughs. This was hosted by Pedro Serra, the cruise director. Pedro said he was back on the Dawn this week after being in Italy last week.

Day 3: Halifax, Nova Scotia

We had breakfast at O’Sheehan’s. Like I said before, O’Sheehan’s quickly became one of our favorite places to hang out. It’s on deck 8, mid-ship. It’s centrally located and the food is really good. A lot quieter than the Garden Cafe. We were able to watch the ship dock at Halifax as O’Sheehan’s has windows where you can watch the world go by. Surprisingly, we had good weather at Halifax. It was chilly without a jacket and I while I had packed a light jacket after getting the schedule change, many people didn’t know about the change until they arrived at the port or didn’t have time to repack. There is a cruise terminal with shops that is actually in front of the Royal Caribbean terminal in Halifax. Many, many people went there to get sweatshirts or jackets along with the usual port souvenirs. I bought an extra sweatshirt and hubby bought a fleece jacket as well. We walked along the beautiful shorefront boardwalk in Halifax. It reminded me of a very European city with outside dining restaurants and cafes.

We had booked at tour to Peggy’s Cove which is a quaint fishing village about an 45 minute to hour drive away from Halifax. Along with this came a trip to the cemetery where 120 victims of the Titanic are buried. This was an amazing tour! The visit to Peggy’s Cove was great. I’m a big fan of lighthouses and this is one of the most photographed (according to the tour brochure) in North America. Beautiful place and I recommend a visit if you go to Halifax. After Peggy’s Cove we went to Fairview cemetery where the Titanic victims are buried. This too was educational. Our tour guide was fantastic and full of knowledge of the Titanic and about the victims and what role Halifax played in the recovery of the victims. She had pictures of some of the victims and told stories of their lives and how they came to rest in the cemetery. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone!

After the tour we returned to the ship and ate dinner at O’Sheehan’s. They serve mostly pub-style food and I had a cheesburger which was fixed just the way I like it. After dinner we went to the comedy show at the Stardust with Jim Colliton. He was actually very funny and kept it clean. The first 5-10 minutes he was making fun of the itinerary change and not going to Bermuda. He did single out the folks from the Boston area and told them how they took a vacation to “home”. Hubby and I wondered how NCL felt about him bringing up a “sore subject” about the itinerary change, but it was hilarious. After the comedy show, we went back to O’Sheehan’s for a drink before bed.

Day 4: Sydney, Nova Scotia

We had breakfast at O’Sheehan’s. We didn’t book a tour at Sydney because frankly nothing sounded that interesting and the tours were very expensive. Most of them were scenic tours about an hour away seeing the country outside Sydney and the cheapest I saw was $115 per person! Hubby and I decided to just walk around the city on our own. There wasn’t much to see to be honest and it almost appeared as if NCL picked this port just to have place to dock. The only thing of interest was the world’s largest fiddle designed and constructed by Cyril Hearn. It’s made of steel and is 60 feet high. There is some shopping in the cruise port. There are some handmade gifts there if you like jewelry, etc.

When we returned to the ship, I went to guest services because I recognized on our paperwork that NCL had us down as first time cruisers on NCL. Guest services sent me to the Latitudes Desk which doubles as the CruiseNext office. They found our first cruise on NCL in February of 2009 and upgraded us to bronze status for this cruise and sent us back to guest services to reprint our keycards which showed us as bronze status. They also arranged for a bottle of sparkling wine to be sent to our room.

We had lunch at O’Sheehan’s and after that, I took an afternoon nap! We had dinner at Teppanyaki. I’ve always thought that this was more about the show than the food but the food was really good here! Of course, the show was good too and I wound up laughing more than eating I think. I had the filet mignon and chicken and my filet was cooked perfectly and just how I like it. We went to Showdown at the Stardust where the performers battle it out with each other and the audience picks the winner. After that we went to the Atrium and watched 70s Groove with Hotwire. It was disco music and they really had the crowd up and moving with dancing and good music.

Day 5: Sea Day

We had breakfast at O’Sheehan’s again (surprise, surprise!) Seas today were kind of rough with lots of back and forth and swaying motion of the ship. Pedro, the cruise director, had a presentation at 10AM of about Operations of the Dawn in the Bliss Lounge He handed out facts about the ship such as there are approximately 1080 crew representing over 60 nationalities, maximum speed of the ship is 22.5 knots, there are over 25,000 lightbulbs, and listed the weekly “shopping list” of the chef and controller which includes 1500 lbs of cereal, 1300 lbs of pasta, 17,000 pounds of fresh fruit, 3,000 dozen (36,000) fresh eggs, 500 gallons of ice cream (that number goes up during the summer when more children are on board), 7000 lbs of flour, 2600 lbs of cheese, etc. It was an informative talk and I would recommend it to anyone who just wants a little more information on your ship.

AT 10:30, Pedro continued to talk with a Question and Answer session with Captain Ronny Borg, Alain - The Hotel Director, and the Chief Engineer. I was surprised at the Captain as the first thing he said was that he took a wrong turn coming out of Boston and headed north to Canada instead of south to Bermuda. Everyone laughed at that and it kind of broke the ice to the session. Some people had some good questions. Some asked about navigation and some asked about the storm and how NCL decided to not go to Bermuda. The captain said it the itinerary change was strictly due to safety which had already been discussed. There was one rude member of the audience who started complaining about everything from not being notified until he got to the port about the itinerary change to the dress code in the Venetian. The Hotel Director stepped in and said that this was not the time nor the place but the captain quickly answered the man’s question and told him that the decision to change the itinerary was one made with caution and in the best interest of the ships and passenger’s safety. Alian, the Hotel director told the man that he would gladly meet with him personally after the session and address his concerns. I did see him talking to that man after the session so I knew he kept his word on that.

I played the Deal or No Deal game show at 1PM that afternoon. Game cards were $25 a piece. I didn’t win anything unfortunately and they only played two rounds. I thought it would last longer that it did. After that, we did the Yes or No gameshow where the host asks participants questions and the contestant can’t answer with Yes or No. Unknown to me, my husband signed me up and sure enough my name was drawn. The host, Isaiah, tripped me up and I answered No to a question with only 15 seconds remaining!

Jose and Patti were once again on board and they did a tribute to Neil Diamond, Janis Joplin and Johnny Cash that afternoon in the Stardust Theater. Jose and Patti are very personable and they are good performers. I heard them say that this was their last trip on the Dawn. I enjoyed the show. After the show, I went back to room for a nap before dinner.

We had dinner at the Ventian with Ed and Allie, a couple we met from Oregon. I had the 3-chesse ziti with stuffed mushroom caps and a banana split for dessert. It was fabulous. The chef did say earlier during the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet that this was the second week for a new menu in the Venetian. I think they are still trying to work the “kinks” out but overall I thought the food was pretty good this trip.

We attended a show that night at 7PM at the Stardust with Harry O’Donoghue an Irish Folk Singer and humorist. I laughed at his jokes and his was an awesome entertainer. Would hight recommend his show!

Day 6: St. John, New Brunswick

Breakfast at O’Sheehan’s with Allie and Ed, the couple from Oregon. Allie and Ed had been eating breakfast at the Garden Cafe before this and they were very happy that we had told them about O’Sheehan’s. They said it was much quieter and the food was better.

We had booked a trolley tour around St. John and I was glad that we had done that. Once again, it seemed as if this port or call was just an afterthought for NCL because of the itinerary change. Not much to see in St. John’s. The tours were once again very expensive and were mostly tours of the countryside. We did see the Reversing Rapids on our trolley tour. We had lunch at O’Sheehan’s back on the ship after we walked through the town a little bit and thought the cruise port shops. An afternoon nap again for me.

We ate dinner at Aqua. We were joined by Allie and Ed again and were seated with another couple from Boston, Kevin and Theresa. We stayed talking until they closed Aqua. It was an enjoyable dinner with great conversation and food. The service was great in Aqua as well.

Day 7: Bar Harbor, Maine

We were up early this morning. The time changed back to EST. US Immigration has to inspect each passenger on the return back to the states so you have to have your passport, a photo ID and go before an immigration official before you are allowed off the ship. This was a mandatory inspection for EACH guest. This took a while. Since we had an early excursion booked we were some of the first passengers allowed to go through.

Bar Harbor doesn’t have a cruise ship terminal so this is tender port. We took a tender over to the main harbor to catch our catamaran. We took a 3 hour tour of the lighthouses in and around Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. This was an EXCELLENT tour and easily the best port of the entire cruise for me. I love lighthouses so this was so much fun. We saw 5 lighthouses in all from the water with some great photography. After the tour we did some shopping with Ed and Allie. Really loved the port of Bar Harbor. Very scenic and the people friendly and welcoming.

Hubby and I had dinner at Cagney’s. I had the filet mignon and it was easily the best steak I’ve ever had. Not kidding. It was fixed just right and it wasn’t dry or overcooked, so tender I could cut it with my fork.

After dinner we went to Magic with PJ Wen in the Stardust. This young kid is very talented and has some great illusions. I would highly recommend his show.

After the magic show, we went back the room and sadly started packing for disebarkation.

Day 8: Boston, MA

We were up early to finish packing. We had breakfast with Ed and Allie at the Venetian. Our flight home wasn’t until later in the afternoon so we chose to use the Easy Walk off where you carry your own luggage. They asked that all guests be out of your stateroom by 9AM so we left our luggage and went back after we ate breakfast. We went down to hang out at the Atrium hoping to stay on the ship as late as possible so we wouldn’t have to hang out at the airport for hours on end. But they were really urging people to get off the ship ASAP and we felt like they were kicking us off. We wound up getting off around 9:30 or 10. Taxis were readily available outside the terminal and disembarkation was very easy. We shared a taxi with Ed and Allie to the airport to split the cost but I guess since it was van, it was about the same cost as a car taxi. Not much savings there for sharing a ride. Ed and Allie were flying Delta home and we were flying American. The taxi driver dropped both of us off at the Delta terminal and told us that the American terminal was “just right there” but he lied big time. It was quite a walk to the terminal for us. Needless to say, our taxi drivers didn’t leave a very good impression of Boston for us.

thanks for the review. Sounds like a pretty good cruise to me.:) Sorry you did not get to do your original destination. Bermuda is sooooo beautiful. But it will still be there for you to visit in the future.

If you thought Halifax reminded you of a European destination, you should venture up the St Lawrence river to Quebec City. It is a beautiful cruise destination, and you might even think you are in France.

Sorry you did not like Sydney NS, or Saint John NB. There are some very wonderful places to explore just beyond the city limits. And really, these are places to do some tours, and you can pretty much trust the local tour operators to be reliable. Being Canadian, I guess I am always a bit saddened when tourists to our country don't really have a great experience. That said, I also know that it must have been a disappointment to not get to your original destination.

Thanks again for your review, great review, and certainly glad you got to cruise after all the previous uncertainty.:)

Loved this. I’m off on escape in a week so the info on some of the ports was brilliant! Escape doesn’t stop at sydney...

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Nice review with lots of informative details. Sounds like an enjoyable vacation despite the changes. Thank you for sharing!

Hope you aren’t looking for too much sympathy on here in regards to compensation...NCL owes you nothing except a room for seven days (read your cotnract) and that’s what you got, Everything else is gravy.

My parents were on the cruise and said they had a great time but had never heard so much entitled complaining....

We were on this cruise too. We were initially disappointed when the change of itinerary was announced, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves onboard and at the ports. We'll make it to Bermuda some other time. Loved Boston too!

Hope you aren’t looking for too much sympathy on here in regards to compensation...NCL owes you nothing except a room for seven days (read your cotnract) and that’s what you got, Everything else is gravy.

 

My parents were on the cruise and said they had a great time but had never heard so much entitled complaining....

It's not being entitled to not want to cruise to where you live, it's called disappointment. You don't need to sympathize, but it shouldn't be hard to understand not wanting to spend in some cases thousands to cruise to where you live.

Thank you for posting your review. It seems like you ended up enjoying your vacation.

Nice review and sounds like you made the best of the itinerary change. As for not being crazy over Sydney, I agree. We were there about 5 years ago on another line and were not impressed except we did find a tour driver right outside of the terminal, shared him with 2 other couples and ended up with a nice tour. St John's by the way was not an after thought It has been a popular port for as long as I can remember.

Again loved your review and it was so very objective which makes it all the better.

I will add, filing a complaint with NCL is a waste of time. They have no obligation to stick to the original itinerary and cab change it anytime they want. In this case, it was for your safety and that of other passengers.

We were on this cruise also. We actually loved Sydney because we were able to buy Christmas gifts for family members directly from the artists and crafters who made them in the little church hall and inside the building at the pier. That was better, to us, than Bar Harbor, for example, where most shops sold the same mass-produced tourist-oriented merchandise at what seemed to be fixed prices. To each her own, I know, but Sydney was a sweet stroll talking to people with their dogs, to crew off the ship and to artisans for us.

It's not being entitled to not want to cruise to where you live, it's called disappointment. You don't need to sympathize, but it shouldn't be hard to understand not wanting to spend in some cases thousands to cruise to where you live.

Hearing people complain about changes due to a hurricane when they book a cruise during hurricane season is ludicrous. It's like people who buy homes near the airport and then complain about the noise from the planes.

Hearing people complain about changes due to a hurricane when they book a cruise during hurricane season is ludicrous. It's like people who buy homes near the airport and then complain about the noise from the planes.

So people aren't allowed to complain when they got to the ship and found out they were cruising to their homes? OK. That theory is what is ludicrous.

So people aren't allowed to complain when they got to the ship and found out they were cruising to their homes? OK. That theory is what is ludicrous.

There is a huge difference about expressing disappointment due to the hurricane than complaining about a re-route when someone chooses to cruise during the hurricane season. OP (and anyone) could have covered this possibility by getting "cancel for any reason" insurance.

Hearing people complain about changes due to a hurricane when they book a cruise during hurricane season is ludicrous. It's like people who buy homes near the airport and then complain about the noise from the planes.

I agree 100%!

Hearing people complain about changes due to a hurricane when they book a cruise during hurricane season is ludicrous. It's like people who buy homes near the airport and then complain about the noise from the planes.

April42479 - did you hear these "complaints"? I am curious what they were actually saying and to whom they were saying it.

April42479, is it also ludicrous for people to express disappointment with the fact that they weren't going to get to Bermuda? It's possible some people on the cruise were thrilled at the change - are they also considered ludicrous for expressing their feelings? Stuff happens, some of it negative. To expect people to not acknowledge and discuss (and possibly even complain about ) a change in itinerary is ludicrous. If you don't like what people are saying, don't listen.

So people aren't allowed to complain when they got to the ship and found out they were cruising to their homes? OK. That theory is what is ludicrous.

Being disappointed is fine, I would have been very disappointed myself and I would even want to cancel the cruise....but I can't, because NCL has every right to change the itinerary, and they actually did the safest thing for all of the guests on that ship. Had she sailed into a hurricane and people were injured/killed they would have been sued up the ying yang. Not sure what people expect, they don't control the weather. It stinks, but that's why the prices are so much cheaper, it's hurricane season.

This was my 2nd diversion. My 1st was in Oct 2014. We wound up in Nassau and Great Stirrup Caye. I heard more complaining on that cruise than this one. I found out the night before. I tossed 3 sweatshirts in my suitcase and off we went. I totally enjoyed the cruise, met lots of nice people. Actually met a couple who are booking the Gem with us next May.

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Okay, I have read with interest all the comments on my review. First let me say that I don't feel "entitled" to anything. I understand and read the contract when we booked the cruise. I don't expect anything in regards to any sort of compensation. You are right. NCL owes me nothing. However, there is a difference between not being obligated to do anything and doing the right thing. I have in my possession a letter from Royal Caribbean for the sailing of Grandeur of the Seas that sailed from Baltimore on Sept 8., one day after our cruise left from Boston. They were headed to the Bahamas, not Bermuda because of the storm. In this letter RC was explaining that they were adding at 50% refundable onboard credit to each person's SeaPass account (based on cruise fare). ALSO, they offered a 50% future cruise credit for a cruise booked in the next year. ALSO, if you chose not to sail (yes, that was an option) they would offer you a 100% future cruise credit. So don't waste your breath telling me this can't be done. Did RC have to do this? No, they did not. However, they chose to do the right thing and offer the options.

Now, as for sailing during hurricane season. Did we know it was hurricane season? Yes we did. Did we buy the insurance? Yes we did. We were told that it covered "cancel for any reason". However, when we found out about the itinerary change, we called the insurance company (after calling NCL and asking for a future cruise voucher). No one could or would answer our questions at 10PM the night before the cruise. Oh, they tried, but they said there was a clause about damage from a hurricane making the cruise port "uninhabitable", etc. They weren't certain that we could get our money back. They told us we could call at 9AM the next morning when "a supervisor" would be in the office to know for sure if we could get our money back. Now, we had to fly to Boston at 4:30AM the next morning in order to make the cruise that day. See the problem? We felt trapped. And I realize you have no sympathy for that either. So, we thought we had everything to prepare for a storm disrupting our cruise. Yes, I try to be prepared. And no, I still don't feel entitled to anything.

Now, let me just throw this at you. I'm not looking for sympathy. God only knows, it's sorely lacking in today's society. My husband and I are not like some of you. Both of us are still working. We don't get to take multiple cruises in a year, or even a cruise a year. We are the sole caregivers for two elderly parents. Whenever we leave town, we have to make sure someone is present to take care of these two. WE can't leave on a whim; we have to plan for MONTHS to take a vacation! So excuse me for being bitterly disappointed about going someplace I didn't ask to go and feeling like I really had no choice about the matter. Did I still enjoy my week away from other responsibilities? Yes, I did and I think I said that in my review. The crew of the Dawn was excellent. We were well taken care of. I still didn't have to cook, clean, or make numerous beds during the day. And no, I still don't feel entitled to anything. Do I know that NCL owes me nothing? Oh yes, that has been made perfectly clear. But having the letter from RC about what they are doing for their passengers certainly puts a different perspective on things and makes me question my loyalty to NCL. (Yes, I am a Latitudes member). Does that hurt NCL's feelings. I'm not foolish enough to believe that either. They have plenty of other customers that take many more cruises than we do. However, Royal Carribean showed a better example of caring about their passengers during this instance. That is an example of customer service.

I'm sorry that some of you read the first paragraph of my review and chose to focus on that instead of my review of our cruise. I am probably the least person that feels "entitled" to absolutely anything. But I have to try. Yes, NCL had every right to change the itinerary and no, I don't want to be sailing into a hurricane. That's not the point. The point is that we asked for a future cruise voucher and were told no but they were heavily pushing the CruiseNext program on board. That's were you pay a deposit on a future cruise and have 4 years to book that cruise. Isn't that really a cruise voucher? That's what we asked for on Thursday night and were told "it wasn't possible". Our cruise was, of course, paid in full by the time we sailed.

Until you walk in my shoes, you don't have the right to call me entitled. You have no idea what I'm like just from reading a review of my cruise. I thought I was doing the right thing because I depend heavily on Cruise Critic when planning a cruise and excursions. I wanted to share my views with others. Guess I learned my lesson on that one! From now on, I'll keep my opinions to myself!

Very well said ... we were on the cruise with you. Had a great time, but not what we were expecting. Jan

Okay, I have read with interest all the comments on my review. First let me say that I don't feel "entitled" to anything. I understand and read the contract when we booked the cruise. I don't expect anything in regards to any sort of compensation. You are right. NCL owes me nothing. However, there is a difference between not being obligated to do anything and doing the right thing. I have in my possession a letter from Royal Caribbean for the sailing of Grandeur of the Seas that sailed from Baltimore on Sept 8., one day after our cruise left from Boston. They were headed to the Bahamas, not Bermuda because of the storm. In this letter RC was explaining that they were adding at 50% refundable onboard credit to each person's SeaPass account (based on cruise fare). ALSO, they offered a 50% future cruise credit for a cruise booked in the next year. ALSO, if you chose not to sail (yes, that was an option) they would offer you a 100% future cruise credit. So don't waste your breath telling me this can't be done. Did RC have to do this? No, they did not. However, they chose to do the right thing and offer the options.

 

Now, as for sailing during hurricane season. Did we know it was hurricane season? Yes we did. Did we buy the insurance? Yes we did. We were told that it covered "cancel for any reason". However, when we found out about the itinerary change, we called the insurance company (after calling NCL and asking for a future cruise voucher). No one could or would answer our questions at 10PM the night before the cruise. Oh, they tried, but they said there was a clause about damage from a hurricane making the cruise port "uninhabitable", etc. They weren't certain that we could get our money back. They told us we could call at 9AM the next morning when "a supervisor" would be in the office to know for sure if we could get our money back. Now, we had to fly to Boston at 4:30AM the next morning in order to make the cruise that day. See the problem? We felt trapped. And I realize you have no sympathy for that either. So, we thought we had everything to prepare for a storm disrupting our cruise. Yes, I try to be prepared. And no, I still don't feel entitled to anything.

 

Now, let me just throw this at you. I'm not looking for sympathy. God only knows, it's sorely lacking in today's society. My husband and I are not like some of you. Both of us are still working. We don't get to take multiple cruises in a year, or even a cruise a year. We are the sole caregivers for two elderly parents. Whenever we leave town, we have to make sure someone is present to take care of these two. WE can't leave on a whim; we have to plan for MONTHS to take a vacation! So excuse me for being bitterly disappointed about going someplace I didn't ask to go and feeling like I really had no choice about the matter. Did I still enjoy my week away from other responsibilities? Yes, I did and I think I said that in my review. The crew of the Dawn was excellent. We were well taken care of. I still didn't have to cook, clean, or make numerous beds during the day. And no, I still don't feel entitled to anything. Do I know that NCL owes me nothing? Oh yes, that has been made perfectly clear. But having the letter from RC about what they are doing for their passengers certainly puts a different perspective on things and makes me question my loyalty to NCL. (Yes, I am a Latitudes member). Does that hurt NCL's feelings. I'm not foolish enough to believe that either. They have plenty of other customers that take many more cruises than we do. However, Royal Carribean showed a better example of caring about their passengers during this instance. That is an example of customer service.

 

I'm sorry that some of you read the first paragraph of my review and chose to focus on that instead of my review of our cruise. I am probably the least person that feels "entitled" to absolutely anything. But I have to try. Yes, NCL had every right to change the itinerary and no, I don't want to be sailing into a hurricane. That's not the point. The point is that we asked for a future cruise voucher and were told no but they were heavily pushing the CruiseNext program on board. That's were you pay a deposit on a future cruise and have 4 years to book that cruise. Isn't that really a cruise voucher? That's what we asked for on Thursday night and were told "it wasn't possible". Our cruise was, of course, paid in full by the time we sailed.

 

Until you walk in my shoes, you don't have the right to call me entitled. You have no idea what I'm like just from reading a review of my cruise. I thought I was doing the right thing because I depend heavily on Cruise Critic when planning a cruise and excursions. I wanted to share my views with others. Guess I learned my lesson on that one! From now on, I'll keep my opinions to myself!

Very eloquently expressed. Please don't ever stop posting reviews of the good and the bad. They're probably the best gift you can give to others planing trips. There's always going to be someone(s) with a myopic view that doesn't take into consideration your circumstances. They make assumptions, as we all do, based on prior life experiences. Thank you for sharing your full experience. Considering your circumstances, it's a tribute to the kind of people you are that you still did your best to enjoy your trip. That said if you ever do come back to Canada, old Quebec city is like a little bit of Europe and very beautiful as is the old port of Montreal. I wish you the best in your future travels.