Cruise cut short Gem Oct 31, 2017

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That being the case, the overwhelming majority of people "stuck" on Barbados, are likely to be people who just don't like flying, not people with actual maladies preventing it. I am guessing that is why you are seeing such limited sympathy for them.

I doubt that anywhere on that page are the words "one may fly with any other condition". IOW the list is not complete.

But that really doesn't matter. The cruise line is responsible for the broken ship. It is, in the final analysis its fault. (I would be shocked to learn that the company was taken entirely by surprise when the ship broke.) There is nothing in the contract that says a passenger must fly or be able to fly in order to book passage. If a passenger says s/he cannot fly that should be reason enough for the cruise line to make other arrangements.

You are correct, we don't know about the communications between passengers and NCL with regard to their dietary restrictions, but I would bet my last dollar if those bringing this up did, we would have heard it loud and clear from the very first post.

 

How would they get it off the ship. First, go to NCL's dining manager and explain your dietairy restrictions or the fact that they have to eat X or Y. NCL would have made sure that they were give proper food and made sure they could take it off the ship, because the one thing they would not want is someone saying that they had conversations with NCL about their restrictions and NCL told them to shove it and they became ill.

You might have missed the part about not being given a lot of lead time. Confusion. First told Friday a port day. Thursday 6:30 pm being given our departure information, received letter telling us to get our luggage out by 10 pm. First group had customs at 1 am. Now, you can continue to slam passengers who thought they had a luxurious, stress free vacation, which is what the industry advertises, or you can have compassion and just point out lessons learned. You and I might, emphasize might, do better. But continue to feel good about yourself.

I doubt that anywhere on that page are the words "one may fly with any other condition". IOW the list is not complete.

 

But that really doesn't matter. The cruise line is responsible for the broken ship. It is, in the final analysis its fault. (I would be shocked to learn that the company was taken entirely by surprise when the ship broke.) There is nothing in the contract that says a passenger must fly or be able to fly in order to book passage. If a passenger says s/he cannot fly that should be reason enough for the cruise line to make other arrangements.

They were grilled. There are people who are still suffering the affects, today, a week later, from being told their condition wasn't bad enough.

You might have missed the part about not being given a lot of lead time. Confusion. First told Friday a port day. Thursday 6:30 pm being given our departure information, received letter telling us to get our luggage out by 10 pm. First group had customs at 1 am. Now, you can continue to slam passengers who thought they had a luxurious, stress free vacation, which is what the industry advertises, or you can have compassion and just point out lessons learned. You and I might, emphasize might, do better. But continue to feel good about yourself.

They were grilled. There are people who are still suffering the affects, today, a week later, from being told their condition wasn't bad enough.

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I wonder what the 28, who are sailing home today, had that those you know who are still suffering didn't... seems to me ncl opened themselves up to mega lawsuits from those suffering

 

 

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I've asked that question in this thread and any other related threads and not one person answers up??

I've asked that question in this thread and any other related threads and not one person answers up??

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I met one elderly guy in a scooter who was on his 2nd of 4 B2B cruises on the Gem, i think he said 42 days on the ship in total. Wonder if he may be one of those 28. He was very concerned about how they were gonna take care of him. Flying him back to NY really would not have accomplished much, they may have still had to lodge him until they got him back onboard.

It would have only taken a few minutes to talk with dining services and it wouldn't have taken long to get something together for the passenger. Maybe you should have read my other posts, I said NCL can learn from this experience and hopefully next time (if there is a next time) do it better. I feel great about myself, thank you.

Really, you were there? Non passport people were herded together after customs, not allowed to roam the ship. They were provided with a continental breakfast while waiting for the buses. No idea what happened afterwards. So, we assume they were fully functional in the middle of the night, sans sleep, maybe herding other family members, maybe fighting, or resigned, having people in the same cabin put on separate flights. I'm just asking for compassion for others. Not seeing a lot.

I saw that and figured marilyn_g seems to know people who were denied the ability to stay behind and forced to fly home against their will and thus suffering...... could shed some first hand knowledge

 

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CC isn't the only place people connect. We have other groups. They know we're being trashed here.

Really, you were there? Non passport people were herded together after customs, not allowed to roam the ship. They were provided with a continental breakfast while waiting for the buses. No idea what happened afterwards. So, we assume they were fully functional in the middle of the night, sans sleep, maybe herding other family members, maybe fighting, or resigned, having people in the same cabin put on separate flights. I'm just asking for compassion for others. Not seeing a lot.

I take a few meds, and always make sure I bring at least 7 days extra with me.

 

 

http://abc7ny.com/travel/cruise-nightmare-for-one-new-jersey-family/2648832/

Could the ships doctors contact local drug-stores for this family's med refills?

Could passengers who are not in any hurry to get home remain on board the ship while repairs are underway? That could be an option for some.

CC isn't the only place people connect. We have other groups. They know we're being trashed here.

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And then there were only 28…

Many have asked questions and/or voiced their opinions regarding NCL and passengers on the Oct 31, 2017 cruise on the Gem. Many have shared their personal “evacuation” stories. This post will not attempt to defend anyone’s actions, how people responded or how NCL handled the situation (mostly), but hopefully, you will find my experience interesting and maybe useful to some.

We frequently (once or twice a year) take round trip cruises out of New York area ports. Because I do not fly, we drive from Indiana and park at the pier or at a hotel offering parking and shuttle transfers to and from the port. Yes, I understand and assume the risk that I may be “stranded” in a foreign port due to circumstances that I may not be able to control. However, I also know that in this case, the cruise line (NCL Gem in this case) would eventually need to return to her homeport.

The group currently returning to NYC on the Gem is a mix of folks with health conditions that restrict their ability to fly (recent stroke, extreme claustrophobia, wheelchair bound, inner ear conditions, etc.), although I do not know everyone’s story or how they came to be returning with me.

When it was announced that the cruise would be altered and that planes had been chartered to “repatriate” everyone, I notified guest services that I would not be able to fly. They appeared to be creating a list of passengers that were sharing this same information. However, when the information was distributed at about 6pm on 11/9/17, we were assigned to the third flight on 11/10/17. I will say that the notification did not contain any information regarding meals during transport and/or what would occur once folks arrived in the Newark airport. It only had flight information, time of departure from the ship, time to attend immigration and where you could eat breakfast which began at 1am in the morning.

I once again informed the ship that I would not be on the flight and inquired what the plan was to return those not flying. We were informed that there was no plan as of yet. We continued to check every few hours regarding the plan and were eventually told that a “Care team” from Miami was enroute to Barbados.

Once the care team arrived, those that stated they would not be taking one of the chartered flights were taken to a conference room where we waited to be interviewed by a member of the care team. Here we were informed that if we did not fly, it would at best be 7-10 days before we could get back to the US, not a surprise to me, but some folks opted to take one of the remaining charter flights. Those remaining were not asked to provide any type of “proof” that they could not fly, although many did.

Those that remained were told NCL had secured ten cabins on a Holland America ship scheduled to be in Barbados on Monday (11/13/17). This ship would arrive in Miami, FL on 11/19/17. NCL would then transfer passengers to Amtrak’s overnight train to NYC or pay for a rental car if passengers wanted to drive themselves. These ten rooms were quickly taken, leaving about 30 additional passengers. Due to the hurricanes and port changes, there were no US based cruise ships calling on Barbados in the next week, leaving few options for those that didn’t get passage on HAL. NCL missed an opportunity to move passengers to a sister ship as we crossed paths with both the Regent Navigator and Oceania Insignia. When we ported with these vessels, NCL knew they had a problem with the Gem as they had already notified the Nov 11th sailing passengers that their sailing would be cancelled. However, they waited about 36 additional hours before notifying the current Gem passengers.

Late on 11/10/17 we were called to a meeting and informed that those remaining would be moved to a hotel on 11/12/17. This included those leaving on the HAL ship and the remaining few who were taking a commercial flight home. Passengers not taking either of these options would then re-board the Gem once she was fixed and sail directly back to NYC. We were told that since the ship was being taken out of service to complete the repairs, they were unable to have passengers on board and that, even though we were re-boarding, to take all our possessions with us.

They arranged transportation to various hotels based on arranged travel plans and individual passenger needs. Those flying out headed to the airport, the HAL passengers went to the Radisson for one night, a couple of passengers that needed ADA compliant accommodations went to two different hotels and the remaining 25 were bused to an all-inclusive beach resort. It is my understanding that NCL had great difficulty securing rooms for that number of passengers on such short notice due to a Rum and Food festival, but were able to keep the majority of passengers together for a four-night “shore excursion”. Although not the highest quality resort, it had a pool and a gorgeous sandy beach and, important to me, free internet as I work for a company that provides remote services; as long as I have internet, I can work.

The Miami care team left the island the day we left the Gem. No plan was provided regarding when we would re-board, but we were told we would hear through the hotel what the plan was. The tentative plan was to depart on Friday 11/17; we would re-board the Gem either late on Thursday or early Friday. It is important to note that the resort was fully booked for Thursday, so re-boarding Thursday seemed most likely.

One area of improvement for NCL would be communication and I think this, overall, was the primary reason for the high level of anxiety that settled over the ship. I would think that although a rare occurrence, most corporations have disaster plans that include pre-drafted communication plans. Not only did corporate NCL not communicate well with passengers, it did not communicate with the staff on board the Gem. As passengers asked questions, the staff had no choice but to reply they simply did not know.

The most significant issue for the remaining passengers appeared to be medications. I always travel with extra of my needed medications, along with a fairly complete over-the-counter pharmacy. Many needing critical medications did not come prepared for an additional 1-2 weeks away from home. They spent most of the time off the ship attempting to obtain needed medications from a local pharmacy which proved to be a multiple step process. There were also issues related to the cost of medications since Barbados does not file insurance claims with US based insurance companies (again, no surprise) and the ensuing discussions that NCL should pay for the needed meds. Some meds were not available in Barbados or not stocked at the local pharmacy. Some passengers did not get their needed medications until after re-boarding the ship.

More to come . . .life back on board the Gem.

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And then there were only 28…

 

Many have asked questions and/or voiced their opinions regarding NCL and passengers on the Oct 31, 2017 cruise on the Gem. Many have shared their personal “evacuation” stories. This post will not attempt to defend anyone’s actions, how people responded or how NCL handled the situation (mostly), but hopefully, you will find my experience interesting and maybe useful to some.

 

We frequently (once or twice a year) take round trip cruises out of New York area ports. Because I do not fly, we drive from Indiana and park at the pier or at a hotel offering parking and shuttle transfers to and from the port. Yes, I understand and assume the risk that I may be “stranded” in a foreign port due to circumstances that I may not be able to control. However, I also know that in this case, the cruise line (NCL Gem in this case) would eventually need to return to her homeport.

 

The group currently returning to NYC on the Gem is a mix of folks with health conditions that restrict their ability to fly (recent stroke, extreme claustrophobia, wheelchair bound, inner ear conditions, etc.), although I do not know everyone’s story or how they came to be returning with me.

When it was announced that the cruise would be altered and that planes had been chartered to “repatriate” everyone, I notified guest services that I would not be able to fly. They appeared to be creating a list of passengers that were sharing this same information. However, when the information was distributed at about 6pm on 11/9/17, we were assigned to the third flight on 11/10/17. I will say that the notification did not contain any information regarding meals during transport and/or what would occur once folks arrived in the Newark airport. It only had flight information, time of departure from the ship, time to attend immigration and where you could eat breakfast which began at 1am in the morning.

 

I once again informed the ship that I would not be on the flight and inquired what the plan was to return those not flying. We were informed that there was no plan as of yet. We continued to check every few hours regarding the plan and were eventually told that a “Care team” from Miami was enroute to Barbados.

 

Once the care team arrived, those that stated they would not be taking one of the chartered flights were taken to a conference room where we waited to be interviewed by a member of the care team. Here we were informed that if we did not fly, it would at best be 7-10 days before we could get back to the US, not a surprise to me, but some folks opted to take one of the remaining charter flights. Those remaining were not asked to provide any type of “proof” that they could not fly, although many did.

 

Those that remained were told NCL had secured ten cabins on a Holland America ship scheduled to be in Barbados on Monday (11/13/17). This ship would arrive in Miami, FL on 11/19/17. NCL would then transfer passengers to Amtrak’s overnight train to NYC or pay for a rental car if passengers wanted to drive themselves. These ten rooms were quickly taken, leaving about 30 additional passengers. Due to the hurricanes and port changes, there were no US based cruise ships calling on Barbados in the next week, leaving few options for those that didn’t get passage on HAL. NCL missed an opportunity to move passengers to a sister ship as we crossed paths with both the Regent Navigator and Oceania Insignia. When we ported with these vessels, NCL knew they had a problem with the Gem as they had already notified the Nov 11th sailing passengers that their sailing would be cancelled. However, they waited about 36 additional hours before notifying the current Gem passengers.

 

Late on 11/10/17 we were called to a meeting and informed that those remaining would be moved to a hotel on 11/12/17. This included those leaving on the HAL ship and the remaining few who were taking a commercial flight home. Passengers not taking either of these options would then re-board the Gem once she was fixed and sail directly back to NYC. We were told that since the ship was being taken out of service to complete the repairs, they were unable to have passengers on board and that, even though we were re-boarding, to take all our possessions with us.

 

They arranged transportation to various hotels based on arranged travel plans and individual passenger needs. Those flying out headed to the airport, the HAL passengers went to the Radisson for one night, a couple of passengers that needed ADA compliant accommodations went to two different hotels and the remaining 25 were bused to an all-inclusive beach resort. It is my understanding that NCL had great difficulty securing rooms for that number of passengers on such short notice due to a Rum and Food festival, but were able to keep the majority of passengers together for a four-night “shore excursion”. Although not the highest quality resort, it had a pool and a gorgeous sandy beach and, important to me, free internet as I work for a company that provides remote services; as long as I have internet, I can work.

 

The Miami care team left the island the day we left the Gem. No plan was provided regarding when we would re-board, but we were told we would hear through the hotel what the plan was. The tentative plan was to depart on Friday 11/17; we would re-board the Gem either late on Thursday or early Friday. It is important to note that the resort was fully booked for Thursday, so re-boarding Thursday seemed most likely.

 

One area of improvement for NCL would be communication and I think this, overall, was the primary reason for the high level of anxiety that settled over the ship. I would think that although a rare occurrence, most corporations have disaster plans that include pre-drafted communication plans. Not only did corporate NCL not communicate well with passengers, it did not communicate with the staff on board the Gem. As passengers asked questions, the staff had no choice but to reply they simply did not know.

 

The most significant issue for the remaining passengers appeared to be medications. I always travel with extra of my needed medications, along with a fairly complete over-the-counter pharmacy. Many needing critical medications did not come prepared for an additional 1-2 weeks away from home. They spent most of the time off the ship attempting to obtain needed medications from a local pharmacy which proved to be a multiple step process. There were also issues related to the cost of medications since Barbados does not file insurance claims with US based insurance companies (again, no surprise) and the ensuing discussions that NCL should pay for the needed meds. Some meds were not available in Barbados or not stocked at the local pharmacy. Some passengers did not get their needed medications until after re-boarding the ship.

 

More to come . . .life back on board the Gem.

 

 

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Thanks Whizpharm2

To all Gem 10/31 fellow passengers:

Because NCL has not been forthcoming with this information, here is the link to the webpage for submitting receipts incurred during our repatriation. We were on the last flight out on 11/11 which was delayed by hours, leaving us with 6 1/2 hours at the Barbados airport with no food or food vouchers.

https://www.ncl.com/case-submission

Whizpharm2 please continue your posting at your earliest convenience. I'm sure I'm not the only one fascinated by your account. Thank you for taking the time to include us on your experience as many here were very curious about this situation. Looking forward to reading more.

To all Gem 10/31 fellow passengers:

 

Because NCL has not been forthcoming with this information, here is the link to the webpage for submitting receipts incurred during our repatriation. We were on the last flight out on 11/11 which was delayed by hours, leaving us with 6 1/2 hours at the Barbados airport with no food or food vouchers.

 

https://www.ncl.com/case-submission

Was food available for purchase? Or was it a time when it was not available, or is it too small of an airport?

Whizpharm2 please continue your posting at your earliest convenience. I'm sure I'm not the only one fascinated by your account. Thank you for taking the time to include us on your experience as many here were very curious about this situation. Looking forward to reading more.

Yes, I would agree and want to thank Whizpharm2 for a detailed and non-emotionally filled message. It is so much more helpful and informative without the the high level of drama that some folks feel they need to share.

Really, you were there? Non passport people were herded together after customs, not allowed to roam the ship. They were provided with a continental breakfast while waiting for the buses. No idea what happened afterwards. So, we assume they were fully functional in the middle of the night, sans sleep, maybe herding other family members, maybe fighting, or resigned, having people in the same cabin put on separate flights. I'm just asking for compassion for others. Not seeing a lot.

If more people from your cruise were posting here there might be more sympathy. When we only hear a few complain out of tousands of passengers, it's hard to really know how widespread the issues were, or was there just a few with large/many issues.

Thanks Wizpharm2 . . .

If more people from your cruise were posting here there might be more sympathy. When we only hear a few complain out of tousands of passengers, it's hard to really know how widespread the issues were, or was there just a few with large/many issues.

The Gem carries about 2,400 pax. It's roll call probably had less than 100 participants and it's likely that a lot of them weren't active. I'm not surprised that not a lot of people posted here.

Then of course you need to consider the bashing one who dares to criticize NCL for anything gets on this board.

The Gem carries about 2,400 pax. It's roll call probably had less than 100 participants and it's likely that a lot of them weren't active. I'm not surprised that not a lot of people posted here.

 

Then of course you need to consider the bashing one who dares to criticize NCL for anything gets on this board.

I was onboard this ship. I was traveling solo and was well prepared for emergencies and had no time constraints to consider. The first 9 days of cruise were fine though we were aware of azipod issues. I'll say that many people here are blaming their lack of prep (no meds, i take meds and always bring extra) on the cruise line and possibly some food issues. I will say that w/o a doubt the last two days of the trip were horrible and blame to be laid right at NCL doorstep, lack of communication and outright lies. I believe that when they told us to leave ship at 4AM for take off from airport at 10:30 AM they knew that was untrue but if they told us it was gonna be a 1PM flight(which turned into a 2PM flight) no one would have left ship at 4 AM. We were all sitting in the terminal and we saw the empty plane just arrive/land at the terminal at around 10:30 AM. Sitting outside airport gate in bus, standing around the bare airport plaza, sitting in the airport terminal? Plus how hard would it have been for NCL to put out a coffee/tea/refreshment table along with some rolls and danish? The airline scheduling was ridiculous and so on.

Whizpharm2 please continue your posting at your earliest convenience. I'm sure I'm not the only one fascinated by your account. Thank you for taking the time to include us on your experience as many here were very curious about this situation. Looking forward to reading more.

I agree....:) I appreciate your perspective and post Whizpharm2 !

I was also on the cruise. We are in our early 30's and can agree that communication on this trip was a disaster. We were Haven guests and I don't think we got what we paid for.

The compensation is a complete joke and I am not looking for a full refund but to have to sail again with NCL to receive my compensation for a short cruise because of their boat is redicuous. That said we made the best out of the days we did have.

Please keep in mind probably more than 90% of this cruise was retirees and they all need 'special care', think it's impossible to cater to them all.