NCL Sky: "There's a Toenail in my BED!"

[MrPete]

http://www.elliott.org/blog/can-this-trip-be-saved-eep-theres-a-toenail-in-my-bed/

[swedish weave]

http://www.elliott.org/blog/can-this-trip-be-saved-eep-theres-a-toenail-in-my-bed/

 

The comments appear to identify the lady as a whiner who wanted more !

NCL attempted to correct the problems, but that was not acceptable to the lady. The blogger appears to be an attorney who was asking if he should accept the case. She wants to sue NCL. What else is new??

[tiff123]

I voted "no."

 

In summary, I voted no because I believe a) NCL rectified the main problems (dirty sheets and dirty A/C vent) plus provided an apology, wine and credit and b) it appears the cruiser did not research appropriately the vacation he/she was taking and c) overdone steak? life happens... finally d) I don't think there is a precedent for perfect policing of the adult-only pools - I can imagine her disappointment but unfortunately this is a problem on many of the cruiselines from what I've read and hopefully if they do decide to seek compensation this will prompt cruiselines to "police" those areas like they "police" bringing alcohol on board.

[peg013]

I also feel NCL did more than enough to rectify the situation. It seems like nothing less than a total refund would satisfy them and there is no way that should happen. I also voted no!

[fergusonvt]

I also voted no. I feel she was compensated adequately. At least it was only a toenail. I've found worse in a hotel room.

[dwjoe]

This is not a lawyer-worthy issue.

The only substantive complaint here is lack of cleanliness with regard to bedding. The appropriate remedy would have been for NCL to clean it and change the sheets, pronto. It took them two tries to do it. Definitely an annoyance for a tired passenger. NCL apologized and offered a credit. Sounds fair to me.

[HazyDavy]

I agree that the passenger is not entitled to any additional compensation. The problem she had was really with her not booking the type of cruise she thought she was booking.

 

"I specifically picked Norwegian for two reasons

1. That I was told it was traditionally a nicer cruise line.

2. It lacked party atmosphere."

 

I guess we can get different opinions as to whether NCL is "traditionally a nicer cruise line" but it is clearly not a "traditional" cruise line and in fact markets itself as being non-traditional. NCL clearly also promotes a party atmosphere.

 

It sounds like she would have been happier with HAL or Celebrity.

 

Her disappointment is her own fault for not properly researching before she booked.

[RaMar]

NCL responded to her complaints, perhaps she should choose another cruise line.

[timh111]

I also voted no for all the same reasons everyone else that did voted that way. A couple of things that came to my attention were, she stated this was her first cruise on the Sky. While reading the rest of the post, it sounded like her first cruise PERIOD!! "The Front Desk"(maybe she thought she was at a hotel)? Did she mean the Purser's Desk??? Did she mean the "Concierge Desk"? Why did she call the FRONT DESK? EVERY cruise I have been on have a number, either given my the Steward themselves or in the cabin info book!! Why didn't she just call the cabin steward and let him/her handle it?? THAT would have been the best approach to gain access to "The Chain Of Command" to resolve her problem. Also, IF she has EVER been on a cruise, she would KNOW if she was unhappy with ANY of her meals, she could have returned it and got another OR something else...AT NO CHARGE!!! And as for the pool incident...was there ONLY one pool onboard??? WHY ruin your cruise because you are so conceded that you feel that the ship should be your own private yacht?? Those other cruise passengers paid for their cruise too!! Granted, failure to follow RULES led to this, but I have seen MANY deviations to cruise RULES on many ships, I have learned to grunt and move on. I feel what we have here is the Blind Leading The Blind. What I mean is you have a complainer that no matter what you do, she would not have a good time unless she found something to complain about (just the kind of person I love on my cruises....NOT) and has obviously NEVER been on a cruise before. Then you have this attorney, he is as oblivious to cruising as his possible client. For if he knew anything about cruising, he would have know this is a dead-end road for a law suit! She received due compensation for her mishaps. PERIOD!!!

[tiff123]

I'm looking at the NCL site and I only see two pools listed (not designated with a type) and a "splashes" pool which I would assume is for toddlers - not older children. Is it possible there is not an adults only pool on the Sky?:confused:

[SliceOfLife]

I'm looking at the NCL site and I only see two pools listed (not designated with a type) and a "splashes" pool which I would assume is for toddlers - not older children. Is it possible there is not an adults only pool on the Sky?:confused:

 

 

I was on the Sky last month and there is no adults only pool. There are two main pools and then a splash/baby type pool in a different area.

[BIG_Steve]

I would have been hot if I found that my sheets had not been changed since the previous guest used them. But the whiner didn't seem upset about the dirty sheets until a toe nail was found. What's up with that? Why is that the straw that broke the camels back if the sheets were already dirty?? Isn't that why she asked for the sheets to be changed, because they were dirty?

 

And as far as I know, NCL doesn't promote itself as upscale or as having a subdued atmosphere.

 

To me it seems clear that after the sheet incident, the cruiser was just looking for anything and everything to find wrong. So she started with a very legitimate complaint, and reduced herself to someone who can't be taken seriously. The whole switching rooms thing was probably because she thought she could score an empty suite.

[yazeee1]

Was the question/poll really posted by a lawyer? If l was a lawyer I doubt I would be sharing my indecision about whether to mediate or not with strangers on the internet.

[tiff123]

So if there is no adults-only pool either a) she felt like she had the right to decide one of the pools was adult-only or b) she chose a travel agent who encouraged her to book this cruise and misled her about the details....

 

If a travel agent encouraged her to cruise on NCL - then she should not choose to use that travel agent again (obviously not her style and I would prefer not to cruise with people like that thank you) - NCL has no liability for that IMO.

[yazeee1]

The blogger appears to be an attorney who was asking if he should accept the case. She wants to sue NCL. What else is new??

 

 

I just went back to the blog to find out more about the blog ownership. It's the blog of a consumer advocate journalist, not a lawyer. He speaks of mediation not litigation. I agree with you. I think there are more worthy causes, in the name of consumer advocacy, to champion.

[Don Haynes]

I have seen my share of cruise ship cabins and hotel rooms. I don't get freaked out when I see a finger nail, toe nail, paper clips, a strand of hair, and candy/mint/gum wrappers under a bed. Vacuum cleaners sometimes don't vacuum everything from a carpet.

 

While I expect carpet stains to be removed, I understand not all stains are removable except by replacing carpets. I do expect the bedsheets to be laundered, but even some sheet stains aren't removable.

 

And I don't expect a new carpet and bed sheets in any cabin/room every time. So I agree with the others, its not worth a lawsuit. I think it would be impossible to prove the previous passenger in the cabin did not clip their toe nails after the stewards have changed the sheets for the next passenger. Its much more likely a previous passenger did as a sick joke...

[spacepotatoes]

Yikes. I can sympathasize with finding the condition of the room unacceptable, but that's about it. It really sounds like this person should have done more thorough research before choosing this particular cruise, especially if was not looking for a party atmosphere. You don't have to dig too deep around here to learn that the shorter cruises do tend to attract more of a party crowd. Right off the bat, this woman was setting herself up for disappointment.

 

I'm curious what she intends to gain by pursuing the issue further, especially if she never plans to cruise NCL again. NCL has done what they could to rectify the situation and try to compensate her, and their letter seems to suggest that they've done all they're willing to do for her. Definitely not worth mediating.

[bcakes]

I just went back to the blog to find out more about the blog ownership. It's the blog of a consumer advocate journalist, not a lawyer. He speaks of mediation not litigation. I agree with you. I think there are more worthy causes, in the name of consumer advocacy, to champion.

 

Because of lawyer's confidentiality and privilege obligations, you won't find any lawyer's blogging about whether or not they should accept a particular case. It seems like this blogger does some good work getting results for people who have had real travel issue and I hope he doesn't take on this "issue."

 

That said, I don't think there is any excuse for not changing sheets between passengers. However, all I would expect if it happened to me would be to have my sheets changed asap.

[Redheel Girl]

Christopher Elliott is not a Lawyer he is a Travel Writer on MSNBC and many Newspaper travel sites. What he does is try to interced for people who have problems with their travel. Such as an Airline not refunding the whole amount. Car rental agencys that add on cost when it is not necessary. Two years ago I had a Cruise planned on the Pearl and my passport never arrived and I was getting desperate so I took the chance and emailed him on his NSNBC web site a little before 5 pm on a Thursday. When I turned on my Computer there was a message from him asking me my name, Birthdate and ect. With in 30 minutes I recieved a email from Passport land asking more questions. I let Eliott know and he emailed back with in minutes asking me to keep him informed. With in 5 more minutes a man in Passport land emailed me and told me my Passport would arrive on Friday by FedEx at my door the next morning. In the mean time a very high up Official of the State Department was emailing me and telling me the Passport will be found. Christopher Elliot kept in touch with me right through recieving the lost Passport. There for Christopher Elliott is my Hero and many other Travelers Hero. In his today newsletter that I recieved he did the article that you are refering to . He took a survey from his readers and 86 percent felt that NCL tried its best to make her happy and that she was asking too much. From reading his article I felt he also did not agree with her and I don't think he did try to contact NCL. If you ever have Travel problems contact him.:)

[Sauer-kraut]

The way I read that blog was that when she was stripping off the sheets she found the hairs and nail and I thought it meant it was on the mattress padding, I could have misinterpreted that though.

 

Anyways, I have no sympathy for that person, she certainly chose poorly and that's coming from someone who gets teased a lot about being a complainer.

[sdmike]

I too believe that NCL went above and beyond for this b!@#$

[david_sobe]

They should have small boats to send these people back to shore LOL

I know someone that works for a cruise line complaint office. The stories this person told me, you would not believe with people trying to get "free' stuff.

 

Someone called to ask for a cruise refund because her travel agent said the cruise was good for singles and she did not meet anyone so she wanted a full refund.

 

I could go on with other crazy stories but you get the point. I think it would be fun to work at that office for just an hour though. They will always throw out some on board credit to just about anyone that calls. But they are not going to give refunds for a cruise because the weather was bad, you did not score sexually, or there was a hair in your bed.

 

Unfortunately these kinds of people do not just hurt cruise lines but every business too with false claims and lawsuits, etc.

 

But I must admit, the most enjoyable cruise reviews to read are the really nasty and negative ones. They should give awards to the most dramatic and over the top negative reviews. There is one reivew on CC for the NCL Jewel where this guy said he almost got off the ship at port and was going to fly home because the food was so bad in every restaurant.

 

Or how about the person that posted there negative attacking letter to NCL here that their cruise was ruined because the 2 room suite was not what they wanted it to be (even though it was the most inexpensive 2 bedroom cabin on the ship). They wanted windows in both bedrooms. And their luggage was not delivered first. So these people had the nerve to post their complaint letter here at CC. It has been taken down but it was so insane what they were complaining about. It was so dramatic and over the top how their vacation was ruined and they were embarrassed because the room was not what they invisioned (even though it was the cheapest 2 bedroom). It almost sounded they wanted an owners suite but booked entry level.

 

But all these secnarios the cruise line does not nor should not cave in to their insanity.

 

Oh, there is a youtube video of a cruise line employee who worked the front desk. They were not allowed to call it the "complaint" desk but passenger assistance desk. But one abusive guy was upset there was an "adults only" show and children not allowed. So this guy brought his small kids to the front desk and said that NCL ruined his vacation because it was requiring him to find a baby sitter. So he left his kids at the front desk.

 

This toe nail story is only the tip of the iceberg from these nut jobs only trying to score free cruises or gifts.

[gatorsfam]

folks that spend their energy in a negative way for some very strange reason seem to have a higher frequency of negative experiences.

 

life happens. the question is how will you respond? with gratitude and understanding, or with resentment, spite, and revenge?

 

If nothing else, the rest of us need not worry about this individual sailing with us on a cruise anytime soon... hopefully ;)

[sparks1093]

On the Sky the pool closest to the pool bar is designated as adults only according to the signs and it is a uniform depth (I think 8 feet, but memory is hazy). The family pool on the other end of the pool deck has a shallow end and a deep end. From time to time I did see some older kids in the adult pool, but it never appeared to be a huge problem.

[gatorsfam]

Everytime I am in bed on a cruise ship there are 10 or 20 toenails in my bed. Maybe its just me, but I don't mind :)