NCL Customer Service

[leekel619]

Leeke - why blame the victims? Come on... your agism is showing. You probably believe that anyone over 70 belongs in a nursing home, right??? Walk in someone else's shoes before suggesting they are not "privleged enough" to cruise with only capable people like you! Regardless of whether NCL followed their legal obligation or not, they did not do what was right, moral or humane. They ran as fast as they could to escape the norovirus which has now become public.

 

Krazy....I didn't blame anybody. Sounds like you have some age related confusion as well. Where did I say I think they belong in a nursing home. One of my dearest and best friends is 90 and she's not in a nursing home nor does she belong in one. (although my 79 year old father who lives with us has one foot in the door....) I have many friends over the age of 70, none in nursing homes either, nor in need of one.

Why don't YOU walk in someone else's shoes, like mine for instance, before you judge ME??

Were you there when the parents were going through the tragic illness and subsequent disembarkation...in a foreign country?

How do you know they didn't get all the information they needed and then forgot it all? Its already confirmed by their family that they didn't call anyone for over 24 hours. Sounds like confusion to me. And it could very well be the worst kind of confusion...the age related one. Which guess what...many of us will get.

How do you know they weren't treated humanely??

 

Well, I wasn't on that voyage either, and I can offer my opinion just the same as you or anyone else on here.

Where did I even SUGGEST or hint that I didn't think someone isn't "priviledged enough".

 

Thank you for the compliment that I'm a capable person though.;)

 

I read your post (to me) out loud and we all had a laugh. :)

[tootsiescurly]

Wow! No offense but I thought I was on the Carnival thread. This is a very sad story. A little compassion would be nice.

[Agent999]

I think there are alot of lurkers out there, who have been visiting CC for a long time, but have never felt the need to join. Often someone will join CC when they have a specific question that they do not see answered in the current posts. Or, sometimes because they are angry and need to vent.

 

I do not know if the OP was a lurker or not. Just saying that you can not assume that someone is totally new to CC based on the date of their first post.

 

You don't base it totally on the date of their first post...you also have to check (in their profile) the date they joined CC. It is easy to tell who joined then lurked as opposed to who joined just to immediately blast.

[DAGVBSB]

I suspect the emergency contact for his father was his mother. NCL would not call a second emergency contact down the list once things were being handled by the first emergency contact. Just speculation on my part, but that is the most logical explanation I can think of; I certainly wouldn't want NCL calling my parents if my wife knew I was sick. Why put them through the worry when they are miles away and can't do anything about it? My wife knows, and she is with me, and if we need more help its no one else's damn business.

 

I still don't know why the son was calling NCL to see if his parents were still on the ship. Either he knew they weren't because his mother called him finally, or they had failed to make contact via email or text or something. Perhaps he can chime in again. I can certainly see a missed contact leading to concern.

 

Like you, I think they blew it by saying they could only contact the ship by email. That sounds like a "customer service excuse" rather than a real reason. The real reason might be that they won't release information regarding passengers to third parties. 80 year old parents are still independent adults with all the rights and privileges of any other adult, until they are found incompetent and put under a conservatorship.

 

This might be an indication that they should stop traveling alone, although convincing them of that is tough to do.

 

 

The "emergency contact" number that NCL requires for passengers MUST be someone who is not traveling with you in your party. Someone the cruise line can contact who is not on the ship. In our case last year on the POAm, I could not be contact for my parents who were with us, my mother in law could not be our contact because she was with us...as was my wife's brother. (I am an only child, btw). My wife's sister...who was the only immediate family member not on the ship was the Emergency contact person for my mother in law, my brother in law & his wife and sons, my parents, and my wife, daughter and myself. (we had to list her on all of documents for NCL.)

 

So it is impossible for the mother to be the Emergency contact. It would make perfect sense for their son to be the contact for both of them.

 

And as a son with elderly parents who sailed by themselves a few years ago... I would WANT to know right away if EITHER of them became ill on the ship regardless of where they were. I don't care who calls me...just call me because I care about my parents. (they still go to square dance weekends all over our state and I make them call me as soon as they arrive so that I know they are ok. I would worry more if I don't hear from them...)

 

The son was calling NCL probably because he wanted to know exactly where his parents were and to get NCL's side of the story. Elderly people can sometimes be confused and he wanted to check what his mom was telling him. He probably also was giving NCL the benefit of the doubt that they handled things properly and wanted to confirm that. Instead, he got LIED to.

 

As far as not releasing information...he could certainly tell the NCL agent his name, his parents names and even their DOB or other personal information to prove who he was. Then NCL could have looked it up on the computer and see that he was the Emergency Contact person and answered his question. Whether or not they were still on the ship wouldn't be considered "confidential information." It was a simple question that NCL KNEW the answer to but decided to give him the run around instead.

 

And for that matter...if they could not release the information about them being on the ship due to Confidentiality.... then tell the OP that. Don't lie to him and tell him that they can't get in contact with the ship. That right there tells me that NCL was trying to cover up the whole deal. (and as usual, the stupidty of the NCL Customer Service agents makes a situation even worse through their lying.) If NCL had simply told him that they were not on the ship or they couldn't release the information because of confidentiality...they wouldn't look as bad as they do in this situation. It's funny how NCL Customer Service lies time and time again and usually gets caught and exposed on this board. (I have written proof of when they lied to me in 2006 about something...)

 

 

I am sure the OP is taking care of his parents right now and that he should. I have a feeling that when things settle down, he will return and give us a full update.

 

I can usually spot trolls quickly and expose them. Too many things are lining up to show this OP is no troll. (and the support of an NCL employee that he believes him is a big one!). It is of no matter when he signed up or logged his first post.... in my book, he is honest and doing the right thing and NCL has handled this very badly.

 

Its funny... when a first post person praises NCL, everybody welcomes him....they never consider them trolls......

[DAGVBSB]

There was NO blame there.....

I think you are over reacting.

 

I'm sure there are some 80+ year old folks out there that have the minds of a 50 year old, but let's be realistic here....that most likely doesn't happen that often.

 

My mother is 82...has perfect memory

My mother in law is 75....has perfect memory

My Younger Great Aunt is 96....has perfect memory and is in fact helping to write the history of her high school.

My other Great Aunt is 98 and has perfect memory.

 

(any my two 90 year old aunts still live by themselves...each in their own apartment..not assisted living either...and one still drives and gets 95 or better each time she retakes the on the road driving test!)

 

 

That is four out of five of the closest people to me who are over 75 who still have great memories. (dad remembers almost everything but mixes up dates from long ago.)

 

Let's not forget my former Travel Agent who was 80 when she died a couple years ago...still working and going toe to toe with the cruise lines and remembering everything about her clients.

 

I would think that most people who are still active enough to cruise would still have their memories and facilities about them to handle normal situations. Being DUMPED in a foreign country is not normal and the OP even said that his mom didn't know how to pay for the call because her credit card was maxed out and a kind missionary helped her out.

 

 

Sorry, but I take great offense to people who feel that Seniors cannot fend for themselves just because of age. We will ALL be there someday.

[ncl12345]

Final Saga: I want to thank all of you who provided very useful information in assisting me to actually locate, ascertain the welfare of and return my parents to their home. They are safely home now as am I and it has been quite a day. There are a couple of you who have assisted me in ways I wish I could share but cannot as I believe it violates CC rules. But I am indebted to a number of you. I will give a shout out to Cubechick for a critical piece of information and DAGVBSB for the unwavering moral support and spot on logical assessments. And I cannot give enough credit to our Consulate Services in Colombia and Tom Mulligan in particular. He called me every few hours throughout the day to confirm the status of my parent’s predicament and the actions being taken.

 

With regard to the situation at hand the facts are as stated in my three prior posts as therein corrected and may be a bit thin to avoid adding opinion or supposition. The only issue I cannot explain for you is with regard to the passports ?and can only guess that the payment was for entry visas and they took the passports to effect that? In the interest of full disclosure, the last statement is purely conjecture. But the fact remains they wanted cash.

 

I can only reiterate the five points I made in my last post and expound on the last. If NCL would have so much as pointed me in the right direction, told me the last known condition of my parents, had their ship doctor talked to me (or email), given me contact information for the faculties in Cartagena, an address, a phone number, a we don’t give a s—t here’s the number for the consulate see if they care, ANY piece of information whatsoever it would have made this whole process so much easier at my end and would have never resulted in the circus this has become. But to have not notified me on Wednesday when I could have been the most help with a clear head able to contact the insurance carrier on their behalf if they don’t feel assisting a passenger in this way is good customer service; and to deny having any knowledge they were even off the ship until the State Department guy called them on it is IMO unconscionable. To speculate on why they chose to do this I will leave to you guys as anything I would write would be IMO.

 

Again thanks for the help. Some may have to excuse my ignorance for thinking that is what this place is all about.

 

NCL (5) including Improv at Sea w/ Bud Freidman '95, Improv at Sea w/ Bud Freidman '96 on the S.S Norway. I hope the fish are loving it as much as I did.

Carnival (6)

RCL (1)

Princess (1)

[sparks1093]

I am posting this as this story unfolds but my immediate question why NCL can dump a nearly 80 year old couple of U.S. citizens in Colombia without funds or assistance to get home. My parents embarked on the 2 week Panama canal cruise that left Los Angeles on 10/1. Apparently along the way my father fell ill. Because of his health (he has an implanted defibulator) he purchased NCL’s trip insurance so he would be evacuated to the U.S. should he become ill. It would seem that on Wednesday 10/12, NCL unceremoniously dumped my parents in Cartagena, Columbia for treatment. As their son, I am listed as their emergency contact. NCL did not have the common courtesy to call me and let me know that they had been put off of the ship. I did not find out until my mother called me at 10 pm on 10/14 to tell me where they were and that they had maxed out their credit cards paying for treatment, using the phone of a kind “missionary” as she put it. My wife immediately contacted NCL who claimed they did not have any information that they were not on the ship. It is presently 2 pm on 10/15 and after numerous calls to NCL they are claiming they are unable to get anyone on their ship to respond so they have no information. They have repeatedly ignored my request to at minimum return my calls with information. They have failed to call me even once. The ship is due to arrive back in Tampa tomorrow morning at 6 am and is today in its last port of call, Key West, FL. I find it unfathomable that they cannot reach a ship that is currently docked in the U.S. They also failed to call the agent of the insurance company Berkely Care and their provider called “On Call Assistance” which I am told is standard procedure in circumstances such as this and that they take over from there. A call from us to Berkely Care this afternoon at 1 pm revealed that NCL had failed to notify them and open a claim file on my parent’s behalf. We opened that file ourselves but at this point there is little they can do. I have also contacted the State Department to see what assistance they can provide. As elderly Florida residents I feel that NCL’s treatment is less than humane and something I would be interested in knowing their excuse for.

 

 

I can only reiterate the five points I made in my last post and expound on the last. If NCL would have so much as pointed me in the right direction, told me the last known condition of my parents, had their ship doctor talked to me (or email), given me contact information for the faculties in Cartagena, an address, a phone number, a we don’t give a s—t here’s the number for the consulate see if they care, ANY piece of information whatsoever it would have made this whole process so much easier at my end and would have never resulted in the circus this has become. But to have not notified me on Wednesday when I could have been the most help with a clear head able to contact the insurance carrier on their behalf if they don’t feel assisting a passenger in this way is good customer service; and to deny having any knowledge they were even off the ship until the State Department guy called them on it is IMO unconscionable. To speculate on why they chose to do this I will leave to you guys as anything I would write would be IMO.

 

 

I am glad that your parents are okay but your Mom was obviously in good shape and capable of using the phone and did so after being off the ship for over a day. Why couldn't she tell you the information you wanted from NCL as to where they were, etc. (and for that matter why didn't she call you immediately*)? Why would NCL need to call an emergency contact when one in the party is capable of doing so? The ship's doctor is probably covered by the HIPAA regulations and wouldn't be able to disclose anything to you without a specific release. NCL can't disclose passenger information to just anyone and in your initial contact with them were correct in saying they didn't have any info because your parents weren't onboard.

 

And remember, your parents have standing to sue NCL for breach of confidentiality whereas you have no standing and unfortunately in this day and age that trumps almost anything else.

 

*Your mother probably didn't call you immediately because she didn't want you to worry. That's what my mom would have done and she would have been some PO'd if NCL had made that call.

 

In any event I am glad they are back safe and sound.

[halos]

My mother is 82...has perfect memory

My mother in law is 75....has perfect memory

My Younger Great Aunt is 96....has perfect memory and is in fact helping to write the history of her high school.

My other Great Aunt is 98 and has perfect memory.

 

(any my two 90 year old aunts still live by themselves...each in their own apartment..not assisted living either...and one still drives and gets 95 or better each time she retakes the on the road driving test!)

 

 

That is four out of five of the closest people to me who are over 75 who still have great memories. (dad remembers almost everything but mixes up dates from long ago.)

 

Let's not forget my former Travel Agent who was 80 when she died a couple years ago...still working and going toe to toe with the cruise lines and remembering everything about her clients.

 

I would think that most people who are still active enough to cruise would still have their memories and facilities about them to handle normal situations. Being DUMPED in a foreign country is not normal and the OP even said that his mom didn't know how to pay for the call because her credit card was maxed out and a kind missionary helped her out.

 

 

Sorry, but I take great offense to people who feel that Seniors cannot fend for themselves just because of age. We will ALL be there someday.

 

How about quoting the rest of my statement??

 

Age aside, just fear for her husband's health on top of being removed from a ship to a foreign country would be enough to make even a person half that age confused.

 

 

 

If what happened is exactly as the OP posted, then NCL dropped the ball here...big time.

 

 

 

It doesn't matter how old someone is in a situation like that....anyone could be upset enough to not be thinking straight.

BTW, I am happy that you have family that age that is mentally healthy :) I lost a 94 year old grandmother and she was sharp as a tack until the end....but despite all your family (and mine) I still think it's not uncommon for someone in their 80's to have a little less firing going on in the brain. That's not an opinion...it's scientific fact.

Also fact that elderly and babies are more likely to get seriously ill when Noro is running rampant on a cruise ship.

 

 

OP, I'm glad your parents are home safe and sound.

[darrengs]

...never mind

[rsinj]

The ship's doctor is probably covered by the HIPAA regulations and wouldn't be able to disclose anything to you without a specific release.

 

Well, I read enough around here regarding defense of the ship/crew/captain because they are not subject to US laws since the ship is in international waters, and so far as I know, HIPAA is a US law so I don't think this is a valid excuse.

 

Howard

[yoyocruiser]

To the OP: I sincerely am glad you got your parents home and that this finally worked out. Also, I am glad that someone (or several) gave you some good assistance. CC IS a good place to get help. And it is great that you got help. Regardless of all the details, in a situation like this it definitely sounds like someone dropped the ball--or that someone could have at least been kinder and more helpful--I have had so many experiences where NCL went above and beyond--and many people have posted here about going through harrowing medical situations and having had it handled really well. So it is really too bad this happened this way. Thank you for coming back to post the results and to try to answer questions that folks were asking. For what its worth I really do think that NCL usually does a better job with this sort of thing--but I guess that doesn't make you feel better. I always appreciate people posting these experiences because I always learn something from it.

[sparks1093]

Well, I read enough around here regarding defense of the ship/crew/captain because they are not subject to US laws since the ship is in international waters, and so far as I know, HIPAA is a US law so I don't think this is a valid excuse.

 

Howard

 

They are covered by the ADA and Coast Guard regs, among other things. It is not too much of a stretch to believe that the medical staff would be covered by HIPAA also. Whether you think it's valid or not doesn't matter- it's what NCL's attorneys think that counts.

[Sea Monster 2]

You don't base it totally on the date of their first post...you also have to check (in their profile) the date they joined CC. It is easy to tell who joined then lurked as opposed to who joined just to immediately blast.

 

I lurked for months (almost every day!) before I joined. I joined when I felt compelled to post, so I was not "new" to CC when my first post was made. I am sure others do the same.

[Julesy]

I lurk in this forum quite a bit as I have been considering booking NCL for my next (2nd) cruise.

 

Glad your parents are OK, OP.

[nbsjcruiser]

What this incident emphasizes is that all travelers need to be aware of who is responsible for what in an emergency and to be proactive in these situations

 

One other thing I'd like to mention from personal experience is that never assume your insurer will be able to pay the hospital for their service. I was injured in Nassau last year and had to be taken to hospital. Despite the fact that I had worldwide coverage and had a phone number that the hospital could contact to get payment, they would not work with the insurance company. I had to pay up front for my care and seek reimbursement. The hospital told me that they had been stiffed too many times in the past by insurance companies.

 

So even if you have coverage make sure you have the means at your disposal to pay for coverage initially. Luckily the charge for me was only $1500 so I was able to cover it until I got my money back. Had I needed to stay in the hospital for days or weeks then we would have had to work something out with the insurance company.

[cruisemuse13]

You don't base it totally on the date of their first post...you also have to check (in their profile) the date they joined CC. It is easy to tell who joined then lurked as opposed to who joined just to immediately blast.

But you do not need to join to lurk. just go to Google and enter "cruise reviews" and cruise critic will be one of the options that pops up. you can lurk on the boards for as long as you like, without having to join.

[hawk1972]

I just did a Google search and found a story complete with video about this incident on the website for WTSP Channel 10 in Tampa.

[halos]

I just did a Google search and found a story complete with video about this incident on the website for WTSP Channel 10 in Tampa.

 

You could have posted the link ;)

 

http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/article/215755/250/Man-says-cruise-line-played-hide-and-seek-with-his-elderly-parents

[HarpHarp]

To The OP Mark;

Glad your parents are back home and your dad is recovering.

Anyone confronted with an unusual, stressful situation may not react optimally no matter what their age. I saw the Star medical crew handle 2 problems just the week before, one being a passenger fainting during a tour of the bridge, and they were handled quite well. We heard there were many changes in staff, and maybe that caused some of the problem. You should have been notified when they were taken to the hospital, and I sure would want to know why that wasn't done.

Whoa Dennis,

it sounds like the 2nd part of your cruise was really "interesting".

 

Cindy

There was an outbreak of the noro virus on this cruise as I just got off the ship this morning which started appearing after we left Puerto Quetzal or Puntarenas - thanks for coming back and giving us details of there leaving the ship.

 

That was only one of at least four other evacuations on this cruise - the one at Manzanillo - by boat - there was one at Huatulco - a gentlemen who had a stroke went off in Panama which was why we were a long time clearing the first lock - there was an ambulance at Key West to take another person off.

 

In additional several people fell on a wet pool deck and receive injuries.

 

As for the person who wants a link to the noro - I talked to a least two people who were stricken with it and also have cruised enough - 17 and counting - to know that when you can't serve yourself even a glass of water they have implemented the CDC protocol for handling the outbreak.

 

Dennis

[DAGVBSB]

You could have posted the link ;)

 

http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/article/215755/250/Man-says-cruise-line-played-hide-and-seek-with-his-elderly-parents

 

I just read the story on the above link.

 

Is it surprising that the reporter called NCL to get their side of the story and "repeated calls to NCL have gone unreturned?"

 

The incompetence at NCL continues!!

[hawk1972]

You could have posted the link ;)

 

http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/article/215755/250/Man-says-cruise-line-played-hide-and-seek-with-his-elderly-parents

 

I would have but I'm never quite sure what links are OK and which ones aren't. :)

[halos]

I would have but I'm never quite sure what links are OK and which ones aren't. :)

 

The only links not allowed here are those of other cruise chat-type web sites or travel agents. News links are always allowed :)

[Norwegian Cruise Line]

All, below is our response. We sent this to media outlets who inquired about the situation today. Also, our customer relations team did speak with the OP (the couple's son) today.

Best,

Norwegian Cruise Line Public Relations

 

On Wednesday, October 12, Mr. Coleman was medically disembarked from Norwegian Star while the ship was in Cartagena, Colombia as he needed shoreside medical attention. He was accompanied by his wife.

 

Prior to disembarking the vessel, the ship’s Guest Service personnel assisted Mr. and Mrs. Coleman with packing their belongings and making arrangements for their transfer to the hospital. At that time, the couple were given the option to contact their family via phone before disembarking, but chose not to. Since the guests had travel insurance, they were also provided with the relevant contact information for emergency assistance through the travel insurance company.

 

Norwegian Cruise Line’s port agent in Colombia assisted the guests and accompanied them to the hospital, ensuring that all necessary paperwork there was accurately completed so that Mr. Coleman could receive the care he needed.

 

The port agent provided his contact information to the guests and offered to assist them in purchasing toiletries and/or clothing, but the guests declined the offer. Mrs. Coleman was offered assistance with a hotel room, but she declined and chose to stay in the hospital.

 

On both Thursday and Friday, Norwegian’s port agent visited the couple in the hospital in the morning and the afternoon. The port agent also assisted the couple in obtaining plane tickets for their return to Tampa.

 

On Saturday, Norwegian’s port agent visited the couple at 2 p.m. to again tend to their needs. At no time during their stay in Colombia did the couple express any dissatisfaction with how the situation had been handled. To the contrary, the port agent advised that the couple were so appreciative of the efforts on their behalf they wanted to send an email thanking them.

 

On Sunday, Norwegian’s port agent assisted the couple with transportation to the airport for their flight to Tampa which arrived later that day.

[Mooder]

All, below is our response. We sent this to media outlets who inquired about the situation today. Also, our customer relations team did speak with the OP (the couple's son) today.

Best,

Norwegian Cruise Line Public Relations

 

Thank you for your response, NCL. This sounds more like what we have come to expect from NCL and their port agents. With due respect, I can understand the OP's panic, but suspect once he has a chance to hear the full story from his mother, he will have a more complete understanding of what went on.

[terracool]

Always two sides to every event! And a few here speculated early that something seemed missing or that this tale seemed very one-sided.

 

.