NCL Epic very unhappy

[cod]

In defense of her TA, remember that a TA books cruises on 'every ship of every cruiseline'. Now if an NCL rep can't tell you when asked if a balcony cabin on the Epic is-or-isn't one like the OP was assigned, why does every one keep blaming her TA for not knowing???

As time goes on, everyone will be aware of these cabins, even if NCL is not parting with the info!

[TOP DECK]

If one does not investigate all aspects of their cruise then shame on them. I never book a guarantee and believe most people that do are hoping for a free upgrade. I believe you should bring your own tampons and start taking paxil immediately.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

[quote name='che5904']You are right in your assumption, these enclosed/hull balconies on the epic are the same price as a mid ship balcony.

I also agree that NCL should make these cabins noted as a different color/category # or something, but saying that is more for the benefit of those booking on their own not through a TA. Too many people book with a TA for pricing and not for expertise. Therefore they end up a lot of times getting what they paid for if they are not able to do extensive homework in for their own vacation.

As stated above the reason I put the blame back on the TA and not NCL was all of this was done before the OP was even given their cabin assignment. Therefore the OP either should have known or been told by their TA that there were downfalls to booking a GTY. Also if the TA had any experience in NCL at all they would have known the above information that you stated with the jewel or any of NCL's ships for that matter (that enclosed/hull and obstructed oceanviews are not clearly defined) and therefore that would be a possibility when booking a GTY.

I still believe the main problem here is with either an uncaring or inexperienced TA.

Lesson to learn: Unless you are planning on doing extensive research on your own. If you insist on using a TA for whatever reason. Make absolutely sure your TA has experience in the vacation that [U]you are taking[/U]. Crusing or otherwise.[/QUOTE]

I find myself not speaking the praises of Carnival the last couple of years, compared to several years prior. One thing I will say (positively) is how they went about marketing their "hull" balcony cabins when the Dream debuted. They are called "Cove" balcony cabins. They clearly differentiate them from standard balcony cabins, and they are priced a bit lower.

Tom

[dalgirl]

If you are a very pickey cruiser when it comes to room placement (and yes, that is me):

Lesson 1: know your room before you book it - go online to the company website and pull up the deck plans, looking beside, up and down of your deck, go to hulu see if you can find your room or other cabins around it. Check all over cruise critic trying different types of searches to see if there are cabins to beware.

Lesson 2: NEVER book guarantee! We don't know the OP did this, but it is very possible. If I have to have a certain type of room, I assume that I am going to pay for it. I would think the "enclosed balcony" would be at the bottom of the price food chain - never book bottom of the price scale for a cabin unless you absolutely don't care what type of cabin you will get.

We are doing our first inside cabin for our upcoming Sun cruise. I went to CC, got some room recommends, booked during a sale, way in advance of sailing in July 2012 - I called my TA and asked for the room recommended by another poster - and got it assigned.

If you do guarantee or last minute, you need to be prepared not only for a possible upgrade (yipee!) but a bummer of a room.

I feel for the OP. It was unfortunate, but there are so many great things to do on the Epic, there should be no reason to cry for 3 days. You try to make the best of it and enjoy your vacation with the mantra "at least I'm not at work..." over and over.

[Minoushka]

If you had gone to the Cruise Critic Meeting you would have met most upper echelon staff members They willingly distribute their cards and numbers You could have contacted these people first hand WHy didn't you .If food was not to your liking why did you not speak up?
If you did not have an assigned cabin months ago why blame NCl Perhaps you should have called the TA directly You could have with an 800 number
If you complain after the fact it will not help You needed to speak up there and then
Settle things on board

Michele

[dalgirl]

[quote name='dalgirl']If you are a very pickey cruiser when it comes to room placement (and yes, that is me):

Lesson 1: know your room before you book it - go online to the company website and pull up the deck plans, looking beside, up and down of your deck, go to hulu see if you can find your room or other cabins around it. Check all over cruise critic trying different types of searches to see if there are cabins to beware.

Lesson 2: NEVER book guarantee! We don't know the OP did this, but it is very possible. If I have to have a certain type of room, I assume that I am going to pay for it. I would think the "enclosed balcony" would be at the bottom of the price food chain - never book bottom of the price scale for a cabin unless you absolutely don't care what type of cabin you will get.

We are doing our first inside cabin for our upcoming Sun cruise. I went to CC, got some room recommends, booked during a sale, way in advance of sailing in July 2012 - I called my TA and asked for the room recommended by another poster - and got it assigned.

If you do guarantee or last minute, you need to be prepared not only for a possible upgrade (yipee!) but a bummer of a room.

I feel for the OP. It was unfortunate, but there are so many great things to do on the Epic, there should be no reason to cry for 3 days. You try to make the best of it and enjoy your vacation with the mantra "at least I'm not at work..." over and over.[/quote]

sorry, not hulu, youtube.... mondays;)

[halos]

[quote name='fergusonvt']I'm thinking the assumption was made because she said she booked through a TA and didn't get the balcony assignment until 3 weeks ago.[/quote]

That's how I came to the conclusion that it was a guarantee.



I understand being new to cruising and making mistakes...but to blame any cruise line because you didn't know what you are buying is not taking responsibility for something that you as a consumer are responsible for...and that is knowing what you are buying.

[Turtles06]

[quote name='dalgirl']If you are a very pickey cruiser when it comes to room placement (and yes, that is me):

Lesson 1: know your room before you book it - go online to the company website and pull up the deck plans, looking beside, up and down of your deck, go to hulu see if you can find your room or other cabins around it. Check all over cruise critic trying different types of searches to see if there are cabins to beware. [COLOR=red]This is good advice. However, if you don't know that a hull balcony even exists, you can't know to research it. And you won't find it on NCL's web site. As for CC, yes, what a tremendous resource this board is. But only a really small minority of the cruising public knows about CC.[/COLOR] [COLOR=red]And again, even if you know about CC, you may still not know that there are hull balconies unless you happened to stumble on a thread about them and read it. NCL is at fault for not putting this info on its deck plans.[/COLOR]

Lesson 2: NEVER book guarantee! We don't know the OP did this, but it is very possible. If I have to have a certain type of room, I assume that I am going to pay for it. I would think the "enclosed balcony" would be at the bottom of the price food chain - never book bottom of the price scale for a cabin unless you absolutely don't care what type of cabin you will get. [COLOR=red]I would not book a GTY, but others do it, and they should be able to make an informed decision to do so based on knowing what they could be stuck with. Here, NCL makes it almost impossible for most people to know about hull balconies[/COLOR]. [COLOR=red][COLOR=red]If the OP thought that, worst case, with a GTY (assuming she booked that), she'd have a regular balcony but the location might not be great, perhaps she considered the GTY worth that risk.[/COLOR] [/COLOR]

[/quote]

I think you've given good, general advice, but in this particular situation, for the reasons I noted in red above, it might not play out for everyone....

[che5904]

[quote name='cod']In defense of her TA, remember that a TA books cruises on 'every ship of every cruiseline'. [B]Now if an NCL rep can't tell you when asked if a balcony cabin on the Epic is-or-isn't one like the OP was assigned[/B], why does every one keep blaming her TA for not knowing???

As time goes on, everyone will be aware of these cabins, even if NCL is not parting with the info![/quote]

I understand what you are saying and I'm sure that turtles06 is giving an accurate account of what happen to him/her.

As the saying goes, for 'craps' and giggles, I just got off the telephone with an NCL representative (regular 800 number). Who informed me which balconies were closed and which ones were not. They do have the ability to have this information in front of them. And no she did not have to go and email the ship. She also informed me they were very nice but if I was looking more for a traditional balcony I may not be happy with that.

There are crappy employees in every large company and therefore I'm sure NCL has their share. I just wanted to point out that " Now if an NCL rep can't tell you when asked if a balcony cabin on the Epic is-or-isn't one like the OP was assigned" isn't necesarily true.

[stephenandrew]

[quote name='che5904']The OP has been asked a couple of times to share the cabin # but has not replied.

This is I think the balcony type that the OP is refering to.[/QUOTE]


I can understand how the OP would be disappointed with this "hull balcony", when he/she was expecting a "non-hull balcony". I would have been. I have been active on CC of a number of years, and this is the first that I have ever heard of a "hull balcony". I don't think NCL does themselves any favors including this sort of room in the same category as a standard baclony cabin--it should be listed spearately, even if it is priced the same.

[fergusonvt]

There has been a ginormous thread about Epic balconies that has been active recently about this very topic. There are about 400 posts on it.

[Turtles06]

[quote name='che5904']I understand what you are saying and I'm sure that turtles06 is giving an accurate account of what happen to him/her.

As the saying goes, for 'craps' and giggles, I just got off the telephone with an NCL representative (regular 800 number). Who informed me which balconies were closed and which ones were not. They do have the ability to have this information in front of them. And no she did not have to go and email the ship. She also informed me they were very nice but if I was looking more for a traditional balcony I may not be happy with that.

There are crappy employees in every large company and therefore I'm sure NCL has their share. I just wanted to point out that " Now if an NCL rep can't tell you when asked if a balcony cabin on the Epic is-or-isn't one like the OP was assigned" isn't necesarily true.[/quote]

Well, for starters, thanks for not doubting my credibility.

I wouldn't describe my PCC as a "crappy" employee, nor do I think he was lying to me about not having the info or that he was doing a bad job. He was based in NCL's Phoenix office and asked his colleagues there as well; I don't know who you just talked to or where or what they have access to (or whether you were talking about the Jewel, which I was).

BTW, my experience was about 15 months ago. Maybe when my PCC realized he and his colleagues SHOULD have this info, he suggested it be made available. Perhaps that's why the person on the phone today had it. :)

[che5904]

[quote name='stephenandrew']I can understand how the OP would be disappointed with this "hull balcony", when he/she was expecting a "non-hull balcony". I would have been. I have been active on CC of a number of years, and this is the first that I have ever heard of a "hull balcony". I don't think NCL does themselves any favors including this sort of room in the same category as a standard baclony cabin--it should be listed spearately, even if it is priced the same.[/quote]

All the NCL ships I think have them, or at least most of the fleet. The only one that I have seen in their photos that may not have them is the Spirit. If you go to the NCL site and click on learn about our cruises, ships and overview you can see that most of them have the first few balconies of each deck closed in.

I think you are in the majority on here that feel NCL should do something to make these more clear. As Tom pointed out above Carnival does this in a positive way to entice people to want them. NCL could do the same sort of thing.

[stephenandrew]

[quote name='Turtles06']The traveling public ought to be able to look at that deck plan and assume that there is nothing significantly different from one BB cabin to the next. No one should have to be a CC addict to find out that some balconies are enclosed, yet cost the same as the ones that aren't.[/QUOTE]

I agree completely.

[blindrid]

When I first read the post, I was certainly blaming the OP and the TA. THEN, I went to NCL's website and saw this under the lowest description of the Balcony class:

[B]Balcony [/B]

These Balcony Staterooms have room for up to three guests and feature floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open to a private balcony with an incredible view. They include a separate bathroom with shower, two lower beds that convert into a queen-size bed, a sitting area and additional bedding to accommodate one more.


Where do they describe anything less than a traditional, normal balcony state room? I book GTD quite often and when I do, I research the lowest cabin that is offered to make sure it would be acceptable to me.



Now, I believe it is either the TA or NCL's fault for an overall bogus description of various balcony cabins.

[che5904]

[quote name='Turtles06']Well, for starters, thanks for not doubting my credibility.

I wouldn't describe my PCC as a "crappy" employee, nor do I think he was lying to me about not having the info or that he was doing a bad job. He was based in NCL's Phoenix office and asked his colleagues there as well; I don't know who you just talked to or where or what they have access to (or whether you were talking about the Jewel, which I was).

BTW, my experience was about 15 months ago. Maybe when my PCC realized he and his colleagues SHOULD have this info, he suggested it be made available. Perhaps that's why the person on the phone today had it. :)[/quote]

Firstly I have no reason to question your credibility or the experience you had. I really wasn't out to prove anyone wrong. As I said I did this for 'craps' and giggles (I'm sure you know the expession) just to see if these NCL reps did have the answers. My conclusion at least one did.

Actually I did say who I was speaking with. I said I was just speaking to "a" rep at the general 800 number, which are usually the ones who don't have most of the answers in my experience. I didn't ask her name. No I did not ask about the Jewel I ask about the Epic which is the ship in question in this thread.

Perhaps a poor choice of words and I wasn't trying to insult your PCC.

And perhaps if you are correct in your thought that maybe your PCC passed this information to his colleagues 15 months ago, then that just reinforces what I was stating to the poster that I quoted. The poster said "Now if an NCL rep [B]can't[/B] tell you when asked if a balcony cabin on the Epic is-or-isn't one like the OP was assigned". I was stating that as of today that may not [B]necessarily[/B] be correct, because I could get the information.

Oh sorry and as for the where? Beats me, I didn't ask where her office was located, I didn't know that was important for my experiment.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

[quote name='blindrid']When I first read the post, I was certainly blaming the OP and the TA. THEN, I went to NCL's website and saw this under the lowest description of the Balcony class:

[B]Balcony [/B]

These Balcony Staterooms have room for up to three guests and feature floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open to a private balcony with an incredible view. They include a separate bathroom with shower, two lower beds that convert into a queen-size bed, a sitting area and additional bedding to accommodate one more.


Where do they describe anything less than a traditional, normal balcony state room? I book GTD quite often and when I do, I research the lowest cabin that is offered to make sure it would be acceptable to me.



Now, I believe it is either the TA or NCL's fault for an overall bogus description of various balcony cabins.[/QUOTE]

Any flack which NCL gains as a result of not fully informing people who book these cabins that these are "exceptional" cabins is what they have coming. It should not be up to someone booking a cabin on their ship to discover how it might differ - it should be an additional category. Geesh, they have UMPTEEN different categories to begin with. By not making this its own category seems to be (intentionally) deceptive.

Tom

[SuiteCruiser]

[quote name='blindrid']When I first read the post, I was certainly blaming the OP and the TA. THEN, I went to NCL's website and saw this under the lowest description of the Balcony class:

[B]Balcony [/B]

These Balcony Staterooms have room for up to three guests and feature floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open to a private balcony with an incredible view. They include a separate bathroom with shower, two lower beds that convert into a queen-size bed, a sitting area and additional bedding to accommodate one more.


Where do they describe anything less than a traditional, normal balcony state room? I book GTD quite often and when I do, I research the lowest cabin that is offered to make sure it would be acceptable to me.



Now, I believe it is either the TA or NCL's fault for an overall bogus description of various balcony cabins.[/quote]

This is what she got. What she didn't get was a glass balcony front, hers was steel.

I agree, research, research, research. I definitely look at the outside of the ship to see where my cabin is. Usually just get a ballpark, but if it's at the fore or aft, I will note what it looks like.

I would have been disappointed as well, but the fact is that most people won't book theses cabins when they pick out a cabin, which means on a full ship, the GTY folks thinking they'll get an upgrade will lose out.

I don't understand moving to an inside, that's just odd to me, and a more than a little martyrish (if that's a word)

[SuiteCruiser]

[quote name='Tom-n-Cheryl']Any flack which NCL gains as a result of not fully informing people who book these cabins that these are "exceptional" cabins is what they have coming. It should not be up to someone booking a cabin on their ship to discover how it might differ - it should be an additional category. Geesh, they have UMPTEEN different categories to begin with. By not making this its own category seems to be (intentionally) deceptive.

Tom[/quote]

I agree that they should be their own category. Though Caveat Emptor...buyer beware. She got what she paid for, but not what she thought she paid for. It does sound like she booked a guarantee, meaning everyone who books a balcony guarantee needs to get a note saying there's a chance they'll end up in a hull balcony. By the time the guarantees are allocated on a full ship, it's too late.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

[quote name='SuiteCruiser']I agree that they should be their own category. Though Caveat Emptor...buyer beware. She got what she paid for, but not what she thought she paid for. It does sound like she booked a guarantee, meaning everyone who books a balcony guarantee needs to get a note saying there's a chance they'll end up in a hull balcony. By the time the guarantees are allocated on a full ship, it's too late.[/QUOTE]

Agreed that anyone who books a guarantee should be informed as to what the "worst case scenario" might be as far as the room type/description.

I seem to recall that some lines call certain cabins "night owl" cabins - for people not returning to their cabin until late... so they won't be bothered by sounds from nearby sources (lounges, etc)...

Tom

[fergusonvt]

There is also this disclaimer at the bottom of the balcony category on the Epic.

"Stateroom images, square footage, and configurations are representative only. Actual accommodations may vary."

I also believe that NCL should have the ones that are Hull balcony cabins labeled better and perhaps in their own category costing less. Luckily for my first cruise I had a great PCC that recommended a good balcony cabin for me. I generally research anything that costs more than $500.00 pretty well before making a purchase and a cruise cabin falls into that category. NCL needs to change some of their labeling (mini-suite!!!!) however some of the blame has to go to the OP for their lack of research. I guess I'd feel more sympathy for the OP if she hadn't come out with the whole crying for 3 days thing - move us to an inside. Put things in perspective, it was a cabin on a ship not someone dying.

[willysgrandma]

We have found the same issues with our NCL reps, so it isn't just you. Part of the problem is NCL doesn't mark these cabins on deck plans and they SHOULD.

However, the agent should have told the clients they could end up with a bad cabin when booking a guarantee. We always tell clients our experience many years ago with a guarantee - we ended up over the late night disco and didn't sleep a wink the entire cruise. Once they hear that, they usually agree that it isn't worth saving a few dollars (and it usually isn't much) by booking a guarantee.

OP, sorry this happened, but next time check deck plans and choose where you want your cabin to be when booking. Many people brag about the great cabins they end up (and sometimes are upgraded to) when booking a guarantee, but our experience is 50% of our customers like where they end up and 50% don't.

[quote name='Turtles06']Well, for starters, thanks for not doubting my credibility.

I wouldn't describe my PCC as a "crappy" employee, nor do I think he was lying to me about not having the info or that he was doing a bad job. He was based in NCL's Phoenix office and asked his colleagues there as well; I don't know who you just talked to or where or what they have access to (or whether you were talking about the Jewel, which I was).

BTW, my experience was about 15 months ago. Maybe when my PCC realized he and his colleagues SHOULD have this info, he suggested it be made available. Perhaps that's why the person on the phone today had it. :)[/quote]

[NengEuis]

I've learned a lot in this thread, so thank you to the OP for bringing it up.

No doubt that NCL should differentiate these balconies in their deck plans and on the category descriptions, no matter what ship. They are not "just a little different". That huge piece of steel makes a big difference, especially to someone who was dreaming about having the ability to lay in bed and gaze out at the ocean. I feel sorry for her.

Disney has similar balconies, called Navigator Balconies. They are semi-enclosed, and you know exactly what you are getting. Show me on NCL.com where there is a picture of ONE of these in-hull balconies. Because I can't find one. To me, that is misleading.

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='Barbie Sunshine']I didn't know where to post this because I'm still kind of new on the message boards, but I just wanted to vent a little about our cruise on the Epic last week. I booked our cruise in early August for the Nov. 12th sailing. I reserved a balcony through a travel agent and didn't get our room assignment until about 3 weeks ago. I've had a stressful last couple of months, so I was really looking foward to laying in bed all week, letting my husband watch tv (especially football) and just staring out the window at the ocean from bed in our balcony stateroom. Well, much to my suprise, when we got to our room, we didn't have a traditional balcony. We had sort of an extra steel room with a window to the ocean. I'm very short and it was barely chest level for me standing up! I was so let down! On the scale of bad things happening on a vacation, this doesn't come close, but still... we reserved a traditional balcony and I was NEVER informed that it would be an obstructed view!!! All I could see from bed was a steel wall, not the ocean I've waited 3 months for!

My husband and I NEVER complain about anything. We get the wrong food in restaurants, bad meals, etc., but never complain. This we did though. I could understand if we paid a little less for the room or knew ahead of time so we could get the right balcony but SERIOUSLY!!! I cried for 3 days about this once we were on the ship! I couldn't sleep the first night and cried all night long. After we got into our stateroom, we went down to the guest services and explained to them that we were never informed about this room being an obstructed view. Unfortunately they were sold out of traditional balconies so we couldn't get what I really thought we were getting to begin with. After talking to several people, we finally settled on possibly switching to an inside cabin midweek. No one understood that we didn't get what we wanted, a BALCONY!!! I guess we got an extra room with a window and I was told we could still open the door and "get fresh air." We paid almost $800 extra for a balcony stateroom vs an inside cabin.

I was so upset that on Monday, they called to offer us an inside cabin with a $380 onboard credit. So in otherwords, we ended up paying an extra $420 for an inside cabin. I was so upset about the room that we just took the onboard credit. So instead of the relaxing vacation I had hoped for, I was just stressed... I'm leaving out many details leading up to this point, like for example, when the guest services woman laughed at me when we were complaining about the room. There were also minor problems with the cruise. Ladies, if you are stressed and get your menstral cycle early, bring pads, because they are NOT available onboard.

Bottom line, we will NOT be cruising NCL EVER again! My husband and I have been on 16 cruises since 1999 and 4 of which are NCL, but never again! When we were at the guest services, I was informed that we should know that after so many cruises, we could get an obstructed balcony with no indication. I have been so disappointed and will NEVER EVER cruise with NCL again!

Oh, and I checked the NCL website and it doesn't say in the room discription anywhere that our stateroom was not a real balcony stateroom.[/QUOTE]

I am truely sorry this happened to you, but look at it this way: you obviously booked a guaranteed cabin which is why the late assignment. Your agent should have explained what a guarantee was, but obviously didn't. You can not hold NCL responsible for this. It is always a good idea, if you are going to be concerned about your cabin assignment you book a particular cabin. If you have booked guar in the past and never had a bad experience, you are very lucky.

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='cod']Even after turtles06's enlightening post, people are STILL posting that the OP should blame her TA! For something he/she had no way of knowing and no way of finding out about? Folks, get a grip..NCL is not perfect!

To the OP, sorry it went so downhill. Some might say 'big deal' but I know how I am when I look forward to something for a long time and have an expectation of how it is going to be. I'd have been as disappointed as you were![/QUOTE]

of course NCL isn't perfect, no one or nothing is, and probably the discription could and should have been clearer, but when anyone books a GTY in a certain catagory they may not get what they really thought they were getting.