NCL Epic very unhappy

[halos]

[quote name='newmexicoNita']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.[/quote]

I have to say, since the OP never mentioned the word 'guarantee', I don't really believe she knew that's what she purchased...
This is what I mean by doing your homework. I have a feeling the OP doesn't even know what a guarantee cabin means.

I made so many mistakes in the first cruises I took (and still occassionally make them!)..I don't rant at the cruise line for them.
I learn new stuff on here all the time...it's amazing, even after all these years. (of course now, you have to weed through a lot more crap to get to the good info :p) And as new ships come out, there is still more to learn.
You can't just blindly purchase things and when they aren't what you expect, blame someone else for it.

Why do people not take responsibility anymore????

[happy cruzer]

She did not get a room assignment until 3 weeks before the cruise. I think she knew that it was a guarantee. It may be why there was not as much sympathy from the staff as she hoped for.

I book guarantees all the time to save money. You just have to know that it could be an undesirable cabin because of noise, location (like fore), or obstructed.

If you want a particular cabin or if just any cabin won't make you happy, don't book a guarantee.

[johnsak123]

It is a shame you let that ruin your vacation. I would have been really pissed off especially at the women laughing at you but wouldnt have let it ruin my vacation.
You should definitely write a letter to NCL and if possible why dont you dispute the charge if you paid with a credit card.
If it was the travel agents fault they should give you a partial refund. Either way you should have been told and then you could have made a decision whether to cahnge rooms or not

[che5904]

[quote name='halos'] I made so many mistakes in the first cruises I took (and still occassionally make them!)..I don't rant at the cruise line for them.
[/quote]

You do realize this apparently was the OP's first cruise?

"My husband and I have been on 16 cruises since 1999 and 4 of which are NCL"

[dspangler10]

I'm traveling on the Epic, February 11, 2012 my stateroom # is 10193 balcony does anyone know if this has blocked view?

[che5904]

I'm traveling on the Epic, February 11, 2012 my stateroom # is 10193 balcony does anyone know if this has blocked view?

 

If you look at the attached this is the opposite side of the ship as your cabin. If you mean a hull balcony by "blocked view" Your cabin is in the red square to the left of the photo, hull balconies are seen in the red square to the right. The hull balconies are all forward on the ship. As you can see you are no where near them.

[blindrid]

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

 

Tom: another point I would like to make is that some other cruise line's websites note that some cabins in this category include obstructed view, etc. etc. etc.

 

Obviously NCL doesn't, or maybe should at least mention there is such a thing on this ship.

 

Everyone else needs to back of with their snarky comments as we've all made plenty of mistakes in our learning curve but it seems like no-one could have found there was such a thing as the cabin they received.

 

We all know that when one selects GTY one should know the lowest type of cabin that may be assigned to avoid any problems. BUT if the cruise line doesn't even mention an existence of such a thing, research is tough.

[behappy11]

Can someone post the series of balcony rooms that are hull balconies? This might help others who are researching their room in the future.

[MNallan]

OP Hasn't answered since the 2nd or 3rd page of this thread. I would really like to know the cabin # and if it was truly a gty that she did not know about. Has the TA made good for their mistake?

 

 

I do feel sorry for her and can truly relate being dissappointed. But to blame a whole cruise line for some empoyee that was having a bad day and really, the TA was supposed to do the research about the cabin, AND Inform the customer. That just isn't cool.

 

I am no NCL cheerleader.. I am about to go on my 2nd cruise with NCL, but I do know that this is one cruise line that I am constantly reading about the great staff. I have never experienced a bad encounter with any of the staff. I have had nothing but great experiences with staff on my one cruise last Feb. I go again in Dec... check back then lol... But always remember, there is always at least one bad apple in the bunch... unfortunately I think Barbie found her and that stinks. :mad:

[turbo321]

On the NCL Epics deck plans on deck 8 they list 2 balcony cabins one on each side of the ship as BX forward. All other decks the cabins in front are listed as large balconies. So which ones are the hull balconies? Are they only the ones on deck 8, if so then they are marked diffrent

[macruise]

OP Hasn't answered since the 2nd or 3rd page of this thread. I would really like to know the cabin # and if it was truly a gty that she did not know about. Has the TA made good for their mistake?

 

 

I do feel sorry for her and can truly relate being dissappointed. But to blame a whole cruise line for some empoyee that was having a bad day and really, the TA was supposed to do the research about the cabin, AND Inform the customer. That just isn't cool.

 

I am no NCL cheerleader.. I am about to go on my 2nd cruise with NCL, but I do know that this is one cruise line that I am constantly reading about the great staff. I have never experienced a bad encounter with any of the staff. I have had nothing but great experiences with staff on my one cruise last Feb. I go again in Dec... check back then lol... But always remember, there is always at least one bad apple in the bunch... unfortunately I think Barbie found her and that stinks. :mad:

 

Would like to see the OP return and answer the question.

 

If the OP did book a guarantee, which sounds very likely due to not getting an assignment right away, then the TA could not have researched the cabin because there is no way that he/she would know which cabin the OP would be assigned.

 

I don't think that I could waste 3 days of a much needed vacation crying. In fact, I would be laughing at the situation, chalking it up to taking a chance with a guarantee and enjoying myself on the Epic. I needed another week to explore that ship when I sailed on it.

 

I shouldn't really comment because I have never had a bad cruise and won't ever have a bad cruise unless the ship sinks and I die, in which case, I won't be able to comment about it.;)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I think on this sailing that instead of being Barbie "Sunshine" that she was Barbie Overcast... :eek:

 

Tom

[SuiteCruiser]

I think on this sailing that instead of being Barbie "Sunshine" that she was Barbie Overcast... :eek:

 

Tom

 

Tom for the win!

[RareBird]

is this similar to deck 6 steel railing balconies on Voyager class Royal Caribbean ships? if yes, it's not that bad, it's still a balcony with fresh air and good views :)

 

In fact, all balconies on Explorer of the Seas have steel enclosures. Not that big of a deal, nothing to cry a full night over. We sailed Explorer many times and loved it.

 

 

first deck above lifeboats

[JMHAM1]

If you booked your cruise in August, but didn't get your cabin assignment until 3 weeks before sailaway, it sounds like you booked a "guarantee", not a specific balcony cabin. So sorry you did not have a good cruise, but this is the risk taken when booking a "guarantee".

 

 

yeap sounds like a GTY to me!

 

Trust me, I am very upset with our travel agent as we were told it would be a regular balcony, because I remember saying when I booked the reservation that I wanted to make sure it was a regular balcony. The thing that I'm upset with NCL about is that when we got our room assignment, I looked at our catagory and there was NO indication that it was an obstructed view. The pictures of the staterooms in our catagory show a REGULAR balcony. I've never had this problem before and I just feel so cheated. We really didn't save any money. We got a $100 room credit from our travel agent. That's it. I would have GLADLY paid extra for a regular balcony. Like I said, I just feel so cheated. There should be somewhere in the room explinations on the NCL website about these specific balconies

 

I'm sorry this made you so upset. Picking rooms on the Epic is an "Epic" task and therefore everyone should request a specific room chosen after lots of research!

[Umbarger]

I'm not a NCL cheerleader. These are not obstructed views. You just have to stand up to see over the steel wall. It's still a balcony.

 

The OP booked a balcony guarantee and got exactly that.......A balcony cabin. Lots of different ships and cruise lines have these kind of balcony cabins. These balconies are the cheapest ones. Yes, you can get one with a plexi glass wall but they are more expensive.

 

HAL has these kind of balconies too. I booked a balcony guarantee on HAL and knew I had a chance of getting one of these steel walled balcony cabins. However, I researched and read cruise critic and did my homework.

 

This is not NCL's fault. HAL doesn't tell people about these type of balconies either. However, I found out. It just takes some homework.

[GROOVERS]

Sorry to hear that things were not as you assumed they would be. That can be a bummer. If you had told me that this was a "vacation of a lifetime" and not your 16th over the last 11 years, I would better understand how devastated you seemed to be. You say you "cried all night long" over this? :confused:

 

We ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS research to the nth degree and specifically pick our cabins. I don't like surprises, yet we still have encountered a few over ~60 sailings. I don't think I ever shed a tear over such matters though - but that's my individual response, and people can run the gamut in that regard.

I'd be willing to wager that you will research the situation a bit more in the future, no matter what line you sail.

Good luck.

Tom

 

Amen Tom, you hit the nail on the head! The absolute worse cruise I ever took was just absolutly FUNDERFUL, and "cried all night", get over it, I mean really cried on a cruise ship, that's unheard of, unless you are one of those broken hearted people who live in romance, waaaa, waaaa...I would think that cruising is not for you, maybe you ought to look into buying a camper!:D

 

We board the EPIC on Saturday and just can't wait, it's going to be just maahvelous, just absolutly maahvelous!:)

[david_sobe]

I'm not a NCL cheerleader. These are not obstructed views. You just have to stand up to see over the steel wall. It's still a balcony.

 

The OP booked a balcony guarantee and got exactly that.......A balcony cabin. Lots of different ships and cruise lines have these kind of balcony cabins. These balconies are the cheapest ones. Yes, you can get one with a plexi glass wall but they are more expensive.

 

HAL has these kind of balconies too. I booked a balcony guarantee on HAL and knew I had a chance of getting one of these steel walled balcony cabins. However, I researched and read cruise critic and did my homework.

 

This is not NCL's fault. HAL doesn't tell people about these type of balconies either. However, I found out. It just takes some homework.

Bingo

I remember seeing the cabin tour videos on Epic. There is no obstructed view. It is just the hull of the ship covers the bottom half of the balcony railing. I guess you could not lay in bed and see the water? Maybe that is what the OP meant.

Believe it or not but some people actually prefer these kinds of balcony cabins. They like the traditional feel of the balcony and to be up front of the ship. You could always be first in line at the buffet :)

In any event, it is ok to be disappointed with your cabin but you cant let it ruin your cruise. To cry about the balcony for 3 days is a bit extreme.

I was in a Villa penthouse and the shower was not operable for the first 2 days. We had to shower in the spa. I also was not thrilled about the size or layout, etc. Many are let down with cabins on the Epic. But the ship makes up for those short comings in entertainment, restaurants, shows, water park, Posh, comedy clubs, jazz clubs, etc

But what we all can agree on is that this issue has nothing to do with NCL. The TA booked the room, not NCL. It amazes me how many threads are like this where an OP complains about the booking and puts the blame on the cruise line when the cruise line did not make the reservation.

[Cruzaholic41]

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.

 

Regardless of how the others feel about your complaint, this one thing is unacceptable. To you, it was a big deal. And for this person to laugh at you is crap. I hope you mentioned them by name in the survey.

[che5904]

Regardless of how the others feel about your complaint, this one thing is unacceptable. To you, it was a big deal. And for this person to laugh at you is crap. I hope you mentioned them by name in the survey.

 

Well IF this happened, I agree with you that it is unacceptable. But in reading the over dramatization of the rest of the post, I have a feeling this may have been slightly exaggerated.

 

As I said before I do not have much use for the front desk on the ships, I do think they need some major retraining in customer service. But I have a hard time believing this, only due to how the OP reacted to everything else.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Regardless of how the others feel about your complaint, this one thing is unacceptable. To you, it was a big deal. And for this person to laugh at you is crap. I hope you mentioned them by name in the survey.

 

I would be shocked with that as well... though given what we DON'T know about that conversation, I can't say that the response of the guest services person was not appropriate... no telling!

 

Tom

[thistimeplease]

I am really shocked at how many posters feel that the OP was at fault. Cruises are expensive and not everyone knows how to find info on the internet. I have been reading the messages boards for over a year and this is the first time I heard about differences in balconies. The OP is not to blame. I don't recall the OP blaming NCL for anything other than the customer rep laughing at her and lack of info regarding the balcony they booked. Whether her TA booked a gty balcony or not she obviously didn't know it and was disappointed. NCL lost a customer due to the customer service rep. This is not the first time I have read that NCL's customer service has issues. When I spend a certain amount of money for something I want my expectations met and if they are not I have the right to go somewhere else. You wonder why the OP hasn't been back to respond. Really?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Well IF this happened, I agree with you that it is unacceptable. But in reading the over dramatization of the rest of the post, I have a feeling this may have been slightly exaggerated.

 

As I said before I do not have much use for the front desk on the ships, I do think they need some major retraining in customer service. But I have a hard time believing this, only due to how the OP reacted to everything else.

 

yep...

 

Tom

[rvsullivan]

David Sobe hit the nail on the head. There are NO obstructed view balconies on Epic. There are different kinds of balconies and some favor this type. If you read past posts this subject has come up on many cruise lines and some search out these rooms. There are posts on CC showing pictures of ships and how to locate cabins of this type.

Again, people want it both ways, use a TA and "save money" and receive "perks" that NCL doesn't offer and then blame NCL when the TA does not do their job.

If your entire vacation is going to be ruined and set you to crying for 3 days over your room, you better do your homework before you cruise.

It is a TA's job to do this kind of work for you, that's what they get paid for, most/some are just money takers and have no clue about the ins and outs of cruising.;)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

... You wonder why the OP hasn't been back to respond. Really?

 

You are right.. she could be in bed... crying...

 

My apologies to the OP for that comment, but I am only writing what most people are thinking (against Thumper's Rule, I know)!

 

In all honesty, there are MANY people who only lurk on the boards, and rarely - if ever, post. Some people's skin is thicker than others, and if you take things too personally you will not "enjoy" the boards to their full potential. In my case, I probably spend too much time here anyway.

 

Time to get to work now!

 

Tom