More links to NCL Crown in the News 4/30

[cmitch9999]

FYI here are some more reports on the current sailing 4/25/04 on the Crown.
I feel very bad for the passengers that have had their long awaited vacation affected.

[url="http://www.nbc10.com/news/3256871/detail.html"]http://www.nbc10.com/news/3256871/detail.html[/url]

[url="http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9439503%255E1702,00.html"]http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9439503%255E1702,00.html[/url]

[url="http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040430/APN/404301102"]http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040430/APN/404301102[/url]

Don't see much response from NCL about what they plan to do????

Looks like cruisers on 5/2 have the option for a full refund.

Chris Mitchell

16 Voyages completed 1999-2004, 81 wonderful days at sea
dreaming of ....
Norwegian Crown 8/04
Carnival Fascination 11/04

[wendyr20000]

i am booked on this ship may 9 , do you think i should try to cancel??? we are really looking forward to a nice vacation, it seems like there has been alot of problems with this ship reported on this board, any advice
thanks wendy

[cmitch9999]

Wendy
I don't know what I would do in your situation. NCL is probably not ready to give you a refund for your sailing at this point, thinking they will get things fixed by then... by the time they will say YES we will refund you it will be too late to switch to another cruise.

I am sure they are trying to get things turned around...Probably have to wait til Mon to call to Customer relations..but I would want on record that I had called and expressed concern. They do keep records of the calls/faxes. Maybe if enough of us booked are calling and wanting them to get it together..it might help.

With all the port time in Bermuda you can use the ship as a hotel and hopefully it will be fine. Looks like the buffet may be where the virus is spreading. You can have your embarkation lunch in the 7 seas and try to stay clear of the buffet.

Last year we woke up in Seattle to news that the ship we would be sailing on Star Princess had Norwalk on the cruise before us. Our embarkation was delayed by 7 hrs.. while they sanitized the ship. It was creepy all week thinking every stomach twinge might be 'it' but we were all fine and didn't hear of any passengers affected on our voyage.

I am still not sure what we will do , since we don't sail til August we have some options.

Hope you have a smooth sail and problem free voyage!
Chris Mitchell

16 Voyages completed 1999-2004, 81 wonderful days at sea
dreaming of ....
Norwegian Crown 8/04
Carnival Fascination 11/04

[Mary Jane]

Geting worried here about the Crown!!! I a m wondering if anyone has cancelled their trips. We are due to sail July 11.

Im hoping that things get cleared up by then. Hopefully, people sailing this week will post a review and we shall see...........!!

MJ

[DeeMarch]

We are sailing on June 27th. I'm not changing my plans. I'm hoping that they get their act together by then. I may avoid the buffet, though. But I doubt we will keep that up, either.

It's going to be a great cruise!

Denise

11/10/00 Married my best friend aboard
Grandeur of the Seas

Bermuda on the Crown
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;6;27;16;0;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[tug]

DeeMarch,

I'm on an August Cruise, and hanging in there like you are. I figure that its still early in the season and hopefully everything will get better soon.

~tug

_________________________
looking forward to 8/8/04 - Crown to Bermuda!

[Host CMLA]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by cmitch9999:
Don't see much response from NCL about what they plan to do????<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>One of those reports said: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Norwegian Cruise Lines has compensated cooperating passengers. A CDC representative said Norovirus is one of the most common causes of gastrointestinal problems. It shows up everywhere from schools to day cares. You usually only hear about it on cruise lines because they are required to report it. It is passed along through ingestion and is caused by poor hand washing after people use the toilet. The CDC representative said ships normally do a very good job cleaning up after an infection and it is unlikely that people who get on the ship Sunday will get sick. If, however, a passenger is worried and doesn't want to take the trip, Norwegian Cruise Lines said it would compensate him or her. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>To me, compensating passengers, flying some of them home, and offering compensation if you don't want to take your cruise is a response from NCL. They're cleaning the ship and I'm sure working on the fuel problem. What else should they do?

Second, you can get a virus anywhere. The cruise ships don't create the virus, passengers bring it with them. It's a terrible thing to happen to you when you're on your vacation, but how is it the cruise lines fault? All three of those news articles said tests were done and it wasn't the food. Why blame NCL for it? NCL seems capable of messing stuff up all on their own. But this virus stuff isn't something you can blame on them.

Cecilia

I can be contacted at [email]ladyndnver@aol.com[/email]

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=006400&cdt=2004;10;02;12;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]
My Wedding!

[cmitch9999]

The Crown has had episodes of Norwalk for over a month...that is unusual in my cruise experience. Usually 1-2 voyages are affected and if things don't go away they cancel a voyage to get the ship clean.

So far NCL hasn't responded to my request for information to let me know what steps are being taken to prevent future problems on the Crown. To me they are doing symptomatic relief...only compensating as needed and fixing as needed... With the several weeks of constant problems there is something more wrong here than just 'bad luck' That is what I would like NCL to respond to. Past cruisers claim the management is not responsive when things are not right and there is a lack of communication with the staff.

Yes things can go wrong...but making the Crown the ship it should be for the passengers trusting NCL with their vacation time doesn't seem to be as big a priority as it should. Anyone who has followed the reviews from March thru now can see that in the written word.

I don't feel confident that future passengers on the crown will not have the same problems as the recent cruisers.

That is what I would like NCL to respond to.

Chris Mitchell

16 Voyages completed 1999-2004, 81 wonderful days at sea
dreaming of ....
Norwegian Crown 8/04
Carnival Fascination 11/04

[cmitch9999]

FYI--Here is a link to a follow up article in the Royal Gazette concerning NCL compensation and response.

[url="http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040501/NEWS/105010068"]http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040501/NEWS/105010068[/url]

I think I am ready to jump ship.
Chris Mitchell

16 Voyages completed 1999-2004, 81 wonderful days at sea
dreaming of ....
Norwegian Crown 8/04
Carnival Fascination 11/04

[OceanDreams]

Cecilia, I agree with you. It isn't the fault of the cruise line. The crew are at all of the exits and the food lines handing out the sanitary wipes and sometimes you would even find the wipes in a bowl around the ship. At all of the bars they have a supply of these wipes. Its other passengers that are causing the illness. But it's easier to blame the cruise line.

OceanDreams

[frankp01]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cmitch9999:
Looks like the buffet may be where the virus is spreading. You can have your embarkation lunch in the 7 seas and try to stay clear of the buffet.

We just returned from the 4/25 Crown sailing. The number of people on board who were sick appeared to be a *very* small percentage. And it certainly didn't come from the Seven Seas (or I was just very lucky). I ate very breakfast there but one, and several lunches.

And once the first passenger was sick, we could no longer serve ourselves at any of the buffets.

Phil Frank

[cruisers04]

Does the Crown have the hand sanitizers at the entrance to all of the eating venues like the Dawn does??

[frankp01]

> Does the Crown have the hand sanitizers at the entrance to all of the eating venues

Yes. And at the gangway prior to boarding the ship.

[LOU]

MANY SHIPS HAVE HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. THEY'RE STILL SAILING. ADVISE FOR FUTURE CROWN CRUISERS....DON'T WORRY ! THERE ARE MORE BAD CRUISERS THAN BAD CRUISES. I'LL BE ABOARD ON 7/25/04

CELEBRITY MILLENIUM 5/2003
NCL SEA 5/2002
NCL SEA 5/2001
RC MAJESTY 4/2000
PRINCESS GRAND 6/1999
CELEBRITY ZENITH 7/1998
CELEBRITY CENTURY 7/1995
CELEBRITY ZENTIH 8/1993
CELEBRITY MERIDIAN 6/1992

[JDMOR]

As a three time cruiser on the CROWN on both Royal Cruise Lines and NCL, I am sorry to hear one of our favorite ships is having problems. But it is getting "old"! These things happen.

NCL is really having a bad time of it with the NORWAY explosion, PRIDE OF AMERICA sinking, STAR cruise cancellations, etc. The major problem is their arrogant, non-responsive customer relations. As a victim of the AMERICA sinking, as well as the STAR cancellation, I can attest to the fact that dealing with their customer relations is much like beating one's head against the wall. I just hope that NCL's management's adversion to good "customer satisfaction" is not the straw that will finally break the company!

Recommend avoiding NCL during this downward spiral period.

JDMOR - Beautiful Central Oregon

‘89 STARDANCER (Viking Seranade-Alaska); ‘90 CUNARD PRINCESS (Canary Iles); ‘92 CROWN ODYSSEY (Royal-Scandinavia/Russia); ‘93 SKY PRINCESS (Panama Canal); ‘94 MAASDAM (S. Carib); ‘95 CROWN ODYSSEY (Royal-Brit Isles); ‘95 ZENITH (W.Carib); ‘95 OCEANIC (Big Red Boat-Bahamas); ‘96 REGAL PRINCESS (Alaska); ‘96 WESTERDAM (E. Carib); ‘98 STATENDAM (S. Carib); ‘99 NORWEGIAN WIND (Hawaii); ‘00 NORWEGIAN CROWN (Crown Odyssey-South America); ‘00 NORWEGIAN SKY (Alaska); ‘00 VOYAGER OF THE SEAS (E. Carib); ‘01 PRINCESS JEANNTE (China); ‘01 RADIANCE OF THE SEAS (Hawaii); ‘02 RIVER ODYSSEY (Europe); '02 INFINITY (Hawaii); '03 NORWEGIAN SKY (Panama Canal); '03 MARINER OF THE SEAS (E. Carib); Planned: '04 NCL STAR (Hawaii to Vancouver)(NCL Cancelled);'04 HAL ROTTERDAM (Transatlantic); '04 QUEEN MARY 2 (Canada)