Don't waste your money on Norwegian Cruise Lines

[mitsugirly]

This 1 post wonder made me laugh, which I really needed before heading in to work.

 

I agree with the previous poster about the school children and ages being divided up. That sums it up. You won't find the toddlers at school in with the older kids...you won't even find them at the same school most of the time. Why would this be any different? Did you not do your homework and read up on the kids club? That would be your fault.

 

You couldn't dock because the sea was too rough? Do you realize that this is a TENDER port? If the seas are rough on the cruise ship, how do you think you could safely manage to get to the shore in a tender boat? Would you really want to chance that with your family? I would hope not. The Captain and the ship can not predict the weather and they did the right thing by not putting their passengers at risk. Bravo for the Captain and the cruiseline!

 

If there is damage in your room, you should have reported it if you wanted it fixed. If you didn't, of course there is no record of it.

 

You ended up with food poisoning? How do you know this? Did you visit the doctor on board? I doubt that you did since you didn't complain of how much they charge for a visit the doctor on board.

 

I'm not sure how you booked the Pearl and then it was changed without notice to the Jewel? You had to have received some type of notice...otherwise you would have went to the port to get on the Pearl. This just doesn't make any sense. You booked the Pearl because of a rock climbing wall? Really? :eek: Those are your criterias for booking a cruise? Do you realize that they have rock climbing walls on the land?

[Daisyloo]

where is my troll-b-gone spray?

 

 

lol :d

[NMLady]

My wife and I went on a 7 day cruise for our 10 year anniversary with our two children. One was 4 and one 8. No one told us that they would be seperated at the kids club so neither one of them took advantage of that perk. Our pull out bed in the ceiling was damaged so they never fixed it and both kids were forced to share a pull out couch. I booked the trip to enjoy the Great Stirrup Cay excursion but it was canceled without notice due to the Captain said rough waters were to blame. It actually was the nicest day of the trip. Thanksgiving week of 2012. I gotten food poisoning on Friday night and lasted until Sunday of the arrival day in New York. We originally booked our cruise on the Pearl because of the rock climbing wall but it was changed again without notice to the Jewel without a wall to enjoy. A vacation from hell and I am telling anyone who takes this cruise line, you would have a better time wiping your backside with the money and throwing it in the ocean than to give it to Mr. Sheehan. Customer Relations called back and said that our company policy is iron clad and they do not compensate for the weather. The cabin cleaner never reported the bed broke so that too was never on record. A real let down to save to travel on such a poor example of a cruise line.

 

I'm sorry your first experience with NCL was a bad one, but that doesn't mean that all NCL cruises are bad. We have taken a variety of cruises on NCL as well as on other cruise lines and haven't been disappointed by any of them, including NCL.

[KP@Sea]

Where is my troll-b-gone spray?

 

Perfect response!

[Fydlstyx]

You found Cruise Critic - did you never find NCL's webpage, which clearly lists the ages of the kid's club? Aren't they separated at school? Is there some reason they would have to be together?

 

Age Groups

Guppies: 6 mo. - 2 yrs.*

Turtles: 3 - 5 yrs.

Seals: 6 - 9 yrs.

Dolphins: 10 - 12 yrs

 

http://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/freestyle-family-fun/kids-crew-and-teen-crew

 

 

 

 

Very well said. I happened to love my cruise on NCL. It is funny how people can have such completely different experiences, isn't it? I hope, though, that others also realize how very subjective posts like the OP are in nature.

 

NCL cannot be blamed for weather, for people failing to ask questions or do a little research, or for someone becoming ill. Posts like that one are a giant bummer.

[Hlitner]

After spending about 3 years of my life as a passenger on more then 65 different cruise ships (and loved them all) it occurs to me that the cruise experience can really take on a "different strokes for different folks" mystique. DW likes to tell prospective cruiser friends about an experience we had 2 years ago on the Prinsendam. We were on a relatively long cruise (42 days) that started off with an 8 day crossing of the Atlantic. The 2nd sea day we were having breakfast outdoors (beautiful day) with a group of new cruiser friends...and one women in our crowd was nearly frantic. She explained that she was going crazy because she did not know what to do with herself on cruise days. Meanwhile, everyone else in this group of about 10....was very happy and content. Of course the fact that this lady decided to take a long cruise with many sea days (and she did have previous cruise experience) was not discussed. It is the same with issues raised by the OP. Those of us who do a lot of cruising (101 days in 2012 for moi) are used to missing ports because of weather, strikes, etc. We do not like when it happens, but understand its part of the cruising experience. But for the OP, this was a major irritant which played into spoiling their cruise. Experienced cruisers understand that things can often go wrong on a ship (such as the problem the OP had with their cabin) and when something unacceptable happens, we know to try and deal with it at the time. Major problems sometimes need to be elevated (in a polite and respectful) way up the chair of command....sometimes even to the Hotel Manager/Director. But there is one fact that can be written into stone (or the bulkhead). When a cruiser allows an issue to bother them to the point where it ruins their cruise....the only loser is the cruiser. Sometimes you just have to learn to roll with the waves.

 

Hank

[travelplus]

I agree 1,000,000,000,000 percent to report something right away. If you don't report it how would they know that something needs to be repaired. In the future I hope you will read Cruise Critic to learn more about the kids program.

 

I can't get why people will never cruise a cruiseline based on a few bad experiences. If I had a bad experience at a hotel i would think its a one off and try them again. If after the second time it was bad then I would reconsider my decision.

 

Too many people have such high expectations and then get upset if they are not met. Just be happy you can cruise. If something is not to your liking don''t feel bad to ask as the cruiselines want to please you.

[Kathie859]

Oh good grief!! OP, take some responsibility by not doing any research prior to your cruise:confused:

 

If I needed a bed for a child and it was broke, wouldn't it make sense to drop by guest services and request a repair immediately? I wonder how the OP handles the normal, everyday mishaps in life?

 

Nuts.....did I just feed a troll....??????

[Travelcat2]

IMO, badmouthing an entire cruise line isn't fair. On the other hand, badmouthing a poster isn't either. Perhaps the comments (minus the harsh subject line) would have fit better on the NCL board.

 

I do agree with doing as much research as possible in advance of the cruise you are going to be taking.

[nana541]

IMO, badmouthing an entire cruise line isn't fair. On the other hand, badmouthing a poster isn't either. Perhaps the comments (minus the harsh subject line) would have fit better on the NCL board.

 

I do agree with doing as much research as possible in advance of the cruise you are going to be taking.

 

Hi TC!!! :)

[VillaHappy]

I'm still going to try NCL someday.

Looking into the Gem as we speak!

Nothing in the OP's diatribe caused me to change my mind...

[Cruisin' Chick]

I'm another person who isn't considering going on a NCL cruise for many reasons, but...

 

Before my first cruise (before knowing about cruise forums), I read the brochure that Carnival sent with the cruise docs. We also went on the Carnival website to see what other info there was. Even if my then bf (now hubby) had already been on a Carnival ship, he still wanted to see what the current info was. Before every cruise we go on, we still check out the cruiseline's website about the ship we're going on.

 

If you have anything wrong with your cabin, you talk to your cabin steward. If that doesn't help, you go to the front desk. Simply. You don't yell or scream. You don't stew and then complain on a website later on. You request the item gets repaired. And note down name of everyone you speak to.

 

If the OP had read the website about the kids' program, he or he would have seen that the kids' groups are split up. That's how it is on every cruise ship that has a kids' program. And it makes sense because the activities are planned to be appropriate for the age group. What 11 year olds want to do is different from 4 year olds. If the OP thinks the kids should be glued to the hips in a social situation, does he/she think they should be in the same class at school?

 

And as others have stated, there's never any guarantee that you will make it into every port. Your itinerary can even change if there's a storm. The captain is expected to keep his passengers and ship safe.

 

I can understand someone not joining a cruise forum (I didn't until we'd booked my ninth cruise), but I wouldn't take a vacation (even an one-day one) without doing some sort of research.

[zactak]

People have issues with various cruise ships everyday. The very first cruise I ever went on our glass bottom boat in Nassau got canceled due to rough waters. To me the waters looked fine but I don't have the years of training and experience that the tour people do. We accepted their decision and still had a very fun day. It didnt ruin our cruise.

 

I don't know why anyone would expect a 4 year old and an 8 year old to be in the same class group on a cruise. That would end up being a very large group and the interests of a 4 year old and an 8 year old are very different. A simple search wold have pulled up the age group for your cruise.

 

The bed. As everyone else said should have been brought up to the room steward and the main desk if it wasn't addressed. It would have been fixed promptly.

 

I doubt you had food poisoning. Many people get other illnesses and automatically assume its food poisoning. You likely had the norovirus or something you brought on the ship yourself. You can be carrying illnesses with you for weeks and have no clue you have it until your immune system is compromised.

 

I wouldn't cancel my NCL cruise based off this review. If there was a pattern of bad reviews based on the company then I wouldn't. But there isn't. I'm confident my cruise will be perfectly fine even if there are things that don't go my way. I will almost guarantee something won't go my way... But I'm still going to enjoy my cruise.

 

Years ago my parents went on a Norwegian cruise and absolutely hated it. I still hear about their experience. I'd assume if they tried NCL again they would have an entirely different experience. Their complaints didnt stop me from looking and eventually booking my cruise.

[ruecatt]

I sailed on NCL and my whole family got food poisoning. I got it the last day and ended up going to the hospital as soon as I got home, I was so sick. On the same cruise our cabin flooded twice during the night. Water came gushing out of the shower drain soaking the entire cabin. It was digusting and they wouldn't move us to another cabin.

 

I contacted NCL, at first they didn't want to do anything for us but then when I said I was going to tell everyone on Cruise Critic what terrible customer service they had and about their cabin flooding problems they gave me enough cruise credit for us to get a free Caribbean cruise :D. (seriously)

[mitsugirly]

 

I contacted NCL, at first they didn't want to do anything for us but then when I said I was going to tell everyone on Cruise Critic what terrible customer service they had and about their cabin flooding problems they gave me enough cruise credit for us to get a free Caribbean cruise :D. (seriously)

 

 

Looks like you didn't hold up your end of the deal. ;)

[luddite]

I sailed on NCL and my whole family got food poisoning. I got it the last day and ended up going to the hospital as soon as I got home, I was so sick. On the same cruise our cabin flooded twice during the night. Water came gushing out of the shower drain soaking the entire cabin. It was digusting and they wouldn't move us to another cabin.

 

I contacted NCL, at first they didn't want to do anything for us but then when I said I was going to tell everyone on Cruise Critic what terrible customer service they had and about their cabin flooding problems they gave me enough cruise credit for us to get a free Caribbean cruise :D. (seriously)

 

You didn't tell them the truth.

[Musclengrace]

I am not a fan of NCL, but tens of thousands of people cruise them every day.

 

No cruise line is responsible for the weather.

 

Kids programs are divided by age groups. Did you ask about that or did you expect 2 year olds to be in with 17 year olds?

 

i believe the poster never stated he was angry with the weather, i interpreted to be that the weather was ACTUALLY FINE, but for some other reason, the itinerary was changed, and poster felt they were misled...the same way the room steward didnt report the broken bed.

 

and he certainly didnt say his children were 2 & 17, but rather 4&8..which is not unusual to be together..they guy was disappointed, let him vent.

[Hstergo]

the OP is a first time poster ... need I say more

[Musclengrace]

he paid good money for his cruise...so what if hes a 1st time poster...arent we here to help each other not berate one another & make them never want to come back. how rude is that?

 

maybe his 4 yr old was too nervous to be without their 8 yr old sibling..

everyone here is probably right & he nvr did enough research, abt the age groups but the snarky attitudes twds him are shocking???????

 

the personal comments abt him being a 1st time poster and how he handles issues in real life are ridiculous.

 

maybe he just needed some direction, are't we suposed to be nice here???

[sparks1093]

i believe the poster never stated he was angry with the weather, i interpreted to be that the weather was ACTUALLY FINE, but for some other reason, the itinerary was changed, and poster felt they were misled...the same way the room steward didnt report the broken bed.

 

and he certainly didnt say his children were 2 & 17, but rather 4&8..which is not unusual to be together..they guy was disappointed, let him vent.

 

The OP did more than vent, the OP is giving a very negative recommendation to others regarding a particular cruise line based on experiences that 1) could have happened on any cruise line and 2) were avoidable if the OP had done their research.

[Stratus22]

The OP did more than vent, the OP is giving a very negative recommendation to others regarding a particular cruise line based on experiences that 1) could have happened on any cruise line and 2) were avoidable if the OP had done their research.

 

One thing I have learned from reading these threads is not to let judgement impair my decision. We plan on going on NCL as well as Disney, Carnival and Celebrity. I'm not a picky person. Life can be gone in a heartbeat and I don't want it spent on stress and negativity.

[GORDONCHICK]

Hard to mislead a person when they didn't have enough actual info to go on (because they didn't bother to do ANY research into a vacation "they paid good money for").

 

If he had, he would have known the name of the ship he was sailing, the ages of the kids' groups, and that ANY port can be skipped - especially due to weather/sea conditions. I've missed 2 ports due to sea conditions and a few more because the ports were hit by hurricanes. Was I mad? No, that can happen.

 

Personally, I love NCL - out of our 9 cruises on several different lines, they've offered the best experiences. But we all don't have to like the same lines but be reasonable in your critiques because you lose any credibility by trashing a line for many things that were directly linked to your lack of preparation.

[cruzeluver]

the OP is a first time poster ... need I say more

 

This is the most useless comment I see, and it rears its head way too often. Not sure what my first post was about back in 2005, but I don't recall having my thoughts or questions disregarded just because it was my first post. Don' we all have a first post? I would imagine that every day folks come to Cruise Critic for the first time to ask questions or vent about a bad experience. What is wrong with that?

 

The OP did no or inadequate research prior to their cruise and now is suffering the consequences, simple as as that.

[NMLady]

We only question first posts when they are completely negative, especially when some of the negativity could have been avoided by reading the info on the cruise line's site.

[Gunner22aa]

And we really question them when the OP never comes back to his original post because they don't like the responses they are getting