Shame of Norwegian

[younglegend]

The insensitivity of those on this board as it relates to the experiences of others is quite amazing.

 

NCL's decision was a poor one and probably had more to do with rote customer service than seasoned executives making business decisions. For those of you that say "it's business," you clearly don't understand how business works. It was a poor business decision at best. At worst, it was an insensitive response to those affected by a natural disaster. If you don't think being insensitive affects a corporation's bottom line, consider why companies support (and market their suppor for) charities and other worthwhile causes.

 

After Sandy, I received dozens of emails from a wide range of companies offering to suspend/bend their policies as a result of the hurricane. This is now considered standard protocol for businesses during natural disasters, terrorist attacks or other non-standard events. Delta, JetBlue, Hilton, Royal Caribbean, American Express, Bank of America, even Petsmart offered help to their customers in a variety of ways, from waiving change fees to refunding fares for those affected. This also happened during the recent Boston terrorist attacks. It is simply of poor taste and bad business to deny customers the opportunity to make adjustments for things such as this.

 

From a dollars and cents perspective, it cost NCL way more than the $4,000 in fare to pay a PR agency to respond to a local station in the largest media market in the country. A 30 second commercial in that same news cast would cost tens of thousands of dollars alone. The only precedence that would have been set (should they have chosen to publicize that they were waiving change fees and refunding deposits for those affected) would be that we are sensitive to customer needs during times of emergency disasters and will work with them to keep a happy customer. Furthermore, any business person worth their salt knows that keeping an existing customer is much less expensive than acquiring a new one.

 

It amazes me that the same people that complain about chair hoggers would be so insensitive to people who needed to make a change in an extraordinary event in our country's history. Travel insurance is beside the point. Royal Caribbean's opportunistic response is also irrelevant. And I've cruised NCL more than any other line, so you could call me a "fan."

[RetiredArmyCruiser]

[kessdarln]

 

After Sandy, I received dozens of emails from a wide range of companies offering to suspend/bend their policies as a result of the hurricane. This is now considered standard protocol for businesses during natural disasters, terrorist attacks or other non-standard events. Delta, JetBlue, Hilton, Royal Caribbean, American Express, Bank of America, even Petsmart offered help to their customers in a variety of ways, from waiving change fees to refunding fares for those affected. This also happened during the recent Boston terrorist attacks. It is simply of poor taste and bad business to deny

 

The entire country feels for the victims of Sandy, that is not in question. But it would be nice if those companies would make concessions for issues outside of hurricanes and NYC like when communities are hit by tornadoes or wiped out by floods - which happens annually but is not as widely publicized. None of those companies helped any of the folks I know that lost their homes in this area due to flooding 2 years in a row in the past 5 years. And yes, many of them lost vacations too, with no hope for recovery without insurance. These people may not have been victims of Hurricane Sandy but it doesn't mean their devastation was any less to them or their communities and yet, they were expected to have insurance... no exceptions.

[kessdarln]

 

Point taken :-)

[younglegend]

The entire country feels for the victims of Sandy, that is not in question. But it would be nice if those companies would make concessions for issues outside of hurricanes and NYC like when communities are hit by tornadoes or wiped out by floods - which happens annually but is not as widely publicized. None of those companies helped any of the folks I know that lost their homes in this area due to flooding 2 years in a row in the past 5 years. And yes, many of them lost vacations too, with no hope for recovery without insurance. These people may not have been victims of Hurricane Sandy but it doesn't mean their devastation was any less to them or their communities and yet, they were expected to have insurance... no exceptions.

 

I would also expect them to respond to those people on a case-by-case basis.

 

This idea that companies apply policies across the board is erroneous. Companies should respond to individual circumstances. Policies work best when they are developed in a way that allow for judgement calls based on individual circumstances. This circumstance was extraordinary.

 

People only seem to care about the things that personally affect them. I would imagine that most people who commented with "tough luck," wouldn't say the same if NCL overbooked a ship and they were denied boarding as a result. That is also "policy."

[Silverman]

Its funny that people feel the need to bash NCL for something every other Cruise Line has done before. For the OP. Remember the fiasco that RCL pulled?? That was far worse than this.

[Medtech2]

I live and work in New York. My friends wife was killed by the storm. I have friends who lost their homes.I have business customers in Southern Manhattan without Phone,TV or internet just barely surviving. This was a truly devastating storm as was Katrina. The people in the news report lost EVERYTHING. Even if they could have gone on this cruise they didn't have a suitcase or clothes to put in it. NCL could have tried something. The have built a good size clientele in Manhattan and good publicity is something that takes time to achieve, yet can be lost in a moment. Many large corporations in NYC have donated large amounts of money and services to help those in need. NCL took the low road by ignoring ABC TV. The least they could have done is reply. These people who lost their $4000 dollars drive school buses for special needs children. It probably took them a few years to save up for this trip. NCL probably burns $4000 worth of fuel just pulling out of the harbor. Royal Caribbean is the hero in this story period. Too bad NCL you had your chance and threw it away. Take you ship and go back to Florida. New York doesn't need you.

Here's the link for anyone interested

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=9083703&pid=null

I truly sympathize with your losses.

 

Watched the clip. NCL DID respond. RCL gave the cruise because their PR person was from that community.

 

And, at the very end, the reporter brought up...

 

Drum Roll Please...

 

Trip Insurance!

[graphicguy]

Really, you can't figure out why a family devastated by Sandy didn't think they should cruise? Have you seen the pictures, heard the stories or walked in their shoes. I live at the Jersey shore and this storm was worse than anything we have ever seen. Six months later people are still living in shelters and trying to figure out what they are going to do. We have children going to schools in churches and empty buildings, towns that are still deserted and guess what, even with insurance the damage is beyond their means.

 

OK...fair enough. But, what would possess this family to take an RCCL cruise, but not an NCL cruise (that they already paid for)?

[ColinIllinois]

The only people in the world who haven't gotten over this "public relations nightmare" is a few people in this thread pounding on their keyboard in indignation.

 

Bless their hearts.

[swedish weave]

Let's see how much publicity NCL gets from "7 on your side" when the 150 FAMILIES who were affected by Sandy board the Breakaway for THEIR FREE CRUISE.

 

My calculations show that RCCL got their free publicity by giving less than 4 percent of the amount NCL gave.

 

Yes, Royal pulled off the cheapest publicity stunt I can recall, and timed it to coincide with the arrival of the Breakaway so they could steal the publicity.

 

Cheap !!!! Very cheap and certainly not deserving of any accolades.

[NewEnglandNANA]

I am so sorry for people who suffered losses during Sandy. Rebuilding your life is tough - I know. I lost a sister to a drunk driver and both parents when I was still a young adult. I did not ask for anything from anyone. My good friends helped me and I muddled through and became stronger for it. We all must take responsibility for our own lives and Stop depending upon others (taxpayers, other consumers, etc.) to bail us out. The family in question should have purchased trip insurance - end of discussion. The fact that RCCL seized upon the situation is good publicity for them - that's fine, too. The fact that one poster wants NCL to leave NYC is childish and petty and personifies this country's ridiculous sense of entitlement. One day - all of us who are paying for the dead beats in this country are going to stop producing and paying taxes - then where will all the takers be?

 

 

You are so right!

I am sorry you lost your sister and parents when you were younger.

[Charles4515]

Let's see how much publicity NCL gets from "7 on your side" when the 150 FAMILIES who were affected by Sandy board the Breakaway for THEIR FREE CRUISE.

 

My calculations show that RCCL got their free publicity by giving less than 4 percent of the amount NCL gave.

 

Yes, Royal pulled off the cheapest publicity stunt I can recall, and timed it to coincide with the arrival of the Breakaway so they could steal the publicity.

 

Cheap !!!! Very cheap and certainly not deserving of any accolades.

 

You sound awfully bitter. Royal Caribbean deserves accolades and positive publicity for their good deed. NCL deserves a thumbs down for not rescheduling the families cruise.

[swedish weave]

You sound awfully bitter. Royal Caribbean deserves accolades and positive publicity for their good deed. NCL deserves a thumbs down for not rescheduling the families cruise.

 

I am not bitter. I am a firm believer in the truth, and what Royal did was a cheap publicity stunt. The timing and the figures point that out, so you can believe what you choose.

 

Logic dictates that if you praise Royal for their actions, you would also praise NCL much more for giving much more to those who also suffered from the effects of hurricane Sandy. Your biased thinking is overriding logic.

 

I hope you are enjoying following me around the boards disputing my posts. If you had facts to post, they seem to be missing.

[luddite]

You sound awfully bitter. Royal Caribbean deserves accolades and positive publicity for their good deed. NCL deserves a thumbs down for not rescheduling the families cruise.

 

No.

[DMH15]

I am not bitter. I am a firm believer in the truth, and what Royal did was a cheap publicity stunt. The timing and the figures point that out, so you can believe what you choose.

 

Logic dictates that if you praise Royal for their actions, you would also praise NCL much more for giving much more to those who also suffered from the effects of hurricane Sandy. Your biased thinking is overriding logic.

 

I hope you are enjoying following me around the boards disputing my posts. If you had facts to post, they seem to be missing.

 

I agree with you.

 

Once again... They should have had insurance.

 

Sandy was awful. So was the tragedy in West, Texas and in Boston. So are the hurricanes, wild fires. The volcano in Iceland that kept many from being able to travel to their embarkation port. There are personal home fires, deaths in the family, illnesses... etc. A myriad of things that would prevent someone from taking their cruise. How can we place importance on one incident or one family as being more deserving? Especially when the real key is insurance.

 

To just say the cruise line should reschedule baffles me. That takes out future inventory that could have been sold, so the cruise line still foots the bill.

 

It is the traveler's responsibility to protect THEIR vacation investment... not the cruise line's.

[mmbcater]

While I feel horrible that someone has endured a sustainable loss and we all have at one point in our lives. Me being stupid and not getting renters insurance at a very young age and losing everything to the carelessness of my next door neighbor (fire). I blamed no one but my self-put on my big girl panties and moved on and rebuilt my life...

 

When you have a refrigerator that goes down and you lose food-do you go back to the grocer to replace the items you lost-after all you purchased them there? NO you call your insurance agent and make a claim!

 

We never book a vacation without trip insurance-if you do-you and you alone are at risk of losing the spent dollar...

 

My two pennies...

[pieshops]

I agree with you.

 

Once again... They should have had insurance.

 

Sandy was awful. So was the tragedy in West, Texas and in Boston. So are the hurricanes, wild fires. The volcano in Iceland that kept many from being able to travel to their embarkation port. There are personal home fires, deaths in the family, illnesses... etc. A myriad of things that would prevent someone from taking their cruise. How can we place importance on one incident or one family as being more deserving? Especially when the real key is insurance.

 

Totally agree with you, in addition ( please say out loud with a very sarcastic tone ), isn't the reason for purchasing insurance to cover yourself if one of the things you listed above happens. Why would any of pay for insurance , when without it we were going to be reimbursed anyway, kinda silly

[decemberpsyche]

Someone from the family that this newscast is referring to has been posting either on the NCL facebook page or the Norwegian facebook page (sorry I don't remember which one maybe both) for awhile now. Really sad that just because they didn't like the answer NCL gave them they have to stomp their feet and whine like 2 year olds until they got their way.

I was really shocked to read that it went this far, and not just griping on facebook or other forums.

Sorry for the loss they suffered from SS Sandy, but welcome to life.

[Cruzface]

Still no Bob...huh.:rolleyes:

[DMH15]

Totally agree with you, in addition ( please say out loud with a very sarcastic tone ), isn't the reason for purchasing insurance to cover yourself if one of the things you listed above happens. Why would any of pay for insurance , when without it we were going to be reimbursed anyway, kinda silly

 

And having this perspective one can still be compassionate and feel sad for those who have endured such a tragedy and can understand their disappointment of having to miss their cruise AND deal with their problems instead.

[Charles4515]

I am not bitter. I am a firm believer in the truth, and what Royal did was a cheap publicity stunt. The timing and the figures point that out, so you can believe what you choose.

 

Logic dictates that if you praise Royal for their actions, you would also praise NCL much more for giving much more to those who also suffered from the effects of hurricane Sandy. Your biased thinking is overriding logic.

 

I hope you are enjoying following me around the boards disputing my posts. If you had facts to post, they seem to be missing.

 

I am not following you.......I read both boards as I have bookings on both NCL and RCI this year. You made the same post in both boards. I replied on both boards. I am replying about the specific case not about the whole history of what either cruise line does and has not done. NCL deserves the bad press! That does not mean RCI has pure motives! But it came out good for the family and I am all for them. Not either cruise line.

[pieshops]

And having this perspective one can still be compassionate and feel sad for those who have endured such a tragedy and can understand their disappointment of having to miss their cruise AND deal with their problems instead.

 

As I stated in the beginning if this thread we lost pretty much everything we had in the storm, we live in Toms River, Nj and had to be picked up in our street, which is a half mile away from water in a boat so I am compassionate and sad and can understand what they have and are still going through.

 

With that being said, emotion needs to be taken out of it, the worst things people and especially law makers do is do things out of emotion and not logic.

 

Bottom line again, logically not emotionally speaking is buy insurance and they would not be in this situation. Emotionally I feel bad.

[halos]

The response on this board is shortsighted. All the cruise lines should be reasonable about their cancellation policies when there are extenuating circumstances. Not refunding but allowing a resheduale. If you read the Royal Caribbean boards you would have noted threads from time to time from passengers thanking Royal Caribbean for letting passengers reschedule when there was illness or death in the family. Their policy has not been hardnosed like NCL's. I think the Royal Caribbean way will build brand loyalty and return customers. NCL will remain disliked. And NCL is disliked by many veteran cruisers.

I believe that NCL/CCL/HAL and X all occasionally offer rescheduling to passengers who have lost a family member right before sailing...this isn't unusual. It's possible to do this when it's just one family involved. This is extremely different than the Sandy situation and you can't compare the two.

As for reasonable cancellation policies, I disagree. If you were a large company, you would as well. It bothers me when people don't even TRY to put themselves in the shoes of the cruise line. Cruise Lines are not responsible for all situations. Passengers need to insure themselves if losing a cruise is something that will not be worth the gamble to go uninsured. If the cruise line's policies were that flexible, believe me, we, as passengers would be paying far more for our fares than just purchasing insurance on top of the existing fares.

Things are not as 'simple' as people make them out to be. No one here has any clue what goes in to an operation the size of a cruise line.

And putting RCI on a pedestal is very naive.

[beachmonkey]

With that being said, emotion needs to be taken out of it, the worst things people and especially law makers do is do things out of emotion and not logic.

 

Bottom line again, logically not emotionally speaking is buy insurance and they would not be in this situation. Emotionally I feel bad.

 

I am originally from Point Pleasant Beach, NJ and we lived 2 blocks from the ocean. I know what the impact of the storm was and I too feel compassion.

 

Travel insurance protects a significant financial investment. I don't mean to generalize, but I also know a lot of people who live in the coastal areas that did not have flood insurance, but are asking for a waiver for coverage after the fact. Personal accountability is as important as compassion.

 

We lift each other up when we are down, but there is a point where a person starts to become enriched rather than just made whole.

[DirtyDawg]

Here's the link:

 

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=9083703

 

 

 

Thanks for posting that. That news report was basically a one minute + commercial for Royal, and all it cost was 8 cruise fares. Somebody's on their toes down at HQ.

 

When your competition falls down, kick him - hard!

 

Just like Colonel Kilgore, I love the smell of Napalm in the morning!:D