Pride of America Disaster at Sea

[fin]

I know, this is an old subject, but I for one always question someone who has never posted before and comes on a site just to complain. If someone has been around for even a little while I feel different. Yes, some of you feel anyone has a right to start posting at anytime: oh so true, but it still sounds strange to me especially when they hit and run. NMNita

 

My first post here was a less than flattering comparison of the Sea with the Ecstasy, and I remember you were one who was critical of me for being critical of my cruise experience.

 

So while you are free to 'question someone bla bla', I am also free to wonder if part of your rah rah attitude comes from the fact that you make a living out of selling cruises to other people, and cannot stand to hear anything but a cheering section. [i DO seem to remembere you are a TA, alothough I will confess to not spending as much time here now that my 5th cruise since Sept is history]

 

People who gloat that they spend six grand on a vacation and 'fully expect things to go wrong or be less than perfect' to me are a darn good reason why the level and qualitiy of service in the US across the board has sunk to the depths to which it has.

[Host CMLA]

I've asked several times for members to stop commenting on post counts and the validity of those comments, etc. Once again, PLEASE STOP. If this topic continues off topic, it will be closed.

[stargazers]

People who gloat that they spend six grand on a vacation and 'fully expect things to go wrong or be less than perfect' to me are a darn good reason why the level and qualitiy of service in the US across the board has sunk to the depths to which it has.

 

This is an interesting way to look at what some of us have said on these boards. I am one of those who said that I expected things to go wrong or to be less than perfect....that is not how I feel about most cruise vacations. THIS ONE was the exception. I knew the trouble that the Pride of Aloha had last year, and I was aware and took the newness of the ship and crew into consideration when booking this cruise. I personally think it is realistic to expect some problems with the start up of just about any business, especially with one as complicated as a cruise ship.

 

I am also not a rah-rah person for NCL. This was only my second time cruising with them, and I was not impressed with my first. Actually, I found the dining room service better this time than what I encountered on the Star. I have found it interesting that it seems that some people only believe the negative posts and seem to have a hard time believing that some of us really had a good time.

[bankofdad]

Disaster at Sea

An informal interviewing of all the people we came across during the last three days revealed that almost one person of each couple questioned reported a case of “runny tummy”. By informal count we spoke to over 250 couples. This is a serious problem.

 

I'm really sorry to hear OP had a bad vacation experience, and wish his family a better vacation next time.

 

Just MHO about the above quote. If you look for negative on any trip, you will find it. And again MHO, but spending the time to pose this question to 250 couples is going out of the way to look for the negative. Spend more time seeking out to good, fun and relaxing and it will likely be found!

 

Still, even the negative comments don't approach the initial POAloha situation that existied last July/August, IMHO. That freaked me out while we were planning, but we went prepared (thanks to CC) and had a fantastic trip!

 

All of these comments have really made me reflect back to my cruise on POAloha quite alot, especially the negative crew comments. Here's what I wrote in my POAloha review, and again, its just MHO:

 

This is not, and IMHO this will never be, a traditionalist cruise with high end formal services and dining that seasoned veterans have come to expect from cruising. The crew is young, mostly American, hard-working, and willing.

I would be surprised (but I may be wrong) that the NCLA endeavor will ever be the “formal” cruise experience. I expect that the crew will continually turn over, and remain young (for the most part). I don’t view this as a bad thing personally, but I’m sure other do, and in that case, DON’T take this cruise.

 

However, if you’re wanting a spectacular, LAID-BACK, fun and island active trip, you’ll love this crew. They were enthusiastic, friendly, HARD-WORKING, and very fun-loving.

 

I'm expecting my upcoming cruises on POAmerica to be just like this, and I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to those trips! If it's something even more, that's great too, but as others have put it, I find this attitude "charming" and refreshing.

 

Just MHO, and I'm not trying to take away from anyone else's opionions or expectations when I say that. Plan to have a great time!

[John L.]

It has been my experience on ships with glass along the balcony that it is very clean upon boarding, but after the lst night on the open sea it becomes coated with salt and it remains that way unless they wash the side of the ship with their automatic washer. I never experienced the stewart cleaning the glass on NCL (Dawn) or RCCI (which is all glass). If I sat on the balcony and the salt was a problem, I would get a wash cloth and clean what I could reach myself. Generally, I could only reach 2/3 of the way down. The steward, if he was to clean the glass, would need a squeezee with a long handle. I suspect you demand too much from the crew!!!

 

John L.

[seahorse]

It has been my experience on ships with glass along the balcony that it is very clean upon boarding, but after the lst night on the open sea it becomes coated with salt and it remains that way unless they wash the side of the ship with their automatic washer. I never experienced the stewart cleaning the glass on NCL (Dawn) or RCCI (which is all glass). If I sat on the balcony and the salt was a problem, I would get a wash cloth and clean what I could reach myself. Generally, I could only reach 2/3 of the way down. The steward, if he was to clean the glass, would need a squeezee with a long handle. I suspect you demand too much from the crew!!!

 

John L.

 

I agree. I was on the Star aft deck 8 and If i sat there long enough I got coated with salt:eek: :D .......Honey, get the squeegee ready, I`m coming in;)

[newmexicoNita]

I did not reffer anyone to another board, (besides Host 'C' would have blown it off the board! ;) ) CC stands for Cruise Critic, and the Members Review area is on the Main Home page when you first log on to "THIS" site.There are dozens of reviews that members post there and not on a thread. If you have never looked here is the direct link to the ones on PO/America.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=349

re-read my message, I never indicated you did, I said "I would never" but the examples I gave were from another board that I chose not to mention as I do not refer readers to other boards. I did not mean to indicate you did!!!!! NMnita

[newmexicoNita]

As a first time poster/one-hit wonder/troll/seagull myself, I just had to respond to the name-callers. If this had been a good review, would you have called this person names or discounted their message? Probably not, if you liked what they said. I applaud your loyalty to defend NCL at all costs, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. This person will probably not reply, because they have been insulted and don't want to get involved in a debate when you have already made up your mind. I would guess that if you talked to Customer Service of any major corporation, they will tell you that they get more complaint letters than compliment letters. Not because they are bad, but because people are more motivated to take the time to complain than they are to take the time to compliment.

 

I have been reading (lurking) on these boards for months in anticipation of my own Pride of America cruise on 8/13. I have not posted any questions because I don't have any that I haven't found answered somewhere on the boards already. I haven't answered anybody's questions because I don't have any answers that someone else doesn't answer first. I may or may not post a review when I get back. I am more likely to post one if I have a bad experience than if I have a good one. I have never posted reviews on cruises before, because the ships I have been on before (15 cruises) have already been reviewed numerous times and I had nothing new to add. That being said, I might be more likely to post a first time ever review of this ship only because it is new and I know there are many silent people out there like me who are looking for any information, good or bad, about their upcoming cruise.

 

Whew! For a quiet person like me, you really got me to say a lot!

who called him names? want did I miss?