UPSET - Pearl Cancels On Me Again Due To Charter!

[mrsjetpup]

I, too, e-mailed Kevin Sheehan over the weekend and received a call from the corporate office yesterday. I has already rebooked my cruise, which she knew about before she called me. She wanted me to know that they take customer issues seriously and asked if there was anything else she could do.

 

So, if anyone is having a problem with rebooking I also suggest sending an e-mail to Kevin. It did make me feel better, that they responded to me.

[Twiz]

Harriet: I had a 21-day combined cruise for Jan/Feb 2015 cancelled, too. I emailed and snail mailed a letter to Kevin Sheehan this past Sunday, and so far two people from NCL corporate have called me about it. The first caller offered to upgrade us on a Dawn to Bermuda cruise we had just booked, but we didn't like the suites being offered. The second caller was basically calling to let me vent, but I didn't get ugly (though I told her I was extremely upset--can I say "pissed" on Cruise Critic.com??) and I said that the Pearl should NOT be on the longer eastern and southern routes. I also said I felt "used" because NCL was taking reservations they were planning to/hoping to cancel for music charters.

 

When another ship starts doing the longer eastern/southern routes, we will be on it ASAP.

 

On a completely unrelated matter (we talked about 20 minutes) I said if they get rid of the Sun, I'll never sail on NCL again.

 

So, email Kevin Sheehan, or send him a snail mail letter. The more people he hears from, the better. The ladies who called me said NCL reviews Cruise Critic boards, but apparently they are more likely to respond to actual letters.

 

I am glad you got a reponse.

[Twiz]

I, too, e-mailed Kevin Sheehan over the weekend and received a call from the corporate office yesterday. I has already rebooked my cruise, which she knew about before she called me. She wanted me to know that they take customer issues seriously and asked if there was anything else she could do.

 

So, if anyone is having a problem with rebooking I also suggest sending an e-mail to Kevin. It did make me feel better, that they responded to me.

 

Just goes to show all the people who were so negative on this issue WRONG !!!

I have not sent mine yet but have it in a draft to ck then off I will send it !

[KeithJenner]

Just goes to show all the people who were so negative on this issue WRONG !!!

I have not sent mine yet but have it in a draft to ck then off I will send it !

 

How were people wrong.

 

A company has responded to letters from customers. Not a surprise. A company has said that they take customer service issues seriously. Not news which is going to shake the world.

 

It doesn't have any relevance to the fact that they are also going to accept that decisions they make will result in the loss of some customers. Just because they don't tell people that doesn't mean it isn't the case.

[Twiz]

How were people wrong.

 

A company has responded to letters from customers. Not a surprise. A company has said that they take customer service issues seriously. Not news which is going to shake the world.

 

It doesn't have any relevance to the fact that they are also going to accept that decisions they make will result in the loss of some customers. Just because they don't tell people that doesn't mean it isn't the case.

 

I am not going to get into a debate about your feelings on how companies run their business because I really dont care but the fact still remains that they replied in a timely manner twice and were willing to do something .... There were a lot of posts made to this subject that were nasty to people this happened to which in opinion were not asked for or necessary.

Edited March 14, 2014 by Twiz

[rvsullivan]

How were people wrong.

 

A company has responded to letters from customers. Not a surprise. A company has said that they take customer service issues seriously. Not news which is going to shake the world.

 

It doesn't have any relevance to the fact that they are also going to accept that decisions they make will result in the loss of some customers. Just because they don't tell people that doesn't mean it isn't the case.

 

I am not going to get into a debate about your feelings on how companies run their business because I really dont care but the fact still remains that they replied in a timely manner twice and were willing to do something .... There were a lot of posts made to this subject that were nasty to people this happened to which in opinion were not asked for or necessary.

 

 

When you post here on CC you are by default asking for opinions/suggestions/responses. Because you don't always like the answers or they do not agree with yours does not make either one right or wrong. In this particular case, it appears the majority of posters lean towards NCL and how it is handled. Because a few individuals that are affected, and it is a very small number as you can see from the posts here, are not happy, does not lessen the fact that this is routine business in the cruise industry. The fact that NCL responds to written requests/comments is not surprising. I notice though that they have not reconsidered and cancelled the charters?

[KeithJenner]

I am not going to get into a debate about your feelings on how companies run their business because I really dont care but the fact still remains that they replied in a timely manner twice and were willing to do something .... There were a lot of posts made to this subject that were nasty to people this happened to which in opinion were not asked for or necessary.

 

 

Sorry, but if you state in big bold letters that people are wrong, then you start to lose your options for going down the "I'm not going to get in a debate" route when people ask you why.

 

This isn't about my feelings on how companies should run their business. I was asking you a question.

 

As far as I can see, what people have been saying is that NCL aren't going to change things based on a handful of letters. Just because they have called some people and seemingly said reassuring things but as far as I can see, not actually done anything, I don't see how this shows that people are wrong.

 

In fact, all it really confirms to me is that it is indeed just a handful of people, as they wouldn't be responding individually in such quick time to an avalanche of complaints.

 

Of course, you should write your letter. All companies should take notice of customer comments (I'm sure they were a contributing factor in going back to South America).

 

I don't recall anything nasty on this thread, by the way. Obviously people have disagreed, but I generally the discussion has been in pretty good spirit, as far as I can recall.

[hpecorari]

Just goes to show all the people who were so negative on this issue WRONG !!!

I have not sent mine yet but have it in a draft to ck then off I will send it !

 

 

Grow up! There's no reason to shout. This forum....this thread is for everyone to discuss, debate, share, etc. Sometimes there is no right and wrong. Sometimes we don't always agree. Sometimes we have to simply agree to disagree. That's the wonderful thing about living in the United States of America.

 

They responded, yes. Simply to 'appease' the customer. They didn't give anything extra than was already offered. To help reschedule the cruise with an OBC depending on what type of cabin you had or to cancel the trip with a full refund.

 

However, the fact that they responded does make customers feel happy that they have been heard.

 

Will I write a letter or e-mail. No. I know they know how we feel. I don't need someone to pat me on the back, tell me they're sorry, and help me reschedule my cruise. My PCC can reschedule for me when I'm ready.

 

But.....that's just me.

 

Harriet

[Linds1341]

... There were a lot of posts made to this subject that were nasty to people this happened to which in opinion were not asked for or necessary.[/b]

 

Someone should review their own posts. I'm finding this quote about nastiness pretty funny right now. Sorry, Twiz, but you come across as pretty sarcastic and contentious yourself. Don't be surprised when people on a forum call you on it.

 

I'll reiterate that I feel bad that this happened to folks, but it also seems like NCL is doing what makes business sense. They're moving all the charters to a single boat and to a single, defined time frame so that those unexpected cancelations don't happen as much. They couldn't know how much time they would need for the charters until they saw the numbers this year. As someone who's been on one of the newest, fledgling Sixthman cruises, my friends and I are crossing our fingers and toes hoping that our cruise gets to run next year. There was literally no way to know whether we would need the Pearl next year until NCL and Sixthman had time to evaluate how things went this year.

 

By figuring out their charter schedule now, they can assure customers who book in the next year that their cruises won't be chartered later on when it's a whole heck of a lot more inconvenient for everybody involved. I'm betting that as things settle in with Sixthman, you won't see them use this practice as much.

 

 

 

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[Mrs. Squirrel]

NCL is just going thru a transistion period with the Pearl music charter business plan model...fewer guests will be displaced in the future as the music charters move into their second year and NCL long term fleet planners make the adjustments

 

Agreed, and I am one of the displaced February Pearl cruisers. I don't think anything was done to purposely hurt customers. This is just part of the natural growing pains when businesses merge and grow.

[rigs32]

And remember that there is a two month gap in the Pearl's 2016 winter schedule to accommodate the charters. While people affected in 2015 are understandably upset, NCL has clearly adjusted going forward.

[pscozz702]

Agreed, and I am one of the displaced February Pearl cruisers. I don't think anything was done to purposely hurt customers. This is just part of the natural growing pains when businesses merge and grow.

 

After booking the Pearl last year I signed onto CC and read about how its been chartered in the past and expect to see it chartered in the future. With that said in was no surprise to get my notice of cancellation. But it sure had a nice looking itinerary. We would like to do it some day during January...maybe with the news of the new Escape they could open up the trip to the public again. May never happen though but one can dream.

 

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[Linds1341]

Didn't NCL just launch a new ship out of Miami? Maybe that one will take over some of the Pearl's itineraries in the winter months.

 

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[pscozz702]

Didn't NCL just launch a new ship out of Miami? Maybe that one will take over some of the Pearl's itineraries in the winter months.

 

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I saw on google about the Escape. Thought the same thing. Then wondered about the Breakaway being in Miami also, what ship is going to be removed?

 

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[B6ConMe]

Isn't it the Getaway, and the Escape which will be home porting in Miami since the Epic is moving to Europe full time and Breakaway's home port has always been New York?

 

I think NCL has made some great decisions and added some really nice itineraries.

[hpecorari]

Isn't it the Getaway, and the Escape which will be home porting in Miami since the Epic is moving to Europe full time and Breakaway's home port has always been New York?

 

 

You are correct!

 

Harriet

[Twiz]

No wonder Cruise Critic has the "bad" reputation it does.

[Cubechick]

NCL is just going thru a transistion period with the Pearl music charter business plan model...fewer guests will be displaced in the future as the music charters move into their second year and NCL long term fleet planners make the adjustments

 

Actually this is the third season in a row that they've done this. But maybe they have finally learned as nothing was announced for the Pearl Jan - March 2016...:rolleyes:

[pscozz702]

Isn't it the Getaway, and the Escape which will be home porting in Miami since the Epic is moving to Europe full time and Breakaway's home port has always been New York?

 

I think NCL has made some great decisions and added some really nice itineraries.

 

Getaway is right typed in a rush at lunch. People are so testy. Probably a reason for more members not to post any more..good bye.

 

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[rvsullivan]

Getaway is right typed in a rush at lunch. People are so testy. Probably a reason for more members not to post any more..good bye.

 

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I don't know what this means????:confused:

[B6ConMe]

Getaway is right typed in a rush at lunch. People are so testy. Probably a reason for more members not to post any more..good bye.

 

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Testy? :eek: Me? :eek: :confused: :eek: Wow, sorry you thought so, but some people could have been confused and I did not mean to seem testy but was simply clarifying.

 

Have a good day.......oh wait... there's a full moon tomorrow night... that's what the problem is... think I'll just get meself a glass or 2 of wine and relax...

[KeithJenner]

Getaway is right typed in a rush at lunch. People are so testy. Probably a reason for more members not to post any more..good bye.

 

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I honestly don't know what your problem was with that reply. Looks like a very polite response. It didn't even correct you, but just questioned what you said.

 

I'm afraid people can't tell the reason for any errors that any of us make. It's a good thing that they are often corrected out as otherwise quite innocent mistakes can cause confusion.

 

If you can't handle responses like that then you probably need to avoid all message boards, not just cruise critic.

[HockeyMom44]

is there someway we can find out who/what chartered the ship and still passably book trhu them??hopefully the ship will still sail to the same places?

[Demonyte]

is there someway we can find out who/what chartered the ship and still passably book trhu them??hopefully the ship will still sail to the same places?

 

Nope. The cancelled cruises are usually always longer than the ones (music cruises) replacing them as charters and very rarely go to same ports - usually short 3-5 day charters go only to Bahamas/GSC/Key West/etc. Also chartered cruises are significantly more expensive than regular cruises.

[Sika Dellick]

usually always

 

Is that like the opposite sometimes never? LOL. I think you mean to say ALMOST always. ;)