NCL ship departs without 50+ passengers transported by NCL bus

[sfaaa]

Let's blame it all on NCL because that's what some people would insist regardless of the circumstances. It's always somebody else's fault but mine when things go wrong.

[Donray]

Not sure why you keep laughing. People purchased transportation through NCL - whether directly or indirectly. They missed the ship, and their cruise. I see nothing funny about it. It's sad, and someone laughing about it is just ... mean.

 

Could you explain indirectly purchase through NCL? They either pay NCL or they did not.

 

Also, since you know so much was this a chartered bus by NCL and had nothing but NCL paying passengers (pay only through NCL) or did they also have passengers that paid the bus line directly?

[Donray]

Nevertheless,this is completely unacceptable. I hope NCL gave them something substantial in return.

 

 

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Why is it unacceptable? I guess you know if NCL charted the bus and only carried passengers that paid NCL?

 

So, please explain what is unacceptable and why.

[emilysmimi]

Ugh! We have booked this bus (same route) to get to the ship on October 27th:(. Does anyone in the New York area know of any demonstration, marches, etc that will be happening that day? We have used the bus service through Academy for over 10 years without too much trouble, occasionally missing the buffet, but after hearing about this, I think we will need to start thinking about driving... Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[ColinIllinois]

There are many factors that go into the decision to wait or go.

# of people

dockside staffing and ability to delay getting untied

tugboat availability

pilot available, work schedule

High or low tide

River traffic

Port Authority

Clearing the bridge

Weather in port or at sea

Sailing time

 

Icebergs.

[luvtheships]

Cheese and Crackers THAT is a really bad day ..:eek:

 

Oh nay nay a bad day is the colonoscopy prep day. Lol

 

 

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[Mrs. Squirrel]

That's why it's good practice to have your lawyer review all the terms and conditions regarding your cruise before you sign on the dotted line. Of course that will double the cost of your cruise but hey, at least you'll know what your rights are and what the cruise line's obligations are.

 

Or just subscribe to the 'NO' principle - You have NO rights and the cruise line has NO obligations.

 

Or, just buy cruise insurance which covers you for the most common oopsies. :)

[njhorseman]

 

Could you explain indirectly purchase through NCL? They either pay NCL or they did not.

 

Also, since you know so much was this a chartered bus by NCL and had nothing but NCL paying passengers (pay only through NCL) or did they also have passengers that paid the bus line directly?

 

 

Why is it unacceptable? I guess you know if NCL charted the bus and only carried passengers that paid NCL?

 

So, please explain what is unacceptable and why.

 

It's not a charter and you can book it directly with the bus company. You don't have to book through NCL.

 

At one time Academy Bus also offered the same service for Carnival passengers leaving from NY and if a Carnival cruise and an NCL cruise were departing NY on the same day you could have passengers for both lines on the same bus if there were not enough to warrant two buses.

Edited September 26, 2014 by njhorseman

[sparks1093]

It's not a charter and you can book it directly with the bus company. You don't have to book through NCL.

 

At one time Academy Bus also offered the same service for Carnival passengers leaving from NY and if a Carnival cruise and an NCL cruise were departing NY on the same day you could have passengers for both lines on the same bus if there were not enough to warrant two buses.

 

When I looked at NCL's website they had information regarding several bus services providing service to various ports. Since I have priced Yankee Trails before, I looked at that section and the price on NCL's website is the same that you'd pay from the bus company's website. So it doesn't look like NCL tacks on anything to keep for themselves (similar to what they do with shore excursions). I do not know who is on the other end of the toll free number, but suspect that you will listen to a menu and select your bus line from it and would be routed directly to that bus line's phone switch. Even if it were an NCL rep on the other end of the line I doubt that their being the middleman would result in an obligation on their part to hold a ship if the bus was delayed.

[khaide612]

Ugh! We have booked this bus (same route) to get to the ship on October 27th:(. Does anyone in the New York area know of any demonstration, marches, etc that will be happening that day? We have used the bus service through Academy for over 10 years without too much trouble, occasionally missing the buffet, but after hearing about this, I think we will need to start thinking about driving... Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Use internet search engines. Watch your roll call board for other people who might have found out info on events. Here's the thing - whether you drive or you get on the bus, you have to sit in the same traffic. Last weekend was not normal.

Edited September 26, 2014 by khaide612

[Barb Nahoumi]

Icebergs.

 

Or whales

[mdwcruises]

The bottom line is don't book transportation through cruise lines because you want to make sure you board the ship. No advantage there.

[sparks1093]

The bottom line is don't book transportation through cruise lines because you want to make sure you board the ship. No advantage there.

 

I think the people on the buses would have had the same problem had they booked the transportation directly (and there very well have been people on the bus that had done just that).

[shealea]

Most of our cruises have been from our home city, Seattle, to Alaska. So, I haven't had to really deal with a long commute to get to the Port for a cruise.

 

But, reading this thread here has made me realize that if we do fly and travel from another port that we really, really need to allow for any possibilities that could delay us getting to the port on time. Even if it means getting to the Port way, way ahead of time and having a bunch of time to kill before being allowed to board.

 

I can't imagine the disappointment of missing your ship!!!

[Laszlo]

Most of our cruises have been from our home city, Seattle, to Alaska. So, I haven't had to really deal with a long commute to get to the Port for a cruise.

 

But, reading this thread here has made me realize that if we do fly and travel from another port that we really, really need to allow for any possibilities that could delay us getting to the port on time. Even if it means getting to the Port way, way ahead of time and having a bunch of time to kill before being allowed to board.

 

I can't imagine the disappointment of missing your ship!!!

 

We always fly in the day before, first flight out in the morning. That way I know the plane is there

[NMLady]

Call up ask for the price of airfare then check the airline prices there will be no difference and as for your contract thats rubbish true read the whole thread again ncl can alwayse wait and have

 

Many many times it is significantly cheaper to book air through cruise line. We always compare airfare on discount sites with air through cruise line and twice have booked cruise air because it was significantly cheaper.

 

Whether or not a cruise ship can wait depends on port authority and also sometimes on tides. If the ship can wait, it will. But not always possible.

[dolfinmusic]

Wow! A few months ago, we found out they had a bus from Philly to NYC so we booked though NCL and paid NCL. Our TA contacted us about 2 weeks ago and told us now they no longer provide the bus service. I guess that is a good thing!

[luvtheships]

I think the people on the buses would have had the same problem had they booked the transportation directly (and there very well have been people on the bus that had done just that).

 

The people on these buses from Massachusetts should have either been on a crack of dawn or previous day bus

 

I just don't get why someone wouldn't pay for a groupon priced NYC Times Square room for the night

 

 

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[luvtheships]

Wow! A few months ago, we found out they had a bus from Philly to NYC so we booked though NCL and paid NCL. Our TA contacted us about 2 weeks ago and told us now they no longer provide the bus service. I guess that is a good thing!

 

Still take the absolute earliest Amtrak you can if not coming in the day before

 

Enjoy the city and not worry about trafgic

 

 

 

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[mdwcruises]

The people on these buses from Massachusetts should have either been on a crack of dawn or previous day bus

 

I just don't get why someone wouldn't pay for a groupon priced NYC Times Square room for the night

 

 

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How much do those rooms run? Interesting idea!

[Bars7816]

We must just live right! First time to New York last November for the Breakaway, so we were nervous about weather and traffic, etc. Our flights to and from Seattle went like clockwork -- even had an empty middle seat between us both flights. (To me, that's just about first class!)

 

We booked town cars to and from the airport to hotels, which were so much more comfortable than a bus and not any more costly. Each trip took about 40 minutes with no traffic issues. Planes left and arrived on time. No crazy passengers to deal with, even.

 

Of course, we flew in the day before the cruise, and stayed two days after. Someone above mentioned Groupon-like prices for hotels -- even better, get a hotel credit card; the points build up fast.:)

[emilysmimi]

Use internet search engines. Watch your roll call board for other people who might have found out info on events. Here's the thing - whether you drive or you get on the bus, you have to sit in the same traffic. Last weekend was not normal.

 

Thank you for the suggestions and information. You have eased my anxiety a bit. I do think we may start using Amtrak or drive in for our cruises booked next year. It would be a good excuse to get to do some sightseeing in NY. :) I'll have to check out the groupon suggestion too.

[njhorseman]

Anyone who thinks they're going to avoid the possibility of getting to the pier late by taking Amtrak the morning of the cruise needs a strong dose of reality.

 

If there's a delay on Amtrak, where is the train going to go to avoid it? At least when you're traveling by bus or car there's a chance that a traffic jam can be avoided by using an alternate route. If your train is stuck, it's stuck and you're not going anywhere.

 

For people traveling from south of NY City to the cruise terminal, here's a big reason why Amtrak trains are delayed all too frequently. You have to travel over a 104 year old swing bridge that breaks down often and has even been subject to fires. It can affect rail traffic from north of NY too, because if an Amtrak train bound for Boston is delayed going north, it may very well be late for a return trip from Boston to NY and Washington. this bridge can and does foul up rail traffic on the entire Amtrak Northeast Corridor:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/26/nyregion/portal-bridge-presents-northeast-rail-commuters-with-a-104-year-old-problem.html?_r=0

[Laszlo]

We live in the Philly suburbs. On a good day we can go from our house to the parking garage at the south east corner of central park in 90 minutes. We go to Manhattan 4-5 times a year. Maybe once a year we take the train. However their have been times its take us 4 hours to go from Central Park thru the Lincoln Tunnel

[welove2cruise232]

As I posted it was not Ncl provided transportation. If it were then yes most likely they would wait or help get you to the next port. The NE bus service is a private company that passengers book directly with.

 

 

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We have booked this thru NCL the last two times we cruised out of NYC. Shame on me for thinking we had some "guarantee" that they'd get us to the ship in time! Usually arrived between 10 and 11 a.m. The last two trips on Academy were a mess, so we will come up with alternate plans for our next cruise out of NYC.

Edited September 27, 2014 by welove2cruise232