Norwegian: Gives Military Discount and Cancels! (Reveiw of Horrible Customer Service)

[Pikaia]

Also a little confused about the credit card. If it was posted as a completed transaction, wouldn't there have to be a credit for it to be deducted from the account, instead of it just disappearing. A pending charge disappears, but I've never had an actual charge disappear without a credit to offset it.

I've noticed that on one of my credit cards. As long as the charge never showed up on a printed monthly statement (or PDF), they don't bother to formally credit my account. The charge just disappears.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Pikaia

[Pikaia]

What other passenger? Isn't this thread about the military family?

Click on the link. Level six is referring to another passenger on another cruise. That passenger showed up with all docs in order for both legs of a B2B, but somehow NCL had no record of the second leg.

[Level six]

What other passenger? Isn't this thread about the military family?

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=45780876

[NLH Arizona]

I've noticed that on one of my credit cards. As long as the charge never showed up on a printed monthly statement (or PDF), they don't bother to formally credit my account. The charge just disappears.

Wow, I'm surprised; in over 45 years of having credit cards, this has never happened to me. The only time a completed charge would just come off a credit card, without an offsetting credit, is if the card holder disputed the charge. Edited March 1, 2015 by NLH Arizona

[NLH Arizona]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=45780876

We are not discussing another passenger, we are discussing the military family, not someone who couldn't get a handicap room they wanted while on the ship.

[missintuitive]

I'm so surprised at the apparent lack of empathy for a fellow cruiser by some who responded. It appears as if some ppl cannot admit that sometimes cruiselines get it wrong. This is an extreme case and the company should have provided an extreme solution (or compensation) but to not acknowledge that it even happened is egregious. Clearly, the military mom didn't get a cancellation notice so there is fault on behalf of ncl there. At a minimum, ncl should keep you up to date on your status (ie email if you're booked, email when you're payed in full, email especially if you or ncl cancels). It's called simple customer service. Plus, I take it that folks are not aware that military families can fly standby on military airplanes for free or at a very low cost (that's a major perk for military families) so I doubt there were any last minute flights booked on a commercial airline. I have cruised Disney and carnival and I'm booked for my first NCL cruise. I would be mortified if this happened to me.

 

I would take to social media, and maybe the regular news, to get my story out there. I bet the evening news would be chomping at their bits to have a story like this about a military family with two cute small children. It really is a nightmare!

[zqvol]

I wish we knew the whole story, because I guarantee you that there is another side to this.

[NLH Arizona]

I would take to social media, and maybe the regular news, to get my story out there. I bet the evening news would be chomping at their bits to have a story like this about a military family with two cute small children. It really is a nightmare!

I totally agree, they should contact a news station and show all their documentation and tell their story. If they had all their ducks in a row, there is no excuse for what NCL did. If NCL is found to be at fault, I believe that they should offer the family a free cruise in a stateroom of their choice on dates of their choice and pay for their airfare to get their. We need to hear both sides of this story (because there is always three sides to every story, one side from the person who was hurt, one of the person who was said to be the person hurting and the real story) to find out how this happened, so it doesn't happen again. Edited March 1, 2015 by NLH Arizona

[Level six]

We are not discussing another passenger, we are discussing the military family, not someone who couldn't get a handicap room they wanted while on the ship.

 

Okay. I was defending the OP because some were questioning her, saying it could never happen. I witnessed it on another cruise and wanted to show you it does happen. And, if you read the thread, it was not that he couldn't get the room he wanted, it was THEY HAD NO RECORD OF HIS RESERVATION!!! See the connection?

 

I love CC for information, but usually refrain from ever getting involved in any of these "threads" because of this. Some people are just mean spirited.

 

I'm done. I hope the OP is okay and it works out. No more post from me on the subject.

 

Happy???

[titangas]

Okay. I was defending the OP because some were questioning her, saying it could never happen. I witnessed it on another cruise and wanted to show you it does happen. And, if you read the thread, it was not that he couldn't get the room he wanted, it was THEY HAD NO RECORD OF HIS RESERVATION!!! See the connection?

 

I love CC for information, but usually refrain from ever getting involved in any of these "threads" because of this. Some people are just mean spirited.

 

I'm done. I hope the OP is okay and it works out. No more post from me on the subject.

 

Happy???

 

Actually you entered in to this thread quoting my post with an emphatic "No! you are wrong"

 

When I never ever said that NCL did not have any blame.

It seemed you entered the thread to bash NCL and bring up a totally unrelated issue.

 

My original and subsequent posts were empathetic and not mean spirited as your original one to me was.

Edited March 1, 2015 by titangas

[CasinoCruzGirl]

Okay. I was defending the OP because some were questioning her, saying it could never happen. I witnessed it on another cruise and wanted to show you it does happen. And, if you read the thread, it was not that he couldn't get the room he wanted, it was THEY HAD NO RECORD OF HIS RESERVATION!!! See the connection?

 

I love CC for information, but usually refrain from ever getting involved in any of these "threads" because of this. Some people are just mean spirited.

 

I'm done. I hope the OP is okay and it works out. No more post from me on the subject.

 

Happy???

 

I agree. Give the OP the benefit of the doubt. I'm a very loyal NCL customer I absolutely love NCL however in this situation NCL is wrong wrong wrong for what happened to the OP. I hope she comes back and people didn't scare her off and she can tell us what happened in the end.

[Shawnino]

I'm the passenger who started the other thread to which L6 refers/links.

 

In my case, while not having an ADA-room was a sideshow of the adventure, the central drama was that the ship had absolutely no record of my second-leg reservation, and other guests were booked to be in my room. I had all my docs, but it took the ship 36 hours to confirm that yes, I'd be staying aboard for the second leg of the cruise.

 

One guy on the desk, Herdenson Martinez, told me more than once that "reservations disappear from time to time".

 

One thing that rings true about the way the OP of this thread relates the story is that Ship staff (in her case, Shore staff) are absolutely impotent to make things right. Any kind of redress at all needs to come from Miami. While I can appreciate the need for central logistics, it's an absolute crusher for people on the ship or trying to embark who need immediate help.

[LrgPizza]

This thread is so hard to follow due to all the people talking about a completely unrelated incident at another time.

 

Back to OP... I am amazed that there are people who are doubting her story. I think it sucks. I hope compensation is made, and that they were able to work out their vacation to be something enjoyable for the whole family.

[ColinIllinois]

Would this type of situation as described by the O.P. be covered under travel insurance? :confused:

[titangas]

This thread is so hard to follow due to all the people talking about a completely unrelated incident at another time.

 

Back to OP... I am amazed that there are people who are doubting her story. I think it sucks. I hope compensation is made, and that they were able to work out their vacation to be something enjoyable for the whole family.

 

I really don't think anyone is "doubting her story".

 

What is unexplained is:

Why was her booking cancelled 16 minutes after making it?

Why was she able to receive emails, but unable to do some other stuff online?

 

The real issue here is that she traveled thought she had a confirmed reservation when in reality she did not for reasons that we do not know.

[kgymn]

To clear up 2 misconceptions... For one, the free standby on military flights is not anything like commercial flights. They don't fly regular schedules and you don't know what routes will be flown until 72 hours out (even then they change, with flights canceled or zero seats available any time before leaving really) so I highly doubt with that sort of uncertainty the OP was able to take advantage of a free flight. Space-A requires flexibility in your travel plans. Cruises don't allow this.

Also as far as the comment about military lodging here, for one it isn't free and it also is frequently booked solid with people moving to and from the area. Most military families live in a hotel for a month or more when moving here before moving into a home. And most of us DON'T stay in the military lodging at that time simply because it is so often full.

Also as far as not having internet but getting emails.... Cell phones. You can still get emails without a data/internet plan.

I also don't see how it would be a homeland security issue when the ship never leaves US waters. The only thing I can think of is NCL bouncing the reservation based on the foreign address, despite it being US citizens booking it.

Does anyone know if NCL requires proof of military service at or soon after time of booking when booking military rates? All I have seen mentioned on the website is must have ID at check in, but typically some form of proof is required to be attached to the booking with other cruise lines. But even if that was a problem, the person they booked with would have clearly told them what they had to provide not simply canceled the reservation after 15 minutes.

 

I hope the OP updates on what happened with them after this mix up. It sounds like the funds were on pending at the time of embarkation and went through as a charge the day after the ship sailed. That amount of money out of your account can make it difficult to afford lodging and even food unexpectedly. I hope they were at least able to get some sort of vacation. We're in the same boat having to plan vacations last minute and the worry that something will go wrong or that a price will jump out of range of affordable while the leave chit is being routed can be stressful enough. Then up until day of with the back of your head wondering if leave will be revoked. There should not also be the worry that your booking was canceled without notification.

 

~Katy

[RuthlessBoss]

I wish we knew the whole story, because I guarantee you that there is another side to this.

 

I think something is missing too, otherwise there would not be such confusion here.

 

No internet? Yet had some. How is she posting with us? No revelation of their location. Why not question when she saw her cruise charge disappear. Was it commercial or military aircraft (who would fly with standby if they have a ship to meet).

 

I've booked on a Thursday night for a Saturday cruise. Granted, my docs showed up Saturday, but they were there to print out (quite a relief as I like my papers in hand)

 

The OP has disappeared rather than answer us. Oh, wait, maybe the internet disappeared! :eek:

[ColinIllinois]

.............

Does anyone know if NCL requires proof of military service at or soon after time of booking when booking military rates? All I have seen mentioned on the website is must have ID at check in, but typically some form of proof is required to be attached to the booking with other cruise lines. But even if that was a problem, the person they booked with would have clearly told them what they had to provide not simply canceled the reservation after 15 minutes...................

 

 

 

I'm retired military and have taken advantage of the small military discount that is offered on certain sailings. Never once have I been asked for my I.D.

[NLH Arizona]

I really don't think anyone is "doubting her story".

 

What is unexplained is:

Why was her booking cancelled 16 minutes after making it?

Why was she able to receive emails, but unable to do some other stuff online?

 

The real issue here is that she traveled thought she had a confirmed reservation when in reality she did not for reasons that we do not know.

OP said she had a confirmation email from NCL, but did she have a copy of her paid reservation which would have been attached....I think that is very telling with regard to this story. It would have show her reservation number, her cabin number and that the cruise was paid for.

[kgymn]

I'm retired military and have taken advantage of the small military discount that is offered on certain sailings. Never once have I been asked for my I.D.

 

Good to know. They actually have a very nice military discount for the cruise we are planning to book this week, definitely not small. Perhaps we will be asked for ID since the discount is pretty generous.

 

~Katy

[DevCruise]

I suspect that the OP has a cancellation email from NCL in her inbox or maybe their spam folder. I've cancelled many NCL reservations and a notification is automatically generated upon the reservation being cancelled.

[electro]

I think something is missing too, otherwise there would not be such confusion here.

 

No internet? Yet had some. Possibly used a TA who printed the confirmation for her.? How is she posting with us? back home now or in a hotel, why does it matter? No revelation of their location. Why does that matter? Why not question when she saw her cruise charge disappear. It disappeared after the ship sailed. Was it commercial or military aircraft (who would fly with standby if they have a ship to meet). Why does this matter?

 

I've booked on a Thursday night for a Saturday cruise. Granted, my docs showed up Saturday, but they were there to print out (quite a relief as I like my papers in hand) I would assume that she was on her way to the ship on the sailing date, not sitting at home waiting for her docs.

The OP has disappeared rather than answer us. Oh, wait, maybe the internet disappeared! :eek:

I'm not the OP but I'm confused by some of your question. They seem to have no relevance to NCL canceling their reservation.

comments above in red.

 

electro

[missintuitive]

Point taken regarding the military fights. However, my point remains that ncl exhibited poor customer service when they cancelled the cruise (15 min after booking with no email) and at the port. As far as checking in online before the cruise, it's optional. This is true for all cruise lines, as I've explored booking on various lines. No cruise line will cancel you for not filling out edocs before the cruise. That would cut their bottom line bc everyone is not Internet savvy. I've travelled with family in a different cabin who did not fill out their edocs before the cruise. It took them longer to register the day of the cruise but with the randomness of the lines to board they took more time to check in but boarded before me. Plus, I've been praised on two different lines at the terminals for having everything filled out ahead of time. There are always two sides to a story but why kick someone when they are down. Also, operational experience counts and there are data points that show that type of lost reservation has happened before (and thus the reference to the B2b case).

Edited March 1, 2015 by missintuitive

[SeaShark]

I'm so surprised at the apparent lack of empathy for a fellow cruiser by some who responded. It appears as if some ppl cannot admit that sometimes cruiselines get it wrong. This is an extreme case and the company should have provided an extreme solution (or compensation) but to not acknowledge that it even happened is egregious. Clearly, the military mom didn't get a cancellation notice so there is fault on behalf of ncl there. At a minimum, ncl should keep you up to date on your status (ie email if you're booked, email when you're payed in full, email especially if you or ncl cancels). It's called simple customer service. Plus, I take it that folks are not aware that military families can fly standby on military airplanes for free or at a very low cost (that's a major perk for military families) so I doubt there were any last minute flights booked on a commercial airline. I have cruised Disney and carnival and I'm booked for my first NCL cruise. I would be mortified if this happened to me.

 

I would take to social media, and maybe the regular news, to get my story out there. I bet the evening news would be chomping at their bits to have a story like this about a military family with two cute small children. It really is a nightmare!

 

First, this is a discussion forum...not a support group. Empathy based on one side of a story is not why this board exists.

 

People here do NOT have a problem pointing out that a cruise line (NCL included) makes a mistake. However, most do wait for all of the facts before passing judgment.

 

How do we know...for a verifiable FACT...that the OP in this case did not book through a Travel Agent? How do we know that it was the Travel Agent who did not notify the OP that the cruise was cancelled within 15 minutes? IF that occurred, then it is the Travel Agent at fault and NOT the cruise line.

 

It is often best to hear BOTH sides of an issue BEFORE passing judgment...especially if your "go to" action is to jump on the social media/local news soapbox.

 

 

 

Consider: Like any cruise line, or other business, NCL exists to earn a profit for their owners/shareholders. What possible gain could come to NCL if the OP's version of this story is the complete truth? Why on earth would they want paying customers to show up at the pier only to turn them away with a complete refund?

[CasinoCruzGirl]

I thought I would add something else it seems the OP had a GTY cabin in which case it states that sometimes a cabin number can be given AT the PIER you do not have to have your cabin number before you get to the pier if booked a GTY maybe this was the case people are reading way too much into this. It seems pretty cut and dry to me that there was a problem and the OP did nothing wrong.