Platinum Member with Bed Bugs on Epic 3/15/15

[shealea]

Sounds to me like the wife is a drama queen.

 

Those were my exact thoughts. The OP should have never written some of the things he did in his complaint letter. It made them sound kind of crazy and hard to deal with!

[newmexicoNita]

I honestly wish bed bugs on some of you people....your responses are insane.

 

Bed bugs are a blood sucking parasite, not a simple bug to be ignored. In addition to leaving very painful ugly bites, they also have the possibility of spreading disease. They also infect all the clothing you bring putting your home at risk after your trip.

 

It is in no way acceptable for a hotel or a cruise ship to expect ANY PERSON to stay in a room with these bugs.

 

Things like comparing a stay on a cruise ship to camping is pure stupidity, and anyone that responded as such should be ashamed.

 

I will leave you with some reading on Bed bugs spreading disease:

 

http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/news_releases/2014/11/levy/

 

6&8

 

Has anyone suggested a person who is bothered by what might be a bed bug should stay in that room? Of course not. did NCL do everything possible to accomodate the OP and his wife? Yes, that should be the end of it. In no way could anyone expect NCL to do anything more and yes, like it or not we all come in contact from time to time with bugs. I haven't heard of many bb carrying disease. Yes, you quoted or referred to an article; we all know if you search hard enough you can find an article or study to support any view. What about getting bit by a mosquito when waiting for your car just outside a resort, is the resort responsible for the mosquitos? How about the miserable sand fleas on some beaches, is the beach responsible because there are no signs that say: beware of invisable sand flies? We could go on and on. Yes, bb are a bad thing, but stuff happens!!!

 

If anyone thinks finding the possibility of a bb bite the first day of a vacation, with apparently anymore or only a few other bites can ruin an entire vacation they are letting their imagine run away with them or the individual is dwelling on the negative. The OP did lose about 1/2 day of his day at sea. That should have been it.

Edited March 24, 2015 by newmexicoNita

[GorillaPaper]

Having stayed in hotel and finding bed bugs in my bed in the morning (In South Beach, after a cruise), I can relate to how disturbing it is. While the circumstances are a little different, I think the compensation given was quite sufficient. In my case, the hotel did not charge us for the room, however the manager implied several times that we must have brought them and argued with me over reimbursing us for dry cleaning. It was a bad end to a nice vacation as we then had to sort through our clothing in the garage and put it in plastic bags to be dry cleaned. Thankfully we didn't bring them home with us as they are EXTREMELY difficult to get rid of. This particular hotel even went as far as sending me an invoice for a pest inspection of that particular room (right, they just invoiced that room - clearly doctored!) the day before we stayed...I still don't buy it.

 

I think the OP got a new more acceptable room and monetary compensation AND their clothes cleaned. It is terrible to have to deal with and sad to lose hours of your vacation, but fair. Afterall, another cruiser brought them in and NCL has to take the blame for it. They may not have known they were even there as bedbugs hide pretty well.

[sjbdtz]

- from Yogi Berra

 

patronius your right, I just assumed most people knew that.

 

To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many, is research!

 

 

 

Yup..bugs are everywhere but I dont get into bed at night, particularly on vacation, pulling up the covers, thinking, 'bugs are everywhere' or 'maybe I will see a bed bug tonight'.

 

So yes, when I saw the first bed bug crawl across the top sheet, I was shocked and could not believe it. I really dont think anyone would not be initially shocked or wonder, what the ###.

 

People who travel frequently tend to check the beds & luggage racks before settling into the room. I always go through the layers of bedding, down to the mattress, and then lift the mattress from the box-spring to look not for bugs, but for traces of bugs' feces, etc.

 

Until then I leave my luggage on a tiled area which I can visually see to be bug-free.

 

 

.

[meggie711]

VIP treatment onboard costs the cruise line virtually nothing. It's an easy and effective way to smooth over tensions in a situation like this. If you have ever had to deal with an infestation of bed bugs you might feel differently. VIP treatment would be absolutely warranted in this situation, especially considering that according to the OP's letter, it was confirmed by the ship's pest control staff that bed bugs were present. So it wasn't a question of "if", but how bad. I'm not even going to get into the PR aspect of the situation. Lets just say that no hospitality company wants a reputation of their ships or hotels/resorts having issues with bed bugs. It's a PR nightmare.

 

I don't think the OP's complaints were limited to the bedbugs, although I do actually know how frustrating something like that can be. He's also complaining about chips in the sink. Just strikes a bit of a nerve with people who feel entitled to compensation because the ship was crowded, or there's a minor item needing cosmetic repair. Read John Heald's FB page for one day and see the people demanding compensation and perks just for walking the earth. It gets incredibly old. Do I feel this person deserves VIP status and perks because his panties got in a wad, although it would be easy for the cruise line to do? Nope, sorry.

[Brandywine_101]

The OP has a right to be upset, I hate bugs! I'm fanatical about them. If I find a bug in the house - never-mind my bed, first I start with the itching and then cleaning everything. His wife sounds like she may have OCD or be a hypochondriac. And I don't mean that disrespectfully. But he does make her sound like a basket case in the letter. And I agree he should have just stuck with the bed bugs as the issue. Crowds on a cruise ship that can hold 2000-4000 people is to be expected. Even bed bugs - sadly, can happen. I think though for me, and it sounds like for the OP too, is the lack of empathy he received from "customer service". They should have been bending over backwards with apologies, with shock of finding bed bugs, with disgrace over the uncleanliness of the stateroom and should have made him feel like HIS problems were THEIR problems... after all, isn't that what these cruise lines boast? Service, pampering, effortless leisure. If I woke up with CONFIRMED bed bug bites, I wouldn't feel so pampered. That probably would have gone a long way with the OP and his wife, and they would have accepted the new room (if it were clean) and perhaps an offer of $200 obc without him having to ask. If they had done that, he'd probably been satisfied because he would have felt "heard" by the people who promised him a great cruise. And would have felt they at least cared about his issues and tried to fix them. I hope he does at least get a reply to his email because I doubt he'll get - or is entitled to - more tangible compensation.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Brandywine_101

[Brandywine_101]

I agree with you to a certain degree. But who are you to say what is traumatic to someone else? I'm sure there is a name for people who are deathly afraid of bugs, if there is, that's ME! I realize they're smaller than me, but I hate them! The thought of them makes my skin literally craw and itch. Then comes the hives. I don't go camping or to picnic or any other place that attracts bugs. I know that sounds dramatic and I know bugs are a part of life, but unless you feel this way, you wouldn't - couldn't understand. I feel like if I don't go where the bugs are, they damn sure shouldn't be in MY BED! Still, I agree he was as compensated as could be. There was nothing else NCL could have done, except genuinely apologize and make a real effort to allay his/her concerns.

[vicocala]

Please note the red highlights in my post above. I did say, and the CDC says, that it can be only one day, or it can be up to 14 days. What I am questioning is the statement that the woman felt the bites after a couple of hours napping.

 

If you don't believe the CDC's physicians (maybe a government conspiracy), how about the American Academy of Dermatologists, who say virtually the same thing? Even Orkin says the same thing.

 

I repeat they are wrong. Saying something can happen is pretty weak. Almost anything in the world can happen. Your comment has the implication that they lied, I am saying it did happen, to me, not that it could happen.

[chengkp75]

I repeat they are wrong. Saying something can happen is pretty weak. Almost anything in the world can happen. Your comment has the implication that they lied, I am saying it did happen, to me, not that it could happen.

 

I'm not saying they lied, I'm saying that they were most likely bitten before boarding, and did not notice the bite until they were onboard. But, if you know better than the epidemiologists and dermatologists who study this, then fine. I won't argue it and take the thread sideways.

[vicocala]

I'm not saying they lied, I'm saying that they were most likely bitten before boarding, and did not notice the bite until they were onboard. But, if you know better than the epidemiologists and dermatologists who study this, then fine. I won't argue it and take the thread sideways.

 

Yes, I do know, because that is what happened. I do think NCL did do what they could to alleviate the situation. The bed I used was heavily infested so that may explain the quick reaction.

[patri10719]

First of all I am shocked by what some people think of me on this board. First of all I am a real person with a real issue. I never complain about anything unless I have a true gripe. You calling my wife a drama queen is despicable. How would you like it if I called your spouse a drama queen. My wife and I were totally frustrated by the lack of CUSTOMER SERVICE from NCL and apologies from NCL.

 

Put yourself into my shoes..and ask yourself what you do? If you have bed bugs what would you want? If this is your first cruise and you have bed bugs would you want to come back?

 

I am not asking for the world except for a CLEAN room and a relaxing vacation. A Cruise is not camping or staying outside...it is a floating hotel. What is wrong with asking for a clean room. Twice we had stains on the bed, once when we walked into the room and the second after the first night. Those stains was blood from bed bugs.

 

We did not bring any bed bugs in from outside. We left our house on Saturday morning, and stayed at the Conrad Hilton in downtown Miami. This is a 5 star hotel.

 

You may think every time to look for bed bugs in a room, but as someone that has stayed in 75-100 nights in a hotel room every year I do not. I look at cleanliness of the room. For example, I have had old hair in rooms and complained and it is always taken care of in the room by housekeeping. They asked if I want a new room, I just said to make sure the room is clean. Even for hair I would get additional points and a huge apology from the front desk manager. Bed Bugs are completely worst.

 

The SR Pest Control person for the entire ship confirmed bed bugs from signs of the room FIRST while we were in the Medical Center, then looked at our legs second. He confirmed signs of them.

 

The second room had chips in the sink and was noisy. We could have been fine with a chipped sink but not noise and vibrations in the floor.

 

Yes I have cruised NCL, RCI, Celebrity, Carnival before in previous relationships. Does that make me bad or wrong....NO so get over that. I mentioned being Platinum with NCL because of my loyalty to them. I like NCL and there product but not this time.

 

The reason I took what they gave me at the time was because I was tired of dealing with them on the ship. They are not empowered to do anything except email Miami.

 

This should be a TEACHABLE moment for NCL. You should want a clean room. The only reason I mention the other issues is to let NCL know of the other issues. Did I go into too much detail about them NO..I am telling them my story. They should have been bending over backwards to make sure I was happy as this is my vacation and I paid for it.

 

Again before you blast me again...ask yourself what would you have done differently if you were in my shoes? Do you not expect a bug free and clean room?

[Demonyte]

Again before you blast me again...ask yourself what would you have done differently if you were in my shoes? Do you not expect a bug free and clean room?

 

 

You did get a bug free and clean room. You did get laundry done for free. You did get $500 compensation for the trouble.

 

And still you are complaining.

 

P.S. Even 5-star hotels have bed bugs because people move them around unknowingly - hotel being 5-star does not guarantee that there are no bed bugs hidden after previous guests.

[chengkp75]

"Twice we had stains on the bed, once when we walked into the room and the second after the first night. Those stains was blood from bed bugs"

 

In your first post you mentioned the stain on the duvet as 3" in diameter. That had to be the world's largest bed bug to defecate that much. And of course, because the hotel you stayed in was a 5-star hotel, they couldn't have had bed bugs. A quick search shows a Miami 5 star hotel that had bed bugs in 2010. The Hilton Miami Downtown (not the Conrad Miami) had three reports of bed bugs. And the Hilton New York in midtown had 39 reports.

 

You were given a clean and bug free cabin. You chose not to take it. Had you booked that cabin initially (I believe you said it was the same category), would you have requested a new room because of noise and vibration?

[punkincc]

First of all, no one on this board can know or verify whether or not you had bed bugs or do anything about it if you did. What is your reason for posting here? Why not just send your letter to NCL and wait for their response?

 

NCL a gave you what you asked for, a new room, and rightly so. And $500 for your loss of a day or so, and cleaned clothing. What they cannot do is turn back the clock and make this never happen. They cannot, nor can any Hotel on the planet make sure this never happens. As others here have stated, the prudent thing to do is to be proactive and find the little buggers before they find you. Do you know how prevalent bedbugs are in the world? They were brought on board by someone, at some point. It has nothing to do with having lax cleaning procedures. Even hospitals can get them despite their rigorous cleaning procedures. And yes, even the 5 Star Conrad Hilton can and I'm sure has had them at some point. No point in starting the argument again, but the possibility exists that you brought them with you from the Hilton. You might send them a strongly worded letter as well.

 

You have all my sympathy for what happened. But it is one of those things in life that no one can do anything about. So you might ask yourself, exactly what more is it that you want from NCL at this point?

[SissasMomE]

First of all I am shocked by what some people think of me on this board. First of all I am a real person with a real issue. I never complain about anything unless I have a true gripe. You calling my wife a drama queen is despicable. How would you like it if I called your spouse a drama queen. My wife and I were totally frustrated by the lack of CUSTOMER SERVICE from NCL and apologies from NCL.

 

Put yourself into my shoes..and ask yourself what you do? If you have bed bugs what would you want? If this is your first cruise and you have bed bugs would you want to come back?

 

I am not asking for the world except for a CLEAN room and a relaxing vacation. A Cruise is not camping or staying outside...it is a floating hotel. What is wrong with asking for a clean room. Twice we had stains on the bed, once when we walked into the room and the second after the first night. Those stains was blood from bed bugs.

 

We did not bring any bed bugs in from outside. We left our house on Saturday morning, and stayed at the Conrad Hilton in downtown Miami. This is a 5 star hotel.

 

You may think every time to look for bed bugs in a room, but as someone that has stayed in 75-100 nights in a hotel room every year I do not. I look at cleanliness of the room. For example, I have had old hair in rooms and complained and it is always taken care of in the room by housekeeping. They asked if I want a new room, I just said to make sure the room is clean. Even for hair I would get additional points and a huge apology from the front desk manager. Bed Bugs are completely worst.

 

The SR Pest Control person for the entire ship confirmed bed bugs from signs of the room FIRST while we were in the Medical Center, then looked at our legs second. He confirmed signs of them.

 

The second room had chips in the sink and was noisy. We could have been fine with a chipped sink but not noise and vibrations in the floor.

 

Yes I have cruised NCL, RCI, Celebrity, Carnival before in previous relationships. Does that make me bad or wrong....NO so get over that. I mentioned being Platinum with NCL because of my loyalty to them. I like NCL and there product but not this time.

 

The reason I took what they gave me at the time was because I was tired of dealing with them on the ship. They are not empowered to do anything except email Miami.

 

This should be a TEACHABLE moment for NCL. You should want a clean room. The only reason I mention the other issues is to let NCL know of the other issues. Did I go into too much detail about them NO..I am telling them my story. They should have been bending over backwards to make sure I was happy as this is my vacation and I paid for it.

 

Again before you blast me again...ask yourself what would you have done differently if you were in my shoes? Do you not expect a bug free and clean room?

 

I believe you ... I just think your letter to NCL had way too many "issues" in it. You should have just stuck to the bed bugs, otherwise, it looks like you are complaining about every little thing.

Edited March 24, 2015 by SissasMomE

[CAnative1]

You calling my wife a drama queen is despicable. How would you like it if I called your spouse a drama queen. She very well may not be, but you certainly painted that picture for us.

 

My wife and I were totally frustrated by the lack of CUSTOMER SERVICE from NCL and apologies from NCL. they may have felt frustrated by the way you approached if you came in yelling and (in your own words) demanding

 

 

 

 

Platinum with NCL because of my loyalty to them. so why mention platinum at marriott? seems more of an entitlement thing

 

 

They should have been bending over backwards and kiss your rear end? maybe that would have made you happy

 

Do you not expect a bug free and clean room?of course we all expect that... but there are ways to go about it.

 

 

just my two cents

[welove2cruise*]

personally i think they should hit those bed bugs with an increased dsc and a 18% auto gratuity , that will run them off.

 

 

lol

[eroller]

First of all I am shocked by what some people think of me on this board.

 

 

Don't be shocked. This is Cruise Critic after all. Unfortunately what you will get on here is people attempting to protect "their" cruise line at all costs, and in the process do everything possible to discredit you. They will pick apart your story, practically call you a liar, boast of how unprofessional your letter is, accuse you of stirring the pot because you only have one post, etc. etc. Frankly I'm surprised you even came back to explain yourself. Why bother? Honestly it's not worth it and you certainly don't need the buy-in or acceptance of anonymous strangers on a message board. I assume you made your original post so others can hopefully learn from your experience.

 

I can empathize with you, and whether or not I like your letter or think you received too much or too little compensation is completely irreverent. Only you went through what you did and only you know the complete facts of your situation. Everyone else commenting is pure speculation.

 

I do hope your final outcome will be satisfactory. Bed bugs are not something to mess with and yes they can absolutely spoil an entire vacation. Anyone who has actually dealt with them knows this to be true. Good luck!

[sfaaa]

I don't know why you are so upset. For $500 cash, I would gladly let some bedbugs feast on me for one night. What room # on Epic is that again? May as well cash in on this epic opportunity and cruise for cheap.

[Loucat]

I wanted you to know about the issues I had aboard the Epic this past week related to customer service specially around bed bugs. I sent this letter to NCL both to the socialmedia and Andrew Stuart email address directly. I will let you know what I hear from them.

 

 

 

To whom it may concern:

 

I want to advise you of my concerns and issues that I had aboard the Norwegian Epic out of Miami on March 15-March 22nd 2015. This is in relations to bed bugs in our cabin. As a Latitudes Platinum member and my first cruise for my wife we were excited to be aboard this ship and cruise. Our reservation number is XXXXXXXX. We were assigned a Mini Suite, Cabin category MX Cabin number 8052.

 

When we got aboard on March 15th and in our room we noticed a large stain, roughly 3 inches in diameter, on our Duvet Cover. We contacted our Housekeeper, Carol, which she promptly changed it. My wife is very clean conscious and she did not feel that the room was clean at all. She could tell it was very dusty and it bothered her nose and allergies. She had to clean and wipe some of the stains off the counter. Before we left Miami on Sunday the 15th she took a nap in the bed. She noticed that she got bitten by what she thought at the time was a mosquito or some other bug in the port.

 

On the next morning, Monday March 16, which was a sea day. She noticed she had a couple of more bites on her skin. I did not have any bite marks yet. She did notice on the top sheet, 3 small blood stains on my side of the bed. I immediately went down to Guest Relations and wanted to speak to someone about the cleanliness of our room. The Guest Relations person stated to me that the supervisor for deck 8 would meet me at our room. I met him at my cabin and showed him the blood on the sheet, and stated to him that the room never felt clean or smelt clean. I stated to him about the Duvet Cover on our bed from yesterday as well. He got Carol to thoroughly clean our room, and it appeared to be better.

 

On Tuesday morning the 17th, I woke up around 8am and had 3 bite marks on both of my legs. As you can imagine I was not happy about the situation. I immediately went down to Guest Relations again and stated to them I wanted to speak to the Hotel Director and stated we had bed bugs. They would not get them, but stated to me they would contact the supervisor and pest control. Guest Relations asked if we wanted to go the Medical Center. I met the same 8th floor supervisor and stated to him that we have bed bugs. After I met him, my wife and I went to the Medical Center, and they looked at our bites with no conclusion but gave us some anti-bite cream.

 

We went back to our cabin, and met with Carol, the 8th floor supervisor, and the Sr Pest Control. They had room turned upside down, and stated to us there were signs of bed bugs in our room. The pest control guy used a UV light on our legs and said yes they were bed bug bites. They were going to call Guest Relations and get us another room. I asked about our clothes, and the pest control guy said all of it should go to laundry. I should not have to ask about our clothes at all. During this time we had to separate our dry cleaning and regular clothes into 2 separate piles. I had to send all of our shoes, and suitcases because we did not know where they could be, and I am not taking them home or to our next room.

 

 

Once we separated our clothes, count them, and fill out our laundry sheets we had to finish packing the little stuff we still had. At this time we were only wearing the clothes on our back. A Guest Services Supervisor came down and just literally gave us our keys for our new room, which was another Mini-Suite. They stated they could not give us an upgrade to anything, as they did not have anything else to give us. I tried to ask her about compensation and she would not even talk about it. We went to the other Mini-Suite at 8055, and we had issues with this room as well. It was very noisy, and had lots of vibrations in the floor. The sink was chipped in two places and was completely unacceptable. My wife would never be able to sleep in such a noisy room. How hard is it to replace a sink?

 

We both went back down to Guest Relations and demanded to speak to the Hotel Director. We talked to Bon Villauz, General Manager Front Desk. I stated to her the entire situation from once we got on board to now. I stated to her no one has ever wanted to talk about compensation, or make us happy. I stated to her that in over 1,500 nights in hotel rooms in my life I have never had bed bugs. I am lifetime Platinum with Marriott, and I am only 38 years old. I have been to over 40+ countries around the world. I made the comment, if I was on land I my entire stay would be free. She said what if there was no other rooms at that hotel. At that point in my head I thought this is basically a prison because I am trapped and have to live with whatever she decides to give me. I stated to her that no one wants to talk about compensation either, and she states she has to contact the main office about it. She is not even empowered to do anything either, which is completely unacceptable.

 

Bon said there was no other rooms in my category or higher available. The only thing that was available was a balcony room or an interior room. I said we would look at it, and she took us to room 12009, which is a large balcony category B6. This balcony was not open to the entire outside, and was basically an exterior window. We went to it and said it appeared to be cleaner than the other room and we had no choice to take it. We went by the original room that she gave us to change which was 8055 and showed her the issues.

 

She stated that she would help us with our stuff to move, and that she would get us our keys. She helped us move our stuff and we were tired and hungry at this time. We went upstairs and had some lunch, and went downstairs to get our keys. At this time it was almost 2pm, completely exhausted, and lost our entire sea day for rest and relaxation. We have been dealing with this since 8am-2pm. We did not get our clothes back until around 5pm from laundry.

 

We heard from Bon the next day about our “compensation”. She stated to us we would get a $50 credit for each of us for the small room, and a 25% off a future cruise. I laughed inside and told her that is completely unacceptable. I could never see myself taking NCL ever again, especially after all of this. I do not even think my wife would ever cruise again after this ordeal. She stated that she would get back to me. I heard from her 2 days later and she said she would give me a total of $500 in credit. This is from the initial 50 per person for the “downgrade” and 200 per person for the issue. We were tired of dealing with this and just took it. We wanted to get off the ship at our first stop in Jamaica and go home but how could we?

 

My wife had emotional distress during the entire cruise and had a hard time sleeping the rest of the cruise. She thought there were bugs crawling on her and since this is her first cruise she stated to me it would be very difficult for her to try it again.

 

I want you to know what we lost and what you have lost. We lost 1 full sea day, downgrade of our cabin, emotional distress from my wife. You have lost a Platinum member. I feel like your company and everyone that we were dealing with did not care and want to take care of US the customer. I feel like customer service is not number 1 at your company.

 

This does not include any of the other issues related to this ship, including way to many people, people fighting over chairs on the pool deck and at the buffet, lots of stress on board, no free deck chairs on the pool deck. We could never enjoy the pool deck on the sea days. Everyone we talked to onboard seemed to have issues with this ship and the stress they were under as well.

 

I expect some kind of additional compensation, and some additional resolution with this matter.

 

I will be posting this letter on Cruise Critic.

 

Hate to say this but Marriott Platinum members in my experience have also been exposed to scabies and norovirus; not sure which is worse IMHO.

This happens in hotels as well as cruise ships.

I do not deny in anyway the distress of your experience but do not rely on your fortunate past ventures.

The bugs are there and will remain without careful attention to cleaning procedures on ships and onshore.

[maywell]

Sorry you had bed bugs - that would petrify me too. Considering the ship was nearly fully booked, it nice that they were able to at least switch rooms for you and your spouse. Might not be the ideal room you wanted but at least they were trying to be accommodating considering the circumstances. I'm actually surprise they gave you $500 in credit and would be even more shocked if they gave you full refund but I don't think they even give that to people that die on the ship and their survivors.

 

It would help your letter more to remove the many times your wife was emotional distress and its her 1st time along with not going again (not to sound so rude, I got it the 1st 2 times, you can stop beating it over one's head). Your age doesn't matter unless your elderly / handicap and remove the references that has nothing to do with bed bugs nor the room such as overcrowded sundeck /pool - you need to stay on topic and be concise as possible because right now it reads like a melodramatic short story and not letter for demand of refund / compensation.

 

Again, condolences that happen to you - May your trip wherever it maybe, is more satisfying than this.

[AZ ParrotHead]

The OP has achieved his goal. This thread is on the first page of the NCL boards and has been there for a while. By now, someone at NCL has read it. We will never know the outcome but the impression had been made that there may be an issue on the Epic. That's a very powerful message sent.

 

As for the complaint: for what it's worth, I'm as well traveled as he says he is and I can tell you that any hotel manager at a major brand will take the threat of bed bugs very very seriously. It's a revenue issue for the hotel.

 

We have all taken many cruises and we know that the training at many levels of the ship system does not provide the employee with the ability to think outside the box. Ships are large institutions with thousands of employees. Overcoming the bureaucracy is very difficult when there are service recovery issues.

 

If the story is as described by OP it was a "perfect storm" of poor management, bad decision making on the ship's part, and poor communication on both the OP and NCL.

[Kayloves]

Don't be shocked. This is Cruise Critic after all. Unfortunately what you will get on here is people attempting to protect "their" cruise line at all costs, and in the process do everything possible to discredit you. They will pick apart your story, practically call you a liar, boast of how unprofessional your letter is, accuse you of stirring the pot because you only have one post, etc. etc. Frankly I'm surprised you even came back to explain yourself. Why bother? Honestly it's not worth it and you certainly don't need the buy-in or acceptance of anonymous strangers on a message board. I assume you made your original post so others can hopefully learn from your experience.

 

 

 

I can empathize with you, and whether or not I like your letter or think you received too much or too little compensation is completely irreverent. Only you went through what you did and only you know the complete facts of your situation. Everyone else commenting is pure speculation.

 

 

 

I do hope your final outcome will be satisfactory. Bed bugs are not something to mess with and yes they can absolutely spoil an entire vacation. Anyone who has actually dealt with them knows this to be true. Good luck!

 

 

 

Very nice response Eroller.

OP, sorry to hear of your challenges while on vacation. Sounds really unpleasant. Hope your next vaca is more peaceful.

[Windy56]

Don't be shocked. This is Cruise Critic after all. Unfortunately what you will get on here is people attempting to protect "their" cruise line at all costs, and in the process do everything possible to discredit you. They will pick apart your story, practically call you a liar, boast of how unprofessional your letter is, accuse you of stirring the pot because you only have one post, etc. etc. Frankly I'm surprised you even came back to explain yourself. Why bother? Honestly it's not worth it and you certainly don't need the buy-in or acceptance of anonymous strangers on a message board. I assume you made your original post so others can hopefully learn from your experience.

 

I can empathize with you, and whether or not I like your letter or think you received too much or too little compensation is completely irreverent. Only you went through what you did and only you know the complete facts of your situation. Everyone else commenting is pure speculation.

 

I do hope your final outcome will be satisfactory. Bed bugs are not something to mess with and yes they can absolutely spoil an entire vacation. Anyone who has actually dealt with them knows this to be true. Good luck!

 

Ahhhhh, a voice of reason. How refreshing and civil. To the original poster, thank you for your contribution. This is the kind of post that I find informative. I feel for the next guests who have to occupy that cabin and those near it.

[hypercafe]

I really feel for your experience as if it had happened to me my wife would of made us leave the ship at the next port regardless of cost!!! They moved you to the only room they could, made sure your cloths were free of bugs and gave you 500$. Although I wasn't there I bet many people said they were sorry. What additional things would you like?