Breakaway Hurricane News 10/9

[Obsessedwithplanning]

Things have been crazy since we returned so I too am just getting to reading all the posts. My family of 4 was on the 10/9 sailing.

 

First, I completely understand weather happens and you have to roll with it. I did not book because of ‘cheap rates’ as some have claimed but rather it was an extended long weekend so my kids missed less school. And NYC meant no airfair.

 

I understand not going to Bermuda and am glad for that decision, but yes was disappointed as it was to be our first trip there. This is our 5th cruise, 2nd on NCL.

 

I do not fault NCL for the rerouting nor expect a huge credit while staying on board. I did however expect better communication and service.

 

Problems:

They waited until all were on board to announce the delay and even later that night to announce the new ports. They surely knew earlier and we should have been told at check in.

The new ports stunk but the times there were horrible. We went from planning for 2.5 days on land to having less than 15 hours total. It was not enough time to do anything or really go anywhere. As for Nassau it is horribly unsafe after dark. Even the daily warned us to be extra careful. That is not the vacation I booked or expected.

The credit per cabin was unfair and insufficient for the change. It should have been an amount per person. And it was non-refundable and couldn’t even be used for gratuities. At least if it could have been I would have felt they actually gave us something for compensation. We had the dining and beverage plan already. So basically we used it to buy the overpriced photo package.

 

On top of all the crankiness we had trouble with the kids club and then the carpeting fiasco. I mean really….couldn’t they have delayed the carpeting a week or do it at night. But no…continue to make people crankier.

 

Overall, it was a family vacation so we made the best of it. The food was good, although not very warm at the breakfast in the buffet. The specialty dining was very good. Shows were good but some hard to get into. Activities were good and the ropes course was fun. The mini-suite was bigger than expected, and the shower was awesome. The weather was hit or miss unfortunately. But we were together and not at work/school so we stayed positive.

 

When home the frustration continued though. During my trip to complain (politely) at guest services they gave me a business card and said they couldn’t help but I should call that number when home to file a complaint. So I tried. Night one after 25 minutes on hold I gave up. Night two after 52 minutes on hold I finally reached a person. She was incredibly nice but then said that she had no idea why the ship staff did that as all complaints had to be sent in writing via the website.. Night two and three I tried the website contact us form but received a page unavailable message when trying to submit. Night four and another 47 minutes on hold got me another person that was able to finally help me file a complaint. I’m told it will take roughly 15 business days for someone to get back to me. And there is one person assigned to the Breakaway and right now he is flooded…well that is no surprise. One person assigned to a ship holding almost 4000 seems insane though.

 

So I wait. No idea what he will say. Only hope they do truly get back to me.

We had trip insurance, but we didn’t know if it would cover anything if we left after checkin. I need to look into it better.

 

Overall, I like Royal much better and this cruise did leave a negative impression of NCL.

[scandst]

Hello. Which clause did you use for your insurance? I am looking at my insurance now to see if it applies. Thanks for the post. I would not have thought about the insurance!

[carads]

Sorry, just finally had time after getting back to read through posts. I have Nationwide Travel Insurance. They offer coverage for itinerary changes. (This coverage is not available to residents of certain states due to state law - my state luckily is not one of them)

 

 

 

https://travel.nationwide.com/plans-cruise-universal.html

 

 

 

This is my first time actually having to file a claim, so I can't yet attest to how good they are. I submitted it 3 days ago so we shall see!

 

 

Thanks for your post. My wife and I are sailing on Breakaway on Sunday and also have Nationwide insurance with an itinerary change clause but didn't realize we do. I just called and they emailed me the form to file when we return and can prove we actually went on the cruise. They said the benefit is per person. It would have been third stop at Great Stirrup Cay, one cruise they couldn't tender, so we weren't too upset but getting some compensation when we get back sounds good to me.

 

 

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[MICHLEV1974]

I haven't chimed in here yet... Things seemed to have settled down...

 

We were on the phone with NCL starting from the somewhat suspicious announcement at 3pm about no Bermuda, staying in NYC. I say suspicious because it was just too coincidental that they announced this once everyone was on board... But, whatever...

 

.

 

what is suspicious about it? i mean, you had to know before you boarded that there were 2 hurricanes in the Atlantic, and one that they were watching to have a direct hit to Bermuda. what's suspicious is that you boarded the ship knowing all of this. it's not like it was a pop up hurricane....not following your take on this..

[wdsted]

People, let it go and move on. You let this ruin your vacation and your anger and indignation doesn't make it better.

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

Hello. Which clause did you use for your insurance? I am looking at my insurance now to see if it applies. Thanks for the post. I would not have thought about the insurance!

 

Enhanced Trip Cancellation Protection

In the event you choose to cancel for a noninsured reason at any time up until departure and you have purchased BookSafeTravel Protection Plan, you will receive a Norwegian Cruise Line cruise credit equal to 75% of the penalty amount imposed for your use toward a future cruise. If you purchased BookSafe Platinum Travel Protection Plan, you will receive a Norwegian Cruise Line cruise credit equal to 90% of the penalty amount imposed by Norwegian Cruise Line for use toward a future cruise. Certain restrictions on the use of these cruise credits may apply. To be eligible for credits, notification of cancellation must be given to Norwegian Cruise Line prior to the ship’s departure.

[optimusprime82]

what is suspicious about it? i mean, you had to know before you boarded that there were 2 hurricanes in the Atlantic, and one that they were watching to have a direct hit to Bermuda. what's suspicious is that you boarded the ship knowing all of this. it's not like it was a pop up hurricane....not following your take on this..

 

It's suspicious that in the days leading up to the departure date NCL had a weather advisory tab on their website that essentially said, "We're aware of the weather but everything looks cool." The morning of the sailing the website still said that. I know the weather didn't come out of nowhere but NCL sure acted like it did.

 

My wife, and this is just a rumor... NOT A FACT, heard from another another guest who was friends with some NCL employees on the Breakaway said the crew knew that morning we weren't sailing to Bermuda and they were sworn to secrecy. Again, that is what she heard from someone else, who could have been completely full of it.

 

I understand that NCL doesn't want to sail with a ship that's half empty but I don't believe for a minute that NCL didn't know until 3pm that they weren't going to Bermuda.

 

People, let it go and move on. You let this ruin your vacation and your anger and indignation doesn't make it better.

 

Sorry, I'm not letting it go or moving on. We made the best of it but it's not the trip we paid for... it's not even close.

 

I emailed Andy Stuart, President and Chief Operating Officer, and Vivian Ewart, Vice President of Passenger Services, the night of our unexpected stay in NYC. After a few emails to them my information was forwarded to the Guest Relations Coordinator of the Breakaway that told me that the "Executive Team" was reviewing all the complaints from that sailing and he would contact me when their review was complete. Unfortunately, that was a month ago and the Guest Relations Coordinator that Mr. Stuart's office put me in contact with never followed back up with me and won't return my calls.

 

I'm not going away and I'm not going to be ignored so I'm back to emailing Mr. Stuart and Ms. Ewart. Everything about this situation has been mishandled by NCL; how they notified the guests, the compensation, a NCL Customer Service Manager telling me to fly to my destination next time, and now refusing to return calls. I'm not going to let NCL off the hook.

Edited November 15, 2016 by optimusprime82

[mugtech]

It's suspicious that in the days leading up to the departure date NCL had a weather advisory tab on their website that essentially said, "We're aware of the weather but everything looks cool." The morning of the sailing the website still said that. I know the weather didn't come out of nowhere but NCL sure acted like it did.

 

My wife, and this is just a rumor... NOT A FACT, heard from another another guest who was friends with some NCL employees on the Breakaway said the crew knew that morning we weren't sailing to Bermuda and they were sworn to secrecy. Again, that is what she heard from someone else, who could have been completely full of it.

 

I understand that NCL doesn't want to sail with a ship that's half empty but I don't believe for a minute that NCL didn't know until 3pm that they weren't going to Bermuda.

 

 

 

Sorry, I'm not letting it go or moving on. We made the best of it but it's not the trip we paid for... it's not even close.

 

I emailed Andy Stuart, President and Chief Operating Officer, and Vivian Ewart, Vice President of Passenger Services, the night of our unexpected stay in NYC. After a few emails to them my information was forwarded to the Guest Relations Coordinator of the Breakaway that told me that the "Executive Team" was reviewing all the complaints from that sailing and he would contact me when their review was complete. Unfortunately, that was a month ago and the Guest Relations Coordinator that Mr. Stuart's office put me in contact with never followed back up with me and won't return my calls.

 

I'm not going away and I'm not going to be ignored so I'm back to emailing Mr. Stuart and Ms. Ewart. Everything about this situation has been mishandled by NCL; how they notified the guests, the compensation, a NCL Customer Service Manager telling me to fly to my destination next time, and now refusing to return calls. I'm not going to let NCL off the hook.

 

To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe

:D

[MICHLEV1974]

It's suspicious that in the days leading up to the departure date NCL had a weather advisory tab on their website that essentially said, "We're aware of the weather but everything looks cool." The morning of the sailing the website still said that. I know the weather didn't come out of nowhere but NCL sure acted like it did.

 

My wife, and this is just a rumor... NOT A FACT, heard from another another guest who was friends with some NCL employees on the Breakaway said the crew knew that morning we weren't sailing to Bermuda and they were sworn to secrecy. Again, that is what she heard from someone else, who could have been completely full of it.

 

I understand that NCL doesn't want to sail with a ship that's half empty but I don't believe for a minute that NCL didn't know until 3pm that they weren't going to Bermuda.

 

 

 

Sorry, I'm not letting it go or moving on. We made the best of it but it's not the trip we paid for... it's not even close.

 

I emailed Andy Stuart, President and Chief Operating Officer, and Vivian Ewart, Vice President of Passenger Services, the night of our unexpected stay in NYC. After a few emails to them my information was forwarded to the Guest Relations Coordinator of the Breakaway that told me that the "Executive Team" was reviewing all the complaints from that sailing and he would contact me when their review was complete. Unfortunately, that was a month ago and the Guest Relations Coordinator that Mr. Stuart's office put me in contact with never followed back up with me and won't return my calls.

 

I'm not going away and I'm not going to be ignored so I'm back to emailing Mr. Stuart and Ms. Ewart. Everything about this situation has been mishandled by NCL; how they notified the guests, the compensation, a NCL Customer Service Manager telling me to fly to my destination next time, and now refusing to return calls. I'm not going to let NCL off the hook.

 

It just makes me laugh that anyone on that sailing didn't know about the weather ahead of time. We are living in 2016 with apps, weather channel on every cable outlet, alerts, etc....why did anyone think that a cruise ship would have sailed to that destination before they even got on the ship that day or even a few days before?

 

The best part is the complaint that you thing will go somewhere. Corporate doesn't owe you anything. You got on a ship, it sailed, and brought you back without injury. Good luck with that.

[optimusprime82]

It just makes me laugh that anyone on that sailing didn't know about the weather ahead of time. We are living in 2016 with apps, weather channel on every cable outlet, alerts, etc....why did anyone think that a cruise ship would have sailed to that destination before they even got on the ship that day or even a few days before?

 

The best part is the complaint that you thing will go somewhere. Corporate doesn't owe you anything. You got on a ship, it sailed, and brought you back without injury. Good luck with that.

 

Are you being obtuse on purpose? No one has said they weren't aware of the weather. I'm pretty sure most people, like I said in my last post, said they were aware of it and were also checking the NCL website for updates. That website said "all good" until mid afternoon on the scheduled departure date. It's NCL's responsibility to provide updates, me looking at a weather app doesn't change a thing about how they chose to handle the situation.

 

If I'm traveling in December from Chicago to Miami by plane and it's snowing outside I would be checking the weather but until the airline says the flight is cancelled I'm going to assume the flight will depart as scheduled.

 

To take my analogy a step further... same situation as above... the airline wouldn't put me on a plane, make me sit on the runway overnight and then fly me to North Dakota and back. Then tell me to be happy about the experience because the plane was so nice and that we got back safely. I also doubt if I went over to FlyerTalk if people would scold the passengers for complaining like what happens here.

Edited November 15, 2016 by optimusprime82

[mugtech]

Are you being obtuse on purpose? No one has said they weren't aware of the weather. I'm pretty sure most people, like I said in my last post, said they were aware of it and were also checking the NCL website for updates. That website said "all good" until mid afternoon on the scheduled departure date. It's NCL's responsibility to provide updates, me looking at a weather app doesn't change a thing about how they chose to handle the situation.

 

If I'm traveling in December from Chicago to Miami by plane and it's snowing outside I would be checking the weather but until the airline says the flight is cancelled I'm going to assume the flight will depart as scheduled.

 

To take my analogy a step further... same situation as above... the airline wouldn't put me on a plane, make me sit on the runway overnight and then fly me to North Dakota and back. Then tell me to be happy about the experience because the plane was so nice and that we got back safely. I also doubt if I went over to FlyerTalk if people would scold the passengers for complaining like what happens here.

Terrible analogy, apples to oranges .

[hamrag]

Are you being obtuse on purpose? No one has said they weren't aware of the weather. I'm pretty sure most people, like I said in my last post, said they were aware of it and were also checking the NCL website for updates. That website said "all good" until mid afternoon on the scheduled departure date. It's NCL's responsibility to provide updates, me looking at a weather app doesn't change a thing about how they chose to handle the situation.

 

If I'm traveling in December from Chicago to Miami by plane and it's snowing outside I would be checking the weather but until the airline says the flight is cancelled I'm going to assume the flight will depart as scheduled.

 

To take my analogy a step further... same situation as above... the airline wouldn't put me on a plane, make me sit on the runway overnight and then fly me to North Dakota and back. Then tell me to be happy about the experience because the plane was so nice and that we got back safely. I also doubt if I went over to FlyerTalk if people would scold the passengers for complaining like what happens here.

 

Excellent analogy, apples and apples!

 

We too were on that sailing, we were indeed treated shabbily by NCL. For the life of me, I fail to understand why anyone who was not on that sailing would be remotely interested in this thread! For those who are following it, many have not grasped the fact that our contention is NOT about the weather situation or the decision not to sail to Bermuda....rather it is entirely, and most reasonably, about the shocking handling of the communication of same by NCL.

[mugtech]

Excellent analogy, apples and apples!

 

We too were on that sailing, we were indeed treated shabbily by NCL. For the life of me, I fail to understand why anyone who was not on that sailing would be remotely interested in this thread! For those who are following it, many have not grasped the fact that our contention is NOT about the weather situation or the decision not to sail to Bermuda....rather it is entirely, and most reasonably, about the shocking handling of the communication of same by NCL.

 

If you find the handling of these communications shocking, then Halloween must be hell for you.

[optimusprime82]

Terrible analogy, apples to oranges .

 

Is it? Might be apples of different sizes and brands but they're still apples.

 

Last month during the hurricanes did the airlines withhold information from their passengers until the last minute and then fly them somewhere else with little compensation? Probably not, they probably gave them options including refunds (but, but the flight attendants have already been paid, you can't expect the airlines to just eat that money...) or changed their bookings.

[MICHLEV1974]

Excellent analogy, apples and apples!

 

We too were on that sailing, we were indeed treated shabbily by NCL. For the life of me, I fail to understand why anyone who was not on that sailing would be remotely interested in this thread! For those who are following it, many have not grasped the fact that our contention is NOT about the weather situation or the decision not to sail to Bermuda....rather it is entirely, and most reasonably, about the shocking handling of the communication of same by NCL.

 

Communication by NCL versus you as a passenger knowing there were 2 hurricanes....you knew you weren't going to Bermuda-bottom line. Whether NCL told you at 3 or 6 or 9 pm....you knew you weren't going to Bermuda. And if you thought NCL was going to Bermuda with the 2 hurricanes, then that would be another conversation---and much more unfavorable than anything folks posted here. Did you really need to hear it from NCL before you boarded-rhetorical

 

I have yet to see a post here that makes sense as to what you wanted NCL to do? Are you asking that NCL give you 100% refund and let you not board? Your cruise contract would have been a good reference as soon as you heard about the hurricanes. What are people truly asking for? This is what I keep coming back here with my popcorn bucket for.

[mugtech]

Is it? Might be apples of different sizes and brands but they're still apples.

 

Last month during the hurricanes did the airlines withhold information from their passengers until the last minute and then fly them somewhere else with little compensation? Probably not, they probably gave them options including refunds (but, but the flight attendants have already been paid, you can't expect the airlines to just eat that money...) or changed their bookings.

 

Agreement with airlines different than contract you signed with cruise line. Apples and oranges.

[hamrag]

...Are you asking that NCL give you 100% refund and let you not board? Your cruise contract would have been a good reference as soon as you heard about the hurricanes. What are people truly asking for? This is what I keep coming back here with my popcorn bucket for.

 

I note from your profile that your "favourite cruiselines" are Royal C and Carnival....interesting that both these lines, on that same weekend, notified their passengers before boarding offering a full refund! For those who decided to board and sail the revised itinerary they received a 100% cruise credit from Royal and 50% from Carnival....similar cruise contract, good reference, go figure!

 

Now that is how to handle communications, and truly value your passengers.;)

[optimusprime82]

I realize that most people that participated in this thread were of the opinion that NCL didn't "owe" any of its passengers anything. Those people are entitled to their opinion and I hope that what happened to my wife and I, and all the other passengers, doesn't happen to them in the future. Again, I never said that NCL should have sailed to Bermuda despite the weather; I was upset by the lack of communication on their part and the "sorry, but not that sorry" attitude coupled with the lackluster compensation offered compared to other cruise lines that were also affected.

 

With all that said, I have not let the issue rest. I have made well over a hundred phone calls (not an exaggeration) plus twice monthly emails for nearly six months to NCL about how this situation was handled. Despite being completely stonewalled, have to admit I kind of respect how inflexible they've been, they finally caved, slightly. Last night, after 10pm ET, I received an email from a Guest Relations Manager offering my wife and I two $200 credits towards a future cruise. Small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

 

Was the "juice worth the squeeze on this issue?" So far, no. $400 total off a future cruise isn't quite was I was aiming for but it's a start. If they'll double that or waive their beverage package fee and extend the current expiration date (one year from 03/23/17) I'll let the matter go and book again.

 

I expect a lot derogatory comments about continuing to pursue this issue and how we're not "owed" anything, that's fine, and not unexpected. Certainly most of you wouldn't have put this much effort into getting a relatively small concession from NCL but I firmly believe they mishandled this situation. I don't feel bad for pursuing it, I won't feel bad if I continue pursuing it. Weather can't be controlled, how NCL disseminates information can be controlled, how they treat their guests that have invested thousands of dollars not only into the cruise itself but also the airfare/hotels and other incidentals can be controlled, and the attitude, policies and compensation they offer can be controlled. NCL failed in that regard and I don't feel any remorse in holding them to a higher standard.

[BirdTravels]

This is not intended to be derogatory, but you signed a contract, you sailed during hurricane season, the cruise line make a decision not to sail into the storm, and the cruise line "owes" you nothing (in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract that you signed).

 

Good on you that you got additional compensation.

[Letsgo 2]

I realize that most people that participated in this thread were of the opinion that NCL didn't "owe" any of its passengers anything. Those people are entitled to their opinion and I hope that what happened to my wife and I, and all the other passengers, doesn't happen to them in the future. Again, I never said that NCL should have sailed to Bermuda despite the weather; I was upset by the lack of communication on their part and the "sorry, but not that sorry" attitude coupled with the lackluster compensation offered compared to other cruise lines that were also affected.

 

With all that said, I have not let the issue rest. I have made well over a hundred phone calls (not an exaggeration) plus twice monthly emails for nearly six months to NCL about how this situation was handled. Despite being completely stonewalled, have to admit I kind of respect how inflexible they've been, they finally caved, slightly. Last night, after 10pm ET, I received an email from a Guest Relations Manager offering my wife and I two $200 credits towards a future cruise. Small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

 

Was the "juice worth the squeeze on this issue?" So far, no. $400 total off a future cruise isn't quite was I was aiming for but it's a start. If they'll double that or waive their beverage package fee and extend the current expiration date (one year from 03/23/17) I'll let the matter go and book again.

 

I expect a lot derogatory comments about continuing to pursue this issue and how we're not "owed" anything, that's fine, and not unexpected. Certainly most of you wouldn't have put this much effort into getting a relatively small concession from NCL but I firmly believe they mishandled this situation. I don't feel bad for pursuing it, I won't feel bad if I continue pursuing it. Weather can't be controlled, how NCL disseminates information can be controlled, how they treat their guests that have invested thousands of dollars not only into the cruise itself but also the airfare/hotels and other incidentals can be controlled, and the attitude, policies and compensation they offer can be controlled. NCL failed in that regard and I don't feel any remorse in holding them to a higher standard.[/quote

 

We all sign a contract when we sail, NCL gave you something just to make you go away, not because you deserved it.

You take a chance when you cruise period!

Maybe you should fly instead, but just know

flights get cancelled too

Marion

[optimusprime82]

This is not intended to be derogatory, but you signed a contract, you sailed during hurricane season, the cruise line make a decision not to sail into the storm, and the cruise line "owes" you nothing (in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract that you signed).

 

Good on you that you got additional compensation.

 

I agree that we signed a contract. Carnival, RC and Disney passengers signed contracts too, their ships were equally affected by the weather and yet those cruise companies made a legitimate effort to make the situation right with their guests. That's all I've wanted from the beginning. I didn't ask for a refund, in the beginning I didn't specifically ask for anything. I just wanted them to make a "reasonable" offer that would be on par with what other competing cruise lines offered.

 

 

And before I hear the argument that NCL is "way different" than Carnival and RC and you can't expect them to offer the same service (etc) get a grip, they aren't that different. Way too many people act like NCL is a hot dog vendor while Carnival is McDonalds and they just can't offer to refund money or offer discounts to unsatisfied guests.

 

 

We all sign a contract when we sail, NCL gave you something just to make you go away, not because you deserved it.

You take a chance when you cruise period!

Maybe you should fly instead, but just know

flights get cancelled too

Marion

 

Ah, my favorite argument, one I've heard echoed in this thread several time. An argument actually used by the first Guest Relations Manager (Niles) I spoke with via phone while docked in lovely Port Canaveral way back in October. Aside from telling me that most NCL guests don't care about their destination, they care about the cruise experience, which is BS by the way, he told me that next time I go on vacation I should fly instead of cruise. Sort of a surprising attitude for cruise line Manager to tell an unhappy guest that is still on the ship.

 

 

To your condescending point, yes, flights do get cancelled due to weather. Strangely enough I've never heard of a flight from Chicago to Miami being cancelled due to weather while all the guests are on the plane waiting for it to take off and is instead sent Omaha. When questioned about the change no refunds are offered nor do they ask if they'd like to go to Miami on another day. Instead the airline says that the flight to Omaha is going to be great. If that doesn't satisfy you're then told that if you're that concerned about your destination perhaps you should drive next time.

 

 

We all sign contracts when going on a cruise, that doesn't necessarily mean that the can't (or shouldn't) make an effort to make situations right with their guests. We chose to cruise to Bermuda in October, NCL also offered to cruise to Bermuda in October. They're aware of the possible risks involved in that as well and still felt comfortable offering that itinerary. This also isn't a situation where we had three or four scheduled stopped and one was cancelled due to weather, this was the only stop, the only reason to take this cruise was to go to Bermuda. If NCL (and you) don't understand why guests would want some kind of compensation when their premium priced trip to Bermuda from NYC turns into a premium priced trip to an industrial yard (Port Canaveral) and a six hour stop at a stray dog sanctuary (Nassau) we just may just have to agree to disagree.

[Letsgo 2]

I agree that we signed a contract. Carnival, RC and Disney passengers signed contracts too, their ships were equally affected by the weather and yet those cruise companies made a legitimate effort to make the situation right with their guests. That's all I've wanted from the beginning. I didn't ask for a refund, in the beginning I didn't specifically ask for anything. I just wanted them to make a "reasonable" offer that would be on par with what other competing cruise lines offered.

 

 

And before I hear the argument that NCL is "way different" than Carnival and RC and you can't expect them to offer the same service (etc) get a grip, they aren't that different. Way too many people act like NCL is a hot dog vendor while Carnival is McDonalds and they just can't offer to refund money or offer discounts to unsatisfied guests.

 

 

 

 

Ah, my favorite argument, one I've heard echoed in this thread several time. An argument actually used by the first Guest Relations Manager (Niles) I spoke with via phone while docked in lovely Port Canaveral way back in October. Aside from telling me that most NCL guests don't care about their destination, they care about the cruise experience, which is BS by the way, he told me that next time I go on vacation I should fly instead of cruise. Sort of a surprising attitude for cruise line Manager to tell an unhappy guest that is still on the ship.

 

 

To your condescending point, yes, flights do get cancelled due to weather. Strangely enough I've never heard of a flight from Chicago to Miami being cancelled due to weather while all the guests are on the plane waiting for it to take off and is instead sent Omaha. When questioned about the change no refunds are offered nor do they ask if they'd like to go to Miami on another day. Instead the airline says that the flight to Omaha is going to be great. If that doesn't satisfy you're then told that if you're that concerned about your destination perhaps you should drive next time.

 

 

We all sign contracts when going on a cruise, that doesn't necessarily mean that the can't (or shouldn't) make an effort to make situations right with their guests. We chose to cruise to Bermuda in October, NCL also offered to cruise to Bermuda in October. They're aware of the possible risks involved in that as well and still felt comfortable offering that itinerary. This also isn't a situation where we had three or four scheduled stopped and one was cancelled due to weather, this was the only stop, the only reason to take this cruise was to go to Bermuda. If NCL (and you) don't understand why guests would want some kind of compensation when their premium priced trip to Bermuda from NYC turns into a premium priced trip to an industrial yard (Port Canaveral) and a six hour stop at a stray dog sanctuary (Nassau) we just may just have to agree to disagree.

 

Ok, sound good, you do what you need to do

seems way to much effort to me, and yes for us ..... the ship is our destination, maybe that why we have done the NYC Bahamas one 4 times lol...... but to each its own

Marion

[hamrag]

I realize that most people that participated in this thread were of the opinion that NCL didn't "owe" any of its passengers anything. Those people are entitled to their opinion and I hope that what happened to my wife and I, and all the other passengers, doesn't happen to them in the future. Again, I never said that NCL should have sailed to Bermuda despite the weather; I was upset by the lack of communication on their part and the "sorry, but not that sorry" attitude coupled with the lackluster compensation offered compared to other cruise lines that were also affected.

 

With all that said, I have not let the issue rest. I have made well over a hundred phone calls (not an exaggeration) plus twice monthly emails for nearly six months to NCL about how this situation was handled. Despite being completely stonewalled, have to admit I kind of respect how inflexible they've been, they finally caved, slightly. Last night, after 10pm ET, I received an email from a Guest Relations Manager offering my wife and I two $200 credits towards a future cruise. Small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

 

Was the "juice worth the squeeze on this issue?" So far, no. $400 total off a future cruise isn't quite was I was aiming for but it's a start. If they'll double that or waive their beverage package fee and extend the current expiration date (one year from 03/23/17) I'll let the matter go and book again.

 

I expect a lot derogatory comments about continuing to pursue this issue and how we're not "owed" anything, that's fine, and not unexpected. Certainly most of you wouldn't have put this much effort into getting a relatively small concession from NCL but I firmly believe they mishandled this situation. I don't feel bad for pursuing it, I won't feel bad if I continue pursuing it. Weather can't be controlled, how NCL disseminates information can be controlled, how they treat their guests that have invested thousands of dollars not only into the cruise itself but also the airfare/hotels and other incidentals can be controlled, and the attitude, policies and compensation they offer can be controlled. NCL failed in that regard and I don't feel any remorse in holding them to a higher standard.

 

A huge well done, for not giving up the chase! You may recall we were on that cruise also, and NCL handling of the communications on boarding day was outrageous and designed to be the opposite of customer focused. I sent a number of emails, each going up the food chain, and all came back with the same condescending message about how they had given each cabin a $200 OBC (non-refundable incidentally) compensation award.....WOW.

 

I gave up sometime in November, and had forgotten the situation. Their Corporate and Communications Directorates are a joke! For me, it is NCL inconsistency that wrankles more than anything, as there are ships and situations that have been appropriately compensated e.g. POA, which was delayed by a day following the refit in California ended as a 9 instead of 10 day cruise....each passenger was given a 50% future cruise credit....no-one on board could believe their good fortune, go figure!!

 

Sorry about some of the responses you had to endure following your post, you can always hit the ignore button!

[Son of a son of a ...]

I was on the same cruise. I wrote a letter complaining about the cruise and received nothing.

 

We ended up booking a seven-day cruise on RCI for December instead of NCL.

[mugtech]

On the Gem hurricane Sandy cruise in 2012 we missed the last port and tried to head north to get back into NYC, but it was closed and we had to spend Halloween in Boston, got back into NYC 4 days late. And guess what, we were never reimbursed for the port fees we paid but never got into the Dominican Republic. I love baseball and it caused me great sorrow to be denied that stop. How can I put a price tag on that?