Norwegian Getaway was the worst service on any cruise

[jenkim11]

The rooms were ok but very inconvenient because there were no outlets next to the bed.  Mainly though of all the cruise ships, this one had the worst service ever.  I filed a complaint with their spa and no one got back to me.  I wrote to their customer service and no one has even acknowledge my complaint.  Going to through a dispute a legal process to get my money back for a massage that I did not receive.  All other ships, when something goes wrong, managers bend over backwards for customer service satisfaction.  This one does not get back to you after promising to - during the cruise - nor after. 

[NLH Arizona]

17 minutes ago, jenkim11 said:

The rooms were ok but very inconvenient because there were no outlets next to the bed.  Mainly though of all the cruise ships, this one had the worst service ever.  I filed a complaint with their spa and no one got back to me.  I wrote to their customer service and no one has even acknowledge my complaint.  Going to through a dispute a legal process to get my money back for a massage that I did not receive.  All other ships, when something goes wrong, managers bend over backwards for customer service satisfaction.  This one does not get back to you after promising to - during the cruise - nor after. 

Keep in mind that the spa is not run by NCL, I believe it is contracted out to Steiner.

[mugtech]

Welcome to Cruise Critic, Jenkim11

[jenkim11]

Thanks for the info, but I still think NCL should step in if a customer had an issue with their spa and charges.

[All-ready2cruise]

1. Why didn't you have the massage?

2. Why didn't you get this looked after while still on the cruise? Did you go back to the spa and complain that you were charged for a massage that was not done or that you didn't order or .... something else?

 

I just disembarked the Joy and had a massage, a manicure and pedicure.  I had to sign for them before they were done, did you sign for it?  Or, did you order a massage and then not show up for it? If this is the case they charge you for not cancelling within 24 hours.

[julig22]

Post-cruise issues take forever to resolve.  I've had a couple, once with incorrect billing for mini-bar items that wasn't resolved before I left the ship (guess what, the managers aren't available until 8 or 9 am when you disembark, so nobody can adjust charges that appear on your invoice that you got at 4am).  Anyway, I never got an actual response to my complaint but I did get a refund on my credit card.

 

I also had an issue with a post-cruise excursion that ended early.  The response was that although it wasn't their issue (excursions are independent contractors), they would refund me half of the cost, which they did.  But I think it was nearly 2 months before I got a response and credit.

 

So you might want to check your credit card to see if you've gotten a refund.

[phillyguy31]

I may be wrong, but something doesn't smell right,  his title "worst on any cruise" yet this is the only post he has ever made. Then proceeds to throw stuff out without any info to justify his outrage. If I am wrong sorry.

[julig22]

7 minutes ago, phillyguy31 said:

I may be wrong, but something doesn't smell right,  his title "worst on any cruise" yet this is the only post he has ever made. Then proceeds to throw stuff out without any info to justify his outrage. If I am wrong sorry.

Same post 2 times

Edited October 15, 2019 by julig22

[spanishguy1970]

oh i hope not, i am on the Getaway for the next 19 days starting this Sunday,  😰😰but then again i take people complaints with a grain of salt. Is been my experience that some people will complain no matter what.

 

[jenkim11]

I have taken about 5 cruises in total and never had any issues with service. I have just signed up for this as a link was sent and wanted to vent about the terrible service.  I had a total of 17 people in my party on a cruise to Eastern Europe for 9 days.  Before the cruise, most of us purchased the thermal spa at $239 per person, the soda package, the water package and the high speed internet for $265 per person.  They had an awesome spa but the spa was not the issue - it was the service.  I booked a massage for $139 for a deep tissue.  It was a special as the regular price was $159.  The special had expired but they said they would honor it so I booked for 2 people.  I got the massage, and about 10 minutes in,  the tech from the person who was doing my sister's massage knocked on the door as my sister did not speak English at all.  She was arguing that my sister had to pay $159.  I told them that they said they would honor the $139.  She left and came back 5 minutes later with a translator.  I explained again and she left the room.  I told the masseuse that if I was interrupted again, I would cancel this massage and reschedule and asked her if I should go to the room where my sister was and explain.  She told me there was no need an they would honor the deep tissue as promised and told me not to worry because they had a translator in there.  I was interrupted a third time towards the end....I was livid and the experience was annoying but held it in.  When the massage was finished, I asked my sister if she got the deep tissue and she said "no" and that she was given a Swedish massage - which she would have never scheduled had she known in advance.  Basically for a $30 difference, she was taken advantage of.  When talking to the assistant manager after, the lady lied and said she was given a deep tissue massage when 2 minutes before, she told me she didn't give a deep tissue because that is not what she paid for and that a deep tissue would have cost $30 more.  The assistant manager talked about giving us a massage to make up for this and the interrupted massage (3 x's during a 50 minute massage), and said she would have the manager give us a call.  Never happened.  When I called the spa manager the next day, she was not available.  I went to guest services the day before the last day and they wrote down my complaint and said someone would get back to me before the end of the cruise.  No one got back to me.  I wrote an email/letter asking for acknowledgement of receipt - have heard nothing.  It is not the money - I spent $8000 including airfare for this cruise for 2 and had 17 people in the group.

 

I went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise early this year and when I left one of the restaurants without eating much of the food in main dining - the head of the dining dept came to almost every meal (literally found me at the restaurants) to see if my meal was enjoyable.  

[jenkim11]

Wow, this is the first post I have written and didn't realize that people could be so condensing.  Didn't post this to complain but posted for other's situational awareness and informational purposes.  

[spanishguy1970]

17 minutes ago, jenkim11 said:

Wow, this is the first post I have written and didn't realize that people could be so condensing.  Didn't post this to complain but posted for other's situational awareness and informational purposes.  

Want to make a clarification, i did not mean for my comment to come across as condescending but you are new to cruise critic and when someone says a particular ship is the worst service they have ever experienced, in the past we have seen similar things said about the NCL Epic, The Star and others and as a cruiser when i get on board i find that my experience is completely different. I guess we must always be careful when we say the " Worst service on any cruise" because it can be very subjective. IMHO. That said, i have had a few things happen on my cruises here and there, bad spa service, bad meal in a restaurant,  lack of customer service but it does not mean those cruises were the worst ever, it just means they were lacking good service in a particular area of the ship. I hope your problem gets resolved and good luck on your future cruise.

[NLH Arizona]

55 minutes ago, jenkim11 said:

 It is not the money - I spent $8000 including airfare for this cruise for 2 and had 17 people in the group.

If it is not about the $30, what is it that you want Steiner to do for you?

[kyrisong1]

1 hour ago, spanishguy1970 said:

oh i hope not, i am on the Getaway for the next 19 days starting this Sunday,  😰😰but then again i take people complaints with a grain of salt. Is been my experience that some people will complain no matter what.

 

I think I would go with an open mind and have your own experience, often those that have issues are an anomaly and it doesn't repeat

 

[MrMike45]

41 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

If it is not about the $30, what is it that you want Steiner to do for you?

 

Refund the $8000...the cruise was ruined!!! 

[kodesthemoose]

Sorry you did not enjoy the massage experience.  I would have asked for an immediate refund and I would not have left without speaking to the spa manager.  But then, to be honest, I view all spas on all cruise ships as a bit of a scam operation.  So many times they are run by third party operators and are only there to upsell you on stuff you don't need etc.  Lesson learned, I suppose.  

[erdoran]

OP, I think at this late date you are out of luck on your refund.  You may have your best chance contacting Steiner directly https://www.theonboardspa.com/ with specifics, and I do mean specifics--date/time, names (yours & sister's as well as all Steiner employees with whom you interacted), amount paid, what you were told, etc, etc.

 

It's really after the fact, but could you have refused to pay for the service right then and there until you had satisfaction--if you were promised a free massage, something in writing stating that your xxx massage on yyy date/time is FREE AND the appointment made before leaving the spa?

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, NLH Arizona said:

If it is not about the $30, what is it that you want Steiner to do for you?

Agree, talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. 

[cebee123]

Seems like the OP asked to pay the “special “ rate even tho it had expired. The spa tried to accommodate him (which they did not have to do) Then he was interrupted several times due to a language barrier with his sister...who I assume was requesting his assistance. They offered her a translator (again they sound like they were trying to accommodate) Asking for a refund because his sister was requesting his assistance several times, interrupting his massage,  is hardly NCLs fault. 

[meggymay]

On 10/15/2019 at 6:03 PM, cebee123 said:

Seems like the OP asked to pay the “special “ rate even tho it had expired. The spa tried to accommodate him (which they did not have to do) Then he was interrupted several times due to a language barrier with his sister...who I assume was requesting his assistance. They offered her a translator (again they sound like they were trying to accommodate) Asking for a refund because his sister was requesting his assistance several times, interrupting his massage,  is hardly NCLs fault. 

 

I work as a massage therapist at a spa (on land) and someone knocking on the door during a treatment and interrupting someones massage for a $30 difference is unacceptable and completely ruins the relaxation and flow of a massage. If OP is correct and the spa agreed to honor two deep tissues, knocking on the sisters door during the massage and demanding more money is ridiculous.

 

The title of this post is hyperbole, but i'd be pissed off about the situation too.

[graphicguy]

Sounds like more of a language/miscommunication issue.  But agree, the time to have this issue resolved was while you were at the spa.

 

Contact Steiner here....

 

theonboardspa.com

[DinaS]

On 10/15/2019 at 1:05 PM, jenkim11 said:

The rooms were ok but very inconvenient because there were no outlets next to the bed.  Mainly though of all the cruise ships, this one had the worst service ever.  I filed a complaint with their spa and no one got back to me.  I wrote to their customer service and no one has even acknowledge my complaint.  Going to through a dispute a legal process to get my money back for a massage that I did not receive.  All other ships, when something goes wrong, managers bend over backwards for customer service satisfaction.  This one does not get back to you after promising to - during the cruise - nor after. 

 

Saying this was the "worse service on any cruise", and then starting off by complaining about the lack of outlets by the bed is amusing.  That has nothing to do with service.  Anyone who has been cruising knows most ships don't have enough outlets.

 

You had an issue with a massage.

 

How was service at dinner, at bars, with your cabin steward, and with any of the myriad of other people with whom you interacted?  Was it ALL the worst service of any cruise?  

Or was it just the spa, and your massage, and the issues that arose because they tried to accommodate you by giving you an expired promotion?  I wonder if they knew it was going to be TWO people getting the expired deal.  What if you had tried to reserve a massage for all 17 people in your party - would you have expected them to honor that (expired promotion) price for all of them?  If your sister didn't speak English, and they interrupted you to get your help, is that bad service?  

Even if everything else is true, it's a spa issue, and they will probably never honor expired promotional prices again because of all the trouble.  

[All-ready2cruise]

On 10/15/2019 at 4:39 PM, erdoran said:

 

 

It's really after the fact, but could you have refused to pay for the service right then and there until you had satisfaction--if you were promised a free massage, something in writing stating that your xxx massage on yyy date/time is FREE AND the appointment made before leaving the spa?

 

When you book service in the Spa, you have 24hrs to cancel, if you decide not to have the service done (massage, pedicure, manacure etc) you will be charged if you don't show up.  The charges go on your room card automatically and when you visit the spa, they take your card and return it after the service is complete.  This would be when you'd need to argue the charges - in the spa, not through NCL customer service. In this case, it wasn't a Free massage, it was a special reduced price.. expired at that, a savings of $30.  Talk about hyper-hyperbole??

[erdoran]

2 hours ago, All-ready2cruise said:

 

When you book service in the Spa, you have 24hrs to cancel, if you decide not to have the service done (massage, pedicure, manacure etc) you will be charged if you don't show up.  The charges go on your room card automatically and when you visit the spa, they take your card and return it after the service is complete.  This would be when you'd need to argue the charges - in the spa, not through NCL customer service. In this case, it wasn't a Free massage, it was a special reduced price.. expired at that, a savings of $30.  Talk about hyper-hyperbole??

I thought OP said he was offered a free massage as compensation after the fact?

[sanger727]

OP. Did you sign a receipt for the charges at the end of the treatment? I ask because my bf and I had spa treatments on a NCL ship once and the therapist for my BF forgot to have him sign for the charges at the end. I would normally assume that they can just charge it anyway but they harassed us the entire next day to come back and sign. So, I wonder if it's like a credit card where if the merchant doesn't have a signed receipt, it's much easier to get a charge back since they can't prove you authorized the purchase.