NCL Star and NCL Customer Service

[pistachio]

So, as reported elsewhere on Cruise Critic, the NCL Star has been having mechanical issues (again!!) These things happen, but NCL is waiting until after final payment to make their customers aware. That way, they can't cancel! Ports have been missed, and reportedly, the April 9th sailing has been moved to another ship. Now we, and many others, are anxiously awaiting to hear the fate of the April 19th Transatlantic. On 12/23 (4 days after final payment), I noticed online that my reservation now shows us leaving on April 9th, 10 days earlier than scheduled. The itinerary is almost the same, but people have flights scheduled, excursions planned, pre- and post-cruise travel plans. And what is the worst?? No one at NCL will, or can give us any explanation. My TA was told, 'call next week.' And some folks on our roll call have a totally different (and impossible) itinerary posted on their accounts. 

 

This isn't our first disaster with NCL, or the Star. We were on the February 2017 sailing on the Star, out of Australia. After weeks of problems with azipods and their propulsion system, we were told last minute that we would be skipping multiple ports in New Zealand. We were totally disappointed, but decided to continue with our plans. We embarked in Sydney, then visited Melbourne. We left Melbourne, and in the middle of the night, the ship's 2nd azipod died, and we were dead in the water. Tug boats came and tugged us back to Melbourne, where we stayed a couple more days while they made repairs. By then, we only had time to get to our final destination, Auckland. So instead of 8 port stops, we had 1!! Thankfully, we had planned 10 days in New Zealand after disembarking, so we at least got to see the North Island. 

 

NCL compensated us fairly well, so we decided to give them another try. What is the chance that the same ship would have mechanical difficulties again, 3 years later? What is the chance that NCL's Customer Service and communications could get worse???? 

 

If you're reading this, and considering booking an NCL cruise, I recommend against it. There are many good cruiselines out there!

[njkate]

Agree I am in limbo as well and can’t get any answers. Also booked with the free or reduced air promo, mine was free and that is no longer on reservation. If they plan on moving this up to 04/09 that means they plan on crossing the Atlantic without fixing the engine problem

[njkate]

Be nice if we could somehow get the media involved and blast it on tv or news

[CTCruiser001]

I agree with you on the poor CS...I am supposed to be on the Star sailing the 9th, but was moved to the Dawn. If it wasn't for CC or fb, I'd have no idea the change. I understand a letter went out, but I, nor my TA received anything. The change shows in myncl.com, and my choice of cabin was changed as well. Also lost OBC showing...Beyond upset we have to deal with this during the holidays. Still trying to get answers. 

[casofilia]

With NCL "Customer Service" is often an Oxymoron,

[njkate]

It is really very poor customer service. Us on the TA are getting no answers. I even tried to cancel on Friday the day before final payment and was told they couldn’t cancel as they couldn’t get into reservation, I’m sure all those recorded conversations have disappeared as well

[shof515]

Reading all of these complaints about customer service reminds me of my hell with NCL a few years when they canceled my cruise on the Gem and completely changed the itinerary to something very different. took forever to get an official word from NCL that my cruise was indeed cancel. lucky it was before final payment but still it is not good . when it disappear from the website, viewing my booking showed some odd errors and no one at ncl knew anything 

[blueslily]

Yes, sounds frustrating. Since CS is saying they don't know much right now, maybe focus on enjoying your holiday week and reach out again after the holidays. Maybe some info will be sorted out by then so it's less frustrating. Just a thought since there is some time before the cruise to get things worked out and info seems scarce at this moment. Hopefully the bookings will be sorted out.

 

Enjoy the holiday season everyone! 

Edited December 26, 2019 by blueslily

[lanceholt]

We just received an email from NCL.  $150 OBC per cabin and $300 per person for docoment airline change fees.  We have paid for excursions with private companies at ports we will now not stop at as well as going through a lot of other cancellations and changes.   This is all on us and will take a great deal of our time as well as inconvenience.  Disappointed to say the least.

 

[Sauer-kraut]

19 minutes ago, lanceholt said:

We just received an email from NCL.  $150 OBC per cabin and $300 per person for docoment airline change fees.  We have paid for excursions with private companies at ports we will now not stop at as well as going through a lot of other cancellations and changes.   This is all on us and will take a great deal of our time as well as inconvenience.  Disappointed to say the least.

 

A HUGE caveat is to NEVER pre-pay  excursions with private operators.  There are many out there that will request payment at time of service. 

[lanceholt]

Just now, Sauer-kraut said:

A HUGE caveat is to NEVER pre-pay  excursions with private operators.  There are many out there that will request payment at time of service. 

Most do not require pre-payment but some do.  In any event, these prepayments should be reimbursed.  There are a lot of arrangments made, hotels, airlines, transportation, tours, transfers, etc etc that will take a lot of doing and a lot of effort to make changes to.  

 

If some are forced to cancel their cruise as a result, are they going to be forced to eat that large loss?  We love cruising on NCL but cannot defend the way this is being done.

[erdoran]

Is this compensation for the TA date change or for the switch to the dawn?  
 

if ta date change are they offering full refund? I’m sure there are many who can’t do the date change for lots of reasons and they shouldn’t be penalized.   I would think that would justify a credit card charge dispute.   Itinerary changes are one thing but date changes are a much bigger deal. 

[njkate]

31 minutes ago, erdoran said:

Is this compensation for the TA date change or for the switch to the dawn?  
 

if ta date change are they offering full refund? I’m sure there are many who can’t do the date change for lots of reasons and they shouldn’t be penalized.   I would think that would justify a credit card charge dispute.   Itinerary changes are one thing but date changes are a much bigger deal. 

I plan on canceling if they don’t allow me to go if with full refund I’ll be contacting the cc to dispute 

[casofilia]

@lanceholt 

 

In any event, these prepayments should be reimbursed.  

 

SHOULD is the exact word to use.   Some organizers say that if the cruise line alters the itinerary for any reason then "you" should either be able to claim reimbursement from the cruise line or claim on your insurance.

 

I would NEVER use an organizer who wants pre-payment.  On the other hand I would NEVER not turn up to something I had committed myself to.

[Starry Eyes]

48 minutes ago, erdoran said:

Is this compensation for the TA date change or for the switch to the dawn?  
 

if ta date change are they offering full refund? I’m sure there are many who can’t do the date change for lots of reasons and they shouldn’t be penalized.   I would think that would justify a credit card charge dispute.   Itinerary changes are one thing but date changes are a much bigger deal. 

I would think many people would be unable to rearrange their schedules to fit a new departure date.  If there is a date change for the TA, I certainly hope they offer full refunds to anybody who desires on; it would be unconscionable to do otherwise.

 

Interestingly, if a new date is April 9 and they have plenty of empty cabins,  I wonder if NCL might be able to also market an April 7 Port Canaveral embarkation option (incorporating what would have been non revenue days April 7-9  IIRC into the TA).  That might be attractive to a some current customers (who might like a couple extra days on board and now have to rearrange travel plans anyway) and also may attract some new customers (those closer to Florida ports or who want to visit Orlando attractions, for example).

Edited December 27, 2019 by Starry Eyes

[Budget Queen]

1 hour ago, Sauer-kraut said:

A HUGE caveat is to NEVER pre-pay  excursions with private operators.  There are many out there that will request payment at time of service. 

I disagree.   Instead the- terms of the purchase is what’s important.   All will have cancellation policies.      

 

There are are a LOT of tours that require payment.    A small percentage don’t.   

[erdoran]

For myself, I’ve found the tour vendors who ask for pre-payment have various refund policies clearly stated on their websites.  I’ve prepaid very few and the ones I have allow advance cancellation with full refund; others say “if the ship doesn’t dock you don’t pay”.  I would think any vendor serving the cruise industry is only too aware of the potential for itinerary changes and would allow for that.  it’s hard enough to compete with the cruise line excursions; this is one area that they can easily address.

 

Also, I’m looking into booking my pre-cruise hotel in Southampton for next June - the refundable rates are $10-$20/night more than non-refundable, which is a small price to pay for the option to cancel....and yes, it’s a Star cruise!  June 14-29, hopefully the problems will be fixed by then.

 

So prepaid excursions - please check out your vendor’s website and/or email vendor.  This is LOTS of notice, I would think cancellation wouldn’t be a problem.  If they don’t allow cancellation, do let us on CC know who the vendor is so people are aware of this before choosing to book with those vendors.

 

I really hope this Star problem works out.  I feel badly for all who are affected.  I’m sure that the folks who are switched to the Dawn will get back any OBC or other perks/incentives they had on Star, NCL probably needs a few days to sort that out.  

[luv2kroooz]

9 hours ago, pistachio said:

If you're reading this, and considering booking an NCL cruise, I recommend against it. There are many good cruiselines out there!

Well said and agree 100%. It is borderline unethical to knowingly withhold information from passengers with existing reservations. They clearly don't care, because this has been a recurring theme with NCL. We have no reservations booked on NCL. If we decide to sail with them, we will only book at the very last minute so we have a very high likelihood of not having to deal with their unethical business practices.

[casofilia]

The funny thing about NCL is that when they have to make good on a real "b...s up" as they seem to have to do so regularly they make a very good offer.

Unlike one other cruise line I use!!   They won't even admit they made one!!!!!

[shof515]

22 minutes ago, erdoran said:

For myself, I’ve found the tour vendors who ask for pre-payment have various refund policies clearly stated on their websites.  I’ve prepaid very few and the ones I have allow advance cancellation with full refund; others say “if the ship doesn’t dock you don’t pay”.  I would think any vendor serving the cruise industry is only too aware of the potential for itinerary changes and would allow for that.  it’s hard enough to compete with the cruise line excursions; this is one area that they can easily address.

 

Also, I’m looking into booking my pre-cruise hotel in Southampton for next June - the refundable rates are $10-$20/night more than non-refundable, which is a small price to pay for the option to cancel....and yes, it’s a Star cruise!  June 14-29, hopefully the problems will be fixed by then.

 

So prepaid excursions - please check out your vendor’s website and/or email vendor.  This is LOTS of notice, I would think cancellation wouldn’t be a problem.  If they don’t allow cancellation, do let us on CC know who the vendor is so people are aware of this before choosing to book with those vendors.

 

I really hope this Star problem works out.  I feel badly for all who are affected.  I’m sure that the folks who are switched to the Dawn will get back any OBC or other perks/incentives they had on Star, NCL probably needs a few days to sort that out.  

 

if you have, travel insurance MIGHT help out with any non-refundable costs. it depends on the policy you have and the type of coverage

[casofilia]

@shof515

 

if you have, travel insurance MIGHT help out with any non-refundable costs.

 

BUT how about the excess?

 

This didn't happen to me but it happened to people on a cruise we were on and didn't get into Kirkwall.  An operator there refused to refund as another cruise boat had discharged passengers that day and our ship skipped the port.

He said about the cruise line and insurance so I looked out of interest.   The excess on our insurance was about the same as the shorex, it wouldn't have been worth a claim. 

[Rfemle]

As it relates to the Transatlantic 15 day cruise to British isles(not to be confused with the Bahama cruise that folks were moved to the dawn on same dates).  I did speak with NCL, they are stating as directed, the dates have been moved up 10 days from original, you will get $150 OBC per person and upto $300 for flight changes.  You can cancel with full refund if done prior to Jan 7.  This is unacceptable, this is a major cruise booked months in advance for the original date of April 19th, with the promo of free airfare and with the 20% latitude discount that is cheaper than the smoke and mirrors they offered by jacking the rates up just before the holidays then saying they are giving a 30% discount, which again the new price is more than my previous at 20% discount.  Our work schedules are done 6 months in advance for coverage and for a 15 day cruise is almost impossible to work around let alone try to change 4 months prior to cruise.  So if I cancel, I loose all my promos on a big cruise, with no compensation and have to try and re book a new cruise with in 4 months of original dates I have scheduled off or try to change my schedule and cruise on new dates with slightly changed itinerary than original on a ship that has engine problems that will not be repaired prior to doing a transatlantic.  To top it off NCL has handled this issue totally inappropriately.  I started hearing things about the Star possibly moving guests to the Dawn on the CruiseCritic forum(THANK YOU TO All) for the cruise proceeding my TA, I checked on NCL site and see the TA is no longer on site and then checked my reservation and the dates are moved up 10 days with ports changed with no message or email related to this.  I just returned last Friday from a Bliss Bahama cruise in the Haven and I have emails from NCL about how my cruise was, and that I am able to book services for upcoming TA on Star, but again nothing about the Star schedule issue.  I begin calling NCL and Cruises only the day before Xmas eve to see if I can find anything out as I am panicked that our bucket list cruise is in jeopardy, but with the belief that NCL will do the right thing for its customer no matter what occurs.  Boy was I wrong and Merry Xmas to all the Star guests on the Trans Atlantic.  No one has an answer, says supposedly a letter was sent and more info will be avail the day after Xmas.  So today, no letter, no email and no info at 2:30PM ET.  I call NCL around 4 and they say hold on, we have a note saying as explained above, I explained unacceptable and ask for corporate office to contact.  I call Cruises only and they have been great and tried to advocate for me with no success, they are sending me there conflict resolution email to continue to advocate for NCL to do the right thing and compensate accordingly.  For the last few years I have been taking NCL cruises 2 to 3 times a year and was looking forward to being Platinum by the this Transatlantic bucket list cruise that I snagged with the free airfare and discounts.  I will be advocating for all and will reserve further comment till I hear more from NCL.  I am beyond upset over this whole situation. 

[smplybcause]

My guess is that NCL finally got the space they need at a dry dock over in Europe and it was either cancel the TA all together or move it up 10 days and allow those that can't make it to cancel. 

 

I'm assuming because this was changed almost 4 months in advance they figure a FCC isn't warranted. If enough of a fuss is made they might up the OBC or offer a small FCC.

[lanceholt]

22 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

My guess is that NCL finally got the space they need at a dry dock over in Europe and it was either cancel the TA all together or move it up 10 days and allow those that can't make it to cancel. 

 

I'm assuming because this was changed almost 4 months in advance they figure a FCC isn't warranted. If enough of a fuss is made they might up the OBC or offer a small FCC.

Feel like an idiot but what is a FCC????

[casofilia]

? Future Cruise Credit.