Norwegian Unresponsive to the Coronavirus in Asia

[onetimearoundtheworld]

17 minutes ago, Dreamingdaze said:

I cannot believe they have cancelled April onwards for the Spirit and think somehow that imminent cruises are a lesser risk! 
I just hope someone intervenes because no one cares, they certainly do not care about our health.

 

Exactly. People really need to understand that they don't care about your health or financial bearings but about the booking numbers and revenue. Spirit=not in asia now so more money when not getting deployed there. Jade=in Asia now, hardly able to get much high money booking when allowing full refunds or changing much of the itinerary and then having to pay for refunds or flight changes. 

[luv2kroooz]

17 minutes ago, Norwegian Cruise Line said:

The safety, security and well-being of our guests and crew is our number one priority.

Sorry, that doesn't ring true. Actions speak louder than words, NCL. 

Edited February 8, 2020 by blcruising

[Atgatsea]

1 hour ago, Masekr11 said:

I’m on the 17th sailing and can access my booking summary; however, it’s showing tons of upgrade options. I tried doing it and didn’t get an error message (I closed the page before payment though). It’s odd they have pretty cheap upgrades on a sold out ship. 

We all know their first priority is money.  Their second priority is probably image because a bad image could impact their first priority.  Contacting the media sounds like a good option.  They obviously are paying little attention to us and don’t care about our health and safety, but they may pay attention if negative press hurts their image and risks their precious bottom line.  I will contact you via the cruise critic messenger to share my thoughts.

[JCopp]

My wife and I are scheduled to sail on the Jade on the 17th and are having the exact same experience as everyone else with Norwegian Cruise Lines. I'm in complete disbelieve in how NCL has handled this situation.  They also have the nerve to keep posting their new guidelines!? I'm mad and glad to see others are too!! I'm going to continue to call and ask for them to do the right thing. In the mean time I'm telling everyone I know about NCL and their lack of customer care. Never again NCL!!

[luv2kroooz]

I love how they write they have proactively implemented policies. Then, in the next sentence they adopt the exact same policy that Royal Caribbean adopted yesterday. That doesn't sound very proactive to me.

 

Too bad, they won't adopt Royal's policy that offers a 100% future cruise credit to impacted passengers. Of course, that wouldn't be very proactive either.

[luv2kroooz]

24 minutes ago, JCopp said:

My wife and I are scheduled to sail on the Jade on the 17th and are having the exact same experience as everyone else with Norwegian Cruise Lines. I'm in complete disbelieve in how NCL has handled this situation. 

First, sorry you are dealing with this. I am hoping Singapore closes up shop like Hong Kong recently did which could leave NCL with no options regarding the 17th sailing. Absent that, they are hell-bent on taking their ship through the region and are requiring passengers to get to Singapore at any cost, including health and well being.

 

However, in fairness to NCL, this should not surprise anyone. There have a well documented track record of similar past behavior including last minute port cancellations, cancelled sailings due to charters, etc.  Don't believe me, though, just do a quick Google search and you will quickly see how this callous, greedy company routinely shafs it's passengers. 

 

I wish for a good outcome for you, whatever you end up doing, and at a minimum, you now have first hand knowledge of how they operate their business.

Edited February 8, 2020 by blcruising

[pol1953]

If they are denying boarding to anyone who has been in Hong Kong in the last 30 days, they should be quarantining the ship itself! It was last there 24-25th January.

[Masekr11]

1 hour ago, Norwegian Cruise Line said:

The safety, security and well-being of our guests and crew is our number one priority. We have proactively implemented several preventative measures outlined below due to growing concerns regarding Coronavirus infections in China. We will continue to consult with The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and take appropriate additional action as needed. 

Policies currently in place include:

1.     Any guest that holds a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport, will be unable to board any of our ships, regardless of residency.

a.     Except U.S. Alien Residents holding an Alien Resident Card (ARC), also known as a "Green Card".  It is recommended that these guests also carry their passports from their country of citizenship if available.

 

2.     Guests who have traveled from, visited or transited via airports in China, including Hong Kong and Macau, within 30 days of their voyage embarkation, regardless of nationality, will not be allowed to board any of our vessels. The standard incubation period recognized by the WHO and US CDC for this virus is 14 days.

a.     Guests who are denied boarding will be issued a refund when they provide proof of travel.

 

3.     The recent Hong Kong port closure will result in itinerary modifications and we will share the revised itinerary as well as further details as they become available.

 

4.     Prior to the port closure in Hong Kong, we implemented non-touch temperature screenings for all passengers embarking from this destination and any guest who registered a body temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius or higher, were not allowed to board. Guests on these voyages were also subject to temperature screenings when returning from shore excursions at ports of call.

a.     Guests who were unable to sail due to a high temperature were advised to open a travel insurance claim with their insurance provider.

 

5.     For all guests, we will continue standard pre-boarding health reporting and evaluation. Any guests who appear symptomatic are subject to pre-boarding medical evaluations including but not limited to temperature checks as deemed necessary.

 

6.     Any guest who exhibits symptoms of any respiratory illness while on board will be subject to additional screening at our onboard Medical Center and may be subject to potential quarantine and disembarkation.

 

7.     We have implemented additional cleaning and disinfection protocols on board all voyages. These protocols will be enforced in addition to our already rigorous sanitization standards in place.

 

8.     Any of our crew members that hold a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport, will not be allowed to board any of our ships, regardless of residency.  In addition, crew members who have traveled from, visited or transited via airports in China, including Hong Kong and Macau within 30 days will not be allowed on board our ships.

 

9.     Singapore and the Philippines are not currently allowing Chinese nationals to disembark at their ports. Guests with a Chinese passport who are traveling on voyages that disembark in one of these regions will not be allowed on board our ships. If additional port restrictions are put into place we may have to modify this policy as needed.

a.     Guests who are denied boarding due to this will be issued a refund.

 

The above measures will remain in effect until further notice and are subject to change at any time as we evaluate the situation and continue to consult with local health authorities as well as the WHO and US CDC. At this time, we have made a number of itinerary changes and none of our vessels are currently calling to ports in China.  We also have the flexibility to alter our itineraries as needed to avoid areas of concern. All itineraries that call in China for the next six months are currently under review and we will communicate any itinerary revisions as soon as possible. As always, we will closely monitor the situation and take appropriate action as necessary. We apologize for the inconvenience to any guests affected by these measures put in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all our guests and crew.

Whoever from NCL is posting this over and over again, could you please read our concerns and complaints documented in 15 pages so far? NCL still has the ability to make this a true statement. Their current practices clearly show they do NOT care about the safety of guests and crew. 

[JCopp]

8 minutes ago, blcruising said:

First, sorry you are dealing with this. I am hoping Singapore closes up shop like Hong Kong recently did which could leave NCL with no options regarding the 17th sailing. Absent that, they are hell-bent on taking their ship through the region and are requiring passengers to get to Singapore at any cost, including health and well being.

 

However, in fairness to NCL, this should not surprise anyone. There have a well documented track record of similar past behavior including last minute port cancellations, cancelled sailings due to charters, etc.  Don't believe me, though, just do a quick Google search and you will quickly see how this callous, greedy company routinely shafs it's passengers. 

 

I wish for a good outcome for you, whatever you end up doing, and at a minimum, you now have first hand knowledge of how they operate their business.

I appreciate the sentiment!

 

I just dont understand what they are trying to do here!? There isnt a person booked on any of these cruises that wouldnt be happy with at minimum a future credit. They would lose zero revenue and keep their customers happy. This isnt I over slept, missed my flight and cant catch my cruise. This is massive quarantines, canceled flights, closed ports and boarders. They forget vacations are supposed to be fun. Taking us away from the stresses of everyday life. Instead they are creating more stresses!? 

[Newleno]

5 minutes ago, JCopp said:

I appreciate the sentiment!

 

I just dont understand what they are trying to do here!? There isnt a person booked on any of these cruises that wouldnt be happy with at minimum a future credit. They would lose zero revenue and keep their customers happy. This isnt I over slept, missed my flight and cant catch my cruise. This is massive quarantines, canceled flights, closed ports and boarders. They forget vacations are supposed to be fun. Taking us away from the stresses of everyday life. Instead they are creating more stresses!? 

trying to get an understanding here, so  ncl changed either the embarkation port or disembarkation port and then ncl is refusing to give passengers a refund if the passenger does not go on the cruise? 

Edited February 8, 2020 by Newleno

[JCopp]

2 minutes ago, Newleno said:

trying to get an understanding here, so  ncl changed either the embarkation port or disembarkation port and then they are refusing to give anyone a refund if the passenger does not go on the cruise? 

That is correct.  They changed the Jade sailing on the 17th to Singapore round trip. Attached is their poor attempt to accommodate their customers.

[luv2kroooz]

9 minutes ago, JCopp said:

They would lose zero revenue

Sure they would. They are laser focused on improving profits. If they give everyone a full credit for a future sailing, they make nothing on the 17th sailing and every passenger takes up space that could be occupied by a fare paying guest on a future cruise. Plus, they'd presumably have to pay the crew. It's a lot easier for them to force the sailing and make it the passengers problem, which is what they have done. This also preserves their revenue. 

 

This is how they approach their business. It is unlike much of the competition, which achieves a better balance of profitability and customer satisfaction in adverse situations. I think RCL has already announced a .25 cent hit for the quarter as a result of their accommodation to passengers.

Edited February 8, 2020 by blcruising

[Newleno]

28 minutes ago, JCopp said:

That is correct.  They changed the Jade sailing on the 17th to Singapore round trip. Attached is their poor attempt to accommodate their customers.

hmm kind of shocked that they are not offering full refunds if someone chooses not to change their airline tickets to fly to singapore instead of the original  hong kong.  many different issues here (1 like if i cant get aisle seats I would never change, 2 what is reasonable cost to me might not be to ncl, plus i usually buy nonrefundable non changeable airline tickets), i find it interesting that it is actually legal to not refund the full cruise fare.  This is not like a missed port during the cruise or a crisis during the cruise, this is a change port of embarkation  that is over 1600 miles away from the original port.  Bizarre imo! 

Edited February 8, 2020 by Newleno

[JCopp]

8 minutes ago, blcruising said:

Sure they would. They are laser focused on improving profits. If they give everyone a full credit for a future sailing, they make nothing on the 17th sailing and every passenger takes up space that could be occupied by a fare paying guest on a future cruise. Plus, they'd presumably have to pay the crew. It's a lot easier for them to force the sailing and make it the passengers problem, which is what they have done. This also preserves their revenue. 

 

This is how they approach their business. It is unlike much of the competition, which achieves a better balance of profitability and customer satisfaction in adverse situations. I think RCL has already announced a .25 cent hit for the quarter as a result of their accommodation to passengers.

You are correct in terms of the revenue. I might not be a savy businessman but as a customer I know what keeps me coming back. I understand as a business you need to make a profit but you need customers to do that. I'm seeing more excustomers here then future ones!

[ziggyuk]

43 minutes ago, pol1953 said:

If they are denying boarding to anyone who has been in Hong Kong in the last 30 days, they should be quarantining the ship itself! It was last there 24-25th January.

 

Exactly and at least some crew would have disembarked in Hong Kong.

[debshomespun]

46 minutes ago, pol1953 said:

If they are denying boarding to anyone who has been in Hong Kong in the last 30 days, they should be quarantining the ship itself! It was last there 24-25th January.

 

From NCL:

Do as we say, NOT as we do 

 

NCL Jade should be in quarantine.  They are kicking off 100-200 people that were in Hong Kong tomorrow do the ship can port in Vietnam. This was reported on FB.

 

Shame on NCL.  Do they think this ship will escape the virus??😷

 

Look at all the other ships currently in Asia and all their problems.  Jade just hadn't gotten "caught" yet. 🙄

[ppcox]

1 hour ago, Atgatsea said:

We all know their first priority is money.  Their second priority is probably image because a bad image could impact their first priority.  Contacting the media sounds like a good option.  They obviously are paying little attention to us and don’t care about our health and safety, but they may pay attention if negative press hurts their image and risks their precious bottom line.  I will contact you via the cruise critic messenger to share my thoughts.

Why do you think it’s  a sold out cruise? The riots have stopped it being full and upgrade offers are the same I have seen every day for a month. Mini suite upgrades were min $40pp at one time.

[debshomespun]

15 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

Exactly and at least some crew would have disembarked in Hong Kong.

 

Is the Jade kicking off their crew that went out in Hong Kong??

 

Again, Do as we say, Not as we do!!

 

Surely all these crew and passengers have been in close quarters mingling around the ship for 3-14 days...

 

Do we REALLY know if any of them are showing signs of sickness and will the be tested for Coronavirus or just state it's a head cold or the flu??

Edited February 8, 2020 by debshomespun

[Lou33]

20 minutes ago, debshomespun said:

 

Is the Jade kicking off their crew that went out in Hong Kong??

 

No, apparently on Feb 6 they changed policy to ban anybody who traveled through Hong Kong, even a connection at the airport.  Then during embarkation they let them on the ship anyway.  Now they have to kick those passengers off the ship in Thailand or they won't be able to go to Vietnam.  

Edited February 8, 2020 by Lou33

[Dreamingdaze]

As mentioned earlier maybe this forum needs to get to the press or main news and maybe the ship is forced to be checked by someone before these people disembark! 
The WHO seems to be asleep nothing is being updated how can this be escalated?

Anyone else agree? 
They are potentially putting so many people in danger! 
I have just seen the quarantined ship guests having fresh air, it looked worse than the most serious criminals on exercise ! 
 

It is an absolute disgrace. This is not my idea of a relaxing and recharging holiday that was promised, or what I paid for!!  I feel so stressed?

[JCopp]

9 minutes ago, Dreamingdaze said:

As mentioned earlier maybe this forum needs to get to the press or main news and maybe the ship is forced to be checked by someone before these people disembark! 
The WHO seems to be asleep nothing is being updated how can this be escalated?

Anyone else agree? 
They are potentially putting so many people in danger! 
I have just seen the quarantined ship guests having fresh air, it looked worse than the most serious criminals on exercise ! 
 

It is an absolute disgrace. This is not my idea of a relaxing and recharging holiday that was promised, or what I paid for!!  I feel so stressed?

I completely agree with you. How about social media? Start the #NorwegianCruiseLinesNeverAgain moment!? The more bad publicity this brings them the more willing they will be to do something. Maybe some of you more techie people can assist !?

[FLConnie]

1 hour ago, pol1953 said:

If they are denying boarding to anyone who has been in Hong Kong in the last 30 days, they should be quarantining the ship itself! It was last there 24-25th January.

I would assume some of the crew got off the ship in Hong Kong. What about them? 

[Lou33]

Some crew, which probably includes officers, would have got off the ship when it was there January 30.  Apparently they don't count.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Lou33

[AliciaandMark]

NCL, that approved media communication script is now becoming very condescending to your passengers who have genuine concerns about boarding the ship in the next few weeks in Asia.  I’d suggest not replying at all instead of cut and pasting such an unhelpful and clearly disingenuous statement. It only serves to further embed the concerns that your passengers have that NCL are not listening to them and do not care about anything but the $$$ bottom line. Which by the way, I understand given you are a for-profit business, but be honest about why you are continuing to sail in these areas at this time despite cancelling sailings from April, and why you allowed passengers to embark the Jade knowing they had transited through Hong Kong only days prior to boarding but now have decided to disembark them without “real” explanation. They’ve already been socialising with the larger group so it has nothing to do with their safety or that of the other passengers? Just be real with your paying guests NCL. Many people have saved for months (some years!) in advance to afford these holidays and entrusted you as a business to invest that hard earned cash in! We deserve honesty and to be treated with a little more respect in the communication responses than we are currently getting. If you’re unsure on how to do this head over to have a read of some of the Princess media releases or even the amazing video messages they are putting out frequently and frankly to their guests. That’s how it’s done! 

[NLH Arizona]

17 minutes ago, AliciaandMark said:

NCL, that approved media communication script is now becoming very condescending to your passengers who have genuine concerns about boarding the ship in the next few weeks in Asia.  I’d suggest not replying at all instead of cut and pasting such an unhelpful and clearly disingenuous statement. It only serves to further embed the concerns that your passengers have that NCL are not listening to them and do not care about anything but the $$$ bottom line. Which by the way, I understand given you are a for-profit business, but be honest about why you are continuing to sail in these areas at this time despite cancelling sailings from April, and why you allowed passengers to embark the Jade knowing they had transited through Hong Kong only days prior to boarding but now have decided to disembark them without “real” explanation. They’ve already been socialising with the larger group so it has nothing to do with their safety or that of the other passengers? Just be real with your paying guests NCL. Many people have saved for months (some years!) in advance to afford these holidays and entrusted you as a business to invest that hard earned cash in! We deserve honesty and to be treated with a little more respect in the communication responses than we are currently getting. If you’re unsure on how to do this head over to have a read of some of the Princess media releases or even the amazing video messages they are putting out frequently and frankly to their guests. That’s how it’s done! 

Not sure where you are from, but I bet if you take the passengers flag to the media, you could possibly get some action....someone has got to do it, might as well be you especially since you seem very articulate in describing all the issues.  Good luck.

Edited February 8, 2020 by NLH Arizona