Viva and Prima private hot tubs out of service

[ccm02339]

Hello,

Hoping someone has information on this.  

We have a haven cabin with private hottub on balcony HA booked for February on Viva

I am reading that cruisers are being notified a week or two in advance that hot tub will not be in use and given OBC non refundableBoth Viva and Prima 

I have also read that the fix needed will not be completed until a drydoick which is not scheduled at this time

We are very close to final payment and Just want to see if anyone here has futher information/corroboration of these issues?

Thanks so much for your help

Sarah

[Sailing12Away]

I was on Prima a month ago. If you find my semi live review you'll see more info about that whole situation in there. Not sure if Viva is similar, but Prima was closed down for some severe health issues with the CDC involved.

[Two Wheels Only]

It may or may not be the case but with MSC Seascape (same builder as Prima/Viva), there is something that needs to be fixed. MSC is prohibited from fixing it because Fincantieri has to fix it under warranty (whatever they call it). If the issue is Fincantieri's responsibility, it may not be NCL who should get the blame.

[UKstages]

i don’t think anybody cares who is to blame; it’s more about what NCL is doing in terms of service recovery for people who have booked these cabins. those customers have no relationship with fincantieri; they booked passage on an NCL ship. for most people who chose these cabins, the availability of the hot tub was a primary reason. NCL’s solution so far seems to be to provide $500 in nonrefundable OBC for guests 1 and 2. some people think that’s a little thin.

[ccm02339]

Thank you @Sailing12Away reading your review was very helpful. 

My husband spoke to NCL concierge pre cruise desk who said they are working on the problems Sept/Oct and hope to have completed by end of month.  Coincidentally they were working on our room yesterday.  I am still hoping for confirmation by passengers.  I saw a letter that said Prima suite hot tub were taken out of service Aug 31 so timeline hopefully is accurate.

 

[Sparkle Mermaid]

We are in this situation and they want to give us an insulting $500 ship credit each! We would have NEVER booked such an expensive room if it weren’t for the hot tub. We booked another suite for my in-laws and my son and his new wife for their honeymoon. It is a two bedroom suite in Haven and it cost less money and they get more room. The only reason we booked our suite was for the hot tub on the deck. They won’t work with us, they won’t refund us, and they are not willing to alter their sad offer. Honestly, even if they would bring in an inflatable hot tub and put it on the deck I would be happier than the sad onboard credit they have offered! This room

cost $19k for 2 people. The other room with 2 bedrooms and 4 people cost $17. So they value that hot tub at a LOT of money but they sure don’t want to reimburse us for it! 

[IAcruising]

I can only dream of being able to spend $36k on a cruise and whine about a hot tub.

 

[Sailing12Away]

1 hour ago, Sparkle Mermaid said:

We are in this situation and they want to give us an insulting $500 ship credit each! We would have NEVER booked such an expensive room if it weren’t for the hot tub. We booked another suite for my in-laws and my son and his new wife for their honeymoon. It is a two bedroom suite in Haven and it cost less money and they get more room. The only reason we booked our suite was for the hot tub on the deck. They won’t work with us, they won’t refund us, and they are not willing to alter their sad offer. Honestly, even if they would bring in an inflatable hot tub and put it on the deck I would be happier than the sad onboard credit they have offered! This room

cost $19k for 2 people. The other room with 2 bedrooms and 4 people cost $17. So they value that hot tub at a LOT of money but they sure don’t want to reimburse us for it! 

On the plus side, that's a good price for your room. It's cheaper than what we paid. They're staying firm on the compensation across all room categories with the private hot tub. Folks who didn't fork out the money think it's fair - those of us who know what we paid know better. I would have preferred at least 10% in what we paid coming back to us, not a set standard amount regardless if you're in an HA, H4, H3, or H2.

 

Only way for NCL to make this 'right' is to give people a choice at least. $500/pp non refundable OBC or $1K/pp in future cruise credits. Either way it's going right back in their pockets, but at least someone can decide what is better for them - another cruise with another attempt at that hot tub room, or cash it in now with spa treatments or expensive champagne.

 

I'm past the 30 days from when I first reached out to them with my own requests for different compensation and all I've received is the standard "thank you for your case submission, we will respond shortly".

 

The kicker is I already have a cruise in mind I would spend that money on if they gave me any type of additional compensation, so it would be in my hands a hot minute then right back to them. And it's really silly - the folks affected by this are the coveted Haven guests who spend a lot of money. If we book another cruise there's a good chance it will be another Haven room. So throwing me 1K is still netting them another 9K+ back.

[Sparkle Mermaid]

We won’t be taking our money on NCL in the future. We had a much better experience on Royal Caribbean cruise line. A few years ago we splurged and took the family and got suites that came with A “Genie”. We were contacted prior to the cruise so they could make sure all of our needs were met and then they took care of everything on the cruise. It was seamless and perfect. We were hoping for a similar experience. On top of the hot tub not working, we also have not had a concierge reach out to us. It’s a good thing we noticed that the timeslots for restaurants were filling up so we could go ahead and book them ourselves. I don’t mind doing that of course, but thought that they were going to reach out and take care of it for us. Had I realized they were not. I would have gotten online much sooner to get our reservations so we were not left with the slim pickings. All around it’s just poor customer service and not getting what we paid for it. We will not be returning guests. It’s also frustrating to feel this way toward them before we have even stepped on board.
We work VERY HARD for our money and it’s sad that a large company like NCL won’t make good on what they sold us! 

[uneamie]

On 10/10/2023 at 6:19 PM, IAcruising said:

I can only dream of being able to spend $36k on a cruise and whine about a hot tub.

 

If you booked those cabins ONLY for having a "hot tub" then you'd whine. I don't blame them one bit. Our Prima cruise last May did not have the pool working for most of the cruise......now you tell me how many people expect to have a pool??? Luckily we didn't care but I saw some mightly mad people who said "never again". 

[Sailing12Away]

On 10/10/2023 at 7:10 PM, Sparkle Mermaid said:

We won’t be taking our money on NCL in the future. We had a much better experience on Royal Caribbean cruise line. A few years ago we splurged and took the family and got suites that came with A “Genie”. We were contacted prior to the cruise so they could make sure all of our needs were met and then they took care of everything on the cruise. It was seamless and perfect. We were hoping for a similar experience. On top of the hot tub not working, we also have not had a concierge reach out to us. It’s a good thing we noticed that the timeslots for restaurants were filling up so we could go ahead and book them ourselves. I don’t mind doing that of course, but thought that they were going to reach out and take care of it for us. Had I realized they were not. I would have gotten online much sooner to get our reservations so we were not left with the slim pickings. All around it’s just poor customer service and not getting what we paid for it. We will not be returning guests. It’s also frustrating to feel this way toward them before we have even stepped on board.
We work VERY HARD for our money and it’s sad that a large company like NCL won’t make good on what they sold us! 

If this is your first experience with NCL then I guess shame on you for assuming it was run like the other big brand cruise lines. If you don't have the pre-cruise Haven concierge contact info let us know - someone in here probably has that handy on speed dial and can share. Just shoot them an email or phone call now before you board and explain what you booked for dinner times and what you want instead - and they will switch it for you. If you wait until you are on board there will be less flexibility in what they can do.

 

It's hit or miss whether they reach out pre-cruise or not. If you're in an owner's suite, you also need to let them know your preferences for your liquor choices and mixers. Still vs sparkling water (or both), what kinds of soda, and what you want your room stocked with.

 

But expecting the NCL Haven to be similar to the RCC Star Genie treatment is silly. They're not remotely the same in what they offer or what they cost. I have yet to find a cruise in a RCC Star class suite that is less than double what I can pay for a Haven room. And outside of the genie and your great room, RCC doesn't really offer anything else. NCL (and MSC YC and now with Celebrity newer ship Retreat areas) has the ship-within-a-ship concept that RCC is missing. So outside of your magic genie, once you step outside your cabin you're with 5000 other guests. With NCL, it is a very different experience. Maybe not the white glove and VIP cut the line everywhere that you're expecting, but if you go in with proper expectations and consider the price, it will be a nice trip.

[Sailing12Away]

Now as for the actual original topic.... I had reached out to NCL on 9/2 before getting on board 9/7 regarding the offered compensation. Told them I declined their offer of non-refundable OBC and to not give it to me - they did anyway. When we got on board 9/7 told the Haven concierge to remove it as we didn't want it - they didn't and we got stuck with it. Filed a complaint with the concierge who eventually gave me a case number to follow up with when we got home - turns out that case number was invalid.

 

So filled out the general case submission reports on 9/18 referencing all the other emails and 'case numbers' we were given when we got home. Finally this week got a formal response on 10/11 saying 'no'. They are not budging on any revision to the compensation at all, and are still denying the presence of any CDC investigation, despite there being a letter from NCL to guests on the sailings after mine specifically stating the hot tubs are closed not because of maintenance (like they told me), but in an abundance of caution related to a CDC investigation.

 

Am I surprised - not at all. Disappointed - yes.

Will we still sail with NCL - probably. Within the next 4 months as originally planned - probably not.

[Barb Nahoumi]

On 10/10/2023 at 6:19 PM, IAcruising said:

I can only dream of being able to spend $36k on a cruise and whine about a hot tub.

 

Wow.  $36K.  We paid that for a house in 1977.

[sigma123]

On 10/14/2023 at 12:03 PM, Sailing12Away said:

Now as for the actual original topic.... I had reached out to NCL on 9/2 before getting on board 9/7 regarding the offered compensation. Told them I declined their offer of non-refundable OBC and to not give it to me - they did anyway. When we got on board 9/7 told the Haven concierge to remove it as we didn't want it - they didn't and we got stuck with it. Filed a complaint with the concierge who eventually gave me a case number to follow up with when we got home - turns out that case number was invalid.

 

So filled out the general case submission reports on 9/18 referencing all the other emails and 'case numbers' we were given when we got home. Finally this week got a formal response on 10/11 saying 'no'. They are not budging on any revision to the compensation at all, and are still denying the presence of any CDC investigation, despite there being a letter from NCL to guests on the sailings after mine specifically stating the hot tubs are closed not because of maintenance (like they told me), but in an abundance of caution related to a CDC investigation.

 

Am I surprised - not at all. Disappointed - yes.

Will we still sail with NCL - probably. Within the next 4 months as originally planned - probably not.

We are in the same boat, as it were.  I specifically upgraded to one of these cabins to surprise my DW because of the hot tub.  This happened a few months before departure.  NCL has not replied to my request to get the full upgrade amount returned - they did give us the $500pp as a FCC but if I would have known ahead of time that the hot tubs would not be working, we would have stayed in our original cabin.  If we do not get proper compensation, we will have to think long and hard before cruising with NCL again.

[IAcruising]

19 minutes ago, sigma123 said:

If we do not get proper compensation, we will have to think long and hard before cruising with NCL again.

 

Man, this gets old. I hear Carnival is nice.

 

[ccm02339]

On 10/16/2023 at 6:52 PM, sigma123 said:

We are in the same boat, as it were.  I specifically upgraded to one of these cabins to surprise my DW because of the hot tub.  This happened a few months before departure.  NCL has not replied to my request to get the full upgrade amount returned - they did give us the $500pp as a FCC but if I would have known ahead of time that the hot tubs would not be working, we would have stayed in our original cabin.  If we do not get proper compensation, we will have to think long and hard before cruising with NCL again.

@sigma123 can I ask when you are sailing? And when did you get notified of the problem?  We were told the issue should be resolved by the end of October and while I hope that’s true I won’t believe it until I hear from someone on ship

thanks

[sigma123]

51 minutes ago, ccm02339 said:

@sigma123 can I ask when you are sailing? And when did you get notified of the problem?  We were told the issue should be resolved by the end of October and while I hope that’s true I won’t believe it until I hear from someone on ship

thanks

We already sailed - departure on Sept. 17.  We received the email on Sept 12.

[Baby Koala]

Well here you go...we leave on the Prima 11/20/23, Barcelona to NYC and just got the email advising one must contact housekeeping to fill the hot tub in order to use it, you can only stay in for an hour, and then housekeeping must return to drain and clean it. This is kinda crazy, it takes some time to entirely fill and then heat a hot tub!!! Sounds like a giant waste of time for all involved, but I guess better than no use at all? With this being a November transatlantic was REALLY looking forward to spending lots of time in the hot tub - the sole reason we chose our cabin! It is odd to me that the private hot tubs are being targeted. Will other tubs/pools end up closed as well? The thermal spa? Wonder what housekeeping will do with multi-time per day/late night requests? I intend to find out!

[Zignewt]

37 minutes ago, Baby Koala said:

Well here you go...we leave on the Prima 11/20/23, Barcelona to NYC and just got the email advising one must contact housekeeping to fill the hot tub in order to use it, you can only stay in for an hour, and then housekeeping must return to drain and clean it. 

That sounds so heavenly to have your own private hot tub on a TA!  If I had paid for a cabin with that I would be so furious right now.  I agree with you - keep requesting it several times a day.  You paid for it!

[gizfish]

I am betting this is due to the Legionnairs disease cases earlier this year.  I'm assuming only housekeeping will have a key or something to fill it, and by limiting time in use maybe it will limit the chances of the bacteria growing enough to be a problem.  Or maybe the hour limit will be so annoying that guests will use the tubs less meaning housekeeping will not have to clean them as often.

[macewank]

On 11/8/2023 at 12:15 AM, gizfish said:

I am betting this is due to the Legionnairs disease cases earlier this year.  I'm assuming only housekeeping will have a key or something to fill it, and by limiting time in use maybe it will limit the chances of the bacteria growing enough to be a problem.  Or maybe the hour limit will be so annoying that guests will use the tubs less meaning housekeeping will not have to clean them as often.

 

You'd think they'd shut down a lot more than the haven private tubs if this was the case, no? 

[Sailing12Away]

6 hours ago, macewank said:

 

You'd think they'd shut down a lot more than the haven private tubs if this was the case, no? 

If the samples they submitted back to the CDC as part of the investigation cleared the public hot tubs and only the private ones were affected for whatever reason, then it makes sense that the public ones have never been closed beyond the normal nightly shutdown.

[gizfish]

The private tubs are not filtered like public tubs.  The public tubs have chlorine or bromine added and would have those levels checked however often they are supposed to be monitored.

[alliecat44]

This whole thing is crazy to me. NCL has had private hot tubs on multiple ships for years. I wonder if there is some design flaw on the new ships that allow stagnant water to hang out somewhere or something. 

[catdog123]

Any real way to find out for sure if the private hot tubs are still out of order for a January 21 cruise?  I just bid on one of them for upgrade.  I would rescind my bid if they are still unusable.  Like many others, it was a key factor in trying to upgrade.  The OBC would not make me happy.