Need connecting cabins? Beware..!!!

[snake114]

We just returned from our cruise on the Spirit 11/30- 12/10. In general we had a very nice cruise (details below), but ran into a major issue upon embarkation.

 

My wife and I were traveling with our two children ages 3 and 2. We had booked connecting balcony cabins (AD) through our NCL cruise consultant back in May, and had specifically booked the last 2 cabins in the rear on deck 10, adjacent to the Kids CLub.

 

Upon checkin, we were told that the cabin numbers on our tickets (which I had re-confirmed several times!) were incorrect, and that we had evidently been "upgraded" to different balcony cabins on deck 11 that were NOT connected, but rather 6 doors apart(We were NEVER contacted about this, and would never authorized it, as it is NOT an upgrade for our needs!)!!!! Obviously, not a workable solution with very young children!!!

 

We were told that there was nothing that could be done at the pier, but to check in at the ship reception desk to talk to the higher level people about the situation. I was reluctant to even board at that point (we had to accept room keys to the incorrect rooms to even board the ship), but went ahead and proceeded to reception.

 

Initially, we were told that the ship was full, and that we would have to make do with what we were assigned. They said they would make some requests to see if anyone would be willing to switch...

 

I responded that this was not acceptable. We had booked, paid for, and had tickets for those two specific rooms, and I expected NCL to follow through in placing us in these specific rooms. Having our 2 young children in rooms down the hall is not safe or acceptable, and if we were not going to be given what we paid for, we wanted our money back and our bags removed from the ship!!

 

It took more than 2 hours (sitting in the lobby with 2 crying kids hungry for lunch- fun!), but eventually we were given our original rooms, and even a $100 obc for the inconvenience.

 

While the process of rectifying the situation was not fun (especially with two young cranky kids!), I do give NCL and the Spirit reception management credit for rectifying the situation in an ultimately satisfying manner. They made it right, and everything worked out. Seems that a number of category upgrades were ranfomly assigned shortly before the cruise, and we were among the "lucky" ones....!!

 

If you do absolutely need connecting cabins, I would, based on this experience, be sure to check repeatedly to ensure that you are not moved without your consent!!!

 

Otherwise, our cruise was a very good one. The rooms were comfortable, very convenient, and kept immaculate by our wonderful room steward.

 

Food was, with just a couple of exceptions, quite tasty, and I am quite happy with the new menus.

 

We had paid for the cruise using the Platinum status purchase on our Dawn cruise last year. As a result, we received food goodies every afternoon, a free LeBistro dinner, and a private dinner at Cagneys with the Capt. and Hotel Manager Hugo. This was a highlight for us- wonderful food and company!!

 

Our kids loved the Kids CLub program, and the facilities were even better than what I saw on the Dawn and Crown on previous cruises.

 

If anyone has any questions I would be happy to respond.

[whatawonderfulworld]

But in the end it all worked out! I'm guessing that maybe someone thought they were doing you folks a favor? Oy! Geesh....but I want to move on to the good stuff.

 

Did you have both of your tykes in the Kids Club? I have a 5 year old grand neice and 3 year old grand nephew whose parents are thinking of a cruise. But they're concerned about the kids club. What was your impression? I'll tell you..one the many nice memories we have from the Dawn was when we ran into the counselors with maybe 30 little ones..each one had a "bus buddy" and they we all excited because they were off to see the Captain! Made me miss my little ones back home all the more.

 

Good to hear that you had a nice cruise...I love sailing out of NY. I could go on Circle Line with a hot pretzel and rave about the trip! :D

 

Ciao,

 

W A W W

[KeystoneCruiser]

My wife and I were traveling with our two children ages 3 and 2. We had booked connecting balcony cabins (AD) through our NCL cruise consultant back in May, and had specifically booked the last 2 cabins in the rear on deck 10, adjacent to the Kids CLub.

 

Upon checkin, we were told that the cabin numbers on our tickets (which I had re-confirmed several times!) were incorrect, and that we had evidently been "upgraded" to different balcony cabins on deck 11 that were NOT connected, but rather 6 doors apart(We were NEVER contacted about this, and would never authorized it, as it is NOT an upgrade for our needs!)!!!! Obviously, not a workable solution with very young children!!!

 

Initially, we were told that the ship was full, and that we would have to make do with what we were assigned.

 

I responded that this was not acceptable. We had booked, paid for, and had tickets for those two specific rooms, and I expected NCL to follow through in placing us in these specific rooms.

 

It took more than 2 hours (sitting in the lobby with 2 crying kids hungry for lunch- fun!), but eventually we were given our original rooms, and even a $100 obc for the inconvenience.

 

If you do absolutely need connecting cabins, I would, based on this experience, be sure to check repeatedly to ensure that you are not moved without your consent!!!

 

 

The same thing basically happened to us back on the Dawn in June. We had reserved three AF cabins in a row with two being connecting for my brother in law's family (two young sons) and us (young daughter). We were directly across from another in our party. Sometime between the first payment and the last payment, NCL switched our cabins down the hall to non connecting. (still three in a row, but away from our other party member.) Yes, it was partially my fault for not checking the billing statement before final payment, but they still switched us without even asking.

 

We then tried to get moved back to our original cabins, but to no avail. We even looked into paying to move up to an AB with connecting AF so that the kids could be in connecting rooms to help with babysitting and their general fun. But NCL kept saying that none of those were available in spite of the fact that they were showing up available on their website. (they had all kind of excuses for that.)

 

It took nearly two months of letters/emails and calls from our TA to NCL and the support of many members of Cruise Critic on a thread, but about 10 days before the cruise, NCL somehow came up with three cabins in a row of which two were connecting. These cabins were just a few doors from where our original cabins were so we were once again close to the others in our party. (and unlike you, we did not get the OBC.)

 

In the end, it all worked out for both us and you guys, but it shouldn't happen in the first place. There is 0 excuse in our case and in your case, they still should not upgrade you without first checking the situation. (and if they had looked at the passenger registrations before moving you, they could have seen the two young children and realized that seperating you by six doors would not work. Dumb move by somebody but par for the course.)

 

I'm glad things worked out for you and you had a great cruise. My daughter has loved the kids club and kids pools on both the Dawn and Star, they really must be something on the Spirit!! Also, glad to hear a good report on the food and the new menus!

[Cruisinbunnies]

Snake and Keystone,

 

Thanks for the heads up. We are probably going to get connecting outsides for the Star next November. Having our kids aged 6 and 4 next door in a connecting cabin is a necessity.

 

If they end up changing this assignment, it becomes a policy issue, as two people under the age of 21 will be in the same cabin without an adult with them, if you book the one room with the parents and the other with the kids. Somehow I think that this would not be possible to do because of the restriction.

 

We are also looking at booking an AB, but the only drawback would be that DW would always want to cruise in an AB or better after that. And you know what that costs.......

 

 

You know what they say, once you try and AB, you never go back!!!

[snake114]

Whatawonderfulworld:

 

Our kids LOVED the kids club on the Spirit. We have been very happy with the kids club staff and activities on all of our previous NCL cruises, but the kids club area on the spirit was the largest we have seen. They often came out with cute crafts, and even had cookies with the Capt.!! The staff appeared to be outgoing, fun, and caring, and I felt very comfortable with the care they provided.

[Vyhanek]

I admirer you for refusing to accept those rooms and making them FIX the problem. Most passangers would have accepted those rooms. Since you refused to board with those rooms you forced them to deal with your issue. I admirer you for being a good CUSTOMER!

 

Unfortunately your problem is not unique. If you watch this board someone posts every few months with the exact problem.

[MississippiMom]

Now I am worried that this will happen to us. I booked the 1/23/07 Sun cruise back in June or July, and I got two connecting rooms plus an additional room next door. They are all on the same floor as the Kid's Corner, since I thought that might bring comfort to our (often shy) four year old.

 

I am going to be so ANGRY if NCL screws me over and changes our cabin assignments without asking. Does anyone know if there is anyway of reconfirming your cabin with NCL before boarding? I know that our TA claimed that she noted that all three cabins were to be associated with the same reservation, but it sounds like that doesn't always help.

[Toyz711]

if you have your docs, the room number will be on them. if you have preregistered, your room numbers will be there. you can check with the registering to see if the room numbers changed. i emailed my online TA and told him to note that our rooms were NOT to be changed for any upgrade (bummer). that's what you get when you travel with others and need a special room arrangement.

with all the folks on these boards that are just waiting for upgrades, it's too bad the ones that don't want it...get it. i would have loved to have been upgraded, but we had my FIL across the hall from us..worked out great.

[stanford's girl]

Yikes!!:eek: I am in the process of planning a cruise on the Star for myself and 10 other couples. We will want to be side-by-side on some deck and I wouldn't want NCL to be able to change this.

 

If I specify "no upgrades", does NCL honor this or do they do what they want? I would hate to have them put us all over the ship.

 

Also do the balcony dividers between cabins open? We would like to be able to have one long balcony to share.

 

Every cruise line is different and I'm trying to get as much info about NCL before we make our final decision.

[Toyz711]

the dividers open, the rooms next to me had them open for about 3 cabins. you could hear them out on the balcony, watching the scenery go by. if you rooms are purchased as a group "block", you won't have any trouble. but just ask your TA to request "no upgrades/upsell/room changes".

[stanford's girl]

Thank you Toyz711 for answering my questions. :D

 

I always like a fellow cruiser who shares info on CC. :cool:

[KeystoneCruiser]

 

 

Also do the balcony dividers between cabins open? We would like to be able to have one long balcony to share.

 

We have had our dividers open on three of the five cruises that we have been on (two did not have those capabilities). On our cruise in 2005 on the Star, we had four balcony cabins in a row. We were told that the maximum number in row that could be opened was 3. (something about "wind sheer" or some crazy term.) What we decided to do was open two balconies on each side of our "connecting rooms" That way two rooms had an open balcony, you could then go through the second room into the third room and the third and fourth rooms had their balconies open. Almost a full balcony!

[stanford's girl]

We have had our dividers open on three of the five cruises that we have been on (two did not have those capabilities). On our cruise in 2005 on the Star, we had four balcony cabins in a row. We were told that the maximum number in row that could be opened was 3. (something about "wind sheer" or some crazy term.) What we decided to do was open two balconies on each side of our "connecting rooms" That way two rooms had an open balcony, you could then go through the second room into the third room and the third and fourth rooms had their balconies open. Almost a full balcony!

Thanks for the additional info Keystone!! :D

I've never heard about the "wind sheer" thing and we've had 4-5 dividers open on other lines. But the way you handled it was brilliant!! :cool:

[Dolphins]

Sometimes the cruise line thinks they are doing you a favor by upgrading you to another cabin. Glad you were able to have the condition corrected to your satisfaction.

[snake114]

Regarding opening the balconies- we have had this done on the Dawn without problem. However, we were told this time on the Spirit that the doors connecting the balconies could NOT be opened. Guess it varies from ship to ship.

[KeystoneCruiser]

I've never heard about the "wind sheer" thing and we've had 4-5 dividers open on other lines. But the way you handled it was brilliant!! :cool:

 

I don't know if they called it wind sheer or not. It had something to do with the wind when they explained it but I don't remember...lol.

[whatawonderfulworld]

Whatawonderfulworld:

 

Our kids LOVED the kids club on the Spirit. We have been very happy with the kids club staff and activities on all of our previous NCL cruises, but the kids club area on the spirit was the largest we have seen. They often came out with cute crafts, and even had cookies with the Capt.!! The staff appeared to be outgoing, fun, and caring, and I felt very comfortable with the care they provided.

 

Thanks for the information...I will most assuredly pass it on!

 

Ciao,

 

W A W W

[Cosmopolitan]

We just returned from our cruise on the Spirit 11/30- 12/10. In general we had a very nice cruise (details below), but ran into a major issue upon embarkation.

 

My wife and I were traveling with our two children ages 3 and 2. We had booked connecting balcony cabins (AD) through our NCL cruise consultant back in May, and had specifically booked the last 2 cabins in the rear on deck 10, adjacent to the Kids CLub.

 

Upon checkin, we were told that the cabin numbers on our tickets (which I had re-confirmed several times!) were incorrect, and that we had evidently been "upgraded" to different balcony cabins on deck 11 that were NOT connected, but rather 6 doors apart(We were NEVER contacted about this, and would never authorized it, as it is NOT an upgrade for our needs!)!!!! Obviously, not a workable solution with very young children!!!

 

.

 

Wow...I never thought that could happen!?

 

First of all, an "upgrade" instead of an "upsell" from an AD suite to a higher suite category without asking you for a price (upsell) increase?

They would have upgraded you to an AC, AB, AA???

What category did they upgrade you to?

 

Children ages 3 and 2 are not permitted in a cabin alone:confused:

 

Sounds like someone did something not quite right?!

[theonlyjoie]

We just returned from our cruise on the Spirit 11/30- 12/10. In general we had a very nice cruise ...

<SNIP>

We had paid for the cruise using the Platinum status purchase on our Dawn cruise last year. As a result, we received...

<SNIP>

If anyone has any questions I would be happy to respond.

I didn't realize one could purchase upgrades (or would that be an upsell:p?) to Latitudes membership levels. How do you do that?

 

Thanks! And glad you enjoyed your cruise...after all the trials and tribulations you went through. What an amazing story!

[snake114]

Cosmopolitan:

I mis-spoke on the cabin categories- we originally booked connecting BD cabins on deck 10, and were "upgraded" to BA balconies several rooms apart on deck 11. Sorry for the confusion.

 

Theonlyjoi:

 

We had purchased the platinum upgrade last winter on the Dawn. Basically, if I remember correctly we paid a $3000 deposit ($500 at that time, rest in 6 months), which could be applied to multiple cruises. We also received an immediate $300 OBC, and platinum status for that cruise and all others where we used portions of the $3000 deposit.

 

It worked out very well for us, but I understand others did have problems using the credit. I don't think they are selling this plan any more (at least they were'nt on the Spirit last week...). I was very suprised to receive the extra perks of a free Le Bistro dinner as well as private Cagney's dinner with a few other Platinum members with the Capt.- perks not originally mentioned when I purchased the package!

[theonlyjoie]

Thanks for the info. Wow! I hope NCL will make that deal available again...I'd love to be Platinum! I'll be Silver on my next cruise.

 

I just did my first Penthouse (AC) up$ell on the Thanksgiving Jewel Cruise. Butler, Cappuccino maker, concierge, special dinner arrangements, champagne...Calgon, errr, I mean NCL, TAKE ME AWAY!!!:D

[Cosmopolitan]

Cosmopolitan:

I mis-spoke on the cabin categories- we originally booked connecting BD cabins on deck 10, and were "upgraded" to BA balconies several rooms apart on deck 11. Sorry for the confusion.

 

!

 

Thanks.

 

Makes sense:)