Live from the Majesty's New Years Cruise-- really!

[shoreguy]

Everybody keeps talking like it's just a piece of cake to go get a hotel room or vacation over the New Year's holiday. It won't be.

 

The only money they will have will be their refund. Any future credits can't possibly be applied to a vacation now.

 

A very similar situation happened to us a couple of years ago. There were two weddings that were botched. One man paid over $20,000.00 for his whole family to be together over the holiday. Mechanical problems on ships can just ruin a vacation.

 

I certainly won't flame anyone who has complaints over this situation. It's so easy to just sit back and say, well, you're on vacation, just enjoy it somewhere else; or, you get $300 or so off a future cruise that has to be taken before the end of 2007, that's great, don't complain; you're getting a free meal, what's your problem? Until you go through something like this, you can't understand how cheated you feel. An adventure? I don't think so.

 

There are no balconys on the Majesty. You cannot even open a window/balcony door for air. I can imagine how hot it got on there. If it were just for an hour, that may be an adventure, but not for a whole night. Seniors, small children... I can see lots of problems with there being no air, water, lights.

 

I am supposed to be getting on the Majesty on the 13th. DH and I are fortunate enough that we are driving, so if there are still problems, we can just go somewhere else. But people who fly don't have that option.

 

This is definitely something I'll be getting all info about before hand.

 

Shay

 

I have not seen any flaming yet just some ideas to save the week. It is clearly a tough situation. They could be searching for a hotel in Charleston. Not sure what the price of disappointment is. I am sure NCL is dissappointed too. 100,000s in revenue lost. Plenty of unhappy passengers.

 

I feel I can put myself in their shoes. I was booked on the Norway for my birthday cruise in June 99. Once in a lifetime chance. Wine cruise from Barcelona to Dover on the Norway. Wine tasting every sea day. Tours to the vineyards in every port, Never to be done again. My cruise was cancelled due to a small fire in a generator the last day of the prior cruise. NCL flew me home and I still got a full refund plus 50% off a future cruise. Turned that into a family xmas cruise that year.

 

The $300 is based on the cruise fare paid - can you imagine a better deal then $600 for a New Years Cruise. I have spent that for New years Eve on land. I am certain others got far more.

[MN snowbird]

But nothing is compensatory for the past six months we have spent excited and anxious for this cruise.

 

Sorry to hear about the cancelled trip! It takes a lot of effort (and emotion!)to recover from all the built up excitement and anticipation. I hope you all are able to redeem the weekend in some way!

[cuccicruisers]

We love Jekyll's Island, Georgia...not far from S.C.

[cavou]

We ended up driving to Myrtle Beach for the New Year...When we received the call I was in shock. Needless to say, we have rebooked on the Sun out of New Orleans in March. The cruise specialist told us the Majesty will not be sailing until January 20th. Happy New Year!

[mbisson]

As usual you got it wrong. Never posted $900 credit,

.

 

As a Chippewa can I ask if you mean "Shawnee speak with forked tongue-AGAIN"?

;)

 

I also see no one trying to make light of any of the problems for the passengers, only people suggesting alternatives & options to try to save the week. And like shoreguy said a few posts above, I'm a bit surprised they are allowing anyone to stay on the ship during these repairs. BUT-wouldn't it be cool if they put everyone possible in suites!

 

-Monte

[heelfan94]

We ended up driving to Myrtle Beach for the New Year...When we received the call I was in shock. Needless to say, we have rebooked on the Sun out of New Orleans in March. The cruise specialist told us the Majesty will not be sailing until January 20th. Happy New Year!

I hope that's not true for the passengers who are booked next. :(

[cavou]

Yeah...the women mentioned it nonchalantly when I asked about the length of repairs needed to be made. Hopefully, this isn’t true; after all I have now learned to take everything with a grain of salt. I did find it odd that she would have that kind of information. I certainly couldn't stay on the ship for a night with everything that has happened.

[songanddance]

We love Jekyll's Island, Georgia...not far from S.C.

 

An excellent choice but I fear it may be out of reach for the average NCL cruiser. Very upscale and one night can cost as much as a full cruise week in the cheap seats. Also, last time I checked (and it was a while ago) they still have a dress code requiring a jacket for dinner. Bummer. So better to head to Mickey land.

[songanddance]

sorry double post. Computer moving at glacial speed this evening.

[Tluvs2talk]

Everybody keeps talking like it's just a piece of cake to go get a hotel room or vacation over the New Year's holiday. It won't be.

 

The only money they will have will be their refund. Any future credits can't possibly be applied to a vacation now.

 

A very similar situation happened to us a couple of years ago. There were two weddings that were botched. One man paid over $20,000.00 for his whole family to be together over the holiday. Mechanical problems on ships can just ruin a vacation.

 

I certainly won't flame anyone who has complaints over this situation. It's so easy to just sit back and say, well, you're on vacation, just enjoy it somewhere else; or, you get $300 or so off a future cruise that has to be taken before the end of 2007, that's great, don't complain; you're getting a free meal, what's your problem? Until you go through something like this, you can't understand how cheated you feel. An adventure? I don't think so.

 

There are no balconys on the Majesty. You cannot even open a window/balcony door for air. I can imagine how hot it got on there. If it were just for an hour, that may be an adventure, but not for a whole night. Seniors, small children... I can see lots of problems with there being no air, water, lights.

 

I am supposed to be getting on the Majesty on the 13th. DH and I are fortunate enough that we are driving, so if there are still problems, we can just go somewhere else. But people who fly don't have that option.

 

This is definitely something I'll be getting all info about before hand.

 

Shay

 

We live in Charleston and talked to a few of the people who were suppose to be on the Majesty. The problem is most places are booked for New Years!!! There was a Family who had all co-ordinated their vacations and drove to Charleston from Tennessee. They were very dissapointed and have called different places and were told they were booked.I am going on the Majesty (Hopefully) January 27th. I would be upset if it was cancelled, even though I only live 15 minutes from the Port.I do know stuff happens, but People have every right to be upset.

 

Teri

[KeystoneCruiser]

Time for me to weigh in:

 

First: I too am shocked that NCL is allowing people to stay on board with limited water and no AC.

 

It also would make more sense to me for NCL to move everyone on board to one floor or area. Perhaps the mini suites or something. With only 25 cabins or so occupied, I think they could reduce use of parts of the ship by moving the passengers together. I think though that they have to have a catagory where they could accomodate everyone on board. I could hear the whines now: "why do they get the nicer suite?"

 

As far as the water and pop issue. Since there is very little running water on board, I could see giving bottled water away for free as a service. Do they have Iced tea and coffee available? If so, then I can't see why they should give the soda away for free. You wouldn't get it on a normal cruise.

 

I see fault on both the OP's and NCL's part here.

For the OP: NCL is trying to do you a service and allow you a place to stay and meals for free (since they are refunding your money). To whine about being stuck in the cabin your reserved or wanting more freebies sounds a little childish to me.

 

For NCL: Its great you are making the gesture of allowing people to stay on board for free and have free meals, but you also have an obligation not to use this problem as a way to nickel and dime these poor people. Charge them for alcohol and soda, (if you can provide coffee & Iced tea), but if you cannot provide them with running water in the drinking fountains and sinks, then don't be charging them for bottled water. Charging trapped people for what they must have is just wrong.

 

oh, and before anyone (Shawnee Indian) calls me one, I am far from an NCL apologist. I'm sure NCL sometimes wishes I would go away, but this time I am firmly in the middle between the cruise line and the passengers.

[madison_J]

Quick question would you rather be given freebees or cruise without an engine?

[Host CMLA]

I'm sure the people stuck in the airport in Denver would be happy to swap places with you.

Well I wasn't stuck at the airport but I do live in Denver and I had my Christmas plans canceled because of the weather. No trip for us so I feel for you Jen. And you can offer as much negative stuff as you want. Just know that some will disagree with you and that's part of the way it works around here.

 

I'm sorry your trip was canceled and you don't have alternative plans. While I don't think alcohol should be free, I think at they could throw you a soda or water here and there for free. I'm surprised they let you on the ship but at least it's a roof over your head until you can figure some stuff out. I hope you turn lemons into lemonade and still find a way to have a nice New Year. Good luck!

[7SeasLover]

I don't think people are "trapped" on the ship. They're there on their own. That said, I do think bottled water should be gratis especially since running water isn't running.

 

I personally would not have opted to board the ship unless I was on back-to-back sailings.

[jandjfun]

:( I can't even imagine how you must feel! I do have a concern though. If there is no water(only for toilets) how are they cooking? Cleaning and washing hands? Nirovirus next??

[Cruisemom39]

I would spend the night in a cheap Motel 6, drive on to Orlando, and spend a few nights there in a cheap Motel 6, after all their rooms are larger than NCL's. Both could spend $400 or more at Disney and $200 in cheap motel rooms and still have a wonderful vacation. At least this one wouldn't be a total bummer.

 

EEEWWW - trying to pass off a Motel 6 and Disney as a vacation is being very liberal with the definition of the word "vacation"! Glass half full or empty? Mine would be full of Scotch after that type of adventure!

 

If anyone is still stuck in Charleston, try going 15 minutes away, such as North Charleston/Goose Creek/Summerville - probably hotels still available, and for less $$, still allowing you to enjoy the area.

[ontario]

My assumption is that the majority of the passengers were not aware of the problems before they left their homes. So that means at least 1000 people have descended on Charleston during the holiday season. I am sure that the majority of the hotels and motels are already sold out.

 

So if I was one of those passengers that had flown in from my home town expecting to be on a ship only to find out that it was unable to sail and that my only option for accomodation was the ship with limited water and no air what would I do? It seems I would have to swallow hard and at least attempt to get some sleep and make arrangements to get home.

 

Now, I know that these things are beyond the control of NCL so to fault them would be wrong. I definitely would not want to chance sailing on a ship with limited power. But, I would expect that NCL would appreciate that I had altered my life to take this vacation and so I am therefore entitled to some fundemental comforts. Water being one of them. That's fine that they can't give me soda but I need water.

 

So I am now at their mercy. I am in a strange city. The hotels are full. I can't fly out right away. I need to sleep. I need to eat. I need to use a toilet. And I need to drink. That to me is what I expect NCL to provide for me if possible. If they did not feel the ship was safe to stay on then I must respect them and camp out at the airport. But if they are allowing me to stay on the ship then they must make sure my basic needs are met. Come on NCL give the passengers water.

 

My heart goes out to all the passengers and crew. It's crappy when stuff like this happens. I hope your next cruise is da bomb!

[heelfan94]

For those of you who boarded the Majesty, did someone offer the option to stay overnight or did you ask if it was possible? I was curious about that. Also, was it just for the night to arrange travel plans or are they offering the whole week? Forgive my questions but this could have easily been my family affected and I wanted to know how it all played out.

[Don Haynes]

Every Motel 6 I have ever been in have larger rooms than any ship. If you weren't expecting large accommodations, there is no loss. Of course, the ambiance is much lower.

 

I suggested Disney. Of course, there are many other places anyone could salvage a vacation, this cruise is ruined. However, many vacations are forgotten over a period of time, but your one time Disney's is never forgotten. Besides, Disney throws up the fireworks.

 

All I offered was an alternative. Staying stewing aboard the ship without electricity and running water is not in my opinion a good alternative. Staying aboard overnight is one thing, staying a week is another.

 

There is Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head Island, and Savannah are nearby. They can return home, and enjoy New Years at home. Its their choice.

[CPT Trips]

Price out Disney tickets . . . then add room and meals (at Disney prices). You tell me how doable it is on an NCL cruise budget.

In my book, those who have not shown empathy for the pax on this cruise (that isn't) are truly NCL apologists.

[mbisson]

Yep, disney tickets are expensive as are their rooms. That's why (when we go) we usually get the Orlando Flex Tickets (Universal Studions/SeaWorld/Busch Gardens/Wet&Wild) and stay off site. Orlando can be enjoyed for a lot less than you think.

 

BTW-before you tell me that Busch Gardens isn't in Orlando, I'm aware of that, but it's included in the Flex ticket. And Tampa can be fun also.

 

And when talking "NCL budget" are you including those in Suites ;) and villas?

 

-Monte (aka-rollercoaster_guy on some other boards :) )

[CPT Trips]

Well, all good suggestions, but flex doesn't get you Disney as some suggest.

NCL budget is based upon what posters are guessing - $600. I don't pretend to really know what OP paid.

Two other things - how long will it take NCL to refund? And let's not forget the 400 miles from Charleston to WDW (and the driving around O'town since I don't think flex gives you a ride to the park;)).

[mbisson]

Well, all good suggestions, but flex doesn't get you Disney as some suggest.

 

Oh good grief....and a Disney ticket doesn't get you into Universal, so what's your point?

 

No one is suggesting an Orlando vacation (or Disney if you prefer-or any of the others suggestions made) is anything other than an alternative that could possibly be used to make the best (or better) of a bad situation. And it's ridiculous to attack those that dare make such suggestions as NCL apologists. Some might go ahead and do something else, some might go home. It's all just their own final decision. Take these suggestions as they will.

 

Isn't it funny how NCL is often attacked on this board as not being any less expensive than the other mainstream lines, and now they're attacked in that people on an "NCL Budget" can't afford anything else!!!

 

-Monte

[LAURAMC]

I just called reservations in Arizona and they still have no info for us. I am scheduled to be the ship on the 6th !! I can understand everything has issues but with this being the only week that I will be able to have a vacation I am looking into backup plans. My only frustration is that they dont know what is going on and they will probally not tell us till the bitter end and then we are are all screwed. If they gave us a few days heads up at least we would be able to make other arrangements. I know they are not looking into loosing any moroe money that they already have but come on people. I am leaving wednesday driving down and I have to make other plans for vacation they need to let us know. And no I do not want to drive and see the big rat. So please NCL if you actually read these things help us out and at least give us or your 800# a progress report.

[Nickymjw1]

For those of you stuck in Charleston, I checked Hotwire, and they have rooms available from a 2 star (La Quinta Inn class type) in North Charleston for $34/night from tonight through next Saturday, a 3 star East of the Cooper river for $63/night (probably Days Inn, Marriott, etc) to a 3 Star Downtown Historic district for $153/night.

 

You would probably save 40% to 60% by using Hotwire instead of booking directly with the hotel chains.

 

If you don't have a car, most 3 Stars will have a shuttle downtown, where you can catch the trolley around town....

 

Maybe an option for some....