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

[jentroubles]

After a week, I've decided to post again. To update, I started this thread after being one of the people whose cruise was cancelled. I am not a 'flamer' or a 'one post wonder' but have been contributing to the boards fairly regularly. I have always tried to help other and provide helpful info to other. I will always be critical and try to be balanced. I am a professor by trade--- I will NEVER just smile and tell you things are okay. If something is wrong, I will post about it as a warning to others or so NCL hears about it in some way. It is called the loyal opposition.

 

I posted about the bad attitudes of the staff. I posted about my frustrations that we couldn't get soda or alcohol without paying for it when we are on board. I complained about the small compensation for a ruined weekend. I did all this quickly from the Majesty's internet cafe.

 

So I will try again to tell what I experienced. What I found onboard was what many people have echoed. The staff did anything and everything they could to warn us OFF the ship. Do not stay. There is no water. I asked how where we would pee. They said they didn't know! I was honestly waiting for them to ask us to sign a waiver that we agreed to get onboard. On check in, they DID NOT ask for a credit card. We were issued ID cards with picture taken but financial information was NOT taken.

 

And to all of you spouting-- it's only money...look at all you got back....you can go do something else....get a hotel. Take another cruise later. Obviously you have lots of money to spend and plently of time on your hands. Walk a mile in my shoes.

 

Guess what people- I don't have either. While this was my third short cruise this year it was also the last of the money I received when my grandmother died. I promised her that I would have fun with it and not be practical. I scoured the internet for deals. I used every coupon imaginable. I bought the Freestyle Rewards to stretch my dollar. While it is just a drop in the bucket to you it is a big deal to me.

 

$100 on an extra night's hotel room--- I don't have it. We drove to Charleston leaving Thursday night and actually slept in the car at a rest stop. Friends chipped in for my shore excursions and expenses. So all of you saying--- oh it's just money. Try to be in someone else's shoes.

 

We were already making lemons out of lemonade. We did not blame NCL for what happened. We understood that things broke. We had already secured a condo from a friend of a friend to stay at in Florida. The problem was we would not have it until monday. We had planned to stay one night on board, find a cheap hotel along 95 for New Year's Eve and then hit the friend's place. All we needed was a night to regroup. We came onboard with smiles. We posed infront of the ship. (the charleston police took the photos) We joked with the woman offering us juice in front of the gangplank (If we can't use the toilets, this might not be a good idea.) We asked what time the lifeboat drill was. We asked if we could have a 'behind the scenes tour.' We went on with a positive attitude.

 

And I'm sorry my complaint was that---Onboard they were nothing but rude. (we ended up getting off and not staying the night because of this rudeness.) Yes, I know it was a tough day for them too--- but the staff made us feel like somehow we were inconveniencing them for being onboard. They rolled their eyes when we walked into the dining room.

 

Some complained about me saying--- they are making us stay in our orignial rooms!!!! To you again-- I have some four letter words. I wrote this because we were in an interior on the 3rd deck. No air, no light and no water means a potential disaster. Given there were only about 40 people onboard being moved to a cabin closer to the deck, or at least a stairway was NOT an unreasonable request. A villa (and yes, I know they don't have them on the majesty, i'm being dramatic) no, we were not asking for that. Again, put yourself in our shoes. We had saved for quite some time for this and already had quite a bit of money invested. We were trying to make the best out of it the staff clearly just wanted us off the ship.

 

And as for alcohol and soda-- we were not asking them to provide beer funnels or a whiskey sour fountain. After a frustrating morning watching our vacation disappear (we found out when we got to the pier) we asked for two sodas and a beer with our lunch. Yes, the beer would have been nice and I don't think too much to ask. How many free cocktail hours do they do onboard as compensation? How many glasses of faux champagne do they hand out during the art auction and the freestyle rewards? A few bottles of beer or cans of soda were NOT too much to ask. Later, cans of soda did appear-- but I will note only after I mentioned in the meeting that I was already posting my experiences on cruise critic. And yes, someone else noted that we could have went into town and bought soda and other provisions and brought them onboard. I was told by a staff member that absolutely this would not be allowed. I noted that on my two previous cruises I had been allowed to bring soda and water onboard and currently had it to bring on for todays. (but it was left in the car) I was told it would not be allowed. That was the final straw.

 

All these issues may have been hammered out. We left as soon as the "big meeting" of those staying onboard. It will be interesting to hear if anyone from onboard posts. There were two women whom I heard received permission to stay the whole week?

 

As I said, we left immediately after surveying the situation (and consuming some ice cold chicken from the deck BBQ) being past cruisers we were severely dissapointed with the way it was handled. It was not the high level of service we have expected.

 

We have just returned today from making the most out of our week. We did our best, but we ate fast food and I ended up cooking, doing dishes and driving about 32 hours. And in the end I will be around the same budget for my cruise. Yes, I am very sorry for those in Denver and those going through personal crises. But this post is not about those situations. Apples and Oranges. I am not trying to minimize those situations or say they aren't important. They are just off topic. Again, it is about the attitudes I faced when I got onboard and that they really weren't very helpful in a sucky situation.

 

As an update, the money for the cruise was credited back on the credit card yesterday (friday) BUT--- and I'm wondering if anyone can help me on this one. The refund was incomplete---$500 short. I'm guessing they did not give back the two $250 credits from the Freestyle rewards program that we used. I am hoping they have been recredited to my Lattitudes reward account. Unfortunately, it is 10pm and I can't call. I will though tomorrow and keep you all posted.

[electricron]

After a week, I've decided to post again. To update, I started this thread after being one of the people whose cruise was cancelled. I am not a 'flamer' or a 'one post wonder' but have been contributing to the boards fairly regularly. I have always tried to help other and provide helpful info to other. I will always be critical and try to be balanced. I am a professor by trade--- I will NEVER just smile and tell you things are okay. If something is wrong, I will post about it as a warning to others or so NCL hears about it in some way. It is called the loyal opposition.

I posted about the bad attitudes of the staff. I posted about my frustrations that we couldn't get soda or alcohol without paying for it when we are on board. I complained about the small compensation for a ruined weekend. I did all this quickly from the Majesty's internet cafe.

 

Let's review the circumstances once more. The cruise was canceled. Your entire fare will be refunded. You're getting a 50% discount on your next cruise. The company isn't getting any money, the staff isn't getting any money. The company is losing money on your next cruise, over and beyond what they would have made on this cruise. Yet, you expect the staff to treat you as a paying client, like everything was normal?

 

It wasn't normal. The crew was suffering from the same loss of electricity as you were. The fact they were being generous to let you stay overnight in the cabin you booked, until you could make alternative plans, was unappreciated. You demanded to be treated like you were a paying passenger. But you weren't a paying customer. You were like unwanted relatives who arrive at your home unannounced.

 

Sometimes it helps to look at situations like these from the other persons point of view. I'm surprised they let you aboard. It apparently didn't satisify you much, and you're probably more angry than those who never went aboard. Maybe it was a mistake for them to have let you come aboard.

[osiebosie]

I agree that NCL could have put them at least in a cabin with a window, for natural outside light. Water should have been provided, whether bottled or however they could get in fresh drinking water.

 

I cannot believe someone would stay on that ship for a whole week, but maybe they got the electricity working fairly quickly. But still...

 

 

Jentroubles, it's not only money, or your time or vacation. We've had something sort of similar happen, and it does mar the week. You may be able to salvage part of the vacation, but it's just not quite the same.

 

Hopefully, you'll get your full amount of money back. Believe me, when our botched cruise happened, we were so mad. But a year and a half later, we cruised on the same line again, and it was wonderful. You'll just have to write this one down as a not so relaxing vacation. I learned quickly to be on these boards before cruising, not afterwards. (Didn't know of CC before our botched cruise.)

 

I am sorry this happened to you and all of the other cruisers with you.

 

Shay

[bakechef]

I think that there are many on this board that, cannot get the concept of people not having a pile of money or a large credit limit to fall back on. I for one packed away money for months to pay for this cruise, and will only be purchasing one excursion, and will have a definate budget for onboard spending (I don't want to be paying off a credit card for months). So I understand where you are coming from, we have a cheap back-up plan if something goes wrong with our cruise, but realize that even this is not within reach for some.

 

glad you were able to salvage some kind of vacation in the sun (I hate doing dishes, especially on vacation!):p

 

MAC

[heelfan94]

 

Sometimes it helps to look at situations like these from the other persons point of view. I'm surprised they let you aboard. It apparently didn't satisify you much, and you're probably more angry than those who never went aboard. Maybe it was a mistake for them to have let you come aboard.

I'm guessing if NCL had it to do over again, they would have turned everyone away at the terminal. They were in a no-win situation. Conditions on the ship weren't optimal, plus they had some angry (rightfully so) passengers who had a vacation canceled. Let them come on overnight, and they complain about the problems. Turn them away, and they complain NCL did nothing to help them. I don't see how any of the people scheduled for the cruise could be mollified.

[IWORK2CRUISE]

On check in, they DID NOT ask for a credit card. We were issued ID cards with picture taken but financial information was NOT taken.

 

 

Did anyone else notice this statement?

Obviously jentroubles was having troubles but perhaps not the troubles she thought.

It seems to me that the "charges" for water/soda/beer were probably just inventory control. If no credit info was taken there probably were not on-board accounts established at all.

Just a thought and I may in fact be wrong.

[Retired not Expired]

On check in, they DID NOT ask for a credit card. We were issued ID cards with picture taken but financial information was NOT taken.

 

 

Did anyone else notice this statement?

Obviously jentroubles was having troubles but perhaps not the troubles she thought.

It seems to me that the "charges" for water/soda/beer were probably just inventory control. If no credit info was taken there probably were not on-board accounts established at all.

Just a thought and I may in fact be wrong.

 

Does give one pause, doesn't it?

[jentroubles]

It was not just for inventory control. We were informed that we would have to go to the front desk and give our credit card information once we tried to order a soda in the restaurant.