Complaint Review: Norweigan Cruise Line

Hurricane season runs from June until November and I sure you are aware that last year was a particulary bad year. Are you suggesting that cruise ships not sail during those months? Many cruise lines, not just NCL, cancelled ports last year. Cancun and Cozymel were closed for extended periods of time due to hurricane damage. The Port of New Orleans had to close and cruises that were to leave from there were moved to Texas. I was on the NCL Dawn in September and we missed a port due to weather. The Captain chose to change the route and miss a port rather than head through bad weather. A wise choice as far as I'm concerned. A cancelled port is not something a cruise line does lightly since, chances are, they will not be able to substitute another port in it's place. Port time is scheduled and paid for long in advance.

And again, I reiterate, cruising is not down. I don't know what news you've been watching but from what I've been reading, it's definitely up. Norwegian alone just added one new "mega ship", the Jewel and two more are in the works, the Pearl and the Gem. I'm sure they would not be spending the money to build those ships if they did not think they could fill them. Other lines are building ships also, I'm just more familiar with NCL and, by the way, I don't work for them.

You might also take note that NY spent $56 million to refurbish the Brooklyn pier in anticipation of increased cruise ship usage.

Cruising is NOT down, in fact total capacity has risen in the past several years with many new ships coming into service and as mentioned most ships are sailing at or near capacity. Not sure where you get your "facts" from. Let me guess, you work for a land based tour company and are spreading rumors to drum up business for yourself.

As for sailing during hurricane season the prices are actually lower during this period because of the chance of a hurricance altering the itinerary. Of course if you'd actually read the cruise contract it says the cruise line can change/cancel ports at any time for any reason.

Right.....so crusing isnt down huh? Then tell me why are the cruise lines offering such low and affordable rates and why or why is it all OVER THE NEWS that cruising is down? You really should watch the news more often cause obviously your in the dark as to whats going on in your industry.

And as for cruise lines not being responsible for the weather....you mean to tell me that you dont know around what time of the year its hurricane season in a particular part of the country and therefore would not be a good time to go? No...all you guys see is the money situation and forget about the passengers.

Do your research or hire weather people to look into these things - it will save you a lot of headaches in the future.

Right.....so crusing isnt down huh? Then tell me why are the cruise lines offering such low and affordable rates and why or why is it all OVER THE NEWS that cruising is down? You really should watch the news more often cause obviously your in the dark as to whats going on in your industry.

And as for cruise lines not being responsible for the weather....you mean to tell me that you dont know around what time of the year its hurricane season in a particular part of the country and therefore would not be a good time to go? No...all you guys see is the money situation and forget about the passengers.

Do your research or hire weather people to look into these things - it will save you a lot of headaches in the future.

Right.....so crusing isnt down huh? Then tell me why are the cruise lines offering such low and affordable rates and why or why is it all OVER THE NEWS that cruising is down? You really should watch the news more often cause obviously your in the dark as to whats going on in your industry.

And as for cruise lines not being responsible for the weather....you mean to tell me that you dont know around what time of the year its hurricane season in a particular part of the country and therefore would not be a good time to go? No...all you guys see is the money situation and forget about the passengers.

Do your research or hire weather people to look into these things - it will save you a lot of headaches in the future.

As a former employee of a cruise line based in Cape Canaveral Florida and as a frequent "cruiser" I have heard it all. If you read your contract as was stated you will know exactly what your rights to refunds are. I have seen many complaints against cruise lines on this site and sometimes wonder what people actually are expecting when going on a cruise. You stated that you "can catch more bees with honey" and that is a correct statment. How did you approach the subject of a refund or possibly a discounted cruise in the future? The cruise industry is not hurting and I have cruised on NCL and enjoyed every minute of it. You might try writing a letter asking if you might receive a discount on a future cruise stating that you were a little disappointed at not being able to fully enjoy the cruise. Do not let one bad experience sour you. NCL is really a very good cruise line and know how to take care of there guests. No I did not work for NCL.

I fail to see why you are blaming Norwegian Cruise Lines for something that is clearly not their fault. They have no control over the weather or a labor dispute. NCL is also very clear about their tipping policy, a $10 per person, per day charge is added to your Sail card. If you have a valid claim, ie: poor service from your room steward, to have it removed, you need to go the Purser's Desk and discuss it with them.

As far as your comment , "cruising is down", nothing could be further from the truth. Ships are filling to capacity or near capacity due, in part, to the post 9/11 fear of flying.

Just like you said "your not guaranteed to anything" I am guaranteed NOT TO TAKE NCL CRUISES AGAIN. Since cruising is down I suggest you try to compensate your customers a little bit better than you did me - you get move bees with honey than you do with vinegar - get my drift.

I'm sorry that you had a bad cruise, however, cruise lines cannot control the weather. If you read your cruise documents, you would see that you contracted to be on the cruise ship and receive all the specified included amenities. However, the ports are NOT guaranteed, and all cruise lines reserve the right to change the ports at any time without notice. This is clearly stated in your contract. Certainly, a hurricane is not the cruise line's fault nor are they to blame for the fact that the hurricane destroyed the island, or that there was a labor strike.

Cruises are occasionally disrupted by inclement weather or political upheavals in foreign lands. It is unfortunate, but unavoidable. Cruise lines cannot be held responsible, and in these situations are not legally required to reimburse you for anything. However, some cruise lines will offer a credit towards future cruises when ports are missed.

Regarding tipping, had you read your documents you would have seen the tipping policy detailed there. Most cruise lines have a clearly stated tipping expectation, which can be found both in your documents and on their website. Here is NCL's tipping policy, as explicitly detailed on their website.

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SERVICE CHARGE
A fixed service charge of $10 per person, per day will be added to your onboard account. For children ages 3-12, a $5 per person per day charge will be added to your onboard account; there is no charge for children under the age of three. Our crew is encouraged to work together as a service team and is compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that the service charge supports. It is our earnest wish that you enjoy your Freestyle Cruise experience and that our entire crew in all areas of the ship will provide you with the standard of service for which NCL is known. Therefore, if you have any concerns about the service you receive during your cruise, please bring them to the immediate attention of our reception desk staff on board so that we can address any issues in a timely manner before the cruise is over.

Both NCL and NCL America have a structured guest satisfaction program on board designed to handle any concerns raised by our guests relating to the service or on board product quickly and efficiently. In almost all cases we are able to come up with a satisfactory solution to any issues which are raised and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise vacation. In the unlikely event we cannot satisfactorily resolve the issue through our guest satisfaction program, guests will be able to adjust the service charge according to the level of inconvenience they feel they have experienced. Our clear priority is to have the opportunity of resolving the issue, when it happens, to everyone's complete satisfaction.

GRATUITIES
Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on NCL America or Norwegian Cruise Line ships. Guests should not feel obliged to offer a gratuity for service that is generally rendered to all guests.

However, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile", and so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional or outstanding service. In other words, there is genuinely no need to tip but you should feel free to do so if you have a desire to acknowledge particular individuals.

Also, certain staff positions provide service on an individual basis to only some guests. We encourage those guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. For example, for guests purchasing bar drinks the recommended gratuity is 15 percent. Similarly, for guests using concierge and butler services, we recommend they consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.

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It is always best to do your research about the method of travel you choose, so that you will have reasonable expectations, and know what is expected of you. Besided the documents they sent you (which includes the information about weather, port changes and tipping), there are numerous websites out there chock full of information that would have helped you to understand the realities of cruise travel. Next time, I suggest you read your documents fully before setting out.