- Report: #252952
Complaint Review: Norwegian Cruise Line America - Miami Florida
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Norwegian Cruise Line America
7665 Corporate Center Drive Miami, 33126 Florida, U.S.A.
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305-436-4108
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Norwegian Cruise Line America No AC on cruise from hell for 7 days - co did nothing to rectify Miami Florida
Incident = I recently went on a cruise aboard the Pride of Aloha from May 27 - June 3, 2007, which will now be referred to as the Disaster of Aloha. When I say this cruise was the cruise from hell, that doesnt even come close to describing my experience.
This was my first cruise and after having been referred to NCL by my partner who had previously cruised with them and had a good experience, I figured, why not? This was a 7 day cruise visiting 4 islands, which started and ended in Honolulu - Initially, I couldnt wait to go!
Before the ship even set sail, there were complaints of the air conditioning not working in several of the guests cabins - this went on for the entire cruise. My room, unfortunately turned out to be one of the 250 reportedly affected cabins.
The 5th deck, where the customer service counter resides, was constantly backed up with lines of people complaining about how their room felt like it was 100 degrees and when the ship staff was asked about what they were doing to fix the problem, all the guests were met with the same standard response, sorry and were working on it. They claimed to have no knowledge of this ever happening before and that it was a fluke.
We later found out from various members of the staff onboard, that this particuliar vessel had been having this issue for a long time, one member of the staff told us he himself had been without air in his cabin for almost 3 months! Why on Earth is this ship sailing on one cruise per week with an average of 2000 people per trip? I couldnt believe it!
The first night on the cruise ship, my room was so hot, my partner and I had to sleep on the top deck, on deck lounge chairs, covered by beach towels which was not only uncomfortable, but not a safe place for two females to sleep. Since I have asthma though, sleeping in a small, humid room with no air circulation wasnt an option. Since returning home from the trip, my asthma having aggravated has caused me to have issues with frequent attacks.
On the 5th night of our cruise, we were provided with a small table top fan and the same answer that they were working on it - that night, it was so hot in our room, my partner slept in the hallway directly outside of our room, while leaving the door ajar for me, as there was AC in the hallway and as long as we kept our door open, we got a small bit of relief - but again, not very safe to leave your door open on a cruise ship that was carrying 2000 people - for all we know, someone could have stumbled into our room in the middle of the night, knowingly or maybe unknowingly, but I was scared to take that chance so didnt get much sleep. People had to step over her to pass in the hallway.
This is how our experience was for the entire trip. The ship staff, who were rude, uninterested, unconcerned and not very sympathetic, referred people to their corporate headquarters, but when corporate was contacted, we were asked why we were calling them and referred back to the ship as they were responsible for handling these types of problems. The ship did not communicate with the passengers regarding the action plan to get the AC unit repaired, all we received were standard letters that they were sorry and were working on it, only after we had to call daily and harrass them for answers!
We were given a $400 credit, but it was to be used on board the ship! This was an insult and many passengers told them to take their credit and stick it! Why would I want to give them back the money I was owed?!
In addition to the air conditioning not working, there were always long lines for everything and anything that was on the ship, they did not allow you to serve yourself while going through the buffet lines, the food was horrible, none of the bartenders could make a drink correctly if their lives depended on it and then had the nerve to get upset if you didnt tip them, everything was overpriced, the excursions were falsely advertised, housekeeping went through the guests personal effects, and there is so much more, just not enough time in a day to put it down on paper.
My partner and I have written a letter to their corporate hadquarters in Miami, their offices in Honolulu and our travel agent demanding a full refund for the trip on the cruise from hell. We have also contacted the BBB and various consumer reporting agencies. Furthermore we plan on disputing the charges made to our credit card for the trip. If we do not get a resolution to our complete satisfaction, we will contact the attorney general in all states involved in addition to seeking legal counsel.
In closing, I will never cruise with NCL America again and would not recommend it to anyone. What was suppose to be the trip of a lifetime in paradise, turned out to be just the opposite. When I got home from my vacation, I felt as if I needed another one!
Damage Resulting = I have asthma and because there was no air conditioning, it was aggravated and I was forced to use my inhaler more than usual in addition to having to sleep in open, unprotected areas of the ship compromising my safety, in addition to having to keep my cabin door open. I did not have one night of restful sleep because I was so uncomfortable from the heat, had a hard time breathing and scared to death that someone might wander into my room uninvited.
RMN
Naperville, Illinois
U.S.A.
This was my first cruise and after having been referred to NCL by my partner who had previously cruised with them and had a good experience, I figured, why not? This was a 7 day cruise visiting 4 islands, which started and ended in Honolulu - Initially, I couldnt wait to go!
Before the ship even set sail, there were complaints of the air conditioning not working in several of the guests cabins - this went on for the entire cruise. My room, unfortunately turned out to be one of the 250 reportedly affected cabins.
The 5th deck, where the customer service counter resides, was constantly backed up with lines of people complaining about how their room felt like it was 100 degrees and when the ship staff was asked about what they were doing to fix the problem, all the guests were met with the same standard response, sorry and were working on it. They claimed to have no knowledge of this ever happening before and that it was a fluke.
We later found out from various members of the staff onboard, that this particuliar vessel had been having this issue for a long time, one member of the staff told us he himself had been without air in his cabin for almost 3 months! Why on Earth is this ship sailing on one cruise per week with an average of 2000 people per trip? I couldnt believe it!
The first night on the cruise ship, my room was so hot, my partner and I had to sleep on the top deck, on deck lounge chairs, covered by beach towels which was not only uncomfortable, but not a safe place for two females to sleep. Since I have asthma though, sleeping in a small, humid room with no air circulation wasnt an option. Since returning home from the trip, my asthma having aggravated has caused me to have issues with frequent attacks.
On the 5th night of our cruise, we were provided with a small table top fan and the same answer that they were working on it - that night, it was so hot in our room, my partner slept in the hallway directly outside of our room, while leaving the door ajar for me, as there was AC in the hallway and as long as we kept our door open, we got a small bit of relief - but again, not very safe to leave your door open on a cruise ship that was carrying 2000 people - for all we know, someone could have stumbled into our room in the middle of the night, knowingly or maybe unknowingly, but I was scared to take that chance so didnt get much sleep. People had to step over her to pass in the hallway.
This is how our experience was for the entire trip. The ship staff, who were rude, uninterested, unconcerned and not very sympathetic, referred people to their corporate headquarters, but when corporate was contacted, we were asked why we were calling them and referred back to the ship as they were responsible for handling these types of problems. The ship did not communicate with the passengers regarding the action plan to get the AC unit repaired, all we received were standard letters that they were sorry and were working on it, only after we had to call daily and harrass them for answers!
We were given a $400 credit, but it was to be used on board the ship! This was an insult and many passengers told them to take their credit and stick it! Why would I want to give them back the money I was owed?!
In addition to the air conditioning not working, there were always long lines for everything and anything that was on the ship, they did not allow you to serve yourself while going through the buffet lines, the food was horrible, none of the bartenders could make a drink correctly if their lives depended on it and then had the nerve to get upset if you didnt tip them, everything was overpriced, the excursions were falsely advertised, housekeeping went through the guests personal effects, and there is so much more, just not enough time in a day to put it down on paper.
My partner and I have written a letter to their corporate hadquarters in Miami, their offices in Honolulu and our travel agent demanding a full refund for the trip on the cruise from hell. We have also contacted the BBB and various consumer reporting agencies. Furthermore we plan on disputing the charges made to our credit card for the trip. If we do not get a resolution to our complete satisfaction, we will contact the attorney general in all states involved in addition to seeking legal counsel.
In closing, I will never cruise with NCL America again and would not recommend it to anyone. What was suppose to be the trip of a lifetime in paradise, turned out to be just the opposite. When I got home from my vacation, I felt as if I needed another one!
Damage Resulting = I have asthma and because there was no air conditioning, it was aggravated and I was forced to use my inhaler more than usual in addition to having to sleep in open, unprotected areas of the ship compromising my safety, in addition to having to keep my cabin door open. I did not have one night of restful sleep because I was so uncomfortable from the heat, had a hard time breathing and scared to death that someone might wander into my room uninvited.
RMN
Naperville, Illinois
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Nicole
Sitka,Alaska,
U.S.A.
Guess why you couldn't serve yourself?
#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, June 07, 2007
Because they had a GI outbreak (which means at least 14 passengers onboard the previous week had Norwalk symptoms. typical for cruise ships. unheard of for MY ship). Guess how they got it? Notice how when you got back onboard after a day ashore they would have a crew member spray your hands? Did you ever say no? That spray almost completely prevents GI. It is rubbing alcohol. My ship (the Pride of America, same route, in much better condition) requires EVERYONE to do it, or they do not get back onboard. Captain's orders. And yes, this IS legal. Ask the Coast Guard. And we NEVER had an outbreak. NOT ONCE. RCL, Carnival, Celebrity ect? An outbreak a week, at least. Its gross. Even worse is Disney, they should just burn their ships eww. So that is why you could not serve yourself. They wanted to ensure no one else got sick. It sucks for you, yes, but even more for the crew. Instead of working 12 hours a day seven days a week, they now work upwards of 16. I am sure you can understand their lack of empathy for your not being able to serve yourself. They don't really want to serve you either. Trust me. They also don't want to spend 3+hours after each meal scrubbing every surface you could have possibly touched. As for the AC, the Pride of Aloha is 13 years old. THIRTEEN. It sailed internationally prior to becoming a US ship (and only became a US ship because the Pride of America, my ship, was sunk during building and therefore delayed). It is very old, and yes I understand it was a pain in the butt, but I promise you they were doing everything they could to fix it. And no, they cannot just pull the ship. Cruises are booked months in advance, and often, when special groups are aboard, they are not allowed to cancel. I can also assure you that there was no other ship to use. Each of the three US ships is booked with 2000+ guests every week. And no, they cannot use an international ship as international ships are not allowed, by US and Hawaiian law, to "island" hop without leaving US waters. And trust me, if it was bad for you, it was worse for the crew. Now, that is not to belittle your complaint. But, you knew it would be got, it is Hawaii. Yes, the AC should have worked, but cruise ships are known to have problems. If these were your biggest concerns, count yourself lucky. I have seen much MUCH worse. And even though I am a former employee, i would still sail with NCLA. I have sailed on RCL, Princess, Carnival, NCL, NCLA, Cruise West, and Holland America. I was treated best on NCLA, and plus the whole pride of it being the first US cruise ships in over 50 years. Good luck, and may I suggest you give them another chance on the Pride of American or Pride of Hawaii? I promise your trip will be better. Oh, and as for the credit, that is SOP for ALL cruise ships. Credit is ver given in cash, only in onboard credit. I actually had RCL offer me a free cruise after my waiter screamed at my sister and threw her food. Like I would criuse with THEM again! Ha!
