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The Alaskan Jewel! Welcome Aboard….You don’t Exist!

Oh my gosh I would be spitting mad. I have knots in my stomach just reading this. I really REALLY hope it was sorted out once she received all those emails. Oy!!! :(
 
I can't believe she was making YOU jump through all those hopes to prove info the HER company had sent! You handled it beautifully tho. Can't wait to read more :flower:
 
I'm not sure I would handle the stress like you have!!! I will have to take note to print EVERYTHING out and make sure its with all the documents I need to bring with me. I dont handle stress like this at all!
 
Finally caught up :thumbsup2

Loved all your Chihuly pics :love: :worship:

I didn't even know they had that in Seattle, I would love to see it one day. Obviously a fan from his work on the classic ships :)

We happened to be driving right in front of the Bellagio when they were setting off the fireworks during their grand opening, which was 2 days before we got married. While I am not a fan of that hotel, I do love his work in the lobby ::yes::

He also has another gallery at City Center, Las Vegas. Last time I was in Vegas I stayed at the Aria, right next door but the timing was never good so gotta go back to see it :goodvibes

I have to laugh (and slap, if he were my husband!) at Skip at some of the things he does :lmao:

Like how he just wandered off and ended up going for a sit-down meal all by himself :rolleyes2 Who does that??? :rotfl2:

As for the NCL stuff...ugh. I still can't believe that happened to you :eek:

And them trying to blame it on your TA??? :mad: That makes me so mad because if this was your client, they would then assume that this was all your fault! >:( I hope you stated how upsetting that was in your letter about them blaming this on the TA for no apparent reason!!

I'm just sad that you were treated so badly and that you had to PROVE to them that you belonged there and that you had all those perks instead of them believing you. They should have rolled out the red carpet for you once they confirmed your reservation instead of making you feel like crap. :guilty:

You obviously chose the classy way to respond, not sure many people would have! But so sad that you had to go through that in the first place and because of it, you didn't get certain things that you should have gotten, especially as a concierge suite guest!!!

On a side note...reading your trip report makes me long to travel with you again :P Can't wait to see you in February :woohoo:
 


LOL on you not wanting to ride the Seattle Great Wheel. I forgot about you and ferris wheels. Did you see any bodies flying out? ;)

Loved the shot with Mount Rainier in the background. So beautiful.

So are you saying all those police motorcycles weren't there to escort you to your ship?

I'm impressed with how you kept your cool over all the trouble with your reservation. "Well, your travel agent must have made a mistake." :rotfl2::rotfl::lmao: So did you just want to smack her for that? :laughing:
 
Unbelievable! I would be screaming and bawling by that point! The customer service seems completely inadequate. Why the burden was on you when it was all their own company's fault?!? I am not as organized as you, so I probably wouldn't have been able to get what I paid for in this case. I hope this was the end of your troubles but I still have trepidation for you!

The customer service was really lacking! It really annoyed me that I was the one who had to get things together and proove it all. It should have been their job. If this ever would happen again to me I will go about it in a much different manner...knowing what I know now.

Wow, holy inappropriate handling of the situation by NCL. I hope you have your feedback email already written up and sent!

Jill in CO

I did write them and we have been offered a large amount of OBC for our next cruise with them.

Wow, Jen! I would also have been flaming mad!!! I'm REALLY big about customer service and hate that they put the burden on you. So far, I'm not impressed with NCL's treatment toward you. Let's see how things go next post! Amy

It was really hard not to be mad, but I didn't want to ruin the vacation either for my family. They really need some training on customer service.

:sad2: And this is CONCIERGE? What would have happened if you were a "peon"? What would have happened if your friends were not such rockstars I wonder. I love that Skip was calm and taking it in stride - speaks volumes for you, way to handle it!

I gotta say, I love that Claire had on her DCL lanyard... :smooth:

LOL! Yes, I would hate to know what the "peons" would've had to endure.
I wore my DCL lanyard as well as carried my castaway club backpack!

I too applaud your restraint when dealing with your check in issues, especially since you booked yourself. I'd have been hotter than cheap fireworks.

It was hard not to be extremely mad but I also had to try and get it fixed and have my family enjoy the vacation.

So sorry to hear that things didn't start out so good for you. I would definitely be freaking out. I sure hope things got better soon.

I just had to keep at it and make sure I watched everything. It really came down to me checking everything or not getting it fixed.

This is why I print everything out (like you did & usually I leave it at home too!!!)

I would've been in tears though as I don't handle confrontation well. Waiting to see what happened next.

I am famous for always leaving at least one piece of paper at home...no matter how many times I go over everything.
 


Even though I am supposed to get email notifications when you post, I am not getting them. I want the old Dis back so I can keep up with my subscriptions. Anyway, I'm all caught up.

I am having issues off and on still too.
Every so often I go to the top and mark all read or something like that and then they start back up again.

The pictures in the market are really cool. Did it smell? I would think that the fish out like that would make fora stinky place. LOL

I don't remember a smell so it must not have. or the excitement blocked the smell out. !!!

Speaking of cool....the glass display (Can't remember the name) is the coolest! Even though I'm not into that kind of stuff, I would have liked to see that. It's nice that you and Claire were able to enjoy Seattle before boarding the ship.

I would never have that kind of stuff in my house, but I really enjoy looking at it. The way they displayed it was amazing.

I would have been freaking the heck out over the issues during the ship check-in process. In my opinion, you handled it very very well.

Even though spitting mad was first on my list...being calm is often a better way to get things done. I admit..at one point I felt like crying.

Well you certainly have more patience than me, I would have gone insane on that woman! Why was she doubting you so much? Clearly you know what you are doing

I only assume that people try to pull one over all the time and say they have something they don't...or think they have something but don't know the full terms of it. However being in a suite I had 4 promos...not one, so why would I say I had something I didn't?

I can't believe that you had that issue, I would have been fuming. :furious:

Looks like a nice lunch so far at least.

I LOVED that vanilla Ice Cream when we were on the Gem.

It was an experience...thats for sure!
Lunch was good...and the ice cream was amazing!

Oh my gosh I would be spitting mad. I have knots in my stomach just reading this. I really REALLY hope it was sorted out once she received all those emails. Oy!!! :(

They have responded and in the end I am getting a large onboard credit in our next sailing and letters have been sent to the hotel director on the ship to be sure they know how it was handled and to make adjustments for any future problems.

I can't believe she was making YOU jump through all those hopes to prove info the HER company had sent! You handled it beautifully tho. Can't wait to read more :flower:

I agree! The whole procedure was not right and I hope it was a learning experience for all.

You must be a scrapbooker with all the awesome photos you take.

Actually I am not...no time or patience.

Loved the shot with Mount Rainier in the background. So beautiful.

I loved trying to get the mountain in whenever I could.

So are you saying all those police motorcycles weren't there to escort you to your ship?

Now knowing what I do know...they weren't notified about me arriving. hahaha.

I'm impressed with how you kept your cool over all the trouble with your reservation. "Well, your travel agent must have made a mistake." :rotfl2::rotfl::lmao: So did you just want to smack her for that? :laughing:

This is a common response for a lot of places and usually it means we messed up and are blaming your travel agent. But yeah, she was lucky I didn't fly over the desk at her at that moment.
 
Boy multi-quoting is acting up. some come and some don't and then they are put in random orders....

I'm not sure I would handle the stress like you have!!! I will have to take note to print EVERYTHING out and make sure its with all the documents I need to bring with me. I dont handle stress like this at all!

I don't think many people do, espeically on vacation and for many what is a trip of a lifetime.

Finally caught up :thumbsup2

:banana:

Loved all your Chihuly pics :love: :worship:

Thanks..I took just a few! ;)

I didn't even know they had that in Seattle, I would love to see it one day. Obviously a fan from his work on the classic ships :)

Do you remember Lynn who used to work with us? When she went to Alaska on Princess she took the train after down to Seattle and went there and thats when I first learned about it.

We happened to be driving right in front of the Bellagio when they were setting off the fireworks during their grand opening, which was 2 days before we got married. While I am not a fan of that hotel, I do love his work in the lobby ::yes::

how cool!!!:jumping3:

He also has another gallery at City Center, Las Vegas. Last time I was in Vegas I stayed at the Aria, right next door but the timing was never good so gotta go back to see it :goodvibes

I heard he had another one somewhere but I never looked up where it was.

I have to laugh (and slap, if he were my husband!) at Skip at some of the things he does :lmao:

You get used to it.:confused3

Like how he just wandered off and ended up going for a sit-down meal all by himself :rolleyes2 Who does that??? :rotfl2:

He wanders off all the time. And I don't mind it as much if we have phone contact but on the ship we don't! Well we could have with the Iconcierge app that NCL just put out...which is full of glitches from what I heard (Disney must have designed it) but he has a dumb phone.

As for the NCL stuff...ugh. I still can't believe that happened to you :eek:

If it was going to happen to someone...I am the one it would. Just the rule of life there. :cool:

And them trying to blame it on your TA??? :mad: That makes me so mad because if this was your client, they would then assume that this was all your fault! :( I hope you stated how upsetting that was in your letter about them blaming this on the TA for no apparent reason!!

Exactly. This makes so made that this seems to be a go to response. sure it could've been me...but it wasn't. :rotfl:

I'm just sad that you were treated so badly and that you had to PROVE to them that you belonged there and that you had all those perks instead of them believing you. They should have rolled out the red carpet for you once they confirmed your reservation instead of making you feel like crap. :guilty:

yes they should have!

You obviously chose the classy way to respond, not sure many people would have! But so sad that you had to go through that in the first place and because of it, you didn't get certain things that you should have gotten, especially as a concierge suite guest!!!

I had to keep it in as Skip would have been mad too if i went all postal. But of course you get more bees with honey than vinegar too.

On a side note...reading your trip report makes me long to travel with you again :P Can't wait to see you in February :woohoo:

I can't wait!!!!! :dancer:

LOL on you not wanting to ride the Seattle Great Wheel. I forgot about you and ferris wheels. Did you see any bodies flying out? ;)

I never saw it actually running, but I am sure if I did I would have seen bodies spewing out left and right! :jumping1:
 
At this point Claire was antsy to go swimming. We decided to split up and Skip was going to go get a cold beverage while I take Claire to the room to change into her suit and then I could drop off the carryon and backpacks.

Claire and I headed to the aft and also did a bit of exploring as we went. We found the sports court.


board9 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


We actually went back too far and backtracked to find our way to the stairs and down to deck 10. We walked down the hall and to our room and I stuck my key in …..and nothing. I tried again….nothing. So I took Claire’s key and tried it. NOPE! That didn’t work either. OH MY GOD!!!!

We turned around and headed back to Moderno to tell Florentina. She said she would have new ones printed, but she would need our old ones too. I handed her Claire’s and mine and I sent Claire out on the pool deck to find her dad. She was nervous about going and I told her I could see her from the windows and she would be fine. She wasn’t gone too long and she was back with her dad’s key in hand.

Florentina told us to have a seat and wait as it would be a little bit. I found a Freestyle Daily, something that was supposed to be in our welcome packet that I never received and looked it over while we sat there.


daily 1-1 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


daily 1-2 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


daily 1-3 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


daily 1-4 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


After a bit a person from Customer Service arrived and handed us our new keys. Good news!!! They had our dining and beverage package listed on them this time as well.


I did tell this girl that this was so ridiculous as I have now spent over 2 hours getting things straightened out. She gave me an “oh I am so sorry”, but it wasn’t from the heart. I was now mad. I am not one to go looking for free things, but for all this trouble, I really felt they should have offered some onboard credit…or heck even just a free picture or something. I just kept saying to myself…If this was Disney….. They would have handled this so differently.


With the new keys in hand, Claire and I went in search of Skip and found him at the bar ready to get a 2nd drink. We handed him his key and I said I am getting something too. I asked Claire if she wanted anything and she said no. I think Claire was nervous about this drink system. She is used to DCL where you can go and self-serve yourself the soft drinks.


I told the bartender I wanted something with Mango, and I have no idea what he gave me but it was tasty.


mango by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


We went off to the side area where there was a smoking area and sipped our drinks….while Claire told us how she was so hot she just may die! It was hot and the sun was beating down hard, but I am sure she was going to live a few more minutes.


Claire and I then headed back to the room to test our keys and get her into her swim suit. I had offered to just take her to a bathroom near the pool to change but I think she was more interested in seeing what our room looked like.


We made it back to the room and ding ding ding…..the keys worked. We walked in and Claire stated the room was small. I don’t know what planet she is from, but I thought the room was big. Much bigger than a balcony room on DCL, which is the only other type of room she has sailed in.


We were just taking a look around the room when we heard the doorbell. (Suites on NCL have doorbells for those that did not know.) The door opened right up and in walked a lady. She looked surprised to see us. She said “Oh this room is supposed to be empty this week.” I told her no, there was a mix up and this is our room. Basically, we don’t exist! She introduced herself as Mellany and she would be our butler. She told me that sometimes with late upgrades they don’t always make it to the ship. Once again I told her that it was not a late upgrade. She said how she and Pablo who would be our room steward had just been talking about how odd that this room was empty on this cruise since it was a full cruise.


She said she would let Pablo know and she would go get our suite treats. She gave me her card and told me to call if we needed anything and that she was taking care of something like 18 rooms, but she would get us what we needed as soon as she could. I knew in most cases we probably wouldn’t need her too much, but it was nice to have the option.


I also discussed with her that we had been in contact with concierge with a few requests, though nothing major, I assumed those now had not made it to the ship either. I told her a few of which I could remember off the top of my head…extra towels, egg crate topper for Claire’s bed and memory foam pillows for all. She said she would relay the message to Pablo. We never did get the memory foam pillows. I mentioned it one other time and still they never came, but it wasn’t a deal break for us and we were fine.


Mellany left for a minute and returned with some goodies.


food10 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


food11 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


Of course I sampled some and Claire dove into the fruit.


Now that we are in our room, I will post the majority of the pictures I took of it during the week.


First, we were in Penthouse Suite 10164.


jw1 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


You could move the little sign to let them know to make up the room, do not disturb, etc.

jw2 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


jw3 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


jw4 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


I took a lot of pictures and some are pretty similar.

As you walk in, the closet is on your right.


pent1 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


There were 2 robes and also some slippers in there. The other side also opened to the vanity area.


Right next to the door is a shelf which held the pool towels. Even though we had 3 people in the room they never gave an extra. It was no big deal since Skip and I never swam and Claire only swam a few times, but had it been a warm destination I would have made sure to ask for more. There was also a towel station near the pool, though I only noticed it opened one day…but never really paid attention on most days.


pent2 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


Looking in to our room from the door.


pent3 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


We got a bottle of sparkling wine for being a suite guest.


pent4 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


pent27 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


And 1 bottle of water.


pent5 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


Our bed, which was king sized. We have a queen at home and I LOVED all the room on the king.


pent6 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


The chair that Claire is sitting on folds out into a bed.


pent7 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


After looking around she had a panicked look on her face and asked where she was sleeping. LOL! Once she found out the chair was a bed she was happy.


We had a nice floral arrangement.


pent8 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


The table and chairs became the area where I piled stuff.


pent9 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


This is a coffee maker. I can tell you nothing about it. I don’t drink the stuff and Skip is an instant coffee kind of guy…..Usually just one cup in the morning, so he never tried it out either.


pent10 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


pent26 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


In the cupboard below there is a mini fridge which we never had need to use.


We had all sorts of glassware and plates. We didn’t use them much.


pent11 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


The vanity area, which also led to the bathroom.


pent12 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


pent32 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


This shelf was in the vanity area to the right side and good for storing extra stuff.


pent13 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


pent33 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


pent35 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


A look back to the bedroom area from the vanity area.


pent14 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


There were cupboards on the right where we put a lot of clothing. There were also 2 safes in there and on the bottom half drawers. I thought I took a picture of the area, but I haven’t found it yet if I did.
 
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As you enter the hall with the vanity, to the left is the bathroom.



pent15 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent42 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



To the left of the sink is the tub/shower.



pent16 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent43 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent44 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



And to the right is the toilet, which has a sliding glass door.



pent17 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent41 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



Being in a suite you get better soaps, shampoos and conditioner.



pent18 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



And a look at the door.



pent19 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



The other side of the closet opens in the vanity hall.



pent34 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr




Our bed again.


pent20 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent47 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent31 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent24 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr




What will be Claire’s bed.



pent48 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent21 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent30 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



Claire’s bed folded out.



pent23 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



A look back at the door.



pent49 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr


pent25 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr




Our table before too much clutter has gathered.



pent50 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr






And now cluttered.



pent28 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



The TV.



pent46 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



This was also a cluttered area.



pent29 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



I took a few pano shots to try to give you a better idea of the layout.



pent36 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent37 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent38 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent39 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent40 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



And finally our balcony. We loved this location. It is a bit bigger than the average balconies and we had 2 loungers and a chair, plus some little tables.



pent22 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent45 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



pent51 by Jennifer Dowling, on Flickr



My thoughts on the room….


I had seen the décor before I arrived so I was prepared for all the pink. At first I thought it was kind of ugly, but it did grow on me. There were signs of wear and tear, but over all a good room. I think the carpet really needs to replaced. The lounger cushions had white specks all over…maybe ash or soot? It didn’t bother us, but just something noted.


The amount of space and location of the balcony were real winners for us and Skip was very impressed with the room. He is one who usually cares less what kind of room we are in and had I booked an inside he would’ve been fine. But for Alaska I wanted to have access to that scenery at all hours of the day and night, and I figured with an aft room we could see it all easily.



After being in this room and all the perks …big or small…that came with it, it will be really hard to go back to a regular room on NCL. One of Skip’s buddies was asking him about the price when we got home and Skip told him. I told Skip that he could go cheaper but just wouldn’t get all the perks etc. Skip said there is no way his buddy would go for less. This package was the best. It’s so nice to hear that as I worried he would think it was a waste.
 
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LOL - I did not realize you were doing this here..... oy. I just "invited" people to the CC thread. LOL. (I'm vacationdreamer<>< over there.)
 
:faint: I was 90!!! posts behind. :rotfl2: But now am all caught up. I really enjoyed reading about your first day/travel and the exhibition. That was AWESOME, thanks for taking so many pics.

The getting on the ship though ....... boy, your nerves are quite good. I might have had a run in with that concierge girl and her snotty attitude.

Your room looks really lovely. Thanks to you I have looked into NCL for a 2017 European cruise. I am still leaning towards Tui and Mein Schiff, but NCL is still in the race. Thanks for sharing your adventures so far, Jen and could you please slow down at the end of next week for a week so I don't have to catch up on so much again. ;)
 
LOL - I did not realize you were doing this here..... oy. I just "invited" people to the CC thread. LOL. (I'm vacationdreamer<>< over there.)

OMG!!! There are a bunch of nuts over there. Some people just get off thinking they can bully others. And they love it when people respond to them too. I am just bypassing them all now and reporting the ones who attack other posters.
 
:faint: I was 90!!! posts behind. :rotfl2: But now am all caught up. I really enjoyed reading about your first day/travel and the exhibition. That was AWESOME, thanks for taking so many pics.

The getting on the ship though ....... boy, your nerves are quite good. I might have had a run in with that concierge girl and her snotty attitude.

Your room looks really lovely. Thanks to you I have looked into NCL for a 2017 European cruise. I am still leaning towards Tui and Mein Schiff, but NCL is still in the race. Thanks for sharing your adventures so far, Jen and could you please slow down at the end of next week for a week so I don't have to catch up on so much again. ;)

I am still on that after vacation high...You know I will slow way done soon. hahaha.
My friend did the Jade in Europe and LOVED it! It's a sister ship to the Jewel. She had a 3 bedroom haven suite and it was fabulous! We really enjoyed the specialty restaurants so you might want to look into a package if you sail NCL.
 
I am still on that after vacation high...You know I will slow way done soon. hahaha.
My friend did the Jade in Europe and LOVED it! It's a sister ship to the Jewel. She had a 3 bedroom haven suite and it was fabulous! We really enjoyed the specialty restaurants so you might want to look into a package if you sail NCL.

I do understand about that vacation high, Jen! I am still on one myself and you should see a LOT of pictures of our road trip to Italy soon.

And I did look into next year's offers for NCL and am looking forward to what they have to offer for 2017. We are still not decided if we want to do Scandinavia or Western Europe. TUI has a cruise to the British Isles which looks so tempting, but we still have quite some time to decide. Guess your report will help me decide. :thumbsup2
 
Wow, that's a sweet suite :rockband: I can't believe they wouldn't make it right right there on the ship. Absolutely unacceptable!

Jill in CO
 
Aren't all cruise ship rooms that big? :rotfl2:........says the person who has never been on a cruise ship! But see what you've done now...... if I ever do go, I'll be expecting what you had!

That rug though........ :faint: It looks like pink pot leaves! :lmao:
 
At least they finally got your cards right (although I would have been flaming mad!). My biggest peeve is when people in customer service don't know how to address your issue and resolve your anger. I assume you got to do a cruise survey at the end of your voyage. I probably would have asked for extra paper...actually I probably would have sent an email when I got home. By the way, you should have counted how many times they kept saying, "that's what happens when you upgrade the last minute."

I like your cabin space and bathrooms/vanity space. I like the cabinet colors. I thought the table looks cheap and the 2 chairs look cheap and uncomfortable for a suite. I was really irked about how little counter space you had in the suite.

DH and I would have put that espresso/coffee maker to good use! We also would have used the glassware and coffee cups. That's becau we are definitely coffee drinkers!!! Amy
 

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