Quick question re: Port Canaveral as a port stop

[grantclaire]

Hi we have stayed in Cocoa Beach several times pre and post cruise, I remember seeing a company that offers a shuttle over to the mall on Merritt Island(a lot of crew use it) also on the strip near the Cocoa Beach pier there is a Ron Jon and other stores, if you could book a Uber or taxi. Also bike and kayak and jetski rentals nearby.

 

[RedSox68]

thanks to all. The most cost-effective excursion for the odd times we were in port was the bus to Disney Springs. The bus left at 1:30 and we had to be back onboard the bus by 6:30. It was less than one-hour each way. We ended up with about 3-1/2 hours there. We got to see what it looked like (hadn't been since 2014) and ate at the Mexican restaurant which was amazing. The temp felt like 100+ degrees though

Unfortunately, the bus company was under the mistaken belief that our ship sailed at 8 p.m. when it didn't sail until 9 p.m. So we could have actually had an extra half hour easily at Disney Spring.

 

[RedSox68]

So to wrap up the cruise as it ended -- we paid for a Bermuda cruise to take a cruise with 5 days at sea and two lousy ports. On top of that, our cruise room costs more than what we would have paid had we actually booked the alternate itinerary -- which they actually offer as a cruise. No comp for the missed port fees, no comp for the difference in costs, and then they skipped Nassau anyway. And the best part:

When I called NCL as I was advised to do onboard to see what they were offering upon return home, I was told to call guest services and that they were aware of the situation and have varying levels of comp depending on the cruise and cabin level. So when I called, the woman said that NCL had decided NOT to give an overall comp en masse -- but instead want you to write a grievance email on why you deserve any credit or comp and they will decide on a case by case basis. In all my years of travel and cruising, I have never heard of anything so self-serving and outrageous.

 

[Chirple]

So to wrap up the cruise as it ended -- we paid for a Bermuda cruise to take a cruise with 5 days at sea and two lousy ports. On top of that, our cruise room costs more than what we would have paid had we actually booked the alternate itinerary -- which they actually offer as a cruise. No comp for the missed port fees, no comp for the difference in costs, and then they skipped Nassau anyway. And the best part:

When I called NCL as I was advised to do onboard to see what they were offering upon return home, I was told to call guest services and that they were aware of the situation and have varying levels of comp depending on the cruise and cabin level. So when I called, the woman said that NCL had decided NOT to give an overall comp en masse -- but instead want you to write a grievance email on why you deserve any credit or comp and they will decide on a case by case basis. In all my years of travel and cruising, I have never heard of anything so self-serving and outrageous.

This is terrible. I'm sure they are counting on people not bothering to follow through the process they are putting in place.

 

[RedSox68]

This is terrible. I'm sure they are counting on people not bothering to follow through the process they are putting in place.

And I am becoming increasingly aware that they plan on doing nothing at all. Rumor has it that while we were told onboard we were skipping Nassau to beat the storm back to NYC, during a Q&A with the Captain it let slip that the reason we passed Nassau was because they had no room for us. The bad weather and changed itinerary doesn't explain their lies, deceit and poor planning.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Well, I assume that will be your last NCL cruise? It sure would be mine. That's horrible treatment!

 

[Dug720]

Well, I assume that will be your last NCL cruise? It sure would be mine. That's horrible treatment!

Just reading it was enough to cross them off my list permanently. And I was starting to consider them as an option from NYC.

 

[RedSox68]

Oh by all means, cross them off your list LOL. We won't be taking another. This was our third and we've had problems on all three trips -- this being the worst customer service I've seen.

We didn't even spend any money onboard when we realized what was happening -- I only used up the rewards I had earned with the credit card (which I am actually going to cut up LOL). Enough is enough -- we gave them three tries and I'm done.

Pride of America was horrid (both for sloppy and careless staff, dirty rooms and bad food), the Breakaway was just okay -- but way too big and just filled with cigarette smoke (bad filtration), and now the Escape was a bad reminder of POA for us as our room was not finished when we checked in -- it was not vacuumed, there was no toilet paper or towels and it smelled like someone had urinated all over the walls. They sent in a deck manager who spent 30 minutes with a bucket of bleach solution cleaning the whole bathroom. It was great afterwards, but should not have been required if the room had been done right in the first place.

It's kind of exhausting when you have to spend parts of your vacation fixing problems or getting things done or just getting service. Every single morning we went to breakfast in the MDR the tables had no silverware, salt & pepper shakers or sugar. We had to ask for everything -- every day!

No more.....thank you very much.

 

[mevelandry]

Not suprised they would opt for case by case: they can give as little or as much as they want to different individuals + they know half of the passengers won't bother writing a complaint.

IMO two things should be mentionned in a complaint:

1) The price difference between an actual cruise to the Bahamas vs Bermuda (as you mentionned).

2) If your hometown is not too far from Orlando or Miami, you would never pay hundreds of dollars to fly to NYC, as you can easily have access to a Bahamas cruise...

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Oh by all means, cross them off your list LOL. We won't be taking another. This was our third and we've had problems on all three trips -- this being the worst customer service I've seen.

We didn't even spend any money onboard when we realized what was happening -- I only used up the rewards I had earned with the credit card (which I am actually going to cut up LOL). Enough is enough -- we gave them three tries and I'm done.

Pride of America was horrid (both for sloppy and careless staff, dirty rooms and bad food), the Breakaway was just okay -- but way too big and just filled with cigarette smoke (bad filtration), and now the Escape was a bad reminder of POA for us as our room was not finished when we checked in -- it was not vacuumed, there was no toilet paper or towels and it smelled like someone had urinated all over the walls. They sent in a deck manager who spent 30 minutes with a bucket of bleach solution cleaning the whole bathroom. It was great afterwards, but should not have been required if the room had been done right in the first place.

It's kind of exhausting when you have to spend parts of your vacation fixing problems or getting things done or just getting service. Every single morning we went to breakfast in the MDR the tables had no silverware, salt & pepper shakers or sugar. We had to ask for everything -- every day!

No more.....thank you very much.

This is exactly why I am afraid to venture away from DCL. Sure, DCL has slipped the past few years, but they still seem far ahead of other cruise lines, making their premium pricing worth it, IMO

 

[mevelandry]

This is exactly why I am afraid to venture away from DCL. Sure, DCL has slipped the past few years, but they still seem far ahead of other cruise lines, making their premium pricing worth it, IMO

People have different experiences. My husband plays soft ball with someone who had nothing but stellar experiences with NCL. We have had amazing experiences with Carnival. But you have to be willing to "take a leap of faith"... And everybody is not ready to do that.

 

[Dug720]

People have different experiences. My husband plays soft ball with someone who had nothing but stellar experiences with NCL. We have had amazing experiences with Carnival. But you have to be willing to "take a leap of faith"... And everybody is not ready to do that.

What you call a leap of faith, I call gambling with hard-earned vacation time and money. And I already had enough questions about NCL that this report just tells me that is not a gamble I'm willing to take.

 

[mevelandry]

What you call a leap of faith, I call gambling with hard-earned vacation time and money. And I already had enough questions about NCL that this report just tells me that is not a gamble I'm willing to take.

Use the expressions you want. I'll use the expressions I want...

 

[RedSox68]

What you call a leap of faith, I call gambling with hard-earned vacation time and money. And I already had enough questions about NCL that this report just tells me that is not a gamble I'm willing to take.

I hear ya. This is the first cruise since Pride of America where we feel we truly wasted our vacation money. While Pride of America had better ports of course, it doesn't excuse the fact that we were gipped and they obviously don't care. We have sailed on five cruise lines: HAL (2), Princess (1), Disney (10), Carnival (2) and NCL (3). Out of the 8 non-Disney cruises, the only line we have had problems with on a continuing basis is NCL. The other lines have been wonderful and accommodating and fair. It is the NCL attitude of digging their heels in and saying no that is disappointing and, quite frankly, disrespectful. A little comp, some courtesy, but most of all better communication and attitude would have gone a long way to smooth things over.

Now we are hearing reports that NCL knew all along they wouldn't have a berth in Nassau and even before sailing out of NYC knew they had no intentions of going there from the beginning. That is truly disheartening then!

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We toiled and stressed for two days after the itinerary change announcement came out about whether to chance it and go and just enjoy the trip -- or cancel and lose $600 (they only refund 75%). We all decided that just throwing $600 away for nothing seemed pointless, so we chose to go. It was what it was, but I still feel like we spent about $500 more on this itinerary than it was worth!

 

[Dug720]

I hear ya. This is the first cruise since Pride of America where we feel we truly wasted our vacation money. While Pride of America had better ports of course, it doesn't excuse the fact that we were gipped and they obviously don't care. We have sailed on five cruise lines: HAL (2), Princess (1), Disney (10), Carnival (2) and NCL (3). Out of the 8 non-Disney cruises, the only line we have had problems with on a continuing basis is NCL. The other lines have been wonderful and accommodating and fair. It is the NCL attitude of digging their heels in and saying no that is disappointing and, quite frankly, disrespectful. A little comp, some courtesy, but most of all better communication and attitude would have gone a long way to smooth things over.

Now we are hearing reports that NCL knew all along they wouldn't have a berth in Nassau and even before sailing out of NYC knew they had no intentions of going there from the beginning. That is truly disheartening then!

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We toiled and stressed for two days after the itinerary change announcement came out about whether to chance it and go and just enjoy the trip -- or cancel and lose $600 (they only refund 75%). We all decided that just throwing $600 away for nothing seemed pointless, so we chose to go. It was what it was, but I still feel like we spent about $500 more on this itinerary than it was worth!

I'm so sorry!!

 

[RedSox68]

I'm so sorry!!

Thanks. Sailing for the first time with my best friend and her husband was a real plus -- we had a great time and really got to know each other. That part was a win-win

To be honest, we all talked about it and the only way we'd sail again with NCL is if they offer 50% off a future cruise. If they gave us back the difference in cruise costs between the two itineraries, that would be a nice gesture -- but not enough to have us come back

 

[RedSox68]

Oh, and we still have not received the survey -- while most everyone else has (per Cruise Critic).

 

[Chirple]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We toiled and stressed for two days after the itinerary change announcement came out about whether to chance it and go and just enjoy the trip -- or cancel and lose $600 (they only refund 75%). We all decided that just throwing $600 away for nothing seemed pointless, so we chose to go. It was what it was, but I still feel like we spent about $500 more on this itinerary than it was worth!

This paragraph is the very definition of a gamble vs. leap of faith. In my opinion, taking a leap of faith means you really have nothing to lose, start on neutral ground, and can benefit from the experience.

 

[RedSox68]

This paragraph is the very definition of a gamble vs. leap of faith. In my opinion, taking a leap of faith means you really have nothing to lose, start on neutral ground, and can benefit from the experience.

Yes, but being forced to either lose money or go on a cruise you don't want isn't so great either. We feel they really boxed us in with no options -- while other cruise lines were more compensating.

 

[Chirple]

Yes, but being forced to either lose money or go on a cruise you don't want isn't so great either. We feel they really boxed us in with no options -- while other cruise lines were more compensating.

Sorry, my comment wasn't directed towards you. I think you took a gamble and sadly lost based on NCL's lack of customer service. I was trying to define my differences between leap of faith and gamble as discussed by other posters.