I’ve sailed on many cruise ships and cruise lines solo, with friends and family.  I’ve also been subject to missed ports while sailing, norovirus, medical evacuations and a cruise ship that never left the port of Miami so I’ve seen some things.  And I get the cruise contract basically gives me ZERO rights and the cruise lines can do whatever they want to get me from Point A to Point B, not unlike a bus trip.   What I take issue with is how the message is communicated, how customers are treated and if I leave feeling like I was valued and listened to.  Do I feel that the vendor cared about me, my vacation and my experience?  Good questions to ask of any travel vendor in my opinion.

So here’s the story of my NCL Transatlantic Cruise from New York City to Southampton, United Kingdom in April 2019 on the NCL Getaway.  Well actually it’s what happened in the nine (9) days before sailing. You can decide for yourself if this treatment was fair or not and whether you would have shrugged it off (as many did) or reacted differently.

NCL Getaway Cruise Changes – Transatlantic April 2019

There’s a reason companies fire and lay off employees during the week and not on a Friday because having the weekend to stew only makes folks angry when all they want (and need) are answers.  Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) didn’t get the memo when it sent an email on Good Friday (a holiday in many countries) telling NCL Getaway customers that they were changing the cruise itinerary so they could get to drydock early.  But hey, see you in 8 DAYS for the awesome vacation you were looking forward to but now dread.

 

THURSDAY (9 day before sailing)

CRUISE SHIP ROLL CALL AND FACEBOOK GROUPS

As a member of both Cruise Critic and the Facebook groups for this sailing, there were rumors on Thursday (9 days before sailing) that something was wrong.  Someone had checked the manifest schedule for the ports (I know, I never knew this was a thing either) and saw a discrepancy – NCL Getaway was scheduled to arrive in Southampton two days early.  So he called NCL Customer Service and was told “nothing had changed, you are on a 12 day cruise”.  Other folks called too, only to be told the same.

FRIDAY (8 days before sailing)

NCL GETAWAY EMAIL ARRIVES

The next day (Good Friday) the email arrived and I read it a few times to process what I was reading and how the heck could this be only 8 days before sailing? I reached out to our NCL travel agent (my first time booking direct with NCL) and she told us to follow the information on the letter, she couldn’t help us.  I had expected a heads up from a NCL in house agent but was mistaken, the only benefit is that I received the email when it was sent.  I felt bad for those who wouldn’t get the email until Monday (5 days before sailing) or Tuesday (only 4 days notice) or not at all due to the (bank) holiday weekend. Some would find out via Cruise Critic boards and Facebook groups.

 

 

If you want to know how to anger a boatload of passengers, you send them an email 8 days before they are set to sail away on their vacation

• To inform them that the 12 day cruise has been shortened by 2 days to a 10 day transatlantic crossing due to a dry dock schedule.
• You then further inflame them with the fact that the 2 days being taken away represents 50% of the ports and realistically 100% of the reason they booked this cruise – the ports are Le Havre (those visiting Paris or Normandy – on VE Day) and Zeebrugge (Bruges).

Now I know that ports aren’t guaranteed but really why take away the popular ports people want to visit? Did no one question that in the meeting?  As if this wasn’t enough to make you say WTF, then the paltry initial compensation on Friday’s email will

• 25% refund of base cruise price paid and a $300 airfare change fee credit.

I’m sure you are thinking “Um, how will you pay for the two night’s hotel you need if you aren’t on the ship and what about food?” Great questions!

This was not how I wanted to spend my Easter weekend although reading the minute by minute updates on the Facebook group were making me really sad as so many people were upset.

• One woman was getting married the next day and the cruise was her honeymoon (paid for by family/friends as a gift) as they wanted to visit Paris.
• A multi-generation family was set to visit Normandy and D-Day beaches on VE day in France.
• A mother frantically trying to figure out alternatives for her family which included a special needs child. London doesn’t quite have the reputation for affordable hotel rooms for families let alone affordable accessible options two weeks out.

INITIAL REACTION TO NCL CRUISE CHANGES

HAPPY CAMPERS AND THE ANGRY MOB

There were more than a few passengers who were non-plussed, happy for a vacation but those were the exceptions to the rule (and many seemed to be retired folks who sail a few times a year).  If you sail enough, you know crap happens and has happened to me more than once but this takes the prize for worst communication whiplash and treatment so far. The majority were angry, rightly so, that their vacations planned months and potentially a year or more in advance were being blown up for no other reason that Norwegian Cruise lines wanted to go into dry dock or begin renovation two days earlier than scheduled.   This reason was in NCL’s control and they chose to inconvenience the passengers, their customers, their paying guests to prep the ship for dry dock. NCL didn’t allow anyone the option to fully cancel the cruise or offer to transfer to the NCL ship leaving the next day sailing to Amsterdam.  We were stuck with no options.  I don’t know what else to say – I’m not in customer service but every step has been a fiasco.  Yes, I know they can modify a cruise, add or delete ports, etc. but 8 days in advance?  What would you do?

In my mind, having run the day to day operations of a business, I know that we were data points on a spreadsheet, costs to mitigate, revenue to maximize. I would guess they had to order fuel more than 8 days in advance, order food/beverage/supplies more than 8 days in advance, confirm external cruise tours more than 8 days in advance. Schedule additional crew to board the ship for dry dock work. It’s a lot of logistics to coordinate. There’s paperwork to complete and submit which I will assume doesn’t just start 8 days before a cruise.   Basically, it’s hard to believe that no one knew prior to 8 days out that they would be shortening the cruise. No one can tell me that NCL just figured out 8 days in advance (the emails I’m sure had to go through legal and finance) that they needed to cut the cruise short.  I booked the cruise last minute (one month in advance) and wonder “did they know then?” – did they fraudulently sell me a 12 day cruise that they knew would be 10 days?

Saturday (7 days before sailing)

NCL UPDATED COMPENSATION EMAIL ARRIVES

• On Saturday morning, I received an updated email stating that the $300 airfare change fee could be used for hotel and transit costs too. So basically, each passenger was getting a total up to $300 for changes and out of pocket costs related to air, hotel, transit which was slightly better but still didn’t include out of pocket costs for food for 2.5 days lost.

NCL COMPENSATION DISCREPANCIES – NCL EPIC vs NCL GETAWAY

The compensation discrepancies are hard to understand.  When I tried to find a similar sailing that was cut short by 2 days and 2 ports, I only had to look to February 2019 when the NCL Epic had damage from a dock accident in the Caribbean. The cruise after the incident was shortened from 7 days to 5 days.  My friend received notice about a week before sailing which makes sense as the incident had just happened.  His compensation offer was 50% refund for the 2 day disruption/port eliminations, a 50% future cruise credit with NCL and a $250 hotel credit for one night in Orlando. He was quite happy with how NCL addressed the cruise changes and is already looking to book another cruise.

Now compare (apples to apples) with the NCL Getaway transatlantic cruise that also canceled 2 nights/2 ports

• Refund of base cruise fare – 25% (Getaway) vs. 50% (EPIC)
• Future Cruise Credit (% of fare paid) – 25% (Getaway) vs. 50% (EPIC)
• Airfare or Hotel Credit pp – $300 for two days changes (Getaway) vs. $250 one night Orlando hotel (EPIC)

Note: International fare changes are often $500 + fare differential and with the flights less than a month away you can bet the fare differential is massive so the $300 offer didn’t make much sense to me. 

I wonder if the lesser compensation was due to the influx of Royal Caribbean passengers (due to Oasis ship damage) that would most likely not become NCL loyal (well they definitely won’t after this cruise).

NCL CRUISE CONTROL

There are examples OUTSIDE of the cruise lines’ control (i.e. weather, medical, norovirus, etc.), however, the NCL Getaway going to dry dock (or sitting out at sea for prep work) two days early is ENTIRELY IN NCL’s CONTROL in my opinion.  Since the changes are in NCL’s control, my travel insurance doesn’t apply so the changes by NCL will cost me additional out of pocket.

I’ve sailed NCL before but this treatment really questions how NCL views and values loyalty.  Stressing out customers scrambling to salvage their vacation doesn’t seem like something you put on your loyal customers.  NCL fired us as customers on a Friday and gave us the weekend to get angry.  There were so many ways to be better, to do better and to salvage this.  I’m a seasoned traveler so nothing much surprises me but this cascade of confusion, compensation changes, port changes, etc. did.  Now imagine you’ve never sailed before, this is your first time to Europe or you really didn’t know how to figure out what to do in such a short time.  NCL could have provided much more assistance to travelers in my opinion.

Sunday (six days from sailing)

EASTER SUNDAY

I spend the morning researching what to do for two days close to Southampton as I knew $300 for two people wouldn’t exactly cover two nights hotel in London with twin beds (I’m not a hostel girl). I took a break and met my family for Easter Sunday dinner.  At least I could raid the chocolate from the Easter baskets to soothe my stress.

Monday (five days from sailing)

CALLING THE TRAVEL AGENT

I was consumed by reading all the boards to see what folks were doing, what deals they managed to find and of course to follow the drama as well.  I called my local travel agent for suggestions and rate quotes for London, Wales, Isle of Wight, Brighton and a few other ideas.  Given the flip flop uncertainty of this cruise, I wanted to make sure I had fully refundable options and didn’t commit to anything yet.  I usually would have said “book it” but for some reason I wasn’t ready to.  I must have known.

Tuesday (four days from sailing)

YET ANOTHER NCL PORT CHANGE

So after four days of stress trying to figure out what to do (research, decisions, costs, etc.), canceling our Normandy private tour, rescinding our suite upgrade bids and lamenting the pre-paid train costs, my friend sends me a note “did you see this?” – Oh FFS, what now?  I can only image that the cruise is canceled but nope, just another itinerary change.

• We heard you and are adding back Le Havre (Sunday) and Zeebrugge (Monday) and deleting Azores, Portugal and Portland, England

Wait what?  Thankfully, we didn’t book anything new between Friday and Tuesday but many others had.  So 4 days before the cruise is set to sail this was the new reality I had to accept (it’s the journey right?).  The new change meant I had 7 days at sea (which is a bit long – Saturday to Sunday), then two days in port (Sunday in Normandy & Monday in Bruges) before arriving in Southampton on Tuesday, two days earlier than planned.

Wednesday & Thursday

 PRE-CRUISE PACKING

Since the cruise wasn’t sailing to the warm port of the Azores but rather toward the English Channel, I threw in jeans, a fleece jacket, a raincoat, scarf and a bunch of socks while removing the sandals. It was going to be a cold April crossing vs. my Miami to Barcelona sailing I did on NCL Epic. I did final pre-check in the house to ensure all was sorted for my time away and my plants would survive.

Friday (one day from sailing)

OVERNIGHT PRE-CRUISE NEW YORK CITY

So I boarded the train to New York not as excited as I should have been for a vacation, especially knowing I was running away from my job search madness.  The week was full of emotion – my emotions, my friends and now my many new cruise friends from the boards.  I would stay overnight back at The Moxy NYC in the smallest of small room where I literally crawled into my platform bed and collapsed knowing the stress filled week was over.  The room readied me for the small cabin on the ship that I was sharing with my country mouse friend who sailed with me on the EPIC transatlantic in 2015.

NCL GETAWAY CRUISE CHANGES

FINAL WORD? NOT REALLY

So (very) long story short –

• Cruise cut from 12 days to 10 days
• Ports Le Havre and Zeebrugge were deleted on Friday
• Ports Le Havre and Zeebrugge added back on Tuesday
• 25% refund, 25% future cruise credit
• Up to $300 for air/hotel/transit changes/costs per person
• 3,700+ passengers affected
• Side trip to Brighton, England booked
• A lot of Belgian chocolate eaten in 9 days

Yes, NCL transported me from New York City to Southampton, UK which I’m sure in a legal deep dive of the cruise contract is all they really need to do but really they could have done it all better.  They could have been better from the beginning to make us whole and treat us the same as other ship disruptions like Epic. See I’m not a data point in a spreadsheet, I have a story, all 3,700 passengers have a story and now we have one crazy shared story of a cruise fiasco that was the pre-lude to the NCL Getaway Transatlantic cruise in April 2019. We all knew as we boarded that the ship staff had nothing to do with the drama so we all tried to enjoy the sailing across the pond.  More to come!

What crazy cruise situations have you been in?  How did the cruise line handle it  – did it make your feel valued or expendable?