What's up with all the azipod issues on Norwegian and canceling ports

So the star has a reoccurring azipod issue that is causing many ports to be cancelled. I see that the escape is also having azipod issues? Norwegian you need to look into this because cancelling a port or many ports in our case is a big deal. We picked our cruise based on going to see Thailand and now you are skipping that all together. I am so disappointed I don't want to go but you didn't offer us any choice. Pitiful compensation and no response to any attempts to reach someone!

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So the star has a reoccurring azipod issue that is causing many ports to be cancelled. I see that the escape is also having azipod issues? Norwegian you need to look into this because cancelling a port or many ports in our case is a big deal.

Hopefully someone at Norwegian will see this post and take action!

Hopefully someone at Norwegian will see this post and take action!

Thank you adguymg I hope so too! This has been a year of scrimping and saving just to take this dream trip with my 79 year old parents.we have planned and planned looking forward to what we will see and now we will not see the places we were most looking forward to seeing. I know to NCL it is a business but to us it means a lot and their lack of response is so disappointing. [emoji26]

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So the star has a reoccurring azipod issue that is causing many ports to be cancelled. I see that the escape is also having azipod issues? Norwegian you need to look into this because cancelling a port or many ports in our case is a big deal. We picked our cruise based on going to see Thailand and now you are skipping that all together. I am so disappointed I don't want to go but you didn't offer us any choice. Pitiful compensation and no response to any attempts to reach someone!

 

 

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As always, I won't touch the customer service aspect of any question. But your characterization of the Star's azipod failure as "recurring" is just not correct. Recurring from when? Each of the previous failures of the Star's pods has been due to a different cause. Saying these are "recurring" is like saying that over the years your car has needed brakes, shock absorbers, and an oil pan gasket, and that these are a "recurring" problem with this make of car. Or "recurring" over the present series of cruises? That's not "recurring", its a problem that cannot be fixed at this time, but will be addressed as soon as possible. Now, the escape, I've not heard any indication of what the failure might be there, so difficult to say it is a "similar" or "recurring" problem.

Unfortunately, with the advent of azipods, you have failures of relatively new (for the maritime industry) technology, and the inherent learning curve of engineering design. Many, many other ships equipped with azipods with almost every other cruise line have had azipod failures, and changed itineraries based on these failures, some lasting more than a year (a Carnival ship in Alaska) until resolution.

What is NCL supposed to "take action on"?

So the star has a reoccurring azipod issue that is causing many ports to be cancelled. I see that the escape is also having azipod issues? Norwegian you need to look into this because cancelling a port or many ports in our case is a big deal. We picked our cruise based on going to see Thailand and now you are skipping that all together. I am so disappointed I don't want to go but you didn't offer us any choice. Pitiful compensation and no response to any attempts to reach someone!

 

 

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I realize that you are disappointed, but you should NEVER book a cruise based on ports. The cruise line is under no obligation to take you to any specific port, and does not have to offer any compensation for missing a port.

If the ports are what matter to you when you cruise should be booking land baed vacations to those areas.

Hopefully someone at Norwegian will see this post and take action!

For sure! Jorge in the azipod department reads these boards all the time!

So the star has a reoccurring azipod issue that is causing many ports to be cancelled. I see that the escape is also having azipod issues? Norwegian you need to look into this because cancelling a port or many ports in our case is a big deal. We picked our cruise based on going to see Thailand and now you are skipping that all together. I am so disappointed I don't want to go but you didn't offer us any choice. Pitiful compensation and no response to any attempts to reach someone!

 

 

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Actually It's And industry wide problem!!

NCL is only the Azipod customer.

THINK ( Takata Air Bag's )

Maybe use should find a cruise line with no pods.

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I realize that you are disappointed, but you should NEVER book a cruise based on ports. The cruise line is under no obligation to take you to any specific port, and does not have to offer any compensation for missing a port.

 

If the ports are what matter to you when you cruise should be booking land baed vacations to those areas.

I would certainly share and understand the OP's disappointment, but I agree with this post. If your main goal was to visit Thailand, then fly to Thailand for a vacation. If your main goal was to cruise, then cruise.

Thank you adguymg I hope so too! This has been a year of scrimping and saving just to take this dream trip with my 79 year old parents.we have planned and planned looking forward to what we will see and now we will not see the places we were most looking forward to seeing. I know to NCL it is a business but to us it means a lot and their lack of response is so disappointing. [emoji26]

Not sure what response you want. You have a new itinerary. You have an offer of compensation. With over 36,000 passengers traveling every week and 150,000 every month,,, your request is mixed in with thousands received daily from "what time is the show on the third night in January 2018" to complaints that "they got a dog as a towel animal instead of an elephant their neighbor got" to "what brand of water do the sell, and why don't they sell another brand".

If your request is "make the ship stop in Thailand instead of Vietnam", its not going to happen.

The change, while unfortunate, is consistent with the contract YOU signed with the cruise line.

I realize that you are disappointed, but you should NEVER book a cruise based on ports. The cruise line is under no obligation to take you to any specific port, and does not have to offer any compensation for missing a port.

 

If the ports are what matter to you when you cruise should be booking land based vacations to those areas.

This is exactly what I was going to say.

I would certainly share and understand the OP's disappointment, but I agree with this post. If your main goal was to visit Thailand, then fly to Thailand for a vacation. If your main goal was to cruise, then cruise.

I guess you don't get the point. If it was only about cruising then one would pay for a transatlantic just to be in the ship all the time. Here we are talking about the inconvenience of an itinerary that has been changed 3 times in the past 2 weeks. That has forced us to keep arranging and rearranging exursions and hotels and still we dont know if NCL will make more changes. We are paying for very expensive plane tickets and in our case we traveled 16 hours to go on this cruise and visit some ports that were interesting for us. We didnt do all this simply to go from Hong Kong to Singapore. Even if NCL is giving us a compe sation this has ruined our trip and our possibility of visiting the places we wanted. We are not going to go through all this expenses (time and monetary wise) just to come back and visit Koh Samui and Halong bay. We are trying to stay possitive and not let this ruin our vacations but it is dissapointing and frustrating.

I guess you don't get the point. If it was only about cruising then one would pay for a transatlantic just to be in the ship all the time. Here we are talking about the inconvenience of an itinerary that has been changed 3 times in the past 2 weeks. That has forced us to keep arranging and rearranging exursions and hotels and still we dont know if NCL will make more changes. We are paying for very expensive plane tickets and in our case we traveled 16 hours to go on this cruise and visit some ports that were interesting for us. We didnt do all this simply to go from Hong Kong to Singapore. Even if NCL is giving us a compe sation this has ruined our trip and our possibility of visiting the places we wanted. We are not going to go through all this expenses (time and monetary wise) just to come back and visit Koh Samui and Halong bay. We are trying to stay possitive and not let this ruin our vacations but it is dissapointing and frustrating.

Wait, who are you? You aren't the poster I quoted or the comment I referenced.

I understand your frustration, and I would share that frustration. I really would. I've had ports changed, too, as have many cruisers at some point, and it can be disappointing.

The point I'm making is that if it is of utmost importance to visit a specific place, then why gamble on it? You guys gambled, lost, and it sucks. But cruising is always going to be a bit of a gamble.

I understand we signed a contract that says "itinerary is subject to change" but we did not expect all these changes. NCL should simply cancel completely one week of making money with the Star and fix it. Stop ruining so many customers vacations. This definitely is not the first time Star has azipod problems...shouldn't they be fixed before offering new cruises and destinatiions?

I understand we signed a contract that says "itinerary is subject to change" but we did not expect all these changes. NCL should simply cancel completely one week of making money with the Star and fix it. Stop ruining so many customers vacations. This definitely is not the first time Star has azipod problems...shouldn't they be fixed before offering new cruises and destinatiions?

Yea, because cancelling thousands of peoples vacations to fix it wouldn't cause anyone to complain, right? :rolleyes:

Ships across all cruise lines have mechanical problems. When they are running every single day of the year it is inevitable. Do you think NCL is happy about this? Ship happens.

I usually dismiss complaints about missing a port - but with a more exotic itinerary that requires significant travel costs to get there, I certainly understand the frustration.

We're looking at the Jewel's southeast asian itinerary for 2018. I just this morning made the argument for an inside cabin - saying that the destination is the focus this time, not the ship.

Having said that, I wouldn't mind missing a specific port, so long as additional time was made available somewhere else along the way. It would be torturous to remain at sea, so close to places I wanted to explore.

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I understand we signed a contract that says "itinerary is subject to change" but we did not expect all these changes. NCL should simply cancel completely one week of making money with the Star and fix it. Stop ruining so many customers vacations. This definitely is not the first time Star has azipod problems...shouldn't they be fixed before offering new cruises and destinatiions?

How many times have you taken your car in for rapepair for an "engine problem?" You should not have driven it again if it broke a second time.

NCL is only the Azipod customer.

 

THINK ( Takata Air Bag's )

 

 

Maybe use should find a cruise line with no pods.

 

 

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Actually Celebrity uses azipods. Never late for a port or missed one.

Actually Celebrity uses azipods. Never late for a port or missed one.

Never? Odd that they sued the manufacturer due to all the problems.

I know nothing other than what google told me - :)

Yea, because cancelling thousands of peoples vacations to fix it wouldn't cause anyone to complain, right? :rolleyes:

 

Ships across all cruise lines have mechanical problems. When they are running every single day of the year it is inevitable. Do you think NCL is happy about this? Ship happens.

Sadly, they might have to cancel a cruise or two in order to correct the problem. Safety First.

Sadly, they might have to cancel a cruise or two in order to correct the problem. Safety First.

I'm on the Star right now and can give some insight. The problem occured as we were scheduled to leave Singapore. We waited in port for technicians to fly in to sign off, along with the local authorities and coastguard that the ship was safe to sail with one Azipod. The issue is too technical for me to understand but I do know a dry dock is NOT required. A replacement part has to be manufactured and this is what's taking time, in addition when the part is ready it can only be replaced when the ship is secured in port - hence the overnights. The area of the engine/pod they need to work in is extremely small and tight, I'm not 100% sure about this but it's my understanding that this could add a little to the total time. Now that the problem has been identified they don't think the issue will be as ongoing as was initially thought.

I was told today that this is the 2nd time in 20 years (out of 300 + pods) that this particular issue has occured in so spare parts are not available, hence the reason for the part being manufactured now.

Although we missed some ports we still had a great time, I for one am glad the itinerary was changed instead of the cruise being cancelled unnecessarily.

I realize that you are disappointed, but you should NEVER book a cruise based on ports. The cruise line is under no obligation to take you to any specific port, and does not have to offer any compensation for missing a port.

 

If the ports are what matter to you when you cruise should be booking land baed vacations to those areas.

Legal speak is in the bottom of every contract and sometimes it does not stand up in court.

I think if they can not give you as advertised like any other business you should be refunded accordingly.

Actually Celebrity uses azipods. Never late for a port or missed one.

Actually, Celebrity does not use "azipods". "Azipod" is a trademarked name for ABB's "podded marine propulsion system". Celebrity uses Rolls-Royce Mermaid pods on their ships, and have had so many failures that they filed a $300 million suit with Rolls-Royce. As recently as 2013, the quickest search I could do, shows that the Millenium had 3 consecutive cruises affected (port cancellations) due to propulsion issues, and one complete cruise cancelled. Cunard's QM2 also filed a $24 million suit against Mermaid.

The ABB azipod system used by nearly all NCL ships are so much more robust than the R-R Mermaid units, that ABB has about 70%+ of the market share.

I guess you don't get the point. If it was only about cruising then one would pay for a transatlantic just to be in the ship all the time. Here we are talking about the inconvenience of an itinerary that has been changed 3 times in the past 2 weeks. That has forced us to keep arranging and rearranging exursions and hotels and still we dont know if NCL will make more changes. We are paying for very expensive plane tickets and in our case we traveled 16 hours to go on this cruise and visit some ports that were interesting for us. We didnt do all this simply to go from Hong Kong to Singapore. Even if NCL is giving us a compe sation this has ruined our trip and our possibility of visiting the places we wanted. We are not going to go through all this expenses (time and monetary wise) just to come back and visit Koh Samui and Halong bay. We are trying to stay possitive and not let this ruin our vacations but it is dissapointing and frustrating.

This is the issue with people who do not cruise often. They do not understand that the ports do not matter, as long as you get on and off the ship the cruise line has met its obligations. You should never book a cruise based on proposed ports of call. The only ports that you should plan on actually visiting are the embarkation and debarkation ports, all others are always a roll of the dice.

Sadly, they might have to cancel a cruise or two in order to correct the problem. Safety First.

Actually, on the Star azipod thread, a poster onboard has said that information was given out that the repair does not need drydocking, that it can be repaired while in port, and that the repair is waiting on parts to be manufactured.

Actually Celebrity uses azipods. Never late for a port or missed one.

Right, and if you believe that I have some ocean front property in Iowa I will sell you.