laudergayle

How fortunate for you to have so many exciting cruising days. My comment was that I originally thought they would be actually be stopping in and setting foot on mainland Antarctica. My statement was: Yes, I would be disappointed with the viewing change…but not nearly as much if we skipped a day in port. I wasn’t referring to ANY port. I was referring specifically to mainland Antarctica. And, I was sharing my opinion…which happens to be what most of us do when we try to imagine (speculate) what the impacted party may be feeling. Sorry you misunderstood.

Dang it!! Still no xtra discounts. I feel like chopped liver☹️

Story on GMA basically says it happened, it can happen, and it will happen again across all cruise lines. They said if you choose to cruise, read your cruise contract and be open to unexpected change. They also showed a MSC cruise that diverted from Bahamas to Canada. It wasn’t really a big dig on NCL.

Excursions are available on the cruise for ports on the South American continent and the Falkland islands but NOT for Antarctica which was originally two days of cruising the Peninsula and Islands (specifically Paradise Bay and Elephant Island). Paradise Bay has been switched to a Bay close to Elephant Island and happens on the same day. Just for clarification. On page one Excursions were mentioned, which is also why there is still some references. It was later on in the thread that it was disclosed that this was cruising only. So the missed excursion is really not relevant.

Oh my…you’re making my head hurt. Help me understand your position. Do you think the passengers should get a goodwill credit, a full refund via FCC or nothing? Yes, I agree that shore ex refunds are handled as you say. I was merely offering a more expeditious way of handling. Which would have been more customer friendly for both passengers and GS staff.

Oh yeah…I should have elaborated. Passengers AND media.

I laughed only because it’s true. I, too, have ink in my blood. You failed to mention that in today’s content, there is no requirement to proofread for spelling and grammatical errors. Makes me 🙃☹️.

While I appreciate your agreement with me on the overall impact of the change, NCL has clearly sugar-coated the reason for the change as noted in #8. The CC posters are credited with the investigative work to uncover the “slow go”, more restrictive requirements of cruising closer to mainland Antartica. NCL has been illusion, at best. IMO, (which is not often my opinion), NCL was caught by surprise by this change…even though it was announced in 2021 and has been loosely enforced…until now. On the flip side. If I am the Captain of this ship, you better believe I would be front and center with my crew and passengers, bringing them along with this unexpected change. I really do not believe this was intentional on behalf of NCL. However, it will be on NCL as to how they handle this change with their passengers.

I should have said it changes my perspective of the change. I initially thought they were stopping, setting foot on land with all sorts of amazing excursions. Yes, I would be disappointed with the viewing change….but not nearly as much if we skipped a day in port.

Well that’s good to hear. Praying for a good outcome tomorrow and Mom gets the best care. 🙏🏻

Great question. Changes the scope of the change if it was just for viewing.

To enhance the guest experience, the ship’s current itinerary was revised to allow more time for guests to explore Stanley, Falkland Islands. As such, the cruise by Paradise Bay, Antarctica was replaced with a cruise by Admiralty Bay,” on Antarctica’s South Shetland Island chain. This is a Statement. And a Circular Statement at that.

🙄

@zqvol you are posting lots of 🤣 but no commentary. What’s your thought?

A 100% FCC is unreasonable IMO. And, coming from you makes me SMH. You are such a staunch advocate of the cruise contract. When multiple ports in the Caribbean are missed you are first to remind everyone that the cruise line owes you nothing. They are on a cruise, and they are going to ports. What makes this different? As one previous person mentioned, Antarctic excursions are very expensive…I would question the amount of cash onboard, which is why I suggest the credit card refund, which could be facilitated by onshore excursions department.

Regardless of the contract, these passengers should receive some type of “goodwill” credit. And, I suspect NCL corporate is having those discussions. If they’re not…shame shame on them and they deserve significant bad press. Social media is strong. What do you feel is appropriate compensation? IMO, a FCC of 25% cruise fare paid, along with OBC for port fees and credit card refund for excursions. Future sailings that are affected should be given the option to cancel with full refund, no penalty.

Plain is cheaper. They think we won’t notice…lol. Wrong! What’s funny…MSC has historically been known for bland lackluster food. I feel like MSC food has become as good, if not better, than NCL. Don’t know if MSC has gotten better or NCL is much worse. Regardless, IMO they are equal. NCL has absolutely ZERO differentiators vs any other midclass cruise line. In this case, price, length and itinerary prevails. Not a good positioning for any brand.

I agree with this 100%. Since Covid we rarely eat out. As a result, my cooking skills and menu choices have improved significantly. When we do dine out, it annoys me how much we pay for low quality food and service. I guess that’s one thing I like about cruising…while we have purchased meals as part of the cruise fare, your mind tells you it’s free.

I agree with OP re: food quality and portion size. The silver lining with smaller portions…less bad food goes to waste.

Wow, lucky you. If I was making an educated guess your bookings were done separately which would be 2 x Shore Excursion Discount 1 x Shore Excursion Credit and then they merged your two bookings and it added all the credits together 4x Shore Excursion Discount 2x Shore Excursion Credit Nice mistake😊

Nope. sorry, it’s for your convenience.

Well that’s just crappy if you ask me!

I found your review enlightening. We avoid summer cruises overrun with kids…so VV could be a consideration. Thanks for the loyalty match tip…but I think it has ended☹️

Shrinkflation is real. Here’s a good one. NCL announces their newest entertainment lineup. Introducing the Greatest Magic Show at Sea. Right before your very eyes, watch in disbelief as cookies magically vanish, and dark chocolate turns to white. The magic will have you gripping your seat as jumbo shrimp turn back time and become baby shrimp. Where an 8 oz filet becomes a strip sirloin. This jelly-packed show (previously jam-) will leave you scratching your head…and wanting more.

Next to go…chocolate covered strawberries. WBTW, are now mostly covered with the fake white chocolate. Oh Lordy!