Norwayfan1

Text received from travel agent... 'I can confirm, what you were seeing online was correct, for some reason, NCL were not serving alcohol to their guests when in UK waters/ports however NCL have had an emergency meeting and we have received the news that this has been lifted and normal service has resumed.'

This This is just disgusting. We phoned NCL this morning about another matter, and also asked about the alcohol situation. This call was made to an articulate company representative who sounded totally clued up. She said this matter was completely sorted for the UK and a notification to that effect had been issued to staff on Thursday. I also had an e-mail from my travel agent yesterday evening saying exactly the same thing. How anyone can continue to defend this ridiculous company is beyond me.

No, I didn't know that! I've just googled it and it was a long time ago, I see - 2011. I checked Youtube but it seems to be unavailable in the UK.

I think whoever their Chief Exec is, they should get themselves on that Undercover Boss TV programme. They could put on a wig, false beard and moustache and work as a Bar Person who has to put those weasel-worded 'no alcohol' notices on the counters, followed by a spell at Guest Services, meeting unhappy customers. And maybe one or two work shifts on phone duty/live chat...

Sounds like good news coming through - here's hoping everyone sailing UK this summer has a wonderful holiday, with no further hassle or upset. That's cute wording from NCL, though - 'Upon further investigation....'! 😏 Out of curiosity I e-mailed another cruise operator yesterday to enquire whether the issues currently affecting NCL passengers also applied to their ships sailing UK. They telephoned me and left a voicemail (there's a novelty - a return call, rather than being deliberately cut off!!!!) assuring me that they had the required licence to serve alcohol in UK ports, adding that if anything were to change in future they would contact customers to inform them.

Why bother cancelling the beverage package? Just pay up anyway, even if you buy all the booze in town. NCL will be grateful for your dosh. 😁

I think I'll contact that lot, to let them know the bother they are in....😁

My relative has just completed a live chat with NCL. After consulting a supervisor, the agent said that restrictions had been lifted in Livorno. When asked about the situation specifically in the UK he said there was no update to the previous company statement. When asked what the previous statement said, as my relative hadn't seen one, he wasn't able to produce it. When asked if he knew what the problem was in the UK, he said this was a situation of the UK's making. He said he was aware that other cruise companies were serving alcohol but that those companies were putting themselves at risk of being fined. The agent ended the chat before any follow up questions could be asked.

I was on Norwegian Star last year. In three Spanish ports (and all the sailing time in between) NCL charged VAT on every transaction. I was well aware that Spanish VAT is charged in Spanish waters but I did query this this at Guest Services because I couldn't understand why it was being charged on a pre-paid Free at Sea fare addition and I still believe they were wrong. The lady at the desk said: "Well it's not going to be a lot of extra money, unless you are a very heavy drinker." 🤑 I had sailed just a few weeks earlier to Spanish ports with Celebrity and yes, Spanish VAT was charged on the ship, but not on any drinks at all, as everyone had the 'Always Included' fare that Celebrity used at that time, so every passenger had a drinks package.

I wonder if they are teaching different lessons on PR Management courses these days. It used to be the case that, if your company generated bad PR, you could limit damage and try to turn it into a plus by holding your hands up, explaining and putting things right... then using your prompt, customer-focused action to prove what a great company you were! Is treating your customers like idiots really in the textbook?!

Gosh. If only they had a Head Office somewhere, that might be able to give them that information...🤔

Sorry, I was wondering about the ports in the Republic of Ireland and whether any extra taxes were charged there.

I think a good way of judging a company is how well they deal with problems that are clearly upsetting people - regardless of where the fault lies. I recall that, when cruises restarted (but Covid still caused restrictions), Marella Cruises had to make some itinerary changes to a round-UK cruise. Not their fault at all, but they sent letters of apology and offered full refunds - and for anyone who chose to cruise anyway despite the changes, they gave £100 per passenger OBC. I thought that was quite classy.

Are there any extra taxes being charged during your itinerary (like the dreaded Spanish tax)? Just curious!

Apologies if I missed something, but do you mean that they are offering drinks to those with drinks packages on UK cruises, or do you mean somewhere else in the world?

He won't know 'until they gets into the ports'?!!!!! That must be the biggest load of baloney ever.😬

For what it's worth, I have just emailed the travel agent who sold me my forthcoming Norwegian Star cruise. Here in the UK, the 'Free at Sea' package is sold as a fare add-on and I do feel that if the promised open bar isn't delivered each day, then that is mis-selling. I don't really expect the travel agent to do anything, or to be able to get any sense out of NCL, but I felt I should write anyway. If I receive anything of note, I'll add an update here.

It seems to me that NCL had a couple of options... a) have a letter distributed to every passenger, explaining exactly what Uk law has been introduced and when - quoting the exact wording, so it shuts up all the doubters, removes all those queues at Guest Services, ensures no one wants to remove gratuities, gives people on this thread nothing more to talk about... and so on. If I were an NCL Manager I'd be sorting that out pronto. OR... b) admit NCL have taken their eye off the ball (eg not paid a bill in time, not applied for a licence... or whatever.) Apologise. Make a nice gesture. Move on. Unfortunately they have gone for... c) Don't explain. Don't admit anything. Don't provide any evidence. Upset people. Allow things to fester and get worse. Ensure your hard-working, lower-level staff get a really hard time because of your own incompetence or cowardice. Honestly... what sort of company, with any sense of pride or responsibility, would opt for C?!!!

Well, absolutely. 🙂

I wonder why NCL don't simply come up with some hard, printed evidence of the law they say has been sprung on them at short notice. That would clarify things.

I'd be surprised. I cruised on Iona not long ago and have friends who have recently returned. No issues, ever.

I think maybe lone is a misprint and it should say 'line'. I've never heard of a ship called lone.

For those who struggle to understand why some people are bothered about a few alcoholic drinks, try some analogies. You choose and pay for a particular cabin. When you board, you find you have been allocated a worse one because the port authorities are now organising all the cabin allocations. No refund. You book a special excursion, but then NCL don't run it because the port wouldn't let them. No refund. You order some flowers to be delivered to your cabin for your anniversary. No flowers are delivered because the port authorities have banned flowers on board. No refund. Would any of those analogies send you down to Guest Relations?

I so agree with you. I sailed on the Norwegian Star a few months ago (first time with NCL for a very, very long time) and really enjoyed it, so I booked again to travel soon, once again out of Southampton. I feel so disappointed they are behaving like this. If I eventually end up not cruising with them again, it will not be because I've missed out on a couple of cocktails here and there.... it will because they have failed to treat their customers with anything like the respect they deserve.

This all seems to blow that 'the port only gave us two days' notice' excuse out of the water. What a load of baloney from NCL. I'll be asking for a pro-rata refund for the days they don't deliver the service and products they promised. I don't care if that amounts to a small amount of money in the grand scheme of things... I'll do it as a point of principle.