david_sobe

1 hour ago, PartyPlannerLady said:

Read the cruise contract that we ALL agree to.  The cruise line has the full and absolute right to control the movement of ths ship and to change course/destination at any time for any reason with no explanation required.  If you do not luke that, your alternative is to find a different vacation than cruising.  The only person each passenger should be mad at is themself for agree to this ahead of time.

Clearly you did not read what I wrote.  I was reporting what happened.  No one disputes what you are saying.  However every time a cruise line changes ports or drops a port, or remains at sea there is an explanation why.  The captain will announce:  Due to weather we must skip this port and remain at sea.  Due to a mechanical issue the ship will have to seek an alternative route.  I've even seen where the ship cannot dock because another ship took its place by mistake.  Passengers are always informed of those decisions.   

15 minutes ago, VJWcruiser said:

No...but instead of 2 days of scenic cruising, we ended up with about 4 hours. 2 hours early morning and 2 hours at 7 PM

THANK YOU for taking the time to post while on the cruise.  Your details explain everything.  You  nailed it.  Clearly NCL is not enhancing the guest experience for those that wanted 2 days of scenic cruising instead of 4 hours.  Those of us on land and in the peanut gallery who have never cruised to Antartica before don't know these things.  
Sadly NCL has sort of sealed the deal.  I dont see them backtracking since that would make things worse.  A simple, honest explanation is what customers expect.  Customers will respect you for that.

4 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

Even on expedition ships, Elephant Island is often just a sail by; it is too hard to land.  We were lucky and actually landed there in 2012.  You should be able to see penguins and seals and relish in the history of the island; hopefully you will have a Shackleton lecture onboard.

 

None of the Antarctic "ports" are accessible by non-expedition ships; just sail by.

Thank you. Thats sort of what I thought.  But I swore I heard people talking about excursions on this thread.   So no matter what, no one walks on the continent?  That is for the specialized cruises that go there exclusively?

Then its not really a cancelled port but a cancelled sail by?

I have a question about Antartica cruises.  Some are saying that the NCL ship is still going to Antartica, Elephant Island.  However on the NCL website its not listed on any of the south American cruises.  The itinerary does have it sail past or stop at the Island but its not listed as a port.  Was the cancelled port also like this or was it an actual port where the ship docks and people get off.  I am confused by those who are saying the ship is going to Elephant Island.  The maps on the NCL website just have the ship sailing past it and its not listed as a port.  I think this is an important part of the discussion that I want to understand.

Is NCL telling us absolutely everything? Not exactly. They're also out of cookies.

To enhance our guest experience and for your convenience, the march of the penguins is hereby cancelled.

************************ total chaos erupts*************************

(Airplane movie scene when the flight attendant announces they are out of coffee)

I am not rebuking the OP's opinion.  But 3 weeks on a cruise ship would make me tire of the same meals. One week you cant taste everything in all the restaurants.  But 3 weeks would definitely have you get to taste everything and the same menus would get tiring IMHO.

I watched a video of a couple that lives part time on a cruise ship.  One of their peeves is the same food choices day after day.  On the flip side perhaps being on board for 3 weeks lets you examine the food more closely?

Does not every adult in the cabin need to have the drinks package these days?  I just booked a cruise and that part changed since my last cruise in 2020.  So I was confused with the OP saying 3 adults in one cabin and only 2 of them have the drink package.

7 minutes ago, JulianB said:

I was on the Star the sailing before last (early January departure). We too were hit with some extra speed restrictions and lost port time but no ports (well we did loose one due to weather) or sea stops. It was a fantastic voyage but the changes before, and some were during the cruise, were very badly communicated and the communication from the Sore Ex team was terrible.

 

Having said that I do not believe what the passengers are seeing now is anything but what has been forced on the company. However the communication appears to have been even worse than on my sailing. Come on NCL, get some with a spine in customer service to put their head above the parapet and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth to the people who pay your slary!

Thanks for sharing your experience.  Antartica is always a risk for many reasons.  Anything can happen to change things.  I feel for the Captain who has to parrot that corporate statement.

Honesty is always the best policy.  Stuff happens and decisions have to be made.  NCL got flamed many years ago when it would not cancel cruises and kept the Star sailing at reduced speed and changed ports.   Cancelling the cruises would be a big financial blow.   This statement is what annoys people:

“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.

Many if not the majority of passengers booked that cruise for Antartica.  Is that not pouring salt into the wounds of the angry passengers.  Worse things can happen on a cruise but I think the passengers deserve honest answers.  

Those rushing to defend NCL claiming an old existing slow order should understand that has been in effect for years (per the article).  So why put Antartica on the itinerary for customers to book if this has been known for years?  Something just does not make sense.  I put myself in their shoes. I could accept if it was announced some mechanical issues made them have to change itineraries.  That I can accept.  But that statement is not honest IMHO.

This has blown up all over the cruise vlogs.  Apparently the bucket list destination Antartica has been removed from the recent Star sailings after the passengers boarded.  There is no explanation of a "go slow" order. No government issued such an order and its speculated that the Star has propulsion issues?  NCL will not comment or explain it.  Passengers engaged in a revolt in the atrium demanding answers.  
I get it.  These cruises are so expensive and Antartica is a bucket list destination.  I can't imagine booking this and then boarding and then being told Antartica is no longer on the itinerary since we have to go "slower."  Yet its not explained why they have to go slower?  

Norwegian Cruise Lines drops Antarctica from itineraries leaving passengers furious - NZ Herald

21 minutes ago, Nilbog said:

Cagney's and Moderno are on deck 13, midship.

Yes. I was thinking of the Sky and Cagneys being downstairs from the Aft Suites.

This is a personal choice.  If you want a private dip pool and courtyard area or think you would enjoy that then go for it.  I like aft balconies too. I personally love non-Haven Jewel class ships simply because they have all the perks minus the courtyard area.  We are not big pool users on a cruise so I hate paying big bucks for something we may not use.  An owners suite sounds great. You get soda and alcohol included but you are paying for that.  Is not Cagneys aft on jewel class ships?  You have one perk is that the breakfast and lunch restaurant is only one flight of stairs down if you stick with the aft suite.
 

Even though its advertised as a 24/7 restaurant I have heard others say it does close around 4 or 5am.  I have never been out and about that late on a cruise to find out.  If they are open, I supose its the same menu until breakfast comes along.
Do tell us.  You wake up at 4 am and eat a big plate of wings and nachos?

The concierge for platinum latitude members on NCL ships is a phantom that urban legend and folklore states exists.  Like a sasquatch in the woods, some have claimed to have seen or spoken to the elusive creature.

Like Santa Claus, NCL says they do exist.  But has anyone ever seen or met one?

A recent Haven review stated there were giant and delicious chocolate chip cookies on the Prima.  Y'all are never going to win those Haven upgrade bids again.  Haven completely sold out for those chocolate chip cookies. Yet another reason to book an owners suite.  Some passengers are even munching them during the embarkation process 🍪

But have you had those cookies!

🍪 🍪

15 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

There were cookies…chocolate chip, as a matter of fact!  They were good!

I knew it!!!

So glad you were not charged for xrays.  Did you submit any claim to your insurance just in case?  Sounds like you had a good time except for the fall.

But did you see any cookies?

😆

Making a list for my next NCL cruise

Bring maple syrup  ✔️

Bring  lobster ✔️

Bring mattress ✔️

Bring hashbrowns ✔️

Bring  cookies ✔️

Bring Lipton tea bags ✔️

19 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

On Prima 2 Feb., I found no cookies.  I looked.  Every day.

That is so crazy.  Unbelievable

I am no pastry chef but dont people say most of NCL desserts are no bake which is why most of them are meh.  When I have a delicious meal at Cagneys I will often refuse dessert even though its included.  I hate to ruin a fantastic meal with a mediocre dessert.   I would gladly take a cookie though.  First towel animals and now cookies.  NCL has went too far this time 🤬😈

Get some rest.  Please come back and give us a full review or mini review what you liked what you didn't like.  Most important give us an update on your foot.  Curious to hear how the travel insurance worked out or what you were charged.  We all need to learn.

I find this thread hard to believe for 2 reasons:
Really, really, no cookies?  If you were playing Family Feud and the question was:  Name something at a cruise ship buffet?   Cookies would be in the top 5 answers.

Second reason is I don't believe the people that dont like cookies.  Who walks past a buffet and does not snatch a cookie?
Y'all are liars

🙈🙉🙊

16 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

No cookies are a good thing. When they deliver them as snacks, they go into the trash. 

Now you have went too far.  Attacking cookies?  That should cause an immediate 3 day ban 😁

Seriously though.  Cookies are the cheapest and most popular buffet dessert or snack.  If cookies are too expensive then I hate to think what's in those cakes 🤢

The complaints were of cruising in general and could be any line.  Yet the OP seemed imply NCL caused the issues with weather, port times, children with toys on the pool deck, etc.  I've seen weather related reviews before.  People upset because when they were waiting for a tender back to the ship a downpour happened and everyone got wet.  You guessed it, they wanted compensation 🙄