CactusFlower527

Only imagine the joy of the people who won't find this out until the door of their suite/stateroom swings open.....

Re: our May 10 2014 Sailing.

Not happy, but I just got a call from NCL on Friday morning, where the rep (Kathryn) went over our class SD Suite ..you can tell that sh*t is hitting the fan.

We booked a year ago (end of October), their website then & still shows on our summary, a 2 bedroom suite with 2 bathrooms and she is telling us that's NOT what we are getting with 13502...rather a 461 square foot suite/cabin, comprised of: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, a living/dining room ..... and 419 square foot balcony.

So now we have 4 adults...in... 1 king, a double murphy bed and double sleeper sofa. Not 2 bedrooms and only 1 bathroom. Kathryn told us the room we described is an SA class (owner's suite), not what we booked back a year ago which was an SD. We did not book or pay for the SA class suite, but we can upgrade to one (on another deck?) for an additional $5000. :(

Well... sadly we do not have another $5000, and the "PICTURE" on our cruise summary still shows a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom family suite. ..yes I just looked. How can they SHOW one thing and what you get is so totally different, false advertising..bait and switch?

I think my family would disagree with you... :o And by the way -- thank you for the support.

 

And here's another thing -- apparently, Cactus Flower527 has been told there are 2 bedroom suites she could upgrade to as of this morning. When we asked two days ago about the possibility of moving to a different room, we were told the ship is entirely full and there was nothing available. Now I suppose there could have been cancellations, but we're beyond final payment for many (most?) people, so somehow I suspect that again, we were given incorrect information -- just to get us off the phone.

Maybe different sailings? We're going on May 10 2014....

she did not not specify which deck these were on, since when she said it was $5000 more for our group of 4, I told her to forget it.

Sorry, double post.

SA is actually only on Deck 9 (9000 and 9500). I dont believe ANY of the new Deck 13 suites are actual 2 bedroom/2 bathroom suites. Highest category on Deck 13 is a SC.

Agreed, the gal (Kathryn) that I spoke with this morning didn't specify the SA they had was on Deck 13, just that they had one they could 'upgrade' us up to one(did not ask where since the $ part of it made it moot). It was going to cost $15k vs the $10k we booked back last year.

The sad part about this, why would they SELL rooms for Deck 13 that they didn't have...................:confused: We definitely booked a 2 bedroom Family suite on Deck 13 -------------- there were 2 of us looking at it and one of those people has sailed NCL and POA before................... when you click on the drop down for our stateroom.....................it does indeed show a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom suite. Even when I go on there right now, today, it's what it shows. This is what I could not seem to get Kathryn to understand.

We are on a POA sailing in a couple weeks. We booked a suite on Deck 13 last year (Oct), after being told it was a two br suite. Earlier in the summer, something told me to check on exactly what the cabin was, and after several emails and phone calls to both our TA and NCL, we learned after them reviewing the actual blueprints, that the cabin WAS NOT a 2 BR as we were sold. Even their website at the time still said 2 BR. After huffing and puffing for a while, we were upgraded to a CAT SA on deck 9, which is an actual 2 BR, 2 BATH, and almost double the price of our original cabin. Luckily they had one available. The following day, the website changed. I just knew there would be many many people that were misled and some wont realize it until they are onboard. NCL will have their hands full for a while over this debacle.

 

I was looking forward to the brand new suite, but I would rather have the extra space and privacy of an actual 2 BR for the five of us.

 

I am glad NCL came through for us as we are Platinum members, and this surely would have left a bad taste in my mouth. They at least owned it and did the right thing. I know that others won't be as fortunate.

Not happy, but I just got a call from NCL, where she went over our class SD Suite ..you can tell that sh*t is hitting the fan.

We booked a year ago (end of October), their website then & still shows on our summary, a 2 bedroom suite with 2 bathrooms and she is telling us that's NOT what we are getting with 13502...rather a 1 bedroom a living/dining room thing and 400+ square foot deck.

So now we have 4 adults...in... 1 king, a double murphy bed and double sleeper sofa. Not 2 bedrooms and only 1 bathroom. Told us the room I described is an SA class (owner's suite), not what we booked back a year ago - it's not what we paid for but we can upgrade for another $5000. :(

well guess what we do not have another $5000, and the "PICTURE" on our cruise summary still shows a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom family suite. ..yes I just looked. How can they SHOW one thing and what you get is so totally different, false advertising?

Thanks very much!

 

 

It would be great to hear from anyone who arrives back in Honolulu tomorrow and had a chance to see what some of these Deck 13 port and starboard regular Penthouse Suites are really like.

 

Thanks!

 

GeezerCouple

I'm figuring ours will be decent size, our are actually right behind the Owners Suite (in fact they are connecting if booked that way). It looks like a decent size on the deck plan. We were also told that photos on the website are NOT representative of the configuration of EVERY suite .. they are all a little different. I am not too worried if it's crowded with 4 in a room that allegedly sleeps up to 6 .. I've always assumed that DOESN'T MEAN 6 ADULTS, but some adults & some children. I'm sure we'll spend SOME time in our suite, but face it, we're in Hawaii.................. we're not going to be spending full DAYS in our suite since this cruise is so port intensive. Could it be any worse than some people sailing 3-4 people in a regular balcony cabin? LOL and yes it's been done. I was curious because sometime between the time we booked and now ... they have reclassed those cabins and are now calling them a 2 room family penthouse suite.

Curious to see photos also. I was originally in 13520 but changed when I saw how close it was to the Key West Bar and the pool. Concerned about privacy and noise issues.

 

Now in 13508.

 

Does anyone know if the cabins have opened yet? The website I look at says they're not going to be completed until October.

I heard Sept/Oct that was a while ago though, we're booked for May... we're in 13502 - I am not sure how much time we'll actually be in the room. ..but I would not want to be close to a bar :-\

I too am booked on Deck 13. Cabin 13018, and would love to see some pics of the newly renovated suite as well. I'm sailing in January 2014 to celebrate my 50th birthday! So if there aren't any posted by then, I'll be sure to post some upon my return home.

popular cruise for 50th birthdays :) take some pics so we can see... I wasn't all that crazy about the owners suites, seemed like they were smaller than the 2 room family suites. .. didn't sleep as many; we don't need a hot tub on the deck.............. we're in Hawaii after all ;-)

Not long back from an owners suite 8500. Not on deck 13 but I would not expect too much. The room was not in very good order at all. Hawaii was fantastic but could be a long time before I revisit NCL I'm afraid.

Mainly I am curious about deck 13, I don't have unrealistic expectations..... :) just want to have a nice cruise and the suite was the same price as booking two balcony cabins :D

Yes, I received a 5 for 1 bonus points on gas, groceries and drug stores which expires 9/30 and it was up to 2500 bonus points I believe. Not sure why I received it but I am a relatively new BOA NCL card customer. :)

mine doesn't carry that perk :(

I would like to use my points for an upgrade on my cruise in May.

 

Do I have to do this before October 1st and if so does anybody have the number to call?

 

Thanks in advance

it says to call the # on the back of your card ...

I'm sure if that's NOT the right one, they will direct you to the one that is.

Based on my understanding of everything, and what others have confirmed, on October 1st you would start calling NCL for redemption for NCL products and BOA for non-NCL products.

That's exactly the point, you can't redeem the points for ANYTHING through NCL after Sep 30. No OBC, no upgrades, nothing, that's the part that's ending. You can, however, use the points towards HOTELS, RENTAL CARS & Airfare.

And you can still earn 2 points per $1 spent with NCL. So you can still charge your cruise to the card and get the double points. YAY for that.

I have the letter in front of me, it's spelled out pretty clearly.

Letter also says a more streamlined website is 'coming soon' making it easier to redeem points.

I think that I am going to request cash too and then tuck it away for my cruise next year. I'll use it for the OBC,

I just use my credit card anyhow - have lots of cash in a savings account to pay back my credit card when I return from any trip. I already have $450 OBC for my cruise and don't want to overdo it .............. I don't believe you get it back if you don't use it.

Anyone booked in one of the brand new Suites on Deck 13, except for us in May ?

we're in 13502

Hoping to get a peek of it before we sail. Wishful thinking, I know :D

Having had some OBC issues with NCL over the years, I make it a lot simpler. Every time I accumulate 25,000 points I redeem that amount for cash, $250. It may not be as romantic appearing as an OBC but there is never a question.

I always just cash in for money as well - it's not like you get "more" OBC than cash if you redeem.

So if I pay off my Jan 2014 cruise by 9/29 I'll still get double points?

The double points are not going away.

That's what I plan on doing as well. I was going to be bummed if I had just go the card and the 2-for-1 was going to be done away with. :)

I think whomever told our fellow CC members that it was "going away" was misinformed. That's not what the letter I have says...

I've discovered... over the years ....that on any given day .. you could talk to half a dozen CSR's at any company and get half a dozen different answers. It's kind of sad if you ask me.. but it happens a lot.

The letter only mentions REDEMPTION - nothing about EARNING :) in fact it says there are no changes about how points are EARNED.

http://flic.kr/p/fGkcon

I can't seem to find a way to embed an image of the letter here - so just included a link. Hope that is OK.

Thanks for that clarification! I'm happy to hear some more good news about the 2-for-1 promo. However, it's my understanding (from NCL and BOA) that any redemption for NCL "products" would have to be made thru the NCL WorldPoints department and that BOA would no longer be handling redemption for said "products" beginning in October. BOA would still be responsible for anything non-NCL.

I found the letter they sent me about 1-2 weeks ago... and it truly doesn't say ANYTHING about how the points are earned.

So that is good news - since I am still plugging along with our cruise payments using that card to tap the double points.

I got the same letter.. :( well no point in using that card anymore, may as well close it and cut it up :( boo.

I basically live, now, for planning the next vacation(s)... I take at least one short one a year and then save up for a big one (Cruise) every two years. I turn 50 next year and don't have much to show for it in the 'traveling' end of things. I'm trying to change that :)

Some people who book suites are wealthy, some have a lot of disposable income and minimal expenses and others like to live beyond their means.

 

Everyone is different and has their own priorities. I'd rather lose the money in the casino and buy "a jewel" (and book a regular cabin) than have a butler put a basket of candy in my room.:)

Actually it is nothing about having a butler put a basket of candy in my room..surely you realize this?

It's mostly about having a bit more real estate in a cabin and some additional comforts. And the cost out of my pocket is no more than what most people are paying for a "regular" cabin.. in fact after the OBC.. it was CHEAPER....because it is split with 3 others (not everyone's piece of cake, I get it).

It's one thing if you're spending 3 days on a ship, quite different when it's 7-10-14 etc...nice to be able to spread out.

Again - there are assumptions that are ALWAYS made about people who spend extra money on a suite...in reality it may not be any extra money:D Sometimes it's done to (GASP) SAVE MONEY !

There are 4 of us going to Hawaii this next May (2014) - since we are all independent adults, each paying our own way - a Suite that holds 5/6 people was cheaper than booking 2 balcony rooms. But we booked clear back in October 2012 (yes it will take us this long to save). .. we also get a $450 OBC. One of the most common misconceptions is that people staying in Suites are 'rich'.. quite the contrary. A lot of us are people that don't travel all that often and save up for a long, long time and we are opting (for various reasons) for quality vs. quantity of cruises. We really don't know when our next cruise will be, or to where? Most of all, we just want it to be special.

Let me just say, that the reason I chose NCL for my first cruise (at the age of 49) – is because of it’s casual “FREESTYLE” options.

I am not into ‘dressing up’ while on vacation, I own no formal wardrobe (I can hear some of you gasping as I type that).

I am happy eating diner food or at a buffet. I am easy to please. After all, we're on vacation. I seldom drink anymore – and I am not refined enough to care about wine;); Since I drink a lot of iced tea at home..I am used to it.... who needs soda? It’s a bad habit anyways, right?

I like that I know what the total of my cruise will be – there is so much that is included, who needs to or has to go above and beyond that and spend even more money? But ~~ it's all about choices.

Who wants to spend the kind of money we are to cruise the Hawaiian Islands for a week and then pay double to eat dinner on the ship? Honestly, if I get bored of the NCL buffet line, I will find a nice restaurant on-shore and eat there. ....

So there are waits to get into the dining room.....wasn't too long ago we waited 45 minute to get a table at Olive Garden; it is typical to wait 15-20 minutes no matter where we go. Breakfast at iHop is always 20-30 minutes on a Sunday Morning.:eek:

We recently done the most fantastic tour in Kauai with Jay from Tread Lightly. The website is http://treadlightlykauai.com/ . It is a tour personalized to your interests. Via email beforehand, we told Jay the things we were interested in seeing, and he planned the day to suit us. I can recommend him 100%. It was one of the best port days of our cruise!

May I be so bold as to ask about how much this cost you .. just a general idea. We are considering hiring him for one of the days we are there on our POA sailing. I realize it varies on 'what' you are doing and how many things you do.. but there is no estimate at all on the site. Is it $200? $500:eek:? LOL thanks:cool: