birdie16

36 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Not trying to dissuade you, but have you compared the total out of pocket compared to the other similar cruise lines, dates and itineraries?

On this particular cruise, the fare was so low it temped us to pull the trigger. After the cruise, I will be able to tell you if the added cost of extras through nickel and diming made it a deal. We drink free on two other lines because of our loyalty status, that makes them a pretty good deal.

The itinerary on the cruise we booked is simply an escape, nothing exciting. Cozumel and Grand Cayman. We’ve been to both so many times we don’t even get off the ship sometimes. I’m looking forward to being in the Caribbean and sitting on my balcony. If the food and entertainment aren’t good, then no, the price will not have been a bargain.

29 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Since you agree that incorporating the gratuities into the cruise fare would only increase the amount of the fare by a similar amount, how would incorporating those gratuities affect  your decision?  The total cost of the cruise is not changed by incorporating the gratuities. 

 

BTW, every cruise line is guilty of 'nickel and diming'.

Some nickel and dime more than others. Listen, I didn’t come here to argue. I’m simply telling you I would prefer all cruiselines would include gratuities and port charges on their fare so you can compare apples to apples. agree with me or not, I really don’t care.

We’ve cruises many other lines and are on the upper level on a few. One of the reasons we are trying NCL again is because we are tired of the same entertainment. Our last ten or so cruises have been on Holland America and we have their production shows memorized. We got a great offer, even though the gratuities cost way more. If we feel we get a great value for those higher gratuities, we might cruise them again. If they don’t stack up, this will be our last time on them. It’s my money, I can spend it on things I find are of value to me, just as you can. BTW, the gratuities may be less on other lines, but that doesn’t mean I don’t pay them more… that is my choice, not the cruiselines.
 

3 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Unless all the cruise lines did the same, you still wouldn't be able to make comparisons would you?

With the current situation, we know that NCL has some of the industry’s highest gratuities. That fact alone could turn people away, it’s kept us away. We recently booked because of a great price advertised, now we are second guessing that decision. After the cruise, we will decide if the extra nickel and diming is worth it to us. 

Of course the fares would go up. My point is they are not fooling anyone. If all the cruiselines would do away with this practice, it would be easier to compare without all the math. I believe it’s time to end the gratuities and include it in the fare. This is my opinion, you have yours. I’m not stupid, I know I’m still paying the same amount. 

53 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

It's not deceptive since you know full well of these add ons.

Do you believe that if these fees were done away with that those cheap fares would not increase by the same amount plus various taxes?  You might as well complain about a grocery store adding on state and local taxes.

18 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

You are always paying the wages of an employee of a company you do business with.  If NCL did away with DSC and increased the fare,  you would still be paying for their wages.  There are no free lunches. The customer always pays.

I am aware of that. I feel it is unfair business practice to advertise cheap fares, then tack on huge gratuities. I would rather have the full cost posted up front. It’s as deceptive as the hotels that charge huge “resort fees”.

1 minute ago, Barb Nahoumi said:

Making cuts then raising the DSC does bother me.  I don't feel that the raise was necessary, but the crew does work hard to provide us with a great cruise experience.

Yes, but NCL should be paying their wages, not us.

Wow, thanks!

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

 

the answer to your dilemma is in a close examination of these two statements.

 

enjoy your cruise.

Hopefully we will be able to enjoy the food and entertainment on this ship. At least we will be on vacation. Lately we have been enjoying our RV more, but we are looking forward to being in the beautiful Caribbean waters again.

We haven’t cruise NCL in years. We are what I would call experienced cruisers, we cruise three or four times a year…just not on NCL.

Recently we booked a five night on the Breakaway. We don’t usually book short cruises, but the deal was too good to pass up. Can anyone tell us what to expect for the shows on a short cruise? Will they have any main theater productions? If so, will we have to book in advance?

I remember one of the things we didn’t like about NCL is we were always waiting for dining. Is this still an issue?

Are there dressy nights on a five day cruise? I’m hoping all I have to bring for the five night is a roll a board suitcase.

Where does NCL port in Cozumel? Downtown, or in the new port area?

Thanks!

We just booked our first NCL cruise in years and after reading this thread I’m wondering if we are making a mistake. We have cruised over 35 cruises, 3 on NCL. Our experiences on NCL we would rate good, horrible and good, in that order. Even on the horrible cruise, POA, we still had a good time.

All the cruise lines we’ve been on have gone down hill after Covid. Making cuts and charging more. The most shocking to me is how much the gratuities are on NCL! In fact, we probably wouldn’t have booked NCL because of that, but we just got a deal on the Breakaway we couldn’t refuse.

We love being on a ship and enjoy the entertainment and the food. The ports are kind of secondary for us. For the most part, if you really want to experience a place you need to be there more than a few hours.

Yes! I love mine. I fell in love with their jewelry on our Alaska Cruise, and saw it again on our Norway Cruise.

39 minutes ago, ger_77 said:

I'm so glad the missing passengers returned to the ship and pray for the people who have to be disembarked due to a medical condition - what a horrible time for a medical emergency!   Please keep us updated as you can; we worry about all of you.

Personally, I would rather take my chances with the ship medical team, then get stuck there.

On 6/19/2023 at 3:39 PM, jackinelgin said:

We booked Pinnacle for our anniversary,6/30. Looking forward to it.

We will be a table of four 6/30, celebrating our good friends 50th Anniversary.

9 minutes ago, Gray Lady said:

Did you turn in an expense form with Hal for the per diem? If not, I would call them, ask for one, and submit it along with your supporting paperwork from the hotel.

We did turn it in, along with receipts.They only reimbursed us for our actual meals, which were not much. We weren’t trying to make money on the situation, so I’m good.

On 6/28/2022 at 10:34 AM, Gray Lady said:

Just wondering if anyone has done this and I am curious how it works. We finished our quarantine and were told we would get a $100 per person per diem for food while we quarantined. All our paper said was that HAL would reimburse us once we finished our isolation period. Do they do this automatically? Do you get it with your refund for your hotel room? Do you contact them directly? Just wanted to learn from someone else who had done it so we know what to expect and do. Thank you! 

They promised us per diem, but we never got it. They reimbursed us for the hotel and our Uber.

3 minutes ago, Gamecock_Cruiser said:

They said it was great once they finally got on board. She said it was a little chaos at first with hungry sleepy kids. But they kept the dining rooms and lido opened late and everything was great by their first morning. And they didn't have their luggage to sometime in the wee hours of the morning, but they made due. They said they will certainly be cruising again.

 

Thank you! It appears the reports have been over blown…surprise. That’s why I wanted to hear from someone on the next cruise.

On 5/31/2023 at 1:17 PM, Gamecock_Cruiser said:

We have some friends that boarded Saturday night. It is their first cruise. Prior to sail away, they said they didn't see any signs of any damage, wetness, or anything that seemed out of place to them. We are waiting to see how their trip went when they get back to Charleston tomorrow.

Any news from your friends? If they didn’t notice anything, either the reports were blown way out of proportion, or Carnival employees are amazing in how quickly they worked to clean up the mess.

On 5/31/2023 at 1:20 PM, Itried4498 said:

 

What leads you to think there was damage to the ship?  Carnival acknowledges some crew areas experienced flooding, but said none of the state rooms or public areas were damaged or taken out of service.  Almost unquestionably the "damage": that occurred was cleaned up while in port.  It's not the first time the crew or ship experienced this, it's just that a few passengers blew the situation out of proportion on social media.

The news reports, and the Facebook videos from people on the ship when it happened. I’m aware things can get blown out of proportion, that’s why I would like to hear from people on the next sailing.

2 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

I believe the OP is looking for information from people who are on the ship right now.

Yes, thank you.

15 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:

Why did something happen?

Look at the thread Sunshine Weather. They hit a horrible storm.

Have there been any reports from people on the Sunshine this week? I’m curious to hear if last weekends damage has been cleaned up. 

On 12/14/2022 at 4:44 PM, Suzy Bell said:

I had a Covid quarantine situation where things did not go as I was advised by Guest Services(too much to go into detail here).

 In mid September I tested positive towards the end of a 10 day cruise, my husband tested negative but we both had to stay in our cabins for the final 2 days of the cruise. After disembarking in Boston we were required to complete a 10 day quarantine in order to return to Canada(the Canadian Covid restrictions have since been lifted). Our stay in Boston was a considerable expense. We submitted a claim to our travel insurance provider but were reimbursed only up until the day our insurance coverage for the trip expired.

After writing 2 emails to Hal Guest Relations and another email to the president of HAL, I finally received a reply after almost 2 months. We are now in the process of submitting the Out of Pocket Expense Form along with our receipts excluding the amounts alreade paid to us by our travel insurance. I also had to submit a request for my medical records as the ship's medical center gave me no documentation regarding my date of testing positive nor my required quarantine dates .And we still haven't had the cruise credit for the 2 missed days applied to our Mariner account.

All this to say, it's a slow process, don't lose hope.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for posting your experience. I wrote a 6 page letter to the President of Holland America, I have not heard anything. No FCC, no expense reimbursement, nothing. We were planning on taking an Alaska cruise in May with good friends of ours...neither of us will book until we receive our FCC and expenses. We also have a 14 night cruise out of Amsterdam in July...again, we will NOT make final payment until we hear from Holland America. We are NOT interested in giving them any more business until we see how well they handle our complaints. So far, not impressed.

We returned from the cruise on November 20th. Still no reply to my letter, or the refund form. 

On 11/20/2022 at 6:06 AM, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Maybe I missed it, but how long are you staying in Fort Lauderdale and is HAL providing the hotel?  I caught Covid last month on another cruise line and there wasn't any post cruise help.  All they offered was a ride in a nice SUV anywhere I wanted to go.  I think they just wanted me gone, they took pictures of our passports and we bypassed Customs and Immigration.

Sorry, I’m just now seeing this question. We felt like we were dumped on the curb. We were told the cruise line would reimburse us for travel, hotel and $100/person/per day for food. We were given a reimbursement form, which we submitted as soon as we got home. I also wrote a six page letter, going into the details of the mishandling of our situation. We have yet to receive our FCC, reimbursement, or any response to my letter.