Missed out on Dawn this weekend ;( NCL unwilling to rebook us ??

[riekl]

Drove 400 miles to meet the Dawn (despite NCL having my phone number which they could have called to let me know they were canceling the cruise would have been nice !). Found the ship not there, they said they were refunding the cruise and giving 50% discount on the next cruise, fine.

 

So today I called NCL and tried to book on Pearl this coming Sat (12/4) it has openings, they refused to give me the discount saying their system wasn't setup for it and I would get paperwork for a discount in a few weeks !!!! Really ? You have me on the phone you can push a few buttons to satisfy me not asking for anything special and you can't take care of me ? Really ?

 

What is everyone else that was booked on Dawn this past weekend doing ?? Is my experience with NCL typical ??

[G'ma]

It's always a good idea to check on the cruise websight for updates....especially in the days right before your cruise.

 

Or, check on Cruise Critic.

Or any othe the other cruise forums.

[JohnIreland]

Call back and ask for a supervisor.

[IWORK2CRUISE]

Drove 400 miles to meet the Dawn (despite NCL having my phone number which they could have called to let me know they were canceling the cruise would have been nice !). Found the ship not there, they said they were refunding the cruise and giving 50% discount on the next cruise, fine.

 

So today I called NCL and tried to book on Pearl this coming Sat (12/4) it has openings, they refused to give me the discount saying their system wasn't setup for it and I would get paperwork for a discount in a few weeks !!!! Really ? You have me on the phone you can push a few buttons to satisfy me not asking for anything special and you can't take care of me ? Really ?

 

What is everyone else that was booked on Dawn this past weekend doing ?? Is my experience with NCL typical ??

So sorry that you had to arrive and find no ship.

As far as a new booking for next weekend I would try calling again and asking for a supervisor. They have probably received a number of requests and have not yet had the oppportunity to provide up to date instructions on this unusual situation.

Good luck and happy cruising.

[DMH15]

It's always a good idea to check on the cruise websight for updates....especially in the days right before your cruise.

 

Or' date=' check on Cruise Critic.

Or any othe the other cruise forums.[/quote']

 

I always call the airline to confirm the flight. The hotel to confirm. The cruise line, etc. It's a pain but I've learned the hard way. Now I double and triple check.

 

It does take time to process all of the information. Think of EVERYTHING NCL is doing right now. Like you, this was unexpected to them. I am sure the phone bank is swamped. Maybe a supervisor could cut through some red tape for you. I will have my fingers crossed.

 

I really do feel for all of you. I know I would be crushed too.

 

I am wondering just what is in the contract... What does NCL really owe pax? Is the 50% a goodwill gesture?

 

This whole matter is a commercial for trip insurance.

[riekl]

It's always a good idea to check on the cruise websight for updates....especially in the days right before your cruise.

 

Or' date=' check on Cruise Critic.

Or any othe the other cruise forums.[/quote']

 

Uh .. you do realize the NCL site had no update / posting up the day / night before ? And sorry I dont take a computer with me to login from the hotel we are staying in the night before.

 

The ship breaking down i'm not bitching about, **** happens. I'm complaining about NCL's inability to take care of us after it happened.

[goodml]

Call again. No really. Call again and if you don't get someone that will book you, insist on speaking with a supervisor. Be pleasant but persistant. You'll get it done.

[Chuck2810]

I have to agree with you. With the database they have, it would be very easy to send out a notification message that the 11/29 cruise is canceled - contact NCL for more details. I could set up a vontage dialer to do it in a few hours. We do the same thing on a smaller scale right here in little Monrovia Indiana. I'll get a autocall from the youth pastor that the kids have to be x at y time. It usually takes an hour to contact 40 people - on a single residential line. If you have 50 lines, like NCL, it might take an hour to call all 2000 guests and workers.

[autrucheplume]

Uh .. you do realize the NCL site had no update / posting up the day / night before ? And sorry I dont take a computer with me to login from the hotel we are staying in the night before.

 

The ship breaking down i'm not bitching about, **** happens. I'm complaining about NCL's inability to take care of us after it happened.

 

I'm so sorry for your inconvenience - I know how frustrating and disappointing it must be, especially since I'm sure you were looking forward to it.

 

However, I do feel that NCL did their best to make customers aware of the situation. They posted the cancellation notice on their site the morning of the day before the cruise, and several passengers did report getting phone calls alerting them of the situation.

 

However, I do agree with a previous poster that often the best way to get help with these things is to speak to a supervisor. Sometimes the people who answer the phones are not always informed correctly. As someone who used to work a customer service line, I can tell you that the best way to get helped is to be nice to whoever you talk to - they'll want to go out of their way to help if they feel that you appreciate what they're doing for you!

 

Good luck getting your vacation stuff figured out - I hope you are able to get another cruise scheduled and have a great time!!

[O'Shore]

I have to agree with you. With the database they have, it would be very easy to send out a notification message that the 11/29 cruise is canceled - contact NCL for more details. I could set up a vontage dialer to do it in a few hours. We do the same thing on a smaller scale right here in little Monrovia Indiana. I'll get a autocall from the youth pastor that the kids have to be x at y time. It usually takes an hour to contact 40 people - on a single residential line. If you have 50 lines, like NCL, it might take an hour to call all 2000 guests and workers.

 

Sounds logical to me. I have to wonder why they do not already have a system, a plan in place for handling this type of thing. This cannot be the first time they had to cancel on such short notice.

[njhorseman]

I have to agree with you. With the database they have, it would be very easy to send out a notification message that the 11/29 cruise is canceled - contact NCL for more details. I could set up a vontage dialer to do it in a few hours. We do the same thing on a smaller scale right here in little Monrovia Indiana. I'll get a autocall from the youth pastor that the kids have to be x at y time. It usually takes an hour to contact 40 people - on a single residential line. If you have 50 lines, like NCL, it might take an hour to call all 2000 guests and workers.

 

Sounds logical to me. I have to wonder why they do not already have a system' date=' a plan in place for handling this type of thing. This cannot be the first time they had to cancel on such short notice.[/quote']

 

 

Who says they don't have such a system in place and didn't do that?

 

I recall someone saying they were notified via an automated call.

[njhorseman]

Uh .. you do realize the NCL site had no update / posting up the day / night before ? And sorry I dont take a computer with me to login from the hotel we are staying in the night before.

 

The ship breaking down i'm not bitching about, **** happens. I'm complaining about NCL's inability to take care of us after it happened.

 

 

NCL did have the cancellation posted on the home page of its Web site at approximately 10am EST on the day before the cruise, 11/28.

 

I was the one who started the thread announcing the cancellation. If you read my post, you'll see I made it at 10:13am:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=22171352&postcount=1

[pullbangdead]

Others have said they were notified via phone call, and still others have said that they were booked onto different NCL ships that left yesterday as substitutes for Dawn.

 

I would guess that OP's experience was an uninformed call center employee who hadn't been told what to do or how to do it. DEFINITELY call back and speak to a supervisor. Heck, even just hanging up and calling back again will often get you a different answer.

 

I learned that a while ago with bigger companies: don't like the answer you get? Hang up and call back again and you'll get a different one. Once you get the answer you like, take down all the information and double confirm it, and ask them to note it on their files or whatever.

 

I'd wager it was just an uniinformed call center employee, as others have posted on this board about being able to get on other ships once the Dawn's cruise was canceled.

[LJH1]

It's up to you to choose whether or not to check before leaving, you would do it for airlines due to weather conditions or your reservation.

[garycarla]

The OP was on the road. They could only check so much. I am rather anal about checking flights before leaving. Cruiselines are another story. Rather rare that they do not sail, compared to airlines.

 

In any event, he should have gotten a call. Possibly they had the home number in the records? (we give ONLY our cell numbers on everything like this) Maybe out of coverage when the call came through?

 

As to not getting help to sail soon, that is silly. I would call back and get somebody that can help. Not sure, maybe the number they gave out was to a different group?

[jrs101]

I'm a crazy traveller, and check everything about my trip, the flights, the weather, hotel upgrades :P, but i've never checked the status of any of my cruises.

 

That being said, even though NCL is busy right now, this would have been their chance to shine and get people rebooked if they inquired. If they can sell you a Future Cruise Credit and have it soley be tied to your Latitudes number, why not for a future cruise discount. It would have been really good PR if everyone could come back with a story of how NCL made it right.

 

I sure do feel terrible for all those people, especially the first timers, for missing their cruise. And I feel terrible, but less for the people that were caught up in the power failure--let me state why--as they successfully completed 75A% of the cruise and now get a 75% refund after enjoying 75% of their cruise, and 50% off a future cruise--sign me up. Fire up the flame thrower, i've got my asbestos on.

[flac4vert]

Drove 400 miles to meet the Dawn (despite NCL having my phone number which they could have called to let me know they were canceling the cruise would have been nice !). Found the ship not there, they said they were refunding the cruise and giving 50% discount on the next cruise, fine.

 

So today I called NCL and tried to book on Pearl this coming Sat (12/4) it has openings, they refused to give me the discount saying their system wasn't setup for it and I would get paperwork for a discount in a few weeks !!!! Really ? You have me on the phone you can push a few buttons to satisfy me not asking for anything special and you can't take care of me ? Really ?

 

What is everyone else that was booked on Dawn this past weekend doing ?? Is my experience with NCL typical ??

Sadly it is. People that drove to the port and don't check or aren't members on this board or others are stuck. And NCL's front line CSR are condescending and rather patronizing in my experience dealing with them. Don't expect much better on the Pearl the service and the consistency with customer service issues has been horrible. So bad in fact that as a TA I've cancelled all 4 of my upcoming cruises in 2010 and the EPIC. However I'm doing the Dawn in January for my dad who has never been on a cruise before. But with the mood I'm in onboard the Pearl I might just change it to RCI all together.

[familyof4cruising]

This was a unfortunate event. I'm sorry for everyone that it affected.

 

You need to ask for a supervisor and get your new cruise booked.

 

The Pearl is a wonderful ship!

[AuntieBarb]

I just made a courtesy call to NCL about this, on your behalf and others.

 

In the same fashion that a "Cruise Reward Certificate" cannot be used immediately, it will take 5 business days for the 50% discount to be reflected on the system. The representatives have to have this discount on your profile in order to apply it.

[RambleRocket]

I would definitely call back and speak with a Supervisor. Failing that, I would contact their Head Office.

[WeBeGone]

I'm a TA and even I can't get the 50% credit applied to new bookings until the client has the paper certificate in hand. Apparently it will have a code on it that needs to be put into the computer before the rate will change. So, until your get the certificate, all NCL cruises will be full fare. Calling NCL will not help, not even if you get a supervisor.

[AuntieBarb]

I'm a TA and even I can't get the 50% credit applied to new bookings until the client has the paper certificate in hand. Apparently it will have a code on it that needs to be put into the computer before the rate will change. So, until your get the certificate, all NCL cruises will be full fare. Calling NCL will not help, not even if you get a supervisor.

 

The discount available will be an electronic entry on their profile. There is no need to have a certificate in hand before they can use it. It merely needs to be recorded first and will show under the same individual credited with the original booking. 5 business days!

[johnritt]

My thoughts are this.

 

If you are not through with NCL after the 50% off coupon is used, save it for a more expensive cruise later and grab one of the deals that available now.

 

There are some low prices out there.

[MrPete]

I'm so anal, I check the webcams to make sure my ship is coming into the harbor. Guess that only works when you sail local.

 

But, hey, I wasn't even sailing, and I knew more than a day before that this ship wasn't going "NO WHERE".

 

OP - I agree with the others. Talk up the chain of command.

 

Anyone have a figure of how many showed up at the dock on Sunday?

[garycarla]

..

 

Anyone have a figure of how many showed up at the dock on Sunday?

 

WOW!

 

I had not even thought about that.

 

Imagine looking out the window of your hotel looking for the ship and it is not there. Or pulling up in a cab and trying to find the sign that said NCL Dawn. Yikes.

 

What a freakin mess that must have been.