NCL's Deceptive Letter to Gem Passengers

[billie5]

Sorry, NJ, I missed the smiley face. I was also an NJ guy, for 22 years, but a long time ago.

 

Defreeze, all you have to do is dial up some cruises on any of the online sources which give you the port charges separately. You will find that the total is low enough that $75 is unreasonable for the one port. With a lot of work you can actually get a good estimate for San Juan, but given the experiences that so many of us have had with port charges for missed ports (in my case always in the $20 range), you should have given up your silly argument a long time ago.

 

On the other hand, you are entirely right about many contract stipulations being unenforceable. For what it is worth.

 

Bill

[goldmom]

Sorry you had some problems on the cruise. We were also on this cruise and didn't experience any of the problems you did. The service we had in the dining venues was very good and the staff we encountered around the ship were all very friendly. We had no dealing with the front desk people so I can't comment on that.

 

It's possible that you just had the misfortune of having problems with people who were having a "bad day". We've had this happen to us on many cruise lines, it's just unfortunate when you experience several in a row as it can color your feelings about a cruise.

 

We felt that the missed port was handled as well as could be expected and that we were kept apprised of the situation as soon as concrete information was available. Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise as much as you were expecting. Hopefully the next one will be better.

[rkloc]

I found the buffet to be well below average for a cruise ship . In fact , several times I ate hamburgers for lack of a better choice . Plenty of salad , pasta rice and potatoes but not too deep in the meat department . We have a chain here in Connecticut called Hometown Buffet , all you can eat for $7.95 and I'd say it's about equal to that . The dining room was better , but not 5 star by any means ... maybe equal to Chili's or something along those lines.

[mbisson]

I think this is again proof just how subjective food preference is

[Sooners]

I think this is again proof just how subjective food preference is

 

...and if you find the tipping threads 'fun', then you will find the food threads to be very entertaining! ;) LMAO

[*Wink*]

...and if you find the tipping threads 'fun', then you will find the food threads to be very entertaining! ;) LMAO

Throw in a liquor thread and that's what's known as the Trifecta! :p

[scchasgal]

Throw in a liquor thread and that's what's known as the Trifecta! :p

 

or more specifically the smuggling of said liquor.

 

What happened to your Sun cruise?

[*Wink*]

or more specifically the smuggling of said liquor.

 

What happened to your Sun cruise?

We just changed our minds... OK.. I changed my mind and DH said OK. :p

 

Your Pearl cruise is so close! You gotta be floatin'.

[Queen_Of_Natick]

throw in a liquor thread and that's what's known as the trifecta! :p

 

:D

 

-q

[scchasgal]

We just changed our minds... OK.. I changed my mind and DH said OK. :p

 

Your Pearl cruise is so close! You gotta be floatin'.

 

LOL your DH sounds like mine. He doesn't care where we go I just have to tell him when, where and pack for him.

 

Yes we are stoked three weeks today we will be in Miami with my first mojito in hand right about now.

[newmexicoNita]

I found the buffet to be well below average for a cruise ship . In fact , several times I ate hamburgers for lack of a better choice . Plenty of salad , pasta rice and potatoes but not too deep in the meat department . We have a chain here in Connecticut called Hometown Buffet , all you can eat for $7.95 and I'd say it's about equal to that . The dining room was better , but not 5 star by any means ... maybe equal to Chili's or something along those lines.

 

normally buffets on ships do have a lot of salads and NCLs also has a lot of fruit as well as an asian station with lots of vegetarian dishes, usually at least 2 or 3 meats, etc. What do you expect for lunch and breakfast? How many buffets on land feature lox and other fist for breakfast daily? I am impressed with the fact they actually serve hot milk or cream with the hot cereal. Equal to Hometown Buffet, that is what I would expect from a cruise ship buffet. A buffet is a buffet, it is not Ruths Chris. If you are eating there for dinner, that might be a different story. Most people do not eat at buffets on cruises for dinner. We tried it on HAL, that was the first and last time... As for 5 star, I don't think anyone would claim any cruise ship (mass marketed) has 5 star dining in the MDRs. There are 2000 plus people to prepare meals for, it can't possibly be 5 star..

[*Wink*]

LOL your DH sounds like mine. He doesn't care where we go I just have to tell him when, where and pack for him.

 

Yes we are stoked three weeks today we will be in Miami with my first mojito in hand right about now.

SSSSWeeeeeeeet!!!

 

Are you guys driving?

 

We are. 11 hours from Lancaster. Not bad.

 

Email me if you're staying in a hotel. I need some ideas.

 

Hugs Dianne.

[defreeze]

Those who have been around awhile remember how various state attorneys general took the cruise lines to task for improper advertising re: port charges. Settlements were reached and now the prices are easier to decipher.

 

More recently, the Florida attorney general sprung to action when a number of cruise lines tried to retroactively impose fuel charges for booked guests. The crusie lines retreated, reversed the charges for those passengers and then changed their passenger contracts to make them more clear and explicit.

 

Thank God we have the government to protect us and work for the people.

[*Wink*]

Those who have been around awhile remember how various state attorneys general took the cruise lines to task for improper advertising re: port charges. Settlements were reached and now the prices are easier to decipher.

 

More recently, the Florida attorney general sprung to action when a number of cruise lines tried to retroactively impose fuel charges for booked guests. The crusie lines retreated, reversed the charges for those passengers and then changed their passenger contracts to make them more clear and explicit.

 

Thank God we have the government to protect us and work for the people.

Seems you've been doing some heavy googling yourself! LOL :D

[mbisson]

I hope the govt comes thru and takes care of those cruise lines who don't give enough details when they give their customers refunds GEEZ!

 

Those who have been around awhile remember how various state attorneys general took the cruise lines to task for improper advertising re: port charges. Settlements were reached and now the prices are easier to decipher.

 

More recently, the Florida attorney general sprung to action when a number of cruise lines tried to retroactively impose fuel charges for booked guests. The crusie lines retreated, reversed the charges for those passengers and then changed their passenger contracts to make them more clear and explicit.

 

Thank God we have the government to protect us and work for the people.

[terrymtex01]

The absolute INSANE thing about this entire thread is that someone got $75 OBC and is upset, and others get in an uproar as well...saying the wording of the refund was misleading.

For goodness sake. Take the OBC and be happy...or go try another line...and when you get absolutely NO compensation for missed ports, then we'll see how important clarity is in regard to wording.

 

:rolleyes:

 

I swear, people will complain about ANYTHING.

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

Oh, I see - I should believe what random people on this board say about what the port charges are (buttressed by off-the-cuff unverified google research) instead of what I was told, several times, by NCL. The fact is that no one knows the exact amount of the port charges AND taxes for the missed port. I choose to accept what NCL told me.

 

Once again, however, I am accused of having been "proven" wrong by the Borg collective consciousness that rules this board. If I stay too long, I will be assimilated.

 

You have to choose who to believe on any of these threads. Some postings you could bet that person probably never stepped foot on the ship they are complaining about, but just love to see their own words posted or something. I do believe you felt you were given a deceptive letter, but for the life of me I can't seem to see it that way. I don't think it matters or shows any deception on NCLs part at all where the $75.00 came from, be it from your port charges or from NCL's compensation. The fact is they applied a $75.00 credit to your onboard account that they were under no obligation to give you to begin with. It is well known that they are not obligated to refund port fees.

[defreeze]

It is well known that they are not obligated to refund port fees.

 

Well, now that the discussion has morphed into whether or not the cruise lines are obligated to refund port taxes for missed ports, let me speak on that.

 

Although perhaps "well known" on these boards, I disagree that the cruise lines are not obligated to refund port charges when a port is skipped. Now, it may be the cruise line's position that they are not obligated to do so (However, Carnival, as shown by an earlier post of mine, has a written policy stating that they will refund port charges for missed ports).

 

But the cruise line's position is not always correct, as we have seen many times as a result of government action and lawsuits.

 

For those who have missed ports and not gotten a refund, you certainly, in my opinion, could very well have a cause of action. If the cruise line is collecting such fees and taxes from the passenger merely as an intermediary to remit them to the port government, then they certainly cannot keep the fees if they do not remit them.

 

For example, a friend of mine was scheduled to cruise on a Royal Carribean ship earlier this year. At the last moment, she could not make it and did not show up for the cruise. As per the passenger contract, she would lose everything she paid.

 

Surprise, surprise. A few weeks later, she got a credit on her credit card for $186 from the cruise line. When she called to ask what it was for, they told her it was the port charges that they were legally obligated to return to her. She got the refund without even asking for it.

[*Wink*]

Surprise, surprise. A few weeks later, she got a credit on her credit card for $186 from the cruise line. When she called to ask what it was for, they told her it was the port charges that they were legally obligated to return to her. She got the refund without even asking for it.

 

So would $186 appease you?

 

You're obsessed over this.

 

I'm going to tweet Dr. Phil and see what he has to say.

[ddakrt]

Oh, I see - I should believe what random people on this board say about what the port charges are (buttressed by off-the-cuff unverified google research) instead of what I was told, several times, by NCL. The fact is that no one knows the exact amount of the port charges AND taxes for the missed port. I choose to accept what NCL told me.

 

Once again, however, I am accused of having been "proven" wrong by the Borg collective consciousness that rules this board. If I stay too long, I will be assimilated.

 

You accuse and bash people for assuming what the charges might/could be, yet your entire first post was full of assumptions.

 

Honestly, I can't believe this non-issue made it 6 pages.:rolleyes:

[smeyer418]

Those who have been around awhile remember how various state attorneys general took the cruise lines to task for improper advertising re: port charges. Settlements were reached and now the prices are easier to decipher.

 

More recently, the Florida attorney general sprung to action when a number of cruise lines tried to retroactively impose fuel charges for booked guests. The crusie lines retreated, reversed the charges for those passengers and then changed their passenger contracts to make them more clear and explicit.

 

Thank God we have the government to protect us and work for the people.

 

 

In fact NCL was NOT one of the cruise lines who imposed the surcharge retroactively. NCL gave notice and it was for totally new bookings after a certain date. The investigation as to whether there was collusion among the cruise lines(an anti-trust violation) is still on going.

 

Do you really think the port(taxes/fees) charge refund issue hasn't been brought to the Florida's AG attention before? Not likely

[ddakrt]

In fact NCL was NOT one of the cruise lines who imposed the surcharge retroactively. NCL gave notice and it was for totally new bookings after a certain date. The investigation as to whether there was collusion among the cruise lines(an anti-trust violation) is still on going.

 

Doesn't matter, NCL should have sent a letter to everyone and explained in full details with every single reasons they came up with as to why they weren't retroing the surcharge. Otherwise they were just being deceptive.

[smeyer418]

Doesn't matter, NCL should have sent a letter to everyone and explained in full details with every single reasons they came up with as to why they weren't retroing the surcharge. Otherwise they were just being deceptive.

wasn't that in the letter than warned people that too much sex on board make the ship rock?

[ddakrt]

wasn't that in the letter than warned people that too much sex on board make the ship rock?

 

Only if everyone was thrusting in unison. :eek:

[cruzndiz]

I have been doing everything possible to keep from jumping in with a comment on this ridiculous, overplayed situation but my stupid fingers won't listen to my head!!!

 

Good Lord, it's DONE people!!!!! Let it goooooooooooooo!!!!

:p

 

But, hey, just to stir the hornet's nest (tee hee) the last cruise I was on was the first one after the ship's dry dock and the cruise was positively flawless in every way imaginable. The only complaint I heard all week was from a past passenger who was mad that they hadn't recaulked the top edge of the pool :eek:

 

At the end of the trip, we each received a letter in our cabin with a $500 PER PERSON credit because the company thought things might not have been as smooth as they wanted with it being the first cruise out of dry dock.

[hat776]

So much fuss about port charges/taxes , letter not pointing out how the $75 was made up, whether lines are legally bound to refund said charges, whether refunds depend on reason for missing a port etc etc etc

I really feel for the couple who were getting married and the ship missed Cayman. They must have been devastated . Most probably they didn't even make as much noise as the OP and the famous $75.

Another thing I don't understand, folk usually praise the Gem's buffet for breakfast. As regards the meat problem at lunch - apart from the carvery, we always found other meat. Obviously we weren't expecting a big juicy steak.