Handicap Villa is only one room

[ascatsob]

I am currently on the Epic and have peeked into the handicapped suite twice (while my cabin steward was making up the room.) No walls, just a large curved curtain to close off the bathroom. I'll try to take a picture today or tomorrow before I leave the ship.

 

 

I knew I wasn'g going crazy! Thanks for backing up my observation.

[dnl_in_Illinois]

I am currently on the Epic and have peeked into the handicapped suite twice (while my cabin steward was making up the room.) No walls, just a large curved curtain to close off the bathroom. I'll try to take a picture today or tomorrow before I leave the ship.

 

Hey Mike or Patti, thanks for looking into this! Didn't know you were doing 2 weeks on the Epic. How lucky you guys are. I was great to meet you and your family. Dave

[GigCrusier]

I will be waiting anxiously to see the picture. THANKS!!!!!

[NYSoccerFamily]

I got several pictures of the handicapped room today before leaving the ship. We are currently chilling at a Miami hotel for the day before our 8:30pm flight, but will post the pictures in the next few days--that is if my kids teach me how to do it.

 

Dave it was a pleasure meeting you and your family!! Yes, we did the B2B and it was incredible to be on the ship for 2 weeks--forgot what the real world was like. I'll be writing more after we get home.

[GigCrusier]

Mike and Patty - if the Kids donn't show you how to post the pictures, email them to me and I will be happy to post them. You are welcome to email me at rkkpifer@msn.com

Thanks!!!!!!!

[Yelobird3]

Very glad I came across this post. While I agree with most of the statements and opinions the problem is with NCL. My wife and I hoped to celebrate our 20 year anniversary with a premium NCL cruise! Mind you I am Not a world traveler so this is all new to me. I just work hard and saved to pay for our get away. Last week I called NCL and asked for an "A" class cabin. Yea, he says he could offer us a Courtyard Penthouse Suite. All paid in full now and flying on cloud 9 until running across this post. Hmmm I say, what room did they book us in? 16029...... I called NCL asap and was assured this was a standard room Penthouse with just a grab bar on the bathtub wall. OK. I called back and talked to a supervisor and he confirmed this was not a traditional room layout and the NCL rep should have told me this when taking my money. (Did I mention I am NOT a travel agent or frequent traveler?) They appear to be selling this room to Anyone that is willing to pay the 6K premium with NO questions asked. My wife feels horrible, I worked VERY hard to save for this vacation (first in 10 years) only to find out it is Nothing like what I was sold and possibly someone truly in Need of this accommodation will be pushed away to a less appropriate room. Sad thing is I went straight to NCL for this purchase because I feared a travel agent would screw it up! After an hour with a supervisor today he said he would try to call me back on Monday to see what he could do but he thinks I might end up in a base room. Since all of my Air/excursions/house sitter are all scheduled and paid for I guess I have no choice. Happy anniversary to me. I really wanted this to be a magical celebration for my wife but just OK will have to do until I can save for another 10 years. Sorry for venting but this is very depressing for my wife and I. Thanks for nothing NCL. I look forward to seeing the photos of what Might still be my room come Monday. FYI we will be on Epic 10/9 should anyone want to join us in crying in a beer. Thank you VERY much for posting this as we would have jumped over board if we were surprised with this on boarding day!!!!

[Yelobird3]

Sorry, forgot to sign my name...

 

Dave K

[GigCrusier]

Yelobird3 -

Email me at rkkpifer@msn.com.

Richard

[GigCrusier]

Hey NCL - I know you are reading this! Why don't you get your act together and stop selling this room to people without full disclosure. Train your staff!!! Maybe apologize to the customers as you have spoiled what was to be a special vacation. It is never too late to make things right. :mad:

Edited August 29, 2010 by GigCrusier

[ascatsob]

Very glad I came across this post. While I agree with most of the statements and opinions the problem is with NCL. My wife and I hoped to celebrate our 20 year anniversary with a premium NCL cruise! Mind you I am Not a world traveler so this is all new to me. I just work hard and saved to pay for our get away. Last week I called NCL and asked for an "A" class cabin. Yea, he says he could offer us a Courtyard Penthouse Suite. All paid in full now and flying on cloud 9 until running across this post. Hmmm I say, what room did they book us in? 16029...... I called NCL asap and was assured this was a standard room Penthouse with just a grab bar on the bathtub wall. OK. I called back and talked to a supervisor and he confirmed this was not a traditional room layout and the NCL rep should have told me this when taking my money. (Did I mention I am NOT a travel agent or frequent traveler?) They appear to be selling this room to Anyone that is willing to pay the 6K premium with NO questions asked. My wife feels horrible, I worked VERY hard to save for this vacation (first in 10 years) only to find out it is Nothing like what I was sold and possibly someone truly in Need of this accommodation will be pushed away to a less appropriate room. Sad thing is I went straight to NCL for this purchase because I feared a travel agent would screw it up! After an hour with a supervisor today he said he would try to call me back on Monday to see what he could do but he thinks I might end up in a base room. Since all of my Air/excursions/house sitter are all scheduled and paid for I guess I have no choice. Happy anniversary to me. I really wanted this to be a magical celebration for my wife but just OK will have to do until I can save for another 10 years. Sorry for venting but this is very depressing for my wife and I. Thanks for nothing NCL. I look forward to seeing the photos of what Might still be my room come Monday. FYI we will be on Epic 10/9 should anyone want to join us in crying in a beer. Thank you VERY much for posting this as we would have jumped over board if we were surprised with this on boarding day!!!!

 

Dave K:

 

This is exactly the reason why I started this post. I know I would have been extremely disappointed and it would have destroyed my cruise had I opened the door and discovered 1 room instead of 3. At the very least, you now know what to expect ahead of time and can prepare yourself. I hope NCL can find you another room that you are satisfied with or at the very least, compensate you in some way. If you still plan to go and have any questions about the courtyard or the boat I would be more than happy to share.

[dnl_in_Illinois]

Dave K:

 

This is exactly the reason why I started this post. I know I would have been extremely disappointed and it would have destroyed my cruise had I opened the door and discovered 1 room instead of 3. At the very least, you now know what to expect ahead of time and can prepare yourself. I hope NCL can find you another room that you are satisfied with or at the very least, compensate you in some way. If you still plan to go and have any questions about the courtyard or the boat I would be more than happy to share.

 

I share <ascatsob's> sentiments. There has been so much discussed about this room and even mis-information offered by the cabin stewards (although now I wonder if there was a language issue with the question/answer - but 2 of them said the same thing!!). I will say this - even if you end up in the room, there is so much more about the Courtyard Villas -- the concierge, Epic Grill and Restaurant, the Courtyard itself, the escorts to the shows etc. - you will still enjoy the cruise. I am NOT sticking up for NCL as I think it's awful that they can't get their act together re: this. I *am* attempting to assuage some of your concerns. I too will be happy to answer any other questions you may have re: the Courtyard Villa's as we just returned from sailing on the Epic a week or so ago.

 

When are you sailing on the Epic? Where are you located in Chicago?

Edited August 29, 2010 by dnl_in_Illinois

[Yelobird3]

(Ascatsob) Thanks for the words of understanding and guidance. Regarding the Courtyard area I feel like that will just be crossed off as a lost dream. Unless a miracle happens they are completely out of every form of Courtyard access room. My only option at this point is to transfer to a Balcony stateroom. I realize that sounds that might come across as whiney but we really hoped to travel full class for once in our hard working lives. Small thrill I guess?? Looking at some web photos of alternate wheelchair accessible Epic rooms there is NO way we are going to accept this accommodation knowing someone in an alternate room might be hating the trip just as much because they were shorted these accessibility items needed for a comfortable trip. I just WISH we were told!! We live in the Wheaton area and plan to travel (happy or not) on 10/9 to the eastern Caribbean. I should probably check that for as well as this Luxury trip has gone so far we might be actually on a riverboat cruise around Milwaukee? FYI, today I received an email from NCL to remind me if the HA room I am in is required for others in need we would be asked to move on. LOL. To little, To Late.

 

Dave K

[sdmike]

Dave -

Take the BA room and put the savings aside for some incredible shore excursions or as a start on your next trip...or something else you wanted. Get you and your wife a couple's spa pass for $200 and live it up. Buy a watch and some jewelry in the shops. Switch your flights to first class. Take a stretch limo from the airport. 95% of the cruise experience is what you do, not where you sleep. My trip before this I was in the second largest suite on the Vision of the Seas. This last trip I had 4 people crammed into a balcony stateroom. I can honestly tell you that we enjoyed both immensely. I know this is a disappointment, but you should really consider going forward with your trip and use the room savings to do some other amazing things that can make this very special for you.

 

Just my two cents

Edited August 29, 2010 by sdmike

[NYSoccerFamily]

Hi Dave,

[NYSoccerFamily]

Oops! I didn't mean to send that yet. I'l try this again...

 

Hi Dave,

[sdmike]

Oops! I didn't mean to send that yet. I'l try this again...

 

Hi Dave,

 

You're 0 for 2 :) :)

[NYSoccerFamily]

I cant believe I just did that again... Here I go again...

 

Hi Dave K,

I am the one who has pictures of the room and I will post them later today or send them to GigCruiser who I'm sure will post them.

 

First of all, I don't blame you for being upset about the whole situation. NCL was wrong. When we first booked our villa, (directly from an NCL rep), and we were trying to decide which ship/line to take, our NCL rep. read off a list of amenities we would receive as villa guests. I wrote them all down but did not receive them in writing. Unbeknownst to us at the time, he was reading off the list of the perks for the owners suite. He told us we would recieve such things as 3 bottles of liquor each week, water and soda restocked everyday, limo ride to the airport after the cruise... amongst other things. Although those perks weren't the only reason we chose an NCL villa, they were things that swayed us in our decision making. Of course, when we got on the ship, we discovered (and were told) that we would not be receiving that long list of perks. We felt a little annoyed at the misrepresentation made by the NCL rep, but we surely weren't going to let that ruin our vacation--and it certainly didn't.

 

I will say, I have seen the room and it is big and beautiful. Granted there are not divided rooms, but if it is just you and your wife, that may not be a problem for you. The one bathroom, although it is handicapped access, is very large. There is no door, only a curtain, but in the standard villa master bath, there is only a curtain dividing the master bath from the Master bedroom too and the very small bath in the little bedroom is a lightly frosted door with 1/8 inch gaps on each side of the door which you can clearly see in from.

 

I would echo dnl in Illinois's view. We just returned from a 2 week, B2B cruise and stayed in a courtyard villa, down the hall from where you will be.

 

I feel the amenities that a villa offered were worth the additional fee. Having priority embarkation and debarkation was great! We never waited in lines. We were greeted with snacks and drinks and immediately escorted right to the villas, with no lines. At every port as well, if we wanted to be among the first off the boat, we just let them know and they took us down a back employee elevator, and escorted us right to the front of the lines.

 

Another great perk was being escorted into all the shows early utilizing that back elevator. No lines! We always had the first pick of seats for every show. Even in the Cirque show, where we did not pay for priority seats, we were given the the the best upper level seats, which in my opinion, had an unbeatable view. (However, If you want to possibly be chosen to have a small part in the show, then you would want to have priority seating). (FYI, if you do go on Epic, book all the shows in advance. It's really not difficult to do, only takes a few minutes to plan it out and book it.)

 

Another villa perk that we believe was phenomenal was the (Courtyard) Epic Club restaurant (and Epic Grill)! The food was great and the service was UNBEATABLE!! You can even have any of the meals delivered to you in your room, by your butler. Also, there are nightly specials in the main dining rooms (Taste and Manhattan) each night (appetizer, main course, dessert), and the same ones (or sometimes one better main entree special), were offered in the Epic Club. After eating there for 2 weeks, we felt like family with the entire staff in there! They were so good to all of us and we had so much fun with them. Take the time to get to know them, because they are all GREAT!!

The Epic Grill has a smaller menu with some same and some different items from the Epic Club lunch menu, that can be ordered in the small, breezy restaurant or delivered to you by the pool or your room and were available till 5, after lunch at the Epic Club restaurant closed for lunch which was nice if you missed lunch or were hungry before dinner. They also had tea, orange juice, cookies, breads, M&Ms, gummy bears, etc. out there most of the day.

 

The use of the Courtyard private pool, private sun decks, private workout facilities, private spa facilities, steam room, sauna, etc. were great if you don't want to be amongst the masses on the rest of the ship (although I must say, we never felt like the ship was crowded--wherever we went).

 

Your room steward would probably be the same as we had, Michael, who is probably one of the hardest working members of the crew. He is WONDERFUL! (and so is his assistant, Maricel!) Unfortunately for you, you would not have our Butler, Putu, whom we believe is the BEST there is!!! I'm sure yours will treat you extremely well too and do everything to make your stay even better. (Including afternoon and nightly treats!)

 

The crew on the entire ship were so friendly and treated us wonderfully. There is so much to do on this ship...don't know how anyone could do it all in one week.

 

I think, despite the room configuration, if you were determined to have a good time and not let the deception factor bother you, you would have an amazing vacation on the Epic. As I said, the room is huge and beautiful. The villa staff was amazing, and the "perks" were great and really made you feel pampered and special!!

 

Just wanted to give you my opinion, based on our personal experience in the villas. Hope it helps!

 

Pattie

[garycarla]

What in interesting thread. One that was to discuss the selling on a product that did not meet the expectations. NCL cleared goofed on this one.

 

As to the people who decided this is a good time to open the discussion about selling HC rooms to AB people - well, a very good argument, but not the point of this thread.

 

And to those that think all Handicaps are created equal, think again. Some HC folks can handle certain functions, others are close to, if not 100% chair bound. Depending on the issue, their needs vary widely.

 

And to those that think all HC rooms are created equal, think again. This can range from lower thresholds, lower counters, special communication devices, extra clearance around furniture, etc. Lots of different things. My Father In Law was partially restricted to a wheel chair. We have dealt with various issues. As a heavy traveler, I have had to take a HC room often, as it was the only room left in the hotel. Some were a real pain for an AB person. Some were barely different. (I suppose some people think I should not have taken that room either and should keep it empty all night).

 

By the way, if we booked that room, expecting some HC changes for my FIL, and we found out it was just one big room, I would be very upset. Curtains do not cut it for me when spending that kind of money.

 

Bottom line, the OP was just trying to let people know what this room is, and what it is not.

[ascatsob]

(Ascatsob) Thanks for the words of understanding and guidance. Regarding the Courtyard area I feel like that will just be crossed off as a lost dream. Unless a miracle happens they are completely out of every form of Courtyard access room. My only option at this point is to transfer to a Balcony stateroom. I realize that sounds that might come across as whiney but we really hoped to travel full class for once in our hard working lives. Small thrill I guess?? Looking at some web photos of alternate wheelchair accessible Epic rooms there is NO way we are going to accept this accommodation knowing someone in an alternate room might be hating the trip just as much because they were shorted these accessibility items needed for a comfortable trip. I just WISH we were told!! We live in the Wheaton area and plan to travel (happy or not) on 10/9 to the eastern Caribbean. I should probably check that for as well as this Luxury trip has gone so far we might be actually on a riverboat cruise around Milwaukee? FYI, today I received an email from NCL to remind me if the HA room I am in is required for others in need we would be asked to move on. LOL. To little, To Late.

 

Dave K

 

I completely understand your decision. I, too, would have opted out of this room. Mostly because I traveled with my children and wanted a separate bedroom for them. If it is just you and your wife, I agree, the room would be fine. It isn't what you originally paid for but the courtyard amenities were fantastic. Keep calling NCL, I found a villa available shortly after the final payment date. If you decide to go with the balcony stateroom, I agree with SDMIKE...use the extra money toward other fun things to do. Or you could always check Royal Caribbean Oasis for that week and see if they have a suite available. It too is a beautifull ship and the suite perks are also fantastic.

 

Good luck and keep us posted!

[dnl_in_Illinois]

I cant believe I just did that again... Here I go again...

 

Hi Dave K,

I am the one who has pictures of the room and I will post them later today or send them to GigCruiser who I'm sure will post them.

 

First of all, I don't blame you for being upset about the whole situation. NCL was wrong. When we first booked our villa, (directly from an NCL rep), and we were trying to decide which ship/line to take, our NCL rep. read off a list of amenities we would receive as villa guests. I wrote them all down but did not receive them in writing. Unbeknownst to us at the time, he was reading off the list of the perks for the owners suite. He told us we would recieve such things as 3 bottles of liquor each week, water and soda restocked everyday, limo ride to the airport after the cruise... amongst other things. Although those perks weren't the only reason we chose an NCL villa, they were things that swayed us in our decision making. Of course, when we got on the ship, we discovered (and were told) that we would not be receiving that long list of perks. We felt a little annoyed at the misrepresentation made by the NCL rep, but we surely weren't going to let that ruin our vacation--and it certainly didn't.

 

I will say, I have seen the room and it is big and beautiful. Granted there are not divided rooms, but if it is just you and your wife, that may not be a problem for you. The one bathroom, although it is handicapped access, is very large. There is no door, only a curtain, but in the standard villa master bath, there is only a curtain dividing the master bath from the Master bedroom too and the very small bath in the little bedroom is a lightly frosted door with 1/8 inch gaps on each side of the door which you can clearly see in from.

 

I would echo dnl in Illinois's view. We just returned from a 2 week, B2B cruise and stayed in a courtyard villa, down the hall from where you will be.

 

I feel the amenities that a villa offered were worth the additional fee. Having priority embarkation and debarkation was great! We never waited in lines. We were greeted with snacks and drinks and immediately escorted right to the villas, with no lines. At every port as well, if we wanted to be among the first off the boat, we just let them know and they took us down a back employee elevator, and escorted us right to the front of the lines.

 

Another great perk was being escorted into all the shows early utilizing that back elevator. No lines! We always had the first pick of seats for every show. Even in the Cirque show, where we did not pay for priority seats, we were given the the the best upper level seats, which in my opinion, had an unbeatable view. (However, If you want to possibly be chosen to have a small part in the show, then you would want to have priority seating). (FYI, if you do go on Epic, book all the shows in advance. It's really not difficult to do, only takes a few minutes to plan it out and book it.)

 

Another villa perk that we believe was phenomenal was the (Courtyard) Epic Club restaurant (and Epic Grill)! The food was great and the service was UNBEATABLE!! You can even have any of the meals delivered to you in your room, by your butler. Also, there are nightly specials in the main dining rooms (Taste and Manhattan) each night (appetizer, main course, dessert), and the same ones (or sometimes one better main entree special), were offered in the Epic Club. After eating there for 2 weeks, we felt like family with the entire staff in there! They were so good to all of us and we had so much fun with them. Take the time to get to know them, because they are all GREAT!!

The Epic Grill has a smaller menu with some same and some different items from the Epic Club lunch menu, that can be ordered in the small, breezy restaurant or delivered to you by the pool or your room and were available till 5, after lunch at the Epic Club restaurant closed for lunch which was nice if you missed lunch or were hungry before dinner. They also had tea, orange juice, cookies, breads, M&Ms, gummy bears, etc. out there most of the day.

 

The use of the Courtyard private pool, private sun decks, private workout facilities, private spa facilities, steam room, sauna, etc. were great if you don't want to be amongst the masses on the rest of the ship (although I must say, we never felt like the ship was crowded--wherever we went).

 

Your room steward would probably be the same as we had, Michael, who is probably one of the hardest working members of the crew. He is WONDERFUL! (and so is his assistant, Maricel!) Unfortunately for you, you would not have our Butler, Putu, whom we believe is the BEST there is!!! I'm sure yours will treat you extremely well too and do everything to make your stay even better. (Including afternoon and nightly treats!)

 

The crew on the entire ship were so friendly and treated us wonderfully. There is so much to do on this ship...don't know how anyone could do it all in one week.

 

I think, despite the room configuration, if you were determined to have a good time and not let the deception factor bother you, you would have an amazing vacation on the Epic. As I said, the room is huge and beautiful. The villa staff was amazing, and the "perks" were great and really made you feel pampered and special!!

 

Just wanted to give you my opinion, based on our personal experience in the villas. Hope it helps!

 

Pattie

 

Hi Pattie, this is the *other* Dave who you met just across the courtyard. Boy, reading your comments just want me to go back -- at least to the Villa suites. Your point to Dave K - the fact that the room is still very nice, etc. was something I was wondering about. In fact - I can see it as *better* for just 2 people and not unlike what we experience on HAL in one of the SA suites -- just one big room.

 

I was working on the video's I shot along with my daughter's husband. It is hilarious as he starts running when the jet backflow started. I see glimpses of Mike and the girls and possibly you in the video - but it all happens fast. I do hope you guys send me an email and your snail mail address so I can share it with you. I'm sure it will bring a grin. Hello to Mike. If conveinent - please include me when you email the photos to Gigcruiser. Mike hopefully has the card with my email address (otherwise I can post it).

And to the rest - sorry for the off topic lapse here. Dave (the other Dave)

Edited August 29, 2010 by dnl_in_Illinois

[NYSoccerFamily]

Sorry, one more quick off topic post...

Hi "other Dave" :)

We would love to see your video of "the plane." That was a memorable moment for us...painful, yet funny! :D Our video shows the sand and Mike's legs running away. Yes, Mike has your email. I am still deep in laundry and unpacking, but will get to emailing you soon. And yes, if I can't figure out how to post the handicapped room pictures, I will email them to you as well.

 

I agree the HC villa would be great for 2 and no opening and closing pocket door issues-if you know what I mean.

 

Sorry I didn't get to say goodbye, but I did get to see/hear you Fri. night at the Second City Show (advice skit :p--funny).

 

Pattie

[dnl_in_Illinois]

Sorry, one more quick off topic post...

Hi "other Dave" :)

We would love to see your video of "the plane." That was a memorable moment for us...painful, yet funny! :D Our video shows the sand and Mike's legs running away. Yes, Mike has your email. I am still deep in laundry and unpacking, but will get to emailing you soon. And yes, if I can't figure out how to post the handicapped room pictures, I will email them to you as well.

 

I agree the HC villa would be great for 2 and no opening and closing pocket door issues-if you know what I mean.

 

Sorry I didn't get to say goodbye, but I did get to see/hear you Fri. night at the Second City Show (advice skit :p--funny).

 

Pattie

 

Oh my gosh! You guys were in the crowd! He really caught me by surprise. Did you hear me for the very first opening question -- "Give me the name of a show that has never been performed". I said "Middle School Girls". I *was* of course thinking my my Kalie who started middle school on Thursday. She (and the rest of us) loved what they made out of it!!!

 

The sliding door! Yep. Mark (my daughter's husband) was the one who said we needed some duct tape. Oh -- and the "painful" sand blast! Yes for sure. Wait 'till you hear what one of my g-daughters says on the video. That was sure a fun day with Junior our driver for Benard's tours.

Edited August 29, 2010 by dnl_in_Illinois

[Yelobird3]

NYsoccerfamily Thank you Very much for the uplifting words. If there is ANY way you can email me some of the photos I would Greatly appreciate it as the NCL supervisor is suppose to contact me tomorrow (Monday) with a solution. I anticipate they will not have any villa solutions however so seeing these photos might help put our minds at ease slightly granted I'm still not sure how I will feel using a room with resources specially laid out for someone that truly needs them? Anyway, I will include my email if you would Please consider sending these to me.

 

Dave K

Yelobird@me.com

[NYSoccerFamily]

Yelobird (Dave K),

Yes, I will absolutely email you the pictures. I am not technologically savy at all and I took the pictures on my daughter's new camera, and me, my husband and daughter spent considerable amount of time yesterday, trying to download her camera's software and trying to access her pictures and post them or even email them. Unfortunately we were not successful so I will be going to a friend's home today to see if she can help me. Otherwise I'll see if Staples can help me. I know, I'm technologically pathetic!

 

GigCruiser, I know you are also anxiously awaiting the pictures. Sorry for the delay. I'll do my best to get them out to you early today. To you too DNL in Illinois ("other Dave" :)).

[Yelobird3]

Thank you very much for this odd request of photos. Hopefully I can get a peek before (if) NCL calls. Thanks again.

 

Dave K