Do you think NCL owes them anything?

[che5904]

Which ship had the 1 day short - Gem, Jewel or Sky?

How much time was really lost?

My sister is leaving on the Jewel this morning, she is pretty happy cause she gets 3 hours extra vacay time due to the early embarkment :)

 

 

"Norwegian Gem will remain at sea, keeping a safe distance from the storm, on Sunday, August 28 instead of returning to New York as scheduled. The ship will arrive in New York at 8 am on Monday, August 29. All guests for the August 28 cruise are asked to arrive at the pier on Monday, August 29 beginning at noon. The ship is scheduled to depart New York at 4 pm on Monday en route to Bermuda."

[goodml]

This is simple business risk. It is a cost associated with conducting this type of business that may or may not arise from year to year. You can bet your bottom dollar that there is a line in the annual budget associated with unforeseen weather-related costs and the amount is estimated using probability calculations. Some years you have a surplus, some you get nailed.

 

People, this is a business, run like any other. Take the emotion out. The pax will get some form of compensation if the itinerary is shortened, and they should.

[spacewoman]

I can give you the experience we had with a medical emergency on CCL Legend as I said in earlier post:

 

Ship was due in Monday morning. Sunday evening somewhere around 9:30 p.m. we received a phone call from CCL customer service stating the ship had been delayed by a medical emergency (we were at a wedding, this was on our answering machine). I was able to reach customer service when we got home (around 10:30 or so). They told us the ship would be boarding at 8 p.m. Monday. Monday morning I call our TA. This was our second cruise didn't know what to expect, etc. They had not called her, she knew nothing.

We had our friend take us to the pier at 6 p.m. (we figured standard 2 hours prior to embarking). We were put into a pier next to the Legend. It was July. It was HOT. It was NOT air conditioned. There were few chairs. We stood in a HOT building for over 4 hours waiting to board. We were not offered ANYTHING in the way of water, etc. There were no vending machines. We boarded at 1 a.m. Tuesday. Guy trying to take boarding pictures. DH says "are you for real?"

 

Here's where it got dicey: We were told we were being given a $10 per person OBC for missing LUNCH. We said "WHAT?" Not only did we miss lunch but we missed dinner as well. BUT ---- at 1 a.m. we said let's have a beer, go to bed and get up with the attitude we are on VACATION. We both said to each other we'll take up any issues with Corporate when we get home, turn off all that went down and just relax. NOT so with fellow passengers.

 

The purser's desk (from what I heard) was mutiny on the bounty - people demanding money back on the cruise, people removing gratuities (like that will punish Carnival?) Employees in tears because people were taking their anger out on them. My DH kept asking people who were going nuts "would you not want the line to do everything in their power if you were critically ill?" No one seemed to understand that. One employee at the pier told us it was a 35 year old man who had a massive heart attack. The ship was at sea in between Tortolla and NYC. They diverted to Bermuda. We were told he didn't make it. Right then and there it put everything into perspective for us. My real issue was no back up plan in the Manhattan pier for this sort of situation. After 4 hours of sweating and standing you do get grouchy. On the plus side we met a lovely couple from Connecticut and passed the time speaking with each other. We met up several times on the cruise and sat and chit chatted.

 

So this scenario while not a hurricane issue became a similar issue of the voyage back had an extra day (they arrived in the pier at 6 p.m. not 3 like they said) and those of us going losing a day. Carnival DID not give us anything beyond that $10. My letter to Corporate after the fact said I could call them and get a 15% discount off my next cruise. Nice gesture but the offer expired in 12 months. Not everyone can take a cruise once a year.

 

It was a tough go all around, worse for the man and his family.

 

It's just tough all around, there's no way to please everyone and no way to have a perfect solution to the mess.

 

Everyone heed the warnings and stay inside this weekend. I wish everyone the best whether you're on the cruises this weekend or whether your home riding out this storm.

 

Kathy

 

Edit: I forgot to add, I remember now asking about our travel insurance that we got through our TA - was told we were SOL

[gail-s]

I've lived in New England my entire life. I remember Gloria, I remember Bob, I remember the so called "Perfect Storm", "the Blizzard" (of 78 for those of you not from around here) and I'm used to crazy weather. I do not book trips in Sept/Oct/Nov if I can avoid them. I read my contracts and I know that due to weather at any time my trip may be modified. My parents were on the Grand Princess at the end of October last year and their 2 week trip was altered due to a hurricane that they were dancing around. It happens. They missed Dominica and went to San Juan instead. They had to go to Barbados (I think) to deliver supplies because they were the only ship in the area that could and the port was damaged severely from the storm. I'm sure if I was on the boat $100 toward my OBC would make me happy, but we sign contracts, we know what the weather CAN do. It doesn't matter if we haven't had a real hurricane in 20 years, other places in the US have, it CAN happen. Per the contracts, NCL doesn't owe the people anything.

 

Right now I'm bringing in the patio furniture, making sure the flashlights have batteries, finishing laundry and getting ready for the storm to hit. One of my good friends who now lives up here was one of the lucky ones who evacuated New Orleans just before Katrina hit. She and her husband have lived in different states for the last year due to the lack of available jobs and having to try to survive, restart their lives. He's here now and she's grateful. Sometimes we need to think of things bigger than our vacations and think about how these storms can change people's entire lives, more than just one or two days out of one year.

 

I wish everyone on this ships a great trip. To all of you on the East Coast like me, best of luck. Let's hope this doesn't do as much damage as they think it will.

 

 

ETA: Didn't anyone ever wonder why cruises out of New England to Bermuda or to the Bahamas are cheaper during hurricane season?

[cruiser12]

We lost a day when the "rouge" wave hit -- we missed one day -- NCL took very good care of us.

Remember folks:

Both Irene and the wave are life threating ---

[castagnola68]

"Norwegian Gem will remain at sea, keeping a safe distance from the storm, on Sunday, August 28 instead of returning to New York as scheduled. The ship will arrive in New York at 8 am on Monday, August 29. All guests for the August 28 cruise are asked to arrive at the pier on Monday, August 29 beginning at noon. The ship is scheduled to depart New York at 4 pm on Monday en route to Bermuda."

 

okay, so the new Gem departures are losing an overnight,,, the people that were supposed to leave tmrw are now leaving monday instead... i thought the day was already lost & their vacation was over. okay, so rather than giving OBC for next cruise, it should be for this cruise.. I'm sure NCL will step up, they can't cut someone's vacation short & not take some responsibility for it. i was just on the Gem in June & it was great.

[halos]

Well I seriously hope that all you posters that believe NCL should pay and pay and pay everytime something just doesn't go the way it should regardless to the reason. Enjoy paying your higher cost on your next cruise.

 

Keep in mind folks this money has to come from somewhere. Anybody ever sit down and do the math on a ship of over 2000 getting 1/7th of their cruise fare back. Anyone that claims that NCL has insurance to cover this doesn't understand company insurance. Considering I've seen this wanted 3 times in just this last 2 weeks for issues, trying to claim that often they'd be dropped by the insurance company like a hotcake.

 

 

First of all, I am sure a business such as a cruise line carries very hefty insurance for instances such as this.

 

Second. When I buy a cruise I know what I am buying. I do not get freaked when there is a change of itinerary because I know I am NOT purchasing a guarantee to get anywhere in particular. What I AM buying are days on a ship.

That is what everyone is purchasing when they book a cruise.

 

IF I pay for 7 days, I expect to get 7 days. If I don't get the 7 days I paid for, I expect some form of compensation.

 

Now, if I were on the extended cruise and my travel plans were screwed up because of the added day at sea, the insurance that SHOULD be purchased (which is MY responsibility) would cover that and is NOT something NCL should have to deal with. That is not their responsibility. The 7 days I paid for IS their responsibility.

[emcelh]

okay, so the new Gem departures are losing an overnight,,, the people that were supposed to leave tmrw are now leaving monday instead... i thought the day was already lost & their vacation was over. okay, so rather than giving OBC for next cruise, it should be for this cruise.. I'm sure NCL will step up, they can't cut someone's vacation short & not take some responsibility for it. i was just on the Gem in June & it was great.

 

 

"they can't cut someone's vacation short & not take some responsibility for it". Keep in mind that the schedule was changed to protect the ship and the passengers on it.

[sweetu4ria]

I'm so disappointed that our cruise will not be starting tomorrow.. I understand the weather and of course keeping everyone safe. But, I also believe we should be compensated for the one day that we are missing. I will not argue with anyone here as I'm already upset by all of this but will say this.. This is my first vacation in 4 years. I don't have the money to vacation like some others do. My daughter will be 16 on Sept 1st during the cruise and we couldn't afford to do a Sweet 16 so instead opted for a cruise so we can all benefit. My daughter is also a recent cancer survivor and celebrating her life is what we really want to do. I can't help but feel jipped (not necessarily by NCL) but by Mother Nature.. :( And, yes I will be incurring more expenses at this point to stay home as well. I will probably have to evacuate my premises and stay at a shelter or a hotel overnight. I'm choosing to stay at an econony hotel so I can shower and feel ready to go on vacation the next day.. Then there's the traffic that we will have to deal with getting into NYC on a weekday! Ugh.

 

Anyway.. What I really wanted to mention was.. If you go to NCL's website, on the lower right hand corner of the page, there is a Winter Weather guarantee or something like that.. It says if the cruise is delayed or postponed more than 12 hours due to weather, passengers will be compensated!!! When I called NCL to mention this, they said the hurricane is an act of God. The winter weather guarantee isn't. Really??? Winter weather would not be considered an act of God??? Why would those people get a refund but Tropical Storm passengers wouldn't?? That didn't make any sense..

 

Sorry for my rambling or it's hard to read. I'm just waking up. I'm upset and I just needed to vent.n

 

See those of you boarding on Monday. Still planning on having a wonderful time.

[Laszlo]

I'm so disappointed that our cruise will not be starting tomorrow.. I understand the weather and of course keeping everyone safe. But, I also believe we should be compensated for the one day that we are missing.

 

Please explain Why you think NCL should compensate you?

 

My friend owns an ice cream shop in Ocean City NJ. They had to close for a few days due to the storm. Who is going to compensate him for lost money?

 

Stuff happens.........get over it

[Davechipp74]

When I called NCL to mention this, they said the hurricane is an act of God.

did they really say this??!!!?!?!!

i cant believe they would use such an archaic term

do they really think that there is some sort of weather controlling god?

you wold think they would not leave themselves open to such a thing. somewhere along the line someone can challange such a silly statment

[njhorseman]

did they really say this??!!!?!?!!

i cant believe they would use such an archaic term

do they really think that there is some sort of weather controlling god?

you wold think they would not leave themselves open to such a thing. somewhere along the line someone can challange such a silly statment

 

It's not an archaic term, it's not silly at all. It's a legal term that has a well-established meaning.

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/act+of+God

 

An event that directly and exclusively results from the occurrence of natural causes that could not have been prevented by the exercise of foresight or caution; an inevitable accident.

 

Courts have recognized various events as acts of God—tornadoes, earthquakes, death, extraordinarily high tides, violent winds, and floods. Many insurance policies for property damage exclude from their protection damage caused by acts of God.

[sparks1093]

did they really say this??!!!?!?!!

i cant believe they would use such an archaic term

do they really think that there is some sort of weather controlling god?

you wold think they would not leave themselves open to such a thing. somewhere along the line someone can challange such a silly statment

 

"Act of God" has long been used to describe those circumstances outside of anyone's control and is still in use, especially in contracts.

[njhorseman]

Please explain Why you think NCL should compensate you?

 

My friend owns an ice cream shop in Ocean City NJ. They had to close for a few days due to the storm. Who is going to compensate him for lost money?

 

Stuff happens.........get over it

 

It's a legal matter of a contract being breached. You've contracted for a 7 day cruise, but will only get a 6 day cruise.

 

Your friend doesn't have a contract guaranteeing his store can remain open. Also he can be compensated if he purchased business interruption insurance.

[Davechipp74]

i stand corrected

as a devout atheist, i thought it was assuming that we all believe one way as opposed to some who believe the other

:o

[cruisin07family]

Please explain Why you think NCL should compensate you?

 

My friend owns an ice cream shop in Ocean City NJ. They had to close for a few days due to the storm. Who is going to compensate him for lost money?

 

Stuff happens.........get over it

 

Are you for real? Did you read her post entirely? First, the contracted vacation is for 7 nights and she will be getting 6. As most here have already said, those vacationers should be compensated in some way. Second, telling this poster to get over it is just mean, rude and completely unnecessary.

[ColinIllinois]

If a cruise in the Middle East gets cancelled because of weather is it an Act of Allah? How about an Act of Buddah in the Orient? :D

[Davechipp74]

If a cruise in the Middle East gets cancelled because of weather is it an Act of Allah? How about an Act of Buddah in the Orient? :D

lmao. where is the "like" button?

:D

[sjbdtz]

But that's my point...the courts won't enforce it, but unless you, as the passenger, wants to spend the money take this through the legal system, NCL could just point to the contract and tell you "too bad".

 

 

 

Don't like it? Sue them in the Florida courts.

 

 

 

You obviously didn't read the HIGHLIGHTED clauses 10 & 14 in your contract, which you specifically agreed to, when you completed your registration. You were unable to sail without specifically reading these clauses, and your attention was drawn to them in RED:

 

 

"The passengers’ attention is specifically directed to Paragraphs 10 & 14 of the Terms and Conditions of the Guest Contract. These paragraphs and all of the other Terms and Conditions of this Contract affect important legal rights, and the passenger is advised to read them. "

 

 

10. [snip].... " shall be referred to and resolved exclusively by binding arbitration pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York 1958), 21 U.S.T. 2517, 330 U.N.T.S. 3, 1970 U.S.T. LEXIS 115, 9 U.S.C. §§ 202-208 ("the Convention") and the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1, et seq., ("FAA") solely in Miami-Dade County, Florida, U.S.A. to the exclusion of any other forum."

 

(red & bold in section 10 are my emphasis)

 

 

 

 

 

.

[Lovely_Star]

Some people on these boards are so cold and callus. As cruisers we ALL know what the contract states :rolleyes: but missing a port is entirely different than LOOSING a day that you paid for.

[njhorseman]

You obviously didn't read the HIGHLIGHTED clauses 10 & 14 in your contract, which you specifically agreed to, when you completed your registration. You were unable to sail without specifically reading these clauses, and your attention was drawn to them in RED:

 

 

"The passengers’ attention is specifically directed to Paragraphs 10 & 14 of the Terms and Conditions of the Guest Contract. These paragraphs and all of the other Terms and Conditions of this Contract affect important legal rights, and the passenger is advised to read them. "

 

 

10. [snip].... " shall be referred to and resolved exclusively by binding arbitration pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York 1958), 21 U.S.T. 2517, 330 U.N.T.S. 3, 1970 U.S.T. LEXIS 115, 9 U.S.C. §§ 202-208 ("the Convention") and the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1, et seq., ("FAA") solely in Miami-Dade County, Florida, U.S.A. to the exclusion of any other forum."

 

(red & bold in section 10 are my emphasis)

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

Last I checked, Miami-Dade County is in Florida, just as I said. (And binding arbitration might be one of those unenforceable contractual clauses...but even if it is enforceable, binding arbitration is still a legal remedy). I think you misread or misunderstood what I wrote.

[swedish weave]

I see a lot of smoke, but no fire !!!

 

NCL lack of communication ----- What other cruise line comes to the CC boards and posts their updates ?? So they were a few hours behind another line. How many other cruise lines didn't post anything ??

 

Take them to court ---- Very smart economic decision to spend a couple of thousand in time and money to try to collect a couple of hundred. ?????

 

When some of you return to planet Earth, you will accept NCL's decision. Remember---The cruise hasn't started, yet, and they may decide to reimburse the guests.

[TPEINC1958]

I see a lot of smoke, but no fire !!!

 

NCL lack of communication ----- What other cruise line comes to the CC boards and posts their updates ?? So they were a few hours behind another line. How many other cruise lines didn't post anything ??

 

Take them to court ---- Very smart economic decision to spend a couple of thousand in time and money to try to collect a couple of hundred. ?????

 

When some of you return to planet Earth, you will accept NCL's decision. Remember---The cruise hasn't started, yet, and they may decide to reimburse the guests.

 

All of this hand wringing and tongue wagging is based on what a CC "reporter" stated an NCL spokesperson said. I still haven't seen anything official from NCL and the "event" hasn't even happened yet. :confused:

[che5904]

I see a lot of smoke, but no fire !!!

 

NCL lack of communication ----- What other cruise line comes to the CC boards and posts their updates ?? So they were a few hours behind another line. How many other cruise lines didn't post anything ??

 

Take them to court ---- Very smart economic decision to spend a couple of thousand in time and money to try to collect a couple of hundred. ?????

 

When some of you return to planet Earth, you will accept NCL's decision. Remember---The cruise hasn't started, yet, and they may decide to reimburse the guests.

 

Well said

[tkportersat]

I would try the insurance route. We were ten hours late in March and essentially missed our first day. Part of the delay was due to a Medical emergency (unfortunately the man died) but in the letter they gave us they also stated they were having some sort of engine problem. Based on the engine issue the ins. paid out 1 day of compensation. NCL did not give us any OBC but maybe they will for the Hurricane delay. My very first cruise was Carnival and cut short one day by a Hurricane....they gave us like 100pp and refund of port charges/taxes. On RC we missed Key West due to a Trop storm and received nothing, not even port fees.

Good luck to y'all and hope you have a good trip...and best of luck to those affected by the Hurricane.

 

I spoke to a very nice NCL rep this afternoon after they posted that we wouldn't be leaving until Monday. She told me that we will arrive as scheduled in Bermuda on Wednesday morning and spend the full three days there as scheduled.

 

I also asked if we would be receiving any kind of compensation for the missed day. I was told it was too early to tell and that decision would be made at a later time.

 

I do have travel insurance and will see if the delay is covered. But I do agree that they should do something. It would just be good PR.