Disgusting experience!!!!!

[dasmonkey]

In the OP’s defense, Mississippi is several continents away from New Orleans, Louisiana and Mardi Gras is some new fangled event they just came up with for New Orleans this year. Who could have possibly known?

[SuiteCruiser]

Well, Suite Cruiser, that's the wonderful thing about due process in this country. They most certainly will hear it. Whether they win or not, well, that's the luck of the draw.

 

If I were cruising today, I would have had no idea it was mardi gras. So, I assume if an educated person like myself could make that mistake, surely anyone could.

 

Take a deep breath and relax. The last thing the OP needs is for people to be nasty. They just lost their vacation. A little compassion goes a long way.

 

I don't think I'm being mean, I think I'm being level-headed. I certainly think an educated person, as yourself, would know you were sailing into and out of Mardi Gras if you were on this sailing.

 

See, I give you more credit than you give yourself.

[johnmpcny]

I do not see how NCL is at fault yet I am sorry the OP missed his trip.

 

I am in NY I allow for weather and events and research them before hand. I know most suggest getting to the port city the night before so this does not happen.

 

Whomever this persons TA was really dropped the ball not letting them know about the delays they could run into and that they needed to allow time for them.

 

I am also sorry people here like suite have to be so mean all the time to newbies and anyone who says anything not glowing about NCL.

[SissasMomE]

OP - the million dollar question...did you have trip insurance?

 

This is exactly why we never plan to arrive in the port city the day the ship departs. You never know what is going to happen, bad weather, traffic, plane delay, etc. Traveling Rule #1 - Arrive a day early.

 

Yeah, we do too. Even when we are at our Florida home, and are leaving from a Florida port .... we almost always get a room right by the port the night before. Too much can go wrong .....

[SuiteCruiser]

I do not see how NCL is at fault yet I am sorry the OP missed his trip.

 

I am in NY I allow for weather and events and research them before hand. I know most suggest getting to the port city the night before so this does not happen.

 

Whomever this persons TA was really dropped the ball not letting them know about the delays they could run into and that they needed to allow time for them.

 

I am also sorry people here like suite have to be so mean all the time to newbies and anyone who says anything not glowing about NCL.

 

How am I being mean?

[SissasMomE]

I do not see how NCL is at fault yet I am sorry the OP missed his trip.

 

I am in NY I allow for weather and events and research them before hand. I know most suggest getting to the port city the night before so this does not happen.

 

Whomever this persons TA was really dropped the ball not letting them know about the delays they could run into and that they needed to allow time for them.

 

I am also sorry people here like suite have to be so mean all the time to newbies and anyone who says anything not glowing about NCL.

 

I definitely agree about the TA dropping the ball. He/she should have warned this poster! 3rd time I'm saying it - I wouldn't have known it was mardi gras unless someone told me. I'm not at all into that sort of thing, and it wouldn't have even crossed my mind!!

[my_crib_too]

Sorry that this happened to you. Good luck with your next steps.

[Starry Eyes]

Well, Suite Cruiser, that's the wonderful thing about due process in this country. They most certainly will hear it. Whether they win or not, well, that's the luck of the draw.

 

If I were cruising today, I would have had no idea it was mardi gras. So, I assume if an educated person like myself could make that mistake, surely anyone could.

 

Take a deep breath and relax. The last thing the OP needs is for people to be nasty. They just lost their vacation. A little compassion goes a long way.

 

SissasMomE, you are being very kind to the OP, but I do not think you are giving yourself enough credit...I think you would have known about Mardi Gras...for one thing, you participate on roll calls, an excellent source of local and timely information. It is sad if the Op did not allow enough time to get to port...whether they knew about Mardi Gras or not, it is sad to miss a cruise. still, NCL is not responsible for traffic, road closures, or street parties.

[Partyatsea]

If I were cruising today, I would have had no idea it was mardi gras. So, I assume if an educated person like myself could make that mistake, surely anyone could.

 

quote]

 

I think you probably would have stumbled across it somewhere mentioned if you were on a sailing leaving NO this week. Just saying.

[SissasMomE]

SissasMomE, you are being very kind to the OP, but I do not think you are giving yourself enough credit...I think you would have known about Mardi Gras...for one thing, you participate on roll calls, an excellent source of local and timely information. It is sad if the Op did not allow enough time to get to port...whether they knew about Mardi Gras or not, it is sad to miss a cruise. still, NCL is not responsible for traffic, road closures, or street parties.

 

Ok .... if I didn't visit Cruise Critic, and no one told me it was Mardi Gras, I wouldn't have known! LOL

[cliffd64]

The cheerleaders will make nasty comments to you ... just ignore them.

 

I'm sorry this happened. I live in FL and NJ, and would have no idea about Mardi Gras either if I was traveling at this time of the year. Someone should have warned you, especially since you don't live in the area. That really stinks. I'm sorry :(

 

I believe there is an arbitration clause in the contract. Read that first. You may have to go thru arbitration before you can file a suit. Also, it will tell you what state / county has jurisdiction. Good luck to you. I can't imagine the disappointment and frustration.

 

Ignorance of the one and only biggest annual event in the French Quarter is not an excuse... February in the Big Easy = Mardi Gras... Plain and simple. That is pretty much common knowledge across the USA. Even stores in Connecticut stock Mardi Gras stuff in every dollar store this time of year... As soon as I bought tickets that would be the first thing I would google. Not only that... But once they encountered trouble, couldn't they contact N.O. Police to ask for advice or directions? Nobody in The area could help? Why is it always somebody else's responsibility to be aware of your surroundings?

 

Yes, it stinks... But sooner or later people have to assume responsibility for being aware of what may impact their vacations...

[cliffd64]

In the OP’s defense, Mississippi is several continents away from New Orleans, Louisiana and Mardi Gras is some new fangled event they just came up with for New Orleans this year. Who could have possibly known?

 

You really need to be careful... You just made me spew coffee all over my table!

[Nalagh]

I am so sorry about your trip. :(

[gerryl12]

Oh I would have been so MAD at myself for being so wrong and missing my cruise.

I would never plan on ariving at the port a few hours before sailing in a strange city, so much can happen. We always stay near the port the night before. The traffic in NOLA is a nightmare at the best of times and any city can be like that if you don't know.

[dasmonkey]

Sorry, if you live in Mississippi you know what Mardi Gras is and what it does to traffic in NOLA.

The OP has sailed on the Spirit before and there are no alternate routes that could have been provided by ANYONE to get to the port without encountering Mardi Gras traffic.

The ship will delay departure if there are a large number of passengers not on board. Since the ship sailed as scheduled clearly this wasn’t the case.

[Loonbeam]

A couple of notes:

 

First, there was nothing to indicate the OP did not fly or drive in early (or that they did, to be fair). - so that's not relevant.. Given I am thinking they were not in a Taxi for 5 hours as a Taxi might have known an alternate route, I will assume they drove there.

 

More importantly, I pulled up the NCL directions from their web page..

 

Two key phrases:

 

"NCL is not responsible for any damages or losses occasioned from the use of the facilities."

 

And MUCH more importantly:

 

"(Travel times depending on traffic conditions)"

 

Those two statements pretty much indemnify NCL from any claims against them, legally speaking and besides any arbitration clauses. It would have been a very nice thing to do to remind NCL cruisers of conditions at this time in the area (and I fault them for not doing so as a matter of customer service), but there is no legal obligation for them to do so, which is what a suit would be based on.

 

Also, ANY competent TA should be aware of Mardi Gras whether the cruiser is or not and should have advised their client of potential issues. But again that's a matter of customer service, not a legal requirement.

 

To the OP, I feel bad for your experience, but I have to agree with the majority that a suit, even in Small Claims would be fruitless for a number of reasons and a Travel Insurance claim would be the right route to pursue.

 

Final note - just to be thorough, if you went to the port site for directions, they have indemnified themselves as well:

 

"Neither the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans nor the Board’s commissioners, directors, officers, employees, agents, or representatives shall be liable for damages of any kind arising out of access or inability to access this web site or the use of or reliance on this web site or its content, or any links or pointers to information created or maintained by others (access to which should not be considered endorsement by the Board of the contents thereof)."

[Starry Eyes]

Ok .... if I didn't visit Cruise Critic, and no one told me it was Mardi Gras, I wouldn't have known! LOL

 

Hmm, if you had not found out on your roll call, you'd have found Mardi gras when you did a web search for NOLA tourist info, wouldn't you? and if you had not done a web search, you would have found out something was up when you tried to make pre cruise hotel reservations...high prices, high demand, multi night stay requirements:eek:. Kind and modest as you may be, really you would have known about Mardi gras if you were heading to NOLA this week. Still, questions remain...did the OP have insurance? did the insurance help her family catch up with the ship? Did the OP risk traveling to NOLA the day of the cruise rather than arrive a day early?

[Inuvikcouple]

Just had a look at the roll call for this cruise and there was more than one mention of Mardi Gras just on the last 2 pages of postings. It is really unfortunate that folks don't use resources that are readily available, like Cruise Critic before they cruise. Some might say that they were not aware of Cruise Critic therefore they could not utilize it. Interesting that once the cruise is completed and they have an issue, they were able find Cruise Critic in order to post their complaints. Just saying. My thought on that matter is that they probably are regular users of Cruise Critic but when they want to complain loudly they create another profile to further hide their identity. Isn't the internet fun.

[rpb718]

In defense of smallperson, they have posted before and cruised on the Spirit in the past.

 

That being said, one would only need to Google "new orleans feb 19" to see the list of activities going on the in city, including parade routes. Also, radio broadcast traffic reports can be helpful.

 

I don't cruise until May from Boston, but I already know the Red Sox are playing the Orioles, Northeastern is having commencement at the TD Center, and there's a big medical conference going on. Luckily, no parades.

[biker@sea]

O.P. you found Cruise Critic back in 2008 and did not use it till it's time to complain ?? Looking at your roll-call you missed out on a lot more than a cruise your C.C. roll-call group is Rockin .

[IWORK2CRUISE]

My husband, brother and i just came back on 2/19 from trying to get aboard the norwegian spirit in new orleans. The ship left without us because it was absolutely impossible, if driving, to find an access road that would take you down to the dock. Every road was blocked because of freaking mardi gras, and the norwegian cruise line knows this and didn't let anyone know of an alternate route to get to the ship. We were stuck, and i mean stuck, in traffic for over 5 hours in new orleans while we tried to get to the ship, and we simply could not get there. The ship left without a lot of passengers who had the same experience. Ncl and our travel agency, ***********, do not accept any responsibility for this mess and won't compensate us for the loss of the trip. Ncl provides driving directions to the terminal. They already accept the responsibility for telling you how to get there. Now they say they have no responsibility for these driving direction. We say they do. We say they could have emailed every one of us on this cruise some new directions, given what happens on mardi gras (we didn't know about it because we don't live in n.o.). We are going to sue them in small claims court. We hope every one of the passengers who missed this boat does the same. We will prevail in small claims court--the directions that did not work are printed on ncl letterhead, which proves that they expected us to use these directions. If they did not work, ncl should have let us know how to get to the ship.

 

We are latitudes members who have cruised on ncl many times, without incident. I cannot find the words to express my anger and frustration with this cruise line now. They are real pikers in my opinion, and i am considering not setting foot on another of their ships. I will also write to the better business bureau in my area and complain about this service issue.

I can understand your frustration at being stuck in traffic. It would be awful to be too late to board.

However it seems that you are from Mississippi which is right next to Louisianna. It seems that you should be aware of the Mardi Gras parades and parties. We live in CT and know that when we can drive to cruises in New York we check for things like the St.Patricks Day parade or the NYC Marathon. Always get an early start and aim to be among the first to board.

 

That being said, did you have cruise insurance? Maybe you can just fly to the first port.

[dmtb518]

Someone didnt do their research... I dont know about everyone but I am super excited to go away and research alot prior to vacationing (not only cruising) I ask others, read boards, call ncl etc... if I dont know about something that I could have missed or that could have saved time or made me late etc I would be mad at myself.....

 

When I left Barcelona last year, I knew that we would be sailing the day of the annual marathon (and I wasnt even in same city let alone county) and planned ahead, called the hotel prior to booking and booked an early transfer through NCL.. marathon was 2 blocks from hotel, Ncl ensured they would get us to ship and guess what after a little bit of a wait (due to main core of marathon) we were picked up and didnt miss our vacation.... we even had the pleasure of driving directly next to the runners and were able to cheer on the ones from NY...

 

Sorry I think its your fault...

[Medtech2]

The OP could have driven down the day before but been staying at a motel outside the city...

 

We happened to plan a vacation to Washington DC during Memorial Day weekend. I knew it would be busy but was not at all prepared for 200,000 bikers to be there also. Luckily I do like to be early because in order to get to our hotel we had to do a U Turn, go back south into Virginia, drive west, and then come into DC from the north...

 

Regardless, I definitely feel the OP's panic, frustration, hysteria, you name it.

 

The big question here, and PLEASE someone answer:

 

WOULD TRIP INSURANCE COVER THIS?

[donaldsc]

I rarely defend people who are total failures at planning as this person is and ultimately the OP is totally at fault and deserves nothing. However, it would not have been difficult for NCL to note on their WEB site and also send e-mails to people who booked the cruise reminding them that it was Mardi Gras. It also would not have cost them anything.

 

DON

[DMH15]

But I can imagine the horrible day you had. I live in Dallas and the neighborhood I live in is one that is always impacted with marathons. Even with pre-knowledge I am literally a prisoner in my own home or if I attempt to break the parameter, I am just... Scr**ed. A policeman actually suggested I take about a 10 mile detour than let me through a blockade that was minutes from home. I was livid! I can only imagine your myriad of emotions. I feel for you. But how and when you get to the ship is not NCL's responsibility. People come on here all the time and give advice about coming in early and even staying overnight at a hotel near the pier. Good advice, but not always doable. I had no choice in 2009 than fly to Santiago to arrive the morning of my cruise. Yes, I was crazy, but I could not take another day off from work. I was a wreck, tired, cranky, etc. In looking back I am not sure I would take that chance again... And I always take insurance.

 

I feel really bad for you. It's awful. But I hope you will allow yourself to accept things if it doesn't go your way.

 

BTW, I live in Texas, next door to Louisiana too, and I know Fat Tuesday is in two days. I had no idea New Orleans is jumping the Mardi Gras gun. Maybe if I had been cruising today I would have found that out... Maybe not.

 

Again, so sorry for you.