Norwegian Dawn 6/26 - 7/3/05

[shoreguy]

As far as I'm concerned, the $100 OBC was fair compensation. End of story.

 

 

Well beyond the industry norm - usually a free hour of rum punch or an obc credit equal to the $15- $20 port charge. Take the $100 and run.

[Tomct]

We just completed our 5th cruise, all with NCL, and we are huge fans of NCL and FreeStyle. I've also been to Nassau on the Dawn, once for the whole day, and once for the half day intinerary. If I post anything in the negative column, I try to do it carefully, and I always try to look at things from both sides. I'm not going to get into the very basics of the complaints, who did or didn't do what, but would have to say that if I wre on my first cruise, I would be very disappointed in missing a port I was so looking forward to. I wouldn't care how many very decent and honest folks tried to convince me it was not a big deal, or how I may have been better off with a group total of $800, or list all the other "real" advantages of another sea day. Nassau is the only real different stop on that itinierary, so I can certainly understand their disappointment, and also happen to agree with all or most of the other opinions. But, the fact remains these people were geared up for it, and did not experience it. As for my own comments on the extra day at sea, especially for first timers, our first one was on the Star around Hawaii, and had to go down to Fanning Island. We knew it was approx. 1,000 miles out of the way, but thought that was a good way to experience life at sea.

 

So I just wanted to let both sides know I can see their points, and just wanted to jump in with my view. I do not like to see unhappy cruisers looking to get more or much more than they deserve, and though I haven't taken much time to study this incident, at a glance, it seems quite generous of NCL. When the dust settles, I truely hope these people consider another Norwegian cruise, as, so far, we have no reason to look beyond NCL.

 

PS. the only reason I looked at this post was because the date was the same as our Majesty cruise, and there were so many posts in one day.

[2Cruise4Ever]

Just an FYI ~ this week is not Rosie's week on the Dawn. The roll call on Cruise Critic boasts at least a dozen members for this week, one with a party of 11. The Cruise Critic M&G was scheduled for today.

 

The Dawn did not arrive yesterday at 8:00 as originally planned. She arrived at 4:00 a.m. (I was up already and checked the bridge cam). The reason Nassau was skipped was so that the azipod experts (who flew in from Finland) wold have enough time to fix whatever was wrong; which they did.

 

I was in an AB last month and loved every minute of it. I agree with others that Nassau is nothing the write home about. But, we enjoyed it just the same. Another fun day at sea would have been just as (if not moreso) acceptable to us.

 

The biggest problem with cruising is that it is hyped (rightfully so IMHO) so much that first-timers have an unrealistic set of expectations and wonder why they're disappointed when everything isn't perfect. Cruising ISN'T for those types; nor is any other kind of all-inclusive vacation. One saying comes to mind: if you want something done right, then do it yourself. Maybe camping is good for them. Maybe something else.

 

I do appreciate ALL the reviews: the good, the bad, and the ugly. So that I can make an informed decision regarding my expectations. I'm going on CCL's Fascination in less than 3 months. And, frankly, my expectations are not very high. She doesn't have a stellar reputation. But, I'm still going. Why? Because it's a cruise and I love cruising. I could be on a freighter at sea for days on end and still be happy. Momma, I respect your opinion and experience. Perhaps cruising is not for you. I really hope you change your mind, though.

[hencoll]

Whenever I read these types of thread it makes me realize that many people must not bother to read the cruise documents they receive. The "fine print" covers most of these situation and the cruiseline is not obligated to give passengers anything. They usually do as a courtesy.

All I can say is when you are doing that "doc dance", take the time to read them. :)

[johnql]

Well beyond the industry norm - usually a free hour of rum punch or an obc credit equal to the $15- $20 port charge. Take the $100 and run.

Yes, I agree. I should have said "more than fair".

[justaknucklehead]

I love cruising and always come home and tell my cousin what a wonderful time we had. So she planned a cruise for her family of four without asking my opinion (in a way I was glad). They hated it, literally hated it. I felt bad, but realized cruising is not for everyone. They will never try another cruise. They are beach people. Love the beach from early morning until the sun sets. They love all inclusives. I will never try to talk them into cruising again.

 

They didn't ask for their money back or even a credit. They just hated their whole vacation. To each his own. She can't understand why I love cruising and I can't understand how she can tolerate staying in one place for a week.

[ILov2cruise]

Where is everyone else that was on that cruise, I'd like to hear from them.

[Chat Noir]

Don't know where the OP is...perhaps she is a hit and run. However, I replied to her post, and would like to say :

 

I am not expecting compensation of any kind from our cruiseline. They have obviously chosen how they will deal with our cruise, and it seems to be final. What I can do is let others know what happened, so if it happens to them, there will be no surprises.

 

Yes, the cruise documents say that itineraries can change and the cruiseline has NO obligation of any kind.

 

Our particular cruise was to Alaska, and though we missed a port and were cut extremely short on another, my complaint is about the GLACIER viewing which IS the highlight of an expensive Alaskan cruise. These glaciers can NOT be viewed from land. Only sea and air.

 

The KICKER and what makes me upset is the DECEIT. Our cruise BEGAN with an impaired propulsion system which made for missed and late ports and missing the one and only glacier viewing cruise day. Yet passengers were NOT informed of this until the next morning when we were all up and wondering, "Where are the glaciers...???" Carnival corporation knew we had propulsion problems from damage on the previous cruise, but did not inform us until it was too late to do anything but be at their mercy. They let us embark, set sail, and even recommended the time we arise to begin viewing glaciers via Carnival Capers... all the while, our cruise was destined to head straight to Juneau from Whittier (embarkation) skipping everything in between.

 

There is a difference between HONESTY and obligation. They went with the 'no obligation' clause, rather than choosing to be up front.

 

Of 2000 passengers, perhaps 500 were kids, of the remaining 1500 probably 500 have or will cruise Alaska again, or just went for the 'ship experience'. That leaves 1000, but even if half of those were disappointed enough to contact Carnival, thats only 500. Well, lets assume those were couples. That leaves 250 households complaining. Doesn't look like much out of 2000 does it?

 

As far as tragedies, I have total care of a family member who is paralyzed from a spinal cord injury. We did major juggling to manage this cruise making sure she was well cared for while we were gone. It's not something my family can just 'up and do' like many people. I know first hand exactly what tragedy is... I'm hardly complaining about salad dressing. And I don't recall any postings about suing???

 

The name of the board is CruiseCritic... not GreatCruises or OhHappyDay. It is reality, as such, the bad along with the good gets posted. It all has a place here so others researching cruises can read real opinions. And they all should be taken as such... even mine!

 

And thank you all for clarifying NCL ownership... I was thinking HAL and don't know why! Tired I guess.:) I really appreciate seeing the graph.

 

The whole reason I posted on this board is because I happened to see the original post headline out in the 'lobby' and responded... so now I'm headed back where I came from;).

[TheMomma]

First off, congratulations all you experienced cruisers ... but there are those of us that haven't had that luxury. By the way, I did read the travel documents from cover to cover, I did know that there was a caveat but there is no "first timer" alive who believes that of all the thousands of cruises that are occurring out there, that you will be on the one that manages to be on the short end. So state whatever you want, if your very first cruise didn't go where you expected it to go, you would be disappointed PERIOD!

 

Second, since you weren't part of the cruise you don't really understand how many different circumstances occurred that pointed to the fact that the passengers weren't being given all the information. My friends were being dropped off that morning and told the limo driver that we would dock the following Sunday at around 10:00 am, he informed them that he already knew that the boat would be docking earlier than that and to call him as we sailed in ... later we wondered why he made this statement, at the time we were all too excited to think about it. It just became one more thing that added to the confusion.

 

You speak from experience but a lot of people there were on their first cruise or at least their first cruise with an issue and there was no information flowing back and forth, we got a short announcement from the Captain originally that we were working with only propeller and we were going to sail back to NYC. What sane people wouldn't wonder if this was the best course of action? There were people on board who wanted the option to get off but that wasn't happening. Yes, there was a group of people who got angry but their anger was over a total breakdown in communication and we as passengers had no sayso whatsoever ... I am not saying that the passengers would be better at making this decision but they would certainly have felt more confidence with some sort of explanation that put everyone at ease. After the "argument", there was a later announcement that said we had engine problems ... the Captain never spoke to the passengers again, Colin Herr did all the talking. He deserves MAJOR credit for handling a difficult situation and doing it with a sense of humor.

 

In earlier posts, there were those who asked if we had a good time and if we did then I should just shut up and be happy ... excuse me?? I did have a good time, the staff on the Dawn were wonderful and they worked overtime trying to keep everyone "happier" to make up for the changes, I appreciate that ... I enjoyed my vacation BUT I booked a trip for the Bahamas ... had there been a storm, I would have understood ... had there been better communications between officers and passengers, I would have understood ... but there weren't and that isn't good business or good client relations ... the majority of people who were angry felt that they had not been dealt with honestly and they felt the only way they could get a response was to argue the dollar value ... NO ONE MENTIONED A LAWSUIT and NO ONE ASKED FOR A FREE CRUISE so please stop trying to act like people on this cruise were "free loaders", they were ordinary people who were very frustrated and weren't being dealt with as well as they could have been.

 

My thanks to the crew and staff of the Dawn but I am not going to agree with the actions of the Captain or NCL Corporate. I will say that now that I understand that the probability of that "fine print" coming into play is likely, I will make any future plans as though I am never going to make a port ... as you say, then I won't be disappointed and my expectations will be realistic.

[Zeno]

Themomma:

I am sorry that you missed your port BUT you seem to have some very unreasonable expectations about the captain's role on a ship. He is NOT like the manager of a hotel. His primary responsibilities are OPERATIONAL (making the ship get from Point A to Point B safely) not customer relations. It is NOT his job to explain or justify his decisions to passengers. And he actually did give you an explanation - propeller problems. He is responsible for the operation of the ship - any decisions concerning that are his responsibility. Passengers have NO input in the operation of the ship. A ship is NOT a democracy. Frankly I am amazed he actually met with some passengers - this not normally done. And by the way it IS Colin Kerr's job to interface with passengers and I am glad he did it well.

[shoreguy]

A quick response - take it or leave it

 

You did not book a trip to the Bahamas - believe it or not you booked a seven day cruise subject to change in itinerary.

 

My second cruise - a four day cruise we made one of the three ports on the itinerary. What did anyone get - nothing :eek:

 

No internet to go post my fustration. Come to think of it we still laugh about that cruise and had a great time- go figure

 

Sorry you were upset but as posted Stuff happens more often then people think.

 

 

Colin can in fact make anything funny :D Even you lost stop in the Bahamas

[jeannep]

Momma,

 

Sorry you feel that missing Nassau seemed to ruin your entire cruise. Others have stated and I agree, Nassau is not much fun. We cruise for the joy of the ship and anything extra is terrific.

 

About picking up Rosie O'Donnell: After the big wave incident and all the speculations that the ship was rushing back to NY for Donald Trump, I really don't think NCL would even think to do that and I don't think Donald was the reason the Big Wave hit.

 

Jeanne

[justaknucklehead]

Unfortunately, while these boards are informative, they also can give people false expectations of what a cruise really is about. Is there a site where people can complain about all inclusives? Is there a site where people can complain about Vegas? Is there a site where people can tell you their own horror stories about their vacations? No, I don't think there are.

 

It's not that we don't want to hear the negatives, we just ask the OP to keep perspective about what to expect. On my very first cruise, my cabin was the size of an outhouse. Was I disappointed? Yes, I was. Did I have a great time? Yes, I cruised nine more times in the past six years.

 

I didn't badmouth the ship, I figured I was just being unrealistic to expect my inside cabin to look like a hotel room.

[Robert313]

that is you're pergoative though. On the About Us page of CruiseCritic it says, "ruise Critic is a comprehensive cruise vacation planning guide which includes objective cruise reviews on 225+ ships, 55 cruise line profiles, information on what to do and where to go in 135+ worldwide ports, readers' ship ratings and reviews, cruise bargains and cruise tips. Cruise Critic is dedicated to helping cruisers find the best ship suited to their own personal interests and plan the perfect cruise vacation."

A review can be positive or negative and "badmouth[ing] a ship" is perfectly justifiable under these terms. A ship is a ship nothing more--there are more important things to life and people should be able to express their opinions if these boards are so fair.

[niya305]

I understand that problems do occur but not one of the excuses made any sense ... until other passengers (one a news lady from local channel) found out that Rosie O'Donnell had booked the Dawn and they were getting back to get ready to accommodate her. This is not the first time that the Dawn has been accused of doing things that benefit their corporate position (aka the storm and THE APPRENTICE episode) and not acting in favor of the "regular" people that provide their revenues ... think twice, I sure will the next time!!

 

Please forgive me if this has already been addressed, but I just felt the need to reply to this asap w/o reading the entire thread. The Dawn did not cancel Nassau to get back to NYC on time for Rosie O'Donnell, there was an issue with one of the azipods (WHICH HAS HAPPENED ON THE DAWN BEFORE- & HAS ALSO HAPPENED ON CELEBRITY MANY TIMES; IT'S COME TO A POINT WHERE THEY ARE SUING THE COMPANY THAT BUILDS THEM!) 2nd of all, Rosie O'Donnell has chartered the whole ship the week of 7/10-7/17. Please get your facts straight

[smeyer418]

 

My friends were being dropped off that morning and told the limo driver that we would dock the following Sunday at around 10:00 am, he informed them that he already knew that the boat would be docking earlier than that and to call him as we sailed in ... later we wondered why he made this statement, at the time we were all too excited to think about it. .

 

 

10:00 am is its scheduled docking time when overnighting in Nassau but they almost always are in by 8 or so....

[niya305]

My friends were being dropped off that morning and told the limo driver that we would dock the following Sunday at around 10:00 am, he informed them that he already knew that the boat would be docking earlier than that and to call him as we sailed in ... later we wondered why he made this statement, at the time we were all too excited to think about it. It just became one more thing that added to the confusion.

 

I know that you were a 1st time cruiser, but it is pretty well known that 9 times out of 10 ships usually arrive back to the disembarkation port a little early. It doesn't mean that the limo driver had some special contact with NCL or the Capt., he was probably just making a general statement.

[YacFamily]

Boy, did we hear a different line of communication. Captain came on PA system, described the problem and his concern. He is responsible for the safe passage of 2200 guests and 1100 staff. To " risk " group safety (we guests / they staff ) for a so-so port and " push " the one azipod to get home on time ..... ludicrous. I agree with other posts, surely your group MUST have talked to friends who have cruised. About 25% of the time itineraries change due to " situations ". People seem to accept weather related changes better than mechanical. Your car can fail on vacation, do you get all huffy and puffy with Chrysler / Mercedes / Volks .... you get my drift.

We talked directly with hotel director, concierge, second in command ( to the captain ). Safe passage main concern. Ever been adrift in a powerless boat .... been there , done that in my personal experience ( small craft , not ship ). One of our families' lowest, fearful moments.

Yes $100/ per person OK by my rules of life ... generous. Did anyone note the open bar in all bars from noon to 2:30 PM ..... I did see many , so many pounding back drink after drink. The complainers ..... did you. Did you not partake ??? If you did .... please tone down.

We were in an AA and a BB .... paid a handsome $$. Do we " expect " a lot of additional compensation ..... no. In fact we booked two more cruises with NCL because we like to feel safe and protected. We feel we were more than sufficiently apprised of our situation. Uninformed individuals were spreading much dis-information based clearly on hearsay, imagination, and in support of THEIR situation / opinion.

The scenes in the lobby were led by a few who obviously feel the center of the universe is just above THEIR heads. Yes we had beautiful surroundings for our time at sea, but room service was fully available for all of us. NCL dining staff never refused the extra plate of superb food when requested. Believe me we heard many tables stating out of staff earshot, " Let's really give it to them and ask for more ........ ". Sad observation of our society. But that's for the psychologists out there.

I agree so much with Shoreguy and Cosmopolitan. First, doing your homework helps alot. You still had a wonderful ship, great staff, delicious food,.... what more can you ask. For experienced cruisers re-doing that boat drill EVERY cruise is a gas. But, safety above all. We hear all the time that cruising is on the increase because we ARE safe onboard. Security checks are above the standards of some other modes of locomotion.

If an action does start, we will be on the side of NCL, and very vocally so.

Bon Voyage to you all,

Terry

[DivaG]

These boards have been instrumental in our decision to cruise - of course understanding the difference between fact and opinion helps. :D The Dawn, in my opinion, is booked due to it's accessibility - not necessarily the itinerary. Having been to Florida numerous times, we certainly didn't take the Dawn to see Port Canaveral and Miami. ;) We were married 2 days after 9/11/01 and the thought of flying was not of interest to me last year - when we found out we could cruise (our first cruise) out of NY - we decided we would go. We choice NCL over Carnival (at the time) due to price. We never got off the ship except in Nassau. We missed the private island due to damage from hurricanes - a few passenger were upset about it, we weren't. I don't think they expected anything especially since we all thought the cruise would be cancelled due to weather. We were so happy we were still getting on the ship, they could have went around the Statue of Liberty for 7 days - who cares. Well ... that's not entirely true, but you get the point. Didn't matter, we wanted to be on the ship. Everyone is different - expects different things - will tolerate different situations. Safety is a huge one to me. Thank goodness the captain made the decision he made.

 

Whiners will be whiners. Let them speak their peace, they'll feel better and we can all move on. No point in blasting them, makes they want to stay on the soap box a little longer. We're all entitled to our "opinions". The fact is: the ship needed to be repaired - hence, missed port. End of story.

 

G

[DivaG]

These boards have been instrumental in our decision to cruise - of course understanding the difference between fact and opinion helps. :D The Dawn, in my opinion, is booked due to it's accessibility - not necessarily the itinerary. Having been to Florida numerous times, we certainly didn't take the Dawn to see Port Canaveral and Miami. ;) We were married 2 days after 9/11/01 and the thought of flying was not of interest to me last year - when we found out we could cruise (our first cruise) out of NY - we decided we would go. We choice NCL over Carnival (at the time) due to price. We never got off the ship except in Nassau. We missed the private island due to damage from hurricanes - a few passenger were upset about it, we weren't. I don't think they expected anything especially since we all thought the cruise would be cancelled due to weather. We were so happy we were still getting on the ship, they could have went around the Statue of Liberty for 7 days - who cares. Well ... that's not entirely true, but you get the point. Didn't matter, we wanted to be on the ship. Everyone is different - expects different things - will tolerate different situations. Safety is a huge one to me. Thank goodness the captain made the decision he made.

 

Whiners will be whiners. Let them speak their peace, they'll feel better and we can all move on. No point in blasting them, makes they want to stay on the soap box a little longer. We're all entitled to our "opinions". The fact is: the ship needed to be repaired - hence, missed port. End of story.

 

G

[ncc1701]

We were also on the 6/26-7/3 cruise. I’m not sure what more you expected the Captain or staff to say. They announced the problem, explained why we had to start our return trip early and told us that the Coast Guard had been notified of the situation and was ready if need be. I for one am glad that the decisions are made by the Captain, senior crew and even NCL Corporate for our safety rather than any uninformed emotional passengers. When a plane has to be diverted because of weather or mechanical problems, the passengers aren’t polled for their opinion. We don’t know enough to give them advice. It shouldn’t be a democracy when the safety of passengers are involved.

 

 

I am fairly well traveled (not on that many cruises, but I have traveled in Europe, Scandinavia, Greece etc.) and although I have been to some Caribbean islands I never made it to the Bahamas. Sure our party was disappointed, however we were extremely lucky on this cruise that the seas were exceptionally calm despite Saturday’s rain, thunder and lightening. I would trade a port call in Nassau in a minute for the smooth as glass trip we had.

 

 

Anyway, I hope you had some fun. We thought it was great.

[CruisinMom8905]

You didn't miss anything by skipping Nassua. Another "sea day" would have been welcome to us.

 

I was on this cruise. We saved for two years to go with our whole family, and grandparents. I wouldn't know if skipping Nassau for a sea day was "no bog deal" or not. I've never been to Nassau. I've been to Florida at least 20 times...

 

We paid for a cruise to Nassau and we did not get what we paid for. To tell me after spending more than $12,000 for this vacation that $100/person, maxium $200/stateroom is adequate compensation leaves me feeling ripped off. I could understand if there was a terrible storm. I could even understand engine trouble. But we heard many different stories from the captain. First if was mechanical, then it was a bad propellar, then it was a software issue, then it was corporate NCL's decision....The captain also said that he "just" made the decision after we all returned from GSC. I over heard the crew saying that GSC was our last POC.

 

We cruised down to Florida at 25 knots, but cruised up to NYC at 22 knots. What kind of problem is it exactly?? We were never really told a straight answer. The captain was prompous and arrogant. We got more understanding from the security personnel who shared that there were major issues going on with staff and crew members that were relationship issues.

 

So we're left with a paltry compensation, and no souveniers or pictures from Nassau. We have pictures from NASA, and Miami to go along with all the other pics we have of Florida. You guys say "Ship happens" I understand that. But when you're not given a straight answer, it's hard to figure out what the real issue is. I feel gypped.

 

My husband stayed after we got our luggage to talk with NCL representatives. Momma, it disgusts me to think that you were all told to "see who else is upset about this" when our large group was told only one person per family may attend....

 

I don't feel that NCL values her loyal customers. I guess my only recoruse is to not sail NCL again.

[shoreguy]

CruisinMom8905

 

If you find missing a port a reason not to cruise on a line you will run out of options very quickly. It happens every week somewhere. You may not understand it but what you bought was a 7 day cruise not a trip to Nassau.

 

I am sorry your family did not get to see Nassau. The Dawn missed GSC all of last fall. We missed Barbados in Feb. My second cruise was four days we missed all the ports. Had a great time and did not get a dime.

 

As stated $200 is a very generous compensation. Better stay away from RCL. The ship that hit the dock ending the cruise early forcing passengers to fly home from Mexico only gave $200.

[CruisinMom8905]

Better stay away from RCL. The ship that hit the dock ending the cruise early forcing passengers to fly home from Mexico only gave $200.

 

:eek:

 

Thanks for the tip. I'm writing that down.

[smeyer418]

LOL I hope you wrote NCL because more than likely if you get anything it will be a discount off a future cruise...so your choice will be either to go again on NCL or lose it. Unfortunately you did get what they agreed to give you a cruise for 7 days. No more no less. I am shocked that a crew member would have told you about some relationship problem. That is really a no no. I understand being upset about missing a port and there is a 15% difference in speed from 25 to 22 knots not a small difference. The idea of staying in the Bahamas while the repair was being made is frankly non-sense. The people had to fly from Finland. They wouldn't have arrived intil Saturday at the earliest(and probably not until Sunday from Finland its a long flight through NY or requiring a number of plane changes. Even a private jet would have to refuel. So if they did this lets see Tuesday in NY at the earliest...can you hear the complaints about that? You can disagree all you want but its not your decision and it doesn't have to be justified or even explained.