My 50-50 Breakaway Cruise

[jackparts]

I started to write a review on our cruise over Thanksgiving but it started sounding like a rant as I wrote it. So I will cut it short and touch on the low and high lites. 50- 50 as it was half great and half terrible. We (11) had it paid in full by June 2015 only to have the TA cancel our three rooms apprx Oct. 27. The owner fired her 3 days after we found out. The owner got our $$ back but we lost the free UDP and dining tips that we received as a perk. When we boarded, we found we had 4 people with 4 nites UDP and tips, 4 people with 4 nites UDP and no tips and 3 people with... nothing. Spent 45+ minutes with Guest Service on Sunday, boarding day, no luck. We ate the first 3 nites in the specialty restaurants, signing for meals and tips for all. Tuesday, the owner called me and messaged me copies of everything showing we SHOULD have the free specialy meals. Guest services again, no luck. I mentioned to Saskia that CC mentioned that Guest Services was terrible and that I was finding the same thing. We cancelled the specialty for the 4th nite and went to the buffet. Finally, on the fifth nite, Guest Srvices called our room with the it's all ok, you all can eat in the specialtys. I had had enough so I told them nicely ? to keep on truckin, we would stay with the buffet. Other than guest services and the specialty restaurant personnell, it was not a bad cruise. By the way, in Moderno we left after 2 hours and 10 minutes, some meats never came by us, no refreshments after the first hour and no dessert at all. Getting the ride home was another downer of a story and do not want to seem like another BPM. Any questions on the ship, fire away.

[kosweeps]

I started to write a review on our cruise over Thanksgiving but it started sounding like a rant as I wrote it. So I will cut it short and touch on the low and high lites. 50- 50 as it was half great and half terrible. We (11) had it paid in full by June 2015 only to have the TA cancel our three rooms apprx Oct. 27. The owner fired her 3 days after we found out. The owner got our $$ back but we lost the free UDP and dining tips that we received as a perk. When we boarded, we found we had 4 people with 4 nites UDP and tips, 4 people with 4 nites UDP and no tips and 3 people with... nothing. Spent 45+ minutes with Guest Service on Sunday, boarding day, no luck. We ate the first 3 nites in the specialty restaurants, signing for meals and tips for all. Tuesday, the owner called me and messaged me copies of everything showing we SHOULD have the free specialy meals. Guest services again, no luck. I mentioned to Saskia that CC mentioned that Guest Services was terrible and that I was finding the same thing. We cancelled the specialty for the 4th nite and went to the buffet. Finally, on the fifth nite, Guest Srvices called our room with the it's all ok, you all can eat in the specialtys. I had had enough so I told them nicely ? to keep on truckin, we would stay with the buffet. Other than guest services and the specialty restaurant personnell, it was not a bad cruise. By the way, in Moderno we left after 2 hours and 10 minutes, some meats never came by us, no refreshments after the first hour and no dessert at all. Getting the ride home was another downer of a story and do not want to seem like another BPM. Any questions on the ship, fire away.

 

Oh I am SO sorry to hear about your troubles! To have your cruise cancelled. Wow! It seems the TA deserved to be fired, but if the owner really wanted to make amends (and keep your business in the future) s/he would have paid out of pocket to make sure you received what you had originally booked.

 

Who is Saskia, BTW? Meals are a big part of cruising so I'm sorry there was such stress about what should have been an enjoyable carefree experience. I'm glad the rest of your cruise was fun. :)

[NYcruzzer]

Sorry you had to go through this. That is why I always book directly through NCL.

[jlocole]

Sounds like most/all the issues were TA related. Shouldn't happen.

 

Did you enjoy Spice H20 or the pool deck areas?

 

Do you have any compliments for the ship?

 

Where were your cabins at such a late date? Did you get the cabins you initially wanted?

[Moby0215]

For future reference, In Moderno, if there is a specific meat that you want then just let them know. I always make sure to ask for the Picanha first (as I do in land based Churascarias as well).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jackparts]

Sounds like most/all the issues were TA related. Shouldn't happen.

 

Did you enjoy Spice H20 or the pool deck areas?

 

Do you have any compliments for the ship?

 

Where were your cabins at such a late date? Did you get the cabins you initially wanted?

Yes, the problems were started by the TA, but zero help from guest services on help even when I tried to show them the NCL printed pages. Too crowded to use the pool. The slides and other adventure(?) things to do were really great when they were opened, weather problems? Overall, the ship was ok, never had elevator problems til the last day. Casino was good to our first timer, not good to the rest. Thought that the buffet was excellent except lackluster desserts that were less than tasty. Rooms 10804 10826 10832 10832 were ok, just not next to each other as we first reserved. I must add that we did an airboat ride thru Midway Airboat that was fantastic and we walked to Junkaroo Beach in Nassau on Turkey day. I talked to BYRON at the Tiki Hut and he fixed us up with drinks, food, chairs and a great beach spot. If you go there, tell him Jack of 11 sent you and he will cut you the same break. Or so he will tell you that.

[snorklinbarb]

Yes, the problems were started by the TA, but zero help from guest services on help even when I tried to show them the NCL printed pages. Too crowded to use the pool. The slides and other adventure(?) things to do were really great when they were opened, weather problems? Overall, the ship was ok, never had elevator problems til the last day. Casino was good to our first timer, not good to the rest. Thought that the buffet was excellent except lackluster desserts that were less than tasty. Rooms 10804 10826 10832 10832 were ok, just not next to each other as we first reserved. I must add that we did an airboat ride thru Midway Airboat that was fantastic and we walked to Junkaroo Beach in Nassau on Turkey day. I talked to BYRON at the Tiki Hut and he fixed us up with drinks, food, chairs and a great beach spot. If you go there, tell him Jack of 11 sent you and he will cut you the same break. Or so he will tell you that.

 

Jack, what was the "break" that you were given at the Nassau beach?

 

How long a walk to the beach? Busy or quiet beach? Take it it was clean and nice beach from your description.

 

Thanks!

Edited December 4, 2015 by snorklin'barb

[jackparts]

The Break was free kids drinks and chairs. Price originally told was $40 per adult. We were given chairs, 4 free drinks that were sometimes counted and sometimes not, food was $10 per adult and he gave me Turkey and scallops in addition to some great ribs.

Took about 15-20 minutes to walk there and beach was cleaner than I expected from Trip Advisor.

[jackparts]

Fact, my TA did mess up my cruise. Fact, NCL guest services did not help or even try to help us. Even tho I had papers from NCL showing my free dining and tips in the specialty restaurants, would not consider thhat they were wrong. Today, I just called our new TA and cancelled our (11) Thanksgiving cruise on the again, Damn Dawn. Sorry, NCL, such little effort deserves little reward.

[StolidCruiser]

Although frustrating, it would appear you hold NCL to a higher standard in customer service than your travel agent who you acknowledge created the whole disaster in the first place. It should have been your travel agent to deal with resolving their error and you should not have spent minute one dealing with NCL guest relations. Any and all costs you would have been inappropriately charged should have been reimbursed by the travel agent.

 

To write off a cruiseline because of their inability to deal with your travel agent's mistake is certainly your choice but it seems to me to be cutting off your nose to spite your face.

[jackparts]

Granted that my ex TA really screwed us. My problem with Guest Services is just that they provided NO Services. Our cards clearly were marked witj not enough meals. I waited in line 45 minutes embarkation day to get to talk to someone. I was told they would look into it as they were swamped. That was Sunday. Tuesday, apprx. 7:30, I went there again and nothing at all had been done. I asked Saskia to please look at the NCL documents that I had and also pictures on my phone. She went in the back, I assume to copy the papers and came back that she would check again. I had the owner of the Travel agency on my phone to try and help but she would not speak to him. As I could not prove who he was, I understood. I cancelled the next night dinner in Le Bistro as I was tired of explaining at the other restaurants and from then on, ate at the buffet. Good service and good food. Thursday night, Guest services called me and asked me to come down, it was all fixed. I advised them we were not going to use the specialties, only the buffet. So I think that Guest Services did not do their job until I told them to cancel the specialties on the 4th night.