Very Disappointed - NCL Asia

[Renstr]

I don't think you guys can compare Europe and Asia cruises. Remember most of Europe sits in the Shengen zone and therefore people can travel freely. There are different visas for different countries in Asia and maybe that is why ncl isn't willing to risk it.

[Shawnino]

I don't think you guys can compare Europe and Asia cruises. Remember most of Europe sits in the Shengen zone and therefore people can travel freely. There are different visas for different countries in Asia and maybe that is why ncl isn't willing to risk it.

 

I see what you mean but there was passport weirdness in Europe too. On our E./Med Jade cruise NCL actually held everyone's passports for several days. They took them in Rome upon embarkation and would not release them until we left Greece. And Italy and Greece are both Schengen.

 

As troubling as I found that, it was standard, and we just went with the flow.

[luvtheships]

I see what you mean but there was passport weirdness in Europe too. On our E./Med Jade cruise NCL actually held everyone's passports for several days. They took them in Rome upon embarkation and would not release them until we left Greece. And Italy and Greece are both Schengen.

 

 

 

As troubling as I found that, it was standard, and we just went with the flow.

 

 

Did you hit kusadasi or Istanbul on this cruise?

 

If so that's why they held your pp

Edited February 2, 2016 by luvtheships

[Shawnino]

Did you hit kusadasi or Istanbul on this cruise?

 

If so that's why they held your pp

 

We did, but we got our passports back before arriving in Turkey. They took our passports when we boarded in Civitavecchia and could pick them up when the ship was in Piraeus.

 

We were told onboard it was the Greek authorities which wanted passports held.

 

It made no sense to any pax we talked to, but since it was "surrender your passport or don't get aboard", well...

 

You may well be right, but the timing seemed very illogical to those of us onboard, EU Citizens ans non-citizens alike.

[Shawnino]

...and we've been denied.

 

I'll have to ask my traveling companions if they still want to do the trip.

[pieshops]

...and we've been denied.

 

I'll have to ask my traveling companions if they still want to do the trip.

 

sorry to hear, I will post when I hear on my appeal

[casofilia]

...and we've been denied.

 

I'll have to ask my traveling companions if they still want to do the trip.

 

It will be interesting to see how many others pull out. One of these days NCL will get the messages!!! Well possibly not but one would hope so. They can't run ships without passengers.

 

And there are lots of very negative passengers at the moment.

 

Mike

[Shawnino]

sorry to hear, I will post when I hear on my appeal

 

Interested to know.

Would be interested in establishing e-mail contact. Send me a note at hotmail if you're inclined.

[Shawnino]

It will be interesting to see how many others pull out. One of these days NCL will get the messages!!! Well possibly not but one would hope so. They can't run ships without passengers.

 

And there are lots of very negative passengers at the moment.

 

Mike

 

I'm not so sure.

I think this particular cruise is selling really well.

I couldn't give a rat's about the Taj Mahal myself, but the rest of my party are super keen. Happy wife, happy life.

[pieshops]

So.......... I finally heard back from NCL today after my appeal to the corporate office about leaving the ship in Ha Long Bay, heading to Hanoi, and then flying or doing the train to Da Nang to meet back up with the ship the next day.

 

Originally they had denied my request and then I appealed it.

 

Well they are allowing me to leave the ship and meet back up the next day.

 

I am of coarse required to get my own visas, but we are very happy.

 

Way to go NCL

[casofilia]

Congratulations; perhaps NCL has someone who knows what "customer service" actually means.

 

I wonder if they will now allow people to do a similar thing in India.

 

Mike

[Mistizoom]

Great update! I hope you have a wonderful trip!

[NLH Arizona]

Great, glad they re-evaluated your situation and agreed to let you do it.

[GeezerCouple]

So.......... I finally heard back from NCL today after my appeal to the corporate office about leaving the ship in Ha Long Bay, heading to Hanoi, and then flying or doing the train to Da Nang to meet back up with the ship the next day.

 

Originally they had denied my request and then I appealed it.

 

Well they are allowing me to leave the ship and meet back up the next day.

 

I am of coarse required to get my own visas, but we are very happy.

 

Way to go NCL

 

Congratulations!

 

And good for you for taking it all the way.

 

Could you email (see email address below in signature) who you sent that final appeal to?

 

We had the same problem about 2 years ago.

We were told that our belongings would be packed up and deposited at the END port, and we could go there to wait to pick everything up. True!

 

We hope you have a VERY SPECIAL TRIP.

It is a wonderful celebration for all of you!

[pieshops]

Congratulations!

 

And good for you for taking it all the way.

 

Could you email (see email address below in signature) who you sent that final appeal to?

 

We had the same problem about 2 years ago.

We were told that our belongings would be packed up and deposited at the END port, and we could go there to wait to pick everything up. True!

 

We hope you have a VERY SPECIAL TRIP.

It is a wonderful celebration for all of you!

 

I sent the original email to customer service, Frank Del Rio and Andy Stuart.

 

The email i got back was from a resolution specialist in the corporate office

[helen haywood]

That's wonderful news!! How special this will be for your wife! Good for you to persevere!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[DMH15]

I think there is some great advice in this thread.

 

If it were me, I'd contact other cruise lines simply to find out if it's an existing options with other lines (not to book with them) as NLHArizona suggested.

 

I am not brave enough to take JaneDon's suggestion, but that thought also crossed my mind. But since there's a paper trail of request and denial, I'd be too chicken to try that one.

 

I'd also write a letter, as punkincc suggested, to the VP of Passenger Services, and copy Andy Stuart and FDR.

 

In that letter, I would include a copy of the letter from the Vietnam embassy/consulate that says it's okay with them, and if other lines say it's possible, I'd mention that, so they know it can be done.

 

Additionally, I'd point out that the cruise contract does not, (as I read it anyway), prevent you from doing this. In fact it says, if you miss the ship, it's up to you to get yourself back there to meet it. But it doesn't say, if you miss the ship you will be deboarded. I might inquire about this -- why it is such a special circumstance that seems so different from all others. Have they recently changed a policy, for example, on cruise passengers who miss ships and not reflected that change in their cruise contract?

 

And I would also include a copy of the NYT article that tells your wife's story, and let them know there there will be a follow up piece.

 

You have been a brand ambassador for NCL on this forum, a loyal customer and if they can arrange this for you, you would be a source of great, heartwarming, free publicity for NCL via the New York Times follow up article.

 

Since it's a new itinerary, it could easily be, as others have suggested, just a simple case of not knowing because it's so early in the game.

 

I really hope they can work this out for you-- seems like it could end up being a win-win situation for you and NCL.

 

 

Pieshops, I agree you have been a great brand ambassador for NCL.

 

If you were just asking now, that would be one thing, but the fact you received a YES initially is really a raw deal.

 

Here is what I think could be a real kick in the pants: You are reading CRUISE CRITIC in 2018 and someone writes their review about doing exactly what you were denied. I could see that happening.

[All-ready2cruise]

So.......... I finally heard back from NCL today after my appeal to the corporate office about leaving the ship in Ha Long Bay, heading to Hanoi, and then flying or doing the train to Da Nang to meet back up with the ship the next day.

 

Originally they had denied my request and then I appealed it.

 

Well they are allowing me to leave the ship and meet back up the next day.

 

I am of coarse required to get my own visas, but we are very happy.

 

Way to go NCL

 

Congratulations, been a tough ride for you but you did it!!!!

[GeezerCouple]

I sent the original email to customer service, Frank Del Rio and Andy Stuart.

 

The email i got back was from a resolution specialist in the corporate office

 

Thank you very much!

 

Our previous request was pre-FDR et al.

 

But it is likely that the same situation will come up in a year or two, and now we'll start our query with these people.

 

SO glad that your request was granted.

It's a much more special situation than ours was.

 

I hope that everyone has a very special time, and that you get to see everything that you are hoping.

 

Good luck with your travels.

[pieshops]

My assumption is that since they are brand new to this area that is why they denied it intitialy

 

I think if ncl,stays doing this route on a regular basis. They will allow it like the other lines do

[GeezerCouple]

My assumption is that since they are brand new to this area that is why they denied it intitialy

 

I think if ncl,stays doing this route on a regular basis. They will allow it like the other lines do

 

I'd like to think NCL would "learn", but I'm not optimistic.

 

The request we had was for a route that is not at all new to them, and they gave us nonsense answers, same as you got initially.

 

We didn't press, ultimately, because we figured another way to do what we wanted to do, although it would cost extra. And it wouldn't have been the big inconvenience/expense like what you were facing.

 

However, we've since done a lot more research (about NCL's "reasons") and feel confident that what NCL invoked wasn't the least relevant.

So... if there IS a "next time", we'll go straight to the top (thank you!), and also spell out our reasoning.

This might - or might not! - help avoid the incorrect and reflexive response from lower tier NCL staffers.

 

We'll see.

 

But for now, there's no need.

 

Again, we hope you all really enjoy what should be an unusually meaningful experience!

[karoo]

Just read this thread. This is obviously a very important trip for your wife. I would go to Vietnam as a land trip. That way you could take your time, see everything. and do what's important. A cruise is just a quick overview of a lot of places. Any port that's important needs time. Just my opinion.

[pieshops]

Just read this thread. This is obviously a very important trip for your wife. I would go to Vietnam as a land trip. That way you could take your time, see everything. and do what's important. A cruise is just a quick overview of a lot of places. Any port that's important needs time. Just my opinion.

 

We would love to spend a year traveling all over Asia, that is tops on the bucket list. Unfortunately we need to make a living lol.

 

I love the idea of a week in Vietnam but we also loved the itinerary of this sailing, we are seeing so many places we really want to. I know it is just an overview but we will certainly be back at some point doing a land vacation

[rvsullivan]

For the OP. Since you knew this was going to be something other than just a routine stop and reboard in another port, you should have something in writing from the original request saying it would be ok? With this I would think you can leverage something with NCL. I can't imagine that you only talked to a PCC in the call center to get the ok for a trip like this? With a written ok from an executive/representative, I think you can get NCL to offer some help.

[pieshops]

For the OP. Since you knew this was going to be something other than just a routine stop and reboard in another port, you should have something in writing from the original request saying it would be ok? With this I would think you can leverage something with NCL. I can't imagine that you only talked to a PCC in the call center to get the ok for a trip like this? With a written ok from an executive/representative, I think you can get NCL to offer some help.

 

I updated this a page or so ago, after appealing the detail up to FDR, Andy Stuart and Cust service, they said they would look into it about 6 weeks ago and got a call yesterday that it was approved. I have a letter from the executive offices stating this, I just need to get my own multiple entry and transit visa.

 

All is good