NCL Sun Cozumel Call Canceled

[tray]

New Mexico Nita,

 

You have made some very good, and calming points!! Although I'm disappointed, my heart goes out to those who have been so terribly affected (from Mexico to Florida) from Wilma.

You seem to have a lot of knowledge regarding cruising (sounds like you're a TA), so I'm looking forward to hearing any updates that you may get that we don't hear about right away. I'm ready to go have fun regardless---and am looking forward to cruising NCL for the first time.

If they shorten your port of call stops, how they handle your port charges? I'd actually like to see mine go directly to the island if we don't get a refund. My husband will probably ask, so I thought I'd see if anyone here knows how that works.

Thanks!!!! :p

[Don Haynes]

It appears Princess will drop Cozumel too losing a port day. They were already doing Costa Maya and Belize though and will continue to do so.

 

NOT ONE CRUISE LINE has been able to replace Cozumel with another port. The lonely exception is the 4 day Carnival cruises out of Galveston on the Elation, which will be doing Vera Cruz and Progresso, substituting Vera Cruz for Cozumel.....

 

As I noted above, without Cozumel and Calico, there aren't enough ports and anchorages to go around.....

 

However, there may be a cloud with a silver lining. Cozumel hopes to reopen on November 20th. While the piers may not be rebuilt, cruise ships may tender.

[electricron]

I couldn't help but notice that Carnival has already substituted Veracruz and Progreso for Cozumel and Calica. Are they great ports? Probably not, or they would already be on itineraries, but at least they are substituting something this time instead of sea days. And their food is better. And so is their customer service. And your mama wears combat boots! (Venting is now complete).

 

 

Elation's Itinerary prior to Wilma forced changes:

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART

Thu Oct 27 Galveston, TX 4:00pm

Fri Oct 28 At Sea

Sat Oct 29 Cozumel, Mexico 8:30am 5:00pm

Sun Oct 30 At Sea

Mon Oct 31 Galveston, TX 8:00am

Carnival had to replace Cosumel with something, in this case Vera Cruz and Progresso, as Cosumel is closed.

 

Carnival Conquest's Itinerary prior to Wilma forced changes:

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART

Sun Oct 30 Galveston, TX 6:00pm

Mon Oct 31 At Sea

Tue Nov 1 At Sea

Wed Nov 2 Montego Bay, Jamaica 9:00am 5:30pm

Thu Nov 3 Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 7:00am 4:00pm

Fri Nov 4 Cozumel, Mexico 10:30am 6:00pm

Sat Nov 5 At Sea

Sun Nov 6 Galveston, TX 8:00am

 

Another 3 port cruise, like the Sun's, dropped to just two ports.

 

It appears to me, upon further review, that Carnival and NCL are taking the same course.

[Pinbyte]

I, for one, going out on the Sun Oct 30th, would like them to replace Cozumel with Progreso (I've heard Merida near there is beautiful). I know their offices are being affected by Wilma, so I fear that they will not replace the Cozumel call with another. Boy, did I pick a lousy time to book my fist ever cruise or what???

 

Still, it is amazing how quickly they were able to adapt the 10/22 Dream itinerary. My gut tells me that it is too much bother, despite possible monetary losses, to try and give the 10/30 Sun a 3rd port. They've got a bunch of future sailings on their mind. Still... couldn't they have given us an extra day in Belize or a stop in the Cayman's???

 

Who knows, it may work out well anyway... this is my first cruise and I do not know my preference (sailing days or port days). However, I am so looking forward to the cave tubing tour in Belize, I'll be smashed if that doesn't go through.

 

Anway, I guess you pays your money and takes your chances... I am just rambling.

 

If anybody with experience knows how this is likely to turn out, please add a post.

1) Will NCL replace Coz with another port (they have left this open ended).

2) If they do not, is it reasonable to expect a small credit (say $100 shipboard credit?)

3) Does anyboy know if it is too late to cancel? Not that I plan to, but if I wanted to, I did not find info offering this as an option.

[Don Haynes]

1.) Probably not, it seems none of the other cruise lines could either.

2.) Possibly the port fees back, I wouldn't expect more.

3.) Oct. 30th is definitely beyond cancelling without a penalty.

 

Its no ones fault. Its not the cruise line fault Wilma flattened Cozumel, and its not your fault for choosing this time of year either. Its life..... As they say in the Marine Corps, innovate and adapt......

 

Here's a little story about fault. A magazine distribution company decides to set up an elaborate computerized weight system for packaging orders with no shortage. Promises its store customers there won't be anymore shortages, whatsoever. Never-the-less the stores continue to report shortages, so the magazine distribution company double checks every order manually and sets up a data base on the reported shortages. Turns out all of the shortages reported by a few score of stores out of thousands are for adult magazines.... very few of anything else. The magazine distribution company is fulfilling its obligations, it seems the receiving departments of some of these stores have untrusty employees......

[SueSea]

I'm disappointed, too. And having people say it's not NCL's fault doesn't make me any less disappointed. I am not looking forward to 4 days on this sailing. While I do like sea days, if I pick a cruise with a lot of sea days, picking the cruise line, ship, and cabin are critical factors. Frankly, while I do like NCL, if I were to select a sea-day intensive cruise, it would be on another line. I just don't think NCL's onboard product is superior to other lines I would select (except for their entertainment). And if I will be spending a lot of time on the ship, then the onboard product becomes a critical factor. But even if I were to pick NCL for a cruise with many sea days, I would not have picked Sun. If I'm spending a lot of time on board, I want a mega-ship with lots of places to explore and more activities to choose from. And I would not have chosen an inside cabin for 3 adults and one teen.

 

If you think choice of ship isn't important in this case, consider this. The older ships in each cruise line command lower fares than the newer ships. Obviously, newer ships are more desirable--demand is greater so prices are higher. Spending 2 extra sea days on Sun is not the same as spending 2 extra days on Jewel. When I selected this cruise, it was not for price alone. I chose a less desirable ship at a low cost, but only because it was a port intensive cruise--it doesn't have to be a great ship if I'm not on it too much. Now I have a less desirable ship at a cost that is somewhat higher than I paid (due to having to change departure ports). Whether that's NCL's fault or not does not affect my level of disappointment.

 

NCL certainly is not obligated to offer passengers anything. If they don't, I will be expecting a FANTASTIC array of activites and entertainment. If they simply offer more bingo and other revenue-generating activities, I will be livid. The Murder Mystery dinner is a good start, but there is so much more they could do. Just a couple examples: They could bring on a well-known but B-list entertainer. Or they could open the premium restaurants for lunch for half-price. They will have some number of people boarding the ship disappointed because this cruise has changed drastically. If they do nothing to make the onboard experience better than expected, they can expect to lose future business.

[mghurle]

I want to share a different perspective with you...

 

My job, and part-time home is in Miami where I work for an airline with a hub at the Miami airport. We are under a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Dade and Broward counties, and most areas have no running water or electricity. Purchasing gasoline to come to work is NOT an option. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to find a rental car with just enough gas in the tank to drive over to Ft. Meyers and fly home to my folks house in Missouri.

 

Before I left, I was fortunate to have a baloney sandwich with a good friend of mine on Tuesday night that is a manager for NCL in Miami. NCL, along with other companies in Miami are faced with employees that can't come to work, can't call in because the land lines are cut, and a non-existant cell phone network. My friend told me there were only a handful of employees in the whole NCL building out in Doral. I'm glad that an announcement was made, even if some us aren't happy with the results. This was posted on the webpage within 2 days of the passing of the hurricane, which is not unreasonable.

 

This will be my 25th cruise. I read these boards frequently, and seldom post anything. Reading this one made me realize this would be an exception. Honestly? I can identify with most everyone before me that has written a comment... from the frustrated first-timers, corporate line by-the-book types, day-at-sea yeas, day-at-sea nays, go with the flow types, and just those folks that are confused about it all. In my travels, both as an airline employee, and a cruise passenger; I've had to realize that things aren't always going to go my way, and some things will never be resolved to my satisfaction, regardless of how much I complain, or how much the service provider tries to accomodate my needs/wishes.

 

I too am frustrated about missing the Mexico stop, no doubt about it. Here is a different view on this, in my humble opinion (I hate using IMHO). We are talking about 13 hours that our cruise is being modified for, if you count when we were scheduled to tender in Playa del Carmen @ 9am, until 10pm, when we sailed from Cozumel. Thirteen hours total. According to my math, we're spending about 160 hours on this vacation... with only 13 that are being changed. I have to accept that.

 

After living through the hell of a hurricane, destroying my car, and damaging my condo... I'm ready for this trip. ALL of us that are sailing this Sunday are looking forward to vacation, right? Right now, I'm not worried about my $50 credit, my cancelled shore excursion, or even a substitute port. I just need to remember WHY I booked this cruise. Fun and affordable. Even without the Mexico stops, it's going to be this way.

 

Sorry for the missal, but thanks for reading. For those of us sailing this weekend, see y'all soon. Peace to all.

[Bermudamal]

If anyone is interested in why they are cencelling Cozumel, check this out.

 

http://eczm.com/wilma/

[zydecocruiser]

Without Calico and Cozumel, there are too many ships for the number of ports and anchorages. At least NCL is still doing two Caribbean ports, it appears Carnival is doing two Gulf of Mexico ports instead.

 

Same number of port days and sea days too. If you don't like Cozumel being closed by Wilma, switch to Carnival..... But please, stop whining.....

 

Sun was doing 4 port days, then 3, and now 2. New Orleans would be delighted to receive a cruise ship.

 

Costa Maya was created and is owned by these folks, not cruise lines:

http://www.latintrade.com/dynamic/index.php?pg=site_en/pastissues/Aug04/etravel1.html

 

Progreso would be possible.

 

Lots of options - NCL chose the cheapest for them. Cheap, cheap, cheap.

 

At least I'll be able to wear jeans blu everynight, in every restaurant.

[samtig]

We took the Dream 2 yrs. ago out of New Orleans with the same itinerary. Were unable to go to Belize due to weather & they substituted Costa Maya. So Norwegian can go to Costa Maya (another poster said they couldn't because they didn't own it). Hopefully we will go somewhere! Even if we don't, we're still going and will have a great time.

 

We were also told about the $50 ship credit but it appears no one's getting it. What's up with that? I'm going to e-mail my TA & ask her.

 

Happy cruising!

Happy cruising.

[toysrme]

I'm disappointed, too. And having people say it's not NCL's fault doesn't make me any less disappointed. I am not looking forward to 4 days on this sailing. While I do like sea days, if I pick a cruise with a lot of sea days, picking the cruise line, ship, and cabin are critical factors. Frankly, while I do like NCL, if I were to select a sea-day intensive cruise, it would be on another line. I just don't think NCL's onboard product is superior to other lines I would select (except for their entertainment). And if I will be spending a lot of time on the ship, then the onboard product becomes a critical factor. But even if I were to pick NCL for a cruise with many sea days, I would not have picked Sun. If I'm spending a lot of time on board, I want a mega-ship with lots of places to explore and more activities to choose from. And I would not have chosen an inside cabin for 3 adults and one teen.

 

If you think choice of ship isn't important in this case, consider this. The older ships in each cruise line command lower fares than the newer ships. Obviously, newer ships are more desirable--demand is greater so prices are higher. Spending 2 extra sea days on Sun is not the same as spending 2 extra days on Jewel. When I selected this cruise, it was not for price alone. I chose a less desirable ship at a low cost, but only because it was a port intensive cruise--it doesn't have to be a great ship if I'm not on it too much. Now I have a less desirable ship at a cost that is somewhat higher than I paid (due to having to change departure ports). Whether that's NCL's fault or not does not affect my level of disappointment.

 

NCL certainly is not obligated to offer passengers anything. If they don't, I will be expecting a FANTASTIC array of activites and entertainment. If they simply offer more bingo and other revenue-generating activities, I will be livid. The Murder Mystery dinner is a good start, but there is so much more they could do. Just a couple examples: They could bring on a well-known but B-list entertainer. Or they could open the premium restaurants for lunch for half-price. They will have some number of people boarding the ship disappointed because this cruise has changed drastically. If they do nothing to make the onboard experience better than expected, they can expect to lose future business.

SueSea,

I totally agree with you, but have a couple of observations that are a little different than yours. I'm sure these differences are based on past experiences (you have cruised more), background, and personality.

I have only cruised 3 previous times; twice with Carnival and once with NCL. On Carnival, I cruised on the Holiday (small) and the Conquest (mega), and with NCL, the Star.

Last year on the Conquest we lost Grand Cayman as a stop due to a hurricane, and it became an extra sea day, as will be the case on the Sun. I can tell you that even on a ship the size of the Conquest it was a boring day, since there was already enough time to learn and explore what the ship had to offer.

My other observation regards entertainment. I have found that on both Carnival cruises this was better than on the NCL cruise, both musically and with the production numbers. My "previous life" was very music intensive. I realize that my sampling is much smaller than yours.

While it has nothing to do with this thread, I will also mention a couple of other things. By and large, the food on both Carnival ships was much more to my liking. The exception to this would be the hamburgers on the Star. They were very good. I haven't used the premium restaurants (and don't feel I should have to in order to get a tasty meal), but I will probably try a couple of them this time on the Sun. I found the food service to be quicker and more enjoyable with Carnival, but I like the Freestyle flexibility. Room cleanliness and personnel friendliness was comparable on all ships. The Star wins as the best looking ship.

I still want another port or extra day in one of the remaining ports.:mad:

[Smooth Sailing]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that considers sea days boring. When a company continuously shows a total lack of regard for it's customers - Pretty soon that company has no customers - I believe this is the direction NCL is headed.

[Mekamax]

I missed Cozumel before on the RCL Rhapsody of the Seas and only had two ports that cruise due to a hurricane. When you book out of Houston, Galveston or New Orleans you have to understand there are no close ports to pop into at the last minute unlike out of Miami where you have Nassau and Key West close or even a private island. Anyway it is not just NCL but all cruise lines. Part of cruising is all it is. Not the first time at all for me in 18 cruises and wont' be the last. Oh well... Guess What??? I'm going on a cruise!!!!! :D That is more than most can say in this world and most in the effected areas wish they were on a cruise and not picking up the pieces of their life. I feel very blessed to be able to go on a vacation and after the scare we had here in Houston with Rita baring down on us and many trapped on the freeways I'm even more thrilled to pull out into the open ocean and get away. Personally I cruise to cruise - I like to leave the dock! :rolleyes: But I am on a cruise. If I liked the islands so much then personally I would go directly there by plane with cheap non refundable tickets - oppps you mean I wouldn't be able to cancel without penalty that way either???? :eek: haha LOL Debbie

[newmexicoNita]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that considers sea days boring. When a company continuously shows a total lack of regard for it's customers - Pretty soon that company has no customers - I believe this is the direction NCL is headed.

Sea days are boring to some, to others they love them. As for the direction NCL is headed? How about checking the other cruise lines: one of the features NCL has most others is their reputation for being port intentive: this latest situation has nothing to do with what direction they are headed. NMnita

[samtig]

Have cruised both Carnival and Norwegian & Norwegian is known for their inattentiveness to customer service and slow response, not just in this situation but as a general rule. We have not had 1 port cancelled but 2. I can't believe they can't find 1 port for us to go to. They've done it before when I cruised Norwegian. Some people get bent out of shape to hear negatives about Norwegian. They also have their positives because I keep going on their cruises! But let's call it what it is. Hopefully they will prove me wrong this time & schedule another port for the 12/11 cruise out of Houston. Happy cruising.

[Smooth Sailing]

Sea days are boring to some, to others they love them. As for the direction NCL is headed? How about checking the other cruise lines: one of the features NCL has most others is their reputation for being port intentive: this latest situation has nothing to do with what direction they are headed. NMnita

I am not talking only about this latest incidence - disregard for it's customers seems to be the norm for NCL - this board is covered with examples - the latest incidence only adds to the growing list - I realize some people love days at sea - however, this particular cruise started out with only 2 days at sea and most booked this cruise exactly for that reason.

[tray]

This was the 11/20 Sun's original itinerary:

 

 

SunNov 20New Orleans, LA5:30pmMonNov 21At SeaTueNov 22Cozumel, Mexico7:00am6:00pmWedNov 23Belize City, Belize7:00am6:00pmThuNov 24Roatan, Honduras7:00am5:00pmFriNov 25Cancun (Playa del Carmen), Mexico7:00am4:00pmSatNov 26At SeaSunNov 27New Orleans, LA7:00am

 

 

We are no longer doing Cozumel (11 hours), and we are no longer doing Playa (9 hours). We are doing Roatan & Belize (21 hours). So what started out as 41 hours of excursion time has now been changed to 21 hours of excursion time (and two less places to visit). Not to continue to harp on this, but I just want others to understand how things have changed since we first booked. Atleast NCL is refunding our port charges--------I wasn't sure about that.

 

Who's on the 20th cruise? Wanna set up cocktail time? We've got LOTS of time for that now!

 

Oh---and I also agree with Sue Sea wholeheartedly about everything in her post----especially how you make choices re: ship, rooms, itineraries, etc. This does make a difference and is probably why so many feel frustrated! I'd rather spend a week at sea on The Freedom of the Seas where my kids will have lots of entertainment. I'm worried it's going to get boring and the kids are going to get very restless with that many days on the ship! The Sun doesn't have that many kid oriented things from what I can see----let's hope I'm wrong.

[newmexicoNita]

I am not talking only about this latest incidence - disregard for it's customers seems to be the norm for NCL - this board is covered with examples - the latest incidence only adds to the growing list - I realize some people love days at sea - however, this particular cruise started out with only 2 days at sea and most booked this cruise exactly for that reason.

I am not disputing complaints about customer service, but am the norm as for sea days and the past. With the exception of weather problems and the mechanical problems with the Dream can anyone give other examples of NCL skipping ports or not offering many. I can remember when all lines offers 2 or 3 ports on a 7 day cruise. NCL was the first to add to this. Most others are still offering 3 on a 7 day and 2 on a 4 or 5 day. Celebrity does the same as NCL in most cases: 4 or 5 on a 7 day cruise. When you mention the several examples, yes, there are several, as there are on almost every board with the exception of Celebrity. They too get blasted but not as often. Most of those who do the complaining are the same passengers over and over. The same as most of us who defend are the same ones. This is what these boards are all about. As long as the slams do not get to be too personal, insulting or nit picking I have no problems. Will your views or mine change too many minds about what line to cruise? I don't think so, will people learn from our threads? I hope a little and will the cruise lines pick up on what is making us happy and not happy? I would think so, they do read CC.

[tray]

I did not know that the cruise lines read CC! Very interesting!!

[SueSea]

With the exception of weather problems and the mechanical problems with the Dream can anyone give other examples of NCL skipping ports or not offering many.

 

Yes, indeedy! Check out the reviews of the Wind's Hawaii cruises. Fanning Island is a frequent miss. Star, too, but not as frequent. On my Wind cruise when we were about to board the ship to sail for Fanning Island, I actually had a local in Kona see me off by saying, "See you later--that ship always has to turn around!" And, of course, we did.

 

I'm not saying there aren't extenuating circumstances, like medical emergencies, but you just asked for examples--not examples where NCL was not at fault.

[newmexicoNita]

Yes, indeedy! Check out the reviews of the Wind's Hawaii cruises. Fanning Island is a frequent miss. Star, too, but not as frequent. On my Wind cruise when we were about to board the ship to sail for Fanning Island, I actually had a local in Kona see me off by saying, "See you later--that ship always has to turn around!" And, of course, we did.

 

I'm not saying there aren't extenuating circumstances, like medical emergencies, but you just asked for examples--not examples where NCL was not at fault.

you are correct: I forgot about Fanning Island. slap me with a wet noodle. NCL is still known for being very port friendly. NMnita

[newmexicoNita]

I did not know that the cruise lines read CC! Very interesting!!

Yes, we were told this by the NCL staff on the Jewel and also by Celebrity at our CC meeting. NMNita ps; in both cases they stressed they did not live on the computers the way some of us do, but they tried to catch up every few days or so.

[tidecruiser]

Okay, not meaning to be an alarmist :-) . . . But those of us on the 10/30 Sun cruise, now we have Beta hanging out around Roatan and Belize . . . I may be hoping for two port calls soon :-)

[newmexicoNita]

I heard about Beta this morning on the news, but not much real info. Will this ever go away? NMnita

[Jfultz81]

Ok, if something horrible happens and we are left with no ports to go to, will they let us cancel then without penalty? I refuse to pay over $1100 to go nowhere for 7 days!