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This cheerleader is just feeling...let down

Medtech2

By Medtech2,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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Medtech2

Medtech2

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I'll be posting a full review of my November 6 Gem cruise in a few days but I just wanted to stop in and say that I am finally getting to the point where I will be trying other lines.

 

DH and I started back to cruising in 2010 after a 25 year absence with a perfect 2 weeks on the Epic. Due to us both having piddling jobs with limited time off we were not able to cruise often enough to achieve my goal of sailing each Norwegian ship before now and all these changes with new leadership have spoiled that goal as I am not going to continue a quest with a product that has definitely lost its luster.

 

I was hoping the changes that have been discussed ad nauseum on this board would not affect my love of NCL cruising but all the little things are starting to add up and this last cruise on the Gem dimmed things enough so that I am not a sole NCL cruiser at heart any more.

 

I had booked this cruise 11 months ago and picked a week that was sandwiched between my having to work every 3rd weekend and a complete computer change at work. So when I found out much later that we would be calling on St. Maarten on a national holiday and most places would be closed I could not change cruise dates. I was however, surprised that NCL would schedule the ports in an order that had us docking on such a major holiday instead of changing things up so that we would be there on a regular day.

 

We had originally been excited that we were returning to St. Maarten in order to go to a restaurant we had missed during a timeshare vacation, eat more of their excellent Island made Etna ice cream, and bring back another obscenely low priced wheel of the most delicious Gouda we'd ever eaten. Well, apparently Norwegian has a CORPORATE policy banning the bringing aboard of cheese. The Port Shopping guy outright LIED and told me it was "Maritime Law." Really? Did he think we just fell off a turnip truck and had not learned how to use the internet to immediately find out that was totally absurd? According to the store owner I talked with only NCL bans cheese. Both Carnival and RCI allow passengers to buy cheese to bring back to the States. He said many of his Puerto Rican customers cruise into St. Maarten just to stock up on cheeses that are so expensive back home. We're not talking runny, unpasteurized whatever but WAXED SEALED WHOLE WHEELS of Gouda that can easily sit at room temp a month or more. Restaurant closed, grocery closed so no ice cream, and now banned cheese. Which just means I'll be picking another line to return to St. Maarten in the future.

 

As the sailing date grew closer prices were dropping and I wanted to upsell but was quoted prices $400 more per person than what new bookings would have paid for the same cabin. If I paid $799 each for passengers 1 and 2 in an OV and the website was showing $699 per for a balcony why on earth was I quoted $1099? Absolutely ridiculous. So we stayed in the OV.

 

Embarkation was a nightmare. There was a massive downpour after we boarded and many people's luggage was totally soaked, including mine and my daughter's. According to the HD they know the port has no covered luggage storage so my suggestion was to make sure each guest knows that in advance so that they keep their luggage with them if they are physically able. We never would have let the porters take our luggage if we had known it wasn't being sent into the building like in other ports. They did wash everything but I didn't want to hear excuse after excuse when it would have been so easy to have an email or attachment to San Juan ticket contracts that stated the port situation and the lack of protection for luggage. Having a sign that said "Keep your carryon" without any other explanation did not do it.

 

Our steward did not show up for turn down one night or to clean the next day so that we actually called Guest Services to see if he was sick. He said we had the Do Not Disturb sign turned. Well, yes, that night from 8 pm to 9 pm we did as we were getting dressed but we turned it back at 9. He said he went off duty at 9:30. I totally get that but he outright lied when he said we had the sign turned past that time when he got off duty as we had a 9 pm dinner reservation and the wheel was at Turn Down still when we returned at 11pm. He said he was waiting in the crew closet. Well fella, if I'd known you were in a closet I'd have gotten you. Why did he not check again before clocking out? Gone are the days when stewards were visible and available and actually said Hi with a cheery voice. Instead he had 15 cabins and no help and he was not a happy camper, which showed. It was obvious he was in a hurry as we found dust so thick on the phone table it was completely white.

 

On more than one occasion I had the uncomfortable instance of seeing crew being reprimanded in full view of guests or of crew arguing amongst themselves. It was embarassing that my daughter saw that, and not the sterling happy service of which I had been bragging all these years.

 

Under the UBP $16 was the limit which was fine but there was one drink we wanted to try that was more than that. We rarely drink so brands do not matter to us. We asked that this particular drink be made with a cheaper house brand in order to put it below the $16 limit and the bartender almost frothed at the mouth when he said "no substitutions!" It wasn't the money, it was his reaction that was so disconcerting.

 

There are also no more ship pins, which were wonderful small keepsakes unique to each ship. I was very disappointed to find that I would not be getting a Gem pin to add to my collection.

 

Now, don't get me wrong, we still had a great vacation but it was unfortunate that there were enough nonstellar times that my daughter was emphatic when she said she'd never cruise NCL again. She just shook her head at our past glowing reports. Again, it was embarassing.

 

I still plan on going on the Escape at some future time but am not locked in to NCL for a much wanted Alaska cruise, or any other cruise now.

 

Oh well. I will be doing a review of the cabin, the ship, etc, in the near future, and it will not be dwelling on these negatives, let me assure you.

Edited by Medtech2
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Medtech2

Medtech2

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It sounds like you talked to the HD at one point - at least in regards to the luggage. Did you run any of the issues past the HD, and if so, what was the response?

As far as the luggage he blaimed the port facilities and the fact that they had over 600 Puerto Ricans on this sailing, which apparently surprised him. Again I tried to emphasize that it would be very easy to send an email blast out to San Juan cruisers telling them about the lack of facilities and the high probability of rain, or put the notice prominently on your cruise docs where it tells you which pier to use. Easily programmed.

 

And as far as being surprised so many Puerto Ricans were on board why would that matter? I can assure you that the Carnival ships sailing out of Charleston, SC are heavily booked by locals. He said they did not expect that so many would be off. That and St. Maarten sound like no one at NCL pays attention to local holidays, which logistically should matter. He also kept emphasizing that Puerto Ricans hold US passports and that is why they could not be held accountable that everyone showed up during the afternoon to embark. Again, every conversation was excuses, and not even a real apology.

 

My daughter was charged for a Bailey's and Coffee drink, even though it was alcoholic. He said it was because of staffing and not cost, as the coffee and alcohol is much cheaper than mixed drinks. Again it boiled down to NCL's decisions to cut staffing to the bone, and expect the crew to bear the brunt with a smile.

 

We did not bother him about our steward but alerted Guest Services, who definitely jumped on it, as the steward showed up within 15 minutes, but that person also just made the excuses, rather then a simple heartfelt apology.

 

I did not address the public dressing down of crew as that happened later in the week and I could tell by then that this crew was so overworked they just could not handle it.

 

The cheese issue was answered with "that's the rule." It was actually a guest services rep who said it was NCL Corporate policy. When I told her it would encourage me to cruise Carnival she seemed very surprised by that. I asked that she pass that info along but doubt it will happen. I know NCL USED to read these boards so that is part of the reason I am listing all this here.

 

As far as getting something for the wet luggage we did not ask for anything other than our clothes cleaned. My daughter's white capris were stained and they sent them through again, keeping them 3 days. The stain is gone but the fabric is now really worn. I heard from several other passengers they were demanding their luggage be replaced and getting OBC, etc. That's not how I operate, but it would have been nice to receive some acknowledgement and the all important apology, not the excuse...

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Lido_Deck

Lido_Deck

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What is the age range on Celebrity? Would a 21-year old be happy there (for a birthday cruise)? We are planning for an early May cruise.

 

No, not if they are looking for a party. Celebrity is similar to Princess where most people enjoy reading a good book by the pool or going to one of the lectures from guest speakers.

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Tarheel_Cruiser

Tarheel_Cruiser

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Our steward did not show up for turn down one night or to clean the next day so that we actually called Guest Services to see if he was sick. He said we had the Do Not Disturb sign turned. Well, yes, that night from 8 pm to 9 pm we did as we were getting dressed but we turned it back at 9. He said he went off duty at 9:30. I totally get that but he outright lied when he said we had the sign turned past that time when he got off duty as we had a 9 pm dinner reservation and the wheel was at Turn Down still when we returned at 11pm. He said he was waiting in the crew closet. Well fella, if I'd known you were in a closet I'd have gotten you. Why did he not check again before clocking out? Gone are the days when stewards were visible and available and actually said Hi with a cheery voice.

 

IMHO this is the effect of prepaying gratuities for services not yet rendered. There is no incentive to go above and beyond as they know they have already been tipped. I've never been able to wrap my head around this concept. I will pay them in advance (as I already have) but it goes beyond all tipping logic.

Edited by Tarheel_Cruiser
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Sissaaaaaa

Sissaaaaaa

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IMHO this is the effect of prepaying gratuities for services not yet rendered. There is no incentive to go above and beyond as they know they have already been tipped. I've never been able to wrap my head around this concept. I will pay them in advance (as I already have) but it goes beyond all tipping logic.

 

This happened to us once. We did not complain the first night, but when it happened again the second night, we did. I guess the steward was spoken to, and the issue resolved after that. We have been traveling with pre-paid gratuities for some time now, and it only happened once. The crew on NCL usually do go above and beyond. That is what keeps us coming back. The crew. Sometimes you just get a tired crew. It sucks, but it does happen. I wonder if they are at the end of their contract? That usually affects the service, unfortunately.

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rjrpar

rjrpar

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IMHO this is the effect of prepaying gratuities for services not yet rendered. There is no incentive to go above and beyond as they know they have already been tipped. I've never been able to wrap my head around this concept. I will pay them in advance (as I already have) but it goes beyond all tipping logic.

 

 

100% agree. It seems so obvious but many don't get it.

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Medtech2

Medtech2

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IMHO this is the effect of prepaying gratuities for services not yet rendered. There is no incentive to go above and beyond as they know they have already been tipped. I've never been able to wrap my head around this concept. I will pay them in advance (as I already have) but it goes beyond all tipping logic.

I had actually planned on giving him an extra cash tip at the end but this made me not do it. I did leave the DSC as is, however. On the flip side, the first time we ate in Cagney's we received such outstanding service we left extra over the 18%...

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Diane123boys

Diane123boys

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100% agree. It seems so obvious but many don't get it.

 

You know? I had never thought about the pre paids being the cause. it certainly makes sense now! I do agree also that its a crap shoot whether the steward you get is into their job every time every cruise. I know the adage, if they didnt want to be in the service industry, then why do it? BUT I also didnt know about the cheese!! Out of curiosity is it something that can be shipped ?

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Tarheel_Cruiser

Tarheel_Cruiser

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I had actually planned on giving him an extra cash tip at the end but this made me not do it. I did leave the DSC as is, however. On the flip side, the first time we ate in Cagney's we received such outstanding service we left extra over the 18%...

 

I do plan to take a stack of cash to do exactly that ... if the service warrants an additional tip. But if they just go through the motions, they can expect zilch on top of the prepaid.

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Lido_Deck

Lido_Deck

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IMHO this is the effect of prepaying gratuities for services not yet rendered. There is no incentive to go above and beyond as they know they have already been tipped. I've never been able to wrap my head around this concept. I will pay them in advance (as I already have) but it goes beyond all tipping logic.

 

There's no way the crew member knows whether gratuities are pre-paid or charged to someone's onboard account.

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vince_g

vince_g

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IMHO this is the effect of prepaying gratuities for services not yet rendered. There is no incentive to go above and beyond as they know they have already been tipped. I've never been able to wrap my head around this concept. I will pay them in advance (as I already have) but it goes beyond all tipping logic.

 

Why would you think the stewards know who has prepaid? Most businesses provide employees with just the data they need to perform their duties, and I do not believe NCL would provide the stewards with that information. JMHO.

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S.S.Oceanlover

S.S.Oceanlover

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This happened to us once. We did not complain the first night, but when it happened again the second night, we did. I guess the steward was spoken to, and the issue resolved after that. We have been traveling with pre-paid gratuities for some time now, and it only happened once. The crew on NCL usually do go above and beyond. That is what keeps us coming back. The crew. Sometimes you just get a tired crew. It sucks, but it does happen. I wonder if they are at the end of their contract? That usually affects the service, unfortunately.

 

The whole crew does not start at the same time so the tired crew from being at the end of their contract doesn't stand up for me.

 

They may be tired as hell from being over worked though as all the cruise lines keep cutting back and adding more responsibilities to their crew.

 

Somehow I think these bean counters think the crew members are machines. There is only so much an individual can do before you burn them out.

 

Bill

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Medtech2

Medtech2

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You know? I had never thought about the pre paids being the cause. it certainly makes sense now! I do agree also that its a crap shoot whether the steward you get is into their job every time every cruise. I know the adage, if they didnt want to be in the service industry, then why do it? BUT I also didnt know about the cheese!! Out of curiosity is it something that can be shipped ?

If you add shipping it negates the extremely reasonable cost. Since we were checking a bag flying we were looking forward to getting it. It would have been just a lovely coincidence once we realized we were checking a bag and going to St. Maarten.

 

We're talking $2/lb....

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