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Experience on NCL Breakaway - Pretty funny, pretty annoying.

ARYANJ89

By ARYANJ89,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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ARYANJ89

ARYANJ89

Posted
Posted

Just off the 8/27 sailing. Had a wonderful cruise. There were some passengers who though the water was rough the first sea day going down but I didn't feel it.

 

On the last sea day, I decided last minute to go to the spa for a facial and massage. I don't use credit cards when I board the ship, but I do put cash to my onboard account. I didn't anticipate any other costs on the last sea day and when I booked my appointment, I honestly didn't even think of putting my cash on my onboard account. I thought I had enough left over from when I first deposited cash.

 

I had a nice massage and facial, but started feeling achey and tired during the session (followed by sniffles and coughing). When I was finished and went to pay, the masseuse notified me that she would have to charge me later since my card was deactivated. I told her I would take care of it. Afterwards, I immediately went back to my stateroom to sleep the aches and pains away. The spa called as I walked into my room and said I had to put money on my card at that moment. I said I would take care of it later. The manager said OK. I went to bed and received over 20 calls afterward. The phone would not stop ringing and I did not pick up. There were a total of 5 messages left on my voicemail.

 

Obviously, the ship won't allow you to disembark without having your account paid. I went to guest services before dinner and the line was very long (as expected - it was the last night). My honey and I decided to go get dinner first and enjoy our last dinner onboard. We were just finishing dessert when the maitre d came over and said verbatim... "Good evening! I hope you enjoyed vacation and dessert.... *pause* I am so sorry I have to do this, but the Mandara Spa and Finance Department need to see you right away to settle an urgent matter. Please get that taken care of right away. Again, I apologize for doing this."

 

I still wasn't feeling well, but my honey and I looked at each other and were stunned. I owed a total of $199. I found this to be pretty forward and in poor taste, especially as an avid NCL cruiser. At the same time, I was stunned and thought it was very funny that they would literally hunt us down.

 

Needless to say, the services were paid for. Has this ever happened to anyone? Has anyone been hunted down?!

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uneamie Great Review Rare

uneamie

Posted
Posted
Just off the 8/27 sailing. Had a wonderful cruise. There were some passengers who though the water was rough the first sea day going down but I didn't feel it.

 

On the last sea day, I decided last minute to go to the spa for a facial and massage. I don't use credit cards when I board the ship, but I do put cash to my onboard account. I didn't anticipate any other costs on the last sea day and when I booked my appointment, I honestly didn't even think of putting my cash on my onboard account. I thought I had enough left over from when I first deposited cash.

 

I had a nice massage and facial, but started feeling achey and tired during the session (followed by sniffles and coughing). When I was finished and went to pay, the masseuse notified me that she would have to charge me later since my card was deactivated. I told her I would take care of it. Afterwards, I immediately went back to my stateroom to sleep the aches and pains away. The spa called as I walked into my room and said I had to put money on my card at that moment. I said I would take care of it later. The manager said OK. I went to bed and received over 20 calls afterward. The phone would not stop ringing and I did not pick up. There were a total of 5 messages left on my voicemail.

 

Obviously, the ship won't allow you to disembark without having your account paid. I went to guest services before dinner and the line was very long (as expected - it was the last night). My honey and I decided to go get dinner first and enjoy our last dinner onboard. We were just finishing dessert when the maitre d came over and said verbatim... "Good evening! I hope you enjoyed vacation and dessert.... *pause* I am so sorry I have to do this, but the Mandara Spa and Finance Department need to see you right away to settle an urgent matter. Please get that taken care of right away. Again, I apologize for doing this."

 

I still wasn't feeling well, but my honey and I looked at each other and were stunned. I owed a total of $199. I found this to be pretty forward and in poor taste, especially as an avid NCL cruiser. At the same time, I was stunned and thought it was very funny that they would literally hunt us down.

 

Needless to say, the services were paid for. Has this ever happened to anyone? Has anyone been hunted down?!

Hmm...perhaps they thought you were going to leave without paying since you were not answering any of their calls. That said, how did they know where to find you would be my question and why didn't they just send someone from the spa to speak with you after your meal?
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PelicanBill

PelicanBill

Posted
Posted

You know, I have turned around numerous times when seeing that line too. Their behavior does cross the line into harassment if you ask me. How they did know where you were eating and what table? Were you at a specialty restaurant on a reservation? If so, I would have told them they can cover the specialty upcharge for interrupting the dinner. They really need to open more lines when guest services backs up like that.

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triptolemus

triptolemus

Posted
Posted

 

Obviously, the ship won't allow you to disembark without having your account paid. I!

 

Maybe try looking at it from NCL's perspective for a moment and understand why it is they would rather not have balances on open accounts wait until the last minute to be taken care of. Personally, if my account was deactivated and I owed $200, I would go take care of it immediately, aches and pains or not. It is just the right thing to do rather than put someone to whom I owe money in the uncomfortable position of having to repeatedly ask for it.

 

6LPYc_0R5Qg

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Cruzncutie

Cruzncutie

Posted
Posted

They may have flagged your account or just checked where it was last swiped. I was on the 8/26 Escape sailing and I'm pretty sure I saw the same sort of thing happen. Adrian, the concierge, was swiping our cards as we left. The escort who led us on the ship on embarkation day was standing next to him. After swiping this particular passengers card, he asked her to step to the side. I saw her a few minutes later while walking down the ramp. She was not a happy camper!!

 

 

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beachgoddess

beachgoddess

Posted
Posted

If you knew you owed money, why not just pay it so they wouldn't have to hunt you down?If a cruise line owed you money, wouldn't you be frustrated that they were ignoring you? I'm sure you'd go to many lengths to get your money back from them. I think you just wanted to pay them when it was convenient for you, so if they had to hunt you down, that's on you.

 

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shof515 "Live from...." Rare

shof515

Posted
Posted
That said, how did they know where to find you would be my question and why didn't they just send someone from the spa to speak with you after your meal?

on all of the ships I've been on (carnival and Norwegian) they either ask for your key card or your room number. they key in the system so that at the end of the day (or whatever they do it), they know who your waiter was and how to distribute the tips/gratuities/service charge to them.

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njhorseman

njhorseman

Posted
Posted (edited)
on all of the ships I've been on (carnival and Norwegian) they either ask for your key card or your room number. they key in the system so that at the end of the day (or whatever they do it), they know who your waiter was and how to distribute the tips/gratuities/service charge to them.

 

And when I go to dinner with friends from two or three other cabins but they only swipe one key card, how do they know who the others in the party are and whether they've paid their service charge or have had it removed? This isn't a speculative post on my part...it's done that way all the time...one card swiped regardless of how many others you're dining with.

 

Your story is a fabrication that never was true but somehow keeps rearing its illogical and nonsensical head here.

Edited by njhorseman
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Enavigo

Enavigo

Posted
Posted
Citation needed.

 

 

 

This made me laugh out loud! It reminded me of my time as managing editor of the Law Review back in my law school days. Authors would make outlandish statements all the time with nothing to back them up. I started by calling them out with long statements like "you make a legal conclusion without any documented support for your proposition."

 

After about 3 month of that I just started saying "citation omitted?" Thanks for the good laugh and trip down memory lane. [emoji3]

 

 

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Weetahbugdotcom

Weetahbugdotcom

Posted
Posted
Maybe try looking at it from NCL's perspective for a moment and understand why it is they would rather not have balances on open accounts wait until the last minute to be taken care of. Personally, if my account was deactivated and I owed $200, I would go take care of it immediately, aches and pains or not. It is just the right thing to do rather than put someone to whom I owe money in the uncomfortable position of having to repeatedly ask for it.

 

 

 

6LPYc_0R5Qg

 

 

 

That lady was wrong and terrible, but that disgusting pig screaming "lock her up," was just as terrible, trying to incite. Ugh.

 

 

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newmexicoNita

newmexicoNita

Posted
Posted
Just off the 8/27 sailing. Had a wonderful cruise. There were some passengers who though the water was rough the first sea day going down but I didn't feel it.

 

On the last sea day, I decided last minute to go to the spa for a facial and massage. I don't use credit cards when I board the ship, but I do put cash to my onboard account. I didn't anticipate any other costs on the last sea day and when I booked my appointment, I honestly didn't even think of putting my cash on my onboard account. I thought I had enough left over from when I first deposited cash.

 

I had a nice massage and facial, but started feeling achey and tired during the session (followed by sniffles and coughing). When I was finished and went to pay, the masseuse notified me that she would have to charge me later since my card was deactivated. I told her I would take care of it. Afterwards, I immediately went back to my stateroom to sleep the aches and pains away. The spa called as I walked into my room and said I had to put money on my card at that moment. I said I would take care of it later. The manager said OK. I went to bed and received over 20 calls afterward. The phone would not stop ringing and I did not pick up. There were a total of 5 messages left on my voicemail.

 

Obviously, the ship won't allow you to disembark without having your account paid. I went to guest services before dinner and the line was very long (as expected - it was the last night). My honey and I decided to go get dinner first and enjoy our last dinner onboard. We were just finishing dessert when the maitre d came over and said verbatim... "Good evening! I hope you enjoyed vacation and dessert.... *pause* I am so sorry I have to do this, but the Mandara Spa and Finance Department need to see you right away to settle an urgent matter. Please get that taken care of right away. Again, I apologize for doing this."

 

I still wasn't feeling well, but my honey and I looked at each other and were stunned. I owed a total of $199. I found this to be pretty forward and in poor taste, especially as an avid NCL cruiser. At the same time, I was stunned and thought it was very funny that they would literally hunt us down.

 

Needless to say, the services were paid for. Has this ever happened to anyone? Has anyone been hunted down?!

unfortunately this is the spa beast. This is why we do not use the spa or I should say regularly. it is owned and managed separate from NCL. I have yet to see one that is friendly, and they are all money hungry. NCL had no choice. A similar experienced happened to us a few years ago on the DAwn. Don't come down too hard on NCL. In our case, customer service desk was, so apolicitic but we knew his hands were tied. In our case it didn't have to do with money but another issue; still very bad PR on the Spa end of the problem.

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newmexicoNita

newmexicoNita

Posted
Posted
Yet another reason to just put your credit card down...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

that is so true. I am always surprised at people who do not use CC in cases like this. I am sure they have reasons but CCs are the only way to go. Even if it means obtaining one with only a thousand dollars of it or something like that.

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StolidCruiser

StolidCruiser

Posted
Posted
Why didn't you send your honey to pay it for you? There's no way you rested well with the phone ringing so much - just handle it.

 

Honey probably had more important things to do too. Resting because you had the sniffles, too impatient to wait in a Guest Services line, not wanting to miss that meal.... all justifiable reasons not to settle your bill when asked (because cash accounts are never insufficiently funded and abused by certain guests). :rolleyes:

 

I find this neither funny nor annoying. I do find it embarrassing on the part of the OP who seems oblivious to the reasonableness of a merchant wanting to be paid for the services - p:halo:rovided on the last sea day off the cruise no less. The defense "they won't let us off the ship with a balanced owed" pretty much speaks volumes about the poster's "I'll take care of it when I'm ready" mentality.

 

I'm always amazed when the foolish try to make someone else the fool. To answer the OP's question (Has this ever happened to anyone? Has anyone been hunted down?!) the answer would be no... because we pay our bill promptly and don't make anyone chase after us.

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LrgPizza

LrgPizza

Posted
Posted

I am kind of surprised about how lax the OP was about taking care of this. I mean, I would have been mortified and taken care of it immediately, regardless of aches or lines. That's just me though. Be a stand up person and don't require so many calls and nags to make things right. The fault is yours alone here.

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packer99

packer99

Posted
Posted

I would have been mortified and embarrassed that I didn't have enough on my card to pay for it. I would have taken care of it asap. And yes, you deserved to get your dinner interrupted. You are complaining that they wanted their money after they performed a service?

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