Anyone else starting to wonder if the Gem is going anywhere!?

[maggie cruises]

If I had cfar insurance I would wait until the very last second to cancel

 

Why?

 

Because ncl is not doing right by promising pax port info then not following up so why would I cancel weeks in advance and give them the opportunity to resell my cabin?

 

Why should they get 2x the fare?

 

 

 

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[oliver033]

So clueless.

[Smong]

So clueless.

Lmao!

[medtech71]

Yeah....I get it...hurricanes...yeah, ok. BUT it’s not like an asteroid fell from the sky. The islands were hit by hurricanes, in a hurricane area, during hurricane season. So, why no contingency plans? Why no communications plan? You say you’re going to update people in two weeks, then a week after your own self imposed due date passes...you say nothing? If I was sailing in 3 weeks, I’d be livid. It’s not a logistical nightmare, or if it is, who’s fault is that? FEMA is dealing with a logistical nightmare...the Red Cross is dealing with a logistical nightmare. NCL needs to park boats.

 

This is what the military refers to as a gong show.

[Loonbeam]

See previous posts...

 

There are contingency plans for hurricanes. There are ones that take into account ports going off line.

 

No line had contingency plans complex enough to cover 2 major hurricanes within a few days causing 6 ports going off line for an extended period, 5 ports going off line for at least some time, several ports with reduced capacity and one of the offline ports being an embarkation port.. No contingency plan is going to handle over 17 berths per day being eliminated in the Eastern Caribbean. In this case, it IS like an asteroid fell from the sky.

 

 

Generally speaking the cruise lines did a pretty good job shuffling things around even if people were not always happy with the results.

 

 

The Gem is a special case. Because of her departure point, options are very limited (basically CA, Bermuda and the heavily damaged Easten Carib). Western and Southern Carib are not in play due to travel time. CA/NE was pretty much booked for the rest of season before hurricanes hit and then it gets too cold. Bermuda's few available slots filled up quickly as there are still ships calling there regularly.. You can't mix and match those areas, so they are having a very hard time trying to find ports (Halifax/Jamaica is an interesting idea but not really practical).

 

The lack of communication is completely valid as a concern, even if that communication is 'still working on it!'. But the lines can't manage that during good conditions, so.....

 

This is one of those scenarios where all the options are bad.

 

Yeah....I get it...hurricanes...yeah, ok. BUT it’s not like an asteroid fell from the sky. The islands were hit by hurricanes, in a hurricane area, during hurricane season. So, why no contingency plans? Why no communications plan? You say you’re going to update people in two weeks, then a week after your own self imposed due date passes...you say nothing? If I was sailing in 3 weeks, I’d be livid. It’s not a logistical nightmare, or if it is, who’s fault is that? FEMA is dealing with a logistical nightmare...the Red Cross is dealing with a logistical nightmare. NCL needs to park boats.

 

This is what the military refers to as a gong show.

[vince_g]

Yeah....I get it...hurricanes...yeah, ok. BUT it’s not like an asteroid fell from the sky. The islands were hit by hurricanes, in a hurricane area, during hurricane season. So, why no contingency plans? Why no communications plan? You say you’re going to update people in two weeks, then a week after your own self imposed due date passes...you say nothing? If I was sailing in 3 weeks, I’d be livid. It’s not a logistical nightmare, or if it is, who’s fault is that? FEMA is dealing with a logistical nightmare...the Red Cross is dealing with a logistical nightmare. NCL needs to park boats.

 

This is what the military refers to as a gong show.

 

Get out while you can!

I remember getting a call from TA on Sep. 6th. They were getting their offices in Port St. Lucie ready for Irma, and wanted to make sure my Sep. 8th final payment was received, so my cruise didn't get canceled. I really wish I had told them to cancel it, and then take the $100 hit. Hind sight is useless though. LOL

[geegee1]

... you can be assured you will have a good time.

 

You can't be certain of that

[bronzey214]

New email from NCL. Wait another week. Yeah, been there, done that.

 

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[bronzey214]

New email from NCL. Wait another week. Yeah, been there, done that.

 

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Attached is the text

 

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[ChiefMike]

Haven't gotten a copy of that yet in my inbox, but who said we are being patient??? They obviously aren't reading this forum.

[SweetBlossom1511]

We are on the Gem 1/3 sailing. My mom called yesterday seeking an update and they advised that they are still working on it. My mom asked whether the new itinerary would be Florida and the Bahamas and if so, would they provide any kind of compensation for their guests since Fl and Bahamas are generally too cold for beach activities in Jan. The person she spoke with said she wasn't at liberty to discuss the specifics of any new itinerary yet but "she could virtually guarantee it won't be Fla & the Bahamas."

Seems like there isn't a consensus between customer service reps, so take it for what it's worth...

[cxc362]

but "she could virtually guarantee it won't be Fla & the Bahamas."

 

I hope that is accurate. We're also on the 1/3 sailing and definitely don't want that itinerary.

[oliver033]

We are on the Gem 1/3 sailing. My mom called yesterday seeking an update and they advised that they are still working on it. My mom asked whether the new itinerary would be Florida and the Bahamas and if so, would they provide any kind of compensation for their guests since Fl and Bahamas are generally too cold for beach activities in Jan. The person she spoke with said she wasn't at liberty to discuss the specifics of any new itinerary yet but "she could virtually guarantee it won't be Fla & the Bahamas."

Seems like there isn't a consensus between customer service reps, so take it for what it's worth...

 

Get ready for Iceland!

[CROWNCRUISER]

Just got off phone with NCL Gem 10/31/2017 sailing as of right now, Updated itinerary should be available 10/16/17. San Juan now is still on the table as well as St. Kitts. They are still waiting to hear final answers from port authorities they have contacted to replace St. Thomas St. Maartan and Tortola. November 1 is the start of buy season for cruising in the Caribbean

[bones774]

Here is another side of this coin. I called NCL yesterday to book the 10/31 Gem sailing, i'm just looking for a bargain cruise and i live in NY so it's easy. Talking with the NCL rep he made no mention of any cancellations and/or changes in itinerary from that listed on the site. He was very intent on getting me to sign up and offering a couple of inducements and describing what a wonderful bargain it was, even stating what a great bunch of ports to visit. I didn't book as of yet, saw it dropped another few dollars today, how low can it go?

[ChiefMike]

You would think that they would at least be transparent and inform you that there is a itinerary change pending. Surprised I haven't gotten my email yet telling me to wait another week like others apparently received.

 

 

Here is another side of this coin. I called NCL yesterday to book the 10/31 Gem sailing, i'm just looking for a bargain cruise and i live in NY so it's easy. Talking with the NCL rep he made no mention of any cancellations and/or changes in itinerary from that listed on the site. He was very intent on getting me to sign up and offering a couple of inducements and describing what a wonderful bargain it was, even stating what a great bunch of ports to visit. I didn't book as of yet, saw it dropped another few dollars today, how low can it go?

[vince_g]

Just received the email from NCL for my Dec. 12 Gem. They say it's going to be another week to rearrange the itinerary.

[cxc362]

Just received the email from NCL for my Dec. 12 Gem. They say it's going to be another week to rearrange the itinerary.

 

Did anyone on the 1/3/18 sailing receive the email. We did not. Thanks!