14 day cruise and only 5 ports now not 8!!!!!!! Not cool

[CateW]

We were on the 2/2/18 14 night sailing on the Breakaway. Our final payment was 10/4 (before the new itinerary was released), so we canceled and booked a 14 night Southern Caribbean cruise on Oceania Rivera. Yes, we do have to fly but I wasn't willing to roll the dice on an itinerary we weren't interested in. I'm happy with the decision. We'll be back to NCL in January 2019 to the Southern Caribbean I think. If you are before final payment, there are other choices. I feel bad for those that are after final payment ....

[Laszlo]

We were on the 2/2/18 14 night sailing on the Breakaway. Our final payment was 10/4 (before the new itinerary was released), so we canceled and booked a 14 night Southern Caribbean cruise on Oceania Rivera. Yes, we do have to fly but I wasn't willing to roll the dice on an itinerary we weren't interested in. I'm happy with the decision. We'll be back to NCL in January 2019 to the Southern Caribbean I think. If you are before final payment, there are other choices. I feel bad for those that are after final payment ....

 

 

Come back Cate!:D

[newmexicoNita]

I think NCL sucks!

It does, but what would you suggest they do about it? I know if I had booked the cruise, I would be a little bummed as well, and yet, I would take it with a grain of salt and make the best out of it I could. ;)

I look at is this way, we could be upset about all the crowds we are going to face on our Western Caribbean cruise in 4 weeks cause of all the ships that will be in port, those that would have been doing the Eastern route, but we are just going to relax not worry and enjoy our 10 days regardless of the crowds. It is time for everyone to stop whining and think about the other person. life is too short to spend time pouting and vacations are too rare to allow something like this to spoil them.

Edited October 11, 2017 by newmexicoNita

[newmexicoNita]

ANY other cruise company would indeed refund the port fees and government taxes on missed ports, usually a credit to your account on board. Norwegian Cruise Lines, however, does not. No way, no how! But if you blast Miami with emails for six months or so, they could end up changing their policy. Good luck with that. (This IS from personal experience.)

they certainly do refund port charges and taxes. We have had this happen to us twice: both times it shows up on your final statement.

[Mustangdrew]

Take insurance next time and either cancel or get paid for the change.

 

 

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[CateW]

Come back Cate!:D

 

Thanks Laszlo! Too late for this year, but will be back next year. ;p

[CateW]

Take insurance next time and either cancel or get paid for the change.

 

 

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Insurance does not pay for a changed itinerary prior to the ship leaving the pier.

[Heaven6566]

Seriously? After the death and devastation some islands were subjected to and you complain. You KNEW there would be changes! If you didn't, that's your problem. Selfish! I would actually book the new itinerary!

 

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[Cyber Kat]

Also expecting a compensation in port fees. I paid for 8 ports. Nobody in their right mind would flat out book a 14 day cruise offering just 5 ports for the price majority paid im not super thrilled about a refund. And gsc could have been thrown in or bonire hopefully cuz leaving aruba at noon is practically a 8th sea day hope they leave it open and get bonire. Just shocked they cant find more ports on a 2 week sailing

 

 

 

I guess I’m not in my right mind (though I’m perfectly fine with my mind the way it is). [emoji12] I book a cruise for the number of DAYS not the number of PORTS. I WOULD “flat out” book a 14 day cruise from NY with 5 ports and a lot of sea days. I don’t want to be in a port every day or every other day. I love ❤️ love ❤️ love ❤️ sea days - relaxing on my balcony, some reading time surrounded by beautiful blue water, leisurely dining instead of rushing off to get somewhere. Sea days are awesome! I’ll take it!

 

 

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[Cyber Kat]

Nothing like sea days, isn't that the reason we cruise

 

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Certainly high on my list for cruising. If I wanted to spend most of my time in port, I’d fly somewhere and stay for the whole time. When I cruise, I WANT to be at sea,

 

 

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[sanger727]

Insurance does not pay for a changed itinerary prior to the ship leaving the pier.

 

 

 

Actually, some do. I was 100% unaware of this, but some policies do have a term that if a port changes prior to departure they will give a set amount as a cash payment (the person I saw with a thread about it was going to get $2500 for the cabin). So not enough to cover canceling the trip, but certainly takes some of the sting out of a port change.

 

 

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[vince_g]

Insurance does not pay for a changed itinerary prior to the ship leaving the pier.

 

Nationwide cruise insurance does. The best plan pays 1,250 per person if itinerary changes prior to embarkation date. I happen to have that insurance, so it looks like I will get 2,500 back.

[pcur]

Also expecting a compensation in port fees. I paid for 8 ports. Nobody in their right mind would flat out book a 14 day cruise offering just 5 ports for the price majority paid im not super thrilled about a refund. And gsc could have been thrown in or bonire hopefully cuz leaving aruba at noon is practically a 8th sea day hope they leave it open and get bonire. Just shocked they cant find more ports on a 2 week sailing

 

Well, call me crazy, then, because we would love a 14 night cruise with only 5 ports. Me, not being in my right mind as you say, would love the sea days-to-ports ratio at 9-to-5!!

[vince_g]

Well, call me crazy, then, because we would love a 14 night cruise with only 5 ports. Me, not being in my right mind as you say, would love the sea days-to-ports ratio at 9-to-5!!

 

I'd be happy with it too. I'd rather have 3 sea days after NY and arrive in the AM, rather than 2 sea days, arriving in the afternoon. Docking at 4pm really limits what you can do. Feels like a lost day to me.

[broberts]

Seriously? After the death and devastation some islands were subjected to and you complain. You KNEW there would be changes! If you didn't, that's your problem. Selfish! I would actually book the new itinerary!

 

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The complaint was not that the itinerary changed. In fact the change was anticipated. As a careful reading of the OP will reveal, the dropping of almost half of the port days was not anticipated. For any who enjoy port days more than sea days this would be upsetting. Given the plethora of available ports, it is also puzzling.

 

Apparently disparaging posters takes precedence over facts.

[Laszlo]

Nationwide cruise insurance does. The best plan pays 1,250 per person if itinerary changes prior to embarkation date. I happen to have that insurance, so it looks like I will get 2,500 back.

 

 

Thats a pretty sweet deal! What was the upfront cost on it PP ?

[Love2cruise77]

Thats a pretty sweet deal! What was the upfront cost on it PP ?

 

This coverage is not available to residents of FL, MN, MO, NH, NY, OR, PA, VA, WA. :mad:

[vince_g]

Thats a pretty sweet deal! What was the upfront cost on it PP ?

 

The total cost was 179.78 to insure 3,000. Medical coverage is 150k and med evac is 1 million. They first gave me a quote of 206, but a message told me the price dropped, and it ended up being 179. This was without CFAR coverage.

[anastasia3939]

The complaint was not that the itinerary changed. In fact the change was anticipated. As a careful reading of the OP will reveal, the dropping of almost half of the port days was not anticipated. For any who enjoy port days more than sea days this would be upsetting. Given the plethora of available ports, it is also puzzling.

 

Apparently disparaging posters takes precedence over facts.

 

YES!!!!!! I am booked on this cruise. I did anticipate that the itinerary would change. We were notified by email more than two weeks prior to final payment that the itinerary would be changed, and that we would receive our updated itinerary WITHIN two weeks. Had they stuck to what they told us in the email, we would have received the updated itinerary BEFORE final payment. Unfortunately, they did not do what they said they were going to do. We did not receive an updated itinerary until after final payment. Heck, I didn't receive my email until last night! Apparently, they decided to handle this with a staggered notification. Maybe in anticipation of receiving numerous complaints?

Anyway, I booked the cruise precisely because it included 8 ports of call. Imagine that!!! Booking a port intensive cruise because you like Port Intensivity!!!!!! Had I wanted a high sea day to port ratio, that is what I would have booked. So yes, I will commiserate with the OP. This is disappointing. I don't think it has been handled well by NCL. I don't understand leaving Aruba at 12:00 pm on the second day, effectively giving us yet another sea day. I don't understand the NCL representative telling me there would be no refunds for port charges, when there are fewer ports. It's poo-ey. Yes, it's within the cruise line's rights.....but it leaves me with an icky feeling. I can express my dismay with the handling of the situation AND still feel deep compassion for the people of the caribbean AND still go have an amazing cruise. Wow! Mixed emotions...shades of grey....imagine that ;)!

[CPT Trips]

I do feel a change of itinerary of that magnitude should have come for an offer of a free cancellation even though it was after final payment. I know that cruise lines can change itineraries but that change is really too radical to be covered by that

 

Amen!

[Sam Ting]

Amen!

They suck!

[CPT Trips]

I *am* in this position. My itinerary on the Jade for Christmas completely changed. We’re not even calling on the islands that weren’t damaged. So, I think I can speak to this.

 

My wife and I watched helplessly as one by one, our Christmas cruise ports were washed away. We don’t have tons of disposable cash, so we have been waiting, like so many others, to find out where we were going.

 

We really wanted to do our original itinerary, but we realized that was highly unlikely. At that point, we just wanted our annual Christmas cruise, and we trusted NCL would come up with something relatively reasonable.

 

We’re going to Grand Cayman (been there, done that), Falmouth, Jamaica (our fourth or fifth visit to Jamaica, ho-hum) and the ABCs (all three, so Bonaire is new for us.)

 

Am I happy? Well, we get to see one new island instead of two. So it goes. So, no, I’m not really happy.

 

Am I freaking out? No, there were two major hurricanes through the area. I am shallow enough to admit while I am happy to donate what I can to help recovery, I don’t need to spend my vacation in an area trying to rebuild. So, we’re going somewhere else. Life happens.

 

We did not accuse NCL of deliberately waiting to announce where we were going. I’ve been in IT for 35 years, and I almost understand the amount of variables involved in multiple cruise lines rescheduling multiple ships of different capacities with multiple cruise lengths, leaving from different ports, given a subset of ports of call available, and knowing that some ships cannot dock in some ports.

 

I can be disappointed without immediately lapsing into conspiracy theories that the cruise lines are making sure nobody can cancel, or blaming the cruise line for avoiding hurricane-ravaged islands.

 

I’ve actually read the cruise contract terms and conditions, so I know ports can change for a vast number of reasons and I understand that a Cat 5 hurricane is a good freakin’ reason.

 

So, I can understand people are disappointed - I am - but there is a limit before it just becomes whining, and blaming NCL for changing itineraries when weather destroyed some of the most popular ports is a bit much.

 

Am I happy? Not really. There were islands I had never visited on our original itinerary, which is hard to find. Am I still getting a 10-day cruise? Yes. Am I going to sail with a positive attitude? I plan to do so.

 

 

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Assuming you were informed of the new ports after final payment, would you think better of NCL if they allowed you to cancel? Would you have cancelled?

[Shebear1965]

I am from Houston Texas. If I could post pictures on here and you could see the devastation that hurricane survivors go through I think you might change you mind. Been almost 6 weeks since Harvey hit. Piles of trash still line the streets. These piles tell the story. Couches, refrigerators, mattresses, clothing, pots and pans, to name some items that you will find in these piles. People's lives have been put on hold. We are dealing with mold, homelessness, snakes bugs, ect...

 

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[Cyber Kat]

The complaint was not that the itinerary changed. In fact the change was anticipated. As a careful reading of the OP will reveal, the dropping of almost half of the port days was not anticipated. For any who enjoy port days more than sea days this would be upsetting. Given the plethora of available ports, it is also puzzling.

 

 

 

Apparently disparaging posters takes precedence over facts.

 

 

 

And how do you know there is a “plethora of available ports?” Do you have access to the scheduling nightmare that ALL the cruise lines are dealing with right now?

 

That’s something many seem to be ignoring. These ARE facts - facts all cruise lines are facing in the wake of these devastating storms. Four ports- at least 3 of them major - have been knocked out for the next month or two, at the very least. Several others were damaged - not as badly, but the storms may have damaged piers and port infrastructure that must still be repaired. Perhaps they could take 2 ships before, and now can only take one.

 

Most other ports were probably booked to capacity, months ago. Many others probably only have limited capacity - maybe for only one or 2 more ships. This is definitely going to be first come, first served and I suspect the cruise ports will want to cater to their regular visitors first, regardless of which line inquired first.

 

Take Bermuda, for instance, they can only port 2 ships at a time unless a ship is small like HAL Veendam, or the new Viking ocean ships that can dock in Hamilton. Those 2 piers that can handle larger ships are booked solid for the entire season. So if a line was looking to put a ship in there, forget it.

 

Another factor the lines have to consider is how far they can travel within the limits of a set number of cruise days. Ships leaving from FL have more ports to pick from than a ship leaving from NY, NJ, Boston or Baltimore simply because of distance. So you get less ports and more sea days. It’s simply logistics.

 

So that kind of dilutes that “plethora” of yours.

 

Then say that some ports whose piers are full, allow tendering to those ships with limited slots that are seeking any port in a storm. The line now has to take into consideration how many guests will whine about tendering, and moan that the ports are so crowded. What about excursions? A port that accepts more ships than they can handle is likely not to have any desirable excursions left for the line or even individuals to book.

 

Can the port handle transporting an additional 3000, 4000, or 5000 people to get them to beaches, shopping areas or activities? Or are you all going to spend your time in that port standing on line (and probably whinging about that too).

 

The cruise lines are doing their best to give their guests a nice vacation in the face of a daunting task. That’s a fact, and you either have to accept that or cancel and take your lumps - even if you do have insurance. Stuff happens. Happens all the time.

 

I don’t like it when my plans get messed up,either, but I’m a realist and I understand it happens. I can’t change that stuff happens, I can only control my reaction to it. I look at my options, pick one and move forward making the best of it. Maybe I’ll grumble to let off steam, but in reality I know, no one will care [emoji13]

 

These ARE the facts and the only disparaging I’ve seen has been directed to those who lack common sense. It’s an asset that is often scarce.

 

I have no idea where my March cruise is going. It may be as planned or it may not. All I know is that I plan to enjoy every minute!

[Laszlo]

This coverage is not available to residents of FL, MN, MO, NH, NY, OR, PA, VA, WA. :mad:

 

Well that sucks!:mad: