First NCL cruise will be my last NCL cruise - Bliss

[jeffjeffjeffjeff]

For those of you that keep replying that it isn't a bid deal because you have better go karts on land, or don't like them, or your kid is tall enough. Thanks. You are doing your part to keep this near the top so other parents like myself who do care can see it. However you must realize that your replies aren't all that helpful. 

 

Let's frame this differently so that maybe you can understand how you would feel if a company removed a feature of the cruise that you were looking forward to. Lets say that NCL decided found a safety issue. They have data that shows people under 50 were far too likely to get drunk and fall down, injuring themselves. So, They change their policy and no longer sell alcohol to people under 50.

 

Because it is a safety concern and human life matters more than getting drunk the posters on cruise critic tell you to go jogging instead. Tell your wife or husband that life is full of disappointment and they will be better off, because jogging is better for you than drinking. You call up NCL and they rudely tell you that they are within their rights to do it (they are, no argument there)  and then don't return your calls. 

 

That situation is exactly parallel to what NCL just did. 

[jeffjeffjeffjeff]

5 minutes ago, phillyguy31 said:

Ok let's keep it to the facts as you stated here, they changed the height policy and didn't notify anyone, do you want them to send an email out to everyone who has booked the Bliss even though it affects a very small number of passengers. What do you want them to offer? Will OBC make you son feel better or you? If he is really going to be that upset there is nothing NCL could do to make him happy but let him ride the carts. Also if he is allowed how many times would he ride them? From what I hear they book up fast and you are luck to get 2 rides, so the rest of the cruise is spoiled for because of 20 minutes? However I do agree with you about call backs they are an important thing for customer service, that being said the PCC can and will only read from the rules. They can't change them and if they said it was OK the the crew on the ship said NO the ship wins at least at that time. I would just play dumb, don't plan on a fight and if he is denied take it up on the ship. You stand a better chance of getting it resolved there instead of on the phone. It is interesting that you had your doubts to begin with and seemed to jump through hoops to make sure it was 48".

I have fully kept to the facts. Yes I expect them to send an email. I get 4 emails a day from them, one of them should include the news.

 

By removing the karts they have taken value away from me. An OBC would not make my son feel better, it would however make me feel better. It would make me feel like they give a damn. I don't debate that they are within their rights to tell me to go to hell, which they clearly did. That doesn't mean that they should. 

 

I planned to get the weekly pass. My understanding is that you can do them multiple times a day.

 

As for the guy reading the website. That was specifically around passengers. Several people have stated that smaller people an be riders. NCL has no additional info for their phone people. When the guy said that riders would also need to be 55" it was like he was asking me. This makes the problem worse because I don't want to risk resetting expectations without good info, and nobody has that.

[roger001]

I'm with you.  I'd climb on that ship with a bad attitude.  I don't care how much other fun stuff might be there to enjoy, I got screwed on this deal and this cruise will suck.   It's go karts or nothing.  My opinion anyhow.......                

[jeffjeffjeffjeff]

2 minutes ago, roger001 said:

I'm with you.  I'd climb on that ship with a bad attitude.  I don't care how much other fun stuff might be there to enjoy, I got screwed on this deal and this cruise will suck.   It's go karts or nothing.  My opinion anyhow.......                

Not going to do that, but I'm also not going to pretend that NCL didn't screw up. Like I said in my original post hoping someone else catches this soon enough to avoid the ship if this was important to them. Round these parts you get a few useful replies (formula comes to mind) and a bunch of people who think NCL can do no wrong. 

 

But if I keep one family from being in the tough spot I'm in, then it was worth it.

[mjkacmom]

I’m sure they increased the height after they discovered 4’8” was too short, due to safety or kids that short not being able to drive them properly. Good for NCL! Heck, they’ve taken slides away without any notice. Do they need to contact every single customer for every single change? They removed smoked salmon from the buffet after I booked my cruise, I love smoked salmon. Should I have received an email and OBC?

[MikeBTN]

18 minutes ago, jeffjeffjeffjeff said:

Not going to do that, but I'm also not going to pretend that NCL didn't screw up. Like I said in my original post hoping someone else catches this soon enough to avoid the ship if this was important to them. Round these parts you get a few useful replies (formula comes to mind) and a bunch of people who think NCL can do no wrong. 

 

But if I keep one family from being in the tough spot I'm in, then it was worth it.

 

NCL didn't "screw up", they altered a policy.  It happens all the time.  See the recent posts regarding change to the alcohol prices as evidence.

 

You can take issue with customer service if you wish, but my experience with ALL cruise lines is the people you talk to have almost no idea what actually occurs on board the ship.  They're probably trying to get info for you, which is difficult considering the Bliss is at sea and not there in Miami.  I'm not making apologies for them, or any other cruise line, I'm just saying that is unfortunately the nature of my experiences with multiple lines.

 

Your little one will be able to ride with you or another adult in a double kart with no issue, so you can stop worrying.  There are specific times where they only allow double karts, which would probably be the best time to go, otherwise you're racing with the single karts which are much faster.

 

Your attitude in this thread, on the other hand, is something you need to work on.  No need to be a jerk.

[jeffjeffjeffjeff]

2 minutes ago, MikeBTN said:

 

NCL didn't "screw up", they altered a policy.  It happens all the time.  See the recent posts regarding change to the alcohol prices as evidence.

 

You can take issue with customer service if you wish, but my experience with ALL cruise lines is the people you talk to have almost no idea what actually occurs on board the ship.  They're probably trying to get info for you, which is difficult considering the Bliss is at sea and not there in Miami.  I'm not making apologies for them, or any other cruise line, I'm just saying that is unfortunately the nature of my experiences with multiple lines.

 

Your little one will be able to ride with you or another adult in a double kart with no issue, so you can stop worrying.  There are specific times where they only allow double karts, which would probably be the best time to go, otherwise you're racing with the single karts which are much faster.

 

Your attitude in this thread, on the other hand, is something you need to work on.  No need to be a jerk.

They didn't alter price. They removed. So you are ok sailing with no alcohol, with no chance to cancel? So not the same as changing price. 

 

They have done that twice since I booked. You will not hear one complaint about that from me. 

[jeffjeffjeffjeff]

9 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I’m sure they increased the height after they discovered 4’8” was too short, due to safety or kids that short not being able to drive them properly. Good for NCL! Heck, they’ve taken slides away without any notice. Do they need to contact every single customer for every single change? They removed smoked salmon from the buffet after I booked my cruise, I love smoked salmon. Should I have received an email and OBC?

 

Yes Good for them. Loosing customers is great for business. The difference with the smoked salmon is they didn't run an advertisement telling you to book the ship because they offer salmon. If they did and then didn't deliver you would have a valid argument. It is kinda fun laughing at you cheerleaders while keeping this at the top of the board! Thanks!

[PTC DAWG]

I agree with a few others, tell the kid you have read they were slow and the lines long.  Set expectations low for the carts....I'm thinking you and the kid will have a blast.  Cruise on.  

[ceilidh1]

OP - I understand your disappointment and frustration!

 

We booked Bliss before it was even built and my kids (7 and 11) were most excited about the go karts over everything. We cruised last September and had a blast! My daughter met the 55" height requirement and rode on her own - honestly, those karts are really designed for adults. She had such a hard time controlling and turning and they go pretty fast. On her second lap she was hit from behind and it really scared her so she ended her turn at that point. My son wasn't quite at 55" but was allowed to ride a tandem as a passenger. Unfortunately, the tandem passengers have no controls at all so he really just went on a "ride"...I drove and have to admit to finding the kart really "clunky" (not sure how smooth the singles are). We are going back on Bliss this September and neither child has any interest in doing the Go Karts again - maybe yours will be the same?

[yankees111]

I am glad NCL has changed the height requirement. From the reviews I have read it seems that little kids were driving the go karts too slow in general. Plenty of other things to do on the ship that are geared toward children.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

28 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

They removed smoked salmon from the buffet after I booked my cruise, I love smoked salmon. Should I have received an email and OBC?

I am with you on that one. No smoked salmon at the buffet for breakfast was a huge disappointment for me. Did I demand OBC? Nope.

 

Right before I booked the Getaway, the Ultimate Arcade card was very reasonably priced. Both DH and DS were really looking forward to playing games together. I booked the cruise, went to purchase the card and was shocked to see the $56 per person per day price. What did my DH and DS say - it's ok, we are sure there will be plenty of other fun stuff to do.

Should have I requested OBC because I was very disappointed that NCL raised the price stealthily?

Edited January 23, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

48 minutes ago, jeffjeffjeffjeff said:

Not going to do that, but I'm also not going to pretend that NCL didn't screw up. Like I said in my original post hoping someone else catches this soon enough to avoid the ship if this was important to them. Round these parts you get a few useful replies (formula comes to mind) and a bunch of people who think NCL can do no wrong. 

 

But if I keep one family from being in the tough spot I'm in, then it was worth it.

Changing a policy is not a screw up.

It would have been a bigger screw up if a young kid got hurt while go karting due to being too short to fit properly.

[mjkacmom]

19 minutes ago, jeffjeffjeffjeff said:

 

Yes Good for them. Loosing customers is great for business. The difference with the smoked salmon is they didn't run an advertisement telling you to book the ship because they offer salmon. If they did and then didn't deliver you would have a valid argument. It is kinda fun laughing at you cheerleaders while keeping this at the top of the board! Thanks!

So if it’s safety issue, you would want them to bend the rules for your grandson and possibly have him get hurt? Nice.

[aubreyc1988]

5 hours ago, jeffjeffjeffjeff said:

I know that all of the cheerleaders will point to the fact that NCL is well within their rights to make this change. However, the fact that they CAN do it does not mean that they SHOULD do it. Please save your electrons if you are going to quote me cruise contracts. 

 

First of all, it's well within their rights and is probably a SAFTEY measure that they are implementing to make sure the riders are safe, so yes, when it comes to people's safety, they SHOULD do it. 

 

Now, well after final payment. once we are locked into airfare and hotels NCL changes the minimum height. So I will be on a cruise with a child that has spent 10 months being excited about go karts at sea and I'm going to have to tell him he can't ride them. Calls to NCL have resulted in rude employees that don't know anything other than reading the exact text from the website.  A request for a supervisor required a 72 hour wait for a call back. It has been well over 72 hours and no call back. When I call in they tell me that it will be another 72 hours. It seems like they are just trying to kick the can down the road so they don't have to speak to me. 

 

OK, so I know that you, your son, family members are bummed about the change, but seriously, you are taking your kid on a CRUISE, he will get over not being able to ride go karts once he's having the time of his life on a cruise

 

I realize at this point that my relationship with NCL is over before it starts. The main reason I am even taking the time to write this post is so that parents who might have kids under 55" can see it and cancel before final payment is due. I sure wish I had seen something about it. Instead NCL just quietly slid it into the website with no notice to currently booked customers.

 

I think you are being a little unfair to NCL here. I don't think amusement parks email all the people who have tickets when things like this change. 

 

My replies in Bold in the quotes. 

[ClevelandCruisin]

We have the Bliss booked twice currently and could care less about the go karts.

 

I'm just picturing Ricky Bobby from Talladega Nights movie saying I want to go fast, or Shake and Bake here.

 

Guess not today. Plus they aren't free and you need to book times on them. So you'd be lucky to ride them once if you've ever tried to book headliners on the ship.

 

[Paelos]

I'd probably go in there with the following options:

 

1 - Get whatever I can in writing and confront the reservations people on the boat with the policy change

2 - Point out that these karts are featured in the first 15 seconds of their highlight package and featured prominently in every advertising package so OF COURSE you booked based on doing these.

3 - Negotiate to try and get him in there at the least popular time, whenever that happens to be, thus lowering the safety issue.

4 - Last resort, put him in a double kart and he gets to ride with you.

[Trimone]

Good grief! Imagine if they changed the itinerary? Who would want too be on a cruise with him!

[senseib]

I'm not aware of go-kart tracks that allow anyone under 55" drive karts like the ones on Bliss.  Some tracks have smaller karts for those over 48" but they don't have the same speed and don't run at the same time as the larger karts.   I'm sure insurance was a important factor in the revised height requirement.  

 

I wouldn't want a small child struggling to drive a too-big kart on the same track as a teenager pushing their kart up to 30mph.  Of course the operators will limit the kart speeds if there are too many slower drivers on the track, but then that's not fair to the drivers who expected to drive the kart at 30mph as advertised.  

[Georgie562]

2 hours ago, roger001 said:

I'm with you.  I'd climb on that ship with a bad attitude.  I don't care how much other fun stuff might be there to enjoy, I got screwed on this deal and this cruise will suck.   It's go karts or nothing.  My opinion anyhow.......               

 

This ship is literally just that , go karts or nothing.  No basketball court, no ropes course, no sports deck, no rock climbing,no mini golf (like escape) none of that stuff for these kids to enjoy as an alternate to the karts. Sadly the next ship is being built the same way taking away that stuff along with spice H20 just to make room for these pay for activities.

[zitsky]

Jeff I bet if you gave the attendant $10 or $20 bucks he might let your kid ride.  Should you have to do that, no.  But maybe it might solve the problem.

[Formula280SS]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Changing a policy is not a screw up.

It would have been a bigger screw up if a young kid got hurt while go karting due to being too short to fit properly.

 

I don't know what caused the change in policy, but having recently cruised B2B on Bliss and viewing the Go Carts and riding twice, we'd consider NCL having scheduled hours for drivers (youth, over 55, advanced and general are just thoughts, just for discussion).  Such is utilized on RCCL ships on the Flow Riders 'sort of.

 

I agree nobody wants a young kid hurt, but we just don't have the data as to how they got hurt.  We don't know if it was the 'size of the rider or the 'riding behavior of the particular group of riders at the time.  Just don't know.

 

Our observation and experience is that drivers of different capabilities are aggregated in a group that causes potential incidents; i.e., some that are going slower (not the kids, older riders, my wife, etc.) while in a group of riders that includes 30-40 year old riders hitting the power plus button all the time and passing regardless of risk.

 

Again, this lack of identifying riding safety groups is the issue.  Also, for the kids, older riders, etc., they can set the speed remotely by group.

 

With regard to an earlier post about the Go Carts being a waste of space, there is some relative validity to that in our opinion.  It was fun.  But it is so poorly managed that the number of riders per day for the limited hours open make the consideration so much more on point.  The space could accommodate 'so much more (ropes, Flow Riders, air sky diving, etc. for example).

 

Just our thoughts.

 

Repeating an earlier point, this venue is NOT SOLD OUT as per the LED screens and the reservation desk.  We could have walked on repeatedly over the the 2 weeks after the first couple of days at sea.  So, there is room to create "driver category" time schedules.

 

J, hope it all works out.

Edited January 23, 2019 by Formula280SS

[DMH15]

Sometimes life stinks.   Fifteen minutes before the taco stand opened on Great Stirrup Cay the captain called everyone back to the ship.   I had been looking forward to those tacos, could practically taste those tacos, and I was denied.  We have tacos at home in Dallas but none are served with a beach.  

Edited January 23, 2019 by DMH15

[PhillyTravelBug]

5 hours ago, RedwingHockeyFan said:

I don't like GoCarts enough to care about having them on a ship.  I'm terribly disappointed that they dedicated so much exterior space to them on the newer ships.  I'd rather they extend the pool and deck area and maybe add another pool especially for Caribbean cruising ships.

 

 

I reakly couldn’t care less about go carts in a cruise ship. We are sailing Bliss in August and really would prefer a ropes course.

[chillinwithabeer]

8 hours ago, jeffjeffjeffjeff said:

If you are under 55" you will not be allowed to ride the go karts (as a driver or a passanger) per Tervor at extension 22201.  

This kids family thought he could ride this ride when he was too small. 

And yes, the staff let him. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/03/27/a-boy-was-decapitated-on-a-waterslide-now-the-rides-visionary-creator-faces-a-murder-charge/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.63aec93f80ce

 

Consider the fact that rules exist for a reason.  I regularly deal with parents who don't like rules for their little ones.  I'm no NCL cheerleader, more so a cheerleader for just agreeing to rules not trying to get around them.  Trust me that companies have reasons.  They may not tell you the true reasons tho.