Will NCL pull a "ROYAL" with the Gem and Joy??

[oteixeira]

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced further details on its phased voyage resumption plan for additional ships beginning Fall 2021. Earlier this week the line announced its plan for a return to cruising in the U.S. with sailings in Alaska starting August 7, 2021 contingent on CDC authorization. Newly announced expected redeployment plans include the following:

• Norwegian Joy will cruise from Miami beginning October 19, 2021 with five to 11-day Caribbean voyages.
• Norwegian Breakaway will cruise seven-day itineraries to Bermuda from New York beginning October 24, 2021.
• Pride of America will offer seven-day Hawaii interisland voyages from Honolulu beginning November 6, 2021.
• Norwegian Bliss will cruise from Los Angeles for seven-day Mexican Riviera voyages beginning November 7, 2021.
• Norwegian Encore will offer seven-night itineraries from Miami to the Caribbean beginning November 14, 2021.
• Norwegian Escape will cruise seven-day itineraries to the Caribbean from Orlando (Port Canaveral), Florida beginning November 20, 2021.
• Norwegian Pearl will sail from Miami offering Panama Canal, Bahamas and Caribbean cruises beginning December 23, 2021.
• Norwegian Jewel will offer Panama Canal cruises from Panama City and New York beginning January 20, 2022.
• Norwegian Sun will sail a five-day Japan itinerary from Hong Kong beginning January 28, 2022, before sailing a variety of 11-day cruises from Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.
• Norwegian Spirit will cruise 12-day Australia and New Zealand voyages from Sydney, and Auckland, New Zealand beginning February 9, 2022.

Due to the previously disclosed lead time needed to relaunch a vessel and in order to maximize the short Alaska cruise season, the cruise line has made the decision to transfer crew from Norwegian Joy to Alaska and has canceled itineraries aboard Norwegian Joy from Montego Bay, Jamaica from August 7 through October 9, 2021. In addition, certain sailings outside of these newly announced voyages have been canceled. Impacted guests on voyages that will not operate will be notified accordingly.

[JamieLogical]

This language rubbed me the wrong way because they conviniently leave our that the Joy was supposed to be part of the "Return to Sail":

 

"Fortunately, we have announced Return to Sail plans in the Caribbean, Alaska, and The Mediterranean for the five remaining ships; Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Jade, and Norwegian Bliss! Ready - Set - Explore!"

[BermudaBound2014]

2 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Yes, for now. But if those slow sales continue, we might be next! 😟

I must admit that I don’t like the slow sales, but at this time it would have been easy for ncl to ax the sailing along with the others so they know something about the gem we don’t. I think this is good news for you.

 

I also admire you for not telling your friend last night. I would have spilled the beans for sure thinking I was preparing him for worst case scenario, but in this case your judgement proved best because there have been no changes. Just goes to show sometimes it’s best to wait and see before jumping to conclusions (which I would have done). Thanks for the reminder 🙂

[oteixeira]

 So basically, Joy crew was needed for the Bliss, and other then that NCL wants nothing to do with the CSO order (notice how many ships wait until after the end of October to sail).

[DCGuy64]

4 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I must admit that I don’t like the slow sales, but at this time it would have been easy for ncl to ax the sailing along with the others so they know something about the gem we don’t. I think this is good news for you.

 

I also admire you for not telling your friend last night. I would have spilled the beans for sure thinking I was preparing him for worst case scenario, but in this case your judgement proved best because there have been no changes. Just goes to show sometimes it’s best to wait and see before jumping to conclusions (which I would have done). Thanks for the reminder 🙂

What a kind thing to say, you just brightened my morning. Thank you!

TBH I usually do spill the beans, so my guardian angel must have kept me quiet-for once! LOL

[JamieLogical]

I am super curious what NCL is going to offer those of us who were canceled on the Joy. if they just offer us the straight refund, I am going to be so done with them. They billed this sailing as a return to cruising for those of us who had had multiple cruises cancelled. To pull the rug out from loyal customers would be pretty egregious. Especially now that we know they did it just to steal our crew away for the Bliss sailings. Unfortunately, I have a LOT of money tied up with NCL in CruiseNext, CruiseFirst, and a ton of FCC, so I am probably going to have to sail with them at least a couple more times in the next year or two, but once that credit is exhausted, if they really do nothing to compensate us beyond a refund, I am going to have to start cruising elsewhere. We are booked on the Majestic Princess for Alaska in September. So we'll at least get to try out another line and see how it goes.

[BermudaBound2014]

6 minutes ago, oteixeira said:

 So basically, Joy crew was needed for the Bliss, and other then that NCL wants nothing to do with the CSO order (notice how many ships wait until after the end of October to sail).

Bingo!!

 

ps- I wonder why they have joy scheduled before the cso expires? 

[oteixeira]

Just now, BermudaBound2014 said:

Bingo!!

 

ps- I wonder why they have joy scheduled before the cso expires? 

I was wondering both on that and the Breakaway.  At that point (one or two sailings) why not just wait so you don't have to get the blessing from the CDC on any of your ships under the current CSO?  It is odd.

[DCGuy64]

11 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

I am super curious what NCL is going to offer those of us who were canceled on the Joy. if they just offer us the straight refund, I am going to be so done with them. They billed this sailing as a return to cruising for those of us who had had multiple cruises cancelled. To pull the rug out from loyal customers would be pretty egregious. Especially now that we know they did it just to steal our crew away for the Bliss sailings. Unfortunately, I have a LOT of money tied up with NCL in CruiseNext, CruiseFirst, and a ton of FCC, so I am probably going to have to sail with them at least a couple more times in the next year or two, but once that credit is exhausted, if they really do nothing to compensate us beyond a refund, I am going to have to start cruising elsewhere. We are booked on the Majestic Princess for Alaska in September. So we'll at least get to try out another line and see how it goes.

@JamieLogical I believe you were booked on the Joy for September. Is there any chance you'd consider switching to the Gem? (Not that I'd blame you if you were "JamieSkeptical" about it)

It appears cabins are available, and while it's not the same itinerary as Joy, it's still the same month and it's the Caribbean. Just a thought. I really feel bad about them jerking you around like this.

[BamaCruiser39]

17 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

I am super curious what NCL is going to offer those of us who were canceled on the Joy. if they just offer us the straight refund, I am going to be so done with them. They billed this sailing as a return to cruising for those of us who had had multiple cruises cancelled. To pull the rug out from loyal customers would be pretty egregious. Especially now that we know they did it just to steal our crew away for the Bliss sailings. Unfortunately, I have a LOT of money tied up with NCL in CruiseNext, CruiseFirst, and a ton of FCC, so I am probably going to have to sail with them at least a couple more times in the next year or two, but once that credit is exhausted, if they really do nothing to compensate us beyond a refund, I am going to have to start cruising elsewhere. We are booked on the Majestic Princess for Alaska in September. So we'll at least get to try out another line and see how it goes.

Switch to one of the cruises on the Gem? Might as well take a cruise during the same time-frame if you've got the credit you have to burn

Edited May 26, 2021 by BamaCruiser39

[Alegeeter]

18 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

I am super curious what NCL is going to offer those of us who were canceled on the Joy. if they just offer us the straight refund, I am going to be so done with them. They billed this sailing as a return to cruising for those of us who had had multiple cruises cancelled. To pull the rug out from loyal customers would be pretty egregious. Especially now that we know they did it just to steal our crew away for the Bliss sailings. Unfortunately, I have a LOT of money tied up with NCL in CruiseNext, CruiseFirst, and a ton of FCC, so I am probably going to have to sail with them at least a couple more times in the next year or two, but once that credit is exhausted, if they really do nothing to compensate us beyond a refund, I am going to have to start cruising elsewhere. We are booked on the Majestic Princess for Alaska in September. So we'll at least get to try out another line and see how it goes.

I agree with you here but I have a feeling they’re just going to give us our 10% coupon and think that’s enough.

[Alegeeter]

3 minutes ago, BamaCruiser39 said:

Switch to one of the cruises on the Gem? Might as well take a cruise during the same time-frame if you've got the credit you have to burn

I’m not Jamie but I thought about this too.

The Gem prices are significantly more expensive, and while the itinerary is great, I’m not too psyched about the ship itself (have been on Gem 3x and I was looking forward to the Joy!). If NCL allowed me to transfer my booking at the price I paid I’d consider it though.

[JamieLogical]

5 minutes ago, Alegeeter said:

I agree with you here but I have a feeling they’re just going to give us our 10% coupon and think that’s enough.

 

And they won't even stack 10% coupons, so the ones we had from our first (of 5) canceled cruises in March 2020 is still sitting on our accounts.

[oteixeira]

27 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

I am super curious what NCL is going to offer those of us who were canceled on the Joy. if they just offer us the straight refund, I am going to be so done with them. They billed this sailing as a return to cruising for those of us who had had multiple cruises cancelled. To pull the rug out from loyal customers would be pretty egregious. Especially now that we know they did it just to steal our crew away for the Bliss sailings. Unfortunately, I have a LOT of money tied up with NCL in CruiseNext, CruiseFirst, and a ton of FCC, so I am probably going to have to sail with them at least a couple more times in the next year or two, but once that credit is exhausted, if they really do nothing to compensate us beyond a refund, I am going to have to start cruising elsewhere. We are booked on the Majestic Princess for Alaska in September. So we'll at least get to try out another line and see how it goes.

I hope you find another line you like as much as NCL.  As for the FCC, there are ways to get that money back unless you challenged the charge on your card.  It seems someone with 5 cancelled cruises should have met all the criteria.  Give them a call and see what they can do.

[JamieLogical]

8 minutes ago, BamaCruiser39 said:

Switch to one of the cruises on the Gem? Might as well take a cruise during the same time-frame if you've got the credit you have to burn

 

The thought has occurred to me, as well as the Sky out of Miami. I do like the Gem itinerary, but I am concerned about the travel to/from the DR more than I was about Jamaica. Plus it's more expensive. The Haven (which we were booked on the for Joy) is WAY out of our price range, especially considering it's a pretty scaled-down experience. We have sailed on the Gem before, and I was not in love with it. As for the Sky, it's also much more pricey and there is no Haven. Plus, I have never sailed on a ship that small and I am not certain I want to.

[CruisinNewbie11]

I am booked on Epic 11/11/21 out of Athens and then staying onboard for the transatantic from Rome to NY starting 11/20 thru 12/521.  Any thoughts on whether the transatlantic part of my voyage is going to take place?  Thanks

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, oteixeira said:

I hope you find another line you like as much as NCL.  As for the FCC, there are ways to get that money back unless you challenged the charge on your card.  It seems someone with 5 cancelled cruises should have met all the criteria.  Give them a call and see what they can do.

 

If we took the cash option, we would still lose our $1000 of CruiseNext, $500 of CruiseFirst, and $690 of FCC we had received for a price change on our last sailing before COVID. That's a lot to walk away from if we decide to take straight cash for our FCC and never book with NCL again.

[oteixeira]

2 minutes ago, CruisinNewbie11 said:

I am booked on Epic 11/11/21 out of Athens and then staying onboard for the transatantic from Rome to NY starting 11/20 thru 12/521.  Any thoughts on whether the transatlantic part of my voyage is going to take place?  Thanks

All we can say for sure with this mornings news is that it is not a part of the US rollout which seems to list ships through the end of January.  maybe it was omitted because it was technically already sailing in Europe before coming over?

[oteixeira]

2 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

If we took the cash option, we would still lose our $1000 of CruiseNext, $500 of CruiseFirst, and $690 of FCC we had received for a price change on our last sailing before COVID. That's a lot to walk away from if we decide to take straight cash for our FCC and never book with NCL again.

If you are serious there is a group on Facebook where you could quickly and easily sell the CN and CF certs for what you paid.  At that point you would be out $690 and could walk away.   It sounds like from your experiences this past year that might be something you would be happy to do?  I am just trying to give you options.  I would never want to see anyone boarding a ship thinking "I just want to get this over with so I don't waste the money I had sitting with the line".  That would just be no fun.

[DCGuy64]

5 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

The thought has occurred to me, as well as the Sky out of Miami. I do like the Gem itinerary, but I am concerned about the travel to/from the DR more than I was about Jamaica. Plus it's more expensive. The Haven (which we were booked on the for Joy) is WAY out of our price range, especially considering it's a pretty scaled-down experience. We have sailed on the Gem before, and I was not in love with it. As for the Sky, it's also much more pricey and there is no Haven. Plus, I have never sailed on a ship that small and I am not certain I want to.

That totally makes sense. We can't afford the Haven, so we've booked a Mini Suite which only cost $861 pp, and we've never been on the Gem so it'll all be new to us. Ironically, we were booked on the Joy for my birthday cruise back in January, but it was canceled. We've also never been to the DR so that'll be new to us as well. We're looking at the Gem's size as a plus. My wife is still nervous about traveling even though we're both vaccinated, so the smaller size might appeal to her.

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, oteixeira said:

If you are serious there is a group on Facebook where you could quickly and easily sell the CN and CF certs for what you paid.  At that point you would be out $690 and could walk away.   It sounds like from your experiences this past year that might be something you would be happy to do?  I am just trying to give you options.  I would never want to see anyone boarding a ship thinking "I just want to get this over with so I don't waste the money I had sitting with the line".  That would just be no fun.

 

Honestly, I was still feeling positive about NCL through all of this. I was booked on the first sailing that was canceled for COVID, for which they gave me 150% FCC and the following week, for which they gave me 125% FCC, which seemed generous. Then that $690 of FCC from our previous sailing price change was set to expire in December 2020, but they extended it to December 2021. The cancellations that happened due to COVID, while disappointing, were no fault of Norwegian. So only this latest issue with the cancelled Joy has made me feel "wronged." But I definitely will feel very wronged by it if they just offer a straight refund. I will feel misled and used and that is not a great way to feel.

[oteixeira]

5 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Honestly, I was still feeling positive about NCL through all of this. I was booked on the first sailing that was canceled for COVID, for which they gave me 150% FCC and the following week, for which they gave me 125% FCC, which seemed generous. Then that $690 of FCC from our previous sailing price change was set to expire in December 2020, but they extended it to December 2021. The cancellations that happened due to COVID, while disappointing, were no fault of Norwegian. So only this latest issue with the cancelled Joy has made me feel "wronged." But I definitely will feel very wronged by it if they just offer a straight refund. I will feel misled and used and that is not a great way to feel.

OK that is fair.  It sounds like you are still not sure if you want to move on.  Just know, if you do, there are ways to get back most of your paid money (you will lose the 25%, or 50%, etc).  I actually hope you stick it out, they are a great line.  I plan to try more lines in the future but as you can probably tell from my cruise log in my signature I feel like NCL is my home.

[NordicExpat]

26 minutes ago, CruisinNewbie11 said:

I am booked on Epic 11/11/21 out of Athens and then staying onboard for the transatantic from Rome to NY starting 11/20 thru 12/521.  Any thoughts on whether the transatlantic part of my voyage is going to take place?  Thanks

I think she will go or I should say, I hope she does. We are switching over from our 4th cancelled Escape TA.

Edited May 26, 2021 by sicness4x4

[CruisinNewbie11]

I have hung in there for 4 cancelled cruises, but it is getting old.   I just don't want to fly over to Greece and not know if the Epic is coming back to the US. That would mean I have to fly back to the US which I am not keen on. I can take a 9 day cruise from the States with little or no flying.   Of course, no one can give me an answer.

[Trimone]

I feel there’s more bad news to come, let say if I was on the first Prima cruise I would be wondering why the following week isn’t available?