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

[AdoraBelle]

I was on one of those travel sites we're not allowed to mention and it seemed to show a LOT of capacity for my August Bliss sailing. (One of those sites that shows you more than the limited 5-15 rooms per category.)  Either the 'pent up demand' isn't manifesting yet, or ... NCL isn't advertising yet? No idea. 

 

I definitely believed in the 'pent up demand' hypothesis. Maybe it's just not going to happen this year. 

 

Flip side: I guess be on lookout for price drops ...

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

@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.

I'm was booked on the Joy Sept 18, I see the Gem is available for the 19th....mini suite prices are comparable to the Joy....which airport is the closest to the port?  Thanks for any info.  

Edited May 26, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[DCGuy64]

3 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

I'm was booked on the Joy Sept 18, I see the Gem is available for the 19th....mini suite prices are comparable to the Joy....which airport is the closest to the port?  Thanks for any info.  

PUJ Punta Cana and SDQ Santo Domingo are the closest airports to La Romana for regularly scheduled flights. There's an airport very near La Romana but I couldn't find any flights from the DC area there. I'm thinking it's just a small regional airport. The larger airports I mentioned are both ~ 40-45 miles from the cruise port.

BTW we are on the Sept 19th sailing. I believe @saltsandknit is, too.

Edited May 26, 2021 by DCGuy64

[saltsandknit]

I am relieved the Gem is not changing yet. I think there are still a lot of things in the air and anything can change in a moment. I’m unhappy about the changes for all the others. It’s just chaotic right now. I’m still trying to go to Canada to see my grandson but I am pretty much giving up on that until 2022. I’m hoping we can at least cruise. 

[JamieLogical]

Word from my PCC is a 10% coupon as our only consolation for our canceled Joy sailing. I am waiting to hear back if it will be in addition to the ones we already have on our account or if they are keeping the 1 per account limit that they've had for all the canceled sailings over the past months. If it doesn't stack, then this is no different than the compensation they were offering for a normal COVID cancellation, which is NOT acceptable, since NCL made a conscious choice to cancel this sailing after having assured us these Return to Sail cruises would actually happen.

 

Edit: Just got a follow-up. It does not stack with our existing 10% coupons, so just a straight refund. As of right now, I think I am OUT.

Edited May 26, 2021 by JamieLogical

[RaftingJeremy]

12 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

I'm was booked on the Joy Sept 18, I see the Gem is available for the 19th....mini suite prices are comparable to the Joy....which airport is the closest to the port?  Thanks for any info.  

Montego Bay is much easier to get to

[SSFun]

1 hour 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.

Just got the email. Nothing additional for us. We get our money back in whatever form we paid. FCCs will be returned to our accounts as will 10% off discounts, no additional 10% discounts will be added to our accounts. But they do mention that we can purchase cruise next certificates, take the 30% off promo going now and get ALL offers available right now if we book while the offers are still available.

[GA Dave]

This is why I gave up on any 2021 cruises several months ago and planned out multiple land vacations through the rest of this year.  I also already have a major land trip scheduled for April 2022 that includes my two adult kids and their families (Grandpa treat!), so the earliest I see myself looking to cruise again is second half 2022.  Maybe, just maybe, they will finally have it figured out by then.

[PTC DAWG]

4 minutes ago, GA Dave said:

This is why I gave up on any 2021 cruises several months ago and planned out multiple land vacations through the rest of this year.  I also already have a major land trip scheduled for April 2022 that includes my two adult kids and their families (Grandpa treat!), so the earliest I see myself looking to cruise again is second half 2022.  Maybe, just maybe, they will finally have it figured out by then.

You're a good Grandpa!...Enjoy those kids.  

[sid_9169]

Hopefully, they'll refund me the "cruise first" certificate that I purchased as my down payment... After this "ploy", I don't see me booking with NCL for awhile...

 

"Return to Sea" my butt...

Edited May 26, 2021 by sid_9169

[Alegeeter]

31 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

Word from my PCC is a 10% coupon as our only consolation for our canceled Joy sailing. I am waiting to hear back if it will be in addition to the ones we already have on our account or if they are keeping the 1 per account limit that they've had for all the canceled sailings over the past months. If it doesn't stack, then this is no different than the compensation they were offering for a normal COVID cancellation, which is NOT acceptable, since NCL made a conscious choice to cancel this sailing after having assured us these Return to Sail cruises would actually happen.

 

Edit: Just got a follow-up. It does not stack with our existing 10% coupons, so just a straight refund. As of right now, I think I am OUT.

Do you think it's worth writing a letter or speaking with someone with this argument? I think it's valid, but I also don't know if NCL will care.

[GamblingMommy]

We were also booked on the Aug 7 Joy and very disappointed.  It really annoys me that there is not a "valid" reason for canceling this cruise that I have heard.  We have so much tied up in FCC at this point and have already used some for 2022 and 2023 bookings.  They are giving us nothing extra.  It was just a lot of empty promises that this cruise will happen, and then they make the decision to pull it.  We will complain and argue, but don't really expect to get far.  They should at the very least allow us to move to the Alaskan cruise for the same price/perks and include the airfare.  

[JamieLogical]

6 minutes ago, Alegeeter said:

Do you think it's worth writing a letter or speaking with someone with this argument? I think it's valid, but I also don't know if NCL will care.

 

I made my feelings known to my PCC. She can pass it up the chain if she thinks it will make a difference. After pricing things out, I *think* we are leaning towards the Sky, because the two weeks we were planning on doing our B2B, there are actually different itineraries on the Sky, which is appealing. Also, the travel is less daunting. We'll be able to use up all of our CruiseNext and FCC and the only thing we will lose is our recently purchased CruiseFirst. So we'll be out that $250, but then we can walk away and not look back. That's assuming the Sky actually sails, of course, which is a HUGE assumption at this point.

[JamieLogical]

3 minutes ago, GamblingMommy said:

We were also booked on the Aug 7 Joy and very disappointed.  It really annoys me that there is not a "valid" reason for canceling this cruise that I have heard.  We have so much tied up in FCC at this point and have already used some for 2022 and 2023 bookings.  They are giving us nothing extra.  It was just a lot of empty promises that this cruise will happen, and then they make the decision to pull it.  We will complain and argue, but don't really expect to get far.  They should at the very least allow us to move to the Alaskan cruise for the same price/perks and include the airfare.  

 

That was my thought! They are stealing our crew to staff the Bliss. The least they could do is let us transfer our bookings to the Bliss!

[coastcat]

36 minutes ago, AdoraBelle said:

I was on one of those travel sites we're not allowed to mention and it seemed to show a LOT of capacity for my August Bliss sailing. (One of those sites that shows you more than the limited 5-15 rooms per category.)  Either the 'pent up demand' isn't manifesting yet, or ... NCL isn't advertising yet? No idea. 

 

I definitely believed in the 'pent up demand' hypothesis. Maybe it's just not going to happen this year. 

 

Flip side: I guess be on lookout for price drops ...

NCL has not been great at getting out the word about Alaska. Even though Carnival Corp and RCG announced their brands’ return a couple days after NCL did, they’re getting all the press!

 

I think there’s a decent amount of pent-up demand, but there’s also now plenty of competition.  People may also be waiting for definitive statements on vaccination, mask requirements, etc. 

 

A price drop would be nice. If we’re not going to have the Studio Lounge perks (and I doubt they’ll keep a crew member stationed there to push the espresso machine buttons) I might as well upgrade to a bigger cabin. 

[CroozFanatic]

2 hours ago, oteixeira said:

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.

 

I think NCL is going to regret saying this. They could have said nothing, or something squishy like RCL did when they cancelled Bermuda.

[DCGuy64]

14 hours ago, TerryNJon said:

I called my NCL vacation planner last night about switching from Gem to Bliss in August.  She recommended I wait. Was very cryptic and said some things are in the works. I hate waiting. 

I guess we now know why she asked you to wait. Fingers crossed that Gem does actually sail in August as planned.

[graphicguy]

Just got the letter.  Trasnfering crew from the much ballyhooed Joy out of Jamaica to the Bliss Alaska cruise?  Tired of being jerked around by NCL.  Finished with them.  Platinum Latitudes saying "ADIOS" to NCL forever.

 

I hate....HATE...being lied or to being called a liar!  NCL told me the JOY was a for sure thing.  Liars.  I was honest and gave them a $5K interest free loan for a year.  I wouldn't even do that for a friend, let alone someone who "values me" as a treasured passenger.

 

I'm LIVID!

 

Let me transfer my reservation to the Bliss for Alaska, same category of cabin, same price.  But no!  They are offering yet another 10% for me to be strung along.  Ain't happening.  Fool me once.................

 

Looking at Celebrity now, after NCL issues the full refund.

[Seany527]

Just now, graphicguy said:

Just got the letter.  Trasnfering crew from the much ballyhooed Joy out of Jamaica to the Bliss Alaska cruise?  Tired of being jerked around by NCL.  Finished with them.  Platinum Latitudes saying "ADIOS" to NCL forever.

 

I hate....HATE...being lied or to being called a liar!  NCL told me the JOY was a for sure thing.  Liars.  I was honest and gave them a $5K interest free loan for a year.  I wouldn't even do that for a friend, let alone someone who "values me" as a treasured passenger.

 

I'm LIVID!

 

Let me transfer my reservation to the Bliss for Alaska, same category of cabin, same price.  But no!  They are offering yet another 10% for me to be strung along.  Ain't happening.  Fool me once.................

 

Looking at Celebrity now, after NCL issues the full refund.

I’m taking my first Celebrity sailing in a week. A few weeks ago I asked on the Celebrity board what they liked about NCL vs Celebrity and 95% of the people ripped NCL apart. It made me feel kind of bad because I really like NCL and I felt up until this mess, loyal to them. 
 

We all have our choice of sailings now on NCL, but I wanted the Joy in Jamaica. If I wanted the Bliss, Gem or Sky I would have booked those in the first place. If I book one now, I feel like I’m settling. 

But you should try Celebrity, I’ve read nothing but good things about them. 

[Cruising Lynne]

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

@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.

 

I also feel bad for everyone that was booked on Joy, and think it may be a good idea for Jamie and others to switch to Gem. With the limited capacity, I think Gem will be fun. We thought about going on Joy for the first time, but liked the itinerary on Gem so much more. 

[Travelicious]

38 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

the only thing we will lose is our recently purchased CruiseFirst. So we'll be out that $250, but then we can walk away and not look back. 

I'm so sorry to hear they have canceled the Joy on you all.  Why are you losing the CruiseFirst?  

[JamieLogical]

5 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

 They are offering yet another 10% for me to be strung along.

 

It's not even another 10%... it's just your old 10% being put back on your account, because you aren't allowed to have more than one, no matter how many cruises they pull out from under you.

[Alegeeter]

If they transferred the crew from Joy to Bliss it's only fair to transfer the passengers too!

Edited May 26, 2021 by Alegeeter

[AdoraBelle]

I mean, I've always said (to any defenders of any particular cruise line): the corporation doesn't love you back.

I'm only doing this Bliss sailing to use up my CN certs and because I'm going to lose my mind if I don't travel somewhere soon (and Florida is off the table for me). But I also haven't tried to book anything throughout the pandemic, until I saw that PVSA waiver, so I don't have a built-up well of anger. I am expecting NCL to use COVID as an excuse to cut corners wherever they can (buffet, entertainment, etc). 

Pre-pandemic, I was going to be switching over to Virgin, with maybe the occasional Princess.

Edited May 26, 2021 by AdoraBelle

[DCGuy64]

5 minutes ago, Cruising Lynne said:

 

I also feel bad for everyone that was booked on Joy, and think it may be a good idea for Jamie and others to switch to Gem. With the limited capacity, I think Gem will be fun. We thought about going on Joy for the first time, but liked the itinerary on Gem so much more. 

I hope so, too. As I mentioned earlier, we were booked on the Joy for my birthday back in January but it was cancelled due to Covid. A number of people said I shouldn't book the Joy since I liked having a spa to go to, and that Joy didn't have one. I believe Gem does (for a fee). Anyway, at this point Gem is the only NCL vessel available in the Caribbean until October, so I also hope others will come on board. The smaller ship size is a plus, for me. Ditto on the itinerary, that was a big selling point for us.