NCL DECIDED TO STRAND PEOPLE IN FLORIDA

[badgerjeanne]

First of all, I don’t usually post reviews. We love cruising and are thrilled to be back. HOWEVER, we experienced extremely poor customer service at Norwegian. We were scheduled to fly out from MSP early Saturday am. Due to storms in Florida, the FAA stopped ALL FLIGHTS into Florida. The airport was full of people scheduled all over Florida for spring break. I called Norwegian several times to inquire about our options. (All calls required a hold time of at least 30 minutes.) They were NOT sympathetic. Be here 2 hours before departure or you won’t board. Meet us at first port on day 2. There were 6 of us, including 2 grandkids, taking the cruise cancelled 2 years ago. First port was Honduras. One way flights were $1,600 x 6 but there were none available. On last call, I was informed ship had decided not to wait and would leave on time. I found that incomprehensible! Flights were cancelled into Florida for at least 10 hours I am aware of. We were far from the only ones. We were told there were people pounding on the windows at the cruise port while the ship was sitting there! The next day was a sea day. They could easily make up time. Our only option was to book new reservations on the Encore leaving the next day. They would not transfer reservations. Because of all the flight delays and backlog, our option to return to MSP was not possible until Monday or Tuesday. We had an EXTREMELY difficult time finding a hotel Saturday night. Spring break on a Saturday night was booked solid. We paid $1,500 for 2 rooms in South Beach. Several years ago, our flight to San Juan was delayed. Celebrity HELD THE SHIP FOR PEOPLE FLYING IN. It is an option. The cruise industry is anxious for people to return. Act accordingly. 

[mjkacmom]

I’m sorry your vacation was ruined, you take a chance flying in the same day, unfortunately. I think it’s rare to delay departure.

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

Did you have your airfare through NCL or on your own?

[BirdTravels]

File an insurance claim. 
 

Ships sail on schedule. It would be very very unfair to people who shows up on time to give up their vacation time or change their itinerary for those who don’t. 
 

We sail multiple times a year and all times of the year. Spring storms, summer hurricanes, winter blizzards. We are very conscious of weather along our route of travel and adjust to make sure we are there in time to leave. We normally don’t travel on day of cruise for this very reason. 

[ChutChut]

Did you have insurance? File a claim. I always fly in the day before due to possible weather issues, etc. I don't see where this is NCL's fault.

[Homosassa]

NCL did not decide to strand people in Florida.

 

People who were at the port on time, sailed, which means they were not pounding the the terminal windows (sheesh! drama much?).

 

Those who decided to gamble and fly in the day of the cruise, lost (and probably were not stranded in Florida as they never made it to Florida).

 

And while you may have been lucky in San Juan, it is not often a ship can hold its departure because other factors (tides, weather, other ship traffic, port authorities) means a ship must keep to its schedule. 

 

San Juan is especially good example as the channel is narrow and the time that cruise ships vs cargo ships can enter or leave the port is  tightly controlled. If Celebrity held the ship, the new departure must have been within the time period allotted for cruise ships.

 

While the pitfalls of flying in winter should be well known (especially for someone from Minnesota), I will warn you that flight delays into Florida do not only happen in winter. They can and will happen any time of year in Florida when storm systems travel across or up and down the state. The airports fall like dominos as the weather hits them and flights are diverted and delayed to other airports.

 

Next time, fly in at least one day early to give a cushion.

[bigrednole]

The cruise line can only sit in port for as long as the Port Authority allows. Flying in the Day Of is a risk you take. The point about Honduras would be a no-go and you would have been even more upset if you did that. You would not be permitted to board the cruise there because you are not on the manifest (or whatever they call it). 

 

You took the risk flying in same day. You can look ahead at the weather and determine if you could get earlier flights on your carrier. Delays and craziness happen. Only real option at this point is to file with your insurance carrier if you bought it and see what they choose to cover. Its crazy that people blame the cruise line for their choices. 

[MoCruiseFan]

42 minutes ago, badgerjeanne said:

First of all, I don’t usually post reviews. We love cruising and are thrilled to be back. HOWEVER, we experienced extremely poor customer service at Norwegian. We were scheduled to fly out from MSP early Saturday am. Due to storms in Florida, the FAA stopped ALL FLIGHTS into Florida. The airport was full of people scheduled all over Florida for spring break. I called Norwegian several times to inquire about our options. (All calls required a hold time of at least 30 minutes.) They were NOT sympathetic. Be here 2 hours before departure or you won’t board. Meet us at first port on day 2. There were 6 of us, including 2 grandkids, taking the cruise cancelled 2 years ago. First port was Honduras. One way flights were $1,600 x 6 but there were none available. On last call, I was informed ship had decided not to wait and would leave on time. I found that incomprehensible! Flights were cancelled into Florida for at least 10 hours I am aware of. We were far from the only ones. We were told there were people pounding on the windows at the cruise port while the ship was sitting there! The next day was a sea day. They could easily make up time. Our only option was to book new reservations on the Encore leaving the next day. They would not transfer reservations. Because of all the flight delays and backlog, our option to return to MSP was not possible until Monday or Tuesday. We had an EXTREMELY difficult time finding a hotel Saturday night. Spring break on a Saturday night was booked solid. We paid $1,500 for 2 rooms in South Beach. Several years ago, our flight to San Juan was delayed. Celebrity HELD THE SHIP FOR PEOPLE FLYING IN. It is an option. The cruise industry is anxious for people to return. Act accordingly. 

 

Concise version...

We made a very poor choice to fly into our embarkation port city the day of embarkation.  We gambled that everything would go smoothly but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate.  Damn the weather, I'll never go by Earth weather again, THE WEATHER WAS GREAT IN BOSTON!

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, badgerjeanne said:

We were told there were people pounding on the windows at the cruise port while the ship was sitting there!

 

Pier runners?

 

1 hour ago, badgerjeanne said:

Act accordingly.

 

...and be on time. 

 

[chengkp75]

51 minutes ago, bigrednole said:

The point about Honduras would be a no-go and you would have been even more upset if you did that. You would not be permitted to board the cruise there because you are not on the manifest (or whatever they call it). 

This is not correct.  If they had notified NCL that they wished to join in Honduras, NCL would have arranged this with the port agent there.  It is done all the time.

[FlGoodShips]

1 hour ago, badgerjeanne said:

First of all, I don’t usually post reviews. We love cruising and are thrilled to be back. HOWEVER, we experienced extremely poor customer service at Norwegian. We were scheduled to fly out from MSP early Saturday am. Due to storms in Florida, the FAA stopped ALL FLIGHTS into Florida. The airport was full of people scheduled all over Florida for spring break. I called Norwegian several times to inquire about our options. (All calls required a hold time of at least 30 minutes.) They were NOT sympathetic. Be here 2 hours before departure or you won’t board. Meet us at first port on day 2. There were 6 of us, including 2 grandkids, taking the cruise cancelled 2 years ago. First port was Honduras. One way flights were $1,600 x 6 but there were none available. On last call, I was informed ship had decided not to wait and would leave on time. I found that incomprehensible! Flights were cancelled into Florida for at least 10 hours I am aware of. We were far from the only ones. We were told there were people pounding on the windows at the cruise port while the ship was sitting there! The next day was a sea day. They could easily make up time. Our only option was to book new reservations on the Encore leaving the next day. They would not transfer reservations. Because of all the flight delays and backlog, our option to return to MSP was not possible until Monday or Tuesday. We had an EXTREMELY difficult time finding a hotel Saturday night. Spring break on a Saturday night was booked solid. We paid $1,500 for 2 rooms in South Beach. Several years ago, our flight to San Juan was delayed. Celebrity HELD THE SHIP FOR PEOPLE FLYING IN. It is an option. The cruise industry is anxious for people to return. Act accordingly. 

I am sorry you did not sail, and don't know if you cruise alot, but we never fly in the same day. Not NCL's fault.

I guess...sad to say...lesson learned for next time.

Hope you get to sail again soon.

[mjkacmom]

20 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

This is not correct.  If they had notified NCL that they wished to join in Honduras, NCL would have arranged this with the port agent there.  It is done all the time.

I was under the impression that this isn’t done now due to Covid testing. 

[chengkp75]

12 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I was under the impression that this isn’t done now due to Covid testing. 

That all depends on the country where they would be joining.

[scamper]

I am awfully sorry you missed your sailing.  Concur with filing claim against your insurance.  I hope you had insurance(?).  Anyway, if I learned anything after working for a major airline for several years: always buy travel insurance, always travel to the port the day before the sailing, and never pack anything in checked baggage that you can't replace at Target at the port of departure or at home when you return.

 

Bon Voyage

[Trimone]

NCL didn’t strand people in Florida! Passengers didn’t make it in time to the Port?

[Yesimapirate]

I'm surprised someone who's lived life long enough to have grandchildren equates an FAA order in Minnesota with being the responsibility of a ship in Fl.

 

I know everyone now believes they are special.   But you are not.  You have a contact with NCL that you agreed to.  Your responsibility is to be aboard for departure by the time they tell  you.   Their responsibility is to board you and provide a cruise IF you meet your responsibilities. 

 

This is no one's fault no matter how  many people missed thus departure. 

[travelmatron]

I always feel sort of sad when those of us who've been around for a while seem to pile on a person's very first post.  Badgerjeanne, it must feel as if we're all blaming the victim.  Really, though, we're generally more than happy to point out the error in NCL's ways when they are at fault.  As I'm sure you've noticed by now, as a group we're not seeing NCL as being in the wrong here.  It's unfortunate that your extended family wasn't able to get to the pier in time.  That's something most of us worry about.  As you've seen, there are several ways to decrease that worry:  Watch the pre-cruise weather and be prepared to book a different flight; go a day early; take our trip insurance; or book air through the cruise line.  Since flight disruptions other than weather, like airline strikes, or volcanos/earthquakes (you can tell I live on the West Coast), can happen at any time, a lot of us always go to port a day early to start our cruise without additional stress.  I hope your next trip is easier. This must have been especially hard with grandchildren.

[Sthrngary]

I have no skin in the game here.  I don't even own NCL stock.  Anyone and I mean anyone who has to fly to a cruise port, needs to fully understand the risk.  When I cruise out of New Orleans, I can drive there and that is also a risk.  Nothing can make your situation better however it is not NCL that is the issue here.

 

Basic rules for anyone on cruising:

 

1. Buy Cruise Insurance: At least here, you get your money and expenses back.  
2. Fly In the Day Before:  All that has to happen is just once, you almost miss your cruise.  The stress is so huge, you will NEVER fly in the day of a cruise again.  This is common knowledge for any frequent cruiser. 
3. Don't Buy Your Airfare From the Cruise Brand:  To control your vacation, you need to have direct contact with the airline brand.  I also just flew in through Atlanta to Florida (Miami). The weather was awful.  I called Delta, got protected on extra flights, my luggage did not make it when I did.  The difference was I was in Miami the day before the cruise left. Many folks think buying your flight through the cruise brand makes the ship wait for you. So not true.  They fly you to the first port and your vacation is off to a horrible start.

We consumers need to realize it is so easy to blame companies like NCL.  They are an easy target.  On a situation with flight delay's and bed weather, it is unfortunate but nobody's fault.  That fact that we have to wait 30 minutes to get through is the price we pay.  I had to wait an hour with Delta.  Just the way it is.

 

[JustAPilot]

Change of title, “Decided to roll the dice and fly in the same day with kids in tow, AMA”.

[ColeThornton]

“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

[mjkacmom]

My daughter has been sitting in Newark airport since 11, for her 1 pm flight to Atlanta. Weather is fine, now it’s saying 5 pm, we will see, it’s the last flight of the day (since the actual last flight has been canceled). Weather is fine. Flying is not that reliable.

[tallnthensome]

Why would you even risk flying from what can be very snowy MN in March to Florida the same day to Florida for a departing cruise. That was a terrible mistake and bad planning on your part. Most people don't do that  with the weather risk. 

[styles27]

Hard lesson learned for sure OP.
 

Even before Covid we always flew in at least 2 days before our cruise and if we weren’t able to do that I wouldn’t book that particular cruise. 
 

There’s just too many uncertainties with flying, especially now. 

Also some may disagree with me but we always have travel insurance and we’ve used it at least 3 times in the past.

You don’t have to buy it from the cruise line you can buy a policy that covers multiple trips and it’s very reasonable depending on your personal travel plans. 
 

To expect a ship with hundreds of people onboard to wait for people on delayed/cancelled flights etc isn’t really a reasonable expectation. 
 

Now you know what to do the next time…fly in at least a day or two early and purchase travel insurance. 

Don’t be scared off by our replies I believe your post will help someone else who may think flying in the same day as cruise embarkation is a good idea. 
 

[Sthrngary]

3 hours ago, badgerjeanne said:

Celebrity HELD THE SHIP FOR PEOPLE FLYING IN.

Nope,

 

No cruise brand hold ships for a group of passengers who are greatly delayed on a flight. It just doesn’t happen. Just think, we will inconvenience 4000 people because eight people couldn’t figure out they needed to fly in the day before. Not going to happen.

 

look at the bright side, you got to go on the encore which is in my opinion the very best NCL ship. You also got to stay in South Beach, you could’ve stayed at the airport for far less and yes there were rooms available.

 

I don’t mean to be harsh or rude here. I know you were frustrated and just trying to let out your frustrations. Let’s all learn from your experience and that would be positive for all involved

[scamper]

1 hour ago, Yesimapirate said:

I'm surprised someone who's lived life long enough to have grandchildren equates an FAA order in Minnesota with being the responsibility of a ship in Fl.

 

I know everyone now believes they are special.   But you are not.  You have a contact with NCL that you agreed to.  Your responsibility is to be aboard for departure by the time they tell  you.   Their responsibility is to board you and provide a cruise IF you meet your responsibilities. 

 

This is no one's fault no matter how  many people missed thus departure. 

While what you said was true, I think it was kind of harsh.  I don't think the poster is thinking they are "special," perhaps they aren't as experienced with travel as other folks.