NCL Cancels Specialty Dining Reservations

[swehrheim]

Is anyone else very frustrated with NCL Pride of America cancelling all reservations for specialty dining reservations.

We are sailing on July 30 2022 and just got notified that we are being cancelled( all 4 reservations) that I made over 60 days ago.

Also no breakfast or lunch in any dining room so buffet is all that is available.

This should be good as we NEVER go to the buffet. Who pays over 9000.00 for a cruise and then stands in a buffet line, struggle to find a table and have to carry everything over?

When I asked if we would be refunded the prepaid gratuities we have paid for the two included specialty dining and the 100.00 plus gratuities we paid as an early option package we were told no guarantee if we ask for refund on board ship. So if they cant accommodate time we can go to dinner based on our itinerary and travel plans we arent guaranteed a refund!

How the heck can this be possible.

[debenson0723]

2 hours ago, swehrheim said:

Is anyone else very frustrated with NCL Pride of America cancelling all reservations for specialty dining reservations.

We are sailing on July 30 2022 and just got notified that we are being cancelled( all 4 reservations) that I made over 60 days ago.

Also no breakfast or lunch in any dining room so buffet is all that is available.

This should be good as we NEVER go to the buffet. Who pays over 9000.00 for a cruise and then stands in a buffet line, struggle to find a table and have to carry everything over?

When I asked if we would be refunded the prepaid gratuities we have paid for the two included specialty dining and the 100.00 plus gratuities we paid as an early option package we were told no guarantee if we ask for refund on board ship. So if they cant accommodate time we can go to dinner based on our itinerary and travel plans we arent guaranteed a refund!

How the heck can this be possible.

Call NCL and ask for a refund before you board.  In most cases, if you cancel once on the ship, you will only get OBC.

[billslowsky]

2 hours ago, swehrheim said:

Is anyone else very frustrated with NCL Pride of America cancelling all reservations for specialty dining reservations.

We are sailing on July 30 2022 and just got notified that we are being cancelled( all 4 reservations) that I made over 60 days ago.

Also no breakfast or lunch in any dining room so buffet is all that is available.

This should be good as we NEVER go to the buffet. Who pays over 9000.00 for a cruise and then stands in a buffet line, struggle to find a table and have to carry everything over?

When I asked if we would be refunded the prepaid gratuities we have paid for the two included specialty dining and the 100.00 plus gratuities we paid as an early option package we were told no guarantee if we ask for refund on board ship. So if they cant accommodate time we can go to dinner based on our itinerary and travel plans we arent guaranteed a refund!

How the heck can this be possible.

 

The horror...

[ChiefMateJRK]

There is growing evidence that POA is a mess right now, and perhaps getting worse and not better.  We cancelled our original May booking and have final payment due for a fall booking in the next several weeks.  I'll likely be cancelling that upon consensus agreement with the others on the reservation.  We still have bookings in 2023, 2024 and 2025.  I'm reasonably confident we'll get back to "normal" at some point in the next three years. 🤥

[BermudaBound2014]

3 hours ago, swehrheim said:

Is anyone else very frustrated with NCL Pride of America cancelling all reservations for specialty dining reservations.

 

 

Pride of America is a mess. They have only been able to secure 550 crew (and need over 900). There is ancillary evidence that some of the limited crew is also walking off the job making things even more difficult.

 

Since PoA sails withing the USA, they must follow additional rules including the number of crew who need to be USA citizens. Crew need to undergo additional training (think fire safety, etc..). Pre covid it was difficult to crew PoA. Post covid it's proving to be a substantial challenge. 

 

NCL is on record saying they have placed a stop sell on all bookings thru the end of October. NCL is also on record saying they are going to reduce capacity on some of the existing sailings. There are reports of people getting bumped from a sailing they have paid in full in order to allow NCL to reduce passenger count. Did I mention it's a mess? This may not be the year to plan your Hawaiian cruise unless you bring extra patience and flexibility.

https://www.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/ncl-limits-occupancy-aboard-pride-of-america-sailings.html

 

[The Shrike]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

There is growing evidence that POA is a mess right now, and perhaps getting worse and not better.  We cancelled our original May booking and have final payment due for a fall booking in the next several weeks.  I'll likely be cancelling that upon consensus agreement with the others on the reservation.  We still have bookings in 2023, 2024 and 2025.  I'm reasonably confident we'll get back to "normal" at some point in the next three years. 🤥

Did the POA in 2017 and it was a mess then.  It was the worst staff on any NCL ship we've been on, from the cabin steward (first and only time I've never tipped the steward), to the bar staff, to the MDR wait staff, to the buffet staff.  As an American it's a bit depressing to admit that all the staff that we encountered that were subpar were Americans.  The few bright spots we encountered were all non-Americans except for one omelet cook at breakfast, who was awesome.

 

I can only imagine what it's like with just over half staff, and them not 100% trained.

[Crazy planning mom]

Well, I was on it in 2017 also and didn't experience the poor service the Shrike did.  We were very happy with our room steward.

It does sound challenging now.  The thing is that most days we were off the boat at lunch time as we were exploring Hawaii.  Is the Cadillac Diner open?

Edited June 3, 2022 by Crazy planning mom

[TrumpyNor]

3 hours ago, The Shrike said:

Did the POA in 2017 and it was a mess then.  It was the worst staff on any NCL ship we've been on, from the cabin steward (first and only time I've never tipped the steward), to the bar staff, to the MDR wait staff, to the buffet staff.  As an American it's a bit depressing to admit that all the staff that we encountered that were subpar were Americans.  The few bright spots we encountered were all non-Americans except for one omelet cook at breakfast, who was awesome.

 

I can only imagine what it's like with just over half staff, and them not 100% trained.

This was actually our experience when cruising the Hawaiian islands with NCL back in 2006 - the service on board was simply terrible. At that time NCL had a total of three ships cruising in Hawaii, so they were struggling to get enough QUALIFIED Americans to fill the various service positions on board - sorry to say that the "professional" standard of majority of those who were working in restaurants, bars and housekeeping of US nationality were far below what should be expected.... 

[steamboats]

We had 1197 pax and 530 crew on the May 14th sailing. And there never was a line in the Aloha Café and I never had to struggle to find a table. There´s plenty of space with an occupancy of 45% max.

 

Be happy they didn´t cancel your cruise! Due to the limitation of the passenger capacity NCL had to cancel some passengers for the upcoming cruises.

 

BTW this is the fact since the restart on April 9th - so nothing new or surprising: Only Cagney´s and Jefferson´s Bistro are open as specialty restaurants. Main Dining Room is Skyline Restaurant only - only for dinner and no reservations. Cadillac Diner is open and also Aloha Café.

 

Open Bars: John Adams Café, Ocean Drive Bar (until 6 pm) and in the evenings Pink´s Champagne Bar and Napa Wine Bar. Mardi Gras Lounge is only open during aktivities there.

 

steamboats

Edited June 3, 2022 by steamboats

[rikitikitavii]

11 hours ago, billslowsky said:

 

The horror...

Agree, My wife makes me carry her buffet plates to the table!!! LOL

[BigRedFan]

7 hours ago, TrumpyNor said:

This was actually our experience when cruising the Hawaiian islands with NCL back in 2006 - the service on board was simply terrible. At that time NCL had a total of three ships cruising in Hawaii, so they were struggling to get enough QUALIFIED Americans to fill the various service positions on board - sorry to say that the "professional" standard of majority of those who were working in restaurants, bars and housekeeping of US nationality were far below what should be expected.... 

We cruised Hawaii way back in 2004 on the Wind.  At that time they did the full group of the Islands and then sailed 2 full days down to Kiribati which was an interesting port stop and then 2 full days back to Hawaii.  It was one of our best cruises ever.  They should bring that itinerary back and bypass the US crew requirement.

[rhapsodybluezz]

We had that happen on one of our cruises. It was either the Baltic cruise or the POA cruise.  NCL cancelled my dining reservations, but I was able to book them again. And then they were cancelled again and I booked them again.  I had duplicate reservations on my final summary but was able to straighten it all out once I got on the ship. This was pre-covid.

 

[weltek]

17 hours ago, swehrheim said:

Is anyone else very frustrated with NCL Pride of America cancelling all reservations for specialty dining reservations.

We are sailing on July 30 2022 and just got notified that we are being cancelled( all 4 reservations) that I made over 60 days ago.

Also no breakfast or lunch in any dining room so buffet is all that is available.

This should be good as we NEVER go to the buffet. Who pays over 9000.00 for a cruise and then stands in a buffet line, struggle to find a table and have to carry everything over?

When I asked if we would be refunded the prepaid gratuities we have paid for the two included specialty dining and the 100.00 plus gratuities we paid as an early option package we were told no guarantee if we ask for refund on board ship. So if they cant accommodate time we can go to dinner based on our itinerary and travel plans we arent guaranteed a refund!

How the heck can this be possible.

I completely agree, this is not okay/acceptable.

 

However, unless you have mobility limitations, let's also not make carrying things in the buffet a bigger deal that it needs to be. I have one plate, carry it to a table, then grab beverages. If I need another plate, I wait until I finish my first and then grab another. It's not like it's a huge walk. It's honestly not a big deal. I'm not a buffet lover, but it's my preference to use it most days for breakfast and a few days for lunch because the drawn-out dining room experience for every meal gets tedious for me. Your preferences obviously aren't the same, but in my 12 cruises, I find the buffet experience isn't a horror show unless you make it into one by trying to get three plates of food at once. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, weltek said:

I have one plate, carry it to a table, then grab beverages.

I grab a bloody Mary, find a seat and then tell my traveling companions to go get their food, etc.  When they're done, then I go and get mine.  Pretty simple. 😎

[HuliHuli]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I grab a bloody Mary, find a seat and then tell my traveling companions to go get their food, etc.  When they're done, then I go and get mine.  Pretty simple. 😎

Now if you could just get your traveling companions (all 😻's er 🐀's I suspect) to also bring you a plate, that would be sweet.  Cheers!

[markkw07]

21 hours ago, swehrheim said:

Is anyone else very frustrated with NCL Pride of America cancelling all reservations for specialty dining reservations.

We are sailing on July 30 2022 and just got notified that we are being cancelled( all 4 reservations) that I made over 60 days ago.

Also no breakfast or lunch in any dining room so buffet is all that is available.

This should be good as we NEVER go to the buffet. Who pays over 9000.00 for a cruise and then stands in a buffet line, struggle to find a table and have to carry everything over?

When I asked if we would be refunded the prepaid gratuities we have paid for the two included specialty dining and the 100.00 plus gratuities we paid as an early option package we were told no guarantee if we ask for refund on board ship. So if they cant accommodate time we can go to dinner based on our itinerary and travel plans we arent guaranteed a refund!

How the heck can this be possible.

Yes, there are already numerous posts about the POA and ALL the issues she is having. I sailed on POA back in April 30 - May 7. Yes, there are severe staffing issues and pretty much everything "is a mess" BUT, we made the best out of this situation. Most of the crew, was working as hard as they could to accommodate everyone to the best of their ability. Yes, you will read posts about crew members not wanting to be there, "rumors" of crew members walking off the ship, crew members barely doing anything, crew members with " bad attitudes" the list goes on and on and on....all of course is what people saw, heard, read, experienced, witnessed..whatever..I'm not going to get into all that. Everyone can have their own perceptions on how things are and how things REALLY are, so again not going to debate anything that people have said. 

 

If you plan on sailing on POA, just be prepared for any and everything  and go with the flow. You can rant, rave, complain, bi%#%ch, yell, scream, post negative reviews, refuse to go on NCL ever again, write to Jack Del Rio, ask to see the captain, demand a refund, complain more, all to which is not going to help anyone, much less yourself, have a better experience than anyone else on the POA. 

 

Mahalo:)

 

 

Edited June 3, 2022 by markkw07

[Trimone]

Why is the title 

NCL cancelled speciality dining?

One cruise ship!

 

[nolawyerjokes]

It wasn’t that great pre-Covid.  Can’t imagine what it is like now.  

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, markkw07 said:

If you plan on sailing on POA, just be prepared for any and everything  and go with the flow.

I have been planning to sail on POA, but just keep pushing it back in favor of "safer" itineraries.  They'll either fix this or throw in the towel.  I can wait. 😎

[steamboats]

Not to mention that all cabins got o 50 USD OBC for the incoveniences (per cabin, not per person).

 

This was mentioned in the emails telling the passengers what venues are open or closed and that all reservations have been cancelled. The emails are sent out prior to the cruise.

 

steamboats

[rxlowry]

I understand your concern and disappointment. Wow.  9k.  Personally I’d sail on a premium or luxury for that price.     I know POA is a unique experience for Hawaii though but it has some quirks Bc of American rules.  It’s a great way to see so much in a shorter time as other lines need more time.  I hope the experience is great and the food will just be a minor negative.  
 

[swehrheim]

Thank you to all comments.

Guess we are just so frustrated because we booked this pre covid Feb 2020 to be exact for our 40th Wedding Anniversary.

Going in 5 days early to have vow renewal and spend time in Oahu, then cruising.

It's  bucket list trip and we will never get back as there are to many other places to see.

We are going to make the best of it at this point. Appreciate the comments. Lots of food for thought.

Sailed The Bliss inaugural to Alaska in 2018 and it was perfect!

Have sailed on all lines except Holland America so we aren't new to cruising. 12 to be exact.

 

 

 

 

[swehrheim]

On 6/4/2022 at 1:56 AM, steamboats said:

Not to mention that all cabins got o 50 USD OBC for the incoveniences (per cabin, not per person).

 

This was mentioned in the emails telling the passengers what venues are open or closed and that all reservations have been cancelled. The emails are sent out prior to the cruise.

 

steamboats

Yes I know it was but part of our fare was to have 2 free specialty dining and we already have prepaid gratuities for that which are more than 50.00. When RC changed our room with prior notification they comped us 150.00 ob credit.

[Linda the Book Lover]

On 6/3/2022 at 7:08 AM, BigRedFan said:

We cruised Hawaii way back in 2004 on the Wind.  At that time they did the full group of the Islands and then sailed 2 full days down to Kiribati which was an interesting port stop and then 2 full days back to Hawaii.  It was one of our best cruises ever.  They should bring that itinerary back and bypass the US crew requirement.

We loved the Wind and sailed her twice, before and after stretch. One time was Hawaii and it was a wonderful time. I was sorry she no longer sails.

[Linda the Book Lover]

1 hour ago, swehrheim said:

Yes I know it was but part of our fare was to have 2 free specialty dining and we already have prepaid gratuities for that which are more than 50.00. When RC changed our room with prior notification they comped us 150.00 ob credit.

We paid $39.60 for the dinner service charge for the "2 free specialty meals" and they gave us $50. Not a refund of what we paid so basically we received $10.50. Since there is three of us, and I still have two platinum dinners and will make reservations to enjoy one night at each of the specialty dining venues in Cagney's and Jefferson's Bistro and use the 2 free for the third person each time. We enjoyed POA before and Cadillac Diner was a favorite.