Book a cruise to Greenland and end up in.....Norway?

[WickedRed]

Is there 2000 passengers on the ship?  It feels wicked empty and so far they are only using 1 MDR at night.  

 

Bummed we aren't going to Greenland, but I've never been to Norway so I'm not complaining. 

[bluesea777]

6 hours ago, WickedRed said:

Is there 2000 passengers on the ship?  It feels wicked empty and so far they are only using 1 MDR at night.  

 

Bummed we aren't going to Greenland, but I've never been to Norway so I'm not complaining. 

No, not 2000 but approx 1700.

 

 

[The Shrike]

Here's what I posted on the roll call:

 

We were disappointed Greenland was cancelled, then immediately moved on to vacation mode.  Would have been nice to go there but hey, we're on our first ocean cruise in 3.5 years and we're not letting it sour our time.  We're enjoying a coffee and waiting for everyone else to clear off before checking out Bergen.

 

I have to say that there are some outright jerks on this ship.  We saw people taking out their disappointment on wait staff, bartenders, and stewards.  Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Crabby who angrily berated a steward and proclaimed "We're Sapphire and will NEVER cruise Norwegian again", it was the steward's fault you won't make it to Greenland.  🤔  Some of the folks on board need to take a deep breath and reevaluate some life choices.

 

FYI, we talked to one of the security officers and he said there were about 1300 passengers on board, which is less than 50% capacity.  It definitely feels that way...and we like it.

[Purple_Pig]

@The Shrike That is horrific behavior.  When you book a cruise you know this can happen.  As Saphire members I can't believe they've never missed a port due to weather or other situations.  If you are intent on seeing a place you vacation there, not see it on a cruise.  I'm doing that with Grand Caymen in March.  

 

The weather or NCL's plans or whatever caused this, it is not the fault of the ship's crew who are just trying to serve you to give you a great vacation.  Guests like that should be ashamed of themselves.

 

People forget they are on a boat and when you mix a boat and water, well, things happen.

[tony s]

The Crabbys would be the same ones complaining if the Captain kept the original course and rode into bad weather just to make a particular stop.

[complawyer]

well, shrike at least this time it isnt me complaining, and for at least once, i completely agree with you. everyone has a right to be disappointed when a port is cancelled, NO ONE has a right to b***h at any of ncl staff because of it. if the sapphire people dont want to sail ncl again, maybe the head office can put them at the top of the "no sail" list and that way they dont have to worry about it again. my wife and i are sapphire, and while the extra perks are nice, "aint no big deal" and that's not why i choose to sail with ncl.

[Named-Tawny]

20 hours ago, WickedRed said:

Is there 2000 passengers on the ship?  It feels wicked empty and so far they are only using 1 MDR at night.  

 

Bummed we aren't going to Greenland, but I've never been to Norway so I'm not complaining. 

Do you know if they're doing two shows a night, or just the one?

[WickedRed]

 

Just now, Named-Tawny said:

Do you know if they're doing two shows a night, or just the one?

 

So far the magic and contortionist act was 2 showings and Band on the Run was 2 showings.  Maybe the juggler was 2 as well, I forget. Tonight there was a violinist and that was just one show. Guess acts they think will be popular are 2 and others are 1. 

[pghflyer]

They should have notified customers as soon as they could have, especially given the price point on the NCL Greenland itineraries.  But other than that, cruise travel is risky and good they didn't try to force this one. Sorry for those who missed their desired ports, I know that would be very frustrating.

[Ready to Sail!]

I think once you visit some of the Norwegian  ports you will be very happy with your alternative itinerary.  It is one of the best cruises we have done.  Hopefully they will cruise one of the Fjords for you.

[Ready to Sail!]

5 minutes ago, Ready to Sail! said:

I think once you visit some of the Norwegian  ports you will be very happy with your alternative itinerary.  It is one of the best cruises we have done.  Hopefully they will cruise one of the Fjords for you.

And I should add be sure to be up early for your arrival in Alesund.   It's a beatiful port.  Also, go up to the top of the hill in town for glorious views if weather allows.  

[MrsTocko]

On 7/14/2022 at 4:31 PM, Bramcruiser said:

The Norwegian Star left Reykjavik today on its next 11 day cruise. However, instead of heading to Greenland as planned the ship has been re-routed to Norway. It seems that the weather gods have been playing games with us. Huuricane force winds are predicted in Greenland along with a strong ice flow so the Captain made the decision not to try. NCL head office approved the re-routing.

 

Biggest issue is that no passengers were informed early enough about this and most of us only found out seconds before stepping onto the ship when the key cards were handed to us. No one said a word as we all entered the terminal, got checked for Covid and went through all the check in formalties. Too late now to do anything about it. 

 

Most of us have learned to accept the fate befallen on us but it is a disappointment. The majority of passengers said the same thing - that they booked this voyage because of Greenland. A lost opportunity for some.

 

As for compensation. 30% FCC towards another cruise booked before December 31, 2023. For some this is not going to be much of an incentive or will end up being a lost cause. The biggest scramble has been the shore excursions - private operators in Greemland are without passengers and the ship's shore excursion desk if handling about 2,000 passengers who are flooding them with bookings for Norwegian ports that are likely to sell out fast and leave some passengeres without. There were only 3 tickets left on one excurision of which I decided to go for so its was only one left after that . I am sure its gone now.

 

Topsy turvey day!

 

 

We were getting off the cruise, the day you got on.  Then we heard about the changed itinerary.  DH and I wanted to be on board for the sole purpose of hearing the Capitan…

 

very disappointing for everyone I am sure.  We missed Edinburgh due to rough seas.  
 

stay safe, visit Rajesh at spice H20 - request Pandey as you waiter in Versailles. And have fun…

[Turtles06]

4 hours ago, Ready to Sail! said:

And I should add be sure to be up early for your arrival in Alesund.   It's a beautiful port.  Also, go up to the top of the hill in town for glorious views if weather allows.  

 

Alesund is indeed lovely.  I agree with the recommendation to go to the top of Mount Aksla.  In fact, you can get there via the fun City Train, which isn't a train at all.  Ninety minute tour of the city.  Really a good way to get an overview, then walk around on your own.  And have some fantastic fish and chips for lunch.

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

[Oceansaway17]

On 7/15/2022 at 12:45 AM, gknep said:

My parents are on this cruise. They texted this morning to let us know what was happening. I looked at the weather reports for the North Atlantic. I'm happy the ship is headed towards Norway instead. 

yes I agree.

the weather is going to be bad in Greenland and the ship will be safer in Norway which is a very nice place to visit.  I suppose they could have taken the ship to Scotland as well.

 

Try for Greenland next year but perhaps not the same month

[vtgumby]

On 7/16/2022 at 2:18 PM, CruizinSusan70 said:

There was a post stating that someone was upset about visiting Norway for the umpteenth time.  That is where the comparison to Cozumel comes in because those that primarily cruise the Caribbean can make the same statement about  Cozumel since so many cruises go there.

 

I hope this further clarification clears up that I was not comparing Cozumel to Norway.

Exactly how I read it, a joking comment which made me laugh!

[Mlake09]

On 7/17/2022 at 4:06 AM, bluesea777 said:

No, not 2000 but approx 1700.

 

 

I asked someone earlier today and they told

me about 1300 only! I agree the ship feels empty!
 

We were disappointed about Greenland but understand the cruise line can make any changes they want, and since it was for safety reasons, we were fine with it! We also loved the Norway ports! The long days allowed us to fit a lot in, and it was super easy to

explore and plan on our own. 

[complawyer]

while its sad that you has your heart set on greenland and ended up in norway, you should hav at  least breathed a sigh of relief that the ship was able to dock there.

 

i just read that there is a very vocal group of people at 5  different norwegian ports of call, demanding that no cruise ships be allowed to dock. sort of like key west, fla and venice,italy

[bluesea777]

6 hours ago, Mlake09 said:

I asked someone earlier today and they told

me about 1300 only! I agree the ship feels empty!
 

We were disappointed about Greenland but understand the cruise line can make any changes they want, and since it was for safety reasons, we were fine with it! We also loved the Norway ports! The long days allowed us to fit a lot in, and it was super easy to

explore and plan on our own. 

The 1700 that we heard was on the first day as soon as we boarded, but later we heard it’s lower than that, so you’re correct. It’s great that ship feels empty. 
 

We’re enjoying the cruise nonetheless! We had been to Norway before (Bergen 3x, Ålesund 2x, Trondheim 3x), driven there 2x, but hadn’t been to Olden before. Last trip to Norway was over 17 years ago, so it was interesting to see how much those 3 cities had changed. Olden was a very pleasant surprise - so picturesque! The ship’s excursions were already sold out but I was able to obtain a local one to Briksdal Glacier + troll carts, and it was one of the best excursions I’d ever been on during our 15+ years of cruising. 
 

We’re now back to Iceland … it’s been smooth sailing all along, except for a day of moderate waves, not too bad.

 

 

[steamboats]

Weather and ice conditions do develop in a short notice. So no way to inform anybody days ahead of the cruise.

 

Well, they may have informed you during the check-in process. But what next? Not boarding the ship? With no hotel or flight back home?

 

steamboats