Missing NCL Joy cruises? April-May 2023

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, farringtonb said:

I'm anxiously waiting any further changes or for it to reappear on their site given I have non refundable flights eeeeek

Better buy that trip insurance before it's officially canceled! 

[farringtonb]

2 hours ago, Captain-John said:

 

Yeah, I have hotel options to work out as well - the refundable options are hideously more expensive than pre-pay, but I don't want to do that incase things change again... it's a moving target. And as I've previously said - these changes aren't down to war, hurricane, rules and regulations or even Covid - it's a commercial decision taken by NCL, by choice, which makes their lack of appropriate compensation and options harder to swallow.

Absolutely spot on. All about money and zero regard for paying customers. They will alienate more and more people going down this line of more charters too. 

[hallux]

1 hour ago, farringtonb said:

They will alienate more and more people going down this line of more charters too.

You really think the passengers of other cruise lines are immune to charters?  They ALL do it...

[Sailing12Away]

4 hours ago, mooshipalmdale said:

Our February 24 PC cruise LA to Miami on the Joy is also not showing as we had friends who wanted to book. When I called NCL they said they are having major website issues due to the hurricane and the cruise is still available. Not impressed with their website at all! 

Yup, that's our sailing too.  I would really like to know where we're going before final payment next week. Not that it will matter much, we booked it for the canal transit. But there's a big difference between a 15 day cruise with 9 ports and a 15 day cruise with only 5 port stops. Definitely want to know the final (for now at least) itinerary before I commit and go all in.

[farringtonb]

8 hours ago, hallux said:

You really think the passengers of other cruise lines are immune to charters?  They ALL do it...

Of course. But each time it happens to you as an individual, it leaves sour grapes and then increases the chances of trying a different liner who at that point won't have done it to you 

[Captain-John]

Well, a bit of a change:

 

[cruiseny4life]

10 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

Well, a bit of a change:

 

My cruise in March is thankfully showing up correctly. I might have been carried away with the black lines. 

 

 

[Sailing12Away]

At least you have "Default".... I got nothing for my February trip beyond the date. Guess it's still a mystery where the ship is taking us. September 2023 trip looks fine at least. 

[Victoria wood]

On 9/29/2022 at 7:13 PM, Sand and Seas said:

That doesn't sound good😒

We are on what was supposed to be the April 30 - May 12  - 12 day cruise on the Joy out of Miami. The Joy was sailing  on a 3 day Bahamas cruise April 27 - April 30. That is until someone or some group chartered the entire ship from April 27-May 1. Now our 12 day departing April 30 is an 11 day departing May 1 with one port also cancelled; and I understand the cruise is fully booked.

[farringtonb]

6 hours ago, Victoria wood said:

We are on what was supposed to be the April 30 - May 12  - 12 day cruise on the Joy out of Miami. The Joy was sailing  on a 3 day Bahamas cruise April 27 - April 30. That is until someone or some group chartered the entire ship from April 27-May 1. Now our 12 day departing April 30 is an 11 day departing May 1 with one port also cancelled; and I understand the cruise is fully booked.

This still doesn't show on the NCL UK website. Please excuse perhaps a silly question, but how do you know it is fully booked?

[Captain-John]

My NCL has updated, but I can't book it as a 'new' cruise for either the original April date or the new May date.

 

I don't believe the sailing is full - unless the charter group are also going to to be on the 11 night sailing, in which case I'm cancelling.

 

[Sailing12Away]

Our February Panama canal sailing seems to be fixed... albeit with the wrong itinerary based off of recent emails from them. But at least it now shows up as a PC cruise.

[Sand and Seas]

7 hours ago, farringtonb said:

This still doesn't show on the NCL UK website. Please excuse perhaps a silly question, but how do you know it is fully booked?

Not a silly question.  Strange it hasn't gone back on the website with the new starting date.

 

I find it extremely doubtful that the May 1st 11 day cruise is fully booked.  The similar April Joy cruise (still 12 days) has lots of cabins available.  

Edited October 20, 2022 by Sand and Seas

[Victoria wood]

7 hours ago, farringtonb said:

This still doesn't show on the NCL UK website. Please excuse perhaps a silly question, but how do you know it is fully booked?

My TA spoke to an NCL agent when I couldn’t find the cruise listed either and was worried it was cancelled altogether. NCL said it was fully booked and when that happens they remove from being able to search🤷‍♀️. I thought it odd cause before changing the itinerary there were lots of cabins available.

[farringtonb]

1 hour ago, Victoria wood said:

My TA spoke to an NCL agent when I couldn’t find the cruise listed either and was worried it was cancelled altogether. NCL said it was fully booked and when that happens they remove from being able to search🤷‍♀️. I thought it odd cause before changing the itinerary there were lots of cabins available.

I'm worried it will be fully cancelled so I can just hope the website updates soon showing it back on the market to book

[RNPJN]

The April 30th 12 day was changes to May 1. 11 day  due to a charter

[RNPJN]

4 hours ago, farringtonb said:

I'm worried it will be fully cancelled so I can just hope the website updates soon showing it back on the market to book

Yes same here  I just got a letter to upgrade 3 days before it was changed to an 11 day    I was also looking and at that time in was about 1/2 full  far from sold out  not sure what they are doing  . I hope they didn't parasitically charter this   I called my PCC and she is checking on that  I was told by a NCL rep it was chartered then told it wasn't.

[RNPJN]

13 hours ago, Captain-John said:

My NCL has updated, but I can't book it as a 'new' cruise for either the original April date or the new May date.

 

I don't believe the sailing is full - unless the charter group are also going to to be on the 11 night sailing, in which case I'm cancelling.

 

I am thinking that is the case  it was only 1/2 full last week

[Captain-John]

Regarding the reduction in speciality dining and internet minutes because of the reduced cruise length (but no reduction in Vibe pass cost despite the reduced cruise length),I've had this response from their complaints team. Remember, we didn't book an 11 night cruise. We booked a 12, with associated 'Free at Sea' package. If you were ever in any doubt, NCL are just a cold, hard corporate and have no interest in customer service or 'care.' Some people have been told they will retain the 12 night FAS perks - they will be in for a shock I think.

 

[farringtonb]

1 hour ago, Captain-John said:

Regarding the reduction in speciality dining and internet minutes because of the reduced cruise length (but no reduction in Vibe pass cost despite the reduced cruise length),I've had this response from their complaints team. Remember, we didn't book an 11 night cruise. We booked a 12, with associated 'Free at Sea' package. If you were ever in any doubt, NCL are just a cold, hard corporate and have no interest in customer service or 'care.' Some people have been told they will retain the 12 night FAS perks - they will be in for a shock I think.

 

Thank you for the post. Does that mean that we will get less speciality meals? Is that confirmed? The 10% discount I really feel doesn't cut it. How did you complain sorry? I know someone posted it happens a lot more than you realise, but it doesn't make it morally right at all and is all about maximising shareholder revenue.

[Captain-John]

Agreed. Yes, our speciality meals have been reduced from 3 to 2, and internet minutes from 300 to 150 - because the sailing is now 11 nights and that's what you would get if you booked an 11 night sailing (we didn't!).

 

I got the details of the UK Managing Director and e-mailed him, and I was passed on to 'EU Resolutions' (euhelpdesk@ncl.com) - if you're in the USA you might have different channels. My TA has been useless and just parroted out 'Terms and Conditions.'  If you get the name of an individual, the e-mail format seems to be first initial plus surname @ncl.com (e.g. bsmith@ncl.com)

 

I can't work out the discount either - 1/12 = 8.33% BUT we are losing the internet, plus speciality meals, plus Grand Cayman as a port, plus the hassle and inconvenience of having to amend plans etc. It's an insult.

 

 

[Sailing12Away]

13 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

Agreed. Yes, our speciality meals have been reduced from 3 to 2, and internet minutes from 300 to 150 - because the sailing is now 11 nights and that's what you would get if you booked an 11 night sailing (we didn't!).

 

I got the details of the UK Managing Director and e-mailed him, and I was passed on to 'EU Resolutions' (euhelpdesk@ncl.com) - if you're in the USA you might have different channels. My TA has been useless and just parroted out 'Terms and Conditions.'  If you get the name of an individual, the e-mail format seems to be first initial plus surname @ncl.com (e.g. bsmith@ncl.com)

 

I can't work out the discount either - 1/12 = 8.33% BUT we are losing the internet, plus speciality meals, plus Grand Cayman as a port, plus the hassle and inconvenience of having to amend plans etc. It's an insult.

 

 

I guess it's semantics at this point, but it's not really about what you booked but what you ultimately are doing and taking. You may have booked a 12 night, but you're actually sailing on an 11. If it changed from 12 to 13, would you expect the perks to extend to that bonus day for free without a charge? Why would the rules be different for the other way around?

 

My guess is the reduction is not a set % but more an issue of the presumed gratuities for the beverage package on a 12 vs 11 day calculation of '$$$' x '# of days' with that last part being different now. As for why Vibe price isn't changing, that doesn't seem to be a price per day charge - it's a flat fee based on cruises of length <7 = xyz, 7-14 = qrs, >14 = abc.

 

The simple fact that the rules are different for those of us in the states vs everyone else doesn't help with the confusion when people see others getting different perks or perceived discounts/inclusions that others do not.

[dolfan1980]

19 hours ago, Victoria wood said:

My TA spoke to an NCL agent when I couldn’t find the cruise listed either and was worried it was cancelled altogether. NCL said it was fully booked and when that happens they remove from being able to search🤷‍♀️. I thought it odd cause before changing the itinerary there were lots of cabins available.

Sounds like people giving made up answers to get people to stop asking questions.  I'd be shocked if a sailing that far out is 50% booked at this point unless there was a large group.  Many of the folks here book a year or more in advance, many of us book within 30-90 days and I can count on one hand how many sailings I see officially sold out even a week before sailing.  I usually track prices on a site that shows all sailings including those that are sold out.

[Captain-John]

1 hour ago, Sailing12Away said:

but it's not really about what you booked but what you ultimately are doing and taking.

Yes, but it's not by my choice - so any 'penalty' to me caused by NCL changing the sailing is unjust. If they extended the sailing, I absoutely would expect an extension of the perks without a charge - (unless weather delayed docking etc. obviously). But a planned in advance change, to benefit/profit NCL, should be looked at differently to an unexpected one.

 

You're right, it's semantics but ultimately I am not happy with the resolution/'compensation' they have proposed and I feel it's unfair. It won't change anything, but my outlook on it remains the same. In my industry we look after customers differently. 🤷‍♂️

[farringtonb]

On 10/21/2022 at 2:55 PM, Captain-John said:

Yes, but it's not by my choice - so any 'penalty' to me caused by NCL changing the sailing is unjust. If they extended the sailing, I absoutely would expect an extension of the perks without a charge - (unless weather delayed docking etc. obviously). But a planned in advance change, to benefit/profit NCL, should be looked at differently to an unexpected one.

 

You're right, it's semantics but ultimately I am not happy with the resolution/'compensation' they have proposed and I feel it's unfair. It won't change anything, but my outlook on it remains the same. In my industry we look after customers differently. 🤷‍♂️

 

11 day cruise now showing on NCL site. Not looked at the price difference in depth but it is now available to book again. It took over 3 weeks to be updated