Norwegian abandoned us

[mickeysgal]

The root cause of this issue isn't so much that it's booked through NCL and not directly via an airline, its that there was zero room for delay built into the schedule.  Never arrive this late for a cruise - especially overseas.  One should arrive one full day, if not two, full days when flying to Europe to catch a cruise.  I'm sorry - I'd be so upset to miss the entire cruise like this.  Shame on NCL for leading people to believe this tight arrival - especially with connections - is do-able.

[LloydJr]

18 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

All American domestic carriers are pretty low on the customer experience list. I think I'd prefer an airline run by government, than one run by private business. 

 

No airline gets an A for their top tier product:

 

 

Barely a B for airlines serving those choosing extra legroom:

 

 

And finally, mostly C's for those serving the herd in the rest of the seats:

 

 

Source: https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2022-north-america-airline-satisfaction-study

Thanks for that.  It comes as little surprise to me that Southwest is at the top and AA is near the bottom.

[DCGuy64]

19 minutes ago, mickeysgal said:

The root cause of this issue isn't so much that it's booked through NCL and not directly via an airline, its that there was zero room for delay built into the schedule.  Never arrive this late for a cruise - especially overseas.  One should arrive one full day, if not two, full days when flying to Europe to catch a cruise.  I'm sorry - I'd be so upset to miss the entire cruise like this.  Shame on NCL for leading people to believe this tight arrival - especially with connections - is do-able.

I wouldn't characterize their offering this service as "leading people to believe...it's do-able." They just offer to get you to the cruise port at a good price without you having to do the legwork. If a guest chooses to book his own flights, it's on HIM, not NCL, to comb through tons of search sites, comparing offers, itineraries, airports, etc. That can be an annoying hassle and is very time-consuming. I would agree that, if possible, flying in early is smart, if not essential. But it isn't practical, affordable or possible to do so. Every extra day is more $ for hotel, food and incidentals. If you're on a budget, that might NOT be "do-able."  😉

[julig22]

17 minutes ago, mickeysgal said:

Shame on NCL for leading people to believe this tight arrival - especially with connections - is do-able.

Leading people?? NCL is giving people what they ask for - but obviously there is a risk.  NCL actually pays people to take a deviation.  But not everyone has the extra time or desire to spend an extra day.  And I suspect that there are large numbers of people who book same-day arrival on their own.

[DCGuy64]

2 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Leading people?? NCL is giving people what they ask for - but obviously there is a risk.  NCL actually pays people to take a deviation.  But not everyone has the extra time or desire to spend an extra day.  And I suspect that there are large numbers of people who book same-day arrival on their own.

Exactly what I was thinking-we love to have an extra day but it isn't always a possibility. We're flying 2 days early for a Japan cruise next month, because you lose a day getting there anyway. We essentially have a day as a cushion. But due to my work, we wouldn't be able to do more than that-the day before we leave is Easter Sunday, and when you're a church musician, that is NOT optional. You're either there or you're fired.

[golden6911]

I feel for the OP, because that sounds very stressful, but I will try to learn from this experience.  I booked a cruise leaving from Iceland with the BOGO but I will do a day before extension once I book the airfare, and I will also buy travel insurance. 

[hallux]

6 minutes ago, golden6911 said:

with the BOGO but I will do a day before extension once I book the airfare,

If you're taking the BOGO you're not booking the airfare yourself.

[mickeysgal]

21 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Leading people?? NCL is giving people what they ask for - but obviously there is a risk.  NCL actually pays people to take a deviation.  But not everyone has the extra time or desire to spend an extra day.  And I suspect that there are large numbers of people who book same-day arrival on their own.

While I do understand some are strapped for time and money to come in at least a day early, it still doesn’t change the fact that this is the root cause of why they missed their European cruise. When you travel overseas, with connections on top of it, you have to allow for potential travel delays.  Yes, NCL allowed a flight with a tight connection- so yes, they’re leading people to think this is ok. If a simple 30 min tarmac delay caused them to miss a connection, it’s too tight and should not have  been an allowable option to pick. 

 

 

[DCGuy64]

I think since the OP only joined yesterday (presumably just to post this), it's a moot point. He/she hasn't posted much since, so it may be another CC "one and done."

[sanger727]

7 hours ago, dexddd said:

Can't trust US carriers either.  American had mechanical late 2021 with best offer getting there 36 hours late.

 

As far as NCL air, they imply they will help with issues but how many stories do we have like the OP?

 

Agreed. I've taken many trips and ended up flying on many airlines. The only time an airline cancelled a flight without any options except to reschedule the next day was American Airlines. And that was AFTER we spent about 4 hours waiting for our flight and the only issue was being short a plane. 

[RedwingHockeyFan]

13 minutes ago, mickeysgal said:

While I do understand some are strapped for time and money to come in at least a day early, it still doesn’t change the fact that this is the root cause of why they missed their European cruise. When you travel overseas, with connections on top of it, you have to allow for potential travel delays.  Yes, NCL allowed a flight with a tight connection- so yes, they’re leading people to think this is ok. If a simple 30 min tarmac delay caused them to miss a connection, it’s too tight and should not have  been an allowable option to pick. 

 

 

I'm not disagreeing with you.  It would probably be wise for whomever makes the flight arrangements to factor that in, but it is obvious they don't.  It is probably just people who are booking flights that are cheap and that will get you there on time in a perfect world with no risk of delays.  Once the flights are booked and then the delays happen the blame lies with the airline not NCL.

[RedwingHockeyFan]

2 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

 

Agreed. I've taken many trips and ended up flying on many airlines. The only time an airline cancelled a flight without any options except to reschedule the next day was American Airlines. And that was AFTER we spent about 4 hours waiting for our flight and the only issue was being short a plane. 

I missed a connecting flight in Fort Lauderdale from Aruba on Spirit once.  They actually had another flight from St Maarten the same night where most of the passengers missed a connecting flight.  Both delays were mechanical issues so in that case Spirit has the responsibility to fix it.  At first the people at the help counter were difficult and the opposite of helpful.  they were trying to say both flight delays were caused by weather which was a farce.  Eventually we did get a hotel for the night, a next day flight to Columbus, OH (our final destination was supposed to be Detroit), some meal vouchers and a rental car from Columbus to Detroit.  

[julig22]

12 minutes ago, mickeysgal said:

While I do understand some are strapped for time and money to come in at least a day early, it still doesn’t change the fact that this is the root cause of why they missed their European cruise. When you travel overseas, with connections on top of it, you have to allow for potential travel delays.  Yes, NCL allowed a flight with a tight connection- so yes, they’re leading people to think this is ok. If a simple 30 min tarmac delay caused them to miss a connection, it’s too tight and should not have  been an allowable option to pick. 

 

 

As far as I know, the airlines determine the schedules.  Meaning that the OP would have had the same choices as NCL with respect to choosing "allowable" options, had they booked themselves.

So the airlines are the ones leading people to think it's ok.

Just had this happen on my last trip home.  Had a 45 minute layover in SEA, very tight. But allowed by airline/airport standards. Alternative was a 4 HR layover.  I personally would have chosen the later flight but NCL did nothing wrong. Did I miss my original flight - yep. But I knew my flight to SEA was delayed, so rebooked on the later flight, no problem.

[mickeysgal]

21 minutes ago, julig22 said:

As far as I know, the airlines determine the schedules.  Meaning that the OP would have had the same choices as NCL with respect to choosing "allowable" options, had they booked themselves.

So the airlines are the ones leading people to think it's ok.

Just had this happen on my last trip home.  Had a 45 minute layover in SEA, very tight. But allowed by airline/airport standards. Alternative was a 4 HR layover.  I personally would have chosen the later flight but NCL did nothing wrong. Did I miss my original flight - yep. But I knew my flight to SEA was delayed, so rebooked on the later flight, no problem.

That’s where we, as the consumer, have to be smart about it and don’t chose that flight combination- especially when flying overseas to meet a cruise deadline that same day. Again, it goes back to root cause and making sure you factor in possible delays and getting there a day earlier. We once had a Frankfurt Germany connection of 55 min. We took it, and made it by running, and had to go through passport control even, but we didn’t have a cruise to meet that day. Otherwise we never would have risked that kind of tight connection. As consumers,  we have the personal responsibility to be smarter and err on the side of caution. How awful to miss an entire cruise - when it was avoidable. 

[sanger727]

14 minutes ago, mickeysgal said:

That’s where we, as the consumer, have to be smart about it and don’t chose that flight combination- especially when flying overseas to meet a cruise deadline that same day. Again, it goes back to root cause and making sure you factor in possible delays and getting there a day earlier. We once had a Frankfurt Germany connection of 55 min. We took it, and made it by running, and had to go through passport control even, but we didn’t have a cruise to meet that day. Otherwise we never would have risked that kind of tight connection. As consumers,  we have the personal responsibility to be smarter and err on the side of caution. How awful to miss an entire cruise - when it was avoidable. 

 

Exactly, a layover of less than an hour on an international connection is a terrible idea. Who cares if the airlines offer it; if you were booking your own flights you would have the choice to not book it. 

 

On the same note, it's not a good idea to fly in the morning of a cruise. It sounds like both of these happened in the OPs situation. Had they scheduled a one or two day deviation in, there, they likely would have made their cruise. NCL has some blame, but so does the OP. This was risky from the outset. 

Edited March 7, 2023 by sanger727

[Yesimapirate]

Maybe I'm just an uncaring jerk but the OP has to take some responsibility for the results as well.  

 

We're adults.  We have to be able to allow for bad situations,  changes in plans,  etc.  You can't simply get to Rome and be "lost".  No nanny is going to swoop in and save you.  A simple Google flights search will give you all the options to get to Athens. 

 

Missing the connection is bad and not the OP's fault.  Being stuck in the wrong city for days is.

[DCGuy64]

Re-reading the OP's initial post, I find there are a lot of unanswered questions. That's part of the issue with replying to any post. There are many things I don't understand about it, and sometimes the little details tell a different story. And by no means am I saying the fault lies with the OP, not at all. But I'd be shocked if NCL corporate was no help at all, or they were told they were stuck in Italy and would just have to "enjoy it." (Having said that, I can definitely think of many countries way worse than Italy. Being stuck there sounds fun.)

[sailingships]

Never fly into Europe in time to get on the ship. Always go a few days early.

[complawyer]

we're booked on the dawn leaving southampton on july 27th. there was a 10hr non stop flight leaving lax at 3:45 on the 26th  arriving in lhr at 10.am. since the ship wasnt sailing until 5:00, and it's about an hour + to get to 

the pier in southampton, i figured no problem. always wanting to err on the side of caution, we decided to take the same flight but a day earlier. true, we need to book a hotel on the 26th, but it's worth the extra $$$ to avoid t he problems op faced.

[cruisequeen4ever]

That’s a wretched experience! I’m shocked NCL didn’t get you to another port. Thank you for sharing your awful experience, so others can be saved from a similar one. I hope you get the rest of the money back!

Edited March 7, 2023 by cruisequeen4ever

[golden6911]

3 hours ago, hallux said:

If you're taking the BOGO you're not booking the airfare yourself.

 

Oh, I thought you could request to be booked the day before?  I have no options at all?

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, golden6911 said:

 

Oh, I thought you could request to be booked the day before?  I have no options at all?

If you are at least 75 days out from your cruise you can request a one or two day deviation. You'll even get a $25 credit.

[david_sobe]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

So, you are saying because one country's airline is bad, all country's airlines are bad? Southwest airlines over the recent holiday season totally screwed their passengers. Should someone then come to the conclusion that all private US carriers are bad based on that experience?

I gave my opinion.  I speak from experience.  You are free to your opinion too.  You are also free to research any airline about their customer service in regards to cancellations, lost or stolen luggage, and delayed flights.  You are free to come back and post your conclusions or future experience at any time.  I would never book flights on unreliable airlines no matter who was offering them and no matter the price.  There I said it.  I hope I was more clear.  Many of these government owned airlines think arriving within 6 hours of arrival is on time.  When you use this for traveling across the world for a cruise departure with no room for error is setting yourself up for disaster.  

Edited March 7, 2023 by david_sobe

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

All American domestic carriers are pretty low on the customer experience list. I think I'd prefer an airline run by government, than one run by private business. 

 

No airline gets an A for their top tier product:

 

 

Barely a B for airlines serving those choosing extra legroom:

 

 

And finally, mostly C's for those serving the herd in the rest of the seats:

 

 

Source: https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2022-north-america-airline-satisfaction-study

If both domestic and foreign owned airlines are not up to good standards, what are you left with? It's not like you can fly Jefferson Airplane. 🤣

[ontheweb]

28 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

I gave my opinion.  I speak from experience.  You are free to your opinion too.  You are also free to research any airline about their customer service in regards to cancellations, lost or stolen luggage, and delayed flights.  You are free to come back and post your conclusions or future experience at any time.  I would never book flights on unreliable airlines no matter who was offering them and no matter the price.  There I said it.  I hope I was more clear.  Many of these government owned airlines think arriving within 6 hours of arrival is on time.  When you use this for traveling across the world for a cruise departure with no room for error is setting yourself up for disaster.  

I remember once booking our flights to Florida on Delta. And then Delta made a change from non-stop to from Newark to Fort Lauderdale to a layover in Dallas. And we would have got to Fort Lauderdale in time to wave goodbye to the cruise ship as it sailed away. So, I too can post from experience. (They did let us cancel, and we ended up flying on Jet Blue instead. If they had not allowed the cancellation, I was going to let our credit card company deal with them.)