NCL makes flight booking errors, balks at a fix

[steve49589]

Looking for any suggestions. Our flight reservations are messed up. They have us flying in embarkation day instead of two days early.

 

• Traveling on the Getaway out of Rome on July 21.
• Paid the trip balance March 28 and worked with the reservation agent (Donna) to fly in two days early and arrive on the morning of July 19. (We took the air special.)
• Received the air confirmation yesterday, but we are arriving on July 21 (embarkation day).

 

I know that Donna confirmed with me on the phone that we were all set to arrive two days early and even mentioned a credit of something like $25 per person. My notes about the call are detailed, with times noted.

 

Long story short, they claimed it was my responsibility to review the PDF they sent. The PDF is a bit cryptic, and I did not see the columns concerning "# OF NIGHTS PRE." No idea what that means, but it's listed as zero, so Donna never made the change. I realize that is the main issue.

 

The original group reservation agent noted that Donna has a note in the file... 

"I see in the comments she put at  03/28/2023 10:57 AM she put comments saying she spoke to you about the air deviation coming in 2 days early. That’s all she put."

 

When speaking with the Air Department today, they told me I was out of luck. They said they reviewed the call recording, and there was no mention of arriving two days early. It turns out they were reviewing a different call from a different day.

 

They finally found the call and agreed that Donna confirmed we would arrive two days early. OK, let's get it changed... You'd think... but no. Also, please send me the recording of the call from March 28. Nope.

 

Now it has to go to the escalation department, and it will take four to six weeks to determine what they will do. They did not say they would fix it, but "maybe" they would fix it. In four to six weeks the air pricing will be significantly more expensive, and the extra cost will almost certainly - in my opinion - drive them to say "no" even though this was clearly their mistake.

 

I contacted the Resolution Department through corporate. They said almost certainly they would change it to the correct arrival date, if the information from the call recording checked out. Why so long? Resolution Department said they had to make the changes based on the sail date. Resolution Department referred me to an online form to request a call recording, which I did. That auto-reply indicated they would get back to me at some point within 15 days. I want the recording for peace of mind as I don't trust them. They may "lose it" or delete it after a period of time.

 

We want to make plans for the two days in Rome with the rest of the family going on the trip.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

Steve

 

[FLAHAM]

Too many bad stories about NCL air.  Would never use them.

[Georgia_Peaches]

I hate that you are dealing with this. It’s such a negative way to not only anticipate, but start a cruise. Your story solidifies for me why I will never put my airline plans in the hands of a third party, regardless of cruise line. I sincerely hope this gets figured out in your favor. 

[SeekingKillerWhales!]

I'm sorry. I've had a couple experiences, including it taking two months for a charge that was double billed to me. But they did finally reverse the charge. If it's on the recording a decent business would fix this, and hopefully they will. 

[SeekingKillerWhales!]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I hate that you are dealing with this. It’s such a negative way to not only anticipate, but start a cruise. Your story solidifies for me why I will never put my airline plans in the hands of a third party, regardless of cruise line. I sincerely hope this gets figured out in your favor. 

Agreed. I'm so glad I know all the things that go wrong, especially for beginning cruisers who need air. Will always do it on my own. At least you're not the two people sharing a cabin who got put on different airlines both ways!

[complawyer]

i believe no matter how badly the passenger needs the air. with so many horror stories about ncl air, even with the bogo promo, i'll pass and do my own booking. if you check the airlines diligently, and keep checking, you'll almost always find a decent fare. it may not be a cheap as those offered through ncl but imho, the benefit of being able to pick and choose overrides the risks presented by ncl.

 

we're going on a b2b july 27th through aug 10th, found a great fare (business class from lax to london non stop, and premium economy from stockholm back to los angeles on british airways.

 

we're also booked on the dawn from capetown to barcelona next march. it's a little early to book, but we can go premium economy on delta, and 1st class coming back from barcelona. i believe that both of these fares are reasonable. its 10 + hrs to london, its a red eye flight, and being in business class with seats hat fold down into a bed, more than makes up for 2 seats in economy even if one is free.

 

coming back from barcelona, in 1st class cant be beat.we're going in a few days early, and staying a few days after in all the cities.  so as the old saying goes, booking air through ncl may be penny-wise but dollar foolish

[9tee2Sea]

I have only used NCL BOGO 1 time, and I had no problems.  From what I have read, is a crap shoot.  I find checking my vacation summary often to see if there are any mistakes very helpful.  I too had requested a 2 day deviation ( front and back), but while checking my summary, they had me flying in the day AFTER the cruise departed.  I called and emailed, and after a few days, they saw the issue and fixed it ( that was about 60 days out) . I know everyones experience is different.

[Seminole1975]

I am sorry this happened to you. I too decided against the NCL BOGO flights this summer because I could not give up the control and peace of mind.

Since it is your reservation and ticket, what would happen if you called the airline directly and tried to change the reservation yourself? 

I have read on other threads that if there is a problem with a flight (like being cancelled or delayed) NCL tells the passengers to fix it themselves thru the airlines. Just a thought.

[steve49589]

25 minutes ago, Seminole1975 said:

...

Since it is your reservation and ticket, what would happen if you called the airline directly and tried to change the reservation yourself? 

I have read on other threads that if there is a problem with a flight (like being cancelled or delayed) NCL tells the passengers to fix it themselves thru the airlines. Just a thought.

 

I think I'll give this a shot. Thanks for the idea, can't hurt to ask them.

[steve49589]

It's an annoying video since they beat around the bush and don't tell you the cruise line is NCL. But travel agents are starting to call out NCL on their terrible Air Department.

 

 

[soup23]

I am sorry this happened to you.

 

I have a similar situation that I am involved in now.  Leaving from ATL>Anchorage and requested 1 day deviation before.  Did this with the initial booking prior to 75 days of sail date.  Flights come and it has me arriving into Anchorage at 4:00 PM on the day of the cruise with a layover.  Called immediately and got same spiel that it would have to be escalated etc.  I called a few times and received same update and then was told 10 days out to call and they could send an email to a manager.  I did that today as we are 10 days from sail and the email was sent but was told that they "may" not be able to accommodate. I asked why since I have done everything I should have in the process and was told that this close to sail date, the prices have went substantially up.  I again reiterated that I called the day I received my flights and was not responded to with any resolution. The whole experience has been awful. 

[Reese15233]

There aren't any real solutions any one can offer here but I will adding my opinion and hindsight based on my experiences. I have used the air promotion multiple times and had no problems. I have learned to check my confirmations after any changes - deviations, upgrades whatever. I have had things unrelated to the change altered or just disappear, including transfers, air for additional passengers, little details not related to the change made. The biggest thing was flights not being adjusted after the first leg of a back to back was cancelled. So now I do a line by line check for everything- charges, payments, itinerary, literally everything in the confirmation document. Even offer codes and port times. The NCL system does some things automatically and what seems like small changes are sometimes done without notice. I've just learned to check everything. 

[cruiseny4life]

3 hours ago, steve49589 said:

It's an annoying video since they beat around the bush and don't tell you the cruise line is NCL. But travel agents are starting to call out NCL on their terrible Air Department.

 

 

Travel agents that do their job call out NCL's BOG Airfare Program before booking it for their clients. Not after when an issue comes up. 

 

I don't think you're getting the recording. That's NCL's property and unless there is a lawsuit, they aren't likely to release it. And, I don't think you're at lawsuit time haha

 

Honestly, give their Escalations Department time to fix it, but you should reach out every single day to get an update. Also, I'm stunned you received your flights so early. Do you have an actual ticket number yet? It might be just a placeholder if there isn't an assigned ticket number. 

 

Unfortunately, if you don't have the air deviation confirmation on the reservation, NCL might just tell you too bad. 

 

Good luck!

 

FYI - for anyone wondering what a confirmation WITH deviation looks like...here it is:

 

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, Reese15233 said:

There aren't any real solutions any one can offer here but I will adding my opinion and hindsight based on my experiences. I have used the air promotion multiple times and had no problems. I have learned to check my confirmations after any changes - deviations, upgrades whatever. I have had things unrelated to the change altered or just disappear, including transfers, air for additional passengers, little details not related to the change made. The biggest thing was flights not being adjusted after the first leg of a back to back was cancelled. So now I do a line by line check for everything- charges, payments, itinerary, literally everything in the confirmation document. Even offer codes and port times. The NCL system does some things automatically and what seems like small changes are sometimes done without notice. I've just learned to check everything. 

Do what @Reese15233 does!

[steve49589]

Yes, we have e-ticket numbers.

No, looking at the cryptic "# of nights pre" I had no idea what that means until the other day.

And Delta will not be able to help.

I'll never use NCL Air again, and even though we do not go on cruises often, NCL will be off our list as well. Third-party air services should never be an option for anyone.

[cruiseny4life]

28 minutes ago, steve49589 said:

Yes, we have e-ticket numbers.

No, looking at the cryptic "# of nights pre" I had no idea what that means until the other day.

And Delta will not be able to help.

I'll never use NCL Air again, and even though we do not go on cruises often, NCL will be off our list as well. Third-party air services should never be an option for anyone.

Ugh, that is disappointing then...while I agree NCL's program needs some customer service help, it seems to be in line with how NCL treats customers overall. I've been thankful not to have any major issues. I do truly enjoy the onboard experience, though I think 70% of that enjoyment is due to booking in the Haven. 

 

I'm hoping you have an incredible cruise and are able to forget about this pre-cruise debacle. Best wishes!

[MsTabbyKats]

46 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Do what @Reese15233 does!

The problem is....not referring to anyone.....that "inexperieced" travelers, book and assume everything is "as booked".  They don't know that they will have to do all this "follow-up".

[cruiseny4life]

2 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

The problem is....not referring to anyone.....that "inexperieced" travelers, book and assume everything is "as booked".  They don't know that they will have to do all this "follow-up".

So very true! 

[scooter6139]

33 minutes ago, steve49589 said:

Yes, we have e-ticket numbers.

No, looking at the cryptic "# of nights pre" I had no idea what that means until the other day.

And Delta will not be able to help.

I'll never use NCL Air again, and even though we do not go on cruises often, NCL will be off our list as well. Third-party air services should never be an option for anyone.

Sorry this is happening to you.  We never use the NCL air program, as it takes too much out of our hands for some slightly cheaper flights.  Hope this works out, otherwise, with your current mindset, this entire cruise is just going to suck for you at all levels.  I presume it's too late to cancel?

[RocketMan275]

5 hours ago, steve49589 said:

It's an annoying video since they beat around the bush and don't tell you the cruise line is NCL. But travel agents are starting to call out NCL on their terrible Air Department.

 

Actually, they do mention NCL by name.  At the 7:15 time mark approximately.

[Reese15233]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

The problem is....not referring to anyone.....that "inexperieced" travelers, book and assume everything is "as booked".  They don't know that they will have to do all this "follow-up".

I think that's where boards like this come in handy. I know I have learned a lot here. That said, I'm a researcher and look for information before making decisions particularly ones involving money and how I might spend it. It would be nice if we could rely on corporate accountability and customer service unfortunately that kind of reliability seems rare and we have to be more diligent in ensuring we get what we request. I was surprised to find this kind of board still exists when I was brand new to cruising not so long ago but I was pleased to find such a resource allowing me to benefit from the experience of others. Perhaps if OP had found cruise critics sooner.

In any case hopefully NCL will make it right now that they have identified the op's problem is a result of their agent's error and the client's only misstep was not discovering it promptly. They have an opportunity to salvage someone's vacation and their own reputation at a small cost to themselves.

Edited May 26, 2023 by Reese15233

[RocketMan275]

I used Holland's air booking service in 2019 for a flight to Vancouver.

wonderful service.  I got to pick my flights and seat assignments at a rate below what I could book with the airlines.  I was also able to rebook a couple of times to grab price drops.  I also was able to change flights once to get a better arrival time in Vancouver.  

[Seafan22]

Since everyone is on CruiseCritic to share information and to try to help each other; and as noted over and over again above the number of horror stories about how NCL has been very consistent about NOT supporting customers with any problems with air travel purchased Trough NCL. 

 

I think it would be a service to fellow passengers to post, and post, and post on every platform available that travelers should avoid using NCL for Air Travel (even if it's offered for free in my opinion).  Provide examples.  Post on social media, review sites, and anywhere else. 

 

Let's protect people.  No more horror stoies. 

[RocketMan275]

1 minute ago, Seafan22 said:

Since everyone is on CruiseCritic to share information and to try to help each other; and as noted over and over again above the number of horror stories about how NCL has been very consistent about NOT supporting customers with any problems with air travel purchased Trough NCL. 

 

I think it would be a service to fellow passengers to post, and post, and post on every platform available that travelers should avoid using NCL for Air Travel (even if it's offered for free in my opinion).  Provide examples.  Post on social media, review sites, and anywhere else. 

 

Let's protect people.  No more horror stoies. 

How do horror stories differ from providing examples?

[steve49589]

Well, I just called the Air Department to follow up. I figured I would call to check the status every couple of days. Waiting for weeks will only increase their cost to switch our flights or force them into paying outrageous airfare to fix the issue. I'm certain they would claim it's all my fault if that happens.

I was on hold for 90 minutes. Nobody picked up. Gave up.