Dawn 2 July 2023 Copenhagen embarkation letter

[insidecabin]

This itinerary was shown as 1 tender Edinburgh but in reality Dublin (Dun Laoghaire) was always known tender.

 

 

This was handed out at embarkation.

 

[luv2kroooz]

Ugh, lots of tender ports, but a nice itinerary. Someone should tell the people at NCL, who reportedly take immense pride in creating extraordinary vacation experiences, that reservation systems are programmed by human beings. If a human enters inaccurate and incomplete information, the system returns the same. It would be unfortunate for someone that has mobility challenges as they may not be able to negotiate tenders in a safe manner.

[insidecabin]

This cruise had bargain late offers with zero solo.

 

if it had been sold as tender heavy it would have an even harder sell.

 

Now NCL know they can update the later cruises with the correct information.

 

At least update  those that can't be docked

 

UK/EU bookings would have the right to cancel for full refunds.

 

[mking8288]

2 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

Ugh, lots of tender ports, but a nice itinerary. Someone should tell the people at NCL, who reportedly take immense pride in creating extraordinary vacation experiences, that reservation systems are programmed by human beings. If a human enters inaccurate and incomplete information, the system returns the same. It would be unfortunate for someone that has mobility challenges as they may not be able to negotiate tenders in a safe manner.

 

This, can be a far worst problem, for someone with mobility issues - on a different, upcoming NCL cruise itinerary with 2 tender ports, received this letter (excerpt only) in one of the 3 cabins booked as we have someone in our group confirmed for wheelchair assistance for embarkation/disembarkation only ... she knew & understood 100% that she will not be using the tender or attempt to go ashore, and staying onboard the ship.  With the other 3 ports - it's wait and see - bringing her own foldable rollator/walker.  

 

As FYI, the typical transport wheelchair is about 20 lbs, some can be slightly lighter - thus, unless the "guest" is under 75 to 80 lbs, crew members will not be permitted to assist per NCL policy.  In short, stay onboard.  

 

Tender Policy:
Guests must be aware that certain vessel transfers, such as tendering and gangways, may not be fully accessible to wheelchairs or scooters and a guest may not be able to go ashore. When a ship is unable to dock, guests are taken ashore on smaller boats called tenders. Some guests with limited mobility may find it difficult to embark or disembark the ship at certain times while at dock or while tendering. Scooters cannot be taken across on the tender; guests must utilize a collapsible wheelchair. 
 

• A guest may have to utilize steps or a staircase to access the tender and re-board the vessel. 
• If a guest is unable to walk onto the tender, the crew can assist with lifting and carrying the wheelchair and/or wheelchair & guest, however, the total weight cannot exceed 100 pounds. This is for the safety of the crew. The only one that can determine if the transfer would take place is the Staff Captain. Factors such as weather and sea conditions are taken into consideration.  

 

[CruiseMH]

Just FYI, there are a lot of ports where there are piers but not for all calling cruise ships.

Kirkwall for example has a pier for one cruise ship,but sometimes there are two ships in port.

Some ports handle it first come first serve, but others do have different criteria and so it might be that NCL itself doesn`t know whether they will be tendering or docking until only a few days in advance.

I assume that their system only allows them to mention EITHER "dock" OR "tender".

 

 

[dexddd]

23 minutes ago, CruiseMH said:

Just FYI, there are a lot of ports where there are piers but not for all calling cruise ships.

Kirkwall for example has a pier for one cruise ship,but sometimes there are two ships in port.

Some ports handle it first come first serve, but others do have different criteria and so it might be that NCL itself doesn`t know whether they will be tendering or docking until only a few days in advance.

I assume that their system only allows them to mention EITHER "dock" OR "tender".

 

 

I'm still not sure if we missed Kirkwall due to weather as said or some other issue.

[insidecabin]

4 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

Just FYI, there are a lot of ports where there are piers but not for all calling cruise ships.

Kirkwall for example has a pier for one cruise ship,but sometimes there are two ships in port.

Some ports handle it first come first serve, but others do have different criteria and so it might be that NCL itself doesn`t know whether they will be tendering or docking until only a few days in advance.

I assume that their system only allows them to mention EITHER "dock" OR "tender".

 

 

Dun Laoghaire has no berth suitable for cruise ships.

 

Kirkwall schedule has tender for Dawn on 21st July 2023 no reason not to have that on NCL itinerary.

 

This current trip MSC has the berth that would have been known.

[CruiseMH]

The question is when the itinerary information is put into NCL system.

I assume that the information is put into System only once and is never updated.

And many months or even years in advance nobody knows whether they will be docking or tendering.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

3 hours ago, insidecabin said:

 

Kirkwall schedule has tender for Dawn on 21st July 2023 no reason not to have that on NCL itinerary.

 

 

Wow you are right. Those of us embarking on the Dawn on July 12th are only aware of two tender ports: Dun Laoghaire / Dublin and Newhaven / Edinburgh. Kirkwall is not listed as a tender port on our itinerary.

 

Something else that's been swirling in my conspiratorial mind...

 

The Dawn is scheduled to port in Hamburg on July 16th and 17th. However, the Dawn is not listed as porting at all on the official Port of Hamburg website as of last week. The Dawn was listed prior to last week as docking at Steinwerder Terminal, and there have been multiple mentions on CC and FB that the Dawn is docking at Steinwerder, yet...

 

https://www.hafen-hamburg.de/de/schiffe/?schiffe=169804&kreuzfahrt-segelliste=169806

 

[RB9643]

27 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

The Dawn is scheduled to port in Hamburg on July 16th and 17th. However, the Dawn is not listed as porting at all on the official Port of Hamburg website as of last week.

 

 

 

Dawn is still showing on cruisetimetables . com.

 

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

1 minute ago, RB9643 said:

Dawn is still showing on cruisetimetables . com.

 

Yes I have seen that but why did the listing disappear from the official Port of Hamburg site as of last week? Are the listings on cruisetimetables more accurate?

 

[tony s]

We are on the Dawn in August. Our”Hamburg “ stop is docking an hour away in Kiel. May that’s why it’s not listed in Hamburg as it’s docking at a cheaper slip in Kiel . I know it’s harder to believe NCL would inconvenience passengers by being cheap.

[Sugar Magnolia]

13 minutes ago, tony s said:

We are on the Dawn in August. Our”Hamburg “ stop is docking an hour away in Kiel. May that’s why it’s not listed in Hamburg as it’s docking at a cheaper slip in Kiel . I know it’s harder to believe NCL would inconvenience passengers by being cheap.

 

😂 Interesting...if true it will be a cluster because we arrive Hamburg two weeks from today. I was planning to explore Hamburg and Lübeck on my own so it doesn't matter to me. But for those who have shore excursions...I shall stay away from Guest Services and the Shorex desks.

 

Edited July 3, 2023 by Sugar Magnolia

[tony s]

1 minute ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

 

😂 Interesting...if true it will be a cluster. I was planning to explore Hamburg and Lübeck on my own so it doesn't matter to me. But for those who have shore excursions...I shall stay away from Guest Services and the Shorex desks.

 

We shall see

[RB9643]

1 hour ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

 Are the listings on cruisetimetables more accurate?

 

 

Unlikely, but they are pretty quick. Our Encore repo port changes next April were updated the next time I looked. I'm certain that was within days.

 

 

[insidecabin]

12 hours ago, tony s said:

We are on the Dawn in August. Our”Hamburg “ stop is docking an hour away in Kiel. May that’s why it’s not listed in Hamburg as it’s docking at a cheaper slip in Kiel . I know it’s harder to believe NCL would inconvenience passengers by being cheap.

Kiel is not a suitable substitute for Hamburg.

 

Hour by land a day+ by sea.

Kiel is used on Baltic itinerary

Hamburg on north sea.

[insidecabin]

14 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

The question is when the itinerary information is put into NCL system.

I assume that the information is put into System only once and is never updated.

And many months or even years in advance nobody knows whether they will be docking or tendering.

 

If port changes you delete and add if you can't update.

 

Docked and  at anchor are different 

 

Its sloppy or deliberate not to change and notify passenger(legal requirement for UK EU bookings).

[Ulsteinvik]

16 hours ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

 

Wow you are right. Those of us embarking on the Dawn on July 12th are only aware of two tender ports: Dun Laoghaire / Dublin and Newhaven / Edinburgh. Kirkwall is not listed as a tender port on our itinerary.

 

Something else that's been swirling in my conspiratorial mind...

 

The Dawn is scheduled to port in Hamburg on July 16th and 17th. However, the Dawn is not listed as porting at all on the official Port of Hamburg website as of last week. The Dawn was listed prior to last week as docking at Steinwerder Terminal, and there have been multiple mentions on CC and FB that the Dawn is docking at Steinwerder, yet...

 

https://www.hafen-hamburg.de/de/schiffe/?schiffe=169804&kreuzfahrt-segelliste=169806

 

I live in Kiel and I know the official port sites in Kiel, Hamburg, Warnemunde..

Your link is not the official one for Hamburg. This one is -> https://www.cruisegate-hamburg.de/schiffsankuenfte/

[Ulsteinvik]

15 hours ago, tony s said:

We are on the Dawn in August. Our”Hamburg “ stop is docking an hour away in Kiel. May that’s why it’s not listed in Hamburg as it’s docking at a cheaper slip in Kiel . I know it’s harder to believe NCL would inconvenience passengers by being cheap.

Most cruise lines are doing that. HAL, Carnival has also "Hamburg (Kiel)" and several cruise lines also "Berlin (Warnemunde)" so it has nothing to do with NCL. And in a Baltic cruise you can't put Hamburg in the itinerary because it is based in the North Sea and big ships like the Dawn can't pass the Kiel Canal. It has nothing to do with a cheaper docking place in Kiel (by the way, Kiel is not really cheap for cruise ships).

Edited July 3, 2023 by Ulsteinvik

[Sugar Magnolia]

23 minutes ago, Ulsteinvik said:

I live in Kiel and I know the official port sites in Kiel, Hamburg, Warnemunde..

Your link is not the official one for Hamburg. This one is -> https://www.cruisegate-hamburg.de/schiffsankuenfte/

 

Thank you very much!

 

[CruiseMH]

4 hours ago, insidecabin said:

If port changes you delete and add if you can't update.

 

Docked and  at anchor are different 

 

Its sloppy or deliberate not to change and notify passenger(legal requirement for UK EU bookings).

 

It is not against the EU law if you don`t inform passengers about dock or anchor. I know which regulation you are referring to but this wrong information alone is not a violation of it. Otherwise there would have been many lawsuits against european cruise lines already. 😉

 

 

[insidecabin]

1 hour ago, CruiseMH said:

 

It is not against the EU law if you don`t inform passengers about dock or anchor. I know which regulation you are referring to but this wrong information alone is not a violation of it. Otherwise there would have been many lawsuits against european cruise lines already. 😉

 

 

Its a material change to the package that should be notified.

 

 

[CruiseMH]

31 minutes ago, insidecabin said:

Its a material change to the package that should be notified.

 

 

"should"..well,maybe.

But it`s not a must.

Cause they tell you to make a port stop there and they do a port stop there.

 

Apart from that the docking/tender information on NCL is unreliable anyway. Because there are some ports where NCL mentions "DOCK" whereas it is very likely that it is a tender port.

So i would do my own research anyway.

Actually it is sad because this should be done by cruise line.

[insidecabin]

2 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

"should"..well,maybe.

But it`s not a must.

Cause they tell you to make a port stop there and they do a port stop there.

 

Apart from that the docking/tender information on NCL is unreliable anyway. Because there are some ports where NCL mentions "DOCK" whereas it is very likely that it is a tender port.

So i would do my own research anyway.

Actually it is sad because this should be done by cruise line.

 

 

The itinerary and port arrangements are part of the contract.

 

Actual wording in the UK implementation of the EU regs for minor changes.

 

"The organiser must not unilaterally change the terms of a package travel contract before the start of the package, other than the price in accordance with regulation 10, unless—

 

(a)the contract allows the organiser to make such changes;

(b)the change is insignificant; and

(c)the organiser informs the traveller of the change in a clear, comprehensible and prominent manner on a durable medium"

 

Major changes to contract  require the right cancel for full refund.

 

Some could make a case for multiple ports becoming tender is a major change.

 

 

[insidecabin]

Time to update the thread with one day to go.

 

This cruise that was sold with 1 tender port(Newhaven Edinburgh) that turned into 5 has now had 3 of those tender ports cancelled 2 replaced with sea days and one an early arrival in next port.

 

Stornaway, Dun Laoghaire, Falmouth all cancelled due to adverse weather.

 

Early arrival in Portland with shuttle service arranged from 6pm-10pm.

 

Weymouth is a seaside holiday town.

This time of year it is light and some of the town services will be open like restaurants and pubs.

 

Some very pst off passengers as the failure to sell the cruise with correct information gets compounded with missed ports.

 

Not to bad for the locals like us but it's a long way from the US to find you are not on the cruise you paid for.

 

So far the gestures have been $100 per cabin  and a free shuttle in Dublin (normally $10pp and not able to use shorex credit).