Rare tetleytea Posted July 18 #51 Share Posted July 18 (edited) I will give NCL this much: if you book a low-end tour through Free at Sea (which the Lumberjack show is low-end), it's possible the NCL-sponsored tour is in fact not more expensive than going independent. But this idea that you would be more secure in reboarding the ship in case you face a delay should not figure into your purchasing decision. A lot of independent operators--most--offer similar guarantees, and in fact--usually if you have to cancel BEFORE you even go on it, the independents are actually more likely to work with you than the cruise line is (and that is presuming you even had to put money down beforehand in the first place, for an independent). Of course I have to say "similar," because obviously they can't tell the ship's captain to wait for you. But they'll refund you, fly you, hotel, all that. And...just not allow it to happen. This idea that the ship-sponsored tours are somehow safer is pure salesmanship mumbo jumbo; and when you actually get into this type of situation...well...you can plainly see the comments on here. "The cruise lines never made any such promises." They either did or they didn't. And that message needs to be the same, both when they sell you the excursion and when you actually have a problem. For that reason: just don't even bother paying extra for that nonsense. Edited July 18 by tetleytea 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Distinctive-Destinations Posted July 18 #52 Share Posted July 18 19 minutes ago, julig22 said: Been on many excursions that address the shopping issue. Once the excursion is over (bus gets to it's final destination), you are on your own. Many excursions will allow you to get off of the bus in town for example - and at that point you are no longer on the tour. And since they were apparently the last ones to the bus, it is entirely possible that there was a bit of shopping/malingering involved. Thanks, that’s what I figured but I wasn’t sure. Based on that, it seems at least possible that this was not NCL’s fault at all. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare KKB Posted July 18 #53 Share Posted July 18 19 hours ago, mnocket said: It's not clear, but it sounds like they may have been on a ship tour and were abandoned. Maybe someone knows the details? Family of nine left behind in remote Alaska and charged $9K by Norwegian Cruise Lines (nypost.com) 18 hours ago, drew69 said: I know and how did the NY Post get this story about a Tulsa family. Someone is sensationalizing and whining to shake NCL down for a bigger payout. They will then claim they are telling their story just "to help others" Ah, yes, the NYPost...tells you everything you need to know... 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare tetleytea Posted July 18 #54 Share Posted July 18 1 minute ago, Distinctive-Destinations said: Thanks, that’s what I figured but I wasn’t sure. Based on that, it seems at least possible that this was not NCL’s fault at all. But not according to the story. According to the story, they had a 78-year-old in the party and the attendant was not checking their ticket stubs to make sure everybody boarding the bus was on the excursion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Distinctive-Destinations Posted July 18 #55 Share Posted July 18 11 minutes ago, tetleytea said: But not according to the story. According to the story, they had a 78-year-old in the party and the attendant was not checking their ticket stubs to make sure everybody boarding the bus was on the excursion. I don’t see what the age has anything to do with anything. And the story sounds one-sided to me. I’m not saying it is one side’s fault or the other (or both), just sounds like the story is lacking details/clarity. Granted that doesn’t seem to be a requirement for the Post. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drew69 Posted July 18 #56 Share Posted July 18 19 minutes ago, tetleytea said: But not according to the story. According to the story, they had a 78-year-old in the party and the attendant was not checking their ticket stubs to make sure everybody boarding the bus was on the excursion. Yes, but perhaps they were boarding the wrong bus - shuttle instead of excursion bus? Perhaps they lingered after their tour bus left and then tried to board the shuttle bus which was full. We will never know what actually happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julig22 Posted July 18 #57 Share Posted July 18 7 minutes ago, tetleytea said: I will give NCL this much: if you book a low-end tour through Free at Sea (which the Lumberjack show is low-end), it's possible the NCL-sponsored tour is in fact not more expensive than going independent. But this idea that you would be more secure in reboarding the ship in case you face a delay should not figure into your purchasing decision. A lot of independent operators--most--offer similar guarantees, and in fact--usually if you have to cancel BEFORE you even go on it, the independents are actually more likely to work with you than the cruise line is (and that is presuming you even had to put money down beforehand in the first place, for an independent). Of course I have to say "similar," because obviously they can't tell the ship's captain to wait for you. But they'll refund you, fly you, hotel, all that. And...just not allow it to happen. This idea that the ship-sponsored tours are somehow safer is pure salesmanship mumbo jumbo; and when you actually get into this type of situation...well...you can plainly see the comments on here. "The cruise lines never made any such promises." They either did or they didn't. And that message needs to be the same, both when they sell you the excursion and when you actually have a problem. For that reason: just don't even bother paying extra for that nonsense. Not sure where you get some of your info, since you say you don't book ship excursions anyway. As to cost - Because of the $50 discount AND a 15% latitudes discount, many ship excursions are actually cheaper in my case. And they provide transportation, priority tenders if necessary. As a solo traveler, that's worth quite a bit. Refunds on NCL -never once have I had an issue getting a refund if an excursion is cancelled - or I change my mind, as long as I give enough notice. I've usually paid in advance for private excursions, I've paid on arrival for others. Similar cancellation policies - most -but not all- independents will refund if the ship skips the port. I recently had an independent cancel on me at the last minute - and they conveniently forgot to refund me until I contacted them after the cruise. It's obvious from NCL's response that they did provide refunds, flew them to the next available port, etc. So yes, they DID keep their promise. Yes, things happen - a tour operator, hired by NCL, seems to have screwed up - and NCL is fixing the mess, following the contract terms. And it also happens to private tour operators. And contrary to your assertion that they can't call the captain - they most certainly can - and the captain will wait if at all possible. Nobody here really knows the timeline in this case - but unfortunately waiting is not generally possible in Ketchikan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnocket Posted July 18 Author #58 Share Posted July 18 47 minutes ago, KKB said: Ah, yes, the NYPost...tells you everything you need to know... You might want to check out Post #22, It links to another article that says it was indeed an NCL excursion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare KKB Posted July 18 #59 Share Posted July 18 1 minute ago, mnocket said: You might want to check out Post #22, It links to another article that says it was indeed an NCL excursion. Definitely...like I said, NYPost is Enquirer adjacent, imo. Always about sensationalism. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare shof515 Posted July 18 #60 Share Posted July 18 (edited) 31 minutes ago, julig22 said: Not sure where you get some of your info, since you say you don't book ship excursions anyway. As to cost - Because of the $50 discount AND a 15% latitudes discount, many ship excursions are actually cheaper in my case. And they provide transportation, priority tenders if necessary. As a solo traveler, that's worth quite a bit. i also noticed it can be cheaper to book the ship excursion due to the all of the various discounts. Also as a solo traveler, it is much easier to book everything with the ship. In the past, multiple tour operators refused me because i was a solo and they wanted groups of people. i didn't mind joining existing groups for the excursion but the operator never allowed it Edited July 18 by shof515 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare luv2kroooz Posted July 18 #61 Share Posted July 18 1 hour ago, Distinctive-Destinations said: Thanks, that’s what I figured but I wasn’t sure. Based on that, it seems at least possible that this was not NCL’s fault at all. All while they are paying out thousands of dollars to the family to make up for NCLs error. If it was not NCLs fault, their press release would have read something like this ...our goal is always to deliver world class vacation experiences. We recommend all guests carry travel insurance to cover the unforeseen situations. We recommend the passengers file a claim. We thank the passengers for sailing with us and cant wait to welcome them back onboard soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omahabob Posted July 18 #62 Share Posted July 18 (edited) 3 hours ago, tetleytea said: Wrong wrong wrong wrong. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/will-the-ship-wait-for-guests-on-a-shore-excursion#:~:text=When you book a shore,at no expense to you. Wrong wrong wrong wrong. From that link: "In the unlikely event that your tour is significantly delayed, and the ship cannot wait, we will make all the arrangements for you to return to the ship at no expense to you." They do not promise to wait. And they weren't on Royal Caribbean, which just helps prove my point that no cruise line makes that promise. Edited July 18 by omahabob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Traveling Man Posted July 18 #63 Share Posted July 18 22 hours ago, drew69 said: I know and how did the NY Post get this story about a Tulsa family. Someone is sensationalizing and whining to shake NCL down for a bigger payout. They will then claim they are telling their story just "to help others" It's the New York Post, well known for it's sensationalism and lack of accuracy in reporting. They couldn't even spell Ketchikan correctly. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted July 18 #64 Share Posted July 18 Everyone is missing the fact that the tour wasn’t delayed. They missed their transportation from town back to Ward Cove due to their own reasons that have nothing to do with NCL. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julig22 Posted July 18 #65 Share Posted July 18 19 minutes ago, zqvol said: Everyone is missing the fact that the tour wasn’t delayed. They missed their transportation from town back to Ward Cove due to their own reasons that have nothing to do with NCL. Not all of us LOL. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Georgia_Peaches Posted July 18 #66 Share Posted July 18 5 hours ago, tetleytea said: IMO they didn't do enough, considering how blatant that was and the impact it had on them. If I were among the family of 9 who was left at the port, I might agree with you. But as an objective observer of the circumstances I have to look at the situation from a 30 foot view. NCL are picking up the cost of the $9k fine, as they should, reimbursing them out of pocket expenses for their night in Ketchikan, arranging their travel back to Seattle (at NCL's expense? I presume this is part of out of pocket expense.) and prorating their cruise fare for the remaining time that they missed. To top it off, they have thrown in a discounted future cruise voucher. What else would you ask for...comp the whole cruise? That's not realistic IMO. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Georgia_Peaches Posted July 18 #67 Share Posted July 18 48 minutes ago, zqvol said: Everyone is missing the fact that the tour wasn’t delayed. They missed their transportation from town back to Ward Cove due to their own reasons that have nothing to do with NCL. As I understand it, they didn't make it back to the ship because the tour operator said they needed to wait for the next bus...but there was no next bus. If that's how it went down, that's not on them...the tour operator should have known there was no bus. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omahabob Posted July 18 #68 Share Posted July 18 1 hour ago, zqvol said: Everyone is missing the fact that the tour wasn’t delayed. They missed their transportation from town back to Ward Cove due to their own reasons that have nothing to do with NCL. Not missing that at all. Or were you referring to 'everyone' somewhere else? I suspect the news outlets aren't missing that either. They just ignore it because it allows them to sensationalize more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare luv2kroooz Posted July 19 #69 Share Posted July 19 3 hours ago, zqvol said: They missed their transportation from town back to Ward Cove due to their own reasons that have nothing to do with NCL. What reason is that? Weren't they instructed by the tour operator that was hired by NCL to wait for the next bus? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonvoyagie Posted July 19 #70 Share Posted July 19 There are two types of busses, those that shuttle pax to and from Ward Cove and those that handle tours. We really don't know if the people stayed after the show to walk the town or do some shopping. We also don't know which type of bus the were trying to board. That said, if it was the shuttle the bus driver should have known that he was the last one. For me there are too many holes in their story. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare luv2kroooz Posted July 19 #71 Share Posted July 19 (edited) 5 hours ago, bonvoyagie said: There are two types of busses, those that shuttle pax to and from Ward Cove and those that handle tours. We really don't know if the people stayed after the show to walk the town or do some shopping. We also don't know which type of bus the were trying to board. That said, if it was the shuttle the bus driver should have known that he was the last one. For me there are too many holes in their story. It has been reported that they were on an NCL sponsored excursion. There is no indication that they were walking the town or shopping afterwards. They went on an NCL sponsored excursion and the NCL-hired tour operator screwed it up. NCL erred by not leaving the correct number of passports with the port authority. NCL is quite rightly reimbursing the family for the mishap. What type of "holes" exist? https://www.ksby.com/us-news/nightmare-trip-family-stranded-in-alaska-during-cruise-excursion Edited July 19 by luv2kroooz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitkat343 Posted July 19 #72 Share Posted July 19 (edited) There are circumstances under which tourists might wander off and be responsible for missing their bus back to the cruise ship. If the passengers wandered off instead of meeting the bus at the instructed time, NCL should have made that very clear when they were contacted by the media. NCL hasn't said it was the passengers fault that they missed the bus, which makes me believe that their story is likely to be true - it seems quite possible that if the NCL tour guides know the sail to Victoria is very tight and the ship can't leave late without arriving late, they might have been in. a rush to load the buses and didn't check for stickers/ tour passes. And it also seems quite possible that passengers in a rush to get back to the ship could have easily seen the NCL signs and accidentally boarded a tour bus thinking it was a shuttle. And I can believe a driver needing to get back to the ship quickly thinking it would be faster to have another bus come to pick up 9 people than attempt to figure out who legitimately belonged on that bus (remember not all of the actual passengers on the cruise ship tour might have remembered to keep their sticker/tour ticket). And no one would be too eager to leave the bus so removing passengers who have already boarded a bus could become very difficult if they absolutely refuse to leave, as we have seen in some airline removals where passengers were restrained and dragged off the bus. If the passengers wandered off looking for souvenirs and were at fault, then NCL should tell the media because it isn't their fault if passengers wander away at the end of the tours. But if these passengers have a record of their attempts to contact NCL to try to explain how they were stranded immediately, then I would be inclined to believe them. And since no one at NCL has come forward to state that it was the passengers' own fault that they missed the ship (which it can be if passengers ignore instruction to return by a certain time) then I am inclined to believe the passengers. When the passengers in Africa were stranded, NCL correctly stated that the passengers were on independent tours and therefore it was their fault if they did not return to the ship in time. If NCL wasn't at fault here, they should have explained that. The passengers who were stranded in Africa were entirely responsible for their initial stranding but in Alaska it seems likely the passengers were not at fault. Edited July 19 by kitkat343 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailingships Posted July 19 #73 Share Posted July 19 Did the tour operator/guide allow non-excursion folk onto the bus? That means he/she was not looking for the little number sticker that the passengers were handed before they left the ship. If the number was #3 maybe the family were trying to get onto #5. However, a guide would not have told them the bus was full but would have directed them to the correct bus It sounds more like the bus was the regular shuttle to Ward Cove. Maybe they missed the excursion bus and/or tried to get onto the regular shuttle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistertomatoe Posted July 19 #74 Share Posted July 19 I always thought they'd wait for me for my Hop On Hop Off bus. Tickets were good for two days if I remember correctly. There's also that tram ticket in Juneau but I heard them cut people off (an hour early?) if they think you don't have time to use it to get up the mountain and back down in time. Imagine if the local people messed up and somehow you made it on the tram really late. Also, none of this it's a 3rd party so NCL is not responsible. Imagine giving them all that business and not having any say in how they operate, especially in getting your guests back onboard on time and safely. The shore excursion people on the ship will tell you they'll wait. It's how they sell the overpriced excursions. Is it a promise? Probably not. Will they tell you about the exceptions or cases when they don't? Probably not. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dexddd Posted July 19 #75 Share Posted July 19 On ABC news now, coming up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now