NCL Itinerary Changes After Final Payment *just the facts*

[kitkat343]

1 hour ago, XLVIII said:

Ship: Encore

Sailing Date: Nov 3, 2024

Destination: TransAtlantic

 

 

Reason Given: As we continue to optimize itineraries for fuel efficiency, as a part of our commitment to the environment and sustainability efforts, we have adjusted the itinerary

 

Disposition: Disappointed. There were never any shore excursions for Lisbon or Vigo posted so we knew something was up, but NCL waited until after final payment to let us know. Clearly they had an idea that those 2 stops were not going to happen. Definitely making us reconsider our TransAtlantic with NCL next year. 

Wow - I was considering a transatlantic with NCL and decided to go with Disney to Lisbon this fall instead, partly because I was concerned about NCL keeping their itineraries.  Glad you got zeebrugge added, but that's not helpful for the people who chose this cruise for Lisbon.  There were some port strikes in September in Portugal forcing at least one cruise to drop Lisbon, so I'm not sure you (or I) will have made it to Lisbon anyway.

[westie877]

Ship: Sky Sailing date: 10 April- 20 April, 2024 Destination: Caribbean Itinerary Changes: Dropped Bonaire and Grenada. Added sea day and Catalina Island, DR (barely developed), various port times changed Reason Given: optimize itineraries for fuel efficiencies NCL Notification: 119 days before cruise, 1 day after final payment !! Disposition: Deleted 2 ports we were looking forward to the most and added sea day and Cat Island Dominican Republic we didn't care to visit--mostly ticked it was changed ONE day after final payment when fuel information was known well in advance. Canceled and will not book NCL again
Original Day Destination Arrive Depart   Wed LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC   5:30 pm   Thu WILLEMSTAD, CURACAO 2:00 pm 10:00 pm   Fri ORANJESTAD, ARUBA 6:00 am 8:00 pm   Sat KRALENDIJK, BONAIRE, NETHERLAND ANTILLES 8:00 am 2:00 pm   Sun ST. GEORGE'S, GRENADA 12:00 pm 8:00 pm   Mon BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Tue CASTRIES, SAINT LUCIA 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Wed ST. JOHN'S, ANTIGUA 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Thu BASSETERRE, SAINT KITTS - NEVIS 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Fri TORTOLA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS 7:00 am 3:00 pm   Sat LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 7:00 am	Revised Day Destination Arrive Depart   Wed LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC   8:30 pm   Thu CATALINA ISLAND, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 7:00 am 2:30 pm   Fri ORANJESTAD, ARUBA 10:00 am 8:00 pm   Sat WILLEMSTAD, CURACAO 7:00 am 9:00 pm   Sun AT SEA       Mon BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Tue CASTRIES, SAINT LUCIA 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Wed ST. JOHN'S, ANTIGUA 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Thu BASSETERRE, SAINT KITTS - NEVIS 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Fri TORTOLA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS 6:30 am 2:15 pm   Sat LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 7:00 am

[EllieinNJ]

I would be so angry at the above change.

[ronandannette]

Wrong topic - sorry.

Edited September 29 by ronandannette

[PugM0m]

On 8/18/2024 at 4:25 PM, BrianLo said:

Or I guess technically Royal turning a Panama Canal cruise into just a Caribbean cruise. For ‘guest experience’. But at least I canceled that!

Would that have been a February 2024 Royal cruise?

[Katie Lou]

On 9/28/2024 at 7:39 AM, westie877 said:

Ship: Sky Sailing date: 10 April- 20 April, 2024 Destination: Caribbean Itinerary Changes: Dropped Bonaire and Grenada. Added sea day and Catalina Island, DR (barely developed), various port times changed Reason Given: optimize itineraries for fuel efficiencies NCL Notification: 119 days before cruise, 1 day after final payment !! Disposition: Deleted 2 ports we were looking forward to the most and added sea day and Cat Island Dominican Republic we didn't care to visit--mostly ticked it was changed ONE day after final payment when fuel information was known well in advance. Canceled and will not book NCL again
Original Day Destination Arrive Depart   Wed LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC   5:30 pm   Thu WILLEMSTAD, CURACAO 2:00 pm 10:00 pm   Fri ORANJESTAD, ARUBA 6:00 am 8:00 pm   Sat KRALENDIJK, BONAIRE, NETHERLAND ANTILLES 8:00 am 2:00 pm   Sun ST. GEORGE'S, GRENADA 12:00 pm 8:00 pm   Mon BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Tue CASTRIES, SAINT LUCIA 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Wed ST. JOHN'S, ANTIGUA 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Thu BASSETERRE, SAINT KITTS - NEVIS 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Fri TORTOLA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS 7:00 am 3:00 pm   Sat LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 7:00 am	Revised Day Destination Arrive Depart   Wed LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC   8:30 pm   Thu CATALINA ISLAND, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 7:00 am 2:30 pm   Fri ORANJESTAD, ARUBA 10:00 am 8:00 pm   Sat WILLEMSTAD, CURACAO 7:00 am 9:00 pm   Sun AT SEA       Mon BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Tue CASTRIES, SAINT LUCIA 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Wed ST. JOHN'S, ANTIGUA 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Thu BASSETERRE, SAINT KITTS - NEVIS 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Fri TORTOLA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS 6:30 am 2:15 pm   Sat LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 7:00 am

Bonaire has just recently restricted the number of cruise ships allowed to dock per day. A lot of this is due to the number of passengers on the large ships. It overwhelms the infrastructure of the cities where you dock. Changes in itinerary is happening with all cruise lines. 

[Alegeeter]

The Star Antarctica sailings for this winter have been removed from NCL's site. I'm on the December 22 sailing and we are now after final payment. How much are we betting that Paradise Bay is being removed "for our convenience" or to "save fuel"?

[Alegeeter]

It keeps getting removed and added back so could be nothing, never mind, for now!

[BrianLo]

4 hours ago, PugM0m said:

Would that have been a February 2024 Royal cruise?

Ya I think mine was in March, but they were doing a bunch of those itineraries on I think the radiance of the seas.

[PugM0m]

49 minutes ago, BrianLo said:

Ya I think mine was in March, but they were doing a bunch of those itineraries on I think the radiance of the seas.

We were on the Rhapsody and got changed, we went ahead it was okay, but not what we wanted.

[BrianLo]

31 minutes ago, PugM0m said:

We were on the Rhapsody and got changed, we went ahead it was okay, but not what we wanted.

oh sorry, yes it was the rhapsody! Same itinerary change as you. I’ve rebooked for a celebrity next year instead.

[pghflyer]

ugh that is a rough change and certainly they knew about their fuel plan and any island ship limitations prior to final payment.  On the other hand, at least for Bonaire, the original 6 hours total in port (which is really probably 4-5 once they let people off and cut time for all aboard) was pretty weak as advertised anyhow.

[Gatordad1967]

they changed mine while we were on the ship!

[Done with Norwegian]

Please don’t make the mistake I did and choose a cruise on Norwegian based on ports because they engage in false advertising.  You will NOT end up going to any new or different ports.  But you will not know that until they’ve collected your money. 

I signed up for the 15-day Panama Canal cruise on the Jade from Jan 4 -19 2025 because it (allegedly) went a lot of places Norwegian doesn’t typically go.  But as of today —93 days before sailing and weeks after my nonrefundable payment— they removed all of the exotic ports and switched to places we’ve been multiple times.  I am sure they reserve the right to do this in the disclosures we all click through, but the stated reason here — the company’s environment and sustainability concerns — is hardly new.  Clearly they never intended to go to Trinidad, St Croix etc. and just advertised a cruise that would get people to sign up and pay a premium when they only really planned to go to the same old places.  

It’s also annoying, given that I am going to need to book something else immediately to get the vacation I planned, that I have to wait weeks to get a refund on thousands of dollars tied up in prepayments for shore excursions in ports they were never going to stop at.  I need those funds to book the vacation I planned to the islands I haven’t been to.  I am too old, sick and short of vacation time to want to go to St Maarten for the fourth time!  

I had been a loyal Norwegian customer but NEVER again.  
 

[pghflyer]

[Travelling2Some]

On that Japan itinerary the overnight in Osaka was very important to many people because they use that extra time to visit nearby Kyoto.  Really nasty to essentially substitute a day at sea for a day in Kyoto!  We were toying with booking this and the key reason we did not is the way NCL has been playing bait and switch with itineraries.

Edited Thursday at 12:24 PM by Travelling2Some

[ClwtrBoi]

Went from 2 port cruise to 1 port cruise. No Key West. Reason given: BS. A week or two after final payment date. 

[yakcruiser]

I cruised on the Spirit in May and the overnight in Kobe was the highlight of the trip. I spent one day travelling to Kyoto and the other to Osaka. In fact, I was supposed to be on a cruise to Japan about now but changed to May because they cut out the overnight stop on the one I was supposed to be on.

Edited Thursday at 04:38 PM by yakcruiser

[Travelling2Some]

2 minutes ago, yakcruiser said:

I cruised on the Spirit in April and the overnight in Kobe was the highlight of the trip. I spent one day travelling to Kyoto and the other to Osaka. In fact, I was supposed to be on a cruise to Japan about now but changed to April because they cut out the overnight stop on the one I was supposed to be on.

Messing around with overnight stops is terrible since, as you say, they are frequently the reason that one cruise was chosen over another.  Many people may have also planned and paid for a hotel room for that night rather than travel back and forth to Kyoto.

[FarBeyondMe]

27 minutes ago, ClwtrBoi said:

Went from 2 port cruise to 1 port cruise. No Key West. Reason given: BS. A week or two after final payment date. 

Ugh!!! That really sucks. Great Stirrup isn’t worth it. 

[Travelling2Some]

One thing I think most of us have learned is that you have to check NCL's advertised itineraries against the the official Port Schedules.  If you see that the port is NOT expecting your ship on the date (and time) that NCL says they will be going there then that tells the tale.  As I have said previously, the Port has no reason to lie.  NCL has both motive and opportunity.

 

Of course, that only protects you from premeditated deceptions.  We blew right by Madeira last year in perfect weather.  The excuse given was "Port Crowding".  I had checked the schedule before we left and we were to be the ONLY ship in port that day. 

Edited Thursday at 05:07 PM by Travelling2Some

[Done with Norwegian]

Thank you, I did NOT previously think to check the official port schedules.  I will do so in the future. 

[Rob_H]

Ship: Dawn

Sailing date: 5 Nov 2024

Destination: Africa

Itinerary Changes: Replaced both Morocco ports with a different Morocco port. Dropped Gambia.  Other port time changes.

Reason Given: usual waffle 

NCL Notification: 33 days before cruise

Disposition: not my cruise, but following along.  It's likely the Sky sailing on the same route eleven days later will have changes soon.

 

[Rob_H]

Ship: Sky

Sailing date: 4 Nov 2024

Destination: Europe

Itinerary Changes: Replaced Ibiza with Alicante.  Rearranged days for most other ports.

Reason Given: usual waffle 

NCL Notification: 35 days before cruise

Disposition: I cancelled this a while back, but following along.  

 

 

Edited Thursday at 08:31 PM by Rob_H

[Rob_H]

Ship: Sun

Sailing date: 21 Dec 2024

Destination: Australia and New Zealand

Itinerary Changes: Almost all port times changed.

Reason Given: usual waffle 

NCL Notification: 79 days before cruise

Disposition: where ports are shortened (most of them), it's usually in the afternoon.  Where time is added, it's mostly early morning.  Not customer friendly.