Buyer Beware - Awful Customer Care Post Cruise on NCL

[raschwinger]

First let me say this review is more about how poorly the NCL Guest Experience team and NCL Management handled a clear booking mistake by NCL and not as much about the NCL Encore. The ship itself and its crew were amazing and this is reflected in my ratings. However, NCL made a significant booking mistake which impacted the enjoyment of our cruise, and NCL's Customer Experience Team and corporate management has refused to engage me directly to discuss our concerns and try to reach an amicable resolution. 

 

As background, we are long-time NCL cruisers. We are platinum status with the line, and this was our 9th or 10th cruise and our second in the Haven. We chose NCL as our line of choice years ago, and my wife, two teen-age sons, and I take at least one NCL cruise each year. We have become cheerleaders for NCL among our friends and family and would continue to do so in the future. Our loyalty to NCL is why this latest experience has been so surprising and disappointing.

 

In June 2023, we took a bucket-list Mediterranean cruise on the Breakaway for a milestone birthday for my wife. We splurged and stayed in a Haven Forward-Facing Penthouse Suite, which has separate bedroom space for my wife and I and our boys, a large double vanity bathroom, and enough storage that all four of us could get 11 nights worth of clothes into drawers and hanging closets. There was also a kitchen area with a table to eat, and plenty of room to spread out. We loved the Haven and the layout of this room in particular so much that I booked our July 2024 Alaskan cruise on the NCL Encore in the same Forward Facing Penthouse Suite while on the Breakaway through the CruiseNext program. We had to adjust our cruise date with NCL Agents after returning home, but were assured we were booked into the same stateroom category we had on the Breakaway.

 

We arrived in Seattle in July  and boarded the Encore excited for our cruise. When we were taken to our stateroom, however, it was completely different that the room we thought we had booked. It was one large room with no separate master bedroom and a low sofa bed, no kitchen area, a single vanity bath with no separate water closet, and very little bath storage. In short, it looked nothing like the room we thought we were booking and did not look like it should accommodate four people. The room steward advised this was an ADA room designed for cruisers with a wheelchair. While it was the same Haven stateroom category, it was understandably configured completely differently to allow for a wheelchair, and appeared to have the storage space for two people, not a family of four. The steward advised he had no idea why we would have been booked into that room, as they are reserved for families who need them. The Encore Guest Services Manager was apologetic, but advised the ship was completely booked and there were no other rooms to move us.

 

For our family of four with two teenage sons, this room was uncomfortable for a number of reasons:

1. No separate master bedroom for my wife and I....our boys were sleeping feet from us all week. We are used to this in a standard balcony stateroom, but for the price we paid for the Haven room, we were expecting the separate space, which was important to us. Also, the forward facing window which is normally in the master bedroom and was great for the views, was in the bath in this room over the soaker tub, which made it virtually unusable.

 

2. Very little storage...we did not have nearly enough storage for a family of four, unlike the standard configuration, and were forced to stack clothes on the floor around the bed and our bath items were stacked on the tub around the single sink, as there was almost no bath storage.

 

3. No kitchen space and table...we needed room service breakfast on two mornings due to early morning excursions before the restaurant opened, but had no place to place to spread out a meal (the desk in this room was even smaller than in a standard balcony room). The staff tried to help as much as they could and brought in a standard size table; however, we then had to move the table around all week to get into drawers, not trip on it going across the room, etc.

 

4. Single room bath....no separate water closet and one small sink made it difficult for more than one person to use the bathroom at a time. No separate vanity prep area for my wife, no privacy.

 

5. The stateroom door...this may seem trivial, but the door was understandably an ADA door which opened automatically and stayed open for 15-20 seconds to allow wheelchair access. Throughout the week, my older son left the room in the morning to run on the track as he was training for his high school track team. When he left, the door stayed open, and given the room configuration, anyone in the hallway at the time could look in and see my wife and I in in bed. Again, just very uncomfortable.

 

The other issue for us was that we had been tying up an ADA room for more than a year when there were likely cruisers who really needed that space. Our neighbors on the cruise had a wheelchair and even asked us how we were able to book that room. I have since tried to book our stateroom on a future Encore cruise and the website will not allow it unless I requested an ADA room and completed a certification that we needed the ADA accommodations. Clearly this was a major mistake made by the cruise line.

 

I am aware that some of these complaints are "first world problems," but we paid a premium price expecting the space that we booked and did not receive it. We are used to all sharing one room on cruises; however, I would not have paid the fare, which was the same as the standard configuration, had I known we would be in this room. We would have found another date or a different stateroom. At no time during the year between booking and cruise were we asked if we needed an ADA room or advised that were were in an ADA room that was configured very differently. Obviously this mistake impacted the enjoyment of our vacation. The Haven itself, the staff, excursions, food, etc. were all fantastic; however, we had to return to our uncomfortable room every evening. The Encore crew provided me with a case number and contact address and website to file a complaint with corporate when we returned. I requested a name and telephone number to contact directly and was advised they did not have one for me.

 

Here is where the concerning issues started for us as longtime customers.  Mistakes are made, but I expected NCL would make this right, especially given the loyalty we have shown to NCL for years.  After returning home, I tried to call customer service, and the automated system essentially funneled me to the Customer Experience website to file my complaint. There were no options to talk to someone unless I was booking a new cruise or had an issue for an upcoming booking. I decided to try to file my complaint through the website as instructed. I attached a letter to my online complaint detailing what happened and the issues we had. I made it clear we didn't believe we received value and wanted to discuss a simple solution, such as a Haven upgrade on an existing booking we have for 2025. I made it clear we are big fans of the cruise line, had never had issues before, and simply wanted NCL to "make it right."

 

I received a mostly boilerplate response which made it clear that no one had actually read my letter or understood my situation. I replied with an email again requesting a contact to discuss directly and suggesting that the representative read my letter. The second reply again ignored my request for a direct conversation and offered us $150 credit on a future cruise we would have to purchase "as a courtesy." I sent a third communication again requesting a conversation with a management level employee to discuss a possible resolution. The third and final reply from NCL was from a "manager;" however, it again ignored my request to talk directly and advised there was nothing more they could do. I followed this up with a letter to Executive Management over Guest Services in Miami.  My letter was clearly not read and simply returned to the Guest Experience team who I had been dealing with.  Again, no ability to have a conversation...just another email from the same representative thaking me for my letter and again advising there was nothing they can do other than a nominal credit for a future cruise I had to purchase.

 

I could not believe given the loyalty we have shown to NCL and the amount of money we have spent with the cruise line, that the Customer Experience team was essentially stonewalling us and trying to make us go away, rather than at least engaging me as a customer and hearing me out. Also, the fact that NCL continued to ignore my request to just talk to someone is unacceptable. The fact that NCL makes it virtually impossible to talk to anyone when such a mistake was made is directly contradictory to their claim that they lead the industry in customer service. This may have some validity on the ships at sea, but so far, NCL has failed in that goal after the cruise is over, which may be even more important. We are not asking for much....just admit the mistake and make it right.

 

We have a cruise booked in 2025 with NCL and several more planned in the future. In addition, our boys have grown up on NCL vacations, and love them as well. They would certainly continue to cruise NCL in the future. Unfortunately, we may have to reconsider our loyalty to NCL and look elsewhere after this experience. Such a terrible short-sighted business decision for NCL.  For them, a low-cost stateroom upgrade in exchange for keeping us as loyal customers and continuing to spend  money on the line into the future.

 

  BUYER BEWARE WITH THIS COMPANY if they make a mistake. There is apparently no real interest in excellent customer service or in reciprocal loyalty to its "valued customers."

[FLAHAM]

My outstanding NCL Personal Cruise Consultant never would have allowed this mistake to occur.

[david_sobe]

Unless I missed it, you did not say you booked your cruise directly with NCL. If you booked with a TA then I would address your concerns with them.  Handicap rooms are only sold if they are the last room available.  Is it possible when you booked the room it was the last one available?  
 

Here is a video of the room.  No separate bedroom but there is space and there is a vanity in the bathroom.  Personally I don't think these cabins should be sold to anyone that is not disabled.  But they do sell them.

Besides the separate bedroom I dont see a big difference other than the ADA items.  I would have survived the trip but felt guilty taking up a ADA cabin.  But its not a horror story IMHO.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 28 by david_sobe

[Two Wheels Only]

Deck 13 port side is wheelchair accessible for all 6 BA/BA Plus ships for that Haven category. Obviously, you didn't know that but the NCL employee should have known. 

 

I know that certain forum members (such as Two Wheels Only) can be repetitive when it comes to posting about stateroom configurations and balcony discrepancies but preventing your experience is exactly why those forum members do it.

 

As far as what was done/not done after the cruise by NCL, there's not much that anyone here can do. You might get other names/email addresses to contact but you still might not get what you feel is adequate compensation.

 

What you can do is find out as much as you can about the stateroom for your future cruises. CC members are willing to share the information.

Edited August 28 by Two Wheels Only

[Two Wheels Only]

3 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Unless I missed it, you did not say you booked your cruise directly with NCL.

OP wrote...
 

27 minutes ago, raschwinger said:

We loved the Haven and the layout of this room in particular so much that I booked our July 2024 Alaskan cruise on the NCL Encore in the same Forward Facing Penthouse Suite while on the Breakaway through the CruiseNext program. We had to adjust our cruise date with NCL Agents after returning home, but were assured we were booked into the same stateroom category we had on the Breakaway.

...so it seems that both the booking and the adjustment were done with NCL.

[Asawi]

This was not nice to read! I am sorry you had this happen to you but I can't help but wonder if this couldn't have been discovered a lot earlier by you. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely NCLs fault. But personally I always make sure to check out my rooms on the deck plan and also try to find reviews. Not always successfully though, but I try... And after reading this I will keep doing it! 

You certainly deserve much better treatment than what you got so far. Fingers crossed something good will happen even if it's not looking like that right now.

[zqvol]

OP booked on board a year before sailing. They knew their cabin number. It seems that during that year they never bothered to look at the deck plans. During that year they could have addressed the issue and changed cabins if necessary. This is 100% on the OP for not doing their due diligence. 

[zqvol]

1 minute ago, Asawi said:

This was not nice to read! I am sorry you had this happen to you but I can't help but wonder if this couldn't have been discovered a lot earlier by you. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely NCLs fault. But personally I always make sure to check out my rooms on the deck plan and also try to find reviews. Not always successfully though, but I try... And after reading this I will keep doing it! 

You certainly deserve much better treatment than what you got so far. Fingers crossed something good will happen even if it's not looking like that right now.

Disagree that this is NCL’s fault. OP needs to accept responsibility for failing to do their due diligence. 
 

BTW what bad treatment has OP gotten? He hasn’t  gotten the response he wanted but I see nothing bad about the way NCL has handled the issue. As a platinum cruiser he should know these issues have to be handled on board not when you get home. 

Edited August 28 by zqvol

[hernando52]

Just so that I am understanding this completely.  You booked this stateroom with NCL a year ago.  Were you given a guaranteed stateroom number at the time of booking or were you only given a category?  At what point did the actual stateroom number appear on the cruise confirmation or NCL application?  If the stateroom was misrepresented in either the confirmation or on the app. then NCL is wrong here.  But, if the documentation has been correct for the last year and you did not verify that this was indeed the stateroom you thought you booked, then I am afraid that NCL is not responsible for this mix-up.  I'm disappointed for you, but the lesson here is to always verify your reservation.

[david_sobe]

8 minutes ago, zqvol said:

Disagree that this is NCL’s fault. OP needs to accept responsibility for failing to do their due diligence. 
 

BTW what bad treatment has OP gotten? He hasn’t  gotten the response he wanted but I see nothing bad about the way NCL has handled the issue. As a platinum cruiser he should know these issues have to be handled on board not when you get home. 

I understand the OP's disappointment.  Haven cabins sell fast.  If there was nowhere to move to then you have to accept your fate.  If NCL had told someone there are no Haven forward penthouses left except the handicap one.  I would put money that people would still book that cabin.   I have seen some cruise vlogs where people purposely book these cabins on other ships because they are so much larger inside.  I think that is wrong.  I dont think they should be sold to anyone that is not disabled.  But NCL is not going to let a cabin go unsold especially one with access to the Haven.

[raschwinger]

1 minute ago, david_sobe said:

I understand the OP's disappointment.  Haven cabins sell fast.  If there was nowhere to move to then you have to accept your fate.  If NCL had told someone there are no Haven forward penthouses left except the handicap one.  I would put money that people would still book that cabin.   I have seen some cruise vlogs where people purposely book these cabins on other ships because they are so much larger inside.  I think that is wrong.  I dont think they should be sold to anyone that is not disabled.  But NCL is not going to let a cabin go unsold especially one with access to the Haven.

Yes agree with this but my  point all along has been if we had been informed we were being placed in an ADA room, I would have asked the differences and done more due diligence on what the room looked like.  I would not have paid the full Haven cruise fare on this cruise for the room we received.  It lacked too many things that were important to us.  We would have done it another time or perhaps chosen a different category.  The reverse was true, however...both NCL Agents we spoke too verified this was the same room configuration we had on the Breakaway.  We were never asked if we needed or were ok with an ADA room, and I relied on the professional travel Agents who told me we had the separate bedroom, double sinks, etc. that we were expecting.  This is where is breaks down for me.  I mean I can't get online and book that room without a message coming up requiring me to verify I understand it is an ADA room and acknowledging I need it.  

 

My whole point here is the Agent made a mistake or if he/she did know, did not provide good service by letting me know it would be a different layout than we were expecting. 

 

Also I agree with the point that this room should have been held for someone who needed it.  This was not a last minute booking.  This was booked 13 months prior to the cruise.

[raschwinger]

17 minutes ago, hernando52 said:

Just so that I am understanding this completely.  You booked this stateroom with NCL a year ago.  Were you given a guaranteed stateroom number at the time of booking or were you only given a category?  At what point did the actual stateroom number appear on the cruise confirmation or NCL application?  If the stateroom was misrepresented in either the confirmation or on the app. then NCL is wrong here.  But, if the documentation has been correct for the last year and you did not verify that this was indeed the stateroom you thought you booked, then I am afraid that NCL is not responsible for this mix-up.  I'm disappointed for you, but the lesson here is to always verify your reservation.

The room was in the paperwork from the beginning, but ok so me verifying with the Agent during the booking on the ship, then again in the follow-up call, that this room is identical to the Suite we enjoyed on the Breakaway is not enough?  I also have to dig into deck plans and look at the room?  I think as the customer who did ask these questions that I should be able to rely on the NCL Agents who should know the ships better than me.  Also I would hope when an Agent books someone into an ADA room, some kind of notice would come up in the system and they should ask to be sure the customer is aware this is a different configuration.  This notice does come up when booking online.  So yes...I think NCL is responsible here.  I asked the questions and was clear what I thought I was booking...they did not provide that.  I do not think this was intentional trying to fill the ship...it was likely a mistake...but there was clearly no meeting of the minds here over what I thought we were paying for.  I just ask NCL to make it right.

[david_sobe]

10 minutes ago, raschwinger said:

Yes agree with this but my  point all along has been if we had been informed we were being placed in an ADA room, I would have asked the differences and done more due diligence on what the room looked like.  I would not have paid the full Haven cruise fare on this cruise for the room we received.  It lacked too many things that were important to us.  We would have done it another time or perhaps chosen a different category.  The reverse was true, however...both NCL Agents we spoke too verified this was the same room configuration we had on the Breakaway.  We were never asked if we needed or were ok with an ADA room, and I relied on the professional travel Agents who told me we had the separate bedroom, double sinks, etc. that we were expecting.  This is where is breaks down for me.  I mean I can't get online and book that room without a message coming up requiring me to verify I understand it is an ADA room and acknowledging I need it.  

 

My whole point here is the Agent made a mistake or if he/she did know, did not provide good service by letting me know it would be a different layout than we were expecting. 

 

Also I agree with the point that this room should have been held for someone who needed it.  This was not a last minute booking.  This was booked 13 months prior to the cruise.

I am not trying to antagonize you but if it was booked 13 months in advance, does not the rep give you options where you want to stay by deck and compare the advantages and disadvantages of booking a specific room.  I agree the NCL rep let you down.  But from NCL's view that room has everything else the other room has except a wall around the bed.   The bathroom is actually bigger in the ADA room.  This would irk me for a different reason than you.  But the privacy from your children was important and I respect that.  But if I was a couple other than the guilt someone needed the cabin other than me, it would not bother me so much.

Edited August 28 by david_sobe

[raschwinger]

26 minutes ago, zqvol said:

OP booked on board a year before sailing. They knew their cabin number. It seems that during that year they never bothered to look at the deck plans. During that year they could have addressed the issue and changed cabins if necessary. This is 100% on the OP for not doing their due diligence. 

Obviously I was not clear in my initial post.  I did ask both booking Agents if this room was identical to the suite we enjoyed on the Breakaway and was told yes....twice.  Sorry at that point it should not be on me as the customer to have to spend time doing additional research to make sure what a professional NCL Agent told me is correct.

 

As far as bad treatment, I just ask to have the opportunity to be heard in a direct conversation...not through boilerplate email.  Good companies should be willing to talk to their customers and not continue to ignore simple requests.  At the end of the day, I don't know how it will work out, but loyal customers at least deserve the opportunity to be heard.  This was not a small "my room was dirty" type of complaint.  This mistake fundamentally changed the enjoyment of our vacation.

[raschwinger]

1 minute ago, david_sobe said:

I am not trying to antagonize you but if it was booked 13 months in advance, does not the rep give you options where you want to stay by deck and compare the advantages and disadvantages of booking a specific room.  I agree the NCL rep let you down.  But from NCL's view that room has everything else the other room has except a wall around the bed.   The bathroom is actually bigger in the ADA room.  This would irk me for a different reason than you.  But the privacy from your children was important and I respect that.  But I was a couple other than the guilt someone needed the cabin other than me, it would not bother me so much.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

No I did not receive any of that from the Agents because I knew exactly what we wanted.  When we booked on the Breakaway, we were staying in that class of suite and I said from the beginning this is the room we want.

 

I respect that people value things differently.  For us who don't get much travel time together, quite private time with my wife separate from our teen agers was important, as is storage space.  The standard configuration has exponential times more storage than the ADA version, as a lot of the space has to be taken for wheelchair space, etc.  We had stayed in this room before and were expecting enough drawer and hanging space for our belongings in the master, for my boys in the living room area, and for all of us in the bath.  An while the space in the bath is bigger, usable space is much smaller....we have no drawer space there and one small sink, rather than a double vanity, larger tub, separate water closet, and numerous drawers in the regular configuration.  So for both our clothes and our bath items, we had to stack them on the floors around the beds and on the tub in the bath. 

 

Another difference that was important to us...have the kitchenette space with a table.  W enjoyed room service and snacking there in the original configuration and the ADA version did not have it.  When they brought us a table, we had to move it around all week to get to drawers and make the space work.  Just uncomfortable and for the price we paid, we should not have had to deal with the inconveniences.  If I could put side by side photos together, it would make my point easier to see...this was not close to the room we thought we were booking, other than perhaps square footage...but functionality and luxury was not comparable.  Again, I get these rooms work well for the right clients who need them, but we would not have taken this cruise had we known.

[sfo2008]

To the OP, really sorry you had this experience. Haven cabins are expensive and it is important to get value for the $.

 

My experience sailing on a few different lines is that for something like this your only opportunity for compensation is on the ship. Once you disembark it is "game over" on getting compensation of any sort.

 

Hopefully you can find a way to enjoy other trips you have planned.

[BirdTravels]

22 minutes ago, raschwinger said:

The room was in the paperwork from the beginning, but ok so me verifying with the Agent during the booking on the ship, then again in the follow-up call, that this room is identical to the Suite we enjoyed on the Breakaway is not enough?  I also have to dig into deck plans and look at the room?  I think as the customer who did ask these questions that I should be able to rely on the NCL Agents who should know the ships better than me.  Also I would hope when an Agent books someone into an ADA room, some kind of notice would come up in the system and they should ask to be sure the customer is aware this is a different configuration.  This notice does come up when booking online.  So yes...I think NCL is responsible here.  I asked the questions and was clear what I thought I was booking...they did not provide that.  I do not think this was intentional trying to fill the ship...it was likely a mistake...but there was clearly no meeting of the minds here over what I thought we were paying for.  I just ask NCL to make it right.

While I understand your confusion and disappointment, as a platinum member with many cruises under your belt, maybe you could have looked at a deck plan once in the 13 months leading up to your cruise.

 

I booked a new cruise an hour ago. The very first thing I did was to check a deck plan to see where the room was (top deck, under an unused public space, over a room, next two two rooms, normal room configuration, normal balcony configuration). Once and only once I was satisfied with the room location and configuration did I move forward with paying my deposit. 

 

Once you were booked and onboard, there are no "extra Haven rooms laying around". And there should be no expectation that you would receive anything, alternate room, compensation, or even a ear to complain to. You got the room you paid for. You got the room you booked 13 months ago. There should be no expectation of any compensation. There should be no expectation that Guest Services should do anything for you. 

 

Phone agents are call center personnel. Many have never been on a ship before and can only read to you what is on their call center system screen,,, which would be a generic description of the room. 

 

FWIW, personally, we like ADA rooms when we get assigned to them because there is so much extra space. 

[Distinctive-Destinations]

43 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

I understand the OP's disappointment.  Haven cabins sell fast.  If there was nowhere to move to then you have to accept your fate.  If NCL had told someone there are no Haven forward penthouses left except the handicap one.  I would put money that people would still book that cabin.   I have seen some cruise vlogs where people purposely book these cabins on other ships because they are so much larger inside.  I think that is wrong.  I dont think they should be sold to anyone that is not disabled.  But NCL is not going to let a cabin go unsold especially one with access to the Haven.

While it may be “morally” wrong to book an ADA room (and I wouldn’t ever do it), I doubt they would ever ask what physical limitations a guest has before allowing one to be booked.

[raschwinger]

10 minutes ago, sfo2008 said:

To the OP, really sorry you had this experience. Haven cabins are expensive and it is important to get value for the $.

 

My experience sailing on a few different lines is that for something like this your only opportunity for compensation is on the ship. Once you disembark it is "game over" on getting compensation of any sort.

 

Hopefully you can find a way to enjoy other trips you have planned.

Thanks for the reply and the thoughts.  It is unfortunate that this may be the case.  Service companies like cruise lines should value their customers and make sure mistakes are made right.  We have always been exclusive to NCL since our first cruise with them, and would continue to be cheerleaders for the company and frequent cruisers with them for years to come.  For me, however, loyalty has to go both ways...we are not first timers with a small complaint.  This is our first time we feel we needed Customer Care, and unfortunately it has revealed that once NCL has your money, they do not care about maintaining relationships with the customers.  Unfortunately this may drive our cruising dollars elsewhere.

[raschwinger]

5 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

While I understand your confusion and disappointment, as a platinum member with many cruises under your belt, maybe you could have looked at a deck plan once in the 13 months leading up to your cruise.

 

I booked a new cruise an hour ago. The very first thing I did was to check a deck plan to see where the room was (top deck, under an unused public space, over a room, next two two rooms, normal room configuration, normal balcony configuration). Once and only once I was satisfied with the room location and configuration did I move forward with paying my deposit. 

 

Once you were booked and onboard, there are no "extra Haven rooms laying around". And there should be no expectation that you would receive anything, alternate room, compensation, or even a ear to complain to. You got the room you paid for. You got the room you booked 13 months ago. There should be no expectation of any compensation. There should be no expectation that Guest Services should do anything for you. 

 

Phone agents are call center personnel. Many have never been on a ship before and can only read to you what is on their call center system screen,,, which would be a generic description of the room. 

 

FWIW, personally, we like ADA rooms when we get assigned to them because there is so much extra space. 

So thanks for the feedback.  Obviously we will agree to disagree.  I was clear with the Agents what I wanted twice...the same configuration we stayed in on Breakaway.  I asked this to confirm it was the same on Encore.  Both times I was told yes...and more importantly not told it was an ADA room laid out differently.  Could I have looked at a deck plan...I guess...but that doesn't really give you much information.  My point is I relied on a professional and was specific with what I thought I was getting. I do not think I have to go back and find and decipher a deck plan after asking all of these questions multiple times and being assured I was where I wanted to be.

 

Also disagree phone Agents are just "call center personnel" who have no knowledge of the ships.  In the past, they have been able to guide me to rooms that will be less noisy, no obstructions, more convenient to child care, etc. etc.  They should at least have been able to tell me this was an ADA room and making sure that is ok.  Nothing...

 

And I did not get the room I paid for...that's the point.  I would not have paid for this room....it did not have any of the features that were important to us.  It had space but was not functional for a family of four.  Your response is simplistic and easy for you to say when you have not had such an experience on what was really a bucket list trip for my family.

 

Finally to just say I should expect nothing tells me you have obviously never worked in the service industry or run a business where customers are your lifeblood.  The number one rule is to try to keep your customers happy and coming back to spend more money, within reason.  At the very least, good customer service companies provide their customers opportunities to be heard.  This was a math equation for NCL...making our bad experience right for pennies for them in exchange for years of future cruise fares from us.  If you disagree with this, then you have never been in the business world.

 

Thanks again for your feedback.

[sfo2008]

15 minutes ago, raschwinger said:

This is our first time we feel we needed Customer Care, and unfortunately it has revealed that once NCL has your money, they do not care about maintaining relationships with the customers.  Unfortunately this may drive our cruising dollars elsewhere.

 

I would likely feel likewise in your shoes. Try to give it some space since I don't think other cruise lines would handle this much differently. FWIW, this is one of the reasons we are not wedded to any one cruise line.

[cruiseny4life]

This is NCL's modus operandi. Sorry you fell into their clutches! 

 

I love the NCL onboard product, especially the Haven. In fact, other than maybe Princess, we won't consider any other line. But, I know that I *must* take it on myself to be responsible for double, trip, and quadruple checking anything, and everything, NCL does. Everything. All the time. My upcoming cruise is in 160'ish days. Every single week I check my reservation to ensure everything is still how it's supposed to be. 

 

If you do want to continue cruising NCL due to how the onboard product is, then I highly suggest you become skeptical of everything. Be weary of anything you hear one of their shoreside employees say and always constantly check your booking. 

[Asawi]

7 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

But, I know that I *must* take it on myself to be responsible for double, trip, and quadruple checking anything, and everything, NCL does. Everything. All the time. My upcoming cruise is in 160'ish days. Every single week I check my reservation to ensure everything is still how it's supposed to be. 

I don't want to hijack the thread, but I felt I needed to thank you for saying this! I sometimes feel silly for checking my reservations so often. And maybe I am. But I'm glad I'm not the only one! (Right now I'm keeping a close eye on a room I got assigned as a guarantee. I got an awesome room and would hate to lose it!)

Now let's go back to OP's sad situation. 

[drumming cruisers]

@raschwinger

 

Maybe this will help

 

Contact Norwegian Cruise Line Services | Packages, Cruise Deals & Special Needs | Norwegian Cruise Line (ncl.com)

[mjkacmom]

I really don’t think cruse lines value loyalty, so status won’t help. It also seems like if you have an issue, it needs to be resolved onboard, once the cruise is over, crickets. I too would’ve been upset booking a one bedroom and finding out it wasn’t a one bedroom. Once booked a 2 bedroom hotel room for my family of 7, when we got there the room was given to someone else, but the “graciously” offered two 1 bedrooms for the same price. I told them I’d be paying for only one of those rooms for the inconvenience (kids were all little and my husband and I slept in different rooms).