Don’t travel with NCL for Itinerary

[Trailblazerram]

If you are the sort of person who likes life on board a ship and don’t get off at ports then Norwegian is the cruise line for you.

If like me you select cruises for their itinerary DONT CHOOSE THIS CRUISELINE. They tempt you in with an exciting choice of ports then change them for penny pinching reasons to create a different cruise without giving you the option to cancel ( or they leave it so late it will cost you too much) Having achieved Sapphire status with this line we will now be voting with our feet and going with more reputable lines. I don’t mind paying more if they produce what they promise. 

[luv2kroooz]

Well said, great for a 7 day bus run to Cozumel, Bahamas, and Alaska on a Breakaway or Breakaway + ship. Lots to do onboard and plenty of time to enjoy the beverage package. Anything else, ports of calls are suggestions only....kind of like stop signs in Mexico. 😂😂😂

[RocketMan275]

Couldn't care less about the itinerary.

[yakcruiser]

31 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Couldn't care less about the itinerary.

See first sentence of OP's post.

[complawyer]

main reason i sail with ncl is their itinerary. after 30 cruises since 2014, they've changed the ports maybe 3 or 4 times. on the 1st southeast Asia cruise, they totally canceled Taipei and Hanoi, 2 ports i especially wanted to see, but their compensation for cancelling was more than generous. 2 years ago, they canceled berlin (one of the few European capitals i haven't seen) but i rolled with it.  We are on the Dawn from Barcelona to Capetown. the 1st 2 ports were Casablanca and Agidir. while disappointed, i had previously been to both, so i really have 0 to complain about there, and ncl added a few ports in Spain where the shore excursions look interesting. they also cancelled Gambia, and since i relied on the excursion description, I'm not sure I'm missing much. there are 12 sea days on this cruise (i actually love sea days) and I'm getting 42 latitude points. 

i have posted many times before, that generally speaking, ncl gives you he best bang for your buck, both in price and itinerary. Yes, i agree it's a major pain in the butt to have a port that you wanted to visit changed at the last minute, without any major recourse, but if the rest of the ports, and the total cruise experience is still enjoyable, then i guess in total we're still doing ok.

and Rocketman, after all your posts, this is one of the few times i disagree with you, however, if we're ever on a cruise together, the 1st drink is still on me! LOL

by the way Trailblazerram, we're diamond, and I'm currently looking at an ncl cruise next August from Quebec to Southampton, with the fervent hope most (if not all) of the itinerary stays as is.

One can only hope! 

Last thought: do you truly believe other cruise lines don't do the same thing, depending on circumstances?

[RedwingHockeyFan]

14 minutes ago, complawyer said:

 2 years ago, they canceled berlin (one of the few European capitals i haven't seen) but i rolled with it. 

Just curious, how do they sail to Berlin when it is around 100 miles inland?  What is the port city that is close enough to suggest it stops at Berlin?

[RocketMan275]

16 minutes ago, yakcruiser said:

See first sentence of OP's post.

I responded to that sentence. 

[Trailblazerram]

7 minutes ago, RedwingHockeyFan said:

Just curious, how do they sail to Berlin when it is around 100 miles inland?  What is the port city that is close enough to suggest it stops at Berlin?

It was Warnemunde when we cruised with Celebrity in 2011

[Capitan Obvious]

1 hour ago, Trailblazerram said:

If you are the sort of person who likes life on board a ship and don’t get off at ports then Norwegian is the cruise line for you.

 

If I was the sort of person who liked life on board a ship and I didn't get off at ports, then itinerary becomes totally irrelevant as I will enjoy myself onboard whether we are visiting a good port, a bad port, or if we are at sea. The only consideration for me as that sort of person is "which cruise line offers the best on board experience", right?

 

So, even though you are "voting with your feet" and leaving, are you, by the quoted statement above, saying that NCL offers the best on board experience?

[Asawi]

Well, I DO choose NCL for their itineraries. (And price.) But I AM aware that ports might be skipped and if a particular place is of bucket list caliber I do prepare myself for diappointment. Actually, if a place is that important to me I consider land trip instead. 

It IS annoying though that even very early itinerary changes (before 120 days) doesn't allow me, as on a EU nooking, to cancel without a fee. Like when my Bliss cruise this April dropped Glacier Bay at a very early stage. (As it turned out we had an awsome day cruising Dawes, so it turned out well anyway. This time...)

[Sundiego]

14 minutes ago, RedwingHockeyFan said:

Just curious, how do they sail to Berlin when it is around 100 miles inland?  What is the port city that is close enough to suggest it stops at Berlin?

Just off the Dawn where we docked in Warnemunde. We didn't go to Berlin but many people made the train trek to Berlin and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, complawyer said:

and Rocketman, after all your posts, this is one of the few times i disagree with you, however, if we're ever on a cruise together, the 1st drink is still on me! LOL

We do not wish to put our dogs in the kennel for more than nine or ten days.  We're pretty much limited to Caribbean cruises of seven days.  Consequently, there isn't much choice in itineraries.  Europe is out of the question.  Asia and South America too.  This means we are focused on the amenities of the ship rather than the itineraries.  We rarely go ashore.   YMMV.

Edited Wednesday at 05:28 PM by RocketMan275

[Panhandle Couple]

On the other hand....

since January 2022....

10 cruises on NCL

77 cruise days total

45 ports listed on itineraries

43 ports visited.

Bar Harbor canceled on day of visit due to high winds.

Acapulco canceled due to hurricane damage.  Notified when boarding, but knew well in advance as no ships were stopping there.  Manzanillo added before final payment made up for missing it.

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 06:01 PM by Panhandle Couple

[CruiseMH]

Jesus, how many more topics of this kind do we need ?🙄

[Crazy planning mom]

1 hour ago, complawyer said:

main reason i sail with ncl is their itinerary. after 30 cruises since 2014, they've changed the ports maybe 3 or 4 times. on the 1st southeast Asia cruise, they totally canceled Taipei and Hanoi, 2 ports i especially wanted to see, but their compensation for cancelling was more than generous. 2 years ago, they canceled berlin (one of the few European capitals i haven't seen) but i rolled with it.  We are on the Dawn from Barcelona to Capetown. the 1st 2 ports were Casablanca and Agidir. while disappointed, i had previously been to both, so i really have 0 to complain about there, and ncl added a few ports in Spain where the shore excursions look interesting. they also cancelled Gambia, and since i relied on the excursion description, I'm not sure I'm missing much. there are 12 sea days on this cruise (i actually love sea days) and I'm getting 42 latitude points. 

i have posted many times before, that generally speaking, ncl gives you he best bang for your buck, both in price and itinerary. Yes, i agree it's a major pain in the butt to have a port that you wanted to visit changed at the last minute, without any major recourse, but if the rest of the ports, and the total cruise experience is still enjoyable, then i guess in total we're still doing ok.

and Rocketman, after all your posts, this is one of the few times i disagree with you, however, if we're ever on a cruise together, the 1st drink is still on me! LOL

by the way Trailblazerram, we're diamond, and I'm currently looking at an ncl cruise next August from Quebec to Southampton, with the fervent hope most (if not all) of the itinerary stays as is.

One can only hope! 

Last thought: do you truly believe other cruise lines don't do the same thing, depending on circumstances?

Every cruise line has cancelled due to war, weather and due to malfunctioning ships.  NCL is the only one of the majors that I know that has cancelled due to save fuel.

[Crazy planning mom]

1 minute ago, CruiseMH said:

Jesus, how many more topics of this kind do we need ?🙄

Yes, there already is an active one.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Trailblazerram said:

They tempt you in with an exciting choice of ports then change them for penny pinching reasons to create a different cruise without giving you the option to cancel ( or they leave it so late it will cost you too much) 

 

I am a Diamond member and cruise NCL 4-6 times a year. Out of all of my cruises, I have never had this happen. The OP makes it sound like very cruise is a bait-n-switch and it has never happened to us. 

 

I have only had one NCL cruise cancelled (hurricane parked over Miami), a couple of missed ports due to medical emergencies causing us to deviate, and a handful of cancelled ports due to weather (mostly GSC, but also one day in Bermuda due to a tropical storm over Bermuda).

 

My experience has been the opposite, where NCL captains have made port calls when they should have stayed out at sea. On the cruise below, the wind and seas were bad, but the ship still made it's port call in Costa Maya. There were waves breaking over the gangway. If you ran down the slippery gangway when told by Security, you were fine. Many who took their time and walked slowly got slapped up the side of the head with a wave. There was a pile of towels at the end of the gangway for the "unfortunate".

 

 

The Birds don't like to get their feathers wet and ran when told, and were nice and dry. But the wind whipping down the dock was something fierce. 

 

[PartyPlannerLady]

4 hours ago, Trailblazerram said:

If you are the sort of person who likes life on board a ship and don’t get off at ports then Norwegian is the cruise line for you.

If like me you select cruises for their itinerary DONT CHOOSE THIS CRUISELINE. They tempt you in with an exciting choice of ports then change them for penny pinching reasons to create a different cruise without giving you the option to cancel ( or they leave it so late it will cost you too much) Having achieved Sapphire status with this line we will now be voting with our feet and going with more reputable lines. I don’t mind paying more if they produce what they promise. 

 

Do not cruise ANY line simply for the itinerary.  Any seasoned cruiser knows that.

[Seas2mountains]

For the lucky ones who haven’t been impacted by itinerary changes after final payment, please review the specific examples provided. 
 

The examples are real and they aren’t being canceled due to weather reasons like several of you cited. 
 

 

We are also Diamond and will be on 6 NCL cruises this year. Half are impacted by itinerary changes close to or after final payment. 
 

NCL Breakaway. May 2024. Tortola canceled after final payment. Fuel optimization. 
 

NCL Viva. December 2024. Bonaire canceled and times adjusted for St Lucia meant only three excursions were offered. 
 

NCL Joy. December 2024. Ensenada canceled and days swapped for Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta meaning all excursions got canceled and changed. 
 

if you have been lucky so far, please go back to the thread on the link for the itinerary changes near or after final payment to update it if you get late itinerary changes.  
 

Please look at the recent change for those on a Prima sailing with no less than 4 port changes after final payment. 
 

 

[luv2kroooz]

2 hours ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Every cruise line has cancelled due to war, weather and due to malfunctioning ships.  NCL is the only one of the majors that I know that has cancelled due to save fuel.

Facts, right above. The others companies don't do it for their convenience and economic benefit, while inconveniencing their passengers. Big difference.

Edited Wednesday at 08:10 PM by luv2kroooz

[luv2kroooz]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

 

I am a Diamond member and cruise NCL 4-6 times a year. Out of all of my cruises, I have never had this happen. The OP makes it sound like very cruise is a bait-n-switch and it has never happened to us. 

 

I have only had one NCL cruise cancelled (hurricane parked over Miami), a couple of missed ports due to medical emergencies causing us to deviate, and a handful of cancelled ports due to weather (mostly GSC, but also one day in Bermuda due to a tropical storm over Bermuda).

 

My experience has been the opposite, where NCL captains have made port calls when they should have stayed out at sea. On the cruise below, the wind and seas were bad, but the ship still made it's port call in Costa Maya. There were waves breaking over the gangway. If you ran down the slippery gangway when told by Security, you were fine. Many who took their time and walked slowly got slapped up the side of the head with a wave. There was a pile of towels at the end of the gangway for the "unfortunate".

 

 

The Birds don't like to get their feathers wet and ran when told, and were nice and dry. But the wind whipping down the dock was something fierce. 

 

Nice try at a deflection. It failed. 

This thread is speaking about itinerary changes due to matters of corporate convenience not weather. The OP described them as penny pinching reasons, of which weather is not. Weather is safety related. Whether or not the penny pinching changes have happened to you or not is irrelevant. No one cares. It is happening to other passengers over and again.

 

Finally, if you believe NCL captains are intentionally putting passenger safety at risk, start a thread about that. I don't think you'll find a lot of cc members share your opinion about captains intentionally endangering the welfare of guests.

Edited Wednesday at 08:20 PM by luv2kroooz

[luv2kroooz]

2 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

Jesus, how many more topics of this kind do we need ?🙄

If it helps one cruiser make an informed decision, the repetition has done no harm. By the way, an informed decision could be a decision to book an NCL vacation with appropriate expectations. There are people in this forum who admit to booking NCL cruise vacations to stay on the vessel.

[dhanakorn]

I mainly pick NCL because of the itinerary. I just came back from one of the great Mediterranean cruise. 11-day cruise with no sea day and it’s on Viva!!!
 

I don’t see other mass-market cruise lines offering similar itineraries on their flagship at the price point comparable to NCL. Didn’t I mention that this cruise has 11 ports with no sea day and it’s on Viva the newest ship of the fleet. 
 

[dhanakorn]

Earlier this year I was on a 12-day Southern Caribbean cruise departing from La Romana, DR. Another great itinerary with 11 islands! Most Caribbean cruises departing from Florida and you’ll have about 5 sea days if you want to visit Southern Caribbean. 

[dhanakorn]

Last December, I cruised along the coast of Brazil from Rio down to Buenos Aires. Many interesting Brazilian ports that I probably won’t be able to visit without this cruise. Unfortunately NCL doesn’t offer this itinerary anymore.