NCL "Dream" Trip

[mom4kids]

My husband, I and our 4 kids just got back from NCL's Dream cruise and thought to let people know what happened and if anyone has any pointers let me know!

 

We were to fly to Houston but missed our connection by 1 minute! Auggghh! United closes the ramp 10 minutes before take off and we came in on a United flight (which was delayed) ran to the gate (with 4 kids) and were there 9 minutes before take off!

We spent 4 hours trying to get a flight to Houston. We could have been at the port by 4:30 but NCL sails at 4PM. We called 4 times and United called 1 time to see if the ship would be delayed because face it everyone knew the weather in Houston/Dallas area was bad. But we were told 5 times that if we couldn't be at the port by 3pm too bad. United was great and changed our flight to Cancun so we could catch up with the ship on Tuesday in Cozumel (never mind that we had to pay for 2 night hotel in Chicago, 1 in Cozumel, taxi ride, and ferry for 6 people) All of this at their expense. When we got on the ship on Tuesday we found out that the ship was late due to weather and didn't start to board people till 5PM and didn't leave till 7:45PM! Would it have hurt for someone to have at least told us while stranded what was happening? NCL also gave us a phone number for the ship but it was routed back to Miami! (And this is the very short version of the story to spare you)

 

Now, before someone starts to blast me about missing connections etc.... Yes we realized that this is out of anyone's control and NCL's but the issue is the fact that they could have told us about the ship being late (last phone call was at 11:30 am) and we would have gone to Houston and tried to get on.

 

Once on the ship though the crew was very nice to us. We did speak to someone and will try and see what NCL can do but we realized she couldn't do much at the time.

 

The biggest complaint we had was the smoking. I have allergies to smoke and people were smoking all over the ship inside and outside! The outside isn't a problem but inside was crazy. When we asked a person about it they said that there is only suppose to be smoking in a few places but that NCL doesn't enforce it. We've been on a lot of cruises and this is the first one with this problem.

 

BEST ADVICE: Leave a day earlier than the cruise (we usually do and have never had a problem before) because you never know what the weather will be like. DON'T EXPECT a straight answer from NCL when you call.

[Arwenmark]

I hope you had trip insurance, always should, and about the smoking did you speak to officers or crew at the time people were smoking in non smoking areas to get them to stop? that is the only way it works. and be sure you ARE in a non smoking area.

I am very sorry you had these problems, I too always go a day early, I am even staying at a hotel near Logan the night before THAT.

Was this air something you booked yourself?

[Don Haynes]

Well, to be fair to NCL, Houston was fogged in that day, and even the ships lin Galveston didn't do much better. So between the lously icy cold weather in Dallas, the weather played a trick in Houston with the fog.

 

I will agree NCL's office should be better informed with ship departures, but almost all of the time they are on schedule.

 

I also agree everyone should fly a day earllier and use the NCL pre cruise hotel package especially during the winter. And it also helps to have travel insurance. Travel insurance will help pay for any extra expenditures when the flights don't work out.

 

At least you enjoyed some of the cruise. We are all sorry you missed the ship in Houston.

[AnnH]

How stressful for all of you!!!

 

Did you book the air yourself or through NCL?

 

We have booked our own flights for our next cruise - we are going the day before but we have a connection with a very short time between flights, and I am terrified that we will miss it!!!

[electricron]

How stressful for all of you!!!

 

Did you book the air yourself or through NCL?

 

We have booked our own flights for our next cruise - we are going the day before but we have a connection with a very short time between flights, and I am terrified that we will miss it!!!

 

If you're worring about it so much, change your flights so you have a longer time between flights. :rolleyes:

Most travel insurance will pay for missed flights if you have 4 hours of layover between flights. Less than 4 hours layover, it's your problem, not theirs.

[newmexicoNita]

Of course as you said, we all know you should book air a day early, it is too late now and that isn't NCLs fault. I can only fault them for one thing: they should have been better prepared to handle the situation. Being raised in an area that probably has the worst fog in the world I know how fast it can lift, but certainly the staff must have known there was going to be a delay. As for the smoking, I am sorry this had to happen to you: when we were on the Sun last year the non smoking, smoking areas were marked clearly and the policy enforced. Most lounges have smoking and non smoking areas, same with the bars; the casino is smoking and the cabins smoking is allowed. The non smoking areas are: outside (one side of the ship) certain areas in the lounges, the show rooms and the dining rooms. Were there people smoking in these areas?

 

At least the rest of your cruise was enjoyable. I think we have all learned a lesson from this. NMNita

[troyphoto]

Hmmmm. I don't mean to dissagree with you.

 

But, only saw one person smoking out of place on the whole ship, and that was on the last sea day. Had one gent light up in front of the Coffee bar and head off to four seasons.

 

I was near the coffee bar most of the cruise, due to the internet hookup, and available power outlets.

 

As for NCLs customer service during the "fog-in"... I heard that new regulations will require the Coast Guard to close ports in the event of heavy fog... can anyone collaborate that?

 

Also, on embarkation day we called NCL cust service about 1:15 when we found out that we couldn't even enter the port. The CS rep I got said that he had just found out about the delay, and no one would be boarding before 5 p.m.

 

I called my TA, and he put in a call, and found out the ship was going to sail on time. He hung up, called back and was able to get a "we don't know much, but no boarding before 5 p.m." answer

 

So, customer service reps were definately behind the times.

 

Does anyone know where the call center is located? I've just been reading "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman. His opening chapter of how many call centers have moved to India is very eye opening. If the call center overseas, that would put the situation into perspective --- still not good, but more understandable.

[Don Haynes]

Its not so much that many of us are being outsourced overseas, much more of us are being outsourced inside the states out of corporate benefits and payroll.

 

I know of an electric utility that has outsourced all of its janitors, secretaries, meter readers, customer service, engineers, and security personnel. More than half its personnel were outsourced, leaving only the top executives, plant operators, and linemen on the corporate payroll. There is a rumor the linemen are next.

 

Temporary agencies rehired them, at a considerable reduction in pay and benefits. Its a shame really. There used to be a time when corporations provided a safe retirement package, now most of us are dependent upon risky Keough plans.

[SuiteCruiser]

If you're worring about it so much, change your flights so you have a longer time between flights. :rolleyes:

Most travel insurance will pay for missed flights if you have 4 hours of layover between flights. Less than 4 hours layover, it's your problem, not theirs.

 

I've been reading this board since booking my NCL cruise. Have you ever given the person writing the benefit of the doubt? I see your name come up on the thread and prepare to hear "It's not NCL's fault, it's yours." I haven't gone through the exercise of reading your posts and figuring out the % that tell us how wonderful NCL is, but maybe others have more time on their hands.

I know I would be really annoyed if I called NCL and they didn't tell me about the delay. I mean, really, how hard it is it to track?

 

I live in Ottawa, Canada, and somehow our school board manages to track the VERY rare days that the school buses aren't running. Can't imagine that it's that much more complicated for NCL.

 

I keep preparing myself for the worst. I've had amazing cruise experiences for the last 23 years....NCL is the first one that I've booked with even an ounce of trepidation. I am very flexible, expect to enjoy the cruise and hope to return to a review full of how wonderful everything was. My trepidation comes from talking to people who've cruised NCL and from reading this board, it sounds pretty underwhelming. I'm ready and willing to be proven incorrect and awed though.

 

I'll let you know...

[osiebosie]

Suitecruiser,

 

No one has flamed the OP at all in this thread. He learned, as most of us already know, to fly out at least a day early. If you frequent these boards, you'll hear that from all seasoned cruisers: fly out early.

 

Now, what happened with the flight delay and then the ship's delay was irritating to the OP, and it would have been with me, also. How frustrating it must have been to have finally gotten on board the ship just to realize that they could have made it anyway. It would have been nice if NCL had relayed the correct info to them, but the person who answered the phone just didn't know and told them what they were supposed to say. I don't know how the inner workings of the communications work on ships: how long does it take for a major problem on a ship to get to the customer service reps to answer phone calls; how the info is given to cs reps dealing with obc; if weather issues are even given to cs reps; etc. Sometimes it seems that they are the last to know about incidents, but that is who the cruiser calls for information.

 

Maybe a lesson we can all learn from this is that we need to have the port authority's phone number on us when traveling. Perhaps they would have given better information. I have never thought about that until this thread. Even so, if the ship was delayed, they still may not have broken their rules and let the latecomers on to the ship. Who knows?

 

Still, the OP's post was informative for all of us. As for the smoking, maybe they should have talked to someone else. Or, if there were no smoking signs, just said something to the people smoking. I know, because I don't smoke, that I am highly sensitive to the smell. I can smell it if the person in the cabin next to me is smoking. I can smell it on people. So for me to be in a room with people smoking is yukky. But, if it is designated as non-smoking, I would have to say something.

 

The smoking issue is another thread/topic entirely, and I don't want to go there.

 

Shay

[leeward]

reading posts helped me alot. we drove to ny to board the Dawn and allowed plenty of time. If I got a flat tire, the plan was to leave the car and walk.:)

[osiebosie]

That is a WONDERFUL plan! You could have a sign on your back saying NCL or bust! And if you put Cruise Critic Member on it, you may even catch a ride.

 

:)

 

Shay

[mom4kids]

If you're worring about it so much, change your flights so you have a longer time between flights. :rolleyes:

Most travel insurance will pay for missed flights if you have 4 hours of layover between flights. Less than 4 hours layover, it's your problem, not theirs.

 

 

I thought I'd just let people know and learn from our experience, didn't realize so many would respond to it.

 

As for the response about the travel insurance.......if you have 4 hours of layover between flights..... well I don't think you read my whole story since we were laid over 48 hours. And when we called our insurance we were told (and everyone better read their insurance policy because we were shocked and ticked) "the over 4 hour layover has to be with the same flight # and due to weather, airplane trouble, unusually high volume of airline traffic, hijacking (god forbid) terriost threat etc.)" Since we missed a connection (due to weather and high traffic) and it wasn't the same flight # - too bad! I'm not kidding - READ THE FINE PRINT! So why bother with insurance? We will still write to the insurance company but I'm not holding my breath.

 

I should just be grateful that we were all ok and nothing major or disasterous happened. And as my 15 year old said to me "well at least I can knock off some more places to see off my list!"

 

I think I NEED a holiday! :)

[Jana]

And when we called our insurance we were told (and everyone better read their insurance policy because we were shocked and ticked) "the over 4 hour layover has to be with the same flight # and due to weather, airplane trouble, unusually high volume of airline traffic, hijacking (god forbid) terriost threat etc.)" Since we missed a connection (due to weather and high traffic) and it wasn't the same flight # - too bad! I'm not kidding - READ THE FINE PRINT!

 

Are you KIDDING??? Good grief. May I ask which insurance carrier you used?

 

I think I NEED a holiday! :)

 

Yes, you definitely do!

[GalOverCs]

I was on Mom's sailing and people WERE smoking all over the place! The only place they didnt seem to be was the coffee bar....

 

That was the only thing I didnt like about the Dream. If the "Disco" and all the sitting areas were roomed off it would have controlled the smoke and you wouldnt have had to walk through it.

[Cosmopolitan]

reading posts helped me alot. we drove to ny to board the Dawn and allowed plenty of time. If I got a flat tire, the plan was to leave the car and walk.:)

 

 

Ditto:)

 

I'd do the same;)

[almitra]

Still, thanks very much for posting your experience. We DO appreciate it! :)

[7SeasLover]

Mom4Kids,

 

We landed at JFK on a flight from Barcelona connecting in Paris. We had just a 2 hour window to connect (not an airline connection) to our Jet Blue flight to Ontario. We landed with plenty of time and the Air France flight sat on the tarmac for 45 minutes because another AF flight was in their docking area.

 

We ran (literally) to the baggage claim and would you belive our stuff was first off! Wow! We ran again to Jet blue got there 30 minutes before take-off and they would not let us board. Reason was - we had luggage. They would not have been able to screen and load the luggage in time.

 

One rep said no more flights that nigh. Next he said no available seats until Monday. (This was Friday.) He sent us to a back room to get assistance on finding a NY hotel. That person said the rep was crazy and he found a flight for us the next day leaving at 8 a.m. and booked us. We spent 12 hours at JFK trying to find a comfortable bench (there aren't any).

 

It just seems to me that not everyone is informed about everything. I think the import thing is to persist in asking various people. If some one says no way, ask for a supervisor, they they say no way, ask for a manager; just keep plugging away until you can break through to someone with some sort of authority or knowledge.

 

What a frustrating experience. Though I didn't miss the ship (we arrived 4 days before embarkation in Istanbul) we did miss that very important connection on the way home.

 

No matter what I've experience in foreign travel, I make it a point to accept and enjoy every experience as an exercise in adventure. It goes down in my journal as just that - another adventure. Travel is hard work!

[electricron]

I've been reading this board since booking my NCL cruise. Have you ever given the person writing the benefit of the doubt? I see your name come up on the thread and prepare to hear "It's not NCL's fault, it's yours." I haven't gone through the exercise of reading your posts and figuring out the % that tell us how wonderful NCL is, but maybe others have more time on their hands.

I know I would be really annoyed if I called NCL and they didn't tell me about the delay. I mean, really, how hard it is it to track?

 

I live in Ottawa, Canada, and somehow our school board manages to track the VERY rare days that the school buses aren't running. Can't imagine that it's that much more complicated for NCL.

 

I keep preparing myself for the worst. I've had amazing cruise experiences for the last 23 years....NCL is the first one that I've booked with even an ounce of trepidation. I am very flexible, expect to enjoy the cruise and hope to return to a review full of how wonderful everything was. My trepidation comes from talking to people who've cruised NCL and from reading this board, it sounds pretty underwhelming. I'm ready and willing to be proven incorrect and awed though.

 

I'll let you know...

 

We'll all will be looking forward to your review when you get back.

 

My only reply in this thread was to someone worried over a short layover at an airport. My reply was honest and sincere, selecting different flights with longer layovers will eliminate much of their concerns. Don't be happy with what you have, change it if you can.

 

As for keeping track of ships vs school buses, be real. School buses are all located within 10 to 20 miles from the school. Ships can be half way around the world. Most radios can't transmit half way around the world. NCL would have to lease and dedicate bandwidth specifically on keeping track of the ships' positions on several satellites to do so.

I also don't expect customer service agents at the NCL call center located in Phoenix to have real time links to NCL's operation's center in Miami. I'm not even sure Miami has real time, 24 hours around the clock, links to every cruise ship.

[Host CMLA]

I live in Ottawa, Canada, and somehow our school board manages to track the VERY rare days that the school buses aren't running. Can't imagine that it's that much more complicated for NCL.

No doubt it's easy for the Ottowa school board to track the very rare days that the busses don't run. I imagine they just have to look to the parking lot and if the busses are there, then they aren't running. However, it's a major production for someone at NCL to coordinate a late ship, deliveries, staff changes, debarking passengers, embarking passengers, demands from the port...to name a few things that have to be dealt with in a very short time. A CSR may be the last person to get an official word. Having said that...I always have the port authority phone nmber with me when I cruise so I can contact the port directly if there's a chance of a weather delay. They'd know if a ship is delayed.

[troyphoto]

I was on Mom's sailing and people WERE smoking all over the place! The only place they didnt seem to be was the coffee bar....

 

That was the only thing I didnt like about the Dream. If the "Disco" and all the sitting areas were roomed off it would have controlled the smoke and you wouldnt have had to walk through it.

 

Ahhh! That's why I didn't spend much time on Deck 10... the entire starboard side lounges were "smoking areas" Ashtrays were scattered all over up there.

 

I did hang out in Dazzles port side one afternoon due to too many folks in the coffee bar area. But I was one of only two or three folks that parked there for an extended time.

 

HEY NCL: How about adding some NO SMOKING signs to the areas near the designated smoking areas? That way ash trays and their associated smokers will be less likely to wander.

[laughoutloud]

However, it's a major production for someone at NCL to coordinate a late ship, deliveries, staff changes, debarking passengers, embarking passengers, demands from the port...to name a few things that have to be dealt with in a very short time. A CSR may be the last person to get an official word.

 

If an airline, with hundreds of flights per day, can advise pax of delays or cancellations, via phone or online,...why can't a cruiseline, with only a dozen or so ships, do the same? :rolleyes:

[BeachBumMama]

Having said that...I always have the port authority phone nmber with me when I cruise so I can contact the port directly if there's a chance of a weather delay. They'd know if a ship is delayed.

 

Now THAT is a plan. I never thought of that but it's so true. If anyone, the port will know what's going on. Thanks for the great tip!

[Host CMLA]

If an airline, with hundreds of flights per day, can advise pax of delays or cancellations, via phone or online,...why can't a cruiseline, with only a dozen or so ships, do the same? :rolleyes:

This isn't 100% though. Every airline cannot contact every passenger when there's a delay. Case in point...I was scheduled to go to Las Vegas on 12/22/06. Denver was snowed in because of a blizzard but flights were starting to go out that day. United DID NOT notify me that my flight was canceled. I had to call and wait on hold for 48 minutes. Also, I flew from Denver to Las Vegas on 1/12. My flight was delayed because of arctic temps. I got no notification even though United has my e mail and phone number. So nothing is 100%. Who knows what efforts were made by NCL to contact passengers, who by the way, were already en route.

Now THAT is a plan. I never thought of that but it's so true. If anyone, the port will know what's going on. Thanks for the great tip!

You're welcome. I also always carry the port agent's phone number with me when in port. NCL provides it at every port.

[laughoutloud]

This isn't 100% though. Every airline cannot contact every passenger when there's a delay. Case in point...I was scheduled to go to Las Vegas on 12/22/06. Denver was snowed in because of a blizzard but flights were starting to go out that day. United DID NOT notify me that my flight was canceled. I had to call and wait on hold for 48 minutes. Also, I flew from Denver to Las Vegas on 1/12. My flight was delayed because of arctic temps. I got no notification even though United has my e mail and phone number. So nothing is 100%. Who knows what efforts were made by NCL to contact passengers, who by the way, were already en route. You're welcome. I also always carry the port agent's phone number with me when in port. NCL provides it at every port.

 

 

That's not what I meant. Of course the airlines cannot contact every passenger. My point was that the

passenger

can always call the airline (or look it up online) to see if flights are delayed or cancelled. In this case, the OP did call directly. And was misinformed. Seems like a simple thing to update the reservations agents to an irregularity...