Never again on NCL!

[kcbmarek]

We just returned 2 weeks ago from our HM cruise on the NCL Star through Alaska's Inside Passage. We had cruised with NCL through Hawaii in 2005 and loved it thus the reason we went back with NCL. NCL was horrible in the lines of food and the guest service staff questioning and accusing us of lying about it being our HM. The food was a C/D at best and when we approached the guest service staff inquiring why we did not receive the honeymooner benefits our agent assured us we would, we were accuse of lying to get "freebies". That was a bad move and we basically knew that NCL was not the line for us ever again. Our room steward was wonderful though ... very patient with us. The daily activities bordered on snooze city and the channels on TV - oh heavens!!!

 

In the future we will go back with Princess or RCL.

[CRUZIN TOM]

I haven't seen any freebies for honeymooners anymore. There is a good chance on your cruise that there were at least 50 other couples sharing their HM. There are additional charges if you wanted to sign up for any packages, such as the HM or anniversay package. If you loved Hawaii, you knew what activities are on board. They are basically the same on all NCL cruises. It is what you make of them. As is, weren't you in port at least of the 7 days? There are many of us that love freestyle, as we do. For others it is just not the way for them. That is why we have so many choices. :)

[lostie]

That's horrible that someone would accuse you of lying to get freebies. How did you respond? Did you ever get the package?

[electricron]

That's horrible that someone would accuse you of lying to get freebies. How did you respond? Did you ever get the package?

 

I didn't know NCL offered freebies for honeymooners. :confused:

 

Maybe they weren't accusing that you were honeymooners, but that you were supposed to get freebies. ;)

[Darth Voldemort]

From the tone of your post, one can only imagine the courtesy with which you demanded your due onboard.

 

And, as a honeymooner in Alaska, the TV programming should be at the edge of your attention.

 

Other than that, how was your cruise, Mrs. Lincoln? You didn't mention anything about the wonders of Alaska......

[SweetpeaOne]

This is the second review I just read about the Star being bad. I was on the cruise after yours and had a wonderful time...

[Toyz711]

the honeymooners on my last cruise paid for the "honeymoon" package. nothing free that i heard about.

[thequotegal]

Sweetpeaone...you are right and I'm getting scared as we're scheduled to go on the Star. Might you post a counter balance review? I saw that you missed free ice cream but other than that? :) Would love to hear some good details!!

[Toyz711]

for the ice cream, you really have to look for it..if you are a health nut, it's by the gym and the smoothie bar. guess that i why it took us 1/2 the cruise to find it:D

i love the star, she was a beautiful ship...didn't get the feeling of being on that big of a ship. easy to find your way around.

for cookies and dessert breads, go by the blue lagoon..very good stuff.

we are so spoiled for NCL that i don't think we can cruise another line.

[Chipster2]

The Star is a wonderful ship with a terrific crew. So much so that we booked our second cruise on her (in September) in less than a year.

 

Let me assure you that if you go with a positive attitude you will have a wonderful time.

 

Being far from a honeymooner, I am not aware of any freebies although you could purchase a Honeymoon / Anniversary Package that IMO was a pretty good deal.

[Urban trekker]

"we did not receive the honeymooner benefits our agent assured us we would"

 

Perhaps your agent didn't do their job - on your invoice/ticket it should show all options that you are paying for.

 

Have had two cruises on the Star and it was a great time on both occasions.

 

Hope this helps

 

Dennis

[Don Haynes]

If you don't pay for the homeymoon package, you don't get it just because you are on a honeymoon. I don't think any other cruise line does it either.

 

I thought the number one acitvity for an Alaskan cruise was whale and bird watching? Did you enjoy any of the natural wonders of Alaska and the Inside Passage?

[beachchick]

I have to concur with others. None of the mass market lines really have "freebies" just because you're on a honeymoon. There are just too many couples honeymooning on cruises for it to be feasible. On one RCI cruse we took, there were more than 200 honeymooning couples. Sometimes they'll host a little "honeymooners/anniversary" party with cake, but that's on RCI, and I've not heard of them doing it on NCL. On NCL, if you want the honeymoon goodies, you have to purchase the romance/honeymoon package. Of course your honeymoon is incredibly special and meaningful for you--as it should be. For the cruise line, you're simply one of a mass of couples. It would be impossible for them to do freebies for every couple celebrating a honeymoon or special anniversary, even though it seems like a nice idea. In the "old" days with the small ships and fewer honeymooners, it was probably more common for th cruise lines to make a "big deal" about it.

 

I'm sorry that your TA mislead you about this, but it's really your TA's fault. Perhaps your TA intended to add a couple of "surprise" goodies (at the TAs expense) and forgot? In any case, I'm sorry that anyone accused you of lying about it. That's not right. But they were correct that there really aren't any freebies for honeymooners.

 

It sounds like you didn't care for the cruise overall, so you may be right that NCL (or at least this itinerary on NCL) isn't the cruise line for you.

 

I hope that your honeymoon was every bit as special for you as it should have been.

 

beachchick

[Baitman19]

We just returned 2 weeks ago from our HM cruise on the NCL Star through Alaska's Inside Passage. We had cruised with NCL through Hawaii in 2005 and loved it thus the reason we went back with NCL. NCL was horrible in the lines of food and the guest service staff questioning and accusing us of lying about it being our HM. The food was a C/D at best and when we approached the guest service staff inquiring why we did not receive the honeymooner benefits our agent assured us we would, we were accuse of lying to get "freebies". That was a bad move and we basically knew that NCL was not the line for us ever again. Our room steward was wonderful though ... very patient with us. The daily activities bordered on snooze city and the channels on TV - oh heavens!!!

 

In the future we will go back with Princess or RCL.

 

I'm sorry you had a bad time. The key to your problem is not with NCL, it's with your "agent" If your agent was going to comp you something for your HM, then he has to pay for it. Your "agent" isn't a NCL employee and any NCL employee on the ship won't know what they were going to do for you.

 

As for TV, I would stay home if I were you, if I wanted to watch TV.

 

Hope you have a beter cruise someday

Happy Cruising,

Monty

[silkhair1]

I am sorry you did not enjoy your cruise, maybe NCL is not for you! I love freestyle and it will be hard for me to change!

[newmexicoNita]

"we did not receive the honeymooner benefits our agent assured us we would"

 

Perhaps your agent didn't do their job - on your invoice/ticket it should show all options that you are paying for.

 

Have had two cruises on the Star and it was a great time on both occasions.

 

Hope this helps

 

Dennis

you know I have cruised NCL 9 times and I have never heard of a honeymoon anything except for the wonderful honeymoon package that you have to purchase. Did you pay for the package, if so how much?

Maybe your TA gave it to you as a gift. If so she would have been billed and you would not have.

 

I think the blame may lie with either an agent that didn't quite follow through or the cruise line that slipped up. I do know how you feel if you were insulted. This is one reason I have never cruised Princess. Many years ago I had gifts not arrive in staterooms that I had ordered and in a couple of cases paid for. I too was pretty much called a liar or my clients were. this happened more than once. It also happened last year when I had pre-arranged special gifts for a client celebrating their 25th anniversary on Celebrity. Nothing arrived. I will say, I wasn't billed either. I have now learned to have every single special order receipt faxed to me. I have also gotten over being upset with Princess btw and maybe you will get over your disappointment with NCL. Please give us more details about what you were supposed to get, how you paid for it, etc.

 

As for the rest of your compliants, Alaskan cruises are not meant to be anything other than port intensive and don't offer much in the way of on ship activities.

 

Not much on TV, that isn't unusual, tell us what lines do offer great TV and why would anyone care what is on TV while cruising? We do turn ours on a couple times a day to get the news. Occassionally we will watch a movie in the afternoon or just before bedtime (rarely) other than that I don't cruise to watch TV. I watch TV at home cause there is nothing else to do.

 

From what I have read, 90% of the actually reviews are very positive about the Dawn. I have 2 cabins leaving next week, 2 more in Sept and I will be doing a group cruise on the Star Sept 29th.

NMnita

 

BTW: this response isn't directed at you Dennis, except to agree with your remarks, it is for the OP.

[Lisa&Neb]

my wife and I went on the Dream for our HM. We had to pay for our package as there was nothign free. Maybe there should be, but it would be so hard to police. Especially with people taking HM's 6 months later. (here in Canada who wants to go south in the summer, so a lot of people take their HM in the winter).

 

The cake party for HM and ANN's are by invitation and you get the invation by buyuing the package.

 

Also, is i not a rule that it is always someones birthday/anniverary on a cruise?? ;)

[hotspur]

In the future we will go back with Princess or RCL.

I suspect no one here will be upset over this.

[98Charlie]

I'm sorry to hear that the OP did not enjoy her cruise as well but also am in agreement with others that NCL does not offer freebies to honeymooners.

 

As far as a TA misleading her, after reading through some of her previous posts I see that she booked her cruise through the same online TA agency we have used for many, many cruises. I can not believe her TA promised her freebies that would not materialize. They are a top notch agency in our book and have always been honest and up front with us.

 

Dianne

[Sea Hound]

Does anyone besides me think it's funny that this post, in a little over 12 hours, got 773 hits? Are people looking for bad stuff? I wish good reviews and posts got this much attention!

 

Maybe we should name our good reviews something like "I HATE EVERYTHING!" to get folks to read and benefit from the good info.

 

Sea Hound:D

[Sea Hound]

BTW - here is OP's past post where she says she is going to buy the cheap HM package:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=550219

[clerky96]

We cruised NCL this past Feb and actually cruised on our 39th wedding anniversary. Our TA noted this on our reservation and told us that we would have a coupon in our cabin for a free bottle of wine to use in the dining room. Needless to say there was no coupon, but that certainly didn't turn us off to NCL. We had a wonderful time. We are cruising with them again Feb 2008. Perhaps this is something they used to do. According to these boards, the cost of cruising has stayed pretty stable over the years, but the amenities have gotten less. I think most people would rather pay less for the cost of the cruise and pay for their own extras.

[DaytonGirl]

I really can't understand why anyone who dares to say anything negative on the NCL boards is blamed for what was wrong. The other boards aren't anything like this.

 

This poster did not say they expected something for free, that was NCLs comment. They had probably paid for and didn't receive the HM package. The complaint is not about the lack of the package but rather how they were treated by NCL when they tried to get it.

 

Another legitimate complaint - the food.

 

Frankly, the service on my recent Dawn trip was bad enough that in ordinary circumstances I would never have sailed with NCL again. The ONLY reason I'm giving them a second chance is to be with a great group of people.

[lynnemac]

Breaker 1 9. Breaker 1 9. Kcbmarek, comeback...

 

Out of range, oh well.

 

Mac:) :) :)

[JennCandi]

We ordered and paid for the HM package on our last cruise and never received it. I called them several times and then finally canceled it. When I called again to confirm the refund, I was told I wouldn't be receiving a credit for my "complimentary" HM package. My TA contacted NCL when we got back and the office said that yes I had paid for it and I would be receiving the credit. That was 1 month ago, still no credit.