Spirit Engine solution, your thoughts?

[familyof4cruising]

The sad part is the NCL knows we have no where to go now and most of us will go without any compensation. The itineraries for that week are minimal.

[MrsLeo]

Sorry, you're right, looks like they plan to leave GSC at 1:00 p.m. for NYC, so hopefully that will be enough time to return on the April 13 itin.

[KerCar]

Familyof 4: Did you get the above email directly from NCL or your TA??? Thanks!

[familyof4cruising]

Familyof 4: Did you get the above email directly from NCL or your TA??? Thanks!

 

from another CC - alway here do you find what you need!

 

NOW I have to pay a fuel charge if I change ships X 4 people - it adds up - sorry to be rude BUT NCL has me.

 

I have a family of 4 and my mom to get airfare for ,PLUS a cruise during one of the busiest vacation weeks in NY, and with a price that I booked 14 months ago. I know things happen, I know I should be happy that they didnt cancel, BUT let me vent - I paid Final today and then I get this.

 

The worst part is that this wasn't my first choice for that weeks vacation.

WHY ST THOMAS?????????????????????????????????

[rfendt]

We are seriously considering cancelling this cruise and booking the March cruise on the Gem. Granted, my kids will have to miss 3 days of school, but it beats having to have ALL that ship time. (not that we mind the ship, but the cruise is also about the ports, too) We originally had the Gem booked and that was cancelled, so we booked this. But with all the changes now, the March 15th Gem sailing is looking much better.......and it's a newer ship, with more amenities for the kids. I'll let you know what we decide. We plan on making this decision within the next 24hrs. :confused:

[rfendt]

ooops - double post.........

[tcrny]

We are seriously considering cancelling this cruise and booking the March cruise on the Gem. Granted, my kids will have to miss 3 days of school, but it beats having to have ALL that ship time. (not that we mind the ship, but the cruise is also about the ports, too) We originally had the Gem booked and that was cancelled, so we booked this. But with all the changes now, the March 15th Gem sailing is looking much better.......and it's a newer ship, with more amenities for the kids. I'll let you know what we decide. We plan on making this decision within the next 24hrs. :confused:

Hi ... I see you heard the bad news about our cruise. I cannot find a 3/15/08 Gem sailing on NCL website? Where does it sail out of and where to? How many days? I'll take the kids out of school for 3 days no problem. I just cannot be on Spirit for so many sea days!! Please let me know. Thanks, Cathy

[familyof4cruising]

We are seriously considering cancelling this cruise and booking the March cruise on the Gem. Granted, my kids will have to miss 3 days of school, but it beats having to have ALL that ship time. (not that we mind the ship, but the cruise is also about the ports, too) We originally had the Gem booked and that was cancelled, so we booked this. But with all the changes now, the March 15th Gem sailing is looking much better.......and it's a newer ship, with more amenities for the kids. I'll let you know what we decide. We plan on making this decision within the next 24hrs. :confused:

 

I loved the Pearl and the Gem is the sister ship. No comparison with the Spirit. I can not go that week, because I am sailing next week and that vacation week is to close for my husband to take.

 

Good Luck with your decision, and keep us posted.

[rfendt]

Hi ... I see you heard the bad news about our cruise. I cannot find a 3/15/08 Gem sailing on NCL website? Where does it sail out of and where to? How many days? I'll take the kids out of school for 3 days no problem. I just cannot be on Spirit for so many sea days!! Please let me know. Thanks, Cathy

 

 

Hi Cathy - just went back on the website and it's there......when you put in your search, don't put in a destination, just pull down March 2008 and search and it will pop up. You have to scroll down a couple, but you'll see it. We have two adjoining balcony cabins now on the Spirit, and the same category on the Gem with the adjoining balcony's is going to cost us about $600. It's worth it to us though, seeing that it's only one day down (at sea) and one day back and 4 ports! Port Canaveral, GSC, Grand Bahama Island and Nassau. We love the Bahama's, so we don't mind. And.....we have relatives in Fla. that aren't too far from Port Canaveral that we haven't seen in a while (as we did Port Canaveral last time we went down on the Dawn). Good luck to you with your decision -keep us posted, as I also will.

[familyof4cruising]

Hi ... I see you heard the bad news about our cruise. I cannot find a 3/15/08 Gem sailing on NCL website? Where does it sail out of and where to? How many days? I'll take the kids out of school for 3 days no problem. I just cannot be on Spirit for so many sea days!! Please let me know. Thanks, Cathy

Prices from $789 7-Day Bahamas & Florida Round-trip New York

 

Details and Availability Ship: Norwegian Gem

Embarkation Port: New York City

Ports of call: New York City; Orlando (Port Canaveral); Great Stirrup Cay; Nassau; Grand Bahama Island

2008: Mar 1, Mar 8, Mar 15, Mar 22, Mar 29, Apr 5, Apr 12

Cruise Fares From *:

Inside - $789 Oceanview - $879 Balcony - $1,079 Suite - $1,399

[electricron]

If the issue is distance, though, would the April 13th cruise be affected?

 

I haven't looked at the 6 day itinerary closely, so lets do so now.

 

Sun Apr 13 New York (Manhattan), NY 4:00pm

Mon Apr 14 At Sea

Tue Apr 15 Port Canaveral, FL 9:00am 7:00pm

Wed Apr 16 Nassau, Bahamas 9:30am 3:00pm

Wed Apr 16 Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas 7:30pm

Thu Apr 17 Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas 1:00pm

Fri Apr 18 At Sea

Sat Apr 19 New York (Manhattan), NY 10:00am

 

NYC to PC = 41 hours, 965 miles = 23.5 mph = 20.5 knots

PC to N = 14.5 hours, 310 miles = 21.4 mph = 18.6 knots

N to GSC = 4.5 hours, 65 miles = 14.4 mph = 12.6 knots

GSC to NYC = 45 hours, 1055 miles = 23.4 mph = 20.4 knots

 

The only difficult leg of the 6 day itinerary is NYC to Port Canaveral, only because the Spirit will be sailing against the Gulf Stream current after passing Cape Hatteras. Sailing closer to land may reduce how much current it has to sail against. So it's possible the Spirit can make this itinerary as is, if the greater than 20 knots report was correct.

[KerCar]

I haven't looked at the 6 day itinerary closely, so lets do so now.

 

Sun Apr 13 New York (Manhattan), NY 4:00pm

Mon Apr 14 At Sea

Tue Apr 15 Port Canaveral, FL 9:00am 7:00pm

Wed Apr 16 Nassau, Bahamas 9:30am 3:00pm

Wed Apr 16 Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas 7:30pm

Thu Apr 17 Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas 1:00pm

Fri Apr 18 At Sea

Sat Apr 19 New York (Manhattan), NY 10:00am

 

NYC to PC = 41 hours, 965 miles = 23.5 mph = 20.5 knots

PC to N = 14.5 hours, 310 miles = 21.4 mph = 18.6 knots

N to GSC = 4.5 hours, 65 miles = 14.4 mph = 12.6 knots

GSC to NYC = 45 hours, 1055 miles = 23.4 mph = 20.4 knots

 

The only difficult leg of the 6 day itinerary is NYC to Port Canaveral, only because the Spirit will be sailing against the Gulf Stream current after passing Cape Hatteras. Sailing closer to land may reduce how much current it has to sail against. So it's possible the Spirit can make this itinerary as is, if the greater than 20 knots report was correct.

 

Thanks, electricron!

[nealstuber]

Thanks, electricron!

 

Trying to do a 4 engine itenerary with three engines is like driving your car with the donut spare for a WHOLE YEAR.

 

Ship will happen.

[MrsLeo]

You know whats funny, is they still haven't notified the March 30 repo cruise that they are going to be late into Roatan, or that we need to leave Samana early to get to NYC on time (I will be very surprised if we make it to NYC on time). But hey it could happen.

 

It makes me wonder what kind of surprises they have up their sleeves for us?

[familyof4cruising]

You know whats funny, is they still haven't notified the March 30 repo cruise that they are going to be late into Roatan, or that we need to leave Samana early to get to NYC on time (I will be very surprised if we make it to NYC on time). But hey it could happen.

 

It makes me wonder what kind of surprises they have up their sleeves for us?

 

The thing with your sailing is that you could find something else for a decent price that week. We really have no options.

 

You still have alot of stops left even if they cancelled one stop.

 

Good Luck!

[MrsLeo]

family I understand your frustration and share it. But I would challenge anyone to find us a 14 day cruise for the price we booked this one months ago, during the same time period. Plus unlike you guys, NCL has not offerred us the possibility to cancel without penalty and we have made final payment.

[familyof4cruising]

family I understand your frustration and share it. But I would challenge anyone to find us a 14 day cruise for the price we booked this one months ago, during the same time period. Plus unlike you guys, NCL has not offerred us the possibility to cancel without penalty and we have made final payment.

 

I feel for all of us!

 

The 2 hour delay into Roatan is NOTHING now! :mad:

[KerCar]

family I understand your frustration and share it. But I would challenge anyone to find us a 14 day cruise for the price we booked this one months ago, during the same time period. Plus unlike you guys, NCL has not offerred us the possibility to cancel without penalty and we have made final payment.

 

Mrs Leo: Any word on your repo yet??? They just changed our 6 day itinerary on the website, maybe yours is updated as well. The main site is still showing the old itinerary, but when I log in to view my cruise and book excursions everything has been updated. Good luck:)

[MrsLeo]

Ker, not a word yet.

[aprilwaters]

family I understand your frustration and share it. But I would challenge anyone to find us a 14 day cruise for the price we booked this one months ago, during the same time period. Plus unlike you guys, NCL has not offerred us the possibility to cancel without penalty and we have made final payment.

 

Amen to that. I don't understand why they are telling everyone else but us. I do not like surprises.

[WEPunkin]

We just got an email from NCL in regards to our May 31, 2008 8 day cruise. They are early for a change in, informing us.

 

We leave out of New York at 4:00 p.m. as planned. At sea Sunday & Monday as planned. Suppose to go to St. Thomas 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. Big change, not going to St. Thomas.

 

We have been there many times, so no big deal. We do like St Thomas better than San Juan (we have also been there several times too), Guess we'll go with the flow. This intinerary wouldn't be one we would usually choose, but we have credits coming from another cruise we had last June with NCL (Hawaii) and we have to use our credits before July 9, 2008, so we picked this cruise.

 

Changed to: San Juan, Puerto, Rico from 2:00 p.m. - midnight.

 

Changed to: Tortola, BV. Islands 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (was 8:00 - 5:00)

 

Changed to: Samana, D.Republic 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (was 9:00 - 6:00)

 

Then at sea Friday & Saturday and into N.Y. on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Suppose to be back in NY at 8:00 a.m.

 

Not alot to do in Tortola or Samana anyway. We just enjoy relaxing and staying on the ship and doing nothing. I know alot of people want to stay busy all the time.

 

NCL offered us a full refund if we cancel by February 22, 2008. We haven't made our final payment as of yet. Due in March.

 

Just posting this info, so maybe it will help someone else with their plans.

 

WEH

[welikepalms]

Thanks electricron. This is the trip we are doing on the 13th of April. Seems like we might make it ok.

 

 

I haven't looked at the 6 day itinerary closely, so lets do so now.

 

Sun Apr 13 New York (Manhattan), NY 4:00pm

Mon Apr 14 At Sea

Tue Apr 15 Port Canaveral, FL 9:00am 7:00pm

Wed Apr 16 Nassau, Bahamas 9:30am 3:00pm

Wed Apr 16 Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas 7:30pm

Thu Apr 17 Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas 1:00pm

Fri Apr 18 At Sea

Sat Apr 19 New York (Manhattan), NY 10:00am

 

NYC to PC = 41 hours, 965 miles = 23.5 mph = 20.5 knots

PC to N = 14.5 hours, 310 miles = 21.4 mph = 18.6 knots

N to GSC = 4.5 hours, 65 miles = 14.4 mph = 12.6 knots

GSC to NYC = 45 hours, 1055 miles = 23.4 mph = 20.4 knots

 

The only difficult leg of the 6 day itinerary is NYC to Port Canaveral, only because the Spirit will be sailing against the Gulf Stream current after passing Cape Hatteras. Sailing closer to land may reduce how much current it has to sail against. So it's possible the Spirit can make this itinerary as is, if the greater than 20 knots report was correct.

[maryln]

Please check www.ncl.com and click on "My Cruises" to make sure your intinerary hasn't changed. Our 4/27/08 six day itinerary was changed.

[pixiedustdawn]

I am doing a back to back starting June 23, I also just learned of the changes through here. I don't understand why they changed to San Juan and cancelled St Thomas. Isn't St Thomas closer to Tortola? I would think it would be easier. I am wondering maybe some ports will not allow ships with problems to come into there waters, or dock there?

I am sad since I booked for St Thomas and the Pvt Island.

No-one from NCL has mentioned anything about onboard credit because of this.

[familyof4cruising]

Both families I was traveling with are cancelling. I am the only left. This vacation was there only trip for the year, so they can spend the extra money. I am sad they are cancelling , BUT happy that NCL is losing customers. It was very disrespectful what they did.