Poor Service - NCL GEM

[wallygator21015]

I just returned home from an eastbound 15 night transatlantic cruise on the NCL GEM. This was my third trip on the GEM. And it was my 60th cruise overall, and my 10th cruise on a Norwegian cruise ship. Personally I like the GEM for many reasons, the free style dinning, the layout of the ship, the onboard entertainment, the ports of call, etc. Conversely, I was appalled at the level of service I received on my most recent transatlantic cruise.

 

For the first time in 60 cruises, I splurged for the so called mini-suite. The mini-suites are all located on deck eleven. They should not be called mini-suites; they are only deluxe balcony rooms with absolutely no extras whatsoever. The stateroom service was the worst service that I ever received. On the first day we requested the following: one bar of oatmeal soap, (standard on all NCL Ships), an ashtray, two bath robes, a bath mat, (bath tub in mini-suites), a list of amenities to be delivered daily, and we also requested that our ice bucket be refilled twice a day. I had brought a case of diet coke with me because I was led to believe that coke products were no longer going to be offered on NCL ships. Nonetheless, coke products were still available on this eastbound transatlantic cruise. I don’t know when they are switching over to pepsi products?

 

On the 3rd day, after none of the above requests had been satisfied I went to the reception deck. The lady at the reception desk (deception desk) informed me that NCL no longer provides oatmeal soap, or bath robes, and that the list of amenities had been discontinued as of the last cruise. However, she would contact stateroom service and request that an ashtray and bath mat be delivered to our stateroom.

 

Not satisfied with the service from the deception desk, I went to see the cruise consultant. He informed me that the list of amenities had been discontinued as of the last cruise; however, he would see that the other requested would be taken care of immediately.

 

When I returned to the mini-suite I found that the following had been delivered, 4 bars of oatmeal soap, two bath robes, a bath mat, an ashtray, and our ice bucket was filled.

 

The ice bucket continued to be refilled only once a day, every other day? Was there a shortage of ice onboard the GEM?

 

I had cruised on the GEM last fall on the westbound transatlantic cruise. At that time we had a balcony stateroom on deck 9. The stateroom service was absolutely ideal. Also, every day specific items (pretzels, vegetables with dip, strawberries) were delivered to our stateroom before dinner time from a list of amenities. Now that we had upgraded to a so called mini-suite, these amentias were no longer available?

 

Last May, 2008, we were on the GEM when she stopped in Livorno, the port of call for Pisa and Florence, Italy. The port provided a free shuttle to the town of Livorno because they would not permit anyone to walk through their working port. When we called again on this same port of call in November, 2008, NCL charged everyone one euro for the free shuttle service. This time when we stopped at the same port of call, NCL charged everyone 5 euros for the same free shuttle through the port? Next year you may need to take out a loan for this shuttle service.

 

Finally, NCL now has raised their compulsory tipping service charges from ten dollars per day to twelve dollars per day. I wouldn’t mind the additional charge if the level of service was equivalent to what it used to be, however many other passengers as well as myself were complaining about the diminished level of service onboard the NCL GEM. :mad:

[Carnac767]

Sorry you weren't satisfied with your service. We had a mini-suite on the Jade and had bathrobes, a bathmat, and our ice bucket was always kept filled. The service we received was excellent. We never asked for a bar of soap, though. We bought along that black soap from Spain that my wife loves so much. I think I heard that NCL might be doing away with the mini-suite designation in the near future.

[Why Knot Me]

Sounds like last fall in the balcony when you were receiving daily food treats, you were on a special list of some sort. Balconies and mini-suites have never by standard received the list of amenities with regards to daily snacks. Mini-suites use to be a fruit bowl and robes. I don't know if that continues anymore.

 

Your argument about mini suites being not much more than a balcony is very true. Often there is diaglogue on these boards about that. A mini-suite should be called a deluxe balcony in my mind to avoid the confusion.

 

Next time, I would recommend contacting the Hotel Director who is in charge of the rooms if you are unhappy with the service.

[sjbdtz]

Now that we had upgraded to a so called mini-suite, these amentias were no longer available?

 

NCL charged everyone one euro for the free shuttle service. This time when we stopped at the same port of call, NCL charged everyone 5 euros for the same free shuttle through the port? Next year you may need to take out a loan for this shuttle service.

 

...however many other passengers as well as myself were complaining about the diminished level of service onboard the NCL GEM. :mad:

 

1. Yes, apparently the were discontinued at the end of the cruise before yours. Read your own post, you make mention of this more than once...already answering your own question.

 

2. Apparently the PORT-OWNED shuttle is no longer free, and is now 5 euro each. It's almost 40 euro to the train station....and I have seen people walk without taking the shuttle bus.

 

3. misery likes company....if you tell someone you're unhappy, most will empathize with you, whether the really agree with you....or not.

[wallygator21015]

1. Yes, apparently the were discontinued at the end of the cruise before yours. Read your own post, you make mention of this more than once...already answering your own question.

 

2. Apparently the PORT-OWNED shuttle is no longer free, and is now 5 euro each. It's almost 40 euro to the train station....and I have seen people walk without taking the shuttle bus.

 

3. misery likes company....if you tell someone you're unhappy, most will empathize with you, whether the really agree with you....or not.

 

 

 

I don't know if you are familiar with what a rhetorical question is or not? A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question posed for its persuasive effect without the expectation of a reply Rhetorical questions encourage the listener to reflect on what the implied answer to the question must be.

 

# 1) I was attempting to point out the fact that every request I made was answered with “Oh that was discontinued on the last cruise.” The reception desk claimed that the amenities list, bath robes, and the oatmeal soap had all been discontinued with the last cruise. When in fact the only thing that was apparently discontinued was the amenities list.

 

#2) I am not certain that the Port provided shuttle bus wasn't free of charge, but that NCL was just making a windfall profit on it. Secondly, I don't know why you would pay 40 euros to get to the train station when the local bus will take you there for one euro?

 

#3) Your comment about “misery likes company” is asinine; my purpose of posting this information is to inform others of what to expect, and perhaps to let someone in the hierarchy of NCL know that some passengers feel that they were exploited.

[sjbdtz]

I don't know if you are familiar with what a rhetorical question is or not? A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question posed for its persuasive effect without the expectation of a reply Rhetorical questions encourage the listener to reflect on what the implied answer to the question must be.

 

# 1) I was attempting to point out the fact that every request I made was answered with “Oh that was discontinued on the last cruise.” The reception desk claimed that the amenities list, bath robes, and the oatmeal soap had all been discontinued with the last cruise. When in fact the only thing that was apparently discontinued was the amenities list.

 

#2) I am not certain that the Port provided shuttle bus wasn't free of charge, but that NCL was just making a windfall profit on it. Secondly, I don't know why you would pay 40 euros to get to the train station when the local bus will take you there for one euro?

 

#3) Your comment about “misery likes company” is asinine; my purpose of posting this information is to inform others of what to expect, and perhaps to let someone in the hierarchy of NCL know that some passengers feel that they were exploited.

 

 

a) When you ask a rhetorical question, I'll refrain from answering it.

 

b) You said that the person at the reception desk said that they 'no longer offer oatmeal soap, or bath robes'....and that the "amenities list was ended after the last cruise". Not that they all ended after the last cruise. It's been often discussed here that bath robes are available to Suites & higher (mini-suites are not really suites and are really glorified deluxe balconies).

 

c) You are not certain....so anything else is conjecture. I am not the least bit surprised that the port would start charging for the shuttle bus. Why wouldn't they?

 

d) The train station is on the other side of town from port...maybe it was 30 euro...might even have been 20.....now that I'm really thinking about it...but we took a taxi to be able to catch the 8a.m. to Florence, and then stopping at Pisa on the way back.

 

e) YOU felt exploited...but I just don't understand why, from your post.

[snorklinbarb]

Hi Wallygator,

With the number of cruises under your belt, you've been around these boards a lot over the years and I know how much you've raved about your NCL cruises (you used to have the gator marching across the page, right?)

 

Sorry to hear the Gem didn't live up to your expectations, but it so far sounds isolated to the unsatisfactory cabin service you received and some non-committal answers from reception. I've also been around NCL a long time and not sure what "amenities" list you mean (hand lotion? toothbrush?)

 

Robes should have been there. Under 2.0, balcony & above now get them and minisuites always had them.

 

You shouldn't have to request ice replenishment 2x daily. It's automatic. If you only got it every other day or so, did you speak to the deck supervisor or maybe Exec. Housekeeping since your steward ignored your extra reminder?

 

WhyKnotMe is right. If last time in a balcony you got the nightly "amenity" (from cheese plate to salsa to choc. strawberries), then you were put on the HD's VIP list. None of that is automatic to minisuites let alone balconies.

 

I recently read here that the Latitudes amenities (assume you are gold now?) have been discontinued which means no more choc. strawberry plate or cookies from the Cruise Consultant.:(

 

Whether a minisuite is better than a balcony for the money has been debated here many times. Some really like having more space, the curtain separating the bed & couch area and the ability for extra pax in the room to have a larger pullout sofa. Also some (not I) love having the tub. Others, like you, maintain it's nothing but a deluxe balcony. YMMV.

 

How was the rest of the trip? Dining? Entertainment? Officers? Meet & Greet? The rest of the crew besides your steward?

 

With your familiarity with the Gem and probably some of the management, wondering how you handled these issues to get them corrected other than just the front desk.

 

Regarding the comment that "some passengers felt exploited," were there issues other than the more expensive shuttle bus that led to such a strong characterization?:eek:

 

You said you were "appalled" at the service. Other than the cabin steward, how was the rest of the crew?

 

Hope your next cruise will be a better experience for you and that NCL can redeem itself in your eyes.:)

[time2cruise1]

a) When you ask a rhetorical question, I'll refrain from answering it.

 

b) You said that the person at the reception desk said that they 'no longer offer oatmeal soap, or bath robes'....and that the "amenities list was ended after the last cruise". Not that they all ended after the last cruise. It's been often discussed here that bath robes are available to Suites & higher (mini-suites are not really suites and are really glorified deluxe balconies).

 

c) You are not certain....so anything else is conjecture. I am not the least bit surprised that the port would start charging for the shuttle bus. Why wouldn't they?

 

d) The train station is on the other side of town from port...maybe it was 30 euro...might even have been 20.....now that I'm really thinking about it...but we took a taxi to be able to catch the 8a.m. to Florence, and then stopping at Pisa on the way back.

 

e) YOU felt exploited...but I just don't understand why, from your post.

 

 

Just to correct the record and not get in the middle of the debate but bathrobes are now standard in balcony and mini suite cabins. This was one of the upgrades associated with Freestyle 2.0.

I know they made changes to Latitude's perks thus no treats but I have seen no changes to the 2.0 upgrades.

[Griller]

I agree that a minisuite is somewhat of a misnomer. Its pretty much a balcony with a too short bath for most people to get into.

 

We have been so much happier since we gave up the expensive staterooms and went back to an inside cabin. We can now happily overlook a lot of petty annoyances IF they occur.

 

Now we know we are not entitled to any extras and we aren't unhappy IF we don't get them!

 

But those plates of fruit etc - its not like there isn't food everywhere else on the ship freely available anyway.

 

Even in an inside we always get the toiletries we want etc from our steward if we ask him nicely, sounds like you were unlucky there.

 

And we can cruise 8 or 9 times a year in a cheap GTY inside, usually from our home ports of Dover and Miami without breaking the bank.

 

If I had to splurge on a suite for the 2 of us, for the best value IMHO I would go for an AE, nice room and plenty of perks there, or all the way up to an A4 in the Courtyard, real good perks there.

 

But OMG don't you pay heavily for them!

 

We will stick to the insides at least until the recession/depression is over.

[sjbdtz]

And we can cruise 8 or 9 times a year in a cheap GTY inside, usually from our home ports of Dover and Miami without breaking the bank.

 

 

 

Officially jealous. :D

[insidecabin]

We will stick to the insides at least until the recession/depression is over.

The 28th Jewel 12 Baltic went down to £399 could have stayed on.

 

Expect some late deals this year P&O is leading the way ex UK.

[CruisnGram]

For the first time in 60 cruises, I splurged for the so called mini-suite. The mini-suites are all located on deck eleven. They should not be called mini-suites; they are only deluxe balcony rooms with absolutely no extras whatsoever.

You are right. They shouldn't have the name suite at all. They are large balcony rooms with a bathtub. No more perks then what you get with a balcony room.

The stateroom service was the worst service that I ever received. On the first day we requested the following: one bar of oatmeal soap, (standard on all NCL Ships), an ashtray, two bath robes, a bath mat, (bath tub in mini-suites), a list of amenities to be delivered daily, and we also requested that our ice bucket be refilled twice a day.

The bathrobes and of course the ice, the ashtray and bath mat shouldn't have been hard requests to fill. I'm not familiar with the oatmeal soap. However, the list of daily amenities is only for suites, not mini's and below.

 

On the 3rd day, after none of the above requests had been satisfied I went to the reception deck. The lady at the reception desk (deception desk) informed me that NCL no longer provides oatmeal soap, or bath robes, and that the list of amenities had been discontinued as of the last cruise. However, she would contact stateroom service and request that an ashtray and bath mat be delivered to our stateroom.

 

Not satisfied with the service from the deception desk, I went to see the cruise consultant. He informed me that the list of amenities had been discontinued as of the last cruise; however, he would see that the other requested would be taken care of immediately.

 

When I returned to the mini-suite I found that the following had been delivered, 4 bars of oatmeal soap, two bath robes, a bath mat, an ashtray, and our ice bucket was filled.

 

The ice bucket continued to be refilled only once a day, every other day? Was there a shortage of ice onboard the GEM?

No excuse for the simple items you requested not to be delivered as you requested.

 

I had cruised on the GEM last fall on the westbound transatlantic cruise. At that time we had a balcony stateroom on deck 9. The stateroom service was absolutely ideal. Also, every day specific items (pretzels, vegetables with dip, strawberries) were delivered to our stateroom before dinner time from a list of amenities. Now that we had upgraded to a so called mini-suite, these amentias were no longer available?

There have never been those types of amenities for minis and below. If you received them on a previous cruise in a balcony room, there was some reason that you were singled out for VIP treatment that usually only comes with suites.

 

. :mad:

 

Sorry you didn't have a better time on your cruise. Hope whatever cruise you take next time turns out better for you.

 

CG

[njhorseman]

I wonder if the OP had the same cabin stewards we did on our 3/7 Gem cruise. We also were in a mini-suite...which is the class of cabin we usually book...so we know it's not a real suite.

 

I had some of the same problems...no bathrobes, and ice bucket not refilled twice a day. I talked the hotel director...he had the bathrobes delivered, but the ice was hit and miss for the entire cruise.

 

As a veteran NCL cruiser, I can honestly say the cabin service on my cruise was the worst I have ever had on NCL. In the past we have always been quite satisfied with our stewards.

 

I chalked it up to a couple of sub-par stewards rather than anything systemic.

 

We were aware of some of the former Latitudes amenties having been discontinued just before our cruise, so while we weren't happy with that, it was not a surprise.

[NoPiratesPlease]

Interestingly enough, last time we were on the Jade, at Xmas, in 14000, we had TERRIBLE service both from the room stewards and the butler. When we got there, the Master Bath had two bath towels and one bath mat. One bar of soap. It took a day to get more towels, soap, and replacement pillows (can't sleep on down--allergies). We had the worst butler ever--he was, well, just not qualified to be a Garden Villa butler--not by any stretch of the imagination. The CourtYard butler was far better.

 

Service in general on the Jade was not good. ONE bartender in the Dazzles bar (is that the name of the deck 6 dance floor) was good, but a simple order for multiple kinds of beer got the Cagney's staff confused. Drinks in most bars were terrible, even simple things like rum&code, and we couldn't get out of ANY restaurant in less than 2 hours. We were cruising with friends from Germany (thank heavens) otherwise the trip would have been an expensive hell. But we noticed that dining with them in the central DR, the Maitre D' never spoke to us, only spoke to our friends--in German. Our friends were as disturbed by this as we were--they understood the insult.

 

We've been on NCL 27(?) times and understand you don't sweat the small stuff--we don't. But the small stuff kept happening and getting worse. Even the Concierge, a long-time friend, Ruth, couldn't fix it. Even meeting the HD, Dwen Bins, and then dining with him and expressing our concerns couldn't fix it. Only the Italian restaurant consistently came up to what we are used to on NCL--ate there a lot more than usual!

 

We just came off a back-2-back 1-night and 2-night CTN on the Dawn and things were far, FAR better, despite not having the GV.

 

Is it the HD? It's not the concierge because while Anshuman is pretty good, Ruth is far better. The butler? Well, Ravi is a Rave and we were sorry to only have him for 3 nights on the Dawn. Robert(?) on the Jade didn't compare.

 

We were on the Gem for a 1-night CTN in a Courtyard Villa and while it was nice, it didn't impress us as better than the other Jewel-class ships.

 

We're on the Star in August so we'll see.

[hat776]

I think some of you take things too seriously.

We had a paper in our cabin to order fruit - the bowl arrived after 2 days. But it's so easy to get fruit from the Garden Cafe it never bothered us and I didn't remember it till now.

A friend ordered a brandy in the Spinnaker. It was served in an ordinary glass with ice cubes in it. Now , I've learnt that Americans like ice but he explained that brandy should be served in a brandy glass precisely so that you can warm it in the palm of your hand so never with ice.

The girl returned with the same glass but without the ice cubes.

He explained again - she returned with the cold brandy in a brandy glass.

Explained again - this time room temp brandy but in an ordinary glass

Explained again - at last she got the brandy at room temperature and in the appropriate glass.

We all had a good laugh and still mention it.

It was the Gem's first Med cruise so I imagine the staff hadn't yet got used to Europeans tastes.

The term Mini Suite is so misleading that I can't understand how NCL thought it up in the first place.

[beachchick]

I think some of you take things too seriously.

We had a paper in our cabin to order fruit - the bowl arrived after 2 days. But it's so easy to get fruit from the Garden Cafe it never bothered us and I didn't remember it till now.

A friend ordered a brandy in the Spinnaker. It was served in an ordinary glass with ice cubes in it. Now , I've learnt that Americans like ice but he explained that brandy should be served in a brandy glass precisely so that you can warm it in the palm of your hand so never with ice.

The girl returned with the same glass but without the ice cubes.

He explained again - she returned with the cold brandy in a brandy glass.

Explained again - this time room temp brandy but in an ordinary glass

Explained again - at last she got the brandy at room temperature and in the appropriate glass.

We all had a good laugh and still mention it.

It was the Gem's first Med cruise so I imagine the staff hadn't yet got used to Europeans tastes.

The term Mini Suite is so misleading that I can't understand how NCL thought it up in the first place.

 

True, most of us like our ice! But no one I know would put straight brandy/cognac in anything but a snifter (no ice);) and serve it properly. There are mixed drinks with brandy as a component, so those would typically be served with ice or in a chilled cocktail glass. But really, crazy that it took such explaining to get brandy served properly. I'm not sure this had anything much to do with getting used to European tastes, at least regarding serving brandy. I am boggled that any decent bartender/server would not serve straight brandy/cognac in a nice snifter. Weird indeed. At least you got a good laugh out of it.

 

beachchick

[3rdtimecruising]

I wonder if the OP had the same cabin stewards we did on our 3/7 Gem cruise. We also were in a mini-suite...which is the class of cabin we usually book...so we know it's not a real suite.

 

I had some of the same problems...no bathrobes, and ice bucket not refilled twice a day. I talked the hotel director...he had the bathrobes delivered, but the ice was hit and miss for the entire cruise.

 

As a veteran NCL cruiser, I can honestly say the cabin service on my cruise was the worst I have ever had on NCL. In the past we have always been quite satisfied with our stewards.

 

I chalked it up to a couple of sub-par stewards rather than anything systemic.

 

We were aware of some of the former Latitudes amenties having been discontinued just before our cruise, so while we weren't happy with that, it was not a surprise.

 

 

Hi,

 

I am wondering the same thing. We sailed on 3/28 and had a mini suite on deck 11 and were generous to our stewards when we boarded. We never asked for anything we were not expected to get, but every day we had to ask for our towels late in the day after the room was made up and for two days we asked for a bath mat. I left notes daily on the bathroom shelf to leave us some hand lotion, and it was only left 3 out of the 7 days. Not looking for extra just what SHOULD be replaced daily. Now I don't really care if we have towel animals but in the past it was done with additional hand towels, not these stewards they used the ones out of the bathroom... I can do without.:rolleyes:

Sorry to say we were not as generous leaving as we were arriving. They just got the $12 per day tip.:(

 

Ann and Bernie