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Name: Vicky Gamble
Email: vlgamble@cmsenergy.com
Age: 42
Occupation: Procurement Analyst
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: NCL-Leeward
SailingDate: 6/29/98
Itinerary: Key West/Cancun/Cozumel
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 50
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 75
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 100
CabinSteward: 80
ShoreExcVariety: 0
FoodVariety: 100
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 0
GoodForHoneymoon: 50
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService: 80
TenderService: 25
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 50
OverallPortsofCall: 33
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 25
CruiseActivities: 25
Casino: 80
AirSeaProgram: 75
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 80
EmbarkDisembark: 60
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 25
Stabilization: 85
ShopsOnBoard: 45
SpaceRatio: 50
OverallCruiseValue: 50
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 24 Aug 1998
Time: 14:45:00
Remote Name: 206.98.14.31
Remote User:
Comments
Where can I possibly start? This trip was supposed to be our
dream honeymoon. We paid a great deal of money and returned
sorely disappointed (not
with each other, but with the cruise!).
When booking our cruise, we spoke with representatives at NCL in
Florida several times. We were specifically told that the Leeward
was a 'small and
intimate ship' that would be a wonderful ship for our honeymoon.
They told us that there are typically very few children on-board
and the atmosphere is
very romantic. We called NCL's 800 number several times to ask
questions and they were very accommodating.
Less than a week before the cruise date (and right in the middle
of last-minute wedding preparations), were were told by our
travel agent that they had
cancelled one of our ports -- Cancun -- another one of the
reasons we booked this particular ship. We again called the NCL
800 number and were told
that it was due to 'technical upgrades' and when we asked what
our options were, we were told that we could ferry to Cancun from
Cozumel in about 1/2
hour and could then tour both Cancun and Cozumel at one stop. No
mention was made that we could cancel (we had bought cruise
insurance).
To start with, our plane was late due to stormy weather in Miami,
so we, along with about 100 others didn't get to the ship until
shortly after the 4:00 sail
time. This meant that we weren't able to take part in any of the
pre-cruise activities -- like the lifeboat drill, which even
though there were so many who
weren't there on time, they didn't repeat, or even make sure we
knew where to go and what to do. We were pretty much in the dark
regarding most of
what was supposed to happen during the cruise.
Second, we soon discovered that we were surrounded by a very
large (I would guess at least 400) tour group of Brazilian
children/teenagers and their
chaperones. These kids literally took over the boat! There were
no moonlight deck strolls for us at midnight due to the fact that
groups of 4-6 teenagers
were congregating all over the boat, even though it was our
understanding that children were to be supervised at all times,
especially in the
evening/night. It was a real bummer. We tried to swim both
Tuesday and Thursday, but there were so many kids that it was
literally impossible. There were
even kids in the casino and a few were gambling. It was pretty
unsupervised.
The food in the dining room was excellent and the waitstaff were
FIRST RATE. Our staff, Amos, Rudy, and Mathilda were A-OK and the
food/dining
experience was the highlight of our trip. We attended all of the
midnight buffets and stuffed ourselves silly.
Our stateroom was good sized and although the bed was adequate
(queen sized), it wasn't very comfortable. It was better than a
bunk, though!
Our cruise was supposed to have 3 stops: Key West, Cancun, &
Cozumel. Disappointment #1: No glass bottom boat tour in Key West
that day. We settled
for a tour around the town, which was OK, but nothing
spectacular. Disappointment #2: Shore excursions were cancelled
in Cozumel due to bad
weather, so we didn't get to do anything in Cozumel (except shop
for a few hours) and there was no way to go to Cancun either.
Disappointment #3: We
had to 'tender' in Cozumel, so even though we got there sometime
around 12:30, it was 3:00 before we got off the God-awful ferry
and got onto shore. It
took forever! Of course, the large contingent of Brazilian kids
didn't help that situation either since they all went at the same
time and weren't very well
mannered.
So we basically got to shop/visit Key West for 3 hours on Tuesday
and shop Cozumel for 3 hours on Wednesday. We DID NOT get a good
value for our
hard-earned bucks.
And please, don't question anyone in the gift shop about the
quality of their items -- one attendent was extremely offended
when we inquired about their
'gold toned' jewelry. Apparently they sell a ton of the stuff and
no one ever asks about the types of metals, the overlay, etc.
Regarding the cruise activities: I don't know what the deal was,
but the biggest deal on this cruise was the 'art auction' EVERY
DAY. They were really
pushing it, so we went and for the life of us, couldn't figure
out what the big attraction was. NCL must make a big commission
on that stuff.
Also, it was not only impossible to get into the pool during the
day due to the large number of aforementioned children, but they
also took over the show
lounge at night -- which really surprised me due to the fact that
some of the material was not suitable for young children. It
probably didn't matter though,
because it was impossible to hear the comedian because the kids
were talking so loud!
On Thursday night when we tried to discuss our dissatisfaction
with the Cruise Director, he informed us that 'technical
upgrades' means that they are
working on the ship's engines. The water is too shallow in Cancun
to continue work, so they have to cancel that part of the cruise
and stay in deeper
water as much as possible to keep up their work schedule. As far
as I'm concerned, if they're working on the ship, why don't they
put it in port and work
on it there, or at least not subject 950 people to a lousy cruise
full of kids. But of course, I'm sure NCL feels they'd lose too
much money that way.
Anyhow, after our discussion with the Cruise Director, he told us
that someone (called the Cruise VP) would be on board Friday
morning right after we got
back to Miami. He took our cabin number and said they would call
us to discuss our problems with the cruise. At 9:00, they still
hadn't called, so my
husband went down to find out where this Cruise VP was; none of
the staff had ever heard of him and needless to say, we didn't
get to talk to anyone
before we had to disembark. We heard other people mentioning a
'class action suit', so I know we weren't the only ones
disappointed in our NCL
experience.
Remember our friendly agent at NCL's 800 number??? Well, you
can't call them to complain. We were told that they only give out
information and book
cruises. Their 800 number is for 'revenue generating' calls only.
They gave us another number (NOT toll-free, of course) which we
tried to call 17 times
before we got an answer. On the 17th time, we were told that the
person we had to talk to wasn't available and he would call us
back. One week later, he
still hadn't called, so we called him again. He told us that he
couldn't take our complaints, but that we had to put them into
writing.
So folks, I can tell you right now what we've already told at
least 10 other couples who are getting ready to go on their first
cruise: Don't Take Norwegian
Cruise Line! We loved you, Amos, Rudy & Mathilda, but for
$2500 we could've had a much nicer honeymoon somewhere else (or
on another cruise line).
I would probably take another cruise in my lifetime, but it sure
won't be on NCL unless they can give me a much better value for
our money.
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