Do not book the ncl viva ship!
Aug 16th, 2024, 01:50 AM
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Do not book the ncl viva ship!
There were so many problems and I will list them as follows:
1) I was on the ship with 9 family members and we had a total of five rooms. The total cost of the rooms, some of which were booked directly with NCL, was about $50,000USD. You can stay anywhere in the world for an average of $1000USD per night!
2) Due to being a total of 10 people and knowing that it would be difficult to get dinner reservations for that many people, I made a number of phone calls to NCL prior to the cruise to ensure that we could have dinner reservations for 10 people (a large number) and not too late because we had our 3 year old daughter with us. Even with all of these calls having been made, I waited in the theatre for about one hour and thirty minutes on the day of embarkation to confirm the correct reservations. What a great start to the cruise-NOT!
3) There is a dress code that says that no shorts and no tank tops are allowed in the restaurants. I saw plenty of people wearing shorts and tank tops during dinner in the formal restaurants. Why has the ship set rules that they do not implement? Why should we have had to adhere to the dress regulations when many other people did not?!
4) The main pool on the ship is far, far too small for a ship with 3,500 passengers. It is about 6 metres by 3.5 metres wide. The pool was so small that it was the first pool that I have seen that was too small for people to actually swim, so people used it as a plunge pool. The main pool was so unbearably busy that we did not sit next to it even once and this is obviously not what one is looking for whilst on holiday.
5) We were all very excited about going on the karting track. The problem is that whilst we were driving, the staff stopped the electric power to the cars a number of times. They have completely ruined what should be a good experience which is why we all only used the karting track once.
6) On one day, all four of us in my suite had upset stomachs.
7) All drinks up to a value of $15USD per drink were meant to be included. However, I upgraded to the premium plus drinks package and I paid just under $800USD extra for this. On the first night, I looked in the minibar and it was completely empty which was very surprising in what NCL claims is 5 star accommodation. We then asked for some water to be placed in the minibar and were told that this would be an additional charge! Bottles of water are provided free of charge in some 3 star hotels, so why does the ship have the cheek to ask for any money at all?! All minibars in five star accommodation have water bottles, cokes, diet cokes, some candy and pringles/chips.
8) When I agreed to pay the additional figure of about $800USD for the premium plus drinks package, I was sent emails that showed that the brands of champagne that were included in the package were Pommery and Veuve Clicquot. I collect wine as a hobby and the champagne that was served on the boat as part of the package was Haton which was not the same quality as Pommery and Veuve Clicquot. The wine in the bottles of Haton appeared to be young and harsh.
9) There was absolutely no point in paying for our eldest daughter to have the soda drinks package. My wife and I were entitled to two drinks each per order. On that basis, we did not need to trade up and pay anything for our eldest daughter.
10) On one evening, we went to the Teppanyaki restaurant and we were told that was a $59USD cover charge. The bill arrived and it was:
$59USD
Tax - I think that it was about $5/10USD
Service - I think that it was about $5/10USD
Chef's Tip -
Waiter's Tip -
Therefore, there were four charges on top of the original charge!
This is an unbelievable attempt to charge unnecessary charges. As I will detail in a further point, it was explained to me by Ionela Oprisan that I didn't have to agree to the additional charges and that it is a 'cultural' thing. The US has a very different tipping culture to Europe but this ship was in Europe for the cruise and nowhere near the US!
It is completely counter productive to make your customers feel that you are trying to take advantage of them!
11) The attempt at ridiculous overcharging in the Teppanyaki restaurant where I had to ask for our drinks several times and we only received our drinks 35 minutes after sitting down at the table. Is this regarded as good service?
12) It is to be expected that some restaurants close at certain times. However, the main buffet near to the sundeck closes for lunch at 2pm. It is common for lunch to be served until 3:30pm/4pm, so to stop serving lunch in the main buffet at 2pm is a ridiculous cost cutting exercise on NCL's behalf. If one wanted to have lunch after 2pm, the only option was to have 'junk food' such as burgers and hotdogs in a restaurant next door to the buffet that was unbelievably hot and humid. Why would anyone wish to eat only junk food in that environment?!
13) I booked our room which was 15196 in about September/October, 2023. I believe that the cost of my room was about $13,000USD, including the premium plus drinks packages.
14) I had so many complaints with the 'hotel' side of things that I asked for my Concierge who was called Lanie, to organise for me to meet with the General Manager of the hotel side of the ship. I obviously wasn't important enough for the General Manager to meet me, so he asked Ionela Oprisan, the Assistant General Manager, to meet me. I went through my complaints with her which are listed above and below. When it came to discussing the $1000USD service charge for the ten nights that the ship was now asking for and I had never agreed to, in addition to personally tipping the concierge, the housekeeping lady and the butler, I believe that Ionela Oprisan told me that the staff were only paid about 5 euros per day and it was a cultural thing! My immediate response was that she was telling me that the ship was obviously taking advantage of their staff and where was the $50,000USD that we had collectively paid for our cruise going to? Ionela obviously could not reply to my question. Please note that this whole conversation was witnessed by our concierge, Lanie Limjoco.
15) On the basis that the service charges were credited to us once we questioned them, it appears to me that NCL was trying to overcharge 3,500 customers over $700,000USD per cruise. This is on the basis that 3500 passengers times $20USD per person per day (some people were being charged more per day such as us who were being charged $25USD per person per day) times ten nights equals an overcharge of $700,000.
16) I booked the cruise in September/October, 2013 and agreed, including the premium plus drinks package, to pay a total of about $13,000USD. I paid a deposit at the point of making the booking in September/October, 2023. An additional service charge was never mentioned, even when I paid the outstanding balance in April, 2024. When we looked at our account balance on the TV screen, we discovered that the ship was adding $100USD per day for myself, my wife and our two daughters aged only 12 and 3. In addition, we were told during the cruise by our butler Niel that we were expected to tip additionally to our concierge, our butler and our housekeeping person. We were all very surprised and could not believe that NCL was trying to take advantage of us. Incidentally, I believe that this policy of adding charges may be against EU law. When I complained about these vast additional charges that were not mentioned when the booking was made, they were all credited back to our account. As I have mentioned above, this appears to be an attempt by NCL to take advantage of their customers.
17) I booked this cruise when the ship was brand new but I really wish that I had waited because now that I have had the chance to read online reviews, many people have complained about exactly the same things that we have complained about.
18) Towards the end of the 10 day cruise, I called housekeeping to ask for the room to be cleaned and tidied. When I went to bed that evening, I found that my mouthguard which had been 'made to measure' by my dentist, was missing. I know that nobody would steal it but it was obviously thrown away as trash without the person knowing what it was. It will cost me several hundred pounds to replace it. When it was investigated, of course they denied knowing anything about it.
19) My family members in room 12908, within the Haven, were told when they booked the cruise, that their sons in rooms 12166 and 12172 could join them by the pool in the Haven. It is blatantly obvious that a group booking of 10 people in 5 rooms would want to spend time with each other. Otherwise, what would be the point of booking a group holiday?!
20) I paid $300USD extra for myself, my wife and our two daughters to get a coach transfer from the cruise terminal in Rome to the airport. We exited the terminal in 30 degree heat and went to the coach that we were told to go to. That coach was two-thirds empty in terms of people and the luggage hold was half empty. Even though it was very hot and uncomfortable, a blonde supervisor kept asking us to wait until the next coach would arrive. After asking her why she was asking us to do something illogical, she kept repeating that we should wait for the next coach. After five minutes of me arguing with her and asking why she would want my 12 year old and 3 year old daughters to stand in the unbearable heat, she finally relented and allowed us to go on the half empty coach. This was witnessed by a young lady that reported to the supervisor. The blonde supervisor's behaviour was completely illogical and antagonistic.
1) I was on the ship with 9 family members and we had a total of five rooms. The total cost of the rooms, some of which were booked directly with NCL, was about $50,000USD. You can stay anywhere in the world for an average of $1000USD per night!
2) Due to being a total of 10 people and knowing that it would be difficult to get dinner reservations for that many people, I made a number of phone calls to NCL prior to the cruise to ensure that we could have dinner reservations for 10 people (a large number) and not too late because we had our 3 year old daughter with us. Even with all of these calls having been made, I waited in the theatre for about one hour and thirty minutes on the day of embarkation to confirm the correct reservations. What a great start to the cruise-NOT!
3) There is a dress code that says that no shorts and no tank tops are allowed in the restaurants. I saw plenty of people wearing shorts and tank tops during dinner in the formal restaurants. Why has the ship set rules that they do not implement? Why should we have had to adhere to the dress regulations when many other people did not?!
4) The main pool on the ship is far, far too small for a ship with 3,500 passengers. It is about 6 metres by 3.5 metres wide. The pool was so small that it was the first pool that I have seen that was too small for people to actually swim, so people used it as a plunge pool. The main pool was so unbearably busy that we did not sit next to it even once and this is obviously not what one is looking for whilst on holiday.
5) We were all very excited about going on the karting track. The problem is that whilst we were driving, the staff stopped the electric power to the cars a number of times. They have completely ruined what should be a good experience which is why we all only used the karting track once.
6) On one day, all four of us in my suite had upset stomachs.
7) All drinks up to a value of $15USD per drink were meant to be included. However, I upgraded to the premium plus drinks package and I paid just under $800USD extra for this. On the first night, I looked in the minibar and it was completely empty which was very surprising in what NCL claims is 5 star accommodation. We then asked for some water to be placed in the minibar and were told that this would be an additional charge! Bottles of water are provided free of charge in some 3 star hotels, so why does the ship have the cheek to ask for any money at all?! All minibars in five star accommodation have water bottles, cokes, diet cokes, some candy and pringles/chips.
8) When I agreed to pay the additional figure of about $800USD for the premium plus drinks package, I was sent emails that showed that the brands of champagne that were included in the package were Pommery and Veuve Clicquot. I collect wine as a hobby and the champagne that was served on the boat as part of the package was Haton which was not the same quality as Pommery and Veuve Clicquot. The wine in the bottles of Haton appeared to be young and harsh.
9) There was absolutely no point in paying for our eldest daughter to have the soda drinks package. My wife and I were entitled to two drinks each per order. On that basis, we did not need to trade up and pay anything for our eldest daughter.
10) On one evening, we went to the Teppanyaki restaurant and we were told that was a $59USD cover charge. The bill arrived and it was:
$59USD
Tax - I think that it was about $5/10USD
Service - I think that it was about $5/10USD
Chef's Tip -
Waiter's Tip -
Therefore, there were four charges on top of the original charge!
This is an unbelievable attempt to charge unnecessary charges. As I will detail in a further point, it was explained to me by Ionela Oprisan that I didn't have to agree to the additional charges and that it is a 'cultural' thing. The US has a very different tipping culture to Europe but this ship was in Europe for the cruise and nowhere near the US!
It is completely counter productive to make your customers feel that you are trying to take advantage of them!
11) The attempt at ridiculous overcharging in the Teppanyaki restaurant where I had to ask for our drinks several times and we only received our drinks 35 minutes after sitting down at the table. Is this regarded as good service?
12) It is to be expected that some restaurants close at certain times. However, the main buffet near to the sundeck closes for lunch at 2pm. It is common for lunch to be served until 3:30pm/4pm, so to stop serving lunch in the main buffet at 2pm is a ridiculous cost cutting exercise on NCL's behalf. If one wanted to have lunch after 2pm, the only option was to have 'junk food' such as burgers and hotdogs in a restaurant next door to the buffet that was unbelievably hot and humid. Why would anyone wish to eat only junk food in that environment?!
13) I booked our room which was 15196 in about September/October, 2023. I believe that the cost of my room was about $13,000USD, including the premium plus drinks packages.
14) I had so many complaints with the 'hotel' side of things that I asked for my Concierge who was called Lanie, to organise for me to meet with the General Manager of the hotel side of the ship. I obviously wasn't important enough for the General Manager to meet me, so he asked Ionela Oprisan, the Assistant General Manager, to meet me. I went through my complaints with her which are listed above and below. When it came to discussing the $1000USD service charge for the ten nights that the ship was now asking for and I had never agreed to, in addition to personally tipping the concierge, the housekeeping lady and the butler, I believe that Ionela Oprisan told me that the staff were only paid about 5 euros per day and it was a cultural thing! My immediate response was that she was telling me that the ship was obviously taking advantage of their staff and where was the $50,000USD that we had collectively paid for our cruise going to? Ionela obviously could not reply to my question. Please note that this whole conversation was witnessed by our concierge, Lanie Limjoco.
15) On the basis that the service charges were credited to us once we questioned them, it appears to me that NCL was trying to overcharge 3,500 customers over $700,000USD per cruise. This is on the basis that 3500 passengers times $20USD per person per day (some people were being charged more per day such as us who were being charged $25USD per person per day) times ten nights equals an overcharge of $700,000.
16) I booked the cruise in September/October, 2013 and agreed, including the premium plus drinks package, to pay a total of about $13,000USD. I paid a deposit at the point of making the booking in September/October, 2023. An additional service charge was never mentioned, even when I paid the outstanding balance in April, 2024. When we looked at our account balance on the TV screen, we discovered that the ship was adding $100USD per day for myself, my wife and our two daughters aged only 12 and 3. In addition, we were told during the cruise by our butler Niel that we were expected to tip additionally to our concierge, our butler and our housekeeping person. We were all very surprised and could not believe that NCL was trying to take advantage of us. Incidentally, I believe that this policy of adding charges may be against EU law. When I complained about these vast additional charges that were not mentioned when the booking was made, they were all credited back to our account. As I have mentioned above, this appears to be an attempt by NCL to take advantage of their customers.
17) I booked this cruise when the ship was brand new but I really wish that I had waited because now that I have had the chance to read online reviews, many people have complained about exactly the same things that we have complained about.
18) Towards the end of the 10 day cruise, I called housekeeping to ask for the room to be cleaned and tidied. When I went to bed that evening, I found that my mouthguard which had been 'made to measure' by my dentist, was missing. I know that nobody would steal it but it was obviously thrown away as trash without the person knowing what it was. It will cost me several hundred pounds to replace it. When it was investigated, of course they denied knowing anything about it.
19) My family members in room 12908, within the Haven, were told when they booked the cruise, that their sons in rooms 12166 and 12172 could join them by the pool in the Haven. It is blatantly obvious that a group booking of 10 people in 5 rooms would want to spend time with each other. Otherwise, what would be the point of booking a group holiday?!
20) I paid $300USD extra for myself, my wife and our two daughters to get a coach transfer from the cruise terminal in Rome to the airport. We exited the terminal in 30 degree heat and went to the coach that we were told to go to. That coach was two-thirds empty in terms of people and the luggage hold was half empty. Even though it was very hot and uncomfortable, a blonde supervisor kept asking us to wait until the next coach would arrive. After asking her why she was asking us to do something illogical, she kept repeating that we should wait for the next coach. After five minutes of me arguing with her and asking why she would want my 12 year old and 3 year old daughters to stand in the unbearable heat, she finally relented and allowed us to go on the half empty coach. This was witnessed by a young lady that reported to the supervisor. The blonde supervisor's behaviour was completely illogical and antagonistic.
Last edited by davidrose2082; Aug 16th, 2024 at 01:53 AM. Reason: I want to highlight something.
Aug 17th, 2024, 04:23 AM
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There were so many problems and I will list them as follows:
1) I was on the ship with 9 family members and we had a total of five rooms. The total cost of the rooms, some of which were booked directly with NCL, was about $50,000USD. You can stay anywhere in the world for an average of $1000USD per night!
2) Due to being a total of 10 people and knowing that it would be difficult to get dinner reservations for that many people, I made a number of phone calls to NCL prior to the cruise to ensure that we could have dinner reservations for 10 people (a large number) and not too late because we had our 3 year old daughter with us. Even with all of these calls having been made, I waited in the theatre for about one hour and thirty minutes on the day of embarkation to confirm the correct reservations. What a great start to the cruise-NOT!
3) There is a dress code that says that no shorts and no tank tops are allowed in the restaurants. I saw plenty of people wearing shorts and tank tops during dinner in the formal restaurants. Why has the ship set rules that they do not implement? Why should we have had to adhere to the dress regulations when many other people did not?!
4) The main pool on the ship is far, far too small for a ship with 3,500 passengers. It is about 6 metres by 3.5 metres wide. The pool was so small that it was the first pool that I have seen that was too small for people to actually swim, so people used it as a plunge pool. The main pool was so unbearably busy that we did not sit next to it even once and this is obviously not what one is looking for whilst on holiday.
5) We were all very excited about going on the karting track. The problem is that whilst we were driving, the staff stopped the electric power to the cars a number of times. They have completely ruined what should be a good experience which is why we all only used the karting track once.
6) On one day, all four of us in my suite had upset stomachs.
7) All drinks up to a value of $15USD per drink were meant to be included. However, I upgraded to the premium plus drinks package and I paid just under $800USD extra for this. On the first night, I looked in the minibar and it was completely empty which was very surprising in what NCL claims is 5 star accommodation. We then asked for some water to be placed in the minibar and were told that this would be an additional charge! Bottles of water are provided free of charge in some 3 star hotels, so why does the ship have the cheek to ask for any money at all?! All minibars in five star accommodation have water bottles, cokes, diet cokes, some candy and pringles/chips.
8) When I agreed to pay the additional figure of about $800USD for the premium plus drinks package, I was sent emails that showed that the brands of champagne that were included in the package were Pommery and Veuve Clicquot. I collect wine as a hobby and the champagne that was served on the boat as part of the package was Haton which was not the same quality as Pommery and Veuve Clicquot. The wine in the bottles of Haton appeared to be young and harsh.
9) There was absolutely no point in paying for our eldest daughter to have the soda drinks package. My wife and I were entitled to two drinks each per order. On that basis, we did not need to trade up and pay anything for our eldest daughter.
10) On one evening, we went to the Teppanyaki restaurant and we were told that was a $59USD cover charge. The bill arrived and it was:
$59USD
Tax - I think that it was about $5/10USD
Service - I think that it was about $5/10USD
Chef's Tip -
Waiter's Tip -
Therefore, there were four charges on top of the original charge!
This is an unbelievable attempt to charge unnecessary charges. As I will detail in a further point, it was explained to me by Ionela Oprisan that I didn't have to agree to the additional charges and that it is a 'cultural' thing. The US has a very different tipping culture to Europe but this ship was in Europe for the cruise and nowhere near the US!
It is completely counter productive to make your customers feel that you are trying to take advantage of them!
11) The attempt at ridiculous overcharging in the Teppanyaki restaurant where I had to ask for our drinks several times and we only received our drinks 35 minutes after sitting down at the table. Is this regarded as good service?
12) It is to be expected that some restaurants close at certain times. However, the main buffet near to the sundeck closes for lunch at 2pm. It is common for lunch to be served until 3:30pm/4pm, so to stop serving lunch in the main buffet at 2pm is a ridiculous cost cutting exercise on NCL's behalf. If one wanted to have lunch after 2pm, the only option was to have 'junk food' such as burgers and hotdogs in a restaurant next door to the buffet that was unbelievably hot and humid. Why would anyone wish to eat only junk food in that environment?!
13) I booked our room which was 15196 in about September/October, 2023. I believe that the cost of my room was about $13,000USD, including the premium plus drinks packages.
14) I had so many complaints with the 'hotel' side of things that I asked for my Concierge who was called Lanie, to organise for me to meet with the General Manager of the hotel side of the ship. I obviously wasn't important enough for the General Manager to meet me, so he asked Ionela Oprisan, the Assistant General Manager, to meet me. I went through my complaints with her which are listed above and below. When it came to discussing the $1000USD service charge for the ten nights that the ship was now asking for and I had never agreed to, in addition to personally tipping the concierge, the housekeeping lady and the butler, I believe that Ionela Oprisan told me that the staff were only paid about 5 euros per day and it was a cultural thing! My immediate response was that she was telling me that the ship was obviously taking advantage of their staff and where was the $50,000USD that we had collectively paid for our cruise going to? Ionela obviously could not reply to my question. Please note that this whole conversation was witnessed by our concierge, Lanie Limjoco.
15) On the basis that the service charges were credited to us once we questioned them, it appears to me that NCL was trying to overcharge 3,500 customers over $700,000USD per cruise. This is on the basis that 3500 passengers times $20USD per person per day (some people were being charged more per day such as us who were being charged $25USD per person per day) times ten nights equals an overcharge of $700,000.
16) I booked the cruise in September/October, 2013 and agreed, including the premium plus drinks package, to pay a total of about $13,000USD. I paid a deposit at the point of making the booking in September/October, 2023. An additional service charge was never mentioned, even when I paid the outstanding balance in April, 2024. When we looked at our account balance on the TV screen, we discovered that the ship was adding $100USD per day for myself, my wife and our two daughters aged only 12 and 3. In addition, we were told during the cruise by our butler Niel that we were expected to tip additionally to our concierge, our butler and our housekeeping person. We were all very surprised and could not believe that NCL was trying to take advantage of us. Incidentally, I believe that this policy of adding charges may be against EU law. When I complained about these vast additional charges that were not mentioned when the booking was made, they were all credited back to our account. As I have mentioned above, this appears to be an attempt by NCL to take advantage of their customers.
17) I booked this cruise when the ship was brand new but I really wish that I had waited because now that I have had the chance to read online reviews, many people have complained about exactly the same things that we have complained about.
18) Towards the end of the 10 day cruise, I called housekeeping to ask for the room to be cleaned and tidied. When I went to bed that evening, I found that my mouthguard which had been 'made to measure' by my dentist, was missing. I know that nobody would steal it but it was obviously thrown away as trash without the person knowing what it was. It will cost me several hundred pounds to replace it. When it was investigated, of course they denied knowing anything about it.
19) My family members in room 12908, within the Haven, were told when they booked the cruise, that their sons in rooms 12166 and 12172 could join them by the pool in the Haven. It is blatantly obvious that a group booking of 10 people in 5 rooms would want to spend time with each other. Otherwise, what would be the point of booking a group holiday?!
20) I paid $300USD extra for myself, my wife and our two daughters to get a coach transfer from the cruise terminal in Rome to the airport. We exited the terminal in 30 degree heat and went to the coach that we were told to go to. That coach was two-thirds empty in terms of people and the luggage hold was half empty. Even though it was very hot and uncomfortable, a blonde supervisor kept asking us to wait until the next coach would arrive. After asking her why she was asking us to do something illogical, she kept repeating that we should wait for the next coach. After five minutes of me arguing with her and asking why she would want my 12 year old and 3 year old daughters to stand in the unbearable heat, she finally relented and allowed us to go on the half empty coach. This was witnessed by a young lady that reported to the supervisor. The blonde supervisor's behaviour was completely illogical and antagonistic.
1) I was on the ship with 9 family members and we had a total of five rooms. The total cost of the rooms, some of which were booked directly with NCL, was about $50,000USD. You can stay anywhere in the world for an average of $1000USD per night!
2) Due to being a total of 10 people and knowing that it would be difficult to get dinner reservations for that many people, I made a number of phone calls to NCL prior to the cruise to ensure that we could have dinner reservations for 10 people (a large number) and not too late because we had our 3 year old daughter with us. Even with all of these calls having been made, I waited in the theatre for about one hour and thirty minutes on the day of embarkation to confirm the correct reservations. What a great start to the cruise-NOT!
3) There is a dress code that says that no shorts and no tank tops are allowed in the restaurants. I saw plenty of people wearing shorts and tank tops during dinner in the formal restaurants. Why has the ship set rules that they do not implement? Why should we have had to adhere to the dress regulations when many other people did not?!
4) The main pool on the ship is far, far too small for a ship with 3,500 passengers. It is about 6 metres by 3.5 metres wide. The pool was so small that it was the first pool that I have seen that was too small for people to actually swim, so people used it as a plunge pool. The main pool was so unbearably busy that we did not sit next to it even once and this is obviously not what one is looking for whilst on holiday.
5) We were all very excited about going on the karting track. The problem is that whilst we were driving, the staff stopped the electric power to the cars a number of times. They have completely ruined what should be a good experience which is why we all only used the karting track once.
6) On one day, all four of us in my suite had upset stomachs.
7) All drinks up to a value of $15USD per drink were meant to be included. However, I upgraded to the premium plus drinks package and I paid just under $800USD extra for this. On the first night, I looked in the minibar and it was completely empty which was very surprising in what NCL claims is 5 star accommodation. We then asked for some water to be placed in the minibar and were told that this would be an additional charge! Bottles of water are provided free of charge in some 3 star hotels, so why does the ship have the cheek to ask for any money at all?! All minibars in five star accommodation have water bottles, cokes, diet cokes, some candy and pringles/chips.
8) When I agreed to pay the additional figure of about $800USD for the premium plus drinks package, I was sent emails that showed that the brands of champagne that were included in the package were Pommery and Veuve Clicquot. I collect wine as a hobby and the champagne that was served on the boat as part of the package was Haton which was not the same quality as Pommery and Veuve Clicquot. The wine in the bottles of Haton appeared to be young and harsh.
9) There was absolutely no point in paying for our eldest daughter to have the soda drinks package. My wife and I were entitled to two drinks each per order. On that basis, we did not need to trade up and pay anything for our eldest daughter.
10) On one evening, we went to the Teppanyaki restaurant and we were told that was a $59USD cover charge. The bill arrived and it was:
$59USD
Tax - I think that it was about $5/10USD
Service - I think that it was about $5/10USD
Chef's Tip -
Waiter's Tip -
Therefore, there were four charges on top of the original charge!
This is an unbelievable attempt to charge unnecessary charges. As I will detail in a further point, it was explained to me by Ionela Oprisan that I didn't have to agree to the additional charges and that it is a 'cultural' thing. The US has a very different tipping culture to Europe but this ship was in Europe for the cruise and nowhere near the US!
It is completely counter productive to make your customers feel that you are trying to take advantage of them!
11) The attempt at ridiculous overcharging in the Teppanyaki restaurant where I had to ask for our drinks several times and we only received our drinks 35 minutes after sitting down at the table. Is this regarded as good service?
12) It is to be expected that some restaurants close at certain times. However, the main buffet near to the sundeck closes for lunch at 2pm. It is common for lunch to be served until 3:30pm/4pm, so to stop serving lunch in the main buffet at 2pm is a ridiculous cost cutting exercise on NCL's behalf. If one wanted to have lunch after 2pm, the only option was to have 'junk food' such as burgers and hotdogs in a restaurant next door to the buffet that was unbelievably hot and humid. Why would anyone wish to eat only junk food in that environment?!
13) I booked our room which was 15196 in about September/October, 2023. I believe that the cost of my room was about $13,000USD, including the premium plus drinks packages.
14) I had so many complaints with the 'hotel' side of things that I asked for my Concierge who was called Lanie, to organise for me to meet with the General Manager of the hotel side of the ship. I obviously wasn't important enough for the General Manager to meet me, so he asked Ionela Oprisan, the Assistant General Manager, to meet me. I went through my complaints with her which are listed above and below. When it came to discussing the $1000USD service charge for the ten nights that the ship was now asking for and I had never agreed to, in addition to personally tipping the concierge, the housekeeping lady and the butler, I believe that Ionela Oprisan told me that the staff were only paid about 5 euros per day and it was a cultural thing! My immediate response was that she was telling me that the ship was obviously taking advantage of their staff and where was the $50,000USD that we had collectively paid for our cruise going to? Ionela obviously could not reply to my question. Please note that this whole conversation was witnessed by our concierge, Lanie Limjoco.
15) On the basis that the service charges were credited to us once we questioned them, it appears to me that NCL was trying to overcharge 3,500 customers over $700,000USD per cruise. This is on the basis that 3500 passengers times $20USD per person per day (some people were being charged more per day such as us who were being charged $25USD per person per day) times ten nights equals an overcharge of $700,000.
16) I booked the cruise in September/October, 2013 and agreed, including the premium plus drinks package, to pay a total of about $13,000USD. I paid a deposit at the point of making the booking in September/October, 2023. An additional service charge was never mentioned, even when I paid the outstanding balance in April, 2024. When we looked at our account balance on the TV screen, we discovered that the ship was adding $100USD per day for myself, my wife and our two daughters aged only 12 and 3. In addition, we were told during the cruise by our butler Niel that we were expected to tip additionally to our concierge, our butler and our housekeeping person. We were all very surprised and could not believe that NCL was trying to take advantage of us. Incidentally, I believe that this policy of adding charges may be against EU law. When I complained about these vast additional charges that were not mentioned when the booking was made, they were all credited back to our account. As I have mentioned above, this appears to be an attempt by NCL to take advantage of their customers.
17) I booked this cruise when the ship was brand new but I really wish that I had waited because now that I have had the chance to read online reviews, many people have complained about exactly the same things that we have complained about.
18) Towards the end of the 10 day cruise, I called housekeeping to ask for the room to be cleaned and tidied. When I went to bed that evening, I found that my mouthguard which had been 'made to measure' by my dentist, was missing. I know that nobody would steal it but it was obviously thrown away as trash without the person knowing what it was. It will cost me several hundred pounds to replace it. When it was investigated, of course they denied knowing anything about it.
19) My family members in room 12908, within the Haven, were told when they booked the cruise, that their sons in rooms 12166 and 12172 could join them by the pool in the Haven. It is blatantly obvious that a group booking of 10 people in 5 rooms would want to spend time with each other. Otherwise, what would be the point of booking a group holiday?!
20) I paid $300USD extra for myself, my wife and our two daughters to get a coach transfer from the cruise terminal in Rome to the airport. We exited the terminal in 30 degree heat and went to the coach that we were told to go to. That coach was two-thirds empty in terms of people and the luggage hold was half empty. Even though it was very hot and uncomfortable, a blonde supervisor kept asking us to wait until the next coach would arrive. After asking her why she was asking us to do something illogical, she kept repeating that we should wait for the next coach. After five minutes of me arguing with her and asking why she would want my 12 year old and 3 year old daughters to stand in the unbearable heat, she finally relented and allowed us to go on the half empty coach. This was witnessed by a young lady that reported to the supervisor. The blonde supervisor's behaviour was completely illogical and antagonistic.
I’m wondering if you have ever cruise before.
when we go on NCL and we do plan to be on this ship next spring, we do for dinner reservations talk to the concierge at the dining room that we’re going to and we make arrangements like that. We have had no problems doing it this way and we have a table ready for us every night at a designated time.
We have been on 20 cruises and I must tell you that basically nobody follows dress codes anymore. You make a point of why I have a dress code and not follow it, but in fact, dress codes are at this point, simply a suggestion and unfortunately cruise lines just don’t stick to this like they used to.
It’s unfortunate about the cart situation. I would be disappointed with that too. Was there a mechanical issue?
Is unfortunate that you guys got sick though I don’t see how you can blame the cruise line for this. Sometimes other passengers are the ones who can spread G.I. problems. Unfortunate to happen but again you can’t blame the cruise line for this one. I don’t think you can prove that.
Most lines charge gratuity fee for the staff. It is usually around $15-$20 per person per day. That is standard. You did protest this and you had it removed from the bill which you can do. However, it’s normal. What surprises me is that there was this charge in the level of cabin that you booked. What more the gratuities are spread throughout the staff. They are putting in a pool and the employees get these tips so to be told that they only get five euros per day is something I just don’t understand. However, again, this gratuity fee is normal. What I have often done is prep pay it before we go. I don’t understand why you were not aware of this. I suppose that could’ve been done and you were not told. It’s a surprise to be sure but It’s what all cruise lines do.
I have heard complaints about the pool being too small.
It’s too bad about the mouthguard. That is unfortunate. I can see how it could happen. I hope they could compensate you for it.
I know you asked to speak to the general manager, but I don’t feel that it’s inappropriate for the assistant general manager to talk to you. I think if you wanted to talk to the general manager after this, then that would be fine.
for the transfers, I had a similar disappointing experience with Royal Caribbean. You must realize that these coaches are subcontracted. Let’s just say that our experience with the service they provided was frankly terrible. However, I did make a complaint to Royal Caribbean and I got compensation toward a future Cruise, which I was very happy with.
Unless the specialty restaurant was part of your package, There are always additional charges to use that facility. And then as for the tips and taxes frankly that’s not uncommon at all. When we were in Hawaii (Hyatt Regency $50.00 daily resort fee and $50.00 per day to park plus several taxes) or just about any hotel we’ve ever been in there are taxes upon taxes and unfortunately that’s normal. You do have to pay the taxes though you do not have to pay the tip if you don’t want to. The fact that the tip is on the bill is just normal but again it’s up to you.
Aug 17th, 2024, 08:48 AM
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Forgot to add that I too would be baffled by the minibar situation for a haven level accommodation which is what I assumed you had.
As for the Champagne I'm not a fan though I defer to your judgement.
As for the Champagne I'm not a fan though I defer to your judgement.
Aug 17th, 2024, 08:52 AM
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Hi,
Yes, I have been on 7/8 cruises before and I have never had problems like we had before. I have also stayed in some amazing hotels, so I have travelled a fair amount.
In terms of the dinner reservation, I was on the phone for 3/4 hours to NCL before the cruise, including to a Customer Services Director called Lynn Goodsell. Even after going to those efforts, they still didn't manage to organise things properly. To have to sit waiting for an additional hour and a half after getting onboard was simply unacceptable.
I appreciate that the world has become less formally dressed but they have details online and also at the entrance of the restaurants that say no shorts and tank tops, so why do they bother doing that and then let people in wearing tank tops which quite frankly are unacceptable for dinner.
No, there was no mechanical issue regarding the karting. They stopped everyone running and it was based upon a traffic light system that I noticed. What is the point in them ruining something that should be fun?!
If my wife, our daughters and I all had stomach 'issues' on one day, it is pretty obvious that we collectively ate something that was not cooked or handled correctly.
Also, one of my family members saw someone sneeze over some communal salad one day.
Regarding the gratuities, I am guessing that you are based in the US because Europeans refer to them as tips. I tipped a total of 580 euros in cash to people that actually looked after us on the ship. I personally booked the cruise through vacationstogo.com and I was not made aware of any additional tips, neither when I booked or when I paid the total balance in April, 2024. I have always paid tips on a cruise but only to the people that I have actually helped my family and I. If you are based in the US, you must be aware that tipping culture is very different in Europe when compare to the US. Indeed, if you go to Japan, it is actually considered rude to tip because they consider that they should provide the service anyway.
We were told by our butler Niel that in addition to the 1000USD that the ship was trying to charge us, we were expected to tip our concierge, our butler and our chambermaid. The fact that the ship credited the 1000USD back to me as soon as it was questioned shows that the ship is trying to overcharge about 700,000USD per 10 day cruise based upon my numbers detailed above.
Please bear in mind that we have laws in Europe and the EU that protect employees and for the Assistant General Manager to tell me that the staff are paid 5 euros per day is disgusting. In Europe, some people refer to that as slave labour.
The pool is tiny and I mean literally tiny. As I previously wrote, it is the first main pool that we did not sit next to once because it was so small and busy.
As for the mouthguard, fingers crossed that they do the decent thing but I doubt it.
The blonde supervisor was illogical and antagonistic. The coach was two-thirds empty and the luggage hold was half empty. For her to ask us and our daughters, including our three year old to wait in 30degree heat for the next coach that had not arrived yet, was unnecessarily annoying. I am sorry but I don't agree with your point about them being subcontractors because I agreed the transfer with NCL and paid NCL. Therefore, my contract was with NCL.
In terms of the speciality restaurants, we had two nights in those restaurants included free of charge because our cabin was a premium cabin with a concierge and a butler. The room number was 15196 and I think that NCL refer to it as a one bedroom suite with a separate lounge and a balcony.
You have mentioned resort fees again but again, that is common in the US. This was a ship cruising the Mediterranean.
NCL tried to make the additional service charges appear to be mandatory and they are clearly not.
The Viva is therefore attempting to overcharge $70,000USD per day or $700,000USD over a ten day cruise.
Yes, I have been on 7/8 cruises before and I have never had problems like we had before. I have also stayed in some amazing hotels, so I have travelled a fair amount.
In terms of the dinner reservation, I was on the phone for 3/4 hours to NCL before the cruise, including to a Customer Services Director called Lynn Goodsell. Even after going to those efforts, they still didn't manage to organise things properly. To have to sit waiting for an additional hour and a half after getting onboard was simply unacceptable.
I appreciate that the world has become less formally dressed but they have details online and also at the entrance of the restaurants that say no shorts and tank tops, so why do they bother doing that and then let people in wearing tank tops which quite frankly are unacceptable for dinner.
No, there was no mechanical issue regarding the karting. They stopped everyone running and it was based upon a traffic light system that I noticed. What is the point in them ruining something that should be fun?!
If my wife, our daughters and I all had stomach 'issues' on one day, it is pretty obvious that we collectively ate something that was not cooked or handled correctly.
Also, one of my family members saw someone sneeze over some communal salad one day.
Regarding the gratuities, I am guessing that you are based in the US because Europeans refer to them as tips. I tipped a total of 580 euros in cash to people that actually looked after us on the ship. I personally booked the cruise through vacationstogo.com and I was not made aware of any additional tips, neither when I booked or when I paid the total balance in April, 2024. I have always paid tips on a cruise but only to the people that I have actually helped my family and I. If you are based in the US, you must be aware that tipping culture is very different in Europe when compare to the US. Indeed, if you go to Japan, it is actually considered rude to tip because they consider that they should provide the service anyway.
We were told by our butler Niel that in addition to the 1000USD that the ship was trying to charge us, we were expected to tip our concierge, our butler and our chambermaid. The fact that the ship credited the 1000USD back to me as soon as it was questioned shows that the ship is trying to overcharge about 700,000USD per 10 day cruise based upon my numbers detailed above.
Please bear in mind that we have laws in Europe and the EU that protect employees and for the Assistant General Manager to tell me that the staff are paid 5 euros per day is disgusting. In Europe, some people refer to that as slave labour.
The pool is tiny and I mean literally tiny. As I previously wrote, it is the first main pool that we did not sit next to once because it was so small and busy.
As for the mouthguard, fingers crossed that they do the decent thing but I doubt it.
The blonde supervisor was illogical and antagonistic. The coach was two-thirds empty and the luggage hold was half empty. For her to ask us and our daughters, including our three year old to wait in 30degree heat for the next coach that had not arrived yet, was unnecessarily annoying. I am sorry but I don't agree with your point about them being subcontractors because I agreed the transfer with NCL and paid NCL. Therefore, my contract was with NCL.
In terms of the speciality restaurants, we had two nights in those restaurants included free of charge because our cabin was a premium cabin with a concierge and a butler. The room number was 15196 and I think that NCL refer to it as a one bedroom suite with a separate lounge and a balcony.
You have mentioned resort fees again but again, that is common in the US. This was a ship cruising the Mediterranean.
NCL tried to make the additional service charges appear to be mandatory and they are clearly not.
The Viva is therefore attempting to overcharge $70,000USD per day or $700,000USD over a ten day cruise.
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Aug 17th, 2024, 08:57 AM
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This was another issue. We were not in the Haven because I was told that my 12 year old and 3 year old daughters would not be allowed by the Haven pool when I booked the cruise. On that basis, I booked the top suite category, immediately underneath the Haven.
However, my family had one room in the Haven (they do not have young children) and their minibar was also empty, with the ship wanting to charge extra for water. Ridiculous!
In terms of the champagne, I have a collection of many hundreds of bottles, so please trust me on that point.
However, my family had one room in the Haven (they do not have young children) and their minibar was also empty, with the ship wanting to charge extra for water. Ridiculous!
In terms of the champagne, I have a collection of many hundreds of bottles, so please trust me on that point.
Aug 17th, 2024, 09:07 AM
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I do trust you on the Champagne issue.
Yes I am in the US and we call them tips but for cruises the term most commonly used is gratuity.
My point about resort fees was to illustrate about unanticipated added charges such as those you mentioned.
Good luck with the mouth guard.
Sorry but I can't agree about the service charges. It's not IMO a deliberate attempt to overcharge. Such charges have been in place for decades and you can have them removed.
many many years ago, there were no imposed gratuities. As it turned out envelopes with tips were passed out on the last day of the cruise and usually at dinner. However, some people would skip out on this and the staff basically got stiffed. I believe this is why the mandatory gratuities were added.
Personally, we always leave them on and I usually add more because our service from our waiters and cabin staff have been very good. Only one time did I remove the gratuity and that was because the Maitre’d was frankly terrible and he would get some of those tips. I instead gave tips to everybody but him. The hotel manager basically solved the issues that this other guy created and I gave him a tip as well.
I am very sorry you had such a hard time.
as this is a new ship, there may be growing pains so to speak. We will sail her in April and I hope things go well.
Yes I am in the US and we call them tips but for cruises the term most commonly used is gratuity.
My point about resort fees was to illustrate about unanticipated added charges such as those you mentioned.
Good luck with the mouth guard.
Sorry but I can't agree about the service charges. It's not IMO a deliberate attempt to overcharge. Such charges have been in place for decades and you can have them removed.
many many years ago, there were no imposed gratuities. As it turned out envelopes with tips were passed out on the last day of the cruise and usually at dinner. However, some people would skip out on this and the staff basically got stiffed. I believe this is why the mandatory gratuities were added.
Personally, we always leave them on and I usually add more because our service from our waiters and cabin staff have been very good. Only one time did I remove the gratuity and that was because the Maitre’d was frankly terrible and he would get some of those tips. I instead gave tips to everybody but him. The hotel manager basically solved the issues that this other guy created and I gave him a tip as well.
I am very sorry you had such a hard time.
as this is a new ship, there may be growing pains so to speak. We will sail her in April and I hope things go well.
Last edited by jacketwatch; Aug 17th, 2024 at 09:17 AM.
Aug 17th, 2024, 10:25 AM
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In 2022 for example we had a 10 day cruise out of Iceland, balcony cabin, all tips, drink package, 3 speciality restaurants, generous WiFi for our phones and discount on excursions for around $4600.00 total.
The food was good as they accommodated our request for Indian food, the service was great as it usually is too. This was on the NCL Star BTW.
Aug 19th, 2024, 01:59 AM
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Please note that I am not against tipping and indeed, that is why I tipped a total of 580 euros to people that actually looked after us.
Tipping culture is very different in Europe and NCL tried to present the additional 1000USD as a mandatory charge when it clearly is not because they credited the amounts back to us.
Thanks for your good wishes regarding the mouthguard.
I have been on cruises before and I have never been told that you should pay a service charge AND then additionally tip your butler, concierge and housekeeping person.
I remember the tips in envelopes and the service charges are clearly not mandatory, as NCL try to convey. Otherwise, they would not credit the amounts back.
I think that you have hit the nail on the head-growing pains because it's a new ship. However, who wants to go on an expensive holiday to have stress?!
Tipping culture is very different in Europe and NCL tried to present the additional 1000USD as a mandatory charge when it clearly is not because they credited the amounts back to us.
Thanks for your good wishes regarding the mouthguard.
I have been on cruises before and I have never been told that you should pay a service charge AND then additionally tip your butler, concierge and housekeeping person.
I remember the tips in envelopes and the service charges are clearly not mandatory, as NCL try to convey. Otherwise, they would not credit the amounts back.
I think that you have hit the nail on the head-growing pains because it's a new ship. However, who wants to go on an expensive holiday to have stress?!
Aug 19th, 2024, 05:26 AM
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[QUOTE=davidrose2082;17590911]Please note that I am not against tipping and indeed, that is why I tipped a total of 580 euros to people that actually looked after us.
Tipping culture is very different in Europe and NCL tried to present the additional 1000USD as a mandatory charge when it clearly is not because they credited the amounts back to us.
Thanks for your good wishes regarding the mouthguard.
I have been on cruises before and I have never been told that you should pay a service charge AND then additionally tip your butler, concierge and housekeeping person.
I remember the tips in envelopes and the service charges are clearly not mandatory, as NCL try to convey. Otherwise, they would not credit the amounts back.
I think that you have hit the nail on the head-growing pains because it's a new ship. However, who wants to go on an expensive holiday to have stress?
.I can see why one would remove the gratuity under these circumstances.
Aug 19th, 2024, 08:46 AM
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Also, what makes it a terrible abuse of power is that the Assistant General Manager, Ionela Oprisan, told me that NCL are only paying their staff 5 euros per day. In the UK and Europe that would be considered slave labour but I presume that the employment contracts are made by an NCL subsidiary company registered in a country that does not protect employees' rights.
So where is the vast amount of money that we paid for the holiday going towards?
So where is the vast amount of money that we paid for the holiday going towards?
