THIS WAS NCL'S REPLY TODAY AND THEY QUITE CLEARLY DO NOT CARE!
Dear Mr. Rose,
Again, thank you for writing to our Executive Team. Your concerns were forwarded to the Guest Experience department for review and response, as our department handles customer-related issues.
While we are pleased that you chose to sail with us, we are concerned that certain aspects of your vacation reflected poorly on our company. We have built a foundation on the premise of customer service excellence, and we apologize for any inconvenience you experienced in this regard. Our primary goal is for each guest to enjoy the best possible cruise vacation and we regret that you feel our efforts fell short of your expectations.
We were disheartened by your displeasure with the pricing of several of our products and services onboard, as well as the price of the voyage. Please note that various price points do exist in the cruise industry, as is the case in the broader travel industry for comparable products, such as airlines and hotels. There are many elements involved in determining price, such as season, ship, and availability as well as the timing of many offers, which are controlled solely by market demand and cannot be predetermined.
In regards to the dress code onboard, as a part of Freestyle Cruising, our guests can enjoy Freestyle Attire, which provides for the following dress code: slacks, shirts, skirts, Bermuda shorts (worn with a jacket), Hawaiian/tropical shirts and sundresses. Additionally, presentable jeans may be worn in most dining venues, except where a designated restaurant has been noted onboard. While resort casual attire is always appropriate morning, noon, and night, we do not allow t-shirts, cut-offs, tank tops, and beachwear in any of the restaurants at dinner. We are sorry to learn that our staff did not consistently enforce this policy, and apologize for any discomfort that you may have experienced as a result. Please be assured that this will be mentioned during our ongoing training with our crew onboard.
We also regret to learn that you were unaware of the daily service charges applied to your onboard account. To cover the services rendered by our various crew and staff onboard, a service charge is added to your onboard account. This is distributed to the onboard staff, including the restaurant staff, stateroom stewards, and other behind-the-scenes staff, who provide services to enhance your overall cruise experience. Please note, that there are several places that advise information regarding the service charges such as your confirmation, the eDocs after completing the online check-in, and via our website at https://www.ncl.com/faq#!#what-is-onboard-service-charge. However, our records do indicate that your service charges were adjusted to your onboard account.
We also regret that the large number of guests onboard had a detrimental effect on your enjoyment of the cruise. Please note there was an additional pool located on deck 8. This is an infinity pool that is available for our guests as well.
Regarding the dining reservations, our records indicate that you confirmed the reservations with the Special Events/Dining coordinator for the Main Dining Room for 8:00 pm. However, you requested to change the reservation to 7:30 pm. One of the Maitre D’s was able to assist you in making the change to 7:30 pm. Also concerning the racetrack, the races/karts will stop when somebody bumps into another kart. The team has to be able to go onto the track and move the karts if necessary.
We are also truly sorry for any confusion regarding the Premium Plus Beverage Package. This package includes the perks of the Ultimate Beverage plus the following:
- All top-shelf cocktails & spirits
- All beer, red wine, white wine, and our exclusive brand of rosé Champagne by the glass
- Select premium bottles of wine with dinner including our exclusive brand of rosé Champagne and 40% off all other bottles
- Unlimited soft drinks and juices
- Unlimited still & sparkling bottled water
- All Starbucks® coffee & specialty drinks
- Energy Drinks
After reaching out to our team onboard, it was advised the Pommery champagne has been officially replaced with Haton since May. Veuve is also only available in Le Bistro when guests dine there. However, upon reaching out to our team onboard, it was advised that these concerns were not brought to our staffs' attention onboard. Please note per the flyer on our website, it does advise that brand availability varies by ship and season.
Additionally, we are truly sorry to learn of the loss of your mouthguard and that it was unable to be located. Please note, that our maximum limit of liability is $100.00 as outlined in our Contract of Passage. We are currently processing a refund in the amount of $100.00 to the American Express card ending 3008. The visibility of funds in your account(s) is dependent on your financial institution's internal policies.
It is never our desire for our guests to be disappointed or inconvenienced in any way, and we regret that your cruise experience did not fully meet your expectations this time. We certainly hope that you will not allow the points you raised in your correspondence to be a deterrent of your choice to sail again with us as it would be our pleasure to welcome you back soon.
We appreciate this opportunity to address your concerns and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards,
Paula Ponder, Manager on behalf of Katty Byrd
Senior Vice President, Guest Services
