Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Dream
7 Day Western Caribbean

Rob Marenich

Hello there, I'm so frustrated with this disgusting cruise line that I'm simply posting my letter sent to NCL executives and ship staff. Believe me, if you have ever cruised before, you'll be miserable. I sat in my room that final two days out of pure frustration. Any positive postings for this cruise must be specific instances or proper service or from people who don't know what real customer service is. Save your money, time and most importantly, your vacation time. I need to go back to work just to recover from some a horrible vacation. Good-bye NCL!!!
December 1, 2005

Dear Sir or Madam

This letter is in regards to my Texaribbean cruise from November 26, 2005 through December 3, 2005. In all my travel history I have never seen nor experienced such horrific customer service. Ironically, the only quality service I experienced was during offshore excursions or on board ship during PAID events such as the wine tasting or The Bistro Restaurant. My requests for appropriate attention to all matters concerned (see below) have been simply ignored. Clearly this cruise line is only concerned about revenue maximization at the expense of quality service. Furthermore, I have paid for services never received and I am formally requesting reimbursement for my Altun Ha tour (see below) and my laundry services. If such charges are not immediately refunded, I will contest any and all credit charges as fraudulent with the appropriate financial institutions. I will also contest any automatic gratuity charges through either Visa or MasterCard. How can NCL disregard such blatant errors and mistakes that I have paid money for? Is there no one on board the Norwegian Dream with accountability for customer service? Please review a sampling of the miserable experiences I have incurred during this trip.

• I paid approximately $220 for a NCL shore excursion to Altun Ha and the old Belize River. We spent approximately 30 minutes at the Mayan ruins. After a very brief tour we were told by the tour staff that we had only 10 minutes to get back to the bus in order to meet NCL’s tender service. In no way were we forewarned of the shortened timeframes nor would I have paid for such a tour if this information was available. In fact, the tour company specifically mentioned that the tour had been cut short at the request of NCL. Several parts of the tour were cancelled. When I approached the customer service desk, several other guests were also complaining.

• I paid NCL for express laundry service on Sunday, November 27 to be delivered no later that 6:00pm that same evening as per the service agreement. My wife had to follow-up on three different occasions until the laundry was finally brought to our room at approximately 7:30. As such, we missed the Captain’s party simply due to a lack of attention and customer service. NCL did not even bother to waive the charges for a service that was never delivered.

• Perhaps the most blatant example of poor quality control was seen at the first Art auction. My wife attended the auction in preparation to bid for a specific piece of art. After arriving 15 minutes after the start of the auction she was told that there were no more paddles left for bidding. As such, she was refused a glass of champagne. This is just another typical example of NCL’s sole focus on revenue maximization at the expense of customer service. Furthermore, numerous guests complained that the auctioneer had not placed reserve prices yet he still ignored high bids and took selected items off the block. Such actions are illegal, reprehensible and simply disgusting. I was thoroughly offended when told by the assistant reception desk officer that this was “just his style” (quoted). Needless to say I will be notifying the proper Federal and State authorities upon arrive to the United States and I will be filing formal complaints in the Bahamas, NCL’s registry state on this matter.

• Many of the wait staff are poorly trained, rude, unfriendly and the food in the “fine” dining areas is cold and stale (double baked potatoes and taco shells specifically). Our waiters/waitresses frequently turn there attention elsewhere while taking orders. Just last night, my son was served spaghetti after ordering the “Donald Duck” plate. Such instances are frequent and reprehensible.

In closing, NCL’s lack of attention to customer service and the lack of initiative to resolve these matters are shocking. I will be posting cruise reviews on each relative website including Expedia, Cruises.com and Travelocity. In addition, I will be notifying every travel agency within my local area of this cruise line’s ridiculous policies, poor quality and lack of customer service. By refusing to simply refund my shore excursion, NCL’s staff has quite simply cost this cruise line hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost business. I can assure you of this.