Pearl - Input on excursion cancellation

[auntbee]

I am scheduled to sail on an 8/31 cruise and just recieved a letter from NCL that the Victoria excursions are cancelled and no guests can disembark. This is due to a mechanical problem that is slowing the ship down. NCL gave us a $25 on-board credit, but it still doesnt seem like enough compensation for missing a port we were looking forward to seeing. Has anyone had this happen?

[Dave]

Welcome to cruise-chat.

Sorry to hear the bad news.

You are scheduled to be there from 6pm to midnight, which really means you would be off the ship around 6:30pm and have to be back aboard by 11:30pm. You are missing 5 hours in Canada - at a port where the sole purpose of the stop is to make the cruise comply with U.S. maritime law. That is the only reason they still have to stop, even though nobody can leave the ship.

It happens. Rarely, but it happens. The compensation may seem small, but given the overall insignificance of the port in relation to the whole cruise I can't see NCL offering anything more. It would not surprise me if many passengers weren't planning on leaving the ship anyway.

[Berick1234]

We've been there twice and except for some gardens to see, it's not worth the effort to get off the ship...we walked around the port the first time, and the second time we just sat and watched the sunset.....and that was FREE:-).

Don't fret.....It's a beautiful place, but 4 to 5 hours doesn't do it justice...Take the credit and buy something...

I'm off to Alaska in the morning...wowowoow..

Happy Sailing,

Bob E

[Koala]

It just happened to us!

We were not even notified that NCL cancelled 2 stops on our itinerary... I just found out by accident on this site, and our cruise is a week away !! We had made arrangements to attend a family reunion in San Francisco during our stop, and they even changed the day of the reunion to accomodate us. My daughter and I paid $150 each (non-refundable) to help with the hall, catering, and a 4-hour boat rental. Not only do we miss the reunion... but it cost us $300.
Thanks a lot, NCL !!

[Koala]

I have to disagree with "nothing to see there".
It is a beautiful city with many things to see and do! If you get a chance to go back some day be sure to see the sights.

I think $25 is NOT worth missing a port. There are many departments on the ship (like photo) that cost them almost nothing. They could have given you a meal at the "pay" restaurants and a photo credit ($50), or some souvenirs of the ship (like they give out for prizes during the cruise).
$25 seems like an embarrassing amount to offer for compensation, I think!