Norwegian Dawn

by Alisa
(Ohio)

We cruised on the Norwegian Dawn. I love the freestyle experience. I have been on NCL 3 times now and would prefer to stay with them. I do want to share my latest experience with the company as a whole. We just traveled the first week of March (2009) and this is what happened.

We traveled with my parents. We are recent college grads and don't have the $ to shell out for the balcony rooms (very nice though). Parents do have the cash. So in talking with our NCL cruise consultant we booked a guaranteed room and my parents booked a balcony.

She told us we had up until the final day of pay $100 to upgrade from deck 4 to 8 to switch rooms and be closer to my parents. Meanwhile, NCL was running a special when we booked. We received $150 on-board credit, parent got $250.

Well last day we decided we would pay the $100 upgrade to be closer to the parents. To make a long story short, when we got on the boat---no on-board credit for us (parents got theirs). Was told would have to talk to corporate AFTER cruise. Did---called the cruise consultant. She said couldn't do anything herself. Sympathetic, but said she didn't have any power because when we upgraded we agreed to new terms and conditions.

We were banking on that to cover our service charge (the $12 per person they charge you on the ship) for our cruise.

I wrote a letter to the company and haven't heard anything back. If they don't make it right, I'll cruise elsewhere because I think they screwed us up.

If they do make it right, I'll love NCL and love my freestyle cruising forever. I'll keep you posted.