The newspapers in Australia are blasting Princess Cruises for canceling another cruise on the Sea Princess, again at the last minute, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
We previously reported on the cancellation of the September 14th sailing because the cruise ship went into dry dock to try and perform repairs to the ship engines
The Sea Princess is back in the news. Following widespread coverage of "cruise from hell" articles about a noro-infected cruise from Freemantle where the ship was nicknamed "Pandemic Princess," Princess Cruises announced that the sailing to Brisbane was canceled in order to address "technical problems" causing the ship to lose speed.
The case of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) callously refusing to permit the family of a five year old boy with a cancerous tumor, "the size of a soda can," to reschedule their cruise is back in the news today.
A Long Island, New York news station PIX11 aired an interview with the mom and her
An article by Cruise Critic titled No More Free Breakfasts caught my eye today.
Cruise Critic says that Royal Caribbean is adding a $10 surcharge for kids and parents to dine with the cruise line’s DreamWorks characters at breakfast on the Oasis, Allure, Freedom, Liberty, Voyager, and Mariner of the Seas.
According to Cruise
It’s been a while since I awarded my "Worst Cruise Line in the World" award. Quite frankly, I became tired of giving it to Carnival and Royal Caribbean every month. But a reader of Cruise Law News just sent me a story of little Nicolas Colucci, age 5, who underwent emergency surgery after doctors found a "a large cancerous tumor growing inside his liver." He is now undergoing chemotherapy.
The Lil’ Mama website explains that the Colucci family bought a family cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) that was scheduled for June 1, 2014. The family asked NCL to reschedule their cruise to another date. NCL refused. NCL wouldn’t bend their corporate policies regarding medical emergencies – not even for a child battling cancer. You can read about the dreadful story here.
This is not the first time that NCL has acted in such a heartless manner.
A couple of years ago, I wrote about a man from Key Largo who purchased a NCL cruise on the Norwegian Sky leaving from Miami. But his brother died, and the funeral was in Georgia on the day the cruise ship sailed. So he notified NCL, asking for a credit on a future cruise. NCL said no. He asked for his cruise to be donated to charity (Make-A-Wish). NCL said no.
Now comes the sick part. NCL then re-sold the cabin to someone else. Yep. NCL got a double profit due to the death of a guest’s brother. Really sick.
NCL is active on Twitter @CruiseNorwegian, so I tweeted a reference to the article.
No response.
NCL’s "Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Passenger Services," Andy Stuart, is also active on Twitter @nclandy. So I tweeted him "Double cruise profit for death? Say it aint so Andy!"
No response.
NCL should have permitted a child with cancer and parents go on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise. Or make a small donation in memory of their customer’s brother. But to double sell the cabin under these circumstances? It’s cruel, greedy and outrageous.
Last year, I wrote again about NCL. A grandmother who drives disabled kids to school booked a cruise aboard the Norwegian Jewel for her family and grandkids at the cost of over $4,000. Then Superstorm Sandy struck, submerging her home under four feet of water. The storm ravaged her home, leaving her with nothing. She asked NCL to reschedule or refund her cruise. NCL said no way.
She appealed to NCL CEO Kevin Sheehan but the cruise line and its CEO wouldn’t make an exception. Absolutely no refund or rescheduling. Heartless.
Yesterday, I attended a hearing before Senator Jay Rockefeller entitled "Improving Consumer Protections for Cruise Passengers." Cruise passengers testified regarding all types of harsh conduct by cruise lines who hide behind the unreadable fine print in their one-sided, passenger tickets. At one point during the hearing, Senator Rockefeller exclaimed that he was "fed up" with the cruise lines and their "callousness."
NCL is all smiles when it sells a family a "cruise of a lifetime." But when death, disaster or a medical emergency strikes, it shows its true colors.
NCL may have a great marketing image, but it can be your worse enemy in a time of true need.
Have a thought? Leave a comment below or join the conversation on our Facebook page. And let NCL know what you think by contacting them below:
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NCL Corporation Ltd.
7665 Corporate Center Drive
Miami, Florida 33126
Corporate: (305) 436-4000
Andrew Stuart
Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Passenger Services
astuart@ncl.com
(305) 436-4000
Andrew Stuart’s twitter account: @nclandy
Kevin Sheehan (photo right)
Chief Executive Officer
ksheehan@ncl.com
(305) 436-4000
NCL Twitter: @CruiseNorwegian
July 26 2014 Update: According to a FOX NEWS station today, a "CEO of a popular cruise line reached out to the Colucci family to offer them a free cruise. The CEO asked that his cruise line not be named because he said he was genuinely touched by their story and didn’t want any publicity for his gesture."
So who was the CEO? Which cruise line did the right thing?
Here’s a clue:
Last year, NCL abandoned a grandmother (and her grandchildren) after she bought a NCL cruise when her home was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. NCL CEO refused to reschedule his customer’s cruise. But Royal Caribbean stepped up to the plate and gave the family a free cruise. Read the story: Norwegian Cruise Lines Abandons Sandy Victims, While Royal Caribbean Steps Up to the Plate!
July 27 2014 Update: The story goes viral. First a national Fox News station covers the story and then the U.K.’s Daily Mail (the largest online newspaper in the world) covers it. Bad Karma for NCL.
July 29 2014 Update: The public relations fall-out continues. Opposing Views ran a story. TravelPulse also covered the story. Gawker wasn’t too subtle with its headline Cruise Line Screws Over Family of 5-Year-Old With Cancer. PRNews wrote Norwegian Cruise Line Drowning in Bad PR. Huff Post Parents Parents Outraged Cruise Line Won’t Reschedule Their Trip In Light Of Son’s Cancer Diagnosis. Anti-Jared wrote a letter to the NCL CEO.
All of this reminds me of one of my favorite sayings – "Karma is a bitch only when you are."
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com
Continue Reading Norwegian Cruise Line Wins Worst Cruise Line in the World Award
In the last week, Carnival’s Micky Arison sold over $78,000,000 of his cruise line’s stock.
On June 6th, Arison sold 961,717 shares of the cruise company’s stock at an average price of $40.24, for a total value of $38,699,492.08.
On June 10th, Arison sold 992,369 shares at an average price of $40.35, for a total value
A newspaper in Norway reports today that a pilot association seized the Independence of the Seas for non-payment of the association’s fees. The association petitioned a court in Norway to detain the cruise ship. A local bailiff served the arrest papers today.
The Independence of the Seas was in Alesund, Norway at the time of
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The Italian publication Medi Telegraph reports that the MSC cruise ship, Preziosa, collided with a large passenger walkway at the port of Venice.
The newspapers in Italy, such as La Nuova, refer to the pedestrian corridors at the maritime station as "fingers" which provide access to the upper decks of the cruise ship..
This weekend saw the epic failure of Royal Caribbean’s corporate communications department after two of its cruise ships, the Adventure of the Seas and the Navigator of the Seas, encountered difficulties returning to their respective ports.
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Last week I wrote an article about Royal Caribbean CEO and President Adam Goldstein cashing in over $2,300,000 worth of Royal Caribbean stock, still leaving him with around $19,000,000 worth of his company’s stock.
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Following intense public pressure brought by Richard Fearnside’s mother Marianne, P&O Ferries has posted comments on its Facebook page stating that it will be discussing the use of CCTV cameras with the "wider shipping community" and will be raising this issue with the "UK and European Maritime safety authorities."
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Don’t believe it. This is
A Cruise Law News reader from Australia alerted me of a newspaper article published on Thursday discussing how Miami-based Celebrity sent an elderly couple packing from the Millennium cruise ship a month ago.
The Cairns Post reports on the disturbing story of Celebrity kicking 78 year old cruise passenger Adry Arnold and her husband off
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The Carnival Glory made its last home port stop today in Norfolk. It’s now heading here to Miami.
According to the Washington Post, Carnival said this summer that it would not deploy the Glory (or any other Carnival cruise ship) from Norfolk in 2014.
According to ABC-13, Carnival cited new environmental regulations on emissions (requiring
Last month, the Sun Sentinel reported that Carnival’s earnings "continue to be hurt by a series of embarrassing mishaps and softened demand for certain cruises that has kept fares low." The world’s largest cruise operator reported a 30 percent drop in third-quarter profits.
Critics have attributed Carnival’s woes to damage to its namesake cruise line’s
