Norwegian Cruise Line has offered onboard credit to guests due to so many port changes on Norwegian Spirits’ 14-day cruise but is it good enough?
Tension is High on Norwegian Spirit
Tensions are extremely high with passengers who are on the current 14-day Norwegian Spisirt sailing out of Southampton, UK. We’ve already posted about the situation aboard due to all the port changes right here.
Guests have been demanding a refund of their cruise due to the NCL cruise ship making multiple port changes. It all started when Amsterdam was swapped with a call at Le Harve in France at the start of the cruise but that call never took place due to bad weather. The ship headed for the next port of call in Norway but instead of just three calls in the country, there were a total of five due to two calls in Iceland being canceled.
With a total of five visits in Norway, many of the same shore excursions were being offered. An alternative port of call at Greenock, Scotland also did not take place due to weather conditions. Norwegian Cruise Line sent a letter to guests onboard about the cancellation:
Due to unsafe docking conditions including gusty winds, we have been forced to cancel today’s call to Greenock, Scotland, and will instead spend a day at sea. While it is always our intention to maintain the ship’s original itinerary whenever possible, the safety of our guests and crew takes precedence.
If you booked shore excursions through Norwegian Cruise Line for Greenock your reservation will automatically be cancelled and a refund will be credited to your onboard account.
We truly appreciate your understanding of the unforeseen itinerary changes during this cruise. To demonstrate our gratitude for your patience, we are extending a 25% future cruise credit. This credit is based on the original cruise fare paid and will be valid for 24 months from today’s date. To utilize the cruise credit, simply contact your travel agent or our reservations department at 1-800-327-7030 and provide your Norwegian Spirit reservation number.
We appreciate you choosing to sail with us and we thank you for your continued loyalty. As always, we remain at your service.
The cruise line has offered a 25% future cruise credit to all guests but it seems this is not enough. Passengers have demanded a full refund and in footage posted on social media hundreds can be seen filling up the main atrium space and shouting out things like “refund” and “takes us to London.”
Even the ship captain was forced out to speak to angry guests but he was met with bad reactions. Ship security ended up having to defuse the situation which first started yesterday.
With multiple port cancellations, we can understand their frustrations and five calls in one country does seem excessive. However, we understand the impact of weather. Let’s see how this is all solved and what happens when the Norwegian Spirit arrives in the UK on October 11.
With the result of canceled calls, the NCL ship has spent days sailing at sea with more sea days than originally scheduled. The ship is more than 75,900 gross tons and can carry over 2,000 passengers at double occupancy.
