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Cruise ship designer talks about his influence on the industry



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 17th, 2010, 02:50 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Janet Wilder
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Posts: 439
Default Cruise ship designer talks about his influence on the industry

On 9/17/2010 12:48 AM, Ari Silverstein, C.T.A. wrote:

Holy ****. We did a Dawn repositioning in 2003, Miami to NYC, looking
at the map they gave to us to commemorate. It was service and problem
free. Same with our 2005, I had heard NCL had some issues in Hawaii
but had no idea they were so screwed to the hilt. Thanks for the
update, we were looking at an NCL for next month.


I have friends who did their Hawaii and reported unbelievably horrid
things like their cabin being filled with dirty linens from other
cabins. These people only cruise Carnival and were appalled by the
Hawaii cruise with NCL.

My cruise was from Seattle to the Inside Passage in Alaska.

The crew was not American. The majority were Eastern Europeans and none
of them had ever had the slightest training in guest relations.






--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.
  #2  
Old September 17th, 2010, 05:20 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A.
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Posts: 385
Default Cruise ship designer talks about his influence on the industry

On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 08:50:58 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:

Way-the-heck-south Texas


Way the heck South Florida.

Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.


Dam straihgt.
--
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A; C.T.A.S, FREE Cruise Travel Advisory Services
I never have nor ever will solicit or accept a booking.
  #3  
Old September 17th, 2010, 11:50 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Janet Wilder
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Posts: 439
Default Cruise ship designer talks about his influence on the industry

On 9/17/2010 2:18 PM, peter wrote:

So should we blacklist NCL? Has anyone had a really postive experience on an
NCL ship recently?



I am guessing that there are folks out there who think NCL is fine. They
probably haven't cruised with other lines and this is what they believe
cruising is.

It's on my personal black list, but anyone else is free to have their
own experiences.

BTW, after our horrible cruise I sent a 10 page letter to the president
of NCL about the complaints in my post and several others that I did not
mention here. He wrote back saying that he would take some of my valid
comments under consideration and offered me a "free gift" in my cabin on
my next NCL cruise. What part of "I'll never cruise with you again"
didn't he understand?

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.
  #4  
Old September 18th, 2010, 12:03 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A.
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 385
Default Cruise ship designer talks about his influence on the industry

On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 17:50:42 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:

On 9/17/2010 2:18 PM, peter wrote:

So should we blacklist NCL? Has anyone had a really postive experience on an
NCL ship recently?


I am guessing that there are folks out there who think NCL is fine. They
probably haven't cruised with other lines and this is what they believe
cruising is.

It's on my personal black list, but anyone else is free to have their
own experiences.

BTW, after our horrible cruise I sent a 10 page letter to the president
of NCL about the complaints in my post and several others that I did not
mention here. He wrote back saying that he would take some of my valid
comments under consideration and offered me a "free gift" in my cabin on
my next NCL cruise. What part of "I'll never cruise with you again"
didn't he understand?


He missed it bigtime, I would have offered you a free cruise to see if
you were sincere.
--
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A; C.T.A.S, FREE Cruise Travel Advisory Services
I never have nor ever will solicit or accept a booking.
  #5  
Old September 18th, 2010, 12:23 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Tom K
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Posts: 2,578
Default Cruise ship designer talks about his influence on the industry

On 9/17/10 6:50 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
On 9/17/2010 2:18 PM, peter wrote:

So should we blacklist NCL? Has anyone had a really postive experience
on an
NCL ship recently?



I am guessing that there are folks out there who think NCL is fine. They
probably haven't cruised with other lines and this is what they believe
cruising is.

It's on my personal black list, but anyone else is free to have their
own experiences.

BTW, after our horrible cruise I sent a 10 page letter to the president
of NCL about the complaints in my post and several others that I did not
mention here. He wrote back saying that he would take some of my valid
comments under consideration and offered me a "free gift" in my cabin on
my next NCL cruise. What part of "I'll never cruise with you again"
didn't he understand?


Some people love NCL. Others love Carnival. And still others love RCI.
But none of them would be my first, second, or even third choice.

For some Cunard is way too stuffy. But I loved the QM2. And I love
Celebrity, and now HAL too (guess I finally got old enough to worry
about them hiding me... so I'm old enough to go on HAL)...

Different Strokes.

--Tom
  #6  
Old September 18th, 2010, 12:49 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Janet Wilder
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 439
Default Cruise ship designer talks about his influence on the industry

On 9/17/2010 6:03 PM, Ari Silverstein, C.T.A. wrote:
On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 17:50:42 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:

On 9/17/2010 2:18 PM, peter wrote:

So should we blacklist NCL? Has anyone had a really postive experience on an
NCL ship recently?


I am guessing that there are folks out there who think NCL is fine. They
probably haven't cruised with other lines and this is what they believe
cruising is.

It's on my personal black list, but anyone else is free to have their
own experiences.

BTW, after our horrible cruise I sent a 10 page letter to the president
of NCL about the complaints in my post and several others that I did not
mention here. He wrote back saying that he would take some of my valid
comments under consideration and offered me a "free gift" in my cabin on
my next NCL cruise. What part of "I'll never cruise with you again"
didn't he understand?


He missed it bigtime, I would have offered you a free cruise to see if
you were sincere.


Frankly, I would have declined the offer. Even if the crew was better
trained and the ship was clean, the dining experience would be that
awful Freestyle, which in no way, shape, or form is *my* style.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.
  #7  
Old September 18th, 2010, 01:22 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Mark (SF)
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Posts: 349
Default Cruise ship designer talks about his influence on the industry

On Sep 17, 4:49*pm, Janet Wilder wrote:
...Even if the crew was better
trained and the ship was clean, the dining experience would be that
awful Freestyle, which in no way, shape, or form is *my* style.

Janet Wilder


It'll be interesting to see what I find in March, when we're cruising
on the Norwegian Spirit on a group cruise for Mardi Gras.

We cruised a similar itinerary out of NOLA in January '07 on the
Norwegian Sun. The ship had just come out of a 4 week drydock. At the
time, I was quite favorably impressed by the general service level on
the ship - it was much better than I had feared from their Freestyle
product. The food in the MDR(s) was also quite good, including their
famous dessert souffles each night. Other aspects of the cruise didn't
suit me too well, but for the dirt cheap price, it delivered excellent
value and provided a good validation of the Freestyle concept.

That was our 17th cruise and our second on NCL (the first was a
charter on the Majesty in 2000). Since then, we've been on six
cruises: Amsterdam, QE2, QM2, Eurodam, QM2, Crystal Serenity. Needless
to say, the experiences on these ships have been quite different than
our NCL cheapie. That's what I expect. I expect good value for the
price point, a product that matches their marketing promises and a
successful execution of their product on its own terms.

However reading recent accounts, I suspect that our generally positive
experiences with Freestyle may be different four years later on the
next cruise. Could be. Who knows? In any event, I'm sure we'll have a
great time. The cruise will follow two days in the Quarter during
Mardi Gras week (Fri & Sat nights) with a group of 6 friends as part
of a gay group of 200.

Mark



  #8  
Old September 18th, 2010, 02:11 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A.
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Posts: 385
Default Cruise ship designer talks about his influence on the industry

On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 19:23:38 -0400, Tom K wrote:

Some people love NCL. Others love Carnival. And still others love RCI.


Thank you, Capt. Obvious
--
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A; C.T.A.S, FREE Cruise Travel Advisory Services
I never have nor ever will solicit or accept a booking.
  #9  
Old September 18th, 2010, 04:26 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Jack Hamilton[_1_]
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Posts: 666
Default Cruise ship designer talks about his influence on the industry

On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 17:50:42 -0500, Janet Wilder
wrote:

On 9/17/2010 2:18 PM, peter wrote:

So should we blacklist NCL? Has anyone had a really postive experience on an
NCL ship recently?


I am guessing that there are folks out there who think NCL is fine. They
probably haven't cruised with other lines and this is what they believe
cruising is.


And they're right - that's what cruising is, one kind of cruising
anyway. Not everyone wants the same thing out of a vacation.

I've been on three NCL ships (Pride of Hawaii, Norwegian Sun, and Gem),
and three non-NCL ships (SS Independence, Celebrity Infinity, and
Celebrity Mercury). So I don't have your vast range of experience, but
I do have some basis for comparison.

I never had any problem with cleanliness or service on any NCL trip. NCL
has problems, I think in two areas - food, which declined in quality
from 2007 to 2009, and the constant din of advertising in the public
spaces. What people say here leads me to think that those problems
aren't exclusive to NCL. Or maybe it was just the Gem that had problems
for some reason.

The other problem is that many people want NCL to be something that it
doesn't claim to be. It's not Crystal or Oceania or Celebrity - it's a
lower priced cruise line with relatively informal service.

My impression from your postings is that you have an attitude of
privilege and expect to be catered to. If so, NCL is not the line for
you (maybe the suites would be OK). "Freestyle" is not what you want.


  #10  
Old September 19th, 2010, 04:18 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Janet Wilder
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 439
Default Cruise ship designer talks about his influence on the industry

On 9/17/2010 10:26 PM, Jack Hamilton wrote:
On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 17:50:42 -0500, Janet Wilder
wrote:

On 9/17/2010 2:18 PM, peter wrote:

So should we blacklist NCL? Has anyone had a really postive experience on an
NCL ship recently?


I am guessing that there are folks out there who think NCL is fine. They
probably haven't cruised with other lines and this is what they believe
cruising is.


And they're right - that's what cruising is, one kind of cruising
anyway. Not everyone wants the same thing out of a vacation.

I've been on three NCL ships (Pride of Hawaii, Norwegian Sun, and Gem),
and three non-NCL ships (SS Independence, Celebrity Infinity, and
Celebrity Mercury). So I don't have your vast range of experience, but
I do have some basis for comparison.

I never had any problem with cleanliness or service on any NCL trip. NCL
has problems, I think in two areas - food, which declined in quality
from 2007 to 2009, and the constant din of advertising in the public
spaces. What people say here leads me to think that those problems
aren't exclusive to NCL. Or maybe it was just the Gem that had problems
for some reason.

The other problem is that many people want NCL to be something that it
doesn't claim to be. It's not Crystal or Oceania or Celebrity - it's a
lower priced cruise line with relatively informal service.

My impression from your postings is that you have an attitude of
privilege and expect to be catered to. If so, NCL is not the line for
you (maybe the suites would be OK). "Freestyle" is not what you want.



I certainly would not call it an "attitude of privilege"! The fact that
every other cruise line in the lower price ranges still has traditional
dining as an option seems to say that many people still prefer it over
Freestyle.

I am certain that I am not alone in enjoying the pampering I get from a
well trained dining room staff. It's one of the things I love about
cruising. To me, the dining experience is an integral part of my ocean
cruise vacation.

There are many people who just want to eat, and for them NCL would be
fine. For those of us who want to "dine", it probably isn't the best
line to choose.

AS I previously stated, I will not consider cruising with NCL even if
someone gave me a free cruise.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.
 




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