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How Do You Feel About Norwegian’s Epic New Look?

Written by T.I. Cruiser on June 30, 2010 · 1 Comment

There is no doubt that Norwegian Cruise Lines newest ship is an incredible piece of machinery. With a staggering array of dining options, previously unheard of entertainment choices and groundbreaking new cabin categories the ship is simply amazing. That much is indisputable. However, aesthetically people tend to have conflicting opinions. Where do you stand?

T.I. Cruiser’s Take On the Norwegian Epic

I am conflicted on how I feel about the look of this ship. While the pictures I have seen of the inside are simply incredible, I am not 100 percent sold on the exterior of the ship. I just can’t shake the feeling that it looks like a model made from one of those giant Lego sets. That being said I also find it completely fascinating. I mean, it looks nothing like any other ship which is definitely a good thing. Although the cruise lover in me wishes that Norwegian would have followed through on their plan to build multiple sister ships, there is a huge part of me that loves the fact that the Epic will remain unique.

One of my favorite sights is the port of Miami when it is jam packed with cruise ships; it just brings a smile to my face. However, when the Epic finally makes it home there I have a feeling that its unique look will make my smile that much bigger.

How do you feel about the look of the Norwegian Epic?

NCL’s New Plan to Protect Cruisers in Today’s Economic Climate

Written by T.I. Cruiser on February 26, 2009 · Leave a Comment

As of today Norwegian Cruise Lines has implemented a new plan to protect cruisers in case one of their worst fears was to come true, the loss of your job. The new plan, called the Booksafe travel protection plan will provide a full reimbursement to passengers who need to cancel a cruise due to the loss of a job.

The new policy works just like a travel insurance policy. Passengers make a payment based on the cost of your cruise; coverage starts at the low price of $29, a small price to pay for peace of mind. The new Booksafe plan will cover everything purchased through NCL, including any airfare and accommodations. The only cost that will not be reimbursed is the cost of the actual plan.

Booksafe may be purchased by anyone that has been an active employee in your company for at least one year. The best part is passengers can purchase this plan at anytime before your final payment date, not within two weeks of booking like most travel insurance packages.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the existence of “for any reason” travel insurance. However, note that you will need to purchase travel insurance within a certain timeframe of booking (usually two weeks). Also, note that most plans do not refund 100% of your costs. As I mentioned earlier you can purchase the plan at any time before final payment is due and NCL will reimburse you 100 percent of your costs minus the plan fee. I would ask anyone who is interested in learning more about Booksafe to speak to either the cruise line or a qualified travel professional.

Did Norwegian Handle the Jennifer Seitz Accident Properly?

Written by T.I. Cruiser on December 29, 2008 · Leave a Comment

It seems that there is a growing sentiment among now disembarked passengers from the Norwegian Pearl that the cruise line mishandled the incident. Some of the biggest questions about the incident were:

Why didn’t officers from the Norwegian Pearl inform passengers of the incident?

I may just be guessing here but 99.9% of cruise ship passengers lack the necessary training to be of use in this form of search. The only thing that would have come from alerting three thousand passengers of an incident they could do nothing about would be mass confusion. In all likelihood as soon as any announcement was made the crew would become inundated with questions and false reports of suspicious activity that would have brought the investigation to a screeching halt

Why is it that the ship never turned around to help in the search?

The last time Jennifer Seitz was seen was approximately 8 p.m. Thursday night. Jennifer Seitz was reported missing approximately 4 a.m. the following morning. At that point in time, there was absolutely nothing to be gained from turning a ship around. The Norwegian Pearl would have had to travel an additional 8 hours to backtrack to the place they had been moving away from for 8 hours.

Was the investigation of the incident comprehensive enough?

It has been reported on other sites that there was a report of arguing and possible violence coming from room 11122 (the room Jennifer Seitz was staying in). The person making the statement then goes on to say how the ship’s security did nothing. Others say there was no comprehensive search. My question is how do you know security did nothing about the incident. In matters such as these, it is doubtful the ship’s security officers would give a progress report to those reporting the incident. Furthermore it should not surprise anyone when a law enforcement official gives a “no comment” when asked about details of an ongoing investigation. The truth is no one outside of the investigation knows if the ship’s security or the F.B.I. did their jobs or not.

Personally I have no idea if there was a better way that Norwegian could have dealt with this situation. While it is true that the crew is trained on handling matters such as these, once the actual situation arises it is a completely different ball game. We can all sit here and criticize all we want but unfortunately the truth is there was no other way for Norwegian Cruise Lines to handle the Jennifer Seitz.