[Travelandtourism] Reasons Why I Will Never Sail on NCL Again

[Vicki Ratcliffe]

     I have been on quite a few cruises as well and had a problem with
Holland America.  The first cruise that I took with them to Scandinavia and
Russia was great and I had a blast.  The second cruise to the Panama Canal
was great except for one real issue.  The head person in the shore excursion
department freaked out when she saw that a friend and I were blind and were
going on tours.  We explained in detail how we could travel and how that we
would use canes for mobility purposes.  The cruise line knew of our
excursions before the sailing and that we were blind but the person in
charge of the shore excursions said two days after we had left port that we
could not leave the ship unless we had guides.  My friend and I called our
access travel agent and lots of emails were sent back and forth.  To satisfy
Holland America, the tour operators provided sighted guides.

     When cruising with Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, I have
never had any problems.  As for Norwegian, I planned a cruise in 2000 and
sixty days after planning the cruise, I received waivers to sign.  I signed
the waivers since the cruise had already been booked but due to illness, I
had to cancel the cruise.

     I think that everyone has their preference in terms of travel and
cruise lines.  Some cruise lines are more inconsistent than others and I
know that Royal Caribbean does a great job to meet needs of people with all
disabilities.  Norwegian would not be my first choice but then again, if a
group of friends were going on it, I would give it a try.

     I feel that people on this list should be able to express opinions and
we all will have different views according to experiences and preferences.

     Whatever you do and wherever you go, I hope that all of you find a
great place for a summer vacation this year.

Vicki Ratcliffe