We entirely enjoyed our early September cruise to Alaska on the NCL Pearl. From the moment we boarded the ship, receiving high fives from the welcoming crew on the gangway to the moment we left, receiving farewell handshakes from some of the top officers, we experienced what it feels like to be a valued customer.
I give credit to the very accessible captain, Captain Tommy Stensrud, and the equally accessible hotel manager, Prem, for the wonderful hospitality. My husband pointed out that we met the captain four separate times on the first sea day! The captain and all the top officers came to our Cruise Critic meet and greet. This is only the second time that I have ever seen a captain at a Cruise Critic meet and greet. He was very gracious and told us that he tries to attend the Cruise Critic functions whenever he can. The hotel manager Prem made an excellent point that if there is any problem with our service, address it while on board, and they will endeavor to fix it. He said that they do read the reviews and value our input. If you tell him the cruise was great and then write a bad review, you never give him an opportunity to make things right.
We actually did complain about some bad service in the Summer Palace main dining room, and it was swiftly and personally addressed. We received a form letter acknowledgment from Prem, then a personal phone call from the Summer Palace head manager, then a personal visit the next time we dined from the manager who was on duty the night of the incident. We felt that everything was professionally addressed. At every turn, we felt like valued customers.