Mediocre cruise on the Jewel

[chuck84132]

Just got back from the Baltic cruise which was just okay but we expected more. We felt like we were nickeled & dimed for everything - avoid the martini tasting(a gigantic ripoff). Days at sea were like a giant floating flea market. Food was just average(or less) in the regular restaurants but there were 6 upscale eateries?($15-25pp per meal). Service, overall, was not very satisfactory(cabin, restaurants & customer service). Ship tours were expensive - arrange your own.
On the positive side the cabin w/balcony was very comfortable & the shows in the big theater were excellent.
I will only go on NCL again if it is the ONLY company going to a location I want to see.

[sjnyc323]

Sorry to hear you were unhappy with your cruise.

[SeaShark]

Originally Posted by chuck84132

Just got back from the Baltic cruise which was just okay but we expected more. We felt like we were nickeled & dimed for everything - avoid the martini tasting(a gigantic ripoff). Days at sea were like a giant floating flea market. Food was just average(or less) in the regular restaurants but there were 6 upscale eateries?($15-25pp per meal). Service, overall, was not very satisfactory(cabin, restaurants & customer service). Ship tours were expensive - arrange your own.
On the positive side the cabin w/balcony was very comfortable & the shows in the big theater were excellent.
I will only go on NCL again if it is the ONLY company going to a location I want to see.

Interesting that everrthing you cite as a "problem" involved spending money.

Businesses that you usually deal with must not ever charge for anything. It must upset you when you pay to go to the movies, and yet they still charge you for refreshments.

You try to claim the service was not satifactory. However, you provide no examples. You also mention nothing about your attempts to rectify the issues. Could the problem stem from the fact that there is a service charge?

It's a real shame you didn't enjoy your cruise...it is interesting just how many unhappy reviews come from people who use phrases like "expected more". It seems like unrealistic expectations will let you down everytime.

[TxnAquarian]

Don't be too hard on Chuck. I am currently on my 2nd NCL cruise and agree with some of his points - sea days ARE like floating flea markets....I have never in my life seen so many tacky signs for Colombian Emeralds and seen such a push to buy pull-tabs. However, I have learned to ignore the overwhelming sales push instead of dwelling on it. Also, he mentioned that the martini tasting was a complete rip-off....well, we did the mojito tasting on our trip and it was a total bust - awful mojitos and the people making them didn't offer any insight into what they were doing. NCL is a big, overblown money-making machine. But there are plenty of good things as well that I choose to focus on. If Chuck does not want to feel nickeled-and-dimed for everything, he should pay more for a high-end cruise in which everything is inclusive (as I do from time-to-time). Also, in regards to comments about bad service, I think that more detailed explanations would be helpful to other cruisers.


Michael

[CruisingPiper]

Originally Posted by chuck84132

Just got back from the Baltic cruise which was just okay but we expected more. We felt like we were nickeled & dimed for everything - avoid the martini tasting(a gigantic ripoff). Days at sea were like a giant floating flea market. Food was just average(or less) in the regular restaurants but there were 6 upscale eateries?($15-25pp per meal). Service, overall, was not very satisfactory(cabin, restaurants & customer service). Ship tours were expensive - arrange your own.
On the positive side the cabin w/balcony was very comfortable & the shows in the big theater were excellent.
I will only go on NCL again if it is the ONLY company going to a location I want to see.

Would you me willing to give a review on Mama's Italian Kitchen? That is not an extra tarriff, at least I don't think so. We are honestly not expecting top-notch Italian food. However, our son is a little picky and we thought pasta would be a good alternative to burgers and mac n' cheese.

[4evrwild]

Originally Posted by CruisingPiper

Would you me willing to give a review on Mama's Italian Kitchen? That is not an extra tarriff, at least I don't think so. We are honestly not expecting top-notch Italian food. However, our son is a little picky and we thought pasta would be a good alternative to burgers and mac n' cheese.

Sorry to inform you but Mama's Italian Kitchen is now a fee restaurant. The food is good but we have much better Italian in our home town. I don't think it's worth the extra but DH insists on eating there at least once curing our cruise. We try to go when they have an "early bird" day so we just pay half the normal fee.

It was such a popular restaurant and always booked up so I think NCL decided to add it to the paid restaurants. If your son likes pasta, you might find spaghetti on the kids menu and they do a lot of pasta dishes in the MDR. You could ask to have the squid or something else left off for him.

Good luck,

Ruth

[CanadianTwosome]

I hate the phrase 'nickel and dime'. I doubt I would be so annoyed by it if I didn't have to see it used so often on these boards in ways that I don't think are accurate. To me, nickel and diming is when I pay one price, but then find that what I THOUGHT I paid for is not what I'm getting UNLESS I PAY MORE. This is NOT the case on NCL. NCL is very up front about what you get for your fare - it's explicitly described on their website, in fact:



What does my cruise fare include?
Your cruise fare entitles you to accommodations, meals and entertainment aboard ship. Specialty restaurants are available with either nominal cover charges or fixed price menus and à la carte pricing in addition to the standard dining program. Items of a personal nature are not included, such as alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, spa treatments, indoor pool relaxation areas, certain specialty exercise classes, laundry, photographs, casino, ship-to-shore phone, email, Internet, fax and Shore Excursions (including all "Dive In" programs). Government taxes and fees are also not included

Hmmmm... accommodations, check; meals and entertainment, check. Yup, I get all of those things on NCL, and before I shell out the first penny for my fare, I am HAPPY with what I'm being charged for those inclusions. Once on board, I am given an amazing assortment of choices that I can add on IF I WANT. Do they offer choices that I don't want? Obviously. Do some people want to buy those things? Again, obviously. I'd have to be pretty egocentric to think that once on board, the only things available would be things that I wanted - and that they would only be offered when I wanted them.

There was a recent thread about NCL's online selling and as I said there, I've NEVER been bothered by anything anyone has tried to sell me on a ship - and that includes other lines. I barely notice any of it, in fact. I'm also not bothered when I'm at an event on land and someone walks by selling peanuts or souvenirs. I sit through the commercials before the coming attractions at movie theatres without getting angry at the theatre for showing them - and I'm glad they can earn income some other way than raising my ticket price or charging even more for the concession fare than they already do. Business is business. It's not like anyone does a 'Clockwork Orange' on me and forces me to pay attention to advertising - on board or not. It's like I have this bizarre and uncanny ability to not pay attention if I don't want to... CRAZY!!

NCL offers a low base fare and then the freedom of CHOICE once on board to pay for additional things ONLY IF YOU WANT THEM. This is what most NCL lovers love about NCL. This is also often what NCL haters hate about NCL. Since it is pretty much exactly what they promise, however, I do not believe the term 'nickel and diming' accurately applies. Those who prefer to pay more for their base fare and have less choice absolutely should patronize other lines. It's not a case of 'you're not welcome on NCL', it's a case of, 'spend your hard earned vacation dollars on what will make you happy'. I'll never understand how people can be quite content spending thousands of dollars on something they clearly haven't thoroughly researched - but then be angry when they're given a well explained choice on board to spend another $10.

[RalphWiggum]

I think the use of the phrase "nickel and dime" on the boards is accurate. It's slang so it has multiple meanings, one of which is to bill someone by using small charges instead of one up-front charge. I think NCL, because of its whole freestyle approach, tends to be less all-inclusive and more pay-as-you-go then even the other mass market cruise lines, which is why the term gets used here more than on other boards. And while I personally find the nickel and diming annoying (i.e., the daily choices you have to make about paying for a great meal instead of just a good one, or paying to bowl, or paying for the spa pass, all of which are basically a by-product of the expanded NCL options that NCL offers), I don't find it so annoying when I think of what I actually paid for my cruise. And I'm not so annoyed by all of the nickel and dining that I want fewer choices on my cruises.

In short - I think people should continue using the term because everybody should be aware that this is how NCL prices it product and keeps it base price competitive (pay as you go or a la carte also works). The people who are truly bothered by this should switch lines.

[wg6530]

I'm sorry you were disappointed. I don't get the "nickeled and dimed" bit either. Yes, there are extras available, but I have never felt pressured to buy.

On sea days I often see big crowds around the sale tables. Sometimes it makes me curious enough to have a peek, but I generally don't buy from on board shops. The sales seem the same on NCL as on other mass market lines except NCL may have more overhead anouncements than some and NCL often has the art auctions taking up way too much primo space for my liking. I wouldn't care if they tucked the auctions away somewhere where the interested could attend and the rest would be spared.

Pay restaurants are clearly marketed. I happen to like their free venues, but that has much to do with your personal taste vs the executive chef's choices. NCL's menus are more interesting to me than some other lines, but they won't suit everybody's palate.

I do think cruiseline excursions are more expensive than private ones and NCL's excursions sometimes are more than other lines. If it is worth it to me I go; if not, I pass.

I hope you find other lines which suit you better.

[wg6530]

Originally Posted by RalphWiggum

I think the use of the phrase "nickel and dime" on the boards is accurate. It's slang so it has multiple meanings, one of which is to bill someone by using small charges instead of one up-front charge. I think NCL, because of its whole freestyle approach, tends to be less all-inclusive and more pay-as-you-go then even the other mass market cruise lines, which is why the term gets used here more than on other boards. And while I personally find the nickel and dining annoying (i.e., the daily choices you have to make about paying for a great meal instead of just a good one, or paying to bowl, or paying for the spa pass, all of which are basically a by-product of the expanded NCL options that NCL offers), I don't find it so annoying when I think of what I actually paid for my cruise. And I'm not so annoyed by all of the nickel and dining that I want fewer choices on my cruises.
In short - I think people should continue using the term because everybody should be aware that this is how NCL prices it product and keeps it base price competitive. The people who are truly bothered by this should switch lines.

I hear what you saying, Ralph. But I see spa pass charges on other lines, too. They generate revenue, add cache, and most importantly keep the spa from getting too crowded. I have not seen bowling on other lines, but, if NCL didn't charge, it would probably get too crowded. NCL has more pay restaurants than other lines, but the mainstream lines all have them. I don't see the difference.

[SeaShark]

Originally Posted by RalphWiggum

I think the use of the phrase "nickel and dime" on the boards is accurate. It's slang so it has multiple meanings, one of which is to bill someone by using small charges instead of one up-front charge. I think NCL, because of its whole freestyle approach, tends to be less all-inclusive and more pay-as-you-go then even the other mass market cruise lines, which is why the term gets used here more than on other boards. And while I personally find the nickel and dining annoying (i.e., the daily choices you have to make about paying for a great meal instead of just a good one, or paying to bowl, or paying for the spa pass, all of which are basically a by-product of the expanded NCL options that NCL offers), I don't find it so annoying when I think of what I actually paid for my cruise. And I'm not so annoyed by all of the nickel and dining that I want fewer choices on my cruises.

In short - I think people should continue using the term because everybody should be aware that this is how NCL prices it product and keeps it base price competitive. The people who are truly bothered by this should switch lines.

Sorry, I still don't get this "nickel & diming" thing...

Look at these examples: "paying for a great meal instead of just a good one, or paying to bowl, or paying for the spa pass". It is interesting to note that the poster claims to find this "annoying."

People go to restaurants EVERY DAY. Some charge a little, some charge a lot...the difference between a great meal and a good one.
People go bowling EVERY DAY. I haven't yet run across a "free" bowling alley.
People go to spas for treatments EVERY DAY. You are charged based on the level of service.

THIS IS EVERYDAY LIFE! Every retail establishment out there is selling something. If you want it, you buy it...if you don't you pass.

So why is it "nickel and diming" when NCL does it?

Should the items in the ship's store be free?


As I said earlier...I PAY to go to the movies, but popcorn is extra, soda is extra, candy is extra, nachos are extra, etc Do theaters "nickel & dime"?

I pay to go to the amusement park, but food is extra, drinks are extra, games are extra, souveniers are extra, parking is extra, etc Do parks "nickel and dime"?

This is life...People who label things "nickel & diming" just because someone is making a living...I just don't know....how would they handle a typical shopping mall where EVERYTHING has a price tag? Do you feel "nickel & dimed" when you're there?

[fin]

We might all be happier with the phrase "a la carte" substituted for nickle and diming.

The fact that that base is SO low seems to have opened up the world of cruising to a whole bunch of people who could never do so before.

[ruffs]

That's what is so great about these boards, they help us set our expectations about this sort of thing. I could see being slightly annoyed about all the selling going on onboard if I didn't know about it ahead of time, but now I'm prepared to not let it bother me.

[RalphWiggum]

Malls are not supposed to be all-inclusive so no I don't feel nickel and dimed there. Let's stick with all-inclusive vs. a la carte cruise vacations and not muddy the waters here, so to speak.

For the sake of just getting you to try and understand another viewpoint (I am NOT trying to get you to agree with it), let me try and explain from my personal experience. On NCL, I do feel because the food and service in the main dining rooms is not that great (it's just okay) and because there are at so many other extra charge dining options on NCL (on a seven day cruise, you could hit a different one up each night and not repeat), for me, when it comes to picking dinner options on NCL I always feel a tug to try a specialty restaurant and always feel like a cheapskate when I don't. On Celebrity and Carnival, they don't have as many speciality restaurants on their ships, so after hitting the 1 or two that they have, I would at least feel that I'm not depriving myself by being so cheap (plus the food and service on Celebrity are much better so I truly look forward to eating in the main restaurants). Again, I think its great that NCL does have the add'l restaurants though. But since I don't drink much I generally have a low onboard account balance, but on my NCL cruises I have been suprised how high it gets because of speciality dining.

It is true that all of the mass market lines are heading towards more a la carte pricing but IMO NCL is a head of the others in this respect. I wish there were more all-inclusives that sailed out of NY and the lack of other choices has led me to go on all-inclusive spa vacations instead of cruises in the past three years. The upfront charge per week is much greater but I do like knowing what I'm getting and what I'm going to have to pay in total upfront.

[SeaShark]

Originally Posted by RalphWiggum

Malls are not supposed to be all-inclusive so no I don't feel nickel and dimed there. Let's stick with all-inclusive vs. a la carte cruise vacations and not muddy the waters here, so to speak.

For the sake of just getting you to try and understand another viewpoint (I am NOT trying to get you to agree with it), let me try and explain from my personal experience. On NCL, I do feel because the food and service in the main dining rooms is not that great (it's just okay) and because there are at so many other extra charge dining options on NCL (on a seven day cruise, you could hit a different one up each night and not repeat), for me, when it comes to picking dinner options on NCL I always feel a tug to try a specialty restaurant and always feel like a cheapskate when I don't. On Celebrity and Carnival, they don't have as many speciality restaurants on their ships, so after hitting the 1 or two that they have, I would at least feel that I'm not depriving myself by being so cheap (plus the food and service on Celebrity are much better so I truly look forward to eating in the main restaurants). Again, I think its great that NCL does have the add'l restaurants though.

It is true that all of the mass market lines are heading towards more a la carte pricing but IMO NCL is a head of the others in this respect. I wish there were more all-inclusives that sailed out of NY and the lack of other choices has led me to go on all-inclusive spa vacations instead of cruises in the past three years.

Oh, believe me, I understand the other point of view. I just don't believe it applies here.

You yourself indicate that this "nickel & diming" is part of the "all-inclusive vs. a la carte cruise vacations" debate.

HOWEVER...NCL is NOT all-inclusive. So that comparison does not apply here. Additionally, the OP never mentioned another line that WAS all-inclusive. So again, the comparison does not apply.

If the basis of the discussion is to complain about one thing because it isn't something else that it was not intended to be, then the entire discussion is ridiculous. However, if NCL advertised as all-inclusive and then was doing all the selling...you would have a valid point.

There are so many options available...paid onboard activities, photgraphs, ships tours, shore excursions, ships stores, bars, restaurants, bingo, casino, etc It would be impossible to buy everything. Just because you choose to not partake in one or all of these things does not make you cheap...it just means you have the freedom of choice.

Its amazing to me that the OP's cruise was "mediorce" simply on the basis that people sold stuff! Just look at the OP's history. 15 prior posts...all involving attempts to find less expensive shore excurions. This is a person whose enjoyment level orbits the price tag.

[sjquilter]

When you refer to indoor spa pass, do you mean that you have to pay to use the pool? I'm confused.

Holly in south jersey

[jingle5616]

I think much of the nickle and diming remarks come from those who are used to the all inclusive cruise of yesteryear. A lot has changed in the last 15 years. As for NCL and extra charges, I don't mind as I am not poor and tend to spend plenty of dough when on vacation. It also seems to me cruise prices are lower now than anytime that I can remember except maybe after 9/11/01.

I do have to say that I don't think NCL explains their system very well or perhaps some folks just don't do much reading about their vacation. I've met more than one person who thought all of the restaurants except the buffet were extra charge. I know, crazy but true. You should have seen the look on one guys face when I explained to them how freestyle worked. It was the next to last day of a 7 day cruise. I thought he was going to kill his wife.... I can't imagine eating in the buffet at all, much less all meals for a week.

OP, sorry you weren't satisfied. NCL isn't for everyone.

[RalphWiggum]

SeaShark,

I don't think I understand your post. I'm not sure you understood mine. I never said NCL was all inclusive. Cruises in the past used to be more all-inclusive, and the trend among mass market lines (and NCL is the pioneer in this IMO) is toward pay as you go pricing, which can also be called a la carte pricing or (if you choose to use a synonym with a perjorative connotation, nickel and diming). I'm not really sure what you are talking about - I'm not even sure if we disagree!

I was responding to CanadianTwosome's post about the meaning of nickel and diming. My point is that I don't think it has just the narrow meaning that she thinks it does.

Holly,

On my last cruise, there was a $10 per day charge to use the Gem indoor pool/relaxation area. It was well worth it IMO (as mentioned in one of my posts above, I love spas) although I did agonize a bit about paying for this "privilege" prior to my cruise since there was no such charge on my previous NCL cruises (again, I felt a little bit "nickel and dimed").

[Zeno]

Originally Posted by jingle5616

I do have to say that I don't think NCL explains their system very well or perhaps some folks just don't do much reading about their vacation. I've met more than one person who thought all of the restaurants except the buffet were extra charge. I know, crazy but true. You should have seen the look on one guys face when I explained to them how freestyle worked. It was the next to last day of a 7 day cruise. I thought he was going to kill his wife.... I can't imagine eating in the buffet at all, much less all meals for a week.

.

I hate to say it but this person (who thought ALL restaurants but the buffet were pay-extra) does not sound too bright. All he had to do was read the Freestyle Daily - which makes perfectly clear which restaurants charge. I feel a little sorry for him but not a lot.
NCL should not have to take people by their little hands and escort them around explaining EVERYTHING. I just can't work up a lot of sympathy when people have ample documentation and just ignore it.

[SeaShark]

Originally Posted by RalphWiggum

SeaShark,

I don't think I understand your post. I'm not sure you understood mine. I never said NCL was all inclusive. Cruises in the past used to be more all-inclusive, and the trend among mass market lines (and NCL is the pioneer in this IMO) is toward pay as you go pricing, which can also be called a la carte pricing or (if you choose to use a synonym with a perjorative connotation, nickel and diming). I'm not really sure what you are talking about - I'm not even sure if we disagree!

I was responding to CanadianTwosome's post about the meaning of nickel and diming. My point is that I don't think it has just the narrow meaning that she thinks it does.

I think CT hit the nail on the head...so we'll disagree on that one.

This is an NCL board after all. NO OTHER CRUISE LINE HAS BEEN MENTIONED IN THE DISCUSSION. So to whom is everyone referring when they talk about all-inclusive? It can't be NCL!

You are the one who used the phrase "all-inclusive vs a la carte"...and that has never been the topic here. The issue here is that the OP believes he is being "nickel & dimed" because somebody offered something for sale that he did not have to buy.

That isn't "nickel & diming" that is LIFE. It is the way we live each and every day. Just look around sometime at all of the things that are for sale around you. I pay for a flight on an airplane...and they charge for things. You pay to go to the movies...and they charge for things.


There is a big difference between "nickel & diming" and a la carte.