New fee on NCL

Just got off the NCL gem today wanted to report that without any notice halfway through our cruise last week and NCL decided to rake away 50% off children at specialty restaurants. We did complain to the restaurant managers and they agreed to let us continue to pay the discounted rate but it took quite an argument each time

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Thank you for sharing these rolling changes, and this is your sworn testimony of the truth ... (just kidding on thus part as you know how it is here with being a whistle blower.) We learned about it here but wow they did it quick.

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We were on the gem too and swore our first dinner the kids were half price and the second one they charged us full price. We read the freestyle and it was clearly noted in the back page kids were no longer 50% so we thought we got lucky on the first night

Just a question -- kids can still get the childrens menu in the specialty restaurants for free, right?

Before April 10, this was the Free Style Dining Guide:

Now it reads:

Another example of NCL's thoroughness in communicating with its customers NOT.

We noticed this on the BA last week. Different spots in the freestyle daily said different things......

Before April 10, this was the Free Style Dining Guide:

 

 

CHILDREN EAT FOR LESS

Children 3-years old and younger always eat for free. In our specialty restaurants, children 4- to 12-years old can choose

from a complimentary Kids’ Menu or from the restaurant’s Specialty Kids’ Menu for half price. Excludes dinner and a show dining events.

 

http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Dining-Guide-10032014.pdf

 

Now it reads:

 

SPECIALTY DINING FOR KIDS

In our Specialty Restaurants*, children 3 years old and younger always eat for free and kids 4-12 can choose from a complimentary Kids’ Menu.

 

http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/DiningGuide_041015.pdf

 

Another example of NCL's thoroughness in communicating with its customers NOT.

This may be one of the problems NCL is having sharing information. They have multiple versions of the same document available on the NCL.com website. I have pulled up three different versions of the Free Style Dining Guide this afternoon.

This is the version linked on the DOWNLOAD DOCUMENTS page for the Free Style Dining Guide. The section on SPECIALTY DINING FOR KIDS remains unchanged in this version.

Just got off the NCL gem today wanted to report that without any notice halfway through our cruise last week and NCL decided to rake away 50% off children at specialty restaurants. We did complain to the restaurant managers and they agreed to let us continue to pay the discounted rate but it took quite an argument each time

 

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This is just my observation, so please please please do not flame me.

I was on the jewel sailing April 4 out of Houston. Teppanyaki is pretty small. And it was pretty full and difficult to get reservations.

Right next to me were two adults with their two small children who were eating hamburgers and french fries. I found it pretty sad that some people did not get to go enjoy Teppanyaki and the fare that it offered because those two seats were taken by two kids eating hamburgers. Really?

I am thinking perhaps with the UDP there might be a shortage of seats.

Don't get me wrong, I love kids. And I believe kids should be able to eat in any specialty restaurant as long as they pay for that seat. If seats are now at a premium, that might mean that they need to pay the same price as everybody else.

Oh well. I guess I'll be buying the UDP for our 8 year old daughter. She loves the food in the Specialty Restaurants. She even liked the escargot, until we told her what it was. :eek:

As I posted on the other thread

Another week...yet another change...

Another week...yet another poor public relations/communication showing by NCL..

While this particular topic does not affect me..

Again....it is the principle of it. NCL may be well within its power to make changes but doing so mid cruise is just plain unfair and unprofessional. I tuly feel bad for those families affected as I do for the PAX who were the test subjects for the room service delivery fee.

This is just my observation, so please please please do not flame me.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love kids. And I believe kids should be able to eat in any specialty restaurant as long as they pay for that seat. If seats are now at a premium, that might mean that they need to pay the same price as everybody else.

But the kids menu is still an option and complimentary. So nothing has changed in that regard.

Don't get me wrong, I love kids. And I believe kids should be able to eat in any specialty restaurant as long as they pay for that seat. If seats are now at a premium, that might mean that they need to pay the same price as everybody else.

I think this is a valid point... but for me, it is the lack of communicating this in advance AND grandfathering in these new charges. THAT is what causes the most anger and concern - unilateral changes, with no advanced notice that change a fundamental understanding of what the cost of certain features will be.

Oh well. I guess I'll be buying the UDP for our 8 year old daughter. She loves the food in the Specialty Restaurants. She even liked the escargot, until we told her what it was. :eek:

NEVER, ever, ever tell them what it is!! ;)

NEVER, ever, ever tell them what it is!! ;)

Ya, that was a rookie mistake. :)

Ya, that was a rookie mistake. :)

LOL! Now she thinks it's gross, but sooo delicious!

Even she said not to tell her in the future if it's something like that. But she absolutely LOVES mussels, and any shellfish.

Very wrong indeed to do this mid cruise. Make one wonder what else they can change at anytime.

Ncklhaus - when I was a little girl we lived overseas and the rule was if I liked it I ate it but I never ask what it is. I have had some amazingly delicious dishes in my lifetime and some dishes that I wish I never had :-)

I thought I had read at one point somewhere it was HALF off the specialty restaurant fee below a certain age. That's what they SHOULD do. Most kids below 12 for instance, will eat much less. Still, I understand the seat premium issue as well. And on a fun vacation like this, I'd suck it up and pay for everyone to eat what they wanted versus hamburgers when everyone else was enjoying the hibachi grill. Or not go at all if it wasn't in budget.

Delete, duplicate post.

Oh well. I guess I'll be buying the UDP for our 8 year old daughter. She loves the food in the Specialty Restaurants. She even liked the escargot, until we told her what it was. :eek:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you couldn't buy the UDP for kids? I thought the only way kids got it was under a promotion.

Honestly the NCL kids menu is awful and really isn't a viable option for my children. However, they usually don't eat an adult portion, so I do appreciate being able to pay less for an appropriate amount of food for them at a specialty restaurant.

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On our Breakaway cruise last summer, I bought the UDP for my 6 year old daughter. I knew that there would be no discount, but I knew that we were eating at specialty restaurant every night (except for the dinner show). My daughter ate mainly from the specialty menu. The full price UDP was reasonably priced, considering that the dinner show was included on the first night. With the dinner show no longer included, it would be a tough call. The UDP is available to purchase for all passengers regardless of age.

........and that is what is happening when the new boss for ncl comes from Oceania who hates children....:rolleyes:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/faq/

Oceania Cruises does not provide for the care, entertainment or supervision of children.

My guess is that the next fee will be pay pr hour in the children club for all hours, and new ships whitout childrens clubs at all....

No chilren club is more shops and more bars and more money in.....:p

.....and children don't drink, shop and spend any money....

 

Whoever thinks that has never gone shopping with a child.;)

 

Another change that has no direct impact on me but seems to be taking NCL in a direction that I don't like. My wait and see attitude is changing by the day.

........and that is what is happening when the new boss for ncl comes from Oceania who hates children....:rolleyes:

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/faq/

Oceania Cruises does not provide for the care, entertainment or supervision of children ...

HOLD it, right there ... wow, let me finish my morning coffee first - for real !!

Let's do some fact checking, OMG - this can't be.

Good thing, and, without sounding selfish & others in saying, :rolleyes: oh, I'm not troubled by this and I (as in "we") don't use the services or need kid's club since we have no children traveling with us on cruises ... I am going to be okay with it :D :eek: so let NCL do whatever, whenver & without notice - and, it's not going to cost us anything extra when they change the policies and start imposing a convenience fee, etc. etc.

Darn it, this - doesn't seem right - that's Oceania and we are dealing with NCL. I sincerely hope your guess isn't going to materialize but if it does somehow, I can imagine the buzz and the polarization right here on CC.

-

Of course, should our extended family sail again soon like say one of our niece's family leaving next weekend on the Getaway with the grand-niece & grand-nephew, etc. - I am going to alert them about more surprises once they are onboard. They are all fully paid for (hmmm ... that's what they think) and not to mention this change in speciality dining prices for children eating off the "regular" menu) in their upgraded accommodation. Good news, they can afford it if they are cruising, right ...

.

If the kettles don't wake up this morning and start wondering, well, so be it - what can I say. Our next vacation is land-based this year, who knows what will happen in 2017 - 18 monts out.

Charging for a child to eat an adult portion of a meal does not equal "hates children". I adore children, but I don't want to see them at a high end restaurant either. If the portion my 10 yo eats is the same plate they make for an adult, then why wouldn't NCL charge. Makes sense to me.

And the pp posting about kids eating burgers at Teppanyaki - to me that wouldn't mean they're being cheap, but that's what the kids wanted to eat. Likewise, they made the reservation, if NCL doesn't charge for that seat, they don't charge. I don't expect people to leave their kids out from a family restaurant just bc they don't like hibachi.