Atrium Cafe Pastries

On the Pearl, are the atrium café pastries complementary? Or must I purchase a beverage for them to be complementary?

Last time on the Star, they were complimentary, and they had regular coffee available for no charge as well as the coffee drinks for a charge. However, this could have already changed! Not much help, I know.

Bon Voyage!

I'm not sure about the Pearl, but on all of the ships I've been on lately, these have changed over to Cake Boss and are chargeable.

I believe the Pearl has already converted over to the Cake Boss delicacies...

Therefore the items are typically no longer complimentary.

Thanks so much!

Used to be free, even though some bartenders insisted (incorrectly) you had to buy a coffee to get one. Now NCL has figured out a way to make an extra nickel and dime so none are included anymore. You must buy them.

15 cents seems pretty cheap to me for a pastry :)

 

I don't recall reading anywhere in the terms and conditions after booking my cruise that said "I must buy" a pastry, or anything else, for that matter. The only thing that you "must" pay for is the cruise. The whole nickle and dimmed crap is a little old and exhausting.

 

To OP, if they are Cake Boss items there is a charge, if they are not Cake Boss there is no charge.

I'm not sure about the Pearl, but on all of the ships I've been on lately, these have changed over to Cake Boss and are chargeable.

I was on the Pearl for an 11 night 12/22/2014 and they had a small case with iced slices of pound cake that were complimentary. My favorite flavor was the green one (Pistacio, I believe). The also had a HUGE cinnamon roll in the mornings that they would cut slices of, but I didn't try it.

Good luck! Never hurts to ask once you are at the Atrium Coffee Bar.

If they don't have them and you don't want to pay for them at the Cake Boss you can always go to the buffet. They always have some type of cake/pastry.

Harriet

So tired of the old nickel and dime comments. No one is forced to cruise NCL, no one is forced to buy anything once onboard and no one is forced to do anything they do not care to do(oh her than pay taxes hi how is a whole other matter LOL). We've been cruising NCL since the 80's and have yet to find another line that offers as good a suite product as NCL does.

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There are lots of pastries in the buffet to choose from. I have not been a fan of the pastries but the buffet has the most wonderful crepes in the evenings!

I looked at the Cake Boss pastry case while on the Sun and thought I would go back at some time. I never did. There was just too much other wonderful food choices than to 'spend' my calories on pastries. lol Oh yes, still trying to take off those pounds!

15 cents seems pretty cheap to me for a pastry :)

If you can find a pastry on NCL for 15 cents, buy it! I strongly doubt you will though...

I prefer when the pastry was 0 cents. The good 'ole days.....

So tired of the old nickel and dime comments. No one is forced to cruise NCL, no one is forced to buy anything once onboard and no one is forced to do anything they do not care to do(oh her than pay taxes hi how is a whole other matter LOL). We've been cruising NCL since the 80's and have yet to find another line that offers as good a suite product as NCL does.

You may be tired of the comments but that doesn't make them false. If you have been cruising with NCL as long as you claim then you cannot deny the nickel and diming that NCL has engaged in over the last 10-15 years.

As far as suites go, I agree. NCL offers a great product if cruising in a suite.

If you can find a pastry on NCL for 15 cents, buy it! I strongly doubt you will though...

 

I prefer when the pastry was 0 cents. The good 'ole days.....

Only going on the price you quoted. So what is the total of a nickel and a dime?

Does anyone know if the Gem has converted over to Cake Boss pastries yet? Thanks. Carol

They usually have delicious cookies near the ice cream station. That's my favorite, and they're free.

I really shouldn't reply but of course I will. STOP!!! The o p asked a simple question and the old nickel and dime song gets replayed. If everything was no extra charge our cruise fare would be a lot more. I prefer to have the choice of what I want. If I want it that bad, I will pay extra for it. I have been on two other cruise lines and we still had to pay for extras. This is not exclusive to NCL.

15 cents seems pretty cheap to me for a pastry :)

I just got that!!!! That's pretty clever :D I like your math :cool:

I'm going to go out on a limb and add my two cents to the whole nickel and dime conversation... (I guess that brings things to 17cents now with the added inflation :p)

We are fairly new to cruising, our first cruise was just a handful of years ago. So, for us, we research extensively all the costs upfront (fares, taxes, gratuities, shows, specialty restaurants, beverage packages, spa passes, etc.) and then we sit down and decide which extras we want to include in our cruise and which ones we feel are not worth the added fees. We then have a total cost of our vacation in our mind UP FRONT. To us, THAT is the cost of our vacation (not the fare we see when we reserve our cabin). With this adjusted total in our minds, we are never surprised or upset when we see a fee on board because it's already been counted for or nixed from our vacation. Thus, there is no nickel and diming from our point of view. Why? because we had a choice upfront on what items we wanted to include and which ones we didn't. I look at the fare of the cruise as merely the bottom price of our cruise and then we adjust upwards as desired. And we don't get upset if we don't experience something, because it was our personal decision not to include it.

On the other hand, I understand why those who have been cruising extensively for years might be disgruntled because they once cruised when everything was included in the fare. So, for them, it must be a hard pill to swallow to see so many items no longer included. But, unfortunately, it's this way everywhere in this world with much more than cruising. Look at flying... pay for your meals, pay for your bags, pay for your movies, pay for your earphones. Could you technically call this practice Nickel & Diming? Absolutely! But, it is the way of this world now. And I suspect it will get worse.

So, as far as nickel and diming goes...there are those who will look at one side of the coin and see and appreciate the clearly defined base price with optional fees that can be added if personally desired; and there are those who will see the other side of the coin and be resentful that the opulent cruising days of old are a by-gone-era. Both sides have valid points. But unfortunately, there is a side to the coin that will not be returning anytime soon. It's gone. Consider yourselves blessed to have experienced it and remember it fondly :)

On the other hand, I understand why those who have been cruising extensively for years might be disgruntled because they once cruised when everything was included in the fare. So, for them, it must be a hard pill to swallow to see so many items no longer included.

Having cruised for 20+ years, I don't ever remember a time where everything was included on the normal lines.

Having cruised for 20+ years, I don't ever remember a time where everything was included on the normal lines.

Again...I'm much newer to cruising than most others, but this is certainly the impression that has been given by those who profusely protest the added fee items....that most of what NCL is charging for now used to be included. If the majority of what's a fee item now has always been a fee item, then I would have to relinquish some of my sympathy towards their point of view.

As for it being a Norwegian thing, I am sailing Norwegian for the first time this spring and I haven't found that many more fee items than what I experienced on Royal. Our last ship was the Allure and while they did offer free pastries on their promenade (mostly cookies or sponge cake), they also had many fee places. I actually WISHED they had someplace like Carlo's to buy a better baked good for a late night goodie. I, for one, am glad I can buy a special cake for my dh and I to enjoy on our anniversary while on board.

Only going on the price you quoted. So what is the total of a nickel and a dime?

May I suggest you actually go on a cruise and then you will not have to rely on information that others 'quote'? Always better to have first hand info imo. I understand those that don't cruise often cannot see the changes. Those of us that do cruise often can clearly see the changes.