SJ

My agent was able to do it for me for a last minute cruise. Not considered a cancel since you are overpaying and then getting refunded. Surprisingly, the refund was processed very quickly.

We have been on the Breakaway twice. Escape is basically bigger Breakaway. We prefer Anthem for ship layout and amenities. Public areas on Anthem has plenty of seating. Most of the Breakaway activities including love and marriage show, occurs in the atrium next to guest services with about 20 seats if that. Another vote for Anthem are the cabins. Simply more spacious and better design. 135sq ft vs 166-180 sq feet for the inside category. Big difference when you are doing 4 in a room.

Congratulations!

 

If you have old room tags, suggest you mark through with a magic marker entering your new room number or as suggested, have a porter tag your luggage with the new cabin number.

 

For what it’s worth, we have carried our bags on (yes, through scanners) for the past four years. Saw this happening and said - why not? This was after years of walking off with our luggage at cruise end.

 

We have had several staff say - you can’t. However, we watched many a cruiser before us take their larger bags through security, so yes - we do. Must admit, last cruise, I did have a laugh as we wouldn’t be seeing him again after he said the suitcase wouldn’t fit.

 

 

 

Lugging one medium suitcase vs checking a bag and lugging a third bag (with meds, cameras and computers) has proven to be much easier on this cruiser. Yes, we may have to lug it around till rooms are ready, but same came be said for 50% of those with carryons.

 

No worry about lost bags, if something doesn’t look right, security checks it out and off we go. Our bags also aren’t worn out or needing repair/replacement due to rough handling.

 

Enjoy your cruise. We head out next weekend,

May I ask what is the largest suitcase the scanners will accept? Thank you.

I am not surprised at the issues the op brought up. It's rather consistent with how ncl must do to make up giving away all the free perks. With the free drinks package, even those who don't drink are drinking more and fewer staff means fewer drinks being served. Fewer drinks being served means dollars saved by ncl. With all the service charges ncl is tacking on just about every aspect of cruising, cost of sufficiently staffing their ships shouldn't be a factor.

What I am surprised by is how low some of the posters in this thread's expectations have sunked. Cruising has always been about superior service to land vacation at least for me that is. Perhaps those with such low expectations didn't cruise when the business model wasn't about giving away the most lucrative revenue generating onboard spending which is alcohol.

It is looking less and less likely I would be using my last cruise reward. Even if I can book a cruise for the right price, I am not the sure the atmosphere on ncl ships is suitable for a family with so many trying to get their money's worth on alcohol.

The previous UDP was for everyone in the cabin correct? Kids too. Also the 18% was included? Correct?

 

Kids could eat free from the kids shipwide menu anyway, but used to be 1/2 price off the adults menu. That is now also been eliminated so the previous UDP was a win IF the kids ate off the regular specialty menu.

 

This new one eliminates that and now the kids will cost normal in a specialty or have to eat off the kids menu.

I booked when there wasn't an 18% on udp at all. So do you pay the 18% at booking now or at final payment? I don't want to be surprised onboard that I now owe ncl 18% for the free udp.

I don't believe the cruiselines are creating more onboard charges to keep fares low. Fares are low because they flooded the market with these mega size ships. Instead of following the airlines' example, they should follow what Disney is doing right which is offering a superior and unique product and limited numbers of berths for sale. Onboard charges have no effect on base fares other than creating less demand because the product is being diluted by being less inclusive.

Speaking for myself, I wouldn't go on a cruise to get a land experience. I prefer cruises because I don't have to worry about extra expenses or have to make decisions on what to spend on in addition to my base fare. Cruiselines need to walk a fine line between generating extra revenue and alienating the uniqueness of cruising which is what creates demand for cruises. I hope cruises don't go to all a la carte. Extra revenue is achieved when demand exceeds supply and demand is achieved by offering a superior product, not by watering it down.

Since you're booking very far in advance, I would book now and check back later on June 1. If prices are still same, just rebook. Why take a chance on losing ksf? It is the best discount if you have at least 4 in a cabin. I think as each sailing is filling up, ksf goes away. My Dec cruise which is low season has gone to ksf50 from ksf. Ksf use to be for very few select sailings in the fall.

Perhaps this is a precursor to kids club passes for sale like the vibe and spa passes. With only 76 available, brtter be the first ones to board so you can purchase before they run out. Good luck NCL with that venture. Don't market yourself as a family friendly cruise line if you don't actually want families with kids and don't run the KSF for 5 months straight if you want to discourage families from bringing their kids.

If word gets out and this is truly the new policy, NCL will be missing out on the peak season of any vacation, summer. Maybe not this summer as it is too late to cancel most of the summer sailings. Can NCL management really be this foolish? Time will tell. ..

I still say the reason bookings are up is because of the promos they offered February, March, and April. A LOT of current cruisers booked and a LOT of newbies booked. Without those promos I don't believe it would be up, IMHO.

 

Harriet

I agree. Plus many who booked last quarter has not experience the new changes. The big question is whether these increased bookings become repeat bookings. That remains to be seen. These changes certainly do not make me want another fcc unless some of these new policies are reversed. Time will tell. ..

Other cruise lines already charge too much upfront

Don't you think NCL would charge the same as other cruiselines if it can? Companies can charge whatever price for their products but the market, i.e. customers ultimately decide what the value of those products are.

For this reason, I don't worry about cruiselines raising prices. Supply and demand ultimately decide how much those cabins are worth. Yes I pay less now for cruises but i also receive less than years ago which is also why I won't pay more than a certain amount for ncl cruises. Do I think other cruiselines are overpriced like you? Yes I do but apparently the demand for those other cruiselines allows them to charge what they charge whether the perceived value is real or not. More people seem to want their products than ncl or carnival.

I am willing to may more for a better product. Improving your product or image is how any company should go about raising revenue. Charging more after you sold the product or not delivering what you sold is not a long term solution for financial success.

If ship hygiene is truly the driving force for this new policy, wouldn't instituting a fine for those who leaves their dirty dishes in the hallway be sufficient to curb this practice? Why punish every passenger for the few slobs who are inconsiderate? I have seen plates in the hallways on all my cruises but they are usually removed in a reasonable time. I certainly never felt the hallways have become intolerable as a result.

Everyone can and will believe what they want. The truth is the truth which only ncl knows. Frankly all these policies implemented in a non public way indicates it is not above board what NCL is doing. You don't have to hide when you are doing something right and you actually believe it's for the right reasons.

Princess passengers convinced Princess to retract their room service fee after only a weekend. Will ncl be just as smart as Princess cruiseline in listening to their passengers? Or is Ncl passengers not smart enough to push back against the same policy as Princess passengers? I hope we can be smart passengers not NCL's sheeps.

I don't buy that onboard charges keeps cruise price down. No cruiseline is consciously lowering it's prices. Prices are base on supply and demand and what the market believe is the value of said product. Demand has increased many times over since the Love Boat so why is it cheaper to sail now than it was 20-25 years ago? Simple, the cruiselines have built too many mega ships with too many cabins to fill without deeply discounting. It's very naive to believe due to all these additional charges, NCL is going to keep prices low. Ncl will charge whatever the market will bear which ncl has decided it's not enough to pay for these mega ships and trying to get you when you become that captive audience once you board. All these new charges just devalue your base fare.

Disney is a perfect example of this. Unique experience plus limited berths means high price to get on their ships. Of course Disney isn't for everyone but most who do sail her ships seem extremely satisfied despite the cost.

Didn't hear complaints? I guess that they did not read CC. Plenty of complaints here.

Apparently he is too arrogant to understand or choose to ignore reality which is complaints can occur in many forms, not just verbal. Many are not confrontational and have decided to circumvent this new fee by flocking to takeouts at osheehans and the buffet. Actions do speak louder than words and can anyone with any common sense really be glad they are paying anything for something that used to be included? So now he has responded by banning takeouts from any venue and we will respond by sneaking food or not choosing ncl if the former option is not acceptable by some. I would have responded the same way but I don't want this type of aggravation during my vacation. Even those who don't take food to their cabin will be affected by the crowd NCL has forced upon all passengers. I am looking forward to reading how this will be enforced.

If you can, don't cancel your cruise until about a week before final payment just to give them less time to resell it. Why give them an opportunity to sell your cabin early at maybe a higher price. May seem petty but ncl deserve what they're dishing out, that is no consideration for their customer base.

Poll is missing an option for 'No and I could not care less about the policy'

You might once it's difficult to find a place to sit as these ships are not meant to house everyone or most everyone in one venue. A ship's ability to disperse the passengers is key to anyone's enjoyment.

It's naive to think there will be no ripple affect of this policy. You don't have to have mobility issues or kids to be affected. Ncl has clearly not have thought of the logistics of how a ship needs to function with thousands of passengers as a captive audience per FDR.

The key is whether other cruiselines will follow. If they do follow this new policy, then we consumers are out of luck. Cruising as we know it will be gone forever. If they don't follow, ncl will be forced to change this policy as this make their product not as appealing especially to families with young children, people with mobility issues, etc. Time will tell all...

It's also way too early to declare success or failure of this new regime. If these changes did result in increasing their bottom line, then it's on us consumers because we agreed or was complacent about these changes. So therefore we must sleep in the bed we made. Businesses don't need that much resistance before they change their tune but no reason for them to change if we keep agreeing to getting less for the fares we paid. Some ask why not just raise fares? Because fares are ultimately determined by the market. Cruiselines can set whatever fares they want but we will only pay what we want. I can ask for $1million for my $300,000 house, guess how much I will actually get? Probably much closer to $300,000 than a million I would imagine. So many forget the power lies with us consumers. Ask yourselves, is it easier to spend money or earn money?

Even if people are not online, eventually all cruise on NCL will know the policy and they can decide whether they want to deal with this inconvenience or move on to another line or another type of vacation. Time will tell, don't be fooled by today's stock prices.

Cost savings:

- less wasted food

- less clean up for the crew

- $7.95 fee is to deter us from placing orders, they'd rather have less crew or have them do other things that generate real money.

If less crew is required to work NCL ships as a result of all these changes, why the increase to the DSC? Their reasons don't make sense except that if we passengers do exactly as NCL wants us to, their bottomline would and should increase. Problem is ncl can't predict our behavior as easily as it thinks. I am not paying for room service despite all these changes. If others is want to give in, that's their prerogative but don't complain later when it becomes a permanent fixture in the cruise industry. The time to push back is now not later. Continuing to accept without question every policy change is only detrimental to the consumer. I am more interested in finding out the final result of all these changes than my next Ncl cruise. Sad...

Whoever thought this is a good idea must not been on one of their ships. Not everyone drinks, use the pool but everyone has to eat. Yes, some would be forced to pay for room service to avoid the crowd and agravation but is irritating their customer base NCL's goal? Crappy products don't make money in the long run. Will we be referring to NCL as the next jcpenny? Will the other cruiselines follow or be smart enough to keep status quo to attract ncl passengers? The next couple of years will be very interesting for the cruise industry.

Frankly it's way too early to claim the current regime is successful. The success or failure of current regime will not be known for at least a year or longer. It took the Carnival Ceo who is also a CPA like FDR several years before he was replaced by his predecessor after the Triumph disaster.

Many including myself still have a fcc that need to be used, many can no longer cancel without penalty, many who are not at final payment don't need to make any decision today. Most would need to experience at least one cruise with current changes to determine how much if any has impacted their cruise experience. All the reasons i stated explains why so many are still on the ncl board. It does not necessarily mean we can't or won't leave ncl for an alternative cruise or vacation. How well NCL can sell their product in two years will be more indicative of the current regime's performance.

Speaking for myself, I am less excited about my cruise in December on the Gem than the date I booked which was before all the rapid fire and secret implementation of new fees and takeaways. I simply don't know what kind of product I will actually be getting by the time December rolls around. I hope things will have settled down by the time I have to make my final payment.

Standing up for your consumer rights is not whining. We are not at the complete mercy of companies we do business with. Not concidence many successful businesses have the best customer service. I rather be whiner than be a sheep or for lack of a better word, a sucker for businesses. Being blindly loyal to any business will not be appreciated by the businesses, they will only laugh at you all the way to the bank.

You can place a hold tonight using today's promo. If prices are better tomorrow then just let it expire. It expires exactly 24 hours from the time you place the hold. I doubt price would change that much tomorrow but you get a choice of booking today's promo or tomorrow's thisway.

I am wondering just how successful was the test for it to actually go fleetwide and then force people from getting their food to avoid the convenience fee? If people are flocking to other venues to bring their own food back to the cabin, sounds like the test was a failure and the only way NCL can profit from this move is this alternative action much like theme parks and stadiums who refuse to let you bring your own food and drinks after you already paid a hefty fee to gain entrance. This could potentially become a nuisance for passengers and crew alike; passengers getting denied and crew having to police the very people who decides their tips. Let's not mention the crowd while waiting for their orders at osheehans and the buffet. I guess ncl management must think this inconvenience for passengers and crew is worth the convenience fee.

This is clearly bait and switch now. NCL sold or gave the UDP as a promo under a different set of terms from which it will honor onboard. Many of us made decisions based on those terms. Has NCL finally cross the line and is officially deceptive towards their customers? I have never felt so uncertain about what I actually purchased.

I hope this is not true but I wouldn't bat an eye if it is base on NCL's current track record. Better cruise sooner than later at NCL now. Have no idea what kind of product I will find in December. Hopefully, by final payment time, the cruise is still worth it.

I think you are very gracious to think of his children at a time like this more than he is apparently. A real man would pay you back for the cruise he and his children will be enjoying. You gained far more in knowledge of what he is truly like as a person than any money you spend on him. Wishing you luck in finding a better partner to be with. Good things do happen to good people sometimes.

NCL raised the price of 3rd-8th passengers two days before ksf actually went into effect back on January 31. So the price increase has more to do with marketing gimick than supply and demand. If your sailing is not kids sail free, you're better off booking two cabins. Even the slight extra is worth the extra space and bathroom.

Why are you proposing charges and then you're upset about the room service fee?

I wouldn't be upset at a nightclub fee just like you're not upset over the room service fee. It's not like you have to go to a nightclub every night; you can always go hang out at the atrium with your fellow passengers with your ubp. I don't use room service either so the fee doesn't affect me but I am upset that the option of complimentary room service is no longer included in my ticket price. Eventually, cruiselines can and will charge for something you value, but by that time it could be too late to take a stand because it would be the norm for cruising. We would have no one to blame but ourselves because we chose to accept whatever any big companies decide to charge us more with no value in return.