momofmeg

9 minutes ago, SRF said:

Let's see, the cruise itinerary was set at least 2 YEARS before the cruise.    How were they supposed to know of a mechanical issue would occur 2 years later?

 

At what point would it have been OK for them to tell you that it was only going to be 2 ports and you would be happy with it?  Did the mechanical issue get worse on the TA?

 

You were on the ship, you got to cruise, and THAT is what you paid for.

How about before final payment when they were still in Europe and  knew they had issues if they had simply sent us a warning email that we may would lose a port since the 3 year old ship had propulsion problems and  that they had to  cancel cruises for a drydock shortly after ours? From my understanding the cruise that was supposed to before ours was only canceled a month before it would have sailed. That was when we heard about  the issue as it was all over Celebrity's message board here it but that was AFTER final payment for us.

19 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

I understand that (some) cruise lines are permitting no-penalty cancellations,  or on-board credits to accommodate those who wish to accept changed itinerary.

 You know it is not that. I  an willing to  still do the cruise. I just wish our government would have thought of people who already had plans in place and given  90 days for when it went into effect. I also hate that all the  Canadians and other people not from the USA who had booked  this cruise are effected.

For example,  years ago we did a cruise with ports in Italy from Barcelona,  Spain. If Spain  had suddenly  decided  they were an enemy of Italy and  Our cruise had been effected 3 weeks out  I would have been major pissed. 

6 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

In my experience, not that often.  We've done 24 cruises and the itinerary has been changed on only one, swapping one port for another.  

 

Of course, there are areas of the world where the weather is quite changeable and would cause such itinerary changes more often.  Not to mention any political situations that could arise, also.

 I have had ports switched (Itinerary reversed, same ports but 1st port and 3rd port scheduled were switched with each other) and once a port was changed to a different, closer port. both of those were in  prime  September hurricane season so we knew that could happen.  Only that one cruise did we miss a port all together and it was ship issues not weather (like they pretended) because every cruise after ours until dry dock lost that  same port.

6 hours ago, rogerbid said:

HI,

 

I was appalled to read the following report on www.news.com.au : (https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/travellers-stories/why-cruise-company-had-a-right-to-ruin-womans-trip/news-story/c197e946292adbdf28443602a00d3ab5 )

 

To summarise, NCL changed itinerary of a Baltic cruise and cancelled 3 (of the 5 scheduled) ports of call without explanation.  No ports were substituted thus increasing the number of sea days.  No compensation was offered to the passengers.

 

Have other members on here experienced such a change to their itineraries?  It seems to me that this is a horrendous state of affairs and effectively means that you cannot be sure of anything when booking a cruise.

 

I have enjoyed several NCL cruises but will definitely think twice about chancing my luck on another!

 

Roger B

 My last Celebrity cruise we missed San Juan , Puerto Rico because something was wrong with the ship and it had to go extra slow, like 5 knots an hour less.  However. they  could have offered us something. A free dinner in  a cheaper specialty or if that was too much a couple of free drinks. All we got  was a refund of port fees since we missed the port. No port of course no port fee.

But that is not the worst. They knew the ship had the issue while still in Europe and a dry dock was scheduled a month after our cruise. We were the first cruise in the Caribbean after their transatlantic re-position.  If only they had been honest and scheduled only 2 ports instead of 3 from the get go.  Or better yet, picked 3 ports nearer to  Ft. Lauderdale as we were an over crowded ship since that was Thanksgiving week and it would have been nice to get away form the crowd one more day.

anyway I was pretty peeved with them. I have not been on them since and that was 5 years ago.

2 minutes ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

According to an article by Cruise Critic reviewers published in March this year, on most cruise lines the gratuity is included in the extra fare for specialty restaurants. There are some exceptions, including NCL and MSC. So, according to them, on most ships tipping extra is not "customary". 

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2077&et_cid=2921659&et_rid=80868216&et_referrer=Boards

Maybe so, but there is still a place to add a tip  that they bring you to sign. I have eaten in specialties on Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean,  Carnival, and NCL. They all have that line for adding a gratuity whether it is "required" or not. 

28 minutes ago, Warm Breezes said:

I have to agree with sparks on the Italian food on NCL.  We tried it 2x.  Both times was on NCL Jewel, years apart.  The first time it was an included restaurant, the 2nd time it was a fee but we received it free from a drawing from the Latitudes party.  Neither time did I like sauce on my pasta.  I like that I NCL offers me choices of other restaurants to choose from with the promo they give though.  I don't have to go to any restaurant that I don't like so I don't choose to go to the Italian restaurant.  We do love Cagneys and  Modernos so we choose to use our promo meals there....having more choices is a plus for me.

Honestly I usually choose pesto sauce over tomato since  I have gotten older unless I have eggplant parmesan which I can enjoy every once in awhile  as long as I don't have it too often. Which is why I pick the Italian they had better vegetarian choices for me.   I am not one to pick Olive Garden at home but  then we have a great local family owned small business restaurant called Fabiano's here where I live. they are Italian Americans so you know their food is great and better than Olive Garden.

However I have never had watery over cooked pasta  on NCL in their specialty or my eggplant parmesan done with tomato soup for sauce. That said lol! I have had some great tomato soup on cruises. They always  add a splash of wine to it along with some blue cheese or some other extra garnish which make it taste nothing like Campbell's lol! 

On ‎6‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 8:47 AM, evandbob said:

So there isn't anything chargeable on NCL that other lines make you pay for as well?  I'm going back to the OP's original question in the 1st post.

 Yes all the lines have specialty restaurants they charge extra for. The beef people have is the main dining room food is not as good as other lines. All alcohol is an extra fee in any restaurant, even the buffet. The same goes for coke and bottled water  some lines offer premium"fresh squeezed" juices that are extra fees too. You can buy packages for some of these drinks but all lines charge a gratuity on top of these prices for the packages. It is customary on all lines to leave a  gratuity  in specialty  restaurants too.

On ‎6‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 11:15 PM, Warm Breezes said:

It all comes down to doing your research.  Know what you want out of your vacation.  Find the ships that offer what you want.  Get a bottom line cost for all those ships on what you want to compare apple to apple costs.  Factor in your own past experiences, personal likes/dislikes, and reviews and then choose the ship that best fits what you want at the price you are willing to pay.  It’s all subjective based on your desires and your budget.  IMHO if you get all caught up in this nickel and diming business you may just be missing the bigger picture.

 I agree we usually choose ships by itinerary offered. Our last NCL cruise was round trip NY on the Jade to Quebec city where it overnighted and Charlottetown. (Anne of Green gables)  Holland America offered a one way  7 day with a similar itinerary, no overnights, and the  one  way flight tacked on made that cruise made th ocean view room more expensive than our aft  mini suite for this 10 day. Celebrity offered a 14 day round trip  in an ocean view which had   added stops in Maine and Boston, Mass.  that also  cost a 3rd more. I had no interest in Maine of Boston as ports. 

As Is aid we had 4 nights in specialties, the dress up night, the dinner was good in the main dining room. In Quebec City we ate  in port. We  ate in the buffet a couple of times. Only one other time did we do the main dining room and it was only mediocre. I liked the buffet better, they offered great Indian food so we would just go there.  

12 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

I would say that spaghetti is a pretty basic requirement for an Italian restaurant and if they can't cook it correctly or have a good tasting sauce then that to me speaks volumes and yes, it was my personal experience on Gem. I have eaten at many Olive Gardens and have never had such overcooked pasta in such bland sauce. 

Okay it was your experience then, you just did a typo.  Well that was never ours and we have eaten there 6 times on 4 ships. As I said, it is on par with Olive garden unlike Celebrity's Italian which was more like  a 5 star restaurant.  But as I said, the fee on Celebrity was at least double.

Now Cagney's and the Japanese steakhouse are NCL's premium restaurants. They   also  have a French  (which name I do not remember) plus  they also do a Brazilian one for people who love to eat tons of meat which are more middle priced. I am a vegetarian and do not personally care for French food even though they offer a vegetation dish. so  I do  care to eat at them but my husband likes them all.  All of these are higher fees than the Italian with Cagney's and the Japanese the most expensive.

did you complain about the food? chances ae if you had they would have removed the surcharge.

On ‎6‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 6:19 AM, sparks1093 said:

I don't doubt your experience but in our experience they didn't get what should be basic in an Italian restaurant right. 

 Was it your experience when you say "they didn't get" what should be basic? Are you going by someone's else's experience and not your own?  Even if it is your experience, you are talking about once on ONE ship. I have eaten there 5 times on 4 ships.  On the Jade we went back a second night even though we could have picked one of their higher end  choices with our 4 night specialty package we had. Was it as good as Celebrity's Italian restaurant? No but Celebrity  also charged a higher fee and theirs is considered on par  a premium 5 star restaurant. NCL does not consider their Italian a premium restaurant, just an affordable alternate for a small extra fee.  Think Olive garden, NOT 5 star.

go to NCL's website and see what their price is for their Italian restaurant and then go to Celebrity's website and see the price of theirs. BIG different in fee.

23 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

I’ve been on six NCL cruises.  The first was on the Norway - which was OK - but quality has continually declined - our last (which I now really believe will have been our last) was Gem, a year ago.

 I have found that true of all the lines.  I've cruised 7 so far but  am trying a new line In July. . I know we cruised on Celebrity back in 2005 and I loved it. From then on they were my favorite line and we  have accrued the most days/points with them. But they started declining too, the last time I cruised them was 2014 and I was very disappointed in that cruise.  Now the last cruise I took was NCL Jade in 2017. We picked them because we got a great deal on Canada/ New England  that was round trip and included Quebec City  and Charlottetown. Plus the ship overnighted in Quebec City. Were we "nickled and dimed"? Not really our onboard account was within the usual amount we run up. Pretty much  on par with our 2014 bill on Celebrity, maybe a bit higher but it was a 10  day and not 7 day. But then we also  got in the deal 4 nights at specialty restaurants (10 day cruise) Specialty restaurants on Celebrity are $50 a person, unless you eat in that sandwich/soup/salad  place.

On 5/24/2019 at 7:09 AM, sparks1093 said:

 

Based on our one experience in an NCL specialty restaurant I would say they aren't necessarily all they are cut out to be. We ate in the Italian specialty restaurant once and the service was so-so (acceptable, but not top notch). The decor' was ok and with an Italian feel but I'm not big on decor. Our appetizers were nicely done and dessert was as well. We both ordered chicken parm and it was tasty but the spaghetti that went with it was lackluster. The noodle were cooked to the consistency of canned spaghetti and the sauce was similar to tomato soup. The only true upside was it was a much more intimate setting than the MDR. We both had chicken parm on our next cruise (in the MDR), which was on CCL and we both agreed that it was much better than what we'd eaten on NCL. We've found the food overall to be very similar on the three lines that we've sailed on.

 We always found the Italian decent on NCL. I have never had tomato soup for sauce or canned spaghetti and I have ate there on the Pearl, Sky, Sun, and Jade.  However, the Italian is one of their less expensive specialties. Originally there was no fee, it was only an alternative from the main dining room.(like the Chinese restaurant) Because they had issues with it being over booked they started charging a small fee.They did the same with the Mexican, a small fee is charged becasue it was so popular.  The Chinese is still no extra charge and I liked it fairly well. It does not seem to get over booked. Now NCL's steak house, Japanese grill and French  restaurant cost a good bit more. those 3 are their premium pay extra restaurants.

On 5/29/2019 at 4:05 PM, Joebucks said:

 

I have been to restaurants that charge similar amounts for soda "because they can." Are they nickel and diming? 

 

 

Now you're really stretching. It is advertised as a low-cost line with room, food, and entertainment included. Do you need to pay to use your room or standard toiletries? Do you need to pay to eat? Do you need to pay for entertainment? A true example of nickel and diming is paying for water in the MSC dining room.

 

If you want to say NCLs quality is low, it is overpriced, the competition gives you more, etc etc, fine. That tells the readers looking at NCL a lot more than "there is a charge for everything". As we all know, nothing is free.

MSC no longer charges for tap water.  They realized they couldn't if they were to break into the  American market in the Caribbean. They even offer a free  dining room water package for their American customers on European cruises. Europeans are used to paying for water at restaurants.  That is European culture.  You order water, it is never tap water there, it is  always bottled  "gas"(carbonated/"fizzy") or "no gas" ( non carbonated bottled  water) they say. You get only small drinks too. if you order a coke it is an eight ounce glass.    No refills, you ask for more you pay for another drink. The same goes for coffee. However the bright side is  a glass of wine is about as cheap as a glass of coke. 

On 5/24/2019 at 3:58 PM, Joebucks said:

 

So things should always be the way they were just because? Why? Cruises are forever destined to be luxury all-inclusive packages and hotels are destined to be forever a la carte? What if people like different options?

 

Hearing memories of previous cruises, you hear people say things like mints, tablecloths, silverware, elegant wear. This is the reason why this model never went mainstream. Because that stuff was the entertainment to most people. Just because that kind of stuff makes up your fondest memories, does not mean others want the same.

 

There is nothing "sad" about mainstream lines offering a product that is hugely accessible, affordable, and enjoyable to millions of people. I'm also unsure what these multitude of services I am forced to buy. I can buy a cruise that is half the price of your high-horse cruise, and have more than double the amount of options to entertain me on it. I'm sure you would mumble something like "well he can't afford it," that's why he say this. I can assure you that I can, and currently have no interest in doing so. I'd rather sit on the peeon lines and get nickle and dimed while you enjoy caviar and go to bed at 8pm.

 Another point about the ships in the 70's and 90's were those super tiny rooms where you slept in bunks and of course then no balcony staterooms, not even the pricey suites had those.  The most you got was a port hole window.  I much prefer  that I can get a balcony room and if I want great food booking a specially restaurant. Honestly it is healthier too because if the food is not great but simply adequate you don't have the temptation to over eat.    I mean when we do land vacations we don't do 4 star restaurants every night. At least my family doesn't. 

On ‎5‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 11:45 PM, Nebr.cruiser said:

We never use it, but room service had a $7.95 charge on our very recent Pearl cruise.  I know some others charge for that now too.  Otherwise I can't actually think of anything else.  Maybe selling pull tag prizes before shows?  Not many were buying.

 

The MDR was actually very good on the Pearl.  The buffet less so, with little variety, except at breakfast.

I have found the main dining room food ON NCL just so-so except for elegant night when they make more of an effort. That said, they have the best buffet  and their pay extra restaurants there  are  more choices in restaurants and  most of them are reasonably priced. Other lines charge more for their pay extra restaurants.  There is another issue about  the main dining room I rarely see addressed. If you cruise during holidays, ( we do because if our daughter goes with us we have to as she teaches school) the main dining rooms are super crowded on most lines. On Celebrity I scooted back my chair slightly and bumped the person seated at the table behind me  because we were so close. I did not like that. Who cares if the food is better if you are crammed in like sardines? I found myself eating at the buffet if not eating is a specialty  because I could not take that. I hate feeling claustrophobic. Anyway, it was simply frustrating for me as we paid more  since holidays are premium times for cruising but that is what you face.

On ‎3‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 11:25 AM, olemissreb said:

Well I didn't "lose" my husband per se...we divorced 3 years ago.  Right now, cruising will have to be put on hold since my youngest son is only a sophomore at the University of Kentucky (GO BIG BLUE!).  Until I can get him through the next 3-4 years, I'll just add cruises to my bucket list and try to save up.  Hopefully once he graduates, we can cruise Europe as a graduation present.

It sounds like you are doing the best you can. I  don't cruise as often anymore either. Health issues. I am trying hard to look forward to this upcoming one we have but really I would be fine just staying home.  and I used to love to plan cruises. As soon as we were home I was planning another! guess time does change things for us.

If you miss cruising   look into those NCL singles rooms.  I liked NCL fairly well. They have great shows, lounges etc.  Their  main dining room food is  mediocre but their pay extra restaurants are great. It is obvious they gear you toward those.

2 minutes ago, momofmeg said:

I am sorry to hear you lost your husband.  I am sure that changes it for you. Have you thought of taking one of your  adult children with you? Perhaps take turns between them. Since you will have to pay for double occupancy anyway, just have them be good for their port charges and possibly ask them to pay for the upgrade from inside to balcony.  That would still be a deal for them. I know my daughter would jump at that.  I know with this last cruise booked she found there was a price drop and went and got us upgraded to a mini suite lol!. (we had booked a basic balcony)  I do  get what you are saying. I want a balcony, and I want the upgraded bedding too that not all balconies have. My daughter has told me about NCL has  single's rooms on their newest ships and they have a nice public area with a  wall to ceiling glass with great  ocean views.  She almost booked one last year but then a friend ended up going with her. She did get a chance to tour that area embarkation day and said it was really nice

 the public area I mean is for  only those booked in the single cabins.

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 12:07 PM, olemissreb said:

Oh I wish!  Cruising single now just isn't the same and the supplement sucks. Plus I've been spoiled - can't sail in anything less than a balcony cabin so that just adds to the cost.  Doesn't keep me from looking and adding cruises to the bucket list.  I've never repeated an itinerary (yet).  I do have one scheduled for Sept. '19 with my mom, so at least I have something to look forward to.

I am sorry to hear you lost your husband.  I am sure that changes it for you. Have you thought of taking one of your  adult children with you? Perhaps take turns between them. Since you will have to pay for double occupancy anyway, just have them be good for their port charges and possibly ask them to pay for the upgrade from inside to balcony.  That would still be a deal for them. I know my daughter would jump at that.  I know with this last cruise booked she found there was a price drop and went and got us upgraded to a mini suite lol!. (we had booked a basic balcony)  I do  get what you are saying. I want a balcony, and I want the upgraded bedding too that not all balconies have. My daughter has told me about NCL has  single's rooms on their newest ships and they have a nice public area with a  wall to ceiling glass with great  ocean views.  She almost booked one last year but then a friend ended up going with her. She did get a chance to tour that area embarkation day and said it was really nice

On ‎3‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 5:25 PM, need2cruisesoon said:

Is it just me but I can't even be happy unless I have 1 cruise planned no matter how far out.

 

My DW wants a break for this year (from cruising) and focus on land type vacations.

 

And that cruise is all the way in November 2020 but having it there makes me happy.

I get it as I used to be that way. Now that  my health is not so good and I am not as in a hurry to take a cruise. that said, cruising is easier than other trips for me but  it still takes a lot out of me. However if my health was  as good as it was even 5 years ago, yes I would be ready to go anytime! So, as you can still enjoy it sure go!

On ‎3‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 2:16 PM, navybankerteacher said:

Agreed - it is best not to judge broadly.   There are many people who have to budget closely — at the same time, there are many who seem to make poor budget decisions.

People who smoke, have a weekly coffee at a place like Starbucks, who have anything but the basic cell phone, for example, should perhaps rethink some of their decisions - if one of those decisions is to travel without a passport.

 Clark Howard is my hero. He is cheap but also a millionaire and he says that is why he is a millionaire. Lol! Bottom line we all have to decide if something is worth the cost for our enjoyment or not and is we alone who have to live with our choices.  Lol! I know we are pretty frugal usually but  we  do splurge for special occasions. We booked  an aft mini suite balcony for our 35th Anniversary trip. We  had loved having an aft suite on our 30th anniversary Med trip.   The problem this was Canada in October and we left out of NY to go to Canada and I was very sea sick at first and by the time we got into Canadian waters most days it was too cold to use the balcony, lol! but it is okay, we did not ruin our retirement fund, so all is good! Just next time we will think about where we are going before we book something like that.

14 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Ouch!  That is what some folks would call a very broad generalization :).  Although we always recommend that everyone on a closed loop cruise should have a valid Passport, it is very understandable that some folks do not agree.  Consider a relatively young couple with 2 children, who only take a annual 7 day (or shorter) Caribbean cruise.  It would cost them about $520 (cost for 4 new Passports) plus additional cost to obtain usable Passport photos.  Add the cost of Certified mail (a good idea with Passports) and this young family is going to spend nearly $600 just for Passports.  That is a pretty hefty price for many families...especially when they might take 1 cruise or less per year.   Not sure avoiding a $600 extra expenditure is "cheap" for many folks who must carefully budget their travel.  I started cruising in my 20s (back in the 1970s) when the cost of travel was a real stretch.  In those days, a Passport was relatively inexpensive :).  As a person who has made travel a major part of his life (we are in travel mode at least 6 months a year) we love seeing younger folks taking cruises and developing a love of International travel.  

 

The closed-loop cruise rules were adopted because of lots of lobbying by the cruise industry.  The law and regulations help encourage many folks to cruise which is a win-win for the consumer and the cruise lines.  

 

Hank

 I agree Hank. it is so rude to call people "cheap"  when you do not know their circumstances. Maybe  they are  merely living within their budget. People who make these comments  I sometimes feel are either are not middle income people  so have no clue about what it is to live on a budget, or else  they have their credit cards maxed out and live beyond their means in  debt.  I agree with you, for a once a year trip out of the USA that is a lot of money for a young family.  I do believe though a high percentage of cruisers it is not even once every few years. I know I met a couple  on one cruise who said that cruise  was  a once in a life time trip.   They were celebrating their 35th anniversary. The wife's kidneys were going and she would soon need dialysis. So the husband  splurged on that cruise  because he felt it was "now or never" and she  had always wanted to take a Caribbean cruise. All I could think of was how wonderful the husband did that for his wife.

I have done this on cruises longer than 7 days for underwear. I pick up some packets of Tide to Go and hang them in the shower. of course is you use the shower you have to take them down and replace  when you are done if they have not dried.  I have also used the hairdryer to help them dry faster or even spread them out on the balcony when I am in the room for a hour or 2 in the daytime.

 Fortunately they usually run a deal for a bag of clothing laundered for $20-25 we can use on longer cruises. They are not pressed for you though. Once though the laundry service was overwhelmed on a Celebrity 12 day cruise by their Elite members (who got 2 bags laundered free) and you could not get anything laundered for any price except on the first day after embarking and the last  day before disembarking. I was thankful I had plenty of Tide to go and clothing that easily dried. Anyway that has deterred me from taking longer cruises on Celebrity.

I thought of something else I know MSC allows  embarkation on some of their cruises at Caribbean ports but it is less expensive for Americans to embark at Miami. Plus I think you are expected to disembark at the same port you embark.

On 1/8/2019 at 9:58 PM, lenquixote66 said:

I could be wrong but I seem to recall friends of ours flying to San Juan ,touring the area and then cruising to several Caribbean islands and sailing to NY.

Yes that was ships in the southern  Caribbean cruising out of San Juan. They reposition in the spring, to  perhaps Canada and New England, Europe, Bermuda, or  Bahamas east coast from NY/NJ. You can do the reverse cruise in the fall. both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity has  a ship that does this twice a year between NJ and San Juan. Probably other lines?

Repositioning cruises perhaps? I am not sure about Jamaica but I know you can take one from NY/NJ to San Juan. Both Celebrity and RCI have one in the fall with the reverse in the spring.

We have done one on a ship repositoning from Europe to the Caribbean. That was our 25th anniversary trip. We flew to London stayed there a few days then took a train to Dover, boarded ship, went to la Havre, Portsmouth, Dublin, and Cork, cruised the Atlantic  and then was in Newfoundland and Novia Scotia and ended in NJ from where we flew home on a much shorter flight.

The only other one way cruise I know about is some of the Alaska cruises you can do northbound or southbound. We did northbound from Vancouver to Anchorage.