Not Happy with Hidden Fees on NCL

I fully expect the go karts and laser tag to be a fee to use activity on the new Bliss. Already, I anticipate the lines will be long. I can't imagine how crazy the lines would be if they were free. I figure it'll be roughly the same pricing as K1 Racing or your local higher end go kart provider. The things go up to 30 mph. That's fairly quick for an electric kart. They better have full harnesses on those suckers.

 

LOL. People are already complaining about how slow they are on the Joy. I can imagine the liability of having people drive them 16 stories above the sea, with other passengers a deck down on the side. I wouldn't expect a real thrilling experience.

Am I missing something? The only mention of drinks being unlimited are the fountain sodas and juices...

I'm still trying to figure out where the hidden fees are. The promos are identified as an extra cost item as soon as you select them and click "Continue".

 

 

When you see the total go up that is floating at the right side of the screen, you know the cost has risen. The only thing I can think of that isn't disclosed when you are booking is the daily service charge and all of the lines that I know of here in the US add those on.

I walked off the Epic this past October with a dollar left in OBC. So what hidden fees?

 

 

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I walked off the Epic this past October with a dollar left in OBC. So what hidden fees?

 

 

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What about when you buy bottled water on board? It us now a 20% “fee” in addition to the high bottled water charge. Excessive total cost and there isn’t any “service” involved in handing me a sealed bottled water.

 

 

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Does NCL hide (conceal) some of their fees? Sure. They like to play hide and seek with fees. On their front page they give the impression there are five free offers. Are they really free? You're not going to find out on the front page advertising the free offers. They're hidden.

 

Free Open Bar? Seek and see if you can find a fee for the "free" open bar. Free Specialty Dining? Seek the fee. Free Shore Excursions. Seek the fee. Free WiFi? Seek the fee. Maybe there's a fee; maybe not. Frequent NCL cruisers know where to find if there are any fees. Just do a mock booking or read the 6500 word Promotional Terms and Conditions. 1st timers don't generally find the fee(s) until they have mentally committed to cruising with NCL and have begun the booking process. And then NCL informs them the Free Open Bar costs close to $250 for 2 people. Boom, you found the hidden fee!

 

Obviously this is done by design. The cruise lines, hotels and airlines make it almost impossible to compare prices across brands unless you do much research.

Edited December 6, 2017 by mianmike

It seems people like to focus on words, not meaning.

 

Pretty clearly the OP meant additional fees.

 

As in the total cost of the cruise is significantly higher than the advertised price.

 

I get the OP’s point, they ‘nickel and dime you’.

 

As mianmike said, it’s that they purposely make it difficult to obtain the true total. This is especially true for new cruisers.

 

 

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Edited December 6, 2017 by TangleWeb

Then why would you be on this board?

my thought as well. I wonder how many people just wander from one cruise line thread to another posting or reading about the line knowing they will never use them. I understand reading about other lines, but posting a negative like that makes no sense to me.

What about when you buy bottled water on board? It us now a 20% “fee” in addition to the high bottled water charge. Excessive total cost and there isn’t any “service” involved in handing me a sealed bottled water.

 

News flash, but not everyone buys bottled water on board. Most people don't. It could be $2/bottle, and I still wouldn't spend a nickel on it.

It seems people like to focus on words, not meaning.

 

Pretty clearly the OP meant additional fees.

 

As in the total cost of the cruise is significantly higher than the advertised price.

 

I get the OP’s point, they ‘nickel and dime you’.

 

As mianmike said, it’s that they purposely make it difficult to obtain the true total. This is especially true for new cruisers.

 

 

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I see a lot of people whine about getting “nickel and dimed” - if you don’t like NCL’s pricing and up charges for certain things, I suggest you look at an all-inclusive line like Viking, Oceania, etc. Many of us prefer the choice - if we want to pay for the beverage package than we’ll pay for it, and if not our fare is cheaper. Bumper cars, zip line, Flow Rider, etc are free on Royal Caribbean’s ships - I don’t care if I ride them or not, but since they’re included at no cost, the price is built into my fare. THAT’S a hidden fee, not what NCL does.

 

Price out an NCL fare compared to anyone else on any comparable sailing and I guarantee you they are a much better value.

 

Price out an NCL fare compared to anyone else on any comparable sailing and I guarantee you they are a much better value.

 

Priced out against themselves it costs me 30% more than same time/same itinerary/same room category/same promotion as last year. That's quite a dramatic rise in price for me. Since the core product and what I receive are essentially the same or similar, that is a decrease in value. Right now MSC has the value play locked. NCL product is on par with MSC and RCI. I think NCL is a better value than RCI for sure.

Colin,

Thanks and a good morning. If I can figure out how to do it from my IPad I will.

Take care.

 

 

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Don't move your signature. Are you kidding me . I resent that you were asked to . I took no offense and other's should not either. It's your prerogative , we live in a country that has free speech. Now that said I for one sometimes skip to the bottom line on reading the whole page. I am terrible about that. My spouse reads every little word. There are no hidden fees on NCL you get what you pay for . The cruise line has to book the whole ship to make money and they have not been filling the smaller ships with all the bigger ships coming along , so they have come up with ways to charge for gratuity and such to pay the employees. In Texas we have fees just to have a tug boat pull the ship out to sea so we have to fly out of Texas to do NCL because they can not afford to dock here, well along with fog being an issue as well. I live 90 miles from the port in Galveston and we just did Carnival breeze in July, will never ever do Carnival again. So many kids in the hot tubs they were toilets instead of hot tub . I called Carnival to complain, You want to talk about drinks so filled with alcohol you could not drink them on The RCCL Indy of the Seas , I called RCCL and they offered us 10 per cent off our next cruise. Guess who I complained to about the up coming trip we have on the Getaway about the $200 dollars a week to sit in adult only pool area . I called NCL main office in Miami. Back to it's your prerogative for the one complaining on hidden fees, you don't have to cruise. It is cheaper to fly to a destination, do that to cut your cost , How about you fly to Punta Cana and listen to the employees at the Majestic ask us if we could give them a good review so they will be asked back next season to work to make $200.00 a month. 16 hour days, walk 5 miles to work unless they can hitch a ride due to most buses are full. Stand on the side of the road in the rain for $200.00 a month. So for future reference next time you see all those hidden fees , if you get on that cruise ,smile at those people serving you and say thank you because that is the reason cost has gone up along with that salad you out in your mouth or that steak you eat.

Debiggs,

Thanks.

 

 

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In Texas we have fees just to have a tug boat pull the ship out to sea so we have to fly out of Texas to do NCL because they can not afford to dock here, well along with fog being an issue as well.

 

Never seen a cruise ship need tugs in Texas. Some ports require one (or more) to be available for which you pay via your port fees. NCL sailed seasonally out of the Houston cruise port, this was a "build it and they will come" project, trouble is, they didn't:( So they offered Princess, NCL et al huge incentives to sail out of there. Expenses rose because they needed to carry a Pilot much longer than from Galveston.

 

Eventually the cruise lines fulfilled their commitment (NCL's was, I believe, 75 cruises) then left. Today, the cruise port no longer exists, it is now part of a container facility.

 

If capacity increases in Galveston then we could see more choice, I hope so.

Never seen a cruise ship need tugs in Texas. Some ports require one (or more) to be available for which you pay via your port fees. NCL sailed seasonally out of the Houston cruise port, this was a "build it and they will come" project, trouble is, they didn't:( So they offered Princess, NCL et al huge incentives to sail out of there. Expenses rose because they needed to carry a Pilot much longer than from Galveston.

 

 

 

Eventually the cruise lines fulfilled their commitment (NCL's was, I believe, 75 cruises) then left. Today, the cruise port no longer exists, it is now part of a container facility.

 

 

 

If capacity increases in Galveston then we could see more choice, I hope so.

 

 

 

PS,

I could only hope they go back to Galveston. Problem is I would cruise more and I not sure NCL would like that.

I just got off the Jade a week ago and my companions, first-timers, took a LOT of convincing to pay the 18% for the “free” beverage package. I did a corresponding LOT of math to convince them. And of course by day two or three of our 12-day cruise they were happy they did it. All it takes is a little multiplication based on your usual vacation drinking habits (we all drink more on vacation than in the real world!), and it’s obvious that free-plus-18% is a hell of a deal for unlimited drinks. I never had a single problem with light pours or watered-down anything. I even had to stop a bartender from serving me what was essentially a triple when I ordered straight bourbon (a premium brand too). I didn’t want that much!

 

 

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....Don't move your signature. Are you kidding me . I resent that you were asked to . I took no offense and other's should not either. It's your prerogative , we live in a country that has free speech....... .

 

What are you babbling about? It was suggested that Cheerforbeers might want to move her signature line in to the signature block so it wouldn't be mixed up with her posts and was given helpful advice on how to do that. No one is impinging on her freedom of speech. :rolleyes:

What are you babbling about? It was suggested that Cheerforbeers might want to move her signature line in to the signature block so it wouldn't be mixed up with her posts and was given helpful advice on how to do that. No one is impinging on her freedom of speech. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

Cole,

I’m a he, no offense taken.

Cole,

I’m a he, no offense taken.

 

 

Oops, sorry about that CFB. I got your handle mixed up with another one that had beer in it. :D

I haven’t been on any lines except NCL but I hope to try RCCL, Carnivale, Princess and MSC eventually. For my upcoming January sailing, I priced out MSC and RCCL and Royal was significantly higher. NCL still has the best overall value from my research. The only Way to truly get deals, I find, is if you’re not picky about your dates.

 

One thing I didn’t like about NCL is when they added 18% on top of the room service fee. That’s a fee on a fee, essentially. For things like that, they should make it transparent. Same with the bottled water charge - it should be advertised as an all-in.

 

I think they should be mandated to show all-in charges for things like the UBP but STATE how much of that was “gratuities, taxes, fees, etc”.

 

Also, to save some money, I’m going to remove my daily DSC at the beginning of my next cruise. I will allocate any tips in cash, and only IF I feel they are warranted. As a customer, It is not my responsibility to pay someone else’s wages - I am not the business owner, I’m a customer.

Oops, sorry about that CFB. I got your handle mixed up with another one that had beer in it. :D

 

 

 

Cole,

Nothing wrong with having beer in it. Just happens to be Family last name.

Cole,

Nothing wrong with having beer in it. Just happens to be Family last name.

 

 

Seriously? That might be the coolest last name ever.

Seriously? That might be the coolest last name ever.

 

 

 

Yes seriously. Just a hard name to live up to. LOL.

Priced out against themselves it costs me 30% more than same time/same itinerary/same room category/same promotion as last year. That's quite a dramatic rise in price for me. Since the core product and what I receive are essentially the same or similar, that is a decrease in value. Right now MSC has the value play locked. NCL product is on par with MSC and RCI. I think NCL is a better value than RCI for sure.

 

Prices fluctuate - all cruise line's prices have increased in the last 6-7 due to increased demand. In the mid-2000s prices dropped significantly because of decreased demand. You're not required to cruise, it is a luxury. The nationwide price of a brand new car in 2008 was $28,000. Today it's $33,000. Do new cars offer less value than they did 10 years ago? No, material costs, labor costs, etc have just increased leading to increased prices.

What math is there to do? Pay the full price of the package PLUS the 18% or pay JUST the 18%. Seems a no brainer to most folks.

 

 

Yeah, obvious to you and me, but they wanted specifics. “What if I only have two martinis one day?” It got annoying. Of course on the actual cruise he drank like a fish and didn’t regret a thing! ;)

 

Really, they balked at the 18% at all, because their original plan was to use free at sea to get *internet access*. Pshaw! We’re on vacation!

 

 

 

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