Gem (NCL) heading in wrong direction...

[Jerseyboy1]

i think Celebrity still does...

 

Nita

 

Ok...it has been a couple years since I cruised with Celebrity, but I do remember the bubbly and was even surprised when we were offered it on NCL in 2008. Like I said before, to me it is just "classy"....silly me:rolleyes: Anyway I hope some lines are still doing it.

[halos]

Considering the economy and current fuel prices if that list of 4 changes is the worst you can come up with I can certainly live with them. In fact they will have no real impact on the overall enjoyment of my next cruise.

Now if they start cutting headcount, dramaticly reducing the food budget, raising drink prices again, and adding back the fuel surcharge then we have 4 items on a list that would make me very concerned.

 

Agree

 

On the other hand, cruise prices are a great value now compared with past decades, more than compensating for these minor changes.

Agree again.

 

As soon as I feel that I'm not getting my money's worth, whether it's cruising or dining out or whatever, then I start looking at alternatives. Until then I realize that change happens and I go with the flow.

AMEN to that!

[newmexicoNita]

Ok...it has been a couple years since I cruised with Celebrity, but I do remember the bubbly and was even surprised when we were offered it on NCL in 2008. Like I said before, to me it is just "classy"....silly me:rolleyes: Anyway I hope some lines are still doing it.

 

I admit, it was nice..I just think some are making too much out of this...

 

Nita

[STARFISH*4]

its called cut-backs and changing times and the economy and the way things are headed...just not with cruiselines, but with everything...so far none of these things or lack of now will keep me from cruising...still most affordable and FUN way to travel

 

i wont miss the bubbly always gave to hubby who couldnt care one way or the other

neither of us drink the caps or expressos

i have a fridg full of the chocolates...never eat them and they been gone for awhile now...dont miss them

plenty to eat FREE in the MDRs/buffet and 23 hr (Blue Lagoon)

 

what will make me LOOK elsewhere or for alternatives is when it quits being AFFORDABLE and FUN...

just returned from ONE OF THE BEST CRUISES so far for us...Panama Canal and taking another in little over 2 weeks and planning MORE for the end of the year....I LOVE CRUISING and i LOVE the FREE-STYLE of NCL:)

[DAGVBSB]

....and I'm not talking about the direction the ship is sailing, either!! :p

 

So far this is what I've learned recently about NCL:

 

1. They eliminated the welcome aboard glass of champagne

 

2. They eliminated the complimentary cappuccino/espresso in the buffet

 

3. They eliminated the lovely little chocolates on your pillows at night

 

4. They INCREASED the fee for some (all?) specialty restaurants

 

 

 

Let's see, I don't drink alcohol, I don't like expresso or cappuccino and I go to the specialty restaurants once or twice at most on a cruise.

 

I much prefer the elmination of those "extras" which not everyone partakes in than for them to raise their rates for everyone. If you want specialty drinks or alcohol or if you want to go to a specialty restaurant, then that person should pay for it themselves and not force the rest of us to have to pay it.

 

Great cost cutting moves by NCL. A way to help cover higher costs without raising fares and only hitting those that partake in those extras.

[roger001]

Great cost cutting moves by NCL. A way to help cover higher costs without raising fares and only hitting those that partake in those extras.

 

I'm not really sure. This marketing strategy and the audience that they wish to target may make this economy measure pay off....but when marketing, you must remember the old saying....

"penny wise and pound foolish".

[antsnanny]

I admit, it was nice..I just think some are making too much out of this...

 

Nita

 

Nita, I totally agree with you! Give them a break maybe its just the way there dealing with the recession.

[Duff Man]

....and I'm not talking about the direction the ship is sailing, either!! :p

 

So far this is what I've learned recently about NCL:

 

1. They eliminated the welcome aboard glass of champagne

 

2. They eliminated the complimentary cappuccino/espresso in the buffet

 

3. They eliminated the lovely little chocolates on your pillows at night

 

4. They INCREASED the fee for some (all?) specialty restaurants

 

 

I don't know how I could possibly enjoy my cruise vacation. :rolleyes:

 

And I did think this thread was about the ship heading the wrong direction! :D

[*Wink*]

What???

 

No Champaccino? evil.

[cruzndiz]

To an earlier poster: Trust me when I say you don't have to be a "newbie" to raise hackles when you say something slightly negative.

 

To everyone else: I was just making some observations. If you had read my ENTIRE post, you would see that I LOVED my last NCL cruise and booked again ONLY BECAUSE they put out such a great product/experience my last time.

 

Will the lack of those 4 things I mentioned keep me from cruising NCL?? Hell No! I don't even drink coffee; my husband always steals the chocolates because he goes to bed while I'm still in the casino; I never go to the specialty restaurants because I live in New York and we have the best restaurants in the world right here so there is no need for me to pay additional $$ on top of what I've already paid when I'm on vacation; the welcome aboard champers was cheap $5/bottle stuff that I wouldn't drink anyway.

 

The fact is that NOTHING, EVER ruins a cruise for me. I am a super hyper, bubbly cheerleader type (anyone who knows me from the boards can attest to that) who keeps everyone else's spirits up!

 

And yes, there were a lot of negative BAHAMAS reviews which are the only ones I read because that is where I am going. I don't care if a bunch of people had a really really really great time on a 1 night CTN! If your idea of a "cruise" is 2 days floating off the New York coastline then our opinions on almost any subject matter will probably not be similar.

 

So, anyway, I'm happy to have sparked so much discussion over a casual observation ;) Now if I could only get my roll call to be this active!

[islandgirlejfan]

To an earlier poster: Trust me when I say you don't have to be a "newbie" to raise hackles when you say something slightly negative.

 

To everyone else: I was just making some observations. If you had read my ENTIRE post, you would see that I LOVED my last NCL cruise and booked again ONLY BECAUSE they put out such a great product/experience my last time.

 

Will the lack of those 4 things I mentioned keep me from cruising NCL?? Hell No! I don't even drink coffee; my husband always steals the chocolates because he goes to bed while I'm still in the casino; I never go to the specialty restaurants because I live in New York and we have the best restaurants in the world right here so there is no need for me to pay additional $$ on top of what I've already paid when I'm on vacation; the welcome aboard champers was cheap $5/bottle stuff that I wouldn't drink anyway.

 

The fact is that NOTHING, EVER ruins a cruise for me. I am a super hyper, bubbly cheerleader type (anyone who knows me from the boards can attest to that) who keeps everyone else's spirits up!

 

And yes, there were a lot of negative BAHAMAS reviews which are the only ones I read because that is where I am going. I don't care if a bunch of people had a really really really great time on a 1 night CTN! If your idea of a "cruise" is 2 days floating off the New York coastline then our opinions on almost any subject matter will probably not be similar.

 

So, anyway, I'm happy to have sparked so much discussion over a casual observation ;) Now if I could only get my roll call to be this active!

 

 

The name of this site is Cruise Critic not Cruise Comformity and there are some that forget that.

 

You had a very active roll call when we went to the Bahamas and I thought I was a cheerleader...oh, ha...you got me beat! :D I'd say both of us are very positive, especially when it comes to cruising.

 

I firmly believe in the *Pennywise, pound foolish* comment. I love NCL, I really do...but my email box is filled with other options lately and the prices I am getting are attractive enough to make me think a little more about jumping ship so to speak (yes, I know!!:p). The little things they do make it memorable. It's kind of like the reason Ikea has a ballroom...you might think that it's so parents can shop with ease, but in actuality they are grooming a future customer...in a time where there are many choices to cruise, are these wise moves they are making? If it's ordinary you want, there are other choices.

[jaja]

 

I firmly believe in the *Pennywise, pound foolish* comment. I love NCL, I really do...but my email box is filled with other options lately and the prices I am getting are attractive enough to make me think a little more about jumping ship so to speak (yes, I know!!:p). The little things they do make it memorable. It's kind of like the reason Ikea has a ballroom...you might think that it's so parents can shop with ease, but in actuality they are grooming a future customer...in a time where there are many choices to cruise, are these wise moves they are making? If it's ordinary you want, there are other choices.

 

 

Well said !;)

[AFT_LOVER]

12/6 on Jewel we had champagne welcome, we had chocolates, free cappucino, latte, espresso machines at all buffets and specialty prices were the same as last year on Jewel, just no BOGO meal on sea days. Fabulous ship!

 

I don't know how I could possibly enjoy my cruise vacation. :rolleyes:

 

And I did think this thread was about the ship heading the wrong direction! :D

[DAGVBSB]

I've said it before and I will say it again.... when I look for a cruise, I look for the best price, the itinerary that I want/like and most important the value for the money. Whether or not there are mints on my pillow at night will not weigh in my decision whether to take that cruise or not. In this financial period, I can do without all the fancy extras if it will help keep the overall cost affordable. After all, the overall cost is more likely to weigh into a decision for a cruise than the little extras.

 

Those little extras cost the cruise lines a lot of money. One of the larger costs for hotels are the little bottles of shampoo that they put in rooms. Look for those to get smaller or, in some cases, disappear. The mints, glass of champaigne, etc. alone may not be much, but when you multiply that by 3000 it is alot. Now multiply that by 52 weeks and you will see a major cost for cruise lines.

[hamrag]

It is about profit and profit is about marketing. If the first 3 items are true, the first is less than a dollar of cost pp to NCL, the second could be as much as $5 pp if frequently used on a 7 day cruise, the last less than $2 pp on a 7 day cruise. For the postitve influence these and similar type of small gestures have on the customers' memories of the cruise and company, smart marketing would not only continue with these, but would look for other small inexpensive gestures that give most customers a very positive image of NCL as a customer focused cruise line. Then these gestures' costs could easily be passed on to the customer in the form of a total cruise package price increase of maybe $15. It would be such a small percentage as to not even be recognized by the customer. I'm sure NCL has a smart marketing staff, but sometimes saving a very small amount can have much larger deminishing overall returns. True not just for NCL but most service companies.

 

Whilst none of the 4 things are any big deal for me, I agree with you absolutely that the positive impact of these things are significant in the minds of many and NCL have been unwise in that regard.

[newmexicoNita]

I've said it before and I will say it again.... when I look for a cruise, I look for the best price, the itinerary that I want/like and most important the value for the money. Whether or not there are mints on my pillow at night will not weigh in my decision whether to take that cruise or not. In this financial period, I can do without all the fancy extras if it will help keep the overall cost affordable. After all, the overall cost is more likely to weigh into a decision for a cruise than the little extras.

 

Those little extras cost the cruise lines a lot of money. One of the larger costs for hotels are the little bottles of shampoo that they put in rooms. Look for those to get smaller or, in some cases, disappear. The mints, glass of champaigne, etc. alone may not be much, but when you multiply that by 3000 it is alot. Now multiply that by 52 weeks and you will see a major cost for cruise lines.

 

I am glad you get the entire picture. We book the same way as you. I will admit, if everything is equal or almost so, I will go with NCL, just habit and comfort, but everything enters into the picture, everything like price, itinerary and the particular ship. Little things that seem to only cost a few cents can add up: .10 for a glass of bubbly, but what about the time washing the glasses, the breakage of glasses and the swiping of them for that matter: what about other things related to that little cheap old glass? It just isn't as simple as it sounds...

 

Nita

[ShedQueen77]

I jumped ship from Carnival to NCL because the price was right. These minor "cutbacks" aren't just on NCL Trust me, it's happening on Carnival too.

 

I'd rather lose the chocolates and champagne than lose the quality of service I receive in the form of staff cuts in order for the company to save money.

[cruzndiz]

Hey sweetie I've been dying to hear about your December cruise..... I know you were really looking forward to it!!

 

I know this has nothing to do with this thread but I figured you might check back after your post ;)

[islandgirlejfan]

Hey sweetie I've been dying to hear about your December cruise..... I know you were really looking forward to it!!

 

I know this has nothing to do with this thread but I figured you might check back after your post ;)

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=61001 (one in the review area)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1106164&highlight=

(Forum thread)

 

We had a lot of fun and bought a future cruise credit....I have to be honest though, I got two emails yesterday that have me thinking about other cruise lines. Thankfully, we have four years to use this one! :D

[PimpDaddy2Kool]

I jumped ship from Carnival to NCL because the price was right. These minor "cutbacks" aren't just on NCL Trust me, it's happening on Carnival too.

 

I'd rather lose the chocolates and champagne than lose the quality of service I receive in the form of staff cuts in order for the company to save money.

 

Agreed 100%. Besides...are you really missing that much? It's not as if you were getting Krug and La Masion du Chocolate.

[ShedQueen77]

Agreed 100%. Besides...are you really missing that much? It's not as if you were getting Krug and La Masion du Chocolate.

 

No kidding! More like Hershey's and Mad Dog 20/20! lol

[newmexicoNita]

No kidding! More like Hershey's and Mad Dog 20/20! lol

 

Oh, now you ruined it, I always thought it was the best imported that was produced..

 

NIta LOL

[ShedQueen77]

Oh, now you ruined it, I always thought it was the best imported that was produced..

 

NIta LOL

 

Sorry to steal your sunshine! :D

[Stillfloatin']

I understand and can deal with these minor cost-cutting changes, but the recent changes to the CAS program will be significant with respect to my bottom line. Frankly, Freestyle and CAS are the two reasons I cruise NCL and now, with other lines instituting their variations on Freestyle, and with a significant reduction in CAS benefits, NCL is losing its edge for me.

[Monaco02]

I understand and can deal with these minor cost-cutting changes' date=' but the recent changes to the CAS program will be significant with respect to my bottom line. Frankly, Freestyle and CAS are the two reasons I cruise NCL and now, with other lines instituting their variations on Freestyle, and with a significant reduction in CAS benefits, NCL is losing its edge for me.[/quote']

 

I feel the same way. CAS is the main reason we cruise with NCL. The discount, drink card and priority embarkation is very nice! We've experienced anytime dining on HAL and Princess and found no difference between them and NCL main dining room as far as dining when you want, table for 2, etc. So, if CAS's new point system adversely effects our ability to get a discount we will be less inclined to continue to sail with NCL.