Just off the Gem - what a difference two years makes!!

[defreeze]

I sailed on the NCL Gem in January 2008, and just got off the ship today after a 10 day sailing to the Caribbean.

 

Here are the differences I noticed since the 2008 cruise on the Gem.

 

No welcome aboard champagne.

No free cappucino/espresso machine in buffet area.

Charge for cappucino/espresso in dining rooms.

No more self-service laundromats.

No 2 for 1 offers at the specialty restaurants.

La Cuccina and Tequila were free - now they cost $10.

More expensive cover charges for Le Bistro, Orchid Garden, Sushi, Teppenyaki, Cagney's.

No chocolates on the pillows at night.

No free movies on the TV.

Fewer TV channels.

No murder mystery dinner.

Fewer outdoor barbecues.

No back deck Oktoberfest.

More expensive drinks.

[LOWTYD]

Well, so much for getting better with time:o. Was there anything new or improved?

[pixiedustdawn]

I sailed on the NCL Gem in January 2008, and just got off the ship today after a 10 day sailing to the Caribbean.

 

Here are the differences I noticed since the 2008 cruise on the Gem.

 

No welcome aboard champagne.

No free cappucino/espresso machine in buffet area.

Charge for cappucino/espresso in dining rooms.

No more self-service laundromats.

No 2 for 1 offers at the specialty restaurants.

La Cuccina and Tequila were free - now they cost $10.

More expensive cover charges for Le Bistro, Orchid Garden, Sushi, Teppenyaki, Cagney's.

No chocolates on the pillows at night.

No free movies on the TV.

Fewer TV channels.

No murder mystery dinner.

Fewer outdoor barbecues.

No back deck Oktoberfest.

More expensive drinks.

Thanks for the list, it seems as though NCL is going through many changes. Most of the changes you mentioned did happen a while ago, and others probably right as you boarded for your cruise.

 

I was on for New Years and they still had the expresso/cappuccino machines in the buffet. The one night sailing 1/2/10 said they were gone when they boarded.

 

Hope you enjoyed your cruise regardless of the changes.

[DMAB]

If NCL is making all of those obvious to the customer cuts, you just know they are making cuts that won't be immediately obvious to us.

 

Was the general level of service down?

 

I would expect them to be trying to drain an some extra blood out of each crewman. A bigger workload for each crewman would eventually cause a lower level of service.for the luxuries, like food, that they still provide.

[coka]

Welcome back from your cruise and thanks for posting the list of changes. I just finished reading a long thread about the changes. I am curious...was your cruise cost more or less than two years ago? That is, if you sailed the same length and same category cabin. I find I am paying less on sailings than I did two years ago. Also, did the changes impact your enjoyment? Will you continue to sail with NCL or were the changes enough of a downer to make you look elsewhere?

 

coka

[defreeze]

I had a great cruise. Truth be told, the changes didn't bother me a whole lot, but a number of my traveling companions (there were 10 of us) were annoyed at the price increases and cutbacks.

 

As for cruise price, I would say the price was comparable to two years ago, so I guess this is accounting for inflation (and the bad economy). Still, it seemed that every day, one of our group would mention, "Hey, they got rid of . . . " or "Hey, they are now charging for . . .", so i decided to make a list.

 

We also noticed that the service was no where near as good as it used to be. Room stewards took a very long time to clean rooms in the morning, forgot beach towels on numerous occasions, forgot to refill the tissue box, didn't deliver the Freestyle Daily. All little stuff, but noticeable.

 

Most noticeable was the service in the dining rooms (and the specialty restaurants). It was rare for a server to ask how our day was, or to otherwise chat with us. Nor, if I didn't eat my entree, would they ask what was wrong or if they could get me something else. They seemed a bit de-sprited.

 

As for the specialty restaurants, Le Bistro and Teppenyaki were well worth it - the others, I would have preferred eating in the dining room rather than incur the additional charge.

[pixiedustdawn]

I had a great cruise. Truth be told, the changes didn't bother me a whole lot, but a number of my traveling companions (there were 10 of us) were annoyed at the price increases and cutbacks.

 

As for cruise price, I would say the price was comparable to two years ago, so I guess this is accounting for inflation (and the bad economy). Still, it seemed that every day, one of our group would mention, "Hey, they got rid of . . . " or "They are now charging for . . .", so i decided to make a list.

 

We also noticed that the service was no where near as good as it used to be. Room stewards took a very long time to clean rooms in the morning, forgot beach towels on numberous occasions, forgot to refill the tissue box, didn't deliver the Freestyle Daily. All little stuff, but noticeable.

 

Most noticeable was the service in the dining rooms (and the specialty restaurants). It was rare for a server to ask how our day was, or to otherwise chat with us. Nor, if I didn't eat my entree, would they ask what was wrong or if they could get me something else. They seemed a it de-sprited.

 

As for the specialty restaurants, Le Bistro and Teppenyaki were well worth it - the others, I would have preferred eating in the dining room rather than incur the additional charge.

I cruise quite often and noticed this on all the ships, not just NCL.

 

I am happy to hear either way you still enjoyed your cruise and didn't let the changes bother you.

[EileenN]

I can't help but be amazed by the reaction to these cuts and/or extra charges. Where I live, strip malls are half empty and major chain stores are closing some or all of their businesses. Restaurants are offering 1/2 off on quiet days and giving much less volume and lower quality. Sodas in restaurants have gone up and refill are sometimes not free. Unemployment is a major issue and foreclosures are in all the papers. Huge companies, like AT&T, Ortho and J & J companies are laying off people weekly.

Where the heck have many of you been?

I would suggest NCL is trying to stay "afloat" with many large businesses in the same situation. It seems that they are trying not to raise the cruising prices too much. I noticed a change in the third person rate. I am not the least bit surprised but hopeful that if things get better for us all that they will reinstate some of the perks when it is affordable. We usually go on vacation to get away from our problems, but how is that going to happen when states like California are going bankrupt. It is all around us and complaining is not going to take it away.

Perhaps we can share some ways to cut corners so that we are able to afford some of the nice things we enjoy.

My parents were young adults during the great depression and we are lucky it has not gotten that bad for us. They made it and so will we. We are still sailing and have two cruiss booked for this year. I intend to have a great time and not let these things make it a bad vacation. I am happy that you enjoyed yours. That is the way to look at it from my view. What do you think? Hope I have not offended anyone.

[pixiedustdawn]

Welcome back from your cruise and thanks for posting the list of changes. I just finished reading a long thread about the changes. I am curious...was your cruise cost more or less than two years ago? That is, if you sailed the same length and same category cabin. I find I am paying less on sailings than I did two years ago. Also, did the changes impact your enjoyment? Will you continue to sail with NCL or were the changes enough of a downer to make you look elsewhere?

 

coka

 

I have to say this is the reason why more than half my vacations are cruises.

 

I find it cheaper than flying somewhere for a week and having to pay for a good quality hotel and pay extra for turn down service, pay extra for room service (each item priced ala carte) More money, if we want some kind of entertainment, meals other than room service, etc.

 

I like the idea of paying most of my vacation up front and knowing if I want to do extra I can.

[coka]

Thank you Defreeze for your reply. EileenN, I very much agree with your post.

 

Throughout all of the discussions on the boards lately, I wonder the impact on the staff morale. The employee/passenger interaction and treatment does not cost a nickel (so to speak) when it comes to "how was your day, how is everything going, are you enjoying the cruise, we hope to see you onboard again, etc." I understand all the cuts/changes in this economic time and I sincerely hope the non cost items such as human interaction mentioned above remain consistenly high as I feel that is one of the things NCL is well known for (in comparison to the other lines). Just my opinion.

 

coka

[antsnanny]

I can't help but be amazed by the reaction to these cuts and/or extra charges. Where I live, strip malls are half empty and major chain stores are closing some or all of their businesses. Restaurants are offering 1/2 off on quiet days and giving much less volume and lower quality. Sodas in restaurants have gone up and refill are sometimes not free. Unemployment is a major issue and foreclosures are in all the papers. Huge companies, like AT&T, Ortho and J & J companies are laying off people weekly.

Where the heck have many of you been?

I would suggest NCL is trying to stay "afloat" with many large businesses in the same situation. It seems that they are trying not to raise the cruising prices too much. I noticed a change in the third person rate. I am not the least bit surprised but hopeful that if things get better for us all that they will reinstate some of the perks when it is affordable. We usually go on vacation to get away from our problems, but how is that going to happen when states like California are going bankrupt. It is all around us and complaining is not going to take it away.

Perhaps we can share some ways to cut corners so that we are able to afford some of the nice things we enjoy.

My parents were young adults during the great depression and we are lucky it has not gotten that bad for us. They made it and so will we. We are still sailing and have two cruiss booked for this year. I intend to have a great time and not let these things make it a bad vacation. I am happy that you enjoyed yours. That is the way to look at it from my view. What do you think? Hope I have not offended anyone.

 

I totally agree !!!!

[EileenN]

Coka, I agree whole heartedly about the quality of human interaction. We have cruised almost exclusively NCL for several reasons. One is definitely the personality and courtesy of the crew.

I imagine they are also feeling the effects of the economy at home and hearing about from family members and are unable to do much more to make it better. When we were on the Dawn for the repo, I was amazed by the number of people who were in line to readjust their customer service fees (tips) and were freely talking about it. They were no complaining about the service but were talking about how to cut costs. I guess the staff are feeling the results too. Thank you Antsnanny. So many negative posts about things that can't be easily avoided. And not too many suggestions for solutions.

 

My dad used to say: Why are there so few horses and so many horses' =sses."

[hamrag]

We also noticed that the service was no where near as good as it used to be. Room stewards took a very long time to clean rooms in the morning, forgot beach towels on numerous occasions, forgot to refill the tissue box, didn't deliver the Freestyle Daily. All little stuff, but noticeable.

 

Most noticeable was the service in the dining rooms (and the specialty restaurants). It was rare for a server to ask how our day was, or to otherwise chat with us. Nor, if I didn't eat my entree, would they ask what was wrong or if they could get me something else. They seemed a bit de-sprited.

 

This is disappointing, especially as the other thing that has changed (which you didn't list), is that the auto-tip has increased from $10pppd to $12pppd. Seems a bit rich for charge to have increased, when service levels have decreased to that extent.

[sparks1093]

I suspect a lot of people are concerned that the changes will become permanent once the economy turns around. I'm just thankful that NCL is willing to feed my 5 boys so inexpensively:D.

[coka]

EileenN, you asked for suggestions and I have been thinking. Some staff could still line up and greet passengers onboard minus the champagne. Some could offer an escort to new cruisers to their cabin. Maybe there could be a new thread on suggestions for getting creative without NCL having an increase in their operating costs...!

 

coka

[stegosaurus1]

everywhere, when we were on the Dawn repo too. In addition to having a lot of Majesty staff on board the ship and having to learn a new boat (causing slow service all over the ship}, we did find out from our cabin attendants that they had more cabins to take care of then they had a few months ago. I believe all of these changes are the company adjusting to the economic times. We're all going to have to ask the question. Does this make a difference? I for one enjoyed the expresso and cap. coffees. But on my Jan 24-10 day cruise I'm not going to pay for any. Barb

[NYcruzzer]

Defreeze, Thank you for taking the time to let us know a little bit about the changes. You mentioned that the surcharge for some of the pay restaurants has increased. Do you know what the new fees are? Also you mentions that there were no 2 for 1 specials. Were the specialty restaurants busy during peak times ?

[RocklandCruiser]

 

Here are the differences I noticed since the 2008 cruise on the Gem.

 

No welcome aboard champagne.

No free cappuccino/espresso machine in buffet area.

Charge for cappucino/espresso in dining rooms.

No more self-service laundromats.

No 2 for 1 offers at the specialty restaurants.

La Cuccina and Tequila were free - now they cost $10.

More expensive cover charges for Le Bistro, Orchid Garden, Sushi, Teppenyaki, Cagney's.

No chocolates on the pillows at night.

No free movies on the TV.

Fewer TV channels.

No murder mystery dinner.

Fewer outdoor barbecues.

No back deck Oktoberfest.

More expensive drinks.

 

defreeze, are you sure about all of those differences since 2008?

I was on the Gem in early March 2008 and there was no self-service laundry, no free movies on TV, only a couple of TV channels, no Oktoberfest, and no murder mystery dinner. In March 2008, La Cucina and Tequila were not free, they were $10 and the only 2 for 1's were at Tequila from 5-6:30PM.

This was also true for my Gem cruise March 2009, the only thing different was no chocolates (I don't miss those).

However, my AF mini-suite was $200+ more per person in 2008 than my upcoming Gem cruise next month. I would definitely rather pay the $400+ less for our cruise.

I am sad about the no champagne, though. It was a nice way to start the cruise. I will miss it, but it certainly will not ruin my cruise!

[Sooners]

I can't help but be amazed by the reaction to these cuts and/or extra charges. Where I live, strip malls are half empty and major chain stores are closing some or all of their businesses. Restaurants are offering 1/2 off on quiet days and giving much less volume and lower quality. Sodas in restaurants have gone up and refill are sometimes not free. Unemployment is a major issue and foreclosures are in all the papers. Huge companies, like AT&T, Ortho and J & J companies are laying off people weekly.

Where the heck have many of you been?

I would suggest NCL is trying to stay "afloat" with many large businesses in the same situation. It seems that they are trying not to raise the cruising prices too much. I noticed a change in the third person rate. I am not the least bit surprised but hopeful that if things get better for us all that they will reinstate some of the perks when it is affordable. We usually go on vacation to get away from our problems, but how is that going to happen when states like California are going bankrupt. It is all around us and complaining is not going to take it away.

Perhaps we can share some ways to cut corners so that we are able to afford some of the nice things we enjoy.

My parents were young adults during the great depression and we are lucky it has not gotten that bad for us. They made it and so will we. We are still sailing and have two cruiss booked for this year. I intend to have a great time and not let these things make it a bad vacation. I am happy that you enjoyed yours. That is the way to look at it from my view. What do you think? Hope I have not offended anyone.

 

Great post, totally agree!!!

[CharismaticWoman]

I can't help but be amazed by the reaction to these cuts and/or extra charges. Where I live, strip malls are half empty and major chain stores are closing some or all of their businesses. Restaurants are offering 1/2 off on quiet days and giving much less volume and lower quality. Sodas in restaurants have gone up and refill are sometimes not free. Unemployment is a major issue and foreclosures are in all the papers. Huge companies, like AT&T, Ortho and J & J companies are laying off people weekly.

Where the heck have many of you been?

I would suggest NCL is trying to stay "afloat" with many large businesses in the same situation. It seems that they are trying not to raise the cruising prices too much. I noticed a change in the third person rate. I am not the least bit surprised but hopeful that if things get better for us all that they will reinstate some of the perks when it is affordable. We usually go on vacation to get away from our problems, but how is that going to happen when states like California are going bankrupt. It is all around us and complaining is not going to take it away.

Perhaps we can share some ways to cut corners so that we are able to afford some of the nice things we enjoy.

My parents were young adults during the great depression and we are lucky it has not gotten that bad for us. They made it and so will we. We are still sailing and have two cruiss booked for this year. I intend to have a great time and not let these things make it a bad vacation. I am happy that you enjoyed yours. That is the way to look at it from my view. What do you think? Hope I have not offended anyone.

 

I agree with your statement, but I guess for me I do not feel like the prices of the cruise itself has come down to bring in more guest. For example the places that are offering 2for1 meals or buy one get one free, this is surely a sign of the times. All I see an hear about NCL is what they are no longer offering. I'd be glad to give up the chocolate on the pillow, coffee in the room, hell, I'd be glad to give up the room stewards coming in and cleaning up everyday if the price was right (I may be alone on that one).

 

Most of us are suffering right now, the big businesses, small ones and even the consumer. My trip on the NCL Pearl was wonderful, with the exception of the staff and most of the entertainment. I'm a bit worried about what it will be like on the Spirit, but willing to give it another chance. I feel like if I should expect less once I'm on board, or expect to pay extra for everything on board, then the price to get on board should be cheaper. Say what you will, but I can surely book a room at a Hotel somewhere and eat 3-meals for less than $225 a day for me and the DH. The entertainment on the Pearl was worth about $10.00, with the exception of Sharkbait. Loved them!!

 

Excuse my spelling - I didn't check it :)

[BikerAl]

This is disappointing, especially as the other thing that has changed (which you didn't list), is that the auto-tip has increased from $10pppd to $12pppd. Seems a bit rich for charge to have increased, when service levels have decreased to that extent.

 

Please do not take the word of the negative posters, unless you are willing to take the word of us who have recently cruised on NCL, and found the service to be excellent, friendly and everything we wished for. An increase of $14 per person for a 7 day cruise is not out of line, and in my opinion most deserved.

 

I would also like the OP to post the increases to the specialty restaurant prices she experienced. To my knowledge, only Le Bistro went up/

 

Al

[CharismaticWoman]

Please do not take the word of the negative posters, unless you are willing to take the word of us who have recently cruised on NCL, and found the service to be excellent, friendly and everything we wished for. An increase of $14 per person for a 7 day cruise is not out of line, and in my opinion most deserved.

 

I would also like the OP to post the increases to the specialty restaurant prices she experienced. To my knowledge, only Le Bistro went up/

 

Al

 

$14???? It was $12 in October. Has it really gone up to $14? I need to check my documents, I did not realize that it had changed.

 

I know a lot of people want to believe that cruising is cheap, but it's not. A little here, a little there adds up, trust me. And while I'm not saying that cruise lines should never raise prices (nor am I saying that they don't deserve it), $2 here and there to you might not seem like much, but when you add in everything else, to others it might.

[njhorseman]

defreeze, are you sure about all of those differences since 2008?

I was on the Gem in early March 2008 and there was no self-service laundry, no free movies on TV, only a couple of TV channels, no Oktoberfest, and no murder mystery dinner. In March 2008, La Cucina and Tequila were not free, they were $10 and the only 2 for 1's were at Tequila from 5-6:30PM.

This was also true for my Gem cruise March 2009, the only thing different was no chocolates (I don't miss those).

However, my AF mini-suite was $200+ more per person in 2008 than my upcoming Gem cruise next month. I would definitely rather pay the $400+ less for our cruise.

I am sad about the no champagne, though. It was a nice way to start the cruise. I will miss it, but it certainly will not ruin my cruise!

 

 

I have to disagree with you about a couple of items:

 

The self sevice laundry rooms on the Gem were not closed closed until the start of its 2009 NY winter cruise season. I remember the HD, Prem, telling me the Gem was the last ship to have them shut down.

 

There definitely was an Oktoberfest in the Great Outdoors buffet on our March, 2009 cruise.

[njhorseman]

$14???? It was $12 in October. Has it really gone up to $14? I need to check my documents, I did not realize that it had changed.

 

I know a lot of people want to believe that cruising is cheap, but it's not. A little here, a little there adds up, trust me. And while I'm not saying that cruise lines should never raise prices (nor am I saying that they don't deserve it), $2 here and there to you might not seem like much, but when you add in everything else, to others it might.

 

You misunderstood the post you were replying to. He was talking about a $14 increase per person for the week...which was what happened when the DSC was increased from $10 to 12 per day some time ago. The DSC has not changed again.

[BikerAl]

You misunderstood the post you were replying to. He was talking about a $14 increase per person for the week...which was what happened when the DSC was increased from $10 to 12 per day some time ago. The DSC has not changed again.

 

Yup :)

 

Al