Ncl service goes from bad to worse

[*Wink*]

I think this person is just out to stir things up as they say NCL is to be avoided but check out their signature (if in doubt look at page 1 top) I think it says they are sailing on the Dawn next. I know i'm new to all of this but isn't the Dawn an NCL ship.

 

like so many in the UK at the moment a choclate on the pillow or a glass of bubbly when i board is the least of my worries when there is the possibility of a British Airways cabin crew strike likely to take place on the dates when i have to fly to barcelona to begin our holiday ... chocs, bubbly forget that ... how i do i fly without wings ... and believe me it's a long walk......

I wish you luck with that, logicandsin. Bummer!

[logicandsin]

yeah, real bummer, we have the possibility of flying out at 7.20am with iberia changing at madrid but that means check-in at 4.00am or leaving two days earlier and travel by another method ... train ... as i said it's a long walk.

[Down-Unders]

I just have returned from a cruise (9 Day Canary Islands and Morocco) on Norwegian JADE. The service seems to be going from bad to worse. Now there is no welcome drink which had already replaced the Captain's cocktailduring the cruise. There are no more chocolates on the bedin the evening. Ice is also no longer provided in the Staterooms and the coffee-makers have also been removed.We cannot make coffee or tea. The staff has also been reduced. Following an eventual gastro virus alarm on the previous cruise, a strict disinfectant policy was in force during our cruise. I am of course in favour of disinfectant measures, but in the Garden Café, it was no longer self-service. One had to wait to be served and one also wondered if instructions had been given to try and reduce the portions!

 

Conclusion : Service level is low cost without low-cost prices.NCL has cut down in several areas. NCL is to be avoided.

.AOLWebSuite .AOLPicturesFullSizeLink { height: 1px; width: 1px; overflow: hidden; } .AOLWebSuite a {color:blue; text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer} .AOLWebSuite a.hsSig {cursor: default}

 

 

 

I am worried that NCL now stands for Norweigan Cheapskate Line.

[luddite]

I am worried that NCL now stands for Norweigan Cheapskate Line.

 

If you're really from down-under, you shouldn't have any worries.

Relax, take a HAL cruise.

[ParrothdJH]

I just have returned from a cruise (9 Day Canary Islands and Morocco) on Norwegian JADE. The service seems to be going from bad to worse. Now there is no welcome drink which had already replaced the Captain's cocktail during the cruise. There are no more chocolates on the bed in the evening. Ice is also no longer provided in the Staterooms and the coffee-makers have also been removed. We cannot make coffee or tea. The staff has also been reduced. Following an eventual gastro virus alarm on the previous cruise, a strict disinfectant policy was in force during our cruise. I am of course in favour of disinfectant measures, but in the Garden Café, it was no longer self-service. One had to wait to be served and one also wondered if instructions had been given to try and reduce the portions!

Conclusion : Service level is low cost without low-cost prices. NCL has cut down in several areas. NCL is to be avoided.

.AOLWebSuite .AOLPicturesFullSizeLink { height: 1px; width: 1px; overflow: hidden; } .AOLWebSuite a {color:blue; text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer} .AOLWebSuite a.hsSig {cursor: default}

a welcome drink, chocolates on your pillow, and no coffee maker(I ordered a pot each morning from room service and it was there within 10 mins) . Are these what you classify as bad service? REALLY!!!

[newmexicoNita]

a welcome drink, chocolates on your pillow, and no coffee maker(I ordered a pot each morning from room service and it was there within 10 mins) . Are these what you classify as bad service? REALLY!!!

 

I actually prefer to order. You get an entire pot instead of that little bit of nothing, and it is fun to wake up to someone saying Room Service wearing a smile. Oh, they are usually wearing cloths as well. Because we are early risers (about 7:30am) we order the night before and that call reminding us the coffee is on its way is our alarm. If we are not sure what time we will be getting up we just wait til morning to order.

 

Nita

[yoyocruiser]

Nita, My favorite thing also is getting that wake up call at whatever time I ask it to come--and in three minutes (just time to throw on a robe)--have a pot of ocffee at the door. . .I also ask for some juice and ice water that I then save for the coming day. . .fantastic. And the room service coffee is ten times better than the awful coffee pot stuff. Hey, for those of you who loved it I do feel bad for you (as I really respect coffee traditions)--but room service with a smile is SOOOO much better!

[Dothemath]

I'm about to take my 1st NCL cruise in March. I didn't know you could get a whole pot of coffee from room service! Who the heck wants to get up and MAKE coffee when you can have someone deliver it to your door! Sheesh!

[swedish weave]

Nita, My favorite thing also is getting that wake up call at whatever time I ask it to come--and in three minutes (just time to throw on a robe)--have a pot of ocffee at the door. . .I also ask for some juice and ice water that I then save for the coming day. . .fantastic. And the room service coffee is ten times better than the awful coffee pot stuff. Hey, for those of you who loved it I do feel bad for you (as I really respect coffee traditions)--but room service with a smile is SOOOO much better!

 

Room service should come with a warning : DONT TRY THIS AT HOME. IT COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH !!

 

I called DW on the phone and ordered room service. It didn't work. I expect to be fully recovered in a few weeks !!!:D:D

[Sooners]

Room service should come with a warning : DONT TRY THIS AT HOME. IT COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH !!

 

I called DW on the phone and ordered room service. It didn't work. I expect to be fully recovered in a few weeks !!!:D:D

 

ROTFL...it would take more then a few weeks to be 'fully recovered' if I tried that with my wife!:D

[yoyocruiser]

Dothemath,

Exactly!! I mean it is funny--when I saw the coffee machines I laughed and said, boy is that stupid. No one is going to use a coffee pot. Gee I can make coffee at home. But I am certainly aware now that people feel very strongly about those pots--and I think many true coffee lovers even bring their own coffee from home. But for me--yes--I love to have that full pot right there. Heck, they will bring you two pots if you wish, That is why I don't udnerstand this whole thing. But obviously different people find different things important. Now if they took all the coffee away--now for me that would indeed warrant a panic. But as I see it, coffee is available in the room by room service 24 hours a day. One can get it all day and evening at the buffet, one can order it with any meal, and one can even go to the Blue Lagoon between the hours of midnight and 5 AM (when the buffet is closed) and have coffee (as well as one of thsoe big brownies with ice cream and chocolate sauce and whipped cream--which actually makes any coffee perk up a bit.). All of that is free of charge. Now if you do want the fancy stuff, well then the coffee bar is available for a charge. Now iwth all thsoe options, it's hard for me to cry over coffee makers in the room that made really bad coffee. But still--I do feel bad for thsoe who did enjoy it. But hey, there are still options.

 

By the way, I am jsut two weeks off of my cruise. When I read threads like this one I am really glad I did not read them before my cruise. In fact fact I stayed away purposely from all the downers. I can say honestly that our entire group of seven had a FANTASTIC time. Yea, we missed the glass of cahmpage and the mint on the pillow, but the service was fantastic, the food was great, the options are incredible, and I really think you will have a great time.

 

Just order that pot of coffee each morning and it will make your day!

 

yooyocruiser

[DMH15]

LOL Not only that, most of the time is milk chocolate. I don't eat milk chocolate, only dark, so my bedtime chocolates pile up on my nightstand

 

 

 

I agree with you! Yesterday I went to a movie and my sister had brought in a large bag of Ghiradelli large chocolate chips. Yum! Milk chocolate on my pillow did nothing for me.

[DMH15]

LOL Not only that, most of the time is milk chocolate. I don't eat milk chocolate, only dark, so my bedtime chocolates pile up on my nightstand

 

 

 

I agree with you! Yesterday I went to a movie and my sister had brought in a large bag of Ghiradelli large chocolate chips. Yum! Milk chocolate on my pillow did nothing for me.

[newmexicoNita]

Dothemath,

Exactly!! I mean it is funny--when I saw the coffee machines I laughed and said, boy is that stupid. No one is going to use a coffee pot. Gee I can make coffee at home. But I am certainly aware now that people feel very strongly about those pots--and I think many true coffee lovers even bring their own coffee from home. But for me--yes--I love to have that full pot right there. Heck, they will bring you two pots if you wish, That is why I don't udnerstand this whole thing. But obviously different people find different things important. Now if they took all the coffee away--now for me that would indeed warrant a panic. But as I see it, coffee is available in the room by room service 24 hours a day. One can get it all day and evening at the buffet, one can order it with any meal, and one can even go to the Blue Lagoon between the hours of midnight and 5 AM (when the buffet is closed) and have coffee (as well as one of thsoe big brownies with ice cream and chocolate sauce and whipped cream--which actually makes any coffee perk up a bit.). All of that is free of charge. Now if you do want the fancy stuff, well then the coffee bar is available for a charge. Now iwth all thsoe options, it's hard for me to cry over coffee makers in the room that made really bad coffee. But still--I do feel bad for thsoe who did enjoy it. But hey, there are still options.

 

By the way, I am jsut two weeks off of my cruise. When I read threads like this one I am really glad I did not read them before my cruise. In fact fact I stayed away purposely from all the downers. I can say honestly that our entire group of seven had a FANTASTIC time. Yea, we missed the glass of cahmpage and the mint on the pillow, but the service was fantastic, the food was great, the options are incredible, and I really think you will have a great time.

 

Just order that pot of coffee each morning and it will make your day!

 

yooyocruiser

 

I do realize for some, the coffee pot (that makes only a couple of cups) is a big thing, but they have only been used for about 5 years. The first ship to have them was the Jewel. Then they were added to all ships. Again, I for one could care less. I think there are so much more important things to be worried about. As for the bubbly, yes, Celebrity does offer it and yes, I love it, but to me Celebrity and Ncl are different lines. I truthfully do not want to see NCL try to be something they are not. I have always tought each line caters to a different type of cruiser and that is the way it should be: well let me put it a little differently: I think there are 3 or 4 types of cruise lines within the mass marketed group. I love HAL and I love NCL, but they are very different. I hope they stay that way. this is my feeling and opinion. Others will have totally different opinions which is fine.

 

Nita

[Dothemath]

:D Don't worry yoyo cruiser, as a family that spent their last vacation rough camping on the beach for 10 days, we know that vacation is a "state of mind". As for ice....well on that vacation we had to drive 30 min to the closest store and paid dear for a 20 lb bag about every 3rd day lol! Cruising has never been my favorite type of vacation (too many people in a small space) but my daughters wanted to go. And all those people make for great entertainment!

 

We will have a blast making good memories and later will laugh about any bad!

[klingoncruiser]

 

I personally feel that some of the cut backs are very damaging to NCL's overall business because of the reaction of people such as this OP. I mean in the long run how much does that glass of champage cost and how much does the mint on the pillow cost? So I think some of these cutbacks may indeed backfire and may be more important to people than NCL thought. And perhaps they will make a change..

 

Ya know I once thought that as well. Then I heard the CEO of RCL talk about taking away the chocolate from the pillows. I was shocked. If you take two chocolates per room (average) times the number of days, it is a stunning number. Not only that, but they found that only 40% or less were ever eaten and had to be disposed of. What a monumental waste! The cost over the fleet was also WAY beyond what I would have thought. In these very rough times, I can under stand the move. I don't have to like it, but I can under stand hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings.

[DMH15]

Have you EVER made any positive comments on this board ???

 

 

Swedish weave - amen! Some people just thrive on the negative. And after a while it is just redundant nothingness...

[DMH15]

I actually prefer to order. You get an entire pot instead of that little bit of nothing, and it is fun to wake up to someone saying Room Service wearing a smile. Oh, they are usually wearing cloths as well. Because we are early risers (about 7:30am) we order the night before and that call reminding us the coffee is on its way is our alarm. If we are not sure what time we will be getting up we just wait til morning to order.

 

Nita

 

Really? How totally logical!

[DMH15]

I actually prefer to order. You get an entire pot instead of that little bit of nothing, and it is fun to wake up to someone saying Room Service wearing a smile. Oh, they are usually wearing cloths as well. Because we are early risers (about 7:30am) we order the night before and that call reminding us the coffee is on its way is our alarm. If we are not sure what time we will be getting up we just wait til morning to order.

 

Nita

 

I'm about to take my 1st NCL cruise in March. I didn't know you could get a whole pot of coffee from room service! Who the heck wants to get up and MAKE coffee when you can have someone deliver it to your door! Sheesh!

 

Logical post # 2.

[DMH15]

Room service should come with a warning : DONT TRY THIS AT HOME. IT COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH !!

 

I called DW on the phone and ordered room service. It didn't work. I expect to be fully recovered in a few weeks !!!:D:D

 

One of my favorite childhood memories: my dad was an early riser, so every morning at the same time he brought my mom a cup of coffee and put it on her nightstand and woke her gently with a kiss on the forehead. Now if I could just find a man like "dear old dad".

[SteveH2508]

Nita, My favorite thing also is getting that wake up call at whatever time I ask it to come--and in three minutes (just time to throw on a robe)--have a pot of ocffee at the door. . .I also ask for some juice and ice water that I then save for the coming day. . .fantastic. And the room service coffee is ten times better than the awful coffee pot stuff. Hey, for those of you who loved it I do feel bad for you (as I really respect coffee traditions)--but room service with a smile is SOOOO much better!

 

Agreed completely - the juice is a lot better than than the buffet stuff as well. We always order 4 for the 2 of us but we both need a good caffeine hit first thing!

 

If you do this regularly they get to know your order - one night after a few too many martinis we forgot to order - they rang us and asked if we wanted our usual order! Now that is service.

[halos]

Ok, OP

'NCL is to be avoided'...by YOU.

 

Some of us still love the line, but thanks for posting your view anyway.

[margo51]

Just returned from our Jewel cruise. We ordered room service coffee and juice to be delivered each morning. It's wonderful to wake up to a phone call letting you know that your coffee is on the way. We are somewhat coffee snobs and found the room service coffee to be just fine. We also LOVE the new Lavazza line at the coffee shop. Tried just about every concoction they offered during the week and were in coffee heaven.

 

I guess your cruise will be whatever you make it. We found everything to be great from the service to the food to the entertainment. Go into it expecting to have a good time, don't spend your time looking for things to complain about, and you'll have a wonderful week.

 

Dothemath,

Exactly!! I mean it is funny--when I saw the coffee machines I laughed and said, boy is that stupid. No one is going to use a coffee pot. Gee I can make coffee at home. But I am certainly aware now that people feel very strongly about those pots--and I think many true coffee lovers even bring their own coffee from home. But for me--yes--I love to have that full pot right there. Heck, they will bring you two pots if you wish, That is why I don't udnerstand this whole thing. But obviously different people find different things important. Now if they took all the coffee away--now for me that would indeed warrant a panic. But as I see it, coffee is available in the room by room service 24 hours a day. One can get it all day and evening at the buffet, one can order it with any meal, and one can even go to the Blue Lagoon between the hours of midnight and 5 AM (when the buffet is closed) and have coffee (as well as one of thsoe big brownies with ice cream and chocolate sauce and whipped cream--which actually makes any coffee perk up a bit.). All of that is free of charge. Now if you do want the fancy stuff, well then the coffee bar is available for a charge. Now iwth all thsoe options, it's hard for me to cry over coffee makers in the room that made really bad coffee. But still--I do feel bad for thsoe who did enjoy it. But hey, there are still options.

 

By the way, I am jsut two weeks off of my cruise. When I read threads like this one I am really glad I did not read them before my cruise. In fact fact I stayed away purposely from all the downers. I can say honestly that our entire group of seven had a FANTASTIC time. Yea, we missed the glass of cahmpage and the mint on the pillow, but the service was fantastic, the food was great, the options are incredible, and I really think you will have a great time.

 

Just order that pot of coffee each morning and it will make your day!

 

yooyocruiser

[Oldsweets]

New Mexico

]

I am all for correcting or pointing out errors or misleading statements and would fully agree that when the virus hits the level of service changes and I am glad that it does. Having said that I will respect that someone else make not like it and say so.

 

Secondly, I didn't realize that I said that NCL wasn't having latitude party's? I don't think that NCL doesn't have Latitude Receptions and didn't say that they didn't as I know for a FACT they do as I attend them 4 or 5 times a year. What I attempted to say was that I thought the blogger was attempting to say was at one point NCL had a Captains Party that every guest was invited "regardless" of the fact if they had been a past guest. The point I thought the blogger was making was that NCL did away with the Captains Reception (all guests) and replaced it with champagne upon boarding and now that is also going away.

 

I am a regular long time NCL Platimum cruiser and while I can and do enjoy NCL I don't agree with all the changes and it may be that at some point as a result I won't cruise with them. This debate sometimes puts the process NCL is undergoing into a better understanding for me and other times tells me that NCL is missing the mark. I guess what I am saying is if someone doesn't like changes they can express themselves with words or take the money someplace else. Taking the vacation money from NCL and spending it on a land vacation or another Cruise line is not good for NCL. I say let the NCL customers tell us and NCL what they think and NCL can make a business decision.

[LadyBerard]

I just returned from Explorer of the Seas on 1/24. Ice was always provided......morning and evening. They too have stopped chocolates on the pillows though. No biggie. Also, there are no longer amenities in the bathroom unless in a junior suite or higher. Cutbacks are on many lines....as prices are ridiculously low.