EXTRA FEE RESTAURANTS - Going to Far!

[ok4uni2cruz]

Has Norwegian gone too far with 10 extra fee restaurants on the Epic?

All the extras are getting out of hand! Have you read about Norwegian Epic? Ridiculous:cool: 10 restaurants that cost extra... Plus they have special areas that you are allowed to go ONLY if you purchased a specific room. Private areas basically for the "upper class" only. What the hell, are we living in the 1910's again, where we have to seperate classes to avoid being around people that are not just like us? Huge THUMBS DOWN for Norwegian on this one!

Royal Caribbean is doing the same thing! I sure hope other lines dont follow suit. What ever happen to all inclusive???

[6rugrats]

Most cruiselines have never been all inclusive. No one forces you to eat at these restaurants; simply don't go there if you don't want to pay for them. Many lines have areas that are reserved for people who have booked particular rooms. This is not a big issue for me. If I didn't like it, I'd book on another line that had policies I liked better.

[PennyAgain]

With cruise prices so low, they have to make a profit on something! No forces you do go to the extra charge restaurants but likely you will do so because they are much better than the MDR.

[cb at sea]

As long as folks are willing to pay for 'better' food, the cruiselines will put more and more and more "pay" restaurants onboard.

 

The problem is, they "downgrade" the included food so much that folks WANT something better to eat for a full week!

[Chi Diva]

I agree somewhat with the OP.

 

With regard to the restaurants, choosing to utilize them or not has nothing to do with the cabin you booked. I am sure lots of cruisers enjoy the choice.

 

I am uncomfortable, though, with areas of the ship being exclusive to certain cabin categories. I cannot afford suites and penthouses, so I will never have an opportunity to indulge in private clubs, pools etc. It does make me feel something like a "second class" citizen to think there are amenities on board a ship that I am not welcome at.

[BroncosFan2010]

I agree with the OP. I don't mind 1-2 speciality restaurants, and do enjoy Chops and Portofino on the RCCL Radiance Class ships. However, it seems like the more success these restaurants have, the worse the MDR food becomes. It is one thing to offer an alternative, it is another to make the "included" option so bad, that people feel they have to pay to get a good meal.

[boogs]

Has Norwegian gone too far with 10 extra fee restaurants on the Epic?

 

All the extras are getting out of hand! Have you read about Norwegian Epic? Ridiculous:cool: 10 restaurants that cost extra... Plus they have special areas that you are allowed to go ONLY if you purchased a specific room. Private areas basically for the "upper class" only. What the hell, are we living in the 1910's again, where we have to seperate classes to avoid being around people that are not just like us? Huge THUMBS DOWN for Norwegian on this one!

 

Royal Caribbean is doing the same thing! I sure hope other lines dont follow suit. What ever happen to all inclusive???

 

Twenty or so years ago there was only the MDR, and everyone had to eat there or go hungry. That's as close to your all-inclusive the lines have ever been. Since we still have that option, the extra fare resturants are a bonus, to be indulged in only if and when we desire to. A win-win situation. If I don't want to pay extra, the MDR is still available. How is that a 'thumbs down' problem?

 

And as to your concern regarding those "special places", there have always been "private places" only those in certain rooms can go - your stateroom is one of them.

[Working 2 Cruise]

Has Norwegian gone too far with 10 extra fee restaurants on the Epic?

 

All the extras are getting out of hand! Have you read about Norwegian Epic? Ridiculous:cool: 10 restaurants that cost extra... Plus they have special areas that you are allowed to go ONLY if you purchased a specific room. Private areas basically for the "upper class" only. What the hell, are we living in the 1910's again, where we have to seperate classes to avoid being around people that are not just like us? Huge THUMBS DOWN for Norwegian on this one!

 

Royal Caribbean is doing the same thing! I sure hope other lines dont follow suit. What ever happen to all inclusive???

 

This is happening, or has happened on every cruise line! Including Carnival! Not specifically for the "upper class," but is a way for the cruise lines to make money...

[Working 2 Cruise]

I agree somewhat with the OP.

 

With regard to the restaurants, choosing to utilize them or not has nothing to do with the cabin you booked. I am sure lots of cruisers enjoy the choice.

 

I am uncomfortable, though, with areas of the ship being exclusive to certain cabin categories. I cannot afford suites and penthouses, so I will never have an opportunity to indulge in private clubs, pools etc. It does make me feel something like a "second class" citizen to think there are amenities on board a ship that I am not welcome at.

 

But this happens no matter where you are, either a cruiseline, or hotels... There will always be a major difference between the haves and the have nots... I am just happy that I can afford at least one cruise a year... for now anyway!

[BalconyGal]

What's worse is you can't get a decent meal on NCL UNLESS you pay extra for it!

[luddite]

Everything about the Epic is different from the norm.

This isn't likely to be a trend that will migrate to their other ships.

[yarramar]

We sailed once on NCL and I stress once. The reason we chose this is because it was the cheapest we could find with an itinerary we liked.

I didn't enjoy being nickle & dimed at the time but looking back I am grateful for the pax who subsidised my being able to go for a cruise which otherwise would have been cost prohibitive.

I am now in a better position to cruise the line of my choice but lines with policoes like NCL make it possible for many more people to enjoy the experience.

[househunter]

Twenty or so years ago there was only the MDR, and everyone had to eat there or go hungry. That's as close to your all-inclusive the lines have ever been. Since we still have that option, the extra fare resturants are a bonus, to be indulged in only if and when we desire to. A win-win situation. If I don't want to pay extra, the MDR is still available. How is that a 'thumbs down' problem?

 

And as to your concern regarding those "special places", there have always been "private places" only those in certain rooms can go - your stateroom is one of them.

 

I agree! When I started cruising there was the MDR and the buffet, that was it. And an inside room for a week cost about $1000! I would much rather they keep the base cost low like they do now and then each person can choose how much extra to spend. If they want it "like the old days" they can just pay the base fare and eat in the MDR or buffet. If they want to try a specialty restaurant, they can spend more. If they would have raised base prices to keep up with inflation, that same inside room I paid $1000 for in 1994 would probably be close to $3000 now!

[househunter]

Wow that was a pretty rude response. I understand where the OP is coming from. It is a little crazy to have ten restaurants that you need to pay extra for. I can understand 2 or 3 but 10. This is why we chose to sail on Princess for our next cruise. For the most part, there isn't too many extra charges.

 

But Princess doesn't even have 10 restaurants to choose from, free or not. At least this gives people choices.

[mtwingcpa]

Has Norwegian gone too far with 10 extra fee restaurants on the Epic?

 

Actually, NCL has 6 - 8 extra fee restaurants on ALL of its ships. So, while the Epic is pushing the envelope in many ways, this isn't a huge leap.

 

Some people like NCL, some don't. :-)

[6rugrats]

Wow that was a pretty rude response. I understand where the OP is coming from. It is a little crazy to have ten restaurants that you need to pay extra for. I can understand 2 or 3 but 10. This is why we chose to sail on Princess for our next cruise. For the most part, there isn't too many extra charges.

 

Clever and true does not equal rude. I loved this poster's response, and they are absolutely correct.

[FTLcruisers]

What's worse is you can't get a decent meal on NCL UNLESS you pay extra for it!

 

We paid extra and still got awful meals on NCL. I ordered a burrito that they actually microwaved so it was stuck to the plate and all the sauce was dried up! Their definition of a speciality restaurant is one that specializes in a particular type of food (Italian, steaks, French) - it is not the same as on RCCL where Chops has much better quality steaks than the MDR. We wouldn't go on NCL again if they gave us a cruise for free. But, having said that, that is why there are so many cruise lines out there - each one has something appealing to someone; you just have to find the one that is the most appealing to you.

[Cruisin' Chick]

But Princess doesn't even have 10 restaurants to choose from, free or not. At least this gives people choices.

 

I like the idea that I don't need to pay extra to have a decent meal, which is why I like Princess. We have never felt the need to go to a specialty restaurant. We can also eat in the buffet on Princess and have a good meal.

[Azure Moon]

I don't care how many surcharge restaurants they have and how many private spaces they have for the higher priced cabins as long as the ship has enough venues I can use and enjoy spending time in - both free and for fee.

 

Once the number of areas I can use and enjoy using goes down, I'll find another cruise line to sail on.

 

I've had great meals in main dining rooms, buffets and pay restaurants. I've had not so good meals in main dining rooms, buffets, and pay restaurants...same ship, different ship, same cruise line, different cruise line.

 

I do get somewhat miffed about the vast difference in quality between an item that is served in a pay restaurant and main dining room as I am of the belief that a cook can make almost any cheaper, lower quality ingredient into something incredible if they have the ability, creativity, willingness, freedom and opportunity to do so. If it cannot be done after trying, then I think a change in menu items is in order so a decent, quality dish can take its place.

[ehfl]

That's their business model, and obviously, a lot of people prefer to have a lower base price for the cruise, and pay extra only for what they use.

 

I can't believe someone would make such a big deal out of this....if you don't like it, just book on another line.

[beachchick]

I agree somewhat with the OP.

 

With regard to the restaurants, choosing to utilize them or not has nothing to do with the cabin you booked. I am sure lots of cruisers enjoy the choice.

 

I am uncomfortable, though, with areas of the ship being exclusive to certain cabin categories. I cannot afford suites and penthouses, so I will never have an opportunity to indulge in private clubs, pools etc. It does make me feel something like a "second class" citizen to think there are amenities on board a ship that I am not welcome at.

 

That's not new or specific to NCL. I agree with the notion that as long as there are plenty of varied places onboard for everyone and as long as they encompass most of the ship, there's nothing wrong with additional areas being set aside of suite passengers or VIPs. Most of the mass market lines (even Princess, Celebrity, and HAL) have places for suite passengers, VIPs, or those who pay extra for them. Cunard even has dining venues for different cabin categories. The more expensive your cabin/suite, the "better" your dining access. IMO, we're the only ones who can make ourselves feel second class about it.

 

We sailed once on NCL and I stress once. The reason we chose this is because it was the cheapest we could find with an itinerary we liked.

I didn't enjoy being nickle & dimed at the time but looking back I am grateful for the pax who subsidised my being able to go for a cruise which otherwise would have been cost prohibitive.

I am now in a better position to cruise the line of my choice but lines with policoes like NCL make it possible for many more people to enjoy the experience.

 

Yeah, there are lots of extra charges, but we really didn't find that NCL charged extra for anything of substance that is included by other mass market lines. A few things that NCL includes are extra on some lines; a few things NCL charges for are included on other lines.

 

If we ever cruised with a luxury line, it would be for the small ship high-end experience, not particularly for the fact that they're pretty all inclusive. For example, having alcohol included benefits my DH not at all because he doesn't drink. OTOH, if they included smoothies, milk shakes, and soda, then he'd be happy. We are looking to upgrade (if you will) to Oceania and Azamara, both of which my mother loves. We think it will suit our tastes and be more in line with our budget requirements than the luxury lines.

 

That's their business model, and obviously, a lot of people prefer to have a lower base price for the cruise, and pay extra only for what they use.

 

I can't believe someone would make such a big deal out of this....if you don't like it, just book on another line.

 

Makes good sense.

 

beachchick

[stella53]

I started cruising more than 25 years ago and am experienced with the specialty restaurants of many lines. I really enjoy them. Most have excellentl food and service. A dinner for two costs an extra $50 or so, but discounts are usually offered if you are a frequent cruiser club member.

 

I agree that the quality of the food served in the MDRs of most cruise lines has declined over the years as the specialty dining rooms have proliferated. As some previously observed, there is nothing objectionable about the proliferation of extra fee restaurants as long as the food in the MDR remains okay/good. Obviously, the definition of "okay/good" is subjective, especially when it comes to evaluating food, but the fact that a couple can have full room, board, and entertainment while sailing at sea for approximately the price of an upscale hotel room ashore ($250-300) argues in favor of relaxing the definition of "okay/good" for purposes of rating the MDR experience.

 

Base cruise prices have remained a bargain and if extra fee restaurants are a factor in maintaining those low prices, I am all the more in favor of them. Curiously, however, (according to a veteran ship hotel mgr who posts here frequently) specialty restaurants are not money makers for ships. The expense of their construction together with the cabin space lost is not recouped from the revenue they produce. They remain popular because many cruisers are eager to pay extra for fine food and service as long as the base cruise price is a bargain.

[okbowler]

We do not eat in the specialty resturants. Instead we will find a place to eat while we are ashore,if we tire of he buffet and MDR fare. What I see happening, is that it seems that with the advent of specialty venues, not only does the quality of the food in the MDR and buffet decline, the service declines also. Crew size does not seem to increase on ships with lots of specialty resturants, and they seem to be service intensive. On our last cruise on Princess, they no longer had wine stewards in the MDR and the waiters seemed to have more tables to serve, the Asst waiters acted as wine stewards, which in our case, because of a large number of wine drinkers to be served by our crew caused diminished service to the tables not drinking wine. When we asked our head waiter about this , he said that the 15% + tip on each bottle of wine was a strong incentive to keep those tables happy. We still are able to find appealing food on board, but more blah stuff. Bill

[geoherb]

The food on our last three cruises has been excellent in the main dining rooms. Two of those cruises were on Princess and one was on Holland America.

 

My problem with NCL is that it has carried the specialty restaurant idea too far. I hope the other cruise lines don't follow suit.

[mahassiddasairy]

I agree--the number of specialty restaurants on our RCCL cruise was annoying (so many places we couldn't eat that we ironically felt like we had less choices), but if it keeps costs down, I'm willing to be a little annoyed.