The decline of “traditional” dining

[slidergirl]

I know the type of food I'll get on board and I'm OK with it. I know it's not going to be anything approaching even 1 star cuisine, but mass-made banquet food in the MDRs. I agree that I find better offerings for me in the buffet - I can pick and choose and customize. I can make the most fantastic entree-size salad on my own. Maybe I just get amused at the presentation of that food in the venue. The fuss over "lobster night". I never understood it. I can get a better tasting product heading up the Maine coast and stopping at a lobster pound and using the newspaper they give for the tablecloth and the plastic utensils. I'm definitely not a "cruising for the food" person. I will make my main meal the lunch I buy onshore at an interesting spot I research for. I'll hit up the buffet or Blue Lagoon for a tidbit for dinner (yes, I yearn for those chicken fingers once in awhile).

If I want a true 3 star dining experience, I'll save up my pennies again and go to a true Michelin 3 star restaurant for lunch. The $100 I spent on myself for lunch at Le Bernadin was the best money I've splurged on (a Christmas gift to myself). Heavenly seafood and impeccable service!!! But, you'll still find me once a week at my local hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint!

[emcelh]

I'm only 29 and couldn't afford to cruise until recently, so I don't have the old days of yore to compare anything to. But even then, I strongly prefer the old-school cruise dining. It makes for special experience, rather than stopping at a gatronomical gas station to add fuel to your body, so you can get through the next 3 to 6 hours. I like the assigned seating; it's a great safety net of sorts for solo cruisers. It's better to share a table with strangers than with books or e-readers. And I like the elegant setting of tablecloths and good china; this way, you know you're in a restaurant and not a glorified cafeteria.

 

My experience on a Fun Ship earlier this year was very much like that. It had the right balance of fun of modern cruising (heck, they had waiters dancing) and elegance of fine dining. I was satisfied with the foods I got; it wasn't superb, but very much edible. And the assigned tablemates were great. But I'm sure I'd be more comfortable with Freestyle dining if I wasn't cruising solo, though. Time will tell. I have a feeling that the Freestyle concept was developed specifically for families and couples, since they make up the majority of cruisers.

 

It's true that you don't have assigned tablemates or the same waitstaff (and they don't sing and dance) and you eat when you're hungry, not at a specific time. You will find tablecloths and china there and it in no way resembles a cafeteria. However, if you're traveling solo I would agree that traditional dining is a better choice.

[LuckyStar]

I for one would not go back to the ' Old Days '.

NO cellular @sea

No internet

No flat-screens

No recycling

High prices

Less dining options

 

Did you like film cameras .

Remember when $100 was a weeks pay .

Walking to school in the snow uphill both ways .

 

I don't care if a waiter does not know my name .

 

I'm happy when I can find a 7 day cruise for $299 pp :):)

 

ITA with this sentiment. When I was a kid in the 70s, only rich people went on cruises. It seemed like something that would forever be out of our league. No longer. If I want expensive 5* dining, I don't expect it in the MDR of a cruise ship. I have always been very happy with the quality I have found and consider it a treat to be among the lovely setting of dressed tables.

[Lady Anna & Sir Troy]

To be more affordable, NCL cuts costs to the point that most staterooms sold will be at a loss if you got on board and spend nothing.

 

I've been cruising 8 times in 8 years and have found some decline in quality and considerable decline in offerings from what they once were, yet I pay almost the same per day for our staterooms.

 

Quality Decline in MDR

1) Beef and lamb cuts have less flavor, are less likely to be made as ordered, and have more gristle. They are not bad, just not up to Steakhouse Standards in the MDR.

2) Sauces are blander with less spices and not up to 4-star standards

 

Offering Decline in MDR

1) Less "gourmet" or "4-star" choices - currently closer to Applebee choices

2) Less variety of specialty breads

3) Shrimp in entrees are fewer and smaller (actually had a pic to compare!)

4) No more shrimp cocktails as an "everyday" appetizer you can order from

5) No longer allowed to get a free cappuccino after dinner :(

 

Cost Effective Suggestions:

(I haven't worked a kitchen in years, so I can't say for sure how accurate these suggestions are.)

1) Add more specialty breads that really wow people (like Cranberry)

2) Get rid of lobster night or have a surcharge for lobster. Spend more on quality beef, poultry, fish and/or shrimp.

3) Bring some of the little things back like free espresso/cappuccino after dinner

4) The meal still needs to be the star in presentation and taste

5) Offer more hot and cold "gourmet" soup and salad options and do not label them as "spa fare" or "less calories". An entree salad with thinly sliced angus beef and good cheese is less expensive and delicious.

 

I could go on but will suffice to say - I still love NCL and hurray for the specialty restaurants!!

 

L.A.S.T.

[romrai]

I for one would not go back to the ' Old Days '.

NO cellular @sea

No internet

No flat-screens

No recycling

High prices

Less dining options

 

Did you like film cameras .

Remember when $100 was a weeks pay .

Walking to school in the snow uphill both ways .

 

I don't care if a waiter does nt know my name .

 

I'm happy when I can find a 7 day cruise for $299 pp :):)

 

 

for some things i would like to go back to the "old days" ie, no cell phones, no internet. i am on holidays, no one needs me, i can't help even if i could get there, who cares what's happening in the rest of the world for my 7 days. i will deal with it when i get home. it was a treat to walk into the dining room and have our tea and coffee just being placed on the table and the waiter having already ordering my "escargot" every night and 5* meals. i do like the mutli dining options and would rather pay a little extra for those 5* meals. but the cost is the main thing i would not want back. our first cruise was april '91. we paid almost $8000. for 2 of us for a 12 day cruise on the "love boat" booked in the bowels of the ship. fortunately, not many knew of "guarantee" back then and ended being bumped up 8 categories to one with a window. there were no balconies on the pacific princess (or i didn't see any) i have unfortunately been spoiled and can't live with less than a balcony!

[Minoushka]

My first cruise on NCL was on the Sky I found the food wonderful?the chocolate buffet was a work of art

i found food very good until we went on Majesty ....oh my ..now that was Not a good experience

However many years later tried Epic ...WOnderful

Retuen from N

Med and europe we liked Epic so much plus i was very well treated by all staff member ...I gues after 18 days ..they knew who I was !!!

Now I .m going to try Free sryle on Noordam. I will report here

i like Ncl nothing wrong with it .... Still think Epic was The Best

 

Looking forward to new ships!!!

 

michele

[clean1owner]

Time to put things into perspective

 

These are the documents from my first 2 cruises in 1984.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one is very hard to read. It says the fare was $550.00, with port charges of $24.00. This was an inside cabin Quad Share fare, which was a program to keep a single passenger from having to pay 1-1/2 times the double occupancy rate. NCL paired you with 1-4 roommates, depending on how many bought the fare.

 

 

 

 

This was my second cruise of 1984 and because it was more "in season", it cost me a whopping $45.00 more!

 

 

 

 

 

Just for grins, this was my boarding pass.

 

 

 

 

 

Now for the point of my ramblings, which has been made before, but mine is with pictures.

 

I paid $550.00 cruise only (cruise fares used to include airfare) in January of 1984 to share a cabin with up to 3 people I did not know. At that time gas was about $1.00 a gallon, and smokes were about 75 cents a pack.

 

For our upcoming Dawn cruise, we paid $421.00 each, double occupancy inside. Had the price of the cruise kept up with the price of gas and cigarettes, it would have cost us $1500.00-$2000.00 each! Had we paid that price, I'm sure the dining experience would be very similar to the way it was in 1984.

 

The cruise lines have had to make adjustments somewhere, and obviously dining was one of them.

 

This will be my first ever experience with the Freestyle program, and I will try and approach it with an open mind.

[swedish weave]

Clean1owner -----Thank you for posting this. I have made similar comparisons, but yours are visible !!!!!

 

Some will still complain about the cutbacks even though they are getting to cruise at bargain pasement prices compared to just a few short years ago.

[lborne]

I have not read all the replies, but....

 

I agree, that the main dining on most cruise lines has declined in food quality. It used to be you could get lobster and steak almost every night just by asking. For me, at least, average food can seem above average if you get excellent service. It could mean sending your overdone steak back for a more rare one, but with good service, this is just a bump in the road rather than a sinkhole.

 

And one of the negatives of freestyle dining is getting different waiters each night, so they can not remember your name or preferences, and so the service can not compare to having the same waiter each night.

 

It is in the cruise lines' interest to make sure the specialty for fee restaurants have the higher quality food and chefs. The "everything included with your base price" days are over. The cruise lines mimic the airline model - base price for basic service and additional costs for all extras. This way they can advertise low prices.

[Don Haynes]

If you want five star dining of the old days when ships had less than 2k passengers aboard, or less than 1k passengers aboard, don't book a cruise on a mainline cruise line. You can get that quality on a expensive luxury cruise line at thrice the price. Ever heard of the saying you get what you paid for?

[lanceholt]

If you want five star dining of the old days when ships had less than 2k passengers aboard, or less than 1k passengers aboard, don't book a cruise on a mainline cruise line. You can get that quality on a expensive luxury cruise line at thrice the price. Ever heard of the saying you get what you paid for?

 

Amen! We have taken five cruises, all on NCL, and have yet to have a day where we couldn't find something good to eat. Now, is it 5 star dining, no, but it is good food at a good value. BTW, we don't do specialty restaurants, so our experiences are main dining room. We always eat early so have no wait, and really don't need to have anyone fawn over us. Service in all cases has been very good, no complaints at all. But we do see people complaining about what is essentially nothing.

[ClaireAndMike]

Hmm... well I didn't realize I liked cruising until my first one a year ago so I have no basis for comparison (until my second one coming up in a month) BUT here is my two cents:

 

As someone who is an extremely picky eater, is a vegetarian with a food allergy, I had absolutely zero issue with anything I ate on my first cruise. Then again, food is not very important to me. I don't go on a cruise for the food. Obviously, many people feel differently than me and do consider food to be a large part of the package. I can't really fault anyone for that, it's totally valid. To me, personally, it is not a big deal. Give me a plate of vegetables and a glass of water and I'm good.

 

We don't utilize the specialty restaurants because there is usually one (maybe two) options for me. Honestly, I do better at the buffet.

 

I eat to live, not live to eat. Not that there is anything wrong with it being the other way around though!

[wvfrogg]

Well I'm sure NCL like all other companies have a few employees that do not meet standards. But from most posts I have seen relating to poor service, when asked if they told upper management the answer was usually no. Unless management can handle this issue individually, to weed out those that are not performing well, the people following on future cruises that get that employee will continue to have poor service.

 

A while back NCL was changing from the old "style" cards to a new system. I personally have seen no more posts regarding service issues than I did when I first joined CC back in 2009, but if this problem is getting more predominate, I wonder if there is a new system in place that is not doing as good a job at incentives for the employees to keep up standards.

 

 

I just got back from the Epic yesterday, and I have to say I thought the food, overall, was very good. I did not eat at Manhattan, the big MDR, so know zilch about it. But I did eat at Taste, the smaller MDR, once for breakfast, once for lunch, and twice for dinner. All four times I thought it was very good. For breakfast, an egg benedict was very good. A Cobb Salad for lunch was excellent. The first dinner was Salmon and it was cooked perfectly and I loved it. The second time I had their special of Strip Steak and Shrimp. I ordered the steak medium rare and it came medium rare. Maybe not the best steak I have ever had, but it was very good.

 

Speciality restaurants I visited were Teppanyaki, LaCucina and LeBistro. All three were excellent. Teppanyaki was not only great fun, the food was unbelievable. Huge amount of very good food. My only complaint was that LeBistro is directly under the Spiegel Tent where the entertainment was going on. It sounded as if we were under a bowling alley, which makes quiet, elegant dining a challenge. At LaCucina, I also had the salmon with white beans. Excellent. The waiter there, Gomez, was wonderful. The restaurant was not busy as it was the first night, but Gomez was very attentive.

 

The Garden Buffet was also good. I had a made-to-order omelet every morning - both egg whites and regular. They were very good, and I never had to wait more than 3 people to get mine made. I wish I had never found the pecan-cinnamon rolls, because I couldn't pass by them without adding one to my plate (well ... I guess I could have passed by them, but I never did.). I didn't think the choices were quite as large as they were on the Pearl the last time I was on it, but there was still plenty of food to be had. Mostly good. I also ate lunch at O'Sheehans a couple of times and enjoyed it.

 

My biggest "food" complaint was the coffee. Awful. The only good coffee on the ship one had to pay extra for. My guess is that they are using a "throw-weight" of 1.5 - 2. (Starbucks uses 4 and Dunkin' Donuts uses 3.5). The throw weight is just the amount of coffee used. On the Pearl there were two places on board where I could get a good cup of "real" coffee! I missed that this time.

 

Service -- I think the main problem with the service on the Epic is that there is not enough crew to handle the number of guests. While the crew was always pleasant and courteous to me, they didn't seem to be having the fun that I always felt on prior NCL cruises. I hate to admit, but I even missed the "Washy-Washy".

[che5904]

I just got back from the Epic yesterday, and I have to say I thought the food, overall, was very good. I did not eat at Manhattan, the big MDR, so know zilch about it. But I did eat at Taste, the smaller MDR, once for breakfast, once for lunch, and twice for dinner. All four times I thought it was very good. For breakfast, an egg benedict was very good. A Cobb Salad for lunch was excellent. The first dinner was Salmon and it was cooked perfectly and I loved it. The second time I had their special of Strip Steak and Shrimp. I ordered the steak medium rare and it came medium rare. Maybe not the best steak I have ever had, but it was very good.

 

Speciality restaurants I visited were Teppanyaki, LaCucina and LeBistro. All three were excellent. Teppanyaki was not only great fun, the food was unbelievable. Huge amount of very good food. My only complaint was that LeBistro is directly under the Spiegel Tent where the entertainment was going on. It sounded as if we were under a bowling alley, which makes quiet, elegant dining a challenge. At LaCucina, I also had the salmon with white beans. Excellent. The waiter there, Gomez, was wonderful. The restaurant was not busy as it was the first night, but Gomez was very attentive.

 

The Garden Buffet was also good. I had a made-to-order omelet every morning - both egg whites and regular. They were very good, and I never had to wait more than 3 people to get mine made. I wish I had never found the pecan-cinnamon rolls, because I couldn't pass by them without adding one to my plate (well ... I guess I could have passed by them, but I never did.). I didn't think the choices were quite as large as they were on the Pearl the last time I was on it, but there was still plenty of food to be had. Mostly good. I also ate lunch at O'Sheehans a couple of times and enjoyed it.

 

My biggest "food" complaint was the coffee. Awful. The only good coffee on the ship one had to pay extra for. My guess is that they are using a "throw-weight" of 1.5 - 2. (Starbucks uses 4 and Dunkin' Donuts uses 3.5). The throw weight is just the amount of coffee used. On the Pearl there were two places on board where I could get a good cup of "real" coffee! I missed that this time.

 

Service -- I think the main problem with the service on the Epic is that there is not enough crew to handle the number of guests. While the crew was always pleasant and courteous to me, they didn't seem to be having the fun that I always felt on prior NCL cruises. I hate to admit, but I even missed the "Washy-Washy".

 

I read through your post twice and still am not sure why you quoted me. Was there some point you were disputing or were you agreeing with something I said?:confused:

[bjlaac]

Time to put things into perspective

 

These are the documents from my first 2 cruises in 1984.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one is very hard to read. It says the fare was $550.00, with port charges of $24.00. This was an inside cabin Quad Share fare, which was a program to keep a single passenger from having to pay 1-1/2 times the double occupancy rate. NCL paired you with 1-4 roommates, depending on how many bought the fare.

 

 

 

 

This was my second cruise of 1984 and because it was more "in season", it cost me a whopping $45.00 more!

 

 

 

 

 

Just for grins, this was my boarding pass.

 

 

 

 

 

Now for the point of my ramblings, which has been made before, but mine is with pictures.

 

I paid $550.00 cruise only (cruise fares used to include airfare) in January of 1984 to share a cabin with up to 3 people I did not know. At that time gas was about $1.00 a gallon, and smokes were about 75 cents a pack.

 

For our upcoming Dawn cruise, we paid $421.00 each, double occupancy inside. Had the price of the cruise kept up with the price of gas and cigarettes, it would have cost us $1500.00-$2000.00 each! Had we paid that price, I'm sure the dining experience would be very similar to the way it was in 1984.

 

The cruise lines have had to make adjustments somewhere, and obviously dining was one of them.

 

This will be my first ever experience with the Freestyle program, and I will try and approach it with an open mind.

 

I'm late to the discussion and have no doubt the price of a cruise has remained constant over time. But cutting quality of food in the main restaurant is not the way the lines have made up for it. They make up for it by charging for what was once free and adding 2 to 4 times the passengers. On a 7 day cruise if everyone were allowed to have lobster every night, the cost would be a whopping $5 (wholesale) more per night in expense or $35 for the week. That's not making up for your estimated cost of $1,500 -$2000 instead of $500 And gas until 5 years ago was under $2.

 

Everything costs more, I get it, but these lines make a lot more money than most of us think and that's because they got smart and we are too stupid to realize it. They have a base cost that they need per passenger to break even. In the "good old days" 800 passengers were a max on most lines. So if the base cost is $200 per passenger on a 800 passenger vessel. What would it be on a 2,000, 3,000 or 4,000 passenger vessel?

 

They are not stupid, every ship leaves port with more than a breakeven including capital costs. Everything else is gravey.

 

I've said enough, but use your brain and realize cutting service isn't making up for price differentials. To restore the service bake to what it was could be done on less than $100 per person per week

[che5904]

This was an inside cabin Quad Share fare, which was a program to keep a single passenger from having to pay 1-1/2 times the double occupancy rate. NCL paired you with 1-4 roommates, depending on how many bought the fare.

 

.

 

I just had to giggle about this, and to think we love NCL because we don't have to be forced to share a table with strangers to dine. :D :D

[roger001]

I'm late to the discussion and have no doubt the price of a cruise has remained constant over time. But cutting quality of food in the main restaurant is not the way the lines have made up for it. They make up for it by charging for what was once free and adding 2 to 4 times the passengers. On a 7 day cruise if everyone were allowed to have lobster every night, the cost would be a whopping $5 (wholesale) more per night in expense or $35 for the week. That's not making up for your estimated cost of $1,500 -$2000 instead of $500 And gas until 5 years ago was under $2.

 

Everything costs more, I get it, but these lines make a lot more money than most of us think and that's because they got smart and we are too stupid to realize it. They have a base cost that they need per passenger to break even. In the "good old days" 800 passengers were a max on most lines. So if the base cost is $200 per passenger on a 800 passenger vessel. What would it be on a 2,000, 3,000 or 4,000 passenger vessel?

 

They are not stupid, every ship leaves port with more than a breakeven including capital costs. Everything else is gravey.

 

I've said enough, but use your brain and realize cutting service isn't making up for price differentials. To restore the service bake to what it was could be done on less than $100 per person per week

 

I'm not sure that is correct. I've read a couple of cruise industry books and watched the TV production about the Pearl. I both cases, it was stated that the passenger cruise fares do not cover the cost of the cruise. A profit is only realized with the sale of all the extras. Which...for those cruisers who do not indulge in gambling, drinking, photos, tours, etc...the cruise is a super bargin given them at well under costs. THis is especially true for guests in the lower cost cabins. My opinion.

[bjlaac]

I know we've all seen the specials on TV about the cruise industry but the numbers come from the cruise industry, kinda like the wolf guarding the chicken coop.

 

All things have risen but do the math, a 3,000 pasenger vessel with an average booking fee of let say $1200 is $3.6 Million per week or $514,000 per day. 've seen articles they use about $250,000 per week in fuel oil so lets quadruple it to $1.o million week. That still leaves $2.6 million dollars.

Guess at $50 day per passenger for food thats about $1 million per week. Still leaving $1.6 million. Subtract 20% for commissions to agents, still $1.3 million left. All thats left is salaries whichthe cruise lines tell us mostly are paid for by our gratuities.

[swedish weave]

I know we've all seen the specials on TV about the cruise industry but the numbers come from the cruise industry, kinda like the wolf guarding the chicken coop.

 

All things have risen but do the math, a 3,000 pasenger vessel with an average booking fee of let say $1200 is $3.6 Million per week or $514,000 per day. 've seen articles they use about $250,000 per week in fuel oil so lets quadruple it to $1.o million week. That still leaves $2.6 million dollars.

Guess at $50 day per passenger for food thats about $1 million per week. Still leaving $1.6 million. Subtract 20% for commissions to agents, still $1.3 million left. All thats left is salaries whichthe cruise lines tell us mostly are paid for by our gratuities.

 

I am sure you have a reference for the figures you are quoting. Would you be so kind as to share the source with us ??

 

If you don't produce the source, I will understand.:rolleyes:

[che5904]

I know we've all seen the specials on TV about the cruise industry but the numbers come from the cruise industry, kinda like the wolf guarding the chicken coop.

 

All things have risen but do the math, a 3,000 pasenger vessel with an average booking fee of let say $1200 is $3.6 Million per week or $514,000 per day. 've seen articles they use about $250,000 per week in fuel oil so lets quadruple it to $1.o million week. That still leaves $2.6 million dollars.

Guess at $50 day per passenger for food thats about $1 million per week. Still leaving $1.6 million. Subtract 20% for commissions to agents, still $1.3 million left. All thats left is salaries whichthe cruise lines tell us mostly are paid for by our gratuities.

 

Well not sure where you get these figures from. However I've never seen NCL state that salaries are paid by gratuities. Actually what NCL states is "Staff members including restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charge supports." meaning to add to. As well exactly who pays gratuities for all the staff in Miami and other NCL offices, which I might add fall under U.S. labor laws.

 

But you are welcome to believe what you wish to believe.

[njhorseman]

I know we've all seen the specials on TV about the cruise industry but the numbers come from the cruise industry, kinda like the wolf guarding the chicken coop.

 

All things have risen but do the math, a 3,000 pasenger vessel with an average booking fee of let say $1200 is $3.6 Million per week or $514,000 per day. 've seen articles they use about $250,000 per week in fuel oil so lets quadruple it to $1.o million week. That still leaves $2.6 million dollars.

Guess at $50 day per passenger for food thats about $1 million per week. Still leaving $1.6 million. Subtract 20% for commissions to agents, still $1.3 million left. All thats left is salaries whichthe cruise lines tell us mostly are paid for by our gratuities.

 

Your numbers aside, what about the $1 billion or more it costs to build a large new ship, not to mention the cost of financing it? If the ship has a useful life of 20 years, it takes almost $1 million a week to pay off that $1 billion cost, not even considering the financing cost. What about corporate office overhead and salaries? What about the many salaried crew and officer positions on the ship? They don't receive any money from the service charge or tip pool, but their salaries have to be paid from somewhere (the fare!).

[DevCruise]

I don't know if this helps with numbers, but what about SEC filings? I know NCL isn't a publicly traded company, but Carnival is and I can't imagine that for the point of this discussion that their numbers would be that far off of the other cruise lines....

[roger001]

I know we've all seen the specials on TV about the cruise industry but the numbers come from the cruise industry, kinda like the wolf guarding the chicken coop.

 

All things have risen but do the math, a 3,000 passenger vessel with an average booking fee of let say $1200 is $3.6 Million per week or $514,000 per day. 've seen articles they use about $250,000 per week in fuel oil so lets quadruple it to $1.o million week. That still leaves $2.6 million dollars.

Guess at $50 day per passenger for food thats about $1 million per week. Still leaving $1.6 million. Subtract 20% for commissions to agents, still $1.3 million left. All thats left is salaries which the cruise lines tell us mostly are paid for by our gratuities.

 

 

I just have to disagree. I just ran the numbers using the Pearl fact sheet that is handed out on a cruise. I tried to be conservative but still came up with, on a two week PC cruise, after paying the PC fee to Panama, and before any port fees are paid, long term maintenance considered, funds set aside for dry dock, routine daily wear and tear and repairs, all the behind the scenes expenses factored in...and at this point in my calculations the ship has depleted all passenger cruise fare money. I based this on 2400 pax (your figure of $1200 each), crew of 1100 (don't forget they have to eat each day also), a fuel burn each day of 53,000 gals, and crew salary expense addition of at least equal the passenger DSC. With the DSC only, the crew would average just $9400 a year each..if they worked all 52 weeks a year. So their salaries are certainly supplemented by NCL. Anyhow, my numbers come out with the ship even or in the hole based on cruise fare alone, and this is before many more expenses that lurk in the background are considered. Again...my opinion.

[SuiteCruiser]

The total revenues for Q3 2012 was $674,400,000 which includes all sources of revenue.

 

For fun lets say it's all cruisefare and shipboard revenue, this means 674,400,000/13 weeks = 51,876,921 per week in income / 11 ships = $4,716,084 total revenue per week per ship including casino, shopping, specialties, excursions and drink purchases. Your assumption of 3.6 Million in just cruise fare is way overstated.

 

That's not to say that the cruise line doesn't make money, it does. If it didn't it wouldn't be operating, and certainly not doing upkeep and building new ships.

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/pressroom/pressRelease.html?storyCode=PR_103112F

[clean1owner]

I'm late to the discussion and have no doubt the price of a cruise has remained constant over time. But cutting quality of food in the main restaurant is not the way the lines have made up for it. They make up for it by charging for what was once free and adding 2 to 4 times the passengers. On a 7 day cruise if everyone were allowed to have lobster every night, the cost would be a whopping $5 (wholesale) more per night in expense or $35 for the week. That's not making up for your estimated cost of $1,500 -$2000 instead of $500 And gas until 5 years ago was under $2.

 

Everything costs more, I get it, but these lines make a lot more money than most of us think and that's because they got smart and we are too stupid to realize it. They have a base cost that they need per passenger to break even. In the "good old days" 800 passengers were a max on most lines. So if the base cost is $200 per passenger on a 800 passenger vessel. What would it be on a 2,000, 3,000 or 4,000 passenger vessel?

 

They are not stupid, every ship leaves port with more than a breakeven including capital costs. Everything else is gravey.

 

I've said enough, but use your brain and realize cutting service isn't making up for price differentials. To restore the service bake to what it was could be done on less than $100 per person per week

 

 

If you're trying to say that per passenger base cost for operating a 93,000 ton 2200 passenger ship today costs no more than operating a 13,000 ton 850 passenger ship 29 years ago, sorry, but I'm not buying it.

Just the inflation raises that $200.00 cost to almost $450.00 today.

 

And being able to buy, prepare, and serve lobster for $5.00 a meal? No chance.

 

 

As Swedish weave posted, if you can give a credible source for your figures, I just may change my mind.