NCL isn't the only cruise line "cutting corners"

[SissasMomE]

Yes! And to add, sob stories make me want to tip less, as I believe it is unprofessional for someone providing a service to tell you sob stories, and obvious they're trying to squeeze more money out of you.

 

Me too. I do not play that game at all.

[NLH Arizona]

Someone not showing up for dinner on the last day was the exception, not the norm. I certainly never witnessed half full dining rooms. I also saw people giving out their envelopes with hand shakes and hugs.

How many times did you cruise on Crystal, Princess and Royal Caribbean and Celebrity in the 90's? Edited April 8, 2015 by NLH Arizona

[SissasMomE]

How many times did you cruise on Crystal, Princess and Royal Caribbean and Celebrity in the 90's?

 

We sailed Home Lines, Royal, and Princess in the 80's and 90's. Not sure what that has to do with anything.

[Beaver1975]

We sailed Home Lines, Royal, and Princess in the 80's and 90's. Not sure what that has to do with anything.

 

People not showing up in the dining room on the final evening! Keep up!

[bangzoom6877]

How many times did you cruise on Crystal, Princess and Royal Caribbean and Celebrity in the 90's?

 

People not showing up in the dining room on the final evening! Keep up!

 

Come on, give her a break! It doesn't matter how many times she sailed these lines in the 1990s, and she is keeping up with this thread. Perhaps on the cruises she was on, she didn't experience the MDR being less full the last night. I experienced that more once the buffet was available at dinner than before that, and someone else experience it when there was no buffet dinner available and the MDR was the only option. It can vary from sailing to sailing so unless you were on all the exact same cruises, please take the person's word for it.

[Wildcatllamas]

Yes! And to add, sob stories make me want to tip less, as I believe it is unprofessional for someone providing a service to tell you sob stories, and obvious they're trying to squeeze more money out of you.

 

No matter where I am a person in a tip position going on about how bad their life is just reduced their tip. I will still tip but not as much. My usual tips run about 25% but I have gone as low as 10% with poor service. I have worked in tipped positions a lot of times and know how hard it can be.

 

My late husband and I didn't do our first cruise until 2007 and because we were part of a group our gratuities were part of our fare. But every single person in our group went and got tip envelopes and added tips. That being said though there were tables that were empty on that last night. Friends at another table that wasn't part of our group said that two couples showed up - ate part of their entree and then one at a time left the table - never to be seen again.:confused:

[Winchester Ranger]

It's the constant fine line of cutting service and increasing prices until you start to see bookings start to fall.

 

These cruise ships always sail at or around 97% capacity, as long as that remains the case they will continue to cut corners - because we keep going. The sad part is that the easiest corner for them to cut is crew numbers and crew pay.

[UPNYGuy]

I don't get the complaints. I would rather the added fees for OPTIONAL services, and paying an increased gratuity for the specialty restaurants and beverages than have shipboard staff cut out. CCL has cut out hundreds of shipboard positions within the last 2 years, while NCL has mainly cleaned office staff.

 

To those of you complaining, remember that!

[Linda the Book Lover]

We have always tipped for room service, whether it was just coffee, or food. I will not tip now with a service charge in place.

 

It is not the person bringing the food that created the new costs to room service. That said I agree that it is up to each person to decide if they wish to tip or not.

[maywell]

I don't get the complaints. I would rather the added fees for OPTIONAL services, and paying an increased gratuity for the specialty restaurants and beverages than have shipboard staff cut out. CCL has cut out hundreds of shipboard positions within the last 2 years, while NCL has mainly cleaned office staff.

 

To those of you complaining, remember that!

People forget that obvious glaring fact.....

 

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

Edited April 8, 2015 by maywell

[Susie51]

I would much rather have additional fees on items I can choose to use or not, opposed to cost cutting.

 

Agree

[SissasMomE]

It is not the person bringing the food that created the new costs to room service.

 

 

No. It's not. I've been cruising since the early 80's. Room service has always been a free option.

[Beaver1975]

No. It's not. I've been cruising since the early 80's. Room service has always been a free option.

 

...and you used to be able to carry your own booze onboard. Things change!

[bangzoom6877]

...and you used to be able to carry your own booze onboard. Things change!

 

I remember my parents buying liquor onboard and in port, and NOT having to wait until the end of the cruise to pick it up. A very long time ago!

[NLH Arizona]

...and you used to be able to carry your own booze onboard. Things change!

And I remember, on other lines, that there was someone to escort you to your non-suite cabin, white gloved waiters serving your dinner, fine china and (nothing to do with cruising) gas at 50 cents a gallon, but alas those were the good old days and those days have gone by the wayside. And I also remember that the fares for cruising were higher.

[bangzoom6877]

And I remember, on other lines, that there was someone to escort you to your non-suite cabin, white gloved waiters serving your dinner, fine china and (nothing to do with cruising) gas at 50 cents a gallon, but alas those were the good old days and those days have gone by the wayside. And I also remember that the fares for cruising were higher.

 

Yes, fares were higher when more was included in the fare. We couldn't afford to cruise if we had to pay much more than we do now. In two inside connecting cabins on the BA this July, DH and I are close to the max fare we could afford (because we also consider spending money onboard).

[UPNYGuy]

People forget that obvious glaring fact.....

 

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

 

 

EXACTLY!!!! That is the primary reason why DW and I switched to Norwegian, and how Holland America lost our business. We cruise multiple times per year, and I would rather pay the "nasty fees" (sarcasm) than have to wait 45 minutes to even be acknowledged by bar staff.

 

Yes, DW and I waited 45 minutes on the Veendam (a Holland America vessel) to be acknowledged by the single bar maid working the ocean bar. This was on a ship that holds around 1300 guests. This is flat out unacceptable, let alone on a ship with that few pax. I've *never* had that issue with Norwegian, regardless of where we go.

[lovewine]

I will pay for the little extras as long as NCL keeps me entertained!

We were on a Carnival ship over New Years and the entertainment was the worst! We will never go on a Carnival ship again we were with a big family with ages 22-55 and all of us decided it would be our last Carnival Cruise because of the lack of quality entertainment and many other issues.

[maywell]

EXACTLY!!!! That is the primary reason why DW and I switched to Norwegian, and how Holland America lost our business. We cruise multiple times per year, and I would rather pay the "nasty fees" (sarcasm) than have to wait 45 minutes to even be acknowledged by bar staff.

 

Yes, DW and I waited 45 minutes on the Veendam (a Holland America vessel) to be acknowledged by the single bar maid working the ocean bar. This was on a ship that holds around 1300 guests. This is flat out unacceptable, let alone on a ship with that few pax. I've *never* had that issue with Norwegian, regardless of where we go.

 

Agree, I rather pay for "nasty fees" that are completely avoidable than have reduced in service /quality even in the buffet. Carnival may taste better but NCL doesn't scrimp on the amount /portions!!

Edited April 9, 2015 by maywell

[NJ Fred]

I would love to find a cruise line that does things the "old school" way. I would gladly pay more ... but to go back to the days of the midnight buffets, the whole lobsters at dinner, the amazing dinners without specialty restaurants, and 24-hour room service with a decent menu ... I'd pay extra for that.

 

Me, too!

 

Home Lines, Sitmar, et al., they knew how to do it. I know it was a long, long time ago but, nevertheless, it was truly grand!

 

I acknowledge that with today's increased costs, that level of service (everything included - no "specialty" restaurants, etc.) would make fares jump substantially.

 

And I gues upscale lines like Crystal and Regent still provide such grandeur.

[fair-winds39]

I would love to find a cruise line that does things the "old school" way. I would gladly pay more ... but to go back to the days of the midnight buffets, the whole lobsters at dinner, the amazing dinners without specialty restaurants, and 24-hour room service with a decent menu ... I'd pay extra for that.

Couldn't agree more!!! So happy we had the opportunity to cruise the "old school" way too. Nothing like a cruise to Bermuda with Home Lines Oceanic way back when.

[SissasMomE]

Couldn't agree more!!! So happy we had the opportunity to cruise the "old school" way too. Nothing like a cruise to Bermuda with Home Lines Oceanic way back when.

 

Best cruise I've ever had was on Home Lines!

[bjlaac]

Home Lines, Ah! ......to experiece cruising again, I could only dream .

[DirtyDawg]

And I remember, on other lines, that there was someone to escort you to your non-suite cabin, white gloved waiters serving your dinner, fine china and (nothing to do with cruising) gas at 50 cents a gallon, but alas those were the good old days and those days have gone by the wayside. And I also remember that the fares for cruising were higher.

 

But in those good old days you didn't have Google, You Tube, email, or Al Gore's world wide web.;) Also no smartphones, GPS, Netflix, hybrid and electric cars. Of course no Kardashians, Duck Dynasty, Dancing with some sort of bachelorette, or big brother or something, and no addicted smartphones users either. :o

 

The good old days are gone. Welcome to the good/bad new days.:D

Edited April 9, 2015 by DirtyDawg

[bangzoom6877]

But in those good old days you didn't have Google, You Tube, email, or Al Gore's world wide web.;) Also no smartphones, GPS, Netflix, hybrid and electric cars. Of course no Kardashians, Duck Dynasty, Dancing with some sort of bachelorette, or big brother or something, and no addicted smartphones users either. :o

 

The good old days are gone. Welcome to the good/bad new days.:D

 

Yes, we just had the brochures that the cruise lines mailed us or that we picked up at the travel agent. So the only thing we could do was memorize the deck plans and look at the 3 pictures of each ship that they included! And the only reviews were professional ones, not everyday people.