Room service and to go food

[CavalierX]

Their will be a $1.00 charge for dish removal at each cabin per person...

 

PLEASE don't give Del Rio and Stuart any more bright ideas! :)

[harold369]

The great thing is we live in a democracy. We all can make choices. Unfortunately the few have ruined it for the majority. The slobs who leave plates outside staterooms and other places on the ship have partial lead to a new policy. The MAJOR PROBLEM is everyone is on vacation and everyone has paid for this vacation. So everyone believes THEY are ENTITLED to do what they want to do; no respect to other guests. There are several options---go to another cruise line BUT if NCL is successful !!! The other cruise lines will follow with their own Policy. I am sure NCL knows how many guests will be affected by this new policy. There is a possibility that ONLY a few guests will be affected; 300-400 guests out of 3000 guests--10 percent or less. Guests can do what we do, more EXPENSIVE, book a suite or Haven; we are allowed breakfast to be delivered and snacks in the afternoon by our BUTLER. There are many options, read the contract between the CRUISE LINE and GUEST. The cruise line wants to have an appealing ship not with dirty plates in hallways and guests carrying food all over the ship. I read many complaints and one of many was correct, NCL could just pass along in its pricing another 10 percent to cover these costs but NCL knows MOST OF THEIR GUESTS would not be HAPPY PAYING for those GUESTS ( a minority ) who are the REASON for this NEW POLICY. Guests consider the new FEE high--- NCL could charge $4 BUT want to discourage those leaving dirty plates all over the ship. I believe even at $4, guests would leave plates and garbage all over the ship BUT $ 7.95 is a better fee to discourage most. Even though I am on vacation, I can get up and go to each dining location and not worry about dirty dishes. Those with mobility problems or children who have problems eating at MDR's should get permission to be exempt; each case should be reviewed by NCL. If not, then select another cruise line. If our future cruises are filled with only cruises who will follow the rules, great for us. If those guests are unhappy with the new NCL POLICY, be happy on another cruise line. Guests pay a lot of money to be on vacation----SO BE HAPPY WHERE EVER YOU ARE SAILING...

[ravenjls]

The great thing is we live in a democracy. We all can make choices. Unfortunately the few have ruined it for the majority. The slobs who leave plates outside staterooms and other places on the ship have partial lead to a new policy. The MAJOR PROBLEM is everyone is on vacation and everyone has paid for this vacation. So everyone believes THEY are ENTITLED to do what they want to do; no respect to other guests. There are several options---go to another cruise line BUT if NCL is successful !!! The other cruise lines will follow with their own Policy. I am sure NCL knows how many guests will be affected by this new policy. There is a possibility that ONLY a few guests will be affected; 300-400 guests out of 3000 guests--10 percent or less. Guests can do what we do, more EXPENSIVE, book a suite or Haven; we are allowed breakfast to be delivered and snacks in the afternoon by our BUTLER. There are many options, read the contract between the CRUISE LINE and GUEST. The cruise line wants to have an appealing ship not with dirty plates in hallways and guests carrying food all over the ship. I read many complaints and one of many was correct, NCL could just pass along in its pricing another 10 percent to cover these costs but NCL knows MOST OF THEIR GUESTS would not be HAPPY PAYING for those GUESTS ( a minority ) who are the REASON for this NEW POLICY. Guests consider the new FEE high--- NCL could charge $4 BUT want to discourage those leaving dirty plates all over the ship. I believe even at $4, guests would leave plates and garbage all over the ship BUT $ 7.95 is a better fee to discourage most. Even though I am on vacation, I can get up and go to each dining location and not worry about dirty dishes. Those with mobility problems or children who have problems eating at MDR's should get permission to be exempt; each case should be reviewed by NCL. If not, then select another cruise line. If our future cruises are filled with only cruises who will follow the rules, great for us. If those guests are unhappy with the new NCL POLICY, be happy on another cruise line. Guests pay a lot of money to be on vacation----SO BE HAPPY WHERE EVER YOU ARE SAILING...

 

I agree but unfortunately I booked before this new policy was implemented but after I could cancel without penalty or I definitely would have booked another line. My cruise is to Alaska where we plan to spend an unusual amount of time on our balcony (unlike the caribbean) as its all about scenery. The Sun does not have the bells and whistles like other cruise ships - being cool we dont plan on sitting around the pool. So we plan to use our balcony so we dont have to shoot thru plexiglass, vie for a good place along the railing and are able to sit and enjoy the scenery going by. Including having snacks and some meals out there.

 

This implementation has changed how we wanted to spend our vacation. The room service menu is limited and not what we were counting on. AND YES we paid a LOT for our vacation.

[hpecorari]

I agree but unfortunately I booked before this new policy was implemented but after I could cancel without penalty or I definitely would have booked another line. My cruise is to Alaska where we plan to spend an unusual amount of time on our balcony (unlike the caribbean) as its all about scenery. The Sun does not have the bells and whistles like other cruise ships - being cool we dont plan on sitting around the pool. So we plan to use our balcony so we dont have to shoot thru plexiglass, vie for a good place along the railing and are able to sit and enjoy the scenery going by. Including having snacks and some meals out there.

 

This implementation has changed how we wanted to spend our vacation. The room service menu is limited and not what we were counting on. AND YES we paid a LOT for our vacation.

 

Which is why I said this before and will say it again....SOME people should have been grandfathered in. Such as your case when you can't cancel as your past cancellation date.

 

Harriet

[punkincc]

Some have posted fairly recent pictures, pre carry out ban, of pristine NCL corridors. This at a time, mind you, where people could carry out food at will if desired. Where are the pictures of "multiple plates and food waste littering the corridors" cited by Andy Stuart as the reason for the carry out ban? And it's odd that I don't recall complaints in any ship reviews of this terrible problem.:confused: It is something I have never seen on any of my 7 cruises with NCL when there was no ban in effect and people were free to take out where ever they liked. The occassional plate, yes. Piles of plates lining the halls and public spaces, no.

 

It is confusing indeed that many people are repeating this fact as gospel despite evidence to the contrary, and even stranger is the fact that the contention that NCL ships are trashy was put out there in a public statement by the CEO himself:eek:. "Let's try NCL for our next cruise!" "No, I heard they are trashy, the CEO himself said so!"

 

NCL could be a case study in how a company can destroy it's own public image and customer base from within. I have never seen more bone-headed moves.

Edited May 13, 2015 by punkincc

[swedish weave]

Lets rephrase that...NCL does have housekeeping staff on duty 24/7, but they DO NOT have room stewards in the hall at all times anymore (they used too) They are now moved around to serve in the MDR, buffet, and any restaurant during meal hours. Sometimes it is very hard-impossible to find a room steward on the floor anywhere during those hours. This has contributed to the pile up of plates in the hallways. No stewards---no cleaning. I am not saying NCL isn't clean,,,just the stewards are moved around alot more than in the past, with increased # of cabins to take care of.

We still love NCL---just not their communication skills

 

Your statement about housekeeping staff serving in restaurants is not correct. They are two separate departments and are not switched from one to another.

[rvsullivan]

Which is why I said this before and will say it again....SOME people should have been grandfathered in. Such as your case when you can't cancel as your past cancellation date.

 

Harriet

 

Really!! Grandfathered in? So some could carry food out of the buffet and take it to their room and the answer would be, they're grandfathered so it ok, however, you're not so no go for you! How in the world would you grandfather taking food from the buffet, which is what this poster was complaining about.

This is pretty typical of the 20 or so Jeerleaders that are making hundreds of posts to try to influence NCL policy. If it is easy enough for us to see, I'm sure NCL has also noticed that is is a very, very small number of people making all the noise. If the hysterical, misleading noisemakers were going to make a difference in NCL policy, it would have already happened.

It's easy to see from many of the posts on here that most/many have not listened to the whole one hour talk that FDR made to the market makers. I've listened to it twice. It is typical of what all publicly held companies make every quarter. The company is doing better this quarter than ever before, stock is up, sales are up a huge amount. Future bookings are through the roof, stock market is happy. That is the companies goal. And it is working right now.

I had a Hotel Director tell me a year or so ago that by the calculation, CC members make up a small fraction of 1% of total cruisers. If all of the CC NCL cruisers were against these changes, it would still not be enough to sway a financial decision, particularly if the changes were making significant money for the cruise line. The largest number of CC members I've ever had on a cruise was 80, and that was with a passenger count of 2300, 3%, and most cruises is is half of that. Since only a very small percentage of that number are upset with NCL's changes, where is the impact?

I've pretty much stayed out of all of this craziness, but I ask this. If you go through the half dozen of so posts running on these topics right now, look at the breakdown of posters on each one. You will see that the same posters make 20-30 or more posts on each topic, most others are one or two posts. Why does it take 30 posts on one topic to make a point? The vast majority of multiple posters have yet to sail with the new changes, but have become the "experts/spokespersons" for the anti movement. The few posts from folks that have actually sailed with the new changes are mostly positive, yet the are discounted/discredited by the naysayers. None of this makes sense.

[maywell]

I know this will come across rude but its also the fugly truth - NCL is not going to miss some passengers with the new fees and policies, even if the cruise market is not 'infinite'. And not for reasons people think; - Honestly, people who are complaining about the food restrictions being use to drive demand for new room service fee - WRONG! Did it not occur to people that the fee was to kill/lessen the demand and for people to use the other restaurants (complimentary &specialty) more? Before anyone says anything especially regarding the large amount of food in the buffet - They already diet police the buffet by removing trays from there , having small cups to drink from and in some cases, the plates are already heavy before any food is on it (believe it or not, that's a form of controlling one's food intake /dieting)

 

 

Did it not occur to people that's new NCL's way of controlling food costs? Before anyone says anything about the free continental breakfast - How many pastries is one getting with that order? How big are those pastries, because I remembered room service cinnamon rolls & danishes being tiny and needed to order like 2 to be full with yogurt and tiny cup of coffee.

 

 

Whatever excuses people complaining about the food restrictions think NCL is using to justify it; money grab, beautification, cost-cutting -have to remember its NCL line - people can whether cruise on them or even better, vote with their wallets and go on cruise lines that don't have draconian policies. AKA their business, their rules and no offense - if we don't like it, we can all take a hike elsewhere like Carnival, Royal, Celebrity, Princess, etc. Otherwise, if you're one of those that go caught within the final payment to make changes amd angry about the changes - Just enjoy your vacation as best you can and when planning the next one, just rethink if NCL is worth the hassle you went through.

[Travelcat2]

If you are going to repeat yourself, I will repeat myself;)- Andy Stuart may be steering but he's using a map drawn by Del Rio and it's one way. Top of the main stream, bottom of the premium? Not too much difference except maybe in price.

 

Agree with you that "top of the main stream" or "bottom of the premium" is not much different. I can't agree about Andy Stuart using a map drawn by FDR. Andy Stuart has hands-on experience with NCL. As a new CEO of NCL, he no doubt depends upon Andy Stuart and other experienced NCL management to advise him of problems and make suggestions on how to better the cruise line.

 

FDR certainly could have asked them for ways to save money and increase revenue (or could have given them a goal of $$$ to save in their budget). IMO, the current changes were not suggested by FDR but rather by Andy Stuart and/or other management at NCL. In any event, I do think this whole thing has been blown out of proportion. The sky is not falling -- NCL is not sinking -- there are some new rules and that is all. If you do not use room service, there is no effect whatsoever to the cost of your cruise. If you use room service -- just as at a hotel, it is going to cost you more. IMO, the alternative is NCL just raising cruise fares for everyone and going back to free room service.

[sparks1093]

I know this will come across rude but its also the fugly truth - NCL is not going to miss some passengers with the new fees and policies, even if the cruise market is not 'infinite'. And not for reasons people think; - Honestly, people who are complaining about the food restrictions being use to drive demand for new room service fee - WRONG! Did it not occur to people that the fee was to kill/lessen the demand and for people to use the other restaurants (complimentary &specialty) more? Before anyone says anything especially regarding the large amount of food in the buffet - They already diet police the buffet by removing trays from there , having small cups to drink from and in some cases, the plates are already heavy before any food is on it (believe it or not, that's a form of controlling one's food intake /dieting)

 

 

Did it not occur to people that's new NCL's way of controlling food costs? Before anyone says anything about the free continental breakfast - How many pastries is one getting with that order? How big are those pastries, because I remembered room service cinnamon rolls & danishes being tiny and needed to order like 2 to be full with yogurt and tiny cup of coffee.

 

 

Whatever excuses people complaining about the food restrictions think NCL is using to justify it; money grab, beautification, cost-cutting -have to remember its NCL line - people can whether cruise on them or even better, vote with their wallets and go on cruise lines that don't have draconian policies. AKA their business, their rules and no offense - if we don't like it, we can all take a hike elsewhere like Carnival, Royal, Celebrity, Princess, etc. Otherwise, if you're one of those that go caught within the final payment to make changes amd angry about the changes - Just enjoy your vacation as best you can and when planning the next one, just rethink if NCL is worth the hassle you went through.

 

It could be a food cost control measure but from what I've read NCL hasn't exactly been breaking the bank with their per passenger food cost expenditures. Fact remains that they started charging for room service on test ships and then after the room service charge was rolled out to the fleet came the new policy on no take out food from the restaurants. It's not rocket science to see that the two issues are related. As for the rest of your post your are correct, NCL expects to lose some passengers in this time of transition and from what I've read people are doing exactly as you suggest in your last sentence.

[warriorking]

The great thing is we live in a democracy. We all can make choices. Unfortunately the few have ruined it for the majority. The slobs who leave plates outside staterooms and other places on the ship have partial lead to a new policy. The MAJOR PROBLEM is everyone is on vacation and everyone has paid for this vacation. So everyone believes THEY are ENTITLED to do what they want to do; no respect to other guests. There are several options---go to another cruise line BUT if NCL is successful !!! The other cruise lines will follow with their own Policy. I am sure NCL knows how many guests will be affected by this new policy. There is a possibility that ONLY a few guests will be affected; 300-400 guests out of 3000 guests--10 percent or less. Guests can do what we do, more EXPENSIVE, book a suite or Haven; we are allowed breakfast to be delivered and snacks in the afternoon by our BUTLER. There are many options, read the contract between the CRUISE LINE and GUEST. The cruise line wants to have an appealing ship not with dirty plates in hallways and guests carrying food all over the ship. I read many complaints and one of many was correct, NCL could just pass along in its pricing another 10 percent to cover these costs but NCL knows MOST OF THEIR GUESTS would not be HAPPY PAYING for those GUESTS ( a minority ) who are the REASON for this NEW POLICY. Guests consider the new FEE high--- NCL could charge $4 BUT want to discourage those leaving dirty plates all over the ship. I believe even at $4, guests would leave plates and garbage all over the ship BUT $ 7.95 is a better fee to discourage most. Even though I am on vacation, I can get up and go to each dining location and not worry about dirty dishes. Those with mobility problems or children who have problems eating at MDR's should get permission to be exempt; each case should be reviewed by NCL. If not, then select another cruise line. If our future cruises are filled with only cruises who will follow the rules, great for us. If those guests are unhappy with the new NCL POLICY, be happy on another cruise line. Guests pay a lot of money to be on vacation----SO BE HAPPY WHERE EVER YOU ARE SAILING...

 

Unfortunately you have bought into the dishes outside the room excuse for the no food policy, that's not the case at all.

They are doing exactly as instructed anyway....

If that were the case the rule would have taken effect years ago on all the cruise ships..

Its simply about money pure and simple, no other reason...

The only way the new fee can be made profitable is eliminate the alternative...

Thus the no food to go rule...

I just chuckle at the attempts made by NCL to implement this new rule because many passengers myself included will find a way to slip food back to our cabins...Hell I now consider it a challenge layed down by NCL that I will gladly accept...

Let the games begin....

If you will excuse me I am off to buy some concealable Tupperware to pack in my luggage... see you in the Brig...

Edited May 13, 2015 by warriorking

[SJ]

If ship hygiene is truly the driving force for this new policy, wouldn't instituting a fine for those who leaves their dirty dishes in the hallway be sufficient to curb this practice? Why punish every passenger for the few slobs who are inconsiderate? I have seen plates in the hallways on all my cruises but they are usually removed in a reasonable time. I certainly never felt the hallways have become intolerable as a result.

 

Everyone can and will believe what they want. The truth is the truth which only ncl knows. Frankly all these policies implemented in a non public way indicates it is not above board what NCL is doing. You don't have to hide when you are doing something right and you actually believe it's for the right reasons.

 

Princess passengers convinced Princess to retract their room service fee after only a weekend. Will ncl be just as smart as Princess cruiseline in listening to their passengers? Or is Ncl passengers not smart enough to push back against the same policy as Princess passengers? I hope we can be smart passengers not NCL's sheeps.

[sparks1093]

Agree with you that "top of the main stream" or "bottom of the premium" is not much different. I can't agree about Andy Stuart using a map drawn by FDR. Andy Stuart has hands-on experience with NCL. As a new CEO of NCL, he no doubt depends upon Andy Stuart and other experienced NCL management to advise him of problems and make suggestions on how to better the cruise line.

 

FDR certainly could have asked them for ways to save money and increase revenue (or could have given them a goal of $$$ to save in their budget). IMO, the current changes were not suggested by FDR but rather by Andy Stuart and/or other management at NCL. In any event, I do think this whole thing has been blown out of proportion. The sky is not falling -- NCL is not sinking -- there are some new rules and that is all. If you do not use room service, there is no effect whatsoever to the cost of your cruise. If you use room service -- just as at a hotel, it is going to cost you more. IMO, the alternative is NCL just raising cruise fares for everyone and going back to free room service.

 

NCL is not sinking but NCL is changing and it will soon not be the same cruise line that it was. Many of us are saddended by that. If Andy came up with these ideas on his own he doesn't know his passengers as well as he thinks he does.

[ColinIllinois]

most of these threads have run their course and should be closed, imo. How many times can the same thing be said?

 

 

amen.

[SAILPRO]

Unfortunately you have bought into the dishes outside the room excuse for the no food policy, that's not the case at all.

They are doing exactly as instructed anyway....

If that were the case the rule would have taken effect years ago on all the cruise ships..

Its simply about money pure and simple, no other reason...

The only way the new fee can be made profitable is eliminate the alternative...

Thus the no food to go rule...

I just chuckle at the attempts made by NCL to implement this new rule because many passengers myself included will find a way to slip food back to our cabins...Hell I now consider it a challenge layed down by NCL that I will gladly accept...

Let the games begin....

If you will excuse me I am off to buy some concealable Tupperware to pack in my luggage... see you in the Brig...

 

Agree 100% warriorking!

(dirty dishes in the hallway and etc.) are nothing but excuses for the new $7.95 RS fee. :mad:

 

Most will believe anything you tell them. :rolleyes:

[cacj]

Don't forget that just because you see the same names discussing a topic, it doesn't make the topic less valid.

 

For every person signing on to CC, there are many, many lurkers, many who do not register, but who read CC and have an opinion. Some may or may not choose NCL based on the information shared here. Just because only 30 CC people show up or sign up for a Meet and Greet on a ship, that is not proof that there is only a small percentage of CC people on the ship...it just means 30 were involved in the public event.

 

It isn't just the signed in populace here on CC who matter, it is every person who is trying to discern what cruise lines offer and how much it will affect their vacation experience. Money is certainly part of the process, but it is also about enjoyment! It is not enjoyable to restrict a person's choice by implementing fees meant to control, be punitive, or grab more $$.

[swedish weave]

Agree with you that "top of the main stream" or "bottom of the premium" is not much different. I can't agree about Andy Stuart using a map drawn by FDR. Andy Stuart has hands-on experience with NCL. As a new CEO of NCL, he no doubt depends upon Andy Stuart and other experienced NCL management to advise him of problems and make suggestions on how to better the cruise line.

 

FDR certainly could have asked them for ways to save money and increase revenue (or could have given them a goal of $$$ to save in their budget). IMO, the current changes were not suggested by FDR but rather by Andy Stuart and/or other management at NCL. In any event, I do think this whole thing has been blown out of proportion. The sky is not falling -- NCL is not sinking -- there are some new rules and that is all. If you do not use room service, there is no effect whatsoever to the cost of your cruise. If you use room service -- just as at a hotel, it is going to cost you more. IMO, the alternative is NCL just raising cruise fares for everyone and going back to free room service.

 

Your post brings up some interesting questions. A few years ago, Andy Stuart narrated a documentary that was aired on several TV stations about NCL's cruises and what was needed to make the cruise profitable.

 

Some of the main points were

 

Liquor sales were crucial in the outcome of the cruise --- They are (or were) giving this as a booking bonus

 

Shore excursions were also crucial in making the cruise profitable --- They are now giving these as a booking bonus.

 

Specialty restaurants -- Same scenario -- Now free as a booking bonus.

 

Other items in that documentary followed the same pattern, so ----

 

Was Stuart truthful then, or is he truthful now ???

 

As far as the question about who is calling the shots at NCL, Apollo is the guiding voice.

 

Your comment that NCL is not sinking is questionable. Their debt is almost double their market value and that belies your comment.

Edited May 13, 2015 by swedish weave

[punkincc]

Really!! Grandfathered in? So some could carry food out of the buffet and take it to their room and the answer would be, they're grandfathered so it ok, however, you're not so no go for you! How in the world would you grandfather taking food from the buffet, which is what this poster was complaining about.

This is pretty typical of the 20 or so Jeerleaders that are making hundreds of posts to try to influence NCL policy. If it is easy enough for us to see, I'm sure NCL has also noticed that is is a very, very small number of people making all the noise. If the hysterical, misleading noisemakers were going to make a difference in NCL policy, it would have already happened.

It's easy to see from many of the posts on here that most/many have not listened to the whole one hour talk that FDR made to the market makers. I've listened to it twice. It is typical of what all publicly held companies make every quarter. The company is doing better this quarter than ever before, stock is up, sales are up a huge amount. Future bookings are through the roof, stock market is happy. That is the companies goal. And it is working right now.

I had a Hotel Director tell me a year or so ago that by the calculation, CC members make up a small fraction of 1% of total cruisers. If all of the CC NCL cruisers were against these changes, it would still not be enough to sway a financial decision, particularly if the changes were making significant money for the cruise line. The largest number of CC members I've ever had on a cruise was 80, and that was with a passenger count of 2300, 3%, and most cruises is is half of that. Since only a very small percentage of that number are upset with NCL's changes, where is the impact?

I've pretty much stayed out of all of this craziness, but I ask this. If you go through the half dozen of so posts running on these topics right now, look at the breakdown of posters on each one. You will see that the same posters make 20-30 or more posts on each topic, most others are one or two posts. Why does it take 30 posts on one topic to make a point? The vast majority of multiple posters have yet to sail with the new changes, but have become the "experts/spokespersons" for the anti movement. The few posts from folks that have actually sailed with the new changes are mostly positive, yet the are discounted/discredited by the naysayers. None of this makes sense.

 

 

I would agree with you that the "grandfathering" in this situation would be hard to accomplish.

 

You say 80 was the highest number of CC members on your cruises? But you assume that ALL CC members sign up for their Roll Calls and attend the M&Gs. And if NCL feels we are not at all important, they why do they bother to host a M&G with senior staff on every ship and sailing. You have no way of knowing how many of those on the ship are CC members and read these boards regularly or in researching prior to booking their cruise. Many lurk here, while few post. I would agree that percentage wise, they do not make up the majority of the ship, but NCL believes they are significant because they, unlike the rest of the masses on the ships, have a VOICE here on Cruise Critic which is reviewed by thousands on a daily basis. How many times have we seen someone say, illogically or not, that they are canceling, or will not book, based on a few negative posts or reviews here. So I do not buy the contention that we are statistically irrelevant. Even political polls do not survey 100% of the population. We are a statistically relevant sampling of ther cruising public, IMO.

 

Where are the few, mostly positive posts from folks that have actually sailed with the new changes you speak of? I would say virtually 100% of the posts I have seen here on CC on the subject as well as on Facebook have been negative.

[maywell]

NCL is not sinking but NCL is changing and it will soon not be the same cruise line that it was. Many of us are saddended by that. If Andy came up with these ideas on his own he doesn't know his passengers as well as he thinks he does.

 

Or Andy is listening to passengers, just not the ones CC complainers think he should be listening to - themselves. Did that not cross some people minds? Most of the CC posters that post more are suite /Haven guests but the actual NCL cruising population is made up of interiors, oceanviews, Balcony and mini-suites - the food policies and room service fees that truly affects. And guess what? They seem to content or neutral about it because there should had been more complaints on the Facebook page since it 1st wave of passengers under it are now back. Instead, nothing but speculation on CC forum side from people who are not onboard and few people that did go on cruises during that timeframe are being dismissed as liars and/or not being listen to.

 

Yes, NCL changing and in some people eyes for the better. On the CC forum with some of posters - its the end of world for them.

[spidybabe]

Your statement about housekeeping staff serving in restaurants is not correct. They are two separate departments and are not switched from one to another.

 

Our last cruise we saw our room steward working in the buffet at breakfast time, and another day he was working in the MDR at lunch. Same guy...even stopped to say hi to us. We kidded that we knew he didn't make up the room yet that morning (the day we saw him at breakfast)

[SAILPRO]

If ship hygiene is truly the driving force for this new policy, wouldn't instituting a fine for those who leaves their dirty dishes in the hallway be sufficient to curb this practice? Why punish every passenger for the few slobs who are inconsiderate? I have seen plates in the hallways on all my cruises but they are usually removed in a reasonable time. I certainly never felt the hallways have become intolerable as a result.

 

Everyone can and will believe what they want. The truth is the truth which only ncl knows. Frankly all these policies implemented in a non public way indicates it is not above board what NCL is doing. You don't have to hide when you are doing something right and you actually believe it's for the right reasons.

 

Princess passengers convinced Princess to retract their room service fee after only a weekend. Will ncl be just as smart as Princess cruiseline in listening to their passengers? Or is Ncl passengers not smart enough to push back against the same policy as Princess passengers? I hope we can be smart passengers not NCL's sheeps.

 

Don't leave dirty dishes in the hallway? Thought it's the steward's job to remove them.

 

Let see, if you paid $7.95 RS fee then it's ok to leave it in the hallway, otherwise, it's NOT ok? LOL :D :D

[Cruise4Real]

Agree 100% warriorking!

(dirty dishes in the hallway and etc.) are nothing but excuses for the new $7.95 RS fee. :mad:

 

Most will believe anything you tell them. :rolleyes:

 

Honestly, even the "cheerleaders" know that NCL's excuses are made-up B.S. that wouldn't fool a passenger pigeon.

[hpecorari]

Really!! Grandfathered in? So some could carry food out of the buffet and take it to their room and the answer would be, they're grandfathered so it ok, however, you're not so no go for you! How in the world would you grandfather taking food from the buffet, which is what this poster was complaining about.

This is pretty typical of the 20 or so Jeerleaders that are making hundreds of posts to try to influence NCL policy. If it is easy enough for us to see, I'm sure NCL has also noticed that is is a very, very small number of people making all the noise. If the hysterical, misleading noisemakers were going to make a difference in NCL policy, it would have already happened.

It's easy to see from many of the posts on here that most/many have not listened to the whole one hour talk that FDR made to the market makers. I've listened to it twice. It is typical of what all publicly held companies make every quarter. The company is doing better this quarter than ever before, stock is up, sales are up a huge amount. Future bookings are through the roof, stock market is happy. That is the companies goal. And it is working right now.

I had a Hotel Director tell me a year or so ago that by the calculation, CC members make up a small fraction of 1% of total cruisers. If all of the CC NCL cruisers were against these changes, it would still not be enough to sway a financial decision, particularly if the changes were making significant money for the cruise line. The largest number of CC members I've ever had on a cruise was 80, and that was with a passenger count of 2300, 3%, and most cruises is is half of that. Since only a very small percentage of that number are upset with NCL's changes, where is the impact?

I've pretty much stayed out of all of this craziness, but I ask this. If you go through the half dozen of so posts running on these topics right now, look at the breakdown of posters on each one. You will see that the same posters make 20-30 or more posts on each topic, most others are one or two posts. Why does it take 30 posts on one topic to make a point? The vast majority of multiple posters have yet to sail with the new changes, but have become the "experts/spokespersons" for the anti movement. The few posts from folks that have actually sailed with the new changes are mostly positive, yet the are discounted/discredited by the naysayers. None of this makes sense.

 

I agree that these threads are basically repeat after repeat after repeat. I also see that new threads are even being started. I agree, also, that enough is enough.

 

In regard to your comment about future booking over the roof and stock holders happy....the only thing I'm going to say about this is that one main reason this is true is because of the promos they had going February, March, and April. Sure, it shows an increase in sales!

 

And now....I'm done with this thread and the others as enough is enough....even for me. Bottom line.....It is what it is.

 

Harriet

[swedish weave]

Our last cruise we saw our room steward working in the buffet at breakfast time, and another day he was working in the MDR at lunch. Same guy...even stopped to say hi to us. We kidded that we knew he didn't make up the room yet that morning (the day we saw him at breakfast)

 

Do you have details -- name, ship, dates, cabin number, restaurants?

 

I would like the opportunity to check with my contacts to see if this is another policy change. Thank you for your cooperation.

[CavalierX]

The cruise line wants to have an appealing ship not with dirty plates in hallways and guests carrying food all over the ship.

 

Then why add a new charge for room service, if they would prefer that guests use that instead of carrying their own plates to their cabins? It's obviously just an excuse.