Poll: Do you bring food to your cabin

[teriwinkle]

How will this new policy affect you?

Yes we do; my husband is a disabled veteran and a diabetic. He often needs to eat something in the cabin, usually on the balcony. I go and get certain things for him and sometimes I need to get it quickly. We even book our cabins aft so I can get to the buffet conveniently. Also we often take dessert back from the MDR for later since his diet requires him to eat smaller amounts of food every few hours. I keep fruit by his nightstand in case his blood sugar takes a dive after insulin injections. While sitting with him, I enjoy having some cheese and crackers brought from the buffet to have with a glass of wine in the afternoon or before retiring. Having to order from room service selections, wait for it to be delivered, and then pay extra plus a gratuity would be a deal breaker for us on several levels. Shore excursions can be an ordeal for him as well, and when we return to the ship he just wants to go back to the cabin and lie down while I go get something appropriate from the buffet or Blue Lagoon for him. We really enjoyed so many things about NCL. Such a shame. Our next cruise is the TCM Classic Cruise on Disney Magic. A splurge on our bucket list which means we won't be cruising for quite some time into the future. Maybe NCL will sort itself out by then.

[cruiserninja1]

Yes we do; my husband is a disabled veteran and a diabetic. He often needs to eat something in the cabin, usually on the balcony. I go and get certain things for him and sometimes I need to get it quickly. We even book our cabins aft so I can get to the buffet conveniently. Also we often take dessert back from the MDR for later since his diet requires him to eat smaller amounts of food every few hours. I keep fruit by his nightstand in case his blood sugar takes a dive after insulin injections. While sitting with him, I enjoy having some cheese and crackers brought from the buffet to have with a glass of wine in the afternoon or before retiring. Having to order from room service selections, wait for it to be delivered, and then pay extra plus a gratuity would be a deal breaker for us on several levels. Shore excursions can be an ordeal for him as well, and when we return to the ship he just wants to go back to the cabin and lie down while I go get something appropriate from the buffet or Blue Lagoon for him. We really enjoyed so many things about NCL. Such a shame. Our next cruise is the TCM Classic Cruise on Disney Magic. A splurge on our bucket list which means we won't be cruising for quite some time into the future. Maybe NCL will sort itself out by then.

 

 

you will love Disney! I know we did and are now regretting not booking another Disney cruise instead of our current NCL one .

[tobias]

For those who don't believe this is Norwegian's new policy just google...Norwegian cruise lines new food policy and you can read their official statement.

[luvtheships]

On our January ba cruise guest services sent us a "thank you" tray of fruit because I pointed out a typo on the freestyle dailies

 

Btw the typo said smoking was allowed on the balconies ( they apparently just reused the dailies from the previous year 12 day Carib runs) and just changed the dates and entertainment options but never changed the fine print. Duh

 

Now here I am just a stupid frequent cruiser on ncl who books the cheapest inside cabins but I caught it

 

Btw guest services was very upset about the typo

 

Anyway back to the fruit plate

 

It sat there for 3 days as we just don't eat a whole pear or apple on a cruise....we basically go for the fun food like a crepe or pretzel roll

 

The plate was in the way

 

We finally told the steward to take it away as we felt bad just giving it back to him after just 1 day

 

So no we don't and won't eat in the cabin and won't book a balcony in order to eat on it

 

Btw had guest services given us a $10 obc we probably would have spent it on a $ 40 bottle of wine

 

Ncl do you ever listen?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[samiam0403]

This new policy mildly annoys me, as I do bring food back to my cabin every cruise. Somehow DH and I (and now DM and I) got in the habit of, after an evening of drinking, entertainment, and gambling, stopping and picking up a plate of wings to nosh on before we go to sleep late at night. Sure, we could have the butler do it, but I always feel bad calling the late night butler at 3:00am. It's silly, but it's a goofy little tradition we have now that looks like we won't be able to do any more.

[racingraysswimmom]

Sent my email. Thanks deladela for posting email address.

[SissasMomE]

There are a lot of folks who take food back to their cabins! I'm curious though - are they snacks or full meals?

[CarolZaga]

Since my husband is disabled, it is easier for me as his caregiver to bring him a light lunch from the buffet to the cabin rather than having to deal with the general chaos of getting lunch for the both of us from the luncheon buffet.

This decision by NCL will definitely impact my decision to sail with them again.

[Vyhanek]

I have teen daughters. Getting up early on port days to get off the ship for an excursion is a major undertaking. First extracting them from their beds, then dealing with the primping of tired teen girls when they want to be sleeping in on vacation.

 

You people don't want to see my girls in the buffet on those mornings. I don't want to ruin vacation for you! My dh and I will eat our own breakfast in the dining areas and then bring plates back to the cabin for the cranky daughters.

 

I want to have the ability to bring food back to my cabin. I think it's going too far to forbid food to the cabins. Even dorm rooms allow students to have food. The reasoning about cleanliness doesn't make sense or they would eliminate room service all together.

[tdk1938]

We never ate in our cabin on previous cruises. Our cabins are on Star's deck 8 for our first cruise with NCL in December. If we're want something to eat, we'll go to O'Sheehans for quick snack.

 

[SeaWatcher65]

There are a lot of folks who take food back to their cabins! I'm curious though - are they snacks or full meals?

For us, it's snacks and full meals. We like a room just 1 deck or two under the deck with the pool and buffet. We like relaxing in our room. My son and I will go up the stairs to get a light bite to eat or ice cream and bring it back. We don't want to sit in a buffet. On port days, we are tired and need to clean up for the evening. So, our 9yr old son likes to have dinner in the room while watching TV or the ocean from our balcony while we get ready, then he is off to the kids' club and we are off to a romantic dinner. Everyone is happy with this freestyle approach. On sea days, we also like to eat in the room. It's much more relaxing than sitting in the crowded buffet or noisy pool area. This is why we pay more for a higher deck balcony room. It's what we enjoy about vacation -- relaxing, watching the ocean, etc. For us, vacation is not spending 2 hours a day or more sitting in a noisy, crowded, buffet area. All I can say is maybe NCL will open up more eating areas for breakfast and lunch like on the waterfront of the Getaway and Escape. But I doubt it because that goes against what seems to be cost cutting measures. I would choose Celebrity cruise over NCL. The only reason we went with NCL was because of more things for kids (water slides, etc.).... but if the costs keep going up, we will go to a waterpark on a separate trip and stick with Celebrity -- better food, more relaxing, fewer rules about what we can and cannot do.

[Sotermarler]

There are a lot of folks who take food back to their cabins! I'm curious though - are they snacks or full meals?

 

Full meals. Mostly breakfast, but whatever. The balcony is a great place to getaway from the masses, ESP since we don't do any specialty dining and mostly just eat off the buffets. Just looking at the picture brings a smile to my face, serenity!

[warriorking]

How many people are going to ignore the rule and take food back anyway..

Is NCL going to post staff at the exits to enforce it...I highly doubt it they are busy enough already...People will do what they want to do....

Some will take it as a challenge....

As stated this is going to cause some problems, people who have no business being out of their room due to illness will now mingle with other passengers when dining causing an increase of illness...

Longer waits in all dining areas, and a rather touchy group of passengers as the cruise winds down...

Me I stay away from the buffet mainly due to the illness factor, and I never use room service...But other people's millage may vary...

Trust me I will find a way of getting a piece of Cheese cake back to my cabin to go along with my coffee on my balcony, and it doesn't involve a 7.95 charge....

Edited May 9, 2015 by warriorking

[jame_g]

Usually late evening "snacks" to eat while we watch a movie at the end of the day. Sometimes earlier if we want to relax or read on the balcony. Wings, chips, dessert, usually stuff off the menu from Blue Lagoon/O'Sheehans.

[NLH Arizona]

How many people are going to ignore the rule and take food back anyway..

Is NCL going to post staff at the exits to enforce it...I highly doubt it they are busy enough already...People will do what they want to do....

Some will take it as a challenge....

I think quite a few will. Just like those that still smoke on their balconies, hog loungers, smuggle booze onboard, etc.

[sanmarcosman]

Foot traffic going in and out of the buffet dining area is going to bog down and cause mass congestion while the staff instructs guests with food to go back and drama will ensue. How long will it be before guests slip and fall in the middle of a food fight? In my case it will be in three months ;)

[icem86]

I actually like the change. I can see some people taking advantage of free room service. Those costs are then passed along to everyone.

 

When charging for room service, it keeps the base cost of the cruise down.

[SissasMomE]

I actually like the change. I can see some people taking advantage of free room service. Those costs are then passed along to everyone.

 

When charging for room service, it keeps the base cost of the cruise down.

 

Oh boy ... you are either very naive or very ....

[cadien]

When we cruised four weeks ago, the kids club called us at La Cucina before the entrees had arrived. I was able to have mine packaged and sent to the room, while I fetched DS and put him to bed. My biggest concern for future incidents -- and nothing official has appeared that I've seen -- is whether I'd now lose the speciality restaurant fee in addition to the food.

[SJ]

I don't buy that onboard charges keeps cruise price down. No cruiseline is consciously lowering it's prices. Prices are base on supply and demand and what the market believe is the value of said product. Demand has increased many times over since the Love Boat so why is it cheaper to sail now than it was 20-25 years ago? Simple, the cruiselines have built too many mega ships with too many cabins to fill without deeply discounting. It's very naive to believe due to all these additional charges, NCL is going to keep prices low. Ncl will charge whatever the market will bear which ncl has decided it's not enough to pay for these mega ships and trying to get you when you become that captive audience once you board. All these new charges just devalue your base fare.

 

Disney is a perfect example of this. Unique experience plus limited berths means high price to get on their ships. Of course Disney isn't for everyone but most who do sail her ships seem extremely satisfied despite the cost.

Edited May 9, 2015 by SJ

[Markanddonna]

We bring these foods back:

 

Coffee and tea in our own travel mugs

A bowl of fruit if we choose to eat at O'Sheehans for breakfast as they offer no fruit on their menu.

I would bring back a full meal if one of us was under the weather or had an injury that made walking painful.

 

Silly new rules...

[rockdoctor]

So let's put this in perspective. A drink from the bar is OK, but a coffee from the buffet isn't. Where am I supposed to eat the Danish I get with my paid for coffee. Sounds like elementary school. I guess I'll be bringing more food with me when I board the ship. I can see it now, buying "Food Runners" for my upcoming cruise.

[LrgPizza]

So let's put this in perspective. A drink from the bar is OK, but a coffee from the buffet isn't.

bullcrap

 

I would bet anyone $100,000 that you can carry coffee from the buffet anywhere you want. Good grief. Bringing a meal and bringing a coffee are completely different things. If you can't see that, then you probably can't see much.

[DGP1111]

How many people are going to ignore the rule and take food back anyway?

 

I think quite a few will.

 

Hand in the air.

 

Zero remorse.

 

.

[rockdoctor]

bullcrap

 

I would bet anyone $100,000 that you can carry coffee from the buffet anywhere you want. Good grief. Bringing a meal and bringing a coffee are completely different things. If you can't see that, then you probably can't see much.

 

So a coffee OK. How about a few cookies on a plate. And since I have a plate I'll put a few shrimp and some roast beef. And maybe a few peas.