NCL: A Contrarian View

[xriva]

And another thought:

 

Frankly the whole mega-ship concept seems flawed. Of course there are economies of scale, but they aren't selling soap, the demand for which is pretty steady over time, so the bigger the factory the more profit to be made...

 

 

I agree with the megaship comment. I tend to sail just to sail - I love Transatlantics - but the main problem I see is that the bigger the ship, the less places it can go.

 

There are only so many ports in the Caribbean (we generally sail over Christmas), and we've been to most of the ones where NCL calls. I don't see the point of going on the same class ship to the same three ports year after year.

 

So, eventually I'm going to have to move to another line just because I don't really get the magic of the Breakaway class. FDR's fatal mistake with the nickel and dime approach is that I'm not likely to go to Regent or Oceania.

 

Cruises are resorts. NCL (and other lines) mega ships are like DisneyWorld. Some people go, year after year, bitch about the higher prices, stand in the same lines, and do the same rides. Think about the Getaway - St Martin, St Thomas, Nassau, over and over, week after week. You'll never do a Panama crossing on the Breakaway class - it won't fit (this may change when the new canal opens.) All it can do is Caribbean milk runs unless it moves to Europe.

 

The ship is now the destination. Now, I have friends that go to DisneyWorld every year. I couldn't do it. I need some variety.

 

When someone decides it's time for a more upscale resort, maybe try to get away from the kids and the crowds, NCLH has Oceania and Regent, but you have to be motivated to move up. The motivation comes from how NCL treated you while you were there. I'm not motivated to stay within the family, and I'm Platinum.

 

I think all the nickel and diming is designed to get the base fare as low as possible to fill the ships. Once you're onboard, you're going to pay what you're asked, because there's not much choice at that point.

 

My wife found a handicap balcony on the final Epic crossing this year for $849 each. It was just after my 55th birthday. We went. It was a lovely trip. I will say that it did not cost $1700. However, to her, it was cheap, because some people only see the base fare. ("Holy crap! 11 days! $849! Balcony!") After I paid all the bills (WiFi, gratuities, photos, drinks, excursions, Chef's Table, cash tips, taxes, fees, port charges, service charges, pet sitter charges at home, etc.), it was assuredly not an $1700 trip.

 

But it was cheap.

 

Maybe FDR knows what he's doing.

[newmexicoNita]

I have been reading ( and reading …. )(and reading ….) all of the negative rants/reviews/posts/threads/threats about the changes occurring at NCL over the past few months.

 

As some background, my partner and I are just slightly on the wrong side of 50 and have been lucky and fortunate enough in life to travel around a lot of the world on many different ships and many different lines over the past 20+ years. We have sailed on everything from inside cabins on Chandris Fantasy (look it up) up to and including Oceania, Celebrity Xpedition, Travel Dynamics, Ponant, Azamara and The Haven.

 

We used to be complete Celebrity addicts until about two years ago when after three cruises in a row that drove us slightly crazy, we decided that we would become “free agents”. This is, we wouldn’t be slaves to loyalty programs with their free drinks and internet and see what else was out there.

 

We returned to NCL last year and were hooked. However, in the past two years we have also sailed on HAL, RCI, Celebrity, Oceania and Azamara.

 

People … you have NO clue how good you have it on NCL and the spectacular value that is provided. To all those who say they are cancelling their reservations and going somewhere else, I say: “Off you go”!

 

Go on Royal Caribbean and go to the buffet where fried starchy food goes to die, where the varieties of fresh fruit can be counted on four fingers, where smoked salmon doesn’t swim, where roast “turkey” is a strange compressed protinaceous turkoid blob and have the privilege of paying a premium over NCL.

 

Go on Celebrity (where I’ve sailed about 250 nights) and return to the ship at 3:30 and try to get a decent snack without standing in a buffet line serviced by, oh, one server manning the pasta station and one person doing … well, I’m not sure what she was doing. Enjoy the evening “entertainment” and after you’ve woken up, go back to your cabin for a proper sleep.

 

Look at what you’re paying for what you’re getting. I paid $700 for an inside cabin on Celebrity’s Zenith in 1992 and couldn't understand how they could make ANY money providing what they did. That’s about $1400 in 2015 dollars for an inside cabin. Celebrity actually didn’t make any money and that’s why they were ultimately acquired by RCI. Could you imagine paying $1400 for an inside cabin today?! I’d be laughed and ridiculed off of these boards.

 

NCL is cutting back wherever they can … and so is everyone else. Trust me. I’ve been on everyone else and many of them recently. The same economic realities are faced by all of the cruise lines - it’s a fine line between keeping everyone happy while providing shareholder value.

 

Perhaps NCL made a fatal error in actually telling people that they were cutting back as opposed to Royal Caribbean/Celebrity where the on board product was noticeably worse each time you sailed on them without them actually announcing the cutbacks. (As an FYI, Celebrity cut back their entertainment staff to one or two people - trivia, hosts, ambassadors - all gone for the most part - again, look it up)(oh, and by the way, most of their specialty restaurants are now $50(!!!) per person cover charge.

 

Those brand spanking new ships cost a LOT of money and have to be paid for. While it’s fantastic they we’ve all been spoiled and have frankly received more than our dollar’s worth in the past, those days are over. My room at the Hilton before my last Breakaway cruise cost $330 a night with nothing included, or $2300 for the week before meals. What did you spend for the last dinner you went out for at home and how does that compare to per diem that you are paying for a night on a ship that included your room, meals and entertainment?

 

People have to be realistic … it truly is a privilege to have the means, ability and health to go on a cruise but ultimately, it’s still a business that has to make money.

 

Outstanding post with very good points.BTW, my 3rd cruise was on Chandris, but I think it was the Galaxy. Anyway it was interesting to say the least. We too have cruised just about all lines,certainly all mass marketed ones and now stick with NCL>

[newmexicoNita]

That's a lot of effort expended to convince absolutely no one but the zealots.

 

NCL took my money and then weekly, and now DAILY, are increasing charges. That's the long and short of it.

 

Hope you enjoy what ever line she are switching to and hope you realize cruise lines are in the business to make a profit; each line has its way of doing this; like it or not. Most of us would love to go to a really nice steak house and get a full dinner for $25 but we know that isn't going to happnen. The $25 steak will come with nothing or will be a dinner, ok but a used to be glass of wine for $5 will now cost you $9.

 

Cruisesnooz: hate to break this to you: but you did say "other cruise lines" mass marketed were the same and indicated you feel RCI and Celebrity are different. You may have been referring to Azamara but it didn't sound that way. Of course Azamora (spelling ) is a few steps up: it also much more expensive. I know this for a fact.

 

As for Celebrity and RCI having better food, you did say, in your opinion and that is just what it is: I happen to think, buffet wise particularly NCL is much better than RCI, so are the specialty dining rooms. How recently have you cruised NCL and which ships? This shows us, just how subjective food can be. It is all a matter of likes and dislikes.

Edited July 18, 2015 by newmexicoNita

[newmexicoNita]

The issue/problem is that I sign up and pay, then NCL unilaterally changes the pricing.

 

Communications is bad: no one will argue that, but signing up and then having an increase? Those increases are so small, they make almost no difference. The only major one was the addition of the room service charge and that is an option anyway. How did you feel, if it ever happened to you when you made a reservation for a hotel in a resort area, just to learn, after you arrived they had just added an additional daily resort charge or suddenly you learn that your favorite restautant has added a manadory gratuity? When you signed up with NCL, you signed up for a certain price cabin, nothing else unless you paid DSC at the same time.IF this was the case you are not affected by the increase. Where in your contract does it say: cost of cabin X number of $$S

meals in MDR: 0

Meals in specialy dining rooms X $.

Gratuities to be: such and such.

Cost of drinks to remain the same until after your cruise.

[sprint180]

I have always believed that....

It's not what you say, it's how you say it.

It's not what you do, it's how you do it.

 

I don't really have a problem with what NCL is doing but I think they are going about it in a poor way. Mr whats-his-name announcing he wants to get $5 more from everyone (a day? or trip?)what ever he said. Well that was in poor taste. Everyone knows they are out for money, it's a business. But announcing to the customers that you are trying to get more out of them is just a turn off. But then NCL has never been my favorite line so it doesn't bother me too much. I do think once the hubbub dies down all will be well.

[NLH Arizona]

I have always believed that....

It's not what you say, it's how you say it.

It's not what you do, it's how you do it.

 

I don't really have a problem with what NCL is doing but I think they are going about it in a poor way. Mr whats-his-name announcing he wants to get $5 more from everyone (a day? or trip?)what ever he said. Well that was in poor taste. Everyone knows they are out for money, it's a business. But announcing to the customers that you are trying to get more out of them is just a turn off. But then NCL has never been my favorite line so it doesn't bother me too much. I do think once the hubbub dies down all will be well.

I have no issues on what they have done or that they are trying to make more money (what business doesn't), what I have a problem with is how they communicate. Even after the last time, they did another poor job of clarifying their changes. One example, is that we have been told two different answers to the question if Butlers and Concierges are included in the DSC or not. One NCL employee says no and another NCL employee says yes. What is it. Even with emails, calls and social media posts by some asking for clarification, NCL refuses to say which it is. Now, how hard is it for someone, in authority, to finally put this question to rest, as well as others folks have asked.

[newmexicoNita]

just to add one more thing: yes, the room service charge did hit many pretty hard, but when I see comments like how hard it is to sail with pre teens and not have free room service, I just shake my head and wonder what those poor kids are going to do when thye get into the real world, that is if mommy and daddy ever push them into the outside world. We cruised with our granddaughters when they were pre teen and teens, I don't think they even used room service. As a child we traveled all over the country by car and stayed in hotels with room service. My sister and I would never have thought of ordering room service in a hotel when we had our own rooms. Between the buffet and the 24 hour restaurant, kids have plenty of choices.

[rvsullivan]

I have always believed that....

It's not what you say, it's how you say it.

It's not what you do, it's how you do it.

 

I don't really have a problem with what NCL is doing but I think they are going about it in a poor way. Mr whats-his-name announcing he wants to get $5 more from everyone (a day? or trip?)what ever he said. Well that was in poor taste. Everyone knows they are out for money, it's a business. But announcing to the customers that you are trying to get more out of them is just a turn off. But then NCL has never been my favorite line so it doesn't bother me too much. I do think once the hubbub dies down all will be well.

 

Mr. Whats-his-name (Del Rio) never said anything like that to guests. He mentioned it in a investor/market maker meeting discussing forward looking strategy for the company. If you follow the stock market and tune in to any of the multiple occasions every day that corporations hold these, you will find they all say/do the same thing. Things like, "we plan to increase prices 1 cent per item next year to increase revenue by 2%) Not quite the same as posting on cruise critic and saying we want $5 more from each of you.

If you don't like NCL why sail with them? Oh, I know. They have a good product at a fair price going to ports you want to go to. Otherwise, a wise person would sail on a line they like? You can sail on NCL for exactly the price you signed up for plus the DSC and not one penny more. The only cost that has gone up that you can't avoid is the DSC, everything else is up to you. And some of the cheapo's on here will tell you to not pay the DSC either.

I don' understand, as it was a few months ago, the same very small group of people will hang around here and post thousands of post bemoaning the changes yet still sail on NCL.

It was established a long time ago the CC members are a very tiny percentage of cruisers on every line. And of that very small percentage only a few are the continual bashers. You can post a thousand posts on here from those same 20 people and NCL will not change one thing.

Again, if you can find a better deal on a better line, why not go sail there and leave the business decisions to NCL? The have a business model that works, the ships are sailing full, the profits are at a very high level (look at the stock price).

For anyone that was around 5 years or so ago, will remember that every week there were folks on here shouting about the upgrade fairy calling, how ofter do you see that now? The ships are full, look at the bookings for 12-18 months out, ships are already filling up!

[punkincc]

I have no issues on what they have done or that they are trying to make more money (what business doesn't), what I have a problem with is how they communicate. Even after the last time, they did another poor job of clarifying their changes. One example, is that we have been told two different answers to the question if Butlers and Concierges are included in the DSC or not. One NCL employee says no and another NCL employee says yes. What is it. Even with emails, calls and social media posts by some asking for clarification, NCL refuses to say which it is. Now, how hard is it for someone, in authority, to finally put this question to rest, as well as others folks have asked.

 

This statement about the butlers/concierges in reference to the additional DSC a suite passengers pays was there in the wording the FIRST time NCL made the DSC increase. Now, after the SECOND increase, people are finally beginning to question whether these folks are included in the DSC or not??!!

 

The fact is, and this is JMO, there is NO justification I can think of for Suite passengers to pay more DSC. The are only charging more money because they can. The suites are only marginally bigger than a mini suite. The butler/concierge line was thrown into the announcement as an easy justification even though the butler/concierge never were, and almost surely are still not, included in the DSC. Apparently the PR Dept thought the average NCL cruiser was dumb enough to believe this increase covered them, and did not care that possibly the butler, etc would get screwed out of their tip because someone believed it. Perhaps some bright PR dept person, when they received the request for clarification, looked at their own propaganda and assumed it was true, only to be contradicted by someone in the Concierge Dept who knew that this was definitely not true.

 

So right now they are trying to figure out what kind of credible response they can make. Since there is none, I doubt we will hear anything further from NCL on the topic except silence.

[sprint180]

Mr. Whats-his-name (Del Rio) never said anything like that to guests. He mentioned it in a investor/market maker meeting discussing forward looking strategy for the company. If you follow the stock market and tune in to any of the multiple occasions every day that corporations hold these, you will find they all say/do the same thing. Things like, "we plan to increase prices 1 cent per item next year to increase revenue by 2%) Not quite the same as posting on cruise critic and saying we want $5 more from each of you.

If you don't like NCL why sail with them? Oh, I know. They have a good product at a fair price going to ports you want to go to. Otherwise, a wise person would sail on a line they like? You can sail on NCL for exactly the price you signed up for plus the DSC and not one penny more. The only cost that has gone up that you can't avoid is the DSC, everything else is up to you. And some of the cheapo's on here will tell you to not pay the DSC either.

I don' understand, as it was a few months ago, the same very small group of people will hang around here and post thousands of post bemoaning the changes yet still sail on NCL.

It was established a long time ago the CC members are a very tiny percentage of cruisers on every line. And of that very small percentage only a few are the continual bashers. You can post a thousand posts on here from those same 20 people and NCL will not change one thing.

Again, if you can find a better deal on a better line, why not go sail there and leave the business decisions to NCL? The have a business model that works, the ships are sailing full, the profits are at a very high level (look at the stock price).

For anyone that was around 5 years or so ago, will remember that every week there were folks on here shouting about the upgrade fairy calling, how ofter do you see that now? The ships are full, look at the bookings for 12-18 months out, ships are already filling up!

 

You are correct,I worded that poorly. he said it. And the customers know he said it. So it bothers them. I assume when others say they are raising their product by 1 percent it upsets those customers too. If they care enough to know what the top dogs say like apparently cruisers do. (not me) It doesn't particularly bother me as I don't go to pay restaurants, order room service or drink. I also don't have a problem raising grats. Maybe because I am a former waitress.

I also didn't say I didn't like NCL... I said they aren't my favorite.

Why do I sail them? Because They are going where I want to go at a price I am willing to pay, when I can go.

I'm really not sure why you are upset with me. I was defending NCL, just not how they went about it.

Edited July 18, 2015 by sprint180

[DebJ14]

I have been reading ( and reading …. )(and reading ….) all of the negative rants/reviews/posts/threads/threats about the changes occurring at NCL over the past few months.

 

As some background, my partner and I are just slightly on the wrong side of 50 and have been lucky and fortunate enough in life to travel around a lot of the world on many different ships and many different lines over the past 20+ years. We have sailed on everything from inside cabins on Chandris Fantasy (look it up) up to and including Oceania, Celebrity Xpedition, Travel Dynamics, Ponant, Azamara and The Haven.

 

We used to be complete Celebrity addicts until about two years ago when after three cruises in a row that drove us slightly crazy, we decided that we would become “free agents”. This is, we wouldn’t be slaves to loyalty programs with their free drinks and internet and see what else was out there.

 

We returned to NCL last year and were hooked. However, in the past two years we have also sailed on HAL, RCI, Celebrity, Oceania and Azamara.

 

People … you have NO clue how good you have it on NCL and the spectacular value that is provided. To all those who say they are cancelling their reservations and going somewhere else, I say: “Off you go”!

 

Go on Royal Caribbean and go to the buffet where fried starchy food goes to die, where the varieties of fresh fruit can be counted on four fingers, where smoked salmon doesn’t swim, where roast “turkey” is a strange compressed protinaceous turkoid blob and have the privilege of paying a premium over NCL.

 

Go on Celebrity (where I’ve sailed about 250 nights) and return to the ship at 3:30 and try to get a decent snack without standing in a buffet line serviced by, oh, one server manning the pasta station and one person doing … well, I’m not sure what she was doing. Enjoy the evening “entertainment” and after you’ve woken up, go back to your cabin for a proper sleep.

 

Look at what you’re paying for what you’re getting. I paid $700 for an inside cabin on Celebrity’s Zenith in 1992 and couldn't understand how they could make ANY money providing what they did. That’s about $1400 in 2015 dollars for an inside cabin. Celebrity actually didn’t make any money and that’s why they were ultimately acquired by RCI. Could you imagine paying $1400 for an inside cabin today?! I’d be laughed and ridiculed off of these boards.

 

NCL is cutting back wherever they can … and so is everyone else. Trust me. I’ve been on everyone else and many of them recently. The same economic realities are faced by all of the cruise lines - it’s a fine line between keeping everyone happy while providing shareholder value.

 

Perhaps NCL made a fatal error in actually telling people that they were cutting back as opposed to Royal Caribbean/Celebrity where the on board product was noticeably worse each time you sailed on them without them actually announcing the cutbacks. (As an FYI, Celebrity cut back their entertainment staff to one or two people - trivia, hosts, ambassadors - all gone for the most part - again, look it up)(oh, and by the way, most of their specialty restaurants are now $50(!!!) per person cover charge.

 

Those brand spanking new ships cost a LOT of money and have to be paid for. While it’s fantastic they we’ve all been spoiled and have frankly received more than our dollar’s worth in the past, those days are over. My room at the Hilton before my last Breakaway cruise cost $330 a night with nothing included, or $2300 for the week before meals. What did you spend for the last dinner you went out for at home and how does that compare to per diem that you are paying for a night on a ship that included your room, meals and entertainment?

 

People have to be realistic … it truly is a privilege to have the means, ability and health to go on a cruise but ultimately, it’s still a business that has to make money.

 

 

Very interesting take on things. I agree with much that you said. We are veteran cruisers with 57 cruises, starting way back in 1968 on Grace Line. We have been on everything from the now defunct Grace Lines, Royal Olympic, Home Lines and yes, even the Big Red Boat to HAL, Celebrity, Princess, RCCL, NCL, Carnival, MSC Yacht club and we have upcoming cruises booked on Carnival, an NCL Haven suite and one on the Azamara Quest.

People have no concept what a cruise cost back in 1981 - around $1800 for both of us for an inside on a 7 night cruise out of NYC on Home Lines. We are paying over $14,500 + airfare for a 10 night for both of us in a VX (aft facing) balcony on Azamara. I can definitely attest to the cutbacks on Carnival, Celebrity, Princess and RCCL. I didn't notice them quite as much on HAL.

 

I find the complaints about DSC increases interesting, since other lines have also recently raised theirs. I don't know where they expect to go to find something better than NCL at a cheaper price. The NCL promos have made them a great deal and enticed us back to the line.

 

We go to all inclusive resorts in Mexico every year and prices on those have gone up dramatically. Back in 1996 we did a week at an AI, including airfare, for $1000 for 3 people. In 2009 we spent about $3000 for a week for just DH and I and went back to that same resort last year, but paid $4900 for the exact same thing. I priced it again for this year and the price is over $6,000, which is what we are paying for 3 people in a Haven 2 bedroom suite with free gratuities, $300 OBC and UDP and UBP (gratuities included in those). All the perks in that promo make it a bargain for us.

 

I found it especially funny to read on another thread about the guy who canceled his 2 NCL suites because of the gratuity increases in the UDP and UBP. Apparently, he didn't read the fine print because the gratuities are included in those packages for those in suites and the Haven, and if he doesn't have the free DSC he could prepay it by July 31 to avoid the increase. Talk about shooting himself in the foot!

 

We haven't been on NCL in a 10 years having gotten Diamond status on RCCL and Carnival and made Platinum on Princess. What worries me most is if I am going to have to listen to all this kind of complaining on board the ship? Or, will they just suck it up and act like reasonable people. I have found that fellow passengers can make or break a cruise.

Edited July 18, 2015 by DebJ14

[hpecorari]

I have no issues on what they have done or that they are trying to make more money (what business doesn't), what I have a problem with is how they communicate. Even after the last time, they did another poor job of clarifying their changes. One example, is that we have been told two different answers to the question if Butlers and Concierges are included in the DSC or not. One NCL employee says no and another NCL employee says yes. What is it. Even with emails, calls and social media posts by some asking for clarification, NCL refuses to say which it is. Now, how hard is it for someone, in authority, to finally put this question to rest, as well as others folks have asked.

 

FYI - On the FB page the NCL Rep removed her post that it WAS included and wrote it was NOT included.

 

Here's a copy of NCL's reply as of this morning after deleting the other post:

 

"Norwegian Cruise Line Hi Catherine sorry for any confusion butlers and concierge are not included the DSC is for the additional dedicated Haven/suite staff."

 

Harriet

[NLH Arizona]

FYI - On the FB page the NCL Rep removed her post that it WAS included and wrote it was NOT included.

 

Here's a copy of NCL's reply as of this morning after deleting the other post:

 

"Norwegian Cruise Line Hi Catherine sorry for any confusion butlers and concierge are not included the DSC is for the additional dedicated Haven/suite staff."

 

Harriet

Thanks, I didn't see that. Unfortunately, I think the damage is done, since some on here have already said they aren't paying more for the Butler and Concierge and doubt that they will see your post nor will some see the retraction on FB. Sad that NCL can't get their act together with regard to the correct answers that folks ask.

[hpecorari]

This statement about the butlers/concierges in reference to the additional DSC a suite passengers pays was there in the wording the FIRST time NCL made the DSC increase. Now, after the SECOND increase, people are finally beginning to question whether these folks are included in the DSC or not??!!

 

The fact is, and this is JMO, there is NO justification I can think of for Suite passengers to pay more DSC. The are only charging more money because they can. The suites are only marginally bigger than a mini suite. The butler/concierge line was thrown into the announcement as an easy justification even though the butler/concierge never were, and almost surely are still not, included in the DSC. Apparently the PR Dept thought the average NCL cruiser was dumb enough to believe this increase covered them, and did not care that possibly the butler, etc would get screwed out of their tip because someone believed it. Perhaps some bright PR dept person, when they received the request for clarification, looked at their own propaganda and assumed it was true, only to be contradicted by someone in the Concierge Dept who knew that this was definitely not true.

 

So right now they are trying to figure out what kind of credible response they can make. Since there is none, I doubt we will hear anything further from NCL on the topic except silence.

 

On another site, FB, there has been a deleted reply from NCL that stated it WAS included in the DSC and replaced with the following, - saying it is NOT included with the DSC:

 

"Norwegian Cruise Line Hi Catherine sorry for any confusion butlers and concierge are not included the DSC is for the additional dedicated Haven/suite staff."

 

Harriet

[punkincc]

Mr. Whats-his-name (Del Rio) never said anything like that to guests. He mentioned it in a investor/market maker meeting discussing forward looking strategy for the company. If you follow the stock market and tune in to any of the multiple occasions every day that corporations hold these, you will find they all say/do the same thing. Things like, "we plan to increase prices 1 cent per item next year to increase revenue by 2%) Not quite the same as posting on cruise critic and saying we want $5 more from each of you.

If you don't like NCL why sail with them? Oh, I know. They have a good product at a fair price going to ports you want to go to. Otherwise, a wise person would sail on a line they like? You can sail on NCL for exactly the price you signed up for plus the DSC and not one penny more. The only cost that has gone up that you can't avoid is the DSC, everything else is up to you. And some of the cheapo's on here will tell you to not pay the DSC either.

I don' understand, as it was a few months ago, the same very small group of people will hang around here and post thousands of post bemoaning the changes yet still sail on NCL.

It was established a long time ago the CC members are a very tiny percentage of cruisers on every line. And of that very small percentage only a few are the continual bashers. You can post a thousand posts on here from those same 20 people and NCL will not change one thing.

Again, if you can find a better deal on a better line, why not go sail there and leave the business decisions to NCL? The have a business model that works, the ships are sailing full, the profits are at a very high level (look at the stock price).

For anyone that was around 5 years or so ago, will remember that every week there were folks on here shouting about the upgrade fairy calling, how ofter do you see that now? The ships are full, look at the bookings for 12-18 months out, ships are already filling up!

 

No, Del Rio did not make his comments directly to passengers, but he did make them on a public forum, widely covered and reported verbatim elsewhere. I would not bat an eyelash at a comment about raising prices 1 cent per item next year or increasing revenue by a certain percent. But saying explicitly that you intend to figure out how to increase on board spending for every passenger by $54 and then calling us a "captive audience" does tend to rub people the wrong way and someone in his position should know better.

 

Again, the postings on Cruise Critic HAVE changed NCL policy, and very recently too. I do not expect this to always be the case, but I do believe in expressing opinions freely, and in discussing the pros and cons. We all have different points of view and we should be able to express these opinions freely without being told to take our business elsewhere. Comments like this remind me of those who are in the "America, love it or leave it" camp.

 

Yes, CC may comprise a small percentage of overall cruisers, but like any poll, we are a cross sampling of the general cruising public. If 80 or 90% of posters here like or do not like something, then it is a good guess that this will be close to general opinion if every single cruiser could be sampled. NCL and other cruise lines monitor these boards for a reason.

[punkincc]

On another site, FB, there has been a deleted reply from NCL that stated it WAS included in the DSC and replaced with the following, - saying it is NOT included with the DSC:

 

"Norwegian Cruise Line Hi Catherine sorry for any confusion butlers and concierge are not included the DSC is for the additional dedicated Haven/suite staff."

 

Harriet

 

Gee, does anyone in PR ever read the stuff that goes out to the public? This has been incorrect info for 5 months now. Wonder if they will correct the wording on future emails. Looks like not everyone has gotten theirs yet.

 

So, I wonder who the additional dedicated Haven/suite staff are? Oh well. Not sailing in the Haven. Will let those who are worry about it.

[Cruise4Real]

My sister and I would never have thought of ordering room service in a hotel when we had our own rooms.

 

Same here. I can't imagine paying for RS in a hotel -- $30 for a burger and fries? Are you joking? So yeah, we never ordered RS in a hotel.

 

Which might be a clue to helping you understand my point. It's not that the kids I'm IMAGINING are so pampered and spoiled that they HAVE to have room service everywhere they go. (While I'm sure that's true for some or even a lot of families, it's certainly not true for all, and clearly not true for you, from what you said. And, even if it IS true for many other families, it's still a screwing they got from NCL when the RS charge was sprung without notice -- no matter how crappy the parenting or how indulged the little brats are, they still got screwed.)

 

It's that their parents have exactly NOT been doing that and that life has been, if not short nasty and brutish, at least one of measuring what's really necessary versus what's just a fleeting desire. And so up till now there hasn't been any room service during travel, just like in your family.

 

So now they have a cruise coming up. In order to build excitement the parents let the kiddos know that along with the pool and water slides and the 24 hour restaurant and the buffet (WHY do kids need ANY of that? Can't they just play pickup baseball in the back lot, like the Little Rascals or something :rolleyes:), the kids can ALSO just pick up the phone and have somebody deliver them some chocolate cake. Awesome! Sounds so great! Finally we get to experience room service that up till now the parents haven't been able (or willing) to deliver.

 

Maybe you think parents shouldn't engage in this sort of "spin," but I guarantee you that virtually all parents in fact do exactly this. Moreover, adults do that with each other, too. It's just how humans work.

 

So given all this, I'll continue to believe that it was absolutely DEAD WRONG for NCL to even risk this kind of family friction. That it was done deliberately, and at a time when the ships were guaranteed to have LOTS of families on board, is doubly disgusting.

 

You yourself even said "the room service charge did hit many pretty hard." I'd be interested in hearing HOW you think they were hit. Did NCL do the right thing or the wrong thing when they sprung the RS charges on BA/GA pax back in March? Do you think that there simply should have been NO disappointment from the kids when they learned that room service wasn't happening, because Dad wasn't shelling out $7.95 (plus 18% on top?) for that chocolate cake? The kids should just suck it up? Dad should just suck it up and pay?

 

What about NCL just sucking it up and treating pax like human beings instead of guinea pigs? Would that REALLY too much to expect from them?!

[hpecorari]

Gee, does anyone in PR ever read the stuff that goes out to the public? This has been incorrect info for 5 months now. Wonder if they will correct the wording on future emails. Looks like not everyone has gotten theirs yet.

 

So, I wonder who the additional dedicated Haven/suite staff are? Oh well. Not sailing in the Haven. Will let those who are worry about it.

 

That quote from NCL wasn't in any e-mails but was posted by them on FB.

 

I can see extra staff for the Haven....but if you're just in a suite....what's the extra staff besides the Butler?

 

Harriet

[Cruise4Real]

On another site, FB, there has been a deleted reply from NCL that stated it WAS included in the DSC and replaced with the following, - saying it is NOT included with the DSC:

 

"Norwegian Cruise Line Hi Catherine sorry for any confusion butlers and concierge are not included the DSC is for the additional dedicated Haven/suite staff."

 

Harriet

 

Gobbledygook! Even as they try to clarify they continue to mystify! Can't they find somebody better able to express themselves in clear English? It reads like it could have been written by a certain poster we all know and love around here.

 

We all (kind of?) know what they're trying to say. But somebody reading that "sentence" with no prior knowledge of past or current NCL policy would hardly be excused for thinking This thing says both -- that "butlers and concierge [sic] are not included" and "the DSC is for the additional dedicated Haven/suite staff."

 

While you quoted in red ink, here's my blue pencil edit. NCL can comp me a dinner at Cagney's for this help and I stand ready to apply my awesome editing skills for future pronouncements, too.

 

Hi Catherine, sorry for any confusion. Our dedicated Haven/suite staff of butlers and concierges are not included in the DSC.

[jd1966]

"We used to be complete Celebrity addicts until about two years ago when after three cruises in a row that drove us slightly crazy, we decided that we would become “free agents”. This is, we wouldn’t be slaves to loyalty programs with their free drinks and internet and see what else was out there."

 

We also became "Free Agents" after taking quite a few cruises with RCL. Best move we could have made! Minor onboard changes and major Loyalty program changes just don't matter to us. Price, service and itinerary are all that matters.

[fshagan]

We haven't been on NCL in a 10 years having gotten Diamond status on RCCL and Carnival and made Platinum on Princess. What worries me most is if I am going to have to listen to all this kind of complaining on board the ship? Or, will they just suck it up and act like reasonable people. I have found that fellow passengers can make or break a cruise.

 

Our experience is that on board very few people even know about Cruise Critic. One one cruise, the leader of the "Meet & Greet" had a tee shirt with "Cruise Critic" emblazoned on it and finally took it off ... other passengers were asking her if she was a reporter for a blog or newspaper.

 

Without exception, on all of our NCL cruises, the majority of people we have met have been happy and enjoying their vacations. I suspect you won't find any difference between your other cruises on this point.

 

We are considering not going to any more "Meet and Greets" after reading a post about how embarrassed one passenger was by the treatment given to a ship's officer about one of the changes. I can't find that post so I think it may have been taken down. We are still uncertain about our official "Roll Call" for our next upcoming cruise, but so far it doesn't seem that any of the chronic complainers are on our cruise. If they show up in that forum we will definitely not be going to the "Meet and Greet".

[wvfrogg]

hat worries me most is if I am going to have to listen to all this kind of complaining on board the ship? Or, will they just suck it up and act like reasonable people. I have found that fellow passengers can make or break a cruise

 

 

If the people on the ship were as negative as they are here on the boards, I might give up cruising altogether. BUT ... I have found that 90-95% of the people on board are friendly and considerate. The only cruise where I noticed a lot of complaining was on my one time on the Epic. But it was windy and the ship was very tipsy! I think people on the boards just want something to complain about and to let the rest of us know how important they are. I don't care if they all cancel NCL reservations -- I might even get the "upgrade fairy" to call me more frequently.:D

[jaja]

I have always believed that....

It's not what you say, it's how you say it.

It's not what you do, it's how you do it.

 

QUOTE]

 

This is exactly what I said a few months ago during another flurry of posts re: changes.. Along with the fact that proper (timely/accurate) communication is key in running any business and NCL is failing on that point for sure. :(

[xriva]

hat worries me most is if I am going to have to listen to all this kind of complaining on board the ship? Or, will they just suck it up and act like reasonable people...

 

 

I have found most onboard to be non-bitchy. Not everyone is friendly, but most are. Just say "Howdy!" to everyone you pass in the hallways.

 

As someone mentioned previously, the percentage of cruisers that are on CC is small, and the chronic complainer community is smaller still. I've found the best place to be when in the guest services line is behind a chronic complainer, because your request, no matter how insane, is going to sound reasonable.

Edited July 18, 2015 by xriva

[Dr. Cocktail]

Goodness! I go to bed, drive my partner to and from work, have lunch and libations and pick up my iPad and... I'm just so happy that I made popcorn last night to read this!

 

I have carefully read each and every post - it's always interesting to see where people are coming from.

 

A few additional random thoughts...

 

1) yes - how NCL handled the room service issue was ham handed at best. All paid bookings should have been grandfathered without exception. But for some of the posters here, when life gives them lemons, they make .....corrosive acid. Which brings us to

 

2) you or your precious snowflake's, I mean, child's cruise was ruined because of the lack of room service? Really? My parents were both solid working class individuals who worked like animals and as a teen in the late 70's I APPRECIATED going on ANY vacation. Miami in July? Great!!! I had summer jobs and helped pay my way on some of the trips. It's actually during one of the Miami trips that we drove to Dodge Island to see the GINORMOUS new (old!) SS Norway. In those days you could walk right up to the ship at the pier (security, what's that nonsense!) and I remember thinking: " I hope that one day I can somehow afford to go on a ship like this". Are teens really that entitled these days?

 

Part of travelling is learning to go with the flow and understanding that while it may seem frustrating at the time, not every little thing will be perfect. It's important to learn to develop problem solving skills.

Your kids can walk *gasp* to get some food (it will likely do it them some good) or they can contribute some of their allowance or contribute some money from odd jobs to actually make them feel even more involved.

 

3) no, in general, the sometimes nasty tone of posts does NOT translate into poo-headed behaviour on board. We all get so riled up because we are so passionate about cruises! Where else but on a cruise would my amazingly WASP'Y specialist partner be observed doing shooters with an ex-marine policeman and paramedic?! In all my cruises, I have only observed consistently egregiously rude and entitled behaviour on Oceania.