Norwegian Cruise Line Boss Hints at Asia Move; Insists a la Carte Dining is Here to S

[snorkelmom19]

OK just off the Breakaway last week with UDP. We did Teppanyaki ,2x Cagneys, and Le Bistro. Usually would only do one restaurant on a week trip.

 

If I was paying a la cart, there would have been several dishes I would have sent back to the kitchen (oreo cheescake was gummy, scallops St Jac were overcooked, grilled shrimp on orzo pilaf had no flavor except butter, rib-eye steak was not great). Teppanyaki was just plain bad--also cost more than a land based rest near us. I didn't send any food back, and overall the meals were good, but I would be a heck of a lot pickier if I paid per item.

 

In my opinion, NCL is really going to have to up their game with the quality of the ingredients and consistency of the cooking. I will be curious to see the prices they will charge, since I would consider that a decent meal is already included in my cruise fare.

[LrgPizza]

In my opinion, NCL is really going to have to up their game with the quality of the ingredients and consistency of the cooking. I will be curious to see the prices they will charge, since I would consider that a decent meal is already included in my cruise fare.

Agree with this.

[mking8288]

While I'm enjoy upgrading my #3 personal PC to Windows 10 Pro (nice job, MS or $S in our geek circle) & waiting for it to finish updating, my 2 cents on the news.

 

When we dine in some of our favorite Italino ristorante around here on dry land, they have both a la carte & price fixed full dinner - without a minimum per person charge or for sharing. A landmark seafood place has a feast for 2, that typically feed 3 people with enough for leftover to take home in a big covered aluminum pan - again, person #3 only get charged extra for their own bowl of soup/salad. Beverages included sometimes, even a glass of house wine to go with the dessert (which we often wrapped to take home for next day, too full to finish it all) Now, is this the model NCL is going for - we'll wait & see, so far - these rising price points (on top of the base meal charges & DSC we are "paying" and/or "adjusting" for - is getting overboard ... puns intended.

 

Wait, we can easily do that with 50% off online coupons/promo - at some of the participating places, not a chance with NCL these days ... remember those early bird and/or 2 for 1 specials in the earlier freestyle years ... yulp, AS was around then, lower on the totem pole. Surely, he knew his NCL roots. I really haven't read, seen and convinced that there's been much true enhancements for the passengers cruising after July 1st. as the new menu are all out fleet-wide ... but, I stand corrected & will look for them - innovation that's values-based in a win-win situation. (BA review/feedback just above here is what I rather not read, but :rolleyes: (

 

As for position a ship in the Asia market, where it is no secret that the growing Chinese middle class and generation of folks with disposable income jetsetting with their fancy LV suitcases & handbags - NCL is going to have to do some hard selling with their product to compete with other brands as these consumers are new to the cruising world ... on prices, on packages, on extra fees, on 18% tipping/gratuities (same concept to them, unlike the English language) and whole lot of different expectations, etc.

 

The real question is simple - it comes down to, what's the "huge" news for the average person sailing/thinking/planning to sail NCL in the future ... not for insiders from partners plus or whatever :eek: :D or even the small investors / stockholders.

 

Meanwhile, guess which gets my attention "last chance, free ..." and "$50 per night, per person, midnight sale" - prices our December booking has gone up 40% in the last 6 months, and even if we decided to sail - others will not be coming along, too bad !! Maybe, maybe - news forthcoming next week will be a game-changer, somehow, I think not.

[LEtue]

I agree! I don't want to look at prices on a cruise-hate the idea of a la carte :mad:

 

Yes, it would spoil the whole experience for me too :(

[4774Papa]

I really like him.

 

If I ever get to go to Asia, I'm sure I'd make it a land trip instead of a cruise, but I still think this is great for NCL to open up new departure points.

China in particular is best seen with a land trip and perhaps combined with a short Yangze River cruise.

 

We are booked on a Celebrity cruise out of Tokyo that ends in Hong Kong, with most ports in Japan. It should be great for 14 days, but we are doing 8 days pre-cruise in Japan to see Kyoto and Tokyo.

 

We did a great cruise from Singapore to Dubai with four stops in India, as well as Oman and Dubai. I will say that the way to see India is with a land tour.

[Snowrose]

I don't have a problem with their expanding to China, though I question how many people there will have discretionary income for cruises with their stock market tanking.

 

"Cover charges weren't very freestyle in my view. People want different things when they go to restaurants -- my wife for example wants two appetisers, while I just want a main course.

 

"The approach of moving to an a la carte menu fitted in more with the freestyle concept, and it's what people do in their life normally.

 

Um, when you had a cover charge you could get the 2 appetizers or you could get the main course. You could get both if you wanted. So how is that anti-freestyle?

 

Of course what he's said makes no sense, it's just a cover-up for increasing prices. Especially since some main courses basically cost the same as the previous cover charge.

[BreeYark]

If I was paying a la cart, there would have been several dishes I would have sent back to the kitchen.

 

Excellent point! In my last cruise, at Cagney's, I ordered a Ribeye, and received a New York Strip (and my server insisted it was a Ribeye!). I let it go, thinking what the hell, it's the same price, and it's also a good steak, so all is well. But I can tell you that if there had been a price difference, I would have made a scene.

 

Personnally, I'm done with any specialty restaurants on NCL if they go A la Carte. Keep it simple, Norwegian!

[perditax]

While I'm enjoy upgrading my #3 personal PC to Windows 10 Pro (nice job, MS or $S in our geek circle) & waiting for it to finish updating, my 2 cents on the news.

 

(Er. Isn't Windows 10 free to upgrade to?)

[Lovecruises2014]

(Er. Isn't Windows 10 free to upgrade to?)

It is, I guess people like to spend money even when things are free of charge. Seems like a pretty good comparison to how one thinks one has to spend extra (specialty dining) to dine well for free (complimentary dining).

Edited July 31, 2015 by Lovecruises2014

[my_crib_too]

With a la carte pricing, I think we will see more posts here around NCL and people feeling "nickel and dimed". I can see the post now, "all I wanted was a piece of cake after dinner and NCL charged me for it."

[mypleasure]

I am looking forward to the a la carte dining. I usually only have either a soup or an appetiser and one main course. I rarely have a dessert as I don't eat sugar any more. My husband will, as always, continue to have his 3 courses. We may or may not find our bill is larger, smaller or the same as before. We will find out when the menus are released fully.

 

It is definitely about costs for NCL. I know that here in the UK different cuts of meat are sold at different prices. So a fillet steak would cost a fair bit more than a piece of rump of the same weight. Yet NCL has an 8oz fillet on the Cagney's menu for the same cover charge cost as a 5oz fillet. Didn't make any sense to me.

 

And there is another posible reason, by charging one cover price there were people ordering multiple amounts of each course. Some just to try something, and some out of plain greed and some out of spite just because they could. Either way it was adding up to a lot of waste that every one of us who dined in these restaurants with a flat cover charge was paying for.

 

I think they were faced with a huge price hike which would put many off from paying whilst still offering the opportunity to have multiples or changing things.

[NLH Arizona]

It is, I guess people like to spend money even when things are free of charge. Seems like a pretty good comparison to how one thinks one has to spend extra (specialty dining) to dine well for free (complimentary dining).

Everyone is different. I ate in the MDR a few times and didn't care for the food nor would I call it dining well (too loud, not as good service, etc.), so I have no issues paying for the specialty restaurants. Edited July 31, 2015 by NLH Arizona

[my_crib_too]

I don't think a la carte is a big deal for my vacations either. In my dream world, I wish NCL had an all inclusive price. In a way, with the drink, dinning, excursion, and other packages, I thought they were moving more in this direction. I wouldn't even want the DSC broken out. Just put everything into a single price and be done with it. I know that I'm in the minority here.

[Lovecruises2014]

Everyone is different. I ate in the MDR a few times and didn't care for the food nor would I call it dining well (too loud, not as good service, etc.), so I have no issues paying for the specialty restaurants.

What I'm finding hilarious, is that some people are complaining about something that was already an extra fee anyway (specialty restaurants). Like paying a cover charge is going to change the fact that the restaurant is not free; still paying extra for it!

[Mr Owl]

I'm for anything that keeps the cheap, complains-about-everything cruiser and their loud kids out of the specialty restaurants.

[roger001]

I agree! I don't want to look at prices on a cruise-hate the idea of a la carte :mad:

 

I second all of that!! I cruise to escape those type decisions.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I do not know if it has been mentioned but those hating the A la-carte dining you are missing one KEY sentence that was stated.

"However the a la carte dining will now apply to specialty restaurants, although it will be included in pre-purchased dining packages." They will continue to offer the Dining packages which can be bought in 3 day to 14 day packages http://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/dining-packages

They are not getting rid of that and you still have your fixed price and no a l-carte pricing. This is just adding a bit extra benefit for the person that really only wants to go have an appetizer or salad or a dessert. I have had dinner reservation where friends wanted to join us but one stated I am just not that hungry.

The one I am not sure about is if they will allow having salad bar only a la-carte in Moderno. That would be ideal for me :) This new option is really NOT taking away but adding to what NCL already offers.

[boopsahoy]

I do not know if it has been mentioned but those hating the A la-carte dining you are missing one KEY sentence that was stated.

"However the a la carte dining will now apply to specialty restaurants, although it will be included in pre-purchased dining packages." They will continue to offer the Dining packages which can be bought in 3 day to 14 day packages http://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/dining-packages

They are not getting rid of that and you still have your fixed price and no a l-carte pricing. This is just adding a bit extra benefit for the person that really only wants to go have an appetizer or salad or a dessert. I have had dinner reservation where friends wanted to join us but one stated I am just not that hungry.

The one I am not sure about is if they will allow having salad bar only a la-carte in Moderno. That would be ideal for me :) This new option is really NOT taking away but adding to what NCL already offers.

 

It's forcing me to pay for a minimum 3 day package if I don't want the a la carte menu!

 

Also, what about the ramifications of people that would never have gone to the specialty restaurants, now going for just an app and say dessert. Now these quiet spots are no longer going to be quiet and relaxing with the extra guests.

[ray98]

I am not very excited about this. One of the reasons I really enjoy cruising is because it gives me a certain level of control over the entire vacation budget with no surprises. The majority of my food, travel, drinks and entertainment is covered and other expenditures will be limited. I think with NCL's new trend it will bring more concerns about budget management while on board, instead of relaxing and enjoying things there will be more worry about what we have already spent and how much more can we afford.

[Lovecruises2014]

It's forcing me to pay for a minimum 3 day package if I don't want the a la carte menu!

 

Also, what about the ramifications of people that would never have gone to the specialty restaurants, now going for just an app and say dessert. Now these quiet spots are no longer going to be quiet and relaxing with the extra guests.

Didn't the news announcement said that some of appretizers are starting at $4.99 to $7.99 and the main entrees are $12.99 to $25.99? Isn't the a la carte pricing come out alot better for those that just want salad, soup, appretizers with or without main entree?

 

Regarding dining plan, paying $70 per person for 3 days is cheaper than paying a la carte for full 3 course meal for one person for 2 days. Another, reason why the complaining is not making sense when it comes down to money.

[sjbdtz]

I agree! I don't want to look at prices on a cruise-hate the idea of a la carte :mad:

 

 

Do you look at drink prices at the bar? Wine prices from the wine list?

 

Spa prices at the spa? Salon prices at the salon?

 

Gift prices in the gift shop? Gold by the inch prices in the atrium?

 

 

There are prices ALL OVER the ship.... why should the specialty restaurant be any different.

 

Heck, there already WERE differing prices - and some optional add-ons once you were inside.

 

 

There's really not all that much different, EXCEPT that people might think twice about "sample" ordering things that they didn't finish, which used to result in food waste.

 

All-in-all, it makes sense to me. I like it. It might even discourage me from having dessert, which isn't a bad thing.

 

 

Stephen

 

.

Edited July 31, 2015 by sjbdtz

[Warm-Water Diver]

I am not very excited about this. One of the reasons I really enjoy cruising is because it gives me a certain level of control over the entire vacation budget with no surprises. The majority of my food, travel, drinks and entertainment is covered and other expenditures will be limited. I think with NCL's new trend it will bring more concerns about budget management while on board, instead of relaxing and enjoying things there will be more worry about what we have already spent and how much more can we afford.

 

That was exactly the point I was trying to make. And the previous posters's reason that you can always buy the SDP isn't a solution either. I now have to purchase at least 3 nights of specialty dining if I want to avoid the ALA CARTE mess. I'm platinum and already receive 2 free nights of dining, so I really have to PRE PLAN if I'm going to be that hungry or not to dine at least 3 additional nights during my cruise so I don't lose out on the SDP, when I didn't have to even sweat that before. I could just wing it and pay the fixed price when and if I wanted to dine that particular night. That option is gone. That is what's loss in terms of spontaneity and not having to worry so much about costs and minimum dining nights etc. during the cruise

[Linda the Book Lover]

I am not feeling the a la carte dining. Thank goodness our cruise included the UDP so we can sit down and enjoy our meal without thinking about added costs. It is not the cost of the selections as much as the pricing our dining experience as if we are in a land restaurant. I enjoyed the flat rate at sea.

[Warm-Water Diver]

 

 

There's really not all that much different, EXCEPT that people might think twice about "sample" ordering things that they didn't finish, which used to result in food waste.

 

 

.

 

I'll politely disagree with you. I don't think it has a THING to do with food waste but rather REVENUE. I for one have never ordered anything at the specialty offerings while leaving significant portions uneaten on my plate. 12 cruises on NCL so far and I've never witnessed a table being left with gross amounts of uneaten food. Just my observation and opinions of course

[monkeybone]

I'll politely disagree with you. I don't think it has a THING to do with food waste but rather REVENUE. I for one have never ordered anything at the specialty offerings while leaving significant portions uneaten on my plate. 12 cruises on NCL so far and I've never witnessed a table being left with gross amounts of uneaten food. Just my observation and opinions of course

 

Agreed!