Can't bring soda on board anymore

[LrgPizza]

Can we please stay on topic?

We need our voices heard on this vital subject.

 

 

Oh good grief

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

For "safety and security" reasons my heinie.

It's all to do with $$$$$$$$$$$$$ reasons.

How many cruise ships have been blown up because someone walked on with a water bottle?

Every port of call I always buy some bottled water and bring it back on.

Never an issue with any line.

Won't be cruising with NCL anymore.

[Maddysdaddy]

I have a difficult time envisioning that NCL cares at all about the four days of bad publicity that is essentially limited to one forum that the overwhelming majority of cruisers have likely never even heard of (and if they have heard of it, don't obsessively read and post to it on a regular basis).

 

They certainly didn't care (or even respond) when I registered my complaint earlier this year about their decision to not honor my purchase of OBC in excess of $1000, notwithstanding that they had use of my money for well over a year. And they certainly didn't care when I told them that rather than me spending $2500 in their shops and losing it in their casino, that I wouldn't be doing either, since I would have had to spend an extra $750 to purchase the equivalent amount of USD to what they cancelled, since the CDN dollar had dropped 30% since I first made my purchase. And to be clear, I stayed firm to that and other than a packet of Bonine, I didn't spend a penny in the shops or in the casino - so thank you NCL for actually saving me money.

 

NCL's only response to my complaints was that they have the right to change their policies, and sorry Maddysdaddy, you're past your PIF date.

 

And to be clear, this forum had very little in the way of sympathy either. I would estimate that 90% of the posts were in the nature of "NCL has to do what's best for business" and/or "Read your cruise contract. They can make whatever changes they want to, when they want to. All they guarantee you is a room and meals."

 

And for those posters talking about disputing charges with your credit card company, I tried that, and was told that they investigated the matter and because it was a policy change that NCL was entitled to make, they could do nothing.

[peacefulOR]

I sent an email to author of this article, Gene Sloan - gsloan@usatoday.com:

 

 

Mr. Sloan,

 

First of all thanks for the article on this change of policy with NCL. I wish that you would of shed some light on the current cost of water not to mention soda on board NCL. Below are the current cost if you buy online ahead of time:

 

Aquafina 6 pack - $27.08 (price will be 30% higher on board)

Aquafina 12 pack - $47.14 (price will be 39% higher on board)

Aquafina 18 pack - $58.94 (price will be 50% higher on board)

Aquafina 24 pack - $70.74 (price will be 55% higher on board)

 

This adds significant cost to our family of five. We cruise in three weeks just a week after this ban takes effect. For a budget conscious family it is a tough pill to swallow.

 

This is a huge topic on Cruise Critic, of which I am a member of, with currently 1,070 post and 60,945 views (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2373703). All since the emails went out on July 2 announcing the policy change.

 

Just thought you should know.

 

Way to go! If you feel strongly (or even just feel empathy) about this issue, take it out of CC into mass media. Even more effective would be to comment on the USA blurb and post it to Facebook or any other social media that you may use. I forgot to address the cost in my comment on USA Today and it's a huge part of the problem.

[Frick_&_Frack]

Since they are transferrable you may sell them or give them away which should help to minimize the damage.

 

This is true. I've never cancelled a cruise (except for two planned that were to be right after my DH passed and, well, don't remember much about that time :( ). Wasn't really thinking about what I can do with the FCCs I have.

 

It's just depressing to have to change up what I'm used to at this point (and I love NCL's crew). But, it's just all the little changes that have been done so quickly that's making me edgy. It's NCL's absolute right to make any change they wish; however, it's (for ME) too much, too fast (and, a lot of them didn't impact me in the slightest - I'm just big on "consistency" ;) ).

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

I have a difficult time envisioning that NCL cares at all about the four days of bad publicity that is essentially limited to one forum that the overwhelming majority of cruisers have likely never even heard of (and if they have heard of it, don't obsessively read and post to it on a regular basis).

 

They certainly didn't care (or even respond) when I registered my complaint earlier this year about their decision to not honor my purchase of OBC in excess of $1000, notwithstanding that they had use of my money for well over a year. And they certainly didn't care when I told them that rather than me spending $2500 in their shops and losing it in their casino, that I wouldn't be doing either, since I would have had to spend an extra $750 to purchase the equivalent amount of USD to what they cancelled, since the CDN dollar had dropped 30% since I first made my purchase. And to be clear, I stayed firm to that and other than a packet of Bonine, I didn't spend a penny in the shops or in the casino - so thank you NCL for actually saving me money.

 

NCL's only response to my complaints was that they have the right to change their policies, and sorry Maddysdaddy, you're past your PIF date.

 

And to be clear, this forum had very little in the way of sympathy either. I would estimate that 90% of the posts were in the nature of "NCL has to do what's best for business" and/or "Read your cruise contract. They can make whatever changes they want to, when they want to. All they guarantee you is a room and meals."

 

And for those posters talking about disputing charges with your credit card company, I tried that, and was told that they investigated the matter and because it was a policy change that NCL was entitled to make, they could do nothing.

 

Everyone go to their Facebook page and Twitter page and complain about it then.

Companies DO care about their social media profiles. How THEIR pages look to the public going there.

They don't want the pages full of complaints all saying the same thing turning off potential new customers.

Several decisions have been turned around by hundreds/thousands of complaints on their social media pages.

[sparks1093]

This is true. I've never cancelled a cruise (except for two planned that were to be right after my DH passed and, well, don't remember much about that time :( ). Wasn't really thinking about what I can do with the FCCs I have.

 

It's just depressing to have to change up what I'm used to at this point (and I love NCL's crew). But, it's just all the little changes that have been done so quickly that's making me edgy. It's NCL's absolute right to make any change they wish; however, it's (for ME) too much, too fast (and, a lot of them didn't impact me in the slightest - I'm just big on "consistency" ;) ).

 

You aren't alone. Fortunately for me the next cruise that I'll be booking will be in 2018 or 2019 and by then it should be clear to me whether or not NCL is offering a product that I am interested in. Every change makes it less likely but we'll see what the future brings.

[Sissaaaaaa]

Oh good grief

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Hey! That's MY line!! :p

[Frick_&_Frack]

You aren't alone. Fortunately for me the next cruise that I'll be booking will be in 2018 or 2019 and by then it should be clear to me whether or not NCL is offering a product that I am interested in. Every change makes it less likely but we'll see what the future brings.

 

I researched alternatives to death over the weekend (so did my TA). We've narrowed the field down ;) But, added stress I didn't need or want. Plus, still have Escape that I have no option for and am going. Just a bit of a dark cloud on that given cancelling the others. Kinda sad....

 

(PS - Loved the Glory!)

[spenceblake]

Everyone go to their Facebook page and Twitter page and complain about it then.

Companies DO care about their social media profiles. How THEIR pages look to the public going there.

They don't want the pages full of complaints all saying the same thing turning off potential new customers.

Several decisions have been turned around by hundreds/thousands of complaints on their social media pages.

I went to their Facebook page and complained, however, they immediately deleted my post.

[Jenjer]

The water issue is easy to solve bring some refillable bottles ask your room Stewart for a pitcher or 2 of ice water and fill them up.

 

We just did this on Escape the water tastes great and no issues at all. But if you like favored water. I know my Target has like 30 different water enhancers to add flavor and vitamins.

 

Soda might be harder for those die hard Coke drinkers.

 

Its a vacation why not try something new. Mojito, anyone ?

[Loonbeam]

Different type of security issue:

 

It's fair to say that a large number of people have attempted to 'smuggle' alcohol on lines via a variety of methods. One of the current favs has been to reseal water bottles filled with vodka or other clear spirits, or soda bottles with other beverages and hope no one notices. There are even kits for sale for this. Plus you have 'rum runners' etc. The water bottle issue was particularly concerning because of the volume of liquid involved (I looked for a post I thought John Heald did on FB ages ago where he showed a full case of 24 bottles of water that had been replaced by vodka but couldn't find it).

 

This does have actual security and safety implications in terms of underage drinking, overconsumption, etc. Plus it then requires a lot of effort to screen checked and carry on beverages.

 

Now, did NCL possibly throw out the baby with the bath water? Yes. It's fairly clear that a majority of people on here at least would support the policy had they done a few things other lines did to accommodate and make it LESS about the $$. Allowing limited cans (which are harder to tamper with) and reducing the price of bottled water would have reduced the perception of it being a revenue move (it is, something can be both security and revenue based). I would have forgiven not thinking of it if Carnival had not done exactly the same thing last year without all the issues.

 

 

For "safety and security" reasons my heinie.

It's all to do with $$$$$$$$$$$$$ reasons.

How many cruise ships have been blown up because someone walked on with a water bottle?

Every port of call I always buy some bottled water and bring it back on.

Never an issue with any line.

Won't be cruising with NCL anymore.

[spenceblake]

There is power in numbers. So, don't let it begin and end here. So far I emailed both:

 

Vivian Ewart

Vice President, Passenger Services: VEWART@ncl.com

 

Andy Stuart

President and Chief Operating Officer: astuart@ncl.com

 

I called NCL and complained. In addition, I contacted the author of the USA Today article (gsloan@usatoday.com) to fill him in on the on board pricing of water/soda and how this impacts my family of five . Lastly, I posted on NCL's Facebook page but my post was immediately deleted.

 

Now you do your part and let's keep the ball rolling!!!

[blackwing]

56 pages, holy cannoli....

 

I never bring bottled water on, I guess it's because I fly in and stay at a hotel the night before, and I don't want to make an effort to take a cab to go to a grocery store to get a case of water. I think the water in the buffet is perfectly fine. And I don't really drink soda much.

 

I'm curious, are the complaints and the outrage mostly because 1) people want their bottled water and don't want to pay the ridiculous price for it, 2) general discontent over the perception of the ever increasing nickel and diming by FDR, or 3) combination of both?

 

I recall many posts in the past where people say that they can ONLY drink distilled water or that they MUST have their bottled water. It's interesting to me because 30 years ago, there really wasn't any such thing as individual bottled water, or at least not as prevalent as their is now. We got our water from the kitchen tap. If we wanted it cold, we used ice or we filled our burnt orange Tupperware pitcher (the one that had a lid with two options for spouts, one wide open and one slotted to keep the ice out) from the tap and chilled it in the fridge. And nobody had ever heard of Brita or any other kind of filter. I believe people did buy gallons of distilled water to mix with baby formula. But nobody ever went and bought cases of individual 16.9 ounce bottles of water for individual servings.

 

How times have changed.

[cruizinwithkids]

It's fair to say that a large number of people have attempted to 'smuggle' alcohol on lines via a variety of methods. One of the current favs has been to reseal water bottles filled with vodka or other clear spirits, or soda bottles with other beverages and hope no one notices.

 

I can't help but think that most people who would want to smuggle alcohol are on the beverage plan. I'm wondering if this change is really pointing to the "free" beverage plan going away - instead of being extended each month.

 

When "free" goes away, maybe the water and coffee will be added.

[jennmaybe]

The water issue is easy to solve bring some refillable bottles ask your room Stewart for a pitcher or 2 of ice water and fill them up.

 

We just did this on Escape the water tastes great and no issues at all. But if you like favored water. I know my Target has like 30 different water enhancers to add flavor and vitamins.

 

Soda might be harder for those die hard Coke drinkers.

 

Its a vacation why not try something new. Mojito, anyone ?

 

It's not an issue for those that can drink the ship's water without swelling like a water balloon. It's not always about taste and I think that is easily forgotten in all of these messages. However, for those of us who swell like rolly pollies, ship's water is not an option for us. Not everyone drinks alcohol or sodas either, so that limits folks too. :)

Edited July 5, 2016 by jennmaybe

[trestar21]

DH has a CPAP....so I guess we can still bring purified water?

 

 

DCL Platinum Castaway Club ~ Ready for Norwegian Escape September 17-24 2016!

[ColinIllinois]

<snip>

 

I'm curious, are the complaints and the outrage mostly because 1) people want their bottled water and don't want to pay the ridiculous price for it, 2) general discontent over the perception of the ever increasing nickel and diming by FDR, or 3) combination of both?

 

 

 

Start reading the thread and you'll answer your own question. ;)

[spenceblake]

I lurk on the NCL board because I just might book an NCL cruise one of these days. I have to say at least Carnival still allows non-alcoholic beverages that aren't in bottles.

 

I was close to booking with either NCL or HAL for my next booking and ended up booking a Princess cruise. NCL will just have to wait for my business.

 

BTW, I checked their FB page and it's FULL of angry comments about the new policy.

 

I am not able to find any complaints on the NCL Facebook page. Can you provide a link?

[Rhea98]

DH has a CPAP....so I guess we can still bring purified water?

 

 

DCL Platinum Castaway Club ~ Ready for Norwegian Escape September 17-24 2016!

Yes. "with the exception of purified or distilled water in factory-sealed containers for use in conjunction with medical devices..."

 

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

Edited July 5, 2016 by Rhea98

[timeracer72]

In the past, I've bought an expensive big bottle of water from the ship to take with me on an excursion. I ended up not being thirsty at all that day and I brought back the full bottle of water with me...........That is where **** will hit the fan if you ask me. You'll start to see angry passengers refusing to give up the bottles of water they were saving for the next port.

 

 

Good point. Especially if it's bottles of water they purchased at the outrageous price NCL is charging for cases of bottled water.

 

I'm always amazed when I see companies do things in such short sighted fashion. Could have avoided all controversy by just adjusting their prices for bottled water to a reasonable markup.

 

 

 

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[richstowe]

I am not able to find any complaints on the NCL Facebook page. Can you provide a link?

Go to their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Norwegiancruiseline/

Scroll down on the left to Visitor Posts and you will see some. They do wish to hide them with corporate

generated raves of how great NCL is (not that I blame them) .

Edited July 5, 2016 by richstowe

[CruiseHealing]

Yesterday, I was going to book a cruise in November out Port Canaveral. But got too busy to get it done, so I was going to do it this afternoon. Now with this new policy change I guess I won't sail NCL. I guess I'll go back to Carnival or RCL. Too bad we were looking forward to sailing on Epic. :mad:

[penguinfrog]

I have voiced concern with NCL about this new policy, and have not yet received a reply. Not sure if I ever will. We have always brought a case of water with us on our cruise travels. Staying hydrated on the ship is a top priority especially when you use medication to relieve seasickness. The water on ships, be it NCL, RCL, Princess, etc., is never very tasty, and at times does not have a great look to it. Hence the bringing water on board. We purchase a 40 bottle - 16.9 oz. case for less that $4 at the Costco or Sam's. A great savings over the ship's prices. The larger bottles that the ship sells will be a further waste of money since it will have to disposed of prior to returning to the ship if it is not consumed on shore. New policy states you can't bring any drinks on board. Very short-sighted by NCL. The change in this policy especially for those of us you who have paid in full, and can cancel without losing our money is appalling. Our next cruise is in September. We have a cruise scheduled for January and will consider cancelling if the policy does not change. i

[Mr Six]

This is really sad and unfortunate. I love how NCL put out the statement lumping water with prohibited alcohol LMAO. Families save a few bucks with carrying on a case of water. You pack them on excursions, go to the beach, etc without being raped with the huge cost of bottled water.

But really this should not surprise anyone. There is nothing that is beyond reach for FDR. There is no fee that cant be raised, service to be cut back, price to go up. It just goes to extreme. The shrimp are getting smaller and so will the glasses. It will be determined NCL can save a nickel if another ice cube is added to a smaller glass.

I was always surprised they allowed soda to come on board. But prohibiting water is just taking nickel and diming to the extreme.

All these changes are visible to the customer. Can you imagine what we don't see? What next? Memos to crew members they are only allowed 2 pieces of toilet paper per day.

FDR is changing NCL and its not for the better. Everything entertainment, fireworks getting removed, perks being removed, portions getting smaller, fees and gratuities going up.

 

Have fun!

 

Next:

 

4 rolls of toilet paper $24.99 30% off

8 rolls 39.99 40% off

12 rolls (best value) 49.99 over 55% off

 

Note these are pre cruise prices and do not include 18% service charge for your convenience.

 

You are not permitted to bring your own on board as someone may try and use it to make a "dirty bomb".

 

Happy sailing