Is the outside beverage ban making you look elsewhere??

[Bars7816]

"this roller coaster ride with FDR is too much. I dont see the value I did a couple of years ago. Time to check another line out."

 

Me too. Don't even drink pop, but just tired of all the nonsense since new CEO has arrived.

[UPNYGuy]

no its not. Honestly getting mad about beverages is childish.

 

you pay a few thousand for a cruise and you want to bring your own 12 pack? stop being cheap. yes I understand the unique situations like diabetics, thats not what I am referring to you. If you prefer coke over pepsi and just cant go a week without it.....stay home.

 

 

It isn't so much that, but the constant changes that are driving passengers to book elsewhere. The room service charge, the attempted carry-out food ban, and now the ban on onboard beverages are just a few of the changes that I can think of.

[Warm Breezes]

I made final payment today because I have an incredible rock bottom price....ha ha Ncl

 

I'll use my last cruise cert at some point

 

But you can bet I'll book elsewhere either now or near future either before or after I use my next cert

 

I've booked elsewhere before and have no great love for Ncl or ccl or dcl or princess...however the service on princess was incredible.

 

Personally I found the service on Princess the worse of all our cruises. To each his own though. Have fun.

[chloemonkey]

No.

 

I like the Haven experience and Freestyle cruising too much.

 

I am with you! LOVE Diet Coke and not a fan of Diet Pepsi...but even that hasn't made a difference in booking most of our cruises with NCL....

 

Seriously though....I have never even contemplated bringing on water OR Diet Coke! As it would make me feel as though I were camping and not on a cruise....

[Larlin]

I made final payment today because I have an incredible rock bottom price....ha ha Ncl

 

I'll use my last cruise cert at some point

 

But you can bet I'll book elsewhere either now or near future either before or after I use my next cert

 

I've booked elsewhere before and have no great love for Ncl or ccl or dcl or princess...however the service on princess was incredible.

 

We were loyal to Princess. The suites were very nice, but we found the service to be horrible. NCL has been wonderful, but everyone has differences of opinions.

[ano]

As long as other cruise lines don't change their policies, I won't be taking NCL again. Its really not about money for me, just one more artificial hoop to jump through and really I take cruises to get away from this. If there is a long list of "rules" to follow especially if they don't have merit, then I go elsewhere. They haven't proved to me "security" is a valid reason when others don't have this "security" problem.

[swedish weave]

then stop cruising. Honestly, if this makes you upset.... don't come on the cruise.

 

Why do you cruise if you see the danger in doing it ??????

[luvtheships]

Personally I found the service on Princess the worse of all our cruises. To each his own though. Have fun.

 

 

Oh I will have fun on my rock bottom Ncl cruise

 

As for princess....well when they bring you a blanket ice cream popcorn and cookies to you right before the outdoor movie starts and make sure you can see and are comfortable...that's service to me

 

I could care less what my stewards name is or my waiters for that matter...

 

We had plenty of clean towels and choices of anything we wanted in the mdr.

 

Btw I was just checking prices for various cruise lines for 2017 and they are all out of their minds IMHO with prices

 

I think seeing more of the good old USA is on my bucket list anyway

 

And we all know 2 weeks on cape cod and a little sand between your toes will cure whatever ails you

Edited July 15, 2016 by luvtheships

[ma40]

No more NCL,the freestyle was perfect, your schedule,board when convenient,dinner no wait, your cruise no lock step NCL = freedom of choice.

Uh-oh, when a corp insists how much they are doing for My Convenience, I know it's another rule that will profit the corporation.

I need to carry water for a persistent cough. NCL will do me a favor by selling me a brand of water they have chosen, at an inflated price they have set. Here is a suggestion, remove your rules,then really make it freestyle again.

No, I won't be back, the prices from NYC, the worn,overcrowded Breakaway, the TINY balconies, the inconvenient storage, the unhelpful ,overworked crew, the ban on carry on beverages,make this Platinum member, say " No" won't be back no more. Good luck filling the cabins of your giant ships,Get a CEO who puts passengers first. PS it is really about the money, the daily charge adds up, the fares not good value.

[luvtheships]

We were loyal to Princess. The suites were very nice, but we found the service to be horrible. NCL has been wonderful, but everyone has differences of opinions.

 

 

Hmmm...it must be me because

 

Every morning at the coffee bar the same crew member made my cappuccino quickly and efficiently ....no tip either

 

Our waiters were excellent....40 e to him and 20 e to his assistant from our table of 6 on the last night

 

The roving crew member showed us to a private table in the buffet every time...brought us our silverware....and brought us our

drinks...he even brought me a mixed ice tea lemonade ....no tip

 

The MUTS crew excellent...even brought us fresh hot second helping of popcorn...no tip

 

Fresh made specialty pizza when we wanted some special toppings...nothing like the Ncl stuff that passes for pizza...no tip btw

 

Steward...efficient...30e per cabin

 

Ok I guess I got lousy service. Lol

Edited July 15, 2016 by luvtheships

[luvtheships]

No more NCL,the freestyle was perfect, your schedule,board when convenient,dinner no wait, your cruise no lock step NCL = freedom of choice.

 

Uh-oh, when a corp insists how much they are doing for My Convenience, I know it's another rule that will profit the corporation.

 

I need to carry water for a persistent cough. NCL will do me a favor by selling me a brand of water they have chosen, at an inflated price they have set. Here is a suggestion, remove your rules,then really make it freestyle again.

 

No, I won't be back, the prices from NYC, the worn,overcrowded Breakaway, the TINY balconies, the inconvenient storage, the unhelpful ,overworked crew, the ban on carry on beverages,make this Platinum member, say " No" won't be back no more. Good luck filling the cabins of your giant ships,Get a CEO who puts passengers first. PS it is really about the money, the daily charge adds up, the fares not good value.

 

 

Once and done on the breakaway. Awful ship

 

The gem on the other hand....4 times

[dna529]

While the beverage policy is not a deal breaker for me, it does make me consider other lines. But I was already doing that because NCL iteneraries are getting old. We are tired of driving to Miami to go to the same old ports. After 16 cruises on both NCL and Carnival, it's time to look at other options. MSC, Celebrity, and Princess are probably in our future.

[haply]

We usually cruise once per year. Holiday flight prices for this year are already high (too late to book the good deals). I have however already booked our November 2017 cruise with another cruise line (following our free-market economy supply choice). The reason for booking another line for my family:

*$ 1000 cheaper than Norwegian for two rooms (similar ship)

*Itinerary that includes longer port times

*Good kids club (similar to Norwegian)

*Option for freestyle dining

*Bottled water included in the beverage package (I do not have to carry on my own bottled water OR bring my own drinkware).

*They carry the coke brand soft drinks (OK, so we are spoiled, so what).

 

We like cruising and AI resorts. When one option becomes too much of a hassle, there are many more choices (thank goodness!).

[pacificnt2]

1st off, I am not a person who posts online regularly. I happened upon cruise critic not too long ago, and find the forums interesting and sometimes informative. I am posting today, because what I am reading about NCL’s new policy on liquids being brought onboard is somehow being perceived that people are just being cheap. I politely disagree.

 

 

 

We only sail Norwegian and price has never been a problem for us; we pay full fare for our cabins (only book Haven or Suites) only eat at the specialty restaurants, shop on board and drop lots of cash at the casino. Leave cash tips for the servers and bar tenders, along with tipping our Butler, Concierge and cabin steward during the cruise and end of our cruise, because the service is awesome.

 

 

We are hardly what one would call “cheap”.

 

 

 

The ability to bring on water & Soda has been a nice option and we have done so in the past. I like to order a bottle of Jack for my husband as a convenience in our cabin, and he only drinks it with Coke. Pepsi products are what this line carries, which don’t go well with his drink of choice. When you pay $120 on board for a 375ML bottle, bringing on a 6 pack of Coke in 4oz cans should not be an issue. I have also brought water on board with me in the past, as I like a certain brand.

 

 

 

We just completed an Alaska cruise this past May, and instead of bringing water this time, I went ahead and paid $27.84 for a 6 pack. I did order the usual bottle of Jack for the room, and brought our 6-pack of Coke.

 

 

 

I love Norwegian atmosphere, personnel, service and itineraries, but because of the new policy, I have 6 cruises booked with other cruise lines. I will have similar suite benefits and best of all, what NCL took away is already included, and water or soda is allowed to be carried aboard. The bonus: A 375ml bottle of Jack is only $17.00 which is a significant cost savings.

So really, NCL did me the favor by making this policy change. I found out, the suite life on other cruise lines doesn’t cost near as much and I can now cruise 3-5 times a year instead of 2 on NCL.

[saxon6732]

September of 2017 is the first time we will be sailing with Norwegian. We are sailing with Norwegian because that is where our 2017 National Sweepstakes Convention is being held. Thankfully the bringing of bottled water and sodas on board will have no effect on us. We booked a Deluxe Owner's Suite in The Haven which comes with bottled water and can sodas included.

[GeezerCouple]

1st off, I am not a person who posts online regularly. I happened upon cruise critic not too long ago, and find the forums interesting and sometimes informative. I am posting today, because what I am reading about NCL’s new policy on liquids being brought onboard is somehow being perceived that people are just being cheap. I politely disagree.

 

 

We only sail Norwegian and price has never been a problem for us; we pay full fare for our cabins (only book Haven or Suites) only eat at the specialty restaurants, shop on board and drop lots of cash at the casino. Leave cash tips for the servers and bar tenders, along with tipping our Butler, Concierge and cabin steward during the cruise and end of our cruise, because the service is awesome.

 

 

We are hardly what one would call “cheap”.

 

 

The ability to bring on water & Soda has been a nice option and we have done so in the past. I like to order a bottle of Jack for my husband as a convenience in our cabin, and he only drinks it with Coke. Pepsi products are what this line carries, which don’t go well with his drink of choice. When you pay $120 on board for a 375ML bottle, bringing on a 6 pack of Coke in 4oz cans should not be an issue. I have also brought water on board with me in the past, as I like a certain brand.

 

 

We just completed an Alaska cruise this past May, and instead of bringing water this time, I went ahead and paid $27.84 for a 6 pack. I did order the usual bottle of Jack for the room, and brought our 6-pack of Coke.

 

 

I love Norwegian atmosphere, personnel, service and itineraries, but because of the new policy, I have 6 cruises booked with other cruise lines. I will have similar suite benefits and best of all, what NCL took away is already included, and water or soda is allowed to be carried aboard. The bonus: A 375ml bottle of Jack is only $17.00 which is a significant cost savings.

So really, NCL did me the favor by making this policy change. I found out, the suite life on other cruise lines doesn’t cost near as much and I can now cruise 3-5 times a year instead of 2 on NCL.

 

Sounds like you are our secret twin... describes us almost perfectly (except the casino part ... but we buy what is almost their most expensive bottle of wine with dinner ;))

 

We, too, just finished a WONDERFUL Alaska cruise, thoroughly enjoying the top suite on the ship. LOVED IT.

Had written to our NCL PCC that as soon as we got back from a business trip, we'd book a few other cruises in that same suite, same ship.

The day before we got home, we read about these changes.

The fact that we never received a single message about this from NCL... that said everything about their customer "service" approach.

 

Only difference is we still have about 6 cruises still reserved on NCL, having cancelled those that were about to hit penalty phase.

 

And we are now looking around to replace those about-to-get-cancelled NCL cruises with cruises on other lines, in in a couple of places, perhaps land trips.

[Barb Nahoumi]

It will make me rethink cruise lines.

My family are Coke drinkers and will bring a bottle or two back to our room from ports of call.

We also have unlimited beverage plan and will use occasionally. NCL water package is a joke.

We were on carnival in May and pre - purchased water and thought their price was very reasonable.

 

How much did Carnival charge for water? Is water included in NCL's unlimited beverage plan?

[Warm Breezes]

How much did Carnival charge for water? Is water included in NCL's unlimited beverage plan?

 

We purchased it for $2.99 for our May Dream cruise, just because it was so cheap and so DH could have a bottled beverage in the room at night since we could no longer bring his 1 liter pop anymore (which we occasionally brought on board for his convenience). It went up to $3.99 later that week and oh the complaining on the CCL boards rivaled what we are seeing here....how dare CCL raise the price of water by 33%. FWIW we left over half our water in the room when we left. Sealed and untouched. We won't be buying it for our next cruise. the water in the Lido is just fine with us, CCL or NCL.

[jm485]

How much did Carnival charge for water? Is water included in NCL's unlimited beverage plan?

 

Barb -- to answer your second question, bottled water in not included in any NCL beverage plan. Neither is specialty coffee or fresh juice.

[CruisinHarvey]

We cruise NCL because it gives us the best experience for the cost of our vacation dollar. Nothing they've changed to date has impacted us yet. Once it does, we'll look elsewhere. It's not emotional decision for us. We had great vacation before we sailed on NCL. If NCL changes for us, we'll have great vacations somewhere else. It seems like the NCL management is looking forward, and not back. I think their customers should take the same posture.

[luvtheships]

1st off, I am not a person who posts online regularly. I happened upon cruise critic not too long ago, and find the forums interesting and sometimes informative. I am posting today, because what I am reading about NCL’s new policy on liquids being brought onboard is somehow being perceived that people are just being cheap. I politely disagree.

 

 

 

We only sail Norwegian and price has never been a problem for us; we pay full fare for our cabins (only book Haven or Suites) only eat at the specialty restaurants, shop on board and drop lots of cash at the casino. Leave cash tips for the servers and bar tenders, along with tipping our Butler, Concierge and cabin steward during the cruise and end of our cruise, because the service is awesome.

 

 

We are hardly what one would call “cheap”.

 

 

 

The ability to bring on water & Soda has been a nice option and we have done so in the past. I like to order a bottle of Jack for my husband as a convenience in our cabin, and he only drinks it with Coke. Pepsi products are what this line carries, which don’t go well with his drink of choice. When you pay $120 on board for a 375ML bottle, bringing on a 6 pack of Coke in 4oz cans should not be an issue. I have also brought water on board with me in the past, as I like a certain brand.

 

 

 

We just completed an Alaska cruise this past May, and instead of bringing water this time, I went ahead and paid $27.84 for a 6 pack. I did order the usual bottle of Jack for the room, and brought our 6-pack of Coke.

 

 

 

I love Norwegian atmosphere, personnel, service and itineraries, but because of the new policy, I have 6 cruises booked with other cruise lines. I will have similar suite benefits and best of all, what NCL took away is already included, and water or soda is allowed to be carried aboard. The bonus: A 375ml bottle of Jack is only $17.00 which is a significant cost savings.

So really, NCL did me the favor by making this policy change. I found out, the suite life on other cruise lines doesn’t cost near as much and I can now cruise 3-5 times a year instead of 2 on NCL.

 

 

This!!!!!

[CruisinHarvey]

[/font]

 

If more people made a change as you did, maybe NCL would change their direction. Sorry to say, most folks are slow to respond. As a result, NCL will be too.

Edited July 15, 2016 by CruisinHarvey

[DevCruise]

If more people made a change as you did, maybe NCL would change their direction. Sorry to say, most folks are slow to respond. As a result, NCL will be too.

 

We would have looked at cancelling our cruise, but we're already within the penalty phase and had already bought airfare. :(

[Newfun4me]

1st off, I am not a person who posts online regularly. I happened upon cruise critic not too long ago, and find the forums interesting and sometimes informative. I am posting today, because what I am reading about NCL’s new policy on liquids being brought onboard is somehow being perceived that people are just being cheap. I politely disagree.

 

 

 

We only sail Norwegian and price has never been a problem for us; we pay full fare for our cabins (only book Haven or Suites) only eat at the specialty restaurants, shop on board and drop lots of cash at the casino. Leave cash tips for the servers and bar tenders, along with tipping our Butler, Concierge and cabin steward during the cruise and end of our cruise, because the service is awesome.

 

 

We are hardly what one would call “cheap”.

 

 

 

The ability to bring on water & Soda has been a nice option and we have done so in the past. I like to order a bottle of Jack for my husband as a convenience in our cabin, and he only drinks it with Coke. Pepsi products are what this line carries, which don’t go well with his drink of choice. When you pay $120 on board for a 375ML bottle, bringing on a 6 pack of Coke in 4oz cans should not be an issue. I have also brought water on board with me in the past, as I like a certain brand.

 

 

 

We just completed an Alaska cruise this past May, and instead of bringing water this time, I went ahead and paid $27.84 for a 6 pack. I did order the usual bottle of Jack for the room, and brought our 6-pack of Coke.

 

 

 

I love Norwegian atmosphere, personnel, service and itineraries, but because of the new policy, I have 6 cruises booked with other cruise lines. I will have similar suite benefits and best of all, what NCL took away is already included, and water or soda is allowed to be carried aboard. The bonus: A 375ml bottle of Jack is only $17.00 which is a significant cost savings.

So really, NCL did me the favor by making this policy change. I found out, the suite life on other cruise lines doesn’t cost near as much and I can now cruise 3-5 times a year instead of 2 on NCL.

 

Agree completely.

[SuiteTraveler]

The outside beverage ban doesn't really affect us, so I could not care less about this new rule. I would appreciate it if NCL would lower the price of bottled water to be more commensurate with what is charged by Carnival as that seems more appropriate and then, I would buy 2 cases of water. However, I don't have any problem with the ship's tap water. Worst case scenario, I'll have the butler bring us a pitcher of water and put it in our refrigerator each day. In regards to soft drinks - I don't care if it is Pepsi or Coke. Not a big deal to me at all. Frankly, I prefer iced tea.

Edited July 16, 2016 by SuiteTraveler