NCL approach -second thoughts

[sparks1093]

That's illogical though. There are always people who have cruises booked. Always. The cruise line would never be able to change anything, because it would always be "mid stream" for someone. And it would be impossible to grandfather in certain things, such as bringing water on board. Do you honestly think the porters standing by the curb to take your luggage from your vehicle want to be reviewing paperwork to determine when you booked or if you can bring on that case of water? That's just silly. So yes, things will always be changed mid stream. The issue is that for some crazy reason, there are some people who simply can't handle change as well as others.

 

Just as there are cruise lines that can't implement changes as well as others;).

[scanditaly]

I've been thinking about other possible cost cutting measures that are more indirect. I think that prohibiting bottled water/spirits/wine from being allowed in the checked luggage saves time and therefore $$ for the shoreside budget allowances. If none are allowed, then anything present needs no extra handling, therefore it will go straight to the ship and held. No need to pay Union shoreside folks for any extra time. Also, the sheer fact of not having duffel bags with cases of water/soda etc..... means that there is also less volume to handle as well.

 

Any thoughts about this?

 

Scanditaly.

[pokerpro5]

I've been thinking about other possible cost cutting measures that are more indirect. I think that prohibiting bottled water/spirits/wine from being allowed in the checked luggage saves time and therefore $$ for the shoreside budget allowances. If none are allowed, then anything present needs no extra handling, therefore it will go straight to the ship and held. No need to pay Union shoreside folks for any extra time. Also, the sheer fact of not having duffel bags with cases of water/soda etc..... means that there is also less volume to handle as well.

 

Any thoughts about this?

 

This is almost surely NOT the reason for the change in botted water/soda policy.

 

They could have simply changed it to where you have to carry it on yourself, and it cannot be used as checked baggage.

 

Their policy now is so restrictive that they will actually confiscate a single OPEN bottle of water you attempt to bring onboard, even if it's one you bought on the ship and took onto shore with you!

 

Clearly this has nothing to do with the expense of moving these drinks onto the ship om boarding day.

 

I am relatively certain that the banning of these brought-on-board beverages is a power play to softly push out the "value" cruisers. Right or wrong, I believe NCL has concluded that the majority of people bringing on their own drinks are the type of cruisers who spend very little onboard, as lugging your own drinks to the ship is indicative of a "do it yourself" mentality, which cruise lines hate.

 

Cruise lines make their money when you leave everything in their hands and let them charge you for all of the extras -- port tours, airport transfers, drinks, photos, etc.

 

They hate the cruiser who lugs on all the drinks he needs, books his own independent tours, gets his own ride to and from the airport, takes his own pictures, etc.

 

The "value" cruiser has long been reviled, but begrudgingly accepted by the industry. NCL is attempting to softly force them out.

[NLH Arizona]

I've been thinking about other possible cost cutting measures that are more indirect. I think that prohibiting bottled water/spirits/wine from being allowed in the checked luggage saves time and therefore $$ for the shoreside budget allowances. If none are allowed, then anything present needs no extra handling, therefore it will go straight to the ship and held. No need to pay Union shoreside folks for any extra time. Also, the sheer fact of not having duffel bags with cases of water/soda etc..... means that there is also less volume to handle as well.

 

Any thoughts about this?

 

Scanditaly.

I don't think the shore side staff or the ship's staff should have to lug around someone's water or soda. I think a better policy would have been that if someone wants to personally haul (no help from crew) their drinks, NCL could charge them a fee to be able to bring their own water or soda on. With regard to soda, most have said if NCL served Coke, they wouldn't have an issue buying it on the ship, so if NCL were to charge them $2.95 for every soda they want to carry on themselves, it would be a win for NCL and a win for those that want Coke or other sodas that NCL doesn't sell on the ships. In addition to the charge, I would make the policy no bottles, only cans.

[pokerpro5]

That's illogical though. There are always people who have cruises booked. Always. The cruise line would never be able to change anything, because it would always be "mid stream" for someone. And it would be impossible to grandfather in certain things, such as bringing water on board. Do you honestly think the porters standing by the curb to take your luggage from your vehicle want to be reviewing paperwork to determine when you booked or if you can bring on that case of water? That's just silly. So yes, things will always be changed mid stream. The issue is that for some crazy reason, there are some people who simply can't handle change as well as others.

 

There are several ways NCL can implement changes in a less abrupt fashion.

 

For one, they can delay any implementation of customer-negative changes to where everyone already past final payment date will not be "stuck" with the new policy.

 

For example, let's take this drink polcy, effective July 15, 2016. They implemented it a scant TWO WEEKS after announcing it. However, had they announced it and then waited 120 days for it to be implemented, it would have given EVERYONE affected by the policy a chance to cancel their NCL cruise without penalty.

 

Service charges should simply be grandfathered based upon the date the cruise was booked. If you booked believing the service charge to be a certain amount, that should be the amount you pay. Last year's policy forcing you to either pay a higher service charge or prepay the DSC immediately was a complete joke.

 

The biggest complaint about these policies was how quickly they took effect, and to where people who already made final payment were stuck whether they liked the new policy or not.

[missdenise]

There are several ways NCL can implement changes in a less abrupt fashion.

 

For one, they can delay any implementation of customer-negative changes to where everyone already past final payment date will not be "stuck" with the new policy.

 

For example, let's take this drink polcy, effective July 15, 2016. They implemented it a scant TWO WEEKS after announcing it. However, had they announced it and then waited 120 days for it to be implemented, it would have given EVERYONE affected by the policy a chance to cancel their NCL cruise without penalty.

 

Service charges should simply be grandfathered based upon the date the cruise was booked. If you booked believing the service charge to be a certain amount, that should be the amount you pay. Last year's policy forcing you to either pay a higher service charge or prepay the DSC immediately was a complete joke.

 

The biggest complaint about these policies was how quickly they took effect, and to where people who already made final payment were stuck whether they liked the new policy or not.

 

Well said.

[MrMan]

This is almost surely NOT the reason for the change in botted water/soda policy.

 

 

 

NCL is attempting to softly force them out.

 

And I would add there is nothing wrong with that.

[sparks1093]

And I would add there is nothing wrong with that.

 

Unless you are one of the ones being forced out and liked NCL just the way it was;).

[bazil501]

What is the difference in bringing an empty water bottle onboard or a refillable Teva or Brita bottle that they fill onboard the ship? Some like to carry a water bottle and some, like me (I've done this way before the no water on the ship policy was inacted), have no issues with another kind of refillable container. Not sure how NCL is being short sighted because folks have no issue drinking the ship's water.

 

This sounds an awful lot like you are generalizing and speaking on behalf of all the other cruisers.

 

The ship's water may be fine for you, but it may not be fine for everyone else, and it is certainly not fine for me.

Edited September 22, 2016 by bazil501

[NLH Arizona]

This sounds an awful lot like you are generalizing and speaking on behalf of all the other cruisers.

 

The ship's water may be fine for you, but it may not be fine for everyone else, and it is certainly not fine for me.

Not at all generalizing and speaking on behalf of all the other cruise and sorry that is how you read it. I'll be more careful in the future.

 

I'm so sorry you are unable to drink the ship's water, thankfully they do sell bottled water on the ships.

[Sotermarler]

And I would add there is nothing wrong with that.

 

 

Except that by pushing out the value cruisers, they can no longer fill the ships.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[biker@sea]

Except that by pushing out the value cruisers, they can no longer fill the ships.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Ya got that right!!

 

Dawn sailed to Canada with 500 empty beds.:eek::eek:

[mystic51]

We, like you, have been away from NCL for a while, we tried X a few years ago and have loved it. That being said, we had a fcc that was set to expire in November, so we are sailing on the Escape just before it does. Not having water included in the UBP seems so silly, but that is their policy. Price wise our cruise on NCL is about $500 less per person than an X cruise, so with the price difference that will certainly pay for any water not included in the UBP. We keep seeing wonderful reviews for the Escape and are excited to try them again :)

 

Interesting... for us it was just the opposite. We had a balcony booked on the Escape for January... included the beverage package, 3 night dining package.. with the extra gratuties (for beverage and dining packages only) added it actually came out about $300 per person more than Celebrity and that was without adding the daily service charges.. We cancelled NCL and went back to Celebrity... for $300 less, we got an upgraded balcony with a much larger balcony, free beverage package (gratuties included), free gratuties (daily service charges), and a $375 obc.. was a no brainer for us!

[sparks1093]

Ya got that right!!

 

Dawn sailed to Canada with 500 empty beds.:eek::eek:

 

I said early on that Del Rio was going to find out it's much different filling a few ships week after week than filling the NCL fleet week after week and I think he is finding that out.

[fshagan]

Ya got that right!!

 

Dawn sailed to Canada with 500 empty beds.:eek::eek:

 

That's the best news I've heard all year!

[NLH Arizona]

Ya got that right!!

 

Dawn sailed to Canada with 500 empty beds.:eek::eek:

Why aren't any of my NCL cruises like that.

 

One one of my Crystal cruises, years ago, it was only 50% full and it was heaven!

[nednrom]

Overall when you book a cruise or any vacation you really need to look at the cost of everything - cruise, airfare or travel expenses, dining and drink packages if offered, service charge/gratuity. All lines pretty much have all the same extras - photos, casino, bingo, shops, etc.

 

I try to account for everything when booking our trips. Some cost more strictly based on the dates chosen, other times I picked a trip and the dates based on the cost I found.

 

I would never buy the NCL drink package at $79 pp, however I will pay the service charge of $94 (or whatever) to get it as a perk as I know I will spend at least that much anyway buying drinks (usually I am in the $300 range).

 

I also don't tend to buy water on a cruise, I will drink the water at dinner, but that is about it. I don't buy the soda packages on other ships as I don't care for coke products.

 

Room service I don't tend to order, have maybe done it 4 times out of all my cruises. I am not bothered by getting something from the buffet and take it back to my cabin if I wish.

 

I don't play Bingo, buy photos, I spend a very small amount in the Casino. I don't pay for specialty dining on Carnival, Princess, Disney or Royal, I was fine with the dining rooms. Personally I do take into account the dining package on NCL upfront as one of my expenses, as I have never been all that thrilled with their dining rooms.

 

After cruising for so long we are similar - I look for pricing with one difference - I always hunt for balcony cabin midship or an aft balcony. Now that we don't have kids, we choose off-season. We don't play in the casino, we arrange for our own excursions or just go to a beach close by and we usually go to one specialty dining room. 1 photo to commemorate the trip. We used to buy the alcohol package when it first came out but it is now too expensive -- I like Carnival's idea of room bottle service. You pay a bit more for the bottles but it works for us.

We did choose the beverage and dining package for the Escape to try out the different venues since it cost us only the service charge. I am looking forward to trying NCL again.

[BensonFan711]

I asked my travel agent about Harvest Caye, and the training she received from NCL is that it is not a Norwegian exclusive island. Therefore, unlike GSC, your "perks" from the ship don't carry over (UBP, meals, etc.)

 

GSC is likely to remain as it currently is, though they have major renovations planned for it, too. But as far as package transfer, they don't seem to be entertaining the idea of changing it at NCL headquarters.

[felixdacat]

There is a general consensus throughout the Cruise Critic/Norwegian forum that NCL does nickel and dime you with many of their policies.

Unfortunately, I did not have the luxury of being able to choose a different cruise line. My In-Laws decided that instead of trudging up to the Northeast for Thanksgiving week, they would hop a cab down to the Port of Miami and have someone else do the Holiday cooking. 95% of their decision is based on itinerary, so before I knew it, we were booked (and yes, it’s on my dime). Had I had the time to do some research I would have not gone with NCL.

Some general thoughts (some not yet mentioned on this thread):

Bottled water has been a way to sneak booze on board. Yes, if you’re vigilant enough, there are ways to tell the difference between vodka and H2O, but it can be time consuming. I think that the combination of extra profit and the ability to stop some smuggling was why the change of policy. Last year, Carnival changed their bottled water policy. I was actually on the first sailing with the new policy. BUT…when they made the change, they actually had some reasonably priced options for bottled water. 100% markup (from normal wholesale) rather that 1000%+. Not sure if they held that policy, but it was a much better way to deal with their guests.

Vibe Beach club is a reasonably priced option. What is unreasonable is having that option available for less than 100 guests out of 4000. Most other lines have much larger Adult only options and some don’t charge for it. With a holiday week cruise which will likely be fully booked, I wonder if I have to line up like I was doing Best Buy for Black Friday.

Can’t believe no one has mentioned the wine policy. At least RC, X, and Carnival allow you to bring two bottles of wine per stateroom. The only corkage charge would be if you brought the bottle to the MDR or other restaurant. You could even get the room steward to get you wine glasses and bring the glass to the MDR. Pretty damn civilized if you ask me.

Shore excursions- Most cruises I have been on, if you found a well reviewed excursion on Trip Advisor, the cruise line would mark it up by 50-60%. I have already seen 120% markup with NCL.

Funny…my very first ever cruise was NCL (16 years ago). And back then, they gave you complimentary wine for the first meal. If you compare that to modern cruising, a very bizarre introduction.

[SuiteCruiser]

There is a general consensus throughout the Cruise Critic/Norwegian forum that NCL does nickel and dime you with many of their policies.

Unfortunately, I did not have the luxury of being able to choose a different cruise line. My In-Laws decided that instead of trudging up to the Northeast for Thanksgiving week, they would hop a cab down to the Port of Miami and have someone else do the Holiday cooking. 95% of their decision is based on itinerary, so before I knew it, we were booked (and yes, it’s on my dime). Had I had the time to do some research I would have not gone with NCL.

Some general thoughts (some not yet mentioned on this thread):

Bottled water has been a way to sneak booze on board. Yes, if you’re vigilant enough, there are ways to tell the difference between vodka and H2O, but it can be time consuming. I think that the combination of extra profit and the ability to stop some smuggling was why the change of policy. Last year, Carnival changed their bottled water policy. I was actually on the first sailing with the new policy. BUT…when they made the change, they actually had some reasonably priced options for bottled water. 100% markup (from normal wholesale) rather that 1000%+. Not sure if they held that policy, but it was a much better way to deal with their guests.

Vibe Beach club is a reasonably priced option. What is unreasonable is having that option available for less than 100 guests out of 4000. Most other lines have much larger Adult only options and some don’t charge for it. With a holiday week cruise which will likely be fully booked, I wonder if I have to line up like I was doing Best Buy for Black Friday.

Can’t believe no one has mentioned the wine policy. At least RC, X, and Carnival allow you to bring two bottles of wine per stateroom. The only corkage charge would be if you brought the bottle to the MDR or other restaurant. You could even get the room steward to get you wine glasses and bring the glass to the MDR. Pretty damn civilized if you ask me.

Shore excursions- Most cruises I have been on, if you found a well reviewed excursion on Trip Advisor, the cruise line would mark it up by 50-60%. I have already seen 120% markup with NCL.

Funny…my very first ever cruise was NCL (16 years ago). And back then, they gave you complimentary wine for the first meal. If you compare that to modern cruising, a very bizarre introduction.

 

Spice H20 is an adult-only area that holds far more than Vibe. This might be a great place for you to hang out during the day.

 

I hope you have a great time. I know a lot of the changes and charges are annoying, but the staff is great and you'll be fine if you go with the flow. Book your excursions privately.

 

The only upside to the wine policy is that you can bring a whole case on board of your favourite wine and drink it wherever you want, which is something other lines will not allow. If you have a reasonably priced favourite wine or wines, adding $15 to each bottle is likely cheaper than buying a bottle on board.

Edited September 26, 2016 by SuiteCruiser

[missdenise]

I asked my travel agent about Harvest Caye, and the training she received from NCL is that it is not a Norwegian exclusive island. Therefore, unlike GSC, your "perks" from the ship don't carry over (UBP, meals, etc.)

 

GSC is likely to remain as it currently is, though they have major renovations planned for it, too. But as far as package transfer, they don't seem to be entertaining the idea of changing it at NCL headquarters.

 

This is the exact same information I was given from my TA. She got her info directly from NCL... I have a copy of that email from NCL. I am just not sure what non-exclusive means when NCL purchased the island. They must have outside vendors. It is a shame that they do not have at least one place to get meals that is not a extra charge.