Anyone else annoyed with Ncl decrease in amenities?

[dexddd]

NCL would do that during the Chocolate Buffet.  Have a few servers with Champagne/sparking wine, someone would take one then server would direct them to nearby table to pay and then glass would go back to server.

[ggTexasGal]

12 hours ago, rtread said:

 

About the coffee makers....are they the type that take the flat pad (like hotels) or the K-cup type?

They are NOT K-cup-like!  If I remember correctly (and not confusing with hotels) they are round flat pads.  If not round, then flat square (or rectangle).

I hope this helped you.

[valleyvillage]

8 hours ago, Surfsup2017 said:

I find the towel animals annoying, particularly when one of your dedicated towels is used to make it (has happened). Its like "bring to child to work day" where you have to acknowledge and comment on how cute the kid is that is distracting the work day, same when you see the steward and pretend how much you loved that monkey hanging from the ceiling that startled you when you woke up.  

Surfsup2017, this made me LOL out loud. :)

[CILCIANRQTS]

Sum total of towel animal impact:

 

”Aw, isn’t that cute!

What do you want to do for breakfast tomorrow?”

[carterd2002]

Sailing on NCL for the first time next year so lurking on these boards.  That's amazing that NCL has coffee makers in the cabins - Disney does not offer them in the cabins at any level at all, and their cruises are way more expensive...

[rtread]

8 hours ago, ggTexasGal said:

They are NOT K-cup-like!  If I remember correctly (and not confusing with hotels) they are round flat pads.  If not round, then flat square (or rectangle).

I hope this helped you.

 

It sure does.....am going to pack some to take. I'm liable to wake up anytime wanting to brew a cup as I do in hotels. Thanks!

[ggTexasGal]

4 hours ago, rtread said:

 

It sure does.....am going to pack some to take. I'm liable to wake up anytime wanting to brew a cup as I do in hotels. Thanks!

Just so you know, you can request extra coffee from your room steward.

Similar to you, when I wake up, I want coffee ASAP!!!

[graphicguy]

Trying to remember, as I bring my own coffee packets on board, but I think some of the coffee makers on NCL are the Nespresso variety.  Not sure if those were in the Haven in addition to the balcony cabins, though.  

[mking8288]

Mini-suite & Balcony should be using this (i.e. on the Dawn last week) - https://www.hamiltonbeach.com/personal-cup-one-cup-pod-brewer-49970 

 

It's a round, flat pod or DIY filters kit, sold on Amazon ... also seen branded coffee pods at our local ShopRite supermarket shelves.  

 

[GA Dave]

Haven coffee maker setup.  Never used it on a seven-day cruise.

 

 

Edited May 21, 2019 by GA Dave

[perditax]

29 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Trying to remember, as I bring my own coffee packets on board, but I think some of the coffee makers on NCL are the Nespresso variety.  Not sure if those were in the Haven in addition to the balcony cabins, though.  

 

Haven on BA last month had these keurig-type deals:

 

 

Maybe ours needed repair, but the water didn't get very hot, not hot enough to brew tea at any rate. 

[graphicguy]

1 minute ago, perditax said:

 

Haven on BA last month had these keurig-type deals:

 

 

Maybe ours needed repair, but the water didn't get very hot, not hot enough to brew tea at any rate. 

That's the one.  Mine made some pretty good coffee (at least much better than the Garden Cafe coffee).  Those teas were excellent, too!

[njkate]

Coffee makers are in balcony and above cabins, I never used mine, went to Starbucks or buffet for coffee

Towel animals imo are NOT an amenity, could care less if I have them.

Ice bucket, you just needed to ask your cabin steward.

 

Your complaints are much ado about nothing imo

[yebba]

On 5/19/2019 at 5:45 AM, newmexicoNita said:

Coffee makers are automatic for balcony and above. It has been this way for years, but all you have to do is ask. It is simple , we have done this a few times. The same with an ice bucket. And the towel animals have nothing to do with the type of cabin you are in. So, I am sorry but I have to 100% disagree with you. Maybe it is time you try a different line and see how they do things.  

FYI -- I just returned from Miami-Cuba on the Sky and had a balcony room; there was no coffee pot in the room so it isn't "automatic".

[sfaaa]

4 hours ago, njkate said:

Coffee makers are in balcony and above cabins, I never used mine, went to Starbucks or buffet for coffee

Towel animals imo are NOT an amenity, could care less if I have them.

Ice bucket, you just needed to ask your cabin steward.

 

Your complaints are much ado about nothing imo

Yeah, fresh coffee in Lido is only a quick elevator ride away. Towel animal? The gimmick gets old pretty quickly after seeing it a few times.  

[gizfish]

6 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Trying to remember, as I bring my own coffee packets on board, but I think some of the coffee makers on NCL are the Nespresso variety.  Not sure if those were in the Haven in addition to the balcony cabins, though.   

Only the Haven has the Nespresso makers.  

[Vyhanek]

I just returned from the Gem to Bermuda.   There are some things I noticed.

 

Ice bucket in the room used to be filled automatically.    Now you won't even see the ice bucket unless you ask your steward specifically.   Which is fine but when you want ice and it's hot and you pull a soda out of your mini bar to discover....wth, where's the ice?!  and then you have to go for another day before you see your room steward, it is annoying.   When you know, ice used to be standard practice.  

 

I also noticed this cruise, if someone had their Do Not Disturb sign up, and it was time for the rooms to be cleaned, their room would get skipped and a note would be left out on their sign with a message along the lines of...."I was here to clean your room but your Do Not Disturb Sign" was on.    I am sure there are some who legitimately have their sign up all morning because they don't want to be disturbed.   I'm also sure there are many cruisers that had that Do Not Disturb sign up for the night before, then the next morning got up, went out to enjoy Bermuda and forgot to turn the sign.    They came back to the note on the door and the room not made up.

 

I noticed in the dining room, for breakfast, no longer does a server come around with a huge tray of pastries and you pick what you want.   That doesn't happen at all.   Pastries are now very understated and listed on the menu but you have to ask specifically, then after asking specifically you get a basket with a few, not the good kinds, not the chocolate croissants or the chocolate muffins.   I always go the old lady bran muffins and pastries with jelly fillings.   

 

I also noticed on the dining tables there would be one or two pads of butter.   Fine if one or two people are dining but when there's 4 it was always an issue.   No big deal to have to ask the server the next time they came around but again, same thing, you gotta ask, you then gotta wait, it's inconvenient.

 

I noticed they've eliminated a couple soft serve ice cream machines.  They used to be a few.    Now there is exactly one and during lunch there is a guy making the ice cream cones for you.   He makes them tiny.    

 

Same thing with cherries in your drinks like Shirley Temples, Roy Rogers.    I was charged $6 for a small Shirley (no alcohol) I sort of expect the cherry.   Is it a big deal?   no, I'm an adult.   If I asked, of course I got one with a smile but again.....get my drink and get back to my seat to realize....hey no cherry and then I gotta get up and go ask.   Its the little inconveniences that add up over and over.

 

I'll weigh in on towel animals.    If you've been on more than one cruise then of course, it's no big deal.   If you're an adult and you've been on multiple cruises and you've already experienced for yourself towel animals then i can see how you don't mind them being cost cut'ed.    But if it's your first cruise and everything is new to you, you really like them.   If you have young kids, they really like them.   It is a really big deal for those cruisers.   Maybe not you.

 

I also noticed how much drink prices have gone up!   Wow.   I paid $25 for a dirty martini without specific alcohol!    I paid $25 for a double shot of Bailey's.    A soda was $3.75.    Small Jack and Diet (no lime) was $14.    There were very, very, very few people on this cruise drinking.    Not too many drink packages sold besides Haven guests.   When I went to inquire about a drink package for my mini suite I was told it would cost another $1000.    Wow!     I did get a great price on my mini suite $729 so I can't complain but WOW drinks have jumped up in price dramatically and it was a really sober cruise for everybody.      

 

 

[hladygirl]

All I meant was that the prices of these cruises keep increasing but the service keeps declining. Towel animals are no big deal to me. No coffee maker isn’t a deal breaker either. The no ice was a pain. First night I get back to my cabin, change for bed and then go to fill my thermos for ice water during the night. Guess what. No ice bucket. Never had that happen before. Had to get dressed and walk from front of ship to the back to fill my thermos. Was never informed asking for ice bucket was an option. These decreases are obviously so the cruise line can have less room stewards and give them more cabins. We also had very rough seas and all the stewards in the halls kept making it a point that most of them were sea sick. Thought that was odd info to continuously share with guests. I did not have the drink perk and thought the prices of drinks now were outrageous. Just got a different vibe this cruise that wasn’t as pleasant as prior NCL cruises.

[sfaaa]

17 minutes ago, Vyhanek said:

 

 

 

 

I also noticed this cruise, if someone had their Do Not Disturb sign up, and it was time for the rooms to be cleaned, their room would get skipped and a note would be left out on their sign with a message along the lines of...."I was here to clean your room but your Do Not Disturb Sign" was on.    I am sure there are some who legitimately have their sign up all morning because they don't want to be disturbed.   I'm also sure there are many cruisers that had that Do Not Disturb sign up for the night before, then the next morning got up, went out to enjoy Bermuda and forgot to turn the sign.    They came back to the note on the door and the room not made up.

 

 

 

Which is precisely what the room steward should do. Do Not Disturb means Do Not Disturb. Pretty simple and straight forward. 

[LD Silver]

I'm not annoyed by the cutbacks.....I just choose to spend my vacation dollars elsewhere.  I used to cruise 2-3 times a year.  Now it is just once a year.  Spending my vacation dollars on land based vacations

[perditax]

While I believe it’s in the consumers’ interest to call out these cutbacks as they happen (even though lots of people here “don’t care” about the cutbacks)... yeah, I don’t think complaining about your room steward not disturbing you while your Do Not Disturb sign is up really makes the cut. 🙂

 

(I really like the make up room/DND switches on the ships I’ve been on. Sometimes I want to have an early night and don’t need fresh towels. Or, on those understaffed sailings, I don’t want to wait till 9pm for the nightly room refresh.)

[twoznuff2]

On 5/18/2019 at 8:01 PM, hladygirl said:

In an inside cabin by myself on the Gem.  

No towel animal ( which is fine) no coffee maker, and no ice bucket. Felt like the lower class cruise ship passenger. I now am learning from cruise critic that this is now the policy for inside cabins. Talk about going back to the old time when the low class passengers were called steerage. That is how I felt on this cruise. Some of the cabins were still getting there rooms cleaned at 2:30 in the afternoon. NCL has really taken a down turn with all their cutbacks and price increases. Without towel animals, coffee maker and ice bucket what does my room steward do for me? Nothing other than give me towels and make my bed. For the price they are now charging I have to look at other cruise lines. The service is no longer there.

I just sailed the Bliss in May and the towel animals were a hit a miss ( not a deal breaker for me) in our balcony cabin we had a coffee maker as I suspect is usual for balcony and above, but quite frankly I would have rather had a bit more counter space instead of the coffee maker as we don't drink coffee and if I did  would just get it at the other avail places. Sorry, your cruise was not what you had hoped or expected.

Edited May 22, 2019 by twoznuff2

[sparks1093]

12 hours ago, Vyhanek said:

 

I also noticed on the dining tables there would be one or two pads of butter.   Fine if one or two people are dining but when there's 4 it was always an issue.   No big deal to have to ask the server the next time they came around but again, same thing, you gotta ask, you then gotta wait, it's inconvenient.

 

 

Same thing with cherries in your drinks like Shirley Temples, Roy Rogers.    I was charged $6 for a small Shirley (no alcohol) I sort of expect the cherry.   Is it a big deal?   no, I'm an adult.   If I asked, of course I got one with a smile but again.....get my drink and get back to my seat to realize....hey no cherry and then I gotta get up and go ask.   Its the little inconveniences that add up over and over.

 

I also noticed how much drink prices have gone up!   Wow.   I paid $25 for a dirty martini without specific alcohol!    I paid $25 for a double shot of Bailey's.    A soda was $3.75.    Small Jack and Diet (no lime) was $14.    There were very, very, very few people on this cruise drinking.    Not too many drink packages sold besides Haven guests.   When I went to inquire about a drink package for my mini suite I was told it would cost another $1000.    Wow!     I did get a great price on my mini suite $729 so I can't complain but WOW drinks have jumped up in price dramatically and it was a really sober cruise for everybody.      

 

 

Yes, of course they will provide it if you ask, but that's the thing that bothers me, you shouldn't have to ask, especially for a garnish for a drink or more butter for your table. I am not really surprised by any of this, Del Rio is definitely of the "little things add up to big dollars" mentality and this is his way of squeezing everything that he can from the passenger.

[newmexicoNita]

12 hours ago, Vyhanek said:

I just returned from the Gem to Bermuda.   There are some things I noticed.

 

Ice bucket in the room used to be filled automatically.    Now you won't even see the ice bucket unless you ask your steward specifically.   Which is fine but when you want ice and it's hot and you pull a soda out of your mini bar to discover....wth, where's the ice?!  and then you have to go for another day before you see your room steward, it is annoying.   When you know, ice used to be standard practice.  

 

I also noticed this cruise, if someone had their Do Not Disturb sign up, and it was time for the rooms to be cleaned, their room would get skipped and a note would be left out on their sign with a message along the lines of...."I was here to clean your room but your Do Not Disturb Sign" was on.    I am sure there are some who legitimately have their sign up all morning because they don't want to be disturbed.   I'm also sure there are many cruisers that had that Do Not Disturb sign up for the night before, then the next morning got up, went out to enjoy Bermuda and forgot to turn the sign.    They came back to the note on the door and the room not made up.

 

I noticed in the dining room, for breakfast, no longer does a server come around with a huge tray of pastries and you pick what you want.   That doesn't happen at all.   Pastries are now very understated and listed on the menu but you have to ask specifically, then after asking specifically you get a basket with a few, not the good kinds, not the chocolate croissants or the chocolate muffins.   I always go the old lady bran muffins and pastries with jelly fillings.   

 

I also noticed on the dining tables there would be one or two pads of butter.   Fine if one or two people are dining but when there's 4 it was always an issue.   No big deal to have to ask the server the next time they came around but again, same thing, you gotta ask, you then gotta wait, it's inconvenient.

 

I noticed they've eliminated a couple soft serve ice cream machines.  They used to be a few.    Now there is exactly one and during lunch there is a guy making the ice cream cones for you.   He makes them tiny.    

 

Same thing with cherries in your drinks like Shirley Temples, Roy Rogers.    I was charged $6 for a small Shirley (no alcohol) I sort of expect the cherry.   Is it a big deal?   no, I'm an adult.   If I asked, of course I got one with a smile but again.....get my drink and get back to my seat to realize....hey no cherry and then I gotta get up and go ask.   Its the little inconveniences that add up over and over.

 

I'll weigh in on towel animals.    If you've been on more than one cruise then of course, it's no big deal.   If you're an adult and you've been on multiple cruises and you've already experienced for yourself towel animals then i can see how you don't mind them being cost cut'ed.    But if it's your first cruise and everything is new to you, you really like them.   If you have young kids, they really like them.   It is a really big deal for those cruisers.   Maybe not you.

 

I also noticed how much drink prices have gone up!   Wow.   I paid $25 for a dirty martini without specific alcohol!    I paid $25 for a double shot of Bailey's.    A soda was $3.75.    Small Jack and Diet (no lime) was $14.    There were very, very, very few people on this cruise drinking.    Not too many drink packages sold besides Haven guests.   When I went to inquire about a drink package for my mini suite I was told it would cost another $1000.    Wow!     I did get a great price on my mini suite $729 so I can't complain but WOW drinks have jumped up in price dramatically and it was a really sober cruise for everybody.      

 

 

wow, I haven't ordered a dirty Martini but $25 is out of the question when we can get a regular on our drink package. AS for $1000 for the the drink package, how long was your cruise?

 

Now, with that being said, I think you are getting  a little nit picky when you mention no cherry in your drink or no tray of pastries anymore . WE did notice that on our last cruise, but it didn't bother us one bit or the amount of butter. We can ask for more if we need it. As for the rooms being cleaned, it is my responsibility to remember to change the sign. If, indeed I had the do not disturb sign up and someone knocks on my cabin door I would be really pissed.  

[sparks1093]

23 minutes ago, newmexicoNita said:

wow, I haven't ordered a dirty Martini but $25 is out of the question when we can get a regular on our drink package. AS for $1000 for the the drink package, how long was your cruise?

 

Now, with that being said, I think you are getting  a little nit picky when you mention no cherry in your drink or no tray of pastries anymore . WE did notice that on our last cruise, but it didn't bother us one bit or the amount of butter. We can ask for more if we need it. As for the rooms being cleaned, it is my responsibility to remember to change the sign. If, indeed I had the do not disturb sign up and someone knocks on my cabin door I would be really pissed.  

Every establishment will provide things on request, a class establishment doesn't make you ask. Having to ask for a garnish or for more butter is low class. No, these aren't big things but the little things do add up (both for the company and for the customer). If I were spending $3600 on a vacation (the price of the last NCL cruise I priced) I would certainly not expect to have to ask for the basics to be provided.