Norwegians shocking demise of quality on all fronts

[CruiseMH]

12 hours ago, idocdlw said:

It's really not a matter of time to sail to the next port. It is a matter of how much it costs them to be docked at any port. They contract for a certain amount of dock time. More time = significantly more $$$.

Sorry, but no.

Most ports if not all are charging by day,not by hour.If yo stay from 8am till 5pm or from 7am till 7pm doesn`t make any difference. Only if you stay until next day or leave in the middle of the night(e.g. 1am) then they might/will charge you more.

Thats the info i got in the past from two captains independent from each other. Explanation is simple. They are trying to use the piers as much as possible and make as much money as possible. But no matter whether a cruise leaves at 4 pm or at 8 pm, the pier can`t be used on the same day again  because it is too late anyway for another cruise ship to dock at the same pier.

 

Also many ports(especially in europe) do have the tariffs on their website. So you can pretty exactly calculate how much a day in port costs. And on all the websites i have checked it shows "docking fee per day(new day starts at 12am)"

 

[bkrickles1]

9 hours ago, PATRLR said:

Pretty sure it's Megan.  Had a great conversation with her on the way over. 

It's Claudia. She's been the captain for years. 

I'm looking forward to seeing her again when we stop in tortola for our april 19th sailing on Getaway. 

[idocdlw]

2 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

Sorry, but no.

Most ports if not all are charging by day,not by hour.If yo stay from 8am till 5pm or from 7am till 7pm doesn`t make any difference. Only if you stay until next day or leave in the middle of the night(e.g. 1am) then they might/will charge you more.

Thats the info i got in the past from two captains independent from each other. Explanation is simple. They are trying to use the piers as much as possible and make as much money as possible. But no matter whether a cruise leaves at 4 pm or at 8 pm, the pier can`t be used on the same day again  because it is too late anyway for another cruise ship to dock at the same pier.

 

Also many ports(especially in europe) do have the tariffs on their website. So you can pretty exactly calculate how much a day in port costs. And on all the websites i have checked it shows "docking fee per day(new day starts at 12am)"

 

I stand corrected. Thank you for addressing my erroneous info in a rational way without making a personal attack. You are demonstrating a wonderful example of mature & respectful discourse.  

[DrUrsula]

4 hours ago, bkrickles1 said:

It's Claudia. She's been the captain for years. 

I'm looking forward to seeing her again when we stop in tortola for our april 19th sailing on Getaway. 

YEs! We were the only sober couple on the way back and had a lovely convo.

[bkrickles1]

4 minutes ago, DrUrsula said:

YEs! We were the only sober couple on the way back and had a lovely convo.

We hung out at Hendos where i had somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 or 7 painkillers. And,yes,I was feeling no pain! 

[Elvis1209]

I sailed with NCL this past September.  I really have no complaints.  I was in The Haven (Escape) and was treated like gold.  Did you also notice the OP never responded back?

 

Elvis

[graphicguy]

You’ll find threads like this in every cruise line’s topic here.  

 

I do think that there are some who believe they should be treated like they are the only passenger on board.  In fact, there are thousands on board.

 

Then, there are those who can not fathom there are many who really enjoy cruising and, regardless of the nits that can be picked, find it a great way to vacation!

 

To call cruise ship’s food “totally poor”, tells me all I need to know about the OP.

[FPMoosally]

On 3/1/2024 at 8:12 AM, UKstages said:

now that you've presumably read the articles at the links you requested, do you have any actual comment about that topic? 

 

Yes. But then I realized that having a tit-for-tat with some rando on the Internet isn't worth the time or effort.

 

[Buford T Justiice]

10 hours ago, bkrickles1 said:

It's Claudia. She's been the captain for years. 

I'm looking forward to seeing her again when we stop in tortola for our april 19th sailing on Getaway. 

Kit (male from South Africa) is now running the Rebel Yell.

[bkrickles1]

36 minutes ago, Buford T Justiice said:

Kit (male from South Africa) is now running the Rebel Yell.

That's too bad!

I'm sure he's great but I'll miss Claudia. 

[PATRLR]

1 hour ago, Buford T Justiice said:

Kit (male from South Africa) is now running the Rebel Yell.

Claudia told us she was going to be leaving for a while when we were talking in December, but, I had the impression it wasn't going to be permanent.

[bkrickles1]

3 hours ago, PATRLR said:

Claudia told us she was going to be leaving for a while when we were talking in December, but, I had the impression it wasn't going to be permanent.

I looked it up, Kit just took over in January. 

[Firstin87]

On 2/28/2024 at 11:48 AM, vacation44 said:

As we are up every workday at 4:45 a.m., we tend to get up early on vacation.   However, we are also on the mindset we would rather partake in our vacation then spend extra hours sleeping in. 

 

There were also roughly a couple hundred people in the Theater that morning waiting for their excursion so we were by far not the only ones up.    

Since it was an NCL excursion, they should have made some type of breakfast arrangement for those participants.  Even a continental breakfast in a lounge before the meeting time would have been reasonable.  Sometimes, they don't things through very well.

[JT222]

On 3/2/2024 at 7:54 PM, Elvis1209 said:

I sailed with NCL this past September.  I really have no complaints.  I was in The Haven (Escape) and was treated like gold.  Did you also notice the OP never responded back?

 

Elvis

Hi Elvis

Im assuming it’s me your talking about as I did originally post my comments. Very sorry but I’ve been working some long hours recently. Out of interest what would you like me to respond with? I’ve said my thoughts and that’s that. I don’t want to date any of you! 

It’s great you can afford the Haven, I can’t so I go with what I can afford and after many cruises I’ve noticed a big drop in quality. That’s my opinion, 
somebody else commented on how bad things have been for the crew etc after pandemic etc. I’m one of those that suffered as I work for an airline and trust me we suffered as much as anybody! What money I can save goes on taking my parents away once a year on a cruise on NCL to thank them for all they did for me.

 

When we all see a decline in service and standards and food quality we are entitled to say this. The prices of NCL cruises does not reflect the drop in quality which is on par with MSC now imo. There’s a saying in the Uk that ‘you get what you pay for?”

 

You certainly don’t with NCL anymore. We can all disagree all day but I’m just stating my experience over the years. Most NCL loyalists I do believe overall agree with me but obviously it’s all about opinions and experiences. 
 

I must look at time off from work to enable myself time to respond!

[CRUISERTN]

I have to agree with the original post that NCL has really done a nose dive since FDR left.  Or maybe it is post pandemic as well.  And I agree that all of the mass market lines have gone down a bit post pandemic. We’ve been on NCL, HAL, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity post pandemic and have seen declines on all, but NCL by far has declined the most.    And rates have gone up.  We have been cruising with NCL since 1975 and also many other lines.  NCL went downhill in early 2000’s and we stopped for a while.  When FDR took over, we tried again, and  it was  good again. Now it is horrible and we won’t be booking again.  Even after FDR took over, the weak link was always the MDR so we always ate dinner in specialty and the package prices were reasonable.   We recently were on the Jewel in Asia - first NCL post pandemic.  It was horrendous.  Quality of food and service in specialty has gone down significantly and prices for the specialty packages have more than doubled.  You used to be able to get jumbo shrimp and filet mignon in Teppanyaki and now it is small shrimp and a fatty, poor NY strip; the “filet mignon” in Cagneys is just a mediocre quality tenderloin - cabin steward was one of the worst we’ve ever had.  I can go on and on.  Guest relations onboard are trained to basically tell you there isn’t anything they can do and customer service shoreside is the same.  And, yes, Katty Byrd has others now responding to her emails.  I speak from personal experience.  Some rates on NCL are now comparable to Oceania for similar itinerary and same number of days.    I think the people who are really seeing the big decline are the ones that go way back with NCL and have seen how a once good line ( and like me remember  days of the NORWAY and when the very first specialty restaurant on any cruise line was opened - LeBistro- for a $5 cover charge) has gone down to the point that I think is beyond repair. So very sad. ☹️ We will now spend our money elsewhere.   

[CRUISERTN]

JT222-

I could not agree more.  

[CRUISERTN]

Another crazy change that we experienced recently on the Jewel.  In the past, top tier loyalty members were invited to dine with a ships officer.  We’ve done this quite a bit over the years and it was always a special evening, a special room in the MDR depending on the ship or a special table there and special menu.  A photographer would take a group photo and send a complimentary copy to your cabin the next day.  Always a special meal and great experience.  Recently on the Jewel, the “ship’s officers” tables were at regular tables in the MDR, same bad MDR menu, and the “officer” hosting the tables were the art auctioneer at one table, the gift shop manager at another, and the “officer” at our table was the spa manager.  Just a regular night at a regular table with a regular menu and someone hosting the table that is NOT a ships officer and merely a contract employee - what an insult to our intelligence.  Is that the way NCL now feels about their most loyal passengers?  We were shocked and could not believe how low they went on that one.  Don’t have “dinner with an officer” at all if that is the best they can do.  Same as offering a 10% discount on a future cruise as a consolation for something they cancelled while they continue to raise rates and lower quality.    Another slap in the face.  
 

Also since they raised the prices in specialty restaurants and lowered quality, they also added additional fees on top of the regular cover charge to some items that used to be included pre pandemic (ie filet mignon in LeBistro).  
 

A total decline everywhere.  

 

 

[PATRLR]

3 hours ago, CRUISERTN said:

Recently on the Jewel, the “ship’s officers” tables were at regular tables in the MDR, same bad MDR menu, and the “officer” hosting the tables were the art auctioneer at one table, the gift shop manager at another, and the “officer” at our table was the spa manager.  Just a regular night at a regular table with a regular menu and someone hosting the table that is NOT a ships officer and merely a contract employee - what an insult to our intelligence.

Wow.  That is unbelievable.  The art auctioneer?  Really?  I'd rather they just picked random crew members to enjoy a dinner with loyal passengers.  A perk for the crew member and a perk for the passengers.  Seriously, I'd rather have dinner with the guy working in the laundry over the art auctioneer.

Edited March 4 by PATRLR

[Asawi]

2 hours ago, PATRLR said:

Wow.  That is unbelievable.  The art auctioneer?  Really?  I'd rather they just picked random crew members to enjoy a dinner with loyal passengers.  A perk for the crew member and a perk for the passengers.  Seriously, I'd rather have dinner with the guy working in the laundry over the art auctioneer.

Actually, I like that idea! I still have quite a bit to go before Saphire so "dinner with officer" isn't an option for me. But I have been glancing the tier benefits and thought "Nah, not too interested in that". I would actually much rather share a (small) table with a random staff/crew member and talk with them about their work and experiences! The guy clearing buffet tables could be just as interesting as... well, anyone else! (I do chat with staff now and again, but it would be so nice to have them sat down at a table with me!)

[UKstages]

at my recent “dinner with the officers” onboard the getaway, i had an assistant to the assistant guest services manager (whom i didn’t talk to since he was at the other end of a rectangular table of 12). and also some sort of entertainment officer with a very thick accent, who seemed really baffled by my questions and comments about NCL’s shows and the shift away from broadway entertainment. after a few minutes of this, i looked more closely at his name tag. turns out, he was an “environmental” officer, not an “entertainment” officer. my fellow guests grilled him on recycling procedures and on whether the toilet paper was now thinner and less absorbent. he said he didn’t know.

 

my joke has always been that i would be dining with the manager of the gift shop at the so-called “dinner with the officers.” as it happens, that’s not far from the truth. you’re not really going to be dining with the captain or an actual officer. the dinner  is now in an ordinary MDR, you’ll order off the regular menu and they’ll seat you at a table not far from the dance floor, at which the “burn the floor” dancers will be performing, making conversation impossible for a good half hour or so.
 

the biggest advantage to the “officers” dinner is that you will be assigned a top notch server dedicated to your table, which easily cuts as much as an hour off the duration of the meal. and you’ll be brought what you ordered, with no mystery courses.  also, they won’t typically charge you for starbucks coffee or premium alcoholic drinks ordered during the meal, regardless of your drink package status.

 

Edited March 4 by UKstages

[dcipjr]

I've seen complaints about declines in quality for some time now, dating back to when Del Rio took over. I haven't witnessed that many cutbacks, aside from turn-down service, the lack of Broadway shows (seen them all before) and the towel animals (seen them all before). These do have some significance, but aren't deal breakers at this point.

 

The last cruise we had with NCL was in June of 2023 aboard the Joy, and it was one of the best cruises we ever had. Service was superb.

 

I have noticed difference in food quality from ship-to-ship: our cruise on the Jewel last April had a much lower-quality buffet than what I saw on the Joy a few months later. Overall, I've found that the complaints of "inedible" food are usually really exaggerated.

 

We board the Getaway in 20 days, so I'll find out for myself soon how NCL is doing, at least on that ship.

 

I'm not going to lie—I've been spending much less time on CruiseCritic than I normally would pre-cruise. The negativity has become a bit toxic, and it's not something I want to be carrying with me into my vacation.

[graphicguy]

24 minutes ago, dcipjr said:

 

 

The last cruise we had with NCL was in June of 2023 aboard the Joy, and it was one of the best cruises we ever had. Service was superb.

 

 

I'm not going to lie—I've been spending much less time on CruiseCritic than I normally would pre-cruise. The negativity has become a bit toxic, and it's not something I want to be carrying with me into my vacation.

Thank you!  It is toxic.  And, for the most part, you can tell what kind of "cruiser" the chronic complainers are.  Plus, while changes have occurred, none of it has affected my cruising enjoyment.  Aside from a faux pas here and there, most of which I've documented here at CC, I find if you treat crew with respect, they will repay it 5 fold.

 

Be a jerk, and crew will smile and accept the abuse, but they are paid to do that.

 

I have yet to sail on any cruise where the food was totally "bad"...as some here purport.  IT has been overall, quite good.  Have only had one meal I just could not eat....Lobster Thermidor in LeBistro.  Lobster was tough and the sauce had "broken".  Not a good taste, nor a good look.  Even though it was part of FAS, they gave me a credit for another Specialty Dinner on board.  I have yet to find a situation that didn't meet my expectations which NCL did not try to rectify (and overall succeeded in doing so, given the chance).

 

I've sworn off NCL after the start up fiascos of PROMISING to sail, and then reengaging on their promise.  They threw me some generous FCC as compensation.  Did a header recently on a puddle in the Local.  After being interrogated by the ever hapless security people, trying to find a way to blame me for slipping in a puddle, they. gave me a generous  discount on my next cruise.

 

I've seen complaints that people couldn't find cookies on board.  They're there, maybe not where you wanted them to be, but they're there.  Potato hash rounds gone?  Don't care one way or the other.  Replacing the show SIX or Kinky Boots with Price is Right or Deal-No Deal?  Not my cup of tea, but apparently it's a very popular change.  Just because I don't like the change, doesn't mean others feel the same.  Those game shows were all well attended as best I can tell.

 

I've seen it in all the different cruise line threads.  The chronic complainers seem to find fault at the most mundane and inconsequential "things" on board.  And, it does become tiring.

 

There are a wealth of cruise lines and cruise ships.  If NCL doesn't fit the bill, there are others that might.  Try them.  See if they work for you.

 

Short of my cruise ship running aground or raw sewage running down the hall ways or backing up into my cabin, most problems can be readily resolved....if they are truly problems to begin with.

[Yesimapirate]

@dcipjr Most of us would ageee with you that there is a difference from ship to ship.  However,  I would argue that is proof of a decline in quality.  The entire point of a brand is that you get the same thing across the board.  The rules should be exactly the same.  The burger at O'sheehans/the local should look the same across the fleet.  An espresso Martini should be the same at every bar,  etc.  The fact that the quality of each ship,  especially when they're resupplied at the same port, is simply poor management. 

[graphicguy]

35 minutes ago, Yesimapirate said:

@dcipjr Most of us would ageee with you that there is a difference from ship to ship.  However,  I would argue that is proof of a decline in quality.  The entire point of a brand is that you get the same thing across the board.  The rules should be exactly the same.  The burger at O'sheehans/the local should look the same across the fleet.  An espresso Martini should be the same at every bar,  etc.  The fact that the quality of each ship,  especially when they're resupplied at the same port, is simply poor management. 

That's not a thing.  

 

The Jewel Class ships and way different than the Spirit Class ships, which are way different than the Breakaway Class ships which are way different than the Prima Class ships.

 

Different galleys...heck...different restaurants, sometimes.

 

Differences?  Yes.  Decline?  I haven't seen it.  You make or may not like the changes from year to year or ship to ship, but NCL is sailing full.  They must be doing something right...that the majority of their guests like.

 

Premix drinks are pretty much standard, but different bartenders in different bars have different "long pours".

 

The variables are many and the differences are just the same.

 

Human Nature, being what it is, even some crew, although all trained the same way, will react differently to a constant complainer vs someone who gives them a chance to shine.

Edited March 4 by graphicguy

[CRUISERTN]

At least the environmental officer reports to the captain and works closer with the ships operation than a gift shop manager or art auctioneer who work for other companies who are contractors.  Yes, haven’t had dinner with the  captain and senior officers  at a true captains table in years. But the spa manager is a new low.  I really like the idea of dining with a cabin steward or laundry worker - the ones who are employee of the month etc should be the ones - and they would probably really enjoy it as well.  And as one posted, you used to at least get one of the best servers at those tables.  Not any more.