Norwegians shocking demise of quality on all fronts

PATRLR · March 4

43 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

That's not a thing.

I'm not sure what "that" refers to in your sentence above. I think "that" refers to this idea from @Yesimapirate's post: "The entire point of a brand is that you get the same thing across the board. "

That quote most definitely is a thing. You may not get the same restaurants, entertainment options, ship features, etc on all ships, but, the general quality should be the same if the brand is being properly managed. Consistency across a brand is how a place like McDonalds, serving at best marginal food, can be so successful. People know exactly what they are going to get when they order a Big Mac be it in San Diego CA or Portland ME.

If a cruise line was inconsistent, I suspect loyalists wouldn't be so loyal. Why would they keep coming back to the line if they didn't know if ship X was going to be consistent with or different from ship Y?

Oakman58 · March 4

My wife and I are platinum level, close to sapphire. After our cruise on the Bliss in 2021 we decided it was time to try other cruise lines again. Since then we’ve cruised with Holland America, Carnival (twice), Royal Caribbean, and Princess. With the exception of Princess (one and done), the other ships had crews that seemed happier and more pleasant than our last couple of cruises with Norwegian. I also felt the other lines had food that was equal to or in most cases, better than Norwegian. Taste in food is very subjective so take that with a grain of salt.

All the cruise lines have their pluses and minuses, but I feel Norwegian has fallen below a couple of the other lines in many areas especially in the area of daily activities. I have a cruise booked with NCL in September so I’m looking forward to trying them again and comparing.

We also have a cruise booked in November with RC as we celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary and a PC cruise with Carnival in Mar ’25.

graphicguy · March 4

36 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

I'm not sure what "that" refers to in your sentence above. I think "that" refers to this idea from @Yesimapirate's post: "The entire point of a brand is that you get the same thing across the board. "

That quote most definitely is a thing. You may not get the same restaurants, entertainment options, ship features, etc on all ships, but, the general quality should be the same if the brand is being properly managed. Consistency across a brand is how a place like McDonalds, serving at best marginal food, can be so successful. People know exactly what they are going to get when they order a Big Mac be it in San Diego CA or Portland ME.

If a cruise line was inconsistent, I suspect loyalists wouldn't be so loyal. Why would they keep coming back to the line if they didn't know if ship X was going to be consistent with or different from ship Y?

Highlighted your quote. That's the very definition of the "thing" of not getting exactly the same "thing".

I can tell you from experience, the different classes of ships have wildly different experiences. If you want the same experience from ship to ship, then NCL is not for you.

That's the main reason some people do not like the Prima. It is very different than the experience on ANY other NCL ship....right down to the different dining venues.

Not a loyalist. I have sailed Carnival (Gold), Celebrity (Elite), Royal (Diamond), MSC (Diamond), HAL (not sure what I am with them), and NCL (Sapphire). Have sailed NCL the most. Why, because each ship category is unique. I love the variety. They treat me well. Their fares are competitive. If (and we all do) I run into an issue, they are willing and determined to fix it. NOthing's perfect.

Their food is overall quite good, as is their entertainment. I don't like all of it, but can find something I like to be entertained by. All the cruise lines have that.

I think that's why I like sailing new ships. On NCL, they tend to be different, offering a different experience. Not better or worse, just different.

JustAPilot · March 4

My biggest grip is watering down the Haven experience and nickel and diming for things like lobster tails while raising the prices across the board. Granted ships are sailing full and not having to share space with 3,000 others by the pool is priceless?

UKstages · March 4

yeah, consistency is definitely a thing across successful brands. and you'll hear NCL execs, especially in food and beverage talk about this. they happen to be misguided because i believe they are unsuccessful in pulling this off all the time (which is why one cagney's is great and another sucks out loud in technicolor). but NCL is a big champion of brand consistency and believes the food and the experience should not differ from ship to ship in each of its franchises... the local, cageny's, onda, la cucina, los lobos, etc.

if brand consistency wasn't a thing... and the burger or filet or caesar salad wasn't supposed to be the same on the joy as on the jewel... and the seven layer cake in cagney's isn't supposed to be identical on the breakaway as it is on the getaway... than why does every ship have the same pictures of the food, with plating instructions, hanging prominently on galley walls across the fleet?

as for those who constantly complain... more often than not, those branded as "constant complainers" are people who have a different perspective than one's own or have experienced different things on a cruise than you yourself have. you never hear people griping about people who repeatedly express an opinion similar to their own... it's when the opinion differs that it somehow becomes a chronic "complaint."

yes, there are indeed people who always seem to find fault and who express themselves in an overly negative way, often being unkind to fellow posters. (that's why invision put an "ignore" button in their forum software.) but for the most part, these folks just have a very different, but almost always equally valid opinion.

Edited March 4 by UKstages

Distinctive-Destinations · March 4

4 minutes ago, UKstages said:

as for those who constantly complain... more often than not, those branded as "constant complainers" are people who have a different perspective than one's own or have experienced different things on a cruise than you yourself have. you never hear people griping about people who repeatedly express an opinion similar to their own... it's when the opinion differs that it somehow becomes a chronic "complaint."

I personally have nothing against someone who complains constantly, if it is a reasonable complaint. If for example, NCL double charged my credit card and it took a long time to rectify it, I’d complain constantly. If the toilet in your room broke and it wasn’t fixed in a timely manner, okay go ahead and complain.

The thing that bothers me personally is the inane complaints about the slightest issue. Some of you would complain if there were too little or too many raisins in one oatmeal cookie. Or if it took more than 1 minute to place a drink order when ten other people are in front of you.

UKstages · March 4

what genuinely concerns me is when the person in front of me in line at the bar is counting raisins in his cookie and not acknowledging the bartender, which means I have to wait even longer.

by the way, kudos to this person for finding a cookie!

respect!

PATRLR · March 4

38 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Highlighted your quote. That's the very definition of the "thing" of not getting exactly the same "thing".

OK. @Yesimapirate and @dcipjr I inferred were really referring more to things like the quality of food and entertainment which I maintain could and should be consistent across the brand. I agree with you that the actual venues and such will be different which leads to a different experience.

Edited March 4 by PATRLR

graphicguy · March 4

It's the sense of "entitlement". "I WANT MORE LOBSTER"....."FOOD IS POOR"....and on and on. How many lobsters do you order, anyway? How much food can you possibly want? You tried everything on board and it was all "poor"?

Really?

I remember one person who, instead of setting her alarm, wanted the Butler to quietly come to her cabin door, with out knocking, quietly enter and gently wake her every morning so she wouldn't have get up to answer the cabin door.

There have been various threads roaming around here that wanted the Butler and/or the cabin steward to baby sit her kid(s).

Over the years I've been in here, there are a wealth of these stories.

Gimme....gimme....gimme....this makes me nuts.

graphicguy · March 4

7 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

OK. @Yesimapirate and @dcipjr I inferred were really referring more to things like the quality of food and entertainment which I maintain could and should be consistent across the brand. I agree with you that the actual venues and such will be different which leads to a different experience.

Even the acts are different, the shows are different, the food and food venues are different, sometimes from ship to ship, but certainly from ship category to ship category.

I dined next to a crumdgeon on the Prima in Indulge. He was beside himself that he had to order from a tablet vs having a person come by to take his order.

They walk among us.

Yesimapirate · March 4

Well, since you said entitled....

You actually ARE entitled to get what you pay for. You ARE entitled to get what's advertised and listed as a benefit. If you're tired of hearing people's opinions then perhaps it's not they who are entitled and you can take a break from reading.

Personally, what I'm tired of is paying more and having NCL announce I'll be getting less AFTER final payment.

I'm also pretty tired of people knocking fair and balanced opinions because "that doesn't bother me". That's great. But it DID bother them and the whole point here is to share. If you loke musical theater and maybe you don't have access to Broadway or a quality regional theater, then getting rid of a show is going to bother you and is a VALID complaint. If you asked for Kaluha and rather than get another bottle or even tell you they're out but just pour something else, that's a valid complaint. If the concierge says they'll get you dining reservations, fails to do so and you can do it yourself, that's a valid complaint. When you're suddenly being charged for something that was included (and you've already paid for), that doesn't make you a pig. It's a valid complaint.

Those are all examples of things you've attacked people for in the last few days. Maybe the problem isn't that people are entitled and constantly complain but that you blindly defend NCL, insult people who disagree with you and don't allow for an unbiased discussion.

Edited March 4 by Yesimapirate

graphicguy · March 4

35 minutes ago, Yesimapirate said:

Well, since you said entitled....

You actually ARE entitled to get what you pay for. You ARE entitled to get what's advertised and listed as a benefit. If you're tired of hearing people's opinions then perhaps it's not they who are entitled and you can take a break from reading.

Personally, what I'm tired of is paying more and having NCL announce I'll be getting less AFTER final payment.

I'm also pretty tired of people knocking fair and balanced opinions because "that doesn't bother me". That's great. But it DID bother them and the whole point here is to share. If you loke musical theater and maybe you don't have access to Broadway or a quality regional theater, then getting rid of a show is going to bother you and is a VALID complaint. If you asked for Kaluha and rather than get another bottle or even tell you they're out but just pour something else, that's a valid complaint. If the concierge says they'll get you dining reservations, fails to do so and you can do it yourself, that's a valid complaint. When you're suddenly being charged for something that was included (and you've already paid for), that doesn't make you a pig. It's a valid complaint.

Those are all examples of things you've attacked people for in the last few days. Maybe the problem isn't that people are entitled and constantly complain but that you blindly defend NCL, insult people who disagree with you and don't allow for an unbiased discussion.

Attack?

Where did they say you got unlimited lobsters for free?

What were you charged for that they said they’d give you and didn’t?

What did the Concierges promise you they couldn’t provide?

Just because I may or may not like SIX, or Price is Right, for example, doesn’t mean no one else does either!

Edited March 4 by graphicguy

bkrickles1 · March 4

56 minutes ago, Yesimapirate said:

Well, since you said entitled....

You actually ARE entitled to get what you pay for. You ARE entitled to get what's advertised and listed as a benefit. If you're tired of hearing people's opinions then perhaps it's not they who are entitled and you can take a break from reading.

Personally, what I'm tired of is paying more and having NCL announce I'll be getting less AFTER final payment.

I'm also pretty tired of people knocking fair and balanced opinions because "that doesn't bother me". That's great. But it DID bother them and the whole point here is to share. If you loke musical theater and maybe you don't have access to Broadway or a quality regional theater, then getting rid of a show is going to bother you and is a VALID complaint. If you asked for Kaluha and rather than get another bottle or even tell you they're out but just pour something else, that's a valid complaint. If the concierge says they'll get you dining reservations, fails to do so and you can do it yourself, that's a valid complaint. When you're suddenly being charged for something that was included (and you've already paid for), that doesn't make you a pig. It's a valid complaint.

Those are all examples of things you've attacked people for in the last few days. Maybe the problem isn't that people are entitled and constantly complain but that you blindly defend NCL, insult people who disagree with you and don't allow for an unbiased discussion.

So, let me get this straight, it's ok for you to attack someone that you perceive is attacking others?

Just trying to keep score here. Lol!!

dcipjr · March 4

It's hard to believe, but not all disagreements are attacks. 🤣

KansasTexan · March 4

8 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.

I'd LOVE to have dinner with the art auction manager. But I'm an art collector who *might* just ask some pointed questions about the sales tactics and the art available on the ship. I can guarantee it would be an interesting dinner. :)

EngrJones · March 4

24 minutes ago, KansasTexan said:

I'd LOVE to have dinner with the art auction manager. But I'm an art collector who *might* just ask some pointed questions about the sales tactics and the art available on the ship. I can guarantee it would be an interesting dinner. 🙂

That doesn't sound very interesting for the others who are dining with you.

julig22 · March 4

12 hours ago, CRUISERTN said:

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?

I've done the dinner with officers 4 or 5 times and each time the setup was different. All in the MDR, usually at least 1 "NCL" officer, often a 2nd that might have also been an officer or a shop manager for example. Some dinners have been boring because the hosts didn't really didn't open up. Others have been fascinating when they speak about their life off of the ship, plans for the future, etc. Mine have all been in the MDR, a couple have taken pictures but only 1 actually gave us the picture. Some have been 4 couples, another 6 - making conversation with the host difficult. No special menus but service was spot on.

But what I didn't appreciate was the night they included first-time passengers who were selected by lottery. So most of the conversation centered on bringing the newbies up to speed on inside cruise tips. A much different experience than dining with people who have lots of travel experiences to share.

JamieLogical · March 4

Maybe I am just too entitled, but NCL keeps raising their DSC (now up to $20 per person per day) and cutting hotel services, like free room service breakfast delivery and evening turn-down service. To me, that is a "demise of quality," especially because I am expected to continually pay more and more for less and less.

graphicguy · March 4

Park West (cruise ship art purveyors) has had a checkered past.

I never realized it, but I guess it’s a big business on board.

On my last Prima cruise, I befriended a couple who bought a Peter Max for a $100K piece that they said was a “bargain” at a reduced price of $82,000! They showed me the contract for the purchase, otherwise I wouldn’t have believed it myself!

I don’t k ow diddly about art. Bourbon? Oh, I can write a dissertation! LOL!

I don’t know what NCL’s cut is, but I would love to have dinner with one of the Park West managers to understand how it all works!

ontheweb · March 4

5 hours ago, dcipjr said:

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.

Before our Prima cruise this past summer, I tried to read the many negative reviews with a grain of salt. And I focused on the positive reviews. And DW and I loved the ship and the cruise.

dcipjr · March 4

17 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I don’t know what NCL’s cut is, but I would love to have dinner with one of the Park West managers to understand how it all works!

Probably along the lines of: Heavily inflate the price, then offer an amazing, how can you turn this down "discount".

Norwegians shocking demise of quality on all fronts

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