Would You Book NCL for Free Soda?

[mschuchu]

Free Soda are you kidding!! You better worry about what youre going to eat for 7 days! NCL is horrilbe! I don't know how they are still in business.

NCL has to be the worst cruiseline we have ever sailed. Even if they offered complimentery shares in NCL I would refuse.

[dj127]

I wouldn't cruise NCL!

[aquatot11]

We would not sail with NCL again.

[Mrsmaestro]

I wouldn't book NCL if the cruise was free. The crew has your tip up front and they don't care how they treat you. They should use the money to give the crew some lessons in "hospitality".:mad:

[Lvteks]

If it came down to a similiar itinerary and cost, I'd choose NCL. The soda would be great as I'm known as a "cheap date" (Minimal Drinker but love the soda bubbles). DH loves the Freestyle dining. We had a great time on our two week HCL Crown voyage around S.A. So I'm all for it.

 

Blessings,

Gail,

[KerCar]

I always enjoy these threads though. Any time one pops up that says "Would you sail (insert cruise line here) if they (insert incentive here)?" and the line-bashers pour out of the woodwork, usually with the comment "not even if it was free". If I followed all of their advice there wouldn't be a mass market line left for me to choose from.

 

Charlie

 

LOL! Ain't that the truth:rolleyes:

 

I don't drink soda, so this promo has no influence on my decision. I've had 3 wonderful cruises on NCL (2-Spirit, 1-Dawn) since 2007 and would sail them again in a heartbeat, no promo necessary;)

[eh2zed]

I can't believe anyone would choose a cruise line because of free soda. Thats crazy. What about itinerary, cabin, cost, food, service, entertainment, etc etc.

[cruiserbryce]

for us it doesnt add much value since we dont drink much soda

[mschuchu]

I wouldn't book NCL if the cruise was free. The crew has your tip up front and they don't care how they treat you. They should use the money to give the crew some lessons in "hospitality".:mad:

Omg!!! You are so right! Never saw such pitiful sad faces in my life!! NCL terrible!! They couldnt even clean my coffee pot out! and the list goes on!

[jocap]

We ticked the "book Ncl anyway-extra perk". We've done 2 sailings on Jade this year, and they surpassed the other 3 lines we've tried. However, we've missed out on the package because we'd already booked Gem for next year. Now, if it was a wine promotion.....

[beachchick]

If RCL or Princess offered a free soda package, it might tip the scales a little toward booking a cruise with them. After sailing on Pride of Aloha (NCL) and being the sickest I can ever remember being, no thanks (half of our extended family party got sick and others on the boat were quarentened to cabins. We were not allowed to touch anything in the buffet lines, the crew (gloved) served us so it was not "us" per say.) I agree with the post about free food outside of MDR, as the MDR was pitiful. My sister-in-law, who had not sailed for 25 years thought it was OK until she went on RCL with us and Princess (and later Celebrety on own). Free style is also too much of a turn off. I don't like spending 3 hrs waiting for all of my courses. No incentive for the crew to work, as a matter of fact incentive not to work. They get automatic tips. The longer they take, the less people they have to wait on. (We ate from 5:30 to about 8:30 every night.)

Free Pepsi can't make up for all of this. (I'm not even sure if it settles an upset stomach like warm Coke does):confused:

 

I'm not at all bashing your decision, but do have a question. Were you all sick with food poisoning or something that was under the ship's (or cruise line's) control? Or was it something like the dreaded Noro virus running rampant onboard? If the former, then it makes sense you'd say "No way ever again," but if the latter, you must realize that such outbreaks can--and do--happen on all cruise lines. Of course the crew served in the buffet (and elsewhere) if there was an outbreak of contagious illness

 

We found the food on NCL to be fine, certainly not great, but some dishes were very good, most were tasty enough, and some were "yuck" for us. We also didn't have problems with service onboard, dining or anywhere else, but I don't doubt that you did. As well, we never spent more than 90 minutes dining (except at Cagney's on embarkation night when we lingered at our window table watching the lights on the coast for more than 2 hours). We absolutely did not find that the auto-tip affected overall service, but I'm sure that it does for some crew. I'm sorry that you experienced such lousy service.

 

Anyway, I wouldn't base a decision to cruise or not cruise with a line on whethere there was an outbreak of contagious illness onboard because that happens anywhere. I'd base it on how the ship and cruise line handled the problem.

 

To answer the OP. It wouldn't make a difference to us one way or the other. We bring a small amount of canned diet Coke, canned diet Shasta or Hansen's, and bottled club soda onboard with us. We buy the soda package solely for the included club soda because that is our basic drink of choice instead of plain water.

 

We book based on several things: Itinerary, ship/cruise line, fare, airfare, etc. and not on any tiny "perks" that really aren't that big a deal for us.

 

beachchick

 

p.s., I'm pretty sure that Pepsi would settle a stomach too, if you can get past the extra sweetness.

[On the road to Rhodes]

I would definitely not book NCL just for free soda, especially since it's Pepsi!

As a side note, I am cruising Princess this summer and was curious if they serve Coke or Pepsi?

[penny 4 them!]

As we are British seemingly this offer is not valid for us, strange :confused:

 

Same ships, same crew, same passengers, same pepsi ....... oh my!!

 

am I experiencing my first case of discrimination :eek:

[karen327]

As we are British seemingly this offer is not valid for us, strange :confused:

 

Same ships, same crew, same passengers, same pepsi ....... oh my!!

 

am I experiencing my first case of discrimination :eek:

 

 

Not really, I have seen several specials that were only avilable to people on the other side of the pond that Americans couldn't have. Also know that the south america cruise offers specials that are only good for people who reside in South America. And there are even specials that are only good for people who live in certain states here. Just the way they do it.

[penny 4 them!]

Not really, I have seen several specials that were only avilable to people on the other side of the pond that Americans couldn't have. Also know that the south america cruise offers specials that are only good for people who reside in South America. And there are even specials that are only good for people who live in certain states here. Just the way they do it.

 

Hi Karen, sorry just my bad sense of humour :)

[Clutterlady]

I would definitely not book NCL just for free soda, especially since it's Pepsi!

As a side note, I am cruising Princess this summer and was curious if they serve Coke or Pepsi?

 

All Coke products:)

[GXmanDC]

I've never sailed NCL so I don't know anything about them. The free Pepsi wouldn't sway me toward any cruise line. I prefer Coke, but any free soda package wouldn't sway me. It isn't that big of a deal.

[fann1sh]

I'm a Pepsi drinker. But NCL just isn't for me. Haven't cruised the line, because nothing about "Freestyle" is an incentive.

 

 

 

I always enjoy these threads though. Any time one pops up that says "Would you sail (insert cruise line here) if they (insert incentive here)?" and the line-bashers pour out of the woodwork, usually with the comment "not even if it was free". If I followed all of their advice there wouldn't be a mass market line left for me to choose from.

 

Charlie

 

I agree. However, NCL seems to bring out fervent passion in more people, both pro and con, than any other line.

 

There are a few NCL boosters who visit other lines' boards. Trying to whip up converts by suggesting people who don't change their loyalty are stuffed dinosaurs never seems to me to be a way to influence people.

[retiredonthesea]

We don't drink sodas, but would cruise NCL any time---LOVE their suite perks, CAS discounts can't be beat, Cagneys has the best steaks and we have never had friendly crews--this all IMHO!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We don't drink any kind of sodas -- so that would not influence us to book an NCL cruise.

[tip]

• Certainly not a deal breaker for me
  
• I do enjoy Diet Pepsi rather than Diet Coke
  
• I am amazed at the NCL bashers on this thread
  
• We have sailed on 17 cruises (five on NCL)
  
• NCL is not my first choice, but provides a decent cruising experience
  
• We first experienced Free Style Dining and enjoy the flexbility of it
  

[momofmeg]

I do not drink sodas, except if I have a rum and diet coke-so nope that would not entice me. My husband and daughter drink few sodas. Heck, when we were on HAL last year, someone left a soda card with 12 sodas on it in the stateroom's Bible. At the end of the cruise there were still 7 sodas left, so my daughter replaced it back in the Bible for the next guests to find.

 

I like NCL okay and will probably cruise them again- I like the 9 day southern Caribbean itinerary they do an dhope to do that cruise. So I agree with the other person, give us a couple of free drink coupons or else a free dinner in the Mexican or Italian.

[kayhil3]

Beware, the promotion has so many exclusions that you may not be able to recieve it. I called and tried to have it applied to my 8/30 cruise and was told that because I booked at a casino rate and before 6/1 that it could not be applied. If you received any type of discounted rate you can not get this promo.

[WEELYNCRUZER]

NCL and Carnival would be my last choice. They can put their free pepsi in their free style restaraunts and close the door.

[phish tales]

my wife and i would not book a NCL cruise even if it was free, including air. NCL IS THE ABSOLUTE pittttttttttttts.