cruisebie

Jeanie, you are wrong. The dessert sent to our cabin was not from The Haven Restaurant and the waitress had no idea I was a Haven guest either. Although we are Haven guests, we use The Haven restaurant primarily for breakfast and a couple of lunches. We rarely eat dinner there - maybe once per cruise at most.

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I did realize that your dessert was sent from a specialty restaurant. I was actually responding to Maywell's comment that the food had been sent from the Haven Restaurant. That is why I asked what the Haven Restaurant had to do with the matter, as you had never said this.

I do appreciate the time you took from your vacation to ask these questions. It sounds like the staff on the Getaway, at least, are getting some instruction in how to handle various situations. That is encouraging since I will be on the Getaway again this December. I did see at least two first hand reports from the Breakaway where the posters reported not being able to have food from Cagney's and La Cucina sent back to their cabins. I believe there was another one from the Epic also. Hopefully, the rest of the fleet will soon begin following the Getaway's example.

As I said before, I am not surprised at all that people were bringing buffet food back to their cabins. The staff usually looks the other way in these situations that put them at odds with guests. I feel that they receive such good training on how to provide a wonderful on board experience, that this type of thing makes them very uncomfortable.

The person was in a spa suite but the Haven restaurant also has the takeout policy in effect as well ~or~ they could also been referring to the spa mini-suite which is also in forward for the Getaway - I looked at the deck 14 plans, all of the spa rooms are not in the Haven area at all, proving that poster might be telling the truth regarding how they saw it. I know exactly what they meant regarding seeing those buffet plates - the buffet for the Breakaway-class ships are all the way in the aft taking up the almost 1/3 of the ship with the elevator area in the smack dab in the middle of place (its easy to pass by that area without noticing it - the door area leading in/out is smaller than the sundeck doors in Forward of the same deck; well, on Breakaway anyway....). Look if you see Eggs Benedict with hash browns, cookies, brownies, Indian food, Seafood dishes, Chicken Salad, rice of any type, whole apple, and pretzel rolls varieties on people's plates walking around the ship- thats a safe bet that all came from the buffet since that only place to get majority of that stuff especially the pretzel rolls.

What does the Haven Restaurant have to do with anything? The poster never mentioned it in the post you quoted. The person is in a Haven Spa suite and mentions having a butler in her thread which is currently on the first page of this board, so she is definitely in a suite--not a mini. Her experience of having a dessert delivered to her cabin is due to having Haven status. Other first hand experiences reported a different outcome on this matter. As far as the buffet, the rule is in place, but the staff is likely not enforcing it. After all, they don't enforce the chair hog policy. My observation is the staff do not like to enforce these rules that put them at odds with guests.

I also want to say I appreciate the information that the poster, SuiteTraveler, has been posting. My intent here is not to call her out, just to point out that it is not valid to use her experience to judge the new rules NCL has put in place for cruisers in non-suite cabins.

I'm afraid Mr Del Rio is going to find his audience isn't quite as captive as he thinks. When you lack respect for your customer base, it shows and your customers go elsewhere.

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Frankly it's way too early to claim the current regime is successful. The success or failure of current regime will not be known for at least a year or longer. It took the Carnival Ceo who is also a CPA like FDR several years before he was replaced by his predecessor after the Triumph disaster.

 

 

 

Many including myself still have a fcc that need to be used, many can no longer cancel without penalty, many who are not at final payment don't need to make any decision today. Most would need to experience at least one cruise with current changes to determine how much if any has impacted their cruise experience. All the reasons i stated explains why so many are still on the ncl board. It does not necessarily mean we can't or won't leave ncl for an alternative cruise or vacation. How well NCL can sell their product in two years will be more indicative of the current regime's performance.

 

 

 

Speaking for myself, I am less excited about my cruise in December on the Gem than the date I booked which was before all the rapid fire and secret implementation of new fees and takeaways. I simply don't know what kind of product I will actually be getting by the time December rolls around. I hope things will have settled down by the time I have to make my final payment.

 

 

 

Standing up for your consumer rights is not whining. We are not at the complete mercy of companies we do business with. Not concidence many successful businesses have the best customer service. I rather be whiner than be a sheep or for lack of a better word, a sucker for businesses. Being blindly loyal to any business will not be appreciated by the businesses, they will only laugh at you all the way to the bank.

Great post! I couldn't agree more.

Continuing... I do have to ask... why in social media do people assume you're paid if you say something positive? I would like to see more people take to social media when they are happy, rather than wait until they are unhappy about something. Just saying ;)

Well, there was that instance here on CC not so long ago where another cruise line (not NCL) was paying some posters on their board to spread only positive comments and to nay say those who said anything negative. That probably has something to do with why people here tend to think people who post only the positive could be getting something out of it. I'm saying that by way of explanation, I don't believe that of you at all. I think your comments were in relation to the things that NCL offers that are important to your cruise experience.

What was taken away after people booked? I suspect - but only guessing, you could ask for whatever it was they might honor it? The same as you can refuse to pay the DSC.

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Kids no longer are charged half price in the specialty restaurants. One poster reported being chased down after leaving Le Bistro after paying and having to go back and pay the additional amt due to staff not being aware of the policy change.

Which is more likely to be true...the first hand report from someone who actually just disembarked the Getaway or the "what I heard from someone" from "LoveyHowell"?

 

 

 

Think about it...the decision doesn't appear to be hard to make.

Or perhaps both accounts are true. It wouldn't be unheard of for onboard staff to be confused about the implementation of a new policy. Remember the initial confusion when they changed the drink menus while implementing the 18% gratuity?

He is trample competent .

It seems we do at least agree on something.

The funny thing is you go to the forums of the other cruise lines and everyone thinks they are being nickel and dimed.

True. All cruise lines do it. Only NCL has found a way to take it to the next level.

And if the service is slow in a free venue why would this company care?

You are right, of course. The new NCL corporate regime seems to be focused only on raking in more dough. They are forgetting that if they are not ultimately providing a product that the customer wants, the bottom line will suffer.

MsTabbyKats, can you confirm that they were charging the fee (or not) on your cruise?

I wonder if NCL has considered that the (perhaps) unintended consequences of their new policy is that there will be a lot more late evening/night diners in O'Sheehan's. Are they staffed for this? If room service has a charge & food can't be taken back to our cabins, the only option may be a late night stop in O'Sheehan's.

Another consequence is that the RS delivery people will see a drop in the tips they are receiving. I can't imagine that will make them very happy.

Interesting. I'm sure the new fee has greatly reduced room service orders. Did you hear any feedback on the new RS fee from other passengers?

NOT MAKING ANY EXCUSES, JUST OFFERING ANOTHER SCENAIRO. As another poster said on another thread: You are correct...it really is not that cold...but fine for some things and short term storage. I agree, I don't think the refrigerators are cold enough to keep some foods from spoiling.

 

Liability is moot and I guess that is why some have been successful in suing cruise lines.

But they don't have any problem bringing you food for a 7.95 convenience fee that you may not eat when first brought and may store in your fridge for later. Can you explain that?

I don't get -If one has the UDP, can't you just go back numerous times that evening/week going to different specialty restaurants especially for dessert? The reason why I asking, is that majority of doomsayers on CC have the UDP anyway, so there's technically no reason to have leftovers because you can always go back and get it. I can see the people who don't have the UDP, wanting to take leftovers but then again, one shouldn't be a light eater going to specialty restaurant anyway...

 

Same thing with O'Sheenan's - its open 24 hours plus the general menu doesn't change just like the specialty restaurants. I really don't see the big deal here....[emoji52]

 

 

I'm sure that's going to play havoc with seating in the specialty restaurants if people show up at all hours wanting to be seated just to have dessert. Besides, why should I need to put my evening on hold to go back to a restaurant for dessert when I can just take it to my room to enjoy as a late night snack. Since I paid for the meal I should have some leeway to enjoy it where I want. Seems pretty cheesy to implement a mandatory 18% gratuity and then begin to reduce the service given.

Wow, how would overselling the category even be possible? There are only so many cabins assigned to this category. What a pain to have to deal with this run around while you are on vacation.

Just curious, did you get a free upgrade to the spa balcony or did you originally book this? I'll be interested to read the rest of your review.

Since this hasn't happened, has only been reported by one passenger who heard it from a crew member and NCL has not announced it yet, we don't know if (1) this is really happening and (2) if it is, how the rollout will be, if any.

Although it hasn't been announced yet, I tend to believe this will happen. Supporting this is the fact that NCL has stopped letting pax reserve Cagney's prior to boarding. Also, there was the post by NCL that "exciting" changes were coming to Cagney's. Who will be excited, I wonder? NCL's accounting dept?

If roll outs of other recent changes are any indication, the rollout will be onboard without prior notice. Maybe there will be a statement buried somewhere in the Freestyle Daily for embarking passengers.

I have a feeling...and this is just my opinion, NOT based on anything that anybody told me...that pretty soon the UDP will be a thing of the past. If this is true about Cagney's, my opinion is that this is step 1 of phasing out the UDP.

 

 

 

I've also read many times on these boards that when trying to make reservations for specialty restaurants, guests were told they are fully booked and unavailable, but then the restaurants would only be maybe half full for the evening. Is it possible that this is NCL's way of "limiting" how many people eat at the specialty restaurants, especially Cagney's, if they have the UDP? Meaning NCL already has their money for the UDP (if they didn't get UDP under the promo...and remember inside cabins don't qualify for it so that's a lot of people) and now won't allow them to book Cagney's because they don't make money that way. I've read many times here that some passengers eat at Cagney's sometimes 3 or 4 times throughout their cruise. My boss did that when she went on BA last summer and had the UDP and she and her husband loved Cagney's. They ate there most nights.

 

 

 

You could be right about NCL trying to limit the number of people eating at Cagney's. Whatever the reason, UDP bookings will inevitably increase at Le Bistro and Moderno. I would be concerned that one of these will be the next to be removed because of "overbooking".

I am very unhappy about this latest change, along with some of the other changes they have made. When I booked my next cruise, I factored in the "free" UDP when looking at the cost of the cruise, since I tend to eat in the specialties most nights. Although, the basic cruise price was higher than last year, with the included UDP, it was do-able. Since that time, NCL has devalued the UDP by taking away the "free" Illusionarium on the 1st night and removing my favorite specialty restaurant.

I feel like NCL is chipping away at the things that make a cruise unique and enjoyable and I find that I am not looking forward to it as much as I did previously. Maybe it's time to explore other options.

Without Cagney's they will rename UDP - Useless Dining Package.

Good one! :D

And Norwegian Next will be renamed to Norwegian - What's Next? :rolleyes:

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When you rent the clamshell, do they set it up for you? Or do you just pay and drag it where you want it?

I'm enjoying all the fun on this thread. (Why do I feel like I should say that twice?)😁

Here are a couple of other ideas for you:

Shore excursions

Spa passes (if not in a spa suite)

Gratuities not covered by the DSC (butler, concierge, kid club, extra tips for room steward, etc)

Casino

You can also cash it out in the casino, but I'm not sure of the method people use to do this. I think you lose 3% when you do this, but again I'm not sure.

The good thing is there is not a wrong choice here. Both would be great cruises.

I cruised on the Getaway last year in the Haven and loved it so much I am doing it again this year. A couple of years ago I sailed on the Gem's sister ship, the Jewel in an aft Penthouse suite (not a Haven suite) and loved that also.

Here are a few things I would consider:

Size of the ship - the Jewel class ships are kind of a "medium" size, making them much easier to get around. If any in your group has mobility issues, this might be a factor. The Getaway is much larger and the Haven is forward, so this makes it quite a hike to the aft of the ship.

Entertainment - there are many more entertainment options on the Getaway. There is everything from the Illusionarium to the Ice Bar and plenty in between. There is a lot going on every evening to choose from.

Ports - do you have a preference for Eastern or Western Caribbean? Do either of the itineraries have ports that are new to you?

Length of cruise - 10 days vs 7 days. I admit I would be drawn to the Gem cruise, just for this fact. 3 extra days to relax is very tempting!

The Haven - the Haven courtyard is wonderful, with a much less crowded pool and a nice sun deck with good areas for sun and shade. There are so many good things to mention here. The waiters bring around things like fruit skewers, smoothie samples, cold towels. It is a little slice of heaven. Also, you have access to the Haven restaurant (very good) and bar area.

I think for myself, the 10 days on the Gem would trump everything else. But for the varied age range of your group, the Getaway might well be the better choice. Whichever you decide, you will have a wonderful time!

Here is a link to the reviews I was referencing, if anyone is interested in reading them.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=501267

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=501105

I repeat...

 

 

 

Oh gosh, not again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think you mean UBP. UDP is the dining package.

 

 

 

This has been thrashed out many times and the end result is that gratuities ARE included. It's tax that is added in some cases.

Yes, I did mean the UBP. I was typing on my phone and must have made a typo. Thanks for the clarification. :)

In any case, I am not sure the reviewers *have* confused this with the Miami tax. Both of them indicated that it was for the entire cruise (not just for a few drinks on embarkation day). They also cited charges of $1 - $1.50, while all the past information I've seen on the Miami tax says people were charged in the range of .70 - .80 per drink. One of the reviewers said that the drink charge + gratuity were initially charged to the account and then the following day, the drink charge was removed, leaving only the charge for the gratuity. Neither of the reviews were the doom & gloom sky is falling type of reviews, which lends some credibility, at least in my eyes.

In the past I would have agreed with you that it probably wasn't a gratuity charge. However, the recent changes NCL has been putting into place have been done swiftly & mostly without prior notification. I guess that time will tell what is going on in this case. As I said earlier, if that is the new policy, I won't be that upset, since i was planning to tip anyway.