travelerpair

Thank You. We are in a suite also and I do not understand why the suite rate is higher. Our butlers do not get anything from this fund and depend on the suite passengers. Neither do the concierge. UDP and drink package include tips and you can always use cash in other restaurants.

Raising rates AFTER I paid in full for 11 people on a cruise leaving on Aug 1? Shame on NCL. Last time. I have 170 cruise days with 7 on NCL. NO MORE!!

You have the right to remove the charges from you account, or change the amount to whatever you choose. Do this at any time and use cash to tip anyone you feel deserves it.

I have been reading ( and reading …. )(and reading ….) all of the negative rants/reviews/posts/threads/threats about the changes occurring at NCL over the past few months.

 

As some background, my partner and I are just slightly on the wrong side of 50 and have been lucky and fortunate enough in life to travel around a lot of the world on many different ships and many different lines over the past 20+ years. We have sailed on everything from inside cabins on Chandris Fantasy (look it up) up to and including Oceania, Celebrity Xpedition, Travel Dynamics, Ponant, Azamara and The Haven.

 

We used to be complete Celebrity addicts until about two years ago when after three cruises in a row that drove us slightly crazy, we decided that we would become “free agents”. This is, we wouldn’t be slaves to loyalty programs with their free drinks and internet and see what else was out there.

 

We returned to NCL last year and were hooked. However, in the past two years we have also sailed on HAL, RCI, Celebrity, Oceania and Azamara.

 

People … you have NO clue how good you have it on NCL and the spectacular value that is provided. To all those who say they are cancelling their reservations and going somewhere else, I say: “Off you go”!

 

Go on Royal Caribbean and go to the buffet where fried starchy food goes to die, where the varieties of fresh fruit can be counted on four fingers, where smoked salmon doesn’t swim, where roast “turkey” is a strange compressed protinaceous turkoid blob and have the privilege of paying a premium over NCL.

 

Go on Celebrity (where I’ve sailed about 250 nights) and return to the ship at 3:30 and try to get a decent snack without standing in a buffet line serviced by, oh, one server manning the pasta station and one person doing … well, I’m not sure what she was doing. Enjoy the evening “entertainment” and after you’ve woken up, go back to your cabin for a proper sleep.

 

Look at what you’re paying for what you’re getting. I paid $700 for an inside cabin on Celebrity’s Zenith in 1992 and couldn't understand how they could make ANY money providing what they did. That’s about $1400 in 2015 dollars for an inside cabin. Celebrity actually didn’t make any money and that’s why they were ultimately acquired by RCI. Could you imagine paying $1400 for an inside cabin today?! I’d be laughed and ridiculed off of these boards.

 

NCL is cutting back wherever they can … and so is everyone else. Trust me. I’ve been on everyone else and many of them recently. The same economic realities are faced by all of the cruise lines - it’s a fine line between keeping everyone happy while providing shareholder value.

 

Perhaps NCL made a fatal error in actually telling people that they were cutting back as opposed to Royal Caribbean/Celebrity where the on board product was noticeably worse each time you sailed on them without them actually announcing the cutbacks. (As an FYI, Celebrity cut back their entertainment staff to one or two people - trivia, hosts, ambassadors - all gone for the most part - again, look it up)(oh, and by the way, most of their specialty restaurants are now $50(!!!) per person cover charge.

 

Those brand spanking new ships cost a LOT of money and have to be paid for. While it’s fantastic they we’ve all been spoiled and have frankly received more than our dollar’s worth in the past, those days are over. My room at the Hilton before my last Breakaway cruise cost $330 a night with nothing included, or $2300 for the week before meals. What did you spend for the last dinner you went out for at home and how does that compare to per diem that you are paying for a night on a ship that included your room, meals and entertainment?

 

People have to be realistic … it truly is a privilege to have the means, ability and health to go on a cruise but ultimately, it’s still a business that has to make money.

Appreciated you post. I accept you point of view, but I believe accepting less for more is just what is wrong with most services and in this case travel product. NCL has the best suite perks. We are hooked on them. However, I am not willing to pay more for nothing.

Hello, already paying 4+ times the cruise fare to have a suite and the services, now you are also paying more for service charges. First of all the butler and concierge are your go to people in a suite, with the cabin steward 3rd. The first 2 are not included in the DSC, so if you tip all 3 in cash what does that leave? Bars add the gratuity and we always leave extra, the MDR we leave a cash tip, specialty restaurants add a fee and we always leave a cash tip. Never eat in the buffet and I do not feel it is up to me to pay their salary. The employer is NCL.

Southward - 1993

 

I just went to the cabin photos forum and saw a photo of Starward. Southward is a similar ship and I couldn't believe how tiny it is compared to todays ships. When I was on Southward, I thought it was big. Little did I know what was ahead in ship building for cruise lines.

The Norway. She was a true classic ocean liner and a grand old lady. The crew was excellent and mostly from Europe

Other than LeBistro which is worth it for the mushroom soup alone, we really enjoyed Ginza Asian Restaurant. We did not run across it until late in the cruise and ended up eating there twice. Lovely staff and the food was great!

 

I've included a pic of the tres French Coq au vin and of the famous LeBistro mushroom soup that I totally wish I could have a bowl of right now! They have the roasted mushrooms in the bowl and then pour the cream sauce over them table side. YUM!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are some pics of the food we got at Ginza..

 

If I read this right the pix are from '12. The food in Le Bistro is not like this anymore, sad to say.

I guess the OP isn't reading any more, but my sympathy lies with him. It is the fact that the cruise line said the gift would be kept as a surprise and it was not that is irksome and a "breach of contract." It is too bad. And of course, in the "grand scheme of things" this is small, but it was important to them, and that is what matters. We all live the lives we are given, and not everything needs be compared to the world at large, nor posters made to feel humiliated for caring about the details of their personal lives.

Thank you from all of us who realize when you make a plan for something you feel is special and the service provider promises you it will be as planned you feel upset. A $100 bottle of wine is not just a token. It was to be special and NCL failed in its customer service. A thank you for the original post. It tells a lot about NCL

Will be going Dec 2014 Mexican Riviera on NCL Star. Budget to go only one specialty dinner restaurant. Probably on last night of the cruise. If there is only one choice, which restaurant and food selection would you recommend? Our family of 3 is husband, wife, and teen daughter. Thank you for your input. :)

We sailed on the NCL Star over Christmas 2014 and are going on her 10-20-14. My opinion is to avoid Cagney's. We have had 3 of our last cruises with poor food there. Only reason we returned was to be with friends who had to do it. The Italian restaurant was very good, the new Moderno was very good (location not so hot) and Le Bistro is OK and has a nice atmosphere. Be aware that Platinum Latitude members are given a free dinner at a specialty restaurant. I am one and I think the quality of the products has declined because of this. Just remember you have already paid for your food, so location and menu should be important.

We have changed to using a cash tip to the people we interact with only. If we use the upcharge specialty restaurants why tip the dinning room staff etc.? How many people eat at the buffet and never go to the MDR? The kitchen staff should be paid out of my cruise fare and not extra charges. DSC are like luggage fees more profit not service based. How about the butlers in the suites they are not in the pool and their service is as good as the regular service used to be. Lets face it a company does not give anything away and is looking for profit.

Thank you for telling it like it is. We have only had 1 acceptable meal at Cagney's and Le Bistro is a comp for Platinum Latitudes and the food is main dinning room at best. Our most enjoyable upcharge meals on the Star were in La Cucina. The steak was better that the $30 one at Cagney's and if you do not like it send it back and order something else.

The OP mentioned faux class on her Celebrity cruise. Well guess what? The other lines have them too! On Carnival, met a woman who only purchased $500 bottles of Dom Perignon for her dinner drinks. On Royal Caribbean, the Crown & Anchor members who felt privileged. And then there's The Haven on NCL and you should meet some of those people if you're interested in meeting snobs.

 

Bottom line….it does NOT matter what line you choose because you are going to encounter faux class anywhere you go. We just got back from the Getaway and it was our first NCL cruise. It was fun!! We didn't let anything ruin what our main intention which was to have a good time!

 

Oh, and there's late night dancing on the Getaway/Breakaway. If that's something you're really interested in, then you'll find it in those two ships.

Spending my grandchildrens money does not make me a snob. Anything but. Problem is NCL frowns on letting anyone close to a suite unless they stay in one. With freestyle you are not in the dressing competition you experience on some other cruises. I love casual and comfortable and meeting new people. One perk I really enjoy is the Latitudes Silver and up embarkcation. For that I am a snob.

Hello, we too have cruised on both Celebrity and NCL and had similar experiences. I think you may have been in a suite, and so have we. However, some trips on NCL Star were very lively and some were very quiet (same itinerary). Same with Celebrity. Some nights the only people awake past 11pm were the entertainers and us. The casino has its late night crowd, in fact many never leave. We found that the disco will play on even if only a few stay up. We try to get a group together and enjoy the music. New ships seem to have younger, or young at heart passengers.

Thank you for making it clear that the Customer is who makes your job possible. There are many places and cruises to choose from. A good experience with a customer service person can turn a bad situation around. Even without getting everything you want. I think NCL has outsourced to other call centers to reduce costs. The quality of information on their own product has declined and varies agent to agent. It is never acceptable to be rude to a book passenger unless they use abusive laungage.

Agree with tipping on the first day or daily. The tread seems to be more about the cabin stewart than butlers ets. One time we did not tip on the first day and the butler service was not up to standard expected and we are not demanding. The butler and concierge is the main reason suites on NCL win. Cannot believe Princess went to a phone # to replace theirs. We get that and real people!

Per their web site..

 

 

 

It's very clearly defined on the layout which rooms this pertains to.

Do you work for an agency that sells NCL? If the cruiseline agent does not know enough to explain to the client the layout of their own product, why should the problem be the clients? The NCL cruise consultant knew the ages of the children and should have known the deck plan of the ship. NCL has very few good personal cruise consultants, they are sales people first and customer service 2nd. Example mine is below average, friends have a great on and he knows a lot and does a great job. Mine couldn't even find the promo he had emailed. Sorry for this family. You should expect more professionalism and get it.

Hello, thank you for this info. I am currently booked in an OS and I am cancelling the booking. The Suite Perks are just not there and the prices is not a good value. I think they have depended on upsell to allow for lack of perks. It is hard to compare a butler to a phone line, that is one phone # for all of the suites and a mini bar to full size liquor bottles and water and soda inclusive, also a specialty coffee maker in the suite. We treated the couple across in an inside cabin everyday. Like the boards for this reason, you find out the truth and real information.

Thanks for the review of your Suite Experience on Princess. Good job on the upsell. Sadly I just cancelled a suite as the perks are far less than NCL. I feel the extra you spent makes it a good value, asking price is just too high for the product.

Thank you for the info on your suite life. We are booked on the same ship, same cat. suite and usually do NCL. I think we will change, as I feel the lack of suite perks for the highest price is not good value. Being Platinum you have an advantage over us. Thanks again.

This thread is really about the 28 day cruise to Hawaii and Tahiti.

 

Even though this is off topic, I would suggest that you wait if you can and go on the Ruby since she is a much newer ship.

Sorry Working to Cruise...just jumped in. We have done Tahiti to Hawaii with Princess and it was wonderful...whatever length it works. Please remember to remind people from out of the LA area that LAX does experience delays and cancellations so do not count on day of arrival to be secure. Nothing says vacation like watching your flight be delayed and then cancelled. Happy Cruise to you all!

As you can see in my signature I have been on a number of Princess ships of all sizes. I was on the Grand to Alaska in 2013. This is strictly my own opinion but I found her very tired. She definitely shows her age. Princess removed Skywalkers and replaced it with "The One5". Not as good. I have been on the Ruby and there is no comparison.

 

 

 

Jayne

Thank You Irishjayne I rebooked to the Ruby this morning. Looked at some Utube of both and you could see the age of the Grand in the cabins. Looking forward to a no fly trip to Hawaii. Love Cruisecritic for this kind of info!

Hello, we are booked on the Grand on the 2-2-2015 sailing from LA. I would love some recent opinions of this ship, as I have seen some very negative reviews and the Ruby goes only 2 months later. I believe you make your own good time, but a poor ship can ruin a good trip. Only 1 cruise with Princess b/4 and that was Tahiti to Hawaii and it was wonderful, older ship no longer owned by Princess.

:)

We ate at Cagney's in 2013 on two ships, the Star and the Dawn. Both were extremely awful. $30.00 will buy a good meal at a good restaurant in Southern California and our prices are high. We did not dine alone and everyone later admited to awful food. Do Not Waste Your Money! We should have refused to pay, but we did not want to ruin a good evening with good friends (later found out we all felt the same). Noticed alot of plates being picked up with alot of food on them.

Hello, we always bring our own and pay the $15 corkage. The saving is worth it and if it is possible I advise doing it. We cash tip if we bring it with us when dining or to the bars. Champagne alone was over a 50% savings and we do go through wine. We looked up liquor stores close to the hotels we have used and it has worked out well. I was surprised that Florida ones close to the piers had all sorts of plastic containers for liquor. I guess this is a big seller for the cruise crowd and alot of plastic.

I believe the best answer is from calling 866-954-4077 and ask the NCL worldpoints desk. The difference is most likely the sponsor NCL pays little or nothing for the transaction fee.

Just spoke with NCL worldpoints desk and the agent told me the double points and current OBC program will remain in effect for the NCL mastercard after Oct. changes are to the B of A cards program. If you got a NCL mastercard on board (as we did) that program and that type of card will remain the same. Call 1-866-954-4077 Mon. thru Fri. for TA bookings and 7 days for NCL direct bookings. So happy we need that OBC!