SteveH2508

NCL are in BS mode - whether that stands for blame-shifting or something else - I shall leave for the reader to decide.

I am finding the NCL ‘Judge Dredd’ book of excuses quite amusing (in a sad kind of way). “It’s the Law” now seems to be the default response to any query regarding drink service, shuttle buses or other services.

I do not have a dog in this fight, but it saddens me to see a cruise line I used to like, going down the pan like this. It should not be this way.

7 minutes ago, SakeDad said:

That says what has ALWAYS been the case in ports across the world....bars can be open and sell but shops can never be open until sailing. This is nothing new.

I know that - another poster from US was trying to imply that something had changed in the UK laws.

This post on the P&O board links to the relevant? HMRC guidance.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2936952-no-alcohol-in-uk-ports/#comment-65381810

Section 3, particularly 3.15 seem to be the applicable parts.

Obviously this is not relevant to the Italy and Spain scenarios, though itineraries including those ports and UK ports are relevant. 

1 minute ago, Greener123 said:

True… NCL generally will be going from Horizon (since they part paid for it) - that’ll be marginally closer than westquay 

My bold - the irony is strong here...

5 minutes ago, purplecow15 said:

We will be flying in to LHR day of cruise and have private transfer to Southampton Port. Is there anywhere in terminal area to purchase wine?

If you have a private transfer you should be able to ask them to go via a supermarket to stock up. I think there is a Marks and Spencer in Southampton, who will have a decent selection.

In the UK one can buy booze easily (on land anyway😉).

4 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

BBB is a treasure trove of complaints. I'd never patronize any company were it only for that site. One thing's for sure: when we cruise with NCL later this year, we'll be sure to pack some wine to bring onboard in case there's any interruption in serving liquor. And if we're absolutely dying to have a "real" drink and such isn't on offer, we'll be able to manage finding one in Rome, Valletta, Santorini, Mykonos, Messina, Athens, Livorno or Naples. Something tells me we won't go thirsty! 😄🍸🧉🍹🍷🍺🍾 If worse comes to worse, I'll do what people undoubtedly are doing now: queuing up for 2 Mojitos the moment the ship is in international waters!

So you have taken on board (excuse the pun) the problem, and are going to take steps to mitigate any issues. Good for you.

Knowledge is power.

I would suggest that you also pack a dose of cynicism, because there will likely be other issues to deal with on your cruise.

3 minutes ago, fastpitchdad said:

If you bring your own Wine/Champagne on board are you still allowed to drink it in public areas or with meals? 

The way this is panning out, would they dare stop you? (posted tongue-in-cheek)

For our UK readers - https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.ncl.com

Not a good read even before this fiasco.

3 minutes ago, TexasTraveler18 said:

I

 

So, does anyone have a brilliant idea for what we can do ahead of time to let NCL know of our advanced knowledge of the situation and disapproval?  Social media posts, chat on the NCL site, customer service calls?  I feel I need to try to do or say something and maybe if a lot of us do that we can help fix the issue for everyone's upcoming sailings.

 

 

 

 

Lots of social media exposure - think Bud Light.😉

My first eight cruises were with NCL. Unfortunately, their ethos and general service/attitude has dropped since then. The furore over the current lack of drinks service in UK ports and NCL's 'evasiveness' are evidence of that.

13 hours ago, swansea_lad said:

Hi all

 

I have seen some great late deals on Ambassador Ambience, for example, 16 nights, Fjords, Inside Cabin for £399.

Would you recommend Ambassador for a first time cruise?  I am looking for a No Fly Cruise.  Thanks

We are experienced cruisers, having sailed with lots of different lines. we booked an Ambassador cruise in March to Iceland. We then booked the next cruise whilst on board. We have now booked another cruise in June (North Cape and Spitzbergen).

They are good value for money - if you find you don't like it you will not have spent a great deal of money. Go for it - you will have a blast! Be warned, cruising can be addictive.

2 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

Yeah, I think I've mentioned somewhere on this thread that I think this is an NCL issue (in my opinion, others may disagree). 🙂

I think the evidence is beyond reasonable doubt that this is an NCL specific issue.

5 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

OK, I give up, you win. NCL is a terrible company, they don't get anything right, and they lie to our faces. I guess we won't be seeing you around anymore, then? I really and truly don't understand where the fascination lies in running down a company over and over and then, paradoxically, continuing to post about it. We (that is, my wife and I) aren't beholden to any one cruise line. We happen to like MSC best, but we also enjoy NCL, and we just took our first on Oceania. But again, it's clear you don't trust NCL, and you feel you have good reason not to. So why bother with all of the negativity? What exactly are you getting out of this? To be proven right? I don't get it. Obviously, you don't have to answer, but it really mystifies me. If you don't like NCL, no worries; I do and have no plans to boycott them.

I am Platinum on NCL, 9 cruises (DW has done 11), so I think I have some reasonable experience of NCL.

When Del Rio took over, the decline in their standards (and honesty) started. DW did a cruise last November in the Med and came back saying 'never again - they have lost the plot'.

If they cannot even sort out being able to serve drinks in ports, where they did so in the past, they have some major systemic issues to address. It would be wrong not to highlight these issues so other readers can make better informed decisions as to who to book with.

52 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I understand a number of posters on Cruise Critic are shareholders in NCLH. If I were one, I'd bring this up to the board and say the company needs to do a better job of anticipating issues like this one and getting ahead of them vs inconveniencing the passengers. Whether or not NCL fixes things (assuming there is something that needs to be fixed to begin with, of which I am not convinced, FYI), surely that's a better route than posting online. I might as well go outside and shake my fist at a cloud. I might feel better afterwards, but nothing has changed.

Has this problem occurred in Oceania or Regent Seven Seas (who are both part of NCLH group)?

Thought not. Despite your desperate best efforts, NCL have either dropped the ball admin-wise or made a deliberate decision to not pay for the correct licence.

The UK Licensing laws have not changed in the last 10 years at least (leaving the EU has had no bearing on our domestic licensing laws BTW).

NCL have sailed from UK ports for at least 15 years (I did my first cruise on NCL out of Dover and my second was out of Southampton). They know perfectly well what the rules are.

My 'bovine excrement' detector went off the scale from that reported NCL officer's statement at the M&G.

Their position is indefensible.

1 hour ago, Yorkypete said:

It is, as NCL do not go from Southampton on a regular basis as far as I know.

NCL have departed from Southampton (and Dover) on and off for at least the last 15 years! I think they should know the rules and paperwork by now.

Lengthy discussion of this issue here 

It seems to be exclusively an NCL issue.

9 hours ago, Cruising Lynne said:

Is this just happening for Southampton or all the UK ports? 

 

 

London Tilbury is subject to the same laws as Southampton.

We boarded Ambassador Ambience last month at Tilbury and drinks were freely available. Ambassador even do overnight dinner and show bookings where they never leave the pier.

NCL have sailed out of UK ports for years, they should know the rules.

NCL have either c**ked up their paperwork or are refusing to pay some licence fee somewhere. As shown upthread, they have previous form for this.

I have some of the dinner menus as pdfs from our last 2 Ambassador cruises if anyone is interested.

7 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Was that £100 pppd for a balcony cabin, and was that Ambassador or Fred Olsen? That’s our price cap now for P&O for a balcony cabin, as we feel comfortable paying up to that for what is now offered. Would we get a balcony cabin for a max of £100 pppd on either line?

£100 pppd was for a Premium Oceanview on Ambassador, but that included their top drinks package and gratuities. The P&O drinks package is not really a value proposition to us (and we both like a drink!).

To be fair, there was a small discount because we booked on board for a last minute fare, but the deals are definitely there to be had.

We found the atmosphere on board to be very good as well.

3 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Another problem with Ambassador, et al, is that they do not sail from Southampton, which is most convenient for me. 

I live in Central London so Tilbury is easy, especially with the coach from Victoria coach station.😀

I guess 'our friends in the North' (and West) could now start looking at Ambassador Ambition as well.

2 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I was put off Fred because last time I asked (admittedly some years ago) as they still allowed smoking on balconies. I presume that’s not the case now? As with Ambassador, my perception is that they offer a product that is no better than P&O, on older ships, but at much higher prices. Am I missing something by not looking at them seriously?

Pricewise, we have snagged some very good deals. £100 pppd including drinks and gratuities for 11 days round Britain at Easter. We are doing Norway and North Cape next month for about £150 pppd inclusive.

Their solo prices do seem high though (possibly because they market some cabins as solo?).

Food is better on Ambassador, entertainment is better. They seem to have mainly sorted the 'hardware problems' on Ambience. I think you may be missing something.

52 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I can’t see that happening. P&O have repositioned their brand too much now and a luxury (expensive) ship wouldn’t fit. Older / traditional cruisers are still prepared to pay a premium to go on Aurora and Arcadia for the better itineraries and smaller ship experience, even though the ships are dated and don’t offer a luxury experience. However, these folk are either dying off or starting to move elsewhere, so even that model won’t be sustainable longer term!

My bold - Fred Olsen, Saga and Ambassador are nipping at P&O's heels (well biting big chunks I would surmise) for the smaller ship, adult only market. 

I have done 2 Ambassador cruises with a third one coming up. In most areas, especially value for money, they are beating P&O hands down at the moment.

42 days, London (Tilbury) to the Amazon and back.

31 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

DFDS do a short cruise from North Shields to Amsterdam.

 

I wouldnt recommend it though.

If they are anything like the cross channel DFDS ferries, I would almost rather swim. The food was worse than anything the Army ever served me up - the only saving grace was it being complimentary, due to delays at Dover.