luv2kroooz

Yes, the "market to fill" strategy must not be working out so well, so they are looking to more ways to "soak" the unsuspecting customer with fees, up charges, and other possibly unplanned, unbudgeted costs.

NCL can't fill their ships at current pricing, so a further fare increase would reduce demand further. I think their last reported number was somewhere in the 80% range. NCL is collecting zero service charges from the missing 20%. Therefore, the DSC burden needs to be shared by fewer passengers, which results in a higher per passenger charge. It is excessive and unwarranted in my opinion as the service level is not changing. And I will say it here, there is no way I would pay $20 per day for services onboard any cruise line. I would adjust them back to $16 which is a fair price for the services received.

Very true. We have actually abandoned cruising in exchange for land based vacations. We've done 7 land based vacations since Corona and only 1 cruise, which was not on NCL. We find very little value in cruising right now, and it seems to be getting worse with each passing day.

I am sorry to read this, but, if true, I understand this. I think many complied with the emuster, but there were probably always more than a few that didn't check in, didn't watch the video, etc thereby forcing the crew to invest time trying to herd everyone in. I know on a recent cruise (not NCL) the cruise director had to make at least 10 announcements begging people to check in so we could depart. I think when they have the mass muster drill at a designated time, it is easier to force people to comply. The bars close, the buffet closes, the stewards can check staterooms, deck staff can tell anyone loitering around to go to their muster station etc.

Of course they don't pay base price. As I said yesterday, the base price is the highest in the industry at $99 - soon to be $109. The "service charges" at 20% are industry leading, and they offer the most limited selection in the industry. This is why I stated yesterday that it was the worst in the industry on a value basis, in my opinion. The base pricing is so bad, they offer it for $21 per person per day plus the additional base fare cost to allow you to make a free at sea choice. I regularly see MSC offers for their all in package at about $100 for a seven day cruise, inclusive of gratuities. Ditto with Carnival - we regularly get the VIFP RU2 offer code with a fare difference of about $150 per person for a seven day cruise, also inclusive of gratuities. Both packages offer a far greater variety of beer, wine, spirits, mixed shots, cocktails, bottled water, premium coffees, milkshakes, etc. Full disclosure - Carnival limits you to 15 alcohol drinks per day and it is 1 drink per card, not 2 like NCL. All that said, we have enjoyed the NCL package in the past, but that doesn't change our opinion that dollar for dollar, it is the worst value in the industry. You just have to know what you are and are not getting.....and with NCL ( aka - No Communication Lines), they keep moving the target over and again while regularly failing to communicate with impacted guests. They are entitled to change the rules, but at least have the professional courtesy to let impacted guests know. There really is no excuse for not doing so. Thank goodness for the good people here on cruisecritic or we'd never know what we were walking into when we step aboard an NCL cruise.

To CCL shareholders.....two B2B 7 day cruises are considered a 14 day cruise. Shareholder benefit is $250 for a 14 day cruise, not $200 for two 7 day cruises.

Priscilla is the drag show. Go with an open mind. I had convinced myself that I would not like it. Wrong. I loved it. Lively, colorful and a great show, in my opinion. You can always sit towards back of theater near an aisle. If it isn't your thing, leave quietly. I am not a fan of burn the floor. Great, talented dancers, but after ten minutes, I am ready to leave.

Fees are governed by the type of fare you book and the general terms and conditions of the booking. Whether or not you use a CN certificate doesn't matter. In your example, you are before final payment, so there would be no cancellation penalties imposed by NCL. The CN gets returned to your latitudes account as long as the expiration date has not passed. It can be used on a future sailing.

Oh, ok. In our experience, no one at NCL checks the tickets. Typically, you'll gather at a designated meeting point ...theater, on the pier, etc.....you'll surrender your excursion ticket directly to the tour operator without the need to show photo ID, ship card etc. I assume the tour operator eventually submits the excursion tickets back to NCL to get paid.

Then the second person goes on the excursion and the first stays onboard.

Hello. The base price of NCL's package is listed at $99, $109 effective 1-1-2023. Apparently RCL is $59 by your reporting. RCL includes, souvenir cup, premium coffees and teas, fresh squeezed juices plus still and sparkling waters, none of which is included with NCL. This forms my opinion that NCL' s package is subpar. I hope that helps.

Lots of ways to slice and dice this....I think NCL has one of the best programs going. I realize they recently made some changes as to which OBC can be used to pay for the CN certificates. At the end of the day, worst case scenario is everyone is getting at least $250 of future cruise value for a $150 investment today.

LOL!! We used to feel the same way, but more recently, it just seems like it is well, we can't do this, or you can get this for another dollar plus 20 cent gratuity. Cheap! Cheap! Cheap! We started looking at other lines and yes, like NCL, you have to pay a slightly higher fare price, but the daily service charge is fully included. I have specific knowledge of MSC and Carnival's Drinks on Us promotion which is offered from time to time through their loyalty program (VIFP). Not to mention, their included packages include a much wider variety of liquors plus specialty coffees, milkshakes, bottled waters, etc. We've enjoyed the NCL drink package often drinking in excess of 10 per day ! While $1.98 gratuity for limited options is not a "bad deal", we have found $0.00 gratuity for top shelf, run of house options to be a much, much "better deal". My experience on Carnival: you want Blanton's, no worries.....Crown Royal, sure.....Bailey's....no problem, Woodford, of course. My experience on NCL.....that will be $1.00 plus 20 cent gratuity.

Same experience as Schoifmom.

Agree, cost outweighs value at current pricing. We used OBC at the Steakhouse and Cucina on the Vista back in May 2022. Prices were 10-20% cheaper then. In our opinion, the food was a step up from the MDR and was a good use for our OBC. Service was also very good. We tend to eat later 8-830 when the rush is over. It was a good use of our OBC. Even in the MDR after 8-830, we found the service to be attentive and the food was adequate. No one went hungry.

On top of the $19.80/per day that you are already paying. I mean if the average person drinks 10 drinks per day, that is $1.98 per drink. And when traveling as a couple, that is $1.98 per drink, per person - not per round. And I am reminded that NCL is further increasing the gratuities in 2023 because they are raising the base price of the package from $99 to $109. So, now we have the privilege of paying an industry leading $21.80 per person per day for one of the most (if not the most) restrictive package in the industry. Industry leading pricing at industry lagging offerings. Never a good mix!

So sad. NCL continues to find ways to cheapen the overall guest experience with cutbacks, fees, etc. Whether it is annually increasing daily service charges to industry leading levels, adjusting prices of liquor above $15, placing surcharges on entrees, announcing itinerary changes the day after final payment, etc. Sometimes we think we are sailing Spirit Airlines, lol.....and all while attempting to set fare prices well in excess of market demand. This is why Breakaway left NYC for New Orleans earlier this month with hundreds of cabins available. The public isn't fooled. As we cruise primarily from the Northeast, we are so looking forward to Costa by Carnival and MSC placing ships in New York on a year round basis in 2023. Competition is generally a good thing for consumers, and although we may find the same practice on other lines, at least we will have an opportunity to try something different. In our opinion, NCL is quickly losing it's identity. It offers mass market experience while trying to charge Regent/Silversea pricing. We can always return to NCL, if the others are worse. In the end, freedom of choice can be a good thing!

Interesting. I thought NCL was not discounting to fill, but instead, marketing to fill. Sounds like they are marketing discounts to fill....lol!! Nobody tell Frank....shhhh!

Pre-covid, we were always last minute bookers. It worked out well for us. Post-COVID, not so much. We've actually ended up on Carnival because their rates are better. The caveat for playing the waiting game, in my opinion, is that you have to have complete flexibility with cabin category, assignment, location, and truthfully, even itinerary. We only sleep and shower in our cabin. If you definitely need a suite in a certain location, I probably wouldn't play the waiting game. It is a personal decision in the end. Have a good cruise!

No way! I don't know where blame resides because I wasn't there, but it would seem to me the passengers are pretty far down on that list. The gangway owner/operator and NCL have a basic responsibility to ensure operations are conducted in a safe manner. Safety is paramount. What a passenger may or may not want can never override safety. This is the reason why Captains make the decision to divert away from tropical storms and hurricanes even though passengers may be upset by it. I can't imagine a situation where a captain would knowingly sacrifice safety of passengers and crew to meet passenger demands. From the above post, it sounds like the port authority and NCL may have enforced the weight limit in the morning of the first day which resulted in safe operations, yet abandoned this measure in the afternoon of Day 2, when the incident occurred. I wonder if distance to the next port played into the need to accelerate embarkation on the afternoon of Day 2??

Norwegian defines them as gratuities. See the above post. They definitely are part of the cost of the cruise. However, they are very different from taxes and port fees, which are non negotiable and non discretionary. The DSC is fully discretionary and can be adjusted up or down while onboard prior to the end of the cruise based on the level of service received.

That is Carnival's stated reason for the change......my understanding is a competing cruise line recently switched to environmentally friendly packaging without the price increase.

I agree with the theory. However, if they could raise fares and still fill their ships, I think they certainly would. They are probably pricing at a level to get at or near 100% occupancy and then hoping to make up that low entry price with onboard spending ... Water, specialty dining, shore tours.

As a matter of good hygiene and courtesy to others, please observe the posted signs by the water dispensers asking everyone to refill water bottles by using clean cups, rather than placing used water bottles near or against the water dispenser. Thanks!!

That $5 increase drops to the bottom line. They either need to raise prices or reduce expenses. Carnival has been and continues to do both.