luv2kroooz

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.

The fall period is historically a slower season for cruising. Same with your January timeframe. We haven't been on NCL since Corona....prices too high and much better values elsewhere, in our opinion. We've been watching Breakaway Nov 6 14 day reposition from NYC to New Orleans for a last minute booking. Hundreds of cabins available, but true to FDR word, prices have been maintained at high levels. So, the ship will sail with lots of empty cabins and we are driving to Florida for a two week land based vacation! Hope you have a great cruise!!

Best to ask your TA. Not all TA issued OBC is refundable. We just asked our TA before booking because we knew with drinks, dining and internet, the only value the OBC had to us was if it could be used against gratuities. Not interested in overpriced shore ex, or spa treatments etc. TA was honest and told us not able to be used on gratuities. For us, it is better to find a TA that offered a monetary discount off the cruise fare. Good luck.

Not disagreeing with your opinion about the ugliness...but.....the theme of the Freedom is decades through the centuries. The disco is intentionally designed to represent the 1970's. The Chic and Posh Dining Rooms, respectively, reflect the style of the 1890s. The walls of the Dining Rooms feature a combination of polished marbles and a special wood veneer laminated in a python skin pattern. Marble and antique gold grillwork with fruit, vines and leaves is mounted between the banquettes. https://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/Cruise/Carnival-Freedom-Interior-Will-Feature-Design-by-the-Decades So Farcus carries out the overall theme of ship in a very deliberate, intentional way, resulting in a uniqueness to each ship, even though it may not agree with everyone's taste.

When you take time to understand what Farcus is is trying to do with each ship, it is so unique. His ships are like museums, in a way. In many ways, I liked his approach much better than the bland, cookie-cutter interiors of Vista class, but his style is not for everyone. Miracle details. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Carnival+miracle%3A+wherein+Farcusian+fiction+becomes+reality.-a0121874611

Yep, we left coz at 3pm too. The ship was a strong 20 knots the whole way up to Galveston and we were docked by 630am. I don't fully understand the complexities of ship propulsion, but there are times when Vista can go full speed. We had been to all the ports previously too, so no biggie for us. But I can understand the disappointment for first timers. I realize unforeseen things happen which require port cancellations, but this really is not unforeseen. Carnival knows Vista is broken. I think Carnival could be more up front with passengers and provide some flexibility for those that don't want to go to Jamaica from 2 to 8 and then Cozumel from 7 to 3 in 7 days. On our sailings, Capt Rosario Arena didn't announce the itinerary change/delay until 4pm the day before scheduled arrival. Well, hopefully it all resolves itself sooner than later.

If you are on the Roatan Belize Cozumel run, you should be fine. It is the Jamaica Cayman Cozumel run that is creating problems. We were on for two weeks in April. There were times when the ship made 21 knots and then there were times were it could only make 11 knots. Have fun!