Kenlorz

Way to GO!!!!!!!! Thanks SO much!!! I would also like to know about the ease of booking Second City once on board. Does the Box Office really not open until 4:00 pm on Embarkation day? Also, I see that ROA is at 8:30, where our reservation times still list the old times (I think 7 & 9). Are the reservations and stand by lines still waived as they have been on recent cruises the past few months?

If you have a disability and are in need of assistance to board, who do you contact? Thanks in advance!

I highly recommend people put their contact phone numbers in their emails. You should receive a phone call back if you do. I received an auto-response from public relations yesterday that just torqued me off, but today I received a very nice, lengthy and detailed phone call from a very nice lady from the executive offices and resolutions department. Supposedly social media and public relations departments are not allowed to address these issues (hence the auto responses) and they forward your emails to this department. It was a 45 minute conversation, so I will try to condense as much of it as possible here. I'm not saying I agree or disagree with anything written below. I'm just relaying what was spoken to me. What was said may differ from what you personally have experienced on a ship before, I'm just putting out the information I received. So...YMMV:

1. All email complaints (whether sent to public relations, social media or an executive officer) are sent to this department and are read by this department. No email is making it to an executive officer personally. These people read the emails, contact the passengers and the OVERALL feedback from the masses is then sent up the chain.

2. From her 19 years of service in this department, all major changes go through a transition period where mass complaints are sent in, but then people calm down and end up seeing the good of the changes. (my interpretation: they are not at all surprised by the complaints, but expect them to settle down soon).

3. Take away from specialty restaurants has never been an option, so she was confused as to why so many people are complaining about that portion of the policy. The main problem that caused this new policy to go into effect was the buffet. People over pile their plates so they won't have to make a second trip and the food overflows onto the marble floors causing slip and fall hazards or grinds into the carpets causing damage.

4. Proper disposable take away containers is not an option or a potential solution due to the way garbage is disposed of on a ship, it would be too much refuse to handle.

5. Those who have disabilities that require them to eat in their cabin will not be discriminated against. Those people can still have their traveling companions get their food for them. They must be allowed to do so under the disability and discrimination laws that are currently in place.

6. Royal Caribbean will soon be following suit and adding a convenience fee to all of their Room Service orders. Convenience fess are here to stay in the cruise industry.

7. If a child is melting down around you in a restaurant and the parents won't remove the child because they can't take the food with them, the maitre d' will gladly move you to a different table away from the child.

8. When I asked if any word has come down from the executives regarding this policy and if it would change, the answer she stated was that with over 6,000 employees they don't hear back until official changes are ready to be implemented. She could only speak to the current policy as it stands.

9. Everything is subject to change. Every new policy is a work in progress. Del Rio is new to them, too, and they are also getting used to his way of doing things and they, too, are in a growth period.

10. Nothing about this policy is set in stone permanently . Every complaint is being read and filtered through. They cannot personally form opinions regarding those complaints (though she did mention that some people are just being down right nasty in their emails, which is a shame). Their job is to make sure that the executives are getting the overall feedback of the passengers on this policy. If enough people are unhappy about it, who knows, something may change in the near future.

There are also members boarding ships weekly. They could return with info on their experiences. I keep returning to these threads hoping there will be more onboard experiences posted here. I'm hoping to see the actual onboard experience differs from recent changes. ;)

^^^this

If you order something in a restaurant and cannot finish it you can have the rest of what you ordered sent back to your room for free

I just received a very lengthy and very nice phone call from the executive offices and resolution department. I did specifically ask about having unfinished or untouched food from specialty restaurants sent back to my room (I even gave multiple reasons that might warrant such a necessity...medical conditions to melting children). The answer was a definitive "NO". I even mentioned that Royal has often had our desserts sent to our room when we were too full to order one. Still a "no".

Sorry to say, but I believe the ONLY way this is happening is if you are in the Haven. It would then fall under Haven privileges.

So what you're saying is, NCL charges $7.95 for room service and has a new rule you can't take food from dining areas, but you can have a restaurant send food to your room for free? :confused: That doesn't make sense.

 

Did you really talk to NCL or are you just making this stuff up?

I could be wrong, but I think this rumor came about because one particular poster came back from their recent cruise and stated that when finishing up in a specialty restaurant they did not have room for dessert. They asked to take their dessert with them and were told no, but that it would be packaged and sent back to their room for them. So, right off the bat it seemed like NCL was willing to accommodate pax by personally delivering the uneaten foods. However, it later turned out that the poster who made this statement was in a Haven suite AND it was a specialty cake purchased from Carlos for a special occasion. So, I really don't think the servers will send your food to your room for you. If that was the case, wouldn't everyone take advantage of this free option verses paying the convenience fee from RS?

In fact, on the contrary, one particular family off of BA had to have their son's entire pizza from La Cucina thrown away because it could not leave the restaurant...not by delivery, not with their own hands, and not be the hair of their chinny-chin-chin ;):rolleyes: Personal delivery...I think not :cool:

From the USA Today article:

 

It appears that NCL is now trying to muster as many excuses as they can come up with.

 

You know, if eating away from the restaurants can be unsafe, makes me wonder how healthy the room service food that sits for an hour before being served might be. :p

EXACTLY!!! You can't talk out of both sides of your mouth. If food that is taken back to your room is out of their control and they can't guarantee it meets "Strict health standards".... then the very room service they are charging for falls under that SAME loophole. They have no idea how long that food sits before I eat it. It could sit there until the next day for all they know. NCL isn't standing over me and watching how long it takes me to eat my RS sandwich. They don't send staff with a stopwatch and wave a red flag when my RS yogurt goes past the 45 minute mark outside of a frig. ACTUALLY, now that I think about it, perhaps I should be the one concerned, because I have no idea how long my RS order has been sitting out before it gets to me. At least with restaurant food, I am aware of the time lapse between the plate and my mouth. RS could have been sitting on a cart for any length of time. The double talk just goes to further my frustration in making me feel like NCL just thinks of their pax as idiots. They just keep insulting our intelligence and it bites my butt. They need to just grow a pair of cajones and say "we want to bolster our room service sales, so we are eliminating all food from leaving the restaurants". Would we all still be irked to high heaven...yes. But at least I wouldn't be twice as irked because of the lame excuses that do nothing but give me the impression that they see their pax as 2 year old toddlers that need constant supervision....

...I've been responsible for my own fork and knife for over 45 years... I think I've got this one :cool:

Well, got my first email response and it was from Social Media. It was nothing more than the automated response that states the policy verbatim of what NCL posted here on CC. I promptly and snarkly replied back that while I understood that they are busy, to send an automated reply simply stating word-for-word the exact policy I had questioned was insulting and communicated that they not only did not read my email, they really didn't care enough about me as a customer to respond in person. I told them that if they thought that little of me as a customer, I would be returning to RCCL immediately after my upcoming cruise. Who, btw, always personally addressed and responded to every email I sent them over the years. If these ignoramouses are going to keep sending auto responses, you'd think they would at least have one up their sleeve that just said something like: "We're sorry that you are not happy with our new policy. While we understand your concerns, our policy is in place for good reason and will continue to hold until further notice." Replying to upset customers who have sent well thought out emails asking and stating valid points by simply restating the very policy your are questioning just further alienates and separates the customer from any loyalty they might still have been harboring. Corporate REALLY needs a new PR department.

Today is a GOOD DAY to voice your complaints ;)

The negative press they are receiving today can't be good. USA Today picked up the story :eek: It's officially gone viral :cool:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2015/05/13/norwegian-cruise-food-ban/27034385/

The article includes a helpful Facebook share button. Oh gosh, I just pushed it.

LOL!!!! I see not too many have pushed that button...YET... so 'push away, fellow pax, push away' :D

Negative press like this does not bode well for NCL. I guess FDR couldn't possibly state that there was no negative feedback on THIS new policy :rolleyes:

Now its in USA Today

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2015/05/13/norwegian-cruise-food-ban/27034385/

 

The statement "Don't book Norwegian Cruise Line" (out of context here) is a public relations disaster.

WOW!!! Well, that should get them thinking... this can't be good publicity. Guess it's gone beyond the "social media blogs" now.

I also sent out a lengthy email this morning stressing our dissatisfaction over the recent changes and asking them to find amicable solutions. I sent them to the following three email addresses:

Andy Stuart, President: AStuart@NCL.com

Social Media: Socialmedia@NCL.com

Public Relations: Publicrelations@NCL.com

I will post whatever responses I receive, automated or not.

After reading all the replies to all the food threads the last few days, I think I have a very simple solution to this new policy. It would be, in the infamous words of FDR, "give and take" for both corporate and pax.

Why not make this new policy to read "No PLATES of food may be taken from the dining rooms" and REQUIRE that all take away be properly boxed in disposable take away containers. It would eliminate the dirty dishes left all over and cut back greatly on spills. I would even go so far as to say I would be willing to help differ the added cost of the containers and added refuse by paying a "take away" fee (as long as it was something reasonable...say $2.95, certainly not $7.95). A take away fee would also dissuade everyone from just grabbing and carrying food around and leaving their dirty plates and keep it to the people who truly desire or need their food to be allowed in their rooms (we've read many stories over the past week of such people). I think a parent with a melting child would be willing to pay that fee and still enjoy their food. I think a person dealing with nauseau would pay that fee to still enjoy the remainder of their specialty food at a later time. Etc. Etc. I think this could be a simple solution that would allow corporate to still make money on this new policy, but allow for a satisfactory compromise with the passengers who are so upset for valid reasons over this new policy.

Still hoping for someone to post them. A fresh batch of pax disembarked today. Anyone? :):):)

Is this guy for real?

This guy is shrewd. One thing I thought was intersting is that he mentioned the price increases around the beverage prices didn't bring any negative feedback nor any drop in consumption. Well, that would be because he coincided that price increase with a very heavily used UBP amenity. So quite a few people were not actually paying for their drinks during the price increase... hence why there was no drop in comsumption or complaining. 10% increase of nothing is still nothing. Shrewd man.

He also mentioned you have to be careful not to take the changes too far. So, the question is has he taken it too far with the new food policy. Time wil tell.

Folks, it's obvious that the comments made here fall on deaf ears when it comes to Del Rio. That's made clear by his statement that other than some online blogs, there was no complaints regarding the RS Convenience Fee being implemented. If we don't count as a complaint here, then if you aren't happy about the RS Fee or them now refusing food in your cabin other than their Room Service, then I suggest you call or email. The following is the contact information that was listed at the bottom of the conference call press release:

Media Contacts

Jason Lasecki

(305) 514-3912

Vanessa Picariello

(305) 436-4713

PublicRelations@ncl.com

If anyone wondered EXACTLY what Frank Del Rio had to say during his recent shareholders conference call regarding the new fees that have been implemented...here it is...word-for-word.

http://www.nclhltdinvestor.com/events.cfm (will be available for playback for 30 days)

May 7, 2015 11:00 am

*(His comments about the recent fees are at approximately the 50:00 minute mark)

Caller Question: "I know you're very focussed on customer satisfaction, I think that goes without saying, and you've talked eariler about raising your beverage pricing and your room service fees. I'm just wondering if those efforts have affected consumer satisfaction at all and what kind of feedback has Norwegian gotten from that, if any.

FRD: "On the beverage, we've seen nothing at all. We've not seen a decrease in consumption. It's pretty much what we thought. If you're sitting around the pool and you want a Pepsi, you're in the middle of the ocean, you're going to buy that Pepsi whether it's $2.10, which is the old price, or $2.25, which is the new price. So, nothing at all.

"On the more recent introduction of a fleetwide $7.95 service charge on room service, if you read some of the online blogs there's been comments, there always is, no one likes to pay more. But we tested it on two ships on two different price points and we didn't hear complaints. We improved the menu, so there was a give and a take. So, yes you have to pay a delivery charge, so we that can deliver faster, because it eliminates some of the folks that order a piece of toast and a cup of coffee in the morning. But overall, all of these initiatives that we have put into place...that recognize the power of the captive audience that you have, without going too far...they've all gone as we have expected."

As others have said, according to Del Rio's conference call yesterdy, the recent fees have not garnered any complaints other than some online comments. It's obvious that the boards don't really count as complaints in his book. Your point is perfectly made. I agree with the other posters, take it directly to them. Here are the addresses and phone numbers that were listed at the bottom of the conference call press release:

Media Contacts

Jason Lasecki

(305) 514-3912

Vanessa Picariello

(305) 436-4713

PublicRelations@ncl.com

For our guests’ well-being and to maintain a beautiful clean environment for all of our guests to enjoy, we ask that they enjoy their meals while dining at one of our many restaurants. Every ship in the Norwegian fleet offers dining at any time day or night for guests to enjoy, with a wide variety of options and cuisines available complimentary.

About as clear as mud... but there you go. The ONLY response NCL has given directly in public print to date that I know of (lots of email responses and phone call responses, though).

http://www.nclhltdinvestor.com/events.cfm

Thank you! I actually listened to the whole thing and since I type like a bugger (do it at work all day), I even typed up the short clip when he spoke about the recent new fees being added. Since it is not relevant to this thread, I'll start another and post there. Thanks again.

I sent an email to NCL yesterday letting them know I was disappointed in their new food policy. I also called today to cancel 2-14 day reservations. I will move on to another cruise line, but I want them to know why. I am a platinum latitudes member and have sailed exclusively with NCL since 2009. Maybe it won't make a difference, but when NCL called me this morning in regards to my email they said that the policy may change if they continue to get the negative feedback they've gotten so far.

Unfortunately, it seems that the new management wants to take NCL in a different direction. He stated on the 1st quarter report conference call that comments on social media "don't mean much" and that he wants to bring in a "more affluent" cruiser. He also stated that there hadn't been any negative feedback on the new RS charge. I order RS often and would continue to do so if they hadn't decided to also extort those who prefer eating in solitude by only making it possible to eat in your cab9in if you pay for it. It's also ludicrous to me that food from the specialty restaurants can't be sent back to the room.

The biggest problem I see is that the new rules may or may not be enforced on any given ship. There's no consistency from ship to ship so until the food new policy is reversed, I will spend my cruise dollars on another cruiseline.

Sorry...not everything pertains to your post, but wanted to let you know about the "more affluent" comment.

I found your post very informative and most helpful. Thanks for your feedback and for handling your distaste in a very constructive way. Now, can you tell me how I go about finding out more about this first quarter conference call? I think it would be a very interesting thread to start on CC, along with the appropriate email addresses so people can voice their distaste. Obviously, internet comments don't hold any water with FDR, but perhaps emails do.

How will this new policy affect you?

That is exactly the reason...finally someone figured it out!

Jancruz1

Oh, please! We now know that we can take our buffet foods and eat them all around the pools and public places. But, we can't take leftovers from a PAID FOR specialty restaurant back to our rooms. And you REALLY think this policy is put in place because the people in the specialty restaurants are leaving their PAID FOR leftover desserts all over the stairwells, but the people eating around the pools are somehow discreetly disposing of their dishes? This new policy is simple...Del Rio wants there to be no food available to us in our rooms so that we either have to get dressed and venture out or resort to our conveniently priced room service to appease our appetites. Please, back away from the pom-poms;)

Royal's john heald has a poll going already wanting to know if you do or don't take food to your cabin....

Where is this poll? I'd like to vote

The tables around the pools are considered to be dining areas according to NCL, they are not planning on stopping you from eating there. They are trying to keep food out of the cabins and non dining areas.

DING, DING, DING...we have a WINNER! You hit the nail right on the head! They are trying to keep food out of the cabins. Why? Because they want us hungry in our cabins so that we will order ROOM SERVICE. This new policy has EVERYTHING to do with trying to garner revenue from the new 'convenience fee' and NOTHING to do with beautifying the ship or bettering the well-being of the guests. Thus, why we may not bring our leftovers out of any restaurant and why we can only eat where RS does not reach.