RocketMan275

OP said to remove all the gratuity. Probably didn't realize that the charges for the specialty and drinks were just gratuities. IOW, I suspect NCL did exactly what the told them to do, remove the gratuities which also removed the drink package and the specialty perks. Karma.

You can drop your bags before the rooms are ready, just don't hang around in the room. Great time to do the muster drill too.

We had four specialty dinners on our last Haven cruise. That was at least two, maybe three too many. On our next Haven cruise we will only do one specialty dinner. The Haven is better than the specialty restaurants.

that isn't a fuel surcharge. Wait until they actually do implement a fuel surcharge, then watch this board explode.

I understand. I hope you will still enjoy your cruise.

True, but if you want to compare the two, then you should include the pluses and the minuses. You've lost the coffees, the Aqua, water and wine, but in return you've gained the cost of the upgrade from FAS to FAS+. That refund will offset much of those things you've lost.

Mostly right but you forgot these people are also takng our fresh squeezed orange juice. And what about the taking of our cookies.

You forgot to mention that the extra $50PP PD also is gone.

Assuming that you're in a balcony or greater and the cruise is seven days or longer, then you will get another specialty dinner included and a broader selection of alcoholic beverages.

Interesting that those who lament the loss of 'free' water, starbucks and freshly squeezed orange juice seem to forget that they are also losing the cosiderable charge for those 'free' things.

The outrage if NCL added a fuel surcharge would be thermonuclear. It would be claimed that a fuel surcharge is Nickel and Diming, just another way to increase profits at the expense of the passengers.

That will be the maximum you could expect. Of course, NCL could argue that since many of the Plus beverages are include in MAS, they could decrease that amount a bit. That would be a tough sell. Still, if all drinks to $15 are covered in MAS, with only the amount over that amount charged, $58 a day would pay for a lot of that difference.

I suspect the refund amount for the FAS+ beverage package will be $29 PPPD. The same amount as was the price for upgrading the FAS to the FAS+ beverage package.

I have a cruise booked for Jan 2025 and one for Jan 2026. Neither price has changed a dime for an identical booking.

We used to arrive as soon as we could, around 9 AM. We got tired of standing in line. We started arriving around 1130. No standing in lines. Got on board at about the same time. Our next cruise is Haven out of Miami which has an excellent Haven embarkation. We intend to arrive around 0930.

Then again, it could have been a bad idea to begin with.

Another old proverb, It's easier to ask forgivness than it is to ask for approval.

Like all programs, FAS Plus was designed to produce a profit sufficeint to justify it's existance. It didn't do that. It's gone. Popularity in a small niche doesn't mean it was sufficeintly profitable.

Even more important is who defines success. While a program maybe wildly popular among customers, it may still be cancelled because the business owner defines it as 'unsuccessful', ie, it is unprofitable. Or, it maybe that whatever profit there is is swamped by difficulties in managing the program. IOW, the program isn't worthwhile to the owner.

True, but is fair to assume that the premium plus program may have been cancelled because it was unsuccessful.

Be logical and wait until the facts are known before making upon assumptions.

The difference in drink prices might well offset the complaints about orange juice.

If they kept the FAS+ to please you then they should keep the FAS to please others. To the best of my knowledge no one had posted the new drink prices or what is or is not included. btw isn’t a direct replacement for fas

Actually, I had full FAS+ package on my last cruise. I was debating whether to buy the FAS+ drink packages on my two next cruises. With MAS, I see no reason to buy the FAS+ drink packages. Refresh my memory, where have the price lists for MAS liquors been published? Until that, you don't know if there is harm or profit. You're $2 PD could easily be overcome. Right now, you don't know what liquors are covered, you don't know what liquors are on the connoisseur list, nor do you know how they are priced. Could NCL deal with three drink packages? Certainly. But it looks like NCL has choosen to simplify life for the bartenders. Right now, there's a lot of speculation and a lot of hand-wringing. We need to wait until this shakes out.

It would have been three if there were still FAS, FAS+, and MAS which was my point. So far, there hasn't been sufficient information released to know whether you've been harmed or not. You need to see the price lists, etc., you maybe better off. BTW, have you ever tended bar?