Nickel & Dime? Not Only NCL!

[disneysteve]

there's relatively few if any hours someone cannot get something to eat.

With 24 hour room service, there is never a time when you can't get something to eat. Plus, most if not all ships have one restaurant that is open 24 hours a day. On Dawn, it was Blue Lagoon.

[Tucker in Texas]

Interested in your opinion of the quality of food of the non up charge restaurants on the different lines...

 

O.K., I'll jump in here against my better judgment (lol).

 

I think the food in the MDR's has declined to the point that they are encouraging you to go to the specialty restaurants. It seems to be about the same thing every night with a different name, different sides, with the exception of one or two entrees like duck or lamb one night. That's o.k. with me because with the fares lower, what I pay to eat in the specialty dining doesn't add on more to what I used to pay in basic fares back in the 80's and 90's--actually less.

 

What I don't like is the hassle to make reservations and keep them and the slower service--which is part of the ambiance, I know. When I say "keep them," I mean I may find on the day of the reservation I want to do something else around that time that I was unaware of two or three days prior to making the reservation. If I wasn't locked into a reservation, then I could do what I wanted to do and not be faced with a cancellation fee. Also, they don't post the daily menu for the MDR until the day of. If I see I'm not real happy with the menu, it is usually too late to get a reservation at the specialty dining venue for any decent hour.

 

A few years ago, I predicted that to eat in the MDR, you would have to pay a "premium" on your fare otherwise the grill was available. While it hasn't come to that exactly, it is close to it in that if you want the quality of food you used to get with your basic fare, you have to pay extra for it.

 

I've sailed RCI exclusively since the fall of 2007. Not that I'm particularly attached to the line, it is going where I want to go from where I want to go with friends I want to go with at a price I am willing to pay. In the three years, I've seen the food in the MDR go from pretty good to pedestrian. Prior to a few cruises ago, I would have to be dragged kicking and screaming to the grill for dinner. If I want Luby's I can do that at home. Lately, I have willingly gone there. They have a better selection and some of the food on the MDR menu is there--I can pretty much guess if it is something I like whether it will be in the grill.

 

I just got back from a cruise on the POA. Not real happy about going on NCL in general and the Hawaiian cruise in particular (too many negative reviews for my liking) but the in-laws wanted to go. I came back "eating dirt." The cruise was as good as I have had on RCI as far as service, crew friendliness (much better than RCI), and condition of the ship. The food in the MDR was about the same or maybe a little below RCI's. However, the selection and quality was much better than RCI in the grill. We ate three dinners in the MDR, two in the grill, and two in the Cadillac Diner. The Cadillac Diner (free), was much better than Johnny Rockets in that it had a more extended menu. Breakfast in the grill was much better--wonderful sticky buns, chocolate croissants, and almond filled bear claws among other things. We were off the ship for our lunches except the last day when they had a barbeque out on the Lanai deck--ribs, chicken, etc. Again, great selection both there and inside at the grill.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Tucker in Texas

[disneysteve]

I think the food in the MDR's has declined to the point that they are encouraging you to go to the specialty restaurants.

I think you've hit the nail on the head here. If they served great food at the included places, people wouldn't feel the need to pay extra for the specialty restaurants and they wouldn't make money.

they don't post the daily menu for the MDR until the day of. If I see I'm not real happy with the menu, it is usually too late to get a reservation at the specialty dining venue for any decent hour.

That's a great point. If you don't like what is in the MDR, you can do the buffet where the selection is different but the quality and atmosphere are worse. Not really great options. It would be nice if they could post the menus for the week on day one so people could plan accordingly.

[mikewrit]

I just wandered around the travel sites comparison shopping for possible deals on our next cruise and I am very happy there are so many folks willing to pay high prices for embellishments in the cruise industry so that my wife and I can afford (almost) a cruise a year. A lot of folks pay for butlers and raffle tickets and wine and entry to Cagney's so that I get to see Istanbul and Barcelona and Berlin and Venice. Thanks to all.

[sottovoce]

sottovoce for being so gracious and giving such a warm welcome to a new poster.

Intemperate rants by uninformed people don't merit a "warm welcome." Thoughtful, cogent, measured criticisms do.

[mbisson]

Which spec dining rooms are included in the price on the Adventure of the Seas? Isn't it just the main dining rooms & buffet that are included in the price?

 

We just returned from a 7 day cruise on the Pearl. Overall it was a nice experience. My biggest complaint was that out of the 12 restaurants that were available, 8 charged cover fees from $10 to $25 per person. My son and his buddy ate at Cagneys and paid the $25 cover per person and when they ordered steak and lobster, the lobster was an additional $10, so the cover was actually $35, more than what it would cost for a steak and lobster in upstate NY. After being on RCL's Adventure of Sea and having this included with the cruise cost, I was a little put off by the charge. On the return trip back, we had two days at sea in a row. Most of the restaurants were closed for most of the day until 4:30 to 5pm. I guess I really didn't understand that. The ridiculous priced drinks and other "extras" were priced about the same as any other cruise line. The NCL staff I thought were great, especially the Steward and Stewardess. But would I cruise again with NCL, probably not. I sold my son and his buddy (big eaters) on going with us on the fact that they could eat all they want and in the specialty restaurants, that wasn't necessarily the case. but overall it was ok.

[iheartbda]

Which spec dining rooms are included in the price on the Adventure of the Seas? Isn't it just the main dining rooms & buffet that are included in the price?

Don't expect an answer since he said he wouldn't be back. I think he took his toys and went home.:D

 

As far as my experience with RCCL, no specialty restaurant is included. If it was, there wouldn't be a fee, now would there? It wouldn't be special either.:p

[disneysteve]

As far as my experience with RCCL, no specialty restaurant is included. If it was, there wouldn't be a fee, now would there? It wouldn't be special either.:p

I don't think a restaurant must have an added fee in order to be special. It just needs to be something different. For example, one of my favorite things on Carnival was the pizzeria. Their pizza was excellent, among the best I've ever had. I would definitely count it as special even though it was included in the cruise price. The specialty restaurants wouldn't be any less enjoyable if they eliminated the cover charge as long as the food and service remained the same.

[iheartbda]

I don't think a restaurant must have an added fee in order to be special. It just needs to be something different. For example, one of my favorite things on Carnival was the pizzeria. Their pizza was excellent, among the best I've ever had. I would definitely count it as special even though it was included in the cruise price. The specialty restaurants wouldn't be any less enjoyable if they eliminated the cover charge as long as the food and service remained the same.

My comment that you highlighted was a play on words or tongue in cheek, hence the grinning sticking out tongue.....they really do need some other emoticons around here.:D

[Planer's Edge]

.....they really do need some other emoticons around here.:D

 

I can think of quite a few emoticons that would come in handy around here.;)

 

PE

[iheartbda]

I can think of quite a few emoticons that would come in handy around here.;)

 

PE

I suspect those would get the ax.:D

[disneysteve]

My comment that you highlighted was a play on words or tongue in cheek, hence the grinning sticking out tongue.....they really do need some other emoticons around here.:D

I thought you were kidding but I wasn't sure. You aren't the first to make that comment around here.

[halos]

For example, one of my favorite things on Carnival was the pizzeria. Their pizza was excellent, among the best I've ever had. .

 

May I ask where you live??? The idea that CCL's pizza is among the best you have ever had is bizarre to me.

 

It goes to show you...different tastes for different people. You didn't think much of LeBistro, yet love cruise ship pizza.

I enjoy most of CCL's food. :) It's pretty darn great for cruise ship food, but the pizza???? :eek::eek:

Yuk.

[disneysteve]

May I ask where you live??? The idea that CCL's pizza is among the best you have ever had is bizarre to me.

 

It goes to show you...different tastes for different people. You didn't think much of LeBistro, yet love cruise ship pizza.

I enjoy most of CCL's food. :) It's pretty darn great for cruise ship food, but the pizza???? :eek::eek:

Yuk.

 

It wasn't their plain pizza that I liked. It was one of their special pizzas. Something with goat cheese and mushrooms as I recall. I ate it every day. I'm from Philadelphia and live in NJ now so I'm surrounded by great pizza but there was something about that one variety on the ship that was just really, really good.

 

I see that within the past year or so, you've sailed a couple of times on NCL and a couple on Carnival. How would you compare the food in the included restaurants between the two recently?

[MYTHERK1]

O.K., I'll jump in here against my better judgment (lol).

 

 

 

What I don't like is the hassle to make reservations and keep them and the slower service--which is part of the ambiance, I know. When I say "keep them," I mean I may find on the day of the reservation I want to do something else around that time that I was unaware of two or three days prior to making the reservation. If I wasn't locked into a reservation, then I could do what I wanted to do and not be faced with a cancellation fee. Also, they don't post the daily menu for the MDR until the day of. If I see I'm not real happy with the menu, it is usually too late to get a reservation at the specialty dining venue for any decent hour.

 

 

 

Tucker in Texas

During the first hours of boarding the ship, we find the desk that makes reservations for the specialty restaurants. They have all the menus, including the ones for the MDR. These stay the same from week to week. On some days, we will elect to eat elsewhere, specialty, Blue Lagoon or buffet. Many times, the specialty restaurants will seat you at once or give you a time, without a reservation. Bon Appetite!

[mjdoshi]

Just had a 7 days Alaska cruise onboard Pearl. There were vendors selling drinks in public areas near pool, in the theater etc., but no one was pushing. Even the Sharkbait show performers advertised their DVDs at the end of the show and had their table set up outside of the theater at the end of the show.

 

I never once felt that I was being pushed to buy anything. I am also of the belief to pay cheapest price and then pay for it for the things you might make use of; such as Spa services, speciality restaurants, drinks etc.

 

On the other hand the rock climbing wall usage was free and our kids enjoyed that a lot and must have used at least twice a day with easy, medium and hard levels.

 

This is the perfect way to offer services to the cruisers who want to make use of them.

[disneysteve]

vendors selling drinks in public areas near pool, in the theater etc.

One thing to watch for was that on Dawn, they were selling drink specials away from the bar, like in the hall opposite the elevator at one point. First off, that isn't where I expect to buy a drink (but I did anyway :D) but the drinks weren't cold. They probably brought them out from the bar but then they just sat there until they got sold. Lesson learned. After that, we stuck to buying them fresh from the bar.

[mickey557]

During the first hours of boarding the ship, we find the desk that makes reservations for the specialty restaurants. They have all the menus, including the ones for the MDR. These stay the same from week to week. On some days, we will elect to eat elsewhere, specialty, Blue Lagoon or buffet. Many times, the specialty restaurants will seat you at once or give you a time, without a reservation. Bon Appetite!

 

Thanks for the tip :)

[Cali_Chick]

Ok...I guess I'm just going to jump right in :D

 

I've only been on one cruise and it was on Princess. But am looking at NCL for a nice winter cruise to somewhere warm. :cool: Just letting you know why I'm here in the NCL boards.

 

Anyway, I think the nickel and diming issue stems mostly from people not being aware of the additional charges when they book. They may advertise a cruise for $599 pp but that isn't the actual cost. You have to add the government fees (which they do in the quote), then the service charges, then the additional tips, then the drinks, then the optional services you might want and then the excursions.

 

And yes, most of it is optional but the problem is you don't know how much it's going to cost you until you get on board!

 

Personally, I wish they would list all the prices on their website and allow you to prebook or prepay for things such as restaurants or spa treatments. They could add it as an OBC to your account and then no surprises. People who don't want to use the services don't have to and people who want to can budget accordingly and in advance.

 

No everyone has access to the internet or can research all the various services so it would be very nice if the cruise lines just put it all up there so their customers/guests are prepared.

 

Example: NCL's website lists possible specialty restaurants and that the cover charge ranges from $10 to $30 per guest.

 

Why not just say this restaurant is $10, this one is $30, etc.? For a family of 4, there is a big difference between an additional $40 versus an additional $120. So why not just provide the information?? Let people really plan their vacation? Is it so wrong to tell people that can of soda is going to be $2.00 plus 15%?

 

It was one of the most frustrating things when I was trying to decide which cruise to take.

 

I didn't mind the gold plated stuff by an inch or the art auctions or the photo gallery or the other stuff they were pushing. Have these people been to a mall in California? The ship has nothing on sales pressure compared to that. Walking from one side of a mall to the other is like a combination between an obstacle course and mine field. Every 10 steps there is a Kiosk with someone trying to get to try/buy/order something.

 

But trying to figure out how much a decent cup of coffee was going to cost not to mention the tipping protocols.....now that was stress.

[halos]

It wasn't their plain pizza that I liked. It was one of their special pizzas. Something with goat cheese and mushrooms as I recall. I ate it every day. I'm from Philadelphia and live in NJ now so I'm surrounded by great pizza but there was something about that one variety on the ship that was just really, really good.

 

I see that within the past year or so, you've sailed a couple of times on NCL and a couple on Carnival. How would you compare the food in the included restaurants between the two recently?

 

 

I'm from Philly too :) LMAO..I can NOT believe you like ship pizza! :D

I miss Philly Pizza. Maine is great for lobster...pizza and bread, not-so-much. Not enough REAL Italians up here!! :D

 

As for the 2 lines, I have always maintained that CCL's MDR food is superior to that of NCL. But, there has been a noticeable decline in CCL food lately. It puts the two on a more level field...although CCL still is better by a bit. Service in the MDR goes to CCL as well. It's pretty awesome. I could do without the performaces every night though.

I don't like that at all....It's cute the first couple cruises, then it gets old REAL fast.

There are things I prefer about CCL and things that I love/prefer about NCL. I cruise on both lines for the variety.

 

I tried Celebrity and it wasn't a good fit for us...too subdued/quiet and way too low key. Service was perfection, but WAY too stiff and formal. Some people like that, I do not. So, it's a matter of taste....

 

We tried RCCL and were underwhelmed. It was nice, but we expected more than what we get on NCL or CCL because we paid more. When we didn't get what we paid for, (which according to Royal fans is a far better cruise experience) it was a real turn off. I would sail RCCL again, but not unless the price was something worth looking at. It was a nice cruise....but not worth the high cost.

and for what it's worth, if you think NCL food is bad, do not book a Royal cruise. The food was (for us) the absolute worst.

 

In all honesty, a cruise with bad food might be good for me once in a while. :eek:;):D less temptation....

[disneysteve]

I have always maintained that CCL's MDR food is superior to that of NCL. But, there has been a noticeable decline in CCL food lately. It puts the two on a more level field...although CCL still is better by a bit. Service in the MDR goes to CCL as well. It's pretty awesome. I could do without the performaces every night though.

I don't like that at all....It's cute the first couple cruises, then it gets old REAL fast.

 

I tried Celebrity and it wasn't a good fit for us...too subdued/quiet and way too low key. Service was perfection, but WAY too stiff and formal. Some people like that, I do not. So, it's a matter of taste....

 

We tried RCCL and were underwhelmed. It was nice, but we expected more than what we get on NCL or CCL because we paid more.

 

for what it's worth, if you think NCL food is bad, do not book a Royal cruise. The food was (for us) the absolute worst.

Thanks. We've been discussing what line to try next. We won't do NCL again after our experience on Dawn. We would gladly go back to CCL but would like to see what else is out there. My daughter wants to do RCCL because she hears so much about it and some friends of ours sail with them regularly and rave about it (but I don't know if they've ever sailed with anyone else). HAL looks nice but they look like they wouldn't be as active for our teen. Celebrity is on our list to try. I wouldn't mind a little more subdued but again, our teen would probably be bored.

 

Decisions, decisions....

[halos]

Thanks. We've been discussing what line to try next. We won't do NCL again after our experience on Dawn. We would gladly go back to CCL but would like to see what else is out there. My daughter wants to do RCCL because she hears so much about it and some friends of ours sail with them regularly and rave about it (but I don't know if they've ever sailed with anyone else). HAL looks nice but they look like they wouldn't be as active for our teen. Celebrity is on our list to try. I wouldn't mind a little more subdued but again, our teen would probably be bored.

 

Decisions, decisions....

 

To be fair, our celebrity cruise was a two week Panama canal crossing.

The average age on that ship was 68. Most couples we talked to were celebrating their 50th anniversaries.....My DH said that if he had opened a walking cane consession on the ship, we could have sailed for free. There was one (and I mean ONE) family (British) on this ship with 2 teenagers. My heart bled for those kids.....

 

BUT I have heard that the shorter Celebrity cruises draw a more diverse age group.

 

For me, I am just not willing to take that chance...and I'm 48!!!! :eek: I personally would not choose Celebrity with kids...no way.

Royal Caribbean, YES.

HAL.....they draw an even older crowd. Please look into that (read their boards) before thinking of taking your teen on that line.

[disneysteve]

To be fair, our celebrity cruise was a two week Panama canal crossing.

The average age on that ship was 68.

 

BUT I have heard that the shorter Celebrity cruises draw a more diverse age group.

 

For me, I am just not willing to take that chance...and I'm 48!!!! :eek: I personally would not choose Celebrity with kids...no way.

Royal Caribbean, YES.

HAL.....they draw an even older crowd. Please look into that (read their boards) before thinking of taking your teen on that line.

I do think the destination matters. More young party types heading for the Caribbean and beach destinations. More older people on the longer duration trips to the more sightseeing-based places. I know Disney, for example, has been offering all kinds of discounts to fill their Mediterranean cruises because they just aren't attracting the typical Disney family demographic.

[Soloist]

I think of cruising just like a land vacation. Go to Vegas, stay at MGM, see some shows, do some gambling, go on a grand canyon tour. Pay for what you want to do.

 

When you went on an airplane years ago, you got everything as part of the ticket that you pay for now. Food, pillow, drink, headphones, baggage check, movie.

I got a RT airline tix MD to FLA for $89 including taxes. Thats cheaper than driving.

 

 

You got to get the people on the boat, if theres no one on the boat then they cant spend money.

[Soloist]

Thanks. We've been discussing what line to try next. We won't do NCL again after our experience on Dawn. We would gladly go back to CCL but would like to see what else is out there. My daughter wants to do RCCL because she hears so much about it and some friends of ours sail with them regularly and rave about it (but I don't know if they've ever sailed with anyone else). HAL looks nice but they look like they wouldn't be as active for our teen. Celebrity is on our list to try. I wouldn't mind a little more subdued but again, our teen would probably be bored.

 

Decisions, decisions....

If you want to try RCCL because your teen wants to, then make sure that you are on one of the large ships. Oasis, Freedom, Independence, or Liberty. These are all larger by tonnage (156,000 -228,000) than any vessel in NCL or CCL. These are the 4 w/ the flowriders. There are also 5 Voyager class ships that do not have the flowrider, at 138,000 tons they are still larger than all but NCL EPIC and CCL DREAM.

 

I do not have anything against CCL, in fact I think its a good line but no cruise line(or anything else for that matter) can be all things for all people. However right now I choose RCCL for the on board experience. The next cruise will probably be on a Voyager or Freedom class (RCCL) or I will give NCL Epic a try.