NCL Suffers By Comparison .....

[DocJohnB]

Both Celebrity and Princess offer only punch and wine as well, few if any appitizers and hardley any crew members are there. We have never seen a door prize.

 

Nita

 

Really?. The only thing I would agree on with the above is never having seen a door prize. Are you basing your info on your last =X= cruise (5 years ago). Our last trip on =X= was last year. Much more than wine and punch was available as were hot and cold appetizers. There were about a dozen senior officers present, including the Captain, Chief Engineer, etc.

 

Can't speak about Princess.

[jff50]

One area where other cruise lines pale in comparison to NCL is in perks for repeat cruisers. As a happy NCL Platinum Latitudes member, no other cruise line provides the perks I get from NCL. After over 100 days on HAL, all I got was a Copper Medallion? I much prefer the complimentary meals in Le Bistro.

Not sure what NCL offers to repeat cruisers (where can you find the information--I was not able to find it on their website). I am elite with Princess, and we get free laundry and dry cleaning, free shoe shining, free internet, free wine tasting, free mini bar setup, 10% discount in the ship's shops, afternoon tea served in your stateroom, hor dourves delivered on formal nights. We get a lot of value out of those perqs on every cruise.

[newmexicoNita]

Really?. The only thing I would agree on with the above is never having seen a door prize. Are you basing your info on your last =X= cruise (5 years ago). Our last trip on =X= was last year. Much more than wine and punch was available as were hot and cold appetizers. There were about a dozen senior officers present, including the Captain, Chief Engineer, etc.

 

Can't speak about Princess.

 

I am and I am glad to hear this.

 

Nita

[beachchick]

I'm not against freestyle cruising being out there. I think it is great that there is a line that offers that option for those that want it. What I am somewhat bemoaning is the fact that this concept or some bastardized version of it seems to be showing up on all the main market lines...one of the things I used to like about cruising was the fact that I pretty much knew, going in, what the vacation was going to cost me.

 

I try not to be a glutton and I have been slightly appalled, in fact, by people practically pawing at the doors to get into a midnight chocolate buffet when most of them have consummed a four or five course meal just a few hours before so I am not going to go out of my way to try to "eat my money's worth " at every meal but I do like not to have to think too much about how much eveything is going to add to the bottom line before I order it; do I really want a soft drink by the pool enough to pay for it, or is a coffee in the lounge after dinner worth the cost, is the seafood dish on the menu worth an extra surcharge to me instead of the ragout...is the drink mixing demo included or is there a charge? I understand how, to some people, that may seem like a choice... to me it just feels like someone having their hand in my pocket for more money everytime I turn around, and me having to be on my guard not to run up a bigger bill than I planned to by adding five, ten or twenty dollar charges all over the place.

 

Some thoughts and questions. "Freestyle" is not just the dining or options and the other mainstream cruise lines most certainly charge for nearly everything that NCL charges for--and that is not a new thing or related to anything NCL has done with the Freestyle thing. How is it that you used to know going in how much your cruise was going to cost, but now you don't? What are the cruise lines charging for now that they didn't before and how is it related to NCL's Freestyle concept?

 

Disney offers soda included, which is great, but at a fare that is usually much higher; other lines (RCI, HAL, Carnival, Princess) do not and have not included soda for a long time. Specialty coffees cost extra on most lines. Wine/drink tastings generally have an extra fee on other cruise lines. Other cruise lines have had surcharge specialty restaurants for many years. And so on.

 

I guess what I'm not quite getting is your notion that NCL is to "blame" for other cruise lines charging for things that they've pretty much always charged for or how that constitutes a "bastardized" version of Freestyle. If you are referring to the Freestyle dining and NCL having more specialty restaurants, then I'm at a loss as to how having more options is a bad thing. NCL offers pretty much the same included dining as other cruise lines. If you mean that Freestyle is the reason for other cruise lines adding more specialty restaurants, I still don't see that as a bad thing.

 

Aren't all those extras things you know about in advance? And can't you decide beforehand whether you will spend money for them? Do you really sit there by the pool thinking "Do I want to pay for a soft drink?" and if so, don't you do that on all the other cruise lines that charge for soda?

 

BTW, I am far from a "cheerleader" for any cruise line. NCL is nowhere near perfect, IMO, but you seem to be trying to blame them for things that they had nothing to do with.

 

I completely agree with you about the gluttony and the mindset of "Must eat as much as possible in order to justify the cruise fare." It's revolting. Sadly, it's not limited to NCL and it's not limited to any one group of people.

 

Self discipline would totally eliminate the problem. If you don't want to spend the money, don't order it.

 

Sounds good to me.

 

exceptly. Yes, we do turn the news on in the mornings on the ship and in the evening before bed time, but there is something to be said about the days when we had no communication. Obvioulsy if anything earth shaking happened we would know and a vacation is supposed to be that, a time to escape. I feel the same about the net on vacation and cell phones except for emergancies.

 

Nita

 

I think that the "24 hour/7 day" so-called news cycle is part of the reason that more news is offered. Most people seem to want to know everything absolutely instantly. Not us--When we're "on vacation," we're on vacation.

 

beachchick

[boxerjake]

While I understand your point, I don't think that 'dumbing down' is the appropriate term. I think the difference in our views probably stems from the fact that I think it's all a fantastic concept, while you appear to feel that it is not.

 

When I read your phrasing, what I perceive is that you believe NCL's product quality is being lowered in order to attract people with less sophisticated tastes. (I am not stating this as fact; it is just how I interpret the term 'dumbing down' as you are using it)

 

When I look at the same processes, however, what I see is that NCL has expanded their offerings to accommodate people with more varied points of view, by creating an a la carte system whereby passengers are able to make their own choices about how to spend their travel dollar.

 

Some people absolutely prefer to eat a burger and fries rather than escargot and filet mignon. Does that mean that those individuals are of a lower class or have a 'dumbed down' view of travel and dining? Absolutely not; how can anyone answer that question based solely on someone's dining preference? The same can be said for someone's choice to wear jeans rather than a suit.

 

To me, the concept of 'dumbing down' anything implies something negative, and I just don't feel that this is the case for NCL. To say so is to suggest that ALL of the people who are now able to enjoy cruising as a direct result of their current product design are somehow a negative addition to the passenger mix. Having cruised since 1975, I can verify that as far as passengers go, the percentage of jerks on board has not changed a bit, so clearly this is not the case.

 

When I read posts talking about the 'old days', I often find myself chuckling a bit. Perhaps I've been cruising longer than most on the boards, but it's those 'old days' (meaning for me the 70s and 80s) that make me so ecstatically happy about what NCL offers now. Contrary to apparent popular belief, food was NOT available all day; there was ONE dining room that served two scheduled sittings for each meal as well as a midnight buffet, and an outdoor buffet was served at lunch. There was generally one pool, about the size of a postage stamp. There wasn't even a casino on the first ship I sailed (Carnival Mardi Gras). There were shows in the 'show lounge'. There was no spa, but there was a gym with a few machines (there weren't many available back then). I think they also offered skeet shooting and golf (driving). Other than that and a few crafty activities or dance lessons, we were on our own, and miraculously had no difficulty amusing ourselves or making it from meal to meal without starving. :p

 

Now we've got entire sports complexes, multiple pools, waterslides, bowling, entertainment of all kinds, an organized kids' program, and food 24/7. As for the quality of the food, I loved it then and I love it now - even the included fare. I would LOVE to dine at the homes of some of the posters that complain about the food on NCL, because they must be culinary talents to rival Gordon Ramsay!! :p

 

So, once again, as with so many discussions on this board, it comes down to personal opinion and perception. I'll never understand why so many people think it's a negative thing to be given the freedom to make your own choices about so many things, but I accept that not everyone has my outlook, so whether I understand it or not, I respect it. :)

 

 

Well said !!!

[sjbdtz]

WOW! a little defensive here, aren't we? Indeed

 

What are they charging for?

Soft drinks, juice ( if you order it at a bar but not in the morning at breakfast) , most classes in the gym ( years ago RCI had a ship shape program that they not only didn't charge for but in fact gave you points towards a free towel or something for participating)

 

Years ago, so did NCL!

 

 

some things in the little cafes (pastries are free but coffee is a charge),

 

Not "coffee". "Specialty Coffee".

 

 

Once again, because some people here seem to have trouble getting this, let me state I understand why they are doing this to increase revenue, for me personally, I find it detracts from my enjoyment of the cruise.

 

Perhaps it does. But it has nothing to do with Freestyle, and it has nothing to do with NCL.

THAT is the point which Nita was making. You can ABSOLUTELY know what your cruise will cost, if you only partake of included elements.

If you decide to upgrade-on-the-fly, and choose optional elements, well....that's no different than going to buy a car and finding out that the sunroof and electric seats cost extra. They're a choice.

 

 

 

 

Yes, I have to do it on other lines too and again, isn't that just my point?

I don't particularily enjoy this and I wish that there was still a line out there (apart from the premium ones that charge so much more) where you didn't have to do it. Some of the posters on this board seem to be in such a protective mode where NCL is involved that they can't read someone stating their personal feelings about what they do, or don't, enjoy about cruising without interpreting it all as a personal attack on NCL. :rolleyes:

 

 

You don't want to sail on Premium lines because they "charge so much more", and object that the realities of the economy apply to cruiselines too.

 

The cruiselines are all trying to figure out how to meet their revenue requirements, and that money is going to come from 1 of 2 places:

 

- users of high-margin, but optional goods (spa, bar, specialty dining, soda cards, etc.)

 

OR

 

- everyone, in the form of higher fares.

 

 

I for one am happy that they chosen the user-pay system.....

[Clutterlady]

i agree and so many do not realize that. It is true with the party for frequent guests as well. OK, NCL has cut back, they only serve wine and punch unless you ask for something else. But they have zillions of door prizes, the captain and a few other crew members are there and it is just more fun. Both Celebrity and Princess offer only punch and wine as well, few if any appitizers and hardley any crew members are there. We have never seen a door prize.

 

Nita

 

Nita, just to clarify, are you refering to the Captain's Circle party for repeat cruisers held on Princess?

[alwayssingin]

I do miss the days when service was perfect, your cabin steward knew what you wanted before you asked, the wait staff knew what you wanted before you even sat down and the your entire OB account would amount to maybe a couple hundred dollars.

 

We just got off last week and our OB account totaled $232. That includes the SC of $24/day for the two of us. That's what we love about Freestyle -- we can choose where to spend our money, and this time it was in port!

[CanadianTwosome]

I'm not against freestyle cruising being out there. I think it is great that there is a line that offers that option for those that want it. What I am somewhat bemoaning is the fact that this concept or some bastardized version of it seems to be showing up on all the main market lines...one of the things I used to like about cruising was the fact that I pretty much knew, going in, what the vacation was going to cost me.

 

I try not to be a glutton and I have been slightly appalled, in fact, by people practically pawing at the doors to get into a midnight chocolate buffet when most of them have consummed a four or five course meal just a few hours before so I am not going to go out of my way to try to "eat my money's worth " at every meal but I do like not to have to think too much about how much eveything is going to add to the bottom line before I order it; do I really want a soft drink by the pool enough to pay for it, or is a coffee in the lounge after dinner worth the cost, is the seafood dish on the menu worth an extra surcharge to me instead of the ragout...is the drink mixing demo included or is there a charge? I understand how, to some people, that may seem like a choice... to me it just feels like someone having their hand in my pocket for more money everytime I turn around, and me having to be on my guard not to run up a bigger bill than I planned to by adding five, ten or twenty dollar charges all over the place.

 

Ummmmm... regardless of how you 'feel' about these options, they are choices, and it's not just how it 'seems' to 'some people'. You CHOOSE whether you want these options, period. If you feel like someone 'has their hand in your pocket for more money every time you turn around', then that's because YOU are CHOOSING to participate in activities that incur a surcharge - that other people CHOOSE whether or not to participate in also.

 

NCL is very up front about what activities incur a surcharge. I will acknowledge that sometimes the prices are difficult to locate on their website (that's what I've read, I've never tried), but they are all available here, especially if you ask directly. Having all of this information ahead of time allows me (and many others) to budget for my cruise exactly as I would if everything were included - with the important difference that I'm only paying for the additional items I CHOOSE. I don't want lobster tails, and I'm glad they haven't been included in my fare. My husband and daughter don't drink soda, so I'm glad it's not included in their fares. While we think it's a cool option and may try it someday, we have yet to bowl, so I'm glad it's not included in my fare. I'm sure I don't have to go on to make my point. Freestyle is all about choices, and we make them for ourselves. I do not blame NCL for my decision to pay a surcharge to enjoy Teppanyaki with my family, I give them credit for providing me the opportunity to CHOOSE the experience.

 

My advice to you is to research what is available on your next cruise (any line, not just NCL). If you are interested in an activity, find out if it incurs a surcharge and then get out your calculator and decide in advance whether you want to add it to your budget. If you are not comfortable making choices about spending money 'on the fly', don't. You're free to preplan everything if you choose. Otherwise, the only way to get a fully prepaid cruise is to pay a premium (by way of a much higher fare on a luxury line) ahead of time - but I guarantee it will be more than any you will pay on a mainstream line for sodas or specialty dining! :)

[newmexicoNita]

You don't want to sail on Premium lines because they "charge so much more", and object that the realities of the economy apply to cruiselines too.

 

The cruiselines are all trying to figure out how to meet their revenue requirements, and that money is going to come from 1 of 2 places:

 

- users of high-margin, but optional goods (spa, bar, specialty dining, soda cards, etc.)

 

OR

 

- everyone, in the form of higher fares.

 

 

I for one am happy that they chosen the user-pay system.....

 

Great posting. Don't we all wish there was a line that didn't charge as much as the primium lines but offered the features they do. That is like saying, I wish "Outback" was as good as a 5 star steak house, but didn't charge as much or I wish I could buy a 4000 SQ FT house for the same the price as a 2500 sq ft house in the same neighborhood.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

Nita, just to clarify, are you refering to the Captain's Circle party for repeat cruisers held on Princess?

 

Yep and we have been to 2 parties: both cases we didn't even get apptizers, they had them, but not enough and the wait people didn't come down our row (again both times) there were no door prizes, we got 1 glass of wine, again no one came back either time and the only crew member that appeared was the capt for a couple of minutes as well as the coordinator for future cruises. again, I am saying both times. I don't know about other experiences.

 

Nita

[Clutterlady]

Yep and we have been to 2 parties: both cases we didn't even get apptizers, they had them, but not enough and the wait people didn't come down our row (again both times) there were no door prizes, we got 1 glass of wine, again no one came back either time and the only crew member that appeared was the capt for a couple of minutes as well as the coordinator for future cruises. again, I am saying both times. I don't know about other experiences.

 

Nita

 

We've always had hot and cold appitizers, many different drinks including martinis, etc. The Captain always gives a speech. Sorry you didn't have a good experience.

[zalusky]

You don't want to sail on Premium lines because they "charge so much more", and object that the realities of the economy apply to cruiselines too.

 

The cruiselines are all trying to figure out how to meet their revenue requirements, and that money is going to come from 1 of 2 places:

 

- users of high-margin, but optional goods (spa, bar, specialty dining, soda cards, etc.)

 

OR

 

- everyone, in the form of higher fares.

 

 

I for one am happy that they chosen the user-pay system.....

 

Time for some mindless babble about society:

 

I think what bothers people is not so much the user-pay system as you describe but that it brings along lots more marketing. Yes nobody is forcing you but it feels more and more like you have to walk through a Jamaican shopping mall these days. Whether its booze, or the one day deals, spa treatments, ..... Some people go camping to get away and relax and it it getting very hard to do that on a cruise.

 

Marketing people spend a lot of money to persuade you. They analyze every psychological trick in the book. It feels like you cant enjoy anything without an upsell.

 

It also makes it very hard to forecast the total cost of the adventure because so much of it is after the fact nickle and dimes.

Tips for an example should be charged in the ticket price but they are charged after the fact. Not because its a discretionary charge. It really isn't because its somebodys wage but BECAUSE it allows them to advertise a lower initial fare and then why everybody in the service industry does it.

 

How many people really know how much they are going to spend in advance. The cruise industry likes that you dont have an exact number because they can then persuade to upsell the number and the smaller the nickel and dimes the better. After all whats $10 here and there.

 

My recent NCL cruise had a service charge of $450 for a 5 day cruise for two people that was about 75% of the cruise price. Do you think they would sell as many tickets if they included what if calculators at booking time. No way! I can see porter charges, and even entertainment charges working their way into the picture eventually to the point where all your paying for is the room.

[pearlie]

I was recently on NCL Pride of America, but I usually cruise RCCL.

 

Some of the op's observations were similar to my experience.

 

On arrival to our cabin after many hours of travel, we found out bathroom to be filthy, disgustingly filthy, unusable. We called guest relations and were told to use the public bathroom on deck 5... lovely....

It took 5hrs to clean, and we were suspect of what else was not cleaned in the room. I have sent emails to NCL, no response.

$12 day for tipping seems excessive, RCCL charges $9.75.

Dining room service was lacking at times. The staff was friendly.

Lack of lemonade or fruit punch was just cheap! The ice tea could have been used as varnish.

Many went shopping off the ship for water, juice and soda, thank goodness we could bring those on for some variety.

 

 

Just my 2 cents, everyone has differing opinions on what they like or dislike.

[jeannep]

 

 

My recent NCL cruise had a service charge of $450 for a 5 day cruise for two people that was about 75% of the cruise price. Do you think they would sell as many tickets if they included what if calculators at booking time. No way! I can see porter charges, and even entertainment charges working their way into the picture eventually to the point where all your paying for is the room.

 

 

NCL charges $12 a day per person for tips. That would be $60 for 5 days each times 2 people equals $120. What was $450 for???

[Cruise_More_Often]

NCL charges $12 a day per person for tips. That would be $60 for 5 days each times 2 people equals $120. What was $450 for???

My question, too, as I was sitting here multiplying. Perhaps she's including charges for specialty dining, but in no way is the DSC for a 5-day trip $450.

[swedish weave]

Time for some mindless babble about society:

 

I think what bothers people is not so much the user-pay system as you describe but that it brings along lots more marketing. Yes nobody is forcing you but it feels more and more like you have to walk through a Jamaican shopping mall these days. Whether its booze, or the one day deals, spa treatments, ..... Some people go camping to get away and relax and it it getting very hard to do that on a cruise.

 

Marketing people spend a lot of money to persuade you. They analyze every psychological trick in the book. It feels like you cant enjoy anything without an upsell.

 

It also makes it very hard to forecast the total cost of the adventure because so much of it is after the fact nickle and dimes.

Tips for an example should be charged in the ticket price but they are charged after the fact. Not because its a discretionary charge. It really isn't because its somebodys wage but BECAUSE it allows them to advertise a lower initial fare and then why everybody in the service industry does it.

 

How many people really know how much they are going to spend in advance. The cruise industry likes that you dont have an exact number because they can then persuade to upsell the number and the smaller the nickel and dimes the better. After all whats $10 here and there.

 

My recent NCL cruise had a service charge of $450 for a 5 day cruise for two people that was about 75% of the cruise price. Do you think they would sell as many tickets if they included what if calculators at booking time. No way! I can see porter charges, and even entertainment charges working their way into the picture eventually to the point where all your paying for is the room.

 

It appears that there is something you are not telling us about the $450 charge. If you didn't use other non-included options, you certainly should have disputed the charge because the service should be $120 for two people for five days. Can you clear this up ?

[zalusky]

It appears that there is something you are not telling us about the $450 charge. If you didn't use other non-included options, you certainly should have disputed the charge because the service should be $120 for two people for five days. Can you clear this up ?

 

The point of my rant was that as the trend towards Nickle and Diming enlarges it is very difficult to forecast your total bill and that the cruise lines DO NOT want you to ever do that in advance.

 

My $450 charge did not have shore excursions but it did have some extra cost restaurants, some drinks, one 8x10, fees for the BAGs program and Airport transfers.

 

Yes it was all my choice but my point is there was a time when you looked at the upfront charge and it represented the major portion of your bill.

Now we are reaching the point where your secondary bill will because of guest pays. As more things go extra cost you wont be able to forecast the total bill in advance.

 

This is not an NCL specific rant but a rant on the general direction of things versus the cruise heritage.

 

Also as a result it is getting more difficult to compare the total value of a vacation between Cruise lines when one tries to total up quality and price of the nickle and dime offerings

[musicorn]

I am from Australia and I am very excited about cruising with NCL on the Pearl for the first time next June. :D

 

I have been very interested in some of the information posted in this thread. You get the news? :eek: Wow I will not be turning that on. The best bit about cruising for me is the disconnection from the "real world" and the stress that goes with it.

 

The whole tipping issue is interesting for me, especially coming from a country that does not tip. P&O has recently removed their tipping and encourage people to tip for quality service. I am not sure if this has affected service as I have only cruised 3 times in my life and all this year. But I can not imagine they would remove the tips just because they could do so.

 

The other interesting information for me was the bags in the cabin issue. With my 3 cruises with P&O I have boarded and gone straight to my cabin to find my bags on the plastic sheet on my bed. Now here in OZ P&O is often seen as a budget line compared to all of the others mentioned in these threads. So for me that just goes to show that all lines have their good and not so good and it is up to the traveler to decide what is acceptable for them.

 

I also believe that your attitude as you board has a lot to do with your experience. I go thinking there are going to be some hick ups and I choose not to let them be the focus of my experience. On our first cruise ever we had a blocked toilet (bathroom? not sure of the language here:confused:) and no air conditioning for 12 hours. Is this what I remember from my cruise? No way!

 

I am not sure if I will find NCL better than P&O or if my cruise RCCL next December will be better but I am sure I will have fun finding out. ;)

[singinglizzie]

Time for some mindless babble about society:

 

My recent NCL cruise had a service charge of $450 for a 5 day cruise for two people that was about 75% of the cruise price. Do you think they would sell as many tickets if they included what if calculators at booking time. No way! I can see porter charges, and even entertainment charges working their way into the picture eventually to the point where all your paying for is the room.

 

The point of my rant was that as the trend towards Nickle and Diming enlarges it is very difficult to forecast your total bill and that the cruise lines DO NOT want you to ever do that in advance.

 

My $450 charge did not have shore excursions but it did have some extra cost restaurants, some drinks, one 8x10, fees for the BAGs program and Airport transfers.

 

Yes it was all my choice but my point is there was a time when you looked at the upfront charge and it represented the major portion of your bill.

 

Ok, thanks for clarifying, your service charges were not $450, but the extra money you opted to spend inlcuding the gratuities? Or maybe it was just the money you chose to spend not including gratuities? I got mixed up from the term service charges, but maybe you really just meant extra charges!

[2inTul]

The point of my rant was that as the trend towards Nickle and Diming enlarges it is very difficult to forecast your total bill and that the cruise lines DO NOT want you to ever do that in advance.

 

My $450 charge did not have shore excursions but it did have some extra cost restaurants, some drinks, one 8x10, fees for the BAGs program and Airport transfers.

 

Yes it was all my choice but my point is there was a time when you looked at the upfront charge and it represented the major portion of your bill.

Now we are reaching the point where your secondary bill will because of guest pays. As more things go extra cost you wont be able to forecast the total bill in advance.

 

This is not an NCL specific rant but a rant on the general direction of things versus the cruise heritage.

 

Also as a result it is getting more difficult to compare the total value of a vacation between Cruise lines when one tries to total up quality and price of the nickle and dime offerings

 

When have these charges EVER been included in your cruise fare? :eek:

 

I don't think you are doing your argument any favors citing examples like this.:rolleyes:

[sunshine 229]

Great posting. Don't we all wish there was a line that didn't charge as much as the primium lines but offered the features they do. That is like saying, I wish "Outback" was as good as a 5 star steak house, but didn't charge as much or I wish I could buy a 4000 SQ FT house for the same the price as a 2500 sq ft house in the same neighborhood.

 

Nita

 

 

Boy you guys really are defensive. I am not talking about having all the things that the premium lines offer such as the much higher passenger to crew ratio, and I'm pretty sure that you know that, but are ignoring it in an attempt to make it sound as if what I am asking is ridiculous.

 

Not that many years ago many cruiselines offered cruises that were much more inclusive and no where near the price of a Crystal or Silverseas cruise.

Nita, you have been around for long enough that I am sure you know that.

 

And for the poster who commented that I could sit down before my cruise and scour the NCL literature or come here and ask questions to try to determine the price of every offering that I might possibly come across, before the cruise, so I can determine exactly what I will want to do and figure out how much, to the nickel my cruise will cost, yes, I guess I could if I had the time but in the past with more inclusive cruises, I didn't have to. Should I be happy about adding to the list of things that I need to do before I can enjoy my vacation?

[sunshine 229]

The point of my rant was that as the trend towards Nickle and Diming enlarges it is very difficult to forecast your total bill and that the cruise lines DO NOT want you to ever do that in advance.

 

My $450 charge did not have shore excursions but it did have some extra cost restaurants, some drinks, one 8x10, fees for the BAGs program and Airport transfers.

 

Yes it was all my choice but my point is there was a time when you looked at the upfront charge and it represented the major portion of your bill.

Now we are reaching the point where your secondary bill will because of guest pays. As more things go extra cost you wont be able to forecast the total bill in advance.

 

This is not an NCL specific rant but a rant on the general direction of things versus the cruise heritage.

 

Also as a result it is getting more difficult to compare the total value of a vacation between Cruise lines when one tries to total up quality and price of the nickle and dime offerings

 

I agree and that is the point I have been trying to make, to no avail, with the posters who seem to take everything as an attack on NCL.

 

As to your comment about comparing the value offered by one cruise line or another, it is starting to feel like picking a cell phone plan.

[zalusky]

When have these charges EVER been included in your cruise fare? :eek:

 

I don't think you are doing your argument any favors citing examples like this.:rolleyes:

 

The cruise lines have cut expenses by trimming what's available in the main restaurants and relegated things we used to experience as standard to the extra cost restaurants.

 

For example the quality of steaks or the size and availability of lobsters, or quantity of shrimp.

Ice cream being charged where it might have been free before. On some lines the souflees are only in the extra cost restaurants.

 

The whole extra cost idea represents a way to lower the price but it also represents some things that used to be standard.

[Inuvikcouple]

We were big fans of NCL back in the day (2003). We loved the Freestyle concept (which no other line offered), thought the ship (Dawn) was modern and elegant, the staff friendly, the prices fair, the food varied and good, just an overall good cruise experience.

 

When we took the Star to Glacier Bay a couple of years later, believe it or not we missed Glacier Bay. The ship sprung an oil leak and wasn't allowed to enter the National Park to foul the waters. We also noticed that when we left Seattle, we were docked alone at an industrial port, while other ships were clustered together closer to downtown.

 

Glutens for punishment, we took the Star again later that year on a Mexican Riviera cruise from L.A. to Acapulco. Luckily we made it to Acapulco, but the very next cruise and several more after that, couldn't make it that far South due to engine problems. Our cruise experience was okay, nothing more - particularly compared to the Sapphire Princess cruise to Mexico we had taken the year earlier.

 

We pretty much signed off on NCL and sailed Princess, Carnival, RCCL and Holland America, all of which in our opinion give a better overall cruise experience and also some form of Freestyle of their own.

 

Skip forward to last week when we sailed the Pearl on the 5 day Pacific Coastal repositioning cruise. The ship is pretty much a duplicate of the Dawn and the Star, seems we didn't miss much over the past 5 years. The cruise again started from an industrial pier in Vancouver, not Canada Place as originally planned, and boarding was chaotic.

 

The staff seems very robotic and not really engaged with the passengers. Unlike other cruise lines, our bags were left outside our cabin, instead of brought into the cabin and placed on the bed. The cabin stewardess seemed like she was disengaged, hard to put your finger on it, but she didn't seem to like her job.

 

Much like the dining room staff in the 2 main dining rooms, everyone is going through the motions, no warmth at all. The service was slipshod; we were never offered a beverage with our dinner, some evenings the dessert order was taken at the beginning of the meal other nights at the end. Other nights we had to ask to see a dessert menu. Water and coffee were refilled some nights, not others. The food was mediocre at best.

 

So let me ask, why does NCL charge the highest automatic tip of $12 per day, it's surely not the quality of service.

 

The high pressure sales make Carnival seem like amateurs, drinks, drinks, drinks, drinks? That's in about 3 minutes time.

 

The Food in the Garden Cafe was the best of the cruise and that includes the night we ate in Lotus Garden, which was just okay Asian cuisine, not worth the more than $60 it ending up costing us with one drink each and a tip.

 

Speaking of the Garden Café, why did they take up half of the table space with the kiddie area, getting a table was like find a needle in a hay stack and than you had to protect it with one person sitting guard while the other went back for more food or dessert or a beverage.

 

There was plenty of entertainment for a 5 day cruise; we thought the Four Seasons tribute group put on the best show, Sharkbait and the comedian weren’t our cup of tea.

 

When compared to the cruise experience we had on Holland-America earlier this year, it’s like night and day.

 

We enjoyed this cruise primarily due to the 3 wonderful nights we spent in Vancouver/Whistler and a night in Los Angeles. We viewed the Pearl merely as a floating hotel and a means of transportation from port to port

 

The ship’s tours we took in Astoria and Sonoma were well handled, but all in all we need another long break from NCL.

 

There were 8 of us on the same repositioning cruise and yes it was chaos at the pier, although the staffing problems were contractors and not NCL employees. The good news is we survived and had a great cruise. We did have first time cruisers with us and even they were able to put the poor start behind them and enjoy the rest of the trip. In addition we were on our first cruise a few years back (NCL Star) just after you I assume because Acapulco was cancelled due to engine problems. We were disappointed initially but soon discovered that there is no such thing as a bad cruise. We had a good day at the replacement port. It is what you make it we feel. Lastly, we have cruised with Celebrity, RCCL and NCL including being in suites and we have never had our baggage put it the room. We have always had to move it in from the hall. Relax and enjoy yourselves everyone.