Nickel and dime on the Dawn

[Anjjmum0294]

I just got off the Dawn and I am going again. I never once felt pressured to buy anything I didn't want. A simple no thank you was plenty, and for the most part, they didn't bother me at all. I would ask them what they were selling first! Go ahead on the Dawn and have a blast, you will not be nickeled and dimed at all. I didn't do the casino, spent money in the arcade, did not buy alcohol and did buy plenty of stuff in the store, and spent a total of $300 of my own money! (I did have obc of 150 to start though) I brought our own soda tagged with our room tag. So if I can get away with that, you should be alright lol!

[cathhduh]

I've been reading a few cruise reviews for the Dawn. A few comments were that NCL nickels and dimes passengers example: bingo, jewelry, drinks etc. This will be our first cruise on NCL since '95 but we have been on many cruises on different lines. The ships do offer bingo, shops, drinks etc. but a passenger can refuse and not buy what is offered.

To those of you that have cruised NCL do you find that the crew bother you to shop etc.?? Your thoughts please and thanks.

Carol

 

never have i experienced this on NCL! i think this is a bad reputation for all cruiselines not just NCL though.

[Karysa]

I've been reading a few cruise reviews for the Dawn. A few comments were that NCL nickels and dimes passengers example: bingo, jewelry, drinks etc. This will be our first cruise on NCL since '95 but we have been on many cruises on different lines. The ships do offer bingo, shops, drinks etc. but a passenger can refuse and not buy what is offered.

To those of you that have cruised NCL do you find that the crew bother you to shop etc.?? Your thoughts please and thanks.

Carol

 

 

That we be a no x 2 for me on the Dawn.

[clean1owner]

I've been reading a few cruise reviews for the Dawn. A few comments were that NCL nickels and dimes passengers example: bingo, jewelry, drinks etc. This will be our first cruise on NCL since '95 but we have been on many cruises on different lines. The ships do offer bingo, shops, drinks etc. but a passenger can refuse and not buy what is offered.

 

To those of you that have cruised NCL do you find that the crew bother you to shop etc.?? Your thoughts please and thanks.

 

Carol

 

 

Everything you mentioned here has been available for an extra fee since I took my first cruise in 1984. And the cruise lines have been promoting them with announcements, etc since then too.

 

I hardly consider this to be "nickel and diming" the passengers. Charging you for your beverage at dinner, no matter what it may be, would fall into that catagory.

[mitsugirly]

Never once have we felt pressured into buying anything or bugged about it.

 

The closest I would say anyone came to annoying is when you are sitting on the pool deck and an employee walking by asking if you'd like a drink. A simple no thanks does the job...and this was mostly on the Epic. Just like the bingo announcements seem to be non-stop on the Epic. It got real annoying after awhile, but being a parent of 4 kids and 2 grandchildren, I learn to "tune it out" about the 3rd day. :D

 

However, the other NCL ships I've been on, I don't recall any of the bingo or whatever announcements over and over. Nor did they hound you for a drink either. :) I think it's an entirely different world on the smaller ships. :p

[BurtonRiderT6]

SteveH2508: you obviously haven't run into the people trying to dip your nails in chemicals at the malls here in the US selling nail care product. They literally try to get in front of you to impede your path.

 

I've never been bothered to buy anything on a cruise ship other than my girlfriend.

 

If you want to get nickel and dimed then play the slots. I'm sure it's happened to a few people here:mad:, tables for me:)

 

 

I've never been bothered to buy anything on a cruise ship other than FROM my girlfriend.

 

Guess I should re-read a little more often prior to posting.:o

[Warmer Climes]

DH and I both remarked on the reduction in announcements on the Sun. The "nickel and diming" thing is silly. Of course ships charge for purchases. When were these things free?

 

I don't play bingo, gamble or visit the arcade. I rarely buy anything in the shops. We have a healthy (or unhealthy, probably) bar tab as we enjoy a bottle if wine with dinner and some cocktails along the way, and we like trying some of the specialty restaurants. Where does the nickel and diming come in? I just don't get it.

[Budget Queen]

I've been reading a few cruise reviews for the Dawn. A few comments were that NCL nickels and dimes passengers example: bingo, jewelry, drinks etc. This will be our first cruise on NCL since '95 but we have been on many cruises on different lines. The ships do offer bingo, shops, drinks etc. but a passenger can refuse and not buy what is offered.

To those of you that have cruised NCL do you find that the crew bother you to shop etc.?? Your thoughts please and thanks.

Carol

 

Another nope. :) NCL is no different than any other major cruiseline. I actually, favor, the "extras" for those to purchase. It is revenue generating that keeps my cruise prices low. :)

[david_sobe]

If you have not cruised since 1995, you will see changes in the way that ALL cruise lines do business. There are lots of upcharge restaruants, bars, games, etc that require addional fees. The daily paper that is delivered to your cabin everyday will have a * next to the activities that require a fee.

 

Some call this practice "nickel and dime." My first cruise it really frustrated me and thought they were going to charge you to flush the toilet. So prepare yourself and also decide what you want to do. You dont have to do anything that requires an upcharge. But some if not most of the upcharge things are definately worth it. For example, Cagneys steakhouse is $25 per person. Some may say "why pay for a meal on a cruise?" But the steak and meal you get is worth much more than $25. In fact, with the cuts of beef quality, appetizers, and dessert, the meal could run around $75 per person on land. So for me, this is definately worth the upcharge.

You dont have to do anything that requires an upcharge. But just be prepared since you have not cruised for awhile. This is not just NCL that does this. Freestyle allows you to pick and chose what you want. Dont let it bother you or impact your cruise.

Remember that all cruise lines are in the business to make money. Without charging for sodas, drinks, and games, the ship does not make a profit and actually is in the red. I once saw a show on TV "Behind the scnenes of the NCL Pearl" where you got to see the pressure to sell things so the ship can make a profit. On a 7 night cruise, it was not until day 6 that the ship met its liquor $ quota. If the ship does not sail 105% capacity (3 people booked in some rooms), there is need to make money in other areas. Unfortunately, it is the nature of the business. With today's fuel prices, it cost a cuise line 1/2 million dollars for just fuel alone on a 7 night cruise. Once I learned of these things, I understand the concept.

If you cruise and do not gamble, do not take excursions, and do not drink alcohol, the cruise line makes no money on you. The cabins do not generate enough money and are undersold to book passengers. If you notice NCL put 75 suites on Epic and there next 2 ships will also have that many. They generage money on those suites. Some will say it is not worth the price. But the people that pay those prices, keep the prices down for everyone.

 

Enjoy your cruise and keep us posted

[Sea and Me]

Thanks to all of you and I appreciate your answers. As I said I read the one review and the poster felt he was nickeled and dimed to death!! However, I have never felt that way on any ship we sailed on. I guess some people are never satisfied even on a vacation seems as though they look for things to complain about.

We love to cruise and never had a bad one! We are looking forward to the Dawn. Thanks again for your answers.

Carol

[camz]

The Dawn has the friendliest crew at sea. TBH in most cases, we had the opposite experience. We actually had to inquire about certain purchases. Only one time, on the Majesty, they would push drinks out on deck. But once you told them no thanks, it really wasn't an issue.

[HppyCamper]

My last cruise on the Dawn the staff of the Casino forced me to buy drink after drink until I finally escaped from their clutches and stumbled back to my cabin!

 

Well, that's what I told my wife...;)

[che5904]

My last cruise on the Dawn the staff of the Casino forced me to buy drink after drink until I finally escaped from their clutches and stumbled back to my cabin!

 

Well, that's what I told my wife...;)

 

Aw but did she believe you :D

[weltek]

I've never felt pressured to buy anything. In five NCL cruises, there were only two times I felt a little pressure:

 

1) One poolside server seemed to walk by every 30 minutes and ask if we needed a drink. There was no pressure or anything, but it got repetitive. This was the only time a drink server has even began to annoy me, so I think it was a fluke. I generally love the drink servers and think they do a very good job of reading your desire to have another drink. They'll usually ask once and if you say no that time, they might circle back again in an hour or so. If you say no again, they'll quit asking.

 

2) Running the gauntlet upon embarkation on the Star. This was two or three years ago and the setup of tables upon embarkation was just done poorly. Too many tables to sign up for stuff crammed in an area you HAD to walk through. You had to walk around tables that were positioned in the center of a walkway. It just felt like there was some pressure to buy things, even though no staff person was saying "come sign up for X!" or anything of the sort. That was the only time I encountered this poor setup. Normally the tables are fewer and more spread out when you board.

[NMLady]

I've been reading a few cruise reviews for the Dawn. A few comments were that NCL nickels and dimes passengers example: bingo, jewelry, drinks etc. This will be our first cruise on NCL since '95 but we have been on many cruises on different lines. The ships do offer bingo, shops, drinks etc. but a passenger can refuse and not buy what is offered.

 

To those of you that have cruised NCL do you find that the crew bother you to shop etc.?? Your thoughts please and thanks.

 

Carol

 

I don't know why NCL gets that reputation when they don't nickel and dime you anymore than HAL, RCI, or Carnival do. The crew isn't any more pushy about drinks, bingo, shopping etc than the other lines are imo.

[my_crib_too]

There always seems to be an active thread about “Nickel and dimed” on NCL. We’ve never felt this way at all and are happily ignorant and oblivious to everything being sold on the ship. Clearly, others are very sensitive to this though. It must be our trips to Disney that have made us immune to the announcements and sales pressure. ;)

[Sea and Me]

If you have not cruised since 1995, you will see changes in the way that ALL cruise lines do business. There are lots of upcharge restaruants, bars, games, etc that require addional fees. The daily paper that is delivered to your cabin everyday will have a * next to the activities that require a fee.

 

Some call this practice "nickel and dime." My first cruise it really frustrated me and thought they were going to charge you to flush the toilet. So prepare yourself and also decide what you want to do. You dont have to do anything that requires an upcharge. But some if not most of the upcharge things are definately worth it. For example, Cagneys steakhouse is $25 per person. Some may say "why pay for a meal on a cruise?" But the steak and meal you get is worth much more than $25. In fact, with the cuts of beef quality, appetizers, and dessert, the meal could run around $75 per person on land. So for me, this is definately worth the upcharge.

You dont have to do anything that requires an upcharge. But just be prepared since you have not cruised for awhile. This is not just NCL that does this. Freestyle allows you to pick and chose what you want. Dont let it bother you or impact your cruise.

Remember that all cruise lines are in the business to make money. Without charging for sodas, drinks, and games, the ship does not make a profit and actually is in the red. I once saw a show on TV "Behind the scnenes of the NCL Pearl" where you got to see the pressure to sell things so the ship can make a profit. On a 7 night cruise, it was not until day 6 that the ship met its liquor $ quota. If the ship does not sail 105% capacity (3 people booked in some rooms), there is need to make money in other areas. Unfortunately, it is the nature of the business. With today's fuel prices, it cost a cuise line 1/2 million dollars for just fuel alone on a 7 night cruise. Once I learned of these things, I understand the concept.

If you cruise and do not gamble, do not take excursions, and do not drink alcohol, the cruise line makes no money on you. The cabins do not generate enough money and are undersold to book passengers. If you notice NCL put 75 suites on Epic and there next 2 ships will also have that many. They generage money on those suites. Some will say it is not worth the price. But the people that pay those prices, keep the prices down for everyone.

 

Enjoy your cruise and keep us posted

 

David:

 

This will be our first cruise on NCL Dawn. Actually this cruise will be our 18th! and 19th. Our first cruise in '95 was on the Windward and we had a wonderful time. I was just reading reviews of the Dawn when I stumbled on the review that was negative and wanted to prove that person wrong! Since we have cruised many lines we found them all to be about the same when it comes to drinks, photos etc. We are not drinkers so they don't make money on us. We do the tours from the ship and on repeat islands we just walk around them and enjoy the time spent there.

 

We are retired and spending our kids inheritance:D Thanks for your post.

 

Carol

[jtheile]

I went on my first cruise laast September on the Gem and had read similar things but I did not find them to be true. I went on a cruise last week on Royal Caribbean and the only thing different was they were not selling instant tickets but they did have a couple of temorary tattoo stands set up.

 

Also since they don't do auto gratuity unless you choose their My Time Dining, they seem to really make a point of exclaiming what a great job the crew is doing. It almost seemed like they had a pep rally the last night in both the dining room and the theater after the farewell show. The waiter and cabin attendant also wanted to be sure that they would get an outstanding review on the survey that is left in the cabin on the last night.

[slotaddict]

Its not even an issue, you are free to buy or decline to buy anything you want....

[cruis247g]

Absolutely no pressure. However, If you want to shop,there are all the "usuals" (photos, drinks, souvenirs, pashminas, jewelry, rum cakes, liquor, etc!). I'm not a big shopper and have never felt uncomfortable. I think NCL is comparable to other lines in this regard.

[knitwitt44]

Only "nickel and diming" I have seen in the past few years are as follows:

 

No soap bar of facial, body lotions or shower cap if your cabin is below balcony. (but you can always ask your steward for these items).

 

No chocolates mints on pillows at night (no big deal)

 

Charging for Cappacinno in main dinner room (use to be free)

 

The pluses I found: no nagging photographers running around. No rolling bar during dinner.

[rnrcruzin]

My biggest complaint was that after paying a cover charge for one of their speciality restaurants they wanted extra for some items. I'm not talking susi either. And truthfully the food wasn't all that much, if any, better.

 

Bob

[mitsugirly]

No chocolates mints on pillows at night (no big deal)

 

 

This is a latitudes thing. I think you have to be at least a "silver" in order to get the nightly chocolates. :p

[SteveH2508]

This is a latitudes thing. I think you have to be at least a "silver" in order to get the nightly chocolates. :p

 

Yes, but only since December 2011 when they re-vamped the Latitudes programme. When we first cruised with NCL they still had the bubbly on boarding and pillow chocolates - they disappeared a couple of years ago now.

[cooki801]

From what I have read it seems that many who cruise NCL are considered a little bit lower class cruisers...the prices on NCL is a bit lower and more appealing to people like me who aren't all that picky about food and as long as I get to the fun places ie Roatan or Belize, then I don't sweat a smaller room etc.

I think that my only annoyance is the soda charge but since I don't drink, gamble or eat in the extra pay food venues they aren't making any money on me anyway LOL

I will bring my soda on with me and not pay the "dime" for a bottle or buy the soda mug and probably buy one or two pictures for my memories and a Christmas ornament all which are discretionary in the first place. :p