"Nickel and diming"? Or fairness?

[4774Papa]

I like paying for what I want. We pay for our own alcoholic drinks and excursions. We do some of the specialty restaurants on NCL. We don't do the expensive spa, art auction, gambling, $5 coffer or $4 bottled water.

 

NCL does tend to push sales on cruisers, but we just say no, thank you.

[davy jones]

As long as the quality of the included stuff remains the same, then paying for upgraded experiences is fine. However, if the quality is reduced to "force" people into the upgraded stuff, that is not good.

 

Example: replacing the OJ at the breakfast buffet with "orange drink" or Tang would be nickle and diming to me because it would be an attempt to force you into the squeezed OJ. However, if the standard OJ is maintained, I see no problem with offering an upgrade.

 

Perhaps the higher number of specialty restaurants on NCL gives some the perception of nickle and diming, but I don't see it. Overall, NCL is about the same as Royal and Carnival in what they're trying to sell onboard.

[stormynow]

Agree with Aquadog, 5 cruise thus far this year. None on NCL til next month. NCL doesn't charge for anything that the other offer free. Maybe the $5 pizza.

[DMH15]

It really is simple economics. Cruise lines strive to meep prices down and competitive. There are fixed costs that can't be changed. And then there are variable costs. Food is one of the most prevalent one of those. Since most food on cruise ships is "all you can eat", they can't alter the quantity the way it is done at the grocery store where there is less product than previously sold in the box. Wholesale food prices keep going up and up, so the cruiseine tries to cut corners. In the case of the OJ, let's say half the pax are fine with either. So, the cruise line has obviously satisfied their cost reduction and met the needs of 50% of their customers. Now of the other 50% you will have some who pay a premium for the "good stuff", some who migh switch to another free option and some who will not choose to pay the premium but complain about the switch. Where in fact, to have kept the the item available would have resulted in price increases. The OJ is just one thing. One could find mNy cases from steaks to chocolate. Add them up and we might be talking $20 a day per person. People hate cutbacks. I'd rather give up OJ than say, having housekeeping on every other day.

 

Wonder how many people don't bat an eye at a $7 beer but won't buy a $4 OJ?

As long as the quality of the included stuff remains the same, then paying for upgraded experiences is fine. However, if the quality is reduced to "force" people into the upgraded stuff, that is not good.

 

Example: replacing the OJ at the breakfast buffet with "orange drink" or Tang would be nickle and diming to me because it would be an attempt to force you into the squeezed OJ. However, if the standard OJ is maintained, I see no problem with offering an upgrade.

 

Perhaps the higher number of specialty restaurants on NCL gives some the perception of nickle and diming, but I don't see it. Overall, NCL is about the same as Royal and Carnival in what they're trying to sell onboard.

 

 

 

 

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[newmexicoNita]

I read a lot of complaints on NCL boards about being charged for every little thing. I've never sailed anything but NCL, so I don't know if it's better or worse on other mass-passenger lines. But if NCL does do it more, then I'm all for it and will continue to prefer NCL.

 

I think charging per item is the most fair system, even if it is a little cumbersome to have to sign for everything. But the system does assure that each person pays for what he or she individually uses or consumes - no more, no less, and no under-using passengers paying for over-using passengers.

 

The cruise line doesn't include alcohol in the ticket price? That's good. Why would a non-drinker or light drinker want to pay for someone else's alcohol? Some cruise lines include shore excursions. I'm about to go on my 3rd cruise, and this one will be all DIY like the last one - so I am not interested in paying a ticket price that includes shore trips. On the other hand, I don't eat dinner in the MDR because I don't care for the intentionally languid pace and also like a nice steak dinner. Should a family who is perfectly fine with the MDR pay more per head so I can have my peace, quiet and steak?

 

There are still a lot - a LOT - of free things on NCL ships. Shows, art lectures, basketball hoops, scavenger hunts, contests, many food options - lots of things in the mix of what some people do, some don't, everyone pays for, and that may roughly even out. But I am fine with paying for a martini-tasting that I use, not paying for the spa that I don't, and not expecting the spa user to pay for my martini.

 

In the end, each person pays what amounts to a customized price for their own customized experience. In that light. lines like NCL are really good because they make a huge number of experiences available at a wide variety of prices.

 

JMHO.

 

 

 

.

 

I am with you: keep the prices manageable and let each decide how they want to spend their budgeted money. I do thing the price of a bar set up is too high, same with binge, but I am not forced to do either. Most people who gripe about the extra charges either have not paid much attention to other cruise lines or they are really not NCL supporters. Some might be down right cheap, expecting everything for nothing. We all those types. I think we can all see the wave of the future for cruisers. All lines are adding a lot of charge for activities and restaurants.

[biker@sea]

I like the nickel & dime method . I don't drink booze , don't drink fancy coffee , Book my own excursions directly . Spending a few nickels & dimes here and there helps me save the Dollars .:D:D

[Wendy-Europe]

Hi

 

I started early with cruising (it was very uncommon for a European mid 20 girl cruising).

 

Because I was working for a travel company, I did my first cruise in 1989 - on the MV Atalante.

 

I have a brochure of this company and in July I took the brochure and translated rates and routing.

 

The had typical 7 and 14-night cruises at the mediterrean sea

 

14 night inside: 3300 DM (german marks) p.P.

cheapest outside: 3400 DM (

Deck C inside: 3700 DM, outside 4100 DM

Deck B inside: 4100 DM, outside 4400 DM

Deck A outside : 4700 DM

 

7night:

cheapest inside: : 1700 DM p.P.

cheapest outside: 1800 DM (Deck D)

Deck C inside: 1950 DM, outside 2050 DM

Deck B inside: 2100 DM, outside 2250 DM

Deck A outside : 2350 DM

 

Included was the possibility to take your car with you, if you want to hop off the ship at one port and hop on the next week there was an supp of 50 DM per person and 80 DM per car.

 

Routing

Ancona-Katalkolon-Santorin - Rhodos - Bodrum - Piräus-Ancona

 

The cheapest inside 7 night was a "1 month earning equivalent" for me (and I had a nice job in a travel agency).

 

Today there are so many offers that a cheap offseason inside is 399 $

 

Oh - and just for fun: they charge 8 DM tipp per person/per day on your cruise account!

 

There were no drinks (alcoholic or non alcoholic) included in the price (except coffee or tea for breakfast)

 

And the cabins were small and not so comfortable....

 

http://www.ssmaritime.com/atalante.htm

 

Wendy

[Starry Eyes]

I always figured it was the people who came from a luxury cruise line to a mass market line. I've never had a problem with anything I've eaten on a NCL ship or even the one CCL ship I was on. Very rarely do I go to a speciality restaurant and even then I probably got it as part of a booking deal. My other thought is maybe they're people who cruised back in the days of smaller ships versus the larger ships. There's a big difference between cooking for 2000 and 4000+...

 

Those are both reasonable hypotheses.

[funat55]

As long as the quality of the included stuff remains the same, then paying for upgraded experiences is fine. However, if the quality is reduced to "force" people into the upgraded stuff, that is not good.

 

Example: replacing the OJ at the breakfast buffet with "orange drink" or Tang would be nickle and diming to me because it would be an attempt to force you into the squeezed OJ. However, if the standard OJ is maintained, I see no problem with offering an upgrade.

 

Perhaps the higher number of specialty restaurants on NCL gives some the perception of nickle and diming, but I don't see it. Overall, NCL is about the same as Royal and Carnival in what they're trying to sell onboard.

 

I agree whole heartedly with your reply. I wonder where they will draw the line over what is standard and what is an upgrade. Will the vegetarians start complaining because they don't want to pay a price that includes steak in the main dining room?? I don't drink tea and I think there should be at least a couple of decent free cold beverage choices other then flavored water. I understand that lemonade is offered but what about fruit punch.

[terrydtx]

We are taking our first cruise on NCL in 2 months and when I booked this cruise, even my TA made the comment NCL will nickel and dime you for everything. We have cruised on CCL, RCCL, Celebrity and HAL and they all have their own nickel and diming. They all have specialty restaurants, spas, liquor, and upscale coffee shops for added fees, so NCL isn't the only one doing this. They all have plenty of free eating venues with good menus and food quality so no one starves to death in 7 days. The only things I can see that NCL may charge extra for is delivered pizza and fresh squeezed OJ that the others may not charge, HAL is one with free OJ. I fail to see where this NCL nickel and dime rap comes from other than from their competitors.

 

I have also read CC posters say things like NCL is al a cart and we cruise for hundreds less than other cruise lines because we do not pay for the extras others include. I think comments like this add to the nickel and dime rap because there is very little NCL charges for that others really include. Our balcony cabin on the Jewel is not hundreds of dollars cheaper than other lines in the Caribbean and is about the same a similar cruise on HAL would have been this year. We wanted a break from the stuffiness of HAL and try the more casual freestyle cruising.

[Karysa]

I think that the problem is with entitlement. People book the cruise because they are happy with the ship, itinerary and the price but once onboard they see others enjoying specialty restaurants at lunch or reserved deck chairs and they want the same.

[WaldosPepper]

We are taking our first cruise on NCL in 2 months and when I booked this cruise, even my TA made the comment NCL will nickel and dime you for everything. We have cruised on CCL, RCCL, Celebrity and HAL and they all have their own nickel and diming. They all have specialty restaurants, spas, liquor, and upscale coffee shops for added fees, so NCL isn't the only one doing this. They all have plenty of free eating venues with good menus and food quality so no one starves to death in 7 days. The only things I can see that NCL may charge extra for is delivered pizza and fresh squeezed OJ that the others may not charge, HAL is one with free OJ. I fail to see where this NCL nickel and dime rap comes from other than from their competitors.

 

I have also read CC posters say things like NCL is al a cart and we cruise for hundreds less than other cruise lines because we do not pay for the extras others include. I think comments like this add to the nickel and dime rap because there is very little NCL charges for that others really include. Our balcony cabin on the Jewel is not hundreds of dollars cheaper than other lines in the Caribbean and is about the same a similar cruise on HAL would have been this year. We wanted a break from the stuffiness of HAL and try the more casual freestyle cruising.

 

Regarding the portion I bolded above, I have read numerous times were others have had a similar experience with their TA. I hope and pray that after you complete your cruise, you contact your TA and enlighten them. The fact that you have so many other cruise lines to compare to with personal experience may help your TA see the light. It really is sad how misinformed some TAs can be - or how their preconceived notions cloud their vision.

 

I am also really looking forward to reading your thoughts after your first NCL cruise, and hope that you will write a review.

 

:)

[halos]

It really is simple economics. Cruise lines strive to meep prices down and competitive. There are fixed costs that can't be changed. And then there are variable costs.-

 

Exactly!!

The items you pay extra for keep the basic fares down. People can cruise according to their own wallets.

 

My thoughts on this (after reading posts for what seems a thousand years on CC) is that people who gripe at nickel and diming are ones that either can't afford these add-ons and resent those that can OR they are just those kind of folks that don't understand how low their cruise fare is and for some reason resent having to pay for what they want.

So many times, I have heard, "it's the principle!"

:rolleyes:

Look at your fare!! How much do you expect for that kind of deal?????? Get serious!!

(Do these people not get out much??? I don't get it)

 

The more 'options' for me, the better. As long as the basic mdr food is good and the service is top notch (THIS, I expect no matter what my fare) I do not mind paying for what else I may desire on a cruise.

IF this bothered me, I'd sail an all-inclusive line...but we all are aware of how much those fares are.

:eek:

[fergusonvt]

We paid for exactly the same things on our CCL cruise as on our two NCL cruises. I'm sure our upcoming RCI cruise will be exactly the same. There is no "nickel and diming". You pay for what you want. You want alcohol you pay, you want a specialty restaurant, you pay etc. etc. You can easily go without these things if you don't want to pay extra. No one ever said a cruise was an all-inclusive.

[blindrid]

One of the greatest shows on any cruise is the last night when people line up to the pursers desk, insisting they couldn't have spent that much money.....then watching their faces when presented with the mountain of receipts.

 

You talking about me? I do that every cruise (at least the part about saying I could not have have drank that much - and no I don't go to the purser) :). I'll do it again in a few weeks...... :rolleyes:

 

And I do not feel like I'm ever getting N&D'd - I get what I pay for.

[Solandria]

I agree with just about everything people are saying here...

 

I'll add that i'm really glad each cruise DOESN'T allow unlimited liquor in the base price.. Really don't need that many intoxicated people walking around all week. I also think that charging for certain onboard amenities help keep crowds down in those places.

 

If you want to see what your spending during the trip stop at the customer service desk anytime and check your invoice, to make sure things aren't sneaking up on you, I really did get a kick out of seeing the line of angry customers that last day checking invoices. How do they manage their credit cards.. makes you wonder lol

 

I never once on board felt like we were being nickel and dimed. We ate at the free restaurants, if you don't like one you have quite a few choices.. we loved them all, was kind of fun running around looking at all the menu's every night seeing all our options (or checking the buffet). We drank, gambled, swam, shopped.. had a great time for a reasonable price. People seem to forget how much vacations cost I think... in the end our cruise cost less than our vacation to the jersey shore.. and it was WAY BETTER.

[Knobhdy]

Clearly I'm in the minority if this thread is any indication, but I love all-inclusive vacations. They are just so simple.

 

Of course, I'm also willing to pay for it in my ticket price. I find tipping to be hugely stressful, for instance. (Am I tipping enough, too much? How do I know everyone who served me gets their share?)

So I'd far rather know the cruise lines are paying their employees a living wage and spend an extra $25, $35, heck maybe even $50 or 100 a night on my cabin cost to just not have to worry about it.

 

Of course I feel the same way about land-based restaurants as well. Don't stone me.

 

 

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[Knobhdy]

Bah. I realize my post went a bit off topic. All I was really saying is I like having one price even if it is higher.

 

 

 

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[tawaik]

Applause OP! I totally agree.

 

I like a variety of drinks and purchased the UBP which was worth it to me;)

The specialty restaurants looked good but I was fine with the dining rooms with no charge. On the islands my sister and I did the DIY thing and it was fine for us.

 

Choices made by cruisers seem to be based on their ability to afford the "extras" that are not included in the Cruise. I say, always enjoy your trip but within your "own" means. Being a serious coupon shopper I always weigh the differences and consider what works best for me price wise verses over spending on my vacation budget.

[NH Cruisers]

You are exactly right. Pay for what you use is the most fair system.

 

 

Typically, the cries of nickel & diming come from those whose "wants" exceed their "means". Rather than face the real situation, these individuals perfer to deflect blame to the cruise line. It's much the same logic used by people who...since THEY don't see a reason to dine in a specialty restaurant when a "free" restaurant is available...just assume that the cruise line intentionally lowers the quality of the free food to "force" people to pay.

 

If actual nickel & diming were occuring, then we would be charged for small things that are otherwise required. For example, if NCL told you at the pier that there was a $5 per card fee to get your Stateroom Key Card, then THAT would be nickel & diming. Allowing people to have options and choices is never nickel & diming.

 

It makes you wonder how these people handle going to the mall where EVERYTHING has a price. :eek::rolleyes:

 

Hear, hear! Well said by you and the OP!!!

[NH Cruisers]

Clearly I'm in the minority if this thread is any indication, but I love all-inclusive vacations. They are just so simple.

 

Of course, I'm also willing to pay for it in my ticket price. I find tipping to be hugely stressful, for instance. (Am I tipping enough, too much? How do I know everyone who served me gets their share?)

So I'd far rather know the cruise lines are paying their employees a living wage and spend an extra $25, $35, heck maybe even $50 or 100 a night on my cabin cost to just not have to worry about it.

 

Of course I feel the same way about land-based restaurants as well. Don't stone me.

 

 

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There are all-inclusive cruiselines, you will pay alot more for a comparable cabin though.

[terrydtx]

There are all-inclusive cruiselines, you will pay alot more for a comparable cabin though.

 

You are so right you will pay 5 to 10 times as much for a balcony cabin with the high end all inclusive premium cruise lines. :eek:

[njhorseman]

Even Crystal, a luxury line that is close to being all-inclusive is being accused by some of "nickel and diming" its passengers because they're imposing limits on complimentary specialty restaurant dining.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5579