Which fee will be the straw that breaks your back?

[DaisyGoldberg]

To me this should have been a very simple process:

 

1-do not call the extra costs "fees", just hide them in a price increase

 

2-do not take anything away, this will make people more upset than cost

 

The less consumers know, the better. Prices increase all of the time. The $50 thing could have been hidden so easy with a fare increase.

 

I think it would have been better and less of a hassle had they done it this way ("not everything can be five cents") but I think the same people who are raising holy hell over an extra $5 for a deluxe restaurant would just be complaining how the base price goes up and up.

 

The cruise industry, like the airline and hotel industry, learned that people make more bookings if you keep the "base" cost low, but add all sorts of other fees and service charges to make up the difference in operating costs. Our favorite hotel in Las Vegas is now charging $32.50 per day in "resort charges" -- you don't get anything we didn't use to get before the fee was instituted a couple of years ago (at $25). They just know that more people will book if they keep the room price at $129, instead of >$150 with no "fee." Making people think they're getting a bargain is better than offering a better bargain at a higher cost point. Kind of like how every year they have a "sales tax holiday" and people wait to buy something "tax free" that weekend, even though the sales tax is <6% and the regular sale price saves 15%.

 

For me, it comes down to "how much does this vacation cost and is it worth it to me." Don't drink, so drink prices don't matter to me. Don't use room service, so that doesn't matter to me. Don't buy pictures, don't care what they charge for them. I like specialty restaurants and if it costs me an extra $25 to eat in them over the course of a week, so be it.

[EyeSeaEwe]

Norwegian Cruise Line is offering an enhanced room service menu on board Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Breakaway. The new menu offers an expanded selection for breakfast, in addition to a wider variety of options available 24 hours. Individual items on the menu remain available on a complimentary basis and a convenience charge of $7.95 will be added to each order placed.

To provide our guests with more options as a part of their Freestyle Cruising experience, coffee and continental breakfast selections will not attract a convenience charge. Room service orders placed by guests sailing in The Haven will also not incur a charge.

Room service is one of up to 29 dining options offered across the fleet, and guests continue to be able to enjoy a wide array of complimentary choices onboard 24 hours a day.

[Susie51]

I'm going to miss the suite perks. I might go back to mini suites.