Phone call from NCL

[CavalierX]

Doesn't work that way, AFAIK there is a two-dish-per-person-booked-in-cabin limit for room service after the charge was deployed fleetwide.

 

Geez; I didn't hear about THAT one. So many new rules and regulations... are they transferring the registry of all NCL ships to Cuba or something?

[dexddd]

Geez; I didn't hear about THAT one. So many new rules and regulations... are they transferring the registry of all NCL ships to Cuba or something?

 

There was a thread about that - think it was someone who had friends just off GA that told them that. Someone else on the same sailing said they didn't get restricted then it turned into the normal he said she said.

[newmexicoNita]

I received a phone call from NCL Corporate regarding the email I sent to them last night. My inquiry was concerning the article Cruise Critic published. As stated on another thread, I received an email from them earlier ... and now the phone call. No food is allowed to be removed from the restaurants to take back to your cabin. That portion of the article is accurate. However, you can still get your food from the buffet and eat outside by the pool - not a problem at all with doing that.

 

Pretty impressed that I received a response via email and now by phone call.

 

This is exactly what I expected. Thanks for the update.

[newmexicoNita]

Geez; I didn't hear about THAT one. So many new rules and regulations... are they transferring the registry of all NCL ships to Cuba or something?

 

someone claimed only 2 dishes. Again, we have to remember we are only getting part of these stories.Unless we get something directly from NCL, corp in Florida, everything is hearsay and a lot of it embeilished.

[newmexicoNita]

What do you think is the real reason they have instituted this new policy?

Everything a cruise line does traces back to money. Do they think people will help themselves to less food if they cannot take it to their cabins? Or is it all about the new Room Service Fee, or both?

 

 

Of course it is about money, what would you expect from a business, they are there to make a profit. I totally understand that, whether I like the rules or not. Why is it so important to take a positive and turn it into a negative? Many were concerned about getting food from the buffet and eating by the pool; we have now learned we will still be able to do this and yet, so many are still unhappy!!!!

Edited May 8, 2015 by newmexicoNita

[janpo]

Of course it is about money, what would you expect from a business, they are there to make a profit. I totally understand that, whether I like the rules or not. Why is it so important to take a positive and turn it into a negative? Many were concerned about getting food from the buffet and eating by the pool; we have now learned we will still be able to do this and yet, so many are still unhappy!!!!

 

 

Maybe they're still unhappy because they want to bring it back to their cabins and NOT be told what to do with the food that they've already paid for. Not important to you doesn't mean it's not important to others.

Edited May 8, 2015 by janpo

[ohiogymrat]

Of course it is about money, what would you expect from a business, they are there to make a profit. I totally understand that, whether I like the rules or not. Why is it so important to take a positive and turn it into a negative? Many were concerned about getting food from the buffet and eating by the pool; we have now learned we will still be able to do this and yet, so many are still unhappy!!!!

 

Remind me again how this is a positive?

[cliffd64]

18 cruises and I have never seen dirty plates and food in elevators or on staircases.

 

Lois

 

I have ... several times...

[nancynana9950]

When my 89 year old Mom cruises with us (in her own cabin) we frequently will bring her some breakfast from the buffet after we have finished eating there ourselves. I'm trying to imagine how this will play out on our Breakaway cruise in October. Will people be posted at the exits asking me if we're taking it to the pool deck? I've been following all the uproar here lately and I'm not thrilled we all the changes and charges but they probably would not have prevented us from sailing NCL again. But if this latest outrage of not being able to bring a plate of scrambled eggs from the buffet turns out to be true that will be the straw that broke the camel's back for us! Yes, I know she could order RS and pay $7.95 but she shouldn't have to IMHO.

[karoo]

Of course it is about money, what would you expect from a business, they are there to make a profit. I totally understand that, whether I like the rules or not. Why is it so important to take a positive and turn it into a negative? Many were concerned about getting food from the buffet and eating by the pool; we have now learned we will still be able to do this and yet, so many are still unhappy!!!!

 

 

I don't want to eat by the pool. My next cruise in July on the a epic will be totally chaotic anywhere near the buffet or pool area. I want to eat in cabin. Don't like room service food and have never ordered before, but I do like eating on the balcony with food I've chosen.

[Demonyte]

Will people be posted at the exits asking me if we're taking it to the pool deck?

 

On most buffet entrances there usually is a person dispensing hand sanitizer so I can see how they could be assigned to monitor outgoing food too, unfortunately.

[Oppalopa]

I have a solution!! I think I'll bring my own Tupperware on the cruise, then every night, I'll order dessert, put it in the Tupperware and then give it to my wife to stuff in her giant purse....PROBLEM SOLVED!!! :D

There was a article on Huffington yesterday on how to cook food in a coffee maker. Ramien noodles etc. On Royal you can eat anywhere on the ship. I will also put apples and yogurt in my large purse for evening snacks. :)

[SissasMomE]

On most buffet entrances there usually is a person dispensing hand sanitizer so I can see how they could be assigned to monitor outgoing food too, unfortunately.

 

I don't think that will happen. Since you can eat on the pool deck, it wouldn't be feasible to do that. I do think that if you are seen walking in the hall with a plate of food, you will be re-directed. JMO!

[Oppalopa]

HERE IS ANOTHER SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM.

 

Get together with your neighbors and friends and order enough food for all of them on one order. Split the $7.95 among all of them and distribute the food when it arrives.

I read on here their is a limit of food you can order on the 7.95 charge?

[DrNora]

Thanks for the info. This is great news. Those of us that use our butts to save our lounge chairs often eat breakfast and lunch there. I'm glad that can continue.

 

What a novel concept!!!!

[newmexicoNita]

Remind me again how this is a positive?

 

Read all the postings about this yesterday if you have time: most of us don't> Many were sure you could not take food from the buffet to the pool area and were bitching like crazy: it turns out you can, if that isn't a positive what would you call it?

 

BTW, for all of you who think these changes are going to ruin NCL, check what has happened to their stock in the past months, including yesterday...

[Kalynda]

I took it upon myself to call NCL directly just now.

 

I got a very rude phone agent mind you, but this is what she said:

 

You will not be able to take ANY food out of public ares (restaurant or buffet). There will be NO exceptions for people who are sick and/or people with small children who prefer to eat in rooms for convenience. She even suggested that this shouldnt be a problem unless your kids are not well behaved in which case they shouldnt be going on the cruise anyways and then preceded to say "What, you dont take your kids to restaurants back home?". I dont even have kids, I was just asking. Then she said, "If a person is sick they shouldnt be eating because that would just make them more nauseated". Seriously, NCL? I hope this is not what youre getting phone agents to tell people? :confused:

 

AND IT DOES APPLY TO DRINKS ALSO! She said ANY drinks from the bar cannot be taken back to enjoy on your balcony!! :eek:

 

I told her that made no sense because what about those who order bottles of wine and they get delivered to the room itself. She said bottles of wine would be an exception but drinks ordered one at a time from the bar must stay in public areas!

 

This is ridiculous. If im walking around with a glass of wine how are they going to know if i poured it in my room or got it from the bar? No way to enforce that.

 

I am an avid NCLer and will be a Platinum member after our next cruise. I have gone out of my way to defend them in the past but this is just getting insane.

 

I pay extra to have a balcony and now youre telling me i cannot BUY a Martini from the bar and bring it back to my room?! Why am I paying extra for a balcony?

 

Not happy.

[newmexicoNita]

Maybe they're still unhappy because they want to bring it back to their cabins and NOT be told what to do with the food that they've already paid for. Not important to you doesn't mean it's not important to others.

 

My opinion and beleive it or not, I do have a right to one: simply, it is beyound me with the exception of sick people and a very few other situations why anyone would be so concerned about bringing food to their cabins. Do you go to a buffet and bring food back to your hotel room or your home? I think the cruise lines have every right to control where you eat what. But again, it is my opinion and I will continue to feel this way. I do think, not being able to bring your dessert back to your cabin is a little over the top.

Edited May 8, 2015 by newmexicoNita

[NLH Arizona]

Doesn't work that way, AFAIK there is a two-dish-per-person-booked-in-cabin limit for room service after the charge was deployed fleetwide.

There was only one report of this from someone who heard it from someone on the ships and that person never came back to clarify it. There have been other reports that they have ordered 3 or more items per person and there was only one charge.

[Beaver1975]

I read on here their is a limit of food you can order on the 7.95 charge?

 

Stick around here long enough and you read all sorts of incorrect things. :rolleyes:

[logan25]

My opinion and beleive it or not, I do have a right to one: simply, it is beyound me with the exception of sick people and a very few other situations why anyone would be so concerned about bringing food to their cabins. Do you go to a buffet and bring food back to your hotel room or your home? I think the cruise lines have every right to control where you eat what. But again, it is my opinion and I will continue to feel this way. I do think, not being able to bring your dessert back to your cabin is a little over the top.

 

While I occasionally will leave the buffet with a piece of fruit or cookies, I don't take entire plates back to my cabin. Except when I was on the Epic last, I did take my breakfast back to the studio lounge to eat in peace and quiet.

 

As for eating in a hotel room while traveling, yes I have. As a woman traveling alone, there are plenty of times I would prefer to eat in my room versus sitting alone twiddling my thumbs through a dinner service. So I have gotten take-away from restaurants more than a few times.

[TheManitoban]

What do you think is the real reason they have instituted this new policy?

Everything a cruise line does traces back to money. Do they think people will help themselves to less food if they cannot take it to their cabins? Or is it all about the new Room Service Fee, or both?

 

 

I think it's about re-educating cruisers to the room service options. Certainly since room service is now a revenue generator they want to guide people to using it.

 

I also think it's to head off those people that might increase the amount of food they take back to their room because of the room service charge.

 

And indirectly related to both, they want to have a more efficient food services delivery and cleanliness of the ship.

 

This is something that will be accepted and, in time, it will be the norm.

 

The fact NCl is reporting above-projected future revenue growth and ship bookings would seem to indicate that there is no risk of losing customers as a result of this. They are investing several millions of dollars into improving the product. I think most cruisers likely feel okay with that.

 

For those that feel NCL is pricing themselves out of their range, t guess they will have to consider other options.

[mobu2015]

This is a bit concerning for me. This is my first cruise on NCL and my with my 18 month old in tow. We had read a few reviews suggesting that milk could be brought back to the cabin and put in the fridge for the little ones. Another review gave me the idea to take dessert back to the cabin where my husband and I could have dessert and read or whatever or our balcony while our son is sleeping. In this case, room service makes no sense unless one of us waited outside our door for it to be delivered. So unless we sneak the milk or even a snack for us or our son we are out of luck. Assuming other lines don't follow with this policy this will be our first and last on NCL. I am normally extremely laid back and don't expect much from cruise lines in terms of freebies but I feel like if you want to encourage families to cruise on your line you should be a little flexible. We are still looking forward to our cruise of course but these changes in policy are a bit of a bummer.

[DaytonCruiser]

 

The fact NCl is reporting above-projected future revenue growth and ship bookings would seem to indicate that there is no risk of losing customers as a result of this. They are investing several millions of dollars into improving the product. I think most cruisers likely feel okay with that.

 

For those that feel NCL is pricing themselves out of their range, t guess they will have to consider other options.

 

Since all the new changes haven't been fully implemented,hard to know if the growth will continue,slow or stop.

We will have to revisit this in the fall to get a good handle on how people feel about the product.

[perkydebrajean]

My opinion and beleive it or not, I do have a right to one: simply, it is beyound me with the exception of sick people and a very few other situations why anyone would be so concerned about bringing food to their cabins. Do you go to a buffet and bring food back to your hotel room or your home? I think the cruise lines have every right to control where you eat what. But again, it is my opinion and I will continue to feel this way. I do think, not being able to bring your dessert back to your cabin is a little over the top.

 

As a matter of fact I've brought food back to my room from a hotel buffet numerous times. Recently even. Myself, my daughter, and her infant son did a road trip and my daughter and I took turns going to get our food and bring it back to the room while the other person stayed in the room with the baby.

 

That baby will be 2 when he goes on a cruise with us the end of next year. If he gets cranky while we are trying to eat, oh well.

Edited May 8, 2015 by perkydebrajean