Phone call from NCL

[swedish weave]

Subtract from that the number of people who will be leaving NCL for other cruise lines & they have plenty of food, less cleanup for remaining crew to cater to those remaining on the ships. :p

 

 

swedish weave- I know you're a big NCL fan but you should give some thought to returning to Princess after this latest move. After all at least you don't have to smuggle food out of the buffet. :D

 

My next cruise is in Oct on NCL and that will use up the last future cruise deposit I have.

 

I hope to see you and "the old guy" on a Princess ship soon !!!

[CasinoCruzGirl]

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.

 

Thanks for finding this out. You do know that some people (not mentioning names but you know whom I'm talking about) still won't believe you. If I can still take something to the pool I'm good to go. I don't ever bring food to my cabin anyway. I would like to have the option to if I wanted to but that's another rant lol

 

Geri

[kismet618]

The continental breakfast on the hang tag is free of charge between 6:30-10 am . Not quite sure about the exact times. SO your cup/carafe of coffee and the danish are free. Just don't order off the main room service menu, where there will be the $7.95 charge.

 

Unless it was already addressed, a loophole was discussed whereby if you buy a soda(or another beverage not free) or a platter, you only pay for that item and an 18% service fee, but not the $7.95 RS fee for anything on the RS menu(except the platters etc).

 

Also, I plan to have a stack of singles on me when we cruise...which I typically do anyway for extra tips for various services. I am sure a waiter in one of the specialty restaurants will send any leftovers back to your room if he/she is getting a few extra $$. Just my experience.

[swedish weave]

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.

 

Since I haven't bought into Del Rio's smoke and mirrors presentation, I may take your advice in your last sentence.

[Zeta3]

So another question, can I order food from room service and take it elsewhere to eat? like get a sandwich or veggies and dip to take to the atrium to watch a movie?

[CruisinMaterial]

So another question, can I order food from room service and take it elsewhere to eat? like get a sandwich or veggies and dip to take to the atrium to watch a movie?

 

If I had to guess, I would say no. Even though you paid for the room service, it is to be consumed within your room and not anywhere but there or a dining establishment.

 

ALL: I'm starting to wonder if there was an incident which happened on a ship which was so gross in nature that it instituted this ban?? :confused:

 

I couldn't fathom it but the spring break cruises take their toll and I do see food in places it shouldn't be on those voyages.

[SissasMomE]

If I had to guess, I would say no. Even though you paid for the room service, it is to be consumed within your room and not anywhere but there or a dining establishment.

 

ALL: I'm starting to wonder if there was an incident which happened on a ship which was so gross in nature that it instituted this ban?? :confused:

 

I couldn't fathom it but the spring break cruises take their toll and I do see food in places it shouldn't be on those voyages.

 

I've traveled during spring break for numerous years, and have never witnessed anything out of the ordinary. This is just pure greed and nothing more.

[emcelh]

Subtract from that the number of people who will be leaving NCL for other cruise lines & they have plenty of food, less cleanup for remaining crew to cater to those remaining on the ships. :p

 

 

 

Do you really think they will sail with tons of empty cabins because of this? I very much doubt it but time will tell. All the smokers threatened to leave because of the change in the smoking policy but the ships seem to be sailing full, and with just as many smokers. It was the same on Carnival a few weeks ago and all the smokers threatened to leave Carnival as well. This will either blow over and people will accept it, or the policy will change if they see a decrease in bookings because of it.

Edited May 8, 2015 by emcelh

[SissasMomE]

Do you really think they will sail with tons of empty cabins because of this? I very much doubt it but time will tell. All the smokers threatened to leave because of the change in the smoking policy but the ships seem to be sailing full with just as many smokers. It was the same on Carnival a few weeks ago and all the smokers threatened to leave Carnival as well. This will either blow over and people will accept it or the policy will change if they see a decrease in bookings because of it.

 

Non-smokers far outweigh smokers in terms of numbers. Regardless, I can see families leaving over this, especially if they have small children. I guess if people are forced to listen to screaming and crying kids in dining venues they may get fed up and switch to a different line. Only time will tell. We eat later to avoid having to hear that, but if it were an issue, I would not be happy.

Edited May 8, 2015 by SissasMomE

[emcelh]

Non-smokers far outweigh smokers in terms of numbers. Regardless, I can see families leaving over this, especially if they have small children. I guess if people are forced to listen to screaming and crying kids in dining venues they may get fed up and switch to a different line. Only time will tell. We eat later to avoid having to hear that, but if it were an issue, I would not be happy.

 

I agree. There are far more non-smokers but the reaction to the smoking ban is similar. I was thinking of a post I read on another forum where someone said these recent changes and fees were to make up for lost revenue from the smokers who had left due to the change in policy. I can see, too, how this could influence someone's decision to book with NCL or another cruise line.

 

My point is, it's unlikely that anything will change unless they see an negative impact on the bottom line. I commend you for reaching out to NCL to try to get some clarification to the policy when so many are reacting to speculation and rumor. I realize people are reacting out of frustration and anger, but some of the posts are really over the top, insulting and combative and less likely to be taken seriously by anyone reading them.

[CruisinMaterial]

I've traveled during spring break for numerous years, and have never witnessed anything out of the ordinary. This is just pure greed and nothing more.

 

It may be greed and forcing you to get room service or it could be legit a ship cleanliness issue. If they’re allowing you to eat on deck which can be hosed down quite easily in the early hours of the morning when the people are asleep on the ship, then it may just be a sanitation issue. You can eat in your cabin if the CREW bring it to you. Therefore, it is controlled and no spillage is likely to occur. If it were to happen then it would be cleaned immediately but it would cut down on the staining of carpeting and dirtying of the ship. Now whether that results in less cleaning, who knows but the more I’m getting information through here and other sources – it seems like something happened on a ship to warrant this change. Food wars in an elevator perhaps?

[SissasMomE]

It may be greed and forcing you to get room service or it could be legit a ship cleanliness issue. If they’re allowing you to eat on deck which can be hosed down quite easily in the early hours of the morning when the people are asleep on the ship, then it may just be a sanitation issue. You can eat in your cabin if the CREW bring it to you. Therefore, it is controlled and no spillage is likely to occur. If it were to happen then it would be cleaned immediately but it would cut down on the staining of carpeting and dirtying of the ship. Now whether that results in less cleaning, who knows but the more I’m getting information through here and other sources – it seems like something happened on a ship to warrant this change. Food wars in an elevator perhaps?

 

Food fight LOL

[dolita22]

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.

 

We also do the same, except it's just my husband and myself. Hampton Inns, Homewood Suites and other hotels don't care where you eat your food. I don't really see why a cruise ship does either. In 8 cruises, every time we've ordered room service for breakfast and placed trays outside our room, they've been picked up by the time we've showered and left to go to the pool. Cruise ship housekeeping staff (at least the ones we've had) are fast!

 

I like to sleep in on vacation and my husband is an earlier riser. Nice guy that he is, he will go downstairs when we're at hotels and bring breakfast back to the room for us to enjoy together. He does the same on cruises - gets food from the buffet and brings it back for us to enjoy on our balcony - or we'll order room service. Enjoying breakfast on our balcony while watching the ocean or pulling into port is one our favorite things about cruising.

 

When taking food from the buffet, I wonder how they will police where you're taking your food. If my husband has swim trunks on when going to the buffet, will they assume he's taking it to the pool, when he's really bringing food back to our room? (Both of us are rule followers, so he'd likely never do that...but for his beloved banana pancakes from the buffet, he might!)

 

I'm curious to see how this all plays out.

[bambione]

I've cruised just a few times in the past, and have never gotten a plate and taken it back to my cabin. However, I have always brought along my own Tupperware and Ziploc baggies and bagged a few things that I would enjoy later as a snack. (The same thing but I don't use NCL dinnerware) So this new policy doesn't change things for me, I'll just bring along more Tupperware to give to my relatives. Some might say why do this when there's plenty of food on board all the time. That is certainly true, but I can't always find the piece of brie cheese I saw earlier on the buffet at every food menu. I've always brought along my own larger coffee cup and larger insulated cup to hold my ice tea in. So that part won't change for me either.

 

Having an OV that I loved, I enjoyed hanging out in my cabin for a little piece and quiet occasionally. Having traveled before with young children (I have four) it was stressful to always go out to eat. Sometimes when we would be in hotel rooms we would order pizza in and the kids would watch TV. That was such a treat for them. So I can certainly understand parents wanting to bring food back to their rooms for their kids to enjoy. You don't always get the same food options from room service.

 

I want to thank the OP for their posting and contacting NCL. It's always good to know this stuff ahead of time so I can be prepared with extra Ziploc baggies.

[SissasMomE]

I agree. There are far more non-smokers but the reaction to the smoking ban is similar. I was thinking of a post I read on another forum where someone said these recent changes and fees were to make up for lost revenue from the smokers who had left due to the change in policy. I can see, too, how this could influence someone's decision to book with NCL or another cruise line.

 

My point is, it's unlikely that anything will change unless they see an negative impact on the bottom line. I commend you for reaching out to NCL to try to get some clarification to the policy when so many are reacting to speculation and rumor. I realize people are reacting out of frustration and anger, but some of the posts are really over the top, insulting and combative and less likely to be taken seriously by anyone reading them.

 

The poster you are referring to is quite vocal in her displeasure at no longer being allowed to smoke. But, the fact is, the ships weren't sailing empty after the smoking ban. On the contrary, there were more bookings. I can understand how a smoker would want to believe NCL had lost revenue because of them, but I just don't believe that is the case at all. I do agree with you. Nothing will change - ever - unless it hurts their bottom dollar. I'm not entirely sure what direction FDR is trying to take NCL. People sail NCL because they enjoy the laid-back atmosphere. I imagine if they wanted to sail Oceania, they would. We definitely do not need another Oceania. For me personally, the "no food in the cabin" is not an issue. If we want it, we'll order room service. We really aren't cabin eaters, but it doesn't make it right for all of the people who do enjoy eating in their cabin, or on their balcony. To say you can only do it if you pay extra for it is just ... absurd, IMO.

[emcelh]

It may be greed and forcing you to get room service or it could be legit a ship cleanliness issue. If they’re allowing you to eat on deck which can be hosed down quite easily in the early hours of the morning when the people are asleep on the ship, then it may just be a sanitation issue. You can eat in your cabin if the CREW bring it to you. Therefore, it is controlled and no spillage is likely to occur. If it were to happen then it would be cleaned immediately but it would cut down on the staining of carpeting and dirtying of the ship. Now whether that results in less cleaning, who knows but the more I’m getting information through here and other sources – it seems like something happened on a ship to warrant this change. Food wars in an elevator perhaps?

 

It's certainly a possibility but, at this point, even if NCL released a statement explaining the reasons for the change in policy, I doubt anyone would believe them. I could count on 1 hand the number of times I've taken food to my cabin and the only time we used room service was when we had an early shore excursion and were in a suite.

 

I almost think, it would have been better if they had raised everyone's fare a few dollars to cover the cost of room service. No one would have noticed. They could have raised the fare a bit more to cover the increase in the DSC, bar drinks, and the 18% gratuity at the upcharge restaurants. By spreading the cost over all the passengers, even the ones who don't use those services, it would have been less obvious. Then again, maybe they felt that those using the services should pay for them. In any case, they've got a bit of a PR mess on their hands.

[CavalierX]

Do you really think they will sail with tons of empty cabins because of this? I very much doubt it but time will tell. All the smokers threatened to leave because of the change in the smoking policy but the ships seem to be sailing full, and with just as many smokers. It was the same on Carnival a few weeks ago and all the smokers threatened to leave Carnival as well. This will either blow over and people will accept it, or the policy will change if they see a decrease in bookings because of it.

 

That's what I foresee: enough people will just grumble but accept this that it won't matter. No one cares about complainers on a message board if the bottom line isn't affected much. Within a couple of years, this will be standard policy on all major cruise lines, and soon only long-time cruisers will remember being able to take food from the buffet or their desserts from restaurants back to enjoy in their cabins. The good old days, when guests were treated like guests instead of walking ATM machines.

[emcelh]

The poster you are referring to is quite vocal in her displeasure at no longer being allowed to smoke. But, the fact is, the ships weren't sailing empty after the smoking ban. On the contrary, there were more bookings. I can understand how a smoker would want to believe NCL had lost revenue because of them, but I just don't believe that is the case at all. I do agree with you. Nothing will change - ever - unless it hurts their bottom dollar. I'm not entirely sure what direction FDR is trying to take NCL. People sail NCL because they enjoy the laid-back atmosphere. I imagine if they wanted to sail Oceania, they would. We definitely do not need another Oceania. For me personally, the "no food in the cabin" is not an issue. If we want it, we'll order room service. We really aren't cabin eaters, but it doesn't make it right for all of the people who do enjoy eating in their cabin, or on their balcony. To say you can only do it if you pay extra for it is just ... absurd, IMO.

 

It is absurd. I can't see this new "rule" sticking though. I just don't see how it can be enforced or even if the crew would enforce it. They're too eager to please and don't enforce the rules that make sense now.

[SissasMomE]

It is absurd. I can't see this new "rule" sticking though. I just don't see how it can be enforced or even if the crew would enforce it. They're too eager to please and don't enforce the rules that make sense now.

 

Someone just posted a response on the FB group from Nomie Joseph, Access Desk Coordinator, that states snacks are allowed to be brought back to the cabin, but full meals are not.

 

Would be nice if NCL showed a little consistency in their responses!

[SissasMomE]

[emcelh]

That's what I foresee: enough people will just grumble but accept this that it won't matter. No one cares about complainers on a message board if the bottom line isn't affected much. Within a couple of years, this will be standard policy on all major cruise lines, and soon only long-time cruisers will remember being able to take food from the buffet or their desserts from restaurants back to enjoy in their cabins. The good old days, when guests were treated like guests instead of walking ATM machines.

 

The "good old days" we used to talk about when there were midnight buffets, people dressed to the nines for dinner, waiters in white gloves, etc. are replaced by the new "good old days" when you could take food to your cabin and room service was free.

 

It seems the norm in much of the service industry today though. Customer satisfaction is sacrificed for the bottom line. True, there are exception, but it isn't the same as it was at one time.

[Movieguy214]

The frightening thought is whether the other lines follow this rule. THAT is what bothers me the most about this. I prefer RC myself, but if they stop you from taking food back to your room, then I'll likely just stop cruising.

 

I sometimes feel like lines are trying too hard to get around the "having lots of people on board" issue. If NCL was actually concerned about food and safety issues, then maybe they shouldn't be cramming as many people as they do on the Breakaway and Getaway.

[SissasMomE]

The frightening thought is whether the other lines follow this rule. THAT is what bothers me the most about this. I prefer RC myself, but if they stop you from taking food back to your room, then I'll likely just stop cruising.

 

I sometimes feel like lines are trying too hard to get around the "having lots of people on board" issue. If NCL was actually concerned about food and safety issues, then maybe they shouldn't be cramming as many people as they do on the Breakaway and Getaway.

 

You have a very good point. Yes you have more bells and whistles with the larger ships, but what is lost?

[emcelh]

Someone just posted a response on the FB group from Nomie Joseph, Access Desk Coordinator, that states snacks are allowed to be brought back to the cabin, but full meals are not.

 

Would be nice if NCL showed a little consistency in their responses!

 

Actually, I read this on one of the many threads on this topic, either yesterday or the day before. I think someone called NCL and was told the same thing. With all the misinformation being posted though, I didn't give it much credibility. Sounds like this is official.

[dna529]

 

This makes no sense whatsoever. What about butlers bringing full meals to suites? How is this any different? I don't eat full meals in my stateroom but this is confusing and inconsistent.

 

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