NCL Vs. other lines drastic changes

[motleyfan]

yes.

 

That sounds awesome

[newmexicoNita]

We are concerned about the future of Pride of America. Will they pull the plug on Hawaii and move her to another itinerary? Hope she stays in the islands.

 

Being she is the only ship doing the Islands starting in Hawaii, I can't see them pulling her. But if it stops being a money maker, yes. Many of the problems they had in the beginning are ironed out now.

[Donna_In_India]

From the time we booked our cruise to the time we cruised there were probably 10-12 changes, including 2 port time changes which we were NEVER notified about. It wasn't so much about the changes themselves but rather how NCL handled it. Very poor way to treat your customers.

[abe3]

From the time we booked our cruise to the time we cruised there were probably 10-12 changes, including 2 port time changes which we were NEVER notified about. It wasn't so much about the changes themselves but rather how NCL handled it. Very poor way to treat your customers.

 

 

Wow. 10 to 12 changes is a lot. Could you list them?

Edited August 13, 2015 by abe3

[missintuitive]

I'll start the list of changes since I booked in March 2015. This could be a group project:

1. Increase in DSC

2. No free illusionarium on 1st night w/UDP

3. Room service upcharge

4. Shanghai free but no lunch menu

5. Gratuity on UBP

6. Gratuity on UDP

7. 2nd increase in DSC

8. No fireworks

9. New drink menu (which is more basic)

10. Change in CAS

 

Others have had cancellations and/or changes of itineraries or ports with limited alternatives offered.

 

Please feel free to add.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rochelle_s]

11. Increase in drink prices.

12. Increase in beverage gratuities.

13. No take out from restaurants.

14. No children's pricing in Specialty Restaurants.

15. Limited numbers in the kids club.

16. Removal of wait staff from DSC

17. Introduction of 18% automatic gratuity and service charge in Specialty restaurants.

 

 

Rochelle

[newmexicoNita]

I'll start the list of changes since I booked in March 2015. This could be a group project:

1. Increase in DSC

2. No free illusionarium on 1st night w/UDP

3. Room service upcharge

4. Shanghai free but no lunch menu

5. Gratuity on UBP

6. Gratuity on UDP

7. 2nd increase in DSC

8. No fireworks

9. New drink menu (which is more basic)

10. Change in CAS

 

Others have had cancellations and/or changes of itineraries or ports with limited alternatives offered.

 

Please feel free to add.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

omg, you can take any cruise line and find as many changes as you want over a period of months; 99% of what you have listed mean nothing and the CAS, that has nothing to do with NCL may I add. I am surprised you didn't list something like, they changed the night of Prime rib in the MDR or they moved Modernos from one room to another. Let's stop the nit picking for heavens sake.

[rochelle_s]

omg, you can take any cruise line and find as many changes as you want over a period of months; 99% of what you have listed mean nothing and the CAS, that has nothing to do with NCL may I add. I am surprised you didn't list something like, they changed the night of Prime rib in the MDR or they moved Modernos from one room to another. Let's stop the nit picking for heavens sake.

 

Why do you say that CAS has nothing to do with NCL? It is their program. When I book my cruises through CAS I have a Norwegian Personal Cruise Consultant who is also a Casinos at Sea specialist. I find information about the program, its benefits, specials and tournaments all on ncl.com.

 

So respectfully I beg to differ and say that CAS has everything to do with NCL.

 

 

Rochelle

[SteveH2508]

Writing a factual list in response to another poster asking what the changes were, is NOT whining or complaining. It is stating facts and passing on useful information, not scribbling all over yet another thread like some posters seem to love doing.

[abe3]

I think the changes that are listed in my opinion are insignificant and hardly effect me and my family when I sail on NCL. All companies and cruise lines make changes and It still does not effect my feelings that I like the direction NCL is going.

[legion3]

I think the changes that are listed in my opinion are significant and very much effect me and my family when I sail on NCL. All companies and cruise lines make changes and It still does not effect my feelings that I hate the direction NCL is going.

[sparks1093]

I think the changes that are listed in my opinion are insignificant and hardly effect me and my family when I sail on NCL. All companies and cruise lines make changes and It still does not effect my feelings that I like the direction NCL is going.

 

When another company raises the price of soda it is because the cost of soda went up. When NCL raises the price of soda it is because the passengers are a captive audience and will buy the soda anyway. I personally see a big difference in those two approaches. (And yes, that one example is not that consequential but the point is the method of decision making that is being used by NCL- that is the significant change.)

[abe3]

When another company raises the price of soda it is because the cost of soda went up. When NCL raises the price of soda it is because the passengers are a captive audience and will buy the soda anyway. I personally see a big difference in those two approaches. (And yes, that one example is not that consequential but the point is the method of decision making that is being used by NCL- that is the significant change.)

 

 

Do you go to a movie theater, or amusement parks, or hotels? Do you think they mark up their soda or other items they are selling?

Edited August 14, 2015 by abe3

[sparks1093]

Do you go to a movie theater, or amusement parks, or hotels? Do you think they mark up their soda or other items they are selling?

 

If you don't see the difference in the decision making process than you don't.

[abe3]

That's your opinion and this is mine

 

I think the changes that are listed in my opinion are insignificant and hardly effect me and my family when I sail on NCL. All companies and cruise lines make changes and It still does not effect my feelings that I like the direction NCL is going.

[abe3]

If you don't see the difference in the decision making process than you don't.

 

 

Obviously you don't either. Both are out to maximize their profits. It all depends if you think the value is worth it or not. To me NCL is still a good value but others probably will see differently.

[sparks1093]

Obviously you don't either. Both are out to maximize their profits. It all depends if you think the value is worth it or not. To me NCL is still a good value but others probably will see differently.

 

As I've said before all Del Rio has done is take away the good will that NCL had built up with me. I will still consider them for future cruises but they will have to get me onboard with price alone. They couldn't do that next year and I doubt going forward that they'll be able to do it. At the end of the day all this means to me is that it limits my cruise options.

[Minoushka]

I ave cruise many times with NCL and reserve my opinion of all these changes after my cruise on Getaway .i know the Dsc is up so are tips on drinks as are meals with add onand service .if all this adds up to too much over and above cruise fare ...my decision to cruise with NCL again willbe affected ....i hope not to end up paying hundreds more for what was once included

We shall see

 

Michele

[CruisinHarvey]

I agree with another poster who said the Meet and Greets will be on the way out at least for free because they do not value this great site and they do not value the feedback they can get, both positive and negative.

 

Come on! I'll just read and laugh at most of this drivel. But NCL doesn't value CC??? Where is your comment coming from???? Name a cruise line that values it more.

 

I hate to burst your bubble. But Cruise Critic is not the be all end for cruise lines. Only a small percentage of the cruising public participates in CC. So they can choose to pay attention or not. That being said, NCL is at the top of the list. Everyone know they cancelled the no take out policy due to 66,000 CC views.

 

You do cruise NCL right? You do go to Meet and Greets right? There isn't another cruise line that has more participation of officers and staff than NCL. I've been on 4 NCL cruises this year. 2 of them where the captain attended( the last 2 months ago), along with the other usual attendees (cruise director, hotel director, head chef, etc..). I've seen them give the organizer some nice perks to. What else do you want them to do?? On the Epic late last year, there were more officers and staff in attendance than CC members. If they're not paying attention, why waste their time??

 

Go to Carnival and pay for it. Go the HAL's own meet and greet, so they don't have pay attention the CC meet and greet. The last HAL CC M&G I attended, not one officer showed up.

Edited August 14, 2015 by CruisinHarvey

[Warm Breezes]

I am currently going through the process of choosing a family cruise for next year. There are currently 3 CCL and 2 NCL cruises making my short list because they fit timing and price range I am looking at. My choices right now are CCL Dream, CCL Glory, CCL Magic, NCL Gem, and NCL Getaway. We have sailed CCL Glory before (pre 2.0) and NCL Gem's sister ship Jewel 2x. All are 7 day cruises. Glory and Magic are Eastern Itineraries that we have all done before except for DR (ok itineraries but not my favorite). Gem is a Bahamas Itinerary (my least favorite) out of NY. Dream and Getaway are Western Itineraries that DH and I have done once but not with the kids (it was one of my favorite itineraries)...Getaway has one more port than Dream.

 

We have a $250 FCC on NCL to use by 10/2017. CCL is offering a $50 per room OBC. NCL is offering choices. I would choose the $50 per person dining Credit because we would all probably eat in at least 1 Specialty Restaurant. We are not big drinkers and do not buy the Soda Packages. I can count on one hand the number of times we have done room service in our 13 cruises.

 

These are the factors I look at when deciding a cruise. All the changes made at both Carnival and NCL haven't even entered into our decision. So NCL increased the gratuities slightly 2x in a year...CCL took away our Free drink and replaced it with a bottled water, then took away our Gold party and replaced it with a Free drink. They all make changes all the time. We deal with it and move on.

 

Right now I am leaning towards NCL Getaway. It falls right in the middle of all the prices when factoring in the $250 FCC which is a sunk cost for us. When looking at what the ship itself offers, I think it would be the best fit for us as a family of 4, with what will be a 19 and 22 year old at that time, in terms of both entertainment and itinerary. Choose the ship that best fits your needs and enjoy it. If it no longer works for you choose something else. Getting all worked up over little changes...IMHO not worth it.

 

I do empathize with those who had their cruises cancelled. While NCL could have handled it better, they are not perfect. None of the cruise lines are. None of us are. They have all made mistakes in customer service in the past. Just read their threads and I'm sure it won't take you long to find a complaint about any of them. It just sucks when it happens to you. I hope you find a replacement whether it be with NCL or another line that suits your wants.

[maywell]

That was very illuminating for something that comes from such a dark place. Now I know why I can't agree with any of his posts.

 

I hope that FDR and FDR Jr start paying attention to these boards the way the previous management did. Sheehan would even pop on and post occasionally and they knew the value of Cruise Critic.

 

I agree with another poster who said the Meet and Greets will be on the way out at least for free because they do not value this great site and they do not value the feedback they can get, both positive and negative.

 

I was one of few that said the Meet & Greet was going to come with a price tag because, let's be honest - this forum is extremely negative to NCL. It always was, but the difference is Sheehan had a thick skin to tolerate it with this forum for public relation reasons while Del Rio looks like he doesn't nor does he care about bad publicity with CC. Also, NCL seems get to get better feedback from Facebook and Twitter where people don't care that their real name is out there, they going to voice their dislike/ like of the line with suggestions for improvement, something that is sorely missing on the forums here.

 

Another thing to remember, most NCL passengers do not know or visit CC forums or their articles - NCL needs to listen to them too and not just CC posters only. We're just a super small vocal minority of their cruising public - so although the changes maybe offense to you doesn't necessarily mean the same for the majority of them, that something everyone here needs to take into consideration. People here are complaining, doesn't mean ALL the passengers are - can't speak for every single person sailing with NCL; you can only truly speak for yourself and your situation.

 

Hopefully, NCL won't start charging for Meet&Greets soon but honestly, I won't be surprised if they did. Because it not to hard to figure out the reasons and it financial one - more like getting back at the critics here who just nasty, for lack of better term. Hey - no one said Del Rio was a rational person, he did fired the public relations office, surrounded himself with Yes-man and probably thinks CC posters are not his bread & butter clients(he's not to far off regarding that...).

 

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

[sjbdtz]

I get how so many of you feel about the ongoing changes at NCL. However, I do think for the most part that you feel as if you have been misled by NCL Recently.

And that's perfectly understandable.

 

But looking back, all cruise lines have been through this type of major reorganization of shipboard offerings and amenities.

 

People complain, and hate the CEO's and the other line executives. Blah, blah, blah. This is NCL's turn to be vilified. And perhaps it's well deserved.

But somehow they all seem to thrive amid adversity. That's due to our short attention span.

 

So, many people have said, this is the last cruise, I'm canceling, I'm moving onto another line Ect.... But in the end some will do exactly what they said. But most will not. It's just the way we are.

 

Personally, I do not feel too bad about the changes, as most of them have a little or zero impact on me. Except that I have to pay the DSC on my drink pkg. still beats paying full price.

 

I'm not trying to convince you or sway how you feel about the many recent policy changes, just wanted to share my own point of view. And I respect all of your points, as they are ALL valid. Just that some of you are shall we say more passionate about it than others.

 

Here is just my personal experience about change. The wife and I honeymooned on the Sun Princess when it was brand new back in "96"

Coming off of two previous Carnival cruises. It was a awesome upgrade.

 

As we boarded the ship going to our cabin. A steward asked if he could help us with our carry on's. He asked for our cabin #. He then called us by our last names. As it turned out he was our steward. On Princess at that time they were to remember guest names.

 

Every night at assigned dining l. A fresh pasta dish was prepared table-side.

The. The list goes on and on. Over the years. After princess was carnivalized. And we kept sailing on Princess, every cruise was less and less impressive. Charges went up, staff not as friendly, less offerings for free and fee based venues started to pop up.

 

So this is nothing new, this has been going on for a long time now. NCL is making changes for long term benefits. We are just in a bad mix of the changes taking place. They will come out. Smelling like a rose. Alto it is hard to see that now, but they will. And if they lose a few locals along they way. That is just collateral damage of this battle of income.

 

Thanks.

 

 

I'm sure you were in a RUSH when you wrote your signature.... but that is a great quote.

 

 

Stephen

 

.

[sparks1093]

I was one of few that said the Meet & Greet was going to come with a price tag because, let's be honest - this forum is extremely negative to NCL. It always was, but the difference is Sheehan had a thick skin to tolerate it with this forum for public relation reasons while Del Rio looks like he doesn't nor does he care about bad publicity with CC. Also, NCL seems get to get better feedback from Facebook and Twitter where people don't care that their real name is out there, they going to voice their dislike/ like of the line with suggestions for improvement, something that is sorely missing on the forums here.

 

Another thing to remember, most NCL passengers do not know or visit CC forums or their articles - NCL needs to listen to them too and not just CC posters only. We're just a super small vocal minority of their cruising public - so although the changes maybe offense to you doesn't necessarily mean the same for the majority of them, that something everyone here needs to take into consideration. People here are complaining, doesn't mean ALL the passengers are - can't speak for every single person sailing with NCL; you can only truly speak for yourself and your situation.

 

Hopefully, NCL won't start charging for Meet&Greets soon but honestly, I won't be surprised if they did. Because it not to hard to figure out the reasons and it financial one - more like getting back at the critics here who just nasty, for lack of better term. Hey - no one said Del Rio was a rational person, he did fired the public relations office, surrounded himself with Yes-man and probably thinks CC posters are not his bread & butter clients(he's not to far off regarding that...).

 

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

 

They are more likely to just stop offering them than to charge for them. If Del Rio can't stand the criticism then he is probably in the wrong job. I just hope that NCL can survive it.

[SuiteCruiser]

Come on! I'll just read and laugh at most of this drivel. But NCL doesn't value CC??? Where is your comment coming from???? Name a cruise line that values it more.

 

I hate to burst your bubble. But Cruise Critic is not the be all end for cruise lines. Only a small percentage of the cruising public participates in CC. So they can choose to pay attention or not. That being said, NCL is at the top of the list. Everyone know they cancelled the no take out policy due to 66,000 CC views.

 

You do cruise NCL right? You do go to Meet and Greets right? There isn't another cruise line that has more participation of officers and staff than NCL. I've been on 4 NCL cruises this year. 2 of them where the captain attended( the last 2 months ago), along with the other usual attendees (cruise director, hotel director, head chef, etc..). I've seen them give a organizer some nice perks to. What else do you want them to do?? On the Epic late last year, their were more officers and staff in attendance than CC members. If they're not paying attention, why waste their time??

 

Go to Carnival and pay for it. Go the HAL's own meet and greet, so they don't have pay attention the CC meet and greet. The last HAL CC M&G I attended, not one officer showed up.

 

I have been on 23 cruises on NCL, 6 this year, and yes, I've attended the Meet and Greets for many of those 23. What I am saying is that the new management does not value CC like the old management did.

 

Before FDR, NCL's PR rep would post here, offer to help, etc. That left around the same time that Sheehan did.

 

Andy Stuart did say that the reversal on bringing food to the rooms was due to Cruise Critic, but it was also in the mainstream media and so ridiculous that it had the public making fun of them.

 

NCL had always in the past welcomed them with open arms, I just see that changing.

Edited August 14, 2015 by SuiteCruiser

[NLH Arizona]

Do you go to a movie theater, or amusement parks, or hotels? Do you think they mark up their soda or other items they are selling?

How about Disney who raises the prices depending on the time of year (when there are more park goers). How about airports who charge more because the flyers are a captive audience. How about sporting venues who charge more because their customers are a captive audience.

 

Also, I guess NCL is an anomaly and their vendors never raise the prices to them...not.