Ala Carte items in MDR

[newmexicoNita]

Very true -- I used to love port intensive itineraries when I was young, now I'm finding I prefer more sea days to just relax and lounge about.

 

Isn't it interesting how we all change; hubby was the one that loved port days in years past and we both loved shopping. On our last cruise we took one tour and we purchases exactly one thing on shore: he had forgotten his hat so he bought one in CAbo. As we age, we have been to most ports and our legs seem to want to stay behind our bodies keeping us from moving as fast as we used to. We now cruise for the entire experience, preferring to stay on the ship in many ports.

[NLH Arizona]

I also never said I would be "happy" if they changed it to one entree, I said it would be fine, as in preferable to what they have changed it to, and based on an understanding that costs are going up everywhere, and changes do sometimes need to be made to maintain a healthy business. I also clearly stated that it would be "ok for more people" -- I never said it would be ok for everyone. Even if I was willing to pay the upcharge, I wouldn't, because I don't want 16 ozs of meat. I just think my suggested compromise would have fewer unhappy people than what NCL has at present.

 

I'm 100% ok with you feeling comfortable with not ordering stuff off the upcharge menu to keep your budget in line. But I would appreciate it if you give those of us that aren't happy with the new charges for things we would like to continue ordering as included, the right to feel how we feel without making negative comments towards our opinion.

Pointing out that I've been on many cruises and become use to a lot of things and a lot of those things have changed over the years. Some I miss and other I don't.

 

It is really easy, if you don't want to worry about your budget and you now know of the changes, don't order anything that would cost extra, that is how I keep within my cruise budget. I certainly understand that you want to eat what you want in the MDR and not have to worry about your budget, but you can still do that by ordering what is on the menu. There are always going to be changes and we either live with it or not....we have the choice. BTW, I eat in the specialty restaurant and they are also for folks on a budget.

 

It would be fine for you if you could only order one entree, but it wouldn't for others, so who does NCL keep happy.

 

Not making negative comments, just voicing my opinion.

Edited November 5, 2015 by NLH Arizona

[Cuizer2]

Just saw a post in one of the Escape threads showing prices for Ala Carte items in the main dinning room. Tacky NCL, very tachy :(

 

Carnival and Royal Caribbean have Ala Carte items on their MDR menus also. You don't have to buy them if you don't want to.

 

I've been to three 4 star steakhouses where EVERYTHING is Ala Carte.

 

It does not seem tacky to me.

[LMaxwell]

Carnival and Royal Caribbean have Ala Carte items on their MDR menus also. You don't have to buy them if you don't want to.

 

I've been to three 4 star steakhouses where EVERYTHING is Ala Carte.

 

It does not seem tacky to me.

 

Doesn't Carnival and Royal brand those upcharge selections as from their specialty restaurants? NCL does not.

 

And as far as I can tell neither Carnival nor Royal charge for Prime Rib either.

 

It does seem tacky to me. It seems tacky to me on Carnival and Royal too, but to a greater extent here.

 

Maybe it is just different perspectives, but I've tried to make the comparison as even as possible, but NCL lags.

[jaja]

Very true -- I used to love port intensive itineraries when I was young, now I'm finding I prefer more sea days to just relax and lounge about.

 

Me too!! :D It is my chance to "run away" from all the things at home...and just "veg out";)

[cruiser1812]

The Lobster part you are right about, but I do not remember it being the last night and it was not decent lobster. Well I don't know about that, because we never sailed the Norway. We were booked on her when she had her accident. As for prices going up, that I totally disagree with. You are basing inflation on the past few years; you would have to be an economist to factor in all the years of inflation. I do know, our first cruise, in 1983 was on a now defunck company: an old ship, tiny cabins, no outside hired entertainment and we paid $6.99 a person plus port charges. That was an industry rate, regular rates were higher. I dreamed of the day we could cruise on a decent line. Oh, I will add, we had a great time and yes, the food was fantastic.

 

I use the 20 year figure just off the top of my head, btw. I can't comment on what you pay as a single. But I can comment on the envalopes. Do you have any idea why all lines have done away with the envalope tipping the last night and are you aware all lines now add auto DSC? Other than that, could you tell us how you think you would pay twice as much as a single compared to 5 years ago? Nothing else has changed that much except for items that one can choose to buy or not?

 

We had a young man on our Jewel Cruise a few weeks ago: he paid, (last minute booking) $379.00 for a single and that included the liquor package. Was that about twice what you paid 5 years ago? sorry, I do not think cruising has increased in price that much and it is still a good vacation bargain compared to land tours or quality AI.

 

I could not find my records for my 2011(Princess) or 2014(NCL) Med cruises, but I did find my 2009 on Holland's Noordam. It cost me $1850 as a single in an OV cabin for 10 days. An 11 day in 2016 for a similar cruise on the Eurodam would be $3075. So you are right, its not 2X more, but still a lot.

 

I am accustomed to the Daily Service Charge, and I always tip my room steward, as well as others who assist me, an additional amount.

 

On NCL's Epic last year, I had to pay $83 for a bottle of Vodka thru Room Service. That same size bottle on the Noordam was $34. Quite a difference!

[aubreyc1988]

Doesn't Carnival and Royal brand those upcharge selections as from their specialty restaurants? NCL does not.

 

 

 

And as far as I can tell neither Carnival nor Royal charge for Prime Rib either.

 

 

 

It does seem tacky to me. It seems tacky to me on Carnival and Royal too, but to a greater extent here.

 

 

 

Maybe it is just different perspectives, but I've tried to make the comparison as even as possible, but NCL lags.

 

 

Carnival and RCI do brand them as specialty restaurant upcharges

 

I don't think it's tacky tho, but everyone has a different opinion of what's tacky or not

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bumorgan]

Yes the menus are there in all their glory. Boy I'm hungry now!!

 

Dan

[NLH Arizona]

Very true -- I used to love port intensive itineraries when I was young, now I'm finding I prefer more sea days to just relax and lounge about.

I'm with you, I love sea days...nothing better than not having to do anything.

[Cuizer2]

Doesn't Carnival and Royal brand those upcharge selections as from their specialty restaurants? NCL does not.

 

And as far as I can tell neither Carnival nor Royal charge for Prime Rib either.

 

It does seem tacky to me. It seems tacky to me on Carnival and Royal too, but to a greater extent here.

 

Maybe it is just different perspectives, but I've tried to make the comparison as even as possible, but NCL lags.

 

As to Carnival and Royal Caribbean - yes.

 

Prime Rib is only offered one night per week, and yes, it is included.

 

As to the rest, you are entitled to your opinion. I don't find it tacky, especially when I find it is SOP at four star restaurants.

[Esperanza7]

“You can please some of the people all of the time,

 

You can please all of the people some of the time,

 

but

 

You can’t please all of the people all of the time”.

 

:)

[motleyfan]

I am not harder to please -- just tired of this year of whittling away at the things I look forward to, and feeling like because I booked way in advance (which NCL execs have made clear they want their customers to do) I am getting less product for the money I spent.

 

Well hopefully on your next Cruise you will have so much fun you will forget about all that

[dandee2]

You are thinking retail NCL like any other restaurant buys at wholesale and in bulk. In 5 minutes of internet searching I found wholesale Canadian lobster for as little as $4/lb and I have no connections to the food industry. NCL is taking away and charging us for something that is only justifiable by the fact they can, and we are stupid enough to go along.

 

Agree! And when you order the $19 lobster, you are not eating their "Free" diner which probably cost them around $7. So in the end they are really getting between $25-$30.

 

Now lets wait until they start charging for the window seats in the MDR or the towel at the pool (or bring your own) and everything else. BTW, China is the biggest importer of lobster. My Mom is on the Escape in January (first cruise ever) and disappointed by NCL decision as she heard so many time that the food was great and all inclusive.

[sparks1093]

Agree! And when you order the $19 lobster, you are not eating their "Free" diner which probably cost them around $7. So in the end they are really getting between $25-$30.

 

Now lets wait until they start charging for the window seats in the MDR or the towel at the pool (or bring your own) and everything else. BTW, China is the biggest importer of lobster. My Mom is on the Escape in January (first cruise ever) and disappointed by NCL decision as she heard so many time that the food was great and all inclusive.

 

Since the inception of specialty restaurants the food on NCL hasn't really been all inclusive. Now if you want a special meal you don't have to book in a specialty restaurant, you may order one from the MDR menu if you choose to. I've looked at a couple of the menus and there are still many nice choices for dinner with no surcharge (and I was glad to see that escargot is back:)).

 

It must also be remembered that while prime rib and lobster are gone from the current menus that does not mean that they are gone forever, they could be back the next time they revamp the menus (for instance escargot was taken off the menu in the MDR for a bit and now they are back).

[newmexicoNita]

I could not find my records for my 2011(Princess) or 2014(NCL) Med cruises, but I did find my 2009 on Holland's Noordam. It cost me $1850 as a single in an OV cabin for 10 days. An 11 day in 2016 for a similar cruise on the Eurodam would be $3075. So you are right, its not 2X more, but still a lot.

 

I am accustomed to the Daily Service Charge, and I always tip my room steward, as well as others who assist me, an additional amount.

 

On NCL's Epic last year, I had to pay $83 for a bottle of Vodka thru Room Service. That same size bottle on the Noordam was $34. Quite a difference!

 

totally agree with the liquor price: NCL is out of line with other ships, but then there is Princess: they do not have it by the bottle for the cabin or they didn't anyway. They did have a small bottle you could purchase the last time we sailed them about 3 years ago. If you mulitplied it the price for a liter was about the same as NCL used to be. There was a time (not many years ago) when NCl charged $40.00. About 3 years ago they went to $60.00 and now, I guess they have gone up again? When they jumped from $40.00 to $60.00 we decided drinking wine was just fine with up and when we really wanted a cocktail we would have one in the public areas.

 

We all have to realize, cruise lines, as well as any other business will find a way to get our money. One will charge more up front, others will get it by adding extra charges or cut back on quality and quantity.

[hawkeyetlse]

totally agree with the liquor price: NCL is out of line with other ships […] There was a time (not many years ago) when NCl charged $40.00. About 3 years ago they went to $60.00 and now, I guess they have gone up again?

I believe the cheapest brands are now $86 for a 1-liter bottle (plus service charge), may have gone up since I last checked. It's still much cheaper, of course, than the per shot price, $6.95 for 1.5 oz, which works out to $157/liter.

 

This liquor discussion is off topic here, but it is another valid point of comparison between NCL and other lines. However, for the past year and for the foreseeable future, the alcohol on NCL has been cheaper than everywhere else for the many people who choose the promotional UBP, and the higher the drink prices are on paper, the higher the notional/perceived value this perk, and the happier those customers are to choose NCL.

Edited November 6, 2015 by hawkeyetlse

[motleyfan]

Agree! And when you order the $19 lobster, you are not eating their "Free" diner which probably cost them around $7. So in the end they are really getting between $25-$30.

 

Now lets wait until they start charging for the window seats in the MDR or the towel at the pool (or bring your own) and everything else. BTW, China is the biggest importer of lobster. My Mom is on the Escape in January (first cruise ever) and disappointed by NCL decision as she heard so many time that the food was great and all inclusive.

 

Do you realize you lose your point when you start exaggerating? The food hasn't been an all inclusive in years, my first cruise was in 2011 and they had pay restaurants. If you don't like the things that they are charging for don't eat them. There are still many free options.

[luvtheships]

Since the inception of specialty restaurants the food on NCL hasn't really been all inclusive. Now if you want a special meal you don't have to book in a specialty restaurant, you may order one from the MDR menu if you choose to. I've looked at a couple of the menus and there are still many nice choices for dinner with no surcharge (and I was glad to see that escargot is back:)).

 

It must also be remembered that while prime rib and lobster are gone from the current menus that does not mean that they are gone forever, they could be back the next time they revamp the menus (for instance escargot was taken off the menu in the MDR for a bit and now they are back).

 

 

Have you had the mdr escargot yet?

 

On the ba last January....I was surprised to see it on the menu but ....

 

My take on it was that they took 2 escargot and chopped them with garlic salt parsley and mushroom I believe and put it on toast points

 

May have changed again by now but it was definitely stretching 2 escargot into looking like 5 or 6

 

Unfortunately the days of 6 escargot served in the shell with the proper utensils are gone from the mdr

 

Even le bistro escargot was not like the days of old

 

 

I have a great escargot story about my experience on the beach in Antibes in 1984....a woman was pulling them off the retaining wall and we asked what she was doing and she opened up the basket she was putting them in and they were crawling all over the place. She said she was making them for dinner and offered us some. Lol

 

We passed and went to stare at the Picasso's instead and then get a $7 ice cream cone[emoji79]. Then drive back to beautiful San Remo for pizza margarita

 

That was a really good trip I recall. Western med including Sicily and Tunisia then car rental from Genoa. 3 days on the italian and French Rivera and then drive to Geneva for a great price on Rolex then back to Stresa and the italian Lake District

 

I really need to get back to Italy havent been there since 2012 but planning a land trip in 2016 with my young adults who can afford to pay their own airfare!!

[luvtheships]

Do you realize you lose your point when you start exaggerating? The food hasn't been an all inclusive in years, my first cruise was in 2011 and they had pay restaurants. If you don't like the things that they are charging for don't eat them. There are still many free options.

 

 

So motley are you really a chiropractor?

[luvtheships]

totally agree with the liquor price: NCL is out of line with other ships, but then there is Princess: they do not have it by the bottle for the cabin or they didn't anyway. They did have a small bottle you could purchase the last time we sailed them about 3 years ago. If you mulitplied it the price for a liter was about the same as NCL used to be. There was a time (not many years ago) when NCl charged $40.00. About 3 years ago they went to $60.00 and now, I guess they have gone up again? When they jumped from $40.00 to $60.00 we decided drinking wine was just fine with up and when we really wanted a cocktail we would have one in the public areas.

 

 

 

We all have to realize, cruise lines, as well as any other business will find a way to get our money. One will charge more up front, others will get it by adding extra charges or cut back on quality and quantity.

 

 

Personally I think Ncl is now....raising prices....so getting it up front.....adding excess extra charges and perfecting it's nickel and dime reputation ....and cutting back on quality and quantity

 

Many seem to like the new menu posted but I honestly see it as fancy names for items of little substance. It's smoke and mirrors to me

 

Now before some resident posters start in.....I cruise what fits me and these changes have not yet caused me to leave Ncl....but I'm looking

 

Until Ncl doesn't fit my needs I will cruise them but that doesn't mean I can't see through what they are trying to pull off.....

[sparks1093]

[quote name='luvtheships']Have you had the mdr escargot yet?

On the ba last January....I was surprised to see it on the menu but ....

My take on it was that they took 2 escargot and chopped them with garlic salt parsley and mushroom I believe and put it on toast points

May have changed again by now but it was definitely stretching 2 escargot into looking like 5 or 6

Unfortunately the days of 6 escargot served in the shell with the proper utensils are gone from the mdr

Even le bistro escargot was not like the days of old


I have a great escargot story about my experience on the beach in Antibes in 1984....a woman was pulling them off the retaining wall and we asked what she was doing and she opened up the basket she was putting them in and they were crawling all over the place. She said she was making them for dinner and offered us some. Lol

We passed and went to stare at the Picasso's instead and then get a $7 ice cream cone[emoji79]. Then drive back to beautiful San Remo for pizza margarita

That was a really good trip I recall. Western med including Sicily and Tunisia then car rental from Genoa. 3 days on the italian and French Rivera and then drive to Geneva for a great price on Rolex then back to Stresa and the italian Lake District

I really need to get back to Italy havent been there since 2012 but planning a land trip in 2016 with my young adults who can afford to pay their own airfare!![/quote]

Love the fresh escargot story! While the new dish isn't like the old it does sound promising (and if one isn't enough...;)).

[CasinoCruzGirl]

Every cruise I look forward to the chateubriand in the MDR. Do you think they will start adding meals like that to a fee? Could be Whats to stop them from adding items.

Geri

[sparks1093]

[quote name='luvtheships']Personally I think Ncl is now....raising prices....so getting it up front.....adding excess extra charges and perfecting it's nickel and dime reputation ....and cutting back on quality and quantity

Many seem to like the new menu posted but I honestly see it as fancy names for items of little substance. It's smoke and mirrors to me

Now before some resident posters start in.....I cruise what fits me and these changes have not yet caused me to leave Ncl....but I'm looking

Until Ncl doesn't fit my needs I will cruise them but that doesn't mean I can't see through what they are trying to pull off.....[/quote]

Actually to achieve Del Rio's goal they have to be improving the quality in the MDR and other areas.

[luvtheships]

[quote name='sparks1093']Actually to achieve Del Rio's goal they have to be improving the quality in the MDR and other areas.[/QUOTE]


Oh I agree but I feel they are using fancy names and less amounts of food in a thinly veiled attempt to make it look like more than it really is

I wouldn't mind being wrong here but who knows?

Yes Antibes was interesting

I have a nice cefalu Sicily story too....we were driving from Palermo to Taormina via cefalu.

Mom spoke fluent Sicilian and we drove thru some interesting back roads....well I made a wrong turn and drive right in to an older couples back yard and there they are stirring the fresh picked tomatoes and jarring them at harvest time

They didn't flinch they barely looked up then just shrugged and said. Eh! We apologized and they just shrugged and said eh again!

Came over and turned my side windows in so I wouldn't scrape them and helped guide me out and back to stirring they went. They couldn't have cared less that I drove right into their backyard. Gotta love the laid back life!!!


Another Sicily story....my mom tried to give a guy at the car rental counter at the airport a tip for helping with the luggage and he adamantly refused ...mom kept insisting....he kept begging her to stop offering. Lol

It took me years to realize what happened... Here we were...my mom well dressed...she speaks fluent Sicilian and she was born in America....and we were renting probably one of the only automatic transmission cars on the island...it was costly of course and they must have thought we were rich....not true but no way do I drive stick near native italian drivers in Italy. Lol

They must have thought she was the Don's wife and to accept a tip from her would not be a good thing to do

Lol.

[Hendricks Clan]

[quote name='motleyfan']Do you realize you lose your point when you start exaggerating? [B]The food hasn't been an all inclusive in years[/B], my first cruise was in 2011 and they had pay restaurants. If you don't like the things that they are charging for don't eat them. [B]There are still many free options.[/B][/QUOTE]

So food hasn't been all inclusive in years, but there are still free options? Do you ever think about some of the stuff you post? If some venues are free and included in my NCL cruise fare and one has no intention of eating at anything other than the MDR and Garden Cafe, then the food is all inclusive.