What Changes Would You Like NCL To Make?

[shoreguy]

I haven't read through the threads, and haven't thought about improvements, but I was just posting a response to someone that reminded me of a problem that has annoyed me, though it isn't the biggest of deals. Since one bar is designated for the 20% discount for members, I would like to see the ship's computer apply the discount to the Latitude members without having to put a sticker on the card, or remind the bartender or waitperson accordingly. Drink by drink it's peanuts, but it is nonetheless a little annoying. It has improved from our first Dawn cruise where you had to show your latitudes card or at mention it to the waitstaff if you wanted the discount.

 

You ask for it you got it:)

 

On the Jewel your key card is coded for Latitudes and it is printed under your name on the card.

[Tomct]

You ask for it you got it:)

 

On the Jewel your key card is coded for Latitudes and it is printed under your name on the card.

 

Thanks; when I get a chance to make some addtional recommendations, I'll run them through you to see if you can get them implemented just as quickly!!

 

Actually, I had posted a response to someone where I said I was hoping the Jewel was already capable of doing this. I have left this suggestion on a couple of comment cards in the past. I also realize they are a big machine, and likely have some older computers on these ships, and making software changes compatible with all or most of them must be a nightmare.

 

Anyway, good for NCL making this discount more convenient.

 

Have a good night!!

[logcabin]

First, I haven't read through all these threads. So, forgive me if this was posted by someone else already. What I would like to see NCL do is offer an adults only restuarant on each ship or make the specialty restaurants adults only after say 8pm. We love NCL and Freestyle. We usually eat later in the evening to avoid the "family rush". However, it is annoying when your paying extra money to have a nice meal in La Bistro, and people are in there with children who are making a fuss. True, the parents should have enough sense to take the child out. However, that usually dosen't happen So, instead, NCL should make the premium restaurants adult only after 8pm. Sheesh, even Disney offers adult only restaurants on their ships.

[Harleycat]

I agree with you 100%. I enjoy having a glass of wine in my cabin. I ordered a bottle of wine and it was $28 plus gratuity. This was for a bottle that retails for about $12.00 and, I'm sure, wholesales for even less. If you figure they spent about $7.00 for it, it comes to about a 300% markup! If NCL wants to increase their sales, how about a selection of moderately priced wines? If they had, I wouldn't have purchased two bottles of wine in Miami for my room.

My husband has very specific brands of alcohol that he likes, none of which were available on the ship. Again, we purchased some in Miami for him.

Better pricing and selection may reduce the number of people bringing alcohol on the ship and actually increase NCL's liquor sales.

[newmexicoNita]

I agree with you 100%. I enjoy having a glass of wine in my cabin. I ordered a bottle of wine and it was $28 plus gratuity. This was for a bottle that retails for about $12.00 and, I'm sure, wholesales for even less. If you figure they spent about $7.00 for it, it comes to about a 300% markup! If NCL wants to increase their sales, how about a selection of moderately priced wines? If they had, I wouldn't have purchased two bottles of wine in Miami for my room.

My husband has very specific brands of alcohol that he likes, none of which were available on the ship. Again, we purchased some in Miami for him.

Better pricing and selection may reduce the number of people bringing alcohol on the ship and actually increase NCL's liquor sales.

Again, this is one of the issues many of us have with NCL. Though their prices for drinks are no higher than any line and maybe a little lower in some cases, not being able to bring a bottle on board or even wine without paying the corkage fee is quite different than other lines. Too all of you who are going to say, all lines say no liquor, I know and I have had it convescated once on Celebrity, but normally if you are decrete nothing is said. Now when we return from our next Celebrity cruise we may feel differently. NMNita

[calmac]

First, I haven't read through all these threads. So, forgive me if this was posted by someone else already. What I would like to see NCL do is offer an adults only restuarant on each ship or make the specialty restaurants adults only after say 8pm. We love NCL and Freestyle. We usually eat later in the evening to avoid the "family rush". However, it is annoying when your paying extra money to have a nice meal in La Bistro, and people are in there with children who are making a fuss. True, the parents should have enough sense to take the child out. However, that usually dosen't happen So, instead, NCL should make the premium restaurants adult only after 8pm. Sheesh, even Disney offers adult only restaurants on their ships.

 

As a family who like to do things together this would cause us problems but I can see why it is suggested. Our son (now 10) has always been very well behaved in "grown up" restaurants and loves to be treated like an adult. However, if he were to misbehave, we would leave, no second thoughts. Shame not everyone has this same attitude as this leads to suggestions for "adults only" restaurants.

 

As an aside - we were on the Dream this summer and chose to dine in Le Bistro at 8:30pm. Our son went off to the "little boys room". While he was away from the table the Captain left the restaurant (he had been dining at a table behind us). He stopped at our table and asked if our son had gone to bed!!

[Tomct]

As a family who like to do things together this would cause us problems but I can see why it is suggested. Our son (now 10) has always been very well behaved in "grown up" restaurants and loves to be treated like an adult. However, if he were to misbehave, we would leave, no second thoughts. Shame not everyone has this same attitude as this leads to suggestions for "adults only" restaurants.

 

As an aside - we were on the Dream this summer and chose to dine in Le Bistro at 8:30pm. Our son went off to the "little boys room". While he was away from the table the Captain left the restaurant (he had been dining at a table behind us). He stopped at our table and asked if our son had gone to bed!!

 

One of our "fondest" memories on board ship occurred in Le Bistro in 2004, with my grandson seven at the time. He's a good eater, and well behaved, especially in restaurants (behavioral training from Mom), and upon beginning to enjoy his chocolate fondue, he leaned back, rolled his eyes, and spouted, "This is the life!". An adult only restaurant may have prevented such an incident, as though the kids like the chicken fingers at the Dawn's "kids only" buffet, they do not quite motivate such spontaneous quotations. Also, dining in such "upscale" establishments are also a learning experience for some kids, a privilege that is paid for with their cabin fees. NCL pushes the Family experience, and this is part of it.

 

Lastly, FreesStyle dining which excludes a specific population kinda defeats the purpose. Should a family have a long day of activities on shore and want to return late and finish the day with a great dining experience at LeBistro or Cagney's, it would be a shame to deny them that experience. And for those families or kids who may not be so well behaved, why should the diners in another restaurant be more subjected to such incidents. I know, you paid extra, etc, but maybe the responsibility lies with the restaurant management, and should such behavior tread on your/our enjoyment of our dining experience, we should take it upon ourselves to ask the Maitre D' for some help.

[angelsx4]

I think it's appropriate to have an adults only restaurant. But not all premium restaurants. You can never please all of the people all the time. I'm really looking forward to taking our kids in just 2 months. They've been saving up their money for souvenirs, etc... One of them wants to be taken to Le Bistro for the fondue. What a special experience for them! It would be very sad if that was taken away from them. They love to go out, they're behaved well, and I'm not just saying that. I started working at the school and the yard duties were asking which were mine and they didn't know them very well(that's a good sign) because they never get in trouble. It's the family things that make them feel important so they don't feel the need to act out or misbehave. At 8, 8, 10, and 13, I think they're the perfect age to enjoy the ships activities, shows, restaurants(we will probably only eat in a premium rest. once because dh and I are cheapskates), but I don't see it being a problem for other passengers. Maybe one of the adults only could be one with a bar attached. It's a more mature venue anyways. I see nothing wrong with at least one. I'm reasonable.

[newmexicoNita]

I hadn't thought about the adults only restaurants: I do agree. Some children do quite well in the adult world; many just don't have the desire to sit for 2 plus hours and enjoy a pleasant dining experience. It would be wonderful if all parents knew how their children would react, but we all know they do not. How many of us have been in restaurants where the children would have been better off left at home. I also think, for those who do want to include the young set in their dinner plans there should be an upscale restaurant for them. Perhaps the answer is one alternative dining room for adults, the rest should be open to everyone. this is pretty much a repeat of what Angelsx4 just said. I can see only one problem:which restaurant should be designated "Adults only"? NMnita

[calmac]

Of course, the adults can be more of a problem than the children!!

 

On our last visit to our local Indian restaurant for Saturday lunch there were about 4 tables of people already there. A mix of adults and children at each. They all seemed to know each other but were not there together. In this case I felt like asking the adults to leave. :eek: The children were behaving fairly well but the adults were shouting across the room to each other. Not what you would hope for in an adults only restaurant, but it could happen.

[SailAways]

The idea of having at least one specialty restaurant be adult only after a certain hour - say after 8PM, sounds like a very good idea.

 

We all adore seeing well behaved children in restaurants, but the very young are not always as predictable as pre-teen and past. Even these can sometimes be naughty. But, less likely than a toddler to make a ruckus.

 

There is absolutely nothing as disturbing, IMO as having a crying, unhappy infant causing an entire restaurant atmosphere to take a tumble. None of us are prepared to talk and visit over the disturbance which some children can cause. And, my heart goes out to the infant - they must be so very miserable, tired, hungry or just plain upset.

 

In the "olden days" (when we were raising our crew), a crying baby was quickly taken out of the restaurant by the parents. This is no longer the case, and we all get to go through the event with the parents, who seem absolutely oblivious to the fact that they are ruining many others evening out.

 

Thus, we would vote 100% for an adult only restaurant - even one that operates 24/7 would work for us, but that is probably not going to happen.

 

As for which restaurant that would be, that is another bag of worms, and probably an entire new thread. I vote for Maxim's - now changed to Cagney's on the Spirit. Loved the entire evening there - and fortunately for us, there were no crying children at any time.

[Tomct]

Of course, the adults can be more of a problem than the children!!

 

On our last visit to our local Indian restaurant for Saturday lunch there were about 4 tables of people already there. A mix of adults and children at each. They all seemed to know each other but were not there together. In this case I felt like asking the adults to leave. :eek: The children were behaving fairly well but the adults were shouting across the room to each other. Not what you would hope for in an adults only restaurant, but it could happen.

 

I was thinking about this topic in the car this afternoon, but you beat me to it! We've had 38 dinners on our 5 cruises to date, and can not recall any "children" who were misbehaving, and certainly none have had an impact on our enjoyment. Same can not be said for the adults, though there has not been any signficant scenes. However, if you think about it, the odds favor the adults being the bigger problem.

 

I'm thinking, is this really a serious issue? I don't think so!! How often have you observed a problem in a FreeStyle restaurant that infringed on your enjoyment and or privacy? How many of them were Specialties? Of those, how many involved children? Was the problem early in the evening or after 8 or 9? Chances are that nearly all negative situations involving children occur in the early hours, as that's when most of them dine. Chances also are that any such problem that occurs after 8, and more so after 9, involve adults, and the majority of them are likely alcohol related. Folks with kids that are "dining room challenged" don't want their kids acting up and ruining their evening either. Stuff does happen, but I feel it's rare.

 

My solution remains, that if for some reason having kids around annoys you, just dine as late as you can be comfortable with. Another way around the compromise would be to not allow orders off the children's menu after the cutoff time, 8 or 9 pm.

 

Another point against a cutoff period for children, say 8 pm, is the "for fee" restaurants typically take longer for you to finish, especially if you want to relax, take your time, and enjoy the entire experience. LeBistro could easily take you 2 - 2 1/2 hours. So, if a family arrives at 8 to beat the cutoff, they might not be done until 10:30 pm, defeating the purpose of the adult only feature. But as mentioned above, not many families are going to have their kids out that late, and if so, chances are they know what they are doing, and do not usually experience problems with their kids. many make accommodations like sending the kids back early when they are done.

 

Lastly, this may be a hot enough subject to warrant its' own thread. Future posters may consider starting one, so as not to overwhelm the intent of this one.

[newmexicoNita]

The idea of having at least one specialty restaurant be adult only after a certain hour - say after 8PM, sounds like a very good idea.

 

We all adore seeing well behaved children in restaurants, but the very young are not always as predictable as pre-teen and past. Even these can sometimes be naughty. But, less likely than a toddler to make a ruckus.

 

There is absolutely nothing as disturbing, IMO as having a crying, unhappy infant causing an entire restaurant atmosphere to take a tumble. None of us are prepared to talk and visit over the disturbance which some children can cause. And, my heart goes out to the infant - they must be so very miserable, tired, hungry or just plain upset.

 

In the "olden days" (when we were raising our crew), a crying baby was quickly taken out of the restaurant by the parents. This is no longer the case, and we all get to go through the event with the parents, who seem absolutely oblivious to the fact that they are ruining many others evening out.

 

Thus, we would vote 100% for an adult only restaurant - even one that operates 24/7 would work for us, but that is probably not going to happen.

 

As for which restaurant that would be, that is another bag of worms, and probably an entire new thread. I vote for Maxim's - now changed to Cagney's on the Spirit. Loved the entire evening there - and fortunately for us, there were no crying children at any time.

Excellant points: I know there are many children that enjoy the finer eateries and do behave. I think most children would prefer to eat a hamburger. When our kids were growing up we couldn't afford to take them to anything other than coffee shops or buffets until they were young teens. When our 2 older granddaughters were growing our DD and SIL had a little more income so the girls were introduced to better restaurants at younger ages. As you mentioned, the first peep and out they went. NMnita

[newmexicoNita]

I was thinking about this topic in the car this afternoon, but you beat me to it! We've had 38 dinners on our 5 cruises to date, and can not recall any "children" who were misbehaving, and certainly none have had an impact on our enjoyment. Same can not be said for the adults, though there has not been any signficant scenes. However, if you think about it, the odds favor the adults being the bigger problem.

 

I'm thinking, is this really a serious issue? I don't think so!! How often have you observed a problem in a FreeStyle restaurant that infringed on your enjoyment and or privacy? How many of them were Specialties? Of those, how many involved children? Was the problem early in the evening or after 8 or 9? Chances are that nearly all negative situations involving children occur in the early hours, as that's when most of them dine. Chances also are that any such problem that occurs after 8, and more so after 9, involve adults, and the majority of them are likely alcohol related. Folks with kids that are "dining room challenged" don't want their kids acting up and ruining their evening either. Stuff does happen, but I feel it's rare.

 

My solution remains, that if for some reason having kids around annoys you, just dine as late as you can be comfortable with. Another way around the compromise would be to not allow orders off the children's menu after the cutoff time, 8 or 9 pm.

 

Another point against a cutoff period for children, say 8 pm, is the "for fee" restaurants typically take longer for you to finish, especially if you want to relax, take your time, and enjoy the entire experience. LeBistro could easily take you 2 - 2 1/2 hours. So, if a family arrives at 8 to beat the cutoff, they might not be done until 10:30 pm, defeating the purpose of the adult only feature. But as mentioned above, not many families are going to have their kids out that late, and if so, chances are they know what they are doing, and do not usually experience problems with their kids. many make accommodations like sending the kids back early when they are done.

 

Lastly, this may be a hot enough subject to warrant its' own thread. Future posters may consider starting one, so as not to overwhelm the intent of this one.

I will start it right now. NMNita

[cruisingknut]

Having been through this record hurricane season, and having not gone on my cruise yet, my only suggestion so far is that NCL communicate better with their customers. The other lines seem to get info out much earlier than NCL about itinerary changes and port changes.....

[DesertGal]

We just sailed RCCL Jewel of the Seas and found everybody unhappy when they opened the retractable roof in San Juan because it was so hot and humid. Everyone applauded when it closed. I was also surprised that RCCL Legend of the Seas never opened their retractable roof in Hawaii in March. I guess alot of people prefer the airconditioning on hot days. I was happy they didn't open the roof crossing from Hawaii to Mexico because the Pacific Ocean was rough and chilly as we neared the mainland. We sailed NCL Dawn last December and will be sailing the Spirit in 2006. I wish NCL ships had a solarium like RCCL ships as long as they keep it closed to keep out the heat and keep out the cold.

We've been very happy with our three NCL cruises--all on older ships not built for Freestyle cruising. Suggested improvements?

 

1. A buffet comparable to HAL's (HAL's only real competitive advantage in my view)

 

2. Sugar-free dessert offerings at dinner besides ice cream

 

3. A no-announcements policy (although there were really none other than "bingo is starting in ten minutes" on our two 2005 cruises)

 

4. A repeat-guest program with some teeth

 

5. Hot room-service breakfasts available in all categories of cabin

 

6. One pool with a retractable roof on all ships (and certainly on new ones)

 

7. Better lounge chairs on sun/pool decks

 

8. Restaurants with more glass and better visibility out, a la Dream/Wind (and, yes, I realize this is a result of balconied cabins now lining every upper deck, thus relegating larger dining rooms to the bowels; but this is a wish list)

 

9. Bigger glasses for water, iced tea, etc., at the buffet (when I start listing a nit like this you know I'm overall very satisfied with the product)

[travelteam]

I'd like to see grab bars in the showers and the toilets in all the suites. Oh how I would love to have a penthouse suite for 10 days.........The Dawn only has 2 HC minis - how about those of us who need that extra safety feature on a moving ship.:rolleyes:

[shoreguy]

I'd like to see grab bars in the showers and the toilets in all the suites. Oh how I would love to have a penthouse suite for 10 days.........The Dawn only has 2 HC minis - how about those of us who need that extra safety feature on a moving ship.:rolleyes:

 

Check out the Jewel - they have increased the HC options - The AE was a great cabin

[jetskier]

Like cruisingknut said. BETTER communication during a weather event. The only way we know what is going on is through a former employee. RCCL and CCL has had timely information posted.

 

Heh John,

Just want to make sure you are following the thread at the Roll Call for the Sun. We have two meet/greets scheduled.

 

Dave

[ChrisConnolly]

I'll try to give you guys a few tha haven't been touched on yet..

 

 

1. Kids crew on port days-- I don't have any kids but you always hear parents complaining about this. Also expanded ages to accomodate younger children.

 

2. All you can eat Wifi plan- They aren't going to give it to you for free, so why not give me a plan where I'm not counting minutes.

 

3. Latitudes only lounge- Offering access to the concierge for repeat travelers even if you aren't in the higher categories.

 

4. 3d tours and better descriptions of high end suites- You can use the internet to get good 3-D tours of basic rooms, but on ships where every suite is different (Read POAM) better pictures would make desicions much easier.

 

5. True Nightclub on new Panamax ships- We used to have dazzles but sinces spinnakers plays live music fairly late before going to a DJ this usually thins out the younger crowd. I'm hoping bar central on the jewel may help to remedy this problem.

 

6. Expanded sea day activities- Implementing new activities like Mike did with the Murder Mystery Dinner, keeps seasoned travelers looking forward to new experiences.

[swoosh2005]

Chris

we'll be on the Dawn and you'll be on the Jewel-both in the beginning of January-I checked to see if our paths would cross-but alas no.

I'm going to leave you a message on Great Stirrup- we're there I think on the 10th and you'll be there on the 14th-I'll think of something good!

Denise

[ChrisConnolly]

Hey Denise,

 

Nice to hear from you! Feel free to leave a bottle of something hidden in the sand ;) . Kristin and I will be sending out an invitation for the wedding as soon as we have them printed up. The date is April 23, 2006 so I hope you can leave a place on your calendar. We are hoping the Duffy's can make it as well. We were going to do the dawn one more time , but decided to try some different ports. Talk to you soon.

[swoosh2005]

I hope that Mexico doesn't get hit too hard from this Wilma !#@$%

Doesn't look too good for Cozumel right now.

 

I just love the Dawn-didn't want to do the Spirit and have to leave out of NYC-

Nick's coming with us again with just one friend so we were lucky and just caught an AB that someone probably had passed on-I saw it before the TA did.

Maybe I should quit real estate and go into travel.

Looking forward to April too-Europe will be a great honeymoon in the spring!

Denise

 

I'll leave you a clue via email on where to look-hopefully we'll both make it to GSC-you know how many times it gets cancelled because of the swells!

[Barb Nahoumi]

I was thinking about this topic in the car this afternoon, but you beat me to it! We've had 38 dinners on our 5 cruises to date, and can not recall any "children" who were misbehaving, and certainly none have had an impact on our enjoyment. Same can not be said for the adults, though there has not been any signficant scenes. However, if you think about it, the odds favor the adults being the bigger problem.

 

I'm thinking, is this really a serious issue? I don't think so!! How often have you observed a problem in a FreeStyle restaurant that infringed on your enjoyment and or privacy? How many of them were Specialties? Of those, how many involved children? Was the problem early in the evening or after 8 or 9? Chances are that nearly all negative situations involving children occur in the early hours, as that's when most of them dine. Chances also are that any such problem that occurs after 8, and more so after 9, involve adults, and the majority of them are likely alcohol related. Folks with kids that are "dining room challenged" don't want their kids acting up and ruining their evening either. Stuff does happen, but I feel it's rare.

 

My solution remains, that if for some reason having kids around annoys you, just dine as late as you can be comfortable with. Another way around the compromise would be to not allow orders off the children's menu after the cutoff time, 8 or 9 pm.

 

Another point against a cutoff period for children, say 8 pm, is the "for fee" restaurants typically take longer for you to finish, especially if you want to relax, take your time, and enjoy the entire experience. LeBistro could easily take you 2 - 2 1/2 hours. So, if a family arrives at 8 to beat the cutoff, they might not be done until 10:30 pm, defeating the purpose of the adult only feature. But as mentioned above, not many families are going to have their kids out that late, and if so, chances are they know what they are doing, and do not usually experience problems with their kids. many make accommodations like sending the kids back early when they are done.

 

Lastly, this may be a hot enough subject to warrant its' own thread. Future posters may consider starting one, so as not to overwhelm the intent of this one.

 

There is a thread entitled "Adult Only Dining," on the NCL Board. Please read it for other opinions.

[marilynd]

What I would like to see with NCL is an increase in Penthouse suites with single bed options. If you are not a "couple" cruising together you really want your own bed. The Penthouse options for two single people sharing a suite are very limited. The AB Penthouse on Star and Dawn and Jewel and the A3 on the Jewel have the option of the children's room. That gives you two beds but how to you decide who gets the masterbedroom and who gets to sleep on a converted sofa.

 

If you are a suite lover such as I am, you are left with a very expensive choice. Booking two suites at almost the same rate as a double occupancy rate or get a lower accommodation. And if money is no option, where is the Garden Villa suite.

 

Why not have a few Penthouse Suites in every catagory that are single beds?

 

Marilyn