Dear NCL, Do You Want New Customers?

[purpletequila]

I am a cruise-aholic who has been watching NCL ships for a while. I had booked a cruise for last Christmas week aboard the Escape, but after the umpteenth change that reduced what was included when I originally booked, I canceled and returned to Celebrity.

 

With so many changes, it seemed you could not possibly implement more policies that would grab another nickel from my pocket. Feeling safe, I again began looking into booking my first trip with you only to be surprised, or not I suppose, to find that you now will substantially raise both your beverage and dining packages. I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard this, but you are never going to win converts from other lines with this nonsense. Beyond the price increases and everything else, is the simple fact that you are making those of us who are considering your product completely gun shy with all of these random changes.

 

Do you care? I doubt it. But if you are raising prices to capture revenue from unsold cabins on your giant ships--and I don't know that to be the case--let me state the obvious. These increases are not going to fill those cabins. Simplify your options like other lines (e.g, why aren't all restaurants included in the udp, what can i get now and what is extra where and when? complete headache) and make changes once a year if need be rather than making me cringe every few weeks when I see a headline about "Norwegian Cruise Line....."

 

On that note, I sincerely have no idea why any one here books with them. I would love to actually get onboard someday and find out if there is some magical potion to NCL that makes going through constant changes etc worth it once you are on their ships but at this point, I doubt it.

[LrgPizza]

I am one of the few that so far has only barely been affected by any of the changes. Therefore, I don't have a negative attitude yet. I understand those who do, but I don't understand those that can't understand people like me. My last NCL cruise a few months ago was a blast. I can't wait for the next. NCL still offers a product I like. As soon as another line offers something that appears I might like as much, I'll book that line. I'm not blindly loyal, and I don't care about Latitudes points, I just like the product right now.

[bruadhin]

I am one of the few that so far has only barely been affected by any of the changes. Therefore, I don't have a negative attitude yet. I understand those who do, but I don't understand those that can't understand people like me. My last NCL cruise a few months ago was a blast. I can't wait for the next. NCL still offers a product I like. As soon as another line offers something that appears I might like as much, I'll book that line. I'm not blindly loyal, and I don't care about Latitudes points, I just like the product right now.

 

I can certainly understand your position. You are happy with the product and life is good.

 

Whether you think the changes are bad or simply neutral, I think it is time to slow down. Most cruises are long lead purchases. Many people are not booking a cruise for next month, but 6 months to a year from now. Who wants to constantly read about this changing or that changing, whether it is good or bad.

 

If the majority of people are simply booking a cruise for next month, then that isn't such a big deal. And if that is what NCL's numbers support, that most cruises are bought very close to actual travel dates, then carry on.

[GUT2407]

All lines tweak what they include.

 

What surprises me is that they get away with selling you one set of in lions then changing them after they've got your hard earned.

[Two Wheels Only]

Personally, I wish NCL would give the option of "all inclusive".

 

Give me a dining package (promo or paid for) that lets me eat ANYWHERE without thinking of upcharge, extra, etc.

 

The drinking package is fine as long as the limit per drink is more than the inflated per drink price.

[NLH Arizona]

Personally, I wish NCL would give the option of "all inclusive".

 

Give me a dining package (promo or paid for) that lets me eat ANYWHERE without thinking of upcharge, extra, etc.

 

The drinking package is fine as long as the limit per drink is more than the inflated per drink price.

I'm at the other end of the spectrum, as I wish NCL would offer a cruise only (would included the complimentary dining, complimentary entertainment, etc.) low price and then have the other items SDP, UBP, etc. as for purchase items and not included perks. That way, I can pick and choose how I want to spend my dollars, instead of paying for perks that I might not want or need.

[BrandoMan13]

I can certainly understand your position. You are happy with the product and life is good.

 

Whether you think the changes are bad or simply neutral, I think it is time to slow down. Most cruises are long lead purchases. Many people are not booking a cruise for next month, but 6 months to a year from now. Who wants to constantly read about this changing or that changing, whether it is good or bad.

 

If the majority of people are simply booking a cruise for next month, then that isn't such a big deal. And if that is what NCL's numbers support, that most cruises are bought very close to actual travel dates, then carry on.

 

I'll be going on my first cruise in september. I didn't do any research on cruise lines or practices because this was a group deal set up by a friend. I personally dont like the nickel and diming that most cruise lines do.

 

TBH, I like all inclusive resorts, they meet my needs, I've always have a blast at 1 place in particular in the Dominican Republic so for a relaxing type of vacation, thats my go to. I pay for the trip, everything is included, outside of tipping extra,I dont have to keep track of my spending, and its a carefree week in paradise. This year, we are mixing it up.

 

The price was pretty good and the group deal included the UBP and gratuities on the package, so that convinced me to give the cruise a shot. I figure if its awful or not for me, at least I have all the food and drinks I can get down lol.

 

I had been looking at the pricing on the SDP and noticed it just went up in price. In reading about the recent increase on their UBP and SDP only to raise them again months later without including anything new, it certainly seems in poor taste, especially as one line just raised its price but includes bottled water, etc.

 

As far as some of the other stuff regarding the service charges, gratuities, etc. they dont really bother me as I just work that all into the price of the trip and if the numbers work, I go for it. How NCL wants to distribute the money isnt really my business.

 

From reading cruising regulars posts on this site, they'd do themselves a favor by just rolling everything into one price like all inclusives and then just divvy up the money to employees however they like. I never once wondered how much of my money went to employees as part of the "included gratuties", I just assumed if they didn't like they pay they'd work elsewhere and always made sure to tip extra because they work hard and do a great job for the guests.

 

In my experience as a salesman years ago, a lot of people like seeing a lower price and then pay the 18% later and dont care about it. I am not one of those people, id rather see the actual higher price and make my choice based on that. It bothers me when vegas tacks on a "resort fee" as a way to make your $99 a night room actually cost $150. I wish they'd just tell me the room is $150 a night and scrap the extra fee, but people really love seeing that lower price.

 

Bottom line is I dont think they should be increasing pricing multiple times a year as it is definitely going to leave a bad taste in people's mouths, and being that people tend to book vacations way in advance, its frustrating to them when they wait on buying something only to find out that what was $60 a month ago is now $70. Not to mention who knows if they'll raise the price again between now and September, or whenever that person's cruise will be.

[Mistizoom]

I'm at the other end of the spectrum, as I wish NCL would offer a cruise only (would included the complimentary dining, complimentary entertainment, etc.) low price and then have the other items SDP, UBP, etc. as for purchase items and not included perks. That way, I can pick and choose how I want to spend my dollars, instead of paying for perks that I might not want or need.

 

Me too, that is why I picked free gratuities (DSC) when I booked last year, since it is something I would spend money on anyway. I did not take the completely free UBP or UDP (no cost for me at all when I booked almost a year ago) because I won't be spending more than the $190 the gratuities were worth on either beverages or dining.

[subwife81]

I've cruised on Princess, RCL, and Disney. This will be my first cruise with NCL. Every cruise line does things a little differently. For me personally, I'd love to find one cruise line and stick with it. I do dislike how they have changed the dining promotion. I feel like I've had to call NCL several times to get clarification on things. I can see where you are coming from. I'm not exactly where you are- I'm waiting to see how we like the boat, but it has been a bit frustrating dealing with them so far. Good luck!

[ready2cruzagain]

All cruise lines are changing the rules all of the time. It isn't just NCL. If you read the other cruise line boards you will see everyone complaining.

 

I just booked 2 cruises with NCL. I have not been on them in over 10 years but for the price with the UBP, it was hard to pass up. Especially after the drink prices on Carnival.

[Sizzlechest]

There are some things I will defend a surcharge. Specialty restaurants are a scarce resource, so by adding an upcharge, it reduces demand. It also doesn't imply the food that's included at the buffer and MDR is bad. As long as that's all true, this is a GOOD fee. The problem is with the erosion of service that's included with the increasing fares. It's the "boiling frog" analogy. You don't notice it if you're already in it. I just got hit with a $20 surcharge since the SDP price increased under my nose. This happens all the time in industry. The company pats themselves on the back for sneaking all these things in and raising revenue while giving the appearance of low prices on the front end.

 

The allure of cruising is that aside from the obvious extra expenses like gambling, excursions, and the like, whatever I pay up front is what my vacation costs. Instead, the ship is being run by Ferengi from Star Trek. Eventually, people (like me) are going to get sick of this nonsense and take our travel business elsewhere. This is a terrible thing for a business to do since your loyal customers don't necessarily question their future purchases. They decide they'll do another cruise next year and book with he same company because that's what they've always done. Every time they do something like this, they nudge their loyal base to wonder if the grass is greener elsewhere. Guess what. I looked, and it is. I booked my July cruise a year ago. If I didn't, I wouldn't have booked it now. The price is significantly higher and things have gotten more expensive since then. Next year, no cruise. I'm going to Florida instead. Airfare and other transportation costs have gone down thanks to low oil prices. (Somehow this hasn't translated into lower cruise fares, but I digress.) I might look into seeing if Celebrity is feasible from the NY area when 2017 rolls around. Or maybe I won't cruise that year either. Neither of those things would have happened had there not been such an erosion. This frog is jumping out.

[All-ready2cruise]

I too, understand the frustration with NCL right now. I've only been cruising since 2012 and all our cruises have been with NCL so obviously they've done some things right or I'd be gone for sure.

 

I guess, for us, it's not just about the fees but about the fact that they do keep adding/changing fees. The thing to remember though, is that once you book, those changes don't affect you ie. UDP to SDP, if you booked with the UDP, ignore all the chatter about the SDP, it doesn't apply to you but do print off your Amenities and take a copy with you so there can be no question about what YOU have.

 

We'd like a "no frills" cruise option and would have no problem paying for what we want to pay for on the cruise we want to take. I'd be quite happy booking within 30 days so that we get a good price and still get a cruise we want, however, due to having to fly to pretty much any port, it loses it's luster when looking at flight costs.

 

Once you've taken an NCL cruise, you'll either love it, (as we do) or decide that it's not something you like, hey, it happens, cruising isn't for everyone.

 

I hope you all find the cruise that suits you with the benefits that you're comfortable with to make it a wonderful experience.

 

Best of luck,

Cheers

[jonbgd]

They will keep raising prices as long as people pay

Edited March 1, 2016 by jonbgd

[Golfin55]

Do any of you own a business? Because there is not much business "sechel" here at all. Go where you think the grass is greener.

 

Very strange mob mentality here. But, it is my vice is suppose.[emoji848]

[Linda the Book Lover]

In my experience as a salesman years ago, a lot of people like seeing a lower price and then pay the 18% later and dont care about it. I am not one of those people, id rather see the actual higher price and make my choice based on that. It bothers me when vegas tacks on a "resort fee" as a way to make your $99 a night room actually cost $150. I wish they'd just tell me the room is $150 a night and scrap the extra fee, but people really love seeing that lower price.

 

I am also not a fan of the resort fees or hotel extras which are added on in small print when we reserve a room. We booked our cruise way in advance to take advantage of the 4 offered deals, UBP, UDP, paid service charge and the $200 onboard credit. We feel we got a great deal for our suite through our regular TA. We have sailed for many years off and on and though the prices have risen and there are more add ons, we can can choose not to enjoy them and just sail eating and drinking what is included in the cruise price. I do understand the frustration many have expressed on different threads as they budget for one thing only to be surprised later with added costs. For us we choose to sail the line which is offering what we want and set up our budget accordingly.

[sjbdtz]

I am a cruise-aholic who has been watching NCL ships for a while. I had booked a cruise for last Christmas week aboard the Escape, but after the umpteenth change that reduced what was included when I originally booked, I canceled and returned to Celebrity.

 

With so many changes, it seemed you could not possibly implement more policies that would grab another nickel from my pocket. Feeling safe, I again began looking into booking my first trip with you only to be surprised, or not I suppose, to find that you now will substantially raise both your beverage and dining packages. I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard this, but you are never going to win converts from other lines with this nonsense. Beyond the price increases and everything else, is the simple fact that you are making those of us who are considering your product completely gun shy with all of these random changes.

 

Do you care? I doubt it. But if you are raising prices to capture revenue from unsold cabins on your giant ships--and I don't know that to be the case--let me state the obvious. These increases are not going to fill those cabins. Simplify your options like other lines (e.g, why aren't all restaurants included in the udp, what can i get now and what is extra where and when? complete headache) and make changes once a year if need be rather than making me cringe every few weeks when I see a headline about "Norwegian Cruise Line....."

 

On that note, I sincerely have no idea why any one here books with them. I would love to actually get onboard someday and find out if there is some magical potion to NCL that makes going through constant changes etc worth it once you are on their ships but at this point, I doubt it.

 

 

a) they're not raising prices to capture revenue from unsold cabins. They're raising it to maximize profit on OCCUPIED cabins.

 

b) there is a magic potion: NCL offers a cruise unlike anybody else.

 

c) the changes only affect people who let it affect them. I have not yet heard of NCL going to people with SDP purchased at $64 and saying "give us another $10". No, instead they just made that $64 SDP more valuable because you can't buy it anymore.

 

 

NCL is raising prices, yes. But they are also reinvesting in improving the experience and quality.

 

 

As for the effect of the changes? The stock is up $1.18 (2.4%) today. and over 25% in the past month.

 

 

Stephen

 

 

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[swedish weave]

a) they're not raising prices to capture revenue from unsold cabins. They're raising it to maximize profit on OCCUPIED cabins.

 

b) there is a magic potion: NCL offers a cruise unlike anybody else.

 

c) the changes only affect people who let it affect them. I have not yet heard of NCL going to people with SDP purchased at $64 and saying "give us another $10". No, instead they just made that $64 SDP more valuable because you can't buy it anymore.

 

 

NCL is raising prices, yes. But they are also reinvesting in improving the experience and quality.

 

 

As for the effect of the changes? The stock is up $1.18 (2.4%) today. and over 25% in the past month.

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

 

On Jan 21 NCLH stock was $47.90 ----- On Feb 24 NCLH stock was $47.90. You can distort figures by selecting your choice of dates, but is that being truthful ???

 

Maybe the rose colored glasses need a little cleaning !!!!

[Donna_In_India]

We had about 10 changes to our Getaway cruise this past summer from the time we booked to the time we cruised. Some definitely affected us and the fact that we found out about a port time change here and on FB instead of from NCL really annoyed me (I had paid for an expensive excursion for 11 of us!). Actually most of the information regarding changes did NOT come from NCL. I don't really think they care much about their customers.

 

After that cruise I booked a Canary Islands cruise on the Epic. Got an email a week later that the cruise was cancelled because of itinerary changes. We had a very short window to re-book and decided not to since they didn't offer a Canary Islands cruise. Just recently NCL announced the very same itinerary that we booked - minus 1 day - for considerably more $$ than we originally booked for. I am just not a fan of NCL anymore and it would take something spectacular to get me to book with them again.

[ColinIllinois]

On Jan 21 NCLH stock was $47.90 ----- On Feb 24 NCLH stock was $47.90. You can distort figures by selecting your choice of dates, but is that being truthful ???

 

Maybe the rose colored glasses need a little cleaning !!!!

 

 

He said "the last month". On Feb 2nd the price was $43.02. At close of market on Mar 1st the price was $50.31. The 52 week range was from $37.01 to $64.27.

 

NCLH is doing well considering what the stock markets are doing from '15 through '16.

[Sizzlechest]

He said "the last month". On Feb 2nd the price was $43.02. At close of market on Mar 1st the price was $50.31. The 52 week range was from $37.01 to $64.27.

 

NCLH is doing well considering what the stock markets are doing from '15 through '16.

 

They are doing well. They have implemented lots of surcharges that add up and have cut costs by getting rid of Nickelodeon, Blue Man Group, etc. Cruising is a "long lead" business. We won't know if the effects of all these cutbacks and surcharges result in a net benefit.

 

Reminds me of the American auto industry in the 70s-90s. Keep cutting quality to maximize revenue. Keep hoping customers continue to put up with all the nonsense based on "Buy American" loyalty. Eventually things get to such a sorry state that people begin to notice better options. When they leave, it's very hard to get those people back. Let's talk again about the wisdom of NCL's decisions in 5 years.

[sjbdtz]

 

Reminds me of the American auto industry in the 70s-90s. Keep cutting quality to maximize revenue. Keep hoping customers continue to put up with all the nonsense based on "Buy American" loyalty. Eventually things get to such a sorry state that people begin to notice better options. When they leave, it's very hard to get those people back. Let's talk again about the wisdom of NCL's decisions in 5 years.

 

 

 

https://www.gm.com/investors/earnings-releases.html

 

 

Indeed. Record profits.

 

 

.

[swedish weave]

He said "the last month". On Feb 2nd the price was $43.02. At close of market on Mar 1st the price was $50.31. The 52 week range was from $37.01 to $64.27.

 

NCLH is doing well considering what the stock markets are doing from '15 through '16.

 

I guess you missed the part where I said "You can distort figures by selecting your choice of dates."

 

NCLH is deeply in debt and must generate income by all means possible. That is NOT DOING WELL by many analysts opinions.

[ColinIllinois]

I guess you missed the part where I said "You can distort figures by selecting your choice of dates."

 

NCLH is deeply in debt and must generate income by all means possible. That is NOT DOING WELL by many analysts opinions.

 

 

Debt is not always a bad thing for major corporations when interest rates are close to zero. Out of 16 analysts NCLH is considered a BUY/STRONG BUY.

 

https://beta.finance.yahoo.com/quote/NCLH

[DaisyRose]

I for one doubt I will ever book another NCL cruise due to their constantly adding fees and increasing fees. I don't even look at their itineraries or their mail any more. Other cruise line occasionally increase fees; with NCL, it seems much more frequent.

[sjbdtz]

I for one doubt I will ever book another NCL cruise due to their constantly adding fees and increasing fees. I don't even look at their itineraries or their mail any more. Other cruise line occasionally increase fees; with NCL, it seems much more frequent.

 

So...why are you here?

 

 

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