Can't bring soda on board anymore

[AquaMarineFerret]

Read through the thread. A lot of people bring on drinks they have a strong preference for that NCL does not offer. Others are offended that NCL will deny bringing water bottle, but sell them at extreme mark up. My calculation is the policy will add about $100 to my two week cruise. Not tremendous, but adds to a long list of bad policies/cutbacks/added costs that already made me think hard before I made the booking. Luckily I can cancel, alot of people can't and planned on bringing their preferred water/soda. It is an obvious over action by NCL that was poorly thought out as other cruise lines already have much better policies.

 

Thank you - well said! From our point of view it's a petty thing that adds an unwelcome, if 'minor' cost, but it quickly removes any potential good will or loyalty we may have attached to NCL but also, multiplied up by the number of passengers (this affects) probably brings in a tidy sum for NCL over a year. Cynical use of the 'security' card or what? Sorry, but if this is the way they operate then our cruise is a one-off and we'll tell everyone why.

[GLYNAGP]

Take an empty bottle on and fill it in the Buffet. If it says done fill bottles fill a glass and take it back to the table and fill your bottle . "SORTED"

[NLH Arizona]

Take an empty bottle on and fill it in the Buffet. If it says done fill bottles fill a glass and take it back to the table and fill your bottle . "SORTED"

I fill mine with ice (using a glass, of course) and then it holds a couple of glasses of water. No need to go back to the table to fill it, you can do it right there.

[Frick_&_Frack]

It sounds like they are notifying people who are likely to show up with items they can't bring on board any longer - the first cruises after the policy goes into effect. If you're sailing in September, you should have time to see the press release or the website or Cruise Critic.

 

 

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September sailings got the e-mail since we are past final payment already. ;)

 

As of yet, my TA wasn't notified at all (they found out from me).

[xriva]

Nothing is free on a ship...you paid for it. ;)

 

If our government can't regulate the prices of water sold on a ship how can you expect them to regulate the quality of the tap water?

How often are the tanks inspected?

 

 

You can check "your government at work" online because the government does inspect cruise ships on a regular basis.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/

 

You don't have to pay extra for water on a ship. Water from multiple sources is included in your cruise fare. Water in rather wasteful plastic bottles isn't.

 

 

 

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[abbiep]

We are one of those hit past cancellation date. We sail July 30. I am a Diet Coke drinker and yes I can tell the difference and yes I have taken the test and passed. We planned to bring on Diet Cokes and possibly water due to the high cost on board.

 

With me, its the principal of the thing. They change their policy at the point I cant do anything about it, they charge an outrageous amount for water and they try to lie to us all and say its about security when we all know its about the money.

 

I have only cruised Disney before and while the price is a little higher, at least I knew once I walked on board, I could drink all the water and soda I wanted without paying anything else. I knew what the bottom line was. Now, I get a "free" drink package as a perk, but oh wait, you have to pay taxes and 18% gratuity. You can bring soda and water on, oh golly gee, we changed our minds on that, nope you cant now and guess what nothing you can do about it.

 

If I had known this in advance would I have changed, I don't know. But at least I would have had the opportunity to take this into consideration. Is it going to ruin my once in a life time trip to Alaska, absolutely not. And if this is the worse thing in life that I have to deal with, then I am truly blessed.

 

But I will say on future cruises, I will take all of the above into consideration to see how much I am really saving at the end of the day. And once again, its the principal of the issue. Don't change the rules in mid stream, especially when there isn't anything some of can do about it and you just added to the cost of my cruise. On top of that, don't insult our intelligence by throwing out the "its all about security and comfort of our passengers" baloney.

[goeva]

Again, has ANYONE who has a cruise that is *not* yet in a penalty period received notification directly from NCL about this change?

 

Thanks.

 

I am sure with a note from her doctor they will make an exception. NCL as well as other lines are very good about providing for medical needs. If you really think they will allow you to bring unopened cans, per guest, forget it. I can understand their point as well.

 

I have not yet receive notification from NCL. We sail in December.

I contacted NCL regards my daughter's situation and waiting for their response. Thanks!

Edited July 2, 2016 by goeva

[fshagan]

Sounds fishy. Say 400 cruises in the next year and a half at average of 3500 people per cruise makes 1.4 million people. I figure they only have to notify one email address per cabin so about 700,000 emails need to go out. In my estimation that is nothing compared to the mass marketing emails I see them putting out. Can any IT techs weigh in? Maybe it has more to do with their customer support can't handle all the backlash at once. But I suspect damage control....

 

I'm suspicious too, but ....

 

I work for an email service provider. Other businesses use us to send their email. Our servers can send millions of emails per minute. However, there is rate limiting done by the receiving email servers. Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.com, etc. all limit the number of emails they will accept per minute, so the email has to be queued by provider and sent according to their time table.

 

Our email "delivered" volume is from 50 to 130 million per week. We target the SMB market and not large companies like NCL. SendGrid is a service that caters to large customers and they send about 20 billion emails per month. But those are for promotional, opt-in email servers, not "transactional email" like invoices, receipts, customer notices, etc.

 

NCL probably isn't sending this email through their promotional email servers. They probably use a different set of servers for the email that has to get to their customers and bypass the filters set up for the company's promotional email. Transactional email servers don't scale up quickly because a rapid increase in sending volume triggers blocks. And you can't bring a new email server on line and start blasting millions of emails ... you get your server blocked.

 

If they have to send 1.4 million extra email they will try to send them first to people who are close to sailing. So I don't think there's anything nefarious about those closest to sailing, who also happen to be within the final payment period, getting the email first. I don't know how many extra email they can squeeze in, but their Postmaster has a delivery plan based on the volume of email that their servers can send.

 

I suspect they will have the notice added to other emails they send for people who are not sailing for months. Those outside of the final payment window might see it in the email sent reminding them of final payment, put in along with other T&C.

 

I'd be interested if anyone has just booked after the announcement, and if the T&C includes this new information.

[jm485]

Take an empty bottle on and fill it in the Buffet. If it says done fill bottles fill a glass and take it back to the table and fill your bottle . "SORTED"

 

 

 

Not "SORTED" for everyone, sorry.

 

I have yet to travel on a ship whose water doesn't taste disgusting. I understand that it is treated, filtered, blah, blah, blah. It's still terrible-- perhaps because of all the treating required to make it potable.

 

Most other cruise lines in this category include at least some bottled water in their beverage plan or sell reasonably priced water. I have no problem with not letting people bring beverages on, but there should be some offsetting changes in the price of the bottled water on board.

 

As for those planning to get a medical waiver, I sincerely wish you good luck and hope you will let people here know if you're successful. The policy seems quite clear that only water required for medical equipment and reconstituting formula are allowed, so I'll be curious to see how it goes.

[NLH Arizona]

 

As for those planning to get a medical waiver, I sincerely wish you good luck and hope you will let people here know if you're successful. The policy seems quite clear that only water required for medical equipment and reconstituting formula are allowed, so I'll be curious to see how it goes.

I disagree. If folks with diabetes can only drink sparkling water and gets a note from their doctor, I would think they should be able to bring sparkling water on if they don't serve it on the ship.

[jm485]

We've received notice of the policy change for our Sept cruise which is in the cancellation period. I have a feeling that those who were still able to cancel as of the date the change was announced may not receive any personal notice. It's not like the change in the DSC, where you could prepay at the "old" rate to avoid the increase. I have a feeling they would argue that since the policy is public, anyone still able to cancel "should" have been aware and if they chose to keep their cruise, they've agreed to it.

 

 

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[Hunwolf]

If NCL would offer some beverage package options similar to Celebrity this wouldn't be as bad.

 

Hell even the NCL vacation planners don't know the rules. Had one earlier this week swear up and down to me they do offer a non-alcoholic all inclusive package. That's news to me!

 

 

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[Single Cruiser]

I wonder if NCL engineers actually worked out how much energy will be required to de-salinate and purify the additional quantity of water if people who used to bring bottled water / cans start to drink the tap water.

 

I have to agree with some of the previous comments about the ankle swelling. My first few cruises I only drank bottled water and nothing happened, when I started to save money I buy two bottles at the airport then fill from the tap and keep one in the fridge my ankles start swelling by about day 3!

 

 

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[AtlantaCruiser72]

Not "SORTED" for everyone, sorry.

 

I have yet to travel on a ship whose water doesn't taste disgusting. I understand that it is treated, filtered, blah, blah, blah. It's still terrible-- perhaps because of all the treating required to make it potable.

 

Most other cruise lines in this category include at least some bottled water in their beverage plan or sell reasonably priced water. I have no problem with not letting people bring beverages on, but there should be some offsetting changes in the price of the bottled water on board.

 

As for those planning to get a medical waiver, I sincerely wish you good luck and hope you will let people here know if you're successful. The policy seems quite clear that only water required for medical equipment and reconstituting formula are allowed, so I'll be curious to see how it goes.

 

ALL other cruise line beverage packages now include some amount of bottled still water in the plan. NCL is the lone exception in this

[jm485]

I disagree. If folks with diabetes can only drink sparkling water and gets a note from their doctor, I would think they should be able to bring sparkling water on if they don't serve it on the ship.

 

 

 

They certainly should. I'm just not sure that they will - unless the special needs policy can supersede this policy. Like I said, I do hope that NCL will accommodate those with a medical need.

 

 

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[NLH Arizona]

They certainly should. I'm just not sure that they will - unless the special needs policy can supersede this policy. Like I said, I do hope that NCL will accommodate those with a medical need.

 

 

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Yes they should, but I think the issue is going to be those that say it is for medical reasons, when it is just because that is what they like or want. Hopefully someone will report back as to what NCL says about getting a doctors release to bring a particular product on board. I will say, that if they sell it on board, I'm not sure how sympathetic they will be or if a doctor says they have to have Coke over Pepsi.

[GLYNAGP]

Not "SORTED" for everyone, sorry.

 

I have yet to travel on a ship whose water doesn't taste disgusting. I understand that it is treated, filtered, blah, blah, blah. It's still terrible-- perhaps because of all the treating required to make it potable.

 

Most other cruise lines in this category include at least some bottled water in their beverage plan or sell reasonably priced water. I have no problem with not letting people bring beverages on, but there should be some offsetting changes in the price of the bottled water on board.

 

As for those planning to get a medical waiver, I sincerely wish you good luck and hope you will let people here know if you're successful. The policy seems quite clear that only water required for medical equipment and reconstituting formula are allowed, so I'll be curious to see how it goes.

To be honest in 20 plus cruises I have never had a problem with the free water available in the Buffet

[luvtheships]

NCL isn't the first line to crack down on bottled water and soda. How many of you would walk into a restaurant and expect to take your own soda?

 

 

 

I do agree about lower prices with fewer perks, but yet, give us a choice. I am looking forward to our next cruise with the dinner package and the booze. We had the booze on our last cruise; loved knowing our final bill wasn't going to give us heart failure. Now looking forward to choosing specialty dining without worrying about the cost.

 

 

 

Let me add, our November cruise on Epic is costing us about $1200 per person, including booze, special dining and gratuities on both, plus a small OBC and includes our insurance and all taxes and port charges. We have a mid ship, balcony cabin. base price without ins. gratuities and taxes was less than $800 a person.

 

 

I usually don't take my own water into a restaurant but have at times....then again restaurant water and ship water are different

 

I didn't say better or worse I said different and there is no debating that fact....one comes from a reservoir one comes from ocean water.

 

Btw since I'm a paying customer at a restaurant I would think they would let me open a bottle because they are getting a $100 plus payment from me for the meal

 

I would think Ncl was smart enough to see the same thing applies to them.,..

 

You know...trying to please the paying customer and not piss them off over a very minor thing

[lanceholt]

We take insulated water bottles and packets of Crystal Light...instant cold beverage! I love diet soda but it is absolutely not a problem giving it up for a week or two weeks or whatever. The amount of anger every time there is a change is just incredible.

[GLYNAGP]

We were at Question time with the Captain on Norwgian Spirit a couple of years ago and one man asked the Captain to confirm that the water on board was "Barcelona Water" quite what he meant by that neither Captain or the rest of the Audience could fathom. We boarded in Barcelona so perhaps he wanted all the water from there. Anyway the Captains response was that he couldn't confirm all the water was from Barcelona but he did reassure the passenger by telling him that he drank the ships water every day and had never had any adverse effects.

[richstowe]

The amount of anger every time there is a change is just incredible.

OK - How about this . If you recognize how such changes will result in incredible anger , shouldn't you analyse whether making the changes are worth it . A significant minority of the posts here have basically said , get a hold of yourself , you big babies . Well in the words of luvtheships , aren't they morons for not " trying to please the paying customer and not piss them off over a very minor thing " . Edited July 2, 2016 by richstowe

[SteveH2508]

Yes they should, but I think the issue is going to be those that say it is for medical reasons, when it is just because that is what they like or want. Hopefully someone will report back as to what NCL says about getting a doctors release to bring a particular product on board. I will say, that if they sell it on board, I'm not sure how sympathetic they will be or if a doctor says they have to have Coke over Pepsi.

 

Any doctor who signs off on that must be a quack!

 

That's almost worse than the abuse of the 'service animal' loophole to get Little Fluffy on board with its stroller and sailor suit.

 

Oh hang on - I need Little Fluffy to do <insert spurious excuse here>. Little Fluffy only drinks Coke...:rolleyes:

[AllyG47]

I hate it when people say that the ship water is just fine to drink. It is not! It is full of chlorine and salt despite being filtered.

 

On my first two cruises (Carnival and NCL), I swelled up like a balloon both times. I couldn't wear any of the shoes I brought and had to wear my flip flops, half on and half off. My shorts and tops also wouldn't fit so I had to wear my maxi dress from the third day onward (second cruise, I brought lots of big dresses). Someone on CC said that it was from the salt in the food so on my third cruise, I had a no-salt diet. I avoided anything that would have salt in it, ate a lot of fruits and veggies and I specially requested a no-salt diet in the dining room. I drank a ton of the ship's water to try to flush out any salt I may have inadvertently eaten and I swelled up so badly that I couldn't even bend my fingers to make a fist. I spent the last sea day in my room crying because it was so painful. I vowed to never go on another cruise again. My parents, who were also on that cruise, also swelled up but not nearly as bad as I did. However, they also didn't drink as much water as I did.

 

I love cruising and my parents begged me to give it another try. I did some research and found that the ship's water has salt and chlorine in it and someone on CC said that drinking bottled water helped eliminate their swelling problem. In March, I was on NCL Spirit and I only drank bottled water which I brought on the ship myself. It was the first time ever that I did not swell up on a cruise. It was a miracle and it was one of the best cruises I have ever been on. I could wear all of my clothes comfortably and I was not in any pain. I immediately booked another cruise for this December on NCL Pearl. With this new policy, I'm seriously considering cancelling the cruise. We haven't made the final payment yet so I still have plenty of time to cancel with no penalty.

 

There is no way I'm going to drink the ship water and I'm not going to pay the ridiculous high prices they are charging for bottled water. I think this new policy disgusting. I spent last night crying because I was very much looking forward to this cruise. I'm just so mad that NCL would do this. Also, we have not gotten an email about it yet which makes it that much worse. They are clearly waiting until we make our final payment before telling us. :mad::mad::mad:

[don1976]

Their disclaimer is funny at the bottom of the email. "please do not copy or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person."

It's like they don't want the secret to get out.

 

However surely there's a loophole. Bottled water can be taken on "for the reconstitution of infant formula". If you also take on some infant formula then what can they say? Their new policy doesn't say that the said reconstituted infant formula has to be consumed by an infant. Sure, they will ask questions if there is no infant in your group, but what can they say? You're abiding strictly to the new rules.

We actually sail on the 17th out of Barcelona on the Epic, so we'll be one of the first subject to the new rules. However, we have no problem with the likes of the water on the ship ourselves.

Edited July 2, 2016 by don1976

[NLH Arizona]

Any doctor who signs off on that must be a quack!

 

That's almost worse than the abuse of the 'service animal' loophole to get Little Fluffy on board with its stroller and sailor suit.

 

Oh hang on - I need Little Fluffy to do <insert spurious excuse here>. Little Fluffy only drinks Coke...:rolleyes:

I will bet you that someone will try this, whether they make up their own letter or have their doctor sign it.