Information for making complaint re. Beverage Policy

[luvtheships]

The prohibition is not just at embarkation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They will not be able to differentiate between NCL-purchased and locally purchased water so you will not be able to bring your "liquid gold" NCL-purchased water back on board either.

 

 

If you have your Ncl receipt and buy the same brand in port it will be difficult for them to challenge you

[UPNYGuy]

I disagree.

 

First....the cruise line has no way to know who took their business elsewhere as opposed to those who were going elsewhere all along.

 

Second...Cruise lines heavily depend on onboard spending for their profits. If you really want to get their attention and/or teach them a lesson, the go on your cruise and either severely reduce or eliminate your onboard spending. Don't give them a chance to replace you with someone who is willing and able to spend.

 

 

Not quite. When I called, I made sure to let them know that if they looked at my latitudes account, they would see that quite a few of my bookings have been in The Haven, and with the UDP. And I was transferring 2 of them to MSC Yacht Club.

 

They will know if you tell them :)

 

 

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[SeaShark]

Not quite. When I called, I made sure to let them know that if they looked at my latitudes account, they would see that quite a few of my bookings have been in The Haven, and with the UDP. And I was transferring 2 of them to MSC Yacht Club.

 

They will know if you tell them :)

 

 

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And you will be replaced by someone else who has a budget that isn't bothered by the policy. That is a win in NCL's eyes. FDR is looking to get rid of people who watch their pennies...exactly the intent of the policy.

 

What was their reaction? Did they ask you to reconsider, or did the say bye?

[luvtheships]

And you will be replaced by someone else who has a budget that isn't bothered by the policy. That is a win in NCL's eyes. FDR is looking to get rid of people who watch their pennies...exactly the intent of the policy.

 

What was their reaction? Did they ask you to reconsider, or did the say bye?

 

 

But the poster you quote is haven and can afford the water prices presumably

 

So you are wrong ....they lost this pax to Msc yacht....this was a high paying customer they lost

 

They will undoubtedly re sell his room but at what price?

 

For me and mine....I book the cheapo Insides purposely .....but I'll buy the water if I want it...which I rarely do anyway as I'm good with ice tea lemonade mix from the buffet

 

So Ncl lost a high payer and retained me...the cheapo inside booker who rarely drinks...been there done that for their specialties mdr...and wont set foot in the casino...although I would if I could breath in there

 

Btw Ncl I can't gamble at all...so if it were no. Smoking I would probably drop hundreds there because I just dont know what I'm doing in the casino.

 

 

I'm not canceling and I'm not running up a big sign and sail either

 

Lol Ncl. I won out on my next cruise and probably the one after that too.

Edited July 11, 2016 by luvtheships

[UPNYGuy]

And you will be replaced by someone else who has a budget that isn't bothered by the policy. That is a win in NCL's eyes. FDR is looking to get rid of people who watch their pennies...exactly the intent of the policy.

 

What was their reaction? Did they ask you to reconsider, or did the say bye?

 

 

She sighed and was apologetic to me, and stated that many upper tier guests are not happy with the constant changes. She assured me that my concerned are to be passed along to executive leadership. I was sure to let her know that it isn't a "ban NCL" thing for me, but rather NCL and the constant changes are annoying, and premium level guests like consistency.

 

And yes, she asked me to reconsider.

 

 

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[UPNYGuy]

But the poster you quote is haven and can afford the water prices presumably

 

So you are wrong ....they lost this pax to Msc yacht....this was a high paying customer they lost.

 

 

Exactly. And I'm not the only one to test the Yacht Club waters recently. I think SissasMomE did too.

 

 

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Edited July 11, 2016 by UPNYGuy

[SeaShark]

But the poster you quote is haven and can afford the water prices presumably

 

So you are wrong ....they lost this pax to Msc yacht....this was a high paying customer they lost

 

They will undoubtedly re sell his room but at what price?

 

For me and mine....I book the cheapo Insides purposely .....but I'll buy the water if I want it...which I rarely do anyway as I'm good with ice tea lemonade mix from the buffet

 

So Ncl lost a high payer and retained me...the cheapo inside booker who rarely drinks...been there done that for their specialties mdr...and wont set foot in the casino...although I would if I could breath in there

 

Btw Ncl I can't gamble at all...so if it were no. Smoking I would probably drop hundreds there because I just dont know what I'm doing in the casino.

 

 

I'm not canceling and I'm not running up a big sign and sail either

 

Lol Ncl. I won out on my next cruise and probably the one after that too.

 

Not to rain on your parade, but "presumably" isn't really the foundation for a good argument. Supposition doesn't really cut it.

 

Lose one, gain another...possibly even better. You and I can't say. Only time will tell.

 

 

One thing...we all know and recognize that cruise lines make the bulk of their money from onboard spending. A large part of onboard spending is from Food & Beverage. FDR has been giving away drink and dining packages for over a year now...and it hasn't caused a drop in their onboard revenue. In fact, NCL's onboard revenue is UP.

 

So...let's just watch their financial reports. It will be interesting to see if this policy results in a loss or a gain in the business. The numbers will speak for themselves.

[pnerissa]

My big take-away from today's conversation with the NCL rep was that Norwegian doesn't care about what their passengers want. They would rather that we just drop our wallet off at the gangway and just go about our way. I'm rather disappointed in them; I don't mind not being able to bring beverages on board. My issue is paying a 1000% markup on a case of water that sells for $3.99 in my local store. Plus 18% gratuity.

 

Well, at least they've shown their true colors so I know what to look out going forward.

 

Pnerissa

[NMLady]

If you have your Ncl receipt and buy the same brand in port it will be difficult for them to challenge you

 

Doesn't matter if you have receipt or not. Their rule is NO bottled water can be brought on at any port.

Argue with them all you want, you'll lose. It's their all-inclusive rule.

 

A receipt simply shows you bought water, not necessarily THAT water since you can't prove how much you brought off the ship with you, so no way to prove it's a leftover.

Edited July 12, 2016 by NMLady

[luvtheships]

Doesn't matter if you have receipt or not. Their rule is NO bottled water can be brought on at any port.

 

Argue with them all you want, you'll lose. It's their all-inclusive rule.

 

 

 

A receipt simply shows you bought water, not necessarily THAT water since you can't prove how much you brought off the ship with you, so no way to prove it's a leftover.

 

 

Oh I'm not planning on arguing at all

 

If I want water onboard I'll buy it but you can bet I won't overspend on anything else onboard an Ncl ship

[luvtheships]

Not to rain on your parade, but "presumably" isn't really the foundation for a good argument. Supposition doesn't really cut it.

 

 

 

Lose one, gain another...possibly even better. You and I can't say. Only time will tell.

 

 

 

 

 

One thing...we all know and recognize that cruise lines make the bulk of their money from onboard spending. A large part of onboard spending is from Food & Beverage. FDR has been giving away drink and dining packages for over a year now...and it hasn't caused a drop in their onboard revenue. In fact, NCL's onboard revenue is UP.

 

 

 

So...let's just watch their financial reports. It will be interesting to see if this policy results in a loss or a gain in the business. The numbers will speak for themselves.

 

 

I really hate to quote you but just to be clear....

 

 

I'm a seasoned cruiser and lots of friends and acquaintances x 20 x20 ( you get the idea) know I cruise often and am very very Savvy about travel.....people are amazed at the stuff I've independently arranged for my family....

 

But I digress....

 

The point is I get asked almost on a daily basis about my thoughts about cruises and travel....

 

From families that travel with other families..on a regular basis....these same families are not poor by any means....and don't pinch pennies....

 

But they all research and ask questions....and many many times...have booked trips based on my recommendations

 

In the past....my simple answer.....was....out of NYC hands down take Ncl!!!!!

 

Now my answer is.....after my next cruise I'm leaving Ncl and going to celebrity or rccl ....which is right down the river from the Ncl dock in NYC.

 

 

Oh and while I'm an inside pax....these friends and acquaintances and their peripheral traveling buddy families would be in suites and above and would never consider more than 2 in a cabin. That's sounds costly to me but what do I know. Lol.

 

They are the type that need to brag about getting high end digs.....whereas I'm the exact opposite and brag about the steal of a deal I got on my inside ....which is why we do 3 week Europe trips too. Lol [emoji41][emoji122]

Edited July 12, 2016 by luvtheships

[Golfin55]

Its really pretty simple and I can not believe NCL hasn't installed any yet. Water fountains for filling water bottles. We have one in our production plant, my gym has one, I have even seen them at a Mall near me. They even have them at my sons college.

 

 

http://www.elkay.com/bottle-filling-stations

 

 

http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/outdoor-grounds-maintenance/drinking-fountains/water-refilling-stations/emabfws-rf-bottle-filling-station-retrofit-kit-for-emabf-water-coolers?infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=Cj0KEQjwh428BRCnvcyI-5nqjY4BEiQAijebwpndAyJg6WhDwF767aOe-4qzrRTQkr6a25LvLKuz3tUaAuR18P8HAQ

 

 

Great idea.. I'm sure they will get right on it.[emoji848]

 

 

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[GiGi]

I sent a letter last week and got a call back from a NCL rep today. She said they had been overwhelmed with letter, calls, social media. And that all the complaints would be sent to the CEO.

 

She told me that a lot of the complaints are about the price of bottled watter on board and when Carnival had a similar situation they decreased the price of a case of bottled water.

 

I agree with lowering the price of water on board. I also said that if they wanted me to be able fill a travel container with water they would have to provide a clean method of doing it. Not the buffet where people drink from their glass and then go up and get a refill with the same glass.

[wallybone]

With more people bring water bottles to fill at the drink stations,those line will be getting longer. As long as people don't vote with their wallets, the changes will not the the last ones and the next set may be worst. NCL sees booking going down and and ship sailing with less people, things will change back fast just like the "not taking food back to your room" thing.

[NMLady]

With more people bring water bottles to fill at the drink stations,those line will be getting longer. .....

 

That's my concern. In the past I've always filled our water bottles in the buffet, using a clean glass to transfer the water. But with this new edict I think there will be hundreds of people doing that, a slow process at best. So, I will bite the bullet and buy a case of bottled water, using the buffet's water at only at odd hours when the lines aren't so long.

[NLH Arizona]

That's my concern. In the past I've always filled our water bottles in the buffet, using a clean glass to transfer the water. But with this new edict I think there will be hundreds of people doing that, a slow process at best. So, I will bite the bullet and buy a case of bottled water, using the buffet's water at only at odd hours when the lines aren't so long.

I don't think the lines will be any longer. On all my cruises, I rarely see anyone while on board the ship walking around with a "brought on" bottle of water, which leads me to believe that those that carry on their own water is a very small amount of the total population on the ships.

[Bases5]

They will not be able to differentiate between NCL-purchased and locally purchased water so you will not be able to bring your "liquid gold" NCL-purchased water back on board either.

 

The water that Carnival sales you (12 pack for $399)

Its has a Carnival Label on it.

It make's it hard to by Carnival brand on shore.

[trcfarm]

Does anyone know for sure what size Aquafina water they are selling? It doesn't say on the website. I saw a poster on here say it was the one liter bottles, not the 16.9 oz 24 pks we all know sell for $3.99 everywhere. The one liters are anywhere from 1.39 to 1.99, so 12 of them for $38 isn't expensive at all.

[NLH Arizona]

Does anyone know for sure what size Aquafina water they are selling? It doesn't say on the website. I saw a poster on here say it was the one liter bottles, not the 16.9 oz 24 pks we all know sell for $3.99 everywhere. The one liters are anywhere from 1.39 to 1.99, so 12 of them for $38 isn't expensive at all.

This is their water package from NCL's website:

 

6-pack (1-liter bottles) $22.95 USD

12-pack (1-liter bottles) $39.95 USD

18-pack (1-liter bottles) $49.95 USD

24-pack (1-liter bottles) $59.95 USD

[trcfarm]

Actually I do see now where it is the 1 liter bottles. I wish I could post a pic here but I don't know how.

[trcfarm]

So why are people complaining? This is cheap, and no hassle of carrying it on. I do despise Pepsi though. Wish they would serve Coke.

[Seminole1975]

Just got off the phone with NCL (25 min hold). The representative I spoke with about the exorbiant markup of the onboard water aka liquid gold (and I quote) replied to my complaint with, "It is our company and we can charge what we want to for it." If her response is in line with that of the rest of the company then I'll be looking for a new cruise line.

 

The woman I talked to told me that NCL's prices for cases bottled water were competitive with other cruise lines, but would not tell me which ones. That is not my understanding, I said to her. I just asked her to register my complaint about the new policy and request that they lower the prices of bottled water.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Seminole1975
change a phrase

[hawaiideb]

and the nice lady answering the phone took my reservation number, listened politely, registered my complaint and was very professional. I had to be her first call of the day. She did say that they are listening, and the most common complaint was the cost of the water NCL sells onboard.

 

I would like to see NCL put a complimentary liter bottle of water in the cabin for each lattitudes member in the short term to help with customer transitions. I don't think they should base the free water on lattitudes tier. Just provide a free water for the next few months.

 

Now that I have registered my complaint officially, what I will NOT DO is complain to anyone on board regarding this policy. They follow the directions of corporate. 99.9% of the staff on board have any ability to change this policy. The only one who may give corporate direct feedback is the Hotel Director, and since this person is so busy, it will not be my priority to complain to them either, unless I am asked directly by that person. :)

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Debbie

[EleventyBangBang]

Does anyone know for sure what size Aquafina water they are selling? It doesn't say on the website. I saw a poster on here say it was the one liter bottles, not the 16.9 oz 24 pks we all know sell for $3.99 everywhere. The one liters are anywhere from 1.39 to 1.99, so 12 of them for $38 isn't expensive at all.

 

So why is a 1 liter bottle SO much more expensive than two half-liter bottles?

[NLH Arizona]

Had a very nice conversation with a gentleman in the executive offices with regard to the policy. I expressed my opinions that they (1) reduce the cost of the water sold on the ships somewhat, but that I didn't feel that they had to mirror Carnival's price and (2) they should send a notification to all passengers, so folks will not say they weren't notified a year or two out from their cruises. Other than those two items, I told NCL I didn't have any issues with the rest of the policy, as far as bringing competitive brand sodas on the ships; as a Coke drink, I can drink Pepsi for a week or two or find something else to drink. He was very appreciative of the comments and he was very, very professional.