Is there any Value left in an NCL Cruise?

[boatseller]

I guess it is not obvious what this thread is about.

 

It is not about the validity of my examples...

 

Mark

 

What did you expect? It's all about the validity of the examples. You provided some examples of "loss of value" and people are challenging those assertions.

 

My NCL experiences have been terrific, well worth the money. All these examples I find silly, petty or outright wrong (I've never had a problem getting a seating for dinner with or without reservations).

[mom2tcdx2]

Whether or not the cruise or any vacation has value is really based on what you spent, how well you enjoyed the trip, etc. You really have to weigh in all costs.

 

I am going to Disney in August, the hotel room we are staying in books at well over $500 per night, only reason we can do it are that we are vacation club members. The dining plan for the 5 days is $1100 and our park tickets are around $800, our flights to get us there were $110 each. That vacation is a horrible price to pay for many, however I find a Disney vacation to wonderful and don't mind spending my money that way.

 

I also currently have a cruise booked on NCL in October, which originally I had a 9 day on the Anthem booked. Our cruise for 4 people on Anthem in an oceanview cabin was $4400. We then still added our drink packages at $420 for 2 of us, and a soda package for my son, along with adding the dining packages and gratuities.

 

On NCL we booked a 7 day cruise (we did lose 2 days), however we have the 4 of us in a mini-suite with the large balcony for $3500, this includes the gratuity on the drink package for 2 of us. So Anthem was running $5240, and NCL $3500. So for me the NCL worked out to be a better value. Still have the dining packages and gratuities which basically were the same.

 

Overall the room service we have never really used. My son did a few times late at night on Carnival when he was younger. But mostly we have found it really isn't all that much trouble just to go grab something from the buffet.

 

Not bringing drinks on overall won't bother me as NCL sells Mtn Dew. If other cruise lines adopted this policy, then I won't be a happy camper.

 

In the past we have done a cruise on NCL for 4 people and it cost us $1000. That was probably one of the best prices we have ever obtained. However I did also get an 8 day Christmas Cruise on the Carnival Breeze for $325 (total for 2 people). That was truly my best vacation value ever!!!!

[NLH Arizona]

Some will never be happy because of the "Coke vs Pepsi" but it's unlikely that NCL will offer both anytime soon.

Is there any cruise line that offers both Coke and Pepsi?

[dna529]

Whether or not the cruise or any vacation has value is really based on what you spent, how well you enjoyed the trip, etc. You really have to weigh in all costs.

 

I am going to Disney in August, the hotel room we are staying in books at well over $500 per night, only reason we can do it are that we are vacation club members. The dining plan for the 5 days is $1100 and our park tickets are around $800, our flights to get us there were $110 each. That vacation is a horrible price to pay for many, however I find a Disney vacation to wonderful and don't mind spending my money that way.

 

I also currently have a cruise booked on NCL in October, which originally I had a 9 day on the Anthem booked. Our cruise for 4 people on Anthem in an oceanview cabin was $4400. We then still added our drink packages at $420 for 2 of us, and a soda package for my son, along with adding the dining packages and gratuities.

 

On NCL we booked a 7 day cruise (we did lose 2 days), however we have the 4 of us in a mini-suite with the large balcony for $3500, this includes the gratuity on the drink package for 2 of us. So Anthem was running $5240, and NCL $3500. So for me the NCL worked out to be a better value. Still have the dining packages and gratuities which basically were the same.

 

Overall the room service we have never really used. My son did a few times late at night on Carnival when he was younger. But mostly we have found it really isn't all that much trouble just to go grab something from the buffet.

 

Not bringing drinks on overall won't bother me as NCL sells Mtn Dew. If other cruise lines adopted this policy, then I won't be a happy camper.

 

In the past we have done a cruise on NCL for 4 people and it cost us $1000. That was probably one of the best prices we have ever obtained. However I did also get an 8 day Christmas Cruise on the Carnival Breeze for $325 (total for 2 people). That was truly my best vacation value ever!!!!

 

I totally agree with you. Yesterday I was all set to book Harmony of the Seas for next December. Then my husband convinced me that going on the Epic would allow us to have 2 rooms (one for the kids) plus the drink package for about $3500. So for us, NCL still has great value when compared to other lines.

[ollienbertsmum]

I really don't understand why people always write this. It almost invites dispute.

 

Anyway, to respond to your question, it really does depend on the individual. People have different priorities and for many, value is being lost. For a smaller number of people there is little difference or some benefits.

 

It probably isn't exactly what you are asking, but to take your examples, I can show how there are different interpretations:

 

Water: I have only ever taken water onboard when we had some bottles left over after the land part of our holiday. This policy doesn't make one jot of difference to us.

 

Room Service: Never used it (on cruise or in a hotel). Again, does;t make any difference.

 

Freestyle Dining: This still works perfectly for me. I never saw freestyle as having anything to do with not needing to plan ahead (and have disagreed with people on this forum as to whether that was ever part of what Freestyle offered). I am happy to make some reservations beforehand with the ability to change them, and also have plenty of days where we just wing it. The requirement to book entertainment comes along with more options on the newer ships, which I think is a benefit. For me, the changes here offer more value.

 

A-La-Carte: We don't fit into the group of people who spend a lot more at the speciality restaurants now than we did when they had a fixed fee. In fact, when we last went, my bill came to about $30 and my wife was less than that. We had the UDP (which you can now buy for a limited number of nights if you don't get it free), so the a la carte pricing was irrelevant anyway. We are now eating at speciality restaurants more because of the various options. It has an added cost if we have to pay for them, but it's better value. Again, added value for us.

 

UDP & SDP: Being in the UK, we don't pay the 18% on any promos so we have a different situation anyway. Ignoring that, the 18% is a lot cheaper than the plan price (although under normal circumstances I wouldn't pay for the UBP anyway). The fact that drink prices have gone up is obviously a negative, but I am paying a massive amount less for my drinks than I was previously, so overall it is added value, even if I had to pay the 18%.

 

Cruise Fares: This is potentially reduced value as fares have certainly gone up. However, give n the promos there are many of us who are paying about the same, or even less for our cruises now.

 

Recently, I did some calculations based on the total cost of a cruise, including the fare, DSC, meals and drinks. I took the value of the beverage and dining packages received as being what I would expect to have paid for drinks or food per day had I not had the plan. The results were quite interesting. Taking the cost of our first recent cruise (the Epic in 2012) as the base, this is what I got:

 

Epic 2012 1.00

Breakaway 2013 (Solo) 1.36

Pearl 2013 (Owners Suite) 3.05

Spirit 2014 0.81

Epic 2014 0.97

Jade 2014 1.17

Getaway 2015 0.94

Spirit 2015 0.76

Escape 2015 (3 night) 1.13

Escape 2015 (Solo) 1.15

Epic 2016 0.96

Star 2016 1.09

Spirit 2017 0.43

Jade 2017 1.12

Epic 2017 0.62

Spirit 2018 0.53

 

As you can see, I haven't seen any increase in overall prices, and in fact direct comparisons on the Jade, Epic and Spirit show that we are saving a lot compared to previous years.

 

I know that this is because of specific reasons that don't apply to many, but there really is value there for many.

 

If there was a like button I would have pressed it :D

[DorothyB]

For me:

 

Value is not having to dress up for dinner and not having a fixed seating time in the main dining room.

 

I'm not thrilled about having to plan ahead for specialty dining, but not a huge deal.

 

I am very unhappy about the water / soft drink thing. I only use a few bottles of water per cruise - basically one per port. I wouldn't mind buying their water if the price was more reasonable. I hardly ever drink soft drinks, but am very picky when I do and they don't carry the two soft drinks I would want.

[don1976]

In my opinion, the value of NCL is all about the freedom to understand the costs. I like the idea of the transparent costs. I prefer a lower up front cost and then have the freedom to add the individual elements to customise the holiday as I see fit.

It does amuse me how people refer to some things being 'free' on certain cruise lines . Nothing is free. You either pay for something as and when you use it at point of utilisation, or alternatively you pay a certain amount/contribution up front added to the price of the fare.

 

I pay approx £20 a month to use my local gym. Each time I visit the gym, it's free - but clearly I'm paying for it. The value comes in to appreciate how much you use it.

Likewise, I pay approx £100 a month for my travel card. This gives me 'free' local bus travel.

 

Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

I guess it is not obvious what this thread is about.

 

It is not about the validity of my examples or if you use the services outlined in my examples. Those are examples of what others on this board have stated as items of lost value.

 

It is about the perceived loss of value in the overall NCL cruise vacation.

 

 

Mark

 

I "GET" what you are saying, Mark....and to answer your original question....For US, there is a lot LESS value in an NCL cruise than there was a few years ago.

 

We took advantage of every item you mentioned in the past, and all are substantially different today.

 

We are not loyal to any specific cruise line, and have never had a bad cruise on any of them. We preferred NCL due to "Freestyle" the way it was originally. (Truth be told -- Not wanting to pack a suit and tie, or having to make reservations for "anytime" dining or shows is what led us to try NCL to begin with! HAHA! :o )

 

That said, NCL doesn't have a preferred spot in our considerations lately, though it is one of the next 3 we have booked!

[sfaaa]

If you want the extra, then pay up and trade up. But if all you are looking for is something for nothing, NCL is not interested in your business. And you certainly have the right not to cruise with NCL. Works both ways.

[SMSACE6]

there is value for me as a solo cruiser. Especially on the ships who have those studios. For me, cruising is quite expensive for my budget, but something I try to do once a year now. On most cruise lines, including Carnival which I have stuck with for some time, I have to pay 200pc of the fare. Ok, I know, and understand the reason for this, but still it is quite a hefty cost to start with. Then, I need to fly into the port from Canada, and factor in more cost. Also, one or two days hotel before and or after the cruise.

 

I still am satisfied with Carnival mostly, but after 8 cruises, I would like to try something different. I keep coming back to NCL or to MSC and a finding very good deals. Also NCL, often gives a better exchange rate to the Canadian dollar, plus one of their "free" or not so free perks. Still, it is a draw.

 

Carnival offers me no real incentive to come back, and when I shop for next years cruise, I found NCL Escape, 7day cruise, studio, priced with their Canadian/US exchange rate, plus a drink package to be quite a bit lower than a 6 day on Carnival.

 

So I have put a deposit down on Escape for 2017, and look forward to the change.

[Bluesky Seeker]

Mark:

 

See Ya' and I wouldn't want to be ya'.

[DkswartzFamily]

Totally personal question. For me when I look at the price of a cruise I include all of the extras that I know I will be paying on ncl, versus what comes for you on the other line. Sometimes they come out ahead, sometimes not. But that is never my entire deciding factor, I also take into consideration the itinerary and the quality of service (which I have found varies from ship to ship even within the different companies)

[CruisinHarvey]

CAS is the best casino's player club @ sea, and most everyone agrees with that statement. I haven't paid full price for cruise in years. Now, not only do pay a partial fare, but it includes options like drinks, and specialty dining. Way better value.

 

Just a side note. Not sure why you started this thread. It's like going to the democratic convention, and asking them why democrats aren't good anymore. Not sure why you posted it on the NCL site. Were you looking validation? If that's the case, then post it on a Celebrity or Princess site. I'm sure you could get lots of agreement there from ex NCLers.

Edited July 8, 2016 by CruisinHarvey

[aubreyc1988]

it was a better value for us when we could book GTYs and get the UBP as a perk. Now, to get the perk, it's 100-200 per person extra to get an not GTY room, and at that price, the value starts to go down a little. It's still a value, compared to having to pay full price for the package on RCI, but it was better when you could book the UBP as a perk with GTY

 

to me, thats the only real DIP in value we have seen thats affected us as we like to cruise in insides

[deliver42]

I just cancelled a Celebrity cruise, and changed it to the Getaway.Celebrity was more expensive, but gave me $300.00 OBC and classic drink pkg. When I took the UDP and Spec,dining on NCL, it came out cheaper than X. When I added the grats in, it came out to a little less. However, I would've tipped 18 or 20% on X, so that changed the dynamic for me. Another reason was the entertainment and choices of restaurants that NCL wins hands down. Other than coffee in the AM, I never used room service, and we have a coffee maker in the cabin. Water I can get from any fountain, and don't drink soda. To answer another poster, to the best of my knowledge no one has both coke and pepsi.

[drvalo]

Less value than before, yes!

 

Fares are higher, but service has suffered over all. I still love the crew, but it is not what it used to be.

 

Free promotions that used to be free but are not any more is less value. I know the higher fare is paying for those promotions, but we don't drink, therefore the UBP has no value.

 

We are Platinum and the value those benefits have been slowly decreasing. I don't cruise for those benefits, but it was nice while it lasted.

 

Not being able to bring drinks is a big deal and probably deal breaker for our family. I know all the arguments why it shouldn't be but to each her own. For us, it matters. It is price gouging plain and simple.

 

My feeling is we are just not the type of customer NCL wants any more and not feeling valued is a loss of value, so we will probably move on. Still considering what to do about our already booked cruise, and we have one more Cruise Next certificate which we may just have to chuck, but yes, less value over all for us.

Edited July 9, 2016 by drvalo

[aubreyc1988]

Less value than before, yes!

 

Fares are higher, but service has suffered over all. I still love the crew, but it is not what it used to be.

 

Free promotions that used to be free but are not any more is less value. I know the higher fare is paying for those promotions, but we don't drink, therefore the UBP has no value.

 

We are Platinum and the value those benefits have been slowly decreasing. I don't cruise for those benefits, but it was nice while it lasted.

 

Not being able to bring drinks is a big deal and probably deal breaker for our family. I know all the arguments why it shouldn't be but to each her own. For us, it matters. It is price gouging plain and simple.

 

My feeling is we are just not the type of customer NCL wants any more and not feeling valued is a loss of value, so we will probably move on. Still considering what to do about our already booked cruise, and we have one more Cruise Next certificate which we may just have to chuck, but yes, less value over all for us.

 

Well, if you decide to not use the cruise next certificate, i will certainly buy it off of you - I stupidly didn't buy one on our last cruise UGH - I am planning on buying one on the eba.y if none of my cruising friends can snag me one, hehe

Edited July 9, 2016 by aubreyc1988

[drvalo]

Well, if you decide to not use the cruise next certificate, i will certainly buy it off of you - I stupidly didn't buy one on our last cruise UGH - I am planning on buying one on the eba.y if none of my cruising friends can snag me one, hehe

 

We will consider it. Shoot me an email - this nick at live dot com. I am still hopeful that drink policy will change to something less onerous, but if not, I think we probably will not use it.

[SNJCruisers]

The value that I see on my next 2 cruises, both on NCL for the first time on the Escape is that NCL includes the UBP when you book a studio or inside cabin. When NCL copied Celebrity's offering of an included alcoholic drinks package, they made it better because you needed to sail in an OV or better cabin to get it with Celebrity. They did however make it worse by not including espresso based coffee drinks, bottled water and fresh squeezed juice like Celebrity. :(

[NLH Arizona]

The value that I see on my next 2 cruises, both on NCL for the first time on the Escape is that NCL includes the UBP when you book a studio or inside cabin. When NCL copied Celebrity's offering of an included alcoholic drinks package, they made it better because you needed to sail in an OV or better cabin to get it with Celebrity. They did however make it worse by not including espresso based coffee drinks, bottled water and fresh squeezed juice like Celebrity. :(

This is a great example of why one should look at everything and not just one policy. The extra cost to upgrade to an OceanView cabin from an inside on Celebrity, could pay for any coffee drinks, bottled water and juice on NCL.

[kathybelcher2433]

Frankly the only way to truly compare cruise lines is list the 10 or 20 or 100 things that are important to YOU. There's no way in the world my top xxx matches anyone else's.

 

Not on my list items include bottled water, coke products, buffets, pool chairs, concerns about gratuities or service fees, lobster, bathroom layout on the Epic, formal nights, obtaining 2 entrees at dinner, fees for restaurants, specialty coffees, the cruise line's port tours and wine corkage fees.

 

On my list items include the ports, the fewest number of sea days, flexible dinner times with no shared tables, high speed internet availability, quality evening entertainment, variety of specialty restaurants, workout facilities, jogging track, an inclusive alcoholic beverage package, ability to make reservations for restaurants and entertainment in advance of sailing, overall design aesthetic of the ship, wine list, spa facilities and the price of a balcony or better.

[SNJCruisers]

Frankly the only way to truly compare cruise lines is list the 10 or 20 or 100 things that are important to YOU. There's no way in the world my top xxx matches anyone else's.

Have to fully agree with Kathy's statement. Perceived value varies greatly from person to person. For instance, out of the list of 14 items that are important to Kathy, about 5 of them are important to me and a few are polar opposites of my preferences.

[sjbdtz]

Is there still any Value in a NCL Cruise?

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, loads.

 

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

[aubreyc1988]

We will consider it. Shoot me an email - this nick at live dot com. I am still hopeful that drink policy will change to something less onerous, but if not, I think we probably will not use it.

 

sent you an email :)

[toyotaford]

We have done 16 cruises in 5.5 years with NCL. Our last one was in February of this year. All have been in suites. We are currently on a Carnival cruise. I have been an NCL loyalist for a while. But recent changes have convinced me to consider other lines. The changes haven't really affected us because we are in suites but we have also used NCL for the last 5 cruises we have brought our employees on. They always travel in balcony rooms. The CCL cruise we are on now has given me an opportunity to compare balcony experiences on the two ships.

 

I must say CCL food in the main dining room wins hands down over NCL in my opinion. The two other couples traveling with us have also traveled NCL and agree the food is much better on CCL. Before we left a friend who knew we were NCL loyalist and now going CCL told me we would be impressed with the MDR food. She had sailed NCL last year for the first time. I know food taste vary but I am basing this on more than just my taste buds.

 

The check in process was as smooth and fast as I had seen our employees experience with NCL. I know sometimes this is determined by the port.

 

I saw people checking on with cases of water and I do know some of our employees have done that in the past with NCL. I actually didn't know that was not allowed now.

 

The entertainment has been very comparable. There is not a live band for the evening shows but I can't say I really missed it. The entertainment I have heard around the ship has been good.

 

The bed is not as comfortable on CCL but I am comparing a balcony mattress on CCL to a GV or OS mattress on NCL.

 

Over all we have been very pleased with the cruise we are on and will not be afraid to price other cruises when planning our next employee trip in February. For the last 5 I have not compared prices, just book straight with NCL.

 

There is still nothing I know of that compares with the suite life but we will start looking a little more when planning a vacation.