Why so much negativity?

[NLH Arizona]

I think that we can all agree about that but we must also agree that people on all sides of the issue deserve to voice their opinion and recognize that a contrary opinion doesn't invalidate the other person's opinion.

Agree 1000%! I love a good debate and on here it is an exchange of opinions on here. We don't have to agree, but we can disagree without being rude.

[4774Papa]

The value that NCL represent does depend massively on how much you drink in my opinion. Non drinkers are getting hit my the increased fares, whereas for people like me, the value of the perks means that NCL is still quite competitive.

 

We are actually booked on the Jade next year and the price per day is slightly cheaper than last time we were on her, in 2014, when you take into account the perks that come with it.

 

I looked around at the competition when booking that Jade cruise and found that the prices were really all so close that nothing stood out as being notably better (or worse) value for money.

 

Obviously, if we didn't drink then that would probably have been different.

 

Agree, we are modest drinkers and the beverage packages are not so good for us. Now, unlike when the packages first came out, we have to pay the gratuities on the so called value. What we pay for the gratuities are about what we would normally spend on booze.

[SteveH2508]

There is another side to all of this discussion which sometimes gets lost: information and spotting the trends. Informing other, less experienced cruisers as to what is going on is a public service and one which actually might benefit the cruise line in a weird kind of way. A better informed consumer is less likely to complain if they know in advance what they are going to get.

 

Those of us who have sailed a cruise line for years are well-placed to point out which way the wind is blowing with respect to the changes being made. Each change may be small in itself but, the sum of the changes shows a trend which may be detrimental to te whole customer experience. Many people find it hard to see the bigger picture.

[sfaaa]

Agree, we are modest drinkers and the beverage packages are not so good for us. Now, unlike when the packages first came out, we have to pay the gratuities on the so called value. What we pay for the gratuities are about what we would normally spend on booze.

 

Precisely why NCL gives you some gratuities free options like free internet, excursion credit or simply declining the promo. You pick what suits you the best.

[4774Papa]

Precisely why NCL gives you some gratuities free options like free internet, excursion credit or simply declining the promo. You pick what suits you the best.

 

I don't use the internet on the ship, it is usually too slow. Most of the time I plan private tours.

 

The promos just don't work well for some people.

[AdoraBelle]

There is another side to all of this discussion which sometimes gets lost: information and spotting the trends. Informing other, less experienced cruisers as to what is going on is a public service and one which actually might benefit the cruise line in a weird kind of way. A better informed consumer is less likely to complain if they know in advance what they are going to get.

 

 

 

Those of us who have sailed a cruise line for years are well-placed to point out which way the wind is blowing with respect to the changes being made. Each change may be small in itself but, the sum of the changes shows a trend which may be detrimental to te whole customer experience. Many people find it hard to see the bigger picture.

 

 

Yes, a thousand times this. There were a thousand little "negative" things I wouldn't have known before my first cruise without cruise critic complaints, even something basic like the fact that cruise ship plumbing can be smelly. Knowing and being prepared for those negative things helped a lot.

 

And in the larger picture, it's very important for NEW cruisers to understand that yes, the cruise lines can and will change everything on a dime, especially if they see profit, and that right now it goes doubly so for NCL.

 

I don't entirely understand how the "anti-negativity" crowd feels they are harmed if we discuss these things, if I'm being honest. Skipping threads seems easy, and as is pointed out a million times, the cruise lines don't care about social media, so it's not like we're in danger of putting anyone's "favorite" line out of business.

Edited August 8, 2016 by AdoraBelle

[NLH Arizona]

I don't entirely understand how the "anti-negativity" crowd feels they are harmed if we discuss these things, if I'm being honest. Skipping threads seems easy, and as is pointed out a million times, the cruise lines don't care about social media, so it's not like we're in danger of putting anyone's "favorite" line out of business.

There is that broad brush again.

 

I don't think anyone has said they are harmed if you post negative things, but I will say just as you feel some are harmed by negative things, it seems that those that are more negative seem to be harmed by positive posts. Hmmm, I guess it goes both ways.

[AdoraBelle]

There is that broad brush again.

 

 

 

I don't think anyone has said they are harmed if you post negative things, but I will say just as you feel some are harmed by negative things, it seems that those that are more negative seem to be harmed by positive posts. Hmmm, I guess it goes both ways.

 

 

Uh, not following you. I have never complained about "positive" posts, much less started a whole new thread solely to do so (please see the title of this thread).

 

It's clear that a real discussion of this stuff won't be happening.

[LrgPizza]

soooooo......you must be rich enough to throw away a couple of thousand dollars by cancelling a cruise after final payment date and not batting an eye at it. congrats if you have enough wealth to not miss that money but most of those around you can do nothing but suck it up and learn for the future to spend our hard earned cash elsewhere.

 

You just listed an either or situation where the choices are throw away a couple thousand dollars, or suck it up and spend money elsewhere in the future. You completely forget that there is another choice: Keep a positive attitude, go on your booked vacation, and probably have a blast. Maybe even decide to book again. You can't act as if that isn't even an option. You think "most of those" are sucking it up. I think most are having a good time.

Edited August 8, 2016 by LrgPizza

[NLH Arizona]

Uh, not following you. I have never complained about "positive" posts, much less started a whole new thread solely to do so (please see the title of this thread).

 

It's clear that a real discussion of this stuff won't be happening.

I don't believe I said you did complain about "positive" posts. Just showing that just as you don't understand how the "anti-negativity" crowd feels they are harmed if you discuss things, some don't understand how the "negative" crowd feels they are harmed if we discuss things.

 

And I agree that a real discussion of this stuff won't be happening as long as both sides can't understand that folks can disagree on an issue.

Edited August 8, 2016 by NLH Arizona

[Linda the Book Lover]

You just listed an either or situation where the choices are throw away a couple thousand dollars, or suck it up and spend money elsewhere in the future. You completely forget that there is another choice: Keep a positive attitude, go on your booked vacation, and probably have a blast. Maybe even decide to book again. You can't act as if that isn't even an option. You think "most of those" are sucking it up. I think most are having a good time.

 

Amen to a positive experience. Even if things don't quite go as planned I look at it as it was meant to go another way and find something else to keep me happy. I am having a good time as it sure beats housework;)

[Computer Nerd]

You just listed an either or situation where the choices are throw away a couple thousand dollars, or suck it up and spend money elsewhere in the future. You completely forget that there is another choice: Keep a positive attitude, go on your booked vacation, and probably have a blast. Maybe even decide to book again. You can't act as if that isn't even an option. You think "most of those" are sucking it up. I think most are having a good time.

 

so you truly think your third option is even valid when someone is upset enough to not sail a cruise line anymore. no, it's not. not to mention you don't even have any proof to back up your theory. as for me, ncl was already my least favorite line out of the 5 i have sailed so nothing lost for me by not sailing them anymore. will i have a good time on my final ncl cruise, of course, it is a cruise after all. will i have a better time knowing that my reduction in dsc fees will cover the soda package i must now buy since i can't bring it own myself as i have in the past, you bet. but for those whose are so ticked off with a company, any company, that they won't use them again and are only doing so because they have thousands of dollars at stake are not going to go with an open mind and have a blast as you suggest. welcome to psychology 101.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Computer Nerd

[LrgPizza]

so you truly think your third option is even valid when someone is upset enough to not sail a cruise line anymore. no, it's not. not to mention you don't even have any proof to back up your theory. as for me, will i have a good time on my final ncl cruise, of course. will i have a better time knowing that my reduction in dsc fees will cover the soda package i must now buy since i can't bring it own myself as i have in the past, you bet. but for those whose are so ticked off with a company, any company, that they won't use them again and are only doing so because they have thousands of dollars at stake are not going to go with an open mind and have a blast as you suggest. welcome to psychology 101.

 

I don't have any proof to back up a theory that people can have fun on a cruise? I'm sorry, you've lost me.

[Computer Nerd]

I don't have any proof to back up a theory that people can have fun on a cruise? I'm sorry, you've lost me.

 

omg, please try and stay in context. to spell it out, people who have feel wronged by any company, for any reason, are not going to go back to that company all willy nilly and care free as if nothing ever happened. yes, you have a theory, unproveable, that people will do that. in fact you said most people would still have a great time with no evidence to back that up. based on what i have read here, i would speculate even more people would be cancelling their cruises if they could without losing any money but are not stupid enough to throw away thousands of dollars just to go on a different cruise with someone they actually like to cruise with. but ncl has ensured, again, that their pissed off customers will take at least one more cruise by not offering refunds to those affected by this latest change.

Edited August 9, 2016 by Computer Nerd

[LrgPizza]

omg, please try and stay in context. to spell it out, people who have feel wronged by any company, for any reason, are not going to go back to that company all willy nilly and care free as if nothing ever happened. yes, you have a theory, unproveable, that people will do that. in fact you said most people would still have a great time with no evidence to back that up. based on what i have read here, i would speculate even more people would be cancelling their cruises if they could without losing any money but are not stupid enough to throw away thousands of dollars just to go on a different cruise with someone they actually like to cruise with. but ncl has ensured, again, that their pissed off customers will take at least one more cruise by not offering refunds to those affected by this latest change.

 

Ah, I see. My thought is that people can change their attitudes. If you've lived longer than 4 years, you've probably experienced this firsthand and wouldn't act like it's a new concept. Empirical data? *** do you think this forum is? However, if you'd like to google it, you'll find tons and tons of research that shows that attitude & expectations have a lot to do with how things turn out. I believe it's the same thing you are saying. So yeah, people can lose thousands of dollars, or they can go on a cruise, have a miserable time, and take their money elsewhere, OR they can decide to relax and go enjoy themselves. Trust me, it's possible. Psych 101? Well, probably 5th grade introduction to psych, as long as I'm continuing your choice to be condescending.

 

Have a nice evening. Or don't. Decide to be miserable. It's up to you, you know? :D

[jancl57]

I can pretty much say I have been happy with each cruise I have been on. They are all different, and I have liked different aspects of each. Really the staff, ports of call all make each vacation unique. I too just like being away from work, no cooking, no cleaning, etc. I have had small bumps on each cruise, though often many things had nothing to do with the cruise line and others were. I really can't say I have any major negatives for a cruise, though again each had something I liked more than others. Personally I find them to be more alike than different.

 

 

 

I like the specialty restaurants on NCL, though I wish they would just make all dining part of the cruise. Truly if they raised the fare $100 and included all restaurants would just seem better to most people. We have had good dining in them and not in others.

 

 

 

We like the set dining on Carnival and the rotation of staff on Disney. Truly our best dining experiences were on those two - mostly our 10 day on the Pride and the 14 day on Disney Magic. I would have to say it really was our dining staff (and the entertainment staff on the Pride), that really made those trips enjoyable and more memorable than others.

 

 

 

Entertainment shows - I think Carnival has better Comedians, Disney does the best Broadway style shows, I don't care for the comedians on NCL - Second City I just don't find funny - but others enjoy it. I did like Burn the Floor and Rock of Ages. I also enjoyed the Cirque dinner show.

 

 

 

I am really looking forward to our Breakaway trip in October, will be nice to sail the ship again since we did the first TA when the ship came over. Will be nice to see how it has improved over that first trip. Though we realize they were new and learning and they always have kinks to work out, which has had plenty of time. Not to mention Bermuda will also be new for us. Overall most of the changes don't really affect me anyway. I will be happy just to use my drink package that I only paid the gratuity on (I would have spent more than the gratuity on drinks, but not the $79 a day).

 

 

 

That's the way I look at it too. I would not drink $79 a day of alcohol, but will definitely drink more then the $14 and change for the gratuity! To me that is a huge positive. I've only been on 4 cruises, 4 different cruise lines, and enjoyed each one. We are booked on the Dawn next June. It will be our 2nd NCL cruise. I've never had a free beverage package so really looking forward to that.

 

 

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[Linda the Book Lover]

omg, please try and stay in context. to spell it out, people who have feel wronged by any company, for any reason, are not going to go back to that company all willy nilly and care free as if nothing ever happened. yes, you have a theory, unproveable, that people will do that. in fact you said most people would still have a great time with no evidence to back that up. based on what i have read here, i would speculate even more people would be cancelling their cruises if they could without losing any money but are not stupid enough to throw away thousands of dollars just to go on a different cruise with someone they actually like to cruise with. but ncl has ensured, again, that their pissed off customers will take at least one more cruise by not offering refunds to those affected by this latest change.

 

Sorry it does happen and there is proof that an unhappy person can change their mind and give something another try whether it is a cruise line or a marriage.This is why so many divorced folk remarry. An unhappy experience is an unhappy experience and some move on to something or someone else and some retry in the hope it will be happier the next time around. There is no right or wrong just a different outlook to a given situation.

[Computer Nerd]

Sorry it does happen and there is proof that an unhappy person can change their mind and give something another try whether it is a cruise line or a marriage.This is why so many divorced folk remarry. An unhappy experience is an unhappy experience and some move on to something or someone else and some retry in the hope it will be happier the next time around. There is no right or wrong just a different outlook to a given situation.

 

a person absolutely can change their mind and attitude, as long as the other person, or company, is willing to try as well. just as in marriage, it's not a one way street and ncl hasn't figured that out yet. so to use your analogy, ncl.....the wife beating pig....and i are getting divorced after this last cruise and as in most failed marriages, at least one person is happier after the divorce and in this case, it will be me. i'll be heading back to my first love, carnival.

 

then again, what i had with ncl was just a fling anyway. it was never true love. :D

[kathybelcher2433]

soooooo......you must be rich enough to throw away a couple of thousand dollars by cancelling a cruise after final payment date and not batting an eye at it. congrats if you have enough wealth to not miss that money but most of those around you can do nothing but suck it up and learn for the future to spend our hard earned cash elsewhere.

 

 

You are aware I am sure, of many guests who are posting on these boards, who claim they will never sail in NCL again and are not within that final payment date. Other reasons for not cancelling include air fares already purchased, others in the group that do not want to cancel, concern over losing a Cruise Next certificate, etc etc etc. Those are all choices.

 

By the way, I would never cancel a cruise for the reasons you've given. Nor would I passive- aggressively dock the crew service charges by the amount I felt was unfair. And why I might not be particularly wealthy, my time is worth a lot and I wouldn't spend it endlessly tallying Tit for Tat.

[fshagan]

Wow !! The items mentioned in the above article sound a lot like the "Free at sea" ads by NCL. Especially the fine print and deceptive add-on fees.

 

Evidently not to the FTC.

[fshagan]

unless you are a judge in the presiding district, this is simply your opinion, not fact. only the court system can decide whether what ncl does is legal or illegal and then, only once someone get's ncl into court.

 

i hold a different opinion than yours.

 

I gave the link to the FTC, which does prosecute companies for false advertising and "bait and switch" tactics as a crime. Not a civil action, a crime. It is not "my opinion" that the FTC does indeed prosecute those crimes ... it is a fact whether I am a "presiding judge" or a simple cruisin' man.

 

In case you think the fine upstanding prosecutors at the FTC just simply missed the "bait and switch" tactics of a certain Miami-based cruise line company, here is another link for you: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#&panel1-1

 

You can complain about any company that you feel is engaging in false advertising or "bait and switch". NCL has not been accused of doing either except in the minds of its customers.

 

It is not true to say that an individual has to sue to stop criminal actions by a company. The FTC is there to bring the hammer down on them, and believe me, dealing with the FTC is not a very pleasant experience.

[Linda the Book Lover]

a person absolutely can change their mind and attitude, as long as the other person, or company, is willing to try as well. just as in marriage, it's not a one way street and ncl hasn't figured that out yet. so to use your analogy, ncl.....the wife beating pig....and i are getting divorced after this last cruise and as in most failed marriages, at least one person is happier after the divorce and in this case, it will be me. i'll be heading back to my first love, carnival.

 

then again, what i had with ncl was just a fling anyway. it was never true love. :D

 

It is nice to read you believe in true love:D

[breezy270]

Agree- although we barely drink and it still makes sense to us to have a free drinks package vs no free drinks package. I guess like you say it's different for the US where they have to pay the gratuities on the UBP. I wouldn't be against trying another cruise line, but when RCI is 25% more expensive and no free drinks it doesn't make sense! I think Americans get better pricing in general than us :(

 

I have cruised NCL and Carnival in the past and paid for drinks with no beverage package....I'm not a heavy drinker but while on vacation I do drink more than if I were at home. I have found for myself and my boyfriend that even with the 18% we are still saving a significant amount of money with this perk .I spent on Carnival about $300 on drinks during a 7 day cruise and once bought Carnival's drink package which was $445 for an 8 day cruise...on Epic for two people it was over $1000 for booze for the week...we had the UBP when it was completely free and even with the gratuity..it was still worth it!

I also find it nice to drink what I want and not have to watch what I'm spending on drinks....as I say on the criuise it's FREE !!!!

And for those who think that NCL has limited their selection of spirits ...that is not true...there is some confusion on CC that because the list of brands is somewhat small on the drink menu that NCL does not carry it...I found that in May on the Getaway that NCL had all the brands plus some I had never tried before...prairie gin was great!!! I was even able to get some of the higher priced scotch to try for free!

 

Sent from my HTC One using Forums mobile app

Edited August 9, 2016 by breezy270

[enjoysummers]

Having cruised Princess over 20 years ago I booked my first NCL cruise 18 months ago to Alaska to celebrate my 50th. I found this website and have been reading posts on here looking for tips etc over the past year. From reading mainly positive posts and reviews 18 months ago to an ever increasing deluge of negativity. I booked an aft cabin on the Sun after reading reviews and now there's a stench around my cabin, no mention beforehand. Drinks and gratuities have gone up, water taken away etc etc which some will affect me and some will not. I know from my work that people do not like change, so I understand those who have enjoyed the product before the changes, would feel miffed. I haven't tried the product so have nothing to compare it with apart from Princess 20 years ago which i'm sure is totally different now. I remember having caviar and lobster many times in the MDR, I wonder if they still serve those today?

What I dont except though is that, you purchase a product at the time of booking with information provided by the company and then changes are made to it after booking. For me that's not right and that just pees customers off. It's poor business practice if you dont honour what your customers thought they were getting and paying for. So you have your reasons for not allowing water on board but at least off set that decision, which will annoy some, with a reduction to a more realistic mark up for on board purchase. Disgruntled customers tend to look elsewhere if they have options to do so.

[Computer Nerd]

You are aware I am sure, of many guests who are posting on these boards, who claim they will never sail in NCL again and are not within that final payment date. Other reasons for not cancelling include air fares already purchased, others in the group that do not want to cancel, concern over losing a Cruise Next certificate, etc etc etc. Those are all choices.

 

By the way, I would never cancel a cruise for the reasons you've given. Nor would I passive- aggressively dock the crew service charges by the amount I felt was unfair. And why I might not be particularly wealthy, my time is worth a lot and I wouldn't spend it endlessly tallying Tit for Tat.

 

yes, those are all choices that unfortunately have to be made because a company can't stop coming up with more ways to get another 5 dollars out of your pocket. customers shouldn't have to deal with making those choices and if ncl were an honest company, customers wouldn't have to.

 

spending 5 minutes in the gs line and then 5 minutes at home sending in the form is hardly endlessly tallying. and since i'm not you i wouldn't expect that that we do the same thing or feel the same way in every situation. ;)

Edited August 9, 2016 by Computer Nerd