Free Promos are Not Free

[Newleno]

Some people choose not to read the cruise deal terms fully disclosed on NCL website and come here to complain about being ripped off. Guess what? If you don't bother to do your own homework or make an effort to understand the deal, you deserve to be taken advantage of in the real world.

 

SFAAA

I do completely understand your deserving philosophy of life. My philosophy is different, to each their own I say. Happy cruising

[$hip$hape]

Nothing "going on"?

Sure there is, NCL is trying to maximize profits and is using typical marketing techniques to assist.

Things like over emphasizing positives and minimizing (to the extent that law permits) negatives.

This thread helps people work out the actual impact on their potential purchase.

What is wrong with that?

I agree !

This web-site is called Cruise Critic, but don't be critical(?).

 

When I suggested that NCL chime in here, I got labeled as being "snarky".

Maybe just a miscommunication.:)

[sfaaa]

The thing is....the TOTAL is given before anyone even enters their personal information or payment information.

 

What happens is that people go through the booking process, enter their info, make a down payment, then ask "What is this promo service charge?.....Why isn't it free?....Why does NCL charge this when xxxxx doesn't?...."

.

 

Yes the TOTAL is always given. You really have to ask why some people choose not to read what's in front of them before they proceed with the booking and payment process. The answers are all there and nothing is hidden.

[$hip$hape]

The thing is....the TOTAL is given before anyone even enters their personal information or payment information.

 

What happens is that people go through the booking process, enter their info, make a down payment, then ask "What is this promo service charge?.....Why isn't it free?....Why does NCL charge this when xxxxx doesn't?...."

 

If people would look at their total and what that includes instead of worrying about how much goes where and for what, people would complain less.

 

Yes the TOTAL is always given. You really have to ask why some people choose not to read what's in front of them before they proceed with the booking and payment process. The answers are all there and nothing is hidden.

As a remineder of cost, maybe the check should be given first at the Teppanyaki,

then some pax would just lose their appetite, leave and just eat their words.

Edited September 5, 2018 by $hip$hape

[Trimone]

Are all the specialty restaurants, worth the additional fee above MDR?

Personally unless I had a UDP, I wouldn’t bother

[beerman2]

Fine. So what's wrong with keeping the message alive so others less informed than yourself can see the information?

 

Please! WHERE did I mention anything about the thread dying or keeping it alive?

 

Right , I didn't.

[Newleno]

Are all the specialty restaurants, worth the additional fee above MDR?

Personally unless I had a UDP, I wouldn’t bother

 

Word

already paid for an all inclusive, I would not pay more, to each their own

[NLH Arizona]

Word

already paid for an all inclusive, I would not pay more, to each their own

How many dinners at the specialty restaurants does your all inclusive allow?

[Shidah]

On the current msc deal with included drinks you have to pay a gratuity on each “free” drink you take. We paid to upgrade this drink package

 

 

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Thank you for clarifying this. I get tired of people saying other cruise lines are free. The free one on MSC you do pay gratuity on each drink and the drink choices are very limited. The next package up is good though, choices in line with NCL, no gratuity, and it surprisingly is almost the same exact per day cost as the gratuity on NCL’s package. Nothing in life is free ever. Everyone needs to educate themselves on what they are actually getting, and make the right choice for themselves. There is no trickery to any of the cruise lines pricing. What you see is what you pay and what you get.

[PATRLR]

Please! WHERE did I mention anything about the thread dying or keeping it alive?

 

Right , I didn't.

You are correct, you didn't explicitly mention anything about the thread dying or keeping it alive.

 

But that leads to the questions of just what the point was of your statements, the first one of which contradicted Expat Cruise's statements which was agreeing with prior statements that the thread be kept alive. Usually when one makes contradictory statements, they disagree with those statements. Apparently not in this case.

[Newleno]

The most important thing to remember is that "free promos on ncl are not free" For many people this cruise may be their trip of a lifetime, their only cruise. They may not be fully educated on the ins and outs of cruising. They may not be fully educated on Cruise fare, Cruise gratuity, Cruise taxes, so when they see free, they figure it is a bonus, not realizing if you want a lower price you don't choose "free at sea" I would like to help them, others here literally say "they deserve it" We all have different philosophies of how we live our lives. Happy Cruising.

[Toofarfromthesea]

No it was just her daughter's meal that she thought was too expensive: My complaint was the ridiculous charge for the 1 vegetarian meal - and I was really comparing the same situation on RCI.

 

And: (On RCI my daughter's ADULT meals all ranged about $10 and that was before she was a vegetarian so delicious steak dishes for that!

 

And: I still stand by my thinking that $38.96 (pre extra tips) is a lot of money for a vegetarian meal for a 9 year old.

 

But if you think something is too much money the proper response is to not buy it. Buying it and then complaining about it is kind of absurd. I recognize that there are still issues (really questions) about other aspects of the situation, but whether a child ordering off the adult menu should not be charged the stated upfront price is just not one of them, IMO. The poster in question is making it hard (either inadvertently or advertently) by conflating a billing issue (maybe justified) with a pricing issue which, since the price was known beforehand and she accepted it, isn't going to get much traction. No matter WHAT other cruise lines do.

[Toofarfromthesea]

Please,

Can someone message just NCL, and ask them how much they charge

for a vegetarian meal for a 9 year old?

 

It is a stated policy. Nowhere does it imply ordering a vegetarian meal will be less. No one has to check on THAT part of the issue. Just as no one has to check on the fact that there was a lower cost option available for the child that they CHOSE not to utilize it.

[Toofarfromthesea]

There is sometimes where a thread just needs to die. I nominate this thread to be one of those.

 

 

Although, I guarantee that after I post this there will be at least twenty more posts.

 

 

;p

 

You should report that guy who evidently is holding a gun to your head forcing you to read it.

[Toofarfromthesea]

I think that you've been taken in by clever marketing-speak. When they say Free at Sea, they are using free as an adjective, not an adverb. Same as in "Free" style.

 

Doesn't matter. Grownups should realize free never is and you have to read the terms and conditions.

[KeithJenner]

But if you think something is too much money the proper response is to not buy it. Buying it and then complaining about it is kind of absurd. I recognize that there are still issues (really questions) about other aspects of the situation, but whether a child ordering off the adult menu should not be charged the stated upfront price is just not one of them, IMO. The poster in question is making it hard (either inadvertently or advertently) by conflating a billing issue (maybe justified) with a pricing issue which, since the price was known beforehand and she accepted it, isn't going to get much traction. No matter WHAT other cruise lines do.

 

 

It isn’t very clear, but the original post about that bill could be read as saying that they thought the 3rd person gets the dining package as well, They stated that they don’t after mentioning that they had been to guest services about it, which suggests that maybe that is when they found out the daughter would be charged anything.

 

If that is the case then an argument could probably be made that they should have known, but it does suggest a reason why they didn’t query the price beforehand.

 

To be honest, I think it’s a difficult one. It’s very easy for us to say “you should have known and you should have read the T&Cs”, but nobody is perfect and I can understand why some people may miss things. These things could be made easier, which would reduce the confusion, but then the confusion often works in the companies favour so they probably have little incentive to do so.

 

Basically, it’s the world we live in. Personally I can’t get too excited about it either way (which is why I find it annoying when people put words into my mouth).

[Toofarfromthesea]

People often do research before they book.

 

These same questions and comments come up all the time because it is not clear (by design), especially to new cruisers or people who have cruised other lines that offer perks.

 

A 20% gratuity based on an inflated package value? Not the norm across the lines.

 

 

Information should not be swept away just because frequent posters are tired of seeing it.

 

So what? Every cruise line does different things differently. The gratuity situation on drink and dining packages on NCL is not a secret except to people who can't be bothered to understand terms and conditions.

[SeaShark]

Doesn't matter. Grownups should realize free never is and you have to read the terms and conditions.

Free never is what exactly?

 

Are you also using the adjective instead of the adverb?

 

NCL offers free style cruising. Does that mean the offer cruising at no cost?

 

Sorry, but words do matter. When they dont, you can't have a conversation about anything.

[BirdTravels]

Free never is what exactly? Are you also using the adjective instead of the adverb? NCL offers free style cruising. Does that mean the offer cruising at no cost? Sorry, but words do matter. When they dont, you can't have a conversation about anything.

I think that the words in the post was very clear.

[SeaShark]

I think that the words in the post was very clear. Do you require some assistance in understanding what the intent of the words in the post were?

Not at all...but I'm not floundering around crying about misunderstanding the usage of "free".

 

And note that I didn't say you were either.

[Toofarfromthesea]

It isn’t very clear, but the original post about that bill could be read as saying that they thought the 3rd person gets the dining package as well, They stated that they don’t after mentioning that they had been to guest services about it, which suggests that maybe that is when they found out the daughter would be charged anything.

 

If that is the case then an argument could probably be made that they should have known, but it does suggest a reason why they didn’t query the price beforehand.

 

To be honest, I think it’s a difficult one. It’s very easy for us to say “you should have known and you should have read the T&Cs”, but nobody is perfect and I can understand why some people may miss things. These things could be made easier, which would reduce the confusion, but then the confusion often works in the companies favour so they probably have little incentive to do so.

 

Basically, it’s the world we live in. Personally I can’t get too excited about it either way (which is why I find it annoying when people put words into my mouth).

 

But if I make a mistake and it costs me money then my frustration is with myself. It is MY responsibility to know what I am buying, IMO. I investigated a few cruises a while back, and all I had to do was click on the blue terms and conditions link and it was all spelled out - that the 20% gratuity applied and the promotion only applied to the first 2 occupants in the room.

[Toofarfromthesea]

Free never is what exactly?

 

Are you also using the adjective instead of the adverb?

 

NCL offers free style cruising. Does that mean the offer cruising at no cost?

 

Sorry, but words do matter. When they dont, you can't have a conversation about anything.

 

Free.

 

The words that matter are terms and conditions.

[KeithJenner]

But if I make a mistake and it costs me money then my frustration is with myself. It is MY responsibility to know what I am buying, IMO. I investigated a few cruises a while back, and all I had to do was click on the blue terms and conditions link and it was all spelled out - that the 20% gratuity applied and the promotion only applied to the first 2 occupants in the room.

 

 

Yes, I agree.

 

I think quite often people who do miss this stuff come on here with very good intentions to try to help others avoid the same problems. Often they don’t come across very well, and sound like they are just complaining (many really are just complaining), but others are quite unfairly jumped upon, in my opinion. Then the regulars on the other side of the argument weigh in and the whole thing turns into a mess. :)

 

It’s very entertaining to observe, speaking as someone who is relatively neutral in the “are NCL an evil money grabbing corporation” argument.

 

 

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[lantzalot]

I understand the philosophy and agree, however NCL is calling it free and it clearly is not, a lot of people are tricked by this. Just like when a rental car company sais you can buy gas at $2.22 per tank, vs $2.70 per gallon at the local gas station. You see the trick here? Some people dont and get rolled. It is deceptive marketing practice.

 

 

 

That’s not a trick. That’s people not paying attention or not reading. They charge you less per gallon for a full tank. Or you can go on your own and fill what you need to. You pay for the convenience. It’s all very clear if you actually read what you sign.

 

As for the “free at sea” items, they are not forced upon you. You can book a cruise without them. If you don’t find the perk to be worth the fees, decline. The fees are very plainly explained when you book. They are on the invoice that comes up before you enter your credit card. No one is scamming you. If you can’t manage the reading comprehension, that’s not the cruise line’s fault.

 

Is it marketing? Sure. Are you always getting “new and improved” things when they change the packaging? Nope. Sometimes they’ve just shrunk the amount and kept the price the same. When they say on tv that if you call “right now” you’ll get a special deal do you believe that? No one is monitoring your television go know if you are calling during the advertisement or not. That special deal is the normal deal. M&Ms don’t talk. Energizer batteries don’t last forever. Become a discerning consumer.

 

 

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[sfaaa]

Majority of NCL cruisers know full well how the Free At Sea Promo works. It's not rocket science. The few who don't get it is exactly that. They just don't get it. Nothing NCL can do about or should care.