Alternatives to NCL?

[Sailing12Away]

5 hours ago, Tatka said:

 

I agree. NCL is overcharging for drink package and wifi horrendously comparing to Royal

On Royal wifi is $19.99 streaming! and very often it is on sale with 20-30% down

Also how NCL can charge $99 for so limited drinking package is beyond me.

 

On my upcoming cruise I am paying $357 for internet. Would be twice less on Royal.

How does the drink package work on RCC though? I've never seen them offer a freebie comparable to NCL's UBP. RCC also doesn't advertise their drink packages up front when you're pricing out your trip, meaning you think it's a great deal until you find out you have to pay an extra few hundred for drinks after the fact.

[Stealthdog]

My experiences on Celebrity is it is a much older line.  Entertainment is really bad and the ship is dead by midnight.  Fantastic food, best specialty restaurant on any cruise line we have been on (Qsine), and great service.

 

We have seen drink packages as a perk on RCI.  Its not permanent like NCL, but it happens from time to time.

[dexddd]

On 1/24/2019 at 9:35 AM, graphicguy said:

Jamie....I really enjoyed my MSC cruises.  But, their loyalty (Black in my case) program doesn’t seem to offer as much as NCL’s Platinum.  I do like Platinum on NCL because it gets me some free laundry, a dinner at Le Bistro (when added to the dining package perk, means you have 5 nites of specialty dining for free), priority embarkation and debarkation, and sometimes an accelerated points kicker to the next loyalty level.  You also get a free “behind the scenes” ship tour, which is quite interesting.  Since I’ve sailed as Platinum, I’ve also received $100 OBC from NCL. That’s cruise dependent, though.

 

MSC Black’s best perk is dinner at a specialty restaurant and some priority embarkation/debarkation.  Wouldn’t sneeze at that.  But, not nearly as worthwhile as what NCL offers.

 

I’m a pretty far ways from NCL’s top tier (Ambassador) which gives a free cruise.  Not sure I’ll ever make that tier.

 

That said, I don’t sail NCL exclusively, either.  Like everyone else, I’m price/value driven.  NCL provides a pretty strong story there.  Have to read how some of NCL’s drink changes affects that.  It doesn’t affect me at all because the brands I like to drink, or something similar,, are available on the drink package.

 

Regardling smaller clubs, I love NCL’s FAT CATS.  The house band has always been really good.  Plus, you stay late enough, some of the main show performers drop by to really make for some memorable entertainment.  Plus, on the more recent ships where they have the outdoor promenade, I like hanging out there, where you can hear the entertainment in FAT CATS while watching the water go by.....as I’m sipping on a drink.

The perks are different but MSC gives you 5% off rate or 10% if military or civil servant.

[Tatka]

12 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

How does the drink package work on RCC though? I've never seen them offer a freebie comparable to NCL's UBP. RCC also doesn't advertise their drink packages up front when you're pricing out your trip, meaning you think it's a great deal until you find out you have to pay an extra few hundred for drinks after the fact.

NCL does not offer freebie. We only once had this perk and our cabin was at the same price as similar cabin without perks.

 

 For our upcoming voyage difference per person for inside with and without perk about $600. Plus 20% of $99 is higher than 18% of $60.

 

 You can buy RCCL packages before online just like excursions and internet  with a discount, sometimes for $41 per day pp. RCCL package includes water, juices (I believe even freshly squeezed, specialty coffee)

Edited February 1, 2019 by Tatka

[Sailing12Away]

11 hours ago, Tatka said:

NCL does not offer freebie. We only once had this perk and our cabin was at the same price as similar cabin without perks.

 

 For our upcoming voyage difference per person for inside with and without perk about $600. Plus 20% of $99 is higher than 18% of $60.

 

 You can buy RCCL packages before online just like excursions and internet  with a discount, sometimes for $41 per day pp. RCCL package includes water, juices (I believe even freshly squeezed, specialty coffee)

I'm not sure I understand your math. You're saying that with RCC it would be $41/day. All my cruises with NCL so far have been $20/day with the "free" UBP perk. So I'm not understanding how the RCC drink package is better or even comparable. 

[Tatka]

12 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

I'm not sure I understand your math. You're saying that with RCC it would be $41/day. All my cruises with NCL so far have been $20/day with the "free" UBP perk. So I'm not understanding how the RCC drink package is better or even comparable. 

 

You need to look beyond “free thing” and do item by item match to understand how NCL makes money.

 

1) Try to book sailaway rate with no perks, and you will understand what I am talking about.

NCL hikes the rates (as I described above - our price difference for a cabin with and without perk for upcoming cruise is $600 per person) . For the same category.

You are paying more with your rate.

 

2) Cost  of package is much higher than with RCCL, and 20% of package which is $99 per day  is much more than 18% at $41 per day in gratuities.(even not on sail it’s $65 vs $99) 

You are paying substantially more in gratuities.

 

This is how NCL gets money, while calling it a free perk 🙂 

 

And if there is still Any difference in what you pay with NCL and RCCL, NCL charges for water, juices and specialty coffees.

 

As I mentioned before we only once saw sailaway rate matching rate with perks(for a short time)

Edited February 2, 2019 by Tatka

[Peachypooh]

On ‎1‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 8:40 AM, JamieLogical said:

So it seems as though we may be sailing with another cruise line far sooner than anticipated. Our inaugural transatlantic on the Encore has been shortened from 11 days to 9 and now sails into NYC instead of Miami. The idea of a northerly route across the Atlantic in November is fairly unappealing. They have also canceled our stop in the Azores, so it is now just a straight shot from Southampton to NYC with no ports. And to cap it all off, the new "pro-rated" amount they are charging us isn't accurately pro-rated AT ALL and the total trip is going to cost us $33 more per day with a much crappier itinerary.

 

Now we are looking at sailing on the Encore in December instead and just doing a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise. Since we had budgeted time off and money for a two-week trip, flying to London, staying a few days there, and an 11 day cruise, we can actually now squeeze another cruise in between my April sailing on the Escape and our December sailing on the Encore.

 

Unfortunately, that means summer months. We are looking at June, July, or August, which are all prime times for kids to be sailing. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I am not a fan of kids. One of the cruises we are looking at is a Western Caribbean on MSC. Anyone know how many kids are usually on an MSC sailing in the summer months? Are there as many kids as with some of the mainstream lines?

I found the last week in August and first week in September don't have very many children at all. Lots of schools start

mid-August and most parents don't want their children to miss the first week of school if they start in September.

That's school aged kids....babies and toddlers are an unknown but I do know that it will be less.

[Sailing12Away]

12 hours ago, Tatka said:

 

You need to look beyond “free thing” and do item by item match to understand how NCL makes money.

 

1) Try to book sailaway rate with no perks, and you will understand what I am talking about.

NCL hikes the rates (as I described above - our price difference for a cabin with and without perk for upcoming cruise is $600 per person) . For the same category.

You are paying more with your rate.

 

2) Cost  of package is much higher than with RCCL, and 20% of package which is $99 per day  is much more than 18% at $41 per day in gratuities.(even not on sail it’s $65 vs $99) 

You are paying substantially more in gratuities.

 

This is how NCL gets money, while calling it a free perk 🙂 

 

And if there is still Any difference in what you pay with NCL and RCCL, NCL charges for water, juices and specialty coffees.

 

As I mentioned before we only once saw sailaway rate matching rate with perks(for a short time)

Ahh, well I would personally never book a sail away rate. I like knowing exactly which room I'm in, making sure it is in a spot good for me, a floor I prefer, and not an obstructed view if I'm paying extra for a view. So if all of your calculations are based on a rate that I would never pick in the first place, I guess we're at an impasse.

 

I also don't drink coffee, I bring my own refillable water bottle (never had a problem refilling it at the buffet), and have been fine with the fresh juices available for free at the buffet. So again, I'm not "missing" anything that RCC includes but NCL does not.

[Tatka]

10 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Ahh, well I would personally never book a sail away rate. I like knowing exactly which room I'm in, making sure it is in a spot good for me, a floor I prefer, and not an obstructed view if I'm paying extra for a view. So if all of your calculations are based on a rate that I would never pick in the first place, I guess we're at an impasse.

 

I also don't drink coffee, I bring my own refillable water bottle (never had a problem refilling it at the buffet), and have been fine with the fresh juices available for free at the buffet. So again, I'm not "missing" anything that RCC includes but NCL does not.

Well, your preferences don’t change the fact, that “free perks” are gimmicky 🙂

 

You are paying more for the right to have them. Plus package itself is outrageously priced for what it includes. Not even bottled water? Free juices on NCL are offered only during breakfast.

 

Anyway I am ok with this, my next cruise with NCL (#9). Just wanted to point out to OP that she won’t really lose much by not having this “free perk”. She will have this package for the same money or even cheaper, it will just be structured differently. 

 

This topic pic is about finding alternatives isn’t it?

 

By the way Royal also sometimes offers combo of drinking package plus WiFi which is also priced nicely.

 

Edited February 3, 2019 by Tatka

[candigirl41]

In regards to entertainment, you said you like the live music rather than the production shows.  I find the I like Carnival for the Piano Bar and other live music.  I like NCL because I can usually find some time of live entertainment somewhere.  Hope you find what will work for you.  Have a great time.

 

Candi

[BlueLineCowboy]

On 1/23/2019 at 9:12 AM, JamieLogical said:

Thanks everyone for the great replies. I don't know if I've reached any conclusions yet, but I am grateful for all of the responses. A couple of things I should have mentioned in my OP:

 

• First, we don't have kids and don't particularly like kids. We try to sail at times when school is in session to avoid a ship packed with children. So far, it hasn't been too bad on our sailings. There were definitely fewer kids on our Gem sailing to Canada & New England than have been on our Escape sailings. But even the Escape sailings weren't bad, one being in February and one being in October. It was only really an issue at all in the buffet and the arcade. And there were crying babies several times, but you can't avoid those, since they aren't beholden to a school schedule.
• The ability to eat any time we want is really nice, but we end up having to make reservations a few times per sailing for the specialty restaurants, so I think we could stick to a dining schedule if we had to. I also don't mind eating with strangers from time to time, but having to eat with the same strangers all week does NOT sound appealing at all!

We are doing the CAN/NE cruise on the Dawn soon. How did you like that itinerary?  Did you find the age range older or a mixed ratio? Any nightlife or did they roll up the decks early? Thanks.

 

[NateTheGreat99]

why do you have your concerns about continuing with NCL if you enjoy their product? Just Curious.

[DaCruiseBug]

We tried Celebrity in January on the Edge and I have to say that Celebrity is changing. They've generally catered to an older crowd but with the new ships and refurbs it is clear thy're trying to appeal to younger crowds. The singers on the Edge were probably the best i've seen on any cruise ship and the service and quality of food was amazing.

[BNBR]

On 2/3/2019 at 8:21 AM, Tatka said:

Well, your preferences don’t change the fact, that “free perks” are gimmicky 🙂

 

You are paying more for the right to have them. Plus package itself is outrageously priced for what it includes. Not even bottled water? Free juices on NCL are offered only during breakfast.

 

Anyway I am ok with this, my next cruise with NCL (#9). Just wanted to point out to OP that she won’t really lose much by not having this “free perk”. She will have this package for the same money or even cheaper, it will just be structured differently. 

 

This topic pic is about finding alternatives isn’t it?

 

By the way Royal also sometimes offers combo of drinking package plus WiFi which is also priced nicely.

 

 

Combo is usually around $65/day.  Of course as you know the drink package is WAY better on Royal. So is the internet. It's fast enough to watch Netflix. 

 

The unlimited dining package on Royal is also better than anything NCL has. 

 

It's hard to compare gimmicky nonsense perks that you pay for with inflated rates to very high quality packages on another line. 

 

To OP. I would price out symphony with the drink/internet/dining package. Along with airfare. See if the price is close enough to be worth it.  The quality of the cruise is lightyears ahead of anything NCL offers. 

 

But sailing out of NYC, I can understand why NCL is a popular choice for you. 

[CruisingNole]

14 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

Combo is usually around $65/day.  Of course as you know the drink package is WAY better on Royal. So is the internet. It's fast enough to watch Netflix. 

 

The unlimited dining package on Royal is also better than anything NCL has. 

 

It's hard to compare gimmicky nonsense perks that you pay for with inflated rates to very high quality packages on another line. 

 

To OP. I would price out symphony with the drink/internet/dining package. Along with airfare. See if the price is close enough to be worth it.  The quality of the cruise is lightyears ahead of anything NCL offers. 

 

But sailing out of NYC, I can understand why NCL is a popular choice for you. 

 

Agreed. NCL is lightyears behind Royal. Just the fact that NCL actually charges for Internet by the minute like AOL did in the 1990s is laughable.

 

If you’ve never sailed on an Oasis class ship, you need to try it. At the very least it will give you that “wow” factor unlike anything NCL has to offer. They really are quite impressive, especially the aqua theatre. Unlike NCL, all shows are free. 

 

Regarding drink package and Internet, I paid $54pp (plus 18%) on Oasis last year. The prices fluctuate based on sailing. At the end of the day after doing all the “math” you’ll see how “free” that NCL drink package really isn’t.

[BNBR]

3 minutes ago, CruisingNole said:

 

Agreed. NCL is lightyears behind Royal. Just the fact that NCL actually charges for Internet by the minute like AOL did in the 1990s is laughable.

 

If you’ve never sailed on an Oasis class ship, you need to try it. At the very least it will give you that “wow” factor unlike anything NCL has to offer. They really are quite impressive, especially the aqua theatre. Unlike NCL, all shows are free. 

 

Regarding drink package and Internet, I paid $54pp (plus 18%) on Oasis last year. The prices fluctuate based on sailing. At the end of the day after doing all the “math” you’ll see how “free” that NCL drink package really isn’t.

 

It's only the poor crew on RCI who still pay by the minute! 

 

For our upcoming Symphony, price is $68 for drinks/internet and hasn't dropped. I check regularly.  But whatever, it's worth it.

 

NCL has highly restrictive garbage packages because they are given away as perks. Of course you pay for them with the inflated fare, but dang, their marketing is great.  Everyone gets junk perks, pays for them, and is totally convinced they are free and the best thing ever.  I need to hire their marketing department. 

[Newleno]

On 2/2/2019 at 9:30 PM, Sailing12Away said:

Ahh, well I would personally never book a sail away rate. I like knowing exactly which room I'm in, making sure it is in a spot good for me, a floor I prefer, and not an obstructed view if I'm paying extra for a view. So if all of your calculations are based on a rate that I would never pick in the first place, I guess we're at an impasse.

 

I also don't drink coffee, I bring my own refillable water bottle (never had a problem refilling it at the buffet), and have been fine with the fresh juices available for free at the buffet. So again, I'm not "missing" anything that RCC includes but NCL does not.

may i ask how you fill your water bottle at the buffet? what is your procedure for doing so?

[Newleno]

2 hours ago, BlueLineCowboy said:

We are doing the CAN/NE cruise on the Dawn soon. How did you like that itinerary?  Did you find the age range older or a mixed ratio? Any nightlife or did they roll up the decks early? Thanks.

 

we did the ncl canadian, crowd was old like a HAL crowd

[spanishguy1970]

On 1/23/2019 at 10:01 AM, tallnthensome said:

Exactly, al be it 3 days shorter than our 15 day in the inside NCL cabin. 

on celebrity, do you have to sit with other people? when you go to dinner? and how casual is it?

[BNBR]

1 minute ago, spanishguy1970 said:

on celebrity, do you have to sit with other people? when you go to dinner? and how casual is it?

 

On Celebrity you can sit at your own table in the MDR.  It's as casual as you want it to be, like any other cruise line.

[spanishguy1970]

1 minute ago, BNBR said:

 

On Celebrity you can sit at your own table in the MDR.  It's as casual as you want it to be, like any other cruise line.

nice, thank you for the response, will check them out.

[JamieLogical]

Just an update, since I'm the OP of this thread. We have booked a sailing on the MSC Seaside for September, but the MSC customer service has been a nightmare so far and we are considering canceling.

 

First, the "rewards match" was a joke. I am Gold with NCL and that matched to literally ONE point with MSC Voyager's Club. To give you an idea of what that means, it takes THOUSANDS of points to upgrade in level on MSC. The next level up, Silver, requires 2200 points. They gave me ONE point! When I contacted them to try to rescind my one-time-only match and save it for when I reached a higher level with NCL, they wouldn't let me. So that turned out to be a complete waste.

 

Then, shortly after we booked our September sailing, MSC ran a promo for the launch of their newest ship, Bellissima. If you did their online virtual tour of the ship, you could receive a 10% off promo code for any future sailing. So I did that. I called and canceled our original booking and re-booked to get the 10% promo code applied. I received my confirmation and my new reservation PDF and all seemed good. Later that night, right before I went to bed, I received a new, revised reservation confirmation without the discount! I called customer service the next day (which by the way seems to be a minimum 20 minute hold time) and I was assured that the promo code would be reapplied to my booking within 5 business days. That was a month ago. The code has still not been reapplied. I have filled out the contact form requesting for MSC to call me (hoping to avoid hold times) on the website three times and have received no call back. So now I am going to have to suck it up and call them again. If they don't get it resolved this time, we are going to give up on MSC and cancel the sailing.

[tallnthensome]

The cruise on MSC Seaside is fantastic. The website, IT people, and customer service that is all not on the ship is where they fail miserably ..... Depends on how much you care bare, Jamie. 

[jbethel11]

32 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

Just an update, since I'm the OP of this thread. We have booked a sailing on the MSC Seaside for September, but the MSC customer service has been a nightmare so far and we are considering canceling.

 

First, the "rewards match" was a joke. I am Gold with NCL and that matched to literally ONE point with MSC Voyager's Club. To give you an idea of what that means, it takes THOUSANDS of points to upgrade in level on MSC. The next level up, Silver, requires 2200 points. They gave me ONE point! When I contacted them to try to rescind my one-time-only match and save it for when I reached a higher level with NCL, they wouldn't let me. So that turned out to be a complete waste.

 

Then, shortly after we booked our September sailing, MSC ran a promo for the launch of their newest ship, Bellissima. If you did their online virtual tour of the ship, you could receive a 10% off promo code for any future sailing. So I did that. I called and canceled our original booking and re-booked to get the 10% promo code applied. I received my confirmation and my new reservation PDF and all seemed good. Later that night, right before I went to bed, I received a new, revised reservation confirmation without the discount! I called customer service the next day (which by the way seems to be a minimum 20 minute hold time) and I was assured that the promo code would be reapplied to my booking within 5 business days. That was a month ago. The code has still not been reapplied. I have filled out the contact form requesting for MSC to call me (hoping to avoid hold times) on the website three times and have received no call back. So now I am going to have to suck it up and call them again. If they don't get it resolved this time, we are going to give up on MSC and cancel the sailing.

I canceled an MSC Seaside cruise because of the horrible customer service!

[graphicguy]

MSC can be a bit daunting when trying to use their web site, or interfacing with them trying to iron out cruise details.  I would let my TA handle those things.  

 

MSC seems to be confused, or oblivious about how to do business in the cruise arena with U.S. based customers.  Not sure why. They’ve been sailing here for a little while, now.  

 

I thought they would have had those issues ironed out by now.

 

That said, once on board, I’ve enjoyed their cruises.

 

Still, NCL seems to be my favorite, just based on my cruise history.  Their customer service before, during and after my cruises have been top notch!