Escape cagneys shrimp cocktail upcharge

[gmbhardy]

Totally absurd. If they start charging for specialty items why are they referred to as specialty restaurants and what separates them from the MDR.  I thought the liquor charge conundrum was ridiculous, but this is over the top.

[cdnsteelman]

11 minutes ago, NYcruzzer said:

Any idea if this $4.99 surcharge will be applied when ordering as a Platinum Perk ?

I can confirm it was not charged to me on my plat plus meal last week on the Pearl. Interestingly enough there was something new in that regard however. It was made clear by our server that the voucher included ONE starter OR soup/salad, ONE entree up to $25 (was $20 on my Epic cruise in Dec), ONE side, and ONE dessert. No multiple starters / soups / salads / sides with the voucher but a $5 increase on the entree you can order so that the classic ribeye @ $22 had no extra charge.

Edited March 26, 2019 by cdnsteelman
typo

[Paphillyguy]

4 minutes ago, cdnsteelman said:

I can confirm it was not charged to me on my plat plus meal last week on the Pearl. Interestingly enough there was something new in that regard however. It was made clear by our server that the voucher included ONE starter OR soup/salad, ONE entree up to $25 (was $20 on my Epic cruise in Dec), ONE side, and ONE dessert. No multiple starters / soups / salads / sides with the voucher but a $5 increase on the entree you can order so that the classic ribeye @ $22 had no extra charge.

This was what was relayed to us at Bayamo when on the dining plan.  One App OR one Soup OR one Salad, One entree, 2 sides and one dessert.  We did say to the manager why is this not stated when you book and he said it is a NCL management decision.  He did not charge us for our extra soup.  

[Zippeedee]

I ordered the shrimp cocktail at Cagney's on the Breakaway last spring and they brought me six shrimp and apologized for the small size. At Ocean Blue they did the same with the stone crab claws. Guess those days are over! 

[NYcruzzer]

31 minutes ago, cdnsteelman said:

I can confirm it was not charged to me on my plat plus meal last week on the Pearl. Interestingly enough there was something new in that regard however. It was made clear by our server that the voucher included ONE starter OR soup/salad, ONE entree up to $25 (was $20 on my Epic cruise in Dec), ONE side, and ONE dessert. No multiple starters / soups / salads / sides with the voucher but a $5 increase on the entree you can order so that the classic ribeye @ $22 had no extra charge.

Thanks for the quick response.. Looking forward to my meal at Cagneys on the Dawn this June.

[reveur15]

35 minutes ago, Paphillyguy said:

This was what was relayed to us at Bayamo when on the dining plan.  One App OR one Soup OR one Salad, One entree, 2 sides and one dessert.  We did say to the manager why is this not stated when you book and he said it is a NCL management decision.  He did not charge us for our extra soup.  

THIS IS ABUSIVE !

ON NCL WEBSITE :

 

ARE ANY MENU ITEMS EXCLUDED FROM SPECIALTY DINING PACKAGES?

All menu items on the Specialty Restaurants are included. Additional entrée charges may apply.

Exceptions in the optional Upcharge restaurants are: Seafood Extravaganza in Ocean Blue and the Seafood Platter in Raw Bar. However, if you order these items, the upcharge fee will be waived.

[Sand and Seas]

52 minutes ago, jblackler said:

So interesting.....I can get my Crab Cake (list price $9) with the SDP, but DH has to pay an additional $4.99 for his 'cheaper' $8 Shrimp Cocktail?   

 

Can you ask to see the size of the shrimp first?

[Paphillyguy]

17 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

So interesting.....I can get my Crab Cake (list price $9) with the SDP, but DH has to pay an additional $4.99 for his 'cheaper' $8 Shrimp Cocktail?   

 

Can you ask to see the size of the shrimp first?

It really does not make sense.  

[mking8288]

6 minutes ago, Paphillyguy said:

It really does not make sense.  

 

Of course not, as long as it is calculated to be good for their own bottomline ... Carnival's financials taking a beating today with their outlook, ouch !   Well, FDR's team can "fix" that up easily for us with the new, soon-to-be fleetwide 2019 Specialty Dining Menus, "enhanced" by substituting it with fish cake and/or downsized the portion.  

 

We've come to realized that the servers were coached, instructed on what to say to inform all guests, happily & cheerfully as best as they can, but find ways of skirting it ... knowing that bonus cash tips that "some" of us give directly had become a collateral victim of casualty, with the invention of 15%-18%-20% service fees on top of DSC and now upcharge for extras, etc.  Just a matter of time, it will be a 22% surcharge, mark my words for it.  

 

Meanwhile, good luck on what the cocktail surcharge will be for those booked in advance for 2020 and 2021 ... maybe, NCL will offer prepaid in advance to lock in the guaranteed savings now.   Wait, nevermind ... bad karma to give them ideas.   

 

Maybe, they should just stop serving shrimps or switch to baby shrimps.  Let's hear the pom poms /s 

[AdoraBelle]

11 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Maybe, they should just stop serving shrimps or switch to baby shrimps.  Let's hear the pom poms /s 

 

"I don't know why anyone would go on a cruise and expect good seafood anyway."

 

How was that?

Edited March 26, 2019 by AdoraBelle

[LrgPizza]

It's the most boring, least special of any of the appetizers. I'm not saying it's not good, just that shrimp is shrimp. They do nothing different to it than anywhere else in the world that serves cold shrimp. Yet this is the app that has an upcharge. That seems kind of funny to me.

[Zippeedee]

15 minutes ago, LrgPizza said:

It's the most boring, least special of any of the appetizers. I'm not saying it's not good, just that shrimp is shrimp. They do nothing different to it than anywhere else in the world that serves cold shrimp. Yet this is the app that has an upcharge. That seems kind of funny to me.

I will bet it is ordered more than any other app. It is simple, not too scary for the "plain eaters" and seems luxurious. i have a big bag of shrimp in my freezer right now but I will still order it at Cagneys!

[timf2001]

Clearly people were ordering too much shrimp so they needed some way to discourage it.  There's no other way to explain the $8 shrimp carrying an upcharge while the $9 crab cake and oysters do not.  Still, I would expect to see the menu price for the shrimp be $14 to justify the upcharge.

[Takoyaki]

14 minutes ago, timf2001 said:

Clearly people were ordering too much shrimp so they needed some way to discourage it.  There's no other way to explain the $8 shrimp carrying an upcharge while the $9 crab cake and oysters do not.  Still, I would expect to see the menu price for the shrimp be $14 to justify the upcharge.

[Surfsup2017]

1 hour ago, AdoraBelle said:

 

"I don't know why anyone would go on a cruise and expect good seafood anyway."

 

How was that?

haha I agree with you!  I ordered the Oysters Rockefeller and it was so odiferous I had to have it removed.  What makes you think that any fish or seafood remains "fresh" by just refrigeration on 7+ day cruises!  BTW the upcharge on the shrimp is ridiculous.  I had a horrible experience with Cagneys on three separate nights on my 10 day cruise on the Gem in February, and it was not just me, but everyone that I travelled with and spoke to.  Now that is adding insult to injury.  Everything was off from the wait time for food to the temperature and preparation. By contrast, my experience in Cagneys on the Gem during Christmas/New Years was stupendous.  How does this happen????

[ColinIllinois]

1 hour ago, LrgPizza said:

It's the most boring, least special of any of the appetizers. I'm not saying it's not good, just that shrimp is shrimp. They do nothing different to it than anywhere else in the world that serves cold shrimp. Yet this is the app that has an upcharge. That seems kind of funny to me.

 

Shrimp is just shrimp?  No.

 

Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it.

[LrgPizza]

1 minute ago, ColinIllinois said:

 

Shrimp is just shrimp?  No.

 

Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it.

 

I'm cracking up!  But Bubba left out "you can thaw it", since that's all NCL does prior to serving it at Cagney's. 🙂

[Georgie562]

Next they will start charging 25cents for an extra roll of bread.

[cindyln]

My hubby and I cruised on the Dawn last week. We had 3 specialty meal package. We loved Cagneys so much that we went twice. The second time we should have paid since we had already used our 3 meals. I had the shrimp cocktail which was divine. My husband had the prime rib both times. He said it was the best prime rib he had ever had. I had the surf and turf. The filet mignon melted in my mouth. We were very pleased with the food and service both visits. My hubby even went up to the cooks telling how pleased he was. To our surprise when we got the bill we were not charged. We were ready and willing to sign for about $100 meal. Needless to say on our next cruise we will be visiting Cagneys.

 

[luv2kroooz]

Wow, just the latest, non-creative way to gouge the hard working customer.

 

So, you pay a base fare and daily gratuity which includes some cost of food in the main dining room, then you pay for a dining package that is marketed as free plus a 20% gratuity which is intended to include meals at specialty restaurants, and then you pay an upcharge and additional 20% gratuity to eat the shrimp in the specialty restaurant that was paid for and tipped in advance. Oh, and you likely don't eat the food from the main dining room which was included in the base cost of your cruise, nor the appetizer that was included in the specialty dining package that you paid for.

 

I've never heard of anything so silly in my life. 

[slugg]

6 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Yep, IF I am ever in Cagney's again, I'll ask them if I can bring my own shrimp from the buffet.  🙂

You, sir, are a genius. 

[DZcreature]

If you already paid extra for "specialty" dining, something as basic as shrimp cocktail should absolutely be included. This fee is ridiculous. Could be the last straw that makes people bail on NCL and go on other lines that have fewer additional fees. 

[trex-de]

I’m platinum and really don’t know what to think about what is going on here. Shrimp = more money. Crab cakes don’t.  

 

NCL:  I’m going to maneuver around the charges. When I stop enjoying what is left, I will choose another vacation type. 

 

There becomes a point of equilibrium.  

 

Carnival stock dropped nearly 9% today.   Disappointed customers will not be good for your bottom line Mr. del Rio.  You may be next with a cap loss.

 

Choices. 

Edited March 26, 2019 by trex-de

[cincicruisers]

It’s just one more extra charge.  Seems like there are new ones every month.  Not happy with charging more when we already paid extra for the specialty dining charges.

[david_sobe]

IMHO this shows the lack of quality ingredients NCL uses if shrimp gets the upcharge.  You cant fake shrimp. It is what it is.  Its also not that expensive.  In my grocery store I can get fresh 20 shrimp for $10.  When it goes on sale, can get 20 for $7.  With gratuity/service fee, NCL charges $2 per shrimp in addition to a cover charge you already paid that INCLUDED an appetizer.  LMAO

Its just funny.  Its no longer a hat trick of fees but a quadruple flip jump on the ice.

 

NCL charges auto gratuities for its meals...

NCL sells or upcharges guests for specialty restaurants...

NCL then charges a service fee on the cover charge for specialty restaurant

NCL then charges extra for appetizers on the meal plan you paid for including gratuities, service charge, and appetizer. 

 

 

What is next?  Charging for ice?  Salt and pepper?

Edited March 26, 2019 by david_sobe