If only it were only Nickles and dimes.

[corman-cruise]

This is our first time on Norwegian. The encore is a beautiful ship but after sailing on Royal Carribean, celebrity, princess, oceana this cruise line is all about Nickle and diming you on everything. 

You get perks, wifi, free gratuities, specialized dinning, even purchased 2 additional days, got charged gratitude fee on top of the free perks and extra dinners. 

Upgraded to a premium alcohol package because my wife wanted better bottled water, yip you pay a gratuity charge on that. 

It seems like the service on board has decreased, nobody walking around the buffet offering orange juice, coffee or pastries. 

No big show productions, but the musicians are amazing. 

To me, it seems like we are getting less and paying alot. 

Not sure that I will ever sail with them again. 

So far, 7 out 10

[G-DawgMN]

3 minutes ago, corman-cruise said:

This is our first time on Norwegian. The encore is a beautiful ship but after sailing on Royal Carribean, celebrity, princess, oceana this cruise line is all about Nickle and diming you on everything. 

You get perks, wifi, free gratuities, specialized dinning, even purchased 2 additional days, got charged gratitude fee on top of the free perks and extra dinners. 

Upgraded to a premium alcohol package because my wife wanted better bottled water, yip you pay a gratuity charge on that. 

It seems like the service on board has decreased, nobody walking around the buffet offering orange juice, coffee or pastries. 

No big show productions, but the musicians are amazing. 

To me, it seems like we are getting less and paying alot. 

Not sure that I will ever sail with them again. 

So far, 7 out 10

 

 If it's your first time how do you know that service has decreased?

 

 Were you familiar with the terms and conditions regarding gratuities on the Free at Sea promotions? If you compare the all in price to other cruise lines it's pretty comparable (except probably for MSC).

 

 

[corman-cruise]

Just now, KSSS2013 said:

 

 If it's your first time how do you know that service has decreased?

 

 Were you familiar with the terms and conditions regarding gratuities on the Free at Sea promotions? If you compare the all in price to other cruise lines it's pretty comparable (except probably for MSC).

 

It comparison to other cruises that I have taken before and after covid, I say, we are getting less with ncl 

 

[G-DawgMN]

3 minutes ago, corman-cruise said:

 

 

 I would challenge you to compare prices between the other lines. I've found that even with the gratuities NCL is by far less expensive than most other cruise companies. 

  If you're getting better value from other lines then enjoy them. I've tried several other lines but have always found that NCL gives us the best price with all the perks. Now if you're not a beverage package person, other lines can be a lot less expensive.

  I still keep MSC out of the equation since they're pretty aggressive these days, but I honestly think their food and entertainment is pretty bad...unless you're in the Yacht Club.

 Also, when I cruise on NCL by bill is typically zero at the end, I find it hard to believe you're spending extra money unless you want top shelf beverages, bottled water, or specialty coffee.

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by KSSS2013

[RocketMan275]

18 minutes ago, corman-cruise said:

 

To me, it seems like we are getting less and paying alot. 

Not sure that I will ever sail with them again. 

So far, 7 out 10

If you peruse any of the other forums here, you'll find exactly the same comments about other cruise lines.

[complawyer]

ive looked at comparable itineraries, cabin prices, cabin sizes. and most other goodies. sorry, ncl always comes out on top. we've got a b2b 10 day cruises next oct 2024 venice to athens, athens to tel aviv, club balcony suite for slightly over $10,000. for  a 20 day cruise, i think thats a great deal.

 

 i dont really care about the shows, the regular drink package suits me just fine, my wife always upgrades the wi-fi offer, and in reality, i can take or leave the $50 off shore excursions as we usually hire a cab or take an independent tour.

 

so, i humbly disagree with your nickel/dime assessment .

 

besides, as others have already stated, no one forced you into booking with ncl. if you feel there are better deals and offers, with other cruise lines, by all means choose something else.

 

me, i just enjoy cruising for its own sake, and ncl does the job for me.

[corman-cruise]

5 minutes ago, KSSS2013 said:

 

 I would challenge you to compare prices between the other lines. I've found that even with the gratuities NCL is by far less expensive than most other cruise companies. 

  If you're getting better value from other lines then enjoy them. I've tried several other lines but have always found that NCL gives us the best price with all the perks. Now if you're not a beverage package person, other lines can be a lot less expensive.

  I still keep MSC out of the equation since they're pretty aggressive these days, but I honestly think their food and entertainment is pretty bad...unless you're in the Yacht Club.

 Also, when I cruise on NCL by bill is typically zero at the end, I find it hard to believe you're spending extra money unless you want top shelf beverages, bottled water, or specialty coffee.

 

 

 

1 item right off the bat. I never cared for princess too much in the past but they have figured things out. Their free internet. We have unlimited steaming for 2 devises. I need it for working on the ship. 

Cost us a good chick of coin on the encore. I found them lacking things that I found on other ships. 

I stand by my opinions and observations. 

[corman-cruise]

Just now, complawyer said:

ive looked at comparable itineraries, cabin prices, cabin sizes. and most other goodies. sorry, ncl always comes out on top. we've got a b2b 10 day cruises next oct 2024 venice to athens, athens to tel aviv, club balcony suite for slightly over $10,000. for  a 20 day cruise, i think thats a great deal.

 

 i dont really care about the shows, the regular drink package suits me just fine, my wife always upgrades the wi-fi offer, and in reality, i can take or leave the $50 off shore excursions as we usually hire a cab or take an independent tour.

 

so, i humbly disagree with your nickel/dime assessment .

 

besides, as others have already stated, no one forced you into booking with ncl. if you feel there are better deals and offers, with other cruise lines, by all means choose something else.

 

me, i just enjoy cruising for its own sake, and ncl does the job for me.

Those are your observations and right now at this moment, on the 14 day Miami to Las Angeles, these are my observations. 

Yes, nobody forced me to book with ncl, the same way nobody forced me to book my scenic river cruise in 2 months. 

I am willing to try it once. Ncl did not stand out from the previous cruise ships that we've been on. I highly doubt that we try them again. 

Many other travellers are saying that same thing at dinner. 

[G-DawgMN]

5 minutes ago, corman-cruise said:

1 item right off the bat. I never cared for princess too much in the past but they have figured things out. Their free internet. We have unlimited steaming for 2 devises. I need it for working on the ship. 

Cost us a good chick of coin on the encore. I found them lacking things that I found on other ships. 

I stand by my opinions and observations. 

 And you're welcome to have them, but when you post your opinions explaining your reasons make your points easier to understand.

 If you feel you got a better value on Princess because of the free internet then you should have mentioned that, also other specifics when you're making comparisons, otherwise it's very vague and has no value to other cruisers.

 

 

 

 

[complawyer]

ok, i was just stating my observations. So,  to each his own. we've been on 24 ncl cruises since 2010, and again, my only real complaint is that the hamburger buns fall apart before im done with the burger. maybe i've just been lucky, but i have really no reason to b***h about any of these cruises. again, the prices were right (at least for me) and the itineraries were amazing.

[corman-cruise]

Just now, complawyer said:

ok, i was just stating my observations. So,  to each his own. we've been on 24 ncl cruises since 2010, and again, my only real complaint is that the hamburger buns fall apart before im done with the burger. maybe i've just been lucky, but i have really no reason to b***h about any of these cruises. again, the prices were right (at least for me) and the itineraries were amazing.

How ironic that you mention the hamburger buns falling apart, happened to me at the local during lunch. 

Said to my wife, I have no idea why this bun is falling apart. 

Edited April 26, 2023 by corman-cruise

[G-DawgMN]

2 minutes ago, complawyer said:

ok, i was just stating my observations. So,  to each his own. we've been on 24 ncl cruises since 2010, and again, my only real complaint is that the hamburger buns fall apart before im done with the burger. maybe i've just been lucky, but i have really no reason to b***h about any of these cruises. again, the prices were right (at least for me) and the itineraries were amazing.

 

 Bad buns is a reason to not cruise.

[corman-cruise]

Just now, KSSS2013 said:

 

 Bad buns is a reason to not cruise.

Nope 

[G-DawgMN]

1 minute ago, corman-cruise said:

Nope 

We won't agree on this one.

 

[craig01020]

I just finished my third Norwegian cruise, and they've all been a little different. I don't understand the "nickle-and-diming" comment because everything is spelled out when booking. I choose not to get the "free" beverage package because my wife and I aren't really big drinkers. On my latest 7-day cruise, my bar tab was only $100.

 

I have sailed with Royal, Carnival and Celebrity. I like them all for different reasons.

 

If you don't want to sail on a particular cruise line again, that's your right. Just be sure you read the booking details to avoid unwelcome surprises.

[mjkacmom]

Well on my first couple of NCL cruises, there wasn’t a UBP. On the 3rd, there was, but you had to pay for the package and the gratuities (like most lines). On our last NCL cruise, we only had to pay the gratuities, but not the package. Plus, now we can take unlimited amounts of wine without paying corkage, which most comparable lines don’t offer (I always paid corkage for wine to drink in the balcony).

[KeithJenner]

45 minutes ago, corman-cruise said:

It seems like the service on board has decreased, nobody walking around the buffet offering orange juice, coffee or pastries. 

I have sailed on NCL many times and, as we had our son with us on most of them, we ate in the buffet a lot more than would have been my preference.

 

In all those cruises I have never once seen anyone walking around the buffet offering orange juice, coffee and pastries.

 

Maybe it is what happens on other lines, but I don't see that as any indication that anything has changed on NCL.

 

For what it's worth, I know where the orange juice, coffee and pastries are and will go get them myself if I want them. Given the choice, I would rather I am left to choose what I want, but of course each to their own.

[corman-cruise]

Just now, craig01020 said:

 

 

If you don't want to sail on a particular cruise line again, that's your right. Just be sure you read the booking details to avoid unwelcome surprises.

It's simple, With ncl you get free items/included 

free gratuities, means

you still pay a gratuity for the free drink package worth, 

you still pay gratuities on the free dinner package worth 

 

So yes, Nickle and dimes. When I sailed with princess or celebrity they did not charge you a fee/graditude for something that was included. 

 

[G-DawgMN]

9 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

I have sailed on NCL many times and, as we had our son with us on most of them, we ate in the buffet a lot more than would have been my preference.

 

In all those cruises I have never once seen anyone walking around the buffet offering orange juice, coffee and pastries.

 

Maybe it is what happens on other lines, but I don't see that as any indication that anything has changed on NCL.

 

 

 There were some singing ladies that came around with pastries. both times we were on the Bliss. Those cruises were not at full capacity though. 
  It’s also nothing I have seen before or since. 

[KeithJenner]

2 minutes ago, KSSS2013 said:

 There were some singing ladies that came around with pastries. both times we were on the Bliss. Those cruises were not at full capacity though. 
  It’s also nothing I have seen before or since. 

Actually, now you say that, we had the singing ladies come round o'Sheehans on the Escape inaugural transatlantic with pastries. I assumed that it was something they were doing as it was the first sailing and it was also fairly quiet.

 

They were fun, but I did often feel that I should take one even though I didn't really need or want any, which I suppose proves my point that I'd rather just get stuff myself than have people coming round.

[schmoopie17]

1 hour ago, corman-cruise said:

This is our first time on Norwegian.  

It seems like the service on board has decreased, nobody walking around the buffet offering orange juice, coffee or pastries. 

 

If this is your first time, how did the service decrease from your previous non-cruises?? 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, corman-cruise said:

You get perks, wifi, free gratuities, specialized dinning, even purchased 2 additional days, got charged gratitude fee on top of the free perks and extra dinners. 

Upgraded to a premium alcohol package because my wife wanted better bottled water, yip you pay a gratuity charge on that. 

It seems like the service on board has decreased, nobody walking around the buffet offering orange juice, coffee or pastries. 

No big show productions, but the musicians are amazing. 

To me, it seems like we are getting less and paying alot. 

Not sure that I will ever sail with them again. 

So far, 7 out 10

 

 

 

We were on the Encore a week ago and didn't feel nickeled or dimed. We new exactly what was included and what was extra, if we wanted. Justly like any other line. 

 

We saw the pastry girls every morning, singing their song, offering the daily special. And were offered coffee on several occasions (not every day). 

 

Choir of Man is a production show and is one of the most popular shows on NCL, being installed on multiple ships. 

 

Please don't sail with NCL if you don't understand how to sail without extra costs which seem to upset you. We always get away with <1 page bill at the end of the cruise. 

[Liljo22]

23 minutes ago, corman-cruise said:

It's simple, With ncl you get free items/included 

free gratuities, means

you still pay a gratuity for the free drink package worth, 

you still pay gratuities on the free dinner package worth 

 

So yes, Nickle and dimes. When I sailed with princess or celebrity they did not charge you a fee/graditude for something that was included. 

 

With Celebrity, you have to select a upgraded package to get drinks, wifi and tips included.  You are paying extra for gratuities.  They are just calling it something different.

[craig01020]

1 hour ago, corman-cruise said:

It's simple, With ncl you get free items/included 

free gratuities, means

you still pay a gratuity for the free drink package worth, 

you still pay gratuities on the free dinner package worth 

 

So yes, Nickle and dimes. When I sailed with princess or celebrity they did not charge you a fee/graditude for something that was included. 

 

Where have you been? Free is a marketing term that doesn't really mean free. Ever hear of "buy one, get one free"?

 

It sounds like you knew about the required gratuities beforehand, so I'm not sure why you're suddenly so upset.

[hallux]

2 hours ago, KSSS2013 said:

 There were some singing ladies that came around with pastries. both times we were on the Bliss. Those cruises were not at full capacity though. 
  It’s also nothing I have seen before or since. 

2 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

I assumed that it was something they were doing as it was the first sailing and it was also fairly quiet.

I saw this several mornings on a sold-out Escape in March.