If only it were only Nickles and dimes.

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

18 hours ago, corman-cruise said:

It's amazing how upset  and defensive some people got. There was more that I didn't mention but  I am glad you did. 

 

Happy future sailings to you and your family. 

Same here. Two posters took 1 sentence me that I said I feel like they do Nickle and dime but of course leaving out the positives I said. It's strange to be ride or die for a cruise company to me, but I'm not the type of person who hangs crap on my door or wear pins to let people know it's my 50th NCL sailing so maybe when I'm older I will be. 

[Mira28]

19 hours ago, JillK said:

When I compare cruise prices, I look at the all-in price (inclusive of extras, daily gratuities and ancillary costs) and not just the initial fare to get a real feel for the value on a per person per day basis. Only then can I make a truly informed choice about the value of what I am buying.

 

The OP says that Princess does not charge for "free" items. I hear what he is saying in that one doesn't pay for the value of the drinks package but pays the gratuities on that value so there is a cost to the end user. The reality is that you are paying upfront for the drinks on Princess and Celebrity as well for example, it's just in the way it's presented.

 

Celebrity has a clear price difference to include drinks, wifi and gratuities as another poster mentioned. 

We cruised over Christmas with our four children in three cabins on Princess last year. Hubby and I felt that the Princess Plus fare inclusive of drinks and wifi was worth it for us to avoid the hassle of buying drinks a la carte, but we did not purchase it for our children. The price difference for Princess Plus (drinks and wifi inclusive) was $550 Cdn per person more than the fare for the kids (total of $1100 Cdn). So even with Princess you do pay for the additional service that you get with them if you want them. They don't present it as free because it's not. At least with NCL, you are only paying the gratuity on the value of the package based on the number of days sailed so it is a substantial savings vs having to buy the package outright. As others have mentioned, you don't have to take the "perks" and can book a sail-away rate that excludes them. 

 

We cruised NCL, Carnival and Princess last year and each had their strengths and weaknesses. Based on those experiences though, we have eliminated Princess entirely. The value for us just isn't there and it is clearly geared toward a more elderly crowd. I could go on about why we feel this way but this isn't really the right place for that so I will digress.

 

Last year we felt we had excellent value with Carnival and good value with NCL. We would consider both lines again for future cruises and after much debate have decided that for us, focussing on NCL is better thanks to the perks associated with the Latitudes program, despite some things that we don't like about them (highest daily grats- for us when you add 40% exchange rate starts to get astronomical; high wifi cost; high spa costs). We still feel that for us NCL provides an excellent product at an acceptable price point and have two future cruises booked with them accordingly. 

 

All that to say it's really important to understand what you're getting for what you're paying... only paying for what you want and doing due diligence by reading reviews to see what other people are saying about their experiences (taking everything with a grain of salt however as one man's trash is another's treasure). 

 

I'm sorry you were disappointed by your current cruise with NCL and hope that you find a line that better suits your needs.... best wishes for happy sailings in the future.

 

   This. A sensible (and kind) response to the OP. We need more of this on here.

[corman-cruise]

19 hours ago, JillK said:

When I compare cruise prices, I look at the all-in price (inclusive of extras, daily gratuities and ancillary costs) and not just the initial fare to get a real feel for the value on a per person per day basis. Only then can I make a truly informed choice about the value of what I am buying.

 

The OP says that Princess does not charge for "free" items. I hear what he is saying in that one doesn't pay for the value of the drinks package but pays the gratuities on that value so there is a cost to the end user. The reality is that you are paying upfront for the drinks on Princess and Celebrity as well for example, it's just in the way it's presented.

 

Celebrity has a clear price difference to include drinks, wifi and gratuities as another poster mentioned. 

We cruised over Christmas with our four children in three cabins on Princess last year. Hubby and I felt that the Princess Plus fare inclusive of drinks and wifi was worth it for us to avoid the hassle of buying drinks a la carte, but we did not purchase it for our children. The price difference for Princess Plus (drinks and wifi inclusive) was $550 Cdn per person more than the fare for the kids (total of $1100 Cdn). So even with Princess you do pay for the additional service that you get with them if you want them. They don't present it as free because it's not. At least with NCL, you are only paying the gratuity on the value of the package based on the number of days sailed so it is a substantial savings vs having to buy the package outright. As others have mentioned, you don't have to take the "perks" and can book a sail-away rate that excludes them. 

 

We cruised NCL, Carnival and Princess last year and each had their strengths and weaknesses. Based on those experiences though, we have eliminated Princess entirely. The value for us just isn't there and it is clearly geared toward a more elderly crowd. I could go on about why we feel this way but this isn't really the right place for that so I will digress.

 

Last year we felt we had excellent value with Carnival and good value with NCL. We would consider both lines again for future cruises and after much debate have decided that for us, focussing on NCL is better thanks to the perks associated with the Latitudes program, despite some things that we don't like about them (highest daily grats- for us when you add 40% exchange rate starts to get astronomical; high wifi cost; high spa costs). We still feel that for us NCL provides an excellent product at an acceptable price point and have two future cruises booked with them accordingly. 

 

All that to say it's really important to understand what you're getting for what you're paying... only paying for what you want and doing due diligence by reading reviews to see what other people are saying about their experiences (taking everything with a grain of salt however as one man's trash is another's treasure). 

 

I'm sorry you were disappointed by your current cruise with NCL and hope that you find a line that better suits your needs.... best wishes for happy sailings in the future.

 

I never considered carnival, the impression that I got was it was a younger crowd, party ship. 

I may have to look into it. 

Thank you for your feed back. 

Edited April 28, 2023 by corman-cruise

[gullivertravels]

On 4/27/2023 at 2:30 AM, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

I'll admit to me NCL does seem very nickel and dime. I just feel there are charges for things that should be included as well as them cutting corners which to me is a bit tacky. Only reason I continue to go with them is because they have in my experience a bit more of a younger vibe in terms of entertainment and when I've gone to their solo cruiser meets compared to ones I have done on Princess. It's definitely not an amazing line (but I haven't been on any line I'd consider amazing either). 

Yes, it seems that there have been changes on NCL having seen the bottle of wine in the state room go away and now only with one meal as a perk for a latitudes member benefit. I notice the quality of the chocolate covered 🍓 has changed as well. They used to be huge and you would get six of them. I just did the Sun (April 2-21) and one of them was about the size prior given, but the other five. Well less just say a one year old would have ate each with one bite. LOL My other observation is that if you look at the drink perk given sometime unless you are a heavy drinker the fees for the perk are more than you would spend if you just wanted a drink with your dinner every now and then. It seems that the cost of the cruises are going up as well as them looking to find other ways to increase costs to their benefit. For instance breakfast room service use to be free unless you order certain breakfasts. Now its about $4.95 with ordering room service during dinner time is $9.95 unless you have a suite or above. Have anyone at NCL considered that if you offer a quality product at a reasonable price that you will keep your loyal customers and get some of the other cruise lines customers to come over to your cruise line. Rather than just keep raising the price to cruise NCL thus making those that have been loyal to start looking for at other cruise lines to see if they can get a better deal due to the "continued" rising costs of NCL. I AM JUST ASKING! Happy cruising and safe travels!

[gullivertravels]

On 4/26/2023 at 4:30 PM, craig01020 said:

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.

Same here on my last cruise I didn't take it either since I drink non alcoholic beer its only about $8 bottle. If I were to drink 20 bottles ( lol) that's only $160 and depending on the cruise the fees on that free drink package will be 3 or 4 hundred dollars. 

[corman-cruise]

5 hours ago, Mira28 said:

I don’t know that this is what the OP is doing. Some of the issues raised seem legitimate. Some may be the result of misunderstanding the pricing model used 

on NCL. I don’t presume to know the motivation. 
 In any case, if it weren’t for carping and fault finding, wouldn’t these boards be a lot less interesting?

I posted how I felt about the way ncl charged and decided that and other things would cause me not to sail with them in the future. 

Today, I spoke to a senior server in one of the specialty dining rooms. 

She told me about how long she worked for company and her jobs over the years working for ncl. 

I mentioned that I noticed that ncl doesn't have people walking around in the buffet offering coffee, pastries and orange juice like other cruise lines. 

She seemed puzzled by that comment , she told me that is what one of her jobs when she fist started. 

She said to best of her knowledge ncl still does that. When I told her that I only saw them once and it's been day 10 on the ship, she urged me to email my feed back to corporate, so much for ncl never offering that. 

There are things that others in this thread have criticized ncl for that I have also noticed while on the ship. 

There was no alternative motivation, like someone has posted earlier, it's called cruise critics. 

 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2023 by corman-cruise

[JillK]

17 hours ago, corman-cruise said:

I never considered carnival, the impression that I got was it was a younger crowd, party ship. 

I may have to look into it. 

Thank you for your feed back. 

 

My father always felt the same way and refuses to cruise with them as a result. I have done four Carnival cruises since 2001 and we never encountered a big party scene ourselves but they did get that reputation a long time ago and it seems to have stuck.

 

Our cruise last year was on the Panorama and it is a phenomenal ship that my family and I would cruise again in a heartbeat. All of us agree out of the three cruises last year (NCL/Carnival/Princess) that it was heads and tails the best one. The ship is still new, having launched in 2019 and it is very family friendly and oriented, with so many things to do we didn't even get off the ship at two out of three of the ports of call. They are a match to NCL in a lot of ways but with a more affordable price point. That being said, as a repeat cruiser I am offered up some savings that wouldn't be accessible to a first-timer but using those savings, the fares are lower than NCL while ancillary costs are significantly cheaper than NCL (daily gratuities, wifi package, spa pass) to similar (drinks a la carte, specialty dining).

 

Is Carnival perfect? No of course not - there are lots of places where other lines do things a bit better (for example, having only a deli and pizzeria staffed by five people total as the only food options after 10:30 pm on a ship with a large capacity is a big mistake). Having sailed Carnival, Disney, Celebrity, Princess, Royal and NCL there are things that each line does better than the others. 

 

Certainly you should price them out (looking at their larger and newer ship in particular) when considering your next cruise - you never know, you might find that overall it's the right line for you! 

[Mira28]

7 hours ago, corman-cruise said:

I posted how I felt about the way ncl charged and decided that and other things would cause me not to sail with them in the future. 

Today, I spoke to a senior server in one of the specialty dining rooms. 

She told me about how long she worked for company and her jobs over the years working for ncl. 

I mentioned that I noticed that ncl doesn't have people walking around in the buffet offering coffee, pastries and orange juice like other cruise lines. 

She seemed puzzled by that comment , she told me that is what one of her jobs when she fist started. 

She said to best of her knowledge ncl still does that. When I told her that I only saw them once and it's been day 10 on the ship, she urged me to email my feed back to corporate, so much for ncl never offering that. 

There are things that others in this thread have criticized ncl for that I have also noticed while on the ship. 

There was no alternative motivation, like someone has posted earlier, it's called cruise critics. 

 

It seems no matter what one says on here, there are those who want to pick through your comments, select a few words (often out of context) and then will try to engage you in a back and forth dispute. As we each see our experiences through our own lens, it seems pointless to get into that. 
 

Many have pointed out that NCL (and all the cruise lines) have made changes and cutbacks over the years. Some of these are negative. It is also true that each line has their loyalists who will allow no criticism. I have enjoyed every cruise I’ve been on very much, but still believe it’s ok to post about issues or problems experienced. Whatever anyone’s response, you are allowed to see it your way, and do not have to justify your opinions.
 

 

 

[styles27]

On 4/26/2023 at 4:50 PM, 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

Considering the base fare hasn’t changed much over the years they need to make up the cost somewhere. 
Personally I’m a big fan of usage fees. We don’t want or need a drink package, we pay as we go and prefer it that way. 
If you want an “all inclusive cruise line” without those add on fees be prepared to pay triple or more of what your NCL or even RCCL cruise costs.  

[corman-cruise]

1 hour ago, JillK said:

 

My father always felt the same way and refuses to cruise with them as a result. I have done four Carnival cruises since 2001 and we never encountered a big party scene ourselves but they did get that reputation a long time ago and it seems to have stuck.

 

Our cruise last year was on the Panorama and it is a phenomenal ship that my family and I would cruise again in a heartbeat. All of us agree out of the three cruises last year (NCL/Carnival/Princess) that it was heads and tails the best one. The ship is still new, having launched in 2019 and it is very family friendly and oriented, with so many things to do we didn't even get off the ship at two out of three of the ports of call. They are a match to NCL in a lot of ways but with a more affordable price point. That being said, as a repeat cruiser I am offered up some savings that wouldn't be accessible to a first-timer but using those savings, the fares are lower than NCL while ancillary costs are significantly cheaper than NCL (daily gratuities, wifi package, spa pass) to similar (drinks a la carte, specialty dining).

 

Is Carnival perfect? No of course not - there are lots of places where other lines do things a bit better (for example, having only a deli and pizzeria staffed by five people total as the only food options after 10:30 pm on a ship with a large capacity is a big mistake). Having sailed Carnival, Disney, Celebrity, Princess, Royal and NCL there are things that each line does better than the others. 

 

Certainly you should price them out (looking at their larger and newer ship in particular) when considering your next cruise - you never know, you might find that overall it's the right line for you! 

 

I am always willing to try something new, we have a scenic river cruise coming up, Amsterdam to Budapest, everything is included, it's a very expensive cruise. It will cost us

$22, 000 cnd for the two of us. Everything is included. 

I have always heard it's a different experience and that I should try it at least once. 

This was my first sailing with ncl, the ship itself is a beautiful ship, being relatively new helps.  We have now tried the Ncl product , perhaps in the future I may have a change of heart and give them another shot, you never know. 

One thing I came across, which other lines also do, which makes me shake my head is they grossly over inflate their merchandise but have a screaming sale on, 75% off. 

Who doesn't love a sale, right?

My son's Birthday is in a few days after we get home and he likes watches. Ncl has the invictus watch line and they happen to have a sale on, how lucky can a guy get. $750, Bwahahaha, ok, whatever, but we can have it for $120, wow what a bargain. 

A quick google search, same watch with delivery $110.

We bought it, poin being, just be upfront with your customers, you never want your customers to have a negative feeling on a purchase , and that applies to every cruise line, every business. 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2023 by corman-cruise

[The Traveling Man]

On 4/28/2023 at 7:41 AM, cruiseny4life said:

Last year I took my first cruise, in April to Bermuda on NCL.

You have over 3000 posts on Cruise Critic.  Was Last April your first ever cruise, or your first on NCL?

[mjkacmom]

19 hours ago, gullivertravels said:

Yes, it seems that there have been changes on NCL having seen the bottle of wine in the state room go away and now only with one meal as a perk for a latitudes member benefit. I notice the quality of the chocolate covered 🍓 has changed as well. They used to be huge and you would get six of them. I just did the Sun (April 2-21) and one of them was about the size prior given, but the other five. Well less just say a one year old would have ate each with one bite. LOL My other observation is that if you look at the drink perk given sometime unless you are a heavy drinker the fees for the perk are more than you would spend if you just wanted a drink with your dinner every now and then. It seems that the cost of the cruises are going up as well as them looking to find other ways to increase costs to their benefit. For instance breakfast room service use to be free unless you order certain breakfasts. Now its about $4.95 with ordering room service during dinner time is $9.95 unless you have a suite or above. Have anyone at NCL considered that if you offer a quality product at a reasonable price that you will keep your loyal customers and get some of the other cruise lines customers to come over to your cruise line. Rather than just keep raising the price to cruise NCL thus making those that have been loyal to start looking for at other cruise lines to see if they can get a better deal due to the "continued" rising costs of NCL. I AM JUST ASKING! Happy cruising and safe travels!

The drink package costs about $20 a day, a cocktail averages $12, so if you drink more than 1 drink a day the package is worth it. Didn’t realize the $2 bottle of wine is gone, but being able to bring as many bottles of wine onboard for $0 corkage is a huge upgrade.

[mjkacmom]

19 hours ago, gullivertravels said:

Same here on my last cruise I didn't take it either since I drink non alcoholic beer its only about $8 bottle. If I were to drink 20 bottles ( lol) that's only $160 and depending on the cruise the fees on that free drink package will be 3 or 4 hundred dollars. 

It’s $20 a day, how long are your cruises?

[The Traveling Man]

20 minutes ago, corman-cruise said:

 

I am always willing to try something new, we have a scenic river cruise coming up, Amsterdam to Budapest, everything is included, it's a very expensive cruise. It will cost us

$22, 000 cnd for the two of us. Everything is included.

My wife and I took a cruise on that same itinerary last year.  It was wonderful.  I'd be willing to bet, though, that your "Everything is included" cruise really does not include everything.  Yes, shore excursions and gratuities are included.  The food likely will be a cut above what you get in an NCL MDR, but your river cruise ship probably has only one restaurant, so no possibility of a "specialty dining" experience as with NCL.  If you are a wine or beer drinker, and only consume alcohol while dining, you're all set - unlimited beer and wine are included with lunch and dinner.  If you prefer mixed drinks, or if you like to have a happy hour cocktail before dinner, be prepared to pay extra.  So yes, pretty much "everything is included," but if you check the fine print, just like checking the fine print in your NCL reservation contract, you'll probably find a few extra "nickels and dimes" that you'll be paying.  For us, the river cruise cost about $20K, and our extras came to less than $100.  Not much, to be sure, but not quite "all inclusive."  YMMV

[corman-cruise]

Just now, The Traveling Man said:

My wife and I took a cruise on that same itinerary last year.  It was wonderful.  I'd be willing to bet, though, that your "Everything is included" cruise really does not include everything.  Yes, shore excursions and gratuities are included.  The food likely will be a cut above what you get in an NCL MDR, but your river cruise ship probably has only one restaurant, so no possibility of a "specialty dining" experience as with NCL.  If you are a wine or beer drinker, and only consume alcohol while dining, you're all set - unlimited beer and wine are included with lunch and dinner.  If you prefer mixed drinks, or if you like to have a happy hour cocktail before dinner, be prepared to pay extra.  So yes, pretty much "everything is included," but if you check the fine print, just like checking the fine print in your NCL reservation contract, you'll probably find a few extra "nickels and dimes" that you'll be paying.  For us, the river cruise cost about $20K, and our extras came to less than $100.  Not much, to be sure, but not quite "all inclusive."  YMMV

Actually, with scenic river cruises, it's included all day long, not just with dinner. 

[david_sobe]

On 4/26/2023 at 4:50 PM, 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

Your post is a big oxymoron.  You really think you got "free" wifi, drink package, and specialized dining? 

[corman-cruise]

Just now, david_sobe said:

Your post is a big oxymoron.  You really think you got "free" wifi, drink package, and specialized dining? 

Let me put it this way, free as it is included. 

[RocketMan275]

2 minutes ago, corman-cruise said:

Let me put it this way, free as it is included. 

Included isn't the same as free.

[corman-cruise]

Just now, RocketMan275 said:

Included isn't the same as free.

Do you have really want to split hairs over this? 

Ncl advertises the offer as "free at sea" . 

So, I echoed it. 

But yes, nothing in this world is free, I did not anticipate it being an issue when I used ncl own description of free. 

Edited April 29, 2023 by corman-cruise

[The Traveling Man]

1 hour ago, corman-cruise said:

Actually, with scenic river cruises, it's included all day long, not just with dinner. 

We have taken river cruises with Avalon, UniWorld, and American Cruise Lines.  On each of our river cruises, beer and wine were available at lunch and dinner without additional charge.  Wine, Champagne, and cocktails were available without charge once or twice per cruise at a reception hosted by the Captain.  Other than that, all cocktails and any beer or wine served other than at meal times incurred an added charge.  Other river cruise lines may have different policies.  YMMV.

[corman-cruise]

24 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

We have taken river cruises with Avalon, UniWorld, and American Cruise Lines.  On each of our river cruises, beer and wine were available at lunch and dinner without additional charge.  Wine, Champagne, and cocktails were available without charge once or twice per cruise at a reception hosted by the Captain.  Other than that, all cocktails and any beer or wine served other than at meal times incurred an added charge.  Other river cruise lines may have different policies.  YMMV.

Scenic does the alcohol thing differently. 

[gullivertravels]

1 hour ago, mjkacmom said:

It’s $20 a day, how long are your cruises?

Most of the cruise I take are 15 days or longer. So at $8 it's still only $120. Even if it's longer looking at the cost of the fees most of the times it's less expensive. My thought if it's free then there should be no cost. I still like to tip personally so in some of cases having paid those extras as well as gratuities I still give my cabin steward as well as others a little something. On NCL there is an option to pre pay gratuities. 

[gullivertravels]

2 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

The drink package costs about $20 a day, a cocktail averages $12, so if you drink more than 1 drink a day the package is worth it. Didn’t realize the $2 bottle of wine is gone, but being able to bring as many bottles of wine onboard for $0 corkage is a huge upgrade.

There is corking fee now. LOL Drink package on NCL is about $109 per person per day. Not sure what ship you're were on. I just went out to the website because that didn't sound like what I had experience. You're speaking about the soda package, which is about $10 per person per day with Star Bucks being $12 per person per day. Happy cruising and safe travels!

[The Traveling Man]

29 minutes ago, corman-cruise said:

Scenic does the alcohol thing differently. 

Got it !!!  I had not heard of that company before, so I checked them out.  You're right, they do things differently from most other river cruise lines.

[gullivertravels]

2 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

The drink package costs about $20 a day, a cocktail averages $12, so if you drink more than 1 drink a day the package is worth it. Didn’t realize the $2 bottle of wine is gone, but being able to bring as many bottles of wine onboard for $0 corkage is a huge upgrade.

Not sure about the cost you posted when I went and looked at NCL drink package it was way more than $20 pp per day. What cruise line were you on?