NCL/Oceania Cost Cutting and How It is Processed on Other Sites

[Sthrngary]

On topic and off topic.  In my career, I worked with Toyota Motor Sales National Headquarters.  That was one of many clients.  Toyota the brand has very rich history and culture.  That history goes into how they manufacture all of their vehicles.  One thing they say and execute better then most is their cost cutting approach.  They reduce cost but NEVER reduce quality.  It is a fine line and just takes some very careful thought before they do something.  Kind of like "measure twice cut ones".  Other companies simply cut costs which leads to guest reduction of satisfaction. 

 

I just read a complaint about Oceania on another Social Media site.  My wife belongs to that sight and I don't.  I deleted all my social media with the exception of YouTube and Cruise Critic years ago.  So I just read what the guests write. One such guest was referring to the article on "Cruise News" showing NCL and its brands were focusing on cutting cost.  This was followed with what this guest felt was a reduction in quality of the dining and food onboard the Oceania Marina.  The comments were both supported and challenged by other guests.  Knowing that food and dining is relative to the guest.  This guest was angry that the person in charge of that blog deleted their post. 

 

I personally like balanced, reviews that give all sides.  Whether you are new to a brand, traveled them once or 20 times, it gives you sense of what to avoid or have a lowered expectation. When it is not helpful is when it is the SAME guest that seems to always complain, yet still cruises the brand.  Those people, I simply don't understand. We should embrace all opinions as long as the contributor is just someone who hates every thing, all the time.

 

I hope Oceania will embrace cost cutting in the way Toyota did.  That is my hope. Just my two sense.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Edited May 29 by Sthrngary

[mauibabes]

Gary,

Ditto and Ditto. I like your Toyota story and will take it a step farther when we moved from Toyotas to Lexus for our vehicles. It is that feeling of quality and concern for the owners/ guests and we feel that way about our Oceania experiences. Yes, whether 1 or 20 or ? Cruises, we still feel the quality and commitment of the staff to providing exceptional service and Value. Are there idiosyncrasies in their administrative management and inconsistencies, Yes, but it is still an exceptional product and really is an outstanding value  when compared to the others. 

I am aware the “Green Eyeshade” leaders are driving the ships now but then that is the case Post Covid with every cruise line. Debt management is challenging to say the least.  Does that mean they are going to “Gut” the Foodie experience that make Oceania special, Not a Chance. OMG, prices have gone up, no surprise and they will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The mass market lines have raised prices, the Premium lines have raised prices and the Luxury lines have raised prices. No one can possibly expect to step up to the luxury lines and be paying less than a Premium product. All I hear is how Princess and Celebrity and HAL and Viking have all pushed their pricing and cruisers are looking for the next “Best” thing. Will we catch a Sale on a line or specific cruises, Yes, but that is certainly not the new norm when it comes to pricing.
 

Complainers will always complain no matter what it is, so like we have said before, we move on or hit delete or ignore.   We certainly can not allow those complaints to adversely effect what we have experienced or our perception of Oceania. We know two people can eat the same meal, one loves it and one complains, go figure. Over the past 20 years, on Princess, RCCL, Celebrity and Oceania, I have to say for MY Dollar, Oceania has been the most consistent and enjoyable cruise experience. Perfect, NO, but it works for us and that is all that matters.

Thanks again Gary for the opening the Topic 👍😇🙏 

Mauibabes

 

[ORV]

So it reinforces what I wanted to post about. CONSIDER THE SOURCE!. 

 

I see people get stuff wrong ALL the time. Not only on FB but here on a regular basis. Right now there are multiple posts that obviously are posted from confusion. I learned a long time ago that people either get it or not, and I don't have much time to waste with those that don't. Try to explain a couple of times then shake the dust from my feet. 

[mauibabes]

Ditto ORV. It is like the ardent DIYer, some people don’t need any help and know it all and some people do and understand the benefits of having a Top Tier TA. But yes, A lot of confused people spreading a lot of misinformation on FB and CC and elsewhere. With AI looking to overwhelm the future, I guess we can believe 1% of what we see and read and that might be too much. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes

[edgee]

13 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

I hope Oceania will embrace cost cutting in the way Toyota did.  That is my hope. Just my two sense.

I am not a "glass is half empty" kind of guy, but I really do not see Oceania coming out of the starting gate well in their effort to meet NCLH expense cutting mandates. I see cuts which many be "necessary" and they are what they are, but some seem to be implemented in an almost mean spirited and sometimes inept way. Examples are cuts in availability of food items at Waves (new menu, so far only on Vista and now Marina that I know of), availability of some grilled meats/lobster in Terrace, changes not in the customer's favor in the terms of future cruise bookings, financial penalties for North Americans cancelling cruise reservations even if years out from booking date, promising complete renovation of Marina and then not following through, policy which requires loss of SM excursion credits if tours are cancelled and there is no chance to rebook....With apologies to the great Jerry Stiller,,,sounds like I am airing my Festivus grievances,,,😀...

 

With all that being said, we still like Oceania and are looking forward to our 25 nights on Marina beginning in July...during which we will cross the ten cruise threshold and enjoy the silver benefits. Then we will decide whether we will continue to cruise with O and to what extent. Also, I think we are maybe down too much on Oceania due to spending 30 days on Vista in the last six months. We had real problems with the noise transference between cabins issue on Vista, did not like the new Ember specialty restaurant and thought the architect who designed the theatre and the limitations on the aft elevators should be run out of the industry for malpractice.

 

We tried a comparatively low per diem Transatlantic cruise on Regent Splendor in April and have found it very much to our liking...did not see examples of the cost cutting... so have two  more cruises booked with them. 

 

Keep reminding myself how these are first world "problems" and many of us are damn fortunate to have these kinds of choices and agree whole heartedly with Sthrngary about cruising well and enjoying every moment.

Edited May 30 by edgee
typo

[loge23]

WSJ today has Norwegian CL CFO Mark Kempa quote: "We're trying to eliminate waste from the business, and that could be from anywhere. There are no sacred cows."

The line plans to cut some $300 million by 2026 with $100 million of that coming in 2024.

Obviously, they will be looking at all aspects of their operations.

[Hanoj]

After the cuts it will be interesting if the company has a recognizable “face.” Is “sacred cows” euphemism for lopping ears or nose despite . . . ?

[ronrick1943]

I understand cut's, and even higher cost.  However if they marketed a product they can't deliver, then that's a problem.  

[edgee]

6 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

I understand cut's, and even higher cost.  However if they marketed a product they can't deliver, then that's a problem.  

Trivial example, but maybe indicative of beginning to no longer have "the best cuisine at sea" when Wave's Filet and lobster sandwiches become hamburger and lobster sandwiches.

[ronrick1943]

1 hour ago, edgee said:

Trivial example, but maybe indicative of beginning to no longer have "the best cuisine at sea" when Wave's Filet and lobster sandwiches become hamburger and lobster sandwiches.

Agree, but it really depends on how they market the product.  If you market the line has premium, that is what you're selling--if it's not there, people will move on to what they want or can afford.

[edgee]

25 minutes ago, ronrick1943 said:

Agree, but it really depends on how they market the product.  If you market the line has premium, that is what you're selling--if it's not there, people will move on to what they want or can afford.

Agree, but Oceania markets its food as being best at sea implying that while it's overall market niche is premium, it's food is more equivalent to luxury lines (I guess even with hamburger replacing filet on the "with lobster" sandwiches.)🤔

[clo]

3 hours ago, edgee said:

Trivial example, but maybe indicative of beginning to no longer have "the best cuisine at sea" when Wave's Filet and lobster sandwiches become hamburger and lobster sandwiches.

Is the burger Wagyu?

[edgee]

Yes..supposedly.but it is still burger.

[clo]

1 minute ago, edgee said:

Yes..supposedly.but it is still burger.

One of my food 'things' is texture. And any burger will have a better texture than a whole lot of filets, some of which aren't that tender. Whatever.

 

Just looked this up:
"

Price: American wagyu costs upwards of $15 to $40 per pound, while Japanese wagyu costs $120 to $300 per pound. Marbling: Purebred and full-blooded American wagyu has marbling similar to A3 or A4 Japanese Wagyu.Feb 20, 2024

 

[edgee]

7 minutes ago, clo said:

One of my food 'things' is texture. And any burger will have a better texture than a whole lot of filets, some of which aren't that tender. Whatever.

 

Just looked this up:
"

Price: American wagyu costs upwards of $15 to $40 per pound, while Japanese wagyu costs $120 to $300 per pound. Marbling: Purebred and full-blooded American wagyu has marbling similar to A3 or A4 Japanese Wagyu.Feb 20, 2024

 

Any way you look at it they are cheapening the Waves menu. For example, no longer a grilled fish option. Replacement of Jacque with Ember is another example. Yes, the addition of the new Aquamor restaurant on Vista, Marina and Allura is popular, not so much for the menu (IMHO) but because people like the option of wait staff served breakfast and lunch in a casual outdoor setting..so kudos to O for that.

[njhorseman]

First, some housekeeping. Oceania's slogan has never been "The Best Cuisine at Sea", it's "The Finest Cuisine at Sea". While "best" and "finest" may be synonyms in general, I think in this case there is a subtle difference in connotation, with "finest" being a bit softer assertion...but you may not agree.

 

Regardless, it's a registered trademark used for the purposes of advertising, and puffery in advertising is quite legal and extremely common. It doesn't have to be "factual" because "finest" is a statement of opinion. You may think it's the "finest" and I may not . There's no objective measure of "finest". Lots of posters here have raved for years about the miso coated sea bass in Red Ginger. I disliked it. To me Oceania took a potentially good piece of fish and ruined it with a cloying, oppressively sweet sauce.

 

BMW has used the trademarked slogan "The Ultimate Driving Machine" for decades. Are BMWs factually the ultimate driving machine ? Have they ever been?

 

The real issue isn't whether Oceania has "The Finest Cuisine at Sea" , if it ever did. The issue is whether Oceania's food is overall the same quality as it was, of higher quality than it was, or of lesser quality than it was. The answer will vary by individual. If Oceania eliminates or modifies a dish that you really like you'll say the quality has declined. I may not have cared for the dish and to my taste it either doesn't matter or perhaps I even like a replacement dish better.

[WESTEAST]

9 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

First, some housekeeping. Oceania's slogan has never been "The Best Cuisine at Sea", it's "The Finest Cuisine at Sea". While "best" and "finest" may be synonyms in general, I think in this case there is a subtle difference in connotation, with "finest" being a bit softer assertion...but you may not agree.

 

Regardless, it's a registered trademark used for the purposes of advertising, and puffery in advertising is quite legal and extremely common. It doesn't have to be "factual" because "finest" is a statement of opinion. You may think it's the "finest" and I may not . There's no objective measure of "finest". Lots of posters here have raved for years about the miso coated sea bass in Red Ginger. I disliked it. To me Oceania took a potentially good piece of fish and ruined it with a cloying, oppressively sweet sauce.

 

BMW has used the trademarked slogan "The Ultimate Driving Machine" for decades. Are BMWs factually the ultimate driving machine ? Have they ever been?

 

The real issue isn't whether Oceania has "The Finest Cuisine at Sea" , if it ever did. The issue is whether Oceania's food is overall the same quality as it was, of higher quality than it was, or of lesser quality than it was. The answer will vary by individual. If Oceania eliminates or modifies a dish that you really like you'll say the quality has declined. I may not have cared for the dish and to my taste it either doesn't matter or perhaps I even like a replacement dish better.

Well said though we are some of those passengers that continue to enjoy Miso Sea Bass😋 

[clo]

19 minutes ago, WESTEAST said:

Well said though we are some of those passengers that continue to enjoy Miso Sea Bass😋 

You know its real name is Patagonian toothfish, right? 🙂

[pinotlover]

I think that cost cutting may come in many forms not always disagreeing. Waste on a ship is costly. Reducing portion sizes is cost cutting, but we don’t need the huge portions we were often served.

 

One of my chef owner clients was discussing menu with his underlying chefs. He talked about the huge increase in fish prices being brought on by the decimation of fish stocks by overfishing and the inability of fish farms to keep up with growing demand. He plainly said the availability and variety of fish served will go down. The prices are higher than customers are willing to pay. My guess is that will likewise occur on cruise ships. People won’t go hungry, they’ll see plenty of options, but the availability of many fish options will probably decrease in the near future in order to cut/reduce costs. 
 

Miami buys everything aboard ship. The availability of any product in some foreign port doesn’t play into Miami’s need for products in bulk amounts at an acceptable cost. Just look at all the fresh fish markets around the world with fish readily available while you eat frozen fish. All that fish you see of a certain variety may not feed 30 people on a 1200 passenger ship.