Look like specialty restaurants will be changed to cover charge next year

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, Nolesfan said:

I believe they will slightly revamp most menus and the lower priced items will be included in the new cover charge and the top 20-25% of current items will now be considered “premium” and will come with an additional charge.

Why would I want to pay more for a quarter of the items on the menu?  Aren't we already paying for specialty dining?

[Bobby Winds]

I just found out what the big secret is come October 1st. No more specialty dinning included with any cruise packages, you just pay like you would at any other restaurant on land.

 

Actually I just made that up like everyone else here............LOL

[graphicguy]

As of this a.m. on my December 1 Getaway cruise, Modern and Teppanyaki are the only ones I see with a cover charge of the Specialties.  The rest are a la carte.  No changes there.

 

That said, I do see Shanghai is changing from "free" to a cover charge after January 1, 2025.   I understand that change given its popularity and difficulty in getting in to dine there.  My hope is, although I really like dining there, with a cover charge, they add to the menu.

 

From my reservation....

 

"Enjoy our Asian Fusion dining venue featuring freshly prepared noodles, delicious wok fried dishes, authentic soups, and more. *Please note, this restaurant is complimentary for sailings prior to January 1, 2025."

[cruiseny4life]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

As of this a.m. on my December 1 Getaway cruise, Modern and Teppanyaki are the only ones I see with a cover charge of the Specialties.  The rest are a la carte.  No changes there.

 

That said, I do see Shanghai is changing from "free" to a cover charge after January 1, 2025.   I understand that change given its popularity and difficulty in getting in to dine there.  My hope is, although I really like dining there, with a cover charge, they add to the menu.

 

From my reservation....

 

"Enjoy our Asian Fusion dining venue featuring freshly prepared noodles, delicious wok fried dishes, authentic soups, and more. *Please note, this restaurant is complimentary for sailings prior to January 1, 2025."

We shall let you know giving we will have the pleasure of paying. Depends on what happens, cost, and menu given all the changes coming up.

 

Or, we will let you know it wasn't worth it and skip out.

[graphicguy]

55 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

We shall let you know giving we will have the pleasure of paying. Depends on what happens, cost, and menu given all the changes coming up.

 

Or, we will let you know it wasn't worth it and skip out.

I have gone to Shanghai more than a few times.  The food was fresh and delish.  I would actually sit in front of the chefs preparing it, if I could.  

 

Two issues with it....

 

A) it was located right next to the casino, which meant you could smell cigarette smoke.  That seemed to have been diminished on my most recent "-away" ship cruises.  But, it still lingered.

B) it was a tough seat to get.  There was usually a wait.  Easier for me when I travelled solo, but a much harder get with 2 (or more).

 

That said, I don't wait when I'm sailing NCL.  If there's a bar with a wait to get a drink, I find another where there is not wait.  Same with dining venues.  If Cagney's has a wait, I'll pop over to Moderno's....just as an example.

 

Given that Shanghai will have an a la carte charge next year, I suspect a seat will be much easier to get.  Kind of surprised NCL hasn't done this before now.

 

That said, given a choice to pay for Shanghais vs Wasabi, I'll use my SDP on Wasabi.

Edited 21 hours ago by graphicguy

[Nolesfan]

12 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Why would I want to pay more for a quarter of the items on the menu?  Aren't we already paying for specialty dining?

I don’t personally, however the cruise line does and they are the ones deciding.  I want more options, especially premium options even if they come at higher cost.  I can decide myself if they are worth the price.  

 

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

44 minutes ago, Nolesfan said:

I don’t personally, however the cruise line does and they are the ones deciding.  I want more options, especially premium options even if they come at higher cost.  I can decide myself if they are worth the price.  

 

 

Shouldn't all items in a specialty restaurant already be "premium items?"

[UKstages]

17 hours ago, Nolesfan said:

I think this structure allows NCL to keep offering FAS dining while still allowing them a new source of revenue.

 

i don't have a dog in this race, as i typically get a boat load (see what I did there?) of OBC from the casino, so i can presumably "afford" a multitude of upcharges and cover charges. but i really don't think this is about increasing revenue per se. it's about driving efficiency (in the kitchen) by preparing fewer items and it's about cost reduction/containment.  

 

Edited 19 hours ago by UKstages

[Buford T Justiice]

We generally don't take FAS Dining on shorter cruises and rely on our Latitude Dinners for a couple of nights of specialty dining.

 

It looks like it will be back to the "old way" of booking our latitude dinners... paying the dining "price fixe" fee to get the reservations and getting refunds onboard when we swap out the prepaid dining with the latitude dinners. 

[Nolesfan]

47 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Shouldn't all items in a specialty restaurant already be "premium items?"

Would you prefer a different term? Perhaps “extra double super special” or some other term.  These are big ships with lots of people who are spread out over multiple levels of vacation costs.  Some people might want to spend for an inside cabin and only eat complimentary dining while others pay for Haven suites and eat every night at specialty dining.  I was trying to indicate I was hoping the upcoming changes would be to add more options. Do you believe that speciality dining should be a one size fits all experience?

[Alatraveler1]

Perhaps Shanghai will add a $9.99-$14.99 cover fee to dine there like is done on some other lines "not-quite-specialty" caliber venues.  Not a full specialty price, but a supplement to generate additional revenue and eliminate complaints about not begin able to get a seat.  Just another guess!

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

4 hours ago, Nolesfan said:

Would you prefer a different term? Perhaps “extra double super special” or some other term.  These are big ships with lots of people who are spread out over multiple levels of vacation costs.  Some people might want to spend for an inside cabin and only eat complimentary dining while others pay for Haven suites and eat every night at specialty dining.  I was trying to indicate I was hoping the upcoming changes would be to add more options. Do you believe that speciality dining should be a one size fits all experience?

Perhaps it would be helpful if you gave some examples of what extra double super special entrees would consist of?

[HBCcruiser]

Leaked on F B. Make of it what you will.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nolesfan]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Perhaps it would be helpful if you gave some examples of what extra double super special entrees would consist of?

I thought I had when I mentioned crab claws, oysters, wagyu or aged steaks but maybe that was unclear.

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

Leaked on F B. Make of it what you will.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At first glance, it looks like they're giving us the same FAS stuff, but charging $150+ bucks (I didn't run the currency conversion) for the privilege.  Am I missing something?

[Maanio]

I think this 149 package will just down the line mean equal pay as with free at sea. Just no more FAS+ Because MAS has better drinks already included. I think I like it.

Actually looking forward to see how much addition of MAS to FAS is for existing bookings.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, Nolesfan said:

I thought I had when I mentioned crab claws, oysters, wagyu or aged steaks but maybe that was unclear.

I must have missed that.  Those don't really sound like

8 hours ago, Nolesfan said:

“extra double super special”

But, maybe they are.  They sound good.

[Maanio]

Here is an European booking with FAS being 100 eur at promotion days.

So now MAS will be 150. Comme ci comme CA.

[ChiefMateJRK]

54 minutes ago, Maanio said:

Just no more FAS+ Because MAS has better drinks already included.

Where are you seeing this?  It reads just like the current premium drink package that we get as part of FAS.  Are you referring to Premium Plus?

[Maanio]

1 minute ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Where are you seeing this?  It reads just like the current premium drink package that we get as part of FAS.  Are you referring to Premium Plus?

The last question on the second page of the flyer.

[ChiefMateJRK]

38 minutes ago, Maanio said:

The last question on the second page of the flyer.

Thanks.  That is what it says (albeit, void of any specifics).  I guess we'll soon see.  Since they now have Bulleit, Black Label, Crown, Baileys, et al in the base package, I'm not sure what else we would want.

[Maanio]

Just now, ChiefMateJRK said:

Thanks.  That is what it says (albeit, void of any specifics).  I guess we'll soon see.  Since they now have Bulleit, Black Label, Crown, Baileys, et al in the base package, I'm not sure what else we would want.

The good gins and good vodka's 🥰

[Luffe]

Googling for NCL More at sea... Brings up this flyer (https://www.luxusneplavby.sk/na-stiahnutie/31/more_at_sea_podmienky_2024_09_27_13_39_46.pdf) 

 

From that there is one more special dining credit depending on cruise length+cabin, drink package won't contain any more Starbucks and freshly squeezed juices. So does this mean we have more drink package naming issues ( unlimited, premium plus, more at seas beverage package) or is there only one drink package?   Also the 2nd guest shore ex credit goes away as there is no mention of it. Then there is this interesting line "Guest’s onboard account may reflect applicable VAT and/or taxes for certain ports or itineraries." so more VAT related oddities coming in EU ports. 

 

Going to be interesting tomorrow when the official details are released. We were planning to upgrade to "Free At Sea plus" at some point but with these details/changes I can't see any reason. Or if they keep already bought "Free At Sea plus" perks as is then I will be bit annoyed as that extra shorex credit would have been the major reason for our upgrade decision.

 

 

[KeithJenner]

The interesting thing for us is whether there will be some kind of “more at sea plus”. It is additional income for NCL so I’d be surprised if they drop it.

 

We upgrade for the sparking water, coffee and better wine (including champagne), so it doesn’t look like any of those are in the new beverage package. There is also the extra excursion credit and WiFi. If there were to scrap the plus offers then that would have an impact on us.

[hallux]

8 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

At first glance, it looks like they're giving us the same FAS stuff, but charging $150+ bucks (I didn't run the currency conversion) for the privilege.  Am I missing something?

Thing is... Europe has always had a fee to add Free At Sea (not the grats/service charge, just a fee for adding the package) whereas the US has paid the grats/service charges.  All the leaks we're seeing so far are from Europe, with that fee noted.  I'm curious to see the same flyer from the US...