ray98

I would trade any other option for Freeport. If I was on a rerouted cruise it would be a bonus.

We have booked a GTY probably 8 times and it has ranged from 2 months to 2 weeks.

Ship time....always stay on ship time. Book excursions based on the time Carnival lists.

That is a holiday cruise. Why do you think it would not be full? It is a peak week for the fall.

That would be exhausting. I also really enjoy the sea days on a cruise.

The Miracle is not destined for a US market.

I have emailed in the past with around 50/50 success. I have never been denied when I visited the dining room early on the first day to make the request.

You don't need them. Just an ID that matches S&S.

Good for Carnival. There are a hazard right now.

The only thing locking your luggage does is delay you getting into it. Anyone looking to steal already knows how to get in or will be prepared to damage it if necessary.

Porters get a $2 or so per bag.

Servers get the already included tip which is sufficient.

the one on Thursday WAS canceled. The one on Saturday was not so you are referring to a DIFFERENT cruise than the one posted about the cancellation

Don't bother injecting small details like this. :D

I can't wait until next year so when someone starts one of those 'I hate Carnival' threads people can talk about how the screwed over passengers following a hurricane.

Or perhaps look at it this way. You get your gift certificate, enjoy your meal, and neglect to leave a tip because the person giving you that gift certificate should have also given you sufficient cash to pay the tip. Further, the fact that they gave you the gift certificate kind of irritates you because they must have known that a gratuity was expected and would have to come out of your pocket. In fact, the more you think and talk about it, the more you perseverate over it.

Yup....many apparently would just refuse the meal because the thought of a paying their own tip is just too much stress.

Two different sailings. Slow the outrage.

I used to rush and try to be in the first group on but now I really don't find it enjoyable. It is just too hectic with people and luggage everywhere until the cabins open. As long as I am on in time to grab a bite and a drink by the time the cabins are ready and people thin out I am good.

I wish.

I, for one, am thrilled with the UDP promo. Gone are the days of paying off a $1000 bill at the end of a cruise. Also, bartenders can serve more guests because they're not hassling with signed receipts. There are so many CC'ers who pounce on these threads with righteous indignation, it makes me wonder why they even opt in to this promo. If this, or any other promo, doesn't sit well with you, don't select it. And bottom lining your thoughts with suspicions that NCL's motivation is to make money is just stating the obvious. Why do you think they do anything other than to make money? For this perk, they can gladly have my $15 every day.

 

 

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It really makes no sense to complain about paying a gratuity when they are giving you the drinks because they probably buy the liquor pretty cheap. Then try to contrast other lines that don't routinely offer a drink package as a perk.

It is just math....add it up and if the numbers are favorable there is the answer. I haven't found a situation where the total price could be beat when NCL was an option.

I had 3 options last spring for similar cruises the same week. Carnival was the cheapest by $100pp and RCCL and NCL were pretty much even. So, the NCL fare cost me $100 more and I had to pay the $100 gratuity but the drink package was included. That means I saved $200pp over booking the cheaper Carnival cruise and adding Cheers. RCCL was the highest because the fare was the same as NCL and I would have had to add the drink package on top of that. The choice was easy.

Yes they do, look at Royal and Celebrity

....not on a consistent basis, not on all sailings and normally only on the higher end categories?

Right now the best RCCL has is 20% off on some sailings and Celebrity is for balcony and above.

I don't think Celebrity is a direct comparison to the other 3 anyway because their fares push them to the next level.

Lol. How is this a hassle? I give them $300 when we board and then if we are low and walking pass guest services, I'll add a hundred. I like to keep it that way, the kids in the arcade and me in the casino are our only charges on our account. I know I can limit the kids spending, but to me, that is a hassle

 

To each their own.

Simple...worrying about how much is left on the account before I am cut off and having to stand in line at guest services several times to add a $100 at a time is a hassle.

It serves no purpose. I give them my CC and no more interaction is required, it is like magic with no checking the balance or standing in line.

No other cruise line charges the gratuity on the free perk though, so it's understandable that people are confused.

....but the rub is NCL's direct competitors don't even offer a drink package as a free perk. Carnival will gladly sell you one at $49+gratuity and RCCL will hook you up for $55+gratuity.

Simply...you are paying the gratuity no matter what, only one of those is comping the cost of the package itself.

Thank you Ray. I get so frustrated with people acting like the cost of a drink at home is the same as the cost of a drink out. The loss of revenue is huge on those packages for NCL. We normally have a 1000 bar tab and We are just 2 guests. While you are pouring a drink at home, you're not paying yourself or expecting to make a profit. NCL has to pay all those people and have profit to build that ship with all the bells and whistles. If you think the 99 isn't going to the bar but is straight into their profits, be grateful, they need profit to stay afloat. Every single cruise line charges gratuity on the packages up front so I find it difficult to believe its a scam. In any case , I'm thrilled to drink for 99 bucks .... Oh and the horror, we tip a buck a drink also. Because it's a nice thing to do. And most of them said, thank you so much for the additional tip. And I emphasize the bartenders said ADDITIONAL.

Yup. It is easy to realize the real world cost if you use a bit of common sense. The amount we drink is pretty consistent no matter if it is by the drink or as part of a package. It was routine for us to spend a $100+ a day on drinks which was several price levels ago, it would probably be $150 now. The packages started coming out and at the time were slightly cheaper overall but came with the benefit of having no concerns of what or how much. It opened us up to trying a variety of drinks, some more expensive, than we would have tried normally. That adds value for me above and beyond the cost of the drinks.

Since NCL started this program it has been a huge money saver for us every time we booked. I can compare like cruises between lines where you look at difference in fares along with calculating the actual cost of each respective program and it is easy to see where the value is. It is just math.

I just put down cash. Every couple days I add a hundred or so. When we sail, everything is pre paid or a promo and our bill is minimal.

 

Sounds like a huge hassle. I give them my CC once at embarkation and it is done.

Because they are not giving you a free drink at retail....they are giving you a free drink at their very low cost

 

It costs Ncl very little to give away the drink package and they allow you to actually cover that very low cost out of your own pocket too...by way of the dsc.

 

But they love that you think they are giving you an expensive drink package.

You seem rather confused at the economics and true product cost to a business that others have tried to point out.

Simply, it doesn't work that way, especially when you are promoting a product to customers who would likely purchase it at retail anyway. By giving you the drink they are eating the cost of the product along with forgoing the profit to be made when that customer purchased at retail.

I do promotions all the time in my line. If I offer to comp an item for a customer who would have likely purchased anyway at retail I cannot just deduct the cost of the product as my loss. I also have to include all the legacy costs along with the profit on the item I will no longer receive.

We did very well last fall. I initially booked an inside GTY. There was a price drop before sailing so I was able to get upgraded to an oceanview GTY. We were later assigned a deck 8 mid-ship balcony.

I agree with many of the above, finding a dessert that is more than so-so is a rarity for me.