old sole

From all that has been posted here, no one has been stopped. I really doubt it will ever be a huge problem. Yes,we might hear about a few cases where people are not allowed to take huge amounts of food out of the buffet or restaurants but I am not going to lose sleep over it.

Which begs the question - If the restriction on food being taken from the buffet to the cabins is 1) not on the website, 2) not printed in the dailies, 3) not announced via signage, and 4) not brought to passenger's attention by crew - then how are passengers to know it even exists? And why are NCL public relations and customer service telling people that it does?

Not trying to be sarcastic..... just wondering which "dumb idea" you are talking about as there have been more than one change lately.

 

In terms of the competition, I was reading the Carnival and Royal Caribbean boards today and learned that Royal Caribbean just raised the daily tip fee. Carnival seems to be bouncing around the idea of not having "set seating". Both interesting boards -- particularly if you are thinking of jumping ship (so to speak:-)

A quote widely attributed to Lincoln comes to mind. "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt."

Carnival does have set dining as an option. Concurrently, it also has something similar to NCL's "Freestyle" dining that they call "Anytime Dining". When you book you may select early set dining, late set dining, or anytime dining. I follow the Carnival board pretty closely and I have seen nothing that even hints at Carnival thinking about changing how they administer seating in their main dining rooms. Aside from the Cruise Critic forum, Carnival has a company sponsored message board on their website and Carnival has a Senior Cruise Director with an official title of "Brand Ambassador" who has a very active public fcbk page where all things Carnival come to light pretty quickly. Believe me when I say that if there were a hint of changes in dining room policy as you suggest it would be very actively discussed in all three places, and it is not.

It is helpful when people come onto these forums and offer information or suggestions based on knowledge. Suggestions, conjecture, suppositions based on no knowledge at all are not helpful and are not welcomed. You really should stop.

FDR did indicate part of the reason for the fee was to cut down on those only ordering a cup of coffee and a piece of toast, and by eliminating those orders, speed up service for everyone else. I suppose they could be thinking that by giving you the choice of paying this fee or at least buying a beverage to avoid the fee, the delivery would be more worth while and still cut down on the "trivial" deliveries. I hope that's the case since that eliminates this issue for anyone with the UBP or willing to buy at least a soda with every order. But, other posts saying that's not what the NCL reps are saying (yes we know they frequently get it wrong too), and one that was charged seem to indicate crews and reps are interpreting it to mean the fee is exempt only if the order is just the non-complimentary items. I for one would hold them to exactly what it says if it still says that when I sail in September. If they won't stand by it, I guess we could always refuse delivery.

Or when given the slip to sign, scratch through the $7.95, write unauthorized charge on it and correct the total before signing. Then if they put the original total on your account anyway, ask guest services to remove it. If they refuse that, then dispute the charge with your CC company, sending them copies of the receipt and the menu with the terms & conditions that support the dispute. With that documentation, the charge will be reversed.

That's not how I want to spend my time on what should be a relaxing and enjoyable trip of course. If you're not already stuck with a booking too late to cancel, better to just to avoid NCL altogether as long as this nonsense continues. There are too many other cruise lines that act like they want my business to put up with this.

That does seem pretty clear, however some other posts indicate that's not exactly how it works and could be worded better. The way it's worded might make you think that if you ordered your food along with a beer (non-complimentary beverage), there would be no convenience charge, so if the beer costs less than $7.95, you save a little money AND have a beer added to your order. Obviously if that were the case everyone could easily get around the charge by including some sort of non-complimentary beverage with every order. For those with the UBP, that would effectively allow them unlimited room service, all exempt from the convenience charge by simply including a drink with every order, whether they plan to actually drink it or not.

 

Others have posted that in reality, the drink itself is all that's exempt from the charge, and that if food is ordered at the same time, they still had to pay for the convenience charge. This isn't how the terms and conditions make it sound, but that seems to be how it's being done. If that's the case, it should be reworded as "Complimentary continental breakfast and orders Limited to Only special occasion and/or non-complimentary beverage items are exempt from the $7.95 convenience charge." I think their intent is to not charge you the convenience fee for things that you have to pay separately for anyway, but still charge you for delivery of anything that's complimentary.

 

Would be good to hear some additional stories from those returning to see if those posting that they were charged the fee despite ordering alcohol with their order was an actual overcharge from a crew that may not have been aware of how this was written, or if this is just written wrong and was enforced as intended rather than how it's written.

I know I am debating this to the point of absurdity, but just how would the crew know any better than I do what "was intended"? Yes, it does seem illogical that a sandwich + a coke would cost less than just the sandwich. But maybe they really want to push coke sales. Maybe they just want people to get used to the idea of paying something for room service and think this would be a good way to accomplish that. Who knows? The only way either I or the crew knows whether waiving the fee was intended is by reading what is printed on the menu. As it is currently written, the fee is waived for an order that includes a non-complimentary beverage. It just is not open to interpretation. If NCL corporate does not intend for that to happen, then simply change the wording on the menu to reflect the intent. Leaving it up to the person taking the order to decide what to charge is just not acceptable. I deserve to know how much an order I am considering will cost. If I can't believe the actual document, how am I to know what anything on the ship costs?

You made some interesting points - even though I don't agree with all of them. It is clear to me that when you order a non-complimentary beverage, you do not have to pay $7.95. To me, this is a big thing. Many posters want to have food and drinks on their balcony -- very understandable. So, if they order food with a cocktail or soda, would this not mean that there will not be a charge for this delivery?

 

I do agree that there should have been notice of these changes. However, if you book a year in advance (we actually book more than a year in advance), while you could "grandfather" some things (service charge for room service for instance), how do you grandfather not taking food to your room (although, if you were grandfathered, you would not have to take food to your room since you can order it at no charge). Some of the changes lend itself to "grandfathering" more than others.

 

Our experience with the current management on Regent is that some things do change from the time we book until the time we sail. Excursions is the first thing that comes to mind.

 

I am wondering if most posters book directly with NCL or through a travel agent. Rather than depending upon Regent or Oceania to let us know what is going on, our TA keeps us advised. So, for those of you that use TA's (that regularly book cruises), what has your experience been in terms of these changes?

Yes, it is impossible to grandfather the rule about not taking food to your room. That's just a dumb policy that never should have made it past the first level of review.

I suspect most of us would not be so upset if all these changes had not come so close together, had not been sprung on people who had no opportunity to cancel because they were past final payment or most egregiously ALREADY ON THE SHIP, and had been preceeded or at least accompanied by rational explanations for the reasons behind them. Of course, there would have to BE a rational explanation other than "we want to make more money" for that to work. It would have been even nicer if an implementation date had been announced so that people could plan and budget for unexpected expenses due to changes they could not avoid.

And reflecting the new reality in corporate messaging, particularly the website content and communications to Travel Agents has to be a priority for them to be trustworthy. Even today, a full two weeks since the room service charge went into effect fleet-wide, the website still says it is just a test on two ships. And room service is still prominently displayed as one of the complimentary dining choices. There is still no coherent policy statement on what can be removed from the buffet. We hear "a piece of fruit or a box of cereal" and we hear "they're working on it". We have no first hand accounts that the officers and crew on the ships are enforcing any restriction at all. They are as confused as we are.

This is no way to run a railroad.

I know you have a high opinion of Mr. Del Rio. He has given me absolutely no reason at all to share your opinion. It just is not that hard to debate a policy change internally, discuss the ramifications, prepare a roll-out plan which includes messaging, prepare the staff for what's coming, prepare FAQ's to address anticipated questions, and then execute. Instead, what we have seen is a whole lot of "ready, fire. aim". And then repeat.

I have reacted bitterly to what has happened over the past month. It's out of character for me and I have made some posts here I probably shouldn't have. But the way I see it is NCL has brought it on themselves by the way they have made these changes. People are going to overreact when a negative change is just sprung on them with no way to understand the purpose, to at least prepare for it, or preferably be given some alternative way to avoid the worst of it. I'll give one example. A passenger on Breakaway reported in mid-April that there was a $7.95 convenience fee imposed on all room service orders on the cruise he just boarded. Silence from NCL. Outrage on this forum. First directed at the passenger, who was accused of lying because "NCL would not do something like that", but then turning on NCL when it was confirmed. That thread reached over 100 pages before cruise critic shut it down. Contrast that with what Carnival did the same week. They announced that 10 days in the future, there would be some extra-cost items added to the room service menu. You could still order anything else on the menu at no charge, but if you wanted any of the newly added selections you would pay for those items only ala carte. The published the new menu and showed the prices for the new items. There was some complaining. There was also some support from people who wanted to try some of the new items. The thread lasted 3-4 days before it petered out on its own, and reached only a few pages in length.

Have we over-reacted. Of course. A lot has been said in anger. But that anger was earned. And it didn't have to be this way. And yes, I blame Mr. Del Rio.

edited to add this P.S. - I regrettably set you up on another thread when you asked for the policy on the $7.95 convenience fee for an order that included both food and a non-complimentary beverage. I gave you the exact wording from the menu. It says the fee is waived for that kind of order. You agreed that's what it says. However, you should know that NCL (at least the staff on the ships) is not honoring that. They are imposing the fee on orders like that. Sorry for the set-up. I did it to illustrate one more reason there is such anger being expressed.

<snip> The new policy isn't clear to me in terms of whether there is a $7.95 fee if you order food and an alcoholic beverage. Would appreciate clarification.

 

Thanks!

OK, here you go. From the terms & conditions printed on the bottom of the new room service menu:

"Complimentary continental breakfast and orders that include special occasion and/or non-complimentary beverage items are exempt from the $7.95 convenience charge."

Seems pretty clear.

The terms & conditions printed at the bottom of the room service menu could not be more clear.

"Complimentary continental breakfast and orders that include special occasion and/or non-complimentary beverage items are exempt from the $7.95 convenience charge."

It is beyond me how anyone could interpret that to mean that an order that includes a non-complimentary beverage item is not exempt from the $7.95 convenience charge.

It is just infuriating that not only can't you trust them anymore to deliver what they promise at the time you book, but you can't even expect them to honor terms & conditions for an individual purchase stated plainly at the actual time and point of purchase.

How are we to know what anything costs on the ship? Seriously, how can we know?

If you go to NCL's site on find the "freestyle dining guide" it still has room service listed as free except for the midnight to 5am period. And still show pizza delivery as $5.

 

However, what really gets me is if you scroll down to bottom of page three lower right hand corner. it is current as of 4/15. Why are they lying. If I never went on CC. and booked based upon what is on the website I would be extremely pissed to say the least.

 

And whoever "tvguy" is do you work for NCL, you claim to know so much, but contribute nothing more than NCL propaganda. You are argumentative and RUDE!!!. You throw names around like you know these NCL executives. I can google that info too. YOUR FOOLING NOBODY!!!.

 

NCL has continued to lie over & over. When my company makes a price change, it's on the web site prior to announcement. It's a sleezy way to conduct business NCL. they are becoming the "used car dealer" of the cruise industry.

 

Very sad...

Welcome to the dark side. I had to go back and look at your posts from a couple of weeks ago to make sure I was remembering your screen name in the right context.

It is very sad indeed what impact they are having on the "repeat customers" FDR claims to want to retain.

Oh, and by the way, NCL is ahead of 2nd quarter booking estimates, based on same period last year. Just an FYI[emoji33]

In April they were still buying advance bookings with UBP, UDP, free gratuities, OBC, and free fare for guests 3-8. In May they cut back a little bit, but are still buying advance bookings with similar inducements. No surprise bookings are up over same period the previous year. It will take awhile to see how many of those bookings turn into cash and whether that cash becomes earnings after expenses. And they are going to be in a panic a year from now having to explain why bookings are down from 1st and 2d qtr 2015 numbers unless they repeat (and even sweeten) these current deals.

No.

We have one NCL booking (for Oct 2016) and we will wait until just before final payment on that one to decide whether or not to cancel. It is in a suite, 3 of us. The fare for the first 2 is low, the third is free. We have UDP included for all 3, UBP for 2, gratuities included for 2, and some OBC. NCL is not going to earn much from us on that cruise, and most of the changes announced so far will not affect us all that much because we are in a suite.

But I will not knowingly put myself in the position of being aggravated several times a day by nonsensical rules. And I will not spend my time arguing with crew members, guest services, and officers about policies I think are absurd. So my current intention is to take that cruise already booked unless other changes come along that affect us more than the ones already announced. The not-yet confirmed removal of Cagney's from the UDP would be one change for example that would cause us to cancel.

Regardless of whether we take that cruise or not, there will be no more. We have enjoyed all our previous NCL cruises. But we have sailed 3 other lines multiple times and have enjoyed all of those too. It's too easy to just move on, and that is what we will do.

Again, my thoughts of having trash/plates lining the corridor on some ships comes from reading several of the threads related to this one. In addition to that, one of the statements from NCL refers to food/plates in the hallways being an issue for some passengers.

 

Since NCL has so many children/teenagers on board their ships, I am wondering if perhaps the spilling food, etc. may be happening with young people carrying food around the ship? After all, it is difficult enough for an adult to balance a plate and a drink on a moving ship that may or may not be rocking.

 

In terms of volunteer crew for room service, are you saying that no one works in room service -- they only use volunteers? That would be most surprising. What if they do not have any volunteers? Someone kindly explain as I'm confused on this issue.:confused:

 

Rather than being "Oceania Lite", it would be good if NCL was the best of the main stream cruise lines (as Oceania is thought of by many in in the premium-plus class).

 

Sometimes the changes do not make sense at first - especially when there are likely more changes to come. Eventually, when everything is in place, some loyal NCL cruisers may like it. Others will have moved to other cruise lines. Finally, there will be a lot of new NCL cruisers that want to experience what I believe will be an improvement in food, service and cleanliness of the ships.

 

How do I know this? I really don't. Just seeing how things evolved when Regent was purchased and FDR began running it. I hate to admit it, but, on one change that was made, I was probably the biggest complainer on the Regent board. I did not threaten to leave -- I quietly went and tried another cruise line that was quite nice. For us though, Regent is the right fit -- warts and all. I've learned to ignore the couple of things that I don't like instead of dwelling on them. Now, Regent has been purchased yet again. This time I didn't go ballistic like I did last time. Instead, I'm sharing stories of changes with NCL customers. After all, we are sister cruise lines now - family! :)

Forgive me for discounting opinions, suggestions, and conjectures on reasons for recent policy changes when they come from people who do not sail NCL. It is more than a little off-putting to be told by people newly arrived here from the Oceana and Regent boards what is wrong with NCL and how much more we will enjoy it once FDR fixes it.

I have sailed multiple times on NCL. Long voyages , short voyages and in-between. Sailings with a noticeable number of kids and sailing with very few. Multiple ships. I don't believe there was a lot on NCL that needed fixing.

What I see is a new guy making changes just to put his stamp on it. It's a very common occurrence in corporate America. Every new manager thinks he has a mandate to change things up. Most of the time they don't screw it up entirely. But sometimes they do. Usually, there were reasons why things were done a certain way. Those reasons are easy to gloss over and ignore by the new guy with his "fresh" ideas. Sometimes, the jigsaw puzzle that led to the "old" policies begins to break apart when some of the pieces are removed. That's what's happening here. Change one policy (like room service) and it affects something else (increased demand for take-out orders from O'Sheehan's). Crack down on that and low and behold those pesky passengers begin to increase what they are taking from the buffet. Try to stop that and the likes of Cruise Critic News and USA Today spread the word to a broader public. Try to contain the damage by stating that the reason for the no-take out policy is because their passengers have been a bunch of slobs - something that was completely a non-issue until now and that validation by the company that the ships are littered with plates of uneaten food - completely untrue in my experience - will deter even more people from making future bookings. All because FDR or Andy Stuart, I don't even know or care which, wanted $7.95 for room service.

Sadly, that's true.

And maybe that was their thinking. The camel's nose under the tent approach.

Then the Hotel Director is going to have to explain to me why the menu doesn't mean what it plainly says.

And someone is going to have to explain the same thing to my credit card company when I dispute the charge, backed up with a copy of the receipt marked "not authorized for payment" and a copy of the menu with the terms & conditions plainly stated.

I have no idea why they decided to waive the $7.95 convenience fee for those orders. I just know they did. They can always change the policy of course. But they can't just charge me for something after the fact because they feel like it when I have followed their rules.

I can be stubborn that way.

The waiver of the $7.95 if an order contains a non-complimentary beverage was discussed at length a few weeks ago and then it just sort of went by the wayside. Rochelle_S is on a Jade cruise now. She said before she left she intended to place such an order and would report back.

I agree that the policy on the bottom of the menu is very clear. It does not say that orders for non-complimentary beverages only will have the fee waived. It says any order that contains a non-complimentary beverage will have the fee waived. I don't see how it could be interpreted any other way. If that's not what they intended they've had almost a month to correct it and haven't done so. And its not like this is some obscure policy that nobody has been paying attention to. It's not a loophole. It's the policy.

I have refrained from putting any comment on any of the numerous threads created about room service fees or other service changes at NCL for a couple of reasons.

 

 

1. I've read actual feedback from current (or recently returned) cruise customers (on affected ships) indicating that the "room service fee" does not affect taking food from the Garden Cafe (buffet area).
   
2. I don't personally use room service except on a limited basis or routinely take food out of the dining areas I visit. However, I will say that I do find the hallways of NCL ships to be some the most dish laden hallways I have ever seen while cruising on 4 different cruise lines.
   
3. I can appreciate that the cruise line has made an attempt at improving the issue of hallway mess/clutter, but feel that they missed the mark on how they thought this "change" would affect their customers (mostly because the lack of a formal announcement). I suspect that this is a "work in progress" since it only affects two ships currently (my understanding, correct me if I am wrong) and maybe this is why a "test" is being taken with no official notification that it is occurring.
   

 

Will any of the recent changes keep me from cruising with NCL? Not really.

 

As others have said (better than I can express), when I see that the value in my purchase and my level of enjoyment are not in alignment with what I have paid, then I can choose differently on future vacation plans.

 

For the record, I am not a cheerleader at NCL since most of my cruises are with Celebrity. I am not even a cheerleader at Celebrity. There are a few things I don't care for when I cruise on Celebrity ships, but again... timing, itinerary, pricing, incentives, and "perceived value" assist and guide my vacation planning. I see threads on the Celebrity boards all the time about how people say they are fed up and are leaving never to come back, but I also read where they come back and are often times apologetic for having left in the first place since the [insert name of cruise line] did not meet their hopes/expectations.

 

Having a "status" for frequent cruising (and the perks that come with it) can be a nice reason to want to rebook, but the dollars spent to get there have to be in alignment with my other important deciding factors along the way.

 

I wish everyone well on their future cruise endeavors. ;)

Nice post.

The $7.95 R/S fee went fleet-wide at the end of a two week trial on Getaway and Breakaway. That was about 2 weeks ago.

Despite that, the website FAQ still shows it's only on those two ships, and more importantly the main pages still list Room Service under complimentary dining. That's one reason why many, many people are confused. NCL's current printed information is misleading at best and fraudulent at worst in my opinion. If I am paying $7.95 for something it is not complimentary.

There are conflicting reports on people being able to take things from the buffet. I think that's due to non-communication from Corporate. Even staff isn't clear on what the policy is. I hate to be in the position of having to rely on non-enforcement or spotty enforcement of a policy. The policy itself is the problem.

I am a little surprised at your observation, as well as a few others that have said the same thing, that you have been bothered by dishes, etc. in the hallways. My experience has been different, I seldom see any and when I do it's only a few here and there. Maybe it has to do with the way hallways are laid out. I've only been on Jewel class ships. In any case, if there is an issue I think it could be solved by a combination of an information card in the cabin asking people not to put dishes in the hallway, a word from the steward when they notice it that they prefer dishes be left in the cabin for him/her to pick up, and more frequent hallway retrieval.

After reading as many posts regarding the new policies on NCL as I could, I am trying to understand what the passengers want. Let me know if I am correct.

 

1. Looking for lower prices - no fare increases

 

2. Unlimited room service calls 24/7

 

3. Have the ability to take food from any dining venue, eat them in the cabin, the balcony, by the pool or anywhere else they find a place to sit.

 

4. Leave remains of the food for someone else to pick up. If you eat in your cabin, you should be able to put the food/plates outside so you don't have to look at it.

 

5. Better communication from NCL about upcoming changes.

 

I agree with #5.

I've read a lot of posts too. I sure wouldn't have come up with that list by distilling what I have read.. Could you be more condescending?

But to answer, for myself only -

1. No, not looking for that.

2. Don't use it that way, but yes, R/S should be available 24/7, and until announced with notice should be complimentary as it is described in NCL literature and on the website.

3. Would I take food to the atrium lobby, to the library, to the show lounge, to the internet cafe? No, and I have never seen anyone do that. I do expect to take what I want to the privacy of my cabin to enjoy when I want though.

4. No, I don't expect that. I either return cups, plates, silverware to the buffet to be bussed along with other dinnerware already there or I stack it neatly for the room steward to remove. As for plates etc. in the hallways, I do see that occasionaly. I'll admit that until a few years ago I put some out there myself, because that's what the room steward instructed us to do. Only after reading comments on Cruise Critic did I realize how it's not a good idea and that's why we stopped.

5. Better? how about some? As far as I can tell the only people who know anything about a ban on taking food to your cabin are people on Cruise Critic. No notice for people reviewing the website preparing to book, no notice to booked passengers, no notice even to people already onboard that they can't take anything to their cabin. They only find out by being confronted when they attempt it. It's apparent that even onboard staff don't know what the policy is, judging from the inconsistency we see reported. So do I agree with #5. Yes I do. I don't think anyone breathing has a different opinion on that one. The question is, in the month since Andy Stewart admitted as much, why hasn't the situation changed?

After reading all the replies to all the food threads the last few days, I think I have a very simple solution to this new policy. It would be, in the infamous words of FDR, "give and take" for both corporate and pax.

 

Why not make this new policy to read "No PLATES of food may be taken from the dining rooms" and REQUIRE that all take away be properly boxed in disposable take away containers. It would eliminate the dirty dishes left all over and cut back greatly on spills. I would even go so far as to say I would be willing to help differ the added cost of the containers and added refuse by paying a "take away" fee (as long as it was something reasonable...say $2.95, certainly not $7.95). A take away fee would also dissuade everyone from just grabbing and carrying food around and leaving their dirty plates and keep it to the people who truly desire or need their food to be allowed in their rooms (we've read many stories over the past week of such people). I think a parent with a melting child would be willing to pay that fee and still enjoy their food. I think a person dealing with nauseau would pay that fee to still enjoy the remainder of their specialty food at a later time. Etc. Etc. I think this could be a simple solution that would allow corporate to still make money on this new policy, but allow for a satisfactory compromise with the passengers who are so upset for valid reasons over this new policy.

How about this for a policy: NO POLICY. NCL managed for many years without controlling guests' behavior, every other cruise line still does.

Salted nuts or "bar-mix" type salty snacks always go with us. Hard to find on the ship unless you're actually at the bar drinking, which we seldom do.

I have not responded to all the posts lately and have been trying to digest some of the changes. It will be a bit before this all shakes out and we have some firm answers. Our next cruise is in October and we will go despite the changes. I had not wanted to share any of this with my spouse as he laughs at my CC obsession. Last night I mentioned the no food from the buffet and he got upset and said " this is very important to our trip." Ordering room service is not the same as quick stop in the buffet to look at a much larger selection of items. And, we can get them quickly. Too often when you order room serivce something is forgotten, late, cold etc.

 

I started to think about the domino effect IF this is strictly enforced. We are in suites 50% of the time but still do this for ourselves. No need to bother the butler for a cookie.

 

 

1) We would not need a balcony any longer as we would lose our time out there having a snack an enjoying the view.

 

2) We have to all get up earlier and fight the larger crowds at the buffet for breakfast. Often there are not enough seats now so what is to happen in the future.

 

3) If we left NCL we would take a steady group of followers with us. We always end up with other cabins of friends or family when we cruise. As well as always talking about NCL has encouraged others to try the line. If I choose another vacation venue may will follow.

 

4) We would probably not cruise anymore or rarely as I am the instigator of vacations and have felt loyal to the NCL product. Don't know if I am ready to start a new relationship with a cruise line. We just love the staff on NCL and hate to think they are going to be constantly abused by upset guests.

 

5) I am still wondering why the suite gratuity is different. It still does not cover the butler and concierge tips. We pay more in the initial rate so why pay a larger DSC? We will pay and continue to tip extra but how is it rationalized?

 

I will study this forum and listen to all sides. Will decide in October for ourselves how our vacation experience is effected.

I completely understand. The recent changes put a bad taste in my mouth as well. Like you, we book suites sometimes, mini-suites other times. Our only NCL cruise currently booked is in a suite and is a long ways out so we will wait a bit before deciding whether or not to cancel. If it was not a suite we would cancel for sure, and as things stand now if we don't actually cancel it will likely be our last NCL cruise.

I urge you to re-think giving up cruising though. Whole lotta choices out there. We've enjoyed our NCL cruises but we have sailed multiple times on three other lines besides NCL and have enjoyed them all too. That's one reason I'm not at all reluctant to just move on from NCL. They've dramatically changed things that matter to us and did it in a way that people had no choice but to sail anyway or lose their cruise fare. I will not be put in that position. I'm not going to rely on non-enforcement or spotty enforcement of a policy. Having an objectionable policy in place is not something I'm willing to live with. Too easy to just move on.

self-censored

The price has nothing to do with my situation. I like to take food from the buffet in the mornings to DW, and have done it for years and over 40 cruises on NCL without spilling anything on the floor.

Same here. Cost has nothing at all to do with my dissatisfaction. I almost never order from room service. The selection is too limited, I don't trust them to fill the order properly anyway, and I hate having to wait for an indeterminate time for them to deliver. When we want something, I just go get it myself. And I don't believe I've ever spilled anything in 20 cruises.

If the goal as stated in the message from Andy Stuart is "everything we are doing is to increase our guest satisfaction and repeat rate", then at least with me, these changes are a massive fail.

While it may seem encouraging to see that some people are being treated reasonably on the ships, there have also been several reports of direct conversations with people at corporate who insist that there is a new policy that says passengers are not permitted to take food from restaurants, including the buffet with one exception - eating it on the pool deck.

All this shows is that the ships don't know what the heck is going on either. They are as confused as we are, and based on their previous training they are trying to make decisions on the fly that make sense and lead to customer satisfaction.

Either the ships will be brought into line with the policy or the policy must change. The ships cannot be allowed to simply ignore it.

From the FAQ:

What can't I bring onboard?

Passenger is not allowed to bring on board the vessel any intoxicating liquors/beverages*, firearms, weapons of any kind, ammunition, explosive substances or any goods of a dangerous nature, nor animals of any kind, except service or guide animals, provided the passenger notifies Carrier prior to the cruise of his intention to bring such animal and agrees to take sole responsibility for any expense, damage, injuries or losses associated with or caused by such animal. *For more information read our FAQ "What about alcohol consumption and wine corkage?" Unsealed food items will not be allowed onboard.

Make sure your items are in sealed packages and you should be OK.

So this policy had me quite mad as it is very interesting they implement a room service charge and then they make a policy you can not take food back to your room from the buffet. Allegedly.

 

So, I decided to call casino reservations as that is who i normally use. I asked the following question. I just read on cruise critic that NCL has a new policy that no food from the buffet is aloud to be taken back to the room. Is that true? She said hold and let me check. She came back and said that it was partially correct. She said that NO HOT FOOD would be aloud to be taken out of the dining venue but snacks such as fruits etc would.

 

I express my displeasure especially with the new room service charge. She said she was sorry to hear that and was there anything else she could help me with.

Great. I can wait for it to cool down. I don't suppose she mentioned the maximum temperature that a food item can have and be permissable to take out. And I guess juice will be OK, but not coffee?

Why would it make you sick? Do you have a fridge in your room? Not all rooms have refrigerators. By total numbers, more rooms are without them. Whether you agree or not, here is some info. First, your food arrives at the table for you to eat. If it arrives fresh and hot, you can start your stopwatch there. If you are like us, we take our time eating while on vacation, an hour is typical for us. Then, another 5-10 minutes to get it to the room. If you don't have a fridge, will you eat it then? Probably not, otherwise you would have eaten it at the table, not taken it back for consumption 5-10 minutes later. According to the USDA, you would now only have 45 minutes to safely eat it.

 

 

 

From the USDA.gov website:

 

Leftovers

•Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours—1 hour if the temperature was above 90 °F (32.2 ºC).

•Place food into shallow containers and immediately put in the refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling.

•Use cooked leftovers within 4 days.

•Reheat leftovers to 165 °F (73.9 °C).

 

Source:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/basics-for-handling-food-safely/ct_index

That seems like a lot of rules for a piece of cake