luv2kroooz

It depends. If you are comparing the per person per day market price, NCL leads the way at $109 per person per day plus a 20% gratuity. I think Celebrity is also $109. If you are looking to bundle, it gets more complicated. RCL doesn't bundle so yes, very expensive compared to NCL. Your best bundle deals are probably going to be MSC which does not charge gratuities on their all in and includes bottled water, sparkling water, specialty coffee. Also, if you can get a VIFP offer from Carnival that includes cheers on us, it also includes the gratuities and a wider selection of choices....milkshakes, coffees, water, drinks up to $20. NCL can be a decent value but you have to figure in the $21.80 per person per day charge and also understand that you don't get unlimited water, specialty coffees, and you'll need to pay more for a decent glass of wine and some spirits. In the end, I think it depends on what you are looking for in a drink package.

NCL wants customers that couldn't care less about what something costs and for good reason. Think this through..... You get a meal included with your base fare which you presumably don't eat when you go to a specialty restaurant, then you pay an additional fee for the privilege to eat at the specialty restaurant, and then you pay a third fee or upcharge when you get to the restaurant. It is fee on top of fee on top of fee for just one meal....not to mention the service charge you paid for the meal you didn't eat in the dining room plus the service charge on your specialty restaurant meal and then the third service charge on the upcharged entree or side. Yikes... This is definitely the customer that Frank wants though....yes, he is calling the shots for NCL, not Harry. Every time I see him in CNBC, he speaks in the first person....My ships, My crew, etc. He wants people with "fresh wallets" ready, able and willing to spend. Time will tell if there are enough people that will buy in to his stated strategy. Happy cruising.

Agree totally. Cruises were always marketed as great value, with included meals, lodging, and the opportunity to see the world. We have cruised from Hawaii to Europe to multiple transatlantic crossings. It is too sad to read and hear about the modern day cruise experience. I am so happy that we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity pre Corona to see places by cruise ship at tremendous value.

LOL!....we "recently committed to pursuing net zero greenhouse gas emissions across our operations and value chain by 2050." so we are changing your itinerary 27 years before 2050. Who writes this stuff over at NCL?

As a backup, take your documents with you. A few years ago, we ended up booking a last minute back to back cruise while onboard for week 1. Either cruise next or guest services (I can't remember which one) worked directly with Miami on our behalf to get the OBC applied for Week 2. If you get onboard and don't have you credit, maybe guest services can reach out to Miami to get your credit posted. Good luck!!

Yes, I remember that. It was San Juan on the Eastern run and Cozumel til midnight on the Western run. We had some crazy, amazing fun late nights in port and then it was back on board for the deck party at midnight. Those were fun times for sure!!

Just when I thought I had seen it all.....shouldn't they be optimizing their carbon footprint on itineraries that have not yet been marketed to the general public? It is the classic example of booking X and getting something less. With the masses lining up to get off the vessel in San Juan at 4pm and an all aboard time of now 9pm, this is effectively a busted port call. 4-1000 wasn't terribly generous, but 4-9 is a quick walk around Old San Juan. Too bad.

All cruise lines are experiencing severe financial strain due to significant debt acquired during and post COVID. Additionally, the public demand for cruising has not yet returned to pre COVID. Cruise lines are reacting by cutting services, entertainment, workforce, and other costs while intentionally raising fees for internet, beverage packages, daily service charges. It is across the board service cuts and material fee increases on a weekly basis by every cruise line. We have zero cruises booked on any cruise line since the overall fares charged are no longer justified by the vacation delivered, in our opinion. We are not against paying more if more is delivered in the experience. Right now, the environment is pay more, get less. Pay more for internet, get crappy speeds; pay more for beverage packages, get less selection; pay more for service charges, get less service; pay more for specialty dining, get fewer meals. NCL makes so many changes to itineraries and onboard product offering that we don't even know what we are booking anymore.

Yes, Crown is showing as included on NCLs website and flyer dated 12.23.22. https://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/beverage-packages

Congratulations. Nice upgrade for a nice price!! Enjoy your cruise.

I think it is probably good advice. No one on here is going to be able to predict what may be available on board your sailing. There are lots of threads here about the availability of the premium plus branded liquors. Sometimes they are available, other times they are not and disruption to the supply chain is attributed to the shortage. You will be limited to what is currently in stock, onboard the ship. I believe you can delay purchasing your upgrade until you are onboard and have an opportunity to clearly understand exactly what is available and what you are paying for? Norwegian is changing the rules over and again with multiple revisions per month. Seems wrong to pay for premium only to find out something less than premium is available.

NCL ships have historically repositioned to Alaska, Europe, Mediterranean during summer months. Summer months is low season, hurricane season in the Caribbean.

Anything up in the garden cafe Vitality dispensers is included, such as orange and apple juice from concentrate. Any juices that might be available at a bar that could be used for a mixed drink - for example, cranberry juice, tomato juice, grapefruit juice. etc. You are correct that it does include any fresh squeezed juices.

We have followed your advice!! Thanks for giving us that option. I didn't use the words anger, never, or drama to describe my state of mind. Did you? Happy New Year!!

All ashore is usually sometime between 930 and 1030. I think you booked the correct flight. If one thing goes wrong such as weather, man overboard, medical emergency, crash on I95, etc., You could be delayed and miss your flight. Why add unnecessary stress to your life for a couple of hours? You have a much greater opportunity to make a 240 flight out of FLL. If all goes as planned, have a leisurely morning onboard while others line up as early as 630 to be the first off the ship. Then, at 1000, when all ashore is called, walk off casually, without stress and long lines.

Thank you for sharing your opinions about my post, Joebucks. Happy New Year.

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Sorry to hear about this. Vista class ships continue to be hit with these types of issues.

They'll probably charge $1 per person per day plus a 20% service charge if you want to select AM and PM. Otherwise, they'll just pick it for you based on staff availability. They may eventually offer a premium plus turndown service for $2 per person per day plus a 20% service charge if you want AM and PM service. But read the fine print, which will state that turndown service is not guaranteed and they have the right to change, alter, or remove the program at any time without notice or reimbursement.

From the fine print attached, if you have the plus package, you get a 40% discount off the list price but you pay on a per drink basis. So, yes, they are now charging per drink for things that used to be included in the plus package. See attachment from 12-9-22. NCL is changing their experiences by the day. I am not a travel agent, but even travel agents are having difficulty understanding the constant evolution of the brand. Beverage_Packages_12092022.pdf

Good point. They could just copy Christine Duffy over at Carnival when they made cutbacks..... "We have all experienced the impact of inflation, higher fuel prices and supply chain challenges. The food supply chain challenges have been further complicated by global politics and a myriad of laws regarding how we source products and how crops and animals are farmed and handled.” “At Carnival, we have worked very hard to minimize the impact on our guests, committed to our promise to make Carnival the most memorable, fun, and best value vacation option on land or at sea. We have reached a point with our food costs, however, where we must take some modest but specific actions, which we know most of you have done yourselves, whether with your dining out patterns or shopping to stock the refrigerator or pantry.”

We are here in the US Midwest, right on one of the Great Lakes.

Yes, Mr Del Rio appears to be a consummate micro-manager, fine tuning every detail over and again in order to maximize revenue. All cruise lines are experiencing changes and revisions to the product, but we don't see the ongoing, recurring changes and revisions on other cruise lines.

Expect nothing from NCL but a response via email thanking you for choosing them, they value you, they've read your complaint, they will do nothing to help, but hope to see you again onboard We resolve all issues on onboard before departing the ship.

Educate yourselves! There are so many great vacations out there right now outside of the cruise space. I am typing this from a land based resort where we just spent three nights. Live entertainment every night including comedy, dealing pianos, singers. Christmas decorations everywhere. Indoor pool and hot tubs. No surcharges, surcharges, etc. It is wonderful and compares very favorably from a pricing perspective. We have enjoyed cruising in the past. I can't see us booking a cruise on any cruise ship in the near term. Someone else will have to subsidize their COVID losses. It ain't going to be us.