Is it true that the bubbly welcome is not offered now on cruises?

[cacj]

When we took our POA cruise in December 2009 we were greeted with the bubbly welcome...which we really enjoy as a nice way to say "hello", "welcome aboard" and it also makes us instantly relax.

 

Now I have read that they have eliminated this....is it so? Too bad if they have removed this ritual.

[lambs2]

We had a "bubbly" welcome on our 12/6 Star Panama Canal cruise.

[SeaShark]

When we took our POA cruise in December 2009 we were greeted with the bubbly welcome...which we really enjoy as a nice way to say "hello", "welcome aboard" and it also makes us instantly relax.

 

Now I have read that they have eliminated this....is it so? Too bad if they have removed this ritual.

 

Where did you read this?

 

Who made this statement?

 

What did they say when you asked if it was true?

 

 

So many confusing questions....:confused:

[johnql]

Where did you read this?

 

Who made this statement?

 

What did they say when you asked if it was true?

 

 

So many confusing questions....:confused:

Uneamie just reported this on her "Live from the Gem" thread.

[lalapodip]

Uneamie just reported this on her "Live from the Gem" thread.

Yes, this is a bummer...

[cacj]

Uneamie just reported this on her "Live from the Gem" thread.

 

 

Yes, I believe that this is the thread that I read about it at first.

[Partyatsea]

We did get the bubbly embarkation on the Pearl 12/4 out of Miami but not on the Gem ctn 1/2 out of NY. Was kinda a let down as we were looking forward to it after waiting to board.

[KandJCruising]

I can't speak for all the ships, but we did a Dawn Christmas cruise and it was still offered.

[alwayssingin]

It was offered on the Dawn 12/4 cruise.

[SeaShark]

:o Woe is me....

 

Still confused...

 

 

Let me see if I have this straight.

 

Someone has said in a thread that there is no welcome aboard drinks. Someone else has started a new thread to ask if what the first poster said was true.

 

Is that correct? :confused:

 

 

Wouldn't it have been easier to just ask the original person who made the claim for verification? Seems confusing having all these posts to discuss the same topic.

[sjnyc323]

I heard as of Jan 2010 bubbly gone and free cappucino / espresso in dining room gone. If you want it you must now pay for it.

[BIG_Steve]

:o Woe is me....

 

Still confused...

 

 

Let me see if I have this straight.

 

Someone has said in a thread that there is no welcome aboard drinks. Someone else has started a new thread to ask if what the first poster said was true.

 

Is that correct? :confused:

 

 

Wouldn't it have been easier to just ask the original person who made the claim for verification? Seems confusing having all these posts to discuss the same topic.

 

Obviously, the OP wanted to know if anyone else had heard this.

[jp2001]

The bubbly welcome-aboard was the only improvement that came from Freestyle 2.0, IMHO.

 

And now they don't have it anymore.

 

I'm going on my next cruise (next week - YOOHOO) open minded but this cruise will make it or break it because NCL used to be such a great cruiseline and they cut back on so many things that I am reconsidering.

[sjbdtz]

The bubbly welcome-aboard was the only improvement that came from Freestyle 2.0, IMHO.

 

And now they don't have it anymore.

 

I'm going on my next cruise (next week - YOOHOO) open minded but this cruise will make it or break it because NCL used to be such a great cruiseline and they cut back on so many things that I am reconsidering.

 

 

You are reconsidering cruising?

 

Truly, the biggest improvement from FS2.0 was the bedding. A free glass of $0.50 / bottle sparkling wine (worth about $0.07) is not that big a deal to me.

 

But I've heard :rolleyes: that the other cruiselines are cutting back too.... so where would you go?

[Twinsfan5]

Can anyone from a recent Pearl cruise confirm if there is no longer free cappucino? That was a great treat.

[familyof4cruising]

The thread I read this was the "ONE NIGHT" on the Gem. Which is understandable.

[redgrave]

no bubbly on one nighter on the Gem!!

[jp2001]

You are reconsidering cruising?

 

Truly, the biggest improvement from FS2.0 was the bedding. A free glass of $0.50 / bottle sparkling wine (worth about $0.07) is not that big a deal to me.

 

But I've heard :rolleyes: that the other cruiselines are cutting back too.... so where would you go?

 

The bedding is good too but the other bedding was nice when new too (I sailed the Dawn when it was less than a year old and it was the most comfy bed I had ever slept in) and they were at a point they had to change it and they made a big thing out of it but IMHO they had to do it anyway.

 

I know it's cheap bubbly so why cut it (and the coffee) down if it makes people a little happy?

 

I am reconsidering cruising on mass-market line, yes. I have been a big fan of NCL for years (and I still am a fan but starting to find they go too far). NCL was much better a few years back. There are other types of travel I might like to do (more trips with the RV, the ATVs or off-road bikes, land vacation in more exotic places) and because I like to cruise, I may do a Cunard cruise once in a while (but the formal atmosphere is great but I wouldn't want all my vacation in this atmosphere either).

 

They say money talks. What else can I do than stop buying a product that isn't to my liking anymore? Yes, I can complain here but NCL won't get the point unless people stop buying the product.

[jp2001]

The thread I read this was the "ONE NIGHT" on the Gem. Which is understandable.

 

I read they didn't have it on the Jan 3rd (10 night) cruise.

[AdoptAtty]

It was a nice touch... if it is an important start to your cruise why not go to a nice bar on ship and purchase a glass or order a bottle for your cabin or bring a bottle with? I realize this involves YOU paying for it, as opposed to it being included in your cruise price, but if it starts things off for you they way you would like, why not? It would take more than missing a free glass of inexpensive champagne or sparkling wine for me not to cruise NCL again... but that is something everyone has to decide for themselves.

[Fishbait17]

I don't remember seeing the "bubbly welcome" on the Jade two weeks ago, but then we were so excited about surprising our daughters with the Garden Villa that I never even thought to look!

 

Robin

[sparks1093]

I am more concerned with losing the free cappuchino than the bubbly but still NCL offers the itinerary I want with a price that can't be beat so I'll put up with it. (And I have no idea what NCL was like years ago and maybe that is what they are doing, trying to attract new customers that don't know the difference.)

[Seanote]

It was a nice touch... if it is an important start to your cruise why not go to a nice bar on ship and purchase a glass or order a bottle for your cabin or bring a bottle with? I realize this involves YOU paying for it, as opposed to it being included in your cruise price, but if it starts things off for you they way you would like, why not? It would take more than missing a free glass of inexpensive champagne or sparkling wine for me not to cruise NCL again... but that is something everyone has to decide for themselves.

 

I completely concur. Purchasing our own glass of bubbly is what we plan to do on our next NCL cruise. However, I think that some people (myself included) are a bit peeved that one-by-one, the Freestyle 2.0 concepts are being taken away.

Remember the original announcement? http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2325

NCL was once an innovator in the industry providing entirely new “Freestyle” concepts. Indeed, the concepts were such a hit in the cruising industry that they are now copied by all the major lines. Then 2.0 came out providing small “extra touches” that made NCL stand apart from their mainstream competition.

What is next? If NCL could find it economically feasible, would they pull out all the Bliss bedding and put the old mattresses back?

[jp2001]

It was a nice touch... if it is an important start to your cruise why not go to a nice bar on ship and purchase a glass or order a bottle for your cabin or bring a bottle with? I realize this involves YOU paying for it, as opposed to it being included in your cruise price, but if it starts things off for you they way you would like, why not? It would take more than missing a free glass of inexpensive champagne or sparkling wine for me not to cruise NCL again... but that is something everyone has to decide for themselves.

 

Of course it is not only about the bubbly, it is about everything that changed since I started to cruise with NCL in 2003. Here is a list of things that I remember changing (there are probably more) :

 

Changes that I liked:

- Giving a glass of free bubbly upon embarkation (nice touch they had for one of my cruises)

- Changing to Pepsi products (personal taste)

 

Changes that I didn’t like:

- 2 included dining venues now charge a 10$pp cover charge (Tex-Mex and Italian Restaurants)

- Charge went up for a few restaurants (Cagney’s, Asian, Teppenyaki – the latter from 10-15$ to 25$)

(The restaurant changes also make it for longer wait for main dining rooms some nights)

- Less included activities (no more bridge program, less general interest lectures) but much more activities geared toward spending money (I wouldn’t mind more activities for a fee if they would NOT have dropped some free ones and geared almost all lectures towards spending money. Port lectures were interesting before but now it’s just a port SHOPPING lecture. They used to have free sushi making demo, now it’s a sake and sushi making and tasting but you have to pay).

- Spa is now for a charge (this area of the Dawn used to be free access)

- Revision of the Latitudes program meaning more cruises to achieve next level are needed

- More announcements regarding money-making products at various events (lottery tickets, bingo, etc.)

- Removal of free bubbly upon embarkation and free cappuccino in MDR.

 

Also, on another note, on my first cruise my room was kept very clean at all times and unfortunately it was not the case on two of my last cruises (on my last cruise in November it was so bad when I entered the room that I called the reception desk – definitely not vacuumed since there were candy papers at a few places, dirty balcony, mold in the bathroom, cabin not dusted in weeks not kidding at least 2-3mm of dust on the TV and shelves, sticky stuff on the telephone, stained or dirty sheets). I’ll see next cruise if it’s the same or if I just got unlucky for 2 of my 4 cruises or if it really getting worse (I heard but cannot confirm, that the steward now have more rooms to clean than they used to).

 

Anyway, I know I sound like such a complainer but I swear that I am going on every cruise with the best attitude and I have only realistic expectations.

[time2cruise1]

. I have been a big fan of NCL for years (and I still am a fan but starting to find they go too far). NCL was much better a few years back. .

 

How quickly we forget. A few years back there was no bubbly welcome. In fact many of us will remember the pre 2.0 cut backs. Do you remember what I like to call the oxtail menus. Gone was lamb. gone was steak, gone was beef wellington, gone was any lobster. If I looked I could find a link to the menues from that disasterous cost cutting effort.

Lattitudes was one level with no real benefits except the party onboard and 10% off internet.

All that said I expect some other changes to surface as all the lines fight a difficult economy and rising oil prices. I am happy to pay for my welcome aboard drink and espresso rather then seeing that $7 per day fuel surcharge which they could of activated $30 a barrel ago :eek: As soon as the first line blinks and brings this back we may well see it again on all the MM lines.