Looks like the welcome aboad champagne will be offered

[martinchem]

I was just on Norwegian site, ncl.com, when I hit "Already booked" it has a link "Boarding the ship in a breeze". Says "you'll be sipping bubbly before you know it", click on it to see a video telling you what to expect on embarkment, note "the last thing you got to do is get your bubbly and start your freestyle vacation" (shows receiving a glass of champagne walking onto the ship). I guess that the bubbly is still offered or they would have pulled this clip.

[mbisson]

What it doesn't show is the waiter handing the customers key card back to them with the charge slip to sign for the bubbly ;)

[yoyocruiser]

I was on the Jewel last week and there was no bubbly. I wrote a complaint to the desk. I received a very nice call explaining that the bubbly was discontinued as of January 1. When I expressed my disappointment I was told that the research showed that this feature scored the lowest in terms of how it influenced people's opinion of NCL.

 

While I am still not toally convinced that the coffee pots are all going, I know for fact that the bubbly is gone. For the moment. We have turned things around before!

 

yoyocruiser

[Maryfrei]

Could be that they just haven't updated that video off of the website yet!

[pmd98052]

Could be that they just haven't updated that video off of the website yet!

 

False advertising? Sure not?!

[LOWTYD]

Could be that they just haven't updated that video off of the website yet!

 

 

That would be my guess too!

[garycarla]

I was just on Norwegian site, ncl.com... I guess that the bubbly is still offered or they would have pulled this clip.

 

One would think that even the most novice management team with just a little bit of smarts and even less logic would remove outdated information, but not so much in so many corporations today.

 

I know when I ran a good size operation with internal and external communications, this would have been removed within hours of the decision. Just part of good business. But alas, taking responsibilty and the time to think are not required so much anymore.

[bakerintn]

The NCL website appears to be seldom up to date. Probably no one person knows what all is on the site, so when a change in policy happens, there is not an easy way of rippling that effect through the site. My guess is that the website is a marketing department function and the changes are driven by the bean counters, and those two groups hardly ever see eye-to-eye in any business organization.

 

NCL is covered by their passenger contract the lets them out of "errors and ommissions" in their marketing materials.

[kaj1436]

The NCL website appears to be seldom up to date. Probably no one person knows what all is on the site, so when a change in policy happens, there is not an easy way of rippling that effect through the site. My guess is that the website is a marketing department function and the changes are driven by the bean counters, and those two groups hardly ever see eye-to-eye in any business organization.

 

NCL is covered by their passenger contract the lets them out of "errors and ommissions" in their marketing materials.

Yes, but they did just update their website so you think they would have done this ammendment at the same time. It's poor management and marketing as far as I'm concerned. Just one more reason why NCL can't gain any market positon within the cruise industry.

[mbisson]

I just watched the video and I still don't see anywhere that it says that glass of bubbly is free..I probably just missed it though

[uneamie]

Well...I love NCL but they are sometimes not "on top" of things as they should be with things like this.

 

Just off the Gem......the "debarkation" announcement on the TV told passengers that debarkation would begin at 8:15 AM. Hmm....the written announcement delivered the day before said 10:15 AM. We thought perhaps we were getting into port sooner than expected and off the ship sooner as well and figured they changed the time. That said, I was not taking any chances......who wants to rise and shine earlier then they have to? So I, as well as many other guest went to guest services desk to inquire. Low an behold...they were totally unaware of the TV announcement and said that time was wrong. They "eventually" fixed the time on the TV. I sometimes think that "one hand does not know with the other hand is doing". Someone goofed and no one noticed it. Oh well....such is life. ;)

[roger001]

While I am still not toally convinced that the coffee pots are all going, I know for fact that the bubbly is gone. For the moment. We have turned things around before!

 

yoyocruiser

 

I received an email from NCL's precurise dept several days ago. It said that for our March cruise on the Spirit, coffee makers would remain in balcony or above rooms.

[uneamie]

I received an email from NCL's precurise dept several days ago. It said that for our March cruise on the Spirit, coffee makers would remain in balcony or above rooms.

 

Hmm... not that we ever intend to book an inside, window or porthole room....I can't handle the claustrophobic feeling I got in our first cruise in one of them, but I personally think this is a real "turn off". Even a cheap motel has a coffee maker. I mean if they want to really save money then "leave the coffee maker" and eliminate the "coffee".....at least people would have the option of bringing their own and have the coffee maker there to use.

 

This stinks...totally! :(

 

Please don't give me that crap about .......there were no coffee makers "in the old days", cause there were non in cheap motels either. It's 2010!

[zimmerjulie]

What it doesn't show is the waiter handing the customers key card back to them with the charge slip to sign for the bubbly ;)

 

That's what I was thinking!

[mbisson]

That's what I was thinking!

 

Hey Julie-when & which ship is your next sailing?

[roger001]

Hmm... not that we ever intend to book an inside, window or porthole room....I can't handle the claustrophobic feeling I got in our first cruise in one of them, but I personally think this is a real "turn off". Even a cheap motel has a coffee maker. I mean if they want to really save money then "leave the coffee maker" and eliminate the "coffee".....at least people would have the option of bringing their own and have the coffee maker there to use.

 

This stinks...totally! :(

 

Please don't give me that crap about .......there were no coffee makers "in the old days", cause there were non in cheap motels either. It's 2010!

 

I gotta have the coffee. That's why I emailed them. I said I need to know for sure because I was bringing my own coffee maker with me otherwise. And....I agree with you.

[zimmerjulie]

Hey Julie-when & which ship is your next sailing?

 

March 27, 2010 Star Mexican Riviera. I started a thread about it, I'm so excited! Can you go?

 

I intend to have a bubbly welcome, if it means my first stop is the atrium bar and I have to pay for it! :D Or maybe a pina colada welcome!

[terrymtex01]

Hmm... not that we ever intend to book an inside, window or porthole room....I can't handle the claustrophobic feeling I got in our first cruise in one of them, but I personally think this is a real "turn off". Even a cheap motel has a coffee maker. I mean if they want to really save money then "leave the coffee maker" and eliminate the "coffee".....at least people would have the option of bringing their own and have the coffee maker there to use.

 

This stinks...totally! :(

 

Please don't give me that crap about .......there were no coffee makers "in the old days", cause there were non in cheap motels either. It's 2010!

 

I have got to tell you I drink coffee from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed so I am a coffee lover.. And not a coffee snob either. I like pretty much any coffee you can make. However I don't know if you have ever had the coffee using the coffee makers NCL used to have.. the mini mr. coffee kind of coffee maker, but it was GROSS to me.. I couldn't even drink it. In fact when NCL first upgraded the coffee makers in the suites to the one that grinds the coffee fresh as you make your cup of coffee I didn't care for it either. On the Dawn this past Nov they had the coffee maker in the suite that uses the little "pods" of coffee. That was GOOD. Like I drank more coffee than normal, which is saying a lot for me.. LOL. If NCL get's rid of those coffee makers I will cry. Otherwise, just for me, the little mr. coffee ones and the ones that grind the coffee fresh were just taking up space. I know to each his/her own, just saying. It's like the bubbly welcome.. we won't miss it at all since we really do not drink champagne that often. For others, it's a big deal. It's one of those things that I really wish NCL would leave in place as I know for those it's a big deal for they will really miss it and even if NCL found it to be rated low as far as brand loyalty, how much could it have cost to make those that enjoyed it happy?

[MrLee]

I have got to tell you I drink coffee from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed so I am a coffee lover.. And not a coffee snob either. I like pretty much any coffee you can make. However I don't know if you have ever had the coffee using the coffee makers NCL used to have.. the mini mr. coffee kind of coffee maker, but it was GROSS to me.. I couldn't even drink it. In fact when NCL first upgraded the coffee makers in the suites to the one that grinds the coffee fresh as you make your cup of coffee I didn't care for it either. On the Dawn this past Nov they had the coffee maker in the suite that uses the little "pods" of coffee. That was GOOD. Like I drank more coffee than normal, which is saying a lot for me.. LOL. If NCL get's rid of those coffee makers I will cry. Otherwise, just for me, the little mr. coffee ones and the ones that grind the coffee fresh were just taking up space. I know to each his/her own, just saying. It's like the bubbly welcome.. we won't miss it at all since we really do not drink champagne that often. For others, it's a big deal. It's one of those things that I really wish NCL would leave in place as I know for those it's a big deal for they will really miss it and even if NCL found it to be rated low as far as brand loyalty, how much could it have cost to make those that enjoyed it happy?

 

It appears that they are letting the bean counters run the show. Passenger satisfaction (and loyalty) are no longer a consideration. :(

[fin]

It appears that they are letting the bean counters run the show. Passenger satisfaction (and loyalty) are no longer a consideration. :(

 

While I agree with this, I suspect it is a tightrope they are walking on VERY carefully. I seem to remember within the past year, they made a change which created SUCH an uproar that they reversed themselves fairly rapidly. Obviously they do not want to deliberately alienate repeat customers, so they seem to be pushing the envelope a bit at a time to see how far they can go before the latitudes folks say Sayanora.

 

A far bigger concern to them, imo, should be their website. Despite repeated so-called improvements, I consider it to be an amateurish, farcical disgrace in a day when truck drivers and people answering customer support lines have FAR FAR more impressive and effective websites. As I have said before, if they had an attractive, well designed and well maintained website, many of the problems with the folks answering the telephone would disappear.

[Blackwolf.]

My wife and I both enjoy our coffee as well as just about anybody else. But I don't feel the coffee makers in the room are that big of a deal. We can call room service and have a full Carafe delivered in less time then it takes to brew a pot ourselves. In room brewers can be handy from time to time, but we wouldn't miss them in the overall cruise experience.

 

We really won't miss the "bubbly" welcome either. But I admit it was a nice touch that helped signified the beginning of your much anticipated cruise vacation.

 

Always looking forward to the next one! :cool:

[smeyer418]

what you see on the website has little relationship to reality. It took 6 months for them to remove the VIP service from the gold and plat latitudes listing. It the same difference between what the shoreside people tell you and what really happens on the ship. I would believe the reports from people who have been on the ship and the welcome champagne is gone.

[Oldsweets]

It surprises me that NCL is making business decisions like this and it is according to blogs they base it on customer feedback. We cruise NCL four and five times each year and not once has NCL asked us what we thought of the bubbly or anything else. We get more communications from Princess and Royal Caribean which we seldom travel with then what we do NCL. We do get the after cruise survey but it never gets into rating of benifits. We are booked for Pearl in Feb and Epic in Sept and looking for a June Cruise. Needless to say we see NCL slipping and we are now on the fence for who we will spend our cruise dollars with.

[BIG_Steve]

The NCL website appears to be seldom up to date. Probably no one person knows what all is on the site, so when a change in policy happens, there is not an easy way of rippling that effect through the site. My guess is that the website is a marketing department function and the changes are driven by the bean counters, and those two groups hardly ever see eye-to-eye in any business organization.

 

NCL is covered by their passenger contract the lets them out of "errors and ommissions" in their marketing materials.

 

Bullseye

 

And many companies are running at a skeleton staff now compared to a couple of years ago.

[MikeandAmy]

I was just on Norwegian site, ncl.com, when I hit "Already booked" it has a link "Boarding the ship in a breeze". Says "you'll be sipping bubbly before you know it", click on it to see a video telling you what to expect on embarkment, note "the last thing you got to do is get your bubbly and start your freestyle vacation" (shows receiving a glass of champagne walking onto the ship). I guess that the bubbly is still offered or they would have pulled this clip.

 

I just got off the Dawn yesterday and there was no bubbly...