Nickel & Whining....

[EileenN]

Hardly a day goes by without someone commenting about the changes in pricing regarding NCL cruises or the elimination of something they can't think of going on a cruise without.

It would seem to me that that message has been beaten to death and in these financially fragile times, it is not going away very soon. Perhaps cruising is still affordable on NCL to many of us because these cuts may have kept the prices in a reasonable range.

 

I come on these boards looking forward to learning new port experiences, tips on the best way to enjoy a cruise, humorous stories of your cruises (Thank you, Terry) and to meet new friends on the roll calls. i hope I may have been able to assist new cruisers with questions on their upcomming cruises and things to make it more convenient.

 

Regardless of the inconvenient changes, what would want to share about cruising on NCL that you may not have heard recently? Did someone offer you info that helped on your cruise? What makes you come back to these boards? What are you looking for that we an help you with or share our experiences?

 

Is it just me or have you had enough whining? If I am wrong, let it this post just pass on to the next page,....if not, join with your thoughts to enlighten us about your pleasures in crusing....

[Bamagal in FL]

I agree with you completely..... I enjoy cruising and being able to afford one is the best "perk" for me. DH and I are very easy going and casual but we like to be pampered and spoiled on occasion.

We'd rather pay for the things we use instead of a lot of stuff we don't. That makes ME more in control.

 

I have found very VALUABLE info on these boards but do take a lot of things "with a grain of salt" ;)

Like you, I hope some of my experiences and suggestions have been helpful to others.

 

Life is WAY too short to stress and COMPLAIN about "the little things". (Yes, I know what is little to ME may be a BIG deal to you). Just ask yourself, will getting upset about "no bubbly" REALLY make a DIFFERENCE in the grand scheme of things? It might make you happy for THAT MOMENT, but what makes you happy EVERY MINUTE of your life?

[CruisinMaterial]

I agree with you. I come here to be helpful to people on certain topics and also to obtain helpful information from my fellow cruisers on their private tour, transportation and hotel stay experiences. I appreciate that aspect very much.

 

Lately though, especially since the return of many new cruises since the start of the year this forum has gone mad with duplicate posts about changes. It's great to know that there have been changes and to inform your fellow passengers but this is just getting WAY out of hand. It was funny when someone posted comments about RCI doing the same thing with their a la carte type cruising on Oasis that is was promptly removed. All the other threads continue to thrive (a double standard IMHO). Either way, I agree with you OP that the time has come to move on the conversation and help out all the newbies to the world of cruising out there! :)

[mmarsh]

Hi Eileen - I'm sailing with you in April and I believe we are neighbors on the ship. I totally agree with everything you said. It's not often you see a thread raving about all the positive experiences with cruising, and I know there are many positives in my estimation. Rather, it seems people are only pointing out the little things lately. Why let these things ruin a cruise. I for one couldn't be happier with all my cruises on NCL.

[MrLee]

I don't disagree with you but those threads are usually pretty clearly labeled and you don't HAVE to read them. ;)

[Bamagal in FL]

I don't disagree with you but those threads are usually pretty clearly labeled and you don't HAVE to read them. ;)

 

 

I don't read them but when it is SAME "title" over and over and over and over........How MANY threads do we need labled "NICKLE AND DIMING", "NCL SERVICE GONE DOWN HILL", "NO EMBARKATION BUBBLY", and on and on?...If someone wants to add to the discussion or has relevent input, use the thread ALREADY started so I can sort thru to the things I DO want to read. I feel bad for the "newbies" trying to navigate thru all these threads..WHAT A MESS!!!

[EileenN]

Life is WAY too short to stress and COMPLAIN about "the little things". (Yes, I know what is little to ME may be a BIG deal to you). Just ask yourself, will getting upset about "no bubbly" REALLY make a DIFFERENCE in the grand scheme of things? It might make you happy for THAT MOMENT, but what makes you happy EVERY MINUTE of your life?

 

It makes me happy EVERY MINUTE to be with the people I love...on a cruise, at home, or almost anywhere!!!!

[EileenN]

Hi Eileen - I'm sailing with you in April and I believe we are neighbors on the ship. I totally agree with everything you said. It's not often you see a thread raving about all the positive experiences with cruising, and I know there are many positives in my estimation. Rather, it seems people are only pointing out the little things lately. Why let these things ruin a cruise. I for one couldn't be happier with all my cruises on NCL.

 

We should be able to share the positives of the repo in April in person. What a nice thing to look forward to . See you there!!

[EileenN]

I don't disagree with you but those threads are usually pretty clearly labeled and you don't HAVE to read them. ;)

 

Mr. Lee, You are clearly right and I stopped reading them. They are repeated as soon as the previous one clears the page. I hope people may realize more of the positive views and enjoy themselves more. Like most of us on the Nov dawn Repo. Awesome cruise.

However, I also agree with Bamagal about the newbies getting a very strong negative impression of cruising or NCL.

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

I think people have had a couple of rough years financially, either with no raises or worse - no job. Sometimes dwelling on negativity helps them realize that other people are losing things/benefits/comfort too - and may make them feel better. IMHO, the things that are "gone" such as candy on my pillow and cheap champagne at embarkation and discounted laundry services were items that used to be "included" but they are never the items I am paying for when I choose to cruise.

 

I'm looking for comfortable, clean accommodations, a few days of relaxation with beautiful scenery, the opportunity to unpack once and wake up in a new place every couple of days, hopefully nice weather, a friendly and helpful crew, decent food, a casino, nice people to share the experience with. Everything else, while "included", doesn't factor into my decision whether to cruise or not.

 

Crusing since 1989, we have never taken a cruise we didn't love. We will always look for new adventures and opportunities with ships and itineraries. Candy on my pillow at night is never going to be a deciding factor in which cruise line we choose.

[DMH15]

I don't disagree with you but those threads are usually pretty clearly labeled and you don't HAVE to read them. ;)

 

I guess the reason I do read them, is that a lot of new or somewhat new people to cruising OR NCL do... and I want to deliver the other side of the story. If all of those threads were just complaint after complaint, fueling the fire, egging each other on, they would be frightening to many a new reader. Those threads are peppered with various points of view. I see myself and others chime in and try to give another perspective.

[STARFISH*4]

i AGREE with ya and its not just CHANGEs in Cruising...its EVERYTHING...its the WORLD and TIMEs we are living in NOW and we better get USE to it and ACCEPT it and not DWELL so much on it...cos its HERE TO STAY-cut backs, down sizing, use to bes...CHANGES!!!

as long as i still can AFFORD to CRUISE i will....its still the MOST AFFORDABLE way to travel and see the world for hubby and me--would be DARN CHEAP if we didnt have to pay airfare.....oooopssss dont want to WHINE about that!!!

since i joined CC this is the MOST i have ever HUNG AROUND since last July and made it my DAILY STOP on the internet and with 10 months to go before i cruise again, i want to keep coming here and being apart of the CRUISEWORLD....a part of CC!!!

THANKS to EVERYONE for the VALUABLE info i have gathered here in the last 4 years!!

and i PROMISE to do a little less whining and more APPRECIATING to be ABLE to see the world in the BEST WAY possible.....CRUISING:)!!!

[MrPete]

Hardly a day goes by without someone commenting about the changes in pricing regarding NCL cruises or the elimination of something they can't think of going on a cruise without.

It would seem to me that that message has been beaten to death and in these financially fragile times, it is not going away very soon. Perhaps cruising is still affordable on NCL to many of us because these cuts may have kept the prices in a reasonable range.

 

I come on these boards looking forward to learning new port experiences, tips on the best way to enjoy a cruise, humorous stories of your cruises (Thank you, Terry) and to meet new friends on the roll calls. i hope I may have been able to assist new cruisers with questions on their upcomming cruises and things to make it more convenient.

 

Regardless of the inconvenient changes, what would want to share about cruising on NCL that you may not have heard recently? Did someone offer you info that helped on your cruise? What makes you come back to these boards? What are you looking for that we an help you with or share our experiences?

 

Is it just me or have you had enough whining? If I am wrong, let it this post just pass on to the next page,....if not, join with your thoughts to enlighten us about your pleasures in crusing....

 

I think it's easier if these posts offend, to just not open them. :confused: There's so many others to read and/or contribute to.

 

If someone is THRILLED, or someone is DISAPPOINTED, everyone has the right to air their story. Out of every cruise, there are those that absolutely LOVE IT, some are THRILLED about it, and I'm sure every cruise on EVERY line has someone who HATED it.

 

And if they find CC, we will read about it. But it's their right.

[DMH15]

I have come to CC and found a place where people understand that I am crazy about cruising. My one sister in law tried it once, and said NEVER again. Poor dear.

 

I love to hear other people's stories. They can be funny, enlightening, teaching and sometimes even warning. Hopefully, I can share some of my insight with others as well.

 

And lastly, I am one of those poeple who would rather cruise less often and in a suite. Just because it suits me. I travel with my mom and we really need our own space. And, it finally dawned on me when we travelled in an outside and a minisuite (both cruises we loved on NCL btw), that I was my mom's butler and concierge. If we travel in a suite, now we can both relax. So, where there might be a large gap between my cruises, (which are turning out to be about once a year - since I have discovered the 14 day cruises are wonderful), I get to cruise all the time vicariously through all of you. I love reading the reviews and the posts. I can almost imagine myself there. And I make notes, places to go and people to meet in the future, if possible.

 

Eileen, thanks for sparking this discussion. Happy cruising to all.

[RichNY]

I think it's easier if these posts offend, to just not open them. :confused: There's so many others to read and/or contribute to.

 

If someone is THRILLED, or someone is DISAPPOINTED, everyone has the right to air their story. Out of every cruise, there are those that absolutely LOVE IT, some are THRILLED about it, and I'm sure every cruise on EVERY line has someone who HATED it.

 

And if they find CC, we will read about it. But it's their right.

 

 

The real question is why should these posts become offensive ??

 

If someone has a bad cruise the have the right to say so just like the person who had a good experience..

 

If some of the rebuttal posters would post to the topic instead of the individual things would be a lot better..

 

Post become offensive because they become personal.

[yoyocruiser]

Thanks so much for posting this thread Eileen.

 

I suppose I weight in on this middle of this one. I do think it is fine to post about your concerns or problems. I do think that that information can be valuable. What gets difficult is, as someone above said, the prolific number of threads titled the same thing over and over that just get reworked nad reworked. Indeed you can ignore them, but I am with BMH15--I like to share a balanced perspective--particularly for new folks and people who are genuinely exploring NCL or a particular ship. And often these threads are NOT really about a concern or a problem that can be actually solved)--they are rather--an opportunity to just complain. . . on and on and on and on. . .

 

In the two months before we went on our last crusie I did not read any of those threads. I really did not want to be brought down.

 

That said, I totally appreciate when people request help solving an issue, or finding out (once--not three thousand times) that a service has changed or been discontinued (then I know better what to expect). I also find it interesting to discover that there are so many incredibly miserable and difficult to please people out there--and to find out the really weird things that seem to put them over the edge. But you know I LOVED one post about the nightly mints. This person realized how IMPORTANT the mints were to her--so she bought a box and had her husband put them on her pillow each night. Now that's being a proactive problem solver.

[EileenN]

The real question is why should these posts become offensive ??

 

If someone has a bad cruise the have the right to say so just like the person who had a good experience..

 

If some of the rebuttal posters would post to the topic instead of the individual things would be a lot better..

 

Post become offensive because they become personal.

As was said on the Nickel and Dime post recently,,"Here we go again"

No one is suggesting that folks should not post complaints about things that they find wrong during their cruise. The good and bad need to be aired as both a praise and a warning to future cruisers. No freedom of speech lecture needed here! I find the complaints repeated so often about bubbly, shower caps, mints on the pillow, laundry rooms being eliminated and cappacino machines (which were out of order more than not) to be redundant not OFFENSIVE. A little over the edge.

[newmexicoNita]

Thanks so much for posting this thread Eileen.

 

I suppose I weight in on this middle of this one. I do think it is fine to post about your concerns or problems. I do think that that information can be valuable. What gets difficult is, as someone above said, the prolific number of threads titled the same thing over and over that just get reworked nad reworked. Indeed you can ignore them, but I am with BMH15--I like to share a balanced perspective--particularly for new folks and people who are genuinely exploring NCL or a particular ship. And often these threads are NOT really about a concern or a problem that can be actually solved)--they are rather--an opportunity to just complain. . . on and on and on and on. . .

 

In the two months before we went on our last crusie I did not read any of those threads. I really did not want to be brought down.

 

That said, I totally appreciate when people request help solving an issue, or finding out (once--not three thousand times) that a service has changed or been discontinued (then I know better what to expect). I also find it interesting to discover that there are so many incredibly miserable and difficult to please people out there--and to find out the really weird things that seem to put them over the edge. But you know I LOVED one post about the nightly mints. This person realized how IMPORTANT the mints were to her--so she bought a box and had her husband put them on her pillow each night. Now that's being a proactive problem solver.

 

wish more people were that proactive...

 

Thanks eileen, there is too much whining going on for me. Sure we don't have to read the threads that down right off the wall, but I agree with DMH both sides of the story has to be told. The problem and we are all guilty of this to some degree, is not knowing when to just let it go...A dead horse is exactly that, DEAD

 

Nita

[MrPete]

The real question is why should these posts become offensive ??

 

If someone has a bad cruise the have the right to say so just like the person who had a good experience..

 

If some of the rebuttal posters would post to the topic instead of the individual things would be a lot better..

 

Post become offensive because they become personal.

 

Agreed.

 

I also find curious the statement above somewhere that states they feel bad for newbies, and I wonder, .........WHY? :confused: How does this affect "you"?

 

Or the post above that talks about threads that are "downright off the wall". If that was me and my post, I would be offended, posting about my opinion and findings. There's a better way of talking about an issue without this type of classification.

 

Just yesterday, I was looking up a resort land condo I had been to a number of years ago, found it, and found there was a place people could write a review. I personally loved this place, but two people had posted it was the worst place on earth, and three people found it was so great, they've been coming back often.

 

I didn't feel I needed to besmearch or challenge the two. It was their review, and that's what they thought of the place. And I didn't leave worried about what would happen if someone else came here and read these scathing reviews. Unless, of course, I owned the place!

[RichNY]

As was said on the Nickel and Dime post recently,,"Here we go again"

No one is suggesting that folks should not post complaints about things that they find wrong during their cruise. The good and bad need to be aired as both a praise and a warning to future cruisers. No freedom of speech lecture needed here! I find the complaints repeated so often about bubbly, shower caps, mints on the pillow, laundry rooms being eliminated and cappuccino machines (which were out of order more than not) to be redundant not OFFENSIVE. A little over the edge.

 

 

I agree with everything you are saying and no way do I think you are suggesting posters should not be able to complain..

 

You are right. There comes a time when enough is enough..

[madelinerose]

As was said on the Nickel and Dime post recently,,"Here we go again"

 

I read and reply to many boards. IMO, it seems 99% of posts are "here we go again". Redundancy is clearly obvious everywhere.

 

What is your solution for ending redundancy? ;)

[zekekelso]

Is it just me or have you had enough whining?

Ironic, no?

[FLAHAM]

I can sympathize with the "whining" posters. I find that dining in the specialty restaurants adds significantly to my enjoyment of the cruise. The cost of, say, five nights in the specialty restaurants adds just a few pennies on the dollar if you are in a suite, but can represent a large increase in price if you have an inexpensive inside cabin.

[lbjohnston]

Well said everyone. I will be taking my first NCL cruise in December and can't wait!

 

In reading some of the complaining threads it is easy to see that some people live to complain. And some of them are easy to see thru that the complainer is just trying to stir the pot.

 

I just do not see how any of the changes can ruin my cruise.

[ieatchickens]

Hardly a day goes by without someone commenting about the changes in pricing regarding NCL cruises or the elimination of something they can't think of going on a cruise without.

It would seem to me that that message has been beaten to death and in these financially fragile times, it is not going away very soon. Perhaps cruising is still affordable on NCL to many of us because these cuts may have kept the prices in a reasonable range.

 

I come on these boards looking forward to learning new port experiences, tips on the best way to enjoy a cruise, humorous stories of your cruises (Thank you, Terry) and to meet new friends on the roll calls. i hope I may have been able to assist new cruisers with questions on their upcomming cruises and things to make it more convenient.

 

Regardless of the inconvenient changes, what would want to share about cruising on NCL that you may not have heard recently? Did someone offer you info that helped on your cruise? What makes you come back to these boards? What are you looking for that we an help you with or share our experiences?

 

Is it just me or have you had enough whining? If I am wrong, let it this post just pass on to the next page,....if not, join with your thoughts to enlighten us about your pleasures in crusing....

 

And now you started yet another thread on this subject. :rolleyes::confused: Also, the use of the term "whining" in your topic is just inviting another debate so maybe a nicer tact with those you disagree with would be a better conversation starter?

 

People have different opinions on different items so they should be allowed to air out their displeasure. I truly do see both sides of the argument and I respect (for the most part) the opinions of others. Some have issues with the recent changes; no coffee makers in rooms, no cappuccinos in the MDR, no welcome aboard champagne, etc and some do not. It's all good :) Just let these people vent without the personal attacks.

 

Now with that being said...There is some misinformation on cruising that do lead to too high of expectations of what's included with the standard cruise fare. That to me is a totally issue. Here I am with the cheerleaders.