Feel like I'm being nickel and dimed.

[wayne_trisha]

What some see as nickel and diming I see as options. We are going on Allure in less than 3 weeks and there are so many places to eat that we could almost eat at a different place for every meal and not pay a cover charge. I remember our first cruise back in 1996. You had a buffet, room service, or the MDR. You didn’t even have the option to pay to eat in a specialty restaurant. The ships also didn’t have numerous free show venues, 3d theaters, ice rinks, or flowriders.

[Finbar127]

Or as in the old days all could have gone to the MDR and the steak lover could go without his upscale fix. or all can go to the MDR and the steak lover can have his filet.

 

In the old days both the fish lover and steak lover were accommodated in the MDR. All at no extra charge.

 

The way I see it, I can sit in the MDR or WJ like I do on every other ship for free, or I can branch out a night or two and pay a little extra......or not. ;)

 

I'm hoping you understand (or will after reading these replies) that your food is included. Our family of four went on Oasis without spending one penny extra on food. Not one cent. It can be done. You are not being nickel and dimed.:)

 

I guess the point I really want to make is there was a time when the choice and the quality of the food in the MDR rivaled what is being offered today in the specialty restaurants. All included in your cruise fare. It is getting to the point where you must go to the specialty restaurant if you want to experience what used to be routine in the MDR.

 

I understand that the cruise lines are doing it to keep initial prices low so they can fill their ever increasing inventory of cabins. But I think that by doing so they are changing the whole cruise experience for the worse. I think it is a mistake. Just my humble opinion.

[funfamilyof6]

I have sailed on RCI, Carnival, and NCL. More cruises on NCL than the other two. If I had a Nickel for every poster on the NCL boards who complained about their Nickel and Diming; I'd have alot of Nickels. All the mainstram cruiselines now have multiple dining options that require a surcharge. These are OPTIONAL. You still have the Buffets and MDR that are free as always. Cruise fares are cheaper now than they were 10 years ago. I rather have lower fares, and have the option to pay extra for specialty dining options.

 

Well said!!!

[pilarkitty]

JR's used to be free (OK, included, no additional charge), but I read on these boards quite some time ago, that they instituted a nominal charge because people (teenagers, mostly) would monopolize the tables for HOURS, so others who wanted to stop in for a quick bite, couldn't find available tables. So, RCCL instituted the $3.95 'cover charge' to keep people from hanging out there for a looooooong time.

 

As for charging extra for alternative dining, if that's what it takes to keep cruising affordable, then I'm all for it.

 

There was no extra charge for JR on my first cruise in 2003. There was a surcharge during my second cruise 2008, but they gave us a coupons. They did away with the coupon on my third cruise in 2010.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Personally I don't feel nickel and dimed, but maybe that's because we don't use a lot of "extras."

 

We don't over indulge in drinking when we cruise.

We have only been to ONE specialty restaurant- Giovanni's Table- in all of our cruises.

I would rather pay less on the front end and then add to what we do if there is something of interest to us.

 

We tend to spend more on excursions and activities than food and drinks.

 

Perhaps having a "more inclusive" option would suit some people better.

 

It's all relative to your lifestyle.

[cw2go]

I have a question and it is sincere, I am in no way trying to stir the pot.

I have sailed RCCL, Carnival and Celebrity. When ever reading reviews, on ALL mass market lines. I always see "More alike than different" Then when I read this I see' You want to be nickled and dimed go on NCL"

So what is the difference? What is NCL charging for that RCCL isn't? I know you can go on a cruise with NCL and not spend a single cent just as with RCCL but how is either different at the end of the day?

I read food is subjective and in order to get a decent meal with NCL you must pay out for Specialty Resturants but to be honest it is just the same with RCCL. IMO... I have yet to leave the MDR feeling like that meal blew my mind...Now in Portofino, Giovanni's and Chops yes very please but spent the moola...

For us Food will not make or break our cruise vacation...but... There is major ta-doo made over getting dressed, and taking pictures for formal nights, yet the meal is sub par. Seems off kilter to me??? So NCL keeps Formal Night optional so then the meal is on par with the dress???

Hope this makes sence,

Patty

[Ocean Boy]

I don't remember Johnny Rockets ever being free. There was always a coupon for it so we didn't have to pay if we only went once during a cruise.

 

Well I do remember it. Your first cruise on a ship with a J.R.s must have been later.

[Ocean Boy]

Where do we find the coupon for Johny Rockets?

 

That doesn't exist any longer either.

[Aquahound]

Well I do remember it. Your first cruise on a ship with a J.R.s must have been later.

 

So do I. For the first few years it existed on Voyager Class, JR was free. That said, there was almost always a waiting line and it was difficult to eat there at lunch, especially on a sea day. Since the $4.95 cover charge, you can almost always walk right in.

[Ocean Boy]

So do I. For the first few years it existed on Voyager Class, JR was free. That said, there was almost always a waiting line and it was difficult to eat there at lunch, especially on a sea day. Since the $4.95 cover charge, you can almost always walk right in.

 

No question, that is true. But it is all a matter of timing. At the time that we used to go, later in the evening, crowding was never an issue.

[Maybaybie10]

I can truly see both sides of the coin here. It's nice to dangle a cheap cruise fare out there to get people on the ship and then ask them to pay for whatever 'extras' they want once on board.

 

I can also see how people who have been longtime cruisers feel that cruising isn't what it used to be (I'm a newbie) and feel they are being nickle and dimed to death.

 

If Chops and Portafino were 'included' everyone would want to go. Can you imagine trying to make sure all 4000 Freedom cruisers got a seat at one of these restaurants because it would be included? Everyone would want to go after reading how good the food is and even with reservations there would be no way to handle all the people.

 

Here's a new thought: What if RCI offered a "standard" cruise fare and a truly "all inclusive" cruise fare? You could pay (for example) $699 for your inside cabin at the "standard" rate or $899 for the "all inclusive" rate. It could be as easy as a sticker on your sea pass. This would make the people who want to pay the rack rate happy that don't want to spend more money because they wouldn't anyway and it would make the people who would like to try the specialty restaurants or the $15 MDR/Chops steak happy because they wouldn't have spend extra money onboard.

 

Anyone?

 

 

Quoting myself here, but as an 'all inclusive' rate maybe they could throw in all the specialty restaurants you wanted AND as many trips to the spa as you wanted AND as many games of Bingo you wanted to play. Now that would be awesome! A girl can dream I suppose!

[Yvonne]

My husband and I have been cruising (not as often as we'd like) for 10 years, and I agree that cruise lines have extra charges for things, but if we don't want to pay we just don't partake of whatever it is they are charging extra for. We paid extra to eat at Palo on the Disney Magic, and we paid the cover charge for Johnny Rockets on the Mariner simply because we did want to eat there, but those are the only times we have ever paid extra to eat somewhere other than the main dining room. We feel the MDR food is just fine, and we choose not to pay an extra charge to eat elsewhere. As for little pastries, coffee, ice cream etc. most of the time we don't bother with them. But many, many people do pay so the cruise lines will continue having the extra charges. If people refused to pay they would have to stop, wouldn't they?

[lardan]

I would say quit your complaining, or don't go on the darn cruise. you complain about a room service charge after midnight. Most people don't stuff themselves again after midnight anyway when they just got done eating dinner either 2 to 4 hours prior.

 

If you don't like the cover charge, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining room or buffet where there isn't a charge. I think some people get way out of character and just demand and think the world owes them everything for nothing.

 

Thank you for your kind words. My point in creating this thread was to express what I see as a troubling trend in cruising. Where will the extra charges end?? Of course I don't have to eat at the places that charge extra, and I will certainly not go hungry. I was pointing out that when I first started cruising, you could go on a cruise and eat the food that was "available", meaning everything that was served except for specialty restaurants, and there were no extra charges. Now there are. Again thank you for your kind words. I look forward to reading your future posts.

[Aquahound]

I was pointing out that when I first started cruising, you could go on a cruise and eat the food that was "available", meaning everything that was served except for specialty restaurants, and there were no extra charges.

 

So, what's so different now? :confused:

[ocsuzie]

I disagree. First of all, ALL mainstream cruiselines have the same general approach to these things. RC is not going to suffer in comparison to them.

 

Second of all, if you want to see "nickel and diming" in action, as a previous poster mentioned, go on NCL.

 

Room service on NCL is free 24 hours/day, and the Blue Lagoon serves all types of snack food 24 hours/day with no additional charge for most items (burgers, wings, chips/hot dip, etc). Additional charge for oysters on the half shell, shakes, specialty items). Many drink specials on NCL--6 beers for the price of 5, 2 for 1 drinks on sea days. Both lines have charges for specialty dining. NCL just has more specialty dining options. Everyone has there own opinion about their favorite cruise line, but I find these two to be more alike than different when it comes to additional charges.

[lardan]

So, what's so different now? :confused:

 

 

I am not putting the Seafood Shack, Johnny Rockets, etc... in the category of specialty restaurants. To me, that is food that is "available" but charging me extra. Kind of if they started charging for pizza and those small sandwiches in the Promenade cafe. Cruising was, and I know I sound old here, "all inclusive" except for beverages. Now it's not.

[Attapooch]

The "nickle and diming" provides the cruise lines with an income stream that, without it, would likely lead to the overall cost of cruising go up and the popularity of cruising going down.

 

As cruisers, we benefit from cruising being as popular as possible because that leads to an expansion in offerings as well as the ongoing interest on the part of cruise lines to innovate.

 

That said, for my part I have no problem with the surcharge for Johnny Rockets (for example.) I typically go there to get a chocolate milkshake each day, and the cost of the surcharge is actually lower than the cost of getting the same milkshake in our nearby mall.

[jewopaho]

All of this is part of the industry's evolution. In its former life, cruising was pretty much the pastime of affluent retirees, with both the time and disposable income to keep the lines afloat ... pun unintended. As the economy shifted, and the primary demographic began to die (literally and figuratively), so did the cruise lines. Long story short, they reinvented themselves, introducing such new concepts as balconies (previously only available in suites), specialty restaurants, flexible dining, promenades, off-the-(rock)-wall activities ... the whole mega-ship thing. I remember when the Carnival Destiny and Grand Princess were launched ... 100,000+ gross tons; it's the beginning of the end for cruising. Actually it was ... as we knew it.

 

I remember paying over $900/pp for a Mexican Riviera cruise on the old Carnival Jubilee in 1995. I recently did the same itinerary on a much nicer ship for less than half of that! Granted, there were more passengers, and therefore a greater revenue stream ... but that can pretty much be offset by the cost of both building and maintaining it.

 

The cruise industry is so much more competitive these days, and filling the ship is paramount. Empty staterooms produce zero. So, to compensate somewhat for the lower fares, passengers are now offered options ... some take advantage of them, others don't. "Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer cherce."

 

Surcharges for such items as late-night room service, Johnny Rockets and the like are business decisions. Specific conditions prompted management to institute them; and those circumstances described in previous posts are correct ... wasted passengers wasting food, kids hanging out forever in JR's ... they're drains on the bottom line, and with a minimal cost to passengers, they can be returned to profitability, as well as deterring the behavior which caused the issues in the first place. Call it nickel-and-diming, but it's part of the business, just like discontinuing reimbursement for price reductions after final payment. But it can also work in reverse ... remember, the rock walls were not always included (I, too, refrain for using the term, "free).

 

The overall product is not the same as it was when we bagan cruising ... nor is it meant to be. It has morphed into a family activity, not unlike theme parks. If you long for the good old days, and would rather pay a premium fare for a virtually all-inclusive cruise, the smaller "boutique" lines would love to have you aboard; and there are always the smaller Holland America and Princess ships ... not quite the same, but closer than the experience on today's "Behemoths of thre Seas."

[tip]

Except for the after midnight room service, no body else even offers the pay for items the OP mentioned. At leaST FOR FREE.

They are extra if you want them. Hardly nickle and diming. I hate that term when used for this example

 

Yeah, it is more like fives, tens, and twenties!;)

[cruisinfanatic]

I guess I just don't see it. In the example of the Chops Grille filet, the menu option is printed off to the right among the choices that are available every night, which also includes a free steak. It is separate from the main menu that changes nightly. Maybe I'm just not hard to please, but the presence of the filet on the menu does not make the whole experience feel any cheaper to me.

 

Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything I've had to pay for recently that was free in the past.

Exactly!!!!

It's just an extra above and beyond choice that the cruiseline provides.

It's not like it was there in the past and now they charge for it.

I would never order the $14.95 meat because the normal meat dishes on the menu are usually very good and I could care less if the option is there or not.

No clue why it bothers others so much

[cruisinfanatic]

Look at the Oasis class - there's tons of additional venues that are additional costs. It is what it is but the points that are being made are valid imo. It's all to keep the booking costs down and get people on board and to spend their money once on.

 

Do you have to buy the additional things? Of course not, but you're on vacation and this is the nation of why not! I personally have no problem having the choice - I think it's great to keep the costs down and once onboard you do what you wish. But it is changing the direction of "all food included" which really got cruises popular. Yes, you can eat for free around the clock but that is not the point.

So you'd rather just go on an older ship where you didn't have the choices you have on the newer?

[cruisinck]

If you truly think about it everything you need is included except for your tips. Included in your price you get your stateroom, all the food you can eat either in the Winjammer or MDR,Sorrento's and a few other places. Water,Ice Tea,Lemonade and coffee to drink. A variety of shows, your seat by the pool, sport deck,gym, movie theater. Now RCL and other lines have decided to add the extra's that you can choose to pay for. How is that nickel and diming? Just my opinion:confused:

[cruisinfanatic]

In the old days both the fish lover and steak lover were accommodated in the MDR. All at no extra charge.

 

 

 

 

 

I guess the point I really want to make is there was a time when the choice and the quality of the food in the MDR rivaled what is being offered today in the specialty restaurants. All included in your cruise fare. It is getting to the point where you must go to the specialty restaurant if you want to experience what used to be routine in the MDR.

 

.

I've been on many of the same ships you've been on in the 90's when I started cruising and you are grasping if you think you've ever had a specialty restaurant quality, quantity, and service type meal on any of them.

Yes the food was better then, but not nearly specialty restaurant better.

[cruisinfanatic]

So, what's so different now? :confused:

Exactly again!!!!

I eat everything available and don't pay

[Aquahound]

I've been on many of the same ships you've been on in the 90's when I started cruising and you are grasping if you think you've ever had a specialty restaurant quality, quantity, and service type meal on any of them.

Yes the food was better then, but not nearly specialty restaurant better.

 

Agreed. My cruise experience began in the early 90s so perhaps I missed the premium MDR food. I do not ever remember MDR food being as good as what is presently offered in Chops or Giovanni's Table.

 

On the other hand, buffet choices have not changed much over the years and I think the choices offered in Park Cafe or Majesty's Compass Deli are a great step up in free lunch food.