Have you seen how much NCL has Cutback?

[newmexicoNita]

My biggest disappointment I have noticed over the years on NCL is the selection and quality of desserts. 10+ years ago they were amazing, now they are bland, predictable and low quality. I suppose making a good dessert costs money and cutbacks win out.

 

I would agree; luckily I am not a huge dessert eater (I prefer to drink my calories) but we found this true on Princess as well. The creme Brulee was more like a thin pudding. Yes, they can be pricey to prepare..that God most lines still have awesome breads.

 

NIta

[montycjv]

The escargot on the Star has not changed in all the time I have cruised this ship. What has changed, and what ship were you referring to?

We will be sailing on the Star next month and have sailed on several of NCL's ships throughout the years. We seen various changes but still enjoy the specialty meals (Le Bistro, Cagneys and Mexican) and the cappucino in the main dining room. Some of it is gone and some still remains....Bottom line.....you still can't beat the price for a family vacation......We are just thankful they have not started charging for the Blue Lagoon yet.....it won't be long now!:rolleyes:

[tigerlilycruiser12]

The only change I have seen in Le Bistro is the mushroom soup is no longer in a bread bowl. Otherwise, the tenderloin and escargot are the same as they have been for a long time.

 

The MDR menu still has the "always available" selections in addition to the daily specialties.

 

OP Please note --- I enter all my posts under the same name !!

 

When we sailed the Dawn last month, the onion soup was not the same either. There was no stringy cheese in the soup like last year...The tenderloin was wonderful and my husband had the escargot and said it was great.

[yoyocruiser]

Meal in le bistro last month was FAR BETTER than two years ago.

 

Odd to me people want EXACTLY the same thing every time they cruise. I happen to like the shrimp better in Cagney's--it had more flavor than the colossal. Obviously that's my opinion. But in any restaurant they change things up. I understand favorites--but goodness--make the leap from bananas foster to something else. Our deserts were marvelous.

[RichNY]

Just because menus are not the same that doesn't not mean there were cutbacks...menus change all the time. Certain items are removed because they are not as popular as some others....

 

People complain about the same old menus but now because certain items are no longer available it because of cutbacks....does any one think not having bananas foster on the menu is a money saver.....??? or the way the onion soup is prepared is a way for NCL to cut corners ???

 

Yes the giant shrimp are no longer available but the replacement cocktail has one more shrine and if that is no enough order a double..:D

 

I can understand paying for things that were once free could be considered a cutback.

 

The fondue was changed at Le Bistro because open flame at the table was a safety hazard.

 

The welcome aboard champagne was removed because a survey of passengers indicated it was not a top priority..did anyone ever notice how may passengers did not take the champagne..

 

If someone has an entrée that does not taste good...send it back...real simple..I recently had the escargot on the Dawn and the Gem and was good as ever..

 

My 2 cents.

[time2cruise1]

Just because menus are not the same that doesn't not mean there were cutbacks...menus change all the time. Certain items are removed because they are not as popular as some others....

 

People complain about the same old menus but now because certain items are no longer available it because of cutbacks....does any one think not having bananas foster on the menu is a money saver.....??? or the way the onion soup is prepared is a way for NCL to cut corners ???

 

Yes the giant shrimp are no longer available but the replacement cocktail has one more shrine and if that is no enough order a double..:D

 

I can understand paying for things that were once free could be considered a cutback.

 

The fondue was changed at Le Bistro because open flame at the table was a safety hazard.

 

The welcome aboard champagne was removed because a survey of passengers indicated it was not a top priority..did anyone ever notice how may passengers did not take the champagne..

 

If someone has an entrée that does not taste good...send it back...real simple..I recently had the escargot on the Dawn and the Gem and was good as ever..

 

My 2 cents.

 

Rick a couple of comments. Change is the only thing we can count on. Change for the better is preferred. The "new" shrimp cocktail is clearly a cost cutting measure. And no you don't get more ( only 3) and a double is not what a single was before. I believe the word "Angus" has also disappeared. I will confirm that tomorrow but clearly at least on my last cruise in October the beef took a deep dive in quality.

 

 

 

 

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[swedish weave]

Some of the changes referred to in this thread are not cost cutting measures, but safety measures. I believe the Princess fire and others a couple of years ago got the cruise lines attention on the danger of open flames on cruise ships, so they made changes to the way they operate. Most of the cooking is now done with induction which does not generate flames nor much heat outside of the cooking utensil.

 

The discussion about shrimp sizes also doesn't mean much when you can order as many appetizers as you want in the specialty restaurants.

 

I suppose some of us just like to find something to complain about !!!

[groo]

Can't wait to find out in January on the Dawn.

[RichNY]

Rick a couple of comments. Change is the only thing we can count on. Change for the better is preferred. The "new" shrimp cocktail is clearly a cost cutting measure. And no you don't get more ( only 3) and a double is not what a single was before. I believe the word "Angus" has also disappeared. I will confirm that tomorrow but clearly at least on my last cruise in October the beef took a deep dive in quality.

 

 

 

 

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OK I guess I should have said most of the things the OP mentioned really don't matter to me...

 

BTW on the Dawn our Cagney's lunch shrimp cocktails definitely had 4 shrimp, granted they were not the Jumbo..your experience might not have been the same as ours..

[time2cruise1]

The discussion about shrimp sizes also doesn't mean much when you can order as many appetizers as you want in the specialty restaurants.

 

I suppose some of us just like to find something to complain about !!!

 

My issue is not about quantity but rather quality. The difference now is like going from a Maine lobster tail to half a frozen South African lobster tail. I would much rather have 3 of the firm meaty colossal shrimp then all the soft large shrimp in Cagney's today.

 

I know it is not going to change and shrimp are not a reason we will book or not book and NCL knows it. The one thing nobody can question this was just a cost cutting decision.

[swedish weave]

. The one thing nobody can question this was just a cost cutting decision.

 

Is that a bad thing ???

[sjbdtz]

I expect cutbacks to keep the base fares attractive. My problem with what has been happening at the specialty Venues and the suite perks. Suite prices continue to rise while entry prices remain nearly the same. If I pay more I expect more not less. If they want to continue to raise the suite prices they need to increase the value in kind.

 

Cut backs in the specialty venues will have the wrong effect on the bottom line then what NCL is looking for. For years I could go a whole cruise with never eating in the MDR. Cagneys was good for 3 or 4 dinners on a 10 night cruise. So disappointed the first night we never returned on a 15 day cruise. That is at least $500 in revenue from the 5 of us NCL did not see.

 

The net from my view if they need to make their profit with onboard spend they have to make guests delighted to reach in their pockets and give them value for their money.

 

I am not giving up on NCL in fact back onboard Sunday. I will however make sure my impressions are shared with those that can do something about it rater then just vent on a board.

 

 

Hey Jim, you're not on the Spirit on Sunday are you? If so, say hi.

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

[time2cruise1]

Hey Jim, you're not on the Spirit on Sunday are you? If so, say hi.

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

 

Back on the Pearl Sunday. Much easier to drive to Miami then fly to NOLA. Just booked it as a last minute cruise in part to see if what I experienced on the Star is fleet wide. With Klaus onboard for a couple of weeks what better ship to find out.

[swedish weave]

Food for thought about cutbacks. Maybe this will enlighten some people about why cutbacks or rate hikes are necessary.

 

$1.00 in 1978 had the same buying power as $3.53 in 2011.

 

Annual inflation over this period was 3.90%.

[NMLady]

9. Effective January 2012, NCL is prohibiting cigar smoking on BALCONIES. For me, this is the opposite of Freestyle. I look forward to smoking 1 fine cigar on my balcony each sea day. If I can't do this anymore on NCL, there are plenty of lines that allow this including Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Carnival.

 

The little things that made cruising special on Norwegian are slowly being eliminated. I have seen it during the last 3 cruises on NCL (EPIC, Jewel and Sky).

 

I am heading back to Royal Caribbean and Holland America, where many of the special things have not been eliminated.

 

I was on NCL Sun for Panama Canal transit. One of the men in a bow suite spent most of the day on his balcony smoking a cigar. The smoke drifted up to those of us standing outside the Observation Lounge on the bow deck. It was very unpleasant for those of us trying to enjoy the transit.

So personally I am glad that no cigar smoking is allowed on balconies.

 

I can imagine that those in next door balconies are also glad.

[time2cruise1]

. The one thing nobody can question this was just a cost cutting decision.

 

Is that a bad thing ???

 

It is when it is part of the penthouse perks and the fares are going up dramatically. If you want more money for a product you need to increase the value or at least keep it the same. Raising pricing and cutting quality is good for short term profit and a long term disaster.

 

 

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[time2cruise1]

Food for thought about cutbacks. Maybe this will enlighten some people about why cutbacks or rate hikes are necessary.

 

$1.00 in 1978 had the same buying power as $3.53 in 2011.

 

Annual inflation over this period was 3.90%.

 

And the point is? I booked a suite in 2002 for $3200 on the Sun 7 days peak Alaska season. NCL is asking over $9000 for the cheapest suite on the Breakaway. Far more then the 3.90% annual inflation rate.

 

 

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[CruisinMaterial]

They did come back, see post #7.

 

And left again - probably never to be heard from again. :p

[commodoredave]

And the point is? I booked a suite in 2002 for $3200 on the Sun 7 days peak Alaska season. NCL is asking over $9000 for the cheapest suite on the Breakaway. Far more then the 3.90% annual inflation rate.

 

 

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I'd prefer to pay for an entry level cabin on a luxury line than spring for a penthouse on a mass market. The cost is similar, and at least I get better food on the luxury line. Am I missing something?

[swedish weave]

And the point is? I booked a suite in 2002 for $3200 on the Sun 7 days peak Alaska season. NCL is asking over $9000 for the cheapest suite on the Breakaway. Far more then the 3.90% annual inflation rate.

 

 

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The point is --- The cruise lines ( all of them) are treading a fine line with cutbacks to avoid raising cruise prices while facing inflationary prices of fuel and supplies. The prices of the suites are high because people are willing to pay. The majority of revenue on cruise ships comes from the large number of lower category cabins which the cruise lines need to fill.

Those cabins are relatively much lower priced than they were when I started cruising in the 70's.

 

I have no argument with your choice of cabins, but if the perks are not there, it would be advantageous to book a lower category cabin that meets your expectations.

[family cruisers]

They changed more then the choices on the menu. They seemed to have cut their choices in half of what they used to have.

I have seen alot of changes in our cruise a few weeks ago but it didn't ruin it for us. We were just a bit disappointed from what it used to be.

I agree with your comment " Change for the better is preferred" but we didn't see it.

I wasn't impressed with their steaks at all . My comment was " WHERES THE BEEF " I wouldn't mind paying more for better food at all. Thats what I thought the specialty restaurants were supposed to be , but weren't.

Food is so subjective.

Some people will eat anything , I won't .

 

Rick a couple of comments. Change is the only thing we can count on. Change for the better is preferred. The "new" shrimp cocktail is clearly a cost cutting measure. And no you don't get more ( only 3) and a double is not what a single was before. I believe the word "Angus" has also disappeared. I will confirm that tomorrow but clearly at least on my last cruise in October the beef took a deep dive in quality.

 

 

 

 

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[sparks1093]

BTW, my cruise cost on HAL was about the same as NCL's.

 

Every time I've compared HAL was hundreds more than NCL, but if you can book a similar cabin for about the same more power to you. A lot of cruisers on the Carnival board are up at arms about the cuts that have been made. A lot of cruisers on the RCI board are up at arms about the cuts that have been made. All of the cruise lines realize that Staycation is the way many families are enjoying their time off, if they raise their prices then the ships will sail empty so they have to do what they have to do to remain competitive.

[njhorseman]

And the point is? I booked a suite in 2002 for $3200 on the Sun 7 days peak Alaska season. NCL is asking over $9000 for the cheapest suite on the Breakaway. Far more then the 3.90% annual inflation rate.

 

 

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Really? An S7 suite on the 9/8/13 sailing of the Breakaway is a total of $4956 including tax for two people.

[family cruisers]

Is it a bad thing ? Maybe !

 

Cruise lines spoiled us with great food. It's the one thing people would always talk about when getting home after the vacation. Everyone would ask " Hows was the food " . Answers used to be " OMG Fantastic"

Now you hear so many different answers and you have some trying to defend it . If you eat burger king and wendys everyday then the ships food is a real treat.

I am a fantastic cook and always say "I want better then what I can make at home." It used to be that way on NCL. I would ask " wonder how they made this or whats in this " .. I don't do that anymore :mad:

I did have some meals that were quite good but definetly not all.

They used to have colassal shrimp in cagneys and I loved them. Now their a bit bigger then salad shrimp.

I was shocked at the lobster tail I ordered and paid extra for in LeBistro , looked like cauliflower. It was tough and just not good.

 

So yes they have cut costs . Again , there is alot of waste too.

I see people PILE their food on the dishes at the buffet lines like nothing else is coming out and they leave it there if they don't like it and go back for more. Wasteful . I saw it on our cruise 2 weeks ago.

The chocolate buffet a man walked off with a dish filled with chocolate covered strawberries leaving NONE for any of us waiting. I'm sure he finished those :)

 

. The one thing nobody can question this was just a cost cutting decision.

 

Is that a bad thing ???

[swedish weave]

They changed more then the choices on the menu. They seemed to have cut their choices in half of what they used to have.

I have seen alot of changes in our cruise a few weeks ago but it didn't ruin it for us. We were just a bit disappointed from what it used to be.

I agree with your comment " Change for the better is preferred" but we didn't see it.

I wasn't impressed with their steaks at all . My comment was " WHERES THE BEEF " I wouldn't mind paying more for better food at all. Thats what I thought the specialty restaurants were supposed to be , but weren't.

Food is so subjective.

Some people will eat anything , I won't .

 

I challenge you to find a better cut of beef anywhere at any price than the tenderloin in Le Bistro. It is the BEST !!!

 

I am also very pleased with the New York steak in the MDR. Tender and cooked to my liking.