Meet n greet: Will you voice your opinions to officers on all the price increases?

[riddle]

You know how the senior officers encourage you to bring anything to their attention directly if it is unsatisfactory while you are at the meet n greet? Perfect time to express our dissatisfaction with the price increases. Will you speak up?

[ColinIllinois]

You know how the senior officers encourage you to bring anything to their attention directly if it is unsatisfactory while you are at the meet n greet? Perfect time to express our dissatisfaction with the price increases. Will you speak up?

 

 

No. I think that would be terrible rude to do when those folks are taking time out of their busy schedules to attend the M & G.

 

I will do it however through social media and NCL corporate.

[DreamingBig1]

I think your better off with the end of the cruise survey. Changes come in numbers of complaints.

 

Speaking your mind to a couple officers on the ship is just that. They are literally on a boat all the time. They are at the service of corporate.

 

As NCL is a business, money talks. Either people stop cruising with NCL or they don't purchase the services/items that they don't agree with.

 

Money in the end speaks louder than words.

 

Say it on the card. That go's to corporate.

[zqvol]

You know how the senior officers encourage you to bring anything to their attention directly if it is unsatisfactory while you are at the meet n greet? Perfect time to express our dissatisfaction with the price increases. Will you speak up?

 

Personally I will tell them that I agree with the changes. I think that they are needed and will help to keep base fares down so that only the people who are using the services will be paying for them.

[crimmper]

It's a Meet & Greet, not a Meet & Complain. Save that for the Executives. Are they are interested in is............................

 

[Kingofwylietx]

No. I think that would be terrible rude to do when those folks are taking time out of their busy schedules to attend the M & G.

 

I will do it however through social media and NCL corporate.

 

Colin has it right. The officers do not set prices and are not obligated to attend M&G's. If the M&G's become a forum for complaints, then I suspect the officers will do their best to avoid them.

 

The corporate office in Miami is proper place to lodge your complaints, along with the surveys.

[RuthlessBoss]

Personally I will tell them that I agree with the changes. I think that they are needed and will help to keep base fares down so that only the people who are using the services will be paying for them.

 

I can't say I agree with the changes or not because I will never eat/dine in a specialty restaurant. I'm a minimal drinker. I think most things ordered from room service are frivolous anyway and the items can be picked up and carried by myself. I think it's ridiulous to order a piece of cake.

 

The one item to hit me is the dsc. I will never remove them though.

[triptolemus]

No. I think that would be terrible rude to do when those folks are taking time out of their busy schedules to attend the M & G.

 

While I do not necessarily disagree with you, I would point out that my purpose aboard the ship is not to make crew's day easier, lovelier, more fair (fairer?!?), or any of that.

 

While no one should out and out be disrespectful at any time, cruise ship or elsewhere, let's remember that we're are paying to be there.

 

In any event, I don't believe they do M&Gs out of the goodness of their hearts. I'm sure a financial consideration has been identified.

[pdmartyn65]

There is nothing wrong with voicing your concerns with the senior officers. They can pass them on to the appropriate people. Just remember that these changes are not their fault, and don't get angry with them.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[riddle]

I have never hesitated to bring a major concern to an officer if I have a problem. They give you cards and ask you to do just that. They say they would much rather handle it than have it on cruise critic as an issue. We are the customer and as such they are issuing customer service. Not everything in life is roses. I for one work for a living and I don't appreciate my vacation specifics which I have already paid for being diminished without any consideration to me the customer.

[SteveH2508]

I have never hesitated to bring a major concern to an officer if I have a problem. They give you cards and ask you to do just that. They say they would much rather handle it than have it on cruise critic as an issue. We are the customer and as such they are issuing customer service. Not everything in life is roses. I for one work for a living and I don't appreciate my vacation specifics which I have already paid for being diminished without any consideration to me the customer.

 

Shame that the suits and bean counters in Miami don't realise that basic, common sense truth.

[sjbdtz]

You know how the senior officers encourage you to bring anything to their attention directly if it is unsatisfactory while you are at the meet n greet? Perfect time to express our dissatisfaction with the price increases. Will you speak up?

 

Nope. Making these into a b*tchfest is the quickest way to end them.

 

Social media & emailing / calling corporate is the best way to make one's voice heard.

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

[mking8288]

We just came off the Breakaway yesterday and last Monday's M&G was the shortest one that we've attended - the ship's officers cannot & won't be able to do anything, taking executive orders per the chains-of-command from Miami HQ. They welcomed us & introduced themselves, handed out contact info, etc. and left the venue as a group, without taking questions or asking for comments & suggestions, knowing full well that we know that they read & follow the "pulses" on CC ... There are other channels to communicate directly to MIA and we've done that privately without getting those in the middle of the trenches directly involved.

 

DW & I both received the post-cruise e-survey and going to sit on that for another day or two before submitting our comments, which is read by corporate (in summary format, most likely or hightlighted extracts). I will also let them know that we've noticed that part of our Platinum perk has been scaled back again, insignificant with minimal hard feelings ... as the boxed Godiva always go to our favorite grand-nephew/niece downstairs once we get home.

 

For our BA sailings, crew members & even junior officers were working hard as usual, but something was missing - the synergy, just isn't flowing as before. Last week, we "dialed" back our Onboard spending overall as a total, exhausted all of our OBC & spend a grand total of $15 for specialty a la carte dining (plus 2 nights of free LeBistro only) - virtually all the purchases on the ship were offset by credits, including just $30 for photography (usually, upwards of $150 to $200 per stateroom) ... that's the message that we've "entered" for them. Maybe, corporate's CFO will see the big picture. Maybe not so fast, give it another financial quarter or two to sink in with all the advanced bookings & deposits, especially when folks are still outside the 100% fully cancellation window & begin to reconsider their options. Or, FCR payments begin to slide in the opposite direction.

[riddle]

It all comes down to customer satisfaction. If you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen. Of course we all know they will hold the company line. Their jobs depend on it as they can readily see from their former associates.

[Granny DI]

Personally I will tell them that I agree with the changes. I think that they are needed and will help to keep base fares down so that only the people who are using the services will be paying for them.

 

I agree.

[AEckhardt]

It all comes down to customer satisfaction. If you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen. Of course we all know they will hold the company line. Their jobs depend on it as they can readily see from their former associates.

 

 

The Executive officers make sure their crew are acting according to NCL policy. They, most likely, have very little say what that policy actually is. That is HQs job.

[sjnyc323]

The senior officers on board the ships can't do anything they are just following corporate orders

[ho-hum]

It's a Meet & Greet, not a Meet & Complain. Save that for the Executives. Are they are interested in is............................

 

 

Wow !

How do you do that ?

Avatar and vid

[Carnac767]

It would be as effective and make as much sense as bitching at flight attendants and pilots about airline policies.

[cb at sea]

They have nothing to do with pricing!!!! The best way to make your feelings known is to STOP spending your money with NCL, if you don't like their business practices!

Edited March 31, 2015 by cb at sea

[psmarkle]

Last year, NCL had the highest % of onboard passenger revenue out of all the cruise lines. Currently, their bookings on their newer ships are ahead of industry standard (to be fair, I'd have to go back and find the exact article, but it was when I was researching buying 100 shares of NCL stock so I could get $100 OBC every cruise!).

 

In simpler words, NCL is a for-profit company and they seem to be hitting the sweet spot for max profits. Really, the effective way to fight price increases is with your wallet...as in go to Carnival or Royal Caribbean. However, this would be a long-term supply/demand process.

 

Not saying I like the higher prices (think airlines not lowering tickets prices, either, even though fuel costs have come down), but I keep cruising NCL for the product...and I'm on my 24th cruise, 11 with NCL.

 

So, to sum my thoughts, I think NCL HQ has assessed the market will bear higher prices for their product, and, so far, bookings back that up. Until bookings suffer, I believe rate will stay higher.

 

Thoughts??

[kac911]

You know how the senior officers encourage you to bring anything to their attention directly if it is unsatisfactory while you are at the meet n greet? Perfect time to express our dissatisfaction with the price increases. Will you speak up?

 

I will mention it but not dwell on it. I think they need to hear it, after all they do get the ears of management and if management asks them they can say people have expressed displeasure with it. But it will be more of an in passing kind of thing. A "thanks this is awesome, some of the recent changes have put a little damper on things and you should let management know that we are unhappy with all that has gone on at corporate, but you guys are doing a great job to ensure everything on the cruise is spectacular. I really enjoyed Legally Blonde last night, and my dinner at Ocean Blue was phenomenal". It's not a complaint at them, just letting them know how I feel so they can pass the comments on as need be. But also letting them know I know it isn't THEM but THOSE people!

[rochelle_s]

Last year, NCL had the highest % of onboard passenger revenue out of all the cruise lines. Currently, their bookings on their newer ships are ahead of industry standard (to be fair, I'd have to go back and find the exact article, but it was when I was researching buying 100 shares of NCL stock so I could get $100 OBC every cruise!).

 

In simpler words, NCL is a for-profit company and they seem to be hitting the sweet spot for max profits. Really, the effective way to fight price increases is with your wallet...as in go to Carnival or Royal Caribbean. However, this would be a long-term supply/demand process.

 

Not saying I like the higher prices (think airlines not lowering tickets prices, either, even though fuel costs have come down), but I keep cruising NCL for the product...and I'm on my 24th cruise, 11 with NCL.

 

So, to sum my thoughts, I think NCL HQ has assessed the market will bear higher prices for their product, and, so far, bookings back that up. Until bookings suffer, I believe rate will stay higher.

 

Thoughts??

 

I agree with most of what you have stated all except for your last thought.

 

I do not believe that the number of bookings are up because they are at the point that the market will bear. Bookings are up because the promotion going on for three months is throwing in all these freebies. You can have all the bookings you like but the profits come from the on board spending. What happens when it comes time that the ship is filled with a majority of people who booked under these giveaway promotions? There won't be any big drinkers running up large bar tabs to their on board account because the cruise line gave them the UBP for free. The specialty restaurants are full but everyone in there has gotten their seat from a promo UDP, a Platinum perk or a CAS freebie. Even the low end spenders are walking off with minimal spend because their free OBC covers their on board account. The Suite and Haven guests better love taking ship shore excursions and buying art because these promos have given them almost everything else for free. Even in the casino people will be gambling less as the cuts and changes with the perks and tier system leave them little incentive to gamble any more.

 

The truth of how well they are doing in comparison to other lines will be seen after the current promotions are over and the giving away the farm has stopped. People are lined up to put down their deposits when things are being thrown at them for free. Things might be completely different when they have to pony up for each and every thing and also factor in all the other little increases here, there and everywhere as of late.

 

That is how I see it anyways.

 

 

Rochelle

[sfaaa]

X2 to leave the ship crews alone. Their job is to keep the ship well run and passengers safe. If you really want to get corporate's attention, buy a few NCL shares and show up at the AGM to raise hell.

[Disneycruisers]

You know how the senior officers encourage you to bring anything to their attention directly if it is unsatisfactory while you are at the meet n greet? Perfect time to express our dissatisfaction with the price increases. Will you speak up?

 

It is a meet and mingle not a gripe and moan get together. They have no say so with the new price increases. I you do not like the price increases start emailing the top Executives.