New Dining Policy -- Official as of 4:20 EST

[SAILPRO]

We just returned from the Getaway yesterday. We took multiple plates from the buffet back to our room and no one ever said a word or gave us a funny look. Only smiles from the staff.

 

My husband brought me and our daughter breakfast a few times and lunch was very often brought back to the room to enjoy while letting our daughter unwind for a nap. We also brought a full plate back to the room every night for our daughter to snack on if she was hungry after splash academy.

 

We enjoyed drinks, meals and snacks we brought back to our aft large balcony pretty much every day.

 

Empty plates were left in the room for the room steward to clear and we took plates with leftover food back up to the buffet so as not to leave messes anywhere.

 

We never attempted take out from any other venue but taking food out from the buffet and flamingo was definitely ok during our cruise.

 

Good to know, thank you.

[LASilva]

I also just returned from the Getaway and had witnessed the same as previously noted ...

 

You can get get your coffee at the buffet station and carry it wherever you want - even in those tiny cups. Most of the time I used my refillable mug.

 

I had a foot injury and was laid up for most of day five. My husband brought food back for me, not a whole meal, the smaller size plate with croissant, cold cuts, and cheese. He didn't need to explain to anyone I was unwell. You can just walk out of the buffet. On many occasions I took yogurt and fruit to put in my fridge for later.

 

I did not witness people coming out with full meals on their plates but my husband says he did. Just ordinary size plates with an ordinary amount of food. I do wonder if you have a large plate loaded with food they might say something, I'm not sure about this and I wouldn't do this personally so I didn't try or ask about it. It was clear however that the people stationed at the door with the spray bottles have not been assigned "food police" duty.

 

We did not try to bring food from any of the other restaurants and I did not see anyone try to do this. I think this is where they are actually enforcing the rule.

 

I have seen threads than continue to go on and on and on about not being able to take coffee, cookies or whatever it is you want to snack on while on your balcony....on the Getaway you CAN still do this. If you want to have full meals in your room you can arrange an ordinary plate of food and walk out of the buffet with it, or pay for room service.

[pixiedustdawn]

On the Gem, no problem with taking food from the buffet.

[tarps14]

Somebody please start a new thread with this info. This one has gotten cumbersomely long and it would be difficult to read through all 19 pages to find this information now being passed along from those just disembarking.

[Cuizer2]

I booked my cruise a year ago for september 2015 with the old conditions. When you pay the deposit doesn't that mean you sugn a contract ? Can they break or change the contract without announcing it to their customers? If I would not be on CC , I would not have known about the new rules.

I hope you know what I mean.For example the airlines when they throw in their baggage fee, they honored the flights after that change when the were bought before the new policy took over.

 

The answer to your question is, legally no, practically, yes. If you want to pay a lawyer $2,000 to fight a $100 charge, you'll probably win. However, you'll also be an additional $1,900 further in the hole and NCL knows that.

[Cuizer2]

http://http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6382

 

(5:15 p.m. EDT) -- Norwegian Cruise Line has reversed a policy prohibiting passengers from taking food from restaurants to their cabins, effective immediately, President and Chief Operating Officer Andy Stuart told Cruise Critic.

 

The decision came in response to feedback from Norwegian's passengers, who were unhappy with the concept when it rolled out earlier this month. At that time, Norwegian said it had asked passengers to refrain from taking food from restaurants, including the main buffet, to eat elsewhere in the interest of keeping its cruise ships clean.

 

When the new rule went public, multiple threads were launched on the Cruise Critic message boards. Community members speculated, among other things, that the policy was an effort to force passengers to pay a newly instituted $7.95 room service fee if they wanted to eat in their cabins.

 

The reality, said Stuart, is the timing was coincidental.

 

"It was more about the guest experience, not about room service," Stuart said.

 

In fact, the decision to ban food came after Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. President and CEO Frank Del Rio sailed a Norwegian ship and noticed numerous dishes in the hallways, as well as passengers carrying plates loaded with food, sloshing over the sides and onto the carpet, Stuart said. When Del Rio returned from his cruise, he spoke with Stuart, and they decided to ask passengers not to transport food.

 

Stuart said the conversation lasted about 2 minutes. There was no motive, he added, except "how do we fix this issue?"

 

The passionate response came as a surprise, said Stuart, adding the topic is "clearly important to guests." The cruise line has reverted to the previous policy; passengers can once again carry out food from all restaurants.

 

Further, crew onboard will fix the problem Del Rio identified by making more regular sweeps through corridors, picking up dishes and cleaning up spills.

 

"Obviously, this was an emotive issue for people," Stuart said.

 

Stuart lamented the fact some of the great things Norwegian Cruise Line has rolled out have been lost in the discussion of the policy. In particular, Stuart cited the success the line has seen on its ships since it eliminated the cover charge for its Asian restaurants -- 12 venues across its 13 ships. The number of diners in these restaurants averages 250 a night, up from 50.

 

He also pointed to the variety -- and volume -- of add-on deals Norwegian has offered, saying items such as a complimentary Ultimate Beverage Package or Ultimate Dining Package create value that makes cruising a more inclusive product.

 

"The number [of people] who booked during this time period, with a much more inclusive product than ever before, is astounding," Stuart said. Also this year, Norwegian announced, beginning in 2016, Norwegian Sky will be fully inclusive, allowing passengers to pay one fare that includes items like beverages and alternative dining.

 

--By Colleen McDaniel, Managing Editor

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks for making so many cruisers happy by sharing this:D

[mickeysgal]

Thank goodness for this.

 

Hope NCL decides in the future to fully research further decisions/changes before stirring up their customer base like this. There is damage that has been done even though the decision was reversed.

 

We, are happy that we don't have to do battle at the buffet door over a sandwich and cookies or sneak it out like a kid at college at the dining hall.:rolleyes:

[hpecorari]

And now this thread can be closed? Just asking.....

 

Harriet

[warriorking]

Thank you NCL for listening to your customers....Good Job....

[teriwinkle]

Thank you NCL for listening to your customers....Good Job....

So far so good, but not good enough for me until room service charge is eliminated.

[CarRex]

So far so good, but not good enough for me until room service charge is eliminated.

 

If they remove the RS charge they will just add on to the ticket price. I don't use RS, so personally I'd like to leave it the way it is. Let those who use RS pay for it rather than everyone indirectly paying for a service that they don't use.

[Cuizer2]

And now this thread can be closed? Just asking.....

 

Harriet

 

Why?

[Cuizer2]

So far so good, but not good enough for me until room service charge is eliminated.

 

It is free. Just go to the buffet, pick out what you want and take it back to your cabin.

 

Or, if you are too lazy to do that, then just order the free items. Don't forget to tip the person who brings you your food.

[Kenns10]

Hi Everyone - I want to be sure that I understand the new 18% service charge/gratuity set up for the specialty restaurants. So for some dummy math, assuming a group of 2 people:

 

LeBistro

2 x $20 = $40

18% = $7.20

Total = $47.20

 

Illusionarium

2 x $60 = $120 (floor seats are $60, but 15% discount on some nights?)

18% = $21.60

Total = $141.60

 

Is my math correct? Thanks!

[dodger1964]

Great news...WOW...(if you believe the press release)...the company president goes on ship...sees dishes in hallway (that is where you customarily put them when finished when staying at hotel...who knew ship would be different!!??) and sees spilled food, comes back to office, has 2 minute conversation and changes company policy causing all this bad press.

[punkincc]

Great news...WOW...(if you believe the press release)...the company president goes on ship...sees dishes in hallway (that is where you customarily put them when finished when staying at hotel...who knew ship would be different!!??) and sees spilled food, comes back to office, has 2 minute conversation and changes company policy causing all this bad press.

 

Actually, many people have reported that the hallway is where many room stewards were telling people to place the trays, so it was NCLs own policy and procedures which were contributing to the so called problem. Strange that neither Del Rio or A Stuart were aware of this and that that a procedure change would not have been considered in the first couple minutes?:rolleyes:. Instead, they leap to the conclusion that a carryout ban will solve the problem. Apparently it takes Cruise Critic to point out the obvious solution to them.

[punkincc]

http://http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6382

 

"The number [of people] who booked during this time period, with a much more inclusive product than ever before, is astounding," Stuart said. Also this year, Norwegian announced, beginning in 2016, Norwegian Sky will be fully inclusive, allowing passengers to pay one fare that includes items like beverages and alternative dining.

 

--By Colleen McDaniel, Managing Editor

 

 

Just as an aside, did the Cruise Critic Editor get it totally wrong on the statement made concerning the all inclusive promo for the Sky when she said that it includes "alternative dining" or did I miss something? From what I read here it includes drinks only and not specialty dining.

[legion3]

Hi Everyone - I want to be sure that I understand the new 18% service charge/gratuity set up for the specialty restaurants. So for some dummy math, assuming a group of 2 people:

 

LeBistro

2 x $20 = $40

18% = $7.20

Total = $47.20

 

Illusionarium

2 x $60 = $120 (floor seats are $60, but 15% discount on some nights?)

18% = $21.60

Total = $141.60

 

Is my math correct? Thanks!

 

Yes your math is correct, except that Le Bistro is now 19.95 per person :D

 

If you have the UDP do you still pay the 18%? So would my bill be $7.20?

[LadySpoilt]

Hi Everyone - I want to be sure that I understand the new 18% service charge/gratuity set up for the specialty restaurants. So for some dummy math, assuming a group of 2 people:

 

LeBistro

2 x $20 = $40

18% = $7.20

Total = $47.20

 

Illusionarium

2 x $60 = $120 (floor seats are $60, but 15% discount on some nights?)

18% = $21.60

Total = $141.60

 

Is my math correct? Thanks!

 

I thought floor seats for Illusionarium were 29.00 each, not 60.00 each

[CavalierX]

And now this thread can be closed? Just asking.....

 

Harriet

 

Again? You ask this on every thread related to the recent policy changes, and who knows how many others. Just unsubscribe, Harriet. Unsubscribe. It's under "Thread Tools" at the top.

[boopsahoy]

Again? You ask this on every thread related to the recent policy changes, and who knows how many others. Just unsubscribe, Harriet. Unsubscribe. It's under "Thread Tools" at the top.

 

Yes please! We are enjoying our victory!

[whenisthemidnightbuffet?]

Again? You ask this on every thread related to the recent policy changes, and who knows how many others. Just unsubscribe, Harriet. Unsubscribe. It's under "Thread Tools" at the top.

 

Seriously, you believe this comment was necessary.

[dodger1964]

Seriously, you believe this comment was necessary.

 

I don't spend much time on this section of cc, and don't agree that people should give snarky comments to others, but when I read that initial comment I thought to myself, if cc closed every thread after the initial question was answered there wouldn't be many threads still open.

[whenisthemidnightbuffet?]

I don't spend much time on this section of cc, and don't agree that people should give snarky comments to others, but when I read that initial comment I thought to myself, if cc closed every thread after the initial question was answered there wouldn't be many threads still open.

 

LOL, that can be true, but yours would have been a much nicer way to have responded. :):)