Am I the only one? Is food a deal breaker?

[burm]

I may not, but I also don't understand the obsession with eating in a tiny cabin.

 

There is so much wrong with that statement.

 

It is not an obsession, but it is surely a joy to arrive back on board ship after a hectic day and grab a plate of food to enjoy on your balcony as the ship pulls away from port.

 

Also on early morning excursion days, it is convenient and a real time saver for one of us to grab a couple of plates of food while the other person is in the shower. As we all know, once we sit down in the buffet, we usually end up chatting with several people. A pleasure at any other time, but not when we are in a hurry to catch an excursion.

 

At any time, it is the greatest joy in the world to sit on the balcony with a drink, a snack, and enjoy the thrill of being at sea. We particularly enjoying viewing sunrises and sunsets from our own little piece of ship real estate.

 

Oh dear, I am rambling. I need food. I am going to grab a plate of food to enjoy outdoors on the deck. One of life's simple pleasures.

 

 

 

This will be our first cruise with Norwegian and I am a bit confused about all this talk about trays cluttering up the corridors. Our favourite cruiseline asks people to leave their trays in their room. And they do! Surely that is one rule that they could and should be enforcing. Why do people need to put trays outside when there is twice a day room service? We leave them in the room after breakfast and head out for the morning. By the time we return they have magically disappeared.

 

 

 

It will be interesting to see if our first cruise with NCL is also our last.

[canadianeh934]

Because to them its a 'life and death' situation on their balcony/room while to others its a trivial matter. I mean once the a unpopular policy/rule is known, I would think common sense would dictated to reconsider sailing that line or avoid it like the plague - not these folks, they keep sailing it like setting themselves up for abuse they paid for...:rolleyes:

 

Life and death...please!

 

Read my signature.

[SAILPRO]

There are quite a few users on here that are nothing more then NCL shill accounts. You have begun to identify them. You will see them in every single post defending policies even when what they say contradicts previous comments.

 

6&8

 

Just ignore them, they're 'ncl cheerleaders' no matter what. :rolleyes:

[Snowrose]

4. Food not removed and taken back to cabin never to be eaten, leads to less food waste so lower grocery expenses.

 

Perishable foods on the ship will either go bad during the trip or be replaced by fresh food when the ship docks. Whether it's in the kitchen or in your room, waste will be the same.

 

6. The consistent cruiser likes the service level of cruising, remove those and those bread and butter customers will find other vacation options. Those customers have the time, resources and desire to travel, NCL and cruising won't be the only option.

 

Exactly. And I'm one of those customers that will choose another option.

 

Two things:

 

1) Del Rio isn't running NCL. Andy Stuart is. Del Rio is running NCLH which is the parent of NCL and includes Regent & Oceania. Day-to-Day decisions are most likely Andy's. Maybe we're seeing Andy's pet-peeves from his 16+ years at NCL being corrected.

 

I never said a word about Del Rio.

 

2) Looking at the horizon bobbing up & down is one of the BEST things you can do for sea-sickness. As I understand it, motion sickness is frequently (always?) due to a disconnect between what your eyes see, and your inner ear senses.

 

Your understanding disagrees with my personal experience, and it is how I handle that experience that was my point.

Edited May 7, 2015 by Snowrose

[coldflame]

I have never cruised on NCL and after my upcoming cruise will not again...I will vote with my feet as I have always done.

 

Money is the basis of this decision. When I booked my cruise there was no charge for room service, and now this. This is beyond a rational decision this sounds like a company facing bankruptcy...

 

Increasing Mandatory Gratuities

Charging for room service

Policy for where you can eat.

All the incentives for booking cruises.

 

It adds up to desperate.

 

Except, you know, they are actually kicking butt financially. Higher EPS, higher yields, beat the street estimate. I don't think your theory holds water. Sorry.

 

http://www.nclhltdinvestor.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=911555

[Travelcat2]

I am one who has defended some of the new policies and am definitely not a shill (I doubt if there are any on this or any board -- Cruise Critic looks out for that sort of thing). The reason I defend some (not all) of the changes is because we went through what NCL is going through with pretty much the same management.

 

Our favorite cruise line is Regent. It was purchased by Apollo approximately 7 years ago (after Apollo purchased Oceania and an interest in NCL). Frank Del Rio was the CEO then -- just as he is now. Regent has a very high percentage of repeat customers - partly due the fact that they have an excellent loyalty program. It would be difficult to find someone that did not feel that Regent was better before than it is now. However, change in inevitable. What in your life is the same now as it was 7 years ago? Prices of items certainly are not. The cost of some flights on airlines have just about doubled and, some cruise lines have had double digit increases in fares.

 

Some of the changes that Regent customers were faced with were as upsetting as what NCL customers are going through now. Some customers left and stayed away. Others did not find the grass greener on the other side and some just learned to put up with it or live with it. There is one change that I can barely tolerate - even today but, it is not worth changing cruise lines.

 

In terms of NCL, I do not think that having a service charge for room service is a good thing but also do not think that someone should be able to call room service multiple times a day just because they can (I know someone that sails on Regent that once ordered a hot dog in the middle of the night -- not because he was hungry but because he could do it). I also do not think that putting plates on the floor outside of your door is good. Perhaps room service could have a limit and after that, there would be a charge.

 

Taking food from a restaurant to your cabin is something I haven't heard of before. Generally, if you want to eat in your cabin or on the balcony, you call room service - you don't take doggy bags or try to balance food on plates on the way back to your cabin. I can just see food falling off of the plate in rough seas. However, since there is a charge for room service, the solution isn't easy.

 

I don't claim to have any answers - only opinions. So, IMO, if you have not sailed NCL, I would not cancel my reservation based on these threads. After all, only a small percentage of passengers even read Cruise Critic. If you want to change cruise line, by all means, do so. Vacations are meant to be happy. If you aren't happy, you need to change - either your attitude or your cruise line (as you can see from my signature, we did try other cruise lines but have returned to Regent so I do "get it")

 

If you really have an objection to a new policy, write to NCL - especially if you have a suggestion that might improve the policy by simply tweaking it a bit (like my suggestion about limited free room service). It is obvious that NCL is reading these threads. This is an opportunity to bring forth ideas rather than ranting, threatening to go elsewhere, etc.

 

Sorry for my long post. Just wanted to clear up where I was coming from.

 

"not a shill":D

 

P.S. I do feel that Regent is a better cruise line now than before it was purchased by Apollo. And, I no longer intensely dislike Frank Del Rio. I have met him and he is a sincere, caring man who is very "hands on" -- he truly wants the best for the cruise lines he runs.

Edited May 7, 2015 by Travelcat2

[Diver2014]

I have never cruised on NCL and after my upcoming cruise will not again...I will vote with my feet as I have always done.

 

Money is the basis of this decision. When I booked my cruise there was no charge for room service, and now this. This is beyond a rational decision this sounds like a company facing bankruptcy...

 

Increasing Mandatory Gratuities

Charging for room service

Policy for where you can eat.

All the incentives for booking cruises.

 

It adds up to desperate.

 

oh please.......facing bankruptcy? Hardly. Those people who consider the changes as deal breakers will be complaining about the same things on other cruise lines. I'm not loyal to any cruise line and I don't care about the changes being made but deal breakers because of nickel and dime stuff? If you can afford to go on a cruise, you can afford the nickel and dime stuff, if you actually use the nickel and dime stuff (especially since so many consider the changes all about money and nothing else).

[Sotermarler]

I'm seriously bummed about this change, the other changes didn't really effect me, but this one got me. All DH and I have talked about since our last cruise was how great it was to bring food from the buffet down to eat on our balcony. We were even talking about packing a tray in the luggage for our next cruise. Why eat at the buffet and look out the window when we have a beautiful open air balcony? Now I'm afraid to tell the DH because he's gong to be very disappointed. :(

[maywell]

Life and death...please!

 

Read my signature.

 

So when are you going to updated with removal of the 2 NCL cruises since common sense would dictated to avoid lines with policies one doesn't like - and NCL has plenty that seems to be counterproductive to what you want.:rolleyes:

[galensgrl]

Yes, it's a deal breaker for my family. It's not really because of my kids (youngest is 7), but because of me.

 

I'm an insulin-dependent diabetic. I'm in the minority of diabetics, because the majority control their blood sugar through diet and exercise and medications other than insulin. Those of us who take insulin have to be fairly vigilant at making sure our blood sugar stays within the normal range. I've been doing this for more than 30 years, so I've gotten pretty good at it. However, there are times (e.g. when a schedule changes and I'm more active than I normally might be at home), where I might miss the mark on the amount of insulin I need to take. At those times, I can become hypoglyemic, and that can become a medical emergency very quickly if I don't eat something soon.

 

When I travel, I always bring snacks to have in my hotel room with me. Last year, we took our very first cruise on the Dawn, and we loved it. In addition to the fun of the cruise, one of the side benefits was that I didn't have to pack a ton of snacks. This might seem trivial, but trust me, it isn't. You always need to have a snack with you, just in case, or have ready access to food.

 

Yes, I understand I'm on a cruise ship and there is food round the clock. However, if I awake at 3 AM and I'm hypoglycemic, I'm not going to want to leave my cabin and find my way to wherever the food is, simply because Norwegian has decided I can't take my snacks back to the cabin with me. During a hypoglycemic episode, a person is not usually thinking as clearly as normal and to me, this possible situation is a needless hassle and potential risk. The easier solution for me and my family is to find another cruise line which allows me the convenience I need, because quite frankly, if I am paying to cruise where there is abundant food, I shouldn't still have to tote my own snacks with me.

 

Lolavix this is exactly my situation too, insulin dependent diabetic. We had four cruises with NCL, and we had a lot of fun cruising with them. Some people think the pushback regarding the dining changes is just a matter of people wanting to stuff their faces 24/7, but for some like us it can be a medical issue. DH and I are looking at a 2 week B2B on the NCL Dawn in September of 2016. We are really interested in the intinerary and have sailed on the Dawn before, but are waiting until the dust settles to see what kind of changes will take place between now and probably this Sept-Oct to book. I've hauled a knapsack of needed snacks on trips before, and I can do it again if needed. But it does seem ironic to have to make sure I bring snacks on a cruise! LOL :D

 

Lorie

Edited May 7, 2015 by galensgrl

[maywell]

oh please.......facing bankruptcy? Hardly. Those people who consider the changes as deal breakers will be complaining about the same things on other cruise lines. I'm not loyal to any cruise line and I don't care about the changes being made but deal breakers because of nickel and dime stuff? If you can afford to go on a cruise, you can afford the nickel and dime stuff, if you actually use the nickel and dime stuff (especially since so many consider the changes all about money and nothing else).

 

Something people forget regarding vacations - if one can afford to travel for that much, you should be able afford the associated costs as well. And if one can't afford those things then one should rethink about their vacation plans, even if its a cruise or a resort.

[janpo]

So when are you going to updated with removal of the 2 NCL cruises since common sense would dictated to avoid lines with policies one doesn't like - and NCL has plenty that seems to be counterproductive to what you want.:rolleyes:

 

 

Huh?

[buckirj1]

Trying to generate a little more light than heat here.

 

The only way the whole "bringing food from elsewhere on the ship back to your cabin" thing would be a dealbreaker is seeing passengers eating snacks in their underwear in the Lido instead of back in their cabin.

 

I'm having a hard time believing crew will care or even notice so long as passengers are reasonably discreet about taking stuff out of other food venues. On the other hand, if you're traveling in a herd and take back enough to feed the herd, you pretty much deserve what you get.

[gemsm]

Something people forget regarding vacations - if one can afford to travel for that much, you should be able afford the associated costs as well. And if one can't afford those things then one should rethink about their vacation plans, even if its a cruise or a resort.

 

Well if I have to afford to spend extra for food on NCL that is free on Carnival, Royal Carribean, Princess, Holland America...What exactly would be my incentive for spending money to go on NCL for less amenities. For that matter I can go to an all-inclusive resort and smoke on my room balcony as well. Its a pretty simple concept to most of us. I'm sorry but yes being unable to eat when and where I want to while on vacation is a deal breaker to me. I am able to do so during a regular work-day why would I want someone telling me I can only eat when and where they say so while I am on vacation or have to pay for something I experience when I am not on vacation?

[gemsm]

Trying to generate a little more light than heat here.

 

The only way the whole "bringing food from elsewhere on the ship back to your cabin" thing would be a dealbreaker is seeing passengers eating snacks in their underwear in the Lido instead of back in their cabin.

 

I'm having a hard time believing crew will care or even notice so long as passengers are reasonably discreet about taking stuff out of other food venues. On the other hand, if you're traveling in a herd and take back enough to feed the herd, you pretty much deserve what you get.

 

Apparently on current cruises unless you pay for a suite you are not being allowed to take any food from any of the dining rooms back to your cabin...But hey you have a good idea there...We can all go to the Lido in our underwear to eat...Maybe then they will change the policy.

 

The fun part will be paying extra to dine in a specialty restaurant and have to deal with someones young child having a melt down while trying to dine because the parents won't find it prudent to remove the child from the restaurant until after they have completed their meal that they paid for

[burm]

I'm seriously bummed about this change, the other changes didn't really effect me, but this one got me. All DH and I have talked about since our last cruise was how great it was to bring food from the buffet down to eat on our balcony. We were even talking about packing a tray in the luggage for our next cruise. Why eat at the buffet and look out the window when we have a beautiful open air balcony? Now I'm afraid to tell the DH because he's gong to be very disappointed. :(

 

I know. We wouldn't want to eat all our meals in isolation, but we have always booked cabins with easy access to the buffet. Sometimes we like to mingle, other times we are just too tired to be sociable and enjoy grabbing a plate to eat while enjoying the most beautiful view in the world.

[wichitastatecruiser]

I'm seriously bummed about this change, the other changes didn't really effect me, but this one got me. All DH and I have talked about since our last cruise was how great it was to bring food from the buffet down to eat on our balcony. We were even talking about packing a tray in the luggage for our next cruise. Why eat at the buffet and look out the window when we have a beautiful open air balcony? Now I'm afraid to tell the DH because he's gong to be very disappointed. :(

 

The Escape buffet has open air seating so you can still snack with a beautiful view.

[lolavix]

But it does seem ironic to have to make sure I bring snacks on a cruise! LOL :D

 

That is my point exactly. On every other (land) vacation I've done with my family, I've brought along tons and tons of snacks. When we went on our cruise last summer, part of what felt like a true vacation is I only needed to bring a fraction of what I normally do, for the times we were in port. For those who don't want to rely on food from the buffet to counter a hypoglycemic reaction, that is fine. I prefer to eat half of a banana or another piece of fruit than glucose tablets. I'm wondering if someone will flame me for saying that, but again, it's my choice. If Norwegian is going to make it difficult or impossible for me to have that freedom, I can go elsewhere. I'm not expecting Norwegian to take care of me; I've done fine for thirty-plus years of living with type 1 diabetes.

 

We've only done one cruise total and we will likely switch to another cruise line which is less restrictive, if taking food from the buffet really becomes a thing of the past by the time we decide to cruise again.

[tarheelmjfan]

I didn't read the whole thread (I can only take so many self centered posts.), but what I found funny in the pages I read is the people who don't have a problem with this have a history of mostly booking suites, oceanview or inside cabins. Naturally, they don't have a problem with it. It doesn't affect them as much as it does those who book balcony cabins. Although, some in inside & oceanview cabins may still take advantage of take-out from the buffet or otherwise, even though some can't imagine eating on a bed. :rolleyes: At least, it affects them. Maybe it's just me, but if I only booked suites, I wouldn't voice an opinion on something that doesn't affect me. It seems disingenuous to me.

Edited May 7, 2015 by tarheelmjfan

[DaisyGoldberg]

Now that I can not take my meals to go when my kid has a melt down in a specialty I will be forced to stay in the restaurant to eat the meal that I paid extra for instead of taking my meal to go and leaving to the room to comfort him. Before these insane changes I would have made the right choice and thought of everyone and tried to preserve their experience, but NCL has now forced my hand. I have no choice but to stay and potentially effect your enjoyment.

 

You may find that that kind of behavior results in eventual age restrictions in the nicer restaurants. (For the doomsday crowd, this is probably FDR's intention all along... bwahaha!)

 

I honestly don't understand the "those jerks are just trying to make money at our expense!" mindset. Yes, of course they are.

 

The base cruising price point is lower than it was when I started cruising in the early 90s. We paid as much for a porthole as we now pay for a balcony, and I did a B2B in a suite for not much more than we paid for a balcony when I played my cards right timing-wise.

 

If people are burned out on the business model of cruising, there are plenty of land-based all inclusives. The view won't change from day to day, and you'll pay extra to face the water, and they don't go anywhere, but they will give you booze and food. They probably won't allow you to take it from the restaurants and eat it by their pool, room service items will start at $15 for a hamburger, and there will be $25/day resort fees on top of their base price, but you won't be getting nickled and dimed by NCL.

[knight2096]

It is a 100 percent deal breaker for my family, we just cancelled our cruise with NCL. Plenty of other lines to go cruising on.

Edited May 7, 2015 by knight2096

[ejincali]

I'll be on the Jade next month, and see how this affects things. At this point, yes, reacting to an announcement of what seems to be a very annoying and unfair policy. If this really is enforced, I would say it would be an irritation that would linger in my mind when considering future vacation options.

[mking8288]

Since you cruise in suites and can have the Butler deliver whatever you want whenever you want, you're being utterly disingenuous. Of course it doesn't bother you. You claimed you're going to the buffet to have your 3 pm milk and cookies? B.S.! You'll have the Butler deliver them to your suite.

Suite dwellers are vastly overrepresented on CC as compared to steerage customers. No more than 5 percent of pax are in suites, even on the mega-ships. Yet even a cursory glance at postings here shows that a quarter, or more, of CCers routinely cruise in suites.

People can post whatever they wish, of course. But it might help us know who we're talking to if people would post whether they are or are not suite dwellers. Some, of course, we know already.

To the extent that CC is for the benefit of NCL to gauge what its customers are thinking (which is what you imply though hardly what I believe is anywhere close to the mission of these boards), for suite dwellers to gum up comments on room service issues will lead NCL to the wrong conclusions. Steerage customers have been nailed by ALL these recent changes (well, they do get a nickel back on their specialty dining!) while suite customers have been allowed to float above the teeming masses.

So there! :mad::eek::rolleyes::D

 

<< Like >> And, there are also those on C.A.S. specials & upgrades ... with their upgrades, although lately - the deals aren't as good. :D Nothing wrong with being selfish, just admit it - like I couldn't care less, either or not.

 

There are quite a few users on here that are nothing more then NCL shill accounts. You have begun to identify them. You will see them in every single post defending policies even when what they say contradicts previous comments.

6&8

 

<< Like >> Also, keep in mind that there are travel agents lurking here with vested interests and from the time, their "covers" get exposed ... "like those on the webinar" online open usually only to the industry pro's.

 

As a former frequent flyer with the airlines, it the same DYKWIA mindset - most of them, they couldn't care less about the "sheepies in "steerage" or those in the main cabin in the back of the tin can. Time to put on flame retardant suits & check my IGNORE List again since I couldn't care less what some of them have to say. ;)

Edited May 7, 2015 by mking8288

[burm]

On every other (land) vacation I've done with my family, I've brought along tons and tons of snacks. When we went on our cruise last summer, part of what felt like a true vacation is I only needed to bring a fraction of what I normally do, for the times we were in port. For those who don't want to rely on food from the buffet to counter a hypoglycemic reaction, that is fine.

 

There are many people on any cruise ship who need to eat on a schedule. I don't know why all ships can't keep out a very small amount of not easily perishable food 24/7.

 

A couple of years ago I was on a ship that served breakfast from 7:00 AM. One morning I was feeling very sick and shakey and tried to grab a banana from the buffet that was all set up to serve in 10 minutes. A server looked over and the buffet manager, then quickly ran over to prevent me from taking that banana. A ten minute wait may not be much to most people, but it certainly is if you are on the verge of hypoglycemic shock. I did not feel well enough to walk over and argue with the manager. I stood there teary eyed and shaking.

 

There are so many reasons why people take food to their cabins. To my thinking, it is foolish for NCL to take this position on something that seems so minor but can seriously affect all of us on occasion. To say that we can't take a bowl of soup to a sick travelling companion or to a tired child who needs quiet time is ridiculous.

 

Hopefully NCL will quickly realize the error of this new rule.

[mistshar]

Nope, not changing my thoughts about cruising with NCL. If the rumor about not taking food from the buffet is true, I'll just go up at 3:00pm and sit there while I eat my cookies and/or chips, instead of bringing them back to my cabin.

 

That is wonderful for you but if you have mobility issues or other health problems, it may not be that easy. I like to have a bedtime snack and since we eat an early dinner we go to our cabin after dinner and don't go back out. Since they don't appear to care about this, we will not be cruising with them again. We will go with another cruise line that cares about people with disabilities and are not able to go all over the ship any time they want something to eat with out paying $7.95.