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

[AceDoc]

Food Runners - got it, not to worry ;)

Here, two solutions on eBay, imported from Thailand & China, pay for itself easily - http://www.ebay.com/itm/LUNCH-BOX-3-TIER-HAPPY-FOOD-CARRIER-STAINLESS-STEEL-CAMPING-TEMPLE-SCHOOL-OFFICE-/111659373906?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19ff6ad552

Or, try this - http://www.ebay.com/itm/FOOD-CARRIER-STAINLESS-STEEL-INSULATION-LUNCH-BOX-2-LAYER-CAMPING-SCHOOL-OFFICE/121527895989?

 

Surely, one can find ways to slip past the food patrol stationed at the exits :D

 

Nice! Perhaps you could also create a rappelling product to lower the smuggled food from the pool deck to the balcony cabin of choice, a la Mission Impossible.

 

Cheers

[redfantum]

Nice! Perhaps you could also create a rappelling product to lower the smuggled food from the pool deck to the balcony cabin of choice, a la Mission Impossible.

 

Cheers

With a jambox playing the theme. Love it.

[Katesowner]

NCL has our email addresses. Why couldn't they have emailed everyone all the changes? That would have been good customer service....

[sparks1093]

NCL has our email addresses. Why couldn't they have emailed everyone all the changes? That would have been good customer service....

 

Heck, they don't even do that for an itinerary change.

[Cauzneffct]

NCL has our email addresses. Why couldn't they have emailed everyone all the changes? That would have been good customer service....

 

Agreed. It would be good customer service and allow NCL to direct the narrative rather than perpetually looking inept and/or shady. Princess contacted us 4 days before our last cruise to let us know one of our excursions had been cancelled, which was helpful since we didn't have to pack bulky cold-weather gear. I assumed that was SOP, but it seems not.

[mickeysgal]

Seriously, you can still walk out onto a balcony and enjoy the view, breeze, sound of the ocean, etc. without food in your hand. It really is possible. I do it all the time.

 

Yes of course you can but that doesn't mean cruisers want to. For some, specialty restaurants enhance their vacation experience, for others, bringing back desert to enjoy on their balcony is another. Now, you can still do that...for a price.

 

NCL shot themselves in the foot with this one. Big time. I understand companies are all about the profit. They have to be. But sometimes the decisions go too far and tip the scales into the stupid range. This is one of them.

 

We're within final payment otherwise we'd jump ship (pun intended) from Epic to Allure this summer. No question about it. NCL has become a hassle and not so Freestyle.

[LrgPizza]

Yes of course you can but that doesn't mean cruisers want to. For some, specialty restaurants enhance their vacation experience, for others, bringing back desert to enjoy on their balcony is another. Now, you can still do that...for a price.

My point is that some cruisers do want to. Believe it or not, not all cruisers use their balconies to dine. Like I said earlier, I had never even considered or heard of eating on a balcony until I joined CC. Again, my quote was taken out of context. I was specifically replying to a poster that said people only book balconies to eat. That's simply not true. Some do, some don't. I hate people who respond to something like this by exaggerating everything. It makes the issue and argument seem ludicrous if it gets blown out of proportion. It's a big enough problem without the need to exaggerate it. (not you-- some others)

[legion3]

I was specifically replying to a poster that can't fathom why someone would book a balcony if they can't eat there. Get it? I was saying the same thing you just said.

 

Except I want to eat on my balcony, if I can't then I might as well get an OV and save the $

[legion3]

My point is that some cruisers do want to. Believe it or not, not all cruisers use their balconies to dine. Like I said earlier, I had never even considered or heard of eating on a balcony until I joined CC. Again, my quote was taken out of context. I was specifically replying to a poster that said people only book balconies to eat. That's simply not true. Some do, some don't. I hate people who respond to something like this by exaggerating everything. It makes the issue and argument seem ludicrous if it gets blown out of proportion. It's a big enough problem without the need to exaggerate it. (not you-- some others)

 

Which is why I originally posted let me enjoy my balcony my way and you enjoy your's your way.

 

Nobody only books a balcony to eat (do they?) but it might be a key reason, or an added benefit. Thus it's not blown out of proportion to them.

 

This is a major change from most other cruise lines.

[NLH Arizona]

My point is that some cruisers do want to. Believe it or not, not all cruisers use their balconies to dine. Like I said earlier, I had never even considered or heard of eating on a balcony until I joined CC. Again, my quote was taken out of context. I was specifically replying to a poster that said people only book balconies to eat. That's simply not true. Some do, some don't. I hate people who respond to something like this by exaggerating everything. It makes the issue and argument seem ludicrous if it gets blown out of proportion. It's a big enough problem without the need to exaggerate it. (not you-- some others)

I said pretty much the same thing on another thread. I believe that if one puts out their complaint/issue in a professional manner, without dramatics, name calling, etc., it carries a bigger message to a company. I think they just dismiss a lot of the complaints because of the way folks state their issues and real complaints gets lost in the mix.

[burm]

Not being able to eat on your balcony would be like not being able to dine on your deck at home. Sure, you would still go outside, but less and you would not be getting the full use and enjoyment of your little bit of paradise.

 

Yes, I know, they aren't saying that you can't eat on your balcony. If I am at home and decide that I am hungry, I don't want to pick up the phone every day and order Chinese or pizza, and have to wait 45 minutes. I walk over to the fridge and say, "That looks good". Same at the buffet: "Gee, looks good. I've never had that before".

 

So I grab a plate of that Moroccan chicken to enjoy on my balcony and watch the ship sail away from port in the sunset with the man I love beside me. Ahhhh, life does not get any better.

 

Alternate scenario: I wander around the tables in the buffet area looking for 2 empty seats. The food is rapidly getting cold. Finally we find 2 seats, but they are next to the waiters' station, out of sight of the glorious sunset. We are seated with a 93 year old man who entertains us with war stories. He cannot hear a word we say so delivers an endless monologue.

 

I like the first scenario much better.

[BrytEydBelle]

I am strongly considering canceling my 2016 Getaway booking and looking at booking Carnival. This was to be my first NCL cruise but with all the changes I am just no longer comfortable planning this trip for my family.

 

It is not any one change but the fact that there are so many with seemingly no regard for customer service. The room service charge I could live with but the new rule about taking food elsewhere is just too controlling for me. Sometimes I like to take a slice of pizza to a lower deck away from the crowds.

[seaman11]

is this rule of no food out of the buffet enforced? i often bring my son some breakfast as he likes to sleep in. i also from time to time grab a small snack for the room while watching tv, i dont really want to order a full room service.

[SuiteTraveler]

I just got off the Getaway this morning. There were people all over the ship with food they obviously got in the buffet or at the coffee shop in the atrium or Carlo's Bake Shop and were taking the food to their cabin throughout the cruise. The reason I could tell this was because my cabin was forward, so I saw many of these people in the forward part of the ship and on the forward stairs and elevators. The buffet is aft, so they had brought the food all that way. No, you cannot get a to-go order from any of the restaurants, but if you are eating at a restaurant and need to leave for an unforeseen reason (child, sickness, want to finish dessert but can't) the waitstaff will send the food to your cabin via room service at no extra charge. It comes wrapped with proper plates, cutlery and napkins. In our case, the dessert we were too full to eat was at our cabin in under 5 minutes of our return to the cabin after dinner. We were allowed to take anything in a bottle that we had paid for (sparkling water, wine, etc) with us from any venue back to our cabin. Those are the facts. To me, I don't see this new policy as a problem. Honestly, there was so much food available to us so much of the time, it was completely overwhelming.

[NLH Arizona]

I just got off the Getaway this morning. There were people all over the ship with food they obviously got in the buffet or at the coffee shop in the atrium or Carlo's Bake Shop and were taking the food to their cabin throughout the cruise. The reason I could tell this was because my cabin was forward, so I saw many of these people in the forward part of the ship and on the forward stairs and elevators. The buffet is aft, so they had brought the food all that way. No, you cannot get a to-go order from any of the restaurants, but if you are eating at a restaurant and need to leave for an unforeseen reason (child, sickness, want to finish dessert but can't) the waitstaff will send the food to your cabin via room service at no extra charge. It comes wrapped with proper plates, cutlery and napkins. In our case, the dessert we were too full to eat was at our cabin in under 5 minutes of our return to the cabin after dinner. We were allowed to take anything in a bottle that we had paid for (sparkling water, wine, etc) with us from any venue back to our cabin. Those are the facts. To me, I don't see this new policy as a problem. Honestly, there was so much food available to us so much of the time, it was completely overwhelming.

Thank you for some first hand information...it is much appreciated.

[seaman11]

I just got off the Getaway this morning. There were people all over the ship with food they obviously got in the buffet or at the coffee shop in the atrium or Carlo's Bake Shop and were taking the food to their cabin throughout the cruise. The reason I could tell this was because my cabin was forward, so I saw many of these people in the forward part of the ship and on the forward stairs and elevators. The buffet is aft, so they had brought the food all that way. No, you cannot get a to-go order from any of the restaurants, but if you are eating at a restaurant and need to leave for an unforeseen reason (child, sickness, want to finish dessert but can't) the waitstaff will send the food to your cabin via room service at no extra charge. It comes wrapped with proper plates, cutlery and napkins. In our case, the dessert we were too full to eat was at our cabin in under 5 minutes of our return to the cabin after dinner. We were allowed to take anything in a bottle that we had paid for (sparkling water, wine, etc) with us from any venue back to our cabin. Those are the facts. To me, I don't see this new policy as a problem. Honestly, there was so much food available to us so much of the time, it was completely overwhelming.

thank you , lets hope this isnt fully enforced before summer hits.

[HarpHarp]

I just got off the Getaway this morning. There were people all over the ship with food they obviously got in the buffet or at the coffee shop in the atrium or Carlo's Bake Shop and were taking the food to their cabin throughout the cruise. The reason I could tell this was because my cabin was forward, so I saw many of these people in the forward part of the ship and on the forward stairs and elevators. The buffet is aft, so they had brought the food all that way. No, you cannot get a to-go order from any of the restaurants, but if you are eating at a restaurant and need to leave for an unforeseen reason (child, sickness, want to finish dessert but can't) the waitstaff will send the food to your cabin via room service at no extra charge. It comes wrapped with proper plates, cutlery and napkins. In our case, the dessert we were too full to eat was at our cabin in under 5 minutes of our return to the cabin after dinner. We were allowed to take anything in a bottle that we had paid for (sparkling water, wine, etc) with us from any venue back to our cabin. Those are the facts. To me, I don't see this new policy as a problem. Honestly, there was so much food available to us so much of the time, it was completely overwhelming.

 

 

Really, this makes sense. They can't possibly police the buffet, & it makes sense to have a dessert or something sent via room service rather than via sick or inebriated passenger or mom trying to carry screaming child.

 

This sounds more like an add on offense, like not having your headlights on when it's raining. I could hear it now, as staff member is removing items from lounger. Chair hog runs up with his 3rd plate of food from the buffet, where he spent the last hour. "Sorry sir, this chair has been unoccupied longer than the allotted time, and by the way, you are not permitted to have that food here anyhow. :D

[legion3]

I am strongly considering canceling my 2016 Getaway booking and looking at booking Carnival. This was to be my first NCL cruise but with all the changes I am just no longer comfortable planning this trip for my family.

 

It is not any one change but the fact that there are so many with seemingly no regard for customer service. The room service charge I could live with but the new rule about taking food elsewhere is just too controlling for me. Sometimes I like to take a slice of pizza to a lower deck away from the crowds.

 

This is what we are considering too. Unfortunately Carnival let us down that same week as the chartered the Breeze :mad:

[nona0541]

I am a loyal NCL cruiser, (or let's just say was). I earned platinum in 6 years. I am so upset by all the new changes concerning the up charge of prices, the food "edict" and the increase in sailing costs that I will now be looking elsewhere for my ocean fix. When I can book a 15 day Panama Canal crossing with Disney for $2000 less than NCL, and btw Disney will not consider me a captive audience but a welcome guest, I will go with the mouse. And I have no little kids and not really into the charcters, but I am into saving money and not be considered less than a loyal customer. Just my humble opinion. Sorry NCL but this has got to be good-by.

[maywell]

I just got off the Getaway this morning. There were people all over the ship with food they obviously got in the buffet or at the coffee shop in the atrium or Carlo's Bake Shop and were taking the food to their cabin throughout the cruise. The reason I could tell this was because my cabin was forward, so I saw many of these people in the forward part of the ship and on the forward stairs and elevators. The buffet is aft, so they had brought the food all that way. No, you cannot get a to-go order from any of the restaurants, but if you are eating at a restaurant and need to leave for an unforeseen reason (child, sickness, want to finish dessert but can't) the waitstaff will send the food to your cabin via room service at no extra charge. It comes wrapped with proper plates, cutlery and napkins. In our case, the dessert we were too full to eat was at our cabin in under 5 minutes of our return to the cabin after dinner. We were allowed to take anything in a bottle that we had paid for (sparkling water, wine, etc) with us from any venue back to our cabin. Those are the facts. To me, I don't see this new policy as a problem. Honestly, there was so much food available to us so much of the time, it was completely overwhelming.

 

Thank you for setting the record straight - it's much appreciated.

[tutuwahineLV]

while food isn't the 'deal breaker'... the attitude expressed by the CEO certainly is. for 2 reasons:

 

1. I certainly don't appreciate being thought of, or referred to, as a captive audience who will pay whatever he decides because I have no other options.

 

and 2. the attitude of the top tier will flow down the the lower tiers, if he doesn't care about the passengers, nobody else will.

 

I do have other options, I will go where I'm NOT a captive audience but a welcome guest. I have no hesitation taking my hard earned vacation $$$ to someone else, and until DelRio changes his attitude, I will do just that.

[conandrob240]

I think it is a ridiculous new rule and one that will be impossible to enforce at the buffet. The buffet has seating OUTSIDE the restaurant. What are they going to do- follow every passenger with food out to see if they sit in the outside seating? When a rule both makes people,mad and is completely impossible to enforce, seems like it was a really silly rule to begin with.

 

With current prices now that UBP is gone, plus this, I do think I will be saying goodbye to NCL and seeing what other lines offers. Right now, Celebrity, RCCL and Carnival are all sailing the week I want from where I want and at a lower ( in some cases MUCH lower) price than NCL. For the past 5-10 years, that has rarely been the case. Pricing on NCL for the quality made it the go- to. Pricing now with the quality plus the sprestrictions and it has now priced itself out of the running for me.

Edited May 10, 2015 by conandrob240

[Loucat]

while food isn't the 'deal breaker'... the attitude expressed by the CEO certainly is. for 2 reasons:

 

1. I certainly don't appreciate being thought of, or referred to, as a captive audience who will pay whatever he decides because I have no other options.

 

and 2. the attitude of the top tier will flow down the the lower tiers, if he doesn't care about the passengers, nobody else will.

 

I do have other options, I will go where I'm NOT a captive audience but a welcome guest. I have no hesitation taking my hard earned vacation $$$ to someone else, and until DelRio changes his attitude, I will do just that.

 

I agree with you. The implication is that this CEO can and will make any change he feels will increase the bottom line and align with his vision.

His client base seems unimportant if he meets his own goals.

This lack of leadership has consistently proven wrong and resulted in many companies sustaining losses.

I question is he looks at the massive options out there for the cruising population/ the overload of new ships coming out and also wonder if he thinks his "captive audience" will swallow whatever he decides is best.

All of NCL statements regarding these changes are junk marketing; they are attempting to mask aggressive strategies to increase NCL profits.

 

I cancelled one 2016 Haven cruise and I am waiting for the next shoe to drop and there goes the one remaining cruise we have planned on NCL.

 

No problem DelRio~we work hard for our money and cruising is meant to be profitable for you as you have made these changes but where is your focus on increasing the cruise experience?

 

I left RCC as D+ more than two years ago as their food has gone to the great beyond. There are many options out there and I for one do not need this crap!

Cannot take food to your stateroom?

Delivery charge for room service?

Increased gratuity prices for specialty restaurants?

 

What is next? Bring out own pillows?

[Cauzneffct]

I just got off the Getaway this morning. There were people all over the ship with food they obviously got in the buffet or at the coffee shop in the atrium or Carlo's Bake Shop and were taking the food to their cabin throughout the cruise. The reason I could tell this was because my cabin was forward, so I saw many of these people in the forward part of the ship and on the forward stairs and elevators. The buffet is aft, so they had brought the food all that way. No, you cannot get a to-go order from any of the restaurants, but if you are eating at a restaurant and need to leave for an unforeseen reason (child, sickness, want to finish dessert but can't) the waitstaff will send the food to your cabin via room service at no extra charge. It comes wrapped with proper plates, cutlery and napkins. In our case, the dessert we were too full to eat was at our cabin in under 5 minutes of our return to the cabin after dinner. We were allowed to take anything in a bottle that we had paid for (sparkling water, wine, etc) with us from any venue back to our cabin. Those are the facts. To me, I don't see this new policy as a problem. Honestly, there was so much food available to us so much of the time, it was completely overwhelming.

 

Thanks for your first-hand report. I wonder if it's indicative to a lack of enforcement of the policy or that they haven't figured out how to do so. Here's to hoping it's the former.

I will say that NCL should fire its entire PR department (if it even has one). It would have taken 2 seconds to put out a release saying no take out, but unfinished food will be packaged and delivered to your cabin. And if there's no "actual" no-food-from-buffet policy, maybe get out there and say so.

[maywell]

Did you read that the person who you quoted was in a suite? Of course she was able to have food from a restaurant sent back to her suite. Those in a suite are treated differently. I think the first hand experiences of people in regular cabins carry more weight on this issue than the experiences of someone in the Haven. It's a totally different experience.

 

The person was in a spa suite but the Haven restaurant also has the takeout policy in effect as well ~or~ they could also been referring to the spa mini-suite which is also in forward for the Getaway - I looked at the deck 14 plans, all of the spa rooms are not in the Haven area at all, proving that poster might be telling the truth regarding how they saw it. I know exactly what they meant regarding seeing those buffet plates - the buffet for the Breakaway-class ships are all the way in the aft taking up the almost 1/3 of the ship with the elevator area in the smack dab in the middle of place (its easy to pass by that area without noticing it - the door area leading in/out is smaller than the sundeck doors in Forward of the same deck; well, on Breakaway anyway....). Look if you see Eggs Benedict with hash browns, cookies, brownies, Indian food, Seafood dishes, Chicken Salad, rice of any type, whole apple, and pretzel rolls varieties on people's plates walking around the ship- thats a safe bet that all came from the buffet since that only place to get majority of that stuff especially the pretzel rolls.