Early Del Rio Legacy vs the Sheehan Legacy

[coka]

...And then there are those who do not say anything...where are they spending their future vacation dollars? Does not matter one iota. I am okay with it.

Edited August 3, 2015 by coka

[SuiteCruiser]

...And then there are those who do not say anything...where are they spending their future vacation dollars? Does not matter one iota. I am okay with it.

 

Aha! But Coka, we know we haven't been hearing your wonderful reviews, so can guess that perhaps it's elsewhere? LOL. Miss your antics!

[coka]

Aha! But Coka, we know we haven't been hearing your wonderful reviews, so can guess that perhaps it's elsewhere? LOL. Miss your antics!

 

I am with Sheehan...;)

Coka

[SuiteCruiser]

i am with sheehan...;)

coka

 

lol :)

[cruise crazed]

My perspective is NCL provides a nice product. It is not perfect, but I enjoy the fact that I don't have to dress up for a formal night. there is always room for improvement but overall I enjoy cruising on NCL.

There is a board who made a decision to hire DelRio, I have to trust they know what they are doing.

[motleyfan]

I am with Sheehan...;)

Coka

 

I am with FDR

[hondorner]

..The die was cast when the board of directors named an accountant to lead NCLH.

Kevin Sheehan is a CPA.

[swedish weave]

What is harming Norwegian the most are the whiners think about it, imagine you've never been on a cruise before and you're thinking about going on Norwegian and then you come on here and see all the people that are cruising Norwegian whining and complaining about everything. Would you want to go on it? I can tell you for certain, before my first cruise if I come on here and see all the supposedly terrible things people say I probably would not have used Norweigian. So I think it's easy to prove conclusively that the whiners and complainers are what's hurting the brand

 

I don't believe the complainers are harming NCL. The ships are sailing full or nearly so, but the reason is NCL is giving away the very things Andy Stuart said in the documentary a few years ago were necessary to make a cruise profitable. Liquor sales, specialty restaurants, and shore excursions were the main things mentioned, and NCL is now giving them as booking bonuses in order to fill their ships.

 

These giveaways made the booking stats and the revenue look good for a short time, but what about the future?

 

You are pointing your finger at the wrong people. Management is the culprit !! AND The present management team operates under the guidance of Apollo !!

Edited August 4, 2015 by swedish weave

[SuiteCruiser]

I am with FDR

 

Why? What has he done to make you "with" him?

[SuiteCruiser]

I should know better, should've read the sign by the bridge..

[eroller]

I think what is hurting the NCL brand the most are those so blinded by loyalty that they just take whatever the line dishes out. Fee increases? Bring it on! More restrictive policies? Absolutely! Decreased value and higher fares? Why not! Those that don't speak up really makes things worse for the rest of us. If more people spoke up and vocalized their dissatisfaction we might see more positive action like the retreat of the restrictive buffet food policy. That is a great example of how the consumer can evoke change for the better! Of course the best way to vocalize dissatisfaction is with your wallet, but that can be more timely in terms of results.

[RDC1]

I think that you are seeing some interesting competition between NCL and Celebrity/RCCL.

 

NCL originally created separation from the other brands by the approach to dining, and then by the extra benefits given to suites.

 

Celebrity and RCCL have done some major changes in their approach to dining. Celebrity has really started to go after the suite customers with their extra lounges and dedicated dining rooms.

[newmexicoNita]

It is really difficult to be an armchair CEO of a cruise line. There is so much that none of us really know about. It seems to be a bit of a dream job though. I'd love to throw my hat in the ring, but the fact that I once ran a 26 foot SeaRay into a pier would probably disqualify me.

 

unless it was a really small line, you would be ok; you wouldn't be the captain. LOl

[newmexicoNita]

I think what is hurting the NCL brand the most are those so blinded by loyalty that they just take whatever the line dishes out. Fee increases? Bring it on! More restrictive policies? Absolutely! Decreased value and higher fares? Why not! Those that don't speak up really makes things worse for the rest of us. If more people spoke up and vocalized their dissatisfaction we might see more positive action like the retreat of the restrictive buffet food policy. That is a great example of how the consumer can evoke change for the better! Of course the best way to vocalize dissatisfaction is with your wallet, but that can be more timely in terms of results.

 

Where does this decreased value come from other than your opinion. Remember opinions are one thing, facts are quite another. And as for hurting NCL where are you getting that idea? Sure there are a lot of people here that are not happy, but do we know how many have actually left for other lines? Remember only about 1% of all passengers even read CC. We are all cruise junkies, not all cruisers are. I really do not see a great increase in fares either, compared to other lines.

[eroller]

Where does this decreased value come from other than your opinion.

 

Lets see. Higher speciality dining fees or a la carte pricing, room service charges that didn't exist before, higher drink prices, loss of fireworks at sea, no more affiliation with Nickelodeon, higher overall cruise pricing but no improvement to the onboard experience. Do I need to go on because I'm sure I can come up with more? It's more than opinion. These are factual decreases in value at least in my book. Perhaps they don't apply to you and that is fine, but MANY do feel the same as I do based on the comments I've read here on CC.

[jmele999]

The single question that I have is whether or not all of these changes were planned in 2014 before all the free promotions started or are all of the increases a way to compensate for revenue that NCL is losing due to the promotions.

 

For example,

 

Free UBP offered by NCL

 

Result - increase in drink prices and increase in gratuity from 15% to 18%

 

Free UDP offered by NCL

 

Result - 18% gratuity added and a-la-carte dinning

 

Pre-paid gratuities offered by NCL [/size]

 

Result - DSC increased from $12 to $13.50 and $15.50 for suites

 

Free excursions offered by NCL

 

Result - Increase in excursion prices

 

Overall I think that new bookings are up for NCL, but at what price.

Edited August 4, 2015 by jmele999

[boopsahoy]

The single question that I have is whether or not all of these changes were planned in 2014 before all the free promotions started or are all of the increases a way to compensate for revenue that NCL is losing due to the promotions.

 

For example,

 

Free UBP offered by NCL

 

Result - increase in drink prices and increase in gratuity from 15% to 18%

 

Free UDP offered by NCL

 

Result - 18% gratuity added and a-la-carte dinning

 

Pre-paid gratuities offered by NCL [/size]

 

Result - DSC increased from $12 to $13.50 and $15.50 for suites

 

Free excursions offered by NCL

 

Result - Increase in excursion prices

 

QUOTE]

I agree that the above is NOT a coincidence.

 

I think the a la carte dining is a way to make more money-I would like to see the new menu and see what a full dinner (app, salad, entrée, side dish, dessert) would cost a la carte as opposed to the original all inclusive price. I would bet my bottom dollar that it is more a la carte.

 

I think before going completely a la carte they should have let passengers decide when they got to the restaurant whether they wanted a la carte menu or complete dinner menu-like many restaurants do.

 

It also annoys me that Del Rio says he is making these changes for the good of the customers-OH my wife and I never eat all 4 courses and dessert so I am doing this a la carte thing for YOU!

 

When I go on vacation its the one time I DON'T worry about how much I am eating. Now its being ruined by having to think about how much each item costs etc. which just ruins the whole freestyle idea for me. I don't want to see prices on my menu when on a cruise vacation!

[motleyfan]

I think what is hurting the NCL brand the most are those so blinded by loyalty that they just take whatever the line dishes out. Fee increases? Bring it on! More restrictive policies? Absolutely! Decreased value and higher fares? Why not! Those that don't speak up really makes things worse for the rest of us. If more people spoke up and vocalized their dissatisfaction we might see more positive action like the retreat of the restrictive buffet food policy. That is a great example of how the consumer can evoke change for the better! Of course the best way to vocalize dissatisfaction is with your wallet, but that can be more timely in terms of results.

 

How can boil T hurt a brand? That helps, as I said I still say it's the whiners and complainers. If you think about it its common sense. The more people complain about something, the more it makes others not want to Cruise that specific line. 90% of the complaining is about small insignificant things anyways.

[SteveH2508]

How can boil T hurt a brand? That helps, as I said I still say it's the whiners and complainers. If you think about it its common sense. The more people complain about something, the more it makes others not want to Cruise that specific line. 90% of the complaining is about small insignificant things anyways.

 

Each individual thing may be 'insignificant' (your words) in itself, but, the overall trend: the sum of the parts, is adding up to a reduced experience/increased cost for the customer.

 

If you cannot see this, you perhaps need to take a step back and engage your brain, remove your blinkers and engage some common sense.

 

If a corporation sets off on a particular path which is unpopular, there are several possible outcomes.

 

1. No-one kicks back - they continue and probably lose customers and goodwill.
   
2. People complain - they take notice, revert and keep customers.
   
3. People complain - they ignore them and continue on their chosen path - lose customers and goodwill.
   

 

Goodwill is an intangible asset for a company which can be worth a huge amount - NCL have reduced their goodwill valuation in the last few months (I am surprised that FDR - being a bean-counter - has not seen this. Maybe he follows the PT Barnum philosophy?):rolleyes:

 

If you are happy to let NCL screw you over without complaint, then crack on mate - we are not ever likely to meet on an NCL ship.:p

[eroller]

Each individual thing may be 'insignificant' (your words) in itself, but, the overall trend: the sum of the parts, is adding up to a reduced experience/increased cost for the customer.

 

If you cannot see this, you perhaps need to take a step back and engage your brain, remove your blinkers and engage some common sense.

 

If a corporation sets off on a particular path which is unpopular, there are several possible outcomes.

 

1. No-one kicks back - they continue and probably lose customers and goodwill.
   
2. People complain - they take notice, revert and keep customers.
   
3. People complain - they ignore them and continue on their chosen path - lose customers and goodwill.
   

 

Goodwill is an intangible asset for a company which can be worth a huge amount - NCL have reduced their goodwill valuation in the last few months (I am surprised that FDR - being a bean-counter - has not seen this. Maybe he follows the PT Barnum philosophy?):rolleyes:

 

If you are happy to let NCL screw you over without complaint, then crack on mate - we are not ever likely to meet on an NCL ship.:p

 

 

Very well stated.

 

I'll add if no one ever complains (or lets say provides constructive criticism) about that things that truly deserve complaining about, it means they just don't care. Instead they just take their business elsewhere without the company ever knowing what prompted the dissatisfaction so no way to correct it.

 

As I've mentioned before the consumer has all the power in the end. They ultimately decide what works and doesn't work. NCL has been so mismanaged in the past they never managed to become #1 or #2 in the cruise industry although they certainly had the opportunity. I don't want to go back to those days.

[SteveH2508]

Executive summary for FDR, AS et al.

 

Customer feedback matters

Customer goodwill matters

 

Spot the theme here - customers are those who pay your wages and provide your company's profits (assuming you can do basic cost accounting:D)

 

Lose your customers - lose your business - all the suits in Wall Street will not make up for customers buying (or not) your product.

 

Successful organisations focus on the basics and delivering them well.

[motleyfan]

Each individual thing may be 'insignificant' (your words) in itself, but, the overall trend: the sum of the parts, is adding up to a reduced experience/increased cost for the customer.

 

If you cannot see this, you perhaps need to take a step back and engage your brain, remove your blinkers and engage some common sense.

 

If a corporation sets off on a particular path which is unpopular, there are several possible outcomes.

 

1. No-one kicks back - they continue and probably lose customers and goodwill.
   
2. People complain - they take notice, revert and keep customers.
   
3. People complain - they ignore them and continue on their chosen path - lose customers and goodwill.
   

 

Goodwill is an intangible asset for a company which can be worth a huge amount - NCL have reduced their goodwill valuation in the last few months (I am surprised that FDR - being a bean-counter - has not seen this. Maybe he follows the PT Barnum philosophy?):rolleyes:

 

If you are happy to let NCL screw you over without complaint, then crack on mate - we are not ever likely to meet on an NCL ship.:p

 

You still get way more on Ncl then on other lines.

[newmexicoNita]

The single question that I have is whether or not all of these changes were planned in 2014 before all the free promotions started or are all of the increases a way to compensate for revenue that NCL is losing due to the promotions.

 

For example,

 

Free UBP offered by NCL

 

Result - increase in drink prices and increase in gratuity from 15% to 18%

 

Free UDP offered by NCL

 

Result - 18% gratuity added and a-la-carte dinning

 

Pre-paid gratuities offered by NCL [/size]

 

Result - DSC increased from $12 to $13.50 and $15.50 for suites

 

Free excursions offered by NCL

 

Result - Increase in excursion prices

 

QUOTE]

I agree that the above is NOT a coincidence.

 

I think the a la carte dining is a way to make more money-I would like to see the new menu and see what a full dinner (app, salad, entrée, side dish, dessert) would cost a la carte as opposed to the original all inclusive price. I would bet my bottom dollar that it is more a la carte.

 

I think before going completely a la carte they should have let passengers decide when they got to the restaurant whether they wanted a la carte menu or complete dinner menu-like many restaurants do.

 

It also annoys me that Del Rio says he is making these changes for the good of the customers-OH my wife and I never eat all 4 courses and dessert so I am doing this a la carte thing for YOU!

 

When I go on vacation its the one time I DON'T worry about how much I am eating. Now its being ruined by having to think about how much each item costs etc. which just ruins the whole freestyle idea for me. I don't want to see prices on my menu when on a cruise vacation!

 

what would you espect him to say? we are doing this to make more money? This is how PR works in the real world, most of us know why changes happen. I do like your idea of letting passengers decide whether they was a la carte or a set meal.

[boopsahoy]

You still get way more on Ncl then on other lines.

 

 

I guess then we shouldn't complain until we get less than other lines? Its a slippery slope my friend.

[backsbanny]

Ι know that sheehan was the ceo that i got hooked to cruising ncl!!del rio is the ceo that showed me how good celebrity and royal is!!before del rio there was only one site i used to book cruises and this was ncl.com.. Now i have already used celebrity which i loved for the food and royal which i found a little more upscale than ncl!!!will i sail again in the near future with ncl??you bet if i find a terrific deal like the one i have for the epic this january..if i want to book a future cruise though and i see same price as rcl or celebrity then its no brainer for me...Thank you very much mr del rio for giving me the insights about experiencing other lines!!

 

 

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