Good thing I took a screenshot of T&C for UDP

[nancynana9950]

Someone on our roll call who was staying in the Haven posted that she had been given the 25% discount at Ocean Blue on the Waterfront later in the week I went on Monday. Maybe this got straightened out after my visit? It would have been nice if someone from NCL had let me know this. Hopefully others will post that they had no problems.

[nancynana9950]

It's been six weeks since I contacted NCL about being denied the 25% discount for a la carte dining with our UDP we got as a booking promo and I just heard back from Mahasin Francis the coordinator of Guest Relations. The email apologized for any misleading information I may have received but their records indicate I was entitled to The promotional UDP and as such I was not entitled to a discount for a la carte dining locations. Only the PURCHASED package provides the discount. Are you kidding me??? Nowhere in the terms and conditions does it say there is a difference between purchased UDP and promo UDP at least not at the time of my booking!! I feel insulted by this response. I'm somehow beneath those who purchased UDP. This makes no sense to me. My sail and sign card said UDP. No distinction on whether I purchased it or it was a promo. This explanation makes no sense! I wish someone had tried to pull this fast one on me while I was on board so I could have gone right to the head of Food & Beverage. This is a new low for NCL IMO!!

[duchesslt]

It's been six weeks since I contacted NCL about being denied the 25% discount for a la carte dining with our UDP we got as a booking promo and I just heard back from Mahasin Francis the coordinator of Guest Relations. The email apologized for any misleading information I may have received but their records indicate I was entitled to The promotional UDP and as such I was not entitled to a discount for a la carte dining locations. Only the PURCHASED package provides the discount. Are you kidding me??? Nowhere in the terms and conditions does it say there is a difference between purchased UDP and promo UDP at least not at the time of my booking!! I feel insulted by this response. I'm somehow beneath those who purchased UDP. This makes no sense to me. My sail and sign card said UDP. No distinction on whether I purchased it or it was a promo. This explanation makes no sense! I wish someone had tried to pull this fast one on me while I was on board so I could have gone right to the head of Food & Beverage. This is a new low for NCL IMO!!

 

I am so sorry you had to go through such a terrible customer service experience. Please tell Mahasin Francis his response is absolutely untrue. I have the promotional UDP for 3 passengers sailing soon and we got $15 upcharge at Bayamo, 25% off at Wine Lovers, 25% off at Supper Club show/dinner, and fully expect 25% off at Food Republic/Pinchos tapas when I sail.

Edited December 6, 2015 by duchesslt

[SuiteCruiser]

I am so sorry you had to go through such a terrible customer service experience. Please tell Mahasin Francis his response is absolutely untrue. I have the promotional UDP for 3 passengers sailing soon and we got $15 upcharge at Bayamo, 25% off at Wine Lovers, 25% off at Supper Club show/dinner, and fully expect 25% off at Food Republic/Pinchos tapas when I sail.

 

I don't think Food Republc is part of it, but maybe you'll have better luck than some.

[duchesslt]

According to the After July 3rd 2015 Terms and Conditions, FR is included:

 

"A 25% discount applies to all a la carte and entertainment based dining and select Specialty Restaurants (Not included in the Ultimate Dining Package). These venues include: Sushi, Raw Bar, Food Republic, Hot Rock, Tapas Bar, Noodle Bar, Ocean Blue, Ocean Blue on The Waterfront, The Cellars, The District, Murder Mystery, Cirque Dreams & Dinner, Illusionarium, Supper Club, Wine Lovers, Pajama Jam, Bayamo and Pincho by Jose Garces. "

[SuiteCruiser]

According to the After July 3rd 2015 Terms and Conditions, FR is included:

 

"A 25% discount applies to all a la carte and entertainment based dining and select Specialty Restaurants (Not included in the Ultimate Dining Package). These venues include: Sushi, Raw Bar, Food Republic, Hot Rock, Tapas Bar, Noodle Bar, Ocean Blue, Ocean Blue on The Waterfront, The Cellars, The District, Murder Mystery, Cirque Dreams & Dinner, Illusionarium, Supper Club, Wine Lovers, Pajama Jam, Bayamo and Pincho by Jose Garces. "

 

Wow, that's amazing, I had no idea it was ever included. Thanks!

[duchesslt]

Wow, that's amazing, I had no idea it was ever included. Thanks!

 

Enjoy! Everyone with UDP should get their darn discounts!! I feel so bad for this poster who was obviously polite, went through the proper channels and was treated so poorly - it is insulting how they attempted to play her for a fool, reinterpreting and reinventing black and white print, when an apology and compensation was in order :mad:

Edited December 6, 2015 by duchesslt

[canadianeh934]

I have yet to take my first cruise with NCL and I can not see me booking again with them based on all the issues with change of value of the cruise....to choose a promotion at booking and find out that they will not be honoring it as written is a joke....no surprise coming from NCL who have make so many changes this year....with most not grandfather to their customers.

[spm6987]

Sailing January on the Escape and just booked the dinner show and Bayamo with UDP. Can confirm that the charge for each was $15. This is probably a savings over the price of an a la carte dinner at Bayamo with discount. Not sure about the dinner show. Maybe the regular cover minus 25% would have been less, who knows.

 

 

I booked the dinner show - on NCL website - for the Jan 9th sailing with the old UDP and it was $26.50 per person and not $15. How did you book for $15? Call or online?

[spm6987]

Sailing January on the Escape and just booked the dinner show and Bayamo with UDP. Can confirm that the charge for each was $15. This is probably a savings over the price of an a la carte dinner at Bayamo with discount. Not sure about the dinner show. Maybe the regular cover minus 25% would have been less, who knows.

 

But they should still be honoring the 25% discounts at a la carte venues for things like the sushi bars and lobster roll windows. The 7 day UDP cost significantly more than say, a 5 day SDP. Under UDP, If you want to go to dinner at a sushi place one night instead of an included restaurant, you should not have to pony up a la carte prices with no discount for it on top of what you paid for the UDP. And the T&Cs clearly state there should be a 25% discount. They should honor those terms right through my sailing, not just until a new package is rolled out.

 

 

I booked the dinner show - on NCL website - for the Jan 9th sailing with the old UDP and it was $26.50 per person and not $15. How did you book for $15? Call or online?

[hawkeyetlse]

The email apologized for any misleading information I may have received but their records indicate I was entitled to The promotional UDP and as such I was not entitled to a discount for a la carte dining locations. Only the PURCHASED package provides the discount. Are you kidding me??? Nowhere in the terms and conditions does it say there is a difference between purchased UDP and promo UDP at least not at the time of my booking!!

Technically, there is a difference, because there are two separate sets of terms and conditions. If you receive the UDP or some other perk as a booking promotion, you are subject to the terms stated in the fine print of the Freestyle Choice promotion. If you purchase a package yourself, then you get the terms given on the website for the purchase of that package. The problem is that the Freestyle Choice promo changes every month or so, and the purchased UDP has also undergone lots of changes this year, and NCL makes no effort whatsoever to keep all of this straight, and instead they just apply whatever terms they feel like when you are actually on board. In some cases, the new terms are better, it is only fair to point that out (for example, $15 for premium seats at entertainment dining performances is better than anything the UDP ever offered officially, aside from embarkation day). But in cases where they take away something that was in your original booking terms, and you decide to fight for it, you need to be prepared for a series of long and unpleasant arguments on board. And if you don't get it sorted out on board, it's too late, because if you complain after your cruise, you'll be lucky to get an answer at all, much less any sort of compensation. Edited December 6, 2015 by hawkeyetlse

[carsaw]

It's been six weeks since I contacted NCL about being denied the 25% discount for a la carte dining with our UDP we got as a booking promo and I just heard back from Mahasin Francis the coordinator of Guest Relations. The email apologized for any misleading information I may have received but their records indicate I was entitled to The promotional UDP and as such I was not entitled to a discount for a la carte dining locations. Only the PURCHASED package provides the discount. Are you kidding me??? Nowhere in the terms and conditions does it say there is a difference between purchased UDP and promo UDP at least not at the time of my booking!! I feel insulted by this response. I'm somehow beneath those who purchased UDP. This makes no sense to me. My sail and sign card said UDP. No distinction on whether I purchased it or it was a promo. This explanation makes no sense! I wish someone had tried to pull this fast one on me while I was on board so I could have gone right to the head of Food & Beverage. This is a new low for NCL IMO!!

 

That response is ridiculous. It's obvious they have no idea what they are doing in Guest Relations. :rolleyes:

[duchesslt]

Technically, there is a difference, because there are two separate sets of terms and conditions. If you receive the UDP or some other perk as a booking promotion, you are subject to the terms stated in the fine print of the Freestyle Choice promotion. If you purchase a package yourself, then you get the terms given on the website for the purchase of that package. The problem is that the Freestyle Choice promo changes every month or so, and the purchased UDP has also undergone lots of changes this year, and NCL makes no effort whatsoever to keep all of this straight, and instead they just apply whatever terms they feel like when you are actually on board. In some cases, the new terms are better, it is only fair to point that out (for example, $15 for premium seats at entertainment dining performances is better than anything the UDP ever offered officially, aside from embarkation day). But in cases where they take away something that was in your original booking terms, and you decide to fight for it, you need to be prepared for a series of long and unpleasant arguments on board. And if you don't get it sorted out on board, it's too late, because if you complain after your cruise, you'll be lucky to get an answer at all, much less any sort of compensation.

 

Do you have the T&C of the "promotional" UDP (which is what I got when I booked January of 2015)? I would really like to compare them! I have never been on such a confusing vacation.

[nancynana9950]

I've decided it's just too much trouble to have to carry a paper or electronic trail with me for every discount I'm entitled too. And then spend my vacation time standing in line at Guest Relations talking to people who are clueless trying to keep up with constantly changing promos that also have constantly changing terms and conditions! Following up post cruise has been a waste of time too.

I will be spending my cruise dollars elsewhere. Hopefully time will pass and NCL will find their way through whatever direction they are going and offer me a product I can count on being what they represent it to be. Like it used to be !

[SeaWatcher65]

I've decided it's just too much trouble to have to carry a paper or electronic trail with me for every discount I'm entitled too. And then spend my vacation time standing in line at Guest Relations talking to people who are clueless trying to keep up with constantly changing promos that also have constantly changing terms and conditions! Following up post cruise has been a waste of time too.

I will be spending my cruise dollars elsewhere. Hopefully time will pass and NCL will find their way through whatever direction they are going and offer me a product I can count on being what they represent it to be. Like it used to be !

 

You are so right! The hassle is more than what it's worth. NCL doesn't honor terms of UDP on the web site. The NCL phone representatives seem to make up answers and confuse the UDP with the SDP and all the variations of SDP. Writing to public relations or guest relations usually results in a phone call -- it's impossible to get NCL to clarify their terms in writing. Even though we are not big drinkers, we switched our promo choice from UDP to UBP so I don't have to deal with NCL's complications. 2016 cruise coming soon but if NCL doesn't start being more truthful with their advertising and terms, I'm canceling the 2017 cruise and trying another cruise line -- probably Royal. Celebrity was a very nice cruise, it just did not have all the water slides and entertainment but we can do that stuff on a separate land vacation.

[hawkeyetlse]

[quote name='duchesslt']Do you have the T&C of the "promotional" UDP (which is what I got when I booked January of 2015)? I would really like to compare them! I have never been on such a confusing vacation.[/quote]If you stick to the "classics" (Le Bistro, Cagney's, Moderno, Teppanyaki, La Cucina), the UDP will work exactly the way you would expect it to, and you will get a free specialty dinner every night of your cruise. Problems seem to arise for some people with the newer à la carte venues and entertainment dining. I'm not saying you should stay away from these venues, because they are a big part of the dining scene on the larger ships and it would be a shame not to try them. But ask ahead of time exactly what you are entitled to at those venues with the UDP (according to them), and then decide if you want to eat there, and/or if you want to escalate the issue to get your discount.

This is what the UDP part of the promotional terms said in early February. I believe they were the same in January, but maybe someone else is able to check that.
[QUOTE]Ultimate dining package:
*Available for Ocean View and above categories only
Unlimited dining at specialty restaurants.
Dining Package excludes Chefs Table, Ocean Blue, Carlos Bakery items, Ice Cream Bar, and Gelato.
A la carte priced restaurants are excluded (i.e. Sushi, Raw Bar, Noodle Bar and Ocean Blue Waterfront).
Entertainment based dining is excluded (Cirque shows, Second City Lunches, Nick Breakfasts, Wine Lovers, Illusionarium).
The A la carte venues and Ocean Blue are not included in the UDP, but will be discounted 20% for those who choose the package. Entertainment based and Chefs Table dining will not be discounted.
Additional main courses in Cagney's, Le Bistro, and Jefferson's Bistro will be charged at $10.00 per person.
Guests who chose the UDP can reserve the embarkation day performances at no additional cost.[/QUOTE] Edited December 6, 2015 by hawkeyetlse