Is NCL their own worst enemy?

[scottann92]

I'm going to start saying by saying " I love NCL" We have are getting ready to take our 8th cruise in a couple of weeks on the Escape. I believe the new customers they are getting from their "pick 3 or pick 2 incentives are in the long run hurting them. There are a number of complaints of not getting reservations with espically the "free dining and "free wifi". I know to go in a pre-reserve dining on line before the cruise, I know that their wifi is awlful. I would never pick a "free wifi. You offer something that does'nt really work. If I was a brand new customer that didn't know that you may not get to eat at 9:30 or 10pm, or your may not get in at all if you wait and book once you get on the ship. The wifi is horrible no matter what. I would be not be a happy customer either. I research everything, If I was new to NCL and looked at all these bad reviews, not sure I would book with them. I know everybody has a different perspective at what is important to them in a cruise, and NCL is the best cruise line for us. I just wondering after reading day after day the complaints is it really worth the free packges incentives.

[ColinIllinois]

For everyone that makes a lot of noise about their bad experience there is a ton more customers who don't say a thing about their good experience. Same for every industry.

 

As far as the WIFI offer that is just basic marketing. Make everything seem awesome and fantastic with more choices. They know what choices the majority will make before they even offer it.

[vicocala]

I've booked three cruises with them because of the incentives and had a great time on the two cruises I've taken so far. The incentives are smart because I pre-bought drinks and specialty dining on MSC which I would of never done in the past. They are showing me what I missed in the past on cruises so I expect them to continue to re-educate all of us going forward.

[xriva]

NCL's worst enemy are the people with completely unreasonable expectations who then get home and complain incessantly about their "bad cruise."

 

There should be a sticky topic on all cruise line boards that says, "Please remember that your cruise line does not control the weather, the tides, the political situation in any ports or your travel agent's ability to get you a cabin worth sixteen times the one you actually paid for as a free upgrade. The cruise line also does not control the whining of other passengers or the inability of people to follow well-documented procedures for booking, payment or complaint resolution."

 

I do not understand the constant whining about the WiFi. I've used WiFi on every cruise I've taken (11 so far, all NCL) and it has always been acceptable for my needs. It's not like my cable Internet at home, but I don't expect it to be. I don't try to watch YouTube, I'm not trying to Skype with family back home, I'm just checking email and texts. We had one Transatlantic where the WiFi was down for a couple of days, so I didn't use the Internet. Problem solved.

 

We couldn't get reservations at the times we prefer in advance for our next cruise because we're a party of three (Mom's going along) instead of two, so we will see what we can do onboard. If we have to wait, we will wait. We were told on our last cruise that not all seats are available for reservations, so we will try walk-up. If it's not available, we can wait or go to another restaurant. It is not going to ruin my vacation.

 

People do not come to Cruise Critic to applaud great service. They come here to complain.

 

If I were a first-time cruiser, many of the reports here would give me pause, until I realized that the most negative comments were from three or four people, and they were the same comments over and over.

Edited January 6, 2016 by xriva
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[macandlucy]

I've booked three cruises with them because of the incentives and had a great time on the two cruises I've taken so far. The incentives are smart because I pre-bought drinks and specialty dining on MSC which I would of never done in the past. They are showing me what I missed in the past on cruises so I expect them to continue to re-educate all of us going forward.

 

Totally agree with this -- in six cruises, we had a beverage package once -- on our last (Celebrity) and we loved it. It also included specialty coffees, which was a huge plus, but even still, just the wine with dinner, sodas, drink before dinner, etc was so nice to have that it's a negative now to be without one. It's a smart business practice to me because I would never have even considered buying a drinks package, and now, I might, especially if they do some more choices like a drinks card or something like that.

[DorothyB]

I got to "pick 2". I picked Wifi because I would have purchased it if I hadn't gotten it free. I used it on my Jewel repositioning cruise through the Panama Canal. It wasn't fast, but it wasn't that bad. I will just watch my usage to be sure I don't go over what is "free".

[Cloudyrain]

We were on the Epic in May and the Breakaway in November and there were always slots available in the speciality dining, they didn't turn red until after 6pm (other than the tappenyaki, but with limited seating that's probably to be expected). Even the MDRs always had tables available in a short space of time (mostly immediately, at most 20 minutes).

 

NCL aren't their own worst enemy because most first timers probably don't come on here. Those people who do are probably realistic enough to realise that people generally take the time to complain rather than compliment.Having said that there are always plenty of fabulous reviews from happy customers, and always someone there to argue to the opposite of what the negative reviewers are saying.

 

Personally we gave always been very happy with what we have got for the price we paid.

[cruisekrazykaze]

The drink package is what attracted me to NCL...and what made me choose a cruise over an all inclusive.

 

NCL's price point is higher than other lines, but the perks they offer help to justify this. When I was pricing NCL cruises against other cruise lines and against all inclusives.... an NCL cruise with UBP was a no brainer.

[nbsjcruiser]

I know much more about RCI then I do NCL but the complaints you mention are pretty much mirrors of what I see on RCI. I begin to wonder if any company gives a rats behind about customers anymore.

[vince_g]

The drink package is what attracted me to NCL...and what made me choose a cruise over an all inclusive.

 

NCL's price point is higher than other lines, but the perks they offer help to justify this. When I was pricing NCL cruises against other cruise lines and against all inclusives.... an NCL cruise with UBP was a no brainer.

 

 

Sorry to disagree about the price point being higher, but I'm finding that RC's new ships are on the expensive side. Cunard and Celebrity seem to charge more than NCL, and from what I have seen Carnival, Princess and HAL all seem comparable to what NCL charges. JMO.

[garnet115]

Sorry to disagree about the price point being higher, but I'm finding that RC's new ships are on the expensive side. Cunard and Celebrity seem to charge more than NCL, and from what I have seen Carnival, Princess and HAL all seem comparable to what NCL charges. JMO.

 

I agree. And I'll go further and say that Carnival is the only one that is consistently lower than NCL. At least that is what I have found during peak travel times (aka school breaks). I like NCL. I've enjoyed the cruises I have been on, which makes them my first choice, but I still shop around. If I found better prices on a ship that offered comparable or better amenities, I would take it. So far, that hasn't happened.

[sfaaa]

Some people get extra perks at no additional cost and yet they still want to complain. :rolleyes:

[NUPDCOP]

I'll have to agree that NCL is great for some and not so great for others. I'll be the first to say that we have only sailed NCL and love them. However there is nothing pulling us back to them saying that we have to go with them again. The pick this or that offers don't excite me at all there isn't anything that I can't live with out while on vacation. I don't like to drink heavy but I can afford a beer or two on my own. Those that say if they would have paid drink for drink and saved $1000 - that's great for you - just not my style. Price is what we have to look at and that's the bottom line. Extras have to be good.. I can live with out wifi, drinking until it hurts, $50 on a shore excursion etc.

[warriorking]

:( Pretty sad when people don't take the time to enjoy the beauty of their surroundings when cruising because they are so caught up in their devices...

When Wifi and cell service is finally made fast and reliable I will give up cruising completely...

There will be no safe refuge left...

Edited January 6, 2016 by warriorking

[xriva]

:( Pretty sad when people don't take the time to enjoy the beauty of the their surroundings when cruising because they are so caught up in their devices...

When Wifi and cell service is finally made 100% reliable I will give up cruising completely...

Yeah I'm old...

 

I don't mind people looking down at their devices the whole time, but people waving their iPads in the air, trying to take photos is pretty annoying.

 

You do miss seeing a lot while you're trying to take photos!

[$hip$hape]

I'll have to agree that NCL is great for some and not so great for others. I'll be the first to say that we have only sailed NCL and love them. However there is nothing pulling us back to them saying that we have to go with them again.

The pick this or that offers don't excite me at all there isn't anything that I can't live with out while on vacation. I don't like to drink heavy but I can afford a beer or two on my own. Those that say if they would have paid drink for drink and saved $1000 - that's great for you - just not my style. Price is what we have to look at and that's the bottom line. Extras have to be good..

I can live with out wifi, drinking until it hurts, $50 on a shore excursion etc.

I asked an NCL rep if I could just have $300.00 OBC instead of any their FREE stuff.

They only gave me a :D

Edited January 6, 2016 by $hip$hape

[beerman2]

Just wondering at what point does NCL oversell the promo's, so it does become a problem with SDP. I have a tendency to research , and I will be one who is on the phone with NCL at the 90 day Mark to book SDP.

 

As NCL web has issues, I will call as early as I can to book them. It does take some planning, but beats the aggravation of waiting until on board.

[scottann92]

I agree, I'm not sure if the promo is done, after so many people have booked it. I know on a big ship like the "Escape" is it possible for every single person to have a SDP? I know it is a marketing tool, I know I would cruise with NCL regardless, I just hate the bad reviews , knowing that it could be prevented or a least some of it could

[Moby0215]

This forum and the complaints that you reference are the minority. Most people I speak to on the cruises have a wonderful time and don't complain about anything. I've never had trouble getting reservation nor trouble waiting for a drink.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[xriva]

I don't think all bad reviews can be prevented - if you have a system where options are documented (booking dinners in advance, checking rates online, reading passenger contracts) and people don't bother to do any research, what is a company supposed to do?

 

There are so many complaints here that are just people not reading documents, not paying attention to options, not understanding the difference between a travel provider and a travel agent, not understanding the basics of cruising - all of which is easily accessible online - that there is no easy fix.

 

If someone couldn't get reservations for 12 with ten minutes notice onboard, they're going to be annoyed. They will come here (after they find it) and complain. Someone will suggest they should have booked online. They will ask how they were supposed to know that was an option. Then, all the anti-NCL team shows up, and if anyone dares to suggest that they might have wanted to plan ahead, or read the cruise documents, they will be shouted down as "NCL fanboys".

 

It's one of the reasons Cruise Critic is much less useful then it could be.

 

NCL provides a product. Some people like it. Some people don't. Some people have vacations colored by all sorts of things that the cruise line has no control over. It's very frustrating to those of us who do like the product to see the company possibly libeled over issues completely out of their control.

 

Seriously. You're on vacation. I had one trip where the WiFi was down - not slow, it wasn't working - for two days. You know what I did? I didn't check my email. I'm still alive.

[DMH15]

:( Pretty sad when people don't take the time to enjoy the beauty of their surroundings when cruising because they are so caught up in their devices...

When Wifi and cell service is finally made fast and reliable I will give up cruising completely...

There will be no safe refuge left...

 

 

Please don't judge.

 

I checked my dog on web cam.

Checked in daily with elderly mom at home who has health issues.

My niece communicated with teachers and downloaded assignments.

My niece communicated with her parents.

 

We still did 3 awesome excursions with beauty and education of lical culture.

 

We were never. "Caught up" in our devices.

 

To each their own

[scottann92]

I wish i didnt have to use wifi, but i do. Dont feel like i have to explain why. I enjoy every second of my cruise.

[rvsullivan]

NCL's worst enemy are the people with completely unreasonable expectations who then get home and complain incessantly about their "bad cruise."

 

There should be a sticky topic on all cruise line boards that says, "Please remember that your cruise line does not control the weather, the tides, the political situation in any ports or your travel agent's ability to get you a cabin worth sixteen times the one you actually paid for as a free upgrade. The cruise line also does not control the whining of other passengers or the inability of people to follow well-documented procedures for booking, payment or complaint resolution."

 

I do not understand the constant whining about the WiFi. I've used WiFi on every cruise I've taken (11 so far, all NCL) and it has always been acceptable for my needs. It's not like my cable Internet at home, but I don't expect it to be. I don't try to watch YouTube, I'm not trying to Skype with family back home, I'm just checking email and texts. We had one Transatlantic where the WiFi was down for a couple of days, so I didn't use the Internet. Problem solved.

 

We couldn't get reservations at the times we prefer in advance for our next cruise because we're a party of three (Mom's going along) instead of two, so we will see what we can do onboard. If we have to wait, we will wait. We were told on our last cruise that not all seats are available for reservations, so we will try walk-up. If it's not available, we can wait or go to another restaurant. It is not going to ruin my vacation.

 

People do not come to Cruise Critic to applaud great service. They come here to complain.

 

If I were a first-time cruiser, many of the reports here would give me pause, until I realized that the most negative comments were from three or four people, and they were the same comments over and over.

 

I noticed your comment about not getting advance reservations because you're a party of three. There doesn't seem to be a way to make reservations for three, always seems to be even numbers. Many mention making your reservations for four and have a no show on board or make the change on board.

[xriva]

I noticed your comment about not getting advance reservations because you're a party of three. There doesn't seem to be a way to make reservations for three, always seems to be even numbers. Many mention making your reservations for four and have a no show on board or make the change on board.

 

 

Thanks! Someone had mentioned that would work, and having a party of four at Le Bistro (at least) gives many more time options than a party of three. I'm not sure why, since a party of three takes up a four-top, anyway.

[SuiteCruiser]

I really wish NCL would eliminate the SDP or UDP as a freebee. It's totally changed the way you cruise, and taken away the Freestyle aspect of NCL. Part of the beauty of the set up was that you could decide what you feel like eating that day and what time you feel like eating and do that. If you slept until 11:00 on a sea day and had lunch at 2:00, your 6:00 dinner reservation is pretty much a waste.

 

Judging by how often there are lots of empty tables in the restaurants, I wonder how many groups with the SDP/UDP book several options for each night and refine it as the week goes along, locking up tables until the 24 hour cancellation period. I know one group who did this and when I asked why they would do that, they said "we know how to play the game". I clearly don't know how to play the game, but perhaps many others do.

 

When you board in the first group, and go to the Concierge to book a restaurant for that night and are told you that you can only have 5:30 or 9:00 for the entire week's meals, I think there's a problem with that, especially when same Concierge, same ship two months earlier, we either walked into wherever we wanted to go, or called them up a couple of hours ahead.

 

New people who don't come here and don't know to book the day that the reservations are available online are annoyed onboard when their package is all but useless, but if you are a seasoned NCL cruiser who hasn't cruised in the last year, you also don't know that the situation has totally changed.