Can't bring soda on board anymore

[RDC1]

I get why NCL introduced this change in policy,

 

A) NCL wants to sell its own soda product to make a profit

B) NCL wants to sell its own bottled water to make a profit

 

I get why people are not happy with this policy change

 

A) The majority of people who were informed by email were in penalty period when the announcement was made

B) They may like NCL but not the soda product that they sell

C) They prefer bottled water to ships water but feel the price NCL are charging amounts to profiteering.

D) They are trying to save money

 

What I do not get is the behaviour of some cruisecritic members unless you are either

 

a) A NCL shareholder

b) A NCL employee

c) An internet troll

 

Why would you defend a corporate entity?

 

If like me, you are not directly affected by this policy change why would you

care when others feel that they are affected?

 

If the policy was reversed what impact would that have on you?

 

I have read through this thread and have been astounded and shocked by

the way some people have behaved to members who are not happy with the

change in policy and those that have deliberately posted in an attempt to get

the thread closed.

 

Corporations should be held to account if they make policy changes and how

they announce them.

 

Even if this policy change does not affect you, people should respect the

right of those that challenge the change, because otherwise corporations will

continue to make policy changes to further their financial gain and eventually

one of these changes will affect you.

 

It makes me laugh when I see people posting that they do not see what the

fuss is about, they drink the ship water not bottled water, they do not drink

sodas for various reasons. So unless you are spending money on other areas

of the ship, NCL would probably not want you as a customer as you add no

value in your spending habits, unless they can come up with a policy to part

you from your money.

 

NCL is a corporate entity not a family member, friend or even an

acquaintance. NCL is there to make money for its shareholders and

employees by providing a product. It owes its customers nothing more than

the product they purchase from it.

 

As long as I see value in booking with NCL I will.

 

But I do not see the point of being rude and condescending to those on

cruisecritic who do not see the value.

 

While NCL may benefit from and make a profit from your listed items A &B

 

A) NCL wants to sell its own soda product to make a profit

B) NCL wants to sell its own bottled water to make a profit

 

I would suspect that they are more interested in

 

C) Eliminating a method for smuggling alcohol on board

D) Reducing the amount of screening that has to take place for bottles and cans being carried or packed on.

E) Reducing the amount of time taken by screening getting passengers on board faster

F) An overall reduction in the amount of labor being required for screening and distributing check luggage

G) Reducing the amount of waste produced on board the ship from carried on bottles and cans, cutting their costs for handling and discarding such items (suspect they are out to reduce the number of bottles sold on board since they are selling only the larger bottles on board, which makes me think waste reduction is also one of their goals)

H) Possible impact on their contract terms and volume agreements under the Pepsi products contract. Allowing competing products on board could be a violation of the contact (depending upon how the agreement was written but I have seen such terms in stadium contracts) or by not allowing competing products they might be able to get better terms.

 

All of which can have far more impact then A&B.

Edited July 20, 2016 by RDC1

[runner.marie]

And i thought, only germans are going to complain about lets say..."little" things:D

I am visiting the US at least once a year and i always noticed how polite the people are..never heard some complaining.......now you have made my whole judgment break;)

Marie

[Computer Nerd]

I would definitely agree with some of the policy changes in the past like the room service charge.

 

But did NCL have a specific soda, water policy allowing it or was it a case of no policy so bringing your own was not an issue.

 

soda runners made me laugh :D:D

 

as far as i know, ncl has never had any policy for or against bringing soda or water aboard. the only beverage policies was for wine, corkage fee, and other alcohol, not allowed.

[ColinIllinois]

Is there really anything left to say that hasn't been said at least twenty times over...and over? :confused:

[KeithJenner]

as far as i know, ncl has never had any policy for or against bringing soda or water aboard. the only beverage policies was for wine, corkage fee, and other alcohol, not allowed.

 

 

 

I can't say for sure, but I thought that there was a policy where it specifically said you could bring on water and soda. I may be wrong though, and obviously it wouldn't be there any more.

Edited July 20, 2016 by KeithJenner

[Computer Nerd]

I can't say for sure, but I thought that there was a policy where it specifically said you could bring on water and soda. I may be wrong though, and obviously it wouldn't be there any more.

 

i know that carnival's contract specifically stated that water and soda could be brought on board in small amounts for personal consumption only and that has now been changed to exclude bottles. i am not as familiar with ncl's contract and how it has changed historically.

[Frick_&_Frack]

You are absolutely correct. The contract spells out what it covers:

 

"The fare paid by the Guest for this ticket includes transportation on the vessel named herein, full board, and ordinary vessel food..."

 

Doesn't say anything in there about granting you the ability to bring beverages aboard their ships.

 

 

Actually, the contract doesn't even take effect until it is paid for (as opposed to when the deposit is made) and you agree to the policies in place at the time of BOARDING (not at the time of BOOKING).

 

I can see why NCL would notify those who had a paid contract. Those who do not yet have a paid contract are simply notified by the change in the FAQ. There is nothing in the agreement where NCL promises to personally notify each guest of every change between the time of booking and the time of boarding.

 

Though, then it's quite odd that NCL had notified me during past changes to the DSC for just those cruises I had under deposit at the time (yet, not for this change).

 

They need to work on their communication.

 

(And, yes, I'm a shareholder. And, as a shareholder, corporate communications, or lack thereof, is concerning..)

[KeithJenner]

They need to work on their communication.

 

 

 

Now, there's an understatement. :)

[nomad098]

While NCL may benefit from and make a profit from your listed items A &B

 

A) NCL wants to sell its own soda product to make a profit

B) NCL wants to sell its own bottled water to make a profit

 

I would suspect that they are more interested in

 

C) Eliminating a method for smuggling alcohol on board

D) Reducing the amount of screening that has to take place for bottles and cans being carried or packed on.

E) Reducing the amount of time taken by screening getting passengers on board faster

F) An overall reduction in the amount of labor being required for screening and distributing check luggage

G) Reducing the amount of waste produced on board the ship from carried on bottles and cans, cutting their costs for handling and discarding such items (suspect they are out to reduce the number of bottles sold on board since they are selling only the larger bottles on board, which makes me think waste reduction is also one of their goals)

H) Possible impact on their contract terms and volume agreements under the Pepsi products contract. Allowing competing products on board could be a violation of the contact (depending upon how the agreement was written but I have seen such terms in stadium contracts) or by not allowing competing products they might be able to get better terms.

 

All of which can have far more impact then A&B.

 

I agree with all your points C-H

 

At the end of the day it's all about maximizing profits

 

But it's a fine line to walk to maximize profits without alienating customers.

[Frick_&_Frack]

Now, there's an understatement. :)

 

We've all known it for years now. However, I always knew at one point, I would have had enough of their "communication malfunctions" :D

 

People who know me well are surprised it took this long. :eek:

[SeaShark]

Though, then it's quite odd that NCL had notified me during past changes to the DSC for just those cruises I had under deposit at the time (yet, not for this change).

 

They need to work on their communication.

 

(And, yes, I'm a shareholder. And, as a shareholder, corporate communications, or lack thereof, is concerning..)

Quite odd? Really?

 

I don't see anything odd about a notice of something that affects the billed cost of the cruise. Outside beverage policies are a horse of a different color....of course.

[nomad098]

You are absolutely correct. The contract spells out what it covers:

 

"The fare paid by the Guest for this ticket includes transportation on the vessel named herein, full board, and ordinary vessel food..."

 

Doesn't say anything in there about granting you the ability to bring beverages aboard their ships.

 

 

Actually, the contract doesn't even take effect until it is paid for (as opposed to when the deposit is made) and you agree to the policies in place at the time of BOARDING (not at the time of BOOKING).

 

I can see why NCL would notify those who had a paid contract. Those who do not yet have a paid contract are simply notified by the change in the FAQ. There is nothing in the agreement where NCL promises to personally notify each guest of every change between the time of booking and the time of boarding.

 

The cruise contract and applicable law is different depending on where in the world your booking is held.

 

My Breakaway cruise was booked in the UK and when they tried to make

changes that were disadvantageous to me I metaphorically beat NCL around

the head with the UK contract until they apologized and reversed the changes

 

My upcoming Dawn cruise I booked through the US and as such if they did something similar I would not have a leg to stand on

[SeaShark]

The cruise contract and applicable law is different depending on where in the world your booking is held.

 

My Breakaway cruise was booked in the UK and when they tried to make

changes that were disadvantageous to me I metaphorically beat NCL around

the head with the UK contract until they apologized and reversed the changes

 

My upcoming Dawn cruise I booked through the US and as such if they did something similar I would not have a leg to stand on

Well given that your reply has nothing to do with what I was talking about, the fact remains that no changes were made to any contract. Changes to policies, personnel, etc happen all the time....nobody is ever promised that everything in effect at the time of booking will be there at the time of boarding.

 

Heck, NCL could change their contract from Pepsi to Coke tomorrow and they wouldn't owe a notice or explanation to anyone.

[SuiteCruiser]

as far as i know, ncl has never had any policy for or against bringing soda or water aboard. the only beverage policies was for wine, corkage fee, and other alcohol, not allowed.

 

This was the policy before. I used the way back machine to April:

 

Can I bring my own water or soda onboard?

Guests are allowed to bring water and soda on board in their original sealed containers. There is no set limit to this amount. We strongly recommend that you carry on the beverages. No coolers of any kind are allowed onboard the ships.

[Frick_&_Frack]

This was the policy before. I used the way back machine to April:

 

Can I bring my own water or soda onboard?

Guests are allowed to bring water and soda on board in their original sealed containers. There is no set limit to this amount. We strongly recommend that you carry on the beverages. No coolers of any kind are allowed onboard the ships.

 

Thanks for posting this. :D LOL I knew we weren't dreaming this existed at some point.

[nomad098]

Well given that your reply has nothing to do with what I was talking about, the fact remains that no changes were made to any contract. Changes to policies, personnel, etc happen all the time....nobody is ever promised that everything in effect at the time of booking will be there at the time of boarding.

 

Heck, NCL could change their contract from Pepsi to Coke tomorrow and they wouldn't owe a notice or explanation to anyone.

 

Sorry I did not make myself clear. I was responding to this part of your post

 

"Actually, the contract doesn't even take effect until it is paid for (as opposed to when the deposit is made) and you agree to the policies in place at the time of BOARDING (not at the time of BOOKING)."

 

In the UK the contract comes into effect when you make your deposit forming a binding contract based upon not only on the cruise lines T&C's but their published brochures however they are published at that time.

[SeaShark]

Sorry I did not make myself clear. I was responding to this part of your post

 

"Actually, the contract doesn't even take effect until it is paid for (as opposed to when the deposit is made) and you agree to the policies in place at the time of BOARDING (not at the time of BOOKING)."

 

In the UK the contract comes into effect when you make your deposit forming a binding contract based upon not only on the cruise lines T&C's but their published brochures however they are published at that time.

Sorry, can't speak for anyone else, but I wasn't asking about, or commenting on, what happens in the UK. I apologize if you thought I did.

[Computer Nerd]

This was the policy before. I used the way back machine to April:

 

Can I bring my own water or soda onboard?

Guests are allowed to bring water and soda on board in their original sealed containers. There is no set limit to this amount. We strongly recommend that you carry on the beverages. No coolers of any kind are allowed onboard the ships.

 

thanks, didn't know it was in writing since it's not in their contract.

[peacefulOR]

We don't want this to stop.

We are trying to get to 4000 posts about this silliness.

 

I wonder if you would find it silly if they took your favorite alcohol away?

[luddite]

disney will say welcome and thank you for coming. disney has absolutely no problem whatsoever with people bringing cans or bottles of soda and their own food as well into the parks.

 

nononowhatdisneydoeshasnobearingonthisthread

[KeithJenner]

I wonder if you would find it silly if they took your favorite alcohol away?

 

 

 

It doesn't matter how many times people make this comparison. The fact will still be that for a huge number of people, especially beer drinkers, our favourites have never been on NCL ships, so they can't take it away.

[luddite]

I wonder if you would find it silly if they took your favorite alcohol away?

 

:) Well, they've never had it. The beer list is beyond dismal.

I adapt.

I'll say it again- pop and bottled water being a deal-breaker for a cruise is beyond silly.

[luddite]

It doesn't matter how many times people make this comparison. The fact will still be that for a huge number of people, especially beer drinkers, our favourites have never been on NCL ships, so they can't take it away.

 

I remember the guy who was planning to bring his bottle of ketchup because he was concerned that they wouldn't have his brand of choice. Several of us wondered what and how much of something he was planning to eat that needed ketchup.

 

And the beer list is awful.

[Computer Nerd]

nononowhatdisneydoeshasnobearingonthisthread

 

it does when people try to compare ncl to disney world.

[KeithJenner]

I said this last week on another thread, and I'll say it again now. Not to criticise anyone who's holiday choice may be affected by the brand of coke which is served, but as an indication as to why some of us struggle a little to understand why it's such an issue.

 

When I go on holiday, the chances are that my favourite drinks won't be available. That isn't just when I go on a cruise ship, but if I leave the country (and sometimes move around this country). I actually see that as a good thing. Different things are available in different places.

 

Sometimes I can get things I really like, which are harder to get at home, be it London Pride when I'm near London, or decent seafood in various places around the world. Sometimes it isn't as good, like the beer selection on NCL (and in many places in the US as an example). In those cases I make the best of it. On NCL I mainly drink Sam Adams, which is a long way down my list of preferred beers. It's actually OK, and has become something of a holiday drink for me. I'm not a huge fan of cocktails, but have one or two a day on a cruise. It's different and isn't that what being on holiday is about. There are quite a few drinks which I only ever drink when on holiday.

 

As a result, the fact that NCLs beer selection is pretty dismal isn't an issue. I can drink as much decent beer as I want for the majority of the year.

 

As I said before, I would no more avoid a holiday destination because it didn't have my favourite beer than I would decide not to go away because my favourite armchair is only at home.

 

I know this isn't how some people feel about it, and I respect that, I really do. I'm not criticising, but it does show why some of us do struggle to see why not being able to get your favourite soda is such an issue.

 

I do understand, by the way, that for many the real problem is the way that it has been done. I'm not talking about that at all (I agree completely for what it matters), just expanding in the comment about how we would feel if our favourite beer wasn't available. If anything I'm glad it isn't.