Information for making complaint re. Beverage Policy

[legalcanuckmom]

Hello, I have an update on the best place to make your complaint about the Beverage Policy. Executive at 1-800-456-7298 seemed to be the best place (after many calls) to 'register' your complaint. The woman that I spoke to assured me that my concern would be brought to the CEO (in the form of X number of people have complained about the Policy).

 

I also asked if I could make specific suggestions for improving it (assuming that the policy will not be rescinded). I suggested:

* install water bottle fill stations, so that we can use the 'tap' water without concern about contaminating the beverage dispensers

 

* lower the price of the water packages to something approximating what one might spend in any other commercial venue.

 

Strength in numbers! If we all call/write, they cannot ignore our voices.

[sanger727]

Your first suggestion already exists. Just invest $5 into a cup/bottle with a removable top so you can refill at the fountain drink stations without contamination.

[blackwing]

Your first suggestion already exists. Just invest $5 into a cup/bottle with a removable top so you can refill at the fountain drink stations without contamination.

I know people do this, but you're actually not supposed to. You are only supposed to use the NCL glasses at the stations. You are supposed to fill the NCL glass, pour it into your bottle, and repeat as needed. I know some people will say "oh then I'll just waste 8 glasses and make more waste for the kitchen staff" but as long as the glass is clean (i.e. didn't touch your mouth) it's ok to re-use to get more water for your bottle.

[MrMan]

Why not just fill up in your cabin?

[luvincruising]

I just got off the phone with the NCL Executive Resolution Team rep/ 1-800-456-7298. She recorded my complaint about the new bottled water policy and my suggestion that they should adopt CCL's policy instead. She told me that they are receiving a large backlash to this new policy. Their team monitors CC threads, facebook and twitter.

Everyone should get on the phone now and log their complaint too.

:)

[luvincruising]

They take calls from 8:30am - 5:30pm, M - F. They only have 6 people on the team. I was on hold several minutes before I got through.

:)

[fshagan]

Why not just fill up in your cabin?

 

If you sanitize the faucet first (easy to do with alcohol wipes) and use a filter you can get close to the filtration quality of the water in the buffet. I'm suspicious that most small filters in bottles will not be able to take the chlorine taste away.

[Barb Nahoumi]

I have an idea.

 

If we do purchase bottled water from NCL, they should put a sticker on each bottle so we can take them off the ship during excursions. If we return to the ship with unopen bottles of water bought from NCL, they won't be confiscated with the special sticker.

[NMLady]

I have an idea.

 

If we do purchase bottled water from NCL, they should put a sticker on each bottle so we can take them off the ship during excursions. If we return to the ship with unopen bottles of water bought from NCL, they won't be confiscated with the special sticker.

 

Good idea. But probably too logical for NCL. My concern is coming back aboard with a partially used bottle of their water and having to dump it out.

Literally money down the drain.

[reno3]

I have an idea.

 

If we do purchase bottled water from NCL, they should put a sticker on each bottle so we can take them off the ship during excursions. If we return to the ship with unopen bottles of water bought from NCL, they won't be confiscated with the special sticker.

 

Very good idea.

[luvtheships]

Go to guest services and insist on a copy of your shipboard acct that shows your water charge. Fold it up and carry it with you in port.

 

If you pre purchased online just print out receipt

 

Alternately....take your Ncl bottle of liquid gold...um I mean water off with you.....and if you find the same brand in port....but a few bottles for a buck a piece....and bring them back onboard....

 

Just keep the Ncl receipt with you. Lol

[fshagan]

Go to guest services and insist on a copy of your shipboard acct that shows your water charge. Fold it up and carry it with you in port.

 

If you pre purchased online just print out receipt

 

Alternately....take your Ncl bottle of liquid gold...um I mean water off with you.....and if you find the same brand in port....but a few bottles for a buck a piece....and bring them back onboard....

 

Just keep the Ncl receipt with you. Lol

 

The prohibition is not just at embarkation.

 

What if I purchase a beverage in a port of call?

Guests will not be permitted to bring any beverages onboard the ship in ports of call and any locally-purchased beverages will be disposed of prior to embarkation. No open containers of beverages, including water, will be allowed onboard during a port of call.

 

They will not be able to differentiate between NCL-purchased and locally purchased water so you will not be able to bring your "liquid gold" NCL-purchased water back on board either.

[bluesea777]

I wasn't surprised when NCL decides to place ban on bringing onboard bottled water due to booze smuggling.

 

One cruise we stopped in St. Thomas, and we walked around the Havensight Shopping ... we saw a lady (pax from our cruise) sitting on bench outside one of the Duty Free shops ... she was busily transferring liquid from bottle labelled vodka to the once empty bottle labelled Evian before the shuttle arrived to take her (and us) back to the ship. She did that not once, but twice - two bottles. And any left over in the vodka bottle she polished it all off :rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

We didn't wait around to see what happened to her as she re-boarded the ship.

 

A shame ....

 

P.S. although not mentioned by NCL, I think there may be another factor to the ban - excessive garbage of empty bottles and cans from pax who brought them onboard.

 

P.P.S. Hope NCL will see fit to reduce the prices of the water bottle packages ... and prepare for the backlash and have enough water packages to sell on July 15th onwards!

 

Our next cruise is not until Oct, and we have crossed off water from our BCN shopping list!

Edited July 10, 2016 by bluesea777

[pnerissa]

Just got off the phone with NCL (25 min hold). The representative I spoke with about the exorbiant markup of the onboard water aka liquid gold (and I quote) replied to my complaint with, "It is our company and we can charge what we want to for it." If her response is in line with that of the rest of the company then I'll be looking for a new cruise line.

Edited July 11, 2016 by pnerissa

[AquaMarineFerret]

Just got off the phone with NCL (25 min hold). The representative I spoke with about the exorbiant markup of the onboard water aka liquid gold (and I quote) replied to my complaint with, "It is our company and we can charge what we want to for it." If her response is in line with that of the rest of the company then I'll be looking for a new cruise line.

 

I cannot see the price of liquid gold falling anytime soon then!

 

Not sure which I prefer: the usual platitudes down the phone or the straight-talking approach. Neither sits well when you know there are passengers out there who genuinely cannot drink the tap water and genuinely cannot truly afford the stupid cost NCL are imposing. It's shocking any way you look at it.

 

I count myself lucky that I think I will be fine to drink the tap water and don't really care either way about Coke or Pepsi.

[UPNYGuy]

just called myself. the woman on the phone sighed when I said "well, Im calling about the beverage policy, and I know you've heard about this quite a bit for the past several days".

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

It might be a good time to remind some folks to vote with their wallets!

 

Taking your money elsewhere is the easiest way to make your dis-satisfaction known!

 

:)

[boatseller]

And I suppose customer who are in favor of this policy should call to register their compliments too.

[NLH Arizona]

And I suppose customer who are in favor of this policy should call to register their compliments too.

I wrote an email to NCL and in the email, I said I completely understood the policy and don't have an issue either way, but I did suggest that they reduce the price of water on the ships to a more palatable cost for their passengers.

[SeaShark]

It might be a good time to remind some folks to vote with their wallets!

 

Taking your money elsewhere is the easiest way to make your dis-satisfaction known!

 

:)

I disagree.

 

First....the cruise line has no way to know who took their business elsewhere as opposed to those who were going elsewhere all along.

 

Second...Cruise lines heavily depend on onboard spending for their profits. If you really want to get their attention and/or teach them a lesson, the go on your cruise and either severely reduce or eliminate your onboard spending. Don't give them a chance to replace you with someone who is willing and able to spend.

[Fred the ferret lover]

If you really want to get back at them just make up a bunch of user names and claim one or more of their ships have bedbugs. Then agree with yourself. No wait. Terrible idea. Lol.

[zqvol]

And I suppose customer who are in favor of this policy should call to register their compliments too.

 

Where is the like button!

[Laszlo]

Its really pretty simple and I can not believe NCL hasn't installed any yet. Water fountains for filling water bottles. We have one in our production plant, my gym has one, I have even seen them at a Mall near me. They even have them at my sons college.

 

 

http://www.elkay.com/bottle-filling-stations

 

 

http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/outdoor-grounds-maintenance/drinking-fountains/water-refilling-stations/emabfws-rf-bottle-filling-station-retrofit-kit-for-emabf-water-coolers?infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=Cj0KEQjwh428BRCnvcyI-5nqjY4BEiQAijebwpndAyJg6WhDwF767aOe-4qzrRTQkr6a25LvLKuz3tUaAuR18P8HAQ

Edited July 11, 2016 by Laszlo

[luvtheships]

If you really want to get back at them just make up a bunch of user names and claim one or more of their ships have bedbugs. Then agree with yourself. No wait. Terrible idea. Lol.

 

 

Lol and you can have the iPad laptop iPhone and desktop all in front of you and agree with yourself instantaneously

[luvtheships]

I disagree.

 

First....the cruise line has no way to know who took their business elsewhere as opposed to those who were going elsewhere all along.

 

Second...Cruise lines heavily depend on onboard spending for their profits. If you really want to get their attention and/or teach them a lesson, the go on your cruise and either severely reduce or eliminate your onboard spending. Don't give them a chance to replace you with someone who is willing and able to spend.

 

 

Exactly