Anything positive to say about NCL?

[sparks1093]

My prices have actually gone down as well, but I don't cruise at popular times of the year.

 

I the forums have folks having an issue with the raising prices of cruises on their lines. Here is a comment that I saw on the Carnival forum: Seems like carnival is always pinching pennies, cutting cost and trying to save money some where. But prices do not reflect as they continue to increase. Not only that, but the person had an issue that Carnival is cutting staff and giving Cabin Stewards more cabins, so cabins will only be serviced once a day, opposed to NCL doing it twice a day?

 

I wish that I had the flexibility in my dates but unfortunately I don't and I have to say that I was surprised at how much they wanted for the cruise that I priced. So that is my conundrum- has NCL improved enough to be worth that much extra money?

[NLH Arizona]

I wish that I had the flexibility in my dates but unfortunately I don't and I have to say that I was surprised at how much they wanted for the cruise that I priced. So that is my conundrum- has NCL improved enough to be worth that much extra money?

They are going to jack up the prices on popular cruising times until they price it one rung too high and then it will settle down (I'm lucky to be retired and in a position to cruise at anytime of the year), but that is what pretty much all businesses do. I know you asked another poster to list the enhancements that would make paying $1,800 more palatable to you, but I don't think anyone can tell anyone what enhancements are of value to them. To me it is an enhancement that they have a la carte pricing, might not be to you. To me it is an enhancement that they charge the 18% gratuity on SDP and UBP, might not be to you. Getting rid of Nickelodeon is an enhancement to me, might not be to you. No kids pricing in specialty restaurants is an enhancement to me, might not be to you. The new Great Stirrup Cay exclusive lagoon enclave they are building is an enhancement to me, might not be to you. The Asian restaurant going complimentary is an enhancement to some, might not be to you. I could go on, but I hope you see my point. We all have to look at what we perceive as the value of our cruise and what we are willing to pay for that experience and everyone is different.

[AdoraBelle]

My year over year identical cruise on the GA, June 2015 v June 2016, studio cabin, cost $350 more. The main difference with 2015 is that I didn't have a "free" *cough* perk. I tried like heck to find a deal where I could get no-frills pricing on a studio rather than pay $350 for three nights of speciality dining for one person, but no joy.

[Samstress]

Mmm, I have seen recent comments from people complaining about the quality of the chardonnay on board. Blimey, to us wine is wine, it goes down the same way and hopefully will have the same impact.

 

I'm with you. As long as someone isn't making it in their basement...I'm fine with it!

[sparks1093]

They are going to jack up the prices on popular cruising times until they price it one rung too high and then it will settle down (I'm lucky to be retired and in a position to cruise at anytime of the year), but that is what pretty much all businesses do. I know you asked another poster to list the enhancements that would make paying $1,800 more palatable to you, but I don't think anyone can tell anyone what enhancements are of value to them. To me it is an enhancement that they have a la carte pricing, might not be to you. To me it is an enhancement that they charge the 18% gratuity on SDP and UBP, might not be to you. Getting rid of Nickelodeon is an enhancement to me, might not be to you. No kids pricing in specialty restaurants is an enhancement to me, might not be to you. The new Great Stirrup Cay exclusive lagoon enclave they are building is an enhancement to me, might not be to you. The Asian restaurant going complimentary is an enhancement to some, might not be to you. I could go on, but I hope you see my point. We all have to look at what we perceive as the value of our cruise and what we are willing to pay for that experience and everyone is different.

 

Well, I'll keep hoping that someone can quantify it for me.

[codered]

I went on my first NCL cruise last fall and liked it so much I'm going again this year. Every cruise line has its strengths and weaknesses. People who don't like crowds and having lots of kids around shouldn't cruise on the mega ships during the summer. I liked the vast amount of entertainment and dining options on Breakaway. Hope you enjoy your cruise.

[kathybelcher2433]

Well, I'll keep hoping that someone can quantify it for me.

 

 

I think you are asking for someone to build a straw man, just so you can knock it down. Most folks don't enjoy getting drawn into such debates.

[Honestlee314]

I

 

My only negative is my cruise came to an end and I had to go back to reality. I wish they would just let me stay onboard forever!

 

 

I am still waiting for the cruise fairy to grant me that wish!!! [emoji4] And while I wouldn't mind any cruiseline, I have only sailed NCL, about to again for the 7th time, I would hope it's NCL again!

 

This is a thread for positive right?

[Crusin6]

Just for fun....

 

Can any posters here list any improvements/enhancements that ncl has instituted lately?

 

 

I'm not talking about them adding the 18% to the free ubp upfront....for our convenience. Lol

 

 

I'm asking about real enhancements/improvements ....are there in fact any that aren't in the nickel and dime category?

 

 

I'm serious as I can't recall any

 

I've noticed though that stuff has been removed though such as the fireworks/menu items/free room service

 

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Edited August 6, 2016 by Crusin6

[AdoraBelle]

I did mention upthread that I thought food was slightly better on GA 2016 vs GA 2015. :)

 

Of course I ate about a third of my meals in FG ...

[Honestlee314]

Just for fun....

 

Can any posters here list any improvements/enhancements that ncl has instituted lately?

 

 

I'm not talking about them adding the 18% to the free ubp upfront....for our convenience. Lol

 

 

I'm asking about real enhancements/improvements ....are there in fact any that aren't in the nickel and dime category?

 

 

I'm serious as I can't recall any

 

I've noticed though that stuff has been removed though such as the fireworks/menu items/free room service

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

From my perspective... When I started cruising, there was no UBP, unless you spent an extra $1000+ (which, if you enjoy a "few" drinks while on board, is better than a surprise bill at the end) when you got on, so gratuities of 18% is not bad at all. SDP you use to have buy for the week, which we never used fully, now you can buy 3-7?.. Depending on cruise length, which is way better as we only like them on Sea Days or days when we don't have much going on. There are some things that are free now that were not before and when they first added the fee for room service, it was practically everything, but they went back on some. Additionally they are/have enhanced or upgraded a number of ships and are upgrading GSC. I know it may seem minuscule, but I find they are trying to keep up, and regardless, I LOVE the staff. And while everyone is complaining about FDR, he and NCL stated that they are about improving instead of making new ships, I agree!

 

Oh, and we enjoyed the food more last time!

Edited August 6, 2016 by Honestlee314

[fshagan]

I wish that I had the flexibility in my dates but unfortunately I don't and I have to say that I was surprised at how much they wanted for the cruise that I priced. So that is my conundrum- has NCL improved enough to be worth that much extra money?

 

We still like NCL and won't hesitate to cruise with the line again. We like the service, and the relaxed atmosphere that NCL does better than any other line we have tried. We think the staff are among the friendliest at sea.

 

We buy based on price and itinerary, and don't trust any cruise line to not change things at the last minute. All of the cruise contracts are nearly identical. The industry is trying to go up in price now that consumers are just starting to realize the recession has been over for several years.

 

But NCL has gone up more than others for the itineraries we are looking at. We've noticed that for any cruise we try to book with our warehouse store travel agency NCL is almost always the highest among Celebrity, HAL, Princess and RCL. Sometimes by quite a lot. That wasn't the case last year. Those lines have gone up also, but I think NCL has gone up more.

 

So my advice would be that you will probably enjoy NCL quite a bit; we didn't notice any difference from past service or food, etc. on our last cruise. But there may be better deals out there.

[MrMan]

But they have a list, which apparently trumps anything good that anyone else may have experienced. :)

 

Post of the year!

[abe3]

Oh yes the whiners list.

[stickey_mouse]

I'm amused by the negativity of those complaining about those who complain and are negative.

Edited August 6, 2016 by stickey_mouse

[AdoraBelle]

Oh yes the whiners list.

 

 

Weird thing. I read all the cruise lines' forums, including the DIS forums where DCL has a lot more discussion that here.

 

None of those other lines have a list, or at least not one that is now basically "The List".

 

Which do you think is more likely?

 

1) NCL somehow attracts more cruisers who like to complain (would like to see how that works, statistically)

 

-or-

 

2) NCL has made a huge number of customer-unfriendly policy changes in the last two years

 

Hmm...

 

(P.s., you can try using "whiner" as an insult, but don't try to convince yourself that there's something inherently noble about rolling over and quietly taking it from a billion dollar corporation.)

Edited August 6, 2016 by AdoraBelle

[Kaptivate]

Can I please get a link to "the list" . It might be an intriguing read for some of us who have not been cruising for many years.

 

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[AdoraBelle]

Can I please get a link to "the list" . It might be an intriguing read for some of us who have not been cruising for many years.

 

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=50493703

 

This week they also bumped a number of drink prices above the $15 UBP range.

[KeithJenner]

Weird thing. I read all the cruise lines' forums, including the DIS forums where DCL has a lot more discussion that here.

 

None of those other lines have a list, or at least not one that is now basically "The List".

 

Which do you think is more likely?

 

1) NCL somehow attracts more cruisers who like to complain (would like to see how that works, statistically)

 

-or-

 

2) NCL has made a huge number of customer-unfriendly policy changes in the last two years

 

 

Without a question it's 2, but that isn't the point.

 

My point is that I've seen the list get wheeled out in response to people reporting their real life positive experiences with NCL.

 

"You may think you had a good time, but I know you didn't really and here's my list to prove it"

[KeithJenner]

Just for fun....

 

Can any posters here list any improvements/enhancements that ncl has instituted lately?

 

 

I'm not talking about them adding the 18% to the free ubp upfront....for our convenience. Lol

 

 

I'm asking about real enhancements/improvements ....are there in fact any that aren't in the nickel and dime category?

 

 

I'm serious as I can't recall any

 

I've noticed though that stuff has been removed though such as the fireworks/menu items/free room service

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

The problem with this is that so much of this is personal preference. The negative list includes a number of items which some people see as positives, but they are still persistently quoted.

 

I know from experience that if I was to state the things with I believe have improved things then I will just have to hear about why I'm wrong in thinking that not having to pay for the Asian restaurant is an improvement for me. I notice that it never gets taken off the negative list however, even though the fact that you can now struggle to get in (it was very often empty when chargeable) suggests that I'm not unique in my opinion.

 

Undoubtedly there are more potential negative changes than positive. The impact to individuals is what actually matters in real life though. In this thread I've given a couple of examples of things that some people see as negatives but are positives to others of us.

 

For me, the only factors which have made any really noticeable difference are the issues with dealing with head office and the extra charges. I don't deal with head office on the ship, and I roll the prices up into one and look at the total I pay which is almost exactly the same as it was years ago. The fact that there pay be a dozen different changes which have all together added a few pounds to my bill is irrelevant.

 

Onboard, my experience recently is that there is extremely little impact to the enjoyment of my cruise. That's the key thing for me.

 

If I had to pick one change that I see as a real positive for us it's the change from UDP to SDP (which is on the negative list). It has encouraged us to eat at the speciality restaurants more than we did, for a relatively small extra cost. We were discussing our upcoming cruise the other day and all agreed that this is something that we are really pleased that we do.

 

My sons reaction yesterday when I reminded him that we are going to Teppenyaki next weekend was one of those things that any parent loves to see. I'm not saying we wouldn't have been going if it wasn't for the SDP, but the place was never on our radar pre SDP.

 

But apparently it's a bad thing. I know, because the list says.

Edited August 6, 2016 by KeithJenner

[tinkr2]

I have sailed on Carnival, Royal, NCL, Disney, MSC and Princess. Overall I found the experience on them all to be more similar than not. Whether you enjoy it has more to do with your outlook and what things may bother you or not. Out of them all I would say NCL has been my least favorite - basically I like having the same dining staff and set times (I have never had to dine with strangers on any other cruise, I have always gotten a table just for us or our group). I like getting to know the wait staff and miss that on NCL. I also have found the food on NCL to be the least memorable of all cruises I have been on.

 

Most people who brag about NCL are often booked in the Haven, which is really just a different experience in general.

 

Entertainment I found to be pretty awful on NCL, I can't stand Second City and don't care for the comedians they have on their ships. They don't have large style Broadway type shows on the smaller ships, like the Star and the Pearl. I have sailed both of those and can't recall any entertainment that we went to after dinner. The Breakaway at least I remember Rock of Ages and Burn the Floor.

 

I have another NCL cruise booked because I really wanted a cruise that was closer and it ended up being a better price than the Anthem in October. I was able to book a mini suite with 2 drink packages including tip for less than an oceanview on the Anthem, so we jumped at it.

 

Overall I don't really like some of the changes, but most don't really bother me. I don't order room service, I do drink Mtn Dew (pepsi product), I don't drink wine or beer so their selections their don't bother me, and their cocktails are fine to me and I will get great use from the drink package. I wouldn't ever drink the $80 a day the package cost, but I clearly would have spent more in 7 days than the $94 (Est) gratuity cost me.

I think you missed the whole please say only positive things point of the original poster:confused:

[tinkr2]

Well I just read through this whole list of "positive comments" lol.

I am not a newbie, 30 cruises in, from premium to all the mainstream lines. Our first cruise on NCL was on getaway in May. Yes we were in the haven but none of the rest of our family was so we spent zero time in there. The ship is very pretty and well kept. I found the food to be from good to great. The shows were nice , not my favorite but still enjoyable. I thought the drinks were great... slight bias because most were from haven bar bc of the perfect service there.

The ropes course is outstanding fun. Walk the plank is awe inspiring.

Water slides were fantastic and fast! There was a great mix of things to do for all age groups and interests.

Ocean Blue was one of the best dining experiences that I have had in years. Truly lovely seafood and perfect, fine dining service.

get ready to have a great time! We have Escape coming up and I could care a less about all the complaints and neither should you.:p

[sparks1093]

I think you are asking for someone to build a straw man, just so you can knock it down. Most folks don't enjoy getting drawn into such debates.

 

I'm sorry you feel that way but it is a question that people in my position need to have answered- we've had great experiences on NCL in the past and now we have to decide has NCL improved so much that it is worth the extra money. I don't sail solo, I don't sail in suites, I don't get my cruises comped. I sail in mid-ship balcony cabins. Del Rio wants to make NCL a premium line, people on this forum have sailed on premium lines and on NCL- are the experiences the same? Since the Gem cruise that I priced is $300 more than a comparable Celebrity cruise it appears that at least in some cases they are already charging premium pricing. So if someone sailed X and NCL, especially since the changes, were the experiences so similar it would be hard to tell them apart? What has NCL improved onboard to make them more like X?

 

I know that it is hard to answer a question like the one I am asking but again, it's the one I need to have answered before I can even think about booking an NCL cruise, especially booking so far into the future.

[ighten]

Cavern on the Epic... Best small live music venue on any ship with decent/excellent guest bands other than the (also very good) Beatles

[KeithJenner]

I'm sorry you feel that way but it is a question that people in my position need to have answered- we've had great experiences on NCL in the past and now we have to decide has NCL improved so much that it is worth the extra money. I don't sail solo, I don't sail in suites, I don't get my cruises comped. I sail in mid-ship balcony cabins. Del Rio wants to make NCL a premium line, people on this forum have sailed on premium lines and on NCL- are the experiences the same? Since the Gem cruise that I priced is $300 more than a comparable Celebrity cruise it appears that at least in some cases they are already charging premium pricing. So if someone sailed X and NCL, especially since the changes, were the experiences so similar it would be hard to tell them apart? What has NCL improved onboard to make them more like X?

 

 

 

I know that it is hard to answer a question like the one I am asking but again, it's the one I need to have answered before I can even think about booking an NCL cruise, especially booking so far into the future.

 

 

 

The fact that you aren't getting the answer would confirm what I said earlier. You aren't going to. It's too specific to you.

 

I believe that, when you take prices a few years ago, they were very good value. An increase up to about 10% wouldn't put me off.

 

The increase you are seeing looks far more than that. Improvements to justify that would have to be quite significant.

 

I literally don't care whether you book NCL again. I'm certainly not going to try to convince you to. It's a decision for you.

 

I don't need to find things to justify such an increase. I'm going to drop out of this conversation in a while as I'm starting my journey to join the Star. That is costing us about 1-2% more than an equivalent cruise did a few years ago (and is the only one we have booked which isn't cheaper). I have no need to decide whether these price differences should affect our decisions. If we do get to that situation then I will rely on my knowledge of what is important to me to decide. I won't be constantly asking strangers on the Internet.